I'm so sorry I haven't posted in so long! Christmas stuff with the family took over my days quite thoroughly... I hope you all had a great Christmas! Or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate:). I own nothing, as always - Finnick, Annie, and the whole gang belong to lovely Ms Collins! Anywho, I really like this chapter, so I hope you do! Thanks so much to the reviewer Rayne Marie for saying it was the best fanfic you'd ever read, you have no idea how happy that made me feel! And to urstory, you're so constant and supportive it just makes my day!

You know Miss Sunshine, she starts to paint a perfect picture of this river parade
And I know that I love the rain the most when it stops
Yeah, when it stops

Well, the dark waves, they start singing together
I can't believe this change in the weather
I start to hum a child's rhyme
And all these boats, they start rocking in time
And I love the rain the most when it stops
Yes, we love the rain the most when it stops
Yeah when it stops

I Love The Rain The Most; Joe Purdy.

For this chapter, LISTEN TO: Breathe Me by Sia on repeat. (As a bonus, play 'RainyMood' [found on YouTube] at the same time!)

FINNICK'S POV

"I'm Iphigenia, not Penthesilea."

The words rung through my head over and over. What could she have meant? Who were they? Friends from back home?

Whoever they were, I didn't like them. The way Annie had looked at me before walking off - the sheer wistful melancholia those green eyes had contained in a split second was inconceivable and terrifying. Her eyes were constantly terrifying.

I had asked Mags if she recognized the names; but they were as foreign to her as they were to me.

"No clue," She had shrugged. "But they sound Greek, although I could be totally wrong. Why? You planning on naming children sometime soon?"

I had just laughed at her response, trying to keep a smile on my face while something ate away at my insides. Something didn't feel right.

I shook my head, hoping to knock the thoughts out of my brain. I needed to find something that would take my mind off of this whole thing. And there was only one place in this contrived city that could do that.

I returned to my room, mind swimming. I quickly slipped into shorts and a t-shirt, bypassing the mirror on my way out the door after filling up a water bottle and a bag with a spare change of clothes.

The 24/7 gym was the one good part about being in the Capitol. The extensive training room was filled with every kind of machine imaginable, and I had used them all. Sweat and pain was a good distraction for a disturbed mind. Sometimes the endorphin's even battled hard enough with my thoughts that I was actually happy afterwords. Another plus to this specific gym - it was mentors only. That meant, at any given time, there could be only 24 people in here. The less people there to bother me, the better.

If I had been back in D4, I would have gone swimming or even just walked along the beach, losing my thoughts to the sound of waves lapping at sand. But here in the Capitol, this was the best I could get.

When the automated doors swung open, I was hit with cold air-conditioned air and silence. Exactly the way I wanted it.

For the next few hours I threw myself into my workout; sweating, aching and pushing myself on levels I had never known before. I ran farther. I lifted more. I worked harder.

And yet with every step on the treadmill, every lift of leg on the hamstring curl, every propulsion of sinewy muscle on the weights, my mind echoed one thought -

Annie, Annie, Annie.

On every machine I attempted to lose myself. The speed was so high on the treadmill at times I thought I would fall off, but instead I pushed my legs to move faster than I had previously thought possible to keep up with the racing rubber. But she was still there. The sound of her name being called at the Reaping, her blank expression on the train, her glimmering body in that ridiculous fish outfit that she'd somehow managed to make look stunning.

It was still all Annie, Annie, Annie. My body was as heated as my thoughts, and I tore the damp shirt over my head, hoping to find some kind of relief. There was no gratification.

I pressed the incline on the machine over and over, feeling the burn in my muscles increase until it was almost unbearable. But she was still there. Even the pain couldn't turn her image away.

GET OUT! The demon snarled at her, tearing at her image with sharp teeth and claws, making the porcelain skin run red.

No! I screamed at it, shaking as he lunged at her. I felt my feet fly out from under me, felt my body hit the carpet with force, my skin turning red. I felt the aching in my head as it hit the unforgiving ground.

Everything in my brain turned to fuzz - the demon, Annie, everything - and I got up from the ground, ignoring the small wounds and protesting body as my blood boiled.

My mind was supposed to be my place of sanctuary. The one place I could do and feel whatever I wanted, alone, without the presence of Snow or petty women or the demon. The gym was supposed to be my place, where I could forget about everything but burning muscle and sweat.

So why was she here, summoning the demon and preventing me from concentrating? Who was she to invade me like that?

"God damn it!" I roared, my fist connecting with the wall of the large room. My vision began to blur, a scarlet the exact colour of blood filling in the hazy edges. I couldn't tell if my fist had gone through the wall, I didn't bother to look.

I stormed through the glass doors, legs moving in large, quick strides down the empty corridors. When I reached my room I opened and slammed the door without concern for who heard or saw.

I moved immediately to my computer, heart still beating ferociously in my chest, sweat only beginning to dry on my bare back. The blue screen immediately materialized, and before I knew what I was doing, a single name was being typed into the search engine.

Penthesilea

I clicked the first link, waiting. Once the site was up, I began to read and scrutinize every sentence on the page.

Penthesilia, an Amazonian Queen of a group of elite women warriors, made famous for her appearance in the Greek fable of the Trojan War -

I continued down the page, scrolling until a word caught my eye.

Death - She died in the midst of battle, killed by the Greek warrior Achilles. He was -

Frustrated, I returned to the first screen without finishing the sentence and typed in the other name, hoping for better results. It took mere seconds for the screen to load, and once again I clicked the first link and

"Iphigenia," I muttered aloud. "Princess in Greek myth... Tricked into thinking she was marrying the warrior Achilles... it was a ploy... her father needed her blood to be spilled in order to continue on his war..."

My heart skipped a beat when I read the sentence, and everything around me temporarily slowed.

"And when she came to know of the plan she - she -" My eyes grew wide. The words before me turned my rapidly beating heart cold and still as stone. "She willingly sacrificed herself."

I leaned back in my chair, mouth parted, strangled breaths echoing in the quiet room. I could barely think.

Closing my eyes, I began to take deep breaths, allowing my mind to begin working again.

I heard a knock at my door.

"Finnick?" It was Mags.

I ignored her.

She knocked again. "Finnick! I know you're in there!"

I didn't move from my position, didn't make a sound.

"Amphitrite and Annie are back from training, I thought I'd let you know," She huffed. I absorbed the words but continued to remain in my inner world.

She said she wasn't Penthesilea - she said she isn't a warrior. Okay. So she said she was Iphigenia -

My eyes sprung open, and I jumped from the chair, my heart back to its previous rapid pace. I could feel my fists clench involuntarily, my jaw tighten and blood grow hot in my veins.

I reached the door in three strides, tearing it open with such force Mags jumped back in surprise.

"Jeez, you scared me! What are you doing shirtle - "

"Where is she?" I demanded, my hands gripping her wrinkled elbows tightly.

"Who? Who?" She chanted, her eyes containing fright at my wild countenance.

"Annie!" I yell, pulling myself back from shaking the old woman. "Where is she?"

"She was with Leif in the prep room, last time I saw her! What's gotten into you?" She answers, shaking her head in confusion.

I let go of her without another word, my bare feet flying over the carpet, wheeling sharply around corners and down the empty halls.

I was no longer mad at her for invading my private time, oh no. But putting the pieces of her enigmatic statement together had sent me into a whole new fit of blinding rage, and I would find her if it was the last thing I did.

She's Iphigenia. She's planning on sacrificing herself.

ANNIE'S POV

"Thanks again Leif, this means so much that you're willing to do this." My hands wrap around the lithe body of the stylist as he laughs.

"Oh, it's really no problem. When you're designing for someone so beautiful it's a joy to have more creations to make." He takes time to chuckle at my blush before continuing. "But anything that helps you out you know I'm more than willing to do." The smile that stretches his mocha-coloured face is a genuine one, and once more I silently remind myself how lucky I am to have such a great support system in this godforsaken time leading up to my death.

He drapes a hand across my shoulder and leads me towards the waiting Amphitrite and the silver-skinned raven-haired woman that must be his stylist, who are waiting politely off to the side.

"The guidelines should be fun to work with, eh Witch?" Leif winks at the strange woman as we approach.

"Fun to work around," She retorts, pushing herself off the wall she was previously leaning against and joining us, and I see a coy flutter of her eyelashes over black feline eyes. Leif's arm removes itself from my shoulders as he begins to walk by her side, and the glances exchanged between them makes my bite my lip.

Amphitrite is soon beside me, serious as ever, the small twinkle in his eye the only hint of playfulness in his hard exterior.

"I think they like each other," I whisper, leaning into his ear.

He looks at me quizzically before shaking his head. "How can you tell? You've only seen them together for a few seconds."

I eye them once more before confirming my thoughts. "I just do." I smile, "Maybe it's a girl thing." I nudge him and raise an eyebrow, laughing lightly.

"No, I think it's a you thing." He responds, sounding exasperated all while smiling. "You're good with figuring people out, Annie. It's easy to see that."

I nearly stop in my tracks, eyeing him with strangely confused eyes. I suppose maybe I have good interactions with people. I turn to him to respond, but before I do there's a voice that makes me still as stone.

"Annie!"

For a second I feel as though I've imagined it, the pure ferocity and emotion entwined with the howl of my name is like nothing I've ever heard before. But everyone around me has turned to face the source of the noise, so it must be real.

"Annie!" Whatever creature is baying my name is closer, and I step forward, my curiosity overruling my fright. Metal clangs in the prep room, and while the remainder of the group stays still, I continue to walk forward slowly.

Suddenly the double doors burst open and before me is the last sight I had expected to see.

It's Finnick. But not just Finnick - this is a furious, crazed, Finnick. His feet are bare and his chest is completely exposed, and I can see a faint sheen of dried sweat coating his muscular body. Even in his current state, my heart skips a beat at the beauty. He's like a tiger, large and dangerous but oh so beautiful.

He frantically searches the room before his green eyes lock on me with such ferocity I take a step back, suddenly frightened.

Without a word he stalks towards me, not running but moving at the same speed nonetheless. Before I can defend myself his hands are gripping my upper arms so tightly I can feel them bruising under his strength, and his face is centimeters away from mine.

"What the hell are you thinking?" He screams at me, his eyes blazing into mine and straight through me. I squirm in his hold, but to no avail - it's like anvils weigh me to him.

His eyes are so beautiful and terrifying at once that I can't look away, as scared as I am.

"What are you talking about, Finnick? Let me go!" I wriggle once again, this time kicking my feet out from under me. I expect to fall, but he keeps me upright, and suddenly I'm hovering above the ground. His face remains unchanged, his muscles unaffected by carrying my weight before he puts me down again.

My breath escapes me, and I can feel him push off Amphitrite as he attempts to free me.

"You're not here to sacrifice yourself, Annie!" He returns his gaze to me, shaking me so that I swear I can feel my brain rattle in my skull. "You're not her!"

Everything suddenly clicks into place. He found out who Iphigenia is.

"Yes I am!" I yell back at him. "We both know it, now let me go!" I struggle with all my might, and I manage to maneuver my arms out of his grip and begin to turn away when he grabs my wrists and pulls me back.

"No!" Is his only answer, but now his face is less frightening and I can see his tone for what it is. Not animalistic or hateful, but scared and concerned to the point of rage.

"Annie, I'm not going to let you do this!" He has backed me against a wall, his body shielding me from those attempting to pry me away from him.

"Why?" Is my only response, full of bitterness as the tears I've been struggling to contain begin to slide down my cheek. "Why should you care?" He shouldn't. I'm just one more face lost to 70 years of useless violence and corrupted government.

When he looks at me, breathing hard, bare chest just brushing lightly against mine, I forget there are others in the room. All that is in my mind is Finnick and this madness and how bad I want to break down and slide down the wall in tears. But I won't.

"Because you're my -" His voice is less irate but still contains the same passion when he answer. I'm his... what? "You're my tribute and I'm responsible for you. I won't have you running in there with the intention to kill yourself."

I have no words to respond to him with. Nothing left to give. So instead I stare at him, tears trickling slowly down my cheeks, hoping to convey everything I can't say with words in my eyes.

He drops my wrists and takes a step back, his breath loud and ragged. Running a hand through his hair, he looks away, locking his jaw and closing his eyes. When he returns his orbs, I can see he's equal parts scared and ashamed.

He looks down briefly before staring back at me. My chest heaves, and every inch of my limbs is alive with something. Adrenaline?

"Finnick!" A female voice calls from behind us, full of disdain, shock and rue. It's Stark, who stands idly by a impassive Mags, seemingly unaffected by his tirade.

The green eyes never leave mine as she calls to him, and his mouth drops open to whisper I'm sorry before he stalks out of the room as quickly as he entered it.

When he leaves I slide to the floor, all my energy gone and capacity for words used up. No tears fall, but I bury my face in my hands nonetheless. My body is stiff and cold but it is the only shelter I have.

Everyone is surrounding me, but all their coaxing can't make me look up. Several sets of hands stroke me, and I shiver away from their touch. They'll leave eventually - everyone does. It's easier to break myself when I'm alone. I feel all the hands leave my body, and I sigh in relief before I feel a pair of arms wrapping around me, beginning to lift me up, and I fight them vehemently before looking up and realizing they belong to Amphitrite. He stares stonily ahead and ignores all protests as his saves me from the mania.

I turn my eyes to his soft shirt and let him take me.

Wherever it is we're going, it's better than here.

Ahhh! This is definitely my favourite chapter yet! What did you guys think? And don't worry, there's no plan for romance between Amphitrite and Annie.. at least not right now. Although that would be a good twist:D But I want the relationship between them to be really strong, hence moments like the one that just happened. So, is that a better increase in Finnick-Annie interaction?;)

So based on the reviews I got, I will definitely be spending some time on what's happening during the training and the Games. I'm writing it more like a book than a focused fanfic in that sense. Hopefully I bore no one! I've got some great ideas for the stuff coming next, so just wait for it and I don't think you'll be too disappointed:)

I'm also going to start occasionally putting LISTEN TO suggestions for certain chapters, like this one. It really helps with translating the mood, and I listened to Breathe Me over 50 times STRAIGHT while writing this chapter!

Also, I think I have an idea for what I want the Arena to be, but if you want, send me some ideas for both the actual arena and any muttations you think I should use. I also might open up a SYOT in a chapter or two, so keep an eye open for that;)

Hope everyone is having a great holiday! Cheers, and thanks for reading!