Thank you to all those who favorited this story and put it on alert. If you want to know, April's Tribute Parade dress was inspired by one of Anne Vyalitsina's outfits in the VS Fashion Show back in 2011. And I know some of you may not like how Cato is written in this chapter, but it's explained in one of the next chapters. Plus, he doesn't stay like this for long, and you'll only need one guess why!

Disclaimer: Sadly, Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games and everything involved with it, but I own my characters. So, don't steal them. Please? Thank you.

Make me your Aphrodite
Make me your one and only
But don't make me your enemy
So you wanna play with magic
Boy, you should know what you're falling for
Baby, do you dare to do this
Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse

Chapter 4: The Sea Goddess and the Mighty Warrior

I was laid out on a table, completely naked. I had never really been self-conscious about my body, all my training and swimming leaving me in great shape. My prep and styling team was washing me down, plucking at me, waxing me, brushing my hair, and anything else to clean me up. They had put some kind of cream on my bruises, assuring me they'd be healed by morning. They consisted of two women, Avita and Gaia, and a man, Justus.

Avita was a short, skinny girl. She looked like she couldn't be older than me. Her skin was dyed violet, matching her eyes, while her hair was actually a natural blonde color. She was dressed in a bright, lime green, tight, short dress. She had a very peppy personality, always giddy when she spoke. Gaia was a tall woman and a bit lanky looking, like her limbs had been stretched. She was much older than me, possibly even older than my mother. Her hair was bright blue and shaved on the sides, leaving only the top of her head to style. Her skin was dyed hot pink, with tattoos indented in her skin, looking more like scars. She was the quiet one of the bunch, which was the exact opposite of the way she looked. I had yet to hear her speak. She was focused on her job. Justus was definitely a cutie. Though he had bright green hair, it was groomed nicely. His facial features were that of what a model would look like, his skin its natural color. His red suit went well with him. He also didn't have a normal Capitol accent. He sounded like he came from another country. As I finished my observations of my styling team, I realized I smelled salt in the water they were using, just like the train.

"Why are you washing me with salt water?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

Avita smiled at me, her purple eyes lighting up behind her bright yellow eyelashes. "Xerxes doesn't want the smell of the ocean washed off of you." That was actually a very nice idea. I did like the smell of the sea.

"How did you know I'd smell like the ocean?" I asked, politely.

Gaia simply smiled and looked over at Avita, who replied, "Everyone from District Four smells like the ocean."

"Not to worry, love. Xerxes is very good at what he does," Justus said, as he ripped a wax strip from my leg. I winced. I didn't understand the need for that. I kept myself pretty well groomed.

They had told me something, though. I would have the same stylist my brother had had in his Games. That meant Xerxes had been a District Four stylist for at least eight years. I was looking forward to meeting him again. Merrick had had a good experience with him, and I'd only been nine at the time I'd met him. I was glad I didn't have to worry about being dressed like an idiot.

I continued to endure the torture they were putting me through. It felt like it took them hours to finish grooming me, though I felt like I had been groomed enough before even getting there. I was finally given something to cover myself as I was led to a room with a metal gurney. I was told to lay there until Xerxes arrived to fix me up. I was excited to see how he'd help me win over the Capitol. If I was going to win, that's exactly what I needed to do. I didn't care if I needed to beg; I was going to have a memorable outfit. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long for Xerxes to arrive.

Xerxes was a very tall, slim, younger man. He couldn't be past thirty-five years of age. He was wearing a normal, grey suit with a button up shirt unbuttoned a bit underneath it. To my surprise, Xerxes looked more normal than the first time I'd seen him. His suit definitely didn't scream Capitol fashion, but his bright yellow hair, eyebrows, and beard were definitely up to par with everyone else here, his shirt matching them. He smiled at me when he walked in.

"Hello, April. My, my, look at how you've grown! You are very beautiful! You're far better looking than your brother," he said, taking a seat next to me, examining my looks. I like this guy already! "I assume my team started taking care of your injuries?" I nodded. "Good, unfortunately they won't be healed in time for the parade, but we'll cross that bridge soon enough. Now, how comfortable are you in showing some skin? I know we need to get you sponsors, but if you're not comfortable with that, we won't go there."

I smiled at his willingness to take my feelings into account, but he didn't need to worry. I wasn't really the shy away type. "I'll wear whatever you put on me."

He pumped his fist in front of him and laughed. "Good, because, in all honesty, I don't have a backup plan if you don't like the outfit. You'll look breathtaking, and the crowd will love you." He hopped off the table and walked to the door, calling for his team to bring in my outfit.

Justus, Gaia and Avita each carried in a few pieces and I saw that there wasn't much to it, but I guess that was the point. The outfit looked like a set of undergarments or a swimsuit, not that it mattered. They were black with a bit of dark blue, a design in the middle of the underwear and a colorful chainlike piece across the cups of the top. I was handed them and I put them on, taking off my paper cover-up. The entire ensemble left very little to the imagination, my butt not being completely covered and my breasts being pushed up a bit. I was then given an odd belt that had chainlike train that went around the belt, stopping at my knees in the back. Lastly, I had heels, gladiator like in style, stopping right below my knees. They were solid in the front, but opened up as they came around my legs. Justus began working on my nails, while Gaia and Avita began working on my makeup. Xerxes started working on my hair, making it come out in waves, coloring the tips the same color as my outfit. After they were finished, Xerxes dismissed his team, having to push them out because they didn't want to leave. Once they were out the door, he turned back to me.

"Would you like to see what you look like?" He asked, smiling like an idiot. I nodded, taking a deep breath.

He pulled me in front of a mirror and my heart stopped. I barely recognized myself. My makeup wasn't so crazy where you couldn't tell it was me, but it was dramatic enough to make me look desirable. They had used shadowy colors on my eyes, the eyeliner coming off in little waves on the side. There was blue glitter sprinkled on my face and in my hair. When the chains that came off the clothes moved, it looked like water was flowing from them. I could have lied and said I thought I looked hideous, but I looked pretty amazing. Xerxes had done his job.

"Holy shit!" I turned back to him, smiling. "Xerxes, this is amazing!"

He rubbed his hands together and looked me up and down. "Now, the bottoms cover up the bruise on your hip, but I'll have to find some bangles for your wrists. What in the world happened?" He asked.

"I was trying to prove myself to someone and show them that I'd be a force in the Games. It may have slightly backfired," I chuckled. My face turned serious. "But I am a force to be reckoned with."

He smiled at me. "I like you. You're spunky…and feisty." He pulled me off of the table and I had to balance myself in the heels. "Come on. I'll take you to the chariots and then find those bangles." He wrapped his hands around the bruises, looking at where we were joined before letting go. "Wide bangles will be an easy find. It's just getting them to match."

With that, he opened the door and we made our way to the area where the chariots awaited the tributes. I was only the third one to arrive, District Seven already standing by their chariot. The girl was wearing a forest green dress with twig like designs coming out behind her, and the boy was dressed as a lumberjack. Their two stylists definitely weren't on the same page.

Xerxes dismissed himself to find my bracelets and I was left by myself. I hoped that Xerxes and Crest's stylist had coordinated our outfits. Not to the point where we matched exactly, though that'd be hilarious, but enough to where we didn't look stupid like District Seven. My prayers were answered when Crest walked through the door in an outfit themed like mine. He was wearing board shorts with the same design as my outfit. He donned a chest piece made of identical chains to the ones hanging off of my body. He wore no shoes and his hair was spiked in the front, the tips dyed like mine. He spotted me and jogged over, the chains jingling as he did.

"Wow, April, you look amazing!" He exclaimed, looking me up and down. I had to laugh that even he couldn't help but check me out. The Capitol would be eating out of the palm of my hand.

"We both look pretty awesome," I replied, smiling.

He frowned and looked down at his outfit. "I don't know. I mean, Echo did a great job, but I feel pretty fruity in this outfit."

I spotted Glimmer and her partner, Marvel, walking in, both wearing hot pink, feathery garbs of clothing. I couldn't help but laugh. "You look like a Greek god compared to him," I said, pointing to the boy.

Crest looked over his shoulder and chuckled. He turned back and frowned again. "I think someone already has the Greek god thing down."

I turned around and spotted Cato entering where I had not long ago, alone. I could see what Crest meant when he had said Greek god. That seemed to be the theme of the outfit, mixed with a little bit of gladiator. He had a golden, winged head piece, a golden chest plate of old Greek armor with a long golden cape coming off the back of it, a typical gladiator war skirt looking bottom, and gladiator sandals up to his knees. If it was possible, it made him look more attractive. He was sure to draw in some sponsors tonight. I was determined to do the same.

His eyes caught mine and he smiled. I was a bit shocked, thinking I had seen something, but it was a real, genuine smile. It took me a few moments but I smiled back. I'd never seen him smile before, only smirk. His teeth were perfectly straight and white, and his smile was actually charming. I tried not to fall into it, because I'd already seen how he acted on the train. Cato had already shown his true colors.

He started to walk over to me, but Xerxes appeared in front of me, out of nowhere, with two dark blue, jeweled bangles in his hand. He slid them over my wrists and I could hear him talking to me, but I didn't comprehend what he was saying. I felt him rub my arm and say goodbye before walking away, taking Crest with him, for some reason. Cato had been standing right behind Xerxes and now there was no barrier between us. He walked closer, reaching the chariot and leaning on it. His smirk had returned and now his eyes were roaming over me. I was suddenly aware of how little I was wearing.

"You don't look too bad, Four. You'll catch some eyes tonight for sure," he said, teasingly. "You've sure caught mine."

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, the most annoying part of that was the nonuse of my name. "Am I going to have to write 'April' on my forehead so you'll start calling me by my name, because this 'Four' business is really getting annoying."

He held up his hands in mock defeat and let out another real smile. I definitely like those more than his smirks. "Alright, fine, April. If it'll make you happy, I'll call you by your name from now on."

I looked at him skeptically, knowing better than to just believe what he said. "Do you promise?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "I promise."

And it was my turn to smirk. "And no take backs?"

He chuckled at me. "How old are you? Five?"

I shook my head, and held out my right hand, sticking my pinky out. "Come on. If you're promising, you have to make it legit."

"What are you doing?" He asked, brows furrowed in confusion at my extended finger.

"It's a pinky swear. Humor me." A look of disbelief crossed my face as he stood there, looking at me like I had an extra hand. "You've got to be kidding me… You've never made a pinky swear before? You're joking, right?"

His face got serious for a second. "I don't joke." We stood there for a second. He was still staring at my outstretched hand. He finally sighed. "You're not going to give this up, are you?" I shook my head, giving him a look that told him he had no choice. "Alright, how does this work?"

I smiled, excited to teach this to Cato, for some reason. "Alright, hold out your hand and stick your pinky out." He held up his left hand. "No. Your right hand." He sighed and switched his hands, his pinky extended. "Now, we link our pinkies." Cato took a step forward, invading my personal bubble and interlocked out pinkies. I realized that I was flirting with Cato, using the situation to see what I could get out of him. I should've stopped it, but I didn't want to. I smiled up at him and stuck my thumb out toward me. "Now, you stick your thumb out," he followed my example, "and you bite it." We both leaned forward, our eyes never leaving each other, and bit our respective thumbs. We backed away a bit, our eyes still locked. "That's how you do a pinky swear, and you don't break a pinky swear."

Cato smirked. "I can think of a few other things to bite instead of our thumbs," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

I quickly dropped my hand away from his and pushed him lightly. "You're sick," I said, while chuckling.

He smiled at me. "You're laughing, aren't you?"

As more tributes started to file in, I knew my time with this Cato was going to come to an end. He would put his hard exterior back up, and we'd go back to being the boy from District Two and the girl from District Four trying to get the Capitol to fall in love with us.

"You think you're so funny," I said, getting ready for our conversation to be over.

He replied with, "Oh, I know I am," just as Clove, his partner, who was dressed very similar to him, and my brother walked into the chariot area. Then, he did something I didn't expect. He took my hand and kissed the knuckles. "Make 'em cheer, April." With that, he walked up to the District Two chariot.

I was so shocked that I didn't even realize that Merrick had walked up. I was staring down at my hand when I felt Merrick push me. I almost lost my balance, the heels making my whole body teeter over, but I grabbed onto the chariot. I turned to him, and he didn't look too happy.

He pointed toward Cato, who was standing with Clove over at their chariot, chatting with their mentor. "What was that about?"

I rolled my eyes. I had to think of a good lie. "I was just working my way in. It could be a good idea to formally join the wealthier districts' alliance, and I can guarantee that boy will be the leader of the pack. Anything that can get me to the end of the Games, I'm going to do. So you need to chill out and trust me."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just being the overprotective brother." He looked around and saw that tributes were now getting on their chariots. He helped me step up onto the back of the chariot. Xerxes, Crest, and Echo, a short, plump, lavender skinned woman, walked up and Crest stepped up beside me. "I can't believe I'm saying this to my little sister, but you have to flirt with the crowd. You're already dressed for it, so just…give them a good show." He said the last part like he was trying not to gag. "We'll see you on the other side," he finished, before walking back toward the door he'd entered from.

I looked over to see Crest's stylist doing last minute touch ups. Xerxes stepped over to my side of the chariot and took my right hand. "I know you can do this, April. Just pretend that you're flirting with me," he said, winking. I was glad to have a reason to laugh. "You seemed to do just fine with that boy from District Two. Pretend you're flirting with him." I didn't have a chance to recover from the comment before Xerxes left my side.

The doors ahead of us quickly opened up and I was deafened by the noise of the crowd. I could see District One's chariot begin to move forward and an even louder roar erupted from the crowd outside the doors. I suddenly began to get nervous. How was I going to make the crowd like me? Cato seemed to think my outfit would be enough. I could see his chariot begin to move, and he was immediately playing up the crowd. A few seconds later, District Three's chariot was pulled forward. Just breathe, April. You can do this. Crest reached over and squeezed my hand. I looked over at him and smiled. He let go of my hand just as our chariot was pulled forward. It took me a few seconds to adjust to the light and the noise, but as soon as I was able to get myself together, I immediately went into action. I was blowing kisses to the crowd, swaying my hips occasionally, doing anything I could do to flirt with the crowd. I could hear people cheering my name, and it honestly felt good to know that there were people here that liked me. That would mean it would be easier to get sponsors.

Suddenly, I heard gasping and even louder cheering than before. Everyone had turned their attention to the back of the pack of chariots and I wondered what was going on. I looked up at the large screens that projected the tributes and I saw the girl from District Twelve, Katniss, and flames were coming off the back of her. Wow. Her stylist did a great job as well. I tried not to lose focus as I kept waving and blowing kisses to the crowd. Most of them were captivated by Katniss, but I'd had my time in the spotlight.

We came to a stop and I looked around at the other tributes. Most of the stylists had done a great job at capturing the districts specialties, but some weren't that captivating. Some were honestly unoriginal, done so many times over the years. I was just thankful not to be dressed as a mermaid or a fish. I looked up to see that President Snow was getting ready to speak, and I already knew what he'd be saying. He said the same thing every year. As I started scoping out the tributes again, my eyes landed on Cato, who was glowering at Katniss. I knew he was upset that she'd stolen the spotlight. As he started directing his attention back to President Snow, his eyes landed on me, and his face softened a bit. He nodded at me, sent me a smirk and then turned his attention fully on Snow. I decided to do the same. He finished his speech with, "And may the odds be ever in your favor," and we were pulled through the doors below the stage. Once we were through the doors, Xerxes, Echo, and Merrick jogged over to our chariot, smiles on their faces.

Xerxes pulled me down and wrapped me in a hug. I was shocked at first, but returned it nonetheless. He pulled away from me, holding my shoulders. "You did amazing! Caesar Flickerman was calling you a goddess! A goddess of the sea!" He looked over at Echo. "We are geniuses!" Goddess of the sea? I could deal with that.

Merrick pulled me into a hug as well. "You did great, Apricot!" He exclaimed, excitedly and much too loudly for my liking.

I hit him in the arm. "You don't yell that out here," I whispered, harshly, looking around to see if anyone had been paying attention. The last thing I needed was that being spread around.

He laughed at me. "What? Are you embarrassed, Apricot?"

I glared at him as we began walking to the elevator. "I'm not kidding. I will hurt—" I was cut off when I suddenly tripped, the heel of my shoe breaking mid stride, and I started to fall. At least the last time I fell, I was only in front of seven people. Now I was about to fall flat on my face in front of twenty-three other tributes and their stylists and mentors. That's just perfect. I closed my eyes, preparing to hit the ground, when I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, stopping my motion. I opened my eyes to see Crest looking down at me. He pulled me back up and straightened me out.

"I think you missed the point of the Games, April," he said, chuckling at me, making sure I was stable before he let me go. "You're not supposed to get killed before you go in the arena."

I rolled my eyes, antsy more than before to get away from everyone else. There was no reason to stick around after a fall like that. "Yeah. Laugh it up. I can't walk well in heels."

I continued walking behind them, more like limping with my legs at uneven heights, and I looked over at Cato. He was sending daggers at Crest's back, and I could've sworn that jealousy ran over his face. That boy confused the hell out of me. We made it to the elevator and pressed the button labeled with a number four. We were to be separated by floors, each district going to their corresponding floor number. I started to take off my shoes, broken one first, as the elevator quickly made its way up. By the time I got the second shoe off, the elevator doors opened and we walked into our apartment.

The place was extravagant. We had to walk past a couple of walls, but once we were passed them, we could see how the place was divided up. There was a hall lined with doors, which I assumed was where we would all be sleeping. There was a living area, where we'd watch Caesar Flickerman and other Capitol celebrities talk about this year's Games. Joy. Separated from the living area by another wall, was the dining area. An amazing decorated table and chairs sat elegantly in the middle of the room.

Cicero was already in the living area, Caesar and Claudius already going over the Tribute Parade on the screen. It hadn't even been ten minutes, and we were already being analyzed. They glossed over the first district, spent a little time Cato and Clove, and barely even mentioned District Three.

"And what about April, from District Four, and her partner Crest?" Caesar asked, that huge signature smile on his face. "They looked absolutely stunning, and the crowd was certainly giving her the attention she wanted."

"She was definitely one of the crowd favorites tonight," Claudius agreed.

If it were possible, Caesar's face lit up even more. "But what about the surprise from District Twelve?" He asked, excitedly smacking the top of his desk. "Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire. She'll be some competition when it comes to getting sponsors if she keeps surprising people like that."

If I hadn't been so tired that I was practically dead on my feet, I would have been worried about competing for sponsors. Xerxes told Crest and I that we should get changed and get to bed, because our training would start tomorrow. We both nodded and made our way down the hall of doors. We took the rooms that were across from each other and made our way inside our respective rooms. I closed the door behind me and immediately started taking off my costume. As soon as I was stripped down, I made my way to the bathroom and washed the day off of me. Glitter, makeup, and blue dye made its way down the drain. The water still smelled a little salty, but not as salty as on the train or when I was being prepped, and it changed near the end so I could rinse my hair properly. When I was done, I dried myself off and made my way back into my room. I pulled on some clothes and climbed into bed. I spotted a remote on the nightstand and decided to play around with it. The button I pushed turned the view of the Capitol into a view of a forest. I searched through the screens until I found what I was looking for—an ocean. I put the remote down and lay down, surrounding myself with a blanket. I drifted to sleep listening to the sound of waves crashing on a beach.

Tomorrow would be an interesting day, and I had to be ready.

CATO OC CATO OC CATO OC CATO OC CATO

So I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be updating every Saturday. It'll just be whenever I feel like posting a chapter haha. Most of the chapters are already completely written and just need some tweaking so whenever I feel like the next chapter is ready to be seen, which shouldn't take long, you'll get it. Thank you guys for reading and see you next time!