sorry for the late update guys, i've just been going through a hard time with my mental health and have been feeling lonely 😭 ill be okay soon!!
ATHENA RUSSO:
The sound of my foot tapping impatiently on the hard floor echoes through the room as I struggle to contain my frustration. Quietly, under my breath, I curse my brothers for their tardiness, feeling the irritation and impatience building inside me with each passing moment.
"You know Hades, one thing about you is that you notice things straight away," I suddenly say to him, crossing my arms.
He shrugs, peeling an orange as he stands beside me. "It's not hard to look around your surroundings. By the way, you want me to get you a chair while you wait?"
I shake my head, my eyes fixed on the window, as I wait impatiently for my brothers to arrive.
He hands me the unpeeled orange, and I glance at him with a hint of confusion before deciding to dismiss it and proceed to eat the orange while I wait.
A few minutes later I saw a car park in front of the manor. I crack my knuckles as I walk towards the front door with Hades following behind me.
"Wait."
I halt and turn around, confused, "What?"
Hades gently clasps my hands and says, "You really shouldn't punch them. You might end up hurting yourself."
"But Lorenzo deserves it—" I take a deep breath and nod, "Okay. Yeah, you're right."
As Hades flashes a reassuring smile, he graciously opens the door for me. Stepping outside, I observe my brothers emerging from their car, their expressions betraying a hint of nervousness.
As I stand still, I suddenly feel a presence beside me. I turn my head and see Hades standing right next to me. He gently places his hand on my shoulder, and I can feel his cool touch through my clothes. I can't help but wonder what his intentions are, as his expression is unreadable.
My brothers make their way toward us. Lorenzo and Dante glares at Hades while The rest of them look guilty.
"Hey Athena," Dante mumbles, walking up to me. I step forward to hug him but Hades holds me back. My eyebrows furrow as he lets go of me and steps toward Lorenzo.
Next thing I know Lorenzo is on the floor and my brothers are pointing their guns at Hades.
I blink, processing the fact Hades just punched Lorenzo. I slowly face Hades, speechless. Did he just punch Lorenzo for me? Does he want to die?
Hades grins at me, proud of himself while I take a deep breath.
"Don't point your guns at my husband," I sigh, not having the energy to raise my voice.
Ares looks at me in disbelief, "But Athena!"
"He punched him for me," I mutter, leading Dante inside. I guide him to the living room. I stop and look over my shoulder, "Hades, don't let them come in. Let them stand out there for an hour." He nods and shuts the door so they can't come in.
I help Dante sit down and he looks at me, worried. "But Athena they already apologized," he tells me.
"I don't care," I grumble, "I have no energy left because of those idiots now." I flop down on the couch, exhausted.
As soon as Hades enters the room, he fixes his eyes on Dante. After a brief moment of silence, he breaks it with an unexpected question, "Would you like some tea?"
I suddenly sit up straight with a sense of urgency in my voice, as I exclaim, "He's perfectly fine, thank you."
"It's not like tea will do anything to him. Right?" Hades asks, confused.
Your tea will.
"Just go keep an eye on my brothers," I sigh.
He shrugs and walks away.
Dante leans closer to me. "Why can't I have tea?" He whispers.
"His tea is disgusting," I whisper under my breath, careful not to let Hades overhear. "But I don't have the heart to tell him."
"Is it really that bad?" Dante whispers back.
I nod, serious. "The worst thing I've ever tasted."
He grimaces.
"Anyways, tell me why on earth you're not getting any treatment and just staying at home," I ask, my tone serious.
He pauses. "I don't want to go bald," he nervously chuckles, faking a smile and then facing away from me.
I let out a deep sigh, "Dante," hoping he would face me. "Can you please be honest with me?"
"I don't want to say it out loud," he mumbles, closing his eyes.
My heart aches. I slowly wrap my arms around him. "Nothing would be the same without you," I whisper, running my hands through his hair. "And hair is just hair, it will grow back."
"Would you shave your head with me?" He asks.
My mouth opens and closes trying to think of how to respond to that. I stay quiet for a moment, gathering my thoughts before finally speaking up. "I'm sorry, but my answer is no," I hesitantly say. "I love you but I would never go bald for anyone."
He sighs, "I understand. Do you want to help me shave one of our brother's hair one day?"
"Let's shave all their hair off when they're sleeping. They deserve it anyway," I firmly say.
I'll have them all sleep one day and do it myself, Dante may have used to be the prankster when we were younger but he will probably wake them up.
He grins and nods, "Alright then, I'll get the treatment but just for you."
I poke his cheek. "Do it for you, not me," I mumble, playing with his hair.
He may be older than me but he still has a lot to do in life. We have all gone through a lot of shit lately that we haven't healed from yet but when this all passes, I can imagine us all together chatting and messing around like we used to.
Dante rests his head on my shoulder, "Fine. I'll do it for me. I'll book an appointment tomorrow and accept the treatment."
"This is literally life or death. You can't treat this like it's nothing," I mumble. "I'm getting worried by the way you're not really taking this seriously."
He nods, "I know. I'll take it seriously from now on."
I gently tilt my head and softly run my fingers through his hair, feeling the silky strands glide between my fingertips. He leans into my touch, closing his eyes as a faint smile plays on his lips.
✮ ✮ ✮
I squint my eyes, observing them closely as they stand before me with guilty expressions on their faces, resembling children who have been caught red-handed while stealing their favourite candies.
Ares steps forward, "Athena—"
I hold my hand up, cutting him off. "Dante will be living here with me from now on."
Domenico looks at Lorenzo, shocked. "Can she really do that?"
"The only permission I need is Dante's which I already have," I interrupt.
Lorenzo crosses his arms, "I want to hear it from him." His eyes land on Dante, expectantly.
Dante looks up from the ground, nervous. "I want to stay with Athena," he quietly says.
"Say it like mean it," Dom interrupts brusquely, his irritation evident in his tone.
As I feel the tension building up inside me, I find myself clenching my fists tightly. It's frustrating to witness the situation at hand and wonder if anyone else is truly taking it seriously.
As Dante glares at Dom, he can't help but roll his eyes. "Come on, man. Don't be ridiculous. Who wouldn't want to live with Athena?" he says, his voice laced with annoyance.
I watch them all, they can feel guilty as much as they want but it won't make Dante's health get better. They wasted too much time not caring about Dante and now he's getting worse.
As I slowly rise to my feet, I can't help but feel a sense of disappointment wash over me. My eyes meet theirs, and with a heavy sigh, I can't help but express my disappointment in them. "You know, I expected better from you guys," I say, my voice laced with a hint of sadness.
The room falls into a sudden hush as every person in the gathering turns their gaze towards me. Not a single word is uttered, only a deafening silence prevails.
I let out a deep sigh, feeling exhausted and defeated. "All of you, just go home," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. I moved towards Dante, who was struggling to stand up, and offered him my hand for support, gently guiding him towards his new room.