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    IN A WAY, Jupiter almost wished she hadn't stayed the night in Finnick's room. Waking up the next morning before the stylists would come and prepare them for the Games, having to move out of his arms and pull on her clothes from the night before– it all reminded her she was leaving. This would be the last time they did this. Finnick stirred with her, not missing a moment, watching her warily.

    She had not slept nearly as much as she should have, in and out of rest, taking moments to just exist beside Finnick. She traced the lines of his face with the tips of her fingers, as if she would need to remember it. He had intermittently pulled her closer during the night, and had talked until her eyes were falling closed and her tongue felt heavy. Jupiter knew it did not matter how much time they got, it would never be enough.

    Finnick moved from the bed as she finished dressing, looking at herself in the mirror. He placed an arm around her stomach from behind, resting his head on top of hers. Jupiter stayed like that for a moment, as if taking in the feeling of being wrapped in him, before he kissed her temple and pulled away.

    "See you soon," he whispered.

    "See you soon," she repeated.

    Leaving his room felt like severing something in her chest, as she released the door handle and moved towards the elevator, hand not leaving the pearl around her neck. She felt like crying, but her eyes didn't burn. She had been dreading this moment ever since she had watched Finnick be reaped during the recap. She did not want it to be real.

    Jupiter furrowed her brows as the elevator opened, revealing Haymitch Abernathy of all people, which seemed to be enough to snap her out of her sombre thoughts. Her hand fell from the pearl, and the pair exchanged glances as they switched places. Haymitch paused for a moment, but didn't say anything as the doors shut and Jupiter was sent down.

    Why on earth was Haymitch visiting District 4?

    The day of the Games, no less. Jupiter didn't know Haymitch well. They were on two very different ends of the Victor spectrum. Did Finnick know him? Or was he here to see Mags? Why? Why? Why? What was going on?

    Jupiter's head was spinning by the time she arrived on the Second Floor. Brutus was leaving his room with his stylist, but aside from them and Lux in the corner, it was completely empty. Jupiter blinked at Brutus, who gave her a knowing look at her return just on time.

    "Aurelia left last night," he told his former student. "She wished you luck."

    Jupiter nodded, only feeling the faintest pang at not seeing Aurelia before she went into the arena. They had never been friends, not really, but she had been a constant in Jupiter's life since she was a teenager at her first Games.

    "I've got your back out there, okay?" Brutus told her. "You find me, District 1 and your boyfriend, okay?"

    "My boyfriend," she scoffed.

    They didn't get time to exchange anything else, as their stylists separated them, and from there Jupiter knew she would see no one else but Lux until she entered the arena. She squeezed her fists tightly, crescents blossoming on her palms. Lux was uncharacteristically quiet as they headed up to the roof at the signal.

    As the pair boarded the hovercraft, Jupiter bit the inside of her cheek when they injected the tracker into her left forearm. Lux was still quiet, as Jupiter ate as much as she could stomach on the journey to the Launch Room at the arena. She hadn't been there since she was sixteen– she had tried to erase it from her memory.

    Jupiter showered when they arrived, even if she had already washed off with Finnick the night before. She wished she could pause that moment in time, Finnick's fingers in her hair, the smile lines on his face as they fought over the hot water. Lux frowned as she noticed the change in Jupiter's expression.

    "I'm glad," Lux got out as she tied Jupiter's hair back in a low ponytail. "I'm glad I wasn't your stylist for your first Games." Jupiter said nothing. "I wouldn't have been able to do this if you looked like a child."

    "I'm not a child," Jupiter assured her.

    "I know," Lux said with a nod. "Alright– let's get this over with."

    The tribute outfit for the games was a jumpsuit that Jupiter recognised as being made for water, the sort of material bathing suits were made of. It was stretchy, but still clung to her figure. She was given a padded belt, Lux watching as she clipped it on herself. Even though she had tried to dress in warm colours – unusual for the stylist – she still looked washed out.

    Jupiter wondered if that was her fault. She had never given much thought about how much Lux meant to her, or how much she meant to the stylist. It seemed a lot more than she had anticipated.

    Lux swallowed thickly once they were done– because they were done. Jupiter didn't know what to say, as Lux held the pearl between her fingers, looking down at it with a frown. "He was right," she murmured. The pearl fell back against Jupiter's throat, and Lux looked up at her for the last time.

    Jupiter stepped back onto the plate as it was announced to prepare for launch. Lux waved at her through the glass as it came down, and Jupiter squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel the plate moving upwards, and she lifted her head so she would not have to see Lux again.

    The arena was filled with blinding light as she came up, squinting against the sudden surroundings as the plate stopped, and she was standing in the arena seven years later.

    "Ladies and gentleman, let the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games begin!" the announcer said.

    Jupiter could feel her muscles coming alive now, in the familiar way they did whenever she trained, but this was so much worse. She felt sixteen again, but in the worst way possible. With the announcement, she had less than a minute before the gong went off and the Games began.

    Find Finnick.

    The arena before her was like none she had ever seen before. She was standing on a plate, faced with nothing but open water. She was facing the Cornucopia, where everything she would need to survive was nestled. At first it looked like an island of rock, but there were strips of land coming out from it, which seemed to divide the arena into ten, maybe twelve sections.

    Twelve made sense, as there were two tributes per section of water. She glanced to her side and saw Blight from District 7. Beyond the open water and rock, they were surrounded by a beach and thick forest– no, not forest, a jungle. The sun beating down on them felt tropical, and she was already sweating, her mouth dry as sandpaper.

    Jupiter knew at once she had an advantage. Her years spent sneaking onto the Fourth Floor and sleeping over at Finnick's meant she knew how to swim, and she'd wager she was more familiar with it than most of the other tributes. She could hear the countdown in the back of her head, waiting for it, legs braced. With Blight in the same section as her, she desperately scanned as many faces as she could. There was Katniss, and Woof from District 8. But time was ticking, and Jupiter knew she'd meet Finnick in the centre. He'd outswim all of them.

    When the gong went off, she dove into the water and headed right. She tasted salt in her mouth, and flashed back to days spent in District 4.

    Find Finnick.

    She reached the closest strip of land, pushing herself onto it, before sprinting down it, taking as long strides as she dared. Tripping on a rock might cost her everything. She didn't dare glance around her and trip, but she suspected she'd be one of the first to Cornucopia, its giant, golden horn gleaming as she reached it, shoes scraping up sand at her arrival.

    Jupiter took a second to scan the supplies, before her eyes were on Finnick, who had made it first. He had already retrieved a golden trident, but at her arrival had turned around. The trident was raised, his eyes narrowed, but as he registered her, his face softened.

    "Fancy seeing you here," Finnick said with a grin.

    "Let's make this quick," she said assertively as she moved into the underside of the Cornucopia, barely taking a second to appreciate how quickly she had found him. She hated to think if it had been a different type of arena. "The others will figure out how to paddle soon."

    Finnick snorted, retrieving a golden net just like his first Games. Jupiter swung two strips of throwing knives over her chest, two more combat knives around her waist for good measure, and a machete across her back. She figured they'd soon be trekking through the jungle. She hated the golden weapons– they reminded her of her victory knife her mother had displayed in the kitchen. The same one that Mars had tried to hurt her with.

    "Did you see anyone else?" Jupiter asked, pulling away from the corner of the Cornucopia where she was at risk of being cornered. Finnick had been standing watch to the side, and glanced back at her.

    "Not yet," he said. He was still glistening from the water as Jupiter reached his side. "All those swimming lessons– bet you're glad now."

    "Shut up," she snapped, lightly.

    Finnick perked up, and Jupiter did, too. They exchanged wary glances and Finnick changed the grip on his trident, pointing it forward as they crept along the side of the Cornucopia. They had barely stepped forward when Katniss had an arrow aimed at them.

    "You can swim, too," Finnick said. He sounded amused, but his muscles were taught. "Where did you learn that in District 12?"

    "We have a big bathtub," Katniss responded evenly. Jupiter didn't dare move for a knife with the arrow lodged at them. She suspected Katniss would shoot Finnick first, as he was in the front and had the bigger frame, but Jupiter didn't want to sacrifice Finnick for a chance at Katniss' throat.

    "You must," Finnick mused. "You like the arena?"

    "Not really, but you should," Katniss responded with an edge of bitterness. "They must have made it especially for you."

    "Good thing we're allies, right?" Finnick said lightly, shifting his arm that was stretched in front of Jupiter. She noticed the golden bangle, and Katniss seemed to as well, eyes widening in realisation.

    "Where did you get that?" Katniss breathed.

    "Where do you think?" Finnick sneered. Katniss did not move, and Jupiter realised why Haymitch had been visiting the Fourth Floor. "Duck," the District 4 Victor said simply.

    He threw the trident at the District 5 man running at Katniss from behind, the weapon sinking into his chest. Katniss, still covering her head, looked at the body warily as the cannon went off.

    Finnick stepped forward and pulled the weapon from his chest, bracing his foot against the body. "Don't trust One and Two," he declared. Katniss glanced at Jupiter wearily. "Jove doesn't count."

    "Take what you want and go!" Jupiter ordered when Katniss did not object. She just nodded, running to the Cornucopia. Jupiter caught Finnick's bicep. "What's going on?" she asked lowly.

    "I told you to trust me, didn't I?" he said, breath fanning her face. Jupiter did– she was just confused. District 12 was not someone she would expect as an ally. Over Finnick's shoulder, Jupiter saw Gloss and Cashmere making it to the spindles of land. "Katniss!" Finnick shouted.

    "Nothing but weapons," she huffed as she rejoined them.

    "Same on our side," Jupiter sighed. "Wonder what they want us to do," she added snidely.

    "Take care of that, would you?" Finnick chimed in, and Jupiter turned to see Brutus barrelling towards the front of the Cornucopia. Katniss, however, was aiming elsewhere, firing an arrow at Gloss at an angle.

    Jupiter didn't hesitate, knife flying end over end towards Brutus, who dove to the side and submerged. Katniss stared at her, as if surprised she had parted ways with her District partner, but Jupiter bit back the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach and looked to Finnick.

    "We should clear out– now," she said firmly.

    She threw another knife, forcing an incoming Cashmere to duck and roll back into the water. Based on the timing, she wouldn't be surprised if Gloss was making landfall somewhere nearby. It felt rather odd not being a part of the Careers.

    "We have to find Peeta," Katniss interjected.

    Jupiter bit back a remark, looking at Finnick, who just nodded. With a sigh, the 68th Victor agreed. They were incredibly vulnerable standing at the Cornucopia, they had to move now. Katniss spotted him quickly, and ran along the closest strip of land. Peeta had not moved from his plate since the Games had started.

    Finnick followed her, Jupiter bringing up the rear. The scrape of rock, and she wheeled around, knife flying, slicing the side of District 9's male tribute as he moved towards them. His hand flew to the wound, wincing. A second knife found its way to the notch of his jugular. Golden eyes alert, Jupiter drew yet another knife and continued along the strip of land, her job done.

    Before Katniss had even dropped her bow, Finnick was diving into the water in the direction of Peeta. The teenager looked to Jupiter in shock, but the 68th Victor was mirroring her expression. What was Finnick doing?

    Katniss continued to hold her bow to cover Finnick, as Jupiter scanned the arena. Now a safe distance from the Cornucopia, she could see Brutus, Gloss and Cashmere gathering weapons. The District 9 man lay dead on the ground now. She swallowed thickly as Brutus looked their way.

    Finnick had just reached Peeta, dragging him through the water and back towards them. To the left, Mags was also bobbing over, paddling in a way only someone from District 4 would be able to do at eighty. Jupiter had just made brief eye contact with Finnick when the world tilted out from under her.

    "No!" Katniss shrieked, as Jupiter's head was submerged, vision blurring, eyes stinging from salt water.

    Someone had grabbed her ankle– through the waves Jupiter hadn't heard them come from behind, and she had been too focused on Finnick. Hands were on her face, pushing her down and trying to keep her under. A weak attempt at drowning her, as Jupiter thrashed. She desperately hoped Katniss didn't try and be a hero– a misplaced arrow would end them both.

    Jupiter broke the surface, gasping desperately for air. She briefly registered the District 9 female, before she was being dragged under again, water flooding her nostrils. Clamping her mouth shut, and fighting against the pull of the water, Jupiter brought her knife up and slashed, blindly.

    The struggling finally stopped enough for her to kick to the surface again, heaving in a breath. The water around her was red, and the District 9 female surfaced too, and the blood was pooling around her. Katniss hesitated, arrow halfway between Jupiter and Finnick's side of things, before the 68th Victor raised her knife above the surface of the water and cut down, lodging it in the District 9 tribute's throat.

    She gurgled, and Jupiter braced her foot against the woman and kicked away, pulling the knife out jaggedly and sending her floating away as she gagged on water and blood. Jupiter swam back, turning onto her stomach when she was sure she was dead, the cannon firing, before she reached the strip of land again.

    "I got you," someone said, and Finnick was helping her out, dragging her up like she weighed nothing. Jupiter was still coughing up water as she helped her stand. She braced a hand against his chest, his free arm around her. "Are you okay?"

    "Fine," she hissed. "Get Mags and let's go."

    Finnick didn't hesitate, releasing her. He swung his net over his shoulder and hoisted Mags on his back, retrieving the trident in one hand. He glanced back, as if doing a headcount of the people on the strip of land, before they were running away from the Cornucopia. Jupiter didn't dare look back, not yet.

    She was trusting Finnick blindly. It made no sense to go for District 12, especially not Peeta. She had, at the very least, expected Finnick and Mags to tag along with the Career pack. It was the safest option. She wondered if Brutus had expected this from her, or if he was proud, in his own way. He always admired her brutality differently from others.

    Where the sand ended, the thick jungle began. Peeta led the way, cutting his way through with a long knife. Finnick went second with Mags, then Katniss, and Jupiter once again brought up the rear. It was an unspoken order, but one Jupiter preferred. She wanted to be able to see if Katniss tried to kill Finnick from behind. It would be the smart thing to do– the Victor thing to do.

    "I get the feeling we'll never be dry here," Finnick snorted as they began walking up an incline. Jupiter agreed with him– the air was thick and humid, and despite being slick with moisture, Jupiter could feel herself getting more dehydrated by the second.

    "Really missing the mountains now," Jupiter groaned as they continued upwards.

    Katniss glanced at her briefly, then back at Finnick, as if trying to figure out their relationship. It was only natural as the outsider that year.

    Jupiter wiped at the sweat on her upper lip, smelling iron on her sleeve as he did so. She had forgotten how natural killing came to her when it was needed. Between life and death, choking on salt water, was she only at fault because she had been the one to strike mortally first?

    She knew by the way Katniss looked at her that she knew what she had done to survive the arena. The look of caution, and slight horror. Jupiter survived and it had cost her all her allies that would eventually become enemies. She had done what was necessary, the Hunger Games had made of her a killer.

    Jupiter was prepared to do it again– she had killed five Careers and three other tributes during her own Games at sixteen. Katniss was a nape exposed to the 68th Victor, but ahead of her, Finnick's whisper of trust played in her ears. She would not make a move yet, even if every conditioned muscle in her body screamed to– not until she was sure.

    She was far from being above stabbing someone in the back.

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ayeeee we made it to the quell aka the home stretch! i prewrote this and all the next chapters together, so updates will be scheduled regularly until the epilogue! i save my final author's note for then, but wow it feels weird to have finished a fic

anywho jupiter is, at heart, a career. she has a very survivalist approach, which is why she is constantly considering killing katniss and peeta, and not taking the alliance very seriously. however kind and against that she is outside of the arena, jupiter is a fucking menace (killed 5 careers in their sleep at 16 so). but as the quell progresses we'll see more of her normal self from the rest of the book i promise :) she's still in character just surviving

also in this chapter in the catching fire book, in a very throwaway line, there is no pool in the training centre. oh well, this is fanfiction for a reason (jupiter still visited finnick in 4 enough)