CHAPTER NINE: A Little Séance Never Hurt Anyone
WARNINGS: implied/referenced murder, small description of animal blood tastes, slight torture, mention of animal murder

ATHENA WALKED INTO HER HOUSE after dropping Caroline off at school. Luna crashed into her, arms wrapped tightly around the Heretic. Athena yelped, catching herself on the wall with her hand while the other wrapped around her best friend.

"I heard about what happened to Lexi from Stefan," Luna murmured into her ear, "I'm so sorry..."

Athena shook her head, "I'm okay. Lexi..." the redhead sighed and pulled away from Luna, giving her a small smile, "she's gone. And I'm gonna make Damon's life a living hell."

Luna crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the woman, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were related to Nik..." Her eyes widened a bit, like she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"What?" Athena asked, bewildered at the change in topic.

"What?" Luna echoed before vamping out of the room.

Athena frowned, confused at the behavior. She shook her head and made her way to the kitchen. That's where she found the one who had given Caroline nightmares of Lexi dying all night.

Damon was making coffee, looking carefree, and humming a tune. Like he hadn't just murdered Lexi.

"Why?"

Damon looked up at her, pausing in bringing the coffee cup to his lips. He stares at her, noticing the tears in her eyes. He takes a long sip of the bitter substance and then sets the mug on the counter, all while maintaining eye contact.

"Why what?"

Athena's eyes hardened, lips curling, "you know what!" She spat.

Damon sighed, looking bored, "look, I did it to get the town off our backs—"

"Everything was fine!" Athena yelled, cutting him off. He flinched a bit at the outburst. "No one suspected shit when I was here. I was careful, but as soon as you and Stefan show up, everything turns to complete and utter shit!" Her breathing turns ragged, eyes flickering between their normal blue and black. Veins filled with black magic course through her, popping out of her skin slowly. "You killed my friend!"

She's in front of him in a second, shoving him.

His body ragdolls, flying backward into the wall.

"You fucked everything up!" Athena yelled, tears falling down her cheeks.

Stefan vamps into the room, hearing the commotion. "What's going on?" He asked, looking between Damon who was slowly getting up, and Athena who looked ready to tear Damon apart. "What are you doing?!" He shouts at Athena when Damon starts yelling in pain, clutching his head.

An aneurysm spell. Child's play.

"Athena, stop it! Killing him won't do anything!" Stefan appears in front of her, effectively cutting off her contact. She doesn't want to hurt her youngest brother.

"He killed Lexi, Stefan," she breathed, glaring at Damon over his shoulder.

"So did you," Stefan spat.

Athena recoiled, shocked. What? She shook her head, disbelief coloring her features. Damon used the wall to help him stand up, looking incredulous. "Stefan, what—"

"You could've saved her," he pointed at her, eyes ablaze, "I saw you. You were right there! You could've thrown him off with your magic or—or something! Instead, you stood and watched!" She flinched, her walls flying up as she curled in on herself. He stalked towards her, "what good is being an abomination if you aren't going to use your powers!" He yelled.

Athena's heart dropped to her feet, tears burning the back of her throat and her eyes.

"Stefan!" Damon yelled, "what the actual fuck?!" Damon appeared in front of Athena, blocking her from Stefan's view, "go fucking cool off, and then you can apologize," he snarled, grabbing Stefan's shirt and shoving him towards the entrance.

Stefan walked out.

Damon turned around to face Athena. "I—I got to go..." Athena murmured, her eyes void and voice emotionless.

Damon wrapped his arms around her, resting his hand on the back of her head. "What he said isn't true," he whispered, "you are not an abomination. Do you understand me? You are anything but." He tightened his arms around her when she didn't respond, "I'm sorry—really. For what I did to Lexi but none of this was your fault. It was me. Stefan's just upset—he didn't mean it."

"Why'd you do it?" Athena whispered, her arms staying limp by her sides.

Damon swallowed roughly, "I wanted to protect you too..." he mumbled, his voice sounding slightly ashamed, "even though I was the one who put us in danger in the first place."

Athena slowly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. She began to sob, trembling in his arms. His heart thudded painfully and he held her up, letting her cry it out.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"I'M SO TIRED, baby," Caroline sighed into the phone.

Athena frowned, "I know, honey, I'm sorry. Hopefully, you'll sleep better tonight."

"Yeah, hopefully. It's not just that though. Luckily, my hangover is gone—thank you for that," Athena hummed, smiling, "but Matt has also been trying to talk to me all day. I only went to him last night because Bonnie was upset with me, Elena was with Stefan and seemed to be glaring at me the whole night, and I couldn't find you. He was my safest bet, then you showed up."

Athena chuckled, "yeah, well, you were pretty drunk."

She could just picture the pout Caroline was sporting, "L... she wouldn't stop ordering us drinks and you know I will never say no to a beverage with alcohol in it."

Athena didn't miss that Caroline didn't say Lexi's name. It was so strange how quickly those two had bonded and how quickly that bond was ripped away.

"I know. If he keeps bothering you, just tell him I'll beat his scrawny little ass. I'm not afraid to pummel him," she said, "do you want me to pick you up, my Luv?"

"Please..."

Athena chuckled, "I'll see you later, Princess."

"Bye!"

Athena got up from her bed and made her way down to her car. She got in and drove to the school to pick up her girlfriend. She decided to use the Chevy Impala since it was the first pair of keys she grabbed.

Pulling into the parking lot a few minutes later, she unlocked her car so Caroline could open the door and slip inside. The blonde set her backpack in the back and leaned over towards Athena, connecting their lips before the redhead could get a word out.

The Heretic smiled a bit and welcomed the kiss, parting her lips so Caroline could slip her tongue into her mouth. Athena could become addicted to the blonde's taste alone.

Then, Caroline pecked her lips once more and leaned back, putting on her sunglasses. Athena's eyes flicked over to where Matt was watching them through angered and jealous eyes. The redhead gave him a smirk and pulled out of the school.

"Hello to you too, sweetheart," Athena said as Caroline interlocked their fingers.

The blonde tugged their hands onto her lap and slumped in her seat, exhausted from both today and last night's events. Athena remained silent, wanting Caroline to get at least a little bit of sleep.

Her phone rang a bit later, breaking through the silence. Caroline reached over and answered it so it would stop ringing. Athena shook her head with a fond smile, "hello?"

"Hi, is this Athena Salvatore?" The familiar voice of the nurse from yesterday spoke.

"Yes, this is her."

"Good. You wanted me to call you on any update on Mr. Turner's condition. He has a fractured rib and a minor concussion. His nasal bone is bruised, but the cut on his head is stitched up."

Caroline shot her girlfriend a confused look, mouthing who is Mr. Turner?

Athena didn't respond, changing her direction and making her way to the hospital. "Thank you," she told the nurse and then ended the call.

"Okay, what was that?" Caroline asked after Athena offered no explanation.

The redhead sighed, "a friend got into a fight and I took him to the hospital," she explained vaguely. Caroline gave her a look and rolled her eyes when the redhead didn't say anything else.

"Turner. Sounds familiar," the blonde said, frowning as she tried to remember.

Athena pulled into a parking spot and then got out. Caroline followed close behind, taking her hand as they entered the hospital. Athena walked up to the front desk. "Braxton Turner," she said to the receptionist.

Caroline's eyes widened a bit. She knew that name. She had a couple of classes with him. He was crazy smart at Math and was excelling in English. They only spoke in those two classes, having been seat partners the last semester.

"Room 107," the lady said and Athena nodded. Caroline pulled her over to the hallway and guided her to the room they were looking for.

They entered the room, seeing the boy laying in his bed. He was sitting up, eyes focused on the TV that was showing Iron Man. He was eating pudding, looking a bit tired. There was a stitch on his forehead, a bandaid over it. The bridge of his nose and the corners of his eyes were bruised.

"You know you're supposed to cut your TV time while having a concussion, right?" Athena asked, making her presence known. The boy startled a bit, head turning to look at the two with wide eyes.

She let go of Caroline's hand and walked over to the boy, scrunching her nose at the scent of the hospital and the copper smell of blood. He shrugged, "I am. This is the first time I've watched TV. I've been passed out since 2."

"Ugh, lucky," Caroline grumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Braxton's eyes jumped over to her, tilting his head in a confused manner, "Caroline?"

The blonde gave him a small wave. Athena raised an eyebrow, "you two know each other?" She asked.

Before Caroline could reply, Braxton cut in, "you two know each other?" He cocked an eyebrow and winced a bit.

"Tina, Braxton and I have Algebra 2 and English together. Braxton, this Athena my girlfriend," Caroline explained, cutting into the conversation and walking over as Athena sat down on the edge of the bed.

Realization dawned on both of them. "No wonder you were eye-fucking her last night," Braxton said, nudging Athena with his foot.

She gave him a gentle whack, "I was not," she argued, shooting him a playful glare as Caroline snorted.

Caroline grimaced a bit at his wounds, especially when he flinched a bit when he laughed. "What happened to you?" She asked gently, not meaning to be rude, just curious. She hesitantly moved a bit of his hair to get a better view of the stitches.

"Oh, just some asshole that tried to force a girl home with him. He was drunk off his rocker—you should see how he looks," he grinned cheekily, scooping another spoonful of pudding into his mouth.

Caroline's eyes widened, "oh, my God, you're the one who beat up Chris Mulberry!" She laughed, clapping her hands, "oh, that's amazing! He looked like he got his ass handed to him. I think Tyler said something along the lines of 'he looks like a wrinkled grape' or something like that."

He laughed with her as Athena shook her head with an amused smile. "Ooh, ouch!" He winced, grabbing his side as he slowly stopped laughing.

Caroline grimaced, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't make you laugh—sorry."

He waved her off, putting the pudding off to the side, and sunk into the pillows and the bed. "So, why do you look so tired, blondy?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Caroline made herself comfortable on the small couch that was in the room. "Just nightmares," she said.

He tilted his head, furrowing his brows in concern. Athena stepped in when Caroline started to look pained at the memories. "A friend of ours... she passed away last night," she explained quietly, squeezing his knee gently.

His mouth formed an 'o' and he nodded, "that's awful. I lost my uncle a couple of months ago. He was like my best friend—him and my aunt."

Caroline and him shared weak smiles.

The door opened, "okay, so I got—"

Athena tensed at the familiar voice, eyes darting over to the woman who had just entered. Her hair was its fiery red—the same mane that covered Braxton's head—and her eyes were an alluring green. She radiated power—magic. She could only vaguely remember this woman but she knows she's met her before.

That's why, when a name slipped past her lips, she wasn't shocked, "Avery..."

The woman had stopped, the coffee slipping out of her hands as a gasp left her mouth—hearing her name from Athena's lips causing her to loosen her grip.

"Athena—what—" Avery stopped speaking, her eyes moving between the Heretic, then Braxton, then to Caroline, before settling back on Athena, "you know my name?" She asked, raising a hand to her head and rubbing her temples.

Athena stared at her, unblinkingly, mouth set into a line. She sat like a statue, unmoving. It was actually kinda creepy.

Then she was moving, pulling out her wallet and opening it up, sliding out a picture that was hidden in one of the hidden spots. She mindlessly handed it to Avery who took it hesitantly, stepping over the coffee that puddled on the ground.

Athena tried to think of where she met this woman before and why she seems so familiar—why her magic seems familiar. Now that Avery was in the same room as Braxton, Athena's senses tuned into the small thrum of magic that was hidden in the teenager's bones. He wasn't awakened yet—awakened as what? Athena's head hurt worse trying to think about it.

A groan fell from her lips, hands reaching up to soothe out the headache and nausea that overwhelmed her. Caroline lunged forward, catching her as Athena crumbled to the floor.

"Woah! Honey, what's wrong?" Caroline asked, her voice panicked as she held Athena.

Avery stared at the photo, her expression unreadable.

Luna stood on one end, her arm wrapped around Athena's shoulders, grinning at the camera. Athena was one of the women who stood in the middle, an arm around Luna's shoulders and one wrapped around a dark-brown-haired woman. Nineteen-year-old Avery smiled reluctantly at the camera as the brunette pulled her in.

That camera had been taken almost 13 years ago in 1997. Avery can remember it so clearly. Her sister, the brunette, had forced her to take a photo with Athena and Luna since Avery was leaving for college in the next hour. Reluctantly, she had agreed knowing how sad her sister was to see her go.

Now her sister is gone.

Avery turned the photo over.

Luna Everhart. Avery Wood. Cassidy Wood. Athena Salvatore. 1997

Snapping out of her thoughts, her attention turned to Athena who was now unconscious. The blonde holding her was trying to wake her up, her eyes wide with fear and panic. Braxton was freaking out a bit.

Avery quickly knelt down beside Athena, taking the knife out of her boot and taking the blonde's hand, slicing her palm. Caroline winced, but understood what she was doing while Braxton let out an "Aunt Avery, what the hell?!"

Caroline put her palm up to Athena's mouth and the Heretic's hand shot out, clamping gently around her wrist and sucking on the wound, black veins pulsing underneath her eyes. The blonde ran her fingers through her girlfriend's hair, dropping her head against the couch as she got slightly light-headed.

The Heretic pulled away, eyes going back to normal. Her fangs stayed elongated, lips and tongue dyed dark red from the blood. She sat up and bit into her wrist, bringing it up to Caroline's mouth and coaxing her to drink it.

Caroline pulled away when she got enough, gagging and shivering. "I hate that," she muttered, clicking her tongue. Athena smiled slightly and then turned towards Avery.

She sped forward, hand wrapping around the woman's throat and pinning her to the wall.

"Athena!" Caroline hissed while Braxton yelled at her.

"Silencio," Athena murmured and a patch of skin appeared over Braxton's mouth, preventing him from yelling for help. Avery inhaled sharply, grabbing Athena's wrist. "Who are you?" Athena demanded.

"I—I can explain. I promise," Avery gasped, "b-but we—we have to speak with L-Luna." Athena loosened her grip and the witch inhaled as much air as she could. "It's not for..." Her eyes jumped between the two teenagers, "it's not for them to hear."

Athena plucked the photo out of Avery's hand and put it away as she nodded, "fine." The patch of skin disappeared from Braxton's mouth, allowing him to speak again. Caroline just stared, confused and slightly annoyed—why couldn't she hear it? She knew of vampires. "Good luck with your... nephew," she turned on her heel, grasped Caroline's hand, gave Braxton a nod, then walked out.

"What was that?" Caroline asked in a hushed whisper as they quickly made their way out of the hospital.

"I don't know."

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"SO, STEFAN... YOU know, I've been thinkin'," Stefan said, walking over to Damon who was standing at the bar with a drink in his hand, "I think we should start over, give this brother thing another chance." Damon smiled slightly, scoffing through his nose. "We used to do it oh, so well once upon a time."

"I don't, Damon," the middle Salvatore said, "I can't trust you to be a nice guy. You—you kill everybody, and you're so mean. You're so mean, and..." Stefan raised an eyebrow, amused. Damon's eyes lit up a bit and he leveled Stefan with a dark look, "and I'm not much better since I blame your wrongdoings on Athena who had done nothing but gives her life for us."

Stefan's smile dropped and he swallowed. He turned towards the barista, "can I get a coffee, please?" He decided to change the subject, "so what's with the bottle?"

Damon blew out a breath, focusing on the cup in his hand, "I'm on edge. Crash diet, and I'm trying to keep a low profile."

"Mm. You could always just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal gas 'n' sip," Stefan proposed.

Damon smirked at him, "I'll manage. Plus, you think I'm gonna leave you alone with Athena after what you did?" His eyes gleamed like wasn't referring to this morning. Stefan shifted uncomfortably.

"You're no better than I am—"

"I'm not the one who called her an abomination," Damon interrupted with a smile. There was fury in his eyes, clear as day. The only reason he wasn't attacking Stefan was because of the people around them. "I may terrorize her, but I've never said that word to her and I never will. Because she's not an abomination, Stefan, she's our sister."

The barista gave Stefan his coffee and he muttered a quick 'thanks' before looking back at Damon.

"You know, you don't have to keep an eye on me," the dark-haired Salvatore said, pouring himself another drink, "if anything I'd rather have Athena here, at least she's fun to be around and knows how to drink."

"Well, I'm not here to keep an eye on you," Stefan said.

"Then why are you here?"

"Why not?" He snatched the bottle of alcohol away from his brother and walked away.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

CAROLINE AND ELENA are setting up the food in the kitchen. Caroline is pulling food out of the bag while Elena is setting up plates and napkins. Athena is sitting on one of the stools, sketching Avery in her journal.

The redhead is so familiar but she can't place why. And the fact she knows Luna and there is a picture of her with a one-night stand Athena had sixteen years ago.

"I'm sorry," Athena jumped when Caroline spoke in the silence, "there. I said it." Athena looked up at the three girls, blinking slowly. "If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours." Elena gives her a disapproving look while Athena tilts her head.

Bonnie hesitates for a moment before speaking, "will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?"

"You threw it away?!" Caroline asked in disbelief. Athena covered her mouth, laughing silently behind her hand.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it—and why are you laughing? I'm serious!" Bonnie threw her hands in the air as Athena tried to contain her laughter.

"Sorry, sorry," the redhead raised her hands in surrender and quieted down.

"You could have just given it back to me," Caroline said, ignoring her girlfriend.

"Why? So you could give it back to Damon?" Elena asked mockingly.

"Screw Damon," Caroline huffed.

"Screw Stefan," Athena agreed. The two high-fived, missing the shared look between the witch and the human.

"What did Stefan do?" Elena asked.

Athena smirked, "nothing, Bambi."

Elena frowned and Bonnie raised an eyebrow. Caroline scrunched her nose, realization dawning over her, "oh! Ew! Athena! Gross!"

Athena laughed, "I'm glad you and Damon get it. You two and Stefan have no sense of humor," she pointed to Bonnie and Elena.

Caroline flicked the side of her head before turning to her friends, "are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit?"

"Mine's in my bag," Bonnie told her. Caroline nodded and walked over to Bonnie's purse.

"So, Elena?" Caroline asked and the brunette hummed, "how long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it like a permanent thing?"

Athena smiled slightly. Stefan might hate her but she knows he'd still look after Caroline—because she was innocent. "I don't know, Caroline," Elena said, meeting Bonnie's eyes and giving her an annoyed look. Athena narrowed her eyes at them.

Caroline scoffed, "why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?" The blonde turned around.

"What?"

"Caroline!" Elena chastised.

Then they see what she's holding. The necklace dangles between her fingertips, swaying side to side. Elena and Bonnie stare at it in shock and look slightly scared.

Athena watched the pendant like a hawk. Bennett witches were known to be one of the powerful witch bloodlines—it doesn't compare to the power that flows through her veins according to Kol who has spent his lifetime learning about magic and dark objects.

Caroline walks over and sets it in the middle of the island. "I'm not lying to you, Caroline, I swear," Bonnie says.

"It's true," Elena nodded, "I watched her throw it into a field."

"Well, then explain it," Caroline demanded.

Athena smiled slightly, Emily had brought it back to Bonnie. She was the holder of it now. It came back to anyone that it bonded to and that just so happened to be Bonnie.

As the three continue to talk, Athena reaches for it and picks it up. She brings it back closer to her, cradling the amulet in her hand. She runs her thumb over it as she remembers that night.

Images flash in front of her eyes. The soldiers killing each other, the vampires being hoarded into the church, Emily and Athena appearing to help the vampires out since she wanted revenge for her brothers. Emily beginning to cast a spell as Athena fended off the few soldiers that were guarding the church, Emily draining Athena of her power and killing her so that she could save the vampires and put them in a tomb underneath the church.

The amulet begins to burn her palm and she hisses, tossing the jewelry back on the island. The three girls stop their argument as Athena waves out her hand. The redhead snarls a bit, rubbing the already healing burn mark.

"Little witch bitch," she muttered, glaring at the pendant. Bonnie tenses at the mention.

"What did you say?" The Bennett girl asked.

Athena looks up at her, "I called Emily a bitch," she drawled.

Caroline frowned, "wait, Emily Bennett? The one who was Katherine's handmaid?" Athena nodded.

"Wait, you know about Katherine—wait, what else do you know?" Elena asked Caroline, looking overwhelmed.

Caroline ignored her, "I thought you said she was dead."

"She is," Athena said, "but witches have the nasty habit of wanting to straighten nature out. They come back to right their wrongs through their descendants—in this case Bonnie." Athena smirks slightly, "but she can't right what she did to me and I hope she's having a fantastic time being dead."

We could always use that spell and burn her alive on the Other Side—

Athena's eyes widened at the thought, um... no. I don't want to deal with a bunch of dead Bennett witches!

Then we'll kill them all.

"No!" Athena blurted, grabbing the amulet and throwing it across the room, "no, killing them is off the table. You know how witches feel about—"

You're speaking out loud, darling—

"—the balance of nature, they're already pissed off that I tried to burn that one guy alive—what was his name?"

Vincent Chase, sweetheart, but you're speaking aloud and the ladies are looking at you like you're insane... which you are but you know.

Athena looked up at the three who were staring at her... like she was insane. She smiled tightly at them, "oops." The amulet knocked into her head, sending her tumbling off the chair.

"Alright, you little bitch, listen here—" Athena's darkside broke through, speaking for her as she snarled at the necklace. She stood up, using a hand that was wrapped around the counter to stand up.

"Stop. Doing. That!" Athena hissed, gaining control again and thumping her head against the cool of the countertop. Caroline blinked slowly, remembering reading something in the Heretic's journal about a different entity in her head that was designated as her "darker side". She ran a hand through the red hair, massaging her scalp.

Suddenly, her darkside was quiet and Athena relaxed.

"What the hell was that?" Elena asked a moment later, horrified and terrified all at the same time. Bonnie smiles nervously at Caroline who gives them both a 'just shut up' look.

Athena sits down on the stool and buries her face in her arms, muttering I need a moment before promptly going quiet.

Caroline pursed her lips and turned towards her friends. The three girls' decide silently to keep going on with their conversation.

"Caroline, don't you see?" Bonnie asked, gesturing with a hand vaguely towards Athena, "when I tell you something you don't even hear it but as soon as Athena says 'Hey! Witches are real!' you all of a sudden believe. It's messed up."

Bonnie turns away from her friends and walks out of the kitchen, going into the living room. Caroline gawks and then rounds on Elena, "I listen!" She argued, voice cracking a bit, "when do I not listen?" Turning to face her girlfriend when Elena doesn't confirm nor deny this, "I listen... right?" The vulnerability shines clear as day in her eyes, turquoise orbs staring at her, looking helpless.

Athena can hear her heartbeat. Loud and clear. It's fast and harsh.

She raises a hand to Caroline's cheek, stroking it lovingly with her thumb as her eyes soften. "Of course you do, Princess. Remember the other day when Stefan was ranting about squirrels tasting different from chipmunks?" Caroline thinks back to it, eyes shining with mirth as a small smile works its way onto her lips. "You listened to that kid rant a whole hour about the difference and even added to the conversation and asked questions... I block him out and usually draw him either eating what he's talking about or have the poor animal on his head."

Caroline snorts.

Elena frowns, glancing between the two with an unreadable gaze. She didn't like the friendship between Caroline and Stefan—her friend did have a crush on him and tried to get with him the night of the beginning of the year party.

"So, yes, you listen, Luv," Athena presses a small kiss to the blonde's exposed collarbone.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"THIS IS A horrible idea," Athena says, glaring at the amulet sitting delicately on Bonnie's neck while they sit by five candles that are set up in the middle of them. The burning wax is the only light in the room, illuminating the four women's faces. Athena shouldn't be doing this but the three girls had said—

"You're like our knight in shining... leather. If Emily does decide to pop up, you can protect us with your powers."

—and how could Athena refuse them when they all looked a bit freaked out and anxious? So, here she was, sitting between Bonnie and Caroline, hands clasped together. Elena sat across from Athena, hands locked with Bonnie and Caroline's free ones.

"I don't even know what we're doing—what are we doing?" Bonnie asked, looking at Caroline who had been the one to suggest this.

"I don't know," Elena said.

"Shh," Caroline shushes the three and they give the girl a peeved look but she ignores them, "be quiet and concentrate." Bonnie and Elena share a look as Athena rolls her head, hearing the satisfying sound of her neck cracking. "Okay, close your eyes." The women do as they're told, "okay, now take a deep breath." A deep inhale and exhale leaves their lips, "Bonnie, call to her."

"Emily..." Bonnie deadpanned, "you there?"

Caroline cracks an eye open as Athena blankly stares at Bonnie, "really? 'Emily, you there?'" Caroline asked dryly, unimpressed. Elena too gives the Bennett girl a look. "That's all you got? Come on."

"Fine. Jeez," she relents. They all close their eyes again, "Emily... I call on you. I know you have a message. I'm here to listen." Everything is quiet as Bonnie stops speaking. Suddenly, Athena shivers violently and the flame of the candle grew brighter. The three humans yank their hands away, staring at the candles with unease.

"Did that just—"

"Yeah. That just happened," Caroline interrupts Elena.

Athena knows Emily is there. She can sense her. The breeze blows through the room and Caroline tenses, gasping. She rubs her arms with her hands, suddenly very cold.

"It's just the air conditioning," Bonnie says—trying to convince them or herself or both, none of them are sure—as Athena mindlessly slips off her leather jacket and wraps it around Caroline's shoulders.

The flames grow taller once more and the three women look at the candles with a haunted glint in their eyes. Athena sits quietly, staring at the flames as she tries to pinpoint where Emily is exactly.

"Ask her to show you a sign," Caroline murmurs, "ask her!" Elena looks terrified as she keeps her distance. When Bonnie shakes her head and doesn't continue, Athena does.

"Emily," she mumbles, eyes snapping up to the right side of the bed—she knows the witch is right there. She can sense her—almost see her. The magic whips through the room, making Athena's restless and thrum relentlessly under her skin, "show us another sign."

Nothing happens and for a second, Athena thinks Emily won't take her up on the challenge, letting the three relax, but then the windows crash open, and the three cry out, almost all of them knocking into Athena in their haste to crawl away.

"No. I can't. I'm done!" Bonnie rips off the necklace and throws it on the ground. The wind blows out the candles. "Get the light. Please get the light," Bonnie pleads, voice laced with fear.

Elena scrambles to do so, "hold on. Hold on. I got it," she says, quickly flicking the light switch on.

Athena's fingers twitch when she sees the amulet gone. Bonnie noticed it too as Athena stood up. "Atty..."

"I see it, honey," Athena says, walking over to the windows and closing them.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked.

"The necklace, it's gone," Bonnie replied, looking at the brunette and the blonde. They both looked down at where Bonnie threw the necklace and saw nothing.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"OKAY, FUN'S OVER, Caroline," Elena said after the four were done checking the room for the necklace, "you made a point, and I get it. Now give it back."

Athena frowned. "What?" Caroline asked, looking between Bonnie and Elena, "well, I didn't take it," she argued, hurt that Elena would think she'd play a prank like this. She was just as scared as they were.

Elena scoffed.

"She didn't take it, Elena," Athena said, voice low and dangerous, brushing past the brunette and wrapping an arm around Caroline, kissing the side of her head. The blonde snuggled into her, fingers gripping the lapels of the jacket tightly.

Elena's eyes catch onto a figure moving in the hallway.

"What? What happened?" Caroline demands, quickly turning around to look out into the hall.

"I don't know. Nothing," Elena shakes her head, "Jeremy, are you home?"

Athena grips her arm, tugging her back from the door and shaking her head. "Only three heartbeats," she murmurs at Elena's confused look. The brunette begins to look a lot more scared than before and leans into Athena.

Bonnie looks in the bathroom to see if she sees anything but instead finds the necklace. She frowns and slowly walks towards it, "um... guys..." The three turn to look at her, apprehensive.

Bonnie walks into the bathroom as the three walks over to get a better view of what she sees. As soon as Athena sees the necklace and Bonnie reaches to pick it up, she knows this isn't gonna end well.

"BONNIE, NO!" She yells and speeds forward but the door slams before she can reach the Bennett witch.

The girl screams, banging on the door. "Bonnie?" Elena asked, hitting the door, "you got to open the door!"

"Bonnie, what's going on?" Caroline called, trying and failing to open the door using the knob.

"Bonnie!" The two yell, beginning to bang on it.

"Try the other door," Elena called and rushed to the other one. Athena hisses and steps back. The door won't open until Emily wants it to. While the two continue to scream and call out for Bonnie, Athena begins to pace, keeping her gaze firmly on the door.

The lights flicker on and off and Bonnie screams once again.

The humans panic and Elena comes rushing in, both banging on the door and trying to shove it open. Then, everything stops and the lock clicks. The door swings open to reveal Bonnie with her head in her hands.

They both step into the threshold while Athena keeps her distance. The air around the Bennett witch was different—familiar. "What happened? Are you okay?" Elena asked as they both stared at their friend with concern.

Bonnie doesn't respond for a long moment, staying in the same position. Then, she lifts her head, looking unphased. "I'm fine," she says. Her voice is different and her posture is much more regal. Bonnie's eyes shift behind them, a hard stare burning into Athena's own.

The redhead lifts her head a bit, standing straighter.

"Unbelievable," Caroline mutters, shaking her head, "you were totally faking it."

"Caroline, come on," Elena says in disbelief.

"No, you scared the hell out of me!" Caroline dismisses, glaring at Bonnie. She pulls the leather jacket tighter around her and moves further into Elena's room again. Bonnie follows her with her gaze before looking back at Elena.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine."

She walks past Elena into the room, coming to a stop in front of Athena. They stare at each other for a long moment. Emily looks her over, able to feel the black magic that pulses through her—corrupts her. Athena won't feel intimidated. Her experience is far better than Emily's, she's stronger.

Then Emily walks past her, determination in her step.

"I can't believe I fell for it," Caroline scoffs, crossing her arms and following the Bennett witch out of her room with Elena close behind. "She's leaving, we're leaving," Caroline says, looking over at Athena who was still in the same position.

"You guys can't leave!" Elena argues.

"Oh, I can," Caroline hissed. Emily walks down the stairs. "I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night."

Emily turns to look at Elena, "thank you for having me." They both turn to look at her. "I'll take it from here."

"Where are you going?" Elena asked.

Emily stops at the landing, "back to where it all began." Athena suddenly appears in front of her, fangs elongated and veins pulsing underneath her eyes. Emily shouts a spell, thrusting her hand towards Athena, palm facing the redhead. The Heretic goes flying into the wall and slumps against the ground, tumbling down the steps.

"Athena!" Caroline shouts, panicked.

"Bonnie!" Elena gasps. Emily continues down the stairs. "Bonnie!" Then realization dawns on the brunette, "oh, my God. Emily!"

The witch turns to look up at them as Athena stands back up, popping her arm back into its socket. "I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Athena snarled, appearing in front of the door as Emily moved towards it. The blonde and brunette quickly follow. The smirk that graces her lips is cold, sharp, and all things dangerous—predatory, "I mean, you did use my magic to seal it."

Emily stops, lips twisting into a sneer, "you weren't supposed to survive. If I knew you would have, I wouldn't have drained your power," she says.

Athena cocks an eyebrow, "sorry to disappoint, Love. Now, I'm sorry, but those vampires can't get out nor can you destroy that little crystal."

Emily raises an eyebrow, "And who's gonna stop me? You?" She smirks, "you're dying." Athena's stance and smirk falter. "You can't even remember your past. You will be hunted for the rest of your days and someday soon, you'll be found out and killed along with the rest of your family."

Athena's head begins to hurt, images of other life—lives—flashing before her. It's all too much and she can't focus on one. They go too fast for Athena to comprehend.

Emily raised her hand and muttered a spell. Athena's neck snapped and her body slumped to the floor.

"ATHENA!" Caroline yells, rushing towards her and pulling the Heretic into her arms.

Emily flees the house, slamming the door behind her. Elena quickly tries to follow her but the door refuses to open. Caroline strokes Athena's hair, tears falling from her eyes at the lifeless glare that rests on Athena's expression.

Elena continues to try and pull the door open but it doesn't budge until Jeremy swings it open. Caroline and Elena both gasp loudly, fear rushing up their spines before they relax at the familiar sight of the youngest Gilbert.

Athena is on her feet and running out of the house faster than any of them can blink. Jeremy grunts as his back hits the threshold. Caroline inhales sharply, glancing down at her lap where she had held her very dead girlfriend. Caroline gulps and quickly exits the house while Jeremy gives them both a weird look and goes upstairs.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA FINDS EMILY, her brothers, and Elena at Fells Church. Fire surrounds Emily in a pentagram. Athena couldn't care less about the vampires that reside under the church—desiccated and starving—all she wants is Emily out of her friend's body and some closure.

Emily throws the necklace into the air. "NO!" Damon yelled, watching it. The amulet blows up in sparks.

"Why'd you do it?" Athena asked, appearing in front of Emily, the fire has created a path for her, "why'd you use me to save the vampires?"

Emily stares into her eyes, "you're not meant to live this long. You're not meant to come back. You're a mistake—a disease that has infected this Earth for too long. I thought I could do the world a favor for at least the next couple hundred years—but the blood that runs through your veins hadn't been human and I realized too late," she says.

"What are you talking about?" Athena demands.

Emily stares at her, unbothered, "you're friend, Luna... maybe you should ask her. After all, she is the one who killed me to get revenge for killing you. She and those horrid vampires you call family."

The Mikaelsons? Luna? What?

"Now, I have a spell that can do the job," Emily murmurs. Her hands raise to her waist, palms facing the sky, and fingers spread. She begins to chant under her breath, Latin words slipping out of her mouth.

Athena suddenly feels nauseous and unbalanced. Her eyes unfocus for a second as her airway closes slowly. Her chest feels as though an anvil sat snugly on top of it while gravity pushes her limbs towards the ground. She drops to her knees, a low groan falling from her lips. A cold feeling starts at her feet, slowly but surely spreading up her leg. It's torture—honestly.

"Why are you doing this?" Athena demands, her voice a low, animalistic growl.

"Athena!" Stefan, Elena, and Damon yell, their eyes wide with panic and fear.

Emily tilts her head up towards the sky a bit, "the witches on the other side have come to a conclusion. We've talked to a woman—the Original Witch." Athena, through her agony, trembles slightly at the name, anger washing over her. Esther Mikaelson—the one who bound Klaus' werewolf side and buried a part of him. "She gave us the spell to kill you after the little stunt you pulled in 1903."

"What's it to you? He's a menace, somebody Klaus wanted dead," she snarled, sinking to the floor and nails digging painfully into the ground. She barely has the strength to look up at the witch. The cold feeling is at her ankles now.

"Vincent Chase was only trying to protect the world—he didn't need to die," Emily said.

"You're wrong!" Athena shouted, her voice deep. The same feeling she got—the feral, primal feeling erupts in her— "HE TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME! HE AND ELIJAH! Vincent Chase deserved everything that he got and more—Niklaus was only trying to grant me a dying wish."

Athena had no idea what her darkside was talking about and every time she tried to think about it, her head throbbed.

Emily glared down at her, "You and Klaus were going to make the world into an empire—filled with blood and death... Vincent and Elijah prevented that," she said.

"Go to hell, you little bitch," Athena thrust her hand out and Emily's head snapped towards the sky, hands falling limp by her sides as the fire went out in one big gust.

Athena dropped to the ground in a heap, breathing heavily and heart beating rapidly. Her body ached and her stomach churned. She was going to be sick.

Bonnie opens her eyes, looking around, confused as to where she was. Damon snarled, running at the witch and sinking his fangs into her. Athena tries to stand up, tries to use her magic, but her exhausted body fails her.

Stefan vamps forward, ripping their brother off of Bonnie and Elena follows quickly.

Athena watches as Stefan heals Bonnie and the wound on her neck heals. Using the last strength she has, Athena vamps away, going to the place she finds the most comfort.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

CAROLINE SITS ON her bed, reading one of Athena's journals. She was dressed in gray sweats and a purple tank top and was trying to calm herself down after what happened at the Gilberts.

Carefully and quietly, Athena climbs into Caroline's room, not making any noise until she is actually inside.

Startled and scared, Caroline shoots up with a gasp, spinning around to face her, holding up the book, ready to defend herself.

"Hey!"

"God," Caroline exhaled sharply, closing her eyes and pressing her hand to her chest, "what are you doing here?" She demands, looking over at her girlfriend.

Athena glances at the window, "I—um—I—I just wanted to get some thought about what you're, um, feeling... right now..." She stammered, suddenly feeling like she made the wrong decision. She decided to use humor since Caroline was just staring at her. "You're, um, window is open. Thought you should know..."

Caroline gave her a glare as she walked over to it, "not funny." Caroline closed the window and locked it, breathing out.

Athena frowned at how tense the girl looked. "Hey, my Luv, what happened tonight—I know you were scared, and seeing all this supernatural stuff is weird for you—"

"Did you just come over here to insult me or what?" Caroline demands, spinning around to face her girlfriend and crossing her arms, "because it's been a really long night."

"No, no, of course not, baby," Athena said, taking the blonde's hands in her own and pressing a kiss to both of her knuckles, "God, I'm not trying to insult you—you were fine. I was just going to say that it might give you some nightmares."

Caroline grimaced and walked over to the bed, settling down on the bed. She put her head in her hands and released a shaky breath. "Great," she grumbled, "now I'll have Bonnie's crazy ancestor witch taunting me in my sleep and Lexi."

Athena bit her lip and sat down next to her.

"Why did Damon kill her?" Caroline asked, her voice breaking.

"I..." Athena doesn't think Caroline would like the reasoning she has, "he did it too—to get the town off our backs," she sighed. Caroline chokes and rests her knees between her knees. "Baby, breathe, okay? Don't cry, Lexi wouldn't want us to be sad—she'd want us living our lives."

Caroline shakes her head, a small sob releasing from her throat, "that's not it."

Athena tilts her head, confused. She brushes a hand over Caroline's spine, "what is it then, my Love?"

Caroline ran a hand through her hair, sitting up and wiping her eyes. She gulped and turned to look at Athena. The redhead noticed how small the blonde looked, her eyes holding fear and vulnerability. Athena leaned forward, ducking her head a bit so Caroline didn't have to lookup.

"Princess, what's up?" Athena asked gently, raising her hand and gently touching Caroline's chin.

Caroline swallowed, "I don't think I'm bisexual." Athena quirked an eyebrow, resting her chin in her palm and leaning back a bit. Caroline's eyes widened, "I still like girls! I like you!"

Athena chuckled under her breath, "okay..." She smiled softly.

Caroline wrung her fingers together, ducking her head as a blush lit up her cheeks. "I've done some research on the, um, LGBTQ+ community and I—I was, uh, reading about the different sexualities and, um, I came a—across one—"

"Honey, breathe," Athena interrupted when she noticed that the girl was beginning to panic, "calm down. I'm right here. Take a deep breath and go slow. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Caroline inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and nodding her head. She released her breath and relaxed. "I was reading through the different sexualities and I came across one: pansexual," she said and Athena smiled encouragingly, "I don't really... care about who I date, you know. I either find them attractive or I like their personality or I don't. I just—I feel like that kinda suits me better."

Athena leaned closer, bumping her nose against Caroline's, "I'm glad you've come to that conclusion, my Love. It always feels amazing when you figure something out about yourself but you do know you don't have to label it. You can just be, okay? You're Caroline fucking Forbes, Queen Bee and it-girl of Mystic Falls."

Caroline giggled, a beam lighting up her face. "I am Caroline fucking Forbes!" The blonde took Athena's hands and pulled her up, "let's watch a movie."

Athena chuckled, connecting their foreheads, "anything you want, darling."

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ELENA WALKED BACK over to Stefan after putting Bonnie in the car. "Is she in danger of becoming—"

"No. No, she has to die with my blood in her system, so keep an eye on her tonight and make sure that nothing happens, and once it leaves her system, she'll be fine," he explained.

Elena nodded, looking off in the distance, "I'm gonna tell her the truth." Her eyes jumped up to Stefan's and he nodded.

"You sure?" He knows that Athena wouldn't want Bonnie involved but she's already gotten this far. Plus, Elena and Caroline know—now they can protect them.

"I can trust her," Elena replied, "I need someone to know, someone to talk to. I can't live in secret."

"I know that," Stefan says, "shouldn't have to." He gives her a look full of understanding. He begins to think of what Athena went through before she became a vampire. She hid behind smug smiles and teasing remarks but underneath all that she was still just a scared little girl with extraordinary powers. What have I done? He thinks to himself, remembering what he had called his sister this morning.

"You saved her life," Elena's voice snaps him out of his turmoil and he focuses back on her. "Unlike Athena... Why the hell did she just lay there and watch. Bonnie could've died! I thought Athena was her friend—"

"She is," Stefan argued, cutting in. Elena looks startled by the sudden outburst. He sighs and drops his voice, "She got Emily out of Bonnie's body, Elena. She was exhausted and drained—I was there. She knew Bonnie was in safe hands."

Elena scoffed bitterly, "she sure ran away just fine."

Stefan stared at her for a moment before looking away.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

CAROLINE WALKED IN with an armful of chips and soda, giggling at how weird she looked. She had a chip clip in her mouth, her teeth holding onto it.

Athena shook her head in amusement, taking the chip bag and a drink before laying down with the blonde on the bed. Caroline dropped the contents in her arms on the bed, grabbing the bag of cookies.

Caroline broke a piece off and put one end in her mouth then turned towards Athena. The redhead smiled and leaned forward, taking the cookie into her mouth and pressing her lips to the blondes. Caroline pecked her lips then pulled away, beaming.

Athena swallowed the cookie after chewing it, "you're adorable," she whispered, nuzzling Caroline's cheek.

"Oh, I know," Caroline smiled.

Athena pressed her lips to the blondes once more.

AN: I know! It's been forever and I'm so sorry, there's been a lot of drama in my life *sigh*. Thank you guys for being patient though and. I hope you enjoyed it.

Word Count: 8442
Finished: December 6th, 2021
Edited: