CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Parties involve breaks
WARNINGS: smut, mention/implied death, murder, john gilbert

GETTING TO THE HOUSE WITH A GIRLFRIEND who wouldn't let your lips disconnect for more than two seconds was surprisingly more difficult than Athena thought it was going to be. When this type of stuff happened with Cassidy, Athena could tune into her other senses to get her home in one run, but with Caroline—it was like her senses couldn't focus on anything except for the blonde.

Athena grunts a bit, the bark of the tree she had just ran into digging into her back as Caroline pins her against it, teeth, lips, and tongue ravaging her neck. One would think that Caroline was the vampire with how attached to the redhead's neck she was.

Athena moaned, tilting her head back and slightly to the side to allow the blonde to do as she pleases. Caroline tangles her fingers into Athena's hair while her other hand works on the redhead's belt.

As much as the redhead would love to just drop on the ground and ravish the blonde right there in the forest, it's wet and she doesn't want her girlfriend to get sick—especially since the storm isn't quite over yet.

The Heretic hears Caroline's heart rate—it's pounding. Athena can smell her, it's overwhelming. It takes over the redhead's sense of smell and causes her to moan, practically being able to taste it.

Athena's arms wrap around Caroline's waist securely, keeping her close, and then taking off toward the house once again. The blonde holds onto her, taken by surprise this time. When Athena stops, they stumble right into the door and Caroline giggles when her back hits the wood.

"For being 170-years-old, you don't know how to walk correctly," the blonde teases, giggling harder as she finishes her sentence.

Athena scoffs through her nose, trailing her lips along the blonde's jaw up to her ear, "first of all, I'm not walking—I am running incredibly fast while holding you. And second, you are incredibly distracting," she murmured. Caroline blushed and went to connect their lips again when a couple wolf whistles rang out from behind the redhead.

Athena turned her head to look over her shoulder while Caroline leaned a bit to look around her girlfriend. There were a couple of teenagers and some of the pre-teens throwing a football around in the driveway. Three of the boys had wolf-whistled while some of the girls laughed.

Caroline groaned, her cheeks turning a bright red as she hid behind Athena. The redhead rolled her eyes, "oh, shut up. Or I'll give you extra chores," she threatened lightly, giving them all a look.

One of the boys raises their hands in surrender, "easy, Miss Athena, we're just playing! It's been a while since we've seen you happy!" He said, smiling.

One of the oldest girls chuckled and gave them all a look, "alright, guys. Let's get back to playing before Quinn calls us back inside. Leave the lovers alone," she said.

Some booed while others did what they were told, instantly forgetting the two were there and beginning to wrestle for the ball. Caroline opened the front door, tugging Athena inside while the Heretic threw the girl a grateful look. The girl waved and smiled before joining the others.

Athena closed the door behind her and pulled Caroline along behind her. Getting tired of the wait, the redhead grabbed the blonde and vamped them up to her room, closing the door and locking it while pinning the woman to the wood and connecting their lips once again.

Caroline swiped her tongue along Athena's bottom lip. The redhead let her in, their tongues clashing together and fighting for dominance. Caroline took the time to push Athena backward while shrugging off her jacket with the help of her girlfriend. The blonde pulled Athena's jacket off and pushed her down onto the bed, climbing on top of her as they both kicked off their shoes and Athena moved up the bed to lay down.

Athena broke the kiss, kissing along her girlfriend's cheek and down to her neck where she sucked and nipped marks into the skin. Caroline gasped as Athena flipped them around, the redhead hovering over the blonde who tilted her head to give Athena more space. The Heretic settled in between Caroline's legs and drove her hips into the blondes making her girlfriend moan.

Caroline untucks the front of Athena's shirt, "please, take this off," the blonde pleads, sounding out of breath. Her chest rises and falls quickly, her heart beating quickly underneath the skin. Athena grabs the back of her shirt, leans up a bit and pulls it over her head in one swift movement, tossing it somewhere in the room.

The blonde sits up a bit and pulls off her shirt and unclips her bra, tossing both items off to the side. Athena watches through hooded eyes, her mouth watering. She will never not be amazed by how beautiful Caroline was. If she could spend the rest of eternity worshiping the woman's body, she'd do it without complaint.

Caroline's hands worked to undo her pants and Athena helped her pull them down, the blonde kicking them off when they got around her heels. The redhead makes quick work of her pants.

Athena brushed some hair out of Caroline's face, "you are so incredibly gorgeous," she breathed, leaning her forehead against the blonde's. Caroline traced Athena's jaw with the tips of her fingers.

"I'm nothing compared to you," she murmured.

Athena shook her head slightly, "don't do that. I'm immortal. My looks don't change. You are human and you look like... a Goddess. You are... breathtaking," the redhead said seriously, staring into Caroline's eyes. They were beautiful and she loved them especially when she got to stare into them at times like this.

Caroline smiled, her eyes watering slightly. "I love you," she whispered, tangling her free hand into Athena's hair.

"I love you too," the redhead said and placed a lingering kiss on Caroline's forehead. She dragged her lips down, pressing small kisses as she went. Her fingers traced patterns into the skin of Caroline's stomach as Athena made her way to the blonde's chest.

She looked up at Caroline as she took one of the blonde's nipples into her mouth, swiping her tongue over the hard nub. Caroline inhaled sharply, closing her eyes and pushing Athena further into her chest. Athena raises one of her hands and starts giving attention to Caroline's other breast, rolling the nipple between her pointer finger and thumb.

She continues this for a couple of minutes, switching between the woman's breasts before she begins to descend lower again. Caroline bucked her hips up and Athena held her down to stop her. Athena sucked marks into the skin around Caroline's torso. She stops underneath the blonde's belly button, right where her navel is.

Caroline tries to move again when Athena blows some air onto the spot, but the redhead keeps her down, smirking up at her girlfriend teasingly. She loved the reactions she could pull from the blonde. Which is why she didn't hesitate to leave a kiss there before dipping her tongue into Caroline's belly buttoned.

Caroline tensed, gasping at the unexpected move, surprised.

Athena did it again earning a low moan that sounded suspiciously like oh, Athena. The redhead dragged her tongue up the girl's flat stomach, between the valley of Caroline's breasts and placed a couple kisses along her collarbones.

She knew what Caroline liked so she pressed their bodies together causing her girlfriend to sigh at the skin-to-skin contact. She pressed their lips together, forcing her tongue into Caroline's mouth, licking into the warmth.

Reaching down, Athena touched the wet heat between Caroline's thighs. Her panties were soaked making the redhead smirk, "look at you, so wet just for me," she murmured and Caroline whined.

Athena made circles on Caroline's clit over her panties, teasing her as she used her other hand to spread the blonde's legs further, digging her nails gently into the skin of Caroline's thigh. The woman underneath her let out a high-pitched, breathy moan.

"You know the rules, mi amor..." Athena drawled, moving her fingers down to the blonde's entrance and tracing around it twice before going back to Caroline's clit. The woman moaned in response. "Mm-mm," the redhead shook her head a bit, stopping what she was doing, "use your words, baby."

Caroline released a heavy breath, frustrated. "I—I want you. Inside," she said firmly, staring into Athena's eyes.

"Whatever you want."

Athena ripped Caroline's underwear, not wanting to move from her position and tossed the tattered remains away. Caroline gapes, knowing that was the hottest thing she'd ever seen. Athena scooped up a bit of the wetness and dragged her fingers through the girl's folds.

The Heretic swirled her finger around the ring of Caroline's entrance before Athena slid her middle finger into her before pulling right back out. Caroline moaned, gripping the sheets. Athena kissed along the column of her girlfriend's throat.

She pushed her middle finger back into the woman, her thumb finding Caroline's clit, rubbing it in slow circles. The redhead slipped another finger inside of Caroline as she began to thrust inside of her, her fingers drenched in the woman's juices.

Athena's thumb sped up, making tight and fast circles on Caroline's clit. The blonde mewled and whimpered underneath her, encouraging Athena to continue.

Her fingers slid in and out of her girlfriend, easily making Athena smile slightly before connecting their lips once again, wrapping her hand around Caroline's throat and squeezing a bit. The blonde moaned.

Athena curled her fingers, finding the woman's g-spot. It took a couple more thrusts and a few more touches on her clit before Caroline cried out, her body shaking for a moment, back arching up into Athena. She froze, her chest rising and falling. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Athena helped her girlfriend ride out her orgasm before she pulled her fingers out. Caroline slowly came down from her high, unable to do anything other than breathe and relish in the moment.

Athena raised her fingers to her lips, putting them in her mouth and licking them clean. She moved down the woman's body and gently licked over Caroline's folds with the intention to clean instead of give her another orgasm. Once she was done, she came back up to the blonde and laid down on her side, her body still pressed against Caroline's side.

She propped her head up on her hand, looking down at her girlfriend. The blonde turned her head, smiling up at Athena. "Hi," she whispered.

Athena smiled back, brushing some hair away from Caroline's eyes, "hi." Caroline sighed and slowly sat up. "Where are you going?" Athena raises an eyebrow.

"To take a shower," the blonde replied, slipping out of bed and going over to Athena's closet to pick out some clothes. The redhead nodded and got up too, heading into the bathroom to start it. "Then we're going to cuddle and watch a movie—I'm trying to fight off sleep for at least a little while."

Athena walked back into the room, "I'm sorry you had to find her, darling. Nobody was supposed to..." She shook her head with a sigh, "we can do whatever you want."

Caroline walked over to her after setting the clothes on the bed. She pecked Athena's lips, "good. Come join me in the shower." Athena smiled and allowed her girlfriend to pull her back into the bathroom.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA WALKED UP the steps of the Gilbert residence, dodging Jeremy who put on his headphones and walked past her without a word. The redhead watched him go for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. She turned around and almost ran right into Elena.

"Gah!" The brunette said, putting a hand to her heart. Athena cocked an eyebrow. "We need to put a bell on you," Elena grumbled, patting Athena's shoulder and walking down the porch steps.

"Good morning to you too," Athena muttered, rolling her eyes. After getting Caroline to finally head to her dads, she came here after getting a text from Jenna saying she wanted the job. Jenna smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Good morning, Athena," the younger redhead said.

Athena smiled, "good morning. May I?" She gestured inside the house. Jenna nodded quickly, grabbing her arm and yanking her in. The Heretic stumbled a bit and chuckled. "Something wrong..." Athena trailed off when she saw a man a couple feet in front of her.

The man gives her a once over, looking unimpressed with what he sees and looks at Jenna. "So what's up with Jeremy?" He asked.

Athena looks at Jenna and points to the man who was making himself at home. "Dick Gilbert?" She whispered and the human nodded. Athena hums and leans against the railing, "well, Mr. Gilbert, if you were here and in tune with your niece and nephews lives you'd know that Jeremy has just lost a friend and I hope that you try to be at least a little less... you." She gives him a sarcastic grin.

John raised an eyebrow, scoffing, "and who are you exactly? I'm pretty sure I know how to handle my own nephew."

"I'm Athena Salvatore," she said, pushing off the railing, "and Jeremy does not need to be handled as you say. He needs time to grieve for his friend just like he did his parents."

"Oh, cause he dealt with that so well," John argues.

"He's changed," Athena says, putting her hands behind her back, "I'll make sure he doesn't go down the same road he took before if he does try too." She shrugs.

Jenna points to Athena, "she is right. Try to be sensitive."

"I'm always sensitive."

"Right," Jenna mutters sarcastically, walking past him, "how long will you be staying?"

John frowns, "can't you at least pretend that you're happy to see me?"

Jenna smiles, "oh, my God. It is so good to see you. Ho–How have you been?" She shook her head, the smile dropping, "no, I can't." Athena chuckled quietly.

John scrunches his nose a bit, "did you really think I was just gonna sign the escrow papers and send 'em back?" He asked.

Jenna nodded a bit, "actually, I did."

Athena tilted her head and decided to tune them out. She walked over to the dining table and pulled a folder out of her bag. She grabbed a pen and set both items down.

Jenna walked over to her, "is this it?" She asked. Athena nodded and handed her the pen. The woman groaned slightly, "you make it seem like I'm signing my life away."

"You are. I get your soul and you have to do my bidding for the next hundred years," Athena said, completely serious.

Jenna looked up at her, blinking owlishly. "What?"

Athena cracked a smile and flicked Jenna's ear before moving to the fridge, "easy, red. I'm joking. But, I do advise reading over the contract." She plucked an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite before grabbing water from the fridge.

Jenna grabbed the folder and began to flip through it. John eyed it curiously, "what exactly are you signing a contract for? I told you I'm not selling my brother's property," he said seriously.

"I don't want your brother's damn property," Athena grunted, "I own most of the land surrounding this town and am in the process of owning much more soon. The building is not being sold to me." Pearl had her sights set on it for reasons she would not reveal.

"Then what the hell are you signing?" John demanded, trying to grab the folder. Athena grabbed his wrist, her eyes darker than usual. She towered over him, her face void of any emotion.

"It is none of your concern," she says, her voice low and quiet, "Jenna is not a minor and you do not have final say over her life. And this contract is not for the eyes of anyone besides future employees and clients." She let go of his wrist, John cradling it to his chest with a grimace.

Jenna looked between the two before signing her name in all the correct places. She handed it back to Athena who took it and slid it back into her bag. The Heretic gave the woman a smirk, "welcome to Castillo Industries, love."

Jenna tilted her head, "thank you, but can I ask what Castillo is for?"

Athena looked away, taking another bite out of the apple. "It stands for castle in Spanish. An old friend of my ancestors..." Athena turned around, closing her eyes as she walked towards the bar at the flashback of Alix's dead body once again coming to the forefront of her mind, "she changed her last name in hopes nobody would make the connection to her daughter and her true love. It's a powerful name." The redhead shrugs once more and opens up the water bottle, taking a sip.

"You know, I'd love to know where you find all of this historical stuff," Jenna said.

Athena smiled over her shoulder at the woman, "well, lucky for you, you'll most likely find out. You have to know the history behind the company to succeed." She walked back over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later, love. Violet will be over sometime in the evening to go over your schedule."

Jenna nodded, "thank you, Athena. Really."

Athena gave her a small nod, "anytime." She salutes John and then walks out the door. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

AN OFFICER GUIDED Damon and Athena into the founders meeting which was being held to most likely discuss what happened to Vicki and some other pressing matters that probably had something to do with the tomb vampires.

"The coroner's office has officially ruled Vicki Donovan's death a drug overdose," Liz tells everyone, but mostly the mayor. Damon thanks the officer quietly before the two take a place in an empty space. "Her family has been notified. The truth will stay in this room, and we can put this behind us."

The mayor walked forward, "thank you, Sheriff. And on to a more pressing issue—" He didn't think that the death of a teenage girl was a big deal? "—John Gilbert has asked to say a few words." Athena scoffed and Liz whacked her lightly in the stomach, giving her a look. The mayor sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Ms. Salvatore, do you have something to say?"

Athena shrugged, raising her eyebrows, "I'm just surprised that you called a man who needs to 'say a few words' a more pressing issue than a girl—a teenager who you all probably knew—who was killed and buried."

The mayor scoffed and set his hands on his hips, "and how do you know she was killed and buried?" He asked, looking at her with pursed lips.

Athena gasped, "it's almost as if I'm dating the girl who found Vicki's body," she mocked. Damon snorted, but tried to cover it with a cough at the look Liz was giving him. It wasn't very effective though considering Liz was trying not to laugh as well.

The mayor shifted uncomfortably, his ears burning red in embarrassment. "John," He stepped back and let the other man take the floor, causing Athena to roll her eyes, "welcome back. It's good to see you." They shook hands.

"Thank you, mayor."

Damon leaned closer to Athena, "I didn't know he was in town," he whispered.

"Got in this morning. Dick Gilbert is what I like to call him. Maybe even Jackass John. They both are good," she whispered back. Damon looked impressed and the two bumped fists.

As John spoke about the reports from Amherst and Damon nudged her slightly, "yours?" He asked, referencing her vampires.

She shook her head, "I get my blood bags from much further away. I have some imported to if people get suspicious," she replies just as quietly.

After the meeting concludes, Damon and Athena walk out of the building. Athena plans on heading off, but Damon has other plans. "Athena, wait." She stops and turns to face him. He rubs the back of his neck, "I... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. For everything. Keeping that big secret from you was... especially because you loved her. It was bad and I should've done something—"

"But, you didn't," Athena interrupted, not unkindly, but not nicely either. "Your apologies fall deaf to me. They don't mean anything. I've heard you say you're sorry a million times in the past century and a half. One day, maybe I'll accept it, but it definitely won't be any time soon. Not until you show me that you really are sorry." Athena gives him a closed-lipped smile and turns away, heading toward her car.

"I understand," Damon follows her, "and I will. But, that's not all I wanted to talk to you about." Athena sighed.

"Damon, what else could you possibly want?" She asked, unlocking her car and placing her hand on the handle. She looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Bellamy," Damon says. Athena's eyebrow raises higher. He sighed and threw his hands in the air, "you told me he was dead. I watched him die when I was 19."

Athena glanced away. "He is dead," is all she says before slipping into her car and driving away leaving Damon with a million unanswered questions and a reopened wound.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

JENNA HAD INVITED Athena over for dinner considering Violet was still there. Athena was glad those two were getting along. She jumped up the steps and walked inside, hanging her jacket up on the coat hanger.

"I have absolutely zero interest in the founder's day kick-off party," Jeremy told John as he started eating his take-out.

"Sure, you do. It's tradition," John said after taking a sip out of his glass and setting it back down.

Athena walked up behind Jeremy, moving his head a bit and kissing the top of it. Jeremy handed her a box and a veggie spring roll. Athena took them and walked over to Violet, kissing her forehead.

"Far be it for us to break from tradition," Jenna said sarcastically, raising her eyebrows at John before smiling at Athena and kissing her cheek.

Athena sat down at the bar where Violet was and opened up her food. "The Gilberts have been apart of this town for 150 years, one of the founding families, and with that distinction comes certain obligations, including going to the party," John explained to Jeremy, trying to get his point across that the boy had to attend.

"Jeez, you act like you're royalty," Violet complained, scrunching her nose and taking a bite of her food. "Leave the boy be. If he doesn't want to go, he doesn't have to. Isn't Elena part of this too?"

"Godforbid Elena takes up whatever Gilbert traditions that these lunatics have come up with," Athena muttered. Jenna whacked her with a towel while Violet giggled behind her hand. She didn't mean it in a bad way and she's sure that Elena would be... decent with anything that they throw at her, but she has too pure of a heart. And if John is talking about what she thinks he's talking about, then killing vampires might be too much for the brunette. Especially if it came down to killing someone that you love.

John turned to Jeremy, ignoring the two women. "One day, when you can appreciate the significance I'll tell you all about your heritage," he told him.

"Hmm. The Gilbert family legacy," Jenna said, "I forgot how sacred it was. I'm not a Gilbert, so I was never cool enough to hear it." John shook his head, rolling his eyes as Jeremy smiled at his aunt.

"Sacred?" Athena scrunched her nose. Killing vampires—even the innocent ones who just want to live and be free—is sacred? Alright.

"Don't worry, you'll learn all about how sacred the founding family legacies are," Violet told Jenna with a smile.

"Uh, no she won't. They stay in the family. With blood," John argued.

"You act like family is only blood," Athena said, shaking her head.

"That's because it is. The only people you can trust are your own blood," he said.

"No, Mr. Gilbert," Violet said, shaking her head and pursing her lips, "that is where you are completely wrong." She stabs a piece of chicken, "your own blood are some of the people that you shouldn't trust."

"Family does not begin or end in blood. You make your own family with the people who you choose. You merely share the same genes as someone, but that does not mean they are your family," Athena agrees. She thinks back to when Mikael would beat her whenever she did something he didn't like—yes, he loved her more than her siblings and was nicer to her than most, but that did not mean she was free of Mikael's torment. She thinks back to when Klaus killed Esther and then Alix, making Athena watch. She thinks back to when Stefan killed Cassidy.

All her blood has ever done was cause her pain. Yes, she loves them and still calls her their family, but that does not mean that she could trust them. She couldn't even trust Klaus with everything... the only people she has ever trusted more than anyone were dead.

"Nonna," Violet hissed, grabbing her arm. Athena snapped out of her daze, grimacing at the squished take-out box. Violet gave her a sad and concerned look, knowing what she was thinking about.

"Devo ricominciare ad allenarmi," Athena said, setting her food on the counter with a small frown. [I need to start training again]

"Che ne pensate?" Violet asked under her breath, sitting back down. Athena shot her a dry look causing the woman to raise her hands in surrender. [You think?]

"What do you need to start training?" Jenna asked, confused. Violet choked on some rice as Athena looked over at the younger redhead. Jeremy and John stared at her in shock.

"You can understand what they just said?" Jeremy asked his aunt, shocked.

Jenna nodded, her brows furrowing, "yeah... you guys couldn't?" Jeremy and John shook their heads quickly.

"We were speaking Italian, love," Athena chuckled. Jenna frowned and put a hand to her forehead, leaning heavily against the counter. Violet stood up in panic while Athena reached over to catch the woman as she began to fall over.

"My... my head hurts..." Jenna whispered. Jeremy rushed over with his cup of water and then ran upstairs to get the Advil from Jenna's room.

Elena and Stefan poked their heads out to see what the ruckus was and saw Jeremy rush back down the stairs. The two looked at each other before shrugging.

Jeremy handed Athena the pills and the Heretic gave them to Jenna. Violet gave Athena a look once Jenna sat down on the bar and started eating a little bit. Athena mouthed 'what?' back to her causing her granddaughter to roll her eyes.

She grabbed Athena's ear and pulled her out of the kitchen. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Athena whined, slapping her granddaughter's hand away and rubbing her ear. Violet hit Athena's shoulder. "Ow! Violet—"

"You need to fix this," the brunette interrupted, poking her in the chest, "you said everyone would remember once you got your memories back. Jenna isn't remembering! And... And that didn't look good," she hissed, trying to keep her voice low despite her anger. She was worried, Athena could see it. Her voice trembled on her last sentence. Violet was scared.

"Some people's brains aren't ready, Violet," Athena snapped before her voice softened, "some need time for their memories to slowly come back to them instead of all of it going like this," she snaps her fingers for emphasis. "She will remember, but it will take time. For now, we just need to keep her safe. The memories are gonna hurt, just like they hurt me. You know hers are more messed up. Her memories weren't taken, dear... they were altered. She remembers us, but only as people who are part of a very prestigious and wealthy company."

Violet huffed through her nose and walked back into the kitchen, angry but also very worried. She knew the Heretic was right, but that didn't change how she felt. Athena sighed and was about to follow after her when she heard a crash from upstairs. She sped upstairs and into Elena's room, finding Stefan on the floor and Elena sitting on her bed, heart beating rapidly.

Athena looked between them and Stefan looked at her. Athena's shoulders dropped, one of her hands raising to rub her forehead. Stefan was on the verge of a ripper rampage. Like the one that happened in Chicago during the 1920s.

Athena walked over to the windows, pushing them open and stepping out of the way, "get out." Stefan sped out of the room, jumping down and running off. Athena closed them and turned to Elena, "he needs time to cool off. He doesn't do well with human blood." She walks out of the room without a second glance and goes back into the kitchen.

John and Jeremy were talking while Violet and Jenna were chatting about the Founder's day party.

"I thought only people from the founding families get to come to those things," Jenna said after Violet told her she was going.

"It is," Violet shrugged and Athena sat down between the two and grabbed her food again. "I just don't care."

Jenna high-fived her.

Athena points at her granddaughter, "right. Are you going with me?" She asked. Violet raised an eyebrow. "What? Caroline isn't here which means I have no date to tomorrow night's function. God, I hate the founder's party."

"Well, you're still without a date considering I'm going with my boyfriends'," Violet said, popping another piece of chicken into her mouth.

Jenna oohed, "boyfriends? Spill."

Violet laughed and took out her phone, scrolling through her pictures until she found one of both Akemi and Ace. "They're incredibly handsome. Their names are Ace and Akemi," Violet explained, handing over the phone to the younger woman.

"Aw, they are handsome," Jenna said, handing the phone back with a smile. Of course Ace is handsome. He's my blood! Athena thought. Jenna nudged Athena's arm, "hey, you know, I'm free tomorrow night 'cause my boss—she's a really nice lady—said I didn't have to start till Monday next week."

The Heretic thought it over for a moment before she sighed, "I guess I could take you..." Jenna's mouth dropped, acting offended as she whacked Athena's shoulder with the back of her hand. The three broke out into laughs.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA OPENED THE passenger side door for Jenna and gave the woman her hand to help her step out. Jenna gave her a smile as Athena closed the door behind them and wrapped her arm firmly around the Heretic's. Elena and Jeremy stepped out of the car as well.

"You ready to witness the rich and snobby of the town?" Athena asked the woman as the four began to walk to the entrance.

Jenna gave her a small pout, "whatever do you mean? I see you everyday."

Athena put a hand to her chest, acting offended, "how dare you," she gasped.

Jenna laughed and dragged Athena along. Jeremy and Elena shared a look of disgust.

Athena was wearing an all black suit while Jenna had on a black knee-length sheath dress.

"You two aren't gonna, like, hookup, right?" Jeremy asked, his nose scrunched in distaste at even the thought of the two.

Athena turned to look at him, uncomfortable. "What? No. I'm dating Caroline. And that would just be..." Athena shuddered.

Jenna rolled her eyes at the woman's dramatics, but agreed. "We're friends. She's technically my boss now," the redhead said as the four got to the entrance and walked inside.

"Boss?" Elena asked, confused.

"Mhm," Jenna nodded. She was looking around, trying to find Violet and when she did, she bid the three a goodbye and rushed over to her friend. Athena scoffed a bit, a smile on her face.

"I will see you two in a little while. Please stay out of trouble and don't make Jenna look bad. She doesn't have your immunity in the founding family circle," Athena told them, giving the two teenagers a stern look, before walking into the crowd, trying to find the bar. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA WALKED QUICKLY through the crowd of dancing pupils to get to Jenna, Elena, and Alaric Saltzman who were talking together—well, Jenna and Alaric were flirting.

"Do you wanna, uh, get a drink?" Alaric asked Jenna with a small, hopeful smile.

"Sure," Jenna smiled.

"Okay. Great," Alaric nodded.

Athena interrupted, setting a hand on Jenna's arm, "actually, you might want to put a pin in that. I just ran into someone," she said with a smirk.

The redhead raised an eyebrow, "you ran into someone?" She asked, a teasing smile on her face wondering why Athena seemed so excited about that.

"Mhm. You know, how you were fangirling over Christian DeAngelo?" Athena asked.

Jenna's eyes widened as her teasing smile dropped from her face, "no." Athena nodded. "No! What?! He's here?!" She asked, grabbing onto Athena's arms and squeezing tightly.

"Yep," the Heretic grinned, grabbing her hand, "come on. I'll introduce you."

Jenna gasped, "wait, you know him?!"

Athena chuckled and nodded, "we're old friends."

Jenna beamed, bouncing on her toes in excitement. She looked over at Alaric with a slightly guilty face, "I'm sorry, but I—yeah." Athena pulled the redhead through the crowd, leaving Elena and Alaric alone.

They walked up to a man who was standing near the bar, one of his hands holding his drink and the other holding his phone. He was dressed in a navy blue tux with a white undershirt. His dark brown hair with hints of red was combed and gelled back. He was tall, almost 6'3". He was very intimidating to someone who didn't know him.

"Christian," Athena said and the man turned towards them, putting his phone away as a smile lit up his face.

"Atty," he wrapped her in a hug as she kissed his cheek, "it has been far too long, milady."

"Agreed," Athena smiled. She turned towards Jenna and pulled the woman who was hiding slightly behind her back forward, "this is Jenna Sommers," she introduced, giving the man a look.

He understood and stuck out his hand towards the redhead, "hello, Miss Sommers. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Pink flushed Jenna's cheeks.

"Please, the pleasure is all mine," Jenna said, "you are, like, my idol. The work you do for children is incredible and I envy how much you've been able to help them. I've always wanted to be able to do that."

Christian nodded, taking a sip from his drink. "My work is very important to me. I was a child who didn't have the best life growing up. I pretty much lived on the streets since I was four. I wanted others to have a much better life than I did—kids don't have a choice in being born, they shouldn't have to go through what they do because their parents decided to be selfish. And I am not saying that everyone is, but no child should be living on the streets because of who they are," he said.

"Exactly! Children don't owe their parents anything, parents owe their children everything," Jenna agreed. Athena tuned them out as they started geeking out over some other things and rambling on about their passions. Athena turned towards Christian's husband, Francisca, who was an environmentalist—makes sense considering she's a tree nymph. It was very interesting, their relationship. Christian was a demon who Athena had met on one of her many trips to Hell. Francisca was living in the rainforest that Christian had been thrown into when he was 14 after he had gained a soul. The two fell in love as the years went by.

"Athena Salvatore, my, my, my..." Francisca smiled, kissing both of Athena's cheeks and Athena sharing the sentiment. "It has been way too long," she said.

"That is exactly what Christian said," Athena said with a chuckle. Francisca shrugged and ordered water from the bar which she got a weird look for. Athena ordered the same.

Francisca looked behind Athena to Jenna. The other two were chatting animatedly, using hand gestures to emphasize their point. "You get her to work for you?" She asked, thanking the barista as she took her water.

Athena nodded, "it didn't take much. Violet helped a lot as well considering those two had gotten close in a short span of time. Seriously, it was, like, a week," the Heretic scoffed.

Francisca smiled and switched the conversation around. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"MS. FORBES, WOW," Athena said as she saw her girlfriend's mother, giving her a smile. "You look absolutely beautiful. I love the uniform, don't get me wrong, but I do like this look too—especially because you don't have a gun," she joked as Liz gave her a hug.

"Thank you," Liz laughed, giving the redhead a smile, "and don't worry. My gun is in here," she taps her small purse. Athena's smile widened, not expecting anything else from the woman. "You clean up very nicely," she said, fixing Athena's collar a bit.

"Why thank you, I try," Athena said, "have you talked to Caroline?"

"I did. She gave me a call to let me know she got to her fathers. She may not like me that much, but I think he is higher on her shit list," she admitted with a small sigh.

"Caroline loves you, she just has a hard time showing it. It also doesn't help that you're gone a lot," Athena started gently, afraid of overstepping.

Liz sighed and looked down at her drink, "yeah, well, with this vampire problem... I don't think I'm going to have down time any time soon," she said.

"Ms. Forbes..." Athena sighed, "she needs her mother. She's young. And no matter how strong or old someone is... they will always need their mother." Athena closes her eyes as Esther flashes through her mind. The Heretic cleared her throat and opened her eyes, giving the woman a small smile. "Please... life is short—" your lives are short "—and you should be spending as much time as you can with her before you can't." She wishes she had spent more time with Esther than with Mikael. That was one of her biggest regrets ever since she became a vampire.

Liz's eyes start to water and she tilts her head back in hopes of not ruining her make-up. "For someone so young, you sure are wise," the blonde woman chuckled. Athena just smiled. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA FOLLOWS JOHN outside, keeping out of sight. Damon is standing near the railing.

"Damon, right?" John asked the dark-haired Salvatore.

"John." Damon turned to face the man with a small smile.

"We didn't get a chance to meet at the council meeting," he said, leaning toward him slightly.

Damon nodded, "yeah. It's—it's a pleasure. Are you enjoying the, uh, kick-off?"

"Oh, yeah. Can't forget how much fun these small-town celebrations are," John said, looking out over the forest in front of them.

"Yeah. Yeah. When's the last time you were here?"

"Hasn't been that long. My brother's funeral. How long have you been in town?"

"Well, not long at all. My sister was actually here first. I came a little while after my uncle's death. It was hard to come back if I'm being honest," Damon explained and Athena rolled her eyes.

John nodded and stepped closer, "so what do you think, Damon?" The Salvatore man raised his eyebrow. "You know this vampire problem is real, right? It's a potential blood path."

Damon shrugged, leaning closer, "I wouldn't overreact, John." He had seen how serious the vampires were the other night when Athena had threatened them. The vampires wouldn't dare cross her now.

"Oh, I think it's like 1864 all over again, vampires running amok," John argued. "Guess we're just gonna have to hunt them down, throw 'em in a church, and burn them to ash."

"That is the story, huh?" He took a sip of his drink.

"Part of the story, yeah."

Athena didn't like where this was going.

"Oh, there's, uh—there's more?"

"Oh, there's a lot more. You see, it seems that there was a tomb under the church where the vampires were hidden away, waiting for someone to come along and set them free." Damon makes a shocked face, shaking his head a bit and looking away. "But then you already knew that, didn't you? You, your brother, and your sister. Being that you're the ones that did it."

Athena raised an eyebrow, how the hell did he figure that out? And, he's wrong, I had no bloody idea!

"And you're telling me this why?" Damon asked.

"I just thought that maybe we should get the introductions out of the way. I don't want Athena around my family..."

Damon chuckled, "well, you know that both of us could rip your throat out before you could even blink, correct? I mean, Athena's her own person, she can make her own decisions and I can assure you, she will not leave the Gilberts alone because a human said so."

"Yeah," John nodded.

"Yeah, okay. But you probably ingest vervain, so..." Damon steps back a bit as he sees Athena.

"Why don't you take a bite, find out?" John taunts, smirking.

Damon tsked and shook his head.

Athena appeared behind the man, "I'll do you one better," she said, snapping his neck and tossing him over the side effortlessly. Damon watches as the man hits the ground, taking a long sip of his drink.

He looks over at Athena with a smirk before he walks back inside. Athena follows close behind. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

DAMON SLIDES UP beside Athena who was holding up a very exhausted Jenna Sommers. The woman had on Athena's jacket, her eyes slowly closing before popping back open.

The Mayor and John are up in the front. John is giving a speech to the people, alive and breathing. Damon gives some people a smile as they look back at him and nudges Athena with his elbow. She gives him a slight glare, rubbing her side a bit before turning her attention back to John.

He's giving a speech about being a family? She doesn't really know, she isn't listening. She's still thinking about what she said to Liz about spending time with Caroline and that life is short. Athena—she's immortal and will be alive forever. Her daughters—they don't have that luxury and 8 years of their lives have been wasted away from their mother because somebody has a grudge. It pisses her off more than anything. She just wants her family back together. She can take them away, keep them safe after everything is done. She can give them the life they deserve.

"How the hell is he still alive? If snapping his neck didn't kill him, then him landing on his spine should've," Damon hissed into her ear, smiling once again at some of the other party goers.

"Look at his finger," Athena muttered. Damon looked at his left hand and didn't see anything. "Other one, dipshit," she whispers with a roll of her eyes. Damon clears his throat softly and looks at John's right hand, finding a ring. It looks identical to the one that Alaric Saltzman wore.

"...take care of each other, protect each other," John finishes, looking directly at Damon and Athena as he says it. Everybody starts clapping including John.

Damon grunts and pushes past the two redheads to go over to Alaric.

Athena looks down at Jenna who is surely asleep against her shoulder. She doesn't care that there are people around. She hooks an arm around the woman's back and then around her knees and picks her up, letting her head continue to rest against her shoulder. Jenna curls into instinctively and sighs, Athena's warmth wrapping around her making her feel safe.

"Time to go home, darling," Athena mutters under her breath and makes towards the exit, tired of this day already.

She gets Jenna in the car before going to find Elena. The brunette willingly follows her even though she still had a sinking feeling about Stefan. Elena gets in the car and just before Athena goes to get into hers, she sees Francisca walking toward her with a smile, her dress flowing behind her.

"Leaving without a goodbye, my friend?" The nymph asked, holding out her arms and embracing the Heretic who returned it with an exhausted sigh.

"I'm sorry, I figured you two would be staying in town. There's room at the hose, you know," Athena says, pulling away and putting her hands into her pockets.

Francisca smiled and patted her cheek gently, holding her small purse in one hand. "We'll definitely visit more now that you've settled down, but unfortunately, Christian and I need to get back to Seattle. Don't be a stranger—phones were created for a reason," the nymph said, giving her a teasing look.

Athena chuckled, her eyes wetting slightly. Francisca frowned at the sudden change, concern making its way onto her features.

"Oh, what's wrong, honey?" She asked, worried for her friend as she embraced the Heretic again, caressing the back of her head and brushing her fingers through the fiery red hair that sat upon her head.

"I miss them," Athena sobbed softly into her friend's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her and clutching at the fabric of the dress. She was careful not to rip it, knowing her strength and that the dress was expensive.

Francisca was one of the few people who were aware of almost everything that Athena had been through. She knew that Athena could be talking about a lot of things, but from the conversation she overheard from the Sheriff and her friend, Athena was either thinking about her kids or Esther and Alix. Either one had hurt the Heretic so deeply. And watching—feeling—the woman who was feared by pretty much everyone in the supernatural community, the woman who had her guard up and barely trusted anyone (even her own family), the woman who had protected so many people, was heart shattering and very, very concerning.

Athena didn't cry often. Her and Klaus were alike in that way. They got teary and maybe let one single tear slip—which sometimes hurt worse than when they were sobbing—but they rarely showed how hurt or affected by something they were.

So, yeah, Francisca was very concerned about her friend.

"Who, babe?" The nymph whispered, soothingly stroking her friends back.

Athena held her tighter, "all of them... It hurts so much. I just want them all back."

One thing Francisca knew was that Athena had always hated the thought of immortality. She hated being powerful. She resented becoming the "monster" she had always thought of herself as. Athena had lost so many people that Francisca was surprised she hadn't searched and found—because she knew Athena was way more than capable—a way to kill herself permanently to be with her family that had passed, to be with her friends she had lost.

Francisca closed her eyes and placed a kiss on the taller woman's clothed shoulder.

"Girls?" Francisca could recognize the sound of her husband's voice anywhere and she silently cursed him out as Athena pulled away from the nymph and turned away to wipe her eyes.

Athena loved Christian, she did, but she always felt much less guarded with Francisca.

"Hey, baby," Francisca said with a smile toward her husband. She leaned over and kissed Athena's cheek, "we'll be back, okay? Promise." Athena gave her a small smile and nodded.

Christian, sensing that he had interrupted something, threw his wife an apologetic look before scooping up Athena and spinning her around in hopes to lighten her mood. He grinned as Athena began to laugh.

"She's right. We'll definitely visit more often. Give us a call if you need anything and if Jenna ever wants to talk more about the business, give her my number," he said, patting Athena's shoulder and then slipped an arm around his wife's waist.

Athena gave him a warm smile, "will do. Have a safe flight. Text me when you land, yeah?" She asked.

"Of course," Francisca smiled. The two turned and began to walk to their car when a sudden thought occurred in Athena's head.

"Hey," the two turned to look at their friend, "how did you guys know it was the Founder's party?"

Francisca and Christian shared a look. The demon shrugged, "a cat came with a message." Then the two walked away leaving Athena with an amused smile. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"YOU KNOW, WE'LL be completely fine on our own tonight," Jenna told Athena as the Heretic laid down on the couch.

"Oh, I have no doubt, darling," Athena smiled, putting a hand behind her head, "I like it here sometimes... it's quieter than my house at the moment."

Jenna laughed and kissed her forehead, "alright. Goodnight then. I'll see you in the morning and I expect you to cook breakfast," she said.

"Deal," Athena agreed. The redhead flicked off the lights and went up the stairs to her room. Once she heard the door close to the bedroom, Athena pulled out her phone. She clicked on a message.

Black Cat🐈‍⬛

real smooth.
read 11:22

i don't know what you're talking about.

Athena chuckled and shook her head, clicking off her phone and putting it on the table. She grabs the blanket and pulls it over her, throwing an arm over her eyes. She was exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly.

It had been a long day.

AN: i use google translate for most of the translations in this book and i know it's not always correct so... i'm sorry if the smut was not good, i haven't wrote any in a long time- 😭 hope you enjoyed anyway! 

Finished: June 11th, 2022
Word Count: 8458
Edited: