• Athena Spring has spent her entire life carefully curating the perfect image. Perfect grades, a proud family, and the Plinth Prize nearly within her grasp, Athena has it all. However, when her plans are derailed by an unexpected twist of events, s...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Athena wakes to a sombre dawn, the sun just peeking over the horizon. Yesterday's events come flooding back to her and that sickening smell of blood assails her nostrils once more. However, Athena pays it no mind. This morning, she has a mission.
She acknowledges Dani's sleeping body beside her, carefully crawling out of bed so she doesn't wake her younger sister before changing into her Academy uniform. Whilst the message had been sent out yesterday that classes would continue today with a special assembly, Athena doesn't need to be at school for another three hours. No, she's awake for a different reason.
Yesterday, she never had the opportunity to make sure her tribute was safe, if he's still safe. She has no idea what will become of the tributes after the previous day's horrific events and for reasons unknown the thought worries her. After all, what will happen to the Hunger Games if there's no tributes?
Two days ago, she wouldn't have cared whether the tributes lived or died. Today, her internal conflict spirals into more confusion.
As Athena quietly sneaks out the front door, her mind is a tumultuous sea of doubt. The marbled floors, once symbols of unyielding Capitolian strength, now seem to shift under her feet. She has been raised on tales of District savagery, taught to believe in the Capitol's supremacy. Yet yesterday's encounter with Treech, the lively boy from District Seven, has fractured her entire world. His eyes, not filled with barbarity but with fun and vibrancy, plague her every thought.
Athena's heart clenches as she grapples with this new revelation; the values she has clung to all her life are fading. She is Capitol-born, yes, but is she also Capitol-blind? Is it possible that everything she's ever known is a lie, simply an ignorant veil shielding her from the truth?
She doesn't care to dwell on it any further, however. She can unpack her thoughts when this is all over, after she has her hands on that Plinth Prize.
The streets of the Capitol whisper with the hushed tones of early risers as Athena makes her way to the zoo. The food market she frequents beckons her with its vibrant array of colours and scents; she pauses, her gaze landing on a pot of fresh mango slices. She knows she gave Treech and Lamina enough food yesterday to last at least a whole day (maybe two), but she thinks they'll both appreciate a morning snack. After all, giving Treech as many calories as possible would give him the edge in the arena, making her own star shine brighter. Purchasing two of the pots, she resumes her journey.
Athena steps through the gates of the Capitol zoo, passing the eerily still lake. Everything is quiet, too quiet. There isn't a peacekeeper in sight, all the camera crews have packed up and vanished and there are understandably a lack of visitors. The air is thick with an unspoken dread, a silent testament to the horrors of the day before.
She walks with purpose, her eyes scanning the ground where dark stains mar the concrete — a grim canvas of Arachne and Brandy's last moments. The bodies are gone, yet their presence linger in the crimson blotches that no amount of scrubbing can cleanse. Athena's heart pounds as she nears Treech's side of the enclosure, her mind beginning to race with dire possibilities. She must find him unharmed.
