A t h e n a | "you weren't the only one who changed after the war, Thomas."
-in which Athena Falcone returns from the war as someone the Shelby's hardly recognized.
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i n t r o d u c t i o n
"She did what?!" Arthur Shelby yelled at Richard Falcone in the middle of Polly's living room. Richard had come over not two minutes ago to see the Shelby family and relay news that he knew would start an unwanted argument. An argument that, although was unwanted, was also unavoidable. The mood in Small Heath, Birmingham was already low considering the news that they received last night.
There would be a war and all men eighteen years and older were being drafted.
"Has she lost her mind?" Polly questioned the younger boy.
"She must have if she was stupid enough to volunteer herself to this ridiculous war!" Ada Shelby exclaimed, wrapping her arms around herself.
"She signed the papers before she told me. There's nothing I can do about it now," Richard relayed solemnly. "She thinks she has to since dad and I are being drafted."
"Is she fucking crazy, she'll die out there," John said, a frown pulling at his lips.
At that moment, the person nobody wanted to be around once he heard the news walked into the house, but paused once he noticed his family all standing together in a sulky silence. His eyes even caught sight of his younger brother, Finn, holding back tears.
"What's happened?" Thomas Shelby asked, mentally preparing himself for the worst.
All of the Shelby's, including Richard, narrowly avoided his piercing eyes. They knew he wouldn't react well to this news.
"It's Athena, Tommy," Polly said, softening her voice to something akin to pity.
Thomas paused, his mind racking through all the possible things that could've happened, none of which offered a reaction other than pain. It was a commonly known fact that Thomas Shelby and Athena Falcone were somewhat of an iconic duo. Their two families have been working together for as long as anyone could remember, running the Peaky Blinders. It was only natural that the two of them formed some sort of connection considering they saw each other on a regular basis. Over the years, their friendship has only strengthened to the point where Athena somehow ended up becoming closer to him then she was with her own twin brother, Richard.
They were best friends and the Shelby's were apprehensive to see how Thomas would react to hearing that Athena volunteered herself to fight in the war. The girl had always been known for her impulsive and adventurous decisions, but this was on an entirely different level.
"What is it? Is she alright?" Thomas immediately asked, quickly scanning over the room in case he somehow missed her presence.
