Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 24

"Hey," Taiya waved at Johanna as she stepped around her hospital curtain.

"Hi," Johanna greeted, relieved to have some company before her smile dropped. "Why are Gloss and Plutarch here?" she had to ask. It seemed like a weird trio to be hanging out together.

"Plutarch is my hostage," Taiya immediately explained.

"No, but seriously. Why is Plutarch here?"

"Seriously," Taiya flashed Johanna the knife. "He's my hostage."

"Holy shit. What did you do?" Johanna panicked.

"Oh relax," Taiya waved the knife through the air dismissively as she opened the cabinet next to Johanna's bed. "Here you go, Heavensbee," she aggressively threw some disinfectant at him. "Clean up the nick," she pointed at his throat. "I am headed to the Capitol," she explained to Johanna as she stood back up.

Johanna's eyes widened. She knew how against getting involved Taiya was. "Why would you want to go there?"

Taiya leant her hands on the bed and got close to Johanna's face. "Where's Finnick, Johanna?" she asked.

Johanna didn't answer. But her face dropped in realisation. Taiya had found out. Finnick confided in Johanna; he'd come to say goodbye, but he'd sworn her to secrecy, and Johanna agreed. She thought Finnick should have told her the truth. But now that Finnick was gone, no one could effectively calm Taiya down. So she knew if Taiya found out the truth without him around, it would not go well. Evident by her taking Plutarch hostage.

"Exactly," Taiya smirked. "I'm off to the Capitol to go and scream at my very stupid husband," she stood up. "Plutarch here is being kept under my watchful eye until I'm on that hovercraft."

"I already told you," he sighed as he wiped his throat with the disinfectant. "I won't tell anyone you attacked me. I always thought you getting involved would work to our advantage. I think it's a good, strategic move. I'm not going to ruin that and get you locked up. Not when we're at this stage."

"Yeah, well, you're slippery. You once told me you could get us all out of the arena," she smiled at him sarcastically. "Liar, liar, pants on fire. Anyway Jojo, I just came to say bye. Might come back, might not, who knows!" she laughed to herself, tapping the side of her head lightly to just try and hear one voice and clear out the others. "Did you know Peeta's coming with as well?"

"What?" Johanna's eyes widened. That was a horrible idea. She wanted to jump up and tackle Taiya to keep her there, but she didn't know how that would go with Taiya holding the knife. But when she heard Peeta's name, that train of thought froze. "Peeta?"

"President Coin's idea. Isn't that right Heavensbee?"

"Yes," he nodded stiffly.

"I can't let my little baker boy go alone now, can I? Katniss might kill him," Taiya snorted. "So I'm going to go and scream at my husband, and watch out for a member of the elite trauma bro squad. I'm very, very busy lately. Anywho, must be off. Enjoy the hospital life, tree girl!"

"Taiya! Taiya!" Johanna yelled, but Taiya was already walking away. Johanna was hooked up to so many machines she wasn't able to follow. "Gloss," she pleaded with the man who was lingering.

"I think I may have messed up," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think she's lost it."

"So knock her out!"

"Well how did you idiots think she was going to react when she found out!" he argued.

"Finnick didn't exactly think ahead on that one," Johanna snapped back. "Blame him."