Chapter 18:

Lockdown

Seraphim Lukianas, Co-Head Gamemaker

Just one night. All he wanted was one night where he didn't get dragged into a national security issue. Was that too much for him to ask? Apparently it was.

When he walks into the room and finds one of his tributes sitting there, tied down to a chair, he has to stop for a moment in disbelief. How did things change so quickly? How did he go from a Gamemaker scared of losing his job to being involved in interrogations of tributes in just a couple years?

He's silent as Theodosius nods his head in greeting and Kostas moves to join him. A heavy silence sits over them as they watch Juno, sitting in his chair and still having the audacity to be smug in this situation.

The silence is broken when the door opens again, revealing a man Seraphim had only met tonight, yet seems to know Kostas and Theodosius well. Julian saunters into the room, wearing a large albino snake around his neck that makes Seraphim take a step back from immediately. He grins at seeing the reactions his mutt causes and pets the snake's head lovingly. "Everyone, say hello to Noodle. I hear we are in need of her."

Kostas rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him, "Why must you name every dangerous mutt of yours something innocent?"

Julian doesn't answer, just gives a shrug and brings Noodle's head up to kiss the back of it. "Do you want her help or not?"

"Yes please," Theodosius answers, getting them all back on track. He gestures at Juno handcuffed to his chair and his eyes widen in fear. "It's time to see her in action. This fella thought he could sneak into the Games Headquarters and we need to know why."

"She'll give you the answers you need," Julian says, petting Noodle's head lovingly for a moment before turning to face Juno.

"Please, don't let the snake bite me!" Juno begs them, trying to shift back in his chair to get further away from the crazed Mutt Researcher. "I don't want to be poisoned!"

"Oh she'll do something much different," Julian answers slowly with a cackle as he takes Noodle off of his shoulders and sets her onto the table. She stares Juno down as she slithers closer to him. "Noodle, strike."

Juno screams as the snake bites him and when she lets go, Julian pulls a rat out of his bag and feeds it to her. "Very good girl!" he praises the snake before turning back to Juno, who has an absolutely mortified look on his face and eyes turning just a little glossing at what seems to be his death as two little pinpricks bleed on his neck. "Oh don't give me tears, she isn't venomous in the traditional sense. She just injected you with a truth serum so give it about…hmm five minutes and you'll be spilling all your secrets."

"Couldn't we have just injected him with a needle?" Seraphim asks, not liking the way Julian narrows his eyes at his question. "I mean, Lisia did it before…" he trails off at the looks he gets from Theodosius, Kostas, and Julian, feeling so out of place with this. Intimidation and questioning really isn't his thing, maybe he should just wait in the hallway until they're done…

"It's all about the fear factor," Theodosius answers as if Juno isn't even there. "And Noodle needed a field test."

"Apparently me spilling my feelings to Magnus wasn't a good enough field test," Julian grumbles under his breath and Seraphim just has so many questions about that. He shakes his head and turns his focus to Juno, tilting his head as he stares him down. "Lets see if the serum has taken yet. What's the dumbest mistake you've made in recent memory?"

Juno looks like he doesn't want to answer that but it soon spills out. "I was doing work at my desk and I fell asleep while chewing gum and it got in my hair and my sister had to spend at least a half our getting it out." He snaps his mouth shut at that and glares at Julian. "Screw you for this."

Julian can only laugh at Juno's answer. "That's rough, dude. Anyways, he's ready to go."

Theodosius cracks his knuckles as he takes Julian's spot in front of Juno. Julian moves to the side of the room near Seraphim, and he quickly moves to the opposite side to stay away from him. "Alright, let's start with why were you in the Games Headquarters?"

"I was trying to double cross Crow to work a deal with you," Juno answers, wincing at how that sounds. "He's a rebel I've done some thief jobs with in the past and he found me here, trying to steal Adam's son."

Seraphim's face pales at that and he can feel his heart beating faster in his chest as they all turn to look at him. "My mom," he whispers and Kostas lets out a curse as she pulls out her phone and quickly makes a call. He can only grip the table in front of him in fear, waiting to know she's safe. If something happened to her…

"She's safe, no one has gotten near her," Kostas finally says and he lets out a huge sigh of relief. "We're sending more guards to her room. Now, back to this one."

"What kind of thief jobs? And who is this man?" Theodosius asks, holding in any surprise by that.

"He just goes by Crow, probably in his 40s, but he doesn't say much," Juno says before letting out a laugh at that question and manages to give a cocky grin. "And lots of things. The rebels paid well – that's the only reason I did work for them. But lets see, we had the standard blackmail from politicians, gemstones in some mines in Five, robbed a bank in Four, Fonio's favorite pair of boxers – don't ask, it made a crapton of money."

"Who would want that?" Julian asks in disgust and Theodosius just shushes him before gesturing at Juno to continue.

"Oh we also stole Delta's armor from the Quell Arena Museum, sorry about that," Juno gives a shrug, as if he wasn't responsible for stealing something major from them. "When you need money for your sister to live, you do whatever it takes. That's why I was going to betray Crow so we could work a deal for my sister to get her treatment, regardless if I win or not."

"You'll be lucky if we let you win now," Theodosius warns and the blood leaves Juno's face. "Are you a rebel agent?"

"Fuck no," Juno snorts at that thought and Seraphim can't help but feel slightly relieved at that. He doesn't know what he'd do if Juno was a rebel. "Like I said, I need money. Don't like some aspects of the Capitol, but overall, I side with you guys."

"Strong moral code with this one," Julian adds sarcastically as he takes out a snack of his own from his bag. He sits on the table and Noodle slithers onto his lap, seemingly enjoying this questioning and ignoring Kostas and Theodosius's looks to shut up. "Is this what your job is like normally? It's kinda fun. Oh, can I be the bad cop?"

"No, Theodosius is the bad cop," Kostas replies without even missing a beat and ignores the offended looks from both of them as she stares Juno down. "What are we going to do with this one? He's a liability and a criminal."

"Please, I will do whatever you want if you help Lacey," Juno quickly starts pleading, all traces of his smugness disappearing now that they're back to discussing his future. "You need a spy? I'm great at stealth, they'll never see me coming."

"I find that hard to believe since we caught you sneaking around the Games Headquarters," Theodosius responds in a deadpan.

"And look at all the things I did without you catching me," Juno points out right away, raising an eyebrow at him. "Or do I need to list it again? Oh, I forgot about the time we stole one of President Xavier's teacups when he was on a District tour."

They all share looks at the fact that he managed to slip past the former President's security for that. "You know," Kostas speaks up first. "We can't deny he has some talents."

"And a lack of morals," Theodosius points out and all Juno responds with is a smug grin and a shrug.

"I lack one too and you put up with me," Julian points out, immediately getting shushed by Theodosius. Julian narrows his eyes at him as he pets his snake and Seraphim finds himself backing into the wall to put more distance between them. "Keep it up and you won't be happy."

"I'm trying to think here, okay?" Theodosius snaps at him and rolls his eyes, before starting to pace the room with his hands behind his back. He looks over at Juno as he does so, "You said your sister is sick?"

"Has been for years and we're mostly managing it, but she's not getting better," Juno answers, starting to frown as he looks down at his lap. "She's been the only one there for me for years. I'd do anything for her."

"Anything?" Theodosius repeats and Juno looks back up at him to nod his head. "Do you truly mean anything?"

"I think I made that clear when I stole an old man's underwear for some weird woman to buy," Juno says with a scoff before getting serious. "But yes, anything to make sure she lives."

Theodosius nods his head once before continuing his silent pacing, tapping his chin as he's deep in thought. Kostas watches him carefully while Julian turns his focus to the snake in his lap, quietly giving her praise for a job well done. And Seraphim? He just wishes he could take a nap right now until the Games are over at the rate things are going.

"Okay, let's strike up a deal," Theodosius finally says and Juno picks up his head at that. "From now on, you're fully on team Capitol. If we catch a hint of any deviation and your life will be forfeit. But if you do things right…we can work something out for your sister."

"I accept that," Juno answers right away, not even needing time to think about it, and Seraphim can't help but admire his dedication to his family for a moment. At least until he remembers what Juno was trying to do to his mother.

"If we have known rebels in this arena, it will be your responsibility to make sure they do not leave the arena alive," Theodosius tells him, pacing at the front of the room.

Juno's face pales a little at that, but soon enough he nods his head. "Understood. You pass me a list and it will be done. They've taught us dozens of ways to kill in training."

"You'll be doing whatever we ask of you," Theodosius continues on, stopping his pacing to turn and face Juno. He puts his hands on the arms of Juno's chair and leans close to him, clearly having too much fun intimidating the tribute. "You will be our inside person. I want you keeping eyes and ears on everyone during training and reporting back. We'll hook you up with some FM mics that will cut back on noise and send signals directly to your hearing aid to help with this."

"Oh sweet," Juno interrupts and Theodosius gives him a look about it, only making him grin and Julian chuckle a little. "Sorry but that's cool technology."

"Anyways," Theodosius continues. "If you do everything we ask, well, perhaps I'll leave it up to fate if you live or not. Do you understand?"

Juno meets his gaze for a few seconds before giving in. "Loud and clear. Well, not so much loud because of the hearing loss, but you know what I mean," he finally answers and Theodosius steps back, giving his cheek a couple slaps and earning a look of disdain from him. "How do you all put up with him?"

Julian lets out a loud laugh at that and makes Seraphim jump a little bit. "I struggle with that every day, but I suppose he'd say the same to me."

"That is correct," Theodosius answers, putting his hand on Julian's shoulder and grinning. And just like that, they're back to joking around as if they didn't just question a potential rebel and strike up a deal with two lives on the line. Unbelievable.

"Soooo…" Juno starts slowly and moves his hands as much as he can with them bound to the chair to draw attention to them. "Now what? Are you going to let me out? I get that some people like being tied up but I am too ace for that."

"Do we have anything to give him that prevents him from talking about this?" Theodosius asks, turning to Julian who gives him a wicked grin. "Of course we do. Let's get that and then I'll take him back up to the District Four floor and explain things to the mentors. Otherwise, we keep things on lockdown until we find the man Juno was working with."

"The teams have all been brought back to their floors and haven't been allowed to move between floors," Kostas says, looking at all of them carefully before her gaze finally lands on Julian. "You and I are going to have a chat with every tribute who has even the faintest hint of being rebellious."

Julian grins at her statement and pets the head of the snake around his neck, prompting Seraphim to shake his head at him. He doesn't want that snake anywhere near him. "Noodle will have them spilling all their darkest secrets. Who are we talking to?"

They look over at Seraphim, finally bringing him into this and making him feel like he should actually be here. He quickly goes through a mental list of the tributes, trying to determine who is the biggest priority. "Baylor, for sure given her family history. The three convicted criminals just to be safe about their intentions. We found something about Ryam's mother in the background check so we should talk to him to be safe. The rest we can wait to question in the Private Sessions. Can you think of anyone else?"

"Hold on," Theodosius interrupts, glancing down at his phone earnestly. He quickly types out a response before facing the rest of them. "They found someone else sneaking around the building and are bringing him in. Also Niek was found, apparently he had tried flirting with Astrid and got kicked in the balls and went to lie down, but was too embarrassed to say that."

"That someone would be Crow," Juno says, shaking his head at that. "Damn stupid name if you ask me but he insisted it was cool."

"Uh yeah, because it is cool!" Julian says before he can help himself and Kostas rolls her eyes at him. He clears his throat and gives her a grin, "I mean, damn rebels! How dare they pick cool bird code names! Who would do such a thing! …Was that convincing enough?"

Kostas shakes her head at him as the door opens up and they all turn to look at the man known as Crow. And…Seraphim finds himself not too impressed by him. He doesn't look malicious enough to be a supposed baby kidnapper like Juno said… But as he struggles against the guards who get them into place, he glares down his former partner in crime. "You're a spineless little punk," he tells him, shaking his head in disappointment. When Kostas releases Juno's bindings and he stands up, he joins the Capitolites as he rubs his wrists, making Crow stare at him in disbelief. "How could you?"

"You knew I was never on the side of the rebels," Juno answers as Julian takes delight in letting Noodle bite the man. Juno looks at Theodosius, "Can I stay for this? I've always wondered who he is."

"Well I'm not going anywhere and you're going with me, so yes," Theodosius responds, grinning in satisfaction at the fear in Crow's eyes as the serum moves through his body. "When is he ready?"

"Let's see what he has in answer," Julian says, rubbing his hands together as he faces down the rebel. "What's the most embarrassing thing you've done in recent memory?"

Crow fights off the effects of the serum for much longer than Juno did, but eventually it gets spilled out. "Drank myself to sleep and woke up in a pile of my own vomit."

"Pitiful," Julian says, shaking his head before gesturing at Theodosius. "All yours."

"Let's start with who are you?" Theodosius says, leaning down to get in his face.

The man grimaces at the question before answering. "Daram Hawthorn," he responds bitterly and looks at them expectantly, as if that should mean something.

"Alright then, Daram," Theodosius says, leaning back on the table and crossing his arms, but not before giving Noodle a side glance that has Julian moving her head farther from him. "Why are you working for the rebels?"

"Because you bastards killed the only woman I ever loved!" Daram answers, bitterness in his voice. He shakes his head as his eyes start getting glossy with tears, while they give him a confused look. "Tanelai Dorvet. The 113th Hunger Games."

"Of course that's why, it's always the Games," Theodosius replies before turning to Seraphim, making him squirm at the attention on him. "Know anything about her?"

"Yeah Lisia talked about those Games a lot, her first year working," Seraphim says, trying to remember things, but most of it was Lisia talking about her shitty boss, not the tributes. "Top eight, I think."

"It doesn't matter because she died!" Daram interrupts, yelling at them and straining to get out of his restraints. Guards quickly step forward and put hands on him to hold him down. "So many of us have lost loved ones and you wonder why we rebel? You're blind to the country."

"Then enlighten us on the rebels," Theodosius says, thankfully bringing the focus off of Seraphim. "What else do they have planned?"

"If you think this is all they have planned, you're so wrong," Daram says, starting to laugh at the horror on their faces.

"What are they going to do with the Games?" Seraphim speaks up for the first time, taking a few steps closer to him and needing to know as fear sends a chill down his spine. He can't have a repeat of last year. He doesn't think his heart can handle the stress and fear of that. Fear for not just his life, but those around him. His mother and Zephyr. His team of Gamemakers who have stuck by his side through the last two years. The victors and survivors who have managed to wear him down enough to care about them. If the rebels are up to something…it could affect them all. "Tell us!"

Daram just smiles at the panic on his face before spitting at the ground in front of him, letting him know what he thinks about the Head Gamemaker. "Fuck you and everyone who has ever sent people to die in those arenas."

"Answer him," Theodosius commands him as Kostas puts a gentle hand on Seraphim's shoulder and pulls him back.

"All I know is they have something big planned. But they don't tell me anything," Daram replies with a laugh and Seraphim has no doubt this man is unhinged. "We knew about that snake and weren't going to risk my capture revealing their plans for the Games. Do you really think the only thing we stole from that lab was the information on the one snake?"

Julian calmly sets Noodle down on the table and takes a deep breath, his face a blank mask, before he lunges at Daram and grabs the front of his shirt, shaking him roughly. "You bastard. How dare you steal my research!"

"Julian!" Kostas yells at him and starts pulling him off of Daram, all while the rebel laughs at him.

"He stole my research," Julian says, eyes narrowed and if looks could kill, he'd be so very dead. "My precious babies! Who knows what else they have? Oh please don't have the murder hornets."

"The what?" Daram asks and Julian grins, getting his answer. "You're fucked up."

"And proud of it," Julian answers with a shrug before turning to Theodosius. "When we're done, can I use him for some experiments?"

Theodosius gives Daram a slow, cruel grin at this that Julian soon matches, and Daram at least has enough sanity to look a little bit scared for his life. "He's a perfect subject for experiments. By time we're done, you're going to wish you were dead and we won't even grant that."

"I've been wishing I was dead since you took her away from me," Daram answers, hanging his head as Theodosius motions for the guards to grab him.

Theodosius grabs his chin and makes him look at him, enjoying this way too much. "I'm going to make that look like you were wishing for a puppy," he tells him before gesturing at the guards to take him, before waving at Juno. "Let's go pal. Consider ourselves lucky we're not explaining this to Okeanas."

Juno lets out a laugh at that as he follows Theodosius out of the room. "Oh we wouldn't survive that."

When the door shuts, leaving them in awkward silence, Seraphim clears his throat as he looks between Kostas and Julian, who seem to be having a silent conversation. "So…now what?"

"Come on, can I give him a hint?" Julian asks Kostas, thoroughly confusing Seraphim. "It will be more fun watching him struggle to figure it out."

"That's not my call to make," Kostas gives a big sigh of exasperation at him before turning to Seraphim. "High security clearance knowledge," she shrugs, as if that's enough of an answer.

"I see…" Seraphim answers slowly, studying Julian and trying to figure out how a man that seems so…bonkers could be a high security clearance thing. Maybe she's referring to his research…that would make more sense.

"She's no fun is what she means," Julian says, picking up Noodle and putting her around his shoulders. Once settled, he grins at the two of them. "Anyways, let's question some tributes. I can't wait to see the tables turned."

Ryam Driver, 15, District Three

Ryam is not the kind of person that gets in trouble. He's only ever gotten called to the principal's office once – and that was only because he got dragged into it Cooper and it was totally his fault. So for him to get called down by the Capitol for some sort of meeting…he has absolutely no idea what he could have done wrong and it terrifies him a little.

Maybe they're talking to everyone and he was just called first and Riley is next. Clearly something happened with the way the banquet was so quickly shut down and they were sent to their floors, with guards stationed at the elevators to stop them from going anywhere. Yeah, that makes sense. Mostly because he has no other possible idea what they could want to talk to him about…

Well…there's one small inkling, but is it really necessary to call him down like this? Brought down into the basement by the Head Gamemaker with guards flanking him? He doesn't know anything about what his mother was involved in, all those years ago… How could he when he was just a baby?

The only thing keeping him from downright fear as they stopped in front of a room and Mr. Lukianas gestured for him to go inside is the knowledge that he knows he hasn't done anything wrong. Whatever his mother did wasn't him. He knows what he's done or hasn't done, and there's no need for him to be worried about getting in trouble.

"Please, come inside, we just have a few questions for you," Mr. Lukianas says, gesturing once more to the room when Ryam hesitates at the door. He recognizes the two people sitting inside from the party, but the looks on their faces set him on guard right away – and the giant snake might also be a contributing factor. Mr. Lukianas puts his hand on his shoulder and gently pushes him into the room and the woman points to the open seat.

"Ryam Driver, sit down please," she says in a tone that just dared him to ignore her, and he slowly followed her suggestion. "I'm Ishani Kostas, Head of Security for the Capitol, and this is my friend and co-worker Julian Avis."

"And this is Noodle," Julian adds cheerfully, petting the snake around his shoulders. "She's going to bite you and then we're going to ask you some questions."

"Wait…what?!" Ryam asks in confusion but before he has time to even really process that, the snake strikes his hand, leaving behind two little pinpricks that sting and slowly bleed. He blinks down at the spots and holds it up in front of his face for a moment, before looking at the three of them. "Is that snake poisonous? Am I going to die?"

"No, she isn't poisonous," Julian tells him and he relaxes for a moment, before the man starts laughing. "What you should have asked was if she is venomous, since that's what snakes are. But anyways, it was not. Just a nice little truth serum to make sure you are honest to Seraphim here."

Ryam turns to the Head Gamemaker with a slight bit of panic before remembering he doesn't have anything to hide from them. Seraphim lets out a sigh before explaining to him, "We are simply asking people a few questions to ensure the overall safety of everyone involved in the Games."

"Oh…" Ryam says quietly before giving a shrug. "All of this wasn't necessary for me… I've got nothing."

"Well we will know that for sure in a moment. First, standard question everyone gets," Julian says with an evil grin that made Ryam squirm. "What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you lately?"

"My best friend Cooper pulled down my pants in public in front of a group of cute girls," Ryam blurts out without any control over it and his cheeks start heating up in embarrassment over saying that and reliving the moment.

"Rough, that sucks," Julian says, not looking at all sorry for him. "All yours," he tells Kostas, stepping back from the table and pacing on the other side of it, wearing the snake around his neck and looking so pleased with himself.

Man, Capitolites sure are bizarre…

"No, mostly just me," Julian comments and Ryam winces in embarrassment at saying that out loud. "Have fun with the truth serum."

"Julian, stop messing with him," Kostas scolds him before turning back to Ryam and giving him a polite, but closed off smile. "We just need to ask you a few questions and then you can go back to your floor."

"Ask away," Ryam gestures with his hand, knowing he has nothing to hide from them. There's no point in keeping things locked up…but that requires having things to hide in the first place, which he doesn't. "I'm an open book."

"Right, we just have some things to know that may impact your odds in the Games," Seraphim tells him, looking uncomfortable at having to question him, yet still being honest. "We don't like to control who lives or dies in the arena, but it's become clear that the nation's security is at risk and we have to know who is a threat."

Ryam raises his eyebrows at that and lets out a small laugh, unable to control himself. "And you think I'm a threat? Me?" he points at his chest and laughs more. "No offense, but I think you've made a mistake here."

"We haven't, Ryam," Kostas tells him, leaning forward from where she sits on the table to really look at him. "Do you know why your mother was arrested and killed?"

He shakes his head at that. Of course they were asking about that… "Just that she was rebellious against the Capitol…my father never talked about it since it happened when I was so young and by time we were old enough… He didn't want to bring it up and cause pain that just wasn't necessary. Not when we were doing fine and surviving."

Kostas leans away from him, pursing her lips as he watches her expectantly. Does she know what happened? And…does he even want to know? What's done is done and knowing won't change it… "She was arrested after repeatedly saying rebellious things against the Capitol in a bar," she starts slowly and Ryam starts sinking down in his chair. "Stuff about how the Capitol should burn for killing their children and how she'd never let her kids be taken from her."

Ryam can only stare at them in shock for a minute, realizing that by volunteering for this, he did what his mother died trying to prevent from happening… "I didn't know," he finally whispers quietly and shakes his head, trying to fight back the guilt slowly forming a pit in his stomach.

"Do you have any rebel connections or rebellious inclinations in any capacity?" Kostas asks him pointblank.

"I've never talked to any rebels before," Ryam shakes his head at that. "If I did, I didn't know it. I don't want to cause trouble here. I just…want to make a name for myself and do something with my future. Why would I risk that by getting involved in the rebels?"

Kostas and Seraphim stare at him for a few seconds before she nods her head at the Head Gamemaker. "Alright, I'm good with him. Do you have any questions for him?"

Seraphim shakes his head at her. "No, we'll save them for the private sessions," he says before waving at Ryam to get up. "Come on, I'll escort you back up to your floor."

"Sure," Ryam answers quietly, getting up and rubbing the spot on his hand.

Julian wiggles his fingers at him and gives him an unnerving grin with a head tilt. "Great chat!"

"You're weird and…unnerving," Ryam says before slapping his hand over his mouth at saying that out loud. But Julian just laughs loudly at that as he steps out of the room.

"The serum should wear off after 15 minutes," Seraphim says with a slightly apologetic smile on his face as they head back to the elevators, surrounded by guards again. "And thank you for your cooperation."

"I didn't really have a choice," Ryam answers with a shrug as they wait for the elevator doors to open. As they stand there, he thinks on the new information he found out about his mother and sighs quietly. Why did his father never tell them about that? And what would she say if she knew where he is right now?

"Well…in you go," Seraphim says, gesturing when the elevator opens and steps inside. He presses two buttons and they quickly move up, back to the District Three floor.

When the doors open, Ryam is greeted right away by Amelia and Matla, who are lingering near the elevators. "There you are!" Amelia says, taking a concerned step towards him. She looks at Seraphim, her eyes narrowing a bit. "What's this all about?"

"We'll have a meeting once we know everything," Seraphim says, not really answering her question. "Until then…it's a matter of security. Now, I have to go get the next person."

"Are you questioning Riley?" Ryam asks before he turns to the elevator. Seraphim shakes his head before the doors shut, and Ryam can't help but stand there and wonder why they are so concerned with him. He's nothing special to be worried about…

But apparently he is, thanks to his mother. But the question is…who else is a concern in these Games?

Baylor Lennox, 18, District Seven

"Where are we going?" Baylor asks for the fifth time, and it's the fifth time she doesn't get a response. She doesn't want to get in trouble for not going somewhere with a Council Member and the Head Gamemaker, but their silence is really making her nervous. Is she in trouble for her family history? She thought she had made it clear in the interview before the Reaping she wasn't like them…

"Go in and sit down," Theodosius says, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a not-so gentle shove towards the room.

She hesitantly walks in, first seeing a woman from the party, then the new intern working with Seraphim. But when she sees the final person, she stops walking and points at him in fear. "Is that the snake that killed the former President?" Baylor asks with eyes wide in fear and she takes a step back from the man holding it when he starts laughing. "Please don't kill me! I didn't do anything!"

"Go ahead and bite her," Julian tells the snake and Theodosius grabs Baylor's arm, holding her in place when she tries to take a step back in fear. She lets out a scream when the snake bites her and starts squeezing the spot, trying to get the venom out. That's what works, right? Oh God, she's going to die! "That won't work," the man says in a singsong voice, clearly proud of himself.

"It won't kill you, just sit down," Theodosius not so gently pushes her into the open seat and doesn't try to hide his distrust of her. "We know your history with the rebels and in a couple minutes, you won't even be able to hide the truth so don't even bother trying to lie."

"I am an awful liar so I won't," Baylor responds, trying to be respectful to these people, but her heart is still racing from the snake biting her. "But I really am not going to die from that bite?"

"No, you'd need a different snake of mine biting you," Julian says with a shrug and when Kostas and Theodosius give him looks, he just grins before pointing at Baylor. "Okay question: what's the most embarrassing thing you've done lately?"

"I picked up my niece and was bouncing her in the air and she threw up in my mouth," Baylor says quickly before widening her eyes in surprise at how that just slipped out, without her being able to control it.

"Ouch, that sucks," Julian says, clearly holding back a chuckle. "Reason why animals are better than children. Anyways, all yours."

"Lets just get right into it," Theodosius says, stopping in front of Baylor and leaning up against the table with his arms crossed. Baylor's eyes widen at his flexed arms, almost positive he could destroy her head just by squeezing it. "Why were your parents killed by Vera Snow?"

"She said something about blackmailing her," Baylor says, her face scrunching and she bit her lip, wanting to have an answer for why it happened. "I don't know exactly why…he kept watching the 137th Games but I don't get why that would make her kill him!"

They share looks at that statement that Baylor doesn't get. The bird man turns his back to them, pacing near the door, while the intern puts his head in his hands and Seraphim watches him, his face full of confusion. But Theodosius soon draws their focus, stepping closer to Baylor to keep questioning her. "What was he watching in those Games?"

"I don't know!" Baylor shakes her head, growing upset with herself that she can't give these people answers. "I want to know why she had my parents killed just as much as you! He just…" she trails off, trying to think of who he was focused on. But she had always been watching the woman who her life has ended up reflecting. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

"She sentenced a boy to his death those Games because-" Calisto speaks up suddenly and is cut off when Theodosius puts a firm hand on his shoulder. He quickly brushes him off and sneers up at the man before glancing over at the bird man who is just watching this with his head tilted.

"Your father probably was trying to expose her rigging in the boy," Theodosius tells her and gives Calisto a look. Seraphim takes the boy's arm and pulls him to the side, letting the Council Member keep going with his questioning, while Baylor can't make any sense over what is happening between them all. "So have you done anything like him to make the rebels be after you?"

"Volunteer for the Games?" Baylor offers with a shrug. "No, I can't think of anything. We didn't go to the government or say anything about our parents after their deaths because we were afraid of her killing us too."

"But when your parents were alive, did they ever mention someone who went by the name Crow?" Kostas asks her and Julian mutters something under his breath, earning himself and elbow to the side from her. Across the room, Calisto perks up his head at that and Kostas shakes her head at him, keeping him quiet, before gesturing at Baylor to answer.

Baylor shakes her head at them. "My father kept us very much out of the rebel business so I can't say I've heard that name before. Why, should I have?" she asks when they all look disappointed by that answer.

"It's fine," Theodosius says sharply and Baylor finds herself sitting taller just from his tone. "So if you're not with the rebels, why'd you volunteer?"

"For my sister and niece," Baylor answers immediately, sitting up in determination at just the thought of them being alone. "We've been living with her boyfriend since our parents died and, well…he's taken care of us but…" She shakes her head, knowing her sister told her not to talk to anyone about him, but she has to. It's the only way she's getting her out of there. "He controls her life and barely lets her leave the house. It's so wrong yet she can't get out. So here I am, ready to earn her freedom."

"People suck," Calisto mutters under his breath and Julian nods his head in agreement with him, which makes the younger man glare at him.

"Do I know you?" Baylor says, looking at the two of them in confusion, yet something about them sparked familiarity. "I swear I've seen you both before…"

"Highly unlikely, they're a bunch of nobodies," Kostas says, getting glares and offended looks from both men. Baylor just shrugs at that, accepting her answer and turning her attention back to Theodosius when he clears his throat.

"You prove to us that you're not a rebel," Theodosius starts, pacing the room with his arms crossed and staring her down. "You be a good supportive little tribute to the Capitol and we can investigate things, maybe work out a way to get them out of there."

"Seriously?" Baylor asks, lighting up at that possibility, and Theodosius nods his head. "Oh that's all I want from volunteering! Yeah, I'll go on full support of the Capitol! Screw those rebels. They killed my parents and then kicked us to the curb. I…" she shakes her head as a frown starts to form. "All I want is for us to have somewhere we can be safe and happy, without someone trying to control our lives… And I truly think we have that opportunity here."

"Perhaps," Theodosius tells her, not revealing anything with his tone. "Stay on the side of the Capitol and we'll see. But that's all for now. Any other questions?" he directs to the others, who shake their heads. "Very well, let's get you back upstairs before Winona comes storming down here."

Baylor lets the man lead her out of the room, catching Calisto tell the others in an accusatory tone that they need to talk. She glances back at the room as the door shuts, wondering what the heck that is all about.

"Don't worry about them," Theodosius says, pushing her along. "Security stuff."

"Right, of course," Baylor nods her head and stays quiet, listening to the man as he steps up to the elevator.

"If you happen to think of any other important rebel information to share, ask Winona to contact me," Theodosius tells her.

Baylor stands up tall at that, more than happy to have a task to do. "Yes sir, absolutely! I'm happy to help!"

Theodosius gives her a forced smile and pats her shoulder, before gesturing at the open elevator. "Move along and don't mention the contents of this talk with your mentors. Security stuff."

"Got it," Baylor says, motioning zipping up her lips as she steps into the elevator and he pushes the button for her floor. She gives him a thumbs up as the door shuts before letting out a sigh. That was…high pressure and unexpected. And yet, she can't help but feel good about her future.

She knew these changes to the Games were going to be a good thing for herself and her family.

Calisto Flowers, Gamemaker Intern

Calisto put his hands on his hips as he stood in the doorway, blocking the three others from leaving the room. "Alright, someone needs to start damn talking to me or I am going to lose my damn mind!"

"Talk about what?" Seraphim asks, seemingly just as confused as Calisto is about what's going on.

"About him!" Calisto says, pointing at Julian, who just holds his hand on his chest in mock offense. "Who the fuck is that man?"

"I'm just a mutt researcher," Julian says and Calisto scoffs at that.

"Yeah right," Calisto shakes his head and crosses his arms, glaring down the older man, even when he tries to unnerve him by staring back unblinking and tilting his head. "That tick!" he continues, pointing at him before turning to face Kostas. "I know I've seen that before so I swear, someone needs to tell me the damn truth or I will have that freaky snake bite me and tell my secret to everyone."

"There is no need for that," Theodosius says behind him, making Calisto jump away from him. He shuts the door behind them as Julian holds Noodle defensively towards him and glares over at Calisto. "Why doesn't everyone sit down and we can have a friendly conversation?"

"Oh are we going to tell them?" Julian asks, sounding just a bit too excited for it as he takes a seat. Calisto slowly sits down at the opposite side from him, not taking his focus away from him as he searches for other telling signs. "Kostas wouldn't let me give Seraphim hints earlier."

"I am so confused what's going on right now," Seraphim says, sitting in the middle of the table and Kostas sits opposite him.

Theodosius stands and stares them all down for a moment, before first pointing at Calisto. "That's Pascal Flores," he says and Calisto's mouth drops open in shock at hearing him so openly state that. But then he points over at Julian, who's surprise is only shown from the slight raise of his eyebrows. "And that's-"

"Sissel Wetherburn, at your service," he says, kicking up his feet onto the table and leaning back in his chair. Kostas leans over and pushes his feet off the table, only making him grin at her. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

"Holy shit," Seraphim mutters, looking between the two rescued tributes before landing on Julian, since he already knew the truth about Calisto. He studies him in silent shock for a minute as Julian gives him a smug look back. "How come you didn't tell me about him?"

Calisto stares over at the man across from him, at a loss for words. He had started having his suspicions, but to have it so plainly said to him… He slams his fist down on the table, making Seraphim jump. "I've been alone this whole time and you're just now telling me that there was someone else alive?!"

"To be fair, I didn't know about you either," Julian tells him with a casual shrug before turning back to Theodosius. "Got anyone else from our Games you've been hiding away?"

"I can't believe this," Seraphim says and puts his head down on the table in front of him in shock.

Kostas leans over to pat his shoulder. "Yeah I know, it was a big shocker to me too."

"There's no one else," Theodosius tells them, but Calisto finds it hard to believe anything he's saying now. "You're going to have to believe me because we have much bigger problems right now than me not telling the truth. Calisto, you know things about the rebels. Julian, you have the mutt technology to get answers. I suspect the time for you two to be working together has arrived. We have to get to the bottom of what the rebels have planned for these Games."

"Please," Seraphim says, picking his head up from the table to give them all a pleading look, barely hiding the fear in his eyes. He sits back in his chair and runs a hand over his face, before sighing loudly. "I'm so worried for the people I care about. We have to stop them."

Calisto does feel bad for Seraphim after working with him for a couple months, but he's too pissed off at them keeping another living tribute from him this entire time. "Y'all are fucking assholes for not telling me!"

"I don't get why you're so upset about this," Julian says with a shrug, that same damn nonchalant shrug he gave all the time during their Games. "I find it fascinating."

"I spent years hidden away on my own while you've had an actual job! Of course I'm fucking upset!"

"Hey! I get you're upset, but don't direct it at him," Theodosius says, pointing over at Julian. "I'm the one who made the call to keep him secret from everyone so be mad at me."

"Oh I have no problem being pissed at you," Calisto says, jumping up from his seat and punching Theodosius on the arm, only to cry out in pain as he shakes out his pain. "Fuck, that felt like punching a wall!"

"Do you feel better now that you hit someone?" Theodosius asks calmly, which just makes Calisto want to punch him again if he could do so without hurting himself. He waits patiently as Calisto silently fumes, raising an eyebrow until he determines that he's staying quiet for now. "Right, now that we can focus on the important tasks at hand, we need to get going on questioning Crow. I want you two working together on that."

"What if I don't want to work with him?" Calisto grumbles as he crosses his arms and glares over at the man, who was acting surprisingly chill at the anger being unfairly directed at him.

"You don't get a choice," Theodosius snaps at him before turning back to Seraphim. "You'll get your intern back before the Games start."

"Yeah, sure, that's fine," Seraphim answers quietly, clearly in shock at this revelation. It was the same reaction when he found out about Calisto. He looks up at Calisto and gives him a concerned look that catches him off guard. "You okay?"

"I'm pissed, but what's new there?" he responds, focusing on the anger at Theodosius to keep himself from the hurt threatening to bubble up in him. Because Mendalius had to have known about Julian this whole time, yet didn't tell him… And he thought he trusted him. "Let's get this over with already."

Julian stands up and brushes back his hair, before adjusting Noodle around his neck. He turns to Theodosius with an unsettling grin on his face. "Does he get to see my projects? I love showing off my projects and you don't let me share with Magnus."

"Sure, why not," Theodosius answers with an eye roll, but Julian looks pleased at that.

"Let's go then," Julian says, waving for Calisto to follow him as he heads out of the room. He waits in the doorway for him, excited grin on his face at the thought of going to question a rebel with mutts.

Calisto hesitates near Theodosius and Kostas, having so much he wants to say to them about this, before glancing over at Seraphim and knowing he can't here. That man has enough on his plate without all of Calisto's baggage. "This isn't the end of this."

"Wouldn't expect otherwise," Theodosius answers calmly.

Kostas at least has the decency to show shame over this and gives him an apologetic smile. "Sorry Calisto…just following orders."

"Whatever," he grumbles before following Julian out of the room. He stops to take a deep breath, shutting his eyes and trying not to be consumed by rage and hurt. Mendalius knew how lonely he's been over the years and there was someone else like him alive this whole time!

"So, want to get bitten by Noodle and we can share all our deepest, darkest secrets to each other?" Julian leans over to whisper to him and when Calisto flinches away, he starts laughing loudly and pets the snake in question. "Oh come on, you're no fun."

"And you're still just as weird," Calisto counters right away and Julian just shrugs. "Maybe more unhinged."

"Oh you have no idea," Julian answers with an evil laugh, just proving his point. He starts walking down the hallway and waves for Calisto to follow him. "Come on, do you want to question a rebel with me?" He glances back over his shoulder at him. "I think you know him, don't you?"

Calisto is pretty sure he remembers who he is, but there were lots that came and went in that house, and that was over ten years ago. "I might. I'll know once I see him for sure."

"Then let's go," Julian waves him along again and Calisto hesitantly walks after him. "If you think Noodle is bad, just wait until we get to my lab."

Yep, this man has completely lost it over the years. Makes sense that someone like Theodosius would put someone like him in charge of mutt research. "Just keep them away from me," he tells him with a scoff, keeping his distance as he follows him. And yet…part of him wants to go with him. He wants to be with someone who understands the life of secrecy he's had to live for the last fourteen years.

He just didn't expect it to be the weird bird boy, of all people.

We got some spicy subplot up in here! So yes, finally the reveal of who Crow is...after appearances in literally three stories lol. And more importantly, the reveal of Julian and Calisto's real identities to each other. They're the duo I didn't know I needed in my life lol. I don't know what else to say right now lol aside from I'm hyped for what I have planned with this story and I've been having a lot of fun with these characters!

RQ #18: On a scale of 1 to 10, how nervous are you for the fact that the rebels have Plans?

Okay next up we're gonna finally move into the traditional pre-Games chapters lol, with the chariots up first! I'm a few chapters ahead with writing at the time of posting this and hopefully I can stay ahead and we'll keep having weekly updates! I keep my profile pretty regularly updated with my progress so if you're ever curious, you can look there!

As always, thank you for your support and I'd love to hear your thoughts on things! And I will see you next week for the chariots!