Chapter 75:

Odyssey Gunderson, District Two, Age 18

Victor of the 150th Hunger Games and Sixth Quarter Quell

Odyssey is just desperately trying to hold himself together for one last fight, but everything is so clearly wrong when they launch into the arena in their armor and one tribute is missing and another is screaming as she claws at her face. He's just so close to victory and he thought there wasn't really going to be a good chance with Delta and Demarcus together, plus Elias…

But a cannon fires with Elias missing, Delta is still screaming, and Demarcus is looking at him… Fuck, what have they done to them?! And why was he not effected at all?! He stands put in his spot like the others, all of them so confused, until Seraphim's voice comes out over the speakers.

"Tributes, we need these Games to end now. It's a matter of national security. So…fight, I guess? Please?"

Gong!

The sound of the gong echoes in the arena for a few seconds as they still stand there and Odyssey's heart starts beating quick at the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Okay, so only two to fight, not three. The bigger threat very obviously handicapped while the other given an advantage… All he knows is he can't fight the District Four pair together or he'll lose, and he can't lose now. He's given up too fucking much to lose in the finale, gone through too much pain.

And so he makes the first move before either of them come to their senses and attack him first.

He races towards Delta – always his plan to attack her first – as Demarcus stands hesitating still and staying put. But when he tries yelling at her to run, Odyssey prepares himself to chase her, yet she still just stays put. He slows as he gets closer to her, hesitating just a little bit because something is clearly so wrong with her that she doesn't even know he's coming. But…she wouldn't grant the same mercy to him, so he flips his knife around and drives it down into her neck quickly, past the gap in the armor, before stepping back quickly as she flails her spear wildly.

"Shit," he mutters as it catches him on the cheek and he puts a hand to it as he watches her eyes widen and she gasps as blood squirts out of her neck, before dropping face down into the dirt. So easily killed by him, without her ever even having a chance to fight back…

Boom.

"NO!" Demarcus yells at that, making Odyssey turn to face him right away as he tries to push down the guilty feeling. No emotions now, focus on the fight. One more person between him and victory…but certainly not an easy opponent, not anymore. "How could – Delta – " Demarcus says between shallow breaths as he holds his spear in front of him. "How could you?"

"I'm sorry, Demarcus," Odyssey tells him, truly meaning it and he looks down at the bloody knife in his hand guiltily. Demarcus doesn't deserve to die, he really doesn't. The whole time he's always been too kind to him… But Delta wasn't. He couldn't kill Demarcus like that, but he could kill Delta that way. "You know how the Games work…" he says, looking back at him with guilty eyes. "I couldn't fight both of you together."

"You didn't even give her a chance," Demarcus says, looking at Delta's body in a pool of blood, and tears start forming in his eyes as he shakes his head.

"Would you have done the same if it was Bell?" Odyssey asks and he has to swallow a lump in his throat just thinking about Bell and what he did to her. But it's just one more reminder of what he has to fight for. He can't let her death be for nothing. "Demarcus…" he says and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for one last fight – and the most important one. "I'm sorry for this, I really am. I promise I'll make it quick…"

"No," Demarcus whispers as he takes a step back from him, shaking his head. Odyssey just watches him, tightening his grip on his knife, and knowing what he must do, not matter what… "I can't- no, I can't lose."

"Neither can I," Odyssey responds and takes a deep breath before lunging towards him, starting the last fight. Demarcus dodges him and Odyssey tries to counter him, getting knocked aside by his spear, a move that he can't help but get a little frustrated by because he would have hit him if he had his dominant hand. He keeps swinging, Demarcus keeps blocking or dodging as he moves away from him, keeping him at bay with his spear.

But then there's a shift in Demarcus, and Odyssey has to be more cautious with his attacks, instead defending himself more. Fuck, this isn't good, he isn't as good like this…

Odyssey gasps when he feels the spear slice the side of his neck and automatically puts his right hand to it, before flinching at the feeling of the cold metal. He looks down at the hand, a frozen reminder of what he's done and suffered through to reach this point, now with his own blood on it… He meets Demarcus's gaze, both of them breathing heavy, tightening his grip on his knife as he can feel anger slowly rising in him. "Odyssey," Demarcus says cautiously, but it's too fucking late, he doesn't want to hear it.

He starts attacking with renewed vigor, getting more aggressive on the offensive and putting himself right in striking range of Demarcus's spear. And when Demarcus stabs his hand, he screams out in pain as he drops the knife and quickly steps back from him. He holds his hand to his chest before looking at it as his hand shakes, and his stomach twists in fear and a little bit squeamishly at the fact that the hole is straight through his hand.

"I don't want to do this, Odyssey, but I have to," Demarcus says as they stare each other down, guilt all over his face. Odyssey stands there holding his hands to his chest, now down to no good hands. "My family…they need me to win."

Odyssey faces him, watching him and waiting for him to attack when he clearly could end it now. Metal hand pressed to his bleeding hand… No, he can still fight back. Who needs brass knuckles when you have a metal fist? He stands up a little bit taller, putting his hands back down a little bit and more into a fighting stance. "No, Demarcus, I'm sorry for this," he comments before he lunges towards him again, knocking Demarcus's spear aside. He lets out a yell as he steps closer to Demarcus, knocking his fist straight into his jaw with the crack of bone, and sending Demarcus sprawling to the ground.

But he doesn't let up, tackling him on the ground with fist poised and ready to keep going. Ready to be free of this hell that has tried to break him in so many ways. Adrenaline and drilled instinct from years and years of training almost made him keep going, pummel him endlessly until the cannon fired…but no. He can't, not to Demarcus. And so he gets up and grabs the spear, ready to end this properly.

An end he can be proud of.

Odysseeeeeyyyy! Yeah, definitely could have just ended this story there, but I had to have my epilogue idea lol. Of course we also had to look at his finale just like Clark's. Two very different finales, but still so good to look at each. Guess Odyssey just gets to be special as the final victor in my canon lol.

One final update for this with a special epilogue to wrap all of these stories up. Crazy that it's taken four and a half years to get to this point, but that's life for ya.

See you on Tuesday for the final update!