Polyphemus Ignotus POV
"Good morning, Panem, and welcome to the Resurrection Parade! We've all heard the rumors that there will be some unexpected twists to this parade, and I, for one, can't wait much longer. All I can tell you is that there will be a theme this time. For the rest, we'll have to wait and see."
"There's our first twist! The Tributes are alone this year, each with their own personal chariot drawn by a single horse. Tritium is the first. He's wearing a one-piece suit that glows green, like some weird comet. He's holding a sword and his chariot is covered with a series of numbers and letters. I don't know what the theme is yet, but I'm sure the next Tributes will shed some light on the situation."
"Jynx's outfit is covered with all sorts of riffraff. He's dressed as a black cat, but there's a white 13 painted on his back. His chariot is paneled with mirrors, but they're all shattered. He has a toy dinosaur in his hand."
"Jynx's outfit made sense, I guess. Jynxes, maybe? But Rapture's dressed as a king, with a red robe and a huge crown. His chariot is covered in royal symbols and jewels. He's holding one of those skinny Asian swords. Is that part of the theme too? Tritium had a sword, but why did Jynx have a toy dinosaur?"
"Glaudius' stylists went for the simple approach. Other than a modest swimsuit bottom, his only covering is a layer of gold paint. His chariot is gold as well, and his... token, is it? Is a strange toy monster that looks a little like a crocodile. I don't get it."
"Charmaine looks like Jynx's opposite. There are four-leaf clovers painted on her cheeks and her chariot is stamped with horseshoes. She has her fingers crossed on one hand and the other is holding a toy scorpion. I don't think scorpions are very good luck."
"Victory looks to be enjoying herself, and I would too in her outfit. She has a pair of enourmous, feathery white wings, which billow out behind her. Her dress is a simple Greek toga and her hair is voluminous and feathery. Her chariot seems to be covered in blood, which mars the serenity slightly. The other thing that doesn't make sense is the machete she's carrying."
"Diamond is covered in diamonds. Finally a costume that makes sense. Her chariot is similarly decorated and she's holding a stuffed bat. There's supposed to be a theme here, right? Can someone help me out?"
"Olivine is covered in olivines. She's holding a knife. Oh... I'm so dense. Olivine... Diamond... Glaudius Gold. There it is! That's brilliant! The stylists must have known all the costumes would look the same, so they did a name theme instead! Some of the costumes don't make much sense, but now at least I know what to look for. There you have it. You can't get nothing past me."
"Chantal is wearing a white dress covered in musical notes. Her chariot is made out of musical instruments. Maybe Chantal means 'song'? It sounds like 'chant', I guess." She's holding a spear. I still don't know what that means."
"Priscilla is dressed in a Greek costume. It must be a Greek name. Her chariot is decorated like a really old stone wagon. She's holding this freaky little doll with a creepy mask."
"We've reached District Two! Ash is covered in gray powder and his chariot is made of smoldering wood. Hah, because he's Ash! His token is an axe. They've all been either weapons or model animals so far. It must mean something."
"Hunter is wearing camouflage and an orange hat, naturally, since he's a hunter. His chariot looks like an old-style truck. He's holding a stuffed bat just like Diamond. They were in the same Games. Perhaps that's part of the pattern."
"Oh, I know this one! Troy is a Trojan! His chariot looks like a wooden horse and he'd wearing traditional Trojan battle garb. He's holding a knife, like some of the others. So we have knives, swords, an axe, those bats, and that freaky guy. What do those have in common?"
"'Akari' must mean light, since her outfit is so bright I can't see her. Her chariot is covered with rainbow lights that fill the entire room. She's holding a mace. First one so far."
"Ava has gray wings and feathers all over her body. Like 'aviary', I guess? Her chariot is fashioned to look like an eagle with outstretched wings. Her token is a sword, like some of the others."
"I thought 'Mary' was a boring and old-fashioned name, so I don't know why Mary Ellen is dressed so dramatically. She's wearing a black leather jacket and pants and her hair is spiked. Her chariot is jagged and fierce-looking. What's this? She's not holding anything, but her hand is covered in blood. This keeps getting stranger."
"Steel must have made things easier for them. She's covered in sleek hammered sheets or steel, and her chariot is the same. She's holding a knife. We've been seeing a lot of those."
"They took a little liberty with Odeda. As I recall, the Swan Princess' name was Odette. Odeda's lovely white dress has a swan head curled around her neck, and her chariot is festooned in white feathers. For her prop, she carries a spear."
"'Charlotte' must mean 'fight' or something. Lottie is wearing a fierce Amazon-style warrior outfit. Her chariot is hardly decorated. It looks like a normal war chariot. Her token is... what on Earth? She's carrying an apple core. That's not a weapon."
"Is Cierra dressed as a... mountain? Her hair is covered with snow and there are rocks around her feet. She definitely got the worst of this. Her chariot is decorated with grass and stone, and she's also carrying a sword."
"I got no idea what 'Aversa' means, and neither did the stylist. Instead, she and her chariot are decorated with jewels. She's holding a much more conventional sword."
"Venus was a godsend for the stylists. Her chariot is a delicate seashell and Venus is a lovely offering. Modesty had demanded that her hair be pasted over her bosom, and she protects the rest of her secrets with her hands, one of which holds a spear."
"Finally, we have Four. Orren must be a ghost or something. He's covered in white powder, and his chariot is bone-white, too. Here's another new one for our collection. He's holding a little scarecrow."
"Whyte was easy enough. He and his chariot are... white. The only thing not white are his cheeks. He seems to be dying of embarrassment. I would be too, if my token was a chair."
"Ole's in the same boat as Whyte. His chariot is modeled after a baby carriage and he's dressed in nothing but a bonnet and a diaper. I can't make this up, and I do wish I wasn't seeing it. At least his token is a simple sword."
"Floki is a gift to the ladies of Panem. He has on an ornate golden helmet with long, curving horns. His long, flowing coat has a lovely emerald and gold sheen and his high boots are oh-so-shiny. He's holding a stuffed bird, one more mystery for our riddle."
I was wondering how they'd do Tallulah. They went with 'sandpiper' instead, and she's dressed as a bird. What is that? She's holding a statue of... Orren! Why would she- because Orren killed her. That's it! That was it this whole time!
"Oh sorry, there's Kaliana. She's covered in lovely face paint that makes her look like an otherwordly nymph. Her chariot is covered in delicate watercolor patterns. I don't know what 'Kaliana' means, but I want to see more. She's holding a water bottle. But wait! It's empty! She must have died of dehydration."
"Marley is dressed as... a man? Her name means 'man'? That's funny. Her chariot looks like a reclining man, which she obviously finds hilarious. Her last Games wasn't that long ago, so I remember how she died. Elver killed her with an axe and that's what she's carrying."
"I can't even see Mist. She and her chariot are covered with a thick cloud of, well, mist. Some sort of liquid is dribbling a trail behind her. Oh, that's right. She drank gasoline. No one light a match!"
"Last we have Arielle. I've been looking forward to her since I figured everything out. She has not disappointed. Her hair is bright red and she's wearing a seashell bra. She's the only one sitting down, since she's wearing fins. Her chariot looks like a clamshell and she's carrying the same Asian sword Rapture had earlier."
"And just like that, it's over. What a ride, folks, what a ride. Twists, turns, mysteries, riddles... I couldn't have asked for more. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, but I'm not sure that's possible. Here's to a great parade and an even greater Games!"
Did you figure it out before Polyphemus? I suppose so, since he's pretty slow on the uptake. In hindsight, I should have checked the names to see how many didn't match up exactly. I had to look up the etymology for a lot of names, and some of them were difficult. 'Orren', for example, means 'pale'.