Athena Hadley.
Like everyone in 2, force fed with the ideas of grandeur and fame.
Only for her life to collapse into a heap after her victory in the 66th, realizing all was just a dream.
From a proud 2 to a young woman that lost her childhood and li...
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Thick snow fell, a blizzard raged, truly, it was not a place where people would be out in or would survive in the long run.... Or was it?
"AAAAAAH!!!!" Came a scream through the arctic mountains as two young and grappled people tumbled down the icy stone slope of a mountain.
One took a punch too the face, their head whipping back, revealing them to be a girl under the thick hood of the similar coats both wore, so young, not over 15, face and ears bitten red by the cold, blood already freezing to her skin from the cold.
She swung down with a hand flexed in a claw, the metal sinking into the throat of the other young kid that was struggling to push her off, failling.
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And she yanked.
The metal claws ripping a large hole in the throat of the boy laying under her, staining the snow red.
She panted, still pressing the boy into the cold snow, trembling from the cold and what she did but she needed to go home, she needed too, her brother is waiting for her to come back too him.
And so, striking down once again, she put the boy out of his misery, more of his blood splattering on her face as the telltale sound echoed out around them while the steam rose from the red splatters, cooling rapidly.
Boom.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the 66th hunger games! Athena Hadley from district 2!"
She stood with a deep breath, the sight of that boy burning into her memories just like every single other of her kills had to her name, burning their last moments forever in her mind.
A tear threatened to spill over but she tilted her head back, blinking it away, a district 2 tribute doesn't cry, she can't cry, that's weakness and weakness is not permitted.
The Reaper, that's what they called her, setting the record for the highest amount of tributes killed singlehandedly, the blood of eleven stained her hands despite her wearing those clawed gloves to take most of those lives, the blood never able to be washed off despite it not being visible too others, she still felt it seep into the skin on her hands.
Athena Hadley was pretty girl, desirable, angular face not marred by anything that happened in the arena anymore, thick black hair tied in the small pony tail with much of it still hanging free (like the pic), a sadly slight above average body for her age of 15, already taller then many her age too, stronger, smarter... It was only a matter of days before the offer she couldn't deny came and she quickly regretted her outburst in Snow's office, bending the knee and accepting her fate, all for her brother, to protect him.
Even as she was instantly ushered too her victory tour right out of that meeting, she did it with a smile, all to protect her brother, her only reason to live.
She just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear, no one had readied her for this life.
She always thought, as a victor, all would be better... And now she was here, fueling the propaganda machine with her overwhelming victory this year.
As she stepped off the train, the cheering was deafening, it made her sick too the stomach but she smiled and waved, she'll need to get used to this so she better start now.
But she was looking for one little face in the crowd.
"There you are!" She called out with a smile, seeing her brother.
"Athy!" He said, running over and hugging her legs, she chuckled and pat his back.
"Were you nice Cato? I hope you didn't bother a lot." Because of one mistake, one word, a 'no', Cato and her found themselves alone in this world.
(I love how this one sense up there is 1 of the 2 parts I get comments on the most often with ppl freaking out.)
"I was nice!"
"Then lets go home."
"But there is a party for your win."
"I know bud but I am tired, I need a bit of sleep."
"Oh, alright." She held his hand as she walked through the crowd that was more interested in drinking themselves dead then where their new victor was going.
The victor house was empty, so empty, way too big for just her and an 8 year old boy, but such was their life now.
She had put him to sleep and couldn't understand how he didn't blame her for killing their family with her stepping out of line.
Why didn't he hate her? Because she sure hated herself.
She sat by his side while wondering before walking out.
Out in the back garden, while pulling on padded gloves.
She watched them, flexing her hands with a jerk and the metal claws popping out, everyone in district 2 chose a weapon and were made proficient with it through the academy with another becoming a secondary weapon, these were hers, even outside the game they haunted her.
With another jerk and flex of her hands, the metal slide back in, letting her close her fists without stabbing her palms.
She looked up at the side of the house and punched it, the pain in her fist reflected the pain she felt on the inside.
This was nothing like what they told her.
There was no honor.
There was no grandeur.
Being a victor was nothing but another way of becoming a slave too the Capitol, becoming their puppet.
Athena wanted to scream as she punched the wall again, but couldn't, sinking too her knees.
She was from 2 dammit, this was not supposed to go down like this, it was supposed to be a great moment, not.... This shit.
She leaned her head against the wall, tears trying to escape from her eyes but she didn't let them despite really wanting too, she can't cry, that would be weakness and humiliating.
And so she stayed seated there for a long while into the night, trying to feel something else but the painful numbness that grabbed onto her soul, despite the hated cold biting her skin, she didn't have the strength to move to escape it.
"I wish I died in that arena." She whispered, words carried away by the merciless wind that reminded her off the arctic mountains, the white snow she stained red with her own hands.
Athena Hadley knew this hell was just beginning and she was already tired of it.
