Author's Note: I know what some of you are thinking, three victories in four years (see the 73rd Hunger Games of 'Her Entire Species'), but this is District Two in an AU world where the Capitol is on top (for now…) and Two's victors in their training programme reign supreme.

….

The Seventy-Sixth Annual Hunger Games: Diana Antonius, District Two (18)

It was the beginning of another Hunger Games cycle for District Two's victors, and it was Paulus' first time observing from the other side. It was time for the victors to each select a candidate to mentor until the final selection. The candidates had been assessed and only nine remained, five girls and four boys. One candidate for each victor who wished (or in Enobaria's case, was forced) to select who they wished to mentor.

Paulus entered the Institute's reception room and sat near the foot of the table, next to Brutus. This year he would observe the process, both in the district and in the Capitol before beginning his involvement next year. He had moved past what Brutus had deemed his 'recovery' phase and into a transitionary stage, and as he knew this year's crop of candidates it was wise to maintain a distance.

Lyme opened the meeting, once each of the victors were seated, "Once again, it is time to choose who we wish to mentor in preparation for, and throughout the Seventy-Sixth Hunger Games. We also welcome Paulus, our newest victor, the Quarter Quell victor, to our midst, as he begins his preparations for a career in mentoring. As things have changed here and we have a new victor among us, I thought it best to explain how this will work."

Lyme looked to Cleo who nodded, indicating her encouragement to her victor as she took the reins for the first time. "Cleo has retired, and Petran now leads us in the Village. Brutus and I have taken charge of the Institute. I am the senior victor. I have pulled rank and will chair our meetings. Brutus will chair in my absence or upon his request."

The start of Lyme's speech was met with quiet laughter among Lyme and Brutus' victors who had been debating who would come out on top in their new leadership. It had been widely predicted that Lyme would do as she had suggested and use her seniority to her advantage. It was a dynamic that Paulus was still getting used to. But he found himself wedded to his tribute mentality and so he followed Brutus' direction easily. If Brutus was to follow Lyme, then Paulus would do the same.

"Therefore, the order for selection is as follows," Lyme continued. "I will take first pick of the candidates. In any ordinary year, Brutus will take the second pick unless we have agreed otherwise. However, as the mentor of the most recent victor, Brutus will take the final pick this year and every year until someone else mentors our next victor. Petran has decided he wishes to remain eligible for mentoring so he will pick third, albeit second this year. If Cleo decides to come out of retirement, she will take the third pick, however."

Noticing Cleo staring at her and rolling her eyes, Lyme clarified her comments, "Although Cleo assures me that she is firmly retired, so Petran, you can be sure of your position. The floor is then open to the remaining victors to state their case. If more than one of us wishes to select the same candidate, they shall each put forward their argument and obtain the support of at least two more of our number. Cleo will be able to participate in these discussions, and we have decided for this year only, that Paulus shall observe and not participate."

Paulus nodded in understanding and watched as Lyme made her choice. To his surprise, she chose one of the male candidates. Brutus had told him that this was Lyme's preference, but she was also keenly aware of the imbalance in their number. Lyme and Brutus' priority as leaders was to find their next female victor.

Petran chose another of the male candidates before Marcus immediately announced his preference. He had been chomping at the bit to state his claim for an eighteen-year-old named Diana Antonius who Paulus remembered as a stand-out candidate during his own training. Malachite also confirmed that the girl was his preference, and it was up to the two friends to argue their case and confirm why they would be the better choice over their fellow victor.

Paulus knew there would be nothing personal in either of their remarks but they both clearly and passionately favoured the girl. Brutus quickly spoke up in Marcus' favour, as Paulus knew had been agreed between the pair. Brutus knew he would get the final pick and that Diana had caught Marcus' attention some time ago. He wanted to allow his first victor to have a real chance at his own success. Petran followed suit, happy to follow in Brutus' lead whilst Mason spoke in favour of Malachite, which was also unsurprising, given they were both Lyme's boys.

Nobody else spoke up so the attention turned to Lyme as leader who took a few seconds to pause and collect her thoughts, "Antonius goes to Marcus. Mal, we can speak about this later and you can make your second pick now."

It was obvious that many of the victors were surprised, none more so than Malachite, who thought his mentor would decide in his favour. But he knew not to argue and so made his second choice as directed. Nobody was going to contest this after he had lost his first choice at his mentor's decision.

Brutus turned to Paulus, "It's a good year for you to watch. Not just here, where hopefully you've learnt that we don't make a show of ourselves if we don't get what we want, but in the Capitol too. Marcus' girl has the best chance."

….

Diana was confident. She knew she had the victors arguing over the chance to be her mentor. But Marcus had fought to bring them together and Diana was now thriving under his mentorship. It was obvious to all that this was the correct decision and Diana began to cement her position as the likely female tribute.

At the weekly sparring sessions, she came out on top, beating the other four female candidates. She could match evenly with the male candidates too and was spending time with the two top contenders to see who would be the best match for her in the arena. Paulus and Hera worked well together in the Quell, and District Two wanted to continue the pattern of strong district partnerships between tributes who could then fight independently and let the best win out. They were aiming for a back-to-back victory and three wins in four years.

Diana put her all into training. She sparred with Paulus, with a variety of weapons and practising her hand-to-hand combat, an area where she excelled. She favoured knives and swords and so did not mind fighting in close quarters. She was learning to use her natural speed to her advantage too and trying out different timings to overpower a tribute who favoured long-range weapons to bring herself in too close for spears and tridents to be effective.

But Marcus made her practice with those too. He was an all-round weapons specialist who could fight effectively with anything he turned his hand to. Diana was not inclined towards archery, but it was a skill which tributes mastered every few years. Having seen Katniss Everdeen's skill, District Two realised that this was a weapon that an outlier could have turned their hand to without formal training. If District Twelve could do something, then Panem could be left with no doubt that District Two could too. Four's girl in the Quarter Quell had been a decent archer too, so if there was to be a fight over limited weapons, it would serve well to neutralise a crucial opponent.

She went running four times a week with Marcus. He was not District Two's best specialist, but he was good enough to put Diana through her paces and it was when they were running in the mountains that Diana got to know her mentor.

He was aching for a victory of his own and whilst he was proud to be Brutus' first victor, he wanted to taste success of his own accord. He believed in Diana in a way he had not any other tribute he had taken to the Games. Beyond Brutus and Lyme, he had mentored the most often and it was high time he brought home a victor. Diana was spurred on to win further. She wanted to win for herself because it was her sole ambition, everything she had worked for. She wanted to bring pride to her family and be the first to do something other than peacekeeping and she wanted to secure District Two's position at the top. Now she wanted to give Marcus what he wanted too. She admired him as a victor and as a person and deep down, she had seen how victors treated their own and wanted someone to devote their time to her in a way that nobody had done before.

The final selection became a formality and Diana completed the tests outranking the other female candidates in every aspect. Her scores were higher than her male counterparts too, so she knew she would enter the Games with the favour of her district and its victors.

She had also been warned that she could gain the Capitol's favour in another way too. Diana was beautiful, she had always known that, and she would perhaps be the most beautiful female tribute District Two had sent to the Games in decades. Marcus told her that this came with expectations in the Capitol. Being sold to the highest bidder was usually a fate which awaited One and Four's victors, but Enobaria had not been spared and so District Two knew their victors were no longer off limits. Marcus had told Diana to give her the choice to deliberately fail selection, but she had decided she could deal with that if and when it happened. Marcus had also made clear he would do everything in his power to prevent it. But Diana would have to play her part too.

….

Diana had to play her part from the very beginning. Her training needed to take in the performance aspect of the Hunger Games as she and Marcus crafted her angle. She took to the stage at the Reaping and watched as Marcus was practically vibrating with excitement. It was the real beginning of their journey to victory. Diana was to portray herself as the ideal victor from the start, a goddess of antiquity in tribute form, a being that no mere mortal could touch and that all other opponents would need to defeat.

Diana and her district partner bowed to each other before holding hands and raising them aloft to the applause of their district who were confident of yet another victory. In an amusing show for the cameras, Marcus bowed to Diana and boarded the train after her, allowing nobody else to interfere. The show had begun.

At the Tribute Parade and the final interviews, Diana reaped the benefits of being from District Two. Given the tributes were decided in advance of the Reaping, the stylists were sent pictures of their tributes, their measurements, and the victors' suggestions of the image they would want to portray in the run-up to the arena. So, Diana's outfits followed the theme they were beginning to set up. She was dressed as Diana, the maiden goddess of hunting whilst her district partner became Apollo. Her interview gown was a pale blue flowing number that highlighted her beauty without showing too much skin. The Capitol loved her, and she was an odds-on favourite to win.

….

She was in charge of the volunteer pack and made that known the moment she reached the Cornucopia, directing her district partner and her allies to man the outer edges of the arena's centre. Diana armed herself with a sword and a belt of knives before charging the girl from District Seven who was approaching the Cornucopia from the mid-point. The Sevens were a threat and Diana did not want them around in the latter stages. Paulus was unable to secure their defeat until moments before the finale, but Diana ensured that they were disposed of quickly. The Elevens and Twelves would get no reprieve either and despite all four tributes being eighteen, they stood no chance against Diana and her allies.

The arena was a marshland which Diana knew would irritate Marcus. She knew she had been given the advice that all particularly attractive tributes were given, that unless their clothes were a hindrance or obstacle to their survival, they should remain as covered as possible. Marcus also wanted Diana to remain dignified and as elegant as she could even whilst killing the other tributes. The boggy marshland of the arena was not going to assist. Goddesses were not supposed to roll around in the mud, but Diana knew that this one might have to.

As the hunter goddess, Diana led the volunteers out to start the search for hidden tributes on the first night. It was not often that District Two sold a story beyond brute strength, but Marcus had asked her to, and Diana would deliver. She secured another kill that night before the volunteer alliance turned to fortifying the Cornucopia the following day where Diana remained whilst the pair from District One were sent out on another hunt.

Diana led the volunteers out that second night too and whilst they were able to secure another kill, they lost one of their own. The District Four boy became trapped in the ever-rising marshland and a hidden mutt revealed itself from the muddy waters and attacked. Diana decided to end their nighttime journeys as they could not effectively ward off the arena's traps.

She killed the girl from Four the following day. Lost without her district partner, she began to unravel and pick an argument with the Ones and then Diana's district partner. The pack's leader was not going to stand by and watch them destroy their alliance before she was ready, so she took control of the situation.

For her efforts, she was rewarded generously by the sponsors and Diana enjoyed more food than her allies and was provided with proper supplies to clean and sharpen her weapons instead of having to use the muddy water which increased the risk of infection. She shared some of those supplies with her district partner whilst the pair from One had their backs turned. They knew they were the likely final two and did not want to begin their final battle ill-prepared.

But the inevitable final battle did not come quickly. The careers spent two further days at the Cornucopia having returned from fruitless hunts for other tributes. Yet canons fired so it seemed that the others, or the arena was doing their job for them.

Eventually, the volunteers were forced to move as the marshland began to invade the Cornucopia, swallowing up many of their supplies. They were forced to leave with whatever they could find. They were followed by ever-rising waters until they reached a clearer river, the arena having shrunk to force the tributes together. Unsurprisingly, they soon found the boy from District Nine who had so far evaded them, but outnumbered four to one, the boy had little chance.

They settled for the night and Marcus sent Diana clean clothes. Diana took this to mean that Marcus knew the finale was near and he wanted her to look her best for her moment. Her allies scoffed when she returned but beneath their laughter and condescension, she knew they were concerned. Her mentor had sent her clean clothes whilst the sponsor funds for One's pair were beginning to dry up and Lyme had needed to send expensive medication for her boy who had been attacked by one of the mutts during their escape from the Cornucopia. Diana had realised that the key to evading the mutts was to constantly keep moving within the water, they had attacked anyone who remained stationary for too long. But she had kept that knowledge to herself.

She received a further gift from Marcus once she had tidied herself up and tried to clear her mind as she ate what could be her final meal in the arena. As she finished, she signalled to her district partner. His eyes widened but he discretely repeated Diana's signal to confirm his understanding.

The pair from Two turned on the pair from One in the night, catching them off-guard as they rotated who would guard their camp. The hunter goddess had made her mark once more and asserted her command over the arena.

From then on, it was a formality for Diana. The girl from Ten was drawn to the river in the morning where she found the pair from Two lying in wait. Diana only waited until her district partner turned to face her before launching her final attack, taking advantage of his weakened state from the mutt attack. It was over in a matter of minutes and Diana Antonius was lifted out of the arena, the victor of the Seventy-Sixth Hunger Games.

….

Enobaria was talking to Poppy, Halley and Cecelia in the bar of the Mentors' Centre. Despite being from District Two she was irritated by the attention surrounding the two newest victors.

"All I keep hearing about is perfect Paulus and darling Diana."

"You should be delighted," Halley laughed. "History-making, back-to-back victories, three victors in four years and the excitement of the new house being built in the Village!"

Diana's victory had meant that all twelve houses were occupied and with the prospect of more victors whilst they all remained alive, a special announcement had to be made.

"That just means people will be sniffing around the Village more than usual. Besides, I like living in the last house. Now I might end up with another neighbour."

"We have the opposite problem. I'd happily have another neighbour, it's too quiet in Six," Poppy replied.

"As much as Lyme likes you, she wouldn't be happy if I said I was supporting a Six win, even if it is for a good cause."

"Mags would be more receptive to a plan to combat yours' and Max's loneliness in Six," Cecelia added.

"Just a shame that Four has more volunteers in their pipeline."

"But Baria," Halley said, turning the group's attention back towards Two's victor, "Doesn't another win mean a smaller chance of you having to mentor again?"

"That's about the only benefit. And it will help Lyme and Brutus in their quest for more female victors. Lyme was panicking over some strange thought that we might have been reaped in the Quell and how that wouldn't have been ideal."

"Stranger things have happened."

"We don't know how many cards have been written, I certainly wouldn't rule it out," Poppy said.

"You're all more inclined to indulge Lyme in her more serious thoughts. I stay out of it. I scare the younger kids into doing as we say at the Institute and that suits me. Especially now Cleo is retired."

"Aren't they bringing Cleo in?" Cecelia asked.

"Unfortunately. She'll arrive tonight and is furious about it. She was supposed to be enjoying her first year of quiet retirement. But instead, they want to make something of the anniversary. Back-to-back victories on the sixtieth anniversary of her and Tiber's back-to-back victories."

"She's stepped back entirely?"

"She's tired, Halley. She misses Tiber. More than she lets on. Now they're going to talk about him and he's not here. She'll only get more upset and more tired."

"They'll make a spectacle of it."

"They've already got recaps, interviews and a photoshoot planned. They'll show Tiber in his glory days, back when he and Cleo met and talk about their lives together. Only Cleo wanted to keep that private. Everyone knew they were together, but they didn't make a show of it and back then there was less prying into our lives."

"What does Lyme make of it?"

"She tried to put a stop to it and keep Cleo at home, but it hasn't worked. She knows how Cleo feels about it all, they're still close enough. Lyme wouldn't go to anyone else for advice and now she feels like she has to protect Cleo a little. I do too and we haven't been able to do that."

"Cleo will know it's not your fault."

"She will. But the attention should be on darling Diana and Marcus pratting about after her, still putting on this act in the hope it will save her. There's a new woman in Victors' Affairs so it might too and that will annoy me even more. It would only be me it happened to."

"It was only me in Eight, only Johanna in Seven. You're not alone, Baria."

"I know I'm not here, but at home I am. Nobody else understands."

"If it happens to Diana, they'll turn to you."

"And I wouldn't know what to do or say. I bit my way out of it. She won't be able to do that."

….

Diana beamed as the crown was placed on her head. Diana the goddess became Diana the victor. She stood tall and proud and looked to the back of the crowd, not making eye contact with anybody. She was ethereal and stood above them all. She had to be untouchable, perfect even, to create the impression that she would be spoiled if anyone else so much as touched her.

During her victory interview with Caesar, she imagined she was perched on a throne, her latest gown pooling at her feet. She was elegant, poised and stoic. She spoke of fulfilling her destiny, of living up to her name and never showed any emotion during the recaps. The arena was a matter of course and she stood above them all, as a tribute in the arena, and as a victor in the Capitol.

She had met with President Snow in private along with the new Head of Victors' Affairs. There was a new plan for the victors and their celebrity status, and nothing had been mentioned of future expectations yet. Enobaria had made her aware that everything could change during the Victory Tour, but Diana would deal with that if it happened.

Nobody beyond her prep team and stylists had been allowed to touch her and even then, their on-camera interactions were limited. Marcus stayed beside her, one pace behind, never reaching for her or raising their arms, united in victory. He stood back and signalled to the crowds to praise his victor.

Their victory photographs were heavily edited to suit her image. She sat on her throne, the crown on her head, a light surrounding her that touched nothing or nobody else. Marcus stood behind the throne, his hands clasped in front of him, as he looked on, in awe of his victor. They were in complete contrast to Paulus and Brutus in the previous year where they stood united, their arms raised in victory.

Marcus had also spent significantly longer in meetings than she had, and Diana had no idea what lengths he was trying to go to secure Diana a life away from the demands on many of the victors. But they had their Two heritage on their side. Whilst Enobaria was the notable exception, District Two's victors were not commodified in the way that One and Four were. They provided services to the Capitol in other ways, the training of their peacekeepers being the most important contribution.

Lyme had also told her that she believed the odds would turn out in their favour. The personnel changes in Victors' Affairs had led to a different attitude towards the victors. After a long period of open threats and fear on those beyond Two, a policy of appeasement was emerging. The victors would not get their whims met; they were still district after all. But it would not do to have them united in open opposition to the President and his allies after an unstable period where rebellion looked to be on the cards. Different demands were likely to be served but whilst Marcus remained terrified that his victor would be tarnished, Lyme was quietly growing more confident that Diana would be kept away from Capitol beds and so Diana was too.

Still, she played her part as best she could. She posed with her crown in another victory photoshoot along with Paulus and Cleo, watched the recaps of Tiber and Cleo's Games without showing emotion and spoke of duty, service and pride during the interviews. She was not to be a friendly woman of the people but someone to be admired and observed from a distance.

It was only when she was back home in the quiet of the mountains surrounding the Village that Marcus finally swept her into a hug. The cameras had left, and Marcus and Brutus had deemed Diana stable enough for an isolated walk behind the Village.

Marcus and Diana both knew that Brutus was walking several metres behind them. It was a security measure for the event of an incident and a long-established practice in District Two whilst their newest victors were adapting to their new life. He walked along with Marcus' partner who was eager to get to know the young woman who had temporarily replaced her as the most important woman in Marcus' life. Even though their minders were in earshot, Marcus swept Diana into his side and then raised their united hands in victory. She had come home, and Marcus had his victor.