Hades Rodriguez, Victor

My Victory tour was probably the best one ever. No one was mad at me, since I didn't kill anyone. Everyone else was said their Tributes didn't win, but if they couldn't, they were happy it was a normal little kid from Seven. I hadn't made any enemies.

"I'd like to thank Fable and Calvin for not coming after me at the Bloodbath, because if they had, I definitely would have died," I said. Of all the feasts, One was the best. The normal people there were about as rich as I was. They had everything.

"Daren didn't come for me in the Bloodbath, which was very nice. I didn't see Jessie after the first day, which was a good thing for me," I said. Two had plainer food, but it was still really good.

"Tatsuya and Jayla both seemed really smart. I'm sorry they didn't get to come home," I said. Three was really into "molecular gastronomy", but the foams, fruit beads, and edible sand were really cool.

"Patrick told us he wasn't going to kill any little kids, and he didn't. Most people wouldn't keep that promise. I heard Amphilia only joined because the chosen girl was mean. I guess that's not nice for me to say, but I'm glad it wasn't her," I said. I didn't care for the fish. It was slimy.

"Lilei was a really good artist. I wish I'd kept her poster. Totem was really funny, and also really strong," I said. All the food in Five tasted like it had been shipped a long way, which made sense.

"Rory died early, so I didn't get to see what he was like," I fibbed. "Sofia was really nice. I'm sorry this year didn't work out for you." The food in Six tasted like the food in Five.

"I think everyone knows how strong Zibby was. I'm surprised she didn't wreck the whole Arena. Alistair was nice to me even though he was way older," I said. Eight's feast didn't taste fresh either, but the tablecloths were really pretty.

"Lyann was like everyone's mom. She acted way older than the rest of us. Jacob was more laid-back, and he was really funny," I said. Nine had a lot of bread, but I liked bread.

"Philip was always really busy. I hardly ever got to see him. I was kind of scared of Mel, so I tried not to see her either. She wasn't mean- she just seemed really strong," I said. I'd never had steak before, at least not hot. Sometimes I snitched scraps off Peacekeepers' discarded plates, but this stuff was warm and made just for me.

"Thay was really nice even though he was rich. Soya was always super polite," I said. Eleven had all sorts of weird fruits. I'd never had a kiwi before.

"Appaloosa said she'd protect the little kids and she did all the way until she died. We all liked her," I said. Dayley was always really positive, even when I was scared." I was glad to visit Twelve. I didn't care what food it was, as long as they got to eat too.

Getting home was surreal. People were lined up around the train screaming and waving flags. I could barely get out- Paul had to part the crowd like a football player. One lady got past him, though.

I'd never seen my mom cry like that. I'd never seen her that emotional at all. She plowed into me and picked me up like I was still a baby. It would have been embarrassing, but then I started crying too and no one could tell because I was squished into her.


One year later

"What time is it?" the announcer asked.

"Time for Hades and Bacchus!" a canned audience replied.

"With your host, Hades Rodriguez!"

After the wacky intro clips finished, the camera cut to me standing in a rocky field. I was dressed in wilderness khakis and Bacchus was perched on my shoulder, wearing a tiny explorer hat.

"Good day, everyone! Today I'm in the deserts of Two. It's really hot here. Look at that sun!" I pointed at the sky. "Anyway, today I'm hoping to show you a roadrunner..."

I was one of a few Victors who knew exactly what they wanted to do for their talents. The Capitol thought a nature show was a great idea, and I was on the air in weeks. Every show I went somewhere new and pointed out new animals, though sometimes we cheated and filmed a lot of episodes at once in one location. Sometimes I talked about legendary animals and how they were based on real ones. It wasn't a big hit, but it had viewers. Mostly kids, which was the way I liked it.

In general, life was good. I could buy my mom a bunch of stuff she deserved and I didn't have to worry about having a job or going into the Games anymore. For a while I felt out of place in the Capitol, but then one day I was playing marbles and Cornflower plopped down like she was meant to be there. Turned out she was just a kid with a grownup's body.

People always said no one ever really won the Games. I could see what they were saying, but I seemed to have cheated the odds in more ways than one. Except for not liking the cold- another thing I shared with Cornflower- I was pretty okay. If Fable was still around, she would have liked the ending to this story.


And another story ends. I already have the next one up, and it's Resurrection so don't worry about reserving. But it's good to have Hades, and it will be really funny next year when he's mentoring ten people, some of which are older than he is. I'm sure he'll stay happy. Sometimes even the Hunger Games can't keep someone down.