Life Through Sea Green Eyes - A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Part 2: Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim ownership to any content related to or included in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I write this story purely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others, with no intent for making money.

Life Through Sea Green Eyes

Part Two: Decadent Delirium

Chapter Twelve

          Juno walks me to the door after our afternoon tryst. She’s glowing, and keeps finding reasons to maintain as much skin contact as possible with me. On some level I feel that male satisfaction that comes from rocking her world, but mostly I just feel dirty and manipulated. When I’ve opened the door and am about to step outside, Juno throws her arms around my neck and kisses me passionately. I respond, and we stay there for a few minutes making out.

          Then she pulls away, and she looks miserable that I’m leaving. “Will you come back?” she asks.

          “I’d love to, darling,” I say. “But I have responsibilities.”

          Juno reaches into her robe pocket and pulls out a golden chain, hanging from which is a massive sapphire. “To match your eyes,” she says, teary-eyed. “Wear it and think of me?”

          “Always, my love,” I croon, and we start making out again.

          Snow wasn’t kidding, I think as I take the elevator down to my waiting car. These women will legitimately fall head over heels for me and lavish me with gifts, as long as I smile a few times and then bang them. It seems so surreal, because I don’t know any girls in District 4 who would act like that. But then, this is the Capitol, and things are a little twisted here.

          I tuck the gaudy necklace into my pants pocket as the driver brings me back to the Training Center. “Does Capitol have a black market?” I ask.

          “There’s always a black market,” the driver grunts noncommittally.  I decide to wait until the end of these Games before trying to sell the sapphire, in case Snow makes me go see Juno again. She probably wouldn’t take it well if I told her that I sold the token of her affection to the highest bidder. Although isn’t that how she managed to make herself my first Capitol lover? The hypocrisy of these people is mind-boggling.

          By the time I get back to the Training Center, the opening ceremonies are set to start in a few minutes, so I go directly to the ground level, where all the tributes should be getting onto their horse-drawn chariots. I spot Cal and Lacosta easily enough – Germanicus has them dressed as sea horses, which is kind of hard to miss.

          “There you are,” Cal sneers as I saunter over to them. Andromache glances at me for a minute, and then, to my complete surprise, looks away uncomfortably. Impossible, I think. She knows what Snow is making me do, and she actually feels bad about it? I file this thought away for later cogitation.

          “You look incredibly stupid,” I inform Cal, because insulting him will make me feel better about the fact that I just sold my body to an orange-haired, attention-starved housewife.

          “Get stuffed, Odair,” he snarls. “I saw that stunt you pulled last year – you really think I’m not ripping off this hideous hat the second we get through those doors?”

          “And yet people will still cringe at your face,” I observe. “I’d stick with the hat.”

          “The rules have changed,” Lacosta pipes up. “Any tribute who fails to wear the complete outfit given to them by their designer will face severe consequences.”