As Michael stepped into Athena's mansion and closed the front door behind him, he called out her name to grab her attention. "Athena! Are you here? I noticed your car parked outside," he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the spacious foyer.
Athena appeared from around the corner, a bright smile on her face as she walked towards him. Wrapping her arms around his torso, she greeted him with genuine warmth. "Hey there," she said, her voice filled with affection. "How are you?" Athena asked, genuinely interested in his well-being.
Feeling her embrace, Michael returned her affectionate gesture and beamed down at her. "I'm doing great," he replied, a hint of excitement in his voice. "How about you?" he asked, genuinely curious about her state of mind.
Athena let go, mindful not to overwhelm him, and replied earnestly, "I'm doing well, thank you." She paused for a moment, her curiosity piqued. "But why are you here?" she asked, a mild sense of confusion in her voice. "Not that I mind having you here, but there must be a reason, right?"
Michael's eyes sparkled as he revealed the purpose of his visit. "I came here to ask if you would accompany me to Hayvenhurst," he explained. "It's the family house where my parents reside. Though technically, it belongs to my parents, some of my siblings still call it home. I left in 1988 after purchasing Neverland," he shared, a touch of nostalgia in his voice.
Athena's eyebrows raised in genuine surprise as she absorbed the information. "You want me to meet your parents?" she asked, a mix of anticipation and apprehension evident in her tone. "And your siblings? While I had the pleasure of meeting your brothers, who are amazing, I can't help but wonder if your sisters will see me in the same light."
Michael countered her worries with confidence, his voice brimming with reassurance. "Janet and Rebbie would never harbor any negativity," he said, his voice filled with utmost belief in his siblings. "And even though LaToya doesn't come around often due to her marriage to a man named Jack Gordon, she's certainly not capable of harboring any ill feelings."
Athena's eyes widened at the mention of Jack Gordon's name. Immediately, she tried to conceal her suspicion, shaking her head dismissively. "Oh, I've heard of him," she blurted out unintentionally. "They say he's quite a nasty character, but perhaps it's just rumors," she added quickly, hoping not to alienate Michael with her doubts.
Intrigued by Athena's reaction, Michael took a seat on the plush couch and gestured for her to join him. "What do you mean by 'nasty'?" he inquired, a twinge of concern coloring his voice. "He's been keeping LaToya away from us, from the family," he explained, his voice tinged with frustration. "He's convinced her that we kidnapped her, and he's doing it all in the name of her protection. It's hard for me to understand. We used to be so close, but ever since he came into her life..." Michael trailed off, his voice heavy with a mixture of longing and disappointment.
"She changed?" Athena empathized with Michael's predicament and nodded sympathetically. "People can change when they're in a relationship," she remarked, her voice tinged with understanding. "It's natural for you to want your sister back. And it's the same for your parents; they simply want their daughter to return home."
Michael offered her a grateful smile, appreciating her understanding. "That's exactly it," he sighed, his voice laced with a mix of sadness and hope. "But I truly believe that meeting you would bring joy to everyone's day," he emphasized earnestly. "My mom and Janet have been pleading with me for months, begging to meet you."
Athena's modesty shone through as she responded with a soft smile. "I may not be all that exciting, but if it would make them happy, I'm more than willing to meet them," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "Just let me grab some flowers or something. Does your mom have a favorite?"
Michael's eyes lit up with a touch of delight. "She adores roses," he shared, his voice tinged with affection that something as little as his mother's favorite flowers was something Athena actually cared about. "The smell of a freshly bloomed rose can brighten her day instantly."
Grateful for the guidance, Athena nodded, her mind already forming a plan. "Okay, roses," she smiled brightly, "Those are my favorite too."
~
The Jackson Family Home, HAYVENHURST—4:30PM
The front door of the big family house opened and Katherine Jackson stood there, grinning happily when she saw who was on her porch.
"Athena Tyler!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, bringing the girl into a warm hug, "I've been waiting to meet you for months!"
"Of course, I'm sorry," Athena smiled at her as she was released, handing her the flowers she had brought, "I was on tour with my sisters. I'm sure you know how that is."
"Thank you. Of course. My sons. Now let me get a good look at you," Katherine nodded, as she took the flowers and handed them off to her son, suddenly grabbing Athena by the shoulders and playing around with her face and hair, "Oh, clear complexion, high cheekbones, strong and pretty hair, beautiful eyes, perfect eyebrows—Michael, my son, she's a keeper!" she calls over to him after he had put the flowers away in a vase.
"Mother!" Michael says with an embarrassed smile, pulling Athena towards him, "Stop that."
"Apologies, dear Athena," Katherine smiled, "I've always wanted to meet you. And now that you're with my son....I got a little excited."
Athena waves it off with a gentle smile, "No problem at all, Mrs. Jackson."
"Oh! You have to meet my daughters!" Katherine laughed and then called up the staircase, "Rebbie! Janet! Latoya!"
"Latoya is here, mother?" Michael asks in surprise.
"Yeah," Katherine nodded, "Jack is away on a business trip so she came over."
Michael and Athena looked at each other and she smiled at him, settling his nerves a little bit. The three girls came running down the stairs, grinning in delight when they saw who was in the house.
"Is this her, Mike?" Janet asked excitedly.
"Yeah, this is—"
"Hi, Athena! I'm Janet."
"I'm Rebbie!"
"I'm LaToya!"
"I'm Michael!" Michael says before everyone looked at him, "What? I wanted in on it too!"
"Hi, Janet, Rebbie, and LaToya," Athena smiles before introducing herself to the girls, "Athena Tallerico."
"I thought it was Tyler?" Rebbie asked thoughtfully.
"It is, technically. That's my stage name." Athena smiled, then laughed, "I still accidentally sign Tyler for legal documents though...." she trailed off thoughtfully.
"I would totally do that!" Latoya giggled as the front door opened again.
"Athena! It's so good to see you again!" Marlon smiled as he brought her into a hug, "We didn't expect you tonight. How are you?" he asked as the rest of the Jackson brothers walked into the house.
"I'm good. You guys look great." Athena said, bringing his hand up and gently kissing it, doing the same for the other brothers after she had hugged them.
"Oh, hello," Joe Jackson said as he walked in after his sons, "You must be Michael's girl. Athena, right?"
"Mr. Jackson," Athena smiled before also kissing his hand, "It's lovely to meet you."
"Time for dinner!" Katherine smiled at the interaction of the raven haired woman and her sons and husband, already knowing Athena must've been raised right from just watching her behavior.
As the night progressed, the Jackson brothers were engrossed in catching up with Athena, recounting their latest adventures, and engaging in playful banter. Marlon, ever the entertainer, cracked jokes that had Athena laughing uncontrollably, while Jermaine shared stories of his recent music projects. Tito, the ever-calm and collected one, engaged Athena in a deep conversation about art and creativity. Jackie spoke to her about music and life.
It was during these moment that Athena truly felt like she belonged with this family. The warmth and acceptance she received from the Jacksons made her feel cherished and loved. In return, she showered each brother with affection and attention, making them feel special in her presence.
As the dinner was served, Katherine, the matriarch of the family, watched with pride in her eyes. She had seen the way Athena effortlessly blended into the family dynamic, embodying the values and principles that she held dear. The way Athena interacted with each brother, sharing kind words and expressing genuine interest, was a testament to her upbringing.
And she was correct in assuming so; as Athena grew up in a very classy family. Well...half of her family was classy anyway. She and Kayden were taught:
1) Dress to Impress.
2) Respect Your Man, as He Should Respect You.
Which was taught to Athena, meanwhile her brother was taught Respect Your Woman, As You Would Your Mother.
The only exemptions to this rule were if the man or woman was just completely and utterly intolerable. In which case, just say nothing and walk away. Don't engage in petty arguments—therefore, sending a message that there is now a boundary between you and that person.
3) How to Treat a Man & How She Should Be Treated By One.
Again, this was taught to Athena, while Kayden was taught this lesson the other way: How to Treat a Woman & How He Should Be Treated By One.
Athena learned this lesson very easily, her brother and father being the people she practiced it on. She took care of them when they were sick, and gave hugs and cuddles. And just as she did with the Jackson family, she also did hand kisses. While Kayden learned this lesson practicing on Athena, his only sister. Basically doing all of the things Athena did, and then some.
4) Love Unconditionally.
Pretty self-explanatory. They were taught to see someone's heart instead of the color of their skin. Because in the end, skin color doesn't matter. We all bleed the same color, we all breathe, we all feel—why intentionally make it your mission to hurt people because society tells you that's what's right?
5) If A Man Wants Your Hand in Marriage, They Need to Ask Daddy's Permission First.
This one was taught specifically to Athena. Though their father has said that he would at least like to meet the person Kayden chooses to marry before it officially happens. Kayden kind of just does his own thing. Meanwhile, Athena actually takes her father's opinion into consideration. So she can respect that her father would want to approve of the person she chooses to marry. After all, she is his only daughter.
"That was great, Mrs. Jackson," Athena says kindly as she gets up from the chair.
"Thank you, Athena." Katherine smiled at her as she and everyone else got up, "After dinner, what we normally do is, the boys usually retreat upstairs and the women get together in the living room."
"Oh, that sounds nice," Athena nodded, "Lead the way."
Latoya, Janet and Rebbie giggled and caught up with Katherine and Athena—giggling because they were so excited that Athena was in their house. They were fans of Sorelle before, which of course, is where they knew her from. And they were also so giggly because they were ecstatic that Michael finally met someone. And hopeful that that someone would soon be a Jackson.
"Thank you for having me in your family home. It's beautiful, by the way. It slipped my mind to say that at the door." Athena says as all the girls sit on the couches.
"So, Athena, how is it dating my brother?" Rebbie asked.
"It's good." Athena said, somehow being successful in not blushing, "He's a gentleman."
"That's my son," Katherine gushed, "I always raised him to be a good man. Joe was too focused on their careers to do any of the teaching or nurturing."
"My mother was the same way," Athena says, "But my father was great. He didn't push for anything, he didn't make us do things we weren't comfortable with. He just let us be....us." she added, "Then again, my parents never married each other so obviously we got different treatment than my mother's other kids."
"So how many siblings do you have?" Janet asked, "I know you have a brother, right?"
"Kayden is my full brother and my sisters are my half sisters." Athena explained, "We all have the same mother, but the other girls have a different father. And my one sister, Reggie, she has a different father than they do."
"So your mother had children with three different men?" Latoya asked, "That's a lot of kids."
"Not much more than what your mom had," Athena smiled, "There's nine here, right?"
"Let's see...." Katherine said, starting to count of her fingers, "Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Brandon, Michael, Randy, and Janet—yeah, nine. Well, there would be ten if my son Brandon were here."
Athena frowned, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?"
"He passed away a day after his and Marlon's birth," Rebbie answered, "They were twins."
"Oh my gosh," Athena shook her head, "I'm so sorry. Nobody deserves that."
"Athena, list off your siblings!" Janet grinned excitedly.
"In order?" Athena questioned then got deep into thought about who was born and when before answering the question, "Riley, Reagan, Renae, Reggie, Kayden, Rachel, and then me. I'm the youngest." she shrugged, "Nicole clearly had a thing for 'R' names."
"Nicole?"
"Oh, right. We were told to call her Nicole." Athena looked over at Katherine to explain the situation, "She wasn't mom or mommy or mama. She was just Nicole to us."
"My sons never were allowed to call my husband dad either. They had to call him Joe. I personally never agreed with that, but I just let it be because Joe is stubborn. There's no changing his mind once it's made up." Katherine says quietly so nobody upstairs would hear, "You and Michael are so similar."
Athena slightly smiles at that, "Your son is a gentleman. Even after all that he, or...you all went through."
"He's a fighter. He's got rhino skin, is that what he says?" Katherine questions with a small laugh, "It sounds funny but it's true."
"Rhinoceros!" Latoya laughed.
"I'm glad he has you. And I'm glad you have him," Katherine smiled at Athena, taking hold of the girl's hand, "Take care of my son."
"Of course, Mrs. Jackson." Athena smiled at her, slightly squeezing her hand, "I will cherish him forever."