Devil's Trap.

The entire car ride was silent. Athena's mind was still on Meg dying, Dean's mind was on saving John, and Sam's mind was on killing the Demon. The Impala was now parked on the side of the road near a construction site. Athena was sitting inside the car, while Sam and Dean were outside. Dean was in the truck, loading his gun and Sam was looking through the book Bobby gave them.

"You two have been quiet," Sam speaks.

Athena pokes her head out the window. "So have you."

"Just getting ready." Dean answers.

"He's gonna be fine, Dean," Sam reassures his brother.

Dean stays silent and continues loading his gun. Sam flips a page of the book and his eyes land on the picture in the margin. He raises his brows and walks over to the trunk. Sam draws on the top of the trunk and Dean's eyes blow wide.

"Dude, what are you drawing on my car?" Dean walks over to Sam and looks at the trunk.

"It's called a Devil's Trap." Sam answers. "Demons can't get through it or inside it."

"So?"

Sam rounds the car and starts to draw on the other side of the trunk. "It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox."

Dean wipes at the Devil's Trap, but it doesn't smudge. "So?" he gets more agitated than before.

"So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get dad." Sam clarifies.

Deam pulls his brows together, "What are you talking about? We're bringing the Colt with us."

"We can't, Dean." Sam sighs. "We've only got three bullets left. We can't just use them on any Demon. We've got to use them on the Demon."

"No, we have to save dad, Sam, okay?" Dean walks over to his brother. "We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"Dean, do you know how pissed dad would be if we used all the bullets?" Sam closes the book and looks at his brother. "Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring the gun--"

"I don't care, Sam!" Dean snaps. "I don't care what dad wants, okay?!"

Athena's ears perk and she lifts her eyes from her book. "Oh, I gotta hear this." she sets her book down and gets out of the car.

"Since when do you care what dad wants?" Dean scoffs.

"Since when do you not care what dad wants?" Athena walks over to her brothers.

Dean looks at Athena, "I thought you weren't talking to me?"

Athena holds her hands up in a surrendering manner. "Hey, I just wanted to get the inside scoop on this new 'I don't care what dad wants, okay?!' attitude." she bunches her shoulders. "It's kinda a few days too late, don't ya think?"

Dean closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. "I can't have two arguments at the same time." he lets out a chuckle of disbelief.

"Listen, Dean. We want to kill this Demon." Sam speaks. "You used to want that, too. Hell, you're the one who came and got me at school! You're the one who dragged me into this. I'm just trying to finish it!"

Dean shakes his head out of disbelief. "Well, you and dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that?"

Sam rolls his eyes. "Shut up."

"You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing." Dean scoffs. "But you know what? Athy and I? We're gonna be the ones to bury you."

Athena tenses and she takes a step back. Death was a scary thing to think about. Losing the people you love? Athena couldn't handle that. She couldn't handle thinking about living without her brothers. No matter how angry or disappointed she would be at them, she didn't want to lose them.

"You're selfish, you know that?" Dean speaks again. "You don't care about anything but revenge."

"That's not true, Dean." Sam states. "I want dad back. But they are expecting us to bring that gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all."

"Let's just...leave the gun," Athena speaks. "It's our only leverage."

Dean looks at Athena with an incredulous expression, then he looks back at Sam. Knowing that he was outnumbered, Dean gives in.

"Fine--"

"I'm serious, Dean."

"I said 'fine' Sam." Dean snaps. He takes the Colt out of his jacket pocket and tosses it into the trunk.

Athena thought that she was going to be forced to stay in the car, but by surprise, she was a part of the plan.

"You okay to do this?" Sam asks.

Athena inhales a soft breath and jumps up and down. "I was born for this." she shakes her legs and arms. "Just, get ready."

Athena inhales a soft breath and she starts to breathe quickly. Her face scrunched and tears form in her eyes. "Help, someone please help me!" She cries, running towards the firefighter.

The fireman turns toward the sobbing child. At this moment, Athena was glad that she was slightly shorter than children who were around her age. The fireman crouches in front of the girl, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"My...my dog is still in the building!" Athena sobs.

"Okay, we will find him. Do you remember what room he's in?"

Athena's eyes glance behind the fireman and she sees Sam and Dean sprint behind the firetruck.

"Uh...420?"

"Okay, we will get in that room as soon as we can. Where are your parents?" The man asks.

Athena's eyes widen, "MY PARENTS ARE IN THERE TOO!!!" she covers her face. "How could I forget my own parents?!"

"Okay, okay, okay..." The fireman touches Athena's arm in a comforting manner. "Stand near the truck and I'll send someone inside."

Athena looks behind the man once again and sees Sam and Dean come from behind the truck, in firefighter uniforms. "What about them!" she points at disguised brothers.

The fire chief turns toward Sam and Dean. "You two! Get to room 420!!!"

Instead of talking, Sam and Dean nod and give salutes before running toward the apartment complex. Athena smiles softly. The Chief turns back toward the auburn-haired girl and her smile quickly falls, she immediately starts to cry again.

"Okay, they should find your parents and dog soon." The Chief takes his helmet off and sets it on top of Athena's head.

"Thank you very much, sir, I won't forget you." Athena wipes her eyes and stands next to the truck.

As soon as the Chief walks away Athena lets out a groan of disgust and takes the helmet off her head. "I didn't say I wanted this..." she tosses the hat aside and pats her frizzy hair.

A chill shoots down Athena's spine and instinctively she was drawn towards the crowd of people. Her eyes land on one of the men in the crowd who was now walking toward the Apartment building. The Fire Chief stands in front of the man.

"Hey, buddy, you can't go in there--" The Chief's voice gets caught in his throat and his eyes turn pitch black.

Athena's eyes widen when both of the men walk into the apartment complex.

"Oh, Fiddlesticks..." Athena's eyes shift to the side of the building. "They said to meet behind the building..." her eyes move to her wrist and she throws her hands in the air. "I really need to find my watch."

Athena looks at the helmet she tosses on the ground and she frowns. "Souvenir!" she runs back over to the hat and picks it up. "I'll just wash it."

Athena runs around the firetruck, hiding from the crowd. She then sprints across the street and runs behind the building. Her eyes shift up to the Apartment's back windows. Athena's eyes land on the fire escape. Dean is the first to drop to the ground. He helps John down the ladders, then Sam lands on the sidewalk with a huff.

Athena lets out a breath of relief and she jogs over to the three. Suddenly, Athena feels an invisible force hit her in the side. She flies back and slams into the ground with a thud. A pain flares into Athena's shoulder, which shoots through her whole arm. Athena attempts to scream, but nothing comes from her mouth. She slightly lifts her head up and sees a man approaching her. Athena sees his eyes were solid black and she lets out a quiet cry.

Sam tackles the Demon to the ground, but the Demon quickly dominates Sam. The Demon headbutts Sam in the face and Sam falls back. The Demon immediately starts to punch Sam across the face.

"D-DEAN!" Athena screams, tears in her eyes.

Dean's eyes shift to his siblings and his heart drops into his stomach. He instantly sets his father on the ground and runs over to the Demon. He kicks the Demon in the face. The Demon's face snaps back, but he remains unfazed.

Dean flies to the side and lands in the window of a truck, smashing it. Athena's breathing quickens and her body starts to shake. A ringing settles in her ears and that ringing managed to send a low vibration through her whole body. Before the Demon could land another punch on Sam, his fist stops millimeters from Sam's face. The Demon pulls it's brows together. He looks at his fist that was shaking, like it wasn't under his own control. His eyes widen and he snaps his eyes over to the little girl; who was sending him a pointed glare that could kill. And it would've killed the Demon too.

Dean pulls the trigger to the Colt, the bullet hitting the Demon in the temple. A flash of blue lightning visibly shoots through the Demon's skull and he falls to the ground. Athena's body goes limp and the vibrating and ringing fade away. Her eyes grow heavy and quietly cries. Dean lets out a soft breath. He runs over to his little sister, who was clutching her arm in pain and whimpering.

"Athy?--Hey!" He falls to his knees and cups the side of her face. Athena's eyes were closed and Dean's heart jumps into his throat. "Athena, I'm gonna need you to keep your eyes open for me, okay?"

His eyes shift to the arm Athena was clutching. Dean's eyes travel from her arm to her shoulder and his stomach turns from Athena's shoulder out of place. "Shit--Shit..." Dean murmurs. "Holy Fiddlesticks."

The pain was too much for Athena to handle so she passed out. But if she were awake the girl would've definitely laughed at Dean for saying 'Fiddlesticks'.

"Okay, I am so sorry," Dean whispers. He slightly lifts her up and lays Athena in his lap. Dean grips her arm and pulls her arm, popping the shoulder back into its socket. Athena cries softly and she's left whimpering, while she leans more into Dean.

"Hey, I've got you. You're gonna be okay." Dean brushes some of her hair out of her face. He picks Athena up and runs over to Sam. "Sammy! Hey, come on, Sammy!" he crouches down and helps Sam up as well. "Come on, I can't help all of you up."

Spoiler Alert: Dean had to get all of them up.

And he had to help them into the car. Dean found an abandoned cabin and made sure everyone was taken care of. John was asleep in one room; still out of it, Sam was better; but his eye was swollen, and he gave Athena some pain medication for her shoulder. Dean used his flannel as a sling for Athena's shoulder. Sam and Dean took time to salt the doors and windows.

"Hey, uh...Dean, you, um, you saved my life back there." Sam speaks.

"So, I guess you're glad I brought the gun, huh?" Dean quips.

Athena's mouth twitches.

"Man, I'm trying to thank you here." Sam exhales.

"You're welcome."

"I should also, thank you."

Dean looks at Athena and she presses her lips into a slight frown.

"Guys, this is just a day in the life of 'Dean Winchester: The Big Brother'." Dean waves his hand, dismissively. "It's not a big deal."

"Well, you saved our lives, so..." Athena moves her head from side to side. "I would say it's a pretty big deal."

"And you popped her shoulder back in," Sam says.

"And you popped my shoulder back in." Athena nods.

Dean chuckles and looks at his hands.

"I would say today was a good day in the life of 'Dean Winchester: The Big Brother'." Athena looks at her converse.

"After everything that has happened, you don't have to thank me, Athena." Dean shrugs.

Athena chews on the inside of her cheek. "I know. But I wanted to."

A smile twitches on Dean's lips, but his smile saddens. "Hey, guys?"

Sam and Athena look back at Dean, who was staring off into space.

"Yeah?"

"You know that guy I shot?" Dean asks. "There was a person in there."

Athena inhales a soft breath. It was finally hitting Dean on what happened earlier today.

"You didn't have a choice, Dean." Sam states.

"Yeah, I know. That's not what bothers me."

Athena pulls her brows together. "Then what does?"

"Killing that guy, killing Meg." Dean frowns. "I didn't hesitate. I didn't even flinch."

"For you two or dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill..." Dean shakes his head. "It's just...it scares me sometimes."

Dean's eyes become teary and Athena's throat tightens.

"It shouldn't."

Athena snaps her eyes over to the voice and her eyes settle on her father.

"You did good," John says.

Athena pulls her brows together, "What?"

"You're not mad?" Dean questions.

John pulls his brows together, "For what?"

"Using a bullet." Dean states.

"Mad? I'm proud of you."

Athena cranes her neck forward.

"You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed." John states. "But you--you watch out for this family. You always have."

Dean's mouth twitches, "Thanks."

"And Athena."

Athena looks at her father with her brows knitted together. "Yeah...?"

"You have sacrificed everything just for this family to stay afloat. Whether it was your innocence, or even just your wellbeing."

Athena slightly opens her mouth and keeps her eyes on John. Something wasn't sitting right with her about him.

The cabin starts to shake and the lights in the room begin to flicker. The wind around the house starts to pick up. Everyone moves toward the window and sees the trees outside waving back and forth in an aggressive manner.

"It found us. It's here." John states.

"The Demon."

"Sam, Athena, lines of salt in front of every window, every door." John orders.

"I already did it," Sam says.

"Well, check it, okay?"

Athena's eyes stay on John for a moment before walking after Sam. She and Sam go to the back of the cabin, checking each window. Athena stops and pulls her brows together, "No..." she shakes her head. "This isn't right."

Sam looks over at Athena. A crease was formed between her brows, showing that she had something on her mind.

"What's up?"

"Dad, he's giving me Twisty Stomach," Athena says.

Sam raises his brows. "What? Why?"

Athena shrugs, "I don't know..." she walks through the cabin with Sam following her.

Sam and Athena enter the room and Dean was aiming the gun at John.

"Dean? What the hell is going on?" Sam asks.

"Your brother's lost his mind," John speaks.

"He's not dad."

Athena snaps his eyes over to Dean, "What?"

"I think he's possessed," Dean adds. "I think he's been possessed since we rescued him."

"Don't listen to him, Sammy."

"Dean, how do you know?" Sam asks.

"He's different." Dean states.

"You know, we don't have time for this," John speaks. "Sam, if you want to kill this Demon, you've got to trust me."

Athena raises her brows, "Twisty Stomach..." she says softly. The young girl grabs Sam's arm and walks over to stand beside Dean.

John lets out a soft breath, his lips quivering. Athena wrinkles her nose.

"If you three are so sure. Go ahead." John's voice starts to shake. "Kill me."

Dean's hand starts to shake. Athena shifts her eyes from John to Dean.

"What are you waiting for?" Athena whispers.

John lowers his head and starts to sniffle. Tears form in Dean's eyes and doubt starts to form in Dean's chest.

"I thought so." John lifts his head up, instead of his eyes being his original coffee brown; they were yellow.

Suddenly, each sibling is slammed into a wall by a phantom force. The yellow-eyed Demon in John's body walks over to the dropped Colt and picks it up. "What a pain in the ass this thing's been."

"It's you, isn't it?" Sam asks.

The Demon chuckles.

"We've been looking for you for a long time." Sam seethes.

The Demon holds its arms out, "Well, you found me."

Sam pulls his brows together, "But the Holy Water?"

"You think something like that works on something like me?" The yellow-eyed Demon laughs.

Sam grits his teeth together, and he tries to fight the force on his body. He slowly lifts his head off the wall. The Demon squints his eyes and Sam's head is forced back against the wall. Sam lets out a groan of frustration, "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Oh, that would be a neat trick." The Demon chuckles. "In fact, here." he sets the Colt on the table. "Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy."

Sam looks at the Colt, hoping for slight movement. The Demon laughs at his attempt. "Well, this is fun. I could've killed you a hundred times today, but this..." he walks toward Dean. "...this is worth the wait."

"Your dad--he's in here with me, trapped inside his own meat suit." The Demon explains. "He says 'hi' by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood."

"Let him go," Dean growls. "Or I swear to God--"

"What? What are you and God gonna do?" The Demon scratches at his brow. "You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice."

He stalks closer to Dean. "You know that little exorcism of yours?"

"That was my daughter."

"Who, Meg?" Dean questions.

"The one in the alley? That was my boy." The Demon burns his eyes into Dean's. "You understand?"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Dean scoffs.

"What? You're the only one that can have a family?" The Demon scoffs. "You destroyed my children."

"How would you feel if I killed your family?" The Demon tilts his head. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did."

"Still, two wrongs don't make a right." The Demon shrugs.

"You son of a bitch."

"I want to know why. Why did you do it?" Sam calls out.

The Demon turns back to Sam, "You mean why did I kill mommy and pretty, little Jess?"

"Yeah."

The Deamon looks back at Dean, "You know I never told you this, but Sam was gonna ask her to marry him. Been shopping for rings and everything."

Athena shifts her eyes to Sam and sees the tears in his eyes.

The Demon walks over to Sam, "You want to know why?"

"Because they got in the way."

"In the way of what?" Sam seethes.

"My plans for you, Sammy--You...and all the children like you."

Sam pulls his brows together.

"Listen, you mind just getting this over with, huh?" Dean calls out. "Cause I really can't stand the monologuing."

"Funny, but that's all part of your M.O., isn't it?" The Demon spins back toward Dean. "Your little sister picked that up--"

"Don't talk about her." Dean snaps.

"--mask all that nasty pain, mask the truth." The Demon continues.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Dean keeps his unreadable eyes on the Demon.

"You know, you fight, and you fight for this family, but the truth is they don't need you." The Demon chuckles. "Not like you need them--hell, Athy hates your guts now, she's on her way to casting you to the side like you did her."

Dean's chest tightens.

"And Sam--he's clearly John's favorite." The Demon shrugs. "Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you."

Dean's upper lips curls, "I bet you're real proud of your kids, too, huh?" he blinks. "Oh, wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em."

The Demon keeps a blank expression. "You know, I could kill you..."

"Then why don't you?" Dean raises his brows.

The Demon then cracks a malicious smirk. "Then you wouldn't be alive to see little Athy screaming."

Dean's eyes widen and he quickly looks at Athena. A flare of white-hot pain erupts in Athena's stomach and she screams in agony. Hot tears find her eyes and she squeezes her eyes shut.

"ATHENA!" Sam shouts. "NO!"

"YOU LET HER GO!" Dean shouts. "YOU FUCKING LET HER GO!"

Sam and Dean try to pry themselves off the wall, but they fail.

Dean watches cuts drag down Athena's stomach and she starts to sob. Tears form in both the brother's eyes, seeing the blood spill from her body.

"Dad!" Dean cries, hoping to get through to his father. "Dad, don't you let it kill your daughter! DON'T!!!"

"Don't let it kill my baby sister!"

Blood spills from Athena's mouth and she coughs. Her vision starts to grow dark and her eyes shift to the ground, seeing the puddle of blood below her. "D-Daddy, please..." Athena sobs. Then Athena felt her body start to grow heavy. A small breath leaves her lips and her head slumps to the side and her eyes shut.

Sam's eyes widen, "A-Athena?" he whimpers. "ATHENA!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Stop," John whispers, able to take control at the sight of his injured daughter. "Stop it."

Sam's feels the force on his body release and he drops onto his feet. He immediately runs to the gun and aims it at the his father. The Demon takes over John's body again and turns toward Sam.

"You kill me, you kill daddy."

"I know." Sam aims the gun at The Demon's leg and shoots it.

The Demon falls to the ground, causing the force on Athena and Dean to release. Athena's lifeless body drops to the ground with a thud. Dean runs over to the auburn-haired girl. "Athena! Athena, hey!"

Sam runs over to his siblings and he wipes the tears from his eyes. "Hey, Athy, you've gotta wake up, okay?"

Dean cups Athena's face, "Shit, she lost a lot of blood." his panic starts to rise. "Dammit!"

Sam places a hand against the side of her neck. "She's still got a pulse. It's weak."

Dean nods his head, "Okay, we've gotta get her out of here. Now." he picks Athena up. "Go get dad."

Sam stands up and walks over to John, who hasn't moved. "Dad? Dad?--"

"SAMMY!" John wakes up screaming.

Dean snaps his eyes over to John and runs over to him with Athena still in his arms.

"It's still alive. It's inside me. I can feel it." John says through his teeth. "You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son! Do it, now!"

Sam pulls the hammer back on the Colt and aims it at his father. Dean's eyes blow wide. "Sam, don't you do it. Don't do it!"

"Sam, you've got to hurry!" John shouts. "I can't hold on to it much longer."

"You shoot me, son! Shoot me!" John continues to yell.

"Sam, don't. Please." Dean begs.

"Son, I'm begging you! We can end this here and now!"

Sam's hands start to shake. As much as he wanted this to be over. As much as he wanted his revenge, he knew that this wasn't something that could be handled right now. Sam and Dean wouldn't be able to handle mourning John, when there was also going to be a possibility that they were going to have to mourn their sister.

Sam lowers the gun. Black smoke leaves John's mouth and he screams. The black smoke goes into the floorboards, getting away from them. Dean lets out a breath of relief. "Okay, let's go." he goes for the door and kicks it open. He looks back and sees John glaring at Sam.

"LET'S GO I SAID!!!"

Sam grabs John and forces him onto his feet. Everyone quickly leaves the cabin and piles into the Impala. Athena was in the back, her head was in Dean's lap. Dean was repeatedly checking her pulse every 10 seconds. His panic and tears rose.

Sam speeds out of the woods and gets on the road. "Look, just hold on, all right?"

"The hospital is only 10 minutes away." Sam states.

"You hear that?" Dean whispers to Athena. "We're almost there and you're gonna be fine."

"I'm surprised at you, Sammy," John speaks. "Why didn't you kill it?"

"I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this. Killing this Demon comes first. Before me, before everything."

Sam shifts his eyes to the rear view mirror, catching sight of his unconscious little sister and worried older brother. He then shakes his head, "No, sir, not before everything."

Sam looks back at the road, "Look, we've still got the Colt. We still have one bullet left." he pronounces. "We just have to start over, all right? We already fount the Demon onc--"

Before Sam could even finish his explanation of hope, a semi-truck smashes into the side of the Impala, totaling it into a field of grass.

...

"Fiddlesticks..."

The first thing the girl felt was pain. She was in pain. But not from her injuries from earlier. Athena opens her eyes and groans. Her face was pressed against the cold tile floor. Her eyes widen and she scurries off the floor and stands up. Athena wipes her face and shudders. "Ew..." her whines trail off, seeing the room she was in. Athena looks around the room and her eyes land on the bed. Athena must've rolled off the bed in her sleep. The strong smell of disinfectant floods Athena's nose. She was in a hospital.

Athena's eyes widen, her mind going to her brothers. She runs out of the room, "Sam?! Dean?!" The hall she was in was empty. "Dear older brothers?!"

Athena blows air out of her mouth and her shoulders sag. "Dad?!" she calls out. "Anybody?!"

She gnaws on her lower lip and pulls her brows together. Athena turns the corner and continues down the hall. She gets to the stairs and walks down them. "Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip..." Athena whispers while walking down the stairs. Athena stops at the staircase, seeing the receptionist.

"Oh, thank you!" Athena holds her hands up. She makes it down the stairs and walks toward the desk. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

Nothing.

Athena stands on her toes and taps her fingers against the desk. "I think...I don't really remember, but I was in some kind of accident. With my brothers and father." she pulls her brows together. "I just don't know where they are."

Athena looks at the receptionist, but she had her eyes on her computer. "Uh, hello, miss?" she waves her hand in the woman's face. The receptionist walks away from Athena and a pit forms in the girl's stomach. Athena looks down the hall, her eyes shift to the nurses and doctors. She runs down the hall, looking through each room.

Athena's heartbeat was echoing through her ears and beads of sweat was across her forehead. She looks into one room and continues down the hall, Athena then stops in her tracks. Her breathing quickens and she closes her eyes, thinking about what she just saw. Athena takes a few steps backward until she returns to the door. She turns and looks inside and it's like all the air in her lungs escaped, she couldn't breathe. Athena walks into the room and looks at her body laying in the bed with tubes going in and out of her.

Athena's eyes blow wide and she walks closer to her body, inspecting the gashes and bruises across her face and body. She slowly shakes her head, while her breathing quickens. Athena tangles her hands in her frizzy hair and she exhales a defeated breath, finally realizing what's happening.

"Shit."

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A/N

Putting money in the swear jar 🤝 Athena seasons 2 & 3

GUYS WE'RE DONE WITH SEASON ONE!!!! I am so excited and can't wait to give more chapters to you guys.

And I know it's weird that Athena is the one in a coma. But I feel like if Dean were to be in the coma, Athena would most definitely push her feelings aside and forgive him for everything. But, as you can see, we're not going that route 😊

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