Cage me like an animal • F Odair¹ •

V

"It's not funny," "Yeah, it is,"

•∘♛∘•

Athena woke the next morning with a headache and a queasy stomach that had to do with more than just her nerves about the Games. Once she was certain her stomach had settled enough and her migraine had become something bearable, she dressed and went over to the dining room for breakfast. Everyone was already at the table, so she served herself silently and slid into the empty seat next to Alayne, who was back in her blood red clothes.

"So, the plan today is the same as ever, right?"

"No reason why it should change, is there?" Finnick replied in an oddly strangled voice, looking at a spot a few inches above her head instead of at her.

Athena glanced up above her to verify that there wasn't a giant spider descending upon her, before looking back at Finnick suspiciously. "Uh - no. Just checking."

"Well," he said shortly, looking down at his plate, "there you have it."

Athena stared at him blankly. Both he and Kai beside him were not looking at Athena - or, really, acknowledging her at all. Kai she wasn't surprised about, considering his behaviour yesterday, but Finnick was unexpected. Was this about - well, whatever had happened between them last night? Athena thought that he would have moved past it by now. She had, at least. It didn't help matters when she looked at Mags and Alayne and saw on the looks on their faces that they seemed to understand what the problem was. Meaning everyone knew but her.

After breakfast, in the time before Athena and Kai had to go down to the training rooms, Athena found Finnick, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him aside to speak to him.

"You're getting awfully demanding for my attention - " Finnick said lowly, still not looking at her.

"Have I done something?" she asked impatiently. "Why are you acting so different?"

"I don't know what you mean - " he began.

"Yes, you do," she said flatly. "I don't know if I've done something to upset you, but if you're not going to tell me so I can fix it, then find some way to get over it, because I'd rather it not affect how you mentor me."

"I - uh - I don't think you have to worry about that," Finnick murmured. Before she could ask what he meant by that, he said, "I talked to Kai."

"You did?" she straightened up, momentarily distracted. "What did he say?"

"He's had a change of heart," he replied. "He wants to be coached separately."

Athena was silent for a moment, stunned, before saying, "What? Why? He said he didn't have anything to hide - ?"

"He doesn't," Finnick replied, his gaze flickering down to look at her for once. "He's just decided that he'd rather not be with you for training. He still wants an alliance with you, though, that hasn't changed."

Athena stared up at him, confused and a little annoyed. She didn't understand why Kai would want to be coached separately from her if he still wanted them to be allies in the arena. And she didn't understand why he didn't just tell her that yesterday instead of leaving her to be clueless - and she was a little irritated about it.

Still, she found she couldn't be too angry at him. It was his choice - though it would've been nice to have been included in it. It's his life on the line, too she thought. He'll be in just as much danger as I will. He left a family behind, too. If this is what he thinks he needs to do to get back to them, let him.

"Fine," she said heavily, sighing. "So how does this work, then? One of us gets you and the other gets Mags?"

"Yeah, he's already sorted that out, too," Finnick said. "He's requested that I mentor him. Mags will mentor you."