Chapter 52: Threads That Bind


The District One boy chuckled at his own play on words, and Venatrix ground her teeth. You're fucking kidding me. The only amusing part of this was how thoroughly her brother must be mocking Viper and his stupid little one-liners back home.

Either way, he'd be sorely mistaken if he thought she'd ever back down. "Don't bet on it," she growled. "I'll still bite you."

Viper only scoffed at her, unashamed in his insolence. "Please, I don't feel threatened by you anymore."

Beside her, her allies tensed. Mariposa's back hand hovered over the sword hilts at her belt while Percy's body angled deliberately in front of Venatrix, between her and their guest. Venatrix's own fingers itched for her weapon nevermind the jolts of pain that shot through her injured side at the movement, because no longer was she solely among trusted allies. The smug look on Viper's freshly-painted face said as much.

We're not supposed to be here. Why did we come back?

"Anymore," she repeated, and Viper's grin fell.

"Would you mind," Percy cut in before the One boy could retort any further. "We're kind of in the middle of something." He gestured to the array of first-aid materials that Mariposa had laid out on a bedroll, careful not to draw any further attention to Venatrix's obviously-weakened state.

Viper huffed through his nose before making himself scarce, but Venatrix knew he'd gotten what he wanted— to see it for himself. How bad her injury was, how much greater his odds.

"I'm sorry," Percy said quietly when the tent flap had fallen closed once again. "We didn't have a choice."

"Bullshit," Venatrix ground out.

Percy's eyes narrowed. "Would you rather be bleeding out in the snow?" he hissed, and Venatrix recoiled at his vehemence. He looked away, his expression softening. "Sorry. I just— I'll be out here."

He's worried, Venatrix realized. No shit. The same pit of uneasiness churned in her own stomach as her closest friend left the warmth of their shelter. 'Makers knew how many hours she'd lost to her unconsciousness, how much security she'd lost to her injury.

And it struck her then how much her own game had shifted.

I need to walk this off. I need to be able to fight… But even the simplest of movements nearly brought tears to her eyes.

I can't even stand up.

Venatrix tilted her head in Mariposa's direction, gritting her teeth to will away the pain. "How bad is it?"

The One girl's hesitation said all she needed to hear. Venatrix pressed her lips together. "It's better than it was," Mariposa insisted as she eased Venatrix back down to a resting position. Not reassuring, Venatrix snipped internally, though whatever medicine her ally had treated her with just now seemed to be taking the edge off ever-so-slightly. It did nothing for the quiet shivers that still shook her body, that all-encompassing ache of weakness. "You were dying, Vee," Mariposa said plainly. "Whatever was in that bite would've killed you without the antidote I was sent."

It might still kill me. Blinking away the grim thought, Venatrix held out a half-bandaged hand. "Show me. Please."

The One girl passed it to her, and Venatrix lifted her fever-weak muscles to inspect the tiny vial. Remnants of a dark liquid coated the inside corners of the transparent glass, though the only label of any kind was a '1' clearly stamped onto the cork stopper. "Why would they give it to you?" Venatrix couldn't stop herself from saying. The bottle wavered in her vision as another round of shivers wracked her frame.

"I don't know," Mariposa said quietly, plucking the empty bottle from her hand. "So I could help you, I guess?"

But Percy was also there… Why you?

The other girl steadily avoided her gaze. Venatrix let it drop; the train of thought only led to a void. She exhaled loudly, her eyelids falling closed as Mariposa prodded at her bandages. "I already took care of your hands; they both got a bit torn up." Again, Venatrix lifted her left hand in front of her eyes, feeling the creak of bandages and sore bruises as she made a weak fist. Guess that's what happens when you punch a wolf in the teeth. Mariposa tapped gently at her left shoulder. "Sorry, but I'm gonna make you sit up again so I can get to the cuts in the back. I also managed to steal some of Viper's ointment while he wasn't looking. Might help the actual wound heal faster. Or disinfect it… I don't know. None of these things have labels."

With a grunt, Venatrix let the One girl maneuver her into a semi-reclined position. Jabbing needles tried to impede her movement, but she held her breath until her head came to rest on Mariposa's crossed leg, shoulder raised off the ground to give her access to the injury. Gently, she eased the ragged neckline of the tunic over Venatrix's shoulder; she or Percy must've cut into the fabric earlier in order to treat the wound in the first place.

Cool fingers ran along the edge of the wrapping. They left a trail of goosebumps and fire along Venatrix's skin that twisted her lips into a grimace, a stark contrast to the rough texture of her tunic.

A look of concentration creased Mariposa's brow; Venatrix watched her irises flicker as she carefully pried away layers of red-soaked gauze. It tugged at the edges of her open wound. Pain flared— a nauseating throbbing— and Venatrix exhaled stiffly. She focused on Mariposa's apologetic smile rather than the feeling of semi-scabbed flesh being peeled away, the sickening pulsing beneath her skin.

Icy cold broke her gaze, and Venatrix sucked in a breath.

"Sorry," Mariposa murmured, setting down her flask of water and the last of the bandages. A disconcerting amount of blood-crusted strips lay in a pile next to her. If taking off the dressings hurt this much, Venatrix thanked the 'Makers that she'd been too feverish and unconscious to remember what it felt like to put them on.

Suppose I'm about to find out, she thought weakly. Yay.

She nodded, acknowledging the One girl's apology. The movement twinged at the muscles of her neck, and with a light guiding finger, Mariposa tilted her chin away from the wound. "Be still, Vee."

"Mmm…" She lasted about three seconds before her eyes wandered. "I need to see—"

Ignoring the spots dancing across her vision, Venatrix shifted to look at the wound. Her chin blocked a portion of the damage from view, but even in the dim light of the tent, she saw the dark blood leaking from a set of deep, jagged punctures below her collar. More concerning, though, was the slight eerie-white bump that poked through the mess of red. Her stomach churned just looking at it. Tentatively, Venatrix gave the shoulder a millimeter-shrug; searing static swept across her eyes for the duration of the stream of curses that bled from her lips. She swallowed thickly. "Posy, is it…"

"I'm not a doctor," Mariposa started, but Venatrix knew the truth deep down in her broken bones.

Somehow, in all of her training, she'd never done so before. The same couldn't be said for everyone— she'd grown up with the stories of her mother's first day at the Academy. If a broken bone stopped you from walking through those doors, it sure as hell would stop you in the arena. And look what I tried to do to Percy… It may be a point of pride for some to emerge from the jaws of the Academy physically unscathed, but fortune only smiled down on a small lucky few.

Up until now, Venatrix had been one of them. Of all fucking times

All at once, scorching shame filled her chest, and a mangled shout tore from her curled lips. I should be better than this! Her left hand balled into a fist, slamming into the dirt in her fury, her frustration. She ignored the sting in her hand and the flash of startled-cat movement as bile rose in her throat, tinged with the acrid tang of hopelessness.

No fucking wonder her father hadn't sent her any gifts let alone a measly sign of encouragement; why bother?

Her breath came in quick, panting succession, a futile attempt to keep the angry tears from slipping down her cheeks. In her mind, that fateful moment. The wolf, and herself, frozen. There was no hiding that fear, no hiding the result, etched as it was into the very marrow of her body. So much for it! So much for my fucking training! She remembered her killing exam, the way she'd fought the deed tooth and nail. Should've known I'd be just as fucking useless when it came to the real thing! Nevermind the lives she'd already dragged down with her on this bloody crusade; here, she'd carry the consequences in her very bones.

Cold fingers wiped the wetness from her cheeks. "Vee, hey. Stop." Venatrix blinked away the blurriness to see Mariposa's upside-down face leaning over her. Her hands cupped Venatrix's face, kind but firm. "I still need to clean your wound, okay? Bandage it up real tight, and then we can talk about what to do from here. Mhm?" The One girl's fingers were insistent at her jaw. She tapped twice with her index.

Venatrix exhaled again with a hum of assent. It still burned in her chest, that viscous shame, but the exhaustion was steadily taking over.

Icy pressure, magmatic pain; Mariposa's hands worked steadily at the unseen wound while Venatrix spent her energy keeping the nausea down, sealing her lips around any pathetic whimpers. "This might sting," Mariposa warned as she held a wad of ointment-slicked gauze to the wound and rubbed it tenderly into the raw flesh; even without the shifting of bone, the girl might as well have been skinning her with an icy-hot razor. So much for the pain medicine.

More tears slithered down Venatrix's cheeks. She dug her teeth into her lip; at least the taste of blood gave her something else to focus on.

The pressure at her clavicle lifted for a second, and Venatrix's eyes flew open. "It's still bleeding," Mariposa muttered half to herself, red-soaked cloth in hand. "I'm gonna need to stitch you up."

"Oh, great," Venatrix croaked. No way that won't hurt like hell… "Get it over with, then."

"What, no 'thank you'?" Mariposa met her withering look with a half-grin. Ignoring her grunt, the One girl rifled through the supplies, leaving Venatrix to stew in apprehension while she threaded the needle. With a fresh piece of cloth, she dabbed carefully at the inflamed area. Another pause, and then the point of a cold needle prickled at Venatrix's impossibly hot skin. "Ready?"

"Just do it."

One prick, two; Venatrix grimaced as the thread tugged at the already-ravaged flesh, amplifying the dull tingling in the bone beneath. Blood pounded thick in her ears. Her eyes strained towards the operation despite the spots dancing across her vision and up to the furrow in Mariposa's brow before she allowed them to slide shut.

Each delicate jab at the site brought a new surge of bone-deep churning in her gut, and she forcibly swallowed down the urge to vomit. "Hey, Vee," Mariposa said, clearly preoccupied. "Why don't you tell me who's left?"

"Hm?"

"In the arena. Run me through it."

"Why?"

"Humor me."

"Fine." Venatrix swallowed as the needle burrowed again beneath her skin. "Me, you, Percy, all the other Careers—"

"Names and districts, please."

She scoffed but obliged, easily rattling off the names and districts of all eight Careers. The others took a little longer to remember as the throbbing pain interfered with her thought process. Venatrix frowned; she'd gotten them all except for… "District Ten; they're both still around. Somehow. Uh… Palomina and Lucio."

"Great, now the dead ones, please. By placement, if you can."

Venatrix grunted in annoyance. Nevertheless, she racked her brain, digging her own mental needle through the fabric of her Bloodbath memories. "Heather from Seven, Rosemary from Twelve, um…" By the time she got to Gaberlee of Nine, Mariposa was forcing her to sit up. "Valkan from Five… and Viper from One."

Mariposa let out a snort of laughter, and Venatrix grinned despite the new web of red stitching that tingled like small fires at her collarbone. "One can hope," the blonde girl said wistfully. Her hand dropped from the back of Venatrix's shoulder, where the wolf's teeth had left only shallow marks. "There, that wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Thank you," Venatrix said sincerely.

Something that sounded like a smile huffed through Mariposa's mouth, brushing the hairs at Venatrix's neck. In soft silence, the One girl swept Venatrix's matted ponytail over her uninjured shoulder, patting the gnarled waves almost thoughtfully. "Vee, I think we should wrap you up too."

Venatrix glanced down at the swath of white bandages now sitting atop her stitches. "We already did."

"I meant your arm."

A protest rose immediately to her lips. Too fast, she whipped around to face the other girl; a hiss slipped out instead. She clenched her teeth around the rest while she waited for the vivid throbbing to subside, until the One girl's pointed look was louder than the pounding of her heart in her ears. "Pose, I can't let them know how bad this is."

"You can't just walk this off, Venatrix."

This time, Venatrix moved her whole torso to avoid Mariposa's gaze.

"Even if you can't fight as well with your left arm, Percy and I will have your back, you know." When Venatrix still didn't respond, Mariposa leaned in closer, her tone serious. "Vee, you'll only be helping them if you hurt yourself even more." She could practically hear the curl of disgust in Mariposa's lip.

Shame boiled once again in her chest, anger that she'd been stupid enough to get herself so fucked up. Gritting out a forced agreement, Venatrix slipped on her half-shredded leather vest and let the One girl bind her right arm to her chest with strips of cloth. The tightening movement ground at the battered bones in her collar, but Venatrix didn't say a word. The hoarseness in her throat told her she'd already screamed enough for a lifetime.

Over the course of the afternoon— evening? She couldn't tell— Percy's sweater had fallen to the side. With Mariposa's help, she pulled it over her head, shoving her left arm through the sleeve and leaving the right bound within its body. It concealed the majority of the sling more than Venatrix could hope for. With the cloak, she might even be able to hide the lack of an arm from her peers, for a while at least. Not long enough.

We can't stay here.

But any hope that Venatrix had of getting out without a fight was nonexistent now.

Pain-induced nausea had become a new friend in the past however-many hours, but this shade of dread… This was new. She'd had far less to fear from her compatriots when she could fight, but what she'd told Viper had been true enough. Injured and cornered as she may be, she'd have no problem taking some of them down with her.

Not that she intended to go down.

She could fight well enough with her non-dominant hand. Maybe nothing like Iago with his offhand knife, or Mariposa and her second katana, but compared to someone who's never held a weapon before in their life?

That's not who you have to worry about, and you know it.

Compared to your average Career… Because that's all they were, the others— average Careers.

But underestimation was Viper's game, not hers. Even on a good day, she'd be a fool to allow it, and by the look of things, she was out of good days.

Something prodded at her leg, and Venatrix glanced down to see Charcoal step over her knee and into her lap. Her free hand lifted automatically to stroke the fur at his scruff. Mariposa's eyes tracked the animal; she shuffled closer to Venatrix, positioning herself again at the latter's back. Her hand returned to Venatrix's ponytail. "Can I?"

"Hm?"

"It's a bit knotted."

"Oh. Sure."

Gently, Mariposa eased the tie from her hair. The fact that clumps of it still stayed in place made Venatrix grimace. Hell, I need a shower. None of that seemed to bother the One girl; her fingers tugged at the matted waves and curls, pausing just at the edge of painful to work carefully through the tangles. With a drawn-out sigh, Venatrix relaxed into it while Charcoal pawed at the edges of her sweater. As Mariposa finished combing through the knots at her neck, she leaned backwards into the other girl's lap, allowing her hair to fan out over her knee. They sat in pensive yet comfortable silence. Every now and then, Venatrix caught glimpses of Mariposa through her eyelashes. She couldn't tell how long it took before the One girl's fingers slid cleanly through her thick admittedly-greasy waves, a soothing contrast to the previous pain.

With a start, Venatrix realized that she trusted her like this. With her comfort, with her pain. Not like she had a choice, though the One girl had given her more than enough reason to anyway.

Trust was a dangerous thing.

But it was there nonetheless, blooming beneath the One girl's deft hands as they patched her up, soothed her, all the while skirting the fact that Mariposa must die to bring her home.

The sensation had nearly lulled Venatrix to sleep when the nip of cold air announced a new presence. "Trix, Mari," Percy's voice said. "You should come eat."

Mariposa hummed. "One minute."

Venatrix's eyes fluttered open to see her friend's nod of acknowledgement before he disappeared back outside. "What time is it?"

"Dinner, I guess. You've only been out for a few hours."

"Oh." At the smallest twitch of her muscles, the cat abandoned Venatrix, ignorant to her disappointed pout. Slowly, Mariposa helped her sit up. She held Venatrix hostage for a minute longer to braid back her hair. When she tied off the plait, Venatrix's free arm made a grab for her cloak, or at least the one she assumed was hers. Yet again she needed the One girl's help to don the garment, arranging it carefully to cover her bound arm.

"Here." Mariposa pressed a small half-full bottle into her hand; Venatrix recognized it as the same kind of pain reliever the One girl had given her when she first woke up. "This is the last one left. I think Idris drank the rest of them."

Venatrix grunted before slipping it into her token pouch. "Whatever happened to a good old-fashioned aspirin?"

That got a snort from the One girl as she scooped up the cat and led them out into the cold.

A shiver immediately traced down Venatrix's back as a wave of tiny snowflakes nipped at her exposed face. Clouds of breath fogged her vision, and when they cleared, she tugged the cloak tighter around herself. The snow and wind had let up enough for her hood to be effective, though the former now lay thick on the campground. It reached her ankles as she crunched after Mariposa towards the firelight.

Shapes moved across the dimming landscape, congregated around the warmth. Conversation quieted and heads turned as the pair approached, disguised in similar hoods to shield their wearers from the cold. She picked out Percy sitting between the pair from District Three, though the space separating him and Shannon was wide enough for the two of them to claim. Venatrix couldn't help the uneasiness swirling in her stomach as she slowly sank down into a crouch next to Percy. They must've known we were leaving for good. How could they not?

Nevertheless, Shannon scooted over to make room for them.

As Venatrix attempted to maneuver the tail end of her cloak beneath her, a quiet spike of pain shot up her side. Unbalanced, she teetered forward onto her knees; snow soaked through her trousers as she shifted in place, trying to play off the move as intentional.

Viper's narrowed eyes seemed to study her. "Nice of you to finally show up," he clipped, exchanging an irritated glance with Patience.

Venatrix didn't bother with a response. Percy held out his half-finished bowl of stew to her; she frowned at it until she realized he was trying to subtly tell her it wasn't poisoned. "I helped Grethel with cooking tonight," he elaborated further, and Venatrix accepted it with a nod.

Shifting again, she managed to orient the cloak beneath her as a barrier between her pants and the snow. The uneasiness in her stomach turned to grumbling as she caught a whiff of the hot meal, but she hesitated with the utensil and her single available hand. "Come on, Perce, I don't want your gross-ass spoon."

He seemed mildly offended by that. "Okay, I can get you a new one—or not..?"

Venatrix brought the bowl to her mouth, savoring the warmth of the food. Already, it was almost gone. As her presence eased tentatively back into the group, low murmurs of conversation began to spring up again, difficult to hear over the howl of wind and crackling fire. Venatrix strained her ears as Percy passed her a piece of bread, but nothing lingered long enough for her to catch.

No one seemed to be reaching for their weapons, though. Venatrix bit off a chunk of bread, chewing thoughtfully. We should at least pretend to have a plan.

Too late. Before Venatrix could say anything, Viper leaned into Shannon's ear, his mouth moving quickly. His expression of annoyance seemed to go right over the Three boy's head, who turned to Mariposa with a playful grin. "Hey, Mariposa, did you know Viper has a pet snake?"

"Hey, that's not— you leave Thomas out of this," he huffed loudly.

"You named your pet snake 'Thomas'?"

The minute she spoke, Venatrix got the acute feeling that she was intruding on a previous conversation topic. She squared her shoulders as best she could under the eyes that flicked her way.

Viper's glare was indignant. "What's wrong with that?"

Very carefully, Venatrix gave him a one-armed shrug.

In the midst of her distraction, something snatched the remaining bread from her hands. "Hey—!" Her indignance melted into mild amusement at the sight of the furry culprit. "Excuse me, little dude." Mariposa started to pry the bread from Charcoal's mouth before Venatrix waved her off. He's probably just as hungry as we are.

"Your family breeds them for the Capitol, don't they?" Mariposa's attention returned to her district partner as she wrangled the cat back into her lap. "The snakes."

Viper nodded. "Among other things."

"Like what?" Shannon pressed, genuine curiosity splayed across his face.

"...My sister's name is Mink."

Snorts of laughter erupted from the Fours; Venatrix pressed her lips together to hide hers. "And she's just as much of a bitch as you are," Mariposa said with a too-sweet smile.

Viper huffed. "All fourteen year-olds are brats."

"Hey, be nice to your sister."

Viper shot his district partner a glare before it slid over to Venatrix. "Well, at least I still have one."

Immediately, Percy's hand clamped down on her thigh, restraining. No need— the dull pain of her attempt at movement burned as much as her rising fury, written just as plainly across her face. "Really, Viper?" Percy said flatly, and all Venatrix could think about was her violent promise to Patience for uttering similar words. Another wave of shame burned beneath her skin when she realized she couldn't follow through with another in this state. Across the fire, the Four girl's eyes gleamed at the conflict.

The One boy practically basked under her glare. "Come on, do your worst," he invited, and Venatrix visibly seethed at the smugness in his tone. "Honestly, I'm disappointed you didn't even try before running off."

"Don't know what you're talking about," Mariposa said quickly, sharply.

"Don't act like you were planning on coming back."

We never should have.

"Why wouldn't we?" she countered. "All the supplies are here."

Damn the supplies, we need to get out of here.

Viper rolled his eyes, but Percy spoke up before he could. "That wolf is still out there," he warned. "We should set up extra guards tonight."

Venatrix could tell he was tiring quickly of the argument. Exhaustion still ran through her own veins, growing more potent by the minute, but between the pack and the wolf, she might as well not sleep at all. Her eyes lingered on the One boy and all of his nauseating smugness.

Don't worry, Viper, we won't stay long. And this time, we'll take your head when we go.


As soon as the short-lived aurora disappeared behind the brief gap in the clouds, the Careers dispersed to their own tents. Percy, Shannon, and Idris stayed behind on guard duty, and despite Mariposa's warm body next to hers, Venatrix's rest was fitful. Rest, not sleep; she couldn't if she tried.

Mariposa didn't sleep either. They'd discussed slitting the others' throats in the night, but the chance they'd be asleep was equally slim. The odds of them having similar discussions were even greater— that was enough to still their blades, keep them awake.

It wasn't just sleep exhaustion slinking through Venatrix's muscles the next morning. Quickly, Mariposa changed her bandages and rewrapped her arm before they made their way outside. To her relief, the snow seemed to have let up a bit. It didn't stop her shivering, nor the ache that each one brought to her stiff muscles. Grey-white clouds still hung heavy over the arena, threatening to spit more whenever the 'Makers felt like it. Around them, however, the previous day's winds had shorn most of the fire-leaves from their trees, leaving a dark red mulch peeking out in between snowdrifts.

Venatrix squinted at the eerie landscape. The sheer quiet was almost deafening. Her left hand lingered above her token pouch, mourning the absence of her sword hilt; she'd switched the blade to her other side to better draw lefty. Something told her that today, she'd need to.

Only Percy sat by the still-burning fire. They joined him, huddling around the warmth. "Where are the others?" Venatrix asked.

"Probably taking a piss or something." He shrugged. "I don't know."

"If you're going to keep watch, could you be a little less careless, please?" Venatrix hissed in a low whisper.

"Trix, I—"

The twinkling sound of an incoming parachute interrupted Percy's affronted response. The large, ungainly cylinder landed squarely in his lap; he pulled off the cap to find a fresh set of sleek arrows sitting neatly in the quiver. "Wow," he breathed. The three of them stared wide-eyed at the gift. "I… don't want to be ungrateful, but we really could've used this yesterday." He'd already replenished his quiver from the supplies at camp.

"Well, you have them now," Venatrix said.

Percy pulled the old quiver over his head and started transferring the arrows to the new one. "I'm not careless," he said after a minute. "They don't have the balls to pull anything, and besides, I saw they went over that way." He jerked his chin towards the treeline, away from camp.

"Don't jinx it," Venatrix retorted. "Just because they haven't killed anyone yet—"

"Vee." She flinched the light hand on her shoulder, whipping around to see Mariposa subtly shake her head. "Leave him be."

Venatrix shrugged her off. The movement had caused another flare of pain to shoot up her neck; she rubbed at the left side of it with irritation, turning to her friend.

But Percy wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His gaze was fixed on the note that had come with the quiver, a frown on his face. "This isn't Morwenna's handwriting," he murmured.

Venatrix peered over his shoulder.

'Thanks'.

She knew that handwriting. Before she could think it through, Venatrix snatched the note from Percy's hands. Barring another hand to rip it to shreds, she crumpled the paper in her fist and tossed it into the shrinking flames. So he sends a whole quiver of arrows to Percy, and nothing to me? The tightness in her throat was enough to silence her, forcing short, stinging breaths through her nose.

"Venatrix, can you not?"

Percy's glare was more tense than angry, and Venatrix let it linger while she forced herself under control. It's not his fault. "Sorry," she gritted out, still refusing to look at her friend. She could feel his eyes on her, though, and her shoulders deflated under the weight. "Didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just…"

"Save it for them," Percy said under his breath; he jerked his chin towards two approaching figures.

The redheads, she noticed, instantly on guard. Venatrix trailed them with her eyes as they neared, hardly daring to blink. "You lot are up early," Viper sniffed when he reached them.

"Really?" Venatrix said skeptically. "What time is it?"

"Fuck if I know."

"Snowflake o'clock," Percy said, eyeing the tiny flurries.

Viper rolled his eyes. They passed disdainfully over Mariposa and her cat before landing on Venatrix. "You're looking worse today," he clipped, crouching down by the fire. "Good thing you've got your girlfriend and your golden retriever looking out for you, huh?"

Venatrix gritted her teeth, her cheeks flushing an embarrassing shade of scarlet. "She's not— I can look out for myself. "

"Oh, really?" the One boy countered.

"Ten bucks that wolf was rabid," Patience said with a smirk.

The bandages on her left hand strained as her fingers curled into a sore-knuckled fist. "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

"Please," Mariposa cut in, her eyes glittering in anticipation. "In fact, why don't we find out now—"

"Mari," Percy warned.

"That's all well and good," Viper interjected, "but there are more important things to do. I want the rest of the supplies moved back to land today."

Venatrix blinked. "What?"

"That thing's too dangerous to sail in a storm," Patience backed him up, jerking her chin towards the ship.

"No, I mean… nevermind."

"You might as well just sit around here. You'll be practically useless with that wound of yours, anyways." Viper gestured dismissively towards her injury. "I suppose you could lend a hand with scouting today, unless you're too injured… "

Something about the way he spoke prickled at the hairs on Venatrix's neck. The attempt at authority in his tone, the clarity in which he laid out the day's plan— there was a shift, a change in the air. Venatrix didn't like it.

Nevertheless… "I'm coming," she growled.

They couldn't know how bad her injury truly was. She wouldn't let them, any more than she could afford to let it stop her.


true vengeance 151 . weebly . com


A/N: I don't have much to say, it's late and I wanna get this posted c: Sorry it took so long ;-; the next one will probably also take long..! peace and love3

- Nell