Cage me like an animal • F Odair¹ •

XXIV

"Why would you be worried?"

•∘♛∘•

It felt like Athena wasn't asleep for very long when Alayne woke her up by knocking loudly on the door. She didn't quite want to face the world again, especially not when she knew she needed to apologize to Alayne, but she still forced herself out of bed. She put on the first comfortable-looking outfit she could find, before walking over to the dining car. Athena didn't see why it mattered when she got up, since this was mainly a travel day, but apparently, her makeover yesterday was only to get her from Victor's Village to the train station. She would be getting the works today.

"Why? It's cold, it's not like anyone's going to see anything," Athena pointed out.

"In some districts, it's actually quite warm," was all Alayne said. "I imagine your stylists are going to want to take advantage of that."

It was hard to miss the frostiness in Alayne's tone, which served as a reminder that Athena still needed to apologize for her outburst. Athena was suddenly quite glad it was only her and Alayne at the table; it was much easier to apologize when it was only them there.

"Hey, Alayne," Athena said with a soft sigh, putting down her fork and knife. "I'm sorry about what I said last night. I was completely out of line. You were only trying to be nice. I realize I need to be more appreciative of everything that you're doing for me."

To her credit, Alayne accepted the apology graciously. "Thank you, Athena. It's quite alright. I do understand that you are under a certain amount of pressure... it's easy for nerves to get to you. But that's why it is essential you learn to handle your emotions better, young lady. You're a victor now; you need to carry yourself with a certain amount of composure."

"Right," Athena said. "I'll work on that."

Alayne held her hands up, saying, "That is all I ask."

Athena had to try not to laugh, looking down at her food to hide her grin. The food was as incredible as always. It was almost as if the kitchen staff was trying especially hard to please her in light of her victory, serving all her favourites. There was even a cup of rich hot chocolate awaiting her. Still, she found it hard to really enjoy it. She was also getting a little annoyed at the fact that it was only her and Alayne at the table. It had been nice when it gave her a window to apologize to Alayne alone, but now she was irritated that she had been forced out of bed when no one else had been.

"Where's everybody else?" Athena asked after a moment, gesturing around at the empty seats.

"Finnick and Mags should be here any moment," said Alayne, "as should your prep team. Tatiana and Syrio were up late organizing your garment car. They must have prepared over a hundred outfits for you. I must say, your evening clothes are truly exquisite."

Just as Alayne said this, Mags walked in, using her cane to walk again. She was followed closely by Finnick. Just as the two of them settled in and began eating, Athena's prep team walked into the dining car. As ragged as Athena felt, her prep team, who clearly were not used to waking up very early, were in even worse condition, knocking back cups of coffee and exchanging brightly coloured pills. They clearly were not people who woke up before noon except during the most extreme of emergencies - like Athena Maris' body hair, for example. There really wasn't much of it, but Athena still allowed her prep team to take care of it all. It was a mark of how tired they were that none of them were up to their usual chatter, so that Athena could hear every strand of hair being plucked from its follicle, and there was nothing to drown out the sound of her hissing in pain. She had to soak in a tub full of a thick, unpleasant-smelling solution, while her face and hair were plastered in creams. Afterwards, two more baths followed, in less offensive concoctions. She was plucked and anointed and massaged and scoured until she was left feeling raw.