Chapter 45:

Maylene Henderson, District Two, Age 18

Victor of the 120th Hunger Games

She is going to make every single one of them regret what they did to her. She knew she shouldn't have trusted any of the careers and they proved her right. Well…she hadn't trusted all of them but Pontos, and she learned quickly she shouldn't have trusted her District partner… Apparently asking for a little District unity was too much to ask for when the rest of the career pack turned on her and tried to kill her.

Did those assholes really think they could kill her, even teamed up together? She earned that damn twelve for a reason! And nothing – abso-fucking-lutely nothing – is going to stop her from getting home as victor for her brother. Every day she spends in this arena is another day Lance is stuck at home alone with their father without her there to protect him.

She thinks it's time to start wrapping up these Games quickly.

Clearly the sponsors or Gamemakers are on her side in this, having sent her the supplies she needed to trap her former allies. But why wouldn't they be? She's one of the rare tributes to earn a twelve, not because she's a threat to the nation – well, she's still a threat, just to her fellow careers. The trap is set and now all she needs are some careers to trap in it.

She sits crouched low by the spring, covered in the white mud from them and using the steam to help her blend in, as she watches the three careers laughing and chatting as they unknowingly walk closer to her. She falters for a moment, wondering where Pontos is, before deciding it doesn't matter after he betrayed her. Three versus one isn't an ideal fight, but one she knows she can handle. At least she took out Okeanas's prodigy before he had a chance to kill her. But she is going to make it hurt for the District One pair, knowing they were the ones who orchestrated this.

Once close enough, Maylene springs from her spot and starts running, knowing from the shouts behind her that they saw her. She leads them around the crystal blue hot springs, knowing the exact path to take as she leads them into her trap. One scream from behind her and a splash lets her know one of them landed in the first of her traps and she spares a glance back to see Sabina get dragged into a spring by the rope around her foot, pulled under the water by the weight attached to it.

Maylene turns back to where she's running, waiting to hear a cannon fire for Sabina, as she leads her District partner and their remaining ally to the main trap. She slows her pace, letting them think they're catching up to her, and she leaps across the few steps in the trap of safety before spinning around to face them, drawing her sword as she glares them down. "You bastards," she says to them, gripping her sword tighter in her hand as anger courses through her. "You're dishonorable as fuck."

"Who cares about honor?" Warren asks her, slowing as he approaches her, his spear in hand. "You don't win by being honorable. How's that going for you, Maylene?"

Boom!

Maylene tilts her head to the side, watching him carefully as he approaches her with his last ally right behind him. His face shows anger from the death of his District partner for a moment and he directs that anger at her. "I'd say being dishonorable is going very well for me," she tells him, smirking as she watches his foot goes down on a spot to trigger the trap.

There's a flurry of motion as the two are wrapped up in traps and as soon as the trap is set, Maylene springs into action, stabbing her sword through Warren's chest over and over, screaming in anger at him. "Fuck you, asshole!"

Even after his cannon fires, she stabs him a few more times, letting anger take over her for just a moment. She knows it's fine in moderation and honestly, that bastard had it coming. Blood drips from her sword, staining the pristine white sand and Maylene just watches his corpse bleeding out, relishing in the satisfaction of revenge.

In her small moment of distraction, she almost misses the girl darting up from the trap, knife in hand and ready to slit her throat, but she lets out a cough of blood, before dropping to the ground, all before Maylene pulls out her weapon. Standing there, hiding by the steam until a gust of wind moves it around, is Pontos, bloody knife in his hand. Maylene's shock and betrayal must be all on her face because he gives her a grin and wipes the blood off on his pants. "Come on, Maylene, don't act so surprised to see me."

"You let them attack me," she says quietly and when he just gives a shrug, her fist slams into his nose without a second thought. Blood pours out of the broken nose and Pontos cries out in pain as he takes a bewildered step back from her. "Fuck off, Pontos!"

"What was I supposed to do? They were trying to kill me too!" Pontos defends himself and Maylene pauses, her fist raised to punch him once more. "I wasn't going to give them the chance to take out both of Two's tributes right then and there."

"Yet here you are now," Maylene says bitterly, hating that she wants to believe him, but knows she shouldn't. "How did you even find me?"

He slowly reaches into his pocket, letting Maylene see every movement to avoid her attacking him. He takes out a round object and tosses it to her. "I received that last night," he tells her as she looks down at the compass in her hands, watching as it keeps pointing at her, no matter where she moves it.

"That's when I got my supplies," Maylene answers quietly, finally looking back up at Pontos. He raises his eyebrows and gives a shrug, but soon lets out a noise of protest when she pockets the compass. "Sorry, not letting you slip away and track me down again."

"Touche," Pontos answers with a casual shrug, as if the thought had crossed his mind. He puts his hands on his hips as he studies her and she mimics his pose. "So, Maylene, it would seem like our mentors still want us working together."

It seems that he's right, because why else would they give him a compass that led him right to her? Yet she doesn't trust him anymore, not after his betrayal… "One tiny hint of betrayal and I will kill you," Maylene tells him honestly, District loyalties be damned. If he did betray her and she had to kill him, well, the District would rally against him first anyways.

"Same to you," Pontos answers before offering out his hand to her. "So what do you say, allies once more?"

Maylene stares at his outstretched hand for a few seconds, wanting to say no and just go on her own. And yet…why would the mentors bring them together if they knew he would betray her? They wouldn't, it would be foolish of them to sabotage their own chances at victory, and Lysander is anything but foolish. She has to trust in her mentors, but she knows she will also be listening to her gut. It hasn't led her astray yet in these Games.

Finally, she takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "Allies once more."

And there we have Maylene Henderson, victor of the 120th Hunger Games! A badass who actually earned a twelve in training so it's no wonder the others all turned on her. But she was determined to get a good life for her brother, and she did!

...For at least a few years. Rip.

Next up, half of one of the most iconic ships in my stories. See you next week!