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BLOOD RUNS THICKER THAN WATER.

THE WATER IS FINE 𖤓 Finnick Odair

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.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"His eyes were the sea.
This is how people drown,
she thought.

— Jodi Picoult

✭・.・✫ ・.・✭

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✭・.・✫ ・.・✭

          The heart remembers what survival tries to forget.

         Carminia Wythe knows that all too well. As the winner of the 69th Hunger Games—a game she entered by her own accord—she survives. However, she discovers that despite living, a piece of her never fully escapes the arena. The Capitol remembers her as the girl who survived a battlefield of shadows—half-blind, her once beautiful face scarred, and her silence mistaken for strength. She spends years serving as a symbol of District 2's power and their loyalty to the Capitol, but when Carminia looks in the mirror, she doesn't see herself or a Victor: she sees a monster. A monster of the Capitol's making. A casualty.

That version of herself taunts her from every reflective surface and the darkest corners of the room.

I remember. Do you?

It's hell, trying to escape something that defines you. Even when you're free, you're still a prisoner. Carminia is a prisoner of her own mind. Winning the games doesn't bring her honor like she thought it would; instead, it haunts her, like the ghosts of every slain tribute standing out of her peripheral, whispering:

We remember. Do you?

She can never unsee their faces. She lives with the reminder—her scars, her nightmares, and her permanent position as a mentor of District 2 tributes. Mentoring only deepens the wounds. The Capitol may celebrate her survival, but for Carminia, each new crop of tributes is just another reminder that living has ceased to be the prize—it's the punishment.

They can never forget, so why should you get to?

Some days, she wonders if she would have been better off dead alongside them. On others, she's not sure if the version of her that won, really did die in that arena after all. But at least she gets to go back home. That is, until the 75th Hunger Games arrives. The Quarter Quell. A cruel twist of fate that drags her back into the blood-soaked arena—this time not as a mentor, but as a tribute once again.

She expects betrayal. She expects pain. What she doesn't expect is Finnick Odair.

The Capitol's golden boy. A man too pretty to be real, too charming to be trusted. And yet—against all odds, and everything she's ever believed about the other districts—she trusts him. Not because she wants to. But because something in his broken smile looks too much like hers. Because for the first time in years, someone sees her scars and doesn't flinch.

Inside the 75th arena, survival stops being simple. Every alliance, every decision, carries weight she didn't expect. For the first time, Carminia's loyalty to District 2—her loyalty to the Capitol—is no longer certain. Whispers of rebellion begin to stir in the shadows, and with every passing moment, it becomes harder to tell who the real enemy is. The Games are no longer just about survival—they're about choosing a side.

Carminia's heart remembers what survival tries to forget—but sometimes, survival means choosing a new heart to follow.

You'll remember now. Won't you?

Hera Hilmar      🗡️       CARMINIA WYTHE
THE CAPITOL'S CASUALTY — DISTRICT 2

&&

Sam Claflin        🌊        FINNICK ODAIR
THE GOLDEN BOY    —   DISTRICT 4

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

FEATURING

Amber Midthunder as... KATNISS EVERDEEN
Josh Hutcherson as... PEETA MELLARK
Andreas Pietschamann as... PRAETOR WYTHE
Mason Thames as... PAX THALOR
Thomas Doherty as... SILVANUS DARLING
Noomi Rapace as... ANATOLIA SHALLOW
Meta Golding as... ENOBARIA
Bruno Gunn as... BRUTUS

— the rest of the the hunger games cast as themselves! —

DISCLAIMER,

i do not own the hunger games series! while carminia, the plot/events of this story, and a couple other details belong to me, all canon info and characters belong to the queen herself, suzanne collins!
that being said, please do not copy any of my work! i spent a lot of time and energy creating this book and it's unfair to me if you steal it. so please be respectful and don't plagiarize!

WARNING,

this book will contain mature themes such as death, violence, blood/gore, strong language, and possibly sexual references/innuendos. please read at your own discretion. thank you!

DEDICATIONS,

heyqueens- hazzawckd -swrites fireandbloods amxliewrites mydearladydisdain16 cupidbxws Karavelina SaraSosa7 swiftieadriana harringtonssss fireestar runlikeh3ll nina_crux Nyra_writesxr -rosepetal
a few people who i adore with my whole heart and believe deserve a dedication due to their support, inspiration, and love of all things hunger games. thank you, i love you guys! ♡

a very special thank you to heyqueens- and hazzawckd for fueling my obsession and giving me someone to talk to about this fic 💕

AUTHOR'S NOTE,

hopping on the hunger games bandwagon now that sunrise on the reaping is out. finnick is my man, so i just had to ❤️‍🔥

before y'all come for me about carminia's name (i know it's similar to clerk carmine from bosas and sotr) here is an explanation. I have had this character FOREVER (a year lol) and she was originally named carmine, after the color that comes from the crushed beetles, since carminia has red hair. however, i haven't read the origin series in a while and made her BEFORE i read ballad of songbirds and snakes and remembered there was a character with the same name. i tried to find a new name, couldn't find anything i liked, and just changed the name to carminia to keep the root, but make it look different. so i am not trying to copy, i am just late to the party

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✭・.・✫ ・.・✭

THE WATER IS FINE, a finnick odair fic
started: april 26th, 2025
status: slow updates