The Champion | Finnick Odair x oc | PJO & THG crossover

☾ Chapter 20 | Silent Canaries | ☽

    I hugged Jo tightly, ignoring the blood, and she did too. I heard Finn behind me and I let go. “You look better, shocking.” She noticed, and I rolled my eyes.

    “Shut up,” I said, even though I’m grinning.

    “She spent some time in the water.” Finn said, and I kicked him.

    “Oh yeah, definitely better.” She said, smirking.

    “So what happened?” I asked, ignoring the fact she’s allies with Nuts and Volts, who she was never really buddy-buddy with.

    “We were in the jungle, and then we were woken up to a bell which you probably heard. Then there was lightning for a while and then it was pouring. We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty. But when it came down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn’t see, couldn’t speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That’s when Blight hit the forcefield.”

   “I’m sorry, Johanna.” Finn said, pressing a hand to my back, knowing I’m thinking of Austin’s death.

    “He wasn’t much, but he was from home.” She said, “And he left me alone with these two. He got a knife in the back at the cornucopia. And her-”

    I looked up at Wiress who was walking in circles, mumbling “Tick, tock,” to herself. Maybe she has an obsession with the app.

    “Yeah, we know. Tick tock. Nuts is in shock.” When Wiress heard this, she careens towards Jo, and she shoves her onto the sand.

    “Lay off her.” Katniss snapped, and I rolled my eyes. Nuts was already too far gone to be saved.

    “Lay off her?” Jo said, angrily stepping forward and slapped her across the face. Hard. “Who do you think got her out of that bleeding jungle for you?! You-” I wasted no time clamping a hand over her mouth and Katniss’s, even though she’s not yelling, but she almost.

    “Both of you, shut up.” I snapped, my joking tone gone. “If you start to bicker one more time, I’m sending you both to the underworld. And let me warn you, Hades won’t be sympathetic, especially without Persephone there.” I pushed Jo in Finn’s direction, and he took the cue, and threw Jo over his shoulder and dunked her in the water several times. She’s no longer yelling, but she was glaring furiously at Katniss. I pushed Katniss to Wiress and she knew to help and clean her up as I tended to Beetee.

    I don’t know much about healing, but countless hours with Will is enough to know how to treat his gash. If we were at camp and Beetee was an injured demigod, I would just give him a piece of ambrosia and a drizzle of nectar and they’d be up in minutes. But he’s not, and I have limited resources. I washed him from the blood in the water, Katniss joined me after she cleaned up Wiress and then got some moss from the jungle for him to use as a bandage and make sure it’s secure before giving him some water.

    “You’re good at healing.” Katniss noticed, and I shook my head. “You are. What did you do to get so good?”

    “Hours with Sunshine Boy.” I said after a moment of silence.

    Katniss and I go to help Wiress, using the moss as a rag. “Tick tock,” Nuts said, urgently trying to tell us something. I thought for a moment, understanding her broken mind better than Katniss. I thought of the bell, the circle arena, the number twelve, and it slid into place.

    “Tick tock, the arena’s a clock.” I muttered, and it clicked for Katniss just as I said this. “Come on, youngblood.” I said, and she heeded me as I rushed over to everyone else. They’re sold on the idea, although Jo’s a bit bitter with Katniss and chose to be annoying rather than helpful, but one look from me and she held back her complaints, saying it was better safe than sorry.