family reunion
ATHENA SITS UP WITH A GROAN, HER HAND SHOOTING OUT BLINDLY FOR THE NIGHTSTAND. "Hello? Hello, what's going on?"
"Athena?"
Caroline's shaky, fear-filled voice floods her ears, and every inch of her exhaustion disappears at the sound of it. "Caroline? Caroline, what's wrong?"
"I don't know– I don't," The phone echoes a barely stifled sob, and Athena throws the covers back, already reaching to the floor to grab her pajama pants. "I thought it was Elena, but– but it wasn't, and she– she,"
"What'd she do, Caroline?" Athena holds the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she pulls her pants up over her legs and blindly searches for shoes. "What did Katherine do?"
"I didn't mean to– I didn't wanna hurt her, but she just– it just smelled so good, I didn't want to, Athena, I promise,"
Caroline's cries filter through the phone and Athena curses under her breath as dread passes through her in a wave. Rounding the edge of the bed, Athena shuffles towards Stefan and shakes him, doing her best to soothe Caroline's pleas for help.
"Stefan, wake up," She nudges him again, turning on the lamp on his bedside table. "I have to go to the hospital– I have to,"
Stefan sits up with exhaustion heavy in his gaze. "Athena, what's going on?"
"Caroline, I'm on my way, okay? Just stay where you are, don't move."
"Okay, okay. Please hurry, please,"
"Athena, what's going on?" Stefan stands, grabbing her trembling arms. "What's wrong?"
Athena looks at him with wide eyes, her vision of him blurring. "It's Caroline– Katherine turned her– she turned her,"
Stefan's eyes widen and he curses under his breath, grabbing for his shirt from the end of the bed. "Call Bonnie and tell her what happened, I'm going to start the car,"
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Stefan sighs, pocketing his phone as he steps into the doorway of Caroline's bedroom again. "Damon is taking Alaric and Elena to Duke to see if Isobel knows anything about the Lockwoods. Damon is paranoid about Tyler's Uncle Mason coming out of nowhere,"
Before Athena can respond, a knock sounds on the door and they tense. Stefan tilts his head and lets out a small sigh of relief. "It's just Bonnie,"
Disappearing, he goes to answer the door for the young witch who's holding a lapis lazuli ring and Emily's grimoire as she enters the house.
Athena rests a hand atop Caroline's as the girl shifts uncomfortably, trying to avoid the rays of sunshine that beam through her bedroom.
Bonnie enters before Stefan, sighing sadly as she forces a smile for Caroline's sake. "Here," She hands the ring to Caroline, who examines it with narrowed eyes.
"So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear for the rest of my life?"
Bonnie raises a brow at her, flipping the grimoire open to the page she'd marked for the daylight ring spell. "Hey, if you don't want it,"
"No, no," Stefan waves a hand, giving Caroline a slightly scolding look that she rolls her eyes at. "She wants it."
Shaking her head, Bonnie shrugs off her discomfort at the thought of her best friend being undead for all of eternity. "Put the ring on the bed."
Caroline does as told, giving Athena a wary look that the girl does her best to combat.
Bonnie pulls the curtains open and Caroline winces, pulling her legs to her chest protectively. Her lips barely move as she does the spell, but Athena feels the air shift slightly and almost hears a whisper in her ear as Bonnie speaks. In barely a second, Bonnie opens her eyes again and gives Caroline a look of satisfaction.
"That's it?"
Bonnie nods, picking up the ring to give to Caroline, who takes it hesitantly.
"Have you ever done this before? I mean, what if it didn't work?"
"Caroline,"
"I'm just saying!" Caroline exclaims, looking at Athena desperately.
Bonnie rolls her eyes and walks over to the window, yanking the curtain back abruptly as Caroline instinctively flinches away from the sudden sunlight.
"Bonnie! What if it hadn't worked?!" Caroline's shrill voice echoes through the house and Bonnie shakes her head exasperatedly, giving Stefan a pointed look.
"She's all yours,"
They give the witch a farewell as Caroline warily stands, walking to her window and resting her hand against the glass.
Athena sighs, sharing a look with Stefan as she stands up off of Caroline's bed. "Okay, you two need to go and have your little vampire training escapade in the woods. Go kill Bambi's mom, or whatever it is you do."
Caroline snaps her head around, giving Athena an incredulous look. "What? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go home and take a shower and put on real clothes, and then I'm going to see Josh and figure out why everyone wants to have a family reunion all of a sudden," Athena smiles dryly, her frustration already rising as she leans over and kisses Stefan's cheek. "I love you both, try not to kill each other, okay? Or anybody else!"
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"You know, Damon, I don't know what you want me to do. I sent Stefan and Caroline off into the woods so he could teach her everything there is about being a vampire, and I have to meet Josh," Athena trails off, pulling her phone away from her ear to look at the time. "Ten minutes ago."
"Well, this is useless. My shirt's ruined because that crazy bitch shot me, and Elena's just making snide remarks because I threatened to break Jeremy's neck a time or two. Isobel had nothing useful on Katherine, either."
Athena rolls her eyes, grabbing her car keys off the table by the door. "Why didn't you just kill her?"
"I wanted to, but no one else approved. If you were here, you'd have done it already."
The brunette smirks to herself, her hand wrapping around the doorknob. "Of course I would've, I get the job done. Hey, let me know if you find anything about the Lockwoods, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Talk later."
Athena scoffs as he hangs up the phone, and she swings the front door open. Stepping out of the door, she startles backward when a tall frame blocks her way.
Raking her eyes up the figure, they slowly widen and she meets the dark brown eyes staring down at her inquisitively. Her brown, curly hair is parted on the side of her head, resting over her shoulder, and her ears are adorned in gold earrings that glimmer with the slight tilt of her neck.
She seems to be bathed in gold, small flecks of the sun shining off her skin like hers had taken to doing. She's got a three-piece suit on, the matching pattern almost disorienting if not for the long legs and slim figure that sits in it. She looks regal.
Shaking out of her brief stupor, Athena tucks a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "If Damon has done something to upset you, or perhaps killed someone close to you, I suggest you just get some counseling and move on. He's temperamental these days–"
"You sound like our father,"
Athena stops short, her jaw clamping shut tightly. Gritting her teeth at being caught off guard, she tilts her head back slightly to meet the woman's gaze again. "Artemis, I take it?"
"Athena," The woman grins, revealing slightly crooked teeth. Perhaps the only imperfection about her, and even then it made her radiant. If Athena had ever pictured a goddess, she'd look like this; not like herself. "It's so lovely to finally meet you."
Artemis sidesteps her into the boarding house and Athena looks over her shoulder, glad she hadn't dropped her phone into the abyss of her purse just yet.
"This doesn't feel like one of Dad's houses," Artemis looks around, eyes narrowing at the dated interior of the boarding house.
"It's not," Athena steps towards her, shutting the door behind her again. Her baby blue heels click on the hardwood floors as she sets her things back down, assuming they won't be going anywhere for a long time. "This is my boyfriend's house, he lives here with his brother."
"And you live here, too?"
Stopping short, Athena racks her brain for a complete thought. She hadn't been home to her house in at least two months, at least not to stay there. She'd made short trips to speak to her father or grab more clothes. And since she and Stefan had finally gotten together, those trips dwindled by the day. It only just dawned on her that she'd practically moved in with the Salvatores.
"Sort of," She finally settles on a half-truth, not wanting to dive into that panic-inducing train of thought. "What, uh, what brings you here?"
Artemis slides her hands into the pockets of her patterned pants, still eyeing Athena with that reproachful look that makes her skin crawl. "Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to see my baby sister for the first time in seventeen years? After all, you were all he talked about for so long. I just want to see if you're everything he promised."
Athena narrows her eyes, her defenses rising with her spiteful words. "I'm not. I'm not a god, I'm not a warrior, I'm not the fucking goddess of wisdom or whatever else he promised you all. I'm a seventeen-year-old girl with a vampire for a boyfriend who has a whole past full of vindictive, face-stealing bitches that have it out for me."
She steps towards Artemis, her anger making her miss the satisfaction on the woman's face. Her frustration had finally boiled over, and Artemis seemed the perfect target to let loose on.
"I have powers that make no sense and crippling pressure from my father who expects me to be this perfect goddess, but I can't even sleep for six hours without something going to shit. My boyfriend's ex-girlfriend just turned my ex-girlfriend into a vampire to spite me, because she's a jealous lunatic who just so happens to share a face with the girl that blames me for her parents' death. My only friends are vampires and witches, and now I've got a whole family of gods, and I haven't had five fucking minutes to process what any of it means!"
Her chest heaves with angry breaths, and she feels her face heat with the anger that slowly begins to simmer down. "I am doing my best, but I have a father who's expecting a goddess, I've got a brother who's expecting a warrior, and now I've got you– and I'm probably gonna let you down, too. So I hate to disappoint, Artemis, but if you came here expecting something worthwhile, you are sorely mistaken."
Silence settles between them, power practically humming in the air between the two powerful beings. Artemis sighs heavily, crossing her arms over her chest. "I came here to help you,"
The simple six words shatter Athena's anger into pure shock and confusion, and she stares up at her half-sister, befuddled. "What?"
"I would never set foot in a town like Mystic Falls if it weren't for you. God knows I don't need to talk to Zeus or Hermes. I have enough issues with my brothers, I don't need anymore," Artemis rolls her eyes, pushing her hair off of her face. "Zeus is utterly useless when it comes to teaching or training of the sorts. I happen to have a knack for it. So, I'm here because I know what it's like to feel helpless. I know what it's like to feel like you're drowning and like nothing you're doing is working."
Athena sighs shakily, sudden exhaustion creeping into her bones as her shoulders slump with defeat. "I– I'm happy you're here to help, but I don't even know where to begin. My powers hurt me, and I don't even know what I'm capable of, let alone capable of controlling."
Artemis sighs. "It's not about controlling your powers, it's about befriending them."
"Befriending them?"
The goddess nods, confirming her choice of words. "The things that you and I are capable of aren't controllable, in any logical situation. In controlling them, we would be stifling them and that could lead to accidental leaks."
"Leaks?"
The woman stops short, her eyes flickering with brief irritation. "Wow, he didn't tell you anything, did he?"
Athena shakes her head, assuming she's talking about their father.
"How much time do you have to spare?"
"Uh," She thinks of the meal she was supposed to meet Josh for, and of Caroline and Stefan out doing whatever it is newborn vampires do while Damon, Alaric, and Elena search for answers about Katherine, or the Lockwoods.
She meets her sister's open gaze, seeing the honesty in it and the warmth behind her chocolate eyes that lulls Athena into a sense of familiarity she found unexpected with the virtual stranger.
The thought of not dealing with it for a few, conscious hours fills her with relief she hadn't felt in nearly six months.
Athena clutches the phone she'd been holding in her hand all this time and shuts it off with a short sigh. "My schedule is free,"
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"Where have you been?" Stefan rushes towards Athena, concern clear in his eyes as he cups her face and kisses her, making the last of the tension bleed from her shoulders as she melts into his touch.
She hums, peeling her eyes back open as the morning sun peers through the windows. She had barely realized she'd spent almost twenty-four hours with Artemis. "With my sister,"
Stefan pulls away, looking at her in shock. "Sister, as in,"
"Yeah. Artemis," She nods, smiling tiredly. "She's, uh, she's gonna help me. With my stuff, you know?
Stefan wipes away his brief shock and smiles down at his girlfriend. "That's great, Athena. That's gonna be great."
Athena shrugs slightly, stepping away so she can slide her shoes off and peel her day-old clothes off.
She couldn't help but think of the fact that she'd wasted a whole day with Artemis, but for once she felt like she wasn't completely drowning under the pressure of her sudden transformation.
But on the other hand, in her absence, Katherine tried to weasel her way back into Stefan's life and the thought enraged her even if she was secure in their relationship. And not only that, but she'd gotten into Caroline's head and made threats so that that blonde couldn't help but comply.
Clearing her throat, she looks at Stefan. "What happened with Katherine?"
Stefan rolls his eyes. "The usual. She tried to convince me that she came back to Mystic Falls because of me, but I don't believe her."
Athena hums, unbuttoning her blue sweater and untucking it from her skirt. "What do you think she's really here for?"
Stefan glances down at her, his eyes roaming over her as her fingers deftly undo the buttons that kept the sweater over her beige skin. "I, uh," He clears his throat as Athena shrugs the sweater off her shoulders, peeling his eyes off of the pale blue lace that resides beneath it. "I think it has something to do with the Lockwoods, or, uh,"
His eyes widen as she drapes the sweater over the end of the bed and props a foot up on the ottoman as she unrolls her tights from around her hips.
He meets her gaze again, seeing the sudden deviousness in the chocolate pools that sucks him in and completely derails his train of thought regarding Katherine.
Clearing her throat pointedly, Athena smirks as she sets her tights down and faces him in her bra and skirt. "Stefan? The Lockwoods and who?"
She doesn't wait for an answer as she unzips the small zipper on her skirt and shimmies it down her hips, finally letting it fall to the floor in a pool around her feet. "Stefan,"
The vampire inhales sharply, dragging his gaze painfully slowly back up to her knowing eyes. "Athena, we," He wipes a hand over his mouth, seemingly pained at the thought of turning her proposition down. "We really don't have time for this– the– the picnic is in an hour,"
She shrugs, stepping towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "It sounds like we have an hour, then,"
Stefan leans down and kisses her, his eyes falling shut when runs her hands through the hair at the nape of his neck. "You are a bad influence,"
She smiles in a way that makes his heart race dauntingly, a way that excites him like nothing else could. "You love it,"
He nods in agreement, tucking her pin-straight brown hair behind her ears. "Yeah, I do,"
Catching her by surprise, Stefan lifts her, making her yelp but instinctively wraps her legs around his waist as his hands grip the backs of her bare thighs.
Athena laughs, looking into his green eyes darkened with desire. "I thought we didn't have time for this,"
Stefan narrows his eyes at her obvious taunting, tightening his grip on her thighs warningly. "We have an hour. That's plenty of time."
"You promise?"
"I can do a lot more than a promise, sweetheart,"
She hums, kissing him gently in a way that only has him wanting more. "Prove it,"
Stefan grins at the challenge.
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author's note; uhhh I cut this chapter short but basically Artemis is here and she's helping and Athena gets to have a nice little moment to herself instead of saving everybody's lives for once. but we will be back to the regularly scheduled chaos soon, I promise.
originally published; 12.16.20.
edited: 11.30.23.
- liz