74th Hunger Games – Cato Valerius

There's only really one thing I can say, or rather, think, of right now. Why, why did she do it? Why did Katniss volunteer for her sister? There's really no reasonable explanation – besides the fact that she obviously loves her sister – for why she would even volunteer. I mean no disrespect to any of the outlier Districts, because contrary to what's supposed to have been beaten into me, I actually like how peaceful and serene they seem, but usually people from those Districts have no reason to sacrifice themselves, they look out for themselves and sigh with relief when it's not them who's being set into the Games. I could call them selfish, but I know that there's more to it than that. In the Career Districts, volunteering is usually seen as something to be proud of, coveted, if you will. In the lower Districts, getting sent into the Hunger Games is a death sentence, but sometimes, it's also a relief for a family living in destitution and struggling to make ends meet.

The thought is a terrible one, I know, but it's true sometimes. I force myself back onto my original train of thought, Katniss. I don't know exactly why she volunteered, but I understand. She doesn't want to lose her sister, and I don't want to lose my brother, that's what will make killing her even harder.

Our arrival to the Capitol is an exciting one, to say the least. There's an enormous crowd waiting for us at the train station, and a large contingent of peacekeepers keeping watch over them. The crowd comes alive once I step off the train, chanting my name over and over. Cato, Cato, Cato! I wave to them and give them the best grin I can manage, which only seems to drive them crazier. They surge across the barrier, only stopping once the peacekeepers whip out their collapsible batons. The air suddenly feels too constricted, too energized with a tension that could snap at any moment and I find myself being rushed along towards a small convoy of armored vehicles where Lynn and everyone else waits. I give Brutus a questioning look but he only shrugs and gestures for me to get inside.

We arrive outside the remake center near the chariot hall within minutes, guess speeding through traffic in a column of armored vehicles with flashing sirens really does work. I'm instantly dragged away by my prep team. They don't bother to introduce themselves, instead ordering me to strip and lie down on the table in front of them.

An hour later I'm seated in front of my stylist, Aurora, she's actually kind enough to introduce herself, and immediately runs a cold professional gaze over my body. She smirks and proclaims that she has just the thing for me, but I can't help but feel as if this something is going to turn out terrible. She leaves the room and returns thirty minutes later, a large number of cloths in her hands. She calls the longest one a toga, it's dyed entirely purple and apparently something only Roman Emperors and other important officials, although to a lesser degree, could wear. There are a lot of undergarments that come with the toga, and I try my best to put them on according to Aurora's instructions as she leaves the room.

I walk out of the room once I'm finished getting dressed. Aurora grins and lays a wreath on my head, much to my confusion. "It's to complete the look," she explains as she straightens my toga and tunic. "Now you look like a real Roman Emperor." She turns and begins walking away towards a set of bay doors down the hallway. I quirk an eyebrow at her statement and rush to catch up with her, pushing through the doors to find some sort of staging area filled with chariots and horses. Aurora is nowhere in sight, and the room seems to only be occupied by peacekeepers, much to my annoyance. I can't seem to find Brutus, Enobaria, or Lynn anywhere in the room so I decide to go find a nook somewhere to rest and hide.

Hours later, and the room has slowly begun to fill up with Tributes from other Districts. I recognize the male and female from District 1, and their respective Mentors, but that's pretty much it. I know for a fact that Katniss hasn't shown up yet, and if she has, then I haven't managed to spot her, something I highly doubt. Eventually, the doors open and she walks in, I'm left speechless, or rather, thoughtless at her appearance.

She's dressed in what can only be described as tight, tight spandex, and I can't help but run my eyes over her body. She ambles around for a little bit, the material flexing and conforming to her body as she moves. I clear my throat and readjust the tunic underneath the toga, relieving some of the heat that's building up. I soon notice another hindrance pulsing against my thigh and I shake my head and mutter under my breath as I shift slightly so that my erection isn't as obvious to anyone that passes by. I take this chance to further… study her, I'm not going to lie, she is very attractive, probably more so up close – and there's always later to get to know more about her – but for now, I'd much rather watch her, especially with that costume of hers which seems to hug and accentuate every single curve of her body deliciously. Damn, I wonder if she's flexible…

I find myself imagining just what we could do. It's not something I'm willing to dedicate a large amount of time on, at least not right now, but I'll admit, it's pretty fucking hot. I can just about feel her wrapped tightly around me as I thrust into her and I keep hoping that Katniss will bend over just so I could see her ass more clearly, but I doubt she'll entertain my thoughts and give me more fuel for my fantasies. Instead, she makes her way over to her Mentor, the only living Victor from District 12, Haymitch Abernathy. I honestly hadn't noticed him come into the room, although I suppose I can blame that on the fact that I was busy fantasizing about his Tribute.

The doors open once more, revealing Brutus entering the room followed closely behind Enobaria and another woman who I can only guess is Lyme. I push off the wall and out of the shadows before making my way towards them. I haven't seen Lynn yet, but I have no doubt in my mind that she's not nearby. True enough, she's lounging behind the chariot in some sort of armor that's trimmed in gold. She narrows her eyes at my stare and explains that it's supposed to be praetorian armor, the same armor that the Emperor's personal guard wore. Quirking an eyebrow, I decide to tease her. "Guess you'll be my personal guard then, huh?" The smirk on my face is probably large enough to rival Finnick Odair's, "Tell me, what other services do you perform?"

Obviously, this was a terrible mistake because the next thing I know, I'm being slammed against the side of the chariot with her hands wrapped around my throat. "Listen you little shit, I'm not one of those sluts that will just roll over for you and beg you to fuck me."

I pry her hands off of my throat and glance down at her while chuckling. "I never thought you were, Lynn. Honestly," I shrug and let out a puff of air, "I don't know much about you, but I doubt you're one of those girls. However, I was hoping you'd take it as a joke."

"Well, I didn't. So you're fucking stupid." She hisses at me before walking away towards our Mentors, leaving me feeling somewhat like an asshole.

The Tribute Parade begins shortly after. We're herded onto the chariots and told to wave to the crowd at every opportunity we get. Of course, Brutus has to complicate matters by instructing Lynn to appear subservient and protective towards me like an actual guard would. I have no doubt in my mind that this won't go bad. In fact, I'm expecting Lynn to blow up any second now, but to my surprise she merely shrugs and turns out towards the opening doors. I give Brutus a curious glance before mounting the chariot and standing next to Lynn. "Well, I don't know how you're going to pull all that off but…"

"I won't." She replies simply, eliciting an inquisitive glance from me. "I just didn't say anything about it because I didn't want Brutus to start bitching about it." I can't help it, the laughter bubbles out of me and I end up having to take a deep breath or two before finally calming down.

"Wow, I didn't really expect you to say that, actually." I admit as the chariots begin moving.

"Yeah, well…" Lynn shrugs and looks out towards the path in front of us. "I guess I just surprise people like that."

I say nothing in return. There really isn't anything to say, Lynn is… an enigma. There's too much that I don't know about her, and too many warnings going off in my head to be wary around her. I suppose I can see why I've been told not to trust her. Often times, the most seemingly innocent or mysterious person can turn out to be a vicious bloodthirsty psychopath case in point, Johanna Mason. She cried her way through most of her Games and slaughtered the remaining Tributes with an axe and I think she might have even enjoyed it, crazy bitch.

Pushing those thoughts away, I focus on the task at hand, gaining sponsors. The chariots have just begun to move out past the dock towards the pavilion where the parade is being held, and I can faintly hear the cries of the crowd as we turn down the stretch of road that will take us towards them. Holding my head up high, I straighten my shoulders and put on the best smile I can as we come into sight of the crowds. The stands are packed full of them, a sea of bright neon clothing and wigs clashing with pale and dark skin bobbing up and down as they jump to their feet, cheering at the sight of the chariots.

I do my best to play off the role of cocky Tribute from District 2 and wave to them, tossing out an occasional wink and smirk to the crowd. I guess that it's working because the cheers and applause only seem to increase in volume as we move further along towards the small rotunda at the end of the strip. We come to a stop alongside District 1 and wait as the rest of the chariots that were behind us finish their rotations.

All of a sudden, there's a thunderous cheer making its way up towards us. Snapping my head back, I see why. It's Katniss, and she's on fire, literally. Guess that spandex was for more than just showing off her body. I find myself staring at her as her chariot makes its way towards me, she has a certain air of superiority about her, as if she doesn't give a shit about where she is and what she's about to be doing in a few days. I suppose it's all part of the act, look at me, I'm on fire and untouchable, unfazed by all of this bullshit you're putting me through. Whatever it is though, it's pretty hot, pun intended of course.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update earlier, been busy with work. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter for some reason, I must have erased about a third of it at least twice. And please ignore the fact that Cato just sexually harassed Lynn. That was an attempt at humor which probably failed. Next chapter will have Cato and Katniss actually speaking to each other, so there's something to look forward to. Also, I really need a beta, if anyone would be willing to… let me know.

In case you guys were wondering, purple was, traditionally, associated with the Roman Emperor since the production of purple dye was insanely expensive back then. However, the Roman Emperor wasn't the only one that could wear purple, there were Senators and other public officials that could wear it but the Emperor was the only one that could wear an entire purple toga, everyone else just wore white togas with purple trims or sashes or something else trimmed in purple.

Also, yes, I know Cato is… fixated on Katniss, or rather, her body. But he's 16 years old, what do you expect? I'm changing the rating to 'M' because well, it should be obvious that I'm probably going to end up writing smut.

Anyway, excuse this long author's note. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Seriously, it really helps when you have some sort of feedback from readers.