(Reader.... My dear readers..... Don't give me ideas, yeah I am talking too you, the one that told me about Athena needing to die and Johanna to find the bucketlist... You must realize that I love torturing you guys so it is a bad idea to give me ideas.)
"Everyone listens here." Boggs held up a rifle magazine. "This mags empty, not even blanks, it is only for the propos alright?" He said slowly as he loaded it in the gun he gave Peeta.
The boy nodded as if it was him only that got told this, a shaky hold on the weapon for a moment.
"I am not a fan of seeing him with a weapon." Johanna told Athena.
"N-E-I-T-H-E-R A-M I" She answered while looking at the handgun she was given, Johanna and Finnick only had their axe and trident but she was given this, probably because of Peeta and how he'd cling close to her, she'd be the closest to take him out if something happened, tho it was a struggle, each new object taking her a second to master with her touchless hands.
"You'll keep an eye on him right?" Johanna told Finnick as even if it was day, it was he turn to fully concentrate on Peeta.
"Of course I will, he will not hurt you two." He winked at them.
"Stop talking everyone and lets move out, we'll try to make it ten blocks north, five a minimum so move it."
Athena rolled her eyes, holstering the gun before she followed Jackson out of the building, covering her eyes for a moment because of the light.
She hated being here in the Captiol, the only comfort was that she knew it would soon be over.
Soon Snow will be brought down, they are so close too it.
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They made their ways through the labyrinth of buildings and pods until they passed under arches that lead into what looked like a stone octagonal courtyard.
It was so silent, the Capitol was so silent, it unnerved Athena beyond limits.
"Breathe Thea." Johanna grabbed her hand, giving a squeeze despite the metal not giving or Athena feeling it.
She sighed deeply and nodded looking up as Cresida was talking to Boggs about how great of a shot she could have if they went down to the middle of the courtyard, the soldier listened and made the group follow her down to it.
"Boggs, this is a good spot." The camera woman said as she pointed ahead under a half blown up statue. "To show how the Capitol crumbles under our mighty rebellion."
"Okay, let us clear it."
He walked forwards with the holo, a machine that detects these pods the gamemakers filled the Capitol with to slow the rebels.
As they neared an arch, the beeping of the holo that had been soft and constant, picked up and was almost shrieking right as they neared an inner arch that would lead closer to the blown up statue.
"Yep, got a pod." He pointed to the sides of the arch. "Split, take cover."
Athena stood off to the right side, Peeta of course coming to duck behind her, crouching while everyone else quietly chose a side to hide behind too.
Boggs picked up a little rubble piece and threw it in the arch before ducking away, machine guns snapping out and blasting up the area.
Athena tensed, that would shred anyone coming through, she looked over her shoulder at the sound of constant smacks coming.
Instantly crouching down, shoving her hand between the rifle Peeta was beating into his head as he kept muttering his mantra that he was Peeta Melark and the rest, she held his head between the hands, not letting him hurt himself, knowing that he would get bruised anyway from the previous hits too himself.
"Sssh." She breathed out, rubbing her thumb on his face as tears escaped his eyes long after the machine guns exhausted all their ammo.
She looked at the mess they had made from the relatively good looking pavement, nothing but shards of smashed stone and bullet shells.
"All clear, come on, move it." Boggs said earning a glare from Athena as she grabbed Peeta, helping him stand, dusting off his shoulders.
"I want to go home Athy." He whispered making her furr her brows, she gave his shoulders a squeeze, holding a soft smile on her face. "Why do I need to be here? They all look at me like a mutt."
Athena hugged him, pressing his face into her chest as she hushed him until...
Boom!!
"Boggs!!" Katniss' scream ripped through the air as dust and pieces of stone rained down.
She let go of the boy to look over her shoulder, patting his before running after Katniss, she needs to stay alive.
"Say your name." Boggs forced out through the pain, Athena seeing his legs were gone completely.
"Katniss Everdeen?" The holo made a sound and blinked as he shoved it away from him, Athena picking it up. "Don't trust them, not Jackson, kill Peeta if you have too." He coughed, grabbing Katniss' arm hard. "Do what you came to do."
He coughed more before going limp, eyes staring up at the sky.
"Boggs? Boggs?" But the man didn't answer Katniss.
Athena grabbed her shoulders, not questioning Boggs' words, already knowing that since Katniss snuck out to be here that she had her own agenda, holding her the holo when she looked at her.
Katniss was still and might always be terrified of Athena but currently all she could do was throw her arms out and hug her, not expecting another death of someone getting close too her.
She looked on in shock but looped her free hand around the younger girl and stood her up, ears zoning in on the screaming of one of the twin soldier, only having her lower left leg blown off by the explosion.
She gently pushed Katniss off and gave her the holo before hurrying over as her sister tried to lift her up but couldn't, being sure the Capitol knew where they were now.
Sssssht.
She looked down, the pavement block she stepped on sinking into the ground just like how her stomach sank into her boots, another pod.
And she was the one to activate it.
She looked up frantically at the groaning of stone as their entrance between the buildings closed with large door, culminating with loud ear piercing clanks.
Athena's stress kept climbing, they are all trapped, she trapped them, she did this.
First there was nothing.
And then a pipe burst, spraying out black oily liquid.
"AAH!! Run it burns!" Another soldier yelled as a drop of it hit his face before way more pipes came forth to dump their fill out and the wave was rapidly moving.
Finnick moved first, grabbing the sister with her twin and pulling her.
"Go go go people!!" Gale screamed, grabbing Katniss and running with her.
Athena put her hand on Johanna and shoved her to run, the younger victor not needing to be asked twice.
She looked over her shoulder tho, seeing Peeta run out, eyes lost in mania, tackling Katniss to the ground and punching her,
She pushed Gale before he could shoot Peeta, the spray of bullets hitting the ground as a soldier, maybe he was the one called Mitchell tho she wasn't sure, dragged Peeta away.
"Up you fire girl!" Johanna grabbed Katniss buy the back of her neck and yanked her up while Gale swung back, smacking Athena in the face with the rifle moments before a horrible scream came.
Peeta having thrown Mitchell off him and shoulder checked him in the pond of burning oil, the man screamed as another pod was activated, barbed wire coming up and just winding deep into his flesh and tearing into him while he was strung up.
"Someone restrain him!!" Came a yell as Athena punched Gale down, snapping out of her murderous thought and abandoning her fight.
She grabbed Peeta by the hair and threw him on the ground, catching his neck in the crook of her elbow when he launched to his feet and pulled his back against her front.
"LET ME GO!! THEY WILL KILL US ATHY!! WE NEED TO KILL THEM FIRST!!" He screamed as she dragged him backwards while he was trying to pull her arm away from the choke hold she had on him.
Finnick quickly ran up, grabbing Peeta kicking legs and lifting him, both carrying the screaming boy too the window that was blasted open before.
Athena threw him through it and climbed after, Finnick behind her.
"Move!" "Keep climbing." "Up! Up! Up!" Screams came as everyone was trying to climb the staircase as fast as they could, Athena manhandling Peeta with a tight grip on the back of his neck and making him hunch over as she pushed him up the stairs, even kicking up the black oil she was being so slow because of him, feeling the searing hot liquid filter into her pant legs and even tho it was just drops, it hurt a lot.
"NO!!" She looked as Gale screamed in anger, at the top of the stairs and no more stairs left to climb.
Athena pushed Peeta, he fell on the landing, as she shoved Finnick in front of her, being the last to step up, all of the group stopped and trapped.
"Look...It's slowing down." Katniss said as it was true, the oil climbing the stairs until it just about rolled onto the landing for a few inches before it completely stopped.
Athena really wished she could have just said fuck it and leave as she watched the liquid stagnate, the air felt so hot because of the warmth it gave off.
She leaned against a wall with a sigh as Peeta sat on the ground, rocking back and forth while the hurt sister sat in a corner, all of them stuck in this little area.
"We better move." Jackson said as she turned to the door next to them, trying to open it. "If peacekeepers didn't know where we were, they sure do now. Those cameras, they are sure to have caught us." She pointed out the window tho Athena saw nothing so they must be under oil level.
"I agree. This is a bad spot, we need to move now." Gale said, Athena rubbing the red mark forming on her face from his hit.
Jackson stop tried to call into base but nothing happened, only white noise was heard.
"Well this is great." Johanna complained.
"F-U-C-K-I-N-G G-R-E-A-T" Athena added for her.
"I told you this was the 76th hunger games, they are not holding anything back it seems." Finnick added, trying to joke but it came out dry and slightly anxious.