( 10th century — kingdom of norway )

Alix paced back and forth in their home. Her children surrounded her, silent as they watched her. Esther was doing something that she wouldn't tell them, but Alix didn't have the heart to argue with her, not after the sick look on her love's face.

"How are you two feeling?" Alix asked, breaking the silence that had enveloped all of them.

"Like my insides were boiled, turned to mush, and then left to harden," Niklaus said, staring up at the ceiling from where he was lying on the table much to Rebekah's dismay.

Athena side-eyed her brother, "you are so bloody dramatic."

Niklaus picked his head up and glared at her, "sod off, Flames."

Athena rolled her eyes and turned to her mother. "We're fine. Where's mother?" She asked. Alix cocked an eyebrow, watching her for a moment. Athena didn't back down, meeting her mama's stare.

Alix sighed and looked out the window. "She had to run to do something," she said.

Athena huffed a bit and looked away. "I am going to find her. We need to talk about what to do next," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. She moved toward the door but Alix intercepted.

"No," Alix said, gently setting her hand on Athena's chest and pushing her back, "your mother wishes you to be here, so here is where you will stay. She will be back. In the meantime, are you finished with the spell?"

Athena sagged a little and shook her head. "Not yet. Almost. Dahlia's magic is... resistant."

Alix rolled her eyes, "much like the woman herself," she muttered, making most of her children snicker.

"I don't understand why you are so eager to seek Mother out after what she did to you," Kol piped up from his place and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Athena demanded, jaw clenching.

Kol gave his older sister a look, cocking an eyebrow. "Did she or did she not perform the spell that gives you a death date? Or the spell that stole a piece of both of you without any way to get it back?" He spread his hands out, looking around, "we are now all immortal and have to feed off of people's blood to survive from her."

"None of that was her fault," Athena argued before Alix could say anything, "she had no choice—"

"Everybody has a choice, Athena," Kol deadpanned.

"Like the choice Elijah had to be a coward last night instead of helping his siblings?" Athena snarled. The man in question flinched. Alix put an arm out in front of her to keep her from storming over to the two boys. "Helping the family who has always stood by him and protected him?"

"The same could be said for mother!" Kol exclaimed, staring at her incredulously.

When Alix felt Athena's magic thrumming above her skin, she knew it was time to cool every down. "Enough," she said, her tone silencing any retort that was bubbling up Athena's throat. Kol dropped his head a bit, sighing. Rebekah leaned her head against Finn's shoulder, staring at the ground. "Don't you see that's what he wants?" She asked, looking around at each of her children, her gaze lingering on Kol and Athena. "He wishes us to tear each other apart. To make our family crumble and turn against each other."

Niklaus reached out for Athena, tugging her to his side and wrapping an arm around her to help calm her down. He, too, was protective over their mothers, but Athena had always been overprotective about it.

Not that he blamed her.

She had seen so much in her short life that he would probably kill himself if he experienced it.

Athena was stronger than he could ever wish to be.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Athena nudged him, dropping a kiss on his forehead and shaking her head. Niklaus huffed a bit and leaned his head against hers.

"We are a family. We are the Castillos," Alix said, "we make mistakes. We do things that are beyond our control." She sighed and placed her hands on her hips, "but at the end of the day, we love each other. We are family in every way that matters. Your mother did not wish any of this on any one of you, but you are entitled to your own feelings." She nodded to Kol who crossed his arms once more and scowled at the ground. "You are all young and have been forced into too many traumatic things. You have lost siblings... you have lost friends... lovers."

Elijah dropped his head, looking down at his fingers.

"Mikael is our enemy," Alix said, a sneer pulling at her lips, "he is a manipulator, an instigator, an abuser, and an overall terrible person. Not just to the people around him, but to you all as well despite half of you being his biological children. He does not care who he hurts as long as he can make others feel pain. Mikael is our enemy. Not each other. Not me or your mother. Him."

She inhaled sharply, smirking a little. "And I know that at times, your mother and I can be overbearing... protective. That we may do something that not all or none of you at all agree with. Or you just think we're being annoying." Kol snorted as Rebekah smiled in amusement. Finn cocked an eyebrow, a small, amused smirk on his lips. "But, in the end, we are your mothers' and we just want the best for all of you. We love you and care for you... we'll figure this out. We will."

Elijah inhaled deeply and turned toward the twins, meeting their eyes. Well, at least Athena's. Niklaus was staring at the wall, his eyes glazed over.

Alix wonders if he heard a word she said and huffed to herself in amusement.

Athena glanced at her brother and bashed her elbow into his chest. Niklaus wheezed a little, staring at his sister in confusion and pain. "Ouch, sister, what the hell was that for?" He demanded, pouting. Athena just rolled her eyes and looked back at Elijah. Niklaus followed her gaze. "Oh," he muttered, nodding.

"I am... very sorry for what I did last night," Elijah said sincerely, her fingers tight around each other, "I... I did not know what to do. I wasn't in the right state of mind. And Mikael is... well, he's Mikael. We're all a little scared of him even if we wish not to be. And I did not want to make it worse so I did as he told me." He looked down for a moment, tears in his eyes, "I should've helped you both. I could've overpowered him if I had helped Niklaus get out..."

"The past is the past," Athena sighed stepping away from Niklaus and appearing in front of Elijah. She hit his chest much more gently than she had Niklaus'. "I am sorry I used it against you. I was just..."

"Angry," everyone pitched in. Rebekah giggled at Athena's affronted expression.

"I did not need you all to say it," she complained.

Elijah laughed and drew her into a hug. Athena hugged him back, kissing the side of his head. "We're okay?" He asked quietly even though everyone could hear them.

"Always," Athena whispered back.

"Yeah, I guess we're okay too," Niklaus said, waving to his brother.

Elijah scoffed and waved back.

"Great, now that—"

The door burst open, almost hitting Alix if she hadn't jumped out of the way. Esther walked in, tossing a bag onto the table. They all heard things rattle inside. Esther shut the door behind her and turned toward her family.

Her hair was a little bit of a mess, her clothes were dirty, and she had dirt smudges on her cheeks. "What did I miss?" She asked, looking around at her children and lover when all they did was stare back at her.

"Did you go gardening?" Rebekah asked instead of answering, frowning at her mother's dirty trousers and shirt.

Esther frowned back at her, "no," she muttered.

"Did you lose a fight with a bush?" Kol wondered, tilting his head.

"Nikol," Alix admonished, though they could all hear the laugh in her words.

"Ha, ha. You all are so funny," Esther deadpanned. She huffed, "no. I went searching for something."

"And what is that?" Finn asked, walking closer as Esther undid the straps of the bag. Alix slid up to her other side, looking just as curious as the rest of them.

Esther glanced at all of them, before smirking. "The only thing that can kill you." Her eyes met Athena's for a split second before they turned away, looking at Alix. "And we're going to get rid of it."

"You..." Kol gaped as he walked forward and took out a piece of wood. White oak. "No... way."

There was a gleeful look in their mother's eyes as she looked down at the only weapons that could kill her children. "Mikael cut down one of the trees that sprouted after you all were reborn. He created stakes that could kill you. He wasn't as slick as he thought he was in hiding them—I also may or may not have a connection to every tree." She shrugged and plucked the piece of wood from her youngest son's hands, placing it back into the bag gingerly. "I grabbed them... then I burned the rest to the ground."

Rebekah stared at her mother in thinly veiled awe. Sometimes she loved being the daughter of a very powerful witch and was able to retain even an ounce of her magic.

Athena laughed incredulously. "You are insane."

"Very," Esther agreed.

"So, what do we do with the rest?" Elijah wondered as Esther placed it in front of Kol, Rebekah, and Athena.

"For now, I wish for the three of you to cast the spells to keep them safe. If I were to, Mikael would be able to have me counter it. I do not want that. He will not have weapons to kill you," Esther explained as she leaned into Alix's side, linking their fingers together. "Then, after we kill Mikael, you all can decide what you wish to do with them." She smiles at her children, albeit a little sadly.

Finn and Athena share a look.

"Wait, wait," Niklaus said, dropping his hands from where he was looking in the bag, "kill Mikael?" He looks around at his family, "how do we do that? You're still—"

"Under his control, yes," Esther sighed heavily, "but it'll happen. It will. I should've been stronger years ago... but we can't change that..." She grabbed a stake and twirled it between her fingers, "we'll do it. Once and for all. Then we'll all be free."

Alix smiled and pressed a kiss against her temple, "that sounds perfect."

( 𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖔 )

Athena sat beside her mother who was cleaning her clothes in the river. She had cleaned and redressed earlier, and now Alix and the boys were getting dinner ready while Rebekah grabbed the veggies and fruits from the gardens.

"You should be helping your sister," Esther said without glancing up at her daughter. She had memorized each one of her children's footsteps since they were toddlers. She knew.

"What aren't you telling us about the stakes?" Athena asked instead, grabbing her mother's trousers and beginning to wash them as well.

Esther sighed heavily. "I'm glad you caught that," she said, much to Athena's surprise. The witch looked up at her daughter, "you, my child, are different from your siblings."

Athena stared at her, unimpressed. They were all very aware of that.

"The gods helped me create immortality for you all, but they also helped create you." Athena's brows furrowed in confusion. Wasn't that the same thing? "You are the very first of your kind. You are the daughter of the Alpha of the Original Wolf Pack and the daughter of a Hagen witch. Both which have been blessed by the gods. You have been able to retain both your magic and your wolf gene together despite others only being able to retain one."

"Like Nikky, Bex, and..."

"Yes," Esther said, her own smile sad as she remembered her eldest daughter.

"But what does that have to do with the stakes?" Athena asked, her brows furrowed as she settled beside her mother, radiating heat so that her mother wouldn't freeze. She didn't really feel the cold anymore, though it was more pronounced without her wolf. Her mother on the other hand...

Esther took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You are something else entirely. While our whole family is the first of their kind with Rebekah being the first vampire and first Heretic... you are the first to be all three and not..."

Athena cocked an eyebrow, amused. "Implode?"

Esther shot her a look, "that would not have been fun to clean."

"Funny," Athena muttered. Esther smiled and knocked their shoulders together, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Mother, answer the question."

Esther sighed and reached to the side. Athena had noticed her wearing it earlier, not even letting Alix touch it. She grasped it and set it in Athena's lap.

The now Heretic, looked up at her mother in confusion. Esther just gestured for her to open it. Athena inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly before opening it up.

Athena frowned, pulling out a red stake. It was clearly wood, oak from the smell of it. Dark red, like oozing blood with streaks of white. It burned her senses the more she inhaled. Her eyes watered a bit and she blinked rapidly to clear it.

"Mother?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Esther brushed Athena's hair behind her ear. "The tree that came from was just as beautiful as the one that sprouted when your siblings were reborn." Athena looked up at her, breathing quickly. "But just because it's beautiful, does not mean it can not cause destruction. While it's a gorgeous and unique piece... it is the key to your downfall."

"I..." Athena looked down at the piece of wood, "I do not understand..."

Esther gently put the stake away. "White Oak will do nothing to you other than desiccate you. Unlike your siblings, if you were to be stabbed with it... you would live." Athena stared at her in shock. "This tree was called Red Oak."

"Was?" Athena muttered, already knowing what was to come.

"I burned it down."

Athena let out a slight whimper, her grip on the bag tightening.

"I know you never wanted to live forever," Esther murmured, "the gods only know, that living for 20 years is enough with the responsibilities of a Blessed. Especially half gods."

Athena nodded, frowning deeply. "Is it bad to feel so tired at this age? I'm only twenty."

Esther smiled sadly. "It is probably not very good mentally. Though, what would I know? I've felt like this since I was ten and eight." Athena snorted and leaned her head against her mother's chest. Esther brushed her fingers through her red hair, placing a kiss on the back of her head. "After everything is said and done... you will be able to do whatever you wish," Esther said seriously, "you must do what is right for you, as your siblings should do what is right for them. I will search for a cure to your immortality if that is what you wish... or you can use this." She taps the bag with a small shrug. "Whatever you wish."

"Thank you," Athena whispered, her eyes teary.

"You are always welcome, my darling." Esther began braiding her daughter's hair, knowing it helped soothe her.

"I guess what they say about finding out which parent was the problem when you get older is true," Athena said suddenly after minutes of silence.

Esther sighed heavily, an amused smirk pulling at her lips as she fondly rolled her eyes. "As if we hadn't known."

Athena laughed. 

AN: ARE YOU REAAAAADYYYY? the finale coming out on friYAY 

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