.Stone And Lumber (Johanna Mason X F.OC).

-First Day-

The air stayed hot a humid tho so deep into the forest it lost its salty scent even if it should have lasted despite everything.

The chirping of birds interrupted with loud booms of death.

Athena stood, a leg propped up on a fallen tree truck and staring towards the middle of the arena tho not seeing anything from the vegetation in the way, The rest of the group a bit more preoccupied in being hidden from view, crouching down as they listened.

"No more hand holding ay?" Finnick nudged Athena's leg that was not on the trunk.

She was worried tho she kept her face neutral, bored even, was one of these one of her friends? Johanna? She wouldn't know until the sun sets upon the arena, oddly enough, now of all times, Heymitche's words bore their way into her mind... Was anything really worth it?

"That was quite stupid anyway." She shrugged, looking at Katniss and Peeta. "Like seriously? You thought we'd come in here and not go for blood? We all fight to survive." She said tho her ultimate goal was not that and Katniss made it quite the reality.

If it had been a wooden arrow she could have snapped the ends off and somehow secure the piece into her body, with metal arrows, she needed to pull it out and such an environment was less then ideal for a wound, so wet that their clothes were not drying but the warm of the trickling blood was reminder enough of the time being set, lucky that it wasn't visible on the black of her suit.

Katniss looked quite disturbed at how happy Finnick seemed about this all.

"How can you be happy about bloodshed?"

"Look here Everdeen, this is all music to my ears." He told her.

"Want to join them?" Athena lifted her arm up, skipping her thumb's claw against the index's one over and over, creating a little 'tink' noise. "Just a nice long slice and no more pain for you."

"Guys, lets not." Peeta tried to calming the blossoming tension, sure it always existed with Athena but a new one with Finnick was really not needed when he saved Katniss from Athena.... And she had saved him, the least he can do is to at least placate everyone.

"Then what lover boy? We are in a forest of killers with no food, I saw none in the cornucopia, only weapons and the pack must have set up near." Since she split from it, tho a slight bit faster then she wanted, she was sure that the victor chosen as their mentor would not get her sponsored.... Tho she didn't feel like she needed it.

"Well we should move, we are still too close to the middle, we could still be found, being a big group."

"The love sick boy has brains." She stretched, pulling on her painful side. 

"I'll go first." Katniss said.

"Nah, we wouldn't want to hurt the baby." Athena mocked, patting her stomach but Katniss felt the sharp ends poke her, tensing up, a slight flick too the left and she would be cut open.

"I'll go forth, I have a sword." Peeta said, holding it up.

"That's a machete." Athena said. "And I have a blade too."

"Sorry but no." Finnick laughed at her. "Even I don't trust you pulling that out right now."

Athena sighed with an eye roll.

"Lets just move shall we?" She asked, exasperated, waving out her arms.

Finnick picked up Mags as they sat off, following Peeta, Katniss right behind everyone, not getting the two experienced victors out of her sight, so scared that they'd flip on her and take them both out.

The trek was tiring, going constantly uphill battle as Peeta Hacked and diced the vegetation away from their path.

It almost seemed calm.

Too calm.

"PEETA NO!!"

(Fun fact.... Book Katniss and Peeta 17 in the quarter quell, Athena is like 26 now.... As much as she'd hate this, she is a protector and these kids were 16 when Cato was 18... Almost feels like the irony of fate.)