Chapter 11

He vomited the first night of the Games. Ajax had told him that would happen, but he was surprised when it actually did. Somehow Cato thought he would be the exception, that after all he had already gone through nothing could affect him. But when the adrenaline died and there was only the smell of blood, and it was nothing like the yeasty mix of going down on Glimmer during her cycle, his stomach revolted. They were monsters and the only way the mother of his sons would survive would be if he became the worst monster of them all. Animal screams grew in his acid washed throat. He wanted to damn the Capital, the Games, and all of Panem, but that would cost him sponsors, so he strangled the rage inside him. Glimmer saved him. She found him in the woods, wiped his face, and gently brought him back to civilized. "We should get back to the Cornucopia. The group has a camp set up." She said.

At the Cornucopia, Glimmer seemed to be in charge. She was the calmest, washing off Clove's face and talking softly to her, and getting Marvel and the others to eat. He had always known she was strong, but this afternoon was more than he ever dreamed. Everyone else was a wreck, but Glimmer's smile lit up the twilight. It made him wonder just what horrors she had to smile and pretend everything was normal through in the Vicehood. The group was larger than he anticipated. Marvel and Clove were an obvious, but they also had the boy from District Three and Peeta Mallark.

"Marvel should have wasted both of them," Cato whispered to Glimmer.

She gestured to where the boy from industrial district worked at a table covered with metal discs. "He worked in the factory where the mines were produced. He says he can reactivate them."

Okay, that was a skill worth trading for a few more days of life. "And Loverboy?"

"Marvel thinks he might be useful in finding Katniss Everdeen." Glimmer expression indicated how little she agreed with that idea.

Cato reached out and massaged her shoulder. He could feel rock hard knots of tension and fear. "You're right. He really loves her. He won't help us find her."

"Maybe we can use him as a lure," Glimmer suggested. "I wish we had the redhead from District Five. She could figure out how to reactivate those mines and find the Girl on Fire for us."

He saw her hand shoot up to cover her eyes and knew she was fighting back tears. He had to distract her. There were too many cameras in the Arena. "Who has the first watch?"

"Clove," she said.

"Is there anywhere other than the ground or the floor to sleep?" Cato asked.

Her eyes sparkled. His Glimmer was in rare, perfect form tonight. She took him by the hand and led him to back of the Cornucopia. "Look what I found," she whispered. An inflated double mattress lay on the floor in front of them. She pushed him down on to the soft surface. "I don't think there are many cameras back here," she said.

"Who cares? They'll just edit out anything they don't want the rest of Panem to see." He undid her pants. He wished they could get fully naked again, but it was too dangerous. At least, they had these few nights left together.

Glimmer touched his arm. "I don't like being masturbation fodder for Plutarch."

He had to laugh at that.

She sank down on top of him. She probably intended on straddling him while they made love. Cool with him, he had used up a lot of energy making his kills. Luckily, Glimmer was the goddess that could renew his strength. But she still looked a little sad. He pulled her as close as he could. "I love you," he whispered.

Her head shot up immediately. "Why did you say that?"

"It seemed like the right time. I wanted you to hear it before I die." He said.

There were tears leaking out of Glimmer's eyes. He licked them away and whispered the words again and again until they were having sex and he had to scream.


It took two days and a half for the tracker-jacker venom to work out of their systems enough to regroup at the Cornucopia. He had found his sword, but Glimmer's body had already been removed. Maybe that was for the best. He would always remember her the way she lived, radiant and beautiful, not the way she died, face distorted and inflamed from multiple tracker-jacker sings. The pain she had suffered before dying would have been so overwhelmingly visible he couldn't have controlled his own feelings. He would have broke down again and that was the most dangerous thing that could happen now. Okay, change of plans, win, so your sons have at least one parent. Whatever happens, I'll be a better father than the one I had.

Clove brought him food. "I'm sorry. I know you loved her."

"With a body like that, who wouldn't?" Marvel said.

Cato glared at him. "Watch your mouth. She was the mother of my children." It felt good to say that even though he knew the censors would edit it out.

Marvel and Peeta looked stunned. Clove not so much. Marvel spoke first. "Whoa! They let you breed already! Trainers in One say don't even think about it until you win."

"They weren't exactly in favor of it, but things happen," Cato said. He reached for his sword.

Clove spoke. "There were all sorts of rumors when she left the Academy. When I told my mom everything that had happened, she said, 'Well, of course, she was pregnant. Come on, Clove, you're supposed to be a bright girl. What other explanation could there be.' What happened to the children?"

"My mother and my brother took them. They'll raise them in a Peacekeeper village. All my mother's people are Peacekeepers." Cato said.

At least, Peeta Mallark hadn't said anything, but his presence seemed intolerable now. Cato glanced over at him, noting the perpetual sensitive boy look on his face. You weren't the great love story of the Games, but you're getting the credit for it. Hell, I don't even think that girl from District 12 cares if you exist. That's unearned valor. Cato stood up and walked toward Peeta Mallark who scrambled to grab his spear.


He was cooking a rabbit when they made the special announcement that two Champions would be allowed for this year's Hunger Games provided that they came from the same district. It still wouldn't have helped us, my love. No doubt the change was all because of Peeta Mallark and Katniss Everdeen and his rage against them burned even harder than sorrow for awhile. He felt like crying a little, but held it back. Now was the time to live for his sons and live to keep a friend alive too. He found Clove and dropped half the roasted rabbit down beside her. "Eat. Both of us can make it out of this alive."

Her gaze held knives. "I'm not interested in stepmothering your little bastards."

"I could care less who you end up with. I'm just sick of seeing people die." He said.

The way she tore into the rabbit reminded him of how Glimmer ate sometimes, but somehow the memory didn't cause him immediate pain. As long as he could still remember she was still with him. Something like hope at least was growing in him that the world wasn't going to be as bad as he thought it would be. And he thought of something he could say to Clove that might help her also. "You know, Thor really loves you. It's not like with his other girls."

She swallowed and turned her attention his way. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because if I can't keep my woman safe, keeping my buddy's safe is the next best thing. I'll do the heavy killing. You just watch my back." He said.

She nodded. "Throwing knives work better at a distance than in close combat." She pulled a bucket out from behind her back and sat it between them. It was filled with dried fruit, grain bars and pieces of bread. "I salvaged this from the ruins at the Cornucopia. Eat. Rabbit meat alone will leave you malnourished."