Everything stopped: the breathing of the watchers; the movement of the fire; the sinking of the sun; the running of the deer in the forests above the Veiled Hills.

Everything stopped to stare.

Then movement resumed:

Katniss, her face relieved and anxious all at once, stepped back to avoid the sudden, vicious spurting of blood from Clove's neck.

Clove twisted as she sank to the ground so that her eyes never left Katniss' face.

Peeta was released to slump forward.

Foxface shook her head. Beetee muttered. Cashmere frowned.

Clove reached for the boney hilt protruding from the junction of her neck and gripped it with both her hands.

"Witch!" she hissed at Katniss. "You stupid –"

Her voice caught.

"Stupid... bitch…"

Blood was bubbling from Clove's lips, and her chest was heaving in her desperate effort to breathe.

"I should have killed her," Clove said. "We should have let him kill her... now she…"

Clove hands tightened about the hilt of the knife, and with a shriek of pure fury she pulled it forth. Blood spouted from the wound in her neck.

Before anyone could stop her – not realizing she had the remaining strength to do so – Clove used her power to send the knife soaring towards Katniss.

Katniss flinched instinctively. There was no physical way that she could have ever dodged the knife when it was moving that fast, but with the movement of her hand, the knife changed directions.

The blade swung the opposite way, hitting Poseidon in the chest.

Rue gave a ghastly cry.

Poseidon stumbled backwards from the impact of the knife, and then his eyes started, his chest seizing, and he collapsed to the ground.

Clove laughed, the sound hysterical, but now also horribly wet.

Bloody spittle trickled down her chin.

With a frantic and deranged look in her eyes, Clove got to her feet. She swayed, her life blood pumping out of her, but caught her balance long enough to say, "Think not to have bested me. Think not to have bested us. Think..."

With a final cough, Clove fell to the ground and died.

Annie moved forward on the feet of one that seemed drunk and tried to stanch the blood flowing from Poseidon's chest with her fingers.

"It is just his chest," Annie said, her voice faint. "The godwell –"

"No," said Thresh, looking startled. "She's killed him." His eyes moved to Katniss. "She has killed all three of you."

The gods looked at a loss as of what to do. Annie's supposed drunkenness increased, and her skin grew paler and paler. Rue moved to her, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Peeta had gone slack-faced from where he kneeled in the grass, his gaze unable to leave the sight of the knife in Poseidon's chest.

Katniss drew in a shaking breath and said, "No. Annie will live."

Thresh exploded in her direction. "Mortal fool! He is her power source. Killing one will kill the other!"

"No." Katniss turned her head to the wall of fire that had stopped moving. "No... the knife is enchanted. It can kill an immortal, but it will leave its power sources unharmed. Just like with Seeder and I…" Katniss blinked a few times and turned back to the group. "She will be weak for a few days, but she will recover."

Annie, giving up on her attempts to mend Poseidon's wound, leaned back into Rue's arms. Rue said to Katniss, "How is it you have found this knife? How does such a knife exist?"

All of the Enlightened watched Katniss intently, anticipating her answer. Surely, this woman was not all that she appeared to be. To wield a weapon like that – a weapon they never could have conceived of – was no casual thing. Further, no mortal could have deflected a knife midair with just the movement of their wrist. While Clove's power had been weak, it had startled them to see the supposed mortal wield enough power to defend herself.

Katniss was looking down at her hands. She seemed puzzled by them.

Then slowly, she extended a hand towards Poseidon's body. Her fist opened, the fingers unfurled, and the knife came to her, as if called by a silent voice. Katniss gripped the boney hilt, turning the blade over so that the blood spilled across the edge and fell down onto the grass.

"It was given to me," Katniss said, looking up at Thresh. "I am the Enlightened Chaff. This is my land, not Clove's. I did what I had to."

"I cannot confess to any grief for Clove," said Thresh. "You need not worry about retaliation. I do not consider you – and by extension, this land – an enemy."

"Then what should I consider you as?"

"Your Enlightened King." Thresh extended a hand. "I welcome you, Katniss, to the Enlightened pact."

Katniss stared at his hand.

"On one condition," she said.

"Oh?"

"You owe me," Katniss said. "I have alleviated you of your two biggest problems: Clove and Poseidon."

"Aye, that is true." Thresh observed the clearing: the still burning fire dome, the corpses of two gods, Darius' and Gloss' unmoving forms, Annie sobbing into Rue's chest. "What is it that you want to ask of me?"

"Nothing now," said Katniss. "But I will call on you in the future, and you will know."

"Then it is a deal," said Thresh, his hand still extended. Katniss took it and was surprised by the power she felt there. Thresh's power felt heavy, as if he dampened the air around him.

"Welcome," Thresh said again. "We will vacate your land, then. Shall we remove the bodies?"

"No… I think not. Leave them, I will need them."

Thresh made an assenting hand motion, then he dissipated. The rest of the Enlightened left with him, taking Darius and Gloss along.

All – except the strange paunchy man from before.

Haymitch looked Katniss over, then gestured to the fire. "What did you do?"

"I can control it now," said Katniss. A peculiar look crossed her face as she examined the dome.

"But you could not before," said Haymitch. "You did not help us."

"No, I did not know how… I did not know I could."

"And now you can, and I wonder what you did." Haymitch gestured towards Peeta, who remained transfixed on the ground. "What happened to him?"

Katniss sighed. She stepped over Clove's body, using Clove's tunic to wipe the blood from the blade of her knife. Once cleaned, she placed the weapon back into the hidden pocket of her robes.

"I can only speculate," said Katniss. "I believe that now with Clove dead, her influence on him has ended. The bands remain, still poisoning him, but they are more like a blank slate without her. Or perhaps he is in shock."

"That is only part of the truth, isn't it?" said Haymitch.

Katniss gave him a sideways look. "What does it matter to you?"

"Call me curious."

Haymitch swaggered over to Poseidon's body. He kicked Poseidon's hand over with a foot, then crouched down to pry a golden ring from the god's finger. He examined the ring, made a sound of approval, then flashed Katniss a smile.

"I am just glad to free of this one," said Haymitch, straightening back up. "He has been a real pain in the ass these last few months."

"You're welcome," said Katniss, a hard and suspicious edge in her voice.

"Now, now, don't be like that," said Haymitch. He raised his hands in a mock surrender. "I am just trying to get to know our newest member. In fact, think of me like a mentor. If you have any questions, I'll be your man."

"You're one of Annie's recruits, aren't you?"

"The best one, if you ask me."

"Will you give her a message for me? Tell her that once she is well again, that she come back."

"I can deliver the message." Haymitch gave a smirk. "Are you going to tell me what you did?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "You know already." She crossed her arms and turned to Peeta, observing him. "I made him my power source."

"Bold of you," said Haymitch. "After witnessing firsthand how dangerous those unions can be. Two gods using each other as power sources is a treacherous thing."

"It was destined," Katniss said softly.

"What a terrible fate," said Haymitch, and with that, he dissipated.

Once Haymitch left us, I felt that I could finally breathe.

I crouched down to Peeta's level, feeling a sense of urgency. Everything had happened so quickly and not at all how I had intended it to transpire. Clove was dead, but the victory could not be celebrated just yet. I needed to get us to Coriolanus, in order to fulfill the deal, but also to finally, miraculously free Peeta once and for all from the bands.

Except, when I reached out to him, Peeta drew back from my touch. Only slightly, but his hesitation was enough to make me wary.

He had not at any point met my gaze. He seemed transfixed – not on me, but my robe. More specifically, on the pocket where I stowed the knife.

Peeta had been struck by the thing the moment Clove had pulled it from her throat.

But why?

I might have thought he was scared if it were not for his eyes.

They were blue with slivers of black. He was almost my Peeta. He was fighting it.

I reached out and placed a hand on either side of his face.

His eyes raised to mine. They were confused.

"Cato warned me of this," he said.

I blinked, thrown off. Peeta had not talked of his oldest and closest adviser since the incident in the hut.

"What of Cato?"

"He told me about that knife."

"When?"

"On the ship, just days after we had left Niuva."

It made no sense. I had not even known of the Enlightened then. "What did he say exactly?"

"That Glimmer foresaw you with that exact weapon…" His eyebrows creased. "Cato spoke of the death of dreams… and that it always leads back to you. I do not remember it well. I laughed at him then. Now... well now I see there was some truth in what he had said."

"I have only recently acquired the knife," I tried to reassure him. I clutched his face closer. "Will you surrender the bands to Coriolanus?"

"Do you want me to?" was his immediate response.

I frowned. "This is not something I can force you to do. I am not Clove."

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

Peeta thought for a moment, and in that time, his eyes wandered over to the corpses.

"I am ready…" Peeta finally said. "But how?"

"I can take you. We can do it. Together."

Peeta looked back into my eyes, and they were so full of hope. "Together, then," he said.

It took little effort for me to transport Peeta and I into Seeder's realm.

Perhaps the reason for that was because I had visited the magnificent stone hall on so many different occasions, both in person and in my dreams, that it had become an innate piece of me. Appearing in that hall felt as if returning home after a long – long – journey.

Or perhaps it was because of Peeta. Even though he was a new power source to me – and I, new to power, – the sheer amount of power Peeta had, and the strength of our connection, made it easy for me to use.

I did not have long to contemplate the complexities of using this new power, or of being each other's power sources; Coriolanus approached us almost immediately.

I braced myself, a hand on Peeta's bicep.

Coriolanus stopped just short of us and smiled. "I am so proud of you," he said to me.

The words made me feel sick. Everything about him made my skin crawl. If I could have, I would have gladly removed the bands myself, fled, and hidden them from every last god there was, but I knew I could not touch them, let alone remove what of the power remained within Peeta.

Coriolanus was the only being who could do that.

I needed Peeta. I needed him to be cleansed, just as Seeder had intended.

"Well-met!" Coriolanus said to Peeta. "Well-met, indeed."

Peeta frowned but said nothing.

"Take your bands, cleanse him, and we will be gone," I said. "Our deal will be completed, and then there will be no further need to remain acquainted."

"Acquainted!" he said, amused. "You wound me, Katniss. I have thought of you as a dear friend."

"You do not strike me as one who has many friends."

"No, no. Indeed I do not. Hence why I have valued you so highly." Coriolanus' eyes fell onto the bands. He had an expression I could only describe as hungry. "You have brought me the best peace offering."

Coriolanus looked to Peeta, then addressed me: "Will he give up their power fully?"

"Is it necessary for him to surrender it?" I asked.

"It would help."

"Will you give up the band's power freely?" I asked Peeta.

As answer, Peeta stepped forward, raising his arms to Coriolanus.

Coriolanus looked as if he would soon begin salivating.

I watched anxiously as the old god placed his hands reverently on the first band, then the next. Coriolanus muttered something in a language I did not know, and his fingers traced out the symbol of the twisted rose emblazoned onto the golden bands.

"Peeta," he began, then spoke again.

When Peeta replied, it was in the same language I did not know.

They continued a similar exchange with each band.

As Coriolanus pulled each off, I watched Peeta visibly relax, but I only got more and more tightly wound as the bands transferred from Peeta's limbs to Coriolanus'.

I found my hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade within my robes.

Only when the last band was off, and the last word was said, did I tense up and strike.

Coriolanus was fast though, extremely fast. He deflected my hand, nearly throwing me off my feet if it were not for Peeta, who caught at my opposite arm and ripped me back to my feet.

I attacked Coriolanus again, immediately, thrusting for his abdomen. Coriolanus stepped back. Except, not fast enough this time. The blade had caught a little of his palm.

I made for another attack, but in the same instant, Coriolanus grabbed my wrist. He twisted it, hard enough for me to hear the bones break, as if they were as thin and hollow as a bird's.

Peeta shouldered between us, raising his arms in defense.

My wrist hurt – bad, but it tingled too, like pin-needles prickling along my flesh, until suddenly, it was no longer horribly mangled. I had not realized how it would feel to be so fast healing.

Coriolanus took another step away from Peeta and I, his face furious.

"You think to kill me?" Coriolanus said. "You think to overstep your place?"

"Go, then!" I said to Coriolanus. "You have what you wanted."

"The knife," he said, holding out his hand, expectant.

I curled my fingers around it tightly and tucked it back into my robe. "It's mine now. Our deal only discussed the return of your bands, never the blade."

Coriolanus visibly calmed himself.

His next smile showed far too many teeth.

"You do not want to make an enemy of me, Katniss," he said. "Be wary. You have never had so much to lose as you do now. I will forgive this transgression, and you may keep the knife. But be warned, someday I will come back for it, and we can only hope you are more amicable."

With that, he dissipated.

Peeta and I stood again within the dome of fire.

I had maintained the fire even while in the other realm, and I was far too proud of that, even with Coriolanus' threat hanging over me.

He had been right, though. I never before have ever had as much to lose as I did then. I felt heavy with life, with power, and it was not a burden. I had Panem. I had its people, its land, its mysticism, and power. I was Chaff, and there was so much I still did not understand about his power or the connection to the land, and I was eager to learn the land's secrets. I had Peeta – fully, truly Peeta – for the first time ever, and the power, the connection, between us was heady.

I drew in a long breath just to center myself.

I could feel the power within me. It was a fickle thing. Slippery, almost, but still something I could use.

I raised my hand, marveling again at how quickly I had healed and how strange the power had felt traveling across my skin.

Peeta cleared his throat.

"Katniss..." he began, but stopped, and seemed at a loss for words.

"I know."

"No, you don't." He reached for the hand I held up, but then stopped himself, looking mournful. "The poison… it's gone... all of it. Thank –"

"Don't thank me, Peeta. I do not wish to be thanked."

"It is not enough to thank you," he agreed.

I looked up at him and was stunned. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time.

There were the details I could see in his face: the crinkle beside his right eye, the laugh lines around his mouth, his dark blue iris lines, a scar on the left side of his cheek. I had always been able to see those details before, but they stood out to me now.

As did his power. I had always known he was powerful – ever since that day he stood in the megaron and had claimed me his wife. As a mortal I had perceived his power as if glowing from within him, how it made his skin seem to gleam like gold, but as a god, I could sense more.

Peeta's power was not heavy in the air around him, the way Thresh's was. It still had that brightness to it, that glowing quality, that I had seen as a mortal, but the power itself was inviting – blinding even, like a sun. It drew me to him. It was persuasive and protective and warm.

Peeta smiled shyly. The glow of the fire around us only made him look more beautiful.

"Is this real?" he asked me.

I could not help but laugh. "Is anything real anymore?"

Peeta took my hand into both of his. With his thumb, he traced the line that ran across my palm. He looked up at me through his eyelashes. "How have I been so blind this whole time?"

I cocked my head to convey my confusion.

"The power in you," he said.

His hand moved to cup one of my cheeks. When his fingertips touched my face, it sent a thrill though my whole body.

"It feels like eons that I have waited for this moment," said Peeta. "I should have listened to you. I do not think I will ever understand the entire extent of the poison that was in me, but now that it is gone, I can see. Even when I was blue-eyed, there were still seeded thoughts, doubts bred from the bands. The paranoia, the fear of being controlled, it was the bands, even then."

His eyes slid to Clove's corpse.

"She's gone – forever," I said.

"But the damage she has done…" said Peeta, looking back to me. His thumb traced the edge of my chin. "How can that ever be righted?"

"It can be. It's already begun." I rested my palm against Peeta's chest, just above his heart. I could feel his heartbeat, but it was more than that. Like I could feel it, hear it, beating in time with mine own. "Your plans do not have to change much. The Trojans can still settle here. New Troy can still be built. Panem's old gods can be restored in their new forms. The godwell –"

"Katniss," said Peeta. "I cannot complete the godwell on my own, and I could never ask that of you."

"I want to."

"You must not realize what you are saying – moreover, you are Chaff, but –"

"Peeta, you can feel it." I pressed my cheek closer into his palm and my hand harder into his chest. "You must know."

Peeta paused. A sheepish smile appeared on his face. "It is hard to distinguish from the power and my own feelings," he said.

"We could do it," I said. "I want to see Panem brought to its glory. I want to see the Trojans and Panem natives flourish. I want to see Achates grow. I want Primrose to be carefree again."

"It would not be easy," said Peeta. "There is so much you would need to learn and there is not much time before the solstice. You would be starting from nothing. Not just in how to make a godwell, but a couple's godwell is even more complicated. Not to mention –"

I put a finger to his lips. "Haven't you doubted me enough for one lifetime?"

I seemed like he wanted to smile, but his eyes remained troubled. "I just want to see you happy."

"If we do it together, I will be happy," I said.

"There is no one else I would rather do it with."

"Then it is settled."

"But it will still be hard," Peeta added, as if worried I had forgotten.

"Nothing worth having is ever easy," I said.

Peeta looked me up and down, a true smile building on his face. "No," he said. "Certainly not."