This should be the final prologue and then next chapter will be the tribute list announcements, so keep on submitting! Remember, you are allowed to submit two characters!

Eros Creed, 32

The Capitol, The Night of The Quell Announcement

The night was ablaze, but not with flame. This night, gossip was the spark that spread like wildfire, and Eros Creed was at the center of it.

After months of work and preparation in secret, the Quell was finally revealed to the citizens of Panem. Of course, the Capitol was rife with parties on this eve, but the one to be at was President Snow's. His extravagant manor was the jewel of the evening. High class guests would dress their best, converse, and gossip about what was sure to be another exciting year of Hunger Games.

Eros was exhausted. Snow had entrusted him with the duty of Matchmaker. The Matchmaker was a new Gamemaker position unique to the third Quell, and its job was to match up ideal romantic pairings in each of the 12 districts. Going over the surveillance data of every 16-18-year-old in every district was a daunting task, and Eros was not ready for it at all.

His alcoholism was a cripple to progress, but under the pressure of Snow, he managed to get his job done. For six months Eros had worked with the other Gamemakers on every single little detail of the Games. He had to clean up his act, and so he did.

Following the national broadcast, additional details were released to public which included the Matchmaker and his identity. Eros Creed was suddenly back in the spotlight, and he wasn't sure what he thought about it.

Conversation fluttered about the massive ballroom, and Eros was standing off to the side, a drink already in hand. His beard was now neatly trimmed and he cut a nice figure. He had lost a great deal of weight and soon replaced it with muscle. Eros wore a tight-fitting pink suit and slacks and was blinding at first glance. Just in time for the party, he was back to looking like a heartthrob.

His senses were already starting to go thanks to the bubbling drink in his hand when he heard a shrill voice call out his name.

"Eros! Hey, Eros!"

The voice belonged to Mellona Lares, one of the richest women in Panem and a professional socialite. She was dressed in a striking sheer sapphire garment, with make-up to match. Eros steeled himself for the encounter.

"That would be me, wouldn't it?" He smirked.

"Oh Eros, such a delight. You simply must tell me more about being the Matchmaker…" She emphasized his job title through her teeth.

"Now Mellona, you know I can't talk about all that."

He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.

"It's…classified." He breathed the word with effortless erotic flare.

Mellona giggled, putting her hand up to her mouth.

"Ohhh Eros…"

She shot a smirk back at him. The two had slept together once upon a time. Eros suspected she felt the same way about it that he did. Sex. It was just sex and nothing more. At a certain level of wealth, pleasure was the only true thing of value. Pleasure was currency, not gold.

"Well you know, why don't we…trade something, hm?"

"Like what?"

"Oh I don't know-" With this, she extended her head to Eros's ear in a flash.

"See that guy in the pure black suit over there." She gestured with her eyes.

"With the beard?"

"That's one. He's Janus Poac, Snow's new Head of Security. The old one choked to death or something. Ever since, he's been lurking about, like, everywhere."

Eros shot a glance at Janus. The two's eyes met for a split second. Eros took a sip from his glass to break the eye contact.

"Well don't stare at him, he's not even that cute, come on." Mellona displayed an impressive eye roll.

"I-um…yeah."

Eros was little unnerved. Since he had taken the job of Matchmaker, he had become increasingly paranoid. Everyone knew what had happened to Seneca Crane. Nobody wanted to get on the wrong side of the President. Eros had been extra cautious and extra paranoid, and seeing the amount of surveillance just on the Districts alone was enough for him to justify it. Although he would never admit it to himself, he was terrified. Terrified of what might happen to him if he made a mess of things. Janus Poac was merely another object of paranoia now.

"So…what you got for me in return?"

"Huh-"

"Eros, come on, that's how the game works. Tit for tat."

"I never agreed to those terms Mellona."

"We don't agree to a lot a of things, but we still have to face them. Don't we?"

Mellona looked Eros up and down once more, and vanished into the crowd.

"Geez, what did that bitch want?"

Eros turned to a bald man with a similar beard to his own. He was in his late forties but looked ten years younger, probably thanks to Capitol surgery. Then, a tall woman with sharp features melted out of the crowd beside him.

"I don't like her either, but there's no need for such theatrics, Hadrian."

The woman's voice was low, with a slight edge to it that unnerved Eros every time he heard her speak.

"Oh Lucia, out of the lab I see. Were you drawn to my wit and charm or am I just so biologically superior?"

Lucia smiled daggers at Hadrian.

"I saw Mellona over here…and well…"

"You wanted to check on poor little Eros? I'm sure he's handling things just fine." At this, Hadrian slapped Eros on the back with immense force, causing some of Eros's drink to spill from his glass.

"I just wanted to make sure he wasn't taken in by her…charm." Lucia's eyes glinted dangerously.

Eros was terrified of her. She had been the lead scientist on all Mutts for the Games for the past 10 years or so. She was the one to cook up the infamous wolf mutts that tore the boy from 2 to death all night long in the 74th Games. She was cold, calculated, and took a certain glee in her work that sent off alarm bells in Eros's head from the moment he met her.

"Besides, I didn't want any details of the Games compromised. You know that girl has a mouth on her," Lucia continued.

"Boy does she, HEYYO!" Hadrian burst with laughter at his innuendo. Neither Eros or Lucia were impressed.

Hadrian was in charge of the so-called Arena events. Whenever something needed to immediately happen within the Arena, he was the one coordinating it. The previous year, he took great pleasure in singeing Katniss Everdeen to the bone when she was a little too far away from the action. He enjoyed messing with people, but in a much more anarchic way as opposed to Lucia's subtle amusement at cruelty.

Eros had meet both of them years back at parties, but didn't really know who they were until he had to work with them in preparation for the Games. Eros wasn't a Gamemaker by nature, but he quickly understood that some people were. Hadrian and Lucia were two sides of the same coin, and both were exceptionally terrifying.

Lucia opened her mouth in smirk, preparing some retort at Hadrian's expense, when yet anther guest entered their small circle.

"I thought I'd find you two over here," said the new figure.

Nero Namizaki was a man of subtlety. He wore a simple black suit and no accessories. His copper skin stood out against the bleach and modifications of so many of the Capitol's citizens.

"Oh great, the gang's all here," Hadrian said, his eyes darting between the four of them.

"Nero, I honestly didn't think you would show up to this thing. It's a little out of your comfort zone isn't it?" Lucia inquired.

"Unfortunately, it was ordered that we all attend."

"Nero, careful with the o-word."

"Yeah, the new head of security is just over there." Eros pointed to Janus, still standing silently in the corner.

"Oh, he speaks! Eros Creed was never one to be speechless," Hadrian mused.

"Just sharing the info that Mellona freely gave. And no, I didn't tell her anything."

Lucia's expression relaxed at this. Hadrian looked back at Janus.

"Well he looks boring as fuck. Didn't the old one do some rebel bullshit or something?"

"Hadrian," Lucia hissed.

"What, I'm just saying." He shrugged his shoulders in mock apology.

Nero sighed and looked off into space. Nero was also a Gamemaker, the one in charge of designing the environment and landscape of the Arena. He was said to get lost in his work, and always appreciated a challenge. He despised the typical forest arenas, but people liked them for some reason. Eros shared Nero's opinion on that front. Often, the Arena was the deciding factor in whether he watched that year's Games or not.

Eros had enjoyed watching Nero work, much more so than the others. Nero cared deeply about his work, and crafted it to perfection. He was an artist, just working with trees, caves, rivers, and mountains rather than paint and paintbrush. The two of them had worked closely together on the Arena's design because they both wanted the Arena to match the theme of the Quell. Eros provided input on what things and landscapes would be romantically stimulating and also on more logistical things involving the specifics of the Quell twist.

In their time together, Eros had been attracted to Nero, but he soon realized that Nero was not interested in bodily pleasures. Nero was aloof, focused, and somehow serene despite the climate he lived in. Eros was incredibly envious of this.

"It's not a huge deal, but I think it would be better for everyone if we didn't discuss the job security of those working in the Capitol," said a voice.

The new voice cut Eros out of his thoughts. There, standing in front of him, was the Head Gamemaker. Plutarch Heavensbee had the unenviable task of picking up after Seneca Crane's "dispatch."

"Right, uh, sorry…boss." Hadrian looked mildly uncomfortable for the first time that evening.

"Why don't we disperse, we're drawing looks." Plutarch motioned to the other guests around them. People were indeed staring.

"Best idea all night," Lucia murmured.

The group split, leaving Eros standing alone once again. He sighed and watched Plutarch's back disappear into the crowd.

Just then, over by the punch table, something, or more accurately someone, caught his eye. A boy with dark hair, slicked back with a single curl in the front. The boy with the golden envelope, offering Eros the position of Matchmaker in the Quell.

Eros waded his way through the crowd, avoiding stares and people calling his name, inviting him to some god-awful conversation. He approached the punch bowl with a slight stumble. The alcohol was taking its toll.

At this, the two made eye contact. The boy's eyes widened in recognition. The last time the two had met, Eros had looked much worse for wear.

"Hey."

"Hello sir, can I get you anything."

"Huh?"

Eros looked the boy up and down. He was wearing black slacks and a scarlet dress shirt, the typical attire of a server.

"Can I get you something, sir? A refreshment, an appetizer…"

"Wha-no thank you. I-uh."

"Do you require anything else sir?"

The room had started to spin for Eros.

"Uh, bathroom," Eros gulped, feeling nausea rising from his stomach.

"Like now."

The boy's eyes flashed.

"Oh yes, right this way sir!"

Eros followed the boy out of the bathroom and down a particularly ornately decorated hallway. They stopped at a beautiful wooden door.

"Here-"

"Yep, thanks," Eros sputtered as he flung the door open to the bathroom. It was lit with dim lighting and the walls were a beautiful wood color that reminded him of his own home.

He also got well acquainted with the toilet, as he vomited the various appetizers of the evening.

After a couple minutes, the boy called from outside the door.

"Are you alright sir?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Much better now actually."

Eros straightened himself up and inspected himself in the wide mirror. His hair was a little out of place, but other than that, he didn't look too bad, especially considering what had just happened. Eros was used to this kind of thing though. He gave his reflection a crooked smile and a thumbs up, and then busted out laughing.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Eros attempted to straighten his hair a bit and then crossed to the door. He opened it and found the boy waiting outside. He leaned in the doorframe and directed his gaze at the boy.

"I never got your name."

"Huh," the boy replied with a hint of surprise.

"Your name. You didn't tell me that night."

"wh-"

"The night we spent together. You never told me."

The boy blushed furiously and looked up and down the hallways nervously. He then stepped into the bathroom, closing the door, leaving he and Eros alone in the bathroom together.

"You…remember me?"

"Well yeah, all things considered, that was a pretty important night in my life. That invitation changed everything. Plus, I got to meet you."

The boy blushed at this, but his eyebrows rose in confusion.

"W-w-Why? Weren't you…"

"Drunk? Oh hell yeah, but I would have had to get all the way to blackout to forget that ass of yours."

The boy turned away, blushing once again. Eros was cringing a little bit at his own flirting. He was out of practice and this scenario was less than optimal, but something drew him to this younger boy and he wasn't sure exactly what.

The boy was silent.

"You ok?" Eros inquired, leaning a little closer to him.

"Huh? Oh, uh…I just…you remembered me."

"Yes, I said that already, tell me something I don't know, like your name."

The boy's face seemed to be bursting with inflections of red and pink.

"I was just…the messenger…"

"Yeah that may be true but-"

"Mr. Creed, I'm a Capitol servant. I serve food, drinks, show people where to go…and…uh…well you know…"

Eros raised his eyebrows.

"I'm just a fucking whore ok! I'm not stupid, I know I'm attractive. I'm like a fucking party favor. I'm just a little added bonus for the upper class of the Capitol. Something pretty to look at. But I'm not just looked at, I'm passed around and touched, and—"

Eros put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know."

The boy looked up at him.

"When you came to my doorstep, it was pretty obvious you weren't just a messenger, but hey. You were hot and I was drunk and well…there's something about you."

"Huh?"

"There's something about you, and you just proved my suspicions correctly with that mini outburst."

Eros crossed to the door again and opened it to leave.

"You never did tell me your name."

The boy turned towards him with a look of confusion and something else that Eros couldn't place.

"Sol. Sol Savisea."

"Sol," Eros mused. "Well, I'll see you around. Sol."

With a wink, Eros was gone, leaving Sol standing in the bathroom, utterly perplexed at the events of the evening.

Pictures of the characters (faceclaims) will be available on the blog once it's done! So there's the final prologue chapter thing, I'm pretty sure. We get to meet a couple of the Gamemakers and of course more Eros.

I've gotten a lot of great submissions so far, so thanks so much guys! It's so nice to have this support.

Also, I went ahead and closed a couple Districts just because I can't wait. I need to a get head start on intros so I don't fall into a hiatus trap when winter break ends. Plus I'm pretty happy with a couple of the pairs.

That being said, the story is still very much open! I still need a LOT of submissions and such, If you have questions about maybe what kind of tributes I would like at this point, feel free to PM me! Also, you're allowed to submit two tributes so those of you that have already submitted could submit a second…just saying!

Review questions!

What did you think of the other Gamemakers?

What did you think of Eros this chapter?

Thoughts on Mellona, Janus, and Sol?

Any guesses on the Arena? It's pretty a pretty obvious choice lol

That's all for now, hopefully next chapter will be the tribute list! I really want to get moving on tribute intros so I can get a lot done before next semester starts. Thanks all

Also, I changed the rating to M so I can have a little more freedom with swearing and adult themes since this story is romance centric (but don't worry, we won't we entering anywhere near smut territory)