Asylum.

"I like strawberry milk."

"Oh, really?"

Athena nods her head, she takes her bag off her shoulders and shows the elderly man. "Uh-huh! Look!" She points at the strawberry milk pin on her bag.

"A badge for strawberry milk? The Scouts really have changed, huh?"

"I'm not apart of the scouts. I just collect pins." Athena slips her bag onto her arms. "At least I try to. Wherever me and my brothers stop by."

"You and your brothers are close?" The old man tosses some of the seeds on the ground for the birds.

Athena presses her lips together. "I mean...we're getting there." She sinks into the bench. "I'm just worried."

"Worried? About what?" The elderly man inquires.

Athena inhales a soft breath, "I kept something a secret. Something that I should've told them."

"Well, if you have a lot of trust in your brothers. You should tell them the truth." The man advises.

"I just don't want to lose them." Athena confesses. She tilts her head side to side. "Again."

"Caleb hasn't heard from him?"

"Nope. And neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim." Sam hangs up the phone. He looks at his older brother. "What about the journal? Any leads in there?"

"No. Sam last time I looked. Nothing I can make out." Dean shrugs. "I love the guy, but I swear he writes like freaking Yoda."

"Y'know, maybe we should call the FEDS, file a missing person's." Sam suggests, walking down the sidewalk with Dean.

"Dad would be pissed if we put the FEDS on his tail." Dean deadpans.

"I don't care anymore." Sam almost snaps. Dean's phone starts to ring. "After all that happened back in Kansas—I mean, he should have been there. You said so yourself."

Dean sighs, he rummages through his pockets.

"You tried to call him and nothing—"

"I know." Dean cuts Sam off.

"You know, he could be dead for all we know." Sam says.

"Don't say that." Dean looks at his Brit. "He's not dead. He's—"

"He's what? He's hiding? He's busy?" Sam questions.

Dean looks at the message on his phone and he lets out a scoff of disbelief. "I don't believe it."

"What?"

Dean stops in his tracks.

"It's a—a text message." Dean informs. "It's coordinates."

Sam's jaw clenches.

Dean closes his phone, "We gotta get back to the room." He looks around, his brows pulled together. "Where's, Athy?"

Sam looks around and his eyes land on his sister. A soft laugh leaves his lips. "There." He points.

Dean follows Sam's finger and the eldest Winchester's eyes widen; seeing the girl sitting on the bench and feeding birds with an elderly man.

"Athena! Stop talking to strangers!"

Athena lifts her head up and looks at her brothers from afar. Dean was motions his hand, signaling her to walk over to them. But Athena just thought he was waving, so she waved back.

Sam laughs and Dean rolls his eyes. He motions his hand toward himself and Athena's mouth slightly opens.

Athena nods her head, "I have to go, Mr. Henderson!" She hops off the bench wi to a grunt. "It was nice meeting you!"

"And you, Miss Athena!" The elderly man waves at the girl as she runs over to her brothers.

"Look! He gave me a butterscotch!" Athena holds it up.

"Don't take candy from strangers." Dean advises.

Athena pulls her brows together, confused. "Why not?"

Sam raises his brows, "Hold on—you've never taught her about stranger danger?"

Athena frowns, "Hey, that rhymes!"

Dean opens and closes his mouth. "I haven't had the time to do that!"

"Are you screwing with me?" Sam scoffs. He crouches in front of his little sister and she blinks.

"Athena, some strangers can be dangerous." Sam says. "And...I know you think that old man was nice, but taking candy from him—especially candy that's easy to unwrap like that isn't a good idea."

Athena looks at the butterscotch and pulls her brows together. Her mouth slightly opens. "Stranger Danger..." she repeats back. "I wish someone taught me that sooner."

The girl forces out a pain filled chuckle. She turns to the elderly man. "I'll throw the candy away, but not in front of Mr. Henderson."

Sam smiles softly and nods his head. "Okay, I get it." He stands up. "Come on, we gotta get back to the Motel."

"We didn't even get anything to eat yet." Athena pouts.

"We have leftovers at the room." Dean says.

"The fries are cold."

"Doesn't that like—make them healthier or something?" Dean shrugs.

"No, it makes them nasty!" Athena exclaims.

"Who told you that cold food is healthy?" Sam pulls his brows together.

"I made it up." Dean says.

"You can't do that." Athena scrunches her face.

"I just did." Dean looks at her.

"But—"

"Just let it go. He's too far gone." Sam says, touching her shoulder.

Athena lets out a frustrated breath and closes her mouth.

☆

"You think dad was texting us?"

"He's given us coordinates before." Dean states.

"The man can barely work a toaster, Dean." Sam scoffs.

"Sam, this is good news." Dean turns to Sam. "It means he's okay—or alive."

Athena sips on her apple juice.

"Was there a number on the caller I.D.?" Sam inquires.

"It said 'unknown'." Dean answers.

"Okay, well, where do the coordinates point?" Sam asks.

"That's the interesting part. Rockford, Illinois." Dean answers.

"Okay, and that's interesting how?" Sam asks.

"I checked the Local Rockford Paper. Take a look at this." Dean turns the computer towards his siblings.

Sam walks over to the computer, but Athena stays in her spot.

"This cop, Walter Kelly. Come homes from his shift, shoots his wife, then puts the gun in his mouth, blows his brains out."

Athena frowns.

"Earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum." Dean explains.

"Okay—I'm not following what does this have to do with us?" Sam asks.

"Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal." Dean flips through the journal and points at the page. "Here."

"Seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths—till last week, at least, I think this is where he wants us to go." Dean explains.

Sam scoffs, he stands up and runs a hand through his hair. "This is a job."

"Dad wants us to works a job."

"I mean—maybe we'll meet up with him. Maybe he's there." Dean shrugs, being hopeful.

"Maybe he's not." Sam replies. "He could be sending us there by ourselves to hunt this thing."

"Who cares?"

Athena pulls her brows together.

Dean closes the laptop. "If he wants us there, it's good enough for me."

Dean sounds like John never even left.

"This doesn't strike you as weird—the texting, the coordinates?" Sam questions.

"Sam. Dad's telling us to go somewhere. We're going." Dean's tone was firm.

Athena's stomach turns and she loses her appetite. The girl didn't mind going in the case if that meant, staying away from her dad for a little while longer. But hearing the way Dean was still wanting to follow John's orders, made Athena more fearful about John coming back.

☆

Athena's mouth drops to the floor watching Sam jump over the gate.

"I'm gonna go wait in the car." Athena points her thumb toward the Impala.

"Siblings that hunt together—stick together, Athy." Dean clicks his tongue and motions his head to the gate.

Athena lets out a breath. "It's too high to climb." She looks at the gate.

"If you put your mind to it. You can do anything." Sam gives them a thumbs up.

Athena and Dean turn to Sam. The middle Winchester blinks. "What?"

"What if u carry you over the gate?" Dean asks, brushing off what Sam said.

"No." Athena looks at the gate. "I've got it..." she inhales a deep breath.
"I'm an adult—"

"No, you're not."

"—and I will destroy this gate!"

"Yeah, you will!" Dean claps.

"We are trespassing," Sam emphasizes from the other side of the gate. "Talk a little quieter."

Athena and Dean fall silent.

The 10-year-old walks over to the gate. She grips the metal and sticks her feet into the holes of the gate. The girl starts to climb the gate.

"If you fall, I'll catch you," Dean calls out.

Athena falters.

"But you're not going to fall," Sam says, glaring at his older brother.

Dean slightly opens his mouth. "O-Oh right—yeah. You're not gonna fall, Athy."

"I'm not gonna fall." Athena whispers. "Not gonna fall..."

Athena grabs the pole at the top of the gate and chuckles. She climbs over the gate and laughs. The girl hops off the gate and land on the ground. Athena keeps her feet planted on the concrete.

"I did it!"

"You did it!"

Dean climbs over the gate and lands on his feet. "Way to go, Chucky!" He ruffles the girl's hair.

"Okay, focus!" Sam catches his sibling's attention.

They turn to Sam and focus.

"Sorry!"

They all make their way into the abandoned Asylum.

"So, apparently, the cops chased the kids here..." Sam motions around the room. "...into the south wing."

"South Wing, huh?"

Dean pulls his brows together. "Wait a second..." he takes John's journal out of his jacket pocket. "South wing, south wing."

He flips through the journal until he lands on a specific page. "1972--three kids broke into the south wing. Only one survived."

"The way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts and started lighting up the place." Dean summarizes.

"So, whatever's going on, south wing seems like the heart of it." Sam states.

"But if kids are spelunking the Asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" Dean inquires.

Athena's eyes land on the chain on the door handle. She notices the chain undone and her head tilts to the side. "The doors are usually chained," she speaks.

"Could've been chained up for years," Sam adds.

"Yeah, to keep people out," Dean says. "Or to keep something in."

Athena lightly taps her foot against the door and it slowly creaks open.

"I would give anything to clean this place." Athena shudders, looking at the grimy walls as the siblings walk down the hallway.

"What? You want us to leave you here for a couple days and come back when you're ready?" Dean asks.

Athena looks around, "I'm gonna need about two weeks to get this place squeaky clean."

Dean frowns, "Sounds good to me."

"We're not leaving you here," Sam says, nudging Dean.

"It was a joke." Dean nudges his brother back.

"I don't care," Sam says through clenched teeth.

Dean rolls his eyes, "Whatever--let us know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel."

Athena snorts softly. "I understood that reference."

Athena and Dean fistbump.

"Dude, enough." Sam sighs.

"No, I'm serious," Dean says. "You've got to be careful. Ghosts are attracted to that E.S.P. thing you got."

"I told you, it's not E.S.P." Sam's voice was filled with agitation. "I just have strange vibes sometimes, weird dreams."

"Premonitions?" Athena raises her brows and her mouth hangs open."So, you've got powers now...does that make you a superhero or are you gonna use your powers for evil?--No, you wouldn't do that--unless you do..." she frowns and pinches her brows together. "Sam, I would hate to have to hurt you--"

"Okay, that's enough of that." Dean cuts the girl off.

"Athy, I don't even know what these... 'powers' are." Sam lets out a breath. "And I'm pretty sure you can't use premonitions for evil. How would that even work?"

"You're the one with powers...you tell me." Athena holds her arms out and bunches her shoulders.

Sam sighs, "Did you get a reading on that thing or not?"

"No," Dean answers, his eyes on Athena's EMF. "Of course, it doesn't mean nobody's home."

"Spirits can't appear during certain hours of the day," Athena pronounces.

"Yeah, the freaks come out at night," Dean says.

"Hey, Sam. Who do you think is a hotter psychic--Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?"

Athena and Dean laugh. Sam shoves Dean and mushes Athena's face.

☆

"Dean...when are we going to talk about it?"

Athena looks up from one of the machines and looks at her brothers. She pinches her brows together, noticing Sam's tense stance.

"Talk about what?" Dean inquires.

"About the fact that dad's not here."

Athena freezes and she takes a step back.

Dean pulls his brows together. "Oh, uh, let's see, never."

"I'm being serious, man." Sam sighs.

"So am I, Sam." Dean's tone was firm. "Look, he sent us here. He obviously wants us here. We'll just have to pick up the search later."

"It doesn't matter what he wants," Sam says.

"See, that attitude right there, that is why I always got the extra cookie," Dean claims.

Athena's face scrunched up. Why were they discussing cookies? John never gave them cookies.

"Dad could be in trouble. We should be looking for him." Sam states. "We deserve some answers. I mean, this is our family we're talking about."

"I understand that Sam, but he's given us an order." Dean states.

Athena didn't want to hear them talk about their father. She felt so much guilt about not telling them that she had a feeling John was in Kansas. The girl felt like so much arguing wouldn't be happening if she did.

Athena feels a familiar numbing feeling agonizingly crawl through her body. Her body slumps against the wall behind her and her ocean blue eyes stay glued to the wall across from her.

"So, what? We've got to always follow dad's orders?" Sam scoffs.

"Of course we do."

Sam rolls his eyes, he glances at Athena; noticing her staring off into space. He didn't realize how even mentioning their father hurt Athena. So the middle Winchester chose to not argue anymore. Sam walks over to the girl, "Athy?"

Athena doesn't move.

"Athena." Sam touches her arm.

As soon as Sam's hand came into contact with Athena's arm, she let out a gasp. But it sounded almost like she was in pain. Dean looks over at his younger siblings. Athena pulls away from Sam and he holds his hands up.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you."

Athena pulls her brows together, she looks at Sam then Dean. The girl closes her eyes for a second, to get her thoughts in order. "Uh...no--I'm sorry...I think. I don't...what are we doing?"

"We're looking into the south wing."

Sam and Athena turn to Dean.

"We are?" Sam raises his brows, a scoff leaving his lips.

Dean raises his brows, noticing Sam's challenging tone. "Yeah, we are." he walks past Sam and presses the sign into his chest before leaving the room.

Athena tangles a hand into her frizzy hair, still disoriented about everything going on.

Sam looks at the sign, then he looks back at the dazed girl. "Athena, are you okay?"

Athena opens her mouth, "Yeah, I just...forgot where I was for a second." she says softly. The girl wipes under her eyes and forces a smile onto her lips. "We should go before Dean decides to leave us."

"You'll finally get that spring cleaning in." Sam motions around the room.

Athena forces out a soft chuckle, "That's the dream..."

Sam notices Athena's low energy. "When was the last time you slept?"

The two siblings start to walk out of the room. "You're seriously asking me that--you?"

"Well, I'm a concerned big brother." Sam shrugs.

Athena scratches her eyebrow, "Right, right--uh...probably 48 hours and counting."

"Jesus, Athy!--"

"I'm fiiine."

"When I looked at you in the corner, you looked like you were sleeping with your eyes open." Sam states. "You're most definitely not fine. And you don't have to pretend to be."

Athena scratches her wrist, "Yeah, well—same goes to you."

Sam stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets. Athena chews on the inside of her lower lip. "When we...find dad..." she stops at the door. "Do you think Dean is gonna, I don't know—choose him."

Sam pulls his brows together. "What do you mean?"

A breath leaves her lips, "You know what I mean." She looks at her red converse. "He's gonna choose dad over us like always."

Sam's eyes soften, "Athy, come on. After everything we've gone through these past months—why would Dean side with dad for anything?"

Athena inhales a deep breath and shrugs. "I don't know...just have a feeling, I guess."

☆

Athena and Dean stand outside the building, waiting for Sam to finish his 'undercover work'. The youngest Winchester had her eyes skimming across the words of her book, but she couldn't pay attention with Dean tapping his fingers against the building.

"Are you okay?" Athena looks at her eldest brother.

"He's been in there too long." Dean sighs.

"It's a therapy session." Athena states. "It's gonna take like an hour."

"I don't get why we couldn't just ask the therapist questions." Dean scoffs. "We could use this hour to be finishing this case."

"I get you want to finish this case. But just like every case we have solved before...it's gonna take time." Athena sighs. "The case isn't going anywhere and neither is dad."

"That's not what Sam thinks." Dean grumbles.

"And you can't blame him for thinking that way either."

"Uh—I'm sorry, can you explain that?" Dean looks at his sister.

A sigh leaves Athena's lips and she closes her book. "All right, let's see..." she presses her lips together, pretending to think hard. "...ever since we've been on this search for dad, we haven't gotten a single clue as to where he is."

"And it doesn't really seem like he wants to be found, y'know?" Athena shrugs.

"Oh, come on." Dean exhales a breath of disbelief. "There's a reason he left that message. He needs our help."

"He's never needed our help before. He's made that clear—"

"Now, you're just being biased." Dean cuts her off, his tone cold.

Athena pulls her face back, "I think I have a right to be biased against him, don't you think?" She squints her eyes. "After what he did—"

"He was making us stronger—"

"Making us stronger?" Athena pushes herself off the wall of the building and drops her book. Dean's jaw goes slack and he takes a step away from her. Athena never dropped her books.

"I could learn how to become stronger without someone hurting me." Athena scoffs. "How can you look at me and justify that?!"

Still Daddy's Little Blunt Instrument. The voice in Athena's head echoes.

Athena's chest tightens and she inhales a deep breath, needing to catch her breath. Her eyes focus on the pedestrians around them and she exhales a sharp breath. Athena looks back at Dean, who was taken aback. The girl pulls her brows together, realizing what how she raised her voice.

"Uh...I'm sorry—I shouldn't have said that." Athena shakes her head. "Why did I say that?"

Dean notices Athena's shaken expression. He recovers from his shock. "No, I shouldn't have said any of that." He sighs softly. "Don't apologize. You have every right to yell at me."

The door to the building swings open. Athena and Dean look at their brother. Sam stops, noticing their tense body languages.

"Uh...are you guys okay?" Sam asks.

"Not really—you were in there forever." Dean changes the subject. "What the hell were you talking about?"

As Sam and Dean continue to talk, Athena couldn't help but feel like her feelings were unresolved.

The voice in her head sure as hell thought so.

Author's Note:

Do y'all have any headcanons for Atelophobia? If so, share them! I'm so curious!