Prologue, Part One.

Dominika Gardell, 38, President of Panem

"I don't know why you had to bring him."

"I need a sidekick wherever I go. Cambria's not home."

"She'd take offense to you calling her a sidekick."

"Precisely why she's not here."

Dominika let out a breath, attempting to keep one eye on Ferrox and the other on Vesper, who was currently making slow, random circles around the room. It was eerie, how much they still looked alike, although she supposed it was the eyes. The hair might not be the same but the fact that they were twins did the job good enough.

She could barely deal with Ferrox, and now the Gods were testing her patience with another one.

A small clink caught her attention, and she turned just in time just to see some trinket or other roll off a desk on the far side of the room. Vesper cast a guilty, sly look over his shoulder at the pair of them, and not-so subtlety kicked the bauble under the desk.

Dominika sighed.

"Please tell me the arena's done."

"It's not," Vesper chimed in, looking quite pleased with himself. Ferrox leaned back to a dangerously horizontal position in the chair.

"It is."

"No, it's not."

"Remind me why I brought you here again?"

"Because I'm your brother, and your apparent sidekick, even though I'm older—"

"I still think Mom was wrong on that front, you know."

"So that means she confused us and I'm actually you? Great. Now I have to be straight," Vesper complained. She fixed her gaze on a blank point between the two of them, staring out of the window on the other side of the room. She wasn't built to have this level of patience. Then again, there wasn't a soul in the world who deserved putting up with one Mervaine, let alone two. Her chosen method of torture would be locking someone in a room with Ferrox to see how quickly they'd give up. She'd have to add Vesper too, at the rate they were going.

"It's not done," Ferrox tells her. "Almost, though. Just a few more last minute touches on the interior, and—"

"This portrait is hideous," Vesper interrupted, casting one dramatic finger towards the framed image hanging by the window. Dominika sighed. Again.

"That's my grandmother, and she was a beautiful woman."

"I'm gay."

"That's not my grandmother's fault."

Ferrox choked, a few droplets of whatever alcohol he had cooked up dribbling down his chin. He glared at the two of them, ripping a napkin off the table to wipe at his face. It's that look, of all of them, that makes her feel an ounce of fondness. All the times she's spared him, felt some ounce of genuine care, they're valid. At least she thinks so.

Vesper swept around, and she watched in slow motion as the tail end of his coat caught against a glass bowl on the table. One second it was sitting perfectly on the table and the next it crashed to the floor, glass shards scattering themselves around his feet. He stood perfectly still, staring down at the ground.

"My bad," he managed. Ferrox started laughing, bending his head down until it rested on the table. She stood up, stomped over to Vesper and grabbed him with one hand, dragging him out of the mess on the floor. He started laughing too, shoulders shaking lightly, as she dragged Ferrox out of his chair with her other hand, pulling them both towards the door. One of the guards stationed by it yanked it open, looking no short of amused, watching as she all but hurled the pair of them into the hallway.

"Finish the damn arena, Mervaine!"

"Which one?" Vesper chortled, clutching at his stomach. Ferrox all but shrieked in laughter, stumbling a few feet away from the door, no doubt in an attempt to calm himself. His laughter only increased when Vesper tore after him, wheezing and nearly tripping over his own two feet.

"Grown ass men in their thirties," she muttered under her breath. "Fucking idiots."

"Hey, I heard that!" Ferrox yelled, his voice echoing down the hallway. Vesper stumbled again. He might be crying at this point. Dominika turned back to the guard.

"Did he—?"

"Have alcohol on him not provided by you? Absolutely."

"It's ten in the morning."

The guard paused, obviously at a loss for what to say. Eventually he shrugged.

"Ferrox said you wouldn't mind," he said simply.

"Ferrox is also a piece of shit."

"Dom!" Ferrox complained, his voice verging on a whine.

"You're a terrible influence! Do you act like this around Atlas?" She questioned, stepping out further into the hallway. Vesper ducked out of sight behind Ferrox's shoulders, peeking around them like he was scared to look at her. Ferrox straightened up, squaring his shoulders. He pointed an accusing finger at her, stumbling when Vesper latched onto his coat from behind.

"My son is going to be exactly like me, and watch, you'll be grateful!"

She's not going to be grateful.

There is never going to be a single moment, a single second, where she'd be grateful for a third annoying Mervaine man in the world. In her life especially.

Dominika Gardell signed up for a lot of things.

This wasn't one of them.

[Guess who's back, back again.]

I meant Dom and Fer, but you know, me too. Also meet Vesper. He's a charmer.

Anyway, welcome to Mayday, welcome to 23 new kids that I get to kill (once I get the list) and welcome back to my drunk, annoying main cast. I thought adding to it would only make it more fun to write and boy, I wasn't wrong. If you're new to this, Mayday is my second story, but you don't need to read Fields of Battle to understand it! All of the victors from last time will carry over, as well as the victor of FoB because Kiero's a babe, and of course these amazing guys, but that's really it. So strap yourselves in. If you're not new to my writing, well. You should already be strapped in.

Looking forward to the submissions.

Until next time.