NOT ALLOWED

CHAPTER ONE: THE ORIGIN OF ATHENA

ATHENA, like most children, had parents. And for a while, they'd both been around, and then one hadn't.

Her mother had died on the evening prior to her ninth birthday. A big reason as to why her and her family hardly ever celebrated it, instead, they sat in somber silence before Athena's friends dragged her out of the house to try and cheer her up, her father however, made no effort.

That sat fine and well with Athena, it wasn't like they'd ever been particularly close.

Her mother- Machi Hurley- had kept their small family together since its beginning, and even after her death, it seemed they had tried to hold onto as much of her as possible.

After some time, Athena had come to the conclusion that her mother had anticipated her own death, why she hadn't tried to stop it, she would never know.

It was ironic really, her mother- Machi- named after the Japanese definition of "a wish for a long life", it seemed she'd been jinxed upon the mere mention of her name.

But there she stood in the school hallway, her cheeks flushing as her friends called out her name trying to pull her from her daze, "Ava!" they called, that name, that odd little misconception of her name. At first, it had been a joke from a few boys and a substitute teacher that had read the word wrong, but now, it seemed to have caught on as a second name for her.

Something everyone knew her by.

She turned to look at them her eyes focusing on the pair as she grabbed one of her books and shut the door to her locker, she hadn't expected to space out, not again. "What are we doing after school?" Grace questioned, the brunette shook her head having spaced out much farther than she had ever thought she could.

"We could go to my house." both girls looked at her, as if that was quite possibly the best option on the table, "your everyday or the lake house?" Athena shied away from the question, she didn't like to talk about the lake house, and she more than certainly didn't like going there.

"Everyday." she stated tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she hoped they wouldn't persist, she hated having to tell them no but she hated having to talk about it like it was some luxurious place to vacation, because it was quite the opposite.

"Are Aidan and Apollo going to be home?" she questioned, Athena cringed, why, why of all people did Grace have to show an interest in either of them, the girl let out a sigh, she knew it would have come across her mind at some point, better now than later.

"Yeah, the twins will be home." her friend smiled, she'd had the largest crush on the boys since the fourth grade when Athena and her brothers had moved from the Lake house to a more suburban home in the city.

Amber gently jabbed the auburn haired girl in the side, "I'm pretty sure there's a rule about dating siblings." her eyes widened turning to look at Athena, "I thought you said it was fine!" her protest came out as more of a whine and she couldn't help but wonder why she was so fixed upon the two golden haired boys.

"There was, the exception was you, so go ahead and have at it. But just know, both of them will turn out looking like my Dad." Amber pursed her lips trying her best not to say what she thought of in that instant as she had so many other times, turning to look at the blonde she gave a small shake of the head, "you can say it, I know you're dying to."

A loud sigh spilled from her cherry blossom tinted lips, it was something she only ever said in the company of her two closest friends, "you're Dad is kind of weird, and bald." Grace let out a sigh, "if I get married to Aidan, I hope I pass before that happens." Athena rolled her eyes, she knew that them cracking the materialistic jokes was their way of poking fun at her, but sometimes, she wondered what exactly was a joke and what was the truth.

"Ha, ha. ha. If you marry Aidan-" she paused, maybe she should have said one of the twins, as a general term, since she was fixated on both, she continued, "you know you'll never get rid of Apollo." Grace looked up at the ceiling drawing her hands in at her chest with a love-struck look crossing her features before she returned her gaze to them.

"Apollo, god of the sun and god of my heart." the auburn headed girl seemed almost ready to swoon as Amber brought her hand to her neck and gently scratched at the warm toned skin, "and your hormones." she mumbled letting out a yelp when the girl smacked her with the back of her hand.

"That was so unnecessary." rubbing at the brightened skin, she scowled at Grace, so feisty and for what?

"He is not." she retorted crossing her arms over her chest, Athena cocked her head to the side, "oh, right... because they both are." Grace smiled her eyes closing from the action, "damn right, and I am proud of it."

Adjusting her bag over her shoulder, Athena pursed her lips, "actually, I think Aidan's going out with his new girlfriend." the girls eyes shot open her mouth forming a frown, "girlfriend?"

The brunette cracked a smile happy to know she'd gotten to her friend, "kidding." she added her smile widening to show her teeth as her friend crossed her arms over her chest again, the trio trailed off down the hall eager to spend their free period off campus for the first time since September when the guidance counselor had attempted to place Amber in the Digital Design class she absolutely despised.

They'd fought tooth and nail- without the help of their parents- before finally, they'd convinced Mrs. Faklan that the added class would destroy Ambers perfect GPA, and none of them were ready for that to happen. The day that happened was the day Athena returned to the Lake House without being told to do so.

It was in that moment the girls phone rang, which it hardly ever did unless it was her brothers or her friends, it was Aidan.

She smiled at the heading, "warning, angry agent Hurley, ready to expend his anger on his children. Big storms rising in from one hour to one week of bitching. Ready to hit you at full force." she held back a laugh both her friends turning to look at her.

"What is it?" Grace spoke craning her neck to try and get a peek at the screen, "more like who." Amber mumbled pocketing her own phone, she was clearly interested.

"It's Aidan, it's about our Dad, apparently he's mad." the brunettes phone violently shook in her hand, and it seemed her fathers name was dancing across the screen. She wanted so badly to just push the reject button and pretend he didn't exist until she got home, but she knew it would get her grounded and stuck cleaning the dishes for two weeks.

She slid her finger over the green button carefully bringing the phone to her ear, the first thing she was greeted with was incoherent yelling.

The girl yanked her phone away from her ear quickly offering it out to Grace. Her friend took the phone bringing it up to her ear as Athena rubbed at hers distaste clear on her face, "Hi Stan, it's Grace." they all stopped in their tracks silently waiting for his response, "where's Athena?" he questioned his voice pinched.

She glanced at her friend, she could be a smartass, or she could try and relieve some of the pressure coming from him, "well, if I'm being honest, I think she's trying to nurse the eardrums you just destroyed." she cracked a small smile holding her hand out for her phone a moment later, Grace practically threw it at her, she wanted no part of the scolding she foresaw coming.

"I'm back." she mumbled looking off to the side, she hated talking to her father in front of her friends, even if it meant he didn't lash into her as badly.

"I'm sending someone to come get you, be ready and outside in ten minutes." she raised an eyebrow her gaze immediately shifting to her friends, "but I have school and I'm on my free per-"

"I already called the school, your brothers are getting picked up as we speak." his words were clipped and even as he spoke urging her not to argue with him in the matter, "why aren't you picking us up?" both sets of eyes beside her widened at the realization she would be leaving them before they exchanged a look and listened on.

"That doesn't matter, you're coming home, we'll talk then." with the sound of the dial filling her auditory canal, she removed the phone from its place at her ear and looked down at it as it flashed back to the home screen, words could not describe the anger her father always managed to stir in her.

"Why are you leaving?" Amber spoke her voice low and her expression sad, she enjoyed Athena's presence, it made her feel like she had someone to walk with her through life, which in a way, she did.

The young adult shook her head, "he didn't say, just that my brothers were getting picked up too." Grace refrained from smiling at the mention of the boys, now was not the time to be fantasizing over the six foot one golden haired young adults.

"How long till you go?" they were stalling now, trying to find ways to keep her with them longer, she was the glue to their trio, and without her they were just, well... a pair.

An unbalanced pair.

Athena brought them balance, in her words, the way she performed in class, the way she contributed to conversations, without her, it was likely none of them would be friends on their own.

She glanced at her phone the time flashing across the screen in bright white numbers, "less than ten minutes." she let out a sigh, when they'd moved all those years ago, her father had promised to keep them out of his chaos, and it seemed he was doing quite the opposite that afternoon.

Amber was the first to pounce forward and cling to the girl in a needy hug, she really didn't want her to go, even if she would see her later at her house, she knew her father, and she also knew he wouldn't keep her from maintaining relationships outside of the house unless she was on house arrest, known to most as, a grounding.

The auburn headed of the three followed suit gently wrapping her arms around the girls waist, deep down, she was hoping Stan went easy on her, after all, she was a teen like the rest of them. And she knew just as much as the next that if he pushed her too far, she'd leave one day and never come back.

After a few moments, they separated when Athena's phone buzzed once again, it was Apollo.

She frowned at the notification hardly surprised when she realized he had no jokes to offer, nothing but complete seriousness, something he'd gotten from their father.

Aidan, the older of the two by approximately twenty nine seconds, seemed to a jokester, he always had a joke and loved to lighten the mood whereas Apollo was all about raining on everyone's parade.

Which was what made his name so interesting.

Athena wondered if it was because of their mother, or if it was because they'd simply grown up under their fathers roof, but that couldn't be the case. Not when Aidan had turned out completely different in comparison to Apollo, and vice versa.

NOT ALLOWED

CHAPTER ONE: THE ORIGIN OF ATHENA