Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Aries scowled deeply at the mutation by his feet, his lip curling in disgust. The creature's eyes stared back at him, and for a chilling moment, it wasn't just a monster anymore. It had human eyes—Glimmer's eyes. He could recognize them, even bloodied and twisted in this grotesque parody of life.
The weight of what that meant pressed on him, and when Katniss finally broke her trance with a flat, almost mechanical voice, uttering "Glimmer...", it sent another ripple through the air. Aries looked up at her briefly, registering her dismay, then back down at the monstrosity. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a strategy was already forming, but another, stronger emotion brewed: disgust, not at the creature, but at the GameMakers for this abomination.
Cato was nearby, still unaware of Aries's presence. Taking advantage of the moment, Aries glanced across the chaos toward Estella, the two of them exchanging a silent, loaded stare—a kind of telepathic communication honed through experience and trust. No words were needed. They understood each other perfectly. He didn't care for Cato's taunting of Katniss, nor did he focus on it; Aries's mind was elsewhere, calculating, scanning the area. He needed to be ten steps ahead.
His focus broke when Katniss gasped and smacked his back, jolting him from his thoughts. Aries growled in annoyance, glaring at her. But then he saw the problem. Cato had grabbed Peeta and now had him in a brutal headlock, Peeta's legs dangling dangerously over the Cornucopia, with a pack of snarling, mutated dogs circling below, eager to pounce. The baker's son's heart jumped. All of the mutts had human eyes—tribute eyes. The sight turned his stomach.
Cato finally noticed Aries, and there was a flicker of hesitation in the Career's eyes. Aries met his gaze with a hard scowl before looking back toward Katniss. She had drawn her bow, trembling, arrow aimed at Cato's head. But it was no good. The noise from the mutations was overwhelming, their howls like nails against glass, and Peeta was turning blue in Cato's grip. She couldn't risk the shot.
Her eyes flickered toward Aries, silently begging him to do something, anything. But Aries was distracted, his mind racing, his eyes frantically scanning the area. Estella was gone from her usual high vantage point. Panic fluttered in his chest. She never left her perch without reason. Where was she?
Cato spoke, cold and matter-of-fact: "Somebody's gotta lose. You know that." It was cruel, but it was true. Only one could win.
Aries let out a shaky exhale, his breath catching slightly in his throat. His eyes scanned the scene before him, finally locking onto Estella. She was positioned below them, hidden with masterful skill, almost completely invisible to the naked eye. He observed her carefully, noticing how meticulously and quietly she was making her ascent. She was slowly but surely climbing her way up the intricate framework of the strutuce.
Each movement was deliberate, each placement of her hands and feet precise, ensuring she remained undetected as she continued her upward journey. She signaled subtly toward Cato, and Aries understood instantly. He gave a short nod, turning back to Katniss with a low murmur. "I swear I'm sparing you more than I should." Katniss blinked, confused, but understood when he stepped back, her arrow slowly falling from her bow, letting whatever he was planning to go ahead.
