CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: A Werewolf Moon
WARNINGS: violence, biting, blood, damon, elijah, stefan!!, implied/referenced torture & escaping, matt, tyler

DAMON STARES UP AT THE CEILING, lying flat on the bed.

After their long talk yesterday, Damon had brought Elijah back and told Stefan that they were helping him. Elijah only asked one thing—from both of them. An apology. Damon had told him to go to Hell while Stefan had apologized for his part in Elijah's death.

After finding out the truth about his 'sister', he kind of went a little crazy. He had hurt Andy, something he didn't want to do. He hadn't meant it. He had been trying to be better.

He hadn't been able to go speak to Athena and he certainly didn't speak about it with Stefan. The last thing Damon needs is Stefan blowing his top about this a fucking everything up. So Damon had just told his brother the need-to-know things.

Elijah's words filter into his head. "Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse."

Damon got up, shrugging into a new shirt and heading toward the library where his brother and Elijah were.

"Damon told me the Sun and the Moon curse is fake?" Stefan asked, just to make sure he had been told correctly, "that it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus."

"Klaus is a vampire borne of a werewolf bloodline," Elijah explained, his eyes flicking toward Damon who walked in. "The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it... he'll be a true hybrid."

Damon frowns a bit. "We could just use Bonnie," he said, "not let him unlock this side of himself."

Elijah cocks an eyebrow, tilting his head a bit.

"No, not an option. She'll die using that much power," Stefan rebutes.

"I'll write her a great eulogy," Damon argued.

Stefan shot him a glare. "No." Damon rolled his eyes, sitting down on the couch. "Alright, how do we break this curse?"

"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward," Elijah shrugs, "the ingredients, so to speak you already know." He brushes his hand over Damon's shoulder in an attempt to release the tension from the man.

Stefan catches it, frowning a little. "The moonstone."

"A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire will sacrifice one of each."

"So where does Elena fit into it?" Damon asked, crossing his arms.

"The final part of the ritual. Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger... to the point of her death," he replied.

Stefan put his head in his hands, looking scared.

"And that's where Athena comes in," Damon points with a finger gun, clicking his tongue.

Elijah's lip quirked up in amusement, nodding. "Yes. They'll have a way to save her."

"How can we trust that Athena actually will save her?" Stefan argued, brows furrowing, "We're putting way too much faith in this woman who has lied to us and treated us like shit."

"Lorelei loves Elena," Damon shook his head, "Athena wouldn't let Elena die." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll... I gotta go."

He quickly got up and walked away.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

KLAUS AND ATHENA go over how the ritual tonight is going to go. They explain to Elena how the sacrifice will work and what will happen, giving her any details she wants to know. They will try to make it as quick and painless as possible for her.

Her lifeline will be connected to Katherine who will stay in Luciana's room for the night to remain unharmed. Luciana will perform the ritual. Lorelei would be there as moral support and Jenna would be in the car waiting for their exit.

Athena and Klaus will go for a run once the ritual is complete.

"So, Elena will one-hundred percent come back?" Caroline asked for probably the third time.

"Yes, love," Klaus said, staring at the maps in the library. Claire had yet to give up Rebekah's exact location, much to their annoyance. They knew she was somewhere in the Pacific, and that was a lot of ocean to cover.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just worried," Caroline said, rubbing her hands together.

Elena smiled at her friend from where she was tucked into Lorelei's embrace. They were spending as much time as they could together before Elena went to go spend time with Jeremy.

Athena brushed Caroline's hair behind her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Don't worry, my love. Everything is going to be fine. Elijah's daggered, Bonnie won't be able to get close without Luciana or I knowing. We're okay," the redhead smiled, looking happier than she had been for a while.

Elena recognized it, but it was increased times ten. It seemed, that being around her daughters, girlfriends, and twin brought out a happiness none of them had ever seen before. Elena wondered how it would be when Davina was back.

Hayley rubbed Elena's knee. "What about the boys? We haven't heard from them all day."

"The Salvatores are no match for us," Klaus waved his hand, turning around with his hands behind his back. He grins at the women in the room.

Athena smirked back at her brother.

"I still think we should be cautious. They could ruin the plan," Katherine said from where she was sitting beside Luciana who was reading over the ritual spells for the fiftieth time and fiddling with the moonstone.

"We'll take precautions," Athena sighed. She winced a little as a sharp pain went up her spine. She coughed a bit, turning away. Klaus was beside her in an instant as her knees buckled.

"Athena!"

"Ma!"

Hayley and Caroline shot up but paused at Athena's raised hand.

"Relax, relax. I'm okay," Athena assured, her legs shaking. Klaus supported most of her weight, using one hand to lift his sister's shirt just a bit. The desiccation had spread past her naval.

"Athena," Klaus whispered, his eyes wide, "it's too close to your heart."

"Brother," Athena hissed as everybody in the room tensed and started worrying even more. Athena was gonna be overwhelmed at this rate. "We're doing the ritual tonight. I'll be fine." She tugged at his ear in annoyance and he grimaced, scowling at her.

"Blah, blah," Klaus muttered, shoving her into her girlfriends who yelped. Athena groaned in annoyance, rolling her eyes.

"Child," she spat at her brother.

Klaus went to say something back, but Quinn came in. "Sorry to disturb you guys, but Damon Salvatore is here. He wishes to speak with Athena," she said.

Athena turned her head a bit, confused. Damon usually would've just barged in. "Alright," she sighed, pressing a kiss to her girlfriends' cheeks and ruffling Lorelei's hair on the way out. Bianca squeezed her hand. "Everything's gonna be okay," she said, shooting the group a smile.

She stepped out of the room, making her way toward where Damon was at. The day was nice and she breathed in the smell of flowers and dirt. She stopped beside Damon, who was watching a fountain lap water.

"Whatever could you need, Damon?"

"I just... I wanted to talk to you for a moment," he said, not turning to look at her.

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Yeah..." she side-eyed him, "that's why I'm out here."

Damon rolled his eyes a bit. "Just... 1958. Was it real?" He asked, curled into himself a little.

Athena turned her head to him in surprise. They hadn't spoken of those years, made a silent agreement never to speak of it again.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, pursing her lips and looking forward again. She placed her hands behind her back. "I've never been afraid to die, you know?" She asked instead and Damon turned to look at her, "never. Every time I've died... I wasn't scared. I was angry and upset... but never scared." She licks her lips, moving her hands into her pockets. "But I am scared of losing the people whom I love. I am scared of them dying." She turned to look at him, seeing the confusion on Damon's face. "In 1958... in our entire time there... I was scared of you dying. So the day we could escape... I took you and ran like Hell."

Damon's eyes became glossy, "so it... it was?" He whispered.

Athena set her hands on Damon's neck, brushing her thumbs over his cheeks. "I may have very strong negative feelings for you right now, Day... but then, you were my family. My little brother. I would've moved mountains for you."

A lone tear fell from his eyes, his jaw clenched in an effort to stop any more from coming out.

"Go home, Damon," Athena whispered before placing a kiss on his forehead. She let him go and walked back inside.

Damon let out a small noise and quickly darted away.

Athena paused just inside the house, closing her eyes tightly to fight the tears that had built behind her eyelids. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Then she opened her eyes, determination settling into her features. She made her way back into the library where her brother, Luciana, and Katerina still were.

Elena and Lorelei went with Bianca back to the Gilbert household to spend time with Jeremy. Caroline and Hayley went to the hospital to check on Carol Lockwood apparently—

"What did you do?" Athena demanded, looking over at her brother once Katherine finished filling her in.

Klaus looked up from where he was munching on some cashews. He swallowed the mouthful when he saw Athena's glare. "I may or may not have had Maddox... cause her to tumble... over the railing in her house and... hit the ground?"

Athena, Katherine, and Luciana stare at him as if he'd grown three heads.

Klaus blinked back at them. "We need a werewolf."

Athena's eyes widened. "We're not using Tyler!"

"But—"

"He's 17!"

"Oh, do not pull the 'he's a child' bullshit on me. In our culture, 17 is being an adult!" Klaus argued, pointing at his sister, "let's not forget you're dating a 17-year-old."

Athena winced a little, shutting her mouth for a moment. She clicked her tongue, thinking. "Touche. But we're not using Tyler."

Klaus groaned in annoyance. "Why not?"

"Because he may be a jackass but he's still—" Athena waved her hand, frowning, "he doesn't know what he's doing, Niklaus. He just triggered his wolf side and he had been manipulated."

Klaus sighed in slight annoyance. "Then who are we gonna use, eh? Your girlfriend?"

"Klaus!" Katherine and Luciana scolded as Athena's eyes darkened in anger.

"I'm just saying. We don't have many bloody options," Klaus said, raising his hands in a placating manner, "we're not actually gonna use her, sister."

Athena flicked her hand, rolling her eyes. Klaus yelped as his chair was shoved backward, the piece of wood jerking the Original out of it. He landed on the ground with a thud.

"You think Tyler's coming alone?" Athena scoffed, smirking a little.

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "The woman. Julia or whatever. You think she'll be here?"

Athena's smirk deepened. "Positive."

Katherine tilted her head, humming. "I say we do it."

"Perfect. We have our werewolf and we have our vampire. Ta-da," Klaus grinned, spreading his hands out.

Luciana scoffed, looking back down at the grimoire.

"We do have a slight problem," Athena said before anyone could get too comfortable.

Klaus and Katherine frowned at her, side-eyeing each other. Luciana's brows furrowed, looking up at her friend.

Athena sighed, meeting her brother's eyes. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"DOCTORS SAID SHE took a pretty nasty fall," Caroline said as she held out her hand for Hayley who was locking the car. Hayley took her hand when she turned back around. "She's lucky to even be alive."

"You think she tripped?" Hayley wondered as they made their way toward the hospital entrance.

"I think our brother-in-magical-powers had something to do with it—Tyler?" Caroline stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the boy. Hayley grunted as she was jerked to a stop.

Jules stood beside Tyler, looking annoyed at having to see them.

"Jules," Caroline greeted as well, squeezing Hayley's hand a little tighter. The werewolf pressed herself against the blonde, unlinking their hands to wrap her arm around her girlfriend's waist.

Jules didn't respond, leaning into Tyler slightly. "I'll give you a few minutes," she said reluctantly.

"Thank you," Tyler said, his gaze already back on Caroline.

"Just a few, Tyler," Jules reminded him.

Tyler looked at her, annoyed. "I got it."

Jules brushed passed Hayley. The werewolf watched her go, eyes narrowed on her retreating figure.

"She's just making sure I'm safe," Tyler says in response to his friend's behavior, looking a little awkward.

Caroline crosses her arms, leaning into Hayley and raising an eyebrow at her ex-friend. "So what, are you two, like, friends now?"

"She's been helping me," Tyler explained.

Caroline hummed, giving a nod.

"How are you?" Tyler smiled, "both of you."

Caroline and Hayley glanced at each other. The blonde decided to change the subject. "I heard about your mom. We just came to check in on her."

"She's banged up, but... she'll be okay," Tyler said, glancing down at his feet for a second before looking back up at them.

"And you?" Hayley asked, raising an eyebrow at the other werewolf. "How's everything with you?"

"I'm... hanging in there," Tyler nodded, giving her a half-smile.

Hayley gave him a half-smile back. "Are you... are you ready for tonight?"

Tyler tensed a little at the mention of the full moon. "I'm..." he shrugged a little, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I don't really have a choice." Hayley nodded. "I should probably get going. Jules and I need to get on the road," he said, stepping past Hayley.

Caroline turned faster than Hayley could move. "You're leaving again?"

Tyler turned, smiling sadly at her. "I left for a reason, Caroline."

Caroline waved her hand, "well, your explanation must have got lost in the mail along with your goodbye."

"Well..." Tyler trailed off, unsure of how to argue against that. "Take care of yourself, guys." He turned around only to hit Athena's chest.

"Oof!" Tyler grunted, stepping back a moment later, "Athena—"

"Babe, what are you doing here?" Hayley asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Athena tilted her head, giving her girlfriends a smile. "Getting our werewolf."

Caroline's eyes widen, looking at Tyler in panic before looking at her girlfriend.

"TYLER!" Jules yelled, voice laced with panic.

The werewolf tried to go to her, but Athena shoved him against the truck with a hand to his chest. The boy struggled against her, but Athena easily kept him stuck.

Caroline and Hayley both looked at each other, looking wary.

"What are you doing? What are you doing to her?" Tyler demanded, grabbing Athena's collar with glowing eyes.

Athena gave him a once over, tilting her head. "I apologize... but she did put a gun to my daughter's back and tortured her and my girlfriend. And I had to make a choice. You..." Athena turned her head to Katherine who shoved Jule's unconscious body into the back of Athena's jeep, "or her." She looked back at Tyler, "I chose her."

"She's just helping me! Athena, please!" Tyler pleaded.

Athena shook her head a bit, giving him an apologetic look. "You are the only other option, Tyler. I'm not going to kill you."

Tyler stared at her in shock.

"Ty," Caroline said, setting a hand on his arm. He turned to look at her, his eyes wide and scared. "Let's go for a walk?" She asked, gently pulling him away from the scene.

Hayley stepped up beside Athena, leaning against the woman's front. "That was a little harsh," she muttered, kissing Athena's neck.

"Tough love?" Athena scrunched her face up, looking down at her girlfriend before breaking out into a smile.

Hayley snorted, shaking her head in amusement. Athena leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

DAMON SAT AT the bar, ordering a glass of bourbon. His talk with Athena kept replaying in his mind. It was like she knew exactly why Damon was asking and that unnerved him.

He believed her when he said she said that it was real. That she hadn't just saved him for some plan of deception or whatever.

"Thanks," Damon muttered to the bartender. His brows furrowed when he heard the sound of someone walking up behind him. Alaric took a seat beside his friend.

"I'll have the same," he said.

"I think I screwed up," Damon told him as Alaric turned his head toward him.

Alaric raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what you did, but yeah, probably."

Damon shot him a dirty look.

"Gentlemen?" An accented voice asked.

Damon's eyes widened a moment before they narrowed. Alaric sat up, staring at Klaus in slight fear.

"Why so glum?" Klaus asked, smirking a little as his eyes flicked between the two men.

Damon turns his head, meeting Klaus' eyes. The Original stares back. Damon's face screws up. "Ugh," his head drops, closing his eyes, "Klaus, I presume."

Klaus' smirk widens. "In the flesh." His eyes flick toward Alaric, "thanks for the loaner, mate."

Damon stood up, "any reason you stopped by to say hi?"

"I'm told your brother facies my doppelganger and for some weird reason... you fancy my brother," Klaus said, turning to look at Damon. Alaric's eyes widen in shock.

The vampire stammers a bit, his cheeks a bit red. "I don—No, I don't—"

Klaus cocks an eyebrow, tapping Damon's cheek. The vampire jerks away, scowling. "The blush says differently, love." He smirks a bit before going back to being serious. "Just thought I'd remind you not to do anything you'll regret," he widens his eyes before smirking.

"Ha. Ha," Damon laughs, the sound a little strangled. He glances back at Alaric with a scrunched nose, his mind going back to his agreement with Elijah. "Thanks for the advice."

Klaus raises his eyebrows, tilting his head a bit toward him.

"You wouldn't be open to a... postponement, would you?" Damon asked, smiling charmingly at the Original.

Klaus' face drops a little, staring at him incredulously. "You are kidding," he looks at Alaric, "he is kidding, right?"

Alaric purses his lips, "no, not really."

"I mean, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?"

Klaus' eyes darken, stepping toward the young vampire. "Let me be clear," he says, "I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So if you want to live to see tomorrow don't screw it up." His voice drops so Alaric can not hear. "Athena means everything to me. If she does not do this ritual tonight because of you, I will make your entire existence miserable. Elijah will not see another day—ever. And I will murder your brother right in front of you to give you a sliver of what I feel when she is ripped from me."

Then he smiles and steps back, walking away.

Damon huffs and sits down, looking a little pale. He wasn't scared of Klaus when he was threatening him, but when he threatened Stefan it had him a little scared. And Damon could tell Klaus meant what he said.

Except.

"You're going to try and mess it up, aren't you?"

Damon glances over at him. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA, CAROLINE, AND Hayley sit in a tree, staring up at the darkening sky. Klaus had gone out to taunt Damon, Elena, and Lorelei were together since Jeremy opted to spend time with Bonnie; Luciana and Katherine were preparing the binding spell so Athena had opted to spend time with her girlfriends.

Jenna and Bianca were going to meet them at the ritual site about 20 minutes early so that Athena and they could have some time.

"What should we do to celebrate after the ritual?" Caroline asked as she turned to look over at her girlfriends.

"I say we leave for about two weeks and go have the time of our fucking lives," Hayley replied, her eyes closed.

Athena smiles a little, looking over at Hayley before meeting Caroline's eyes. "Would this have anything to do with the thing you've yet to tell us about?"

Hayley froze for a second before she opened her eyes and glanced between her girlfriends. She huffed. "Am I that obvious?" She asked sheepishly.

"No," Caroline said, smoothening Hayley's hair down.

"We just know you," Athena grinned, tapping her girlfriend's nose playfully.

Hayley scrunched it on reflex, smiling herself. "Uh, well... you both know I was adopted when I was really young." Both of them nodded. "I... I was thinking about, um..." She looked down at her hands, fiddling with them.

"Hey," Athena set her hand on top of her girlfriends, "it's us. You don't need to be embarrassed. We're gonna support you through anything."

Hayley took Athena's hand, squeezing it. "I was thinking about trying to find them... or at least try to find people who knew them," she said as Caroline wrapped her hand around Hayley's forearm. "I don't know anything about where I came from, I don't even know about my werewolf lineage other than I am one. I've learned so much about your culture and your lineage," she looked at Athena, "and I want to know about myself."

"I think that's amazing," Caroline grinned, brushing her thumb over Hayley's pulse point.

Athena nodded in agreement. "I know plenty of werewolves. I'm sure they'd be happy to help," she smiled.

Hayley's eyes lit up a bit, smiling as well. "Thank you," she said softly, "to both of you. For accepting me."

"We love you," Athena said seriously, bringing Hayley's hand up to kiss the back of it, "we're always going to accept you."

Caroline nodded, pressing a kiss to Hayley's cheek. "Mhm! This will be so much fun! We can go meet all of the werewolves and get information—or if you want, you can do it by yourself because I know sometimes people want to do this kind of thing for themselves which is also fine!" The blonde rambled excitedly.

Hayley's smile grew wider with every word that came out of Caroline's mouth. "Mm. I was thinking... maybe you guys come with me, at least for a little while. I'd love for you two to be there if you'd like."

Athena hummed. "We'll be there."

Hayley beamed and looked up at the sunset.

Caroline relaxed against the tree, sighing.

"I do think you and Klaus are very cute in your matching outfits," Caroline said suddenly, looking over at Athena with a teasing grin.

Athena snorted. "Thank you. We thought it was cute too," she joked.

Hayley snickered.

They all sat in silence for a little bit longer before Athena felt a pull on the alarm spell she put around the tomb. She hadn't thought to add anything else since Maddox was protecting it.

"Shit," Athena said, sitting up. Somebody was in the tomb that wasn't supposed to be there.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked as Hayley reached for her girlfriend, worried she'd fall off the tree if it was one of her pain episodes.

"Come with me," Athena said, hopping down from the tree, "quick. Come on." She held out her hands for the two who quickly followed. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ELENA AND LORELEI climb up toward the top of the waterfall, heading toward the very top of the mountain.

"Lorelei, why can't you just, like, use some of your werewolf powers to get us up there?" Elena pouts a bit, almost stumbling over a rock if not for Lorelei's grip on her hand.

"Oh, come on. Work for it a little, yeah?" Lorelei asked as she paused, turning toward her girlfriend—yeah, they were girlfriends now!—and grinning at her. "It's your 'last' day," she said and Elena scoffed, shoving her shoulder.

"So, you want me to work for it on my last day? I thought you loved me," Elena frowned playfully.

"Ha, ha," Lorelei mocked, pulling Elena closer and pressing a kiss to her lips, "trust me?" She whispered, smiling at the blush on the older girl's cheeks.

"Always," Elena whispered back, smiling at her girlfriend.

Lorelei's smile widened and she continued their trek up to the top. It took about 15 more minutes before they got to the place Lorelei wanted to take Elena.

"We made it!" Elena said, jogging up the rest of the spot with her hand firmly locked in Lorelei's, "ahh." She sighed heavily, grinning.

"We really need to work on your endurance," Lorelei said playfully, sliding her hand around Elena's waist and pulling her close.

"Oh, shut up. Not all of us are a werewolf," Elena huffed, sliding her free arm around Lorelei's shoulders.

"Hey, I had endurance before I triggered my wolf side," Lorelei smirked.

"Nobody likes a bragger, Rory," Elena drawled playfully, pressing a kiss to Lorelei's cheek. She then turned her head to look at the sunset, her eyes squinting a little against the light. "Oh, wow," she whispered, in awe of the beauty.

Lorelei smiled softly, her gaze focused on Elena instead of the sunset. "Yeah," she agreed. Elena sighed heavily, dropping her head against Lorelei's softly, still looking against the sunset. Lorelei hummed, closing her eyes and tightening her arm around the older girl. "I know I cut you off yesterday... but you can say it."

"I am terrified that this ritual won't work. That Athena's mother made up this whole curse as a fluke. That I won't come back and I won't be able to see Davina ever again, that I'm going to leave Jeremy... that I won't get to spend eternity or however long we decide to stay alive... with you," Elena turned her head, pressing her forehead against Lorelei's, "I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of it. I'm afraid that I'll leave you all alone."

Lorelei released Elena's hand, bringing it up and resting it against the doppelganger's cheek. She brushed her thumb over her cheek. "Baby... my mother would never let you die. But I understand your concern and I'm sorry I didn't take it seriously yesterday. You mean so much to me... I just couldn't believe that you wouldn't come back. I have faith in my mother that she will bring you back to me."

Elena smiled softly. "And I have faith in mine."

Lorelei hummed, squeezing her waist as she dropped her hand. "Dance with me?" She whispered.

"We have no music."

"We don't need it."

Elena wrapped her other arm around Lorelei's neck, humming. "Then I shall dance with you."

Lorelei slowly began to sway them, humming softly under her breath. Elena closed her eyes, burying her face in her girlfriend's neck.

"I love you, Elena Petrova," Lorelei whispered, raising her hand to the back of Elena's head.

"And I love you, Lorelei Castillo." 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

DAMON WALKED UP the stairs with Jules, Claire, and Tyler right behind him. Claire was reluctantly following, having come to terms with how she was set to die and not wanting to be on the end of Niklaus and Athena Castillo's wrath.

Matt was slowly waking up from where Damon had bashed his face with the butt of his rifle. He groaned in pain and dizziness.

"Matt," Tyler said, rushing over to the blonde boy and kneeling beside him. "Hey, did you have to hit him so hard?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Did you already forget the part about the gun with the wooden bullets?" He walked toward the two.

"What the fuck do you two think you're doing?" Athena demanded as she appeared before Damon, shoving him backward. Jules and Claire's bodies froze and the white-haired woman groaned a bit, hating the feeling.

"Athena—"

"Shut up, Tyler," Athena spat, glaring at Damon, "Niklaus warned you what would happen if you fucking interfered!"

Hayley walked over to the rifle that was on the ground, frowning. She picked it up, trying to empty it but it was already done. She glanced over at Damon and then at Matt.

Caroline set a hand on Tyler's back, her fingers digging into his back a bit. "Ow, Care," Tyler muttered, wincing a bit as he glanced up at the blonde.

"Don't 'ow, Care' me, dude. What the fuck are you doing?" Caroline hissed quietly, smacking the side of the werewolf's head, "I know she's your friend, but we need a werewolf. Unless you're offering yourself up, stop being an idiot."

"Look, I know you know about my deal with Elijah," Damon said, breathing a little heavy, "I know you know everything. I just need a little more time, okay? Maybe if we postpone—"

"I don't have the time to postpone, Damon," Athena cut off, looking incredulous, "you think we'd be doing it tonight if we had the fucking time?"

Damon blinked a couple of times. "What?"

Athena threw her hands up, "I'm dying, honey! I have maybe a week at best... I die tomorrow at worst. Maybe even today. I need to do this tonight—"

Tyler and Hayley both groan suddenly. Jule's face is scrunched up in pain.

"Oh, girls... I forgot the ring," Hayley said, leaning against a tree. Athena was beside her in a second, holding her up.

"The Lockwood cellar," Caroline said quickly, "they can shift there and they'll be out of the way for the ritual."

"Okay, just—" Athena waved her hand. Claire and Jules were gone again, back in the cellar.

"Grab boy wonder. Let's go," Damon sighed, looking defeated and slightly annoyed.

"Do you need my help?" Athena whispered to Hayley as Caroline let Tyler go.

"No, no... I should be fine," Hayley sighed, wincing a little.

Athena nodded, but still wrapped her arm around her girlfriend's waist. The five of them quickly made their way toward the cellar. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ELENA AND LORELEI exit the vehicle, Elena rounding the car and taking her girlfriend's hand. Lorelei tensed and she turned her head, frowning at Stefan who was standing a couple of feet away from them.

"I want to talk to Elena," Stefan said.

Lorelei narrowed her eyes a bit before looking at Elena. "Do you wanna speak to him?" She asked quietly.

Elena glanced over at her ex, frowning a bit. She sighed, "give me five minutes?"

Lorelei huffed a little but nodded. "Of course."

Elena smiled, pulling her girlfriend in by the collar and kissing her. Lorelei groaned a little, surprised and a little smug.

Stefan looked away, jaw clenched.

"Five minutes," Lorelei muttered and Elena nodded. Lorelei pressed one last kiss to Elena's lips before she pulled away. "I'll be right over there," she said, pointing toward the porch. She shot Stefan a glare, "where I can still hear." Then she walked over.

Stefan watched her for a moment before looking at Elena. "What do you want, Stefan?" Elena asked, crossing her arms and leaning against her car.

The man's eyes had softened, "I was hoping I could try to talk you out of what you're about to do."

Elena sighed heavily. "You can't."

"Elena, please. I don't know what Athena has promised you... but what if she's lying, huh? What if this has been her plan all along?" Stefan pleaded, staring at her. He knew he was going against Elijah's word, but he needed to try.

The doppelganger rubbed her forehead. "I assure you, I'll be fine," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "Stefan, I know you still love me, but I genuinely do not care for your concern. I loved you, I did, but I don't anymore."

"You can't fall out of love with someone that quick," Stefan argued, frowning a bit, "I know you think you're in love with... her." His eyes flicked over to Lorelei who was glaring at him. "But I know you still love me."

Elena stared at him with a scrunched face. "You literally can. Caroline fell out of love with Tyler and she fell out of love with Matt. That happened pretty quickly. And you know what both of them had in common? They hurt her. And guess what you did? You hurt me," she said, frowning.

Lorelei raised her eyebrows, smirking a little. That was her girl.

Stefan's frown deepened. "Elena—" He tensed immediately as his eyes met the blue eyes of a blonde man standing a bit behind Elena. He had just appeared.

Elena turned her head, relaxing a bit when she saw Klaus.

"You were making me a little nervous," Klaus said, staring at Stefan with slight annoyance and a sneer, "I thought maybe you and your brother had done something stupid." His eyes flicked to Elena, "you ready, my dear?"

Elena nodded, shaking out her nerves. "I'm ready," she said.

Stefan grabbed Elena's arm before she could make to move toward him. Lorelei instantly advanced, growling.

"Stefan, let me go," Elena snapped, fed up with him.

"No," Stefan said, not even looking at Elena. He was glaring at Klaus.

"I wouldn't," Klaus said, his eyes dark. He resembled Athena a lot in that moment that it threw Stefan off. "No reason for you to die too, hmm?"

Elena tried to wrestle her arm out of Stefan's grasp but it was no use. Stefan's eyes shifted, bringing his wrist to his mouth quicker than Elena could comprehend.

Her eyes widened in panic as he twisted her.

"NO!" Lorelei shouted, shoving her hand out, palm forward. Stefan flew backward before he could force the blood down Elena's throat. Klaus was on top of him in a second as Elena rushed into Lorelei's arms, shaking a bit.

Klaus stomped on the vampire's chest causing Stefan to wheeze and clutch at his heart. Klaus snapped Stefan's wrists and then lifted the boy up by his throat.

"Manhandling a lady is not gentlemanly," Klaus tsked, frowning at the vampire, "you're truly pathetic. If you ever come near Elena again, I'll rip out your throat and feed it to your brother. Do you understand me?"

Stefan just wheezed, his hand clawing at Klaus' around his neck.

The Original dropped Stefan, kicking his back and snapping his spine. Then he wiped his hands on his pants and turned toward his niece and her girlfriend. "Well, my dears, shall we?" He smiled, holding his hand out. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"ARE YOU OKAY, man?" Matt asked, looking over at Tyler who was clutching at his chest.

Hayley leaned heavily against Athena's side, wincing every couple of seconds.

Damon's phone rang a second later and he quickly answered. "Bad time, little bro."

Athena looked up at the sky. It was almost time. She needed to get going. "Caroline—"

Tyler cried out, falling to the ground. Hayley crumbled into herself and Athena gently lowered her to the ground.

"Tyler!" Matt shouted, panicked.

"Hayley!" Caroline exclaimed taking a couple of steps toward her girlfriend.

"Oh, God!" Tyler yelled, sitting up on his knees as his wrists started breaking and shifting. He screamed, falling over back onto his hands.

Hayley cried out as her body began to shift.

"I don't know if I can hold it off. Get out of here," Tyler said toward Damon, Caroline, Athena, and Matt.

"Tyler, it'll be okay," Caroline said softly, her eyes momentarily flicking toward him before she looked back at her girlfriend.

"I'll be fine. Help him," Hayley grunted, her eyes starting to glow.

"Just go!" Tyler yelled.

"You've got time. We're almost there, just—"

"It's happening faster," Tyler argued, looking up at Caroline. His eyes glowed and he ran at Caroline. Athena went to move but Damon beat her to it, tackling Tyler to the ground. They landed, Damon holding the boy back by his collarbones. Tyler growled snapping his jaws and trying to bite the vampire.

His teeth sunk into Damon's forearm and Damon instantly kicked him off. The vampire got up quickly, breathing heavily.

Caroline's eyes widened. "Damon," she said worriedly.

"I'm fine," he waved off but Caroline had already grabbed his arm and pulled his jacket sleeve up. The bite healed, but they knew it'd come back.

Athena didn't know what to do. She had to go, but she couldn't leave them. Not like this. Not with Damon with a werewolf bite, not with her girlfriends and a rogue werewolf.

"Baby, you have to go," Hayley said, breathing heavily as she looked up at Athena. The redhead looked down, her eyes wide with panic. "It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."

Athena nodded and looked at Caroline. "Get to the Lockwood cellar. If it held him in, it'll keep him out," she said, picking Hayley up and handing her to Caroline, "Hayls can control herself around you so you'll be fine with her. If he gets through, she'll make sure he doesn't get to you."

"You're going to be okay?" Caroline asked worriedly, her eyes flicking between Tyler and her girlfriend.

"I'll be okay," Athena promised, smiling at her girls. She quickly kissed them both.

"Go," Hayley said, pushing at Athena's chest, "go. You need to go, baby."

"I'll see you after," Athena said and then turned to Damon, "and I'm gonna cure that bite when I get back." She flicked the side of his head. "Go!" Damon nodded and grabbed Matt. Caroline and Damon quickly sped the two to the cellar.

Tyler screamed as his body began the full shift.

Athena breathed heavily for a moment. Then shot off.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

KLAUS AND LUCIANA began setting up the ritual.

"Where's Ma? I thought she said she would be here before us," Bianca said from where she was sitting beside Lorelei on a rock. Jenna and Elena were having a quiet conversation a bit further away.

"Not sure. She'll be here though," Klaus said, not looking concerned at all, "she's probably having a last-minute session with her girlfriends."

"Ew! Uncle Nik!" Lorelei and Bianca groaned with Ian throwing a rock at her uncle. Klaus laughed, dodging it.

"Just saying," Klaus grinned.

Luciana snorted, shaking her head.

"I'm sure she's just fine, my dear nieces," Klaus added, shooting them a wink. He turned just as he felt a sharp pain on his thigh. He froze. He knew that feeling. "No," he whispered.

Werewolf venom.

He felt his sister scream and sped off into the woods. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"DAMON, HELP ME with the gate!" Caroline shouted as Hayley stripped down to her undergarments. Matt looked away, loading his gun. Damon rushed inside the gate right before Caroline closed it.

Hayley cried out once before she shifted, shaking out her coat. Damon and Caroline both wrapped the chain around the gate before the blonde added the lock.

The two vampires stepped back when a wolf jumped down into the cellar, growling at them. Hayley darted in front of her girlfriend, growling back.

Matt stared at the wolves in shock, his aim faltering.

"Tyler?" Caroline asked as she reached down to brush the fur on top of Hayley's head. The brownish-gray wolf wrapped itself around her, snarling at the black wolf. "It's me. It's Caroline. Tyler?"

The wolf lunged causing Hayley to start barking and snapping her jaws back. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA WITHERED ON the ground, crying softly at the pain shooting up her body. She's never had her death feel like this. She always died peacefully, surrounded by her brothers and sisters and daughters. She turned to dust and her soul went to the Other Side until it was ready to resurrect.

"Fucking Lockwoods. Twice this has happened," Athena muttered to herself, coughing up blood. She spit it on the ground, her hands shaking. Her arms turned gray, black veins zigzagging up her arms.

"Athens," Klaus appeared suddenly beside her, on his knees, "it's alright. It's alright. Your brothers are here now. I'm here." He gently scooped her up, pulling her head to his chest. "We're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. I promise." He kissed her forehead before sprinting back toward the ritual site.

Athena clutched onto his shirt, crying out as her muscles spasmed.

"I know, I know," he whispered into her hair. "Luciana!" He shouted as he came out of the woods.

"Ma!" Bianca and Lorelei exclaimed, panicked.

"Elena, we have to start now," he said as he looked over at the doppelganger. He gently set his sister against the tree.

Jenna, Bianca, and Lorelei were quick to surround her as Katherine appeared with Claire in tow.

"Ma, Mami," Bianca whispered frantically, holding her mother's head up.

"I'm sorry," Athena whispered, her eyes slightly unfocused as they flicked between her three girls, "I'm so sorry. I tried. I didn't—" She choked a bit, turning to her left and coughing up blood. "I'm sorry."

"Shut up," Jenna said, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping her mother's mouth, "just shut up. You're not dying yet. We're so close."

"Just hold on a little longer, Mami," Lorelei pleaded, "please. Please. Just a little bit longer."

Athena smiled softly at her. "I will try."

AN: uh oh! running out of time! thank you all for reading! i hope you enjoyed it. we're getting closer to the end! 

edited:
finished: 05/20/24
wc: 6920