When the Mockingjay Sings - Coriolanus Snow/Treech

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Hi, Athena," he smiled, rocking back and forth on his feet. Athena stepped away from Merlin and slowly approached her old classmate.

His icy eyes gazed into hers, eyes soaking in every feature on her face before travelling down to her dress. He looked different, more so detached than anything. His shoulders were stiff and jaw clenched, and his eyes anxiously darted around the room as if, at any moment, one of the tributes would charge at him.

"You look different," Athena observed in his new attire. She could see it was a more high-end suit contrasting the home-stitched clothes he used to wear. His curls were flattened by gel, but a few stray hairs held the ringlets she was used to. The pair had always been strangers, even after being thrown into the games together. But now it was almost as if they couldn't recognize each other. Even talking to Coriolanus seemed wrong; she's now on the other end. Instead of watching the games, she was in it and knew it would be the worst. Filled with sick, twisted ideas of torture, his ideas.

"So do you," he bit back. Coriolanus felt a little vulnerable under her gaze, almost as if every dark secret he had hidden would resurface with just one word.

She had grown a lot; her hair was lighter, nearly the colour of snow, probably from the sun exposure down at District 4. Her cheekbones were sharper, and she grew a few inches. She was no longer barely reaching his shoulders. Instead, she reached just below his chin. Instead of the kind and dreamy look in her eyes, it was replaced with determination and anger.

"A lot of things have changed since I left," Athena spoke up after a moment of silence. The two slowly looked around the room. Two years ago, dressing the tributes up and parading them around the Capitol was repulsive, an idea nobody had thought of until now.

"I guess I have you to thank for that?" Coriolanus flinched at her tone, sharper than a knife, slicing through the air and into his consciousness.

"I never thought you would be reaped," he slowly spoke, jaw clenching. It was true. He knew she was in District 4; he kept tabs on her for a while but needed to catch up. Knowing she was a Capitol kid gave him a false sense of security, thinking she was safe.

"What makes me any different from the rest of the tributes?" She tilted her head. 

"You're a Capitol kid," was all he said. Athena laughed a bit.

"I'm a district kid now," Athena corrected. A horn went off in the distance, and Athena stepped away from her old classmate.

"Guess that's my cue," Athena began to walk away, but Coriolanus's cold hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her.

"Smile, be likeable," he advised her in a hurry. Everyone around them began to move to their chariots quickly.

"I always am," she winked, gently tugging her wrist out of his grasp and walked over to what seemed to be a chariot.

Coriolanus watched as his old classmate jumped into the chariot, talking seriously with her district partner. Coriolanus's pleasure at seeing Athena was dampened by the darkened thoughts of reality.

He felt anxious, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a while. Images of Athena's lifeless face posted on a screen flashed through his mind. He had no confidence in her, but then again, he underestimated Lucy Gray, a frail girl from District 12.

Athena held on tightly to the chariot. Her hands were beginning to clam up, and she could no longer move; every muscle and bone in her body was locked up.

Behind the large doors, she could hear a roar of cheering, thousands of eager Capitol citizens craving to see who the next round of tributes was going to be.