Princess of the Sea
By CyanideMuffins7
Chapter 25: God Complex
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Hunger Games, the trilogy or any of the characters Suzanne Collins has created. I only take credit for the characters I have created and the plot I have made.
Once Magnus and the other boy were a few yards ahead of me, I begin to follow them. I make sure I muffle my steps and stay quiet as I do. If Magnus could lead me to their current camp, I can find Hei. My plan is once I catch him alone, I'll confront him. Then I'll ask him to alliance with me and then we'll raise hell against Omega and the Careers. It's obviously not a foolproof plan, but it's the best I can think of at this time. If I had known this two days ago, then I would have a more thought out plan.
The images of the two begin to become faint and they walk right out of my sight. Did they know I was following them? No, if they did then they would have attacked me already.
I stop to catch my breath a little bit before walking again. They were heading north, maybe the camp is in that direction. I continue to make my journey to the Career camp until I begin to hear a distant sound of footsteps to my left. I turn my head to see if anything was there. My eyes were able to see a girl walking with a flashlight in her hand, searching. I took a second to force myself to hide behind a tree before the light had shined towards me, but I think she saw me. I keep my hand ready on my harpoon gun, waiting for her to attack me. The light lingered past me until it was out of my sight and the footsteps continued on its path. That was a close one.
Why are there Tributes walking around? Do they not know that they're creatures skulking (or waddling) about? Maybe the Careers and Omega has disbanded. But that wouldn't be logical at this point in the Game.
Well, if there are more Tributes scanning around, I'm not going to be walking leisurely through the trees. I'm heading to my destination as fast as I can. When I am sure that the girl is gone, I quickly dart from the tree and just run north. I'm not positive that the direction even is north. Maybe if I find more Tributes around, I can make it to their camp. If I'm lucky, Hei might be around. I'm almost there. I just need a few more runs to get there.
But my feet stop abruptly as I notice his eyes were looking straight into me. Hei's eyes were on me as I stop. We were face to face, weapons armed. It seems like the Careers recovered their weapons.
Hei wouldn't warn the Careers that I was here. If my assumption is correct, he would talk to me. But I'm caught off guard and he quickly thrusts his cleaver at me. I move quickly to the side, pull, then release the spear on my harpoon gun but I miss and it hit right into the tree.
I can't go for it now. I drop the gun and unsheathe my knife. I roll out of the way before he tried to cleave into me. I get on my feet and ready myself for his next move. Hei uses both cleavers and swings in front of me, but I manage to block it with my dagger. I use all of my strength to push him off.
"Why were you helping me?" I ask as he got back up on his feet. I ready myself again as he swings at me, leaving me an open slit on my right upper arm. I cringe in pain, but I don't let out any noise. I keep it in.
"What are you talking about?" He responded with a stern look in his face. But I can see his eyes seem to tell me that it was a lie.
"The food you left behind and the medicine you gave me. I know you're trying to help me." I say, catching my breath before he swung again. I dodge it, thankfully not a scratch on me this time. I glance over to the spear on the tree and make my way towards it while dodging Hei's swings. As I got to the tree, I quickly yanked out the spear and pull the gun towards me. The last swing gave me enough leverage to hop back hull in the gun. I quickly load back in the spear and pointed it right at Hei.
"Look, just this once we can work together and take down the Careers and Jadalis. We don't have to be enemies, Hei." I say sternly as I keep my grip on the gun steady. Hei doesn't move, but I don't see any trembling or sweating to indicate if he is nervous. But I look into his light brown eyes, and they were telling me something. That he was considering it. Hei was considering fighting on the same side as me.
"The deal is off, Hei." I look past Hei's shoulders to see the Omega team emerging from behind the trees. There was the District 8 Tributes, the District 10 girl and Jadalis standing in front of them. I notice Jadalis got her hands on a bow and arrow since the last time I saw her. Hei turns away from me and to Jadalis.
"What do you mean?" He says, quite angrily.
A deal between Hei and Omega? Why would Hei be collaborating with the Omega team? Unless he was planning to take down the Careers with them.
"I want to kill her myself. Lena doesn't deserve it." Jadalis sneered as she glanced over at me.
Wait. Were the Careers and Omega working together, to hunt me down? I brought two polar alliances together to take me down, because I'm the number one threat in this arena? I guess that explains why some of the Careers were patrolling around. It was to look for me. If they saw me on sight, they would have killed me or brought me to Lena, where she would most likely behead me.
But what did I do to make Jadalis want to kill me? To my knowledge, I haven't done anything to her. My mind then plugged in the equation and the answer was there. Jadalis was annoyed, and at times stressed out because of Canon. But the way she dealt with him, that mother like nagging quality she had. That quality that brought some of the other Tributes to alliance with her, the quality that made her lead. These Tributes weren't just allies to her, but her children and so was Canon. Now it makes sense. If you get near any of the bear's cubs, she's not afraid to kill.
Hei's fists tightened and glares at them, "Turn around before I kill you all." Jadalis glares back at Hei, "She's just a thorn in the flesh, what does it matter. I must have my revenge."
My limbs felt frozen and my skin crawls. But in a quick motion, Jadalis had her bow ready on me. This is it, isn't it? My promise I had made to Valentine and Dad was broken. I will be the soldier who will be carried home, in a crate to be buried at sea. I can imagine Dad and Valentine watching this right now. Valentine is probably holding onto Dad tight, waiting for me to move and shoot at Jadalis. But I couldn't.
Right before my eyes, Hei jumps on me and I fall onto the ground. He's hunched over me, looking straight into my eyes while I look into his. I hear multiple arrows shoot towards us, seeing a few pass by us. But as I look into Hei's eyes, he was struggling. I notice his arms are trembling beside my head before he collapses right on top of me. That was when I notice one arrow was coming out of his back.
"Jadalis, the hovercraft is going to be here. We can get her later. Let's go." Said the District 8 girl. Jadalis nodded and turned around, while her team followed her.
I hear Hei grunt as he attempts to stand up, trembling in the process. But once he got onto his feet, he fell back to the ground on his back. I collect myself and dash to Hei's side. I search through my pack to see if I have anything to help him. But there was nothing, everything was useless. I look back to Hei. His face is getting pale now. He cringes, keeping his grasp on his life.
"Stay with me Hei! I'll get bandages and medicine soon." I say as I keep my eyes locked on him. I begin to send thoughts to Finnick for a silver parachute to fall right beside me, containing medicine and bandages ready for me to patch Hei up. I waited… It has to come. It just has to.
Hei's pain stricken eyes slowly lock onto mine. It was like dozens of daggers stabbing into my soul, painfully twisting my emotions within me. Why was I feeling this?
The corners of his mouth forcefully moved upwards, while his eyes were still on me. I couldn't move. It was like everything inside of me that controlled my movements stopped. His hand struggles to reach up to me. It was like I was the only thing in the world at this moment that was important, something that was extraordinary.
His cold bloody hand gently caressed my warm cheek. It feels comfortable, something familiar. Our eyes were still locked within each other. But I was able to see the glimmer of life he was struggling to grasp, slip right from his hands as his eyes close. Hei's hand slips from my cheek and drops onto the ground beside me.
I keep my eyes on his eyelids, hoping it was some sort of trick. He would get up and everything will just be better. There was only one way to check.
I gingerly place my hands on his torso and lay my ear on his chest, waiting for that beat. My memory of my mother's death seemed to have spliced together with what I was doing now. My heart had sunk, it was silent.
I then hear the cannon, indicating that he was officially gone. A bright white light shines down on the two of us. I look up, to be blinded by the light but I knew it was the hovercraft, preparing to take him away. My eyes adjust to the light and the metal claw began to slowly drop down.
I immediately throw my body on top of him, shielding him like Hei had done for me, "You can't take him!" I yell while burying my face into his chest. I then feel a sharp pain my shoulder that blasts me off of Hei. I slowly get back up as the metal claw has already picked Hei up and brought him inside. I arm myself with my harpoon gun. I quickly aim straight at the window of the cockpit. The glass shatters and it seems like I snagged right onto something. I began to pull as much as I could, for as long as I could. Then something whizzes past my head and hits my other shoulder, causing me to fall onto the ground paralyzed.
I watched helplessly as the hovercraft materialized with my only weapon. I had to lay there for a moment before I was able to move my body again.
Why…why are they doing this to me? My eyes caught a sand colored paper where Hei had laid.
I slowly rise to my feet, struggling to stand. I was able to move, but I'm not able to feel my body. I stagger over to the giant blood puddle where Hei was. The note had lain beside it, folded nicely. I plop myself down beside the puddle and gently took the note. My numb fingers slowly unfold the thick paper. The writing was written legibly and in charcoal.
The letter was long, but it was scribbled out. Although I was able to make out what he had written.
Pandora,
I know I won't see this through. I want this to mean something and not a waste of time if you're already dead. I know that you hate me, for everything: the bullying, joining the Careers, and anything else I have done to hurt you. But I'm sorry. The weak can never forgive while the strong can. I'm weak, and I can never forgive myself for what I had done. But you're the strongest person I know, and I know you can forgive me.
I can only protect you from the Careers for so long. But if things didn't turn out as I planned, then you probably killed me when the time came, or I was stabbed in the back by the Careers.
After that I couldn't read it. It was too scribbled out to read. But what was I feeling right now. I feel like my eyes begin to feel very warm and my chest pounding. My assumption was right; Hei was helping me this entire time. All my life, his bullying was a way of saying, 'Look at me, pay attention to me'. I only thought of it as a nuisance. But now, I regret never really talking to him.
My eyes catch something at the bottom of the paper, that wasn't scribbled out. I quickly began to read it.
Pandora,
I love you. Thanks for the memories.
-Hei
My vision becomes blurry, and tears are streaming down my cheeks. The tears were so unfamiliar to me. I haven't felt tears since Mom died. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't real, it must not be. This can't be. It's all a dream, a nightmare where I imagine myself in the Games and the Gamemakers were toying with me, like I'm a puppet.
Just wake up, wake up you stupid idiot. Wake up. But I failed to realize the letter was shaking unbearably within my hands.
I brought the letter to my face. This was real. This was real…
I dropped my arms beside me and I scream at the top of my lungs, letting my shriek resonate throughout the arena. I don't care if I just revealed my location for the Tributes. I don't care about anything right now, except for Hei. I then take in a deep breath and let another painful shriek.
When I go in for another painful scream, drops of cold water fell on my face. The rain mixed in with my tears, but it didn't wash away my sorrows. The Gamemakers wanted to make my moment more dramatic with rain. I'm done. I'm just done with everything. I lost Wren, Canon, Coda, Bachus and now Hei by these damn tributes. They are to blame, and they must pay.
I look down at the pool of blood, reflecting the once beautiful Princess, who had turned into the last one left in her world. I quickly fold the letter and I stuff it in my pack. They must pay for what they had done. I then dashed the way the Omega team had gone. Even though I couldn't feel my legs, I keep sprinting while ignoring the numbness in my body.
My eyes then catch sight of the back of Jadalis's head. I continue running until I tackle her down. I yank her bow from her back and break it, then tossing the sheath of arrows aside. I pounded her shoulder blades until I heard something crack. One of the other tributes hurled me off of Jadalis and attempted throwing a knife at me, but it pathetically fell in front of me. I jump back on my feet and throw as much punches and kicks as I could at the Tributes. But the Tributes manage to corner me into a giant willow. Jadalis hangs her arms in front of her glaring at me.
"Just kill her now!" Jadalis ordered. These Tributes were practically nothing compared to my skills. But they had the upper hand; they had weapons while I have only my fists. But if this is what it took to kill them then so be it.
A silver parachute slowly began to land beside me. I hold my hand out to catch it within my numb hands. I feel a thin rod fall gracefully in my palm as my fingers curled around it. I brought the object in front of me, so I was able to see what I was gifted. It felt like a trident, but it was a javelin. The rod was teal colored while the blade was in the shape of a cross.
The Tributes' eyes were all on me, with wide eyes. This was a symbol of death to them. To me, it was a symbol of payment. Thank you Finnick.
My mind dares not play tricks on me to imagine them to be fishes. They were all humans to me. I didn't hesitate to end them. The blade pierces right through the one of the Tribute's skull while I slam another one into a tree, smashing in his face. I pull out the javelin and throw it at the District 10 girl who was attempting to run away, until my javelin skewers her torso. I sprint next the District 10 girl and pull out the javelin that skewers her. I turn to Jadalis who was cornering herself into the same willow tree I was at. I ready my weapon and charge straight at her neck. The blade pierced into her flesh, followed by gushes of blood oozing from the wound. She twitches while struggling to breath. I then pull the javelin up, separating her head from her body. The head flung over me and landed straight into the tree. The body then slipped down the trunk of the tree. Five consistent gun shots were fired, and I walk away from the bloody scene before the hovercraft would arrive.
Justice was done and this was it. This was my glory.
I keep walking but I feel tears gently sliding down my cheeks. I just let it out. I cover my eyes with my free hand and begin to just sob. I become overwhelmed with tears and I lean against the tree, sliding down to the ground.
Everyone must die. The Careers will die. I will be the last one standing while the arena will be flooded with their blood.