Tall Tales.

chapter forty eight , Tall Tales

a/n : This chapter is kind of going to be a filler. Last chapter we ended on a pretty sad part for Athena and her brothers. So, why not have some happiness before I rip it away from you guys? Again. 🤭

━━━━━━━━━━

His fucking music.

Athena snaps her eyes up from her math workbook and growls. She pushes herself from the motel desk and marches out of her motel room. Athena obnoxiously knocks on the door. "Open up, open up. Open! Up!"

The door swings open and Athena huffs.

"Yo. What's wrong with you?"

"Yo? Don't you "yo" me, bub!" Athena pokes at Dean's stomach. He giggles, "Stop it." He swats her finger away.

Athena brushes past Dean and enters the room. "Your music. Has been blasting like that for hours—"

"Hours!" Sam exclaims.

Dean rolls his eyes. Athena looks at the food on the bed and her eyes widen. "My EMF!" She rubs over to it. Athena points at the EMF that had chili cheese fries over it. "Oh, you!" She points at Dean. "You son of a bitch!"

Sam points at Athena, "Aha! Jar—"

"Shove that jar up your ass!" Athena snaps.

Sam slams his mouth shut and lowers his hand. Athena looks back at Dean and he wipes his hands on his jeans. "I-I didn't know it was on the bed." He clears his throat. "I could've sworn it was in your duffel."

"Obviously not! Obviously you two stole it like the thieves you are—"

"Why are you dragging me into this?!" Sam holds his arms up.

"Why should I drag you in this?!" Athena seethes. "You should be happy I haven't dragged you through this whole motel room!"

Dean touches his abdomen and laughs hard. "Athena, please! I'm gonna pee myself."

"Then go to the bathroom." Athena squints her good eye at Dean.

"You can't even carry your own bag, Ath."

"So many goddamn nicknames..." Athena drags a hand down her face.

"How's research going?" Dean asks, flopping back on Sam's bed, he continues eating his fries.

"You know how it's going?" Sam slams the book shut. "Slow. You know how it would go a hell of a lot faster?"

"If I had my computer!"

Athena winces and looks away. "Hey, that wasn't my fault, okay?"

Sam deadpans. Athena shakes her head, "You don't believe me."

"Nope." Sam says.

"Why not?!"

"Because Athena, do you remember last time you broke my iPod and you pinned it on Dean?"

Athena rolls her good eye, "Oh, come on...I was like 1!"

"You were 7." Dean corrects.

"Oh, shut up and eat your fries!" Athena snaps.

Dean smiles, "Gladly." He stuffs more fries in his mouth.

"Can you turn that down?!" Sam and Athena snap.

Dean slightly opens his mouth, "Yeah, absolutely." He turns the volume up.

Athena points at Dean with wide eyes, "You did that on purpose!"

"Oh did I?"

Athena grabs one of Sam's research books. She stalks over to the radio and raises it above her head. Dean grabs the book from her hand and tosses it across the room. Athena gasps loudly, "How dare you!" She goes to strangle him. But like every older brother, Dean presses a hand against her forehead, keeping her away from him. Athena swings her arms, but she can't reach Dean.

Dean laughs obnoxiously loud.

"You know what? How about you guys go somewhere for a while?!" Sam shouts.

Athena and Dean turn to Sam. "I would never go anywhere with him—"

"And I'm not going anywhere her!" Dean retorts. "But you know what? I would love to leave, but unfortunately, my car's all screwed to hell."

"Well, maybe, you should've taken better care of that car!" Athena places her hands on her waist.

"Hey, I take care of Baby, better than I take care of myself."

Athena then laughs, "Oh—oh!" She picks up the chili cheese fries. "We can see that, Dean!" She then tosses them back onto the bed, the fries spill on the bed and both brothers gasp.

"My fries!"

"My bed!"

Athena holds her hands up, "Oh, I am soooo sorry." She then drops her hands. "That was sarcasm—"

"We know!"

A knock is heard at the door, causing the siblings to look at it. Sam walks over to the door and pulls it open. Athena holds her arms up and laughs, "Ooh—Ooh! It's Bobby!"

"We can see that..." Dean rolls his eyes.

Athena sprints over to Bobby and hugs him tightly. Bobby grunts, "Okay, okay, it's good to see you too."

"Bobby, they're driving me mad." Athena seethes.

Bobby looks around the room and sees the mess. "So, um...what didn't you wanna talk to me on the phone about?"

"It's this job we're working. We..." Sam chuckles. "We weren't sure you'd believe us."

"Well, I can't believe a lot." Bobby laughs.

Athena bites the inside of her cheek, "Well, yeah, we know...it's just we've never seen anything like this—"

"Not even close." Dean starts. "And we thought we could use some fresh eyes."

"Why don't you begin at the beginning?" Bobby questions.

"Yeah. Um, alright, please." Sam motions to the seat. Athena snorts softly, she nudges Dean. He looks down at his sister. Athena motions to the spot Sam motioned to. "Please, help yourself, sir Bobby." She mocks Sam in an English accent.

Dean laughs with Athena. Sam snaps his eyes over to Dean and Athena, they both quickly stop laughing. Bobby notices this and squints his eyes.

"It all started when—"

"Wait!"

The three men jump and turn to the girl. Athena runs over to the front door, "Lemme get Lil' Gil!"

"Can I pop a Claritin first?!" Dean shouts.

Athena runs out of the room before yelling, "If you're fast enough!"

Dean's body tenses, "Sammy hand me my Claritin." He holds his hand out to his brother.

Sam looks away from Dean and the eldest Winchester's face drops. "Sammy!"

Sam hums and turns to Dean. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I didn't hear you." He touches his ear. "What was that again?"

"You son of a—"

"I'm back!"

Dean's shoulders slump, "...bitch."

"Who the hell are you calling a bitch, bitch?" Athena retorts. Gil then meows, seconding Athena's response.

"I was calling Sam a bitch."

"Oh." Athena raises her brows. "That makes more sense."

"Excuse me?!" Sam exclaims."

"Can you three cool it and explain everything to me, please?" Bobby speaks up.

The three Winchesters look at Bobby. Athena clears her throat and walks back over to the bed.

"Keep that demon cat away from me." Dean growls.

Athena smacks Dean's arm. "Hush, he's not a demon. Sam was though."

"Too soon." Sam speaks.

Athena rolls her eyes, "Too soon..." she says in a nasal tone. Dean giggles, "That sounds like him."

"I know, right?"

"It does not!"

"Hey, you three!"

They look at Bobby once again and he has less patience. "Focus."

"Yes sir."

☆

Sam's POV

"Yeah, we both had the professor for Ethics and Morality."

"Yeah? So why do you think he did it?" Sam asks.

"Who knows? He was tenured, wife and kids." The college girl speaks. "His book is like a really big deal."

"Then against who's to say it was suicide?"

"Dun. Dun. Duuuuuunnnn."

Sam inhales a breath and looks over at his little sister. "Athena."

The girl covers her mouth, "Sorry."

"What else could it be?" Sam looks at Jen.

"Well, you know about Crawford Hall."

Sam slightly leans forward, "No, I don't, actually."

"It's a bunch of crap, it's a total urban legend."  The college boy says.

"Yeah, well, Heather's mom went to school here and she knew the girl."

"Wait, what girl?"

"Like, 30 years ago this girl was having an affair with some professor."

"Ooooooh scandalous!—"

"Athena!" Sam seethes.

"Oh, come on! We were all thinking it."

Sam chuckles nervously and looks at the college students. "Excuse me for one moment." He turns to Athena. "How about you go...play the Pac-Man over there."

"Okay, give me some money." Athena holds her hand out. "Now."

Sam rolls his eyes, he pulls his wallet out, but before he could hand her some cash, Athena grabs the wallet and runs away laughing maniacally.

Sam continues to listen to the college students talk. Until their story sounded too ridiculous. He stands up and walks away, looking for Dean. Sam looks around, not spotting his brother. He makes his way over to the game, where his sister was being obnoxiously loud.

"Thena—"

"Shut up—shut up—I'm gonna win—Aw crap." She sighs. "I lost." Athena tosses the wallet to Sam. He catches it. Sam pulls his brows together and opens the wallet. "What?—Athena, it's empty!"

"Yeah..." Athena bunches her shoulders.

"You were only here for 30 minutes." Sam states.

Athena blinks, "Yeah...? I suck at video games." She then points a finger. "But Grand Theft Auto—"

"You're not playing Grand Theft Auto!" Sam seethes. "Where's Dean?"

Athena looks around, she raises her brows, "There. Drinking himself to a stupor—per us..." she then snorts. "How did you not see him? I found him and I've got one working eye."

"I don't know...annoying can see annoying, I guess." Sam murmurs.

"Shut up and carry me over to our drunken brother!" Athena jumps on Sam's back. "You're my horsey, bitch—"

"Okay, okay—enough!" Athena claps her hands, interrupting Sam's side. "You're making me sound like a child."

"Well, you're 12—"

"You're making me sound more annoying and childish than usual." Athena growls. "I didn't call you a bitch, I didn't use all your money, and I didn't say scandalous about the professor having an affair—because I don't care about affairs! Im 12, asshat!"

Dean points at the girl, "She's got a point, Sammy."

"And I wasn't drinking that much." Dean says.

Athena rolls her eyes, "Oh, come on, don't get all shy now about you're terrible drinking habits."

"And the girl's name wasn't Starla."

Athena frowns, "What was it?"

Dean blanks. "I don't know. But she was a classy woman." He looks at Bobby. "She was a hard student, Anthropology and Folklore."

"We were talking about local ghost stories..."

Athena rolls her eyes, "Here we go...again."

Dean's POV

"Here's to—"

"Here's to us." Dean finishes the woman's sentence.

Someone dry heaves behind them, "Gag me with a spoon."

Dean rolls his eyes to the side and looks at his little sister, who was snacking on a bowl of cherries.

"Athena, please give us a few minutes?"

"Why? What are you gonna do in a few minutes—swap spit?" Athena rolls her eyes.

"Athena, come on. For me?"

Athena looks at Dean with a blank expression. "Give me your wallet and I'll leave you alone."

Dean sighs, he looks at the woman and chuckles. "Kids, can't live without 'em..." he goes to give Athena some cash, but she ends up snatching the wallet and running away while laughing sinisterly.

"Aaaand there she goes." Dean clicks his tongue. "God, that kid is my heart and soul." He looks back at the blonde.

"You're so good with kids." She tilts her head and looks Dean up and down. "My god, you are attractive."

"Thanks. But no time for that now." Dean says, serious. "You need to tell me about this urban legend. Please. Lives are at stake."

The woman slowly shakes her head. "Sorry. I just, I can't even concentrate. It's like staring...into the sun." She passionately connects her lips with Dean's and he kisses her back.

"Dean, what do you think you're doing?"

Athena rolls her eyes, "Sam's a party pooper and a cock blocker—"

"Athena Winchester!"

"Do I even have a middle name? What's my middle name?!" Athena holds her arms up and cries dramatically.

Dean pulls his lips away from the woman's and turns to his younger siblings, who were bickering. "Sam, Athena, please..."

Athena and Sam snap their heads over to Dean.

"...if you wouldn't mind, just give me five minutes here."

"Dean, this is a very serious investigation. We don't have time for any of your blah, blah, blah, blah..."

Athena points at Sam and laughs. Dean goes back to kissing the woman, ignoring Sam's obnoxious voice.

"Blah—right!"

"And that's how it really happened."

Dean shrugs his shoulders and frowns.

"I don't sound like that, Dean." Sam snaps.

"That's what you sound like to me." He then nudges Athena. "Right?"

"Oh, Don't you 'right' me, you son of a bitch." Athena snaps. "You accused me of stealing your wallet—just like Sam did. Im surrounded by a couple of liars, I tell ya—liars!"

"And you made me sound mean!" Athena exclaims. "I'm not mean—I am such a kind soul!"

Sam and Dean look at each other and Athena notices. "What was that look?"

"What look?"

Athena points between them, "You guys don't think I'm nice? I am so nice—say I'm nice, you little shits!"

"We're bigger than you."

Athena's eyes widen, "Okay, then big shits—you're big shits and you should tell me I'm nice right now!"

"Okay." Bobby speaks up, his mind becoming fuzzy, because what the hell was going on? "What's going on wit you three?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Come on. Now, you're bickering like an old married couple." Bobby says.

Athena wrinkles her nose, "But...we're siblings."

"It's a saying."

Athena raises her brows and exhales a breath. "It's a weird saying."

"And a married couple can get divorced. Me and him? We're like, uh, Siamese twins. And Athena? Our child."

Athena cranes her neck forward, "Do not put me in this weird sibling marriage metaphor crap. And besides, Siamese twins? That makes no sense it's conjoined twins—"

"Yeah, idiot!" Sam adds.

Dean points between his siblings, "See what I mean?"

Sam exhales sharply, "Look, it...we've just been on the road for too long right quarters, all that."

"Oh, right..." Athena rolls her eyes.

"Athena—"

"Look at Gil—look at him!" She points at the blue cat. "Blue isn't even his favorite color. It's orange."

"So, you'd rather have an orange cat?—"

"So, you admit it?!" Athena points at Dean. "You dyed my cat blue!"

"I didn't."

Then she points at Sam.

Sam shakes his head, "Once again. I didn't do it."

Athena pulls her brows together, she goes to point at Bobby; but he speaks.

"Don't you point that finger at me."

Athena drops her hand to her side. "Can I tell my side of the story now?" She runs her hand over Gil.

"Yeah, yeah—go ahead." Dean rolls his eyes.

"Sweet!" Athena wiggles her fingers in an eery manner. "It was a cool misty night..."

Athena's POV

"So, you come here often?"

The blonde looks at Dean with an annoyed expression. "Uh, no. I'm here with my sister."

"Oh, really? That's funny, cause I'm here with my brother." Dean picks up the shot glass. "I never thought they would make something called the purple nurple."

Athena timidly walks over to Dean. "Uh, Dean—"

"Anyway, let's talk about me for a second." Dean looks at back at the blonde. He runs a hand through his hair. "You know I wake up with my hair like this."

"Oh, I can believe it." The blonde rolls her eyes and looks to the side.

"I am so hot." Dean looks at himself in the mirror.

"Excuse me, big brother?"

Dean tilts his head back and groans. "God, what do you want?"

Athena looks at the ground, "I was just wondering. Since I'm in a bar and it's no place for a 12 year old...can I play the arcade game over there?"

Dean looks over at the game and runs his tongue across his teeth, annoyed. "If you can find your own money."

"B-But—"

"Look, I'm busy right now, so beat it."

"Don't be mean." The blonde snaps at Dean.

Dean's jaw clenches, "I-I wasn't. That's just how we joke around. He turns to Athena and crouches in front of her. "Isn't that right, Ath?"

Athena slowly nods her head, "Uh, right..."

Dean opens the wallet and hands Athena 5 dollars. "Now scram, runt."

"Thank you, big brother!" Athena gushes and wraps her arms around him.

"Ew, get off." He pries her arms off her. "You're gonna mess up my hair."

"I'm sorry." Athena looks at the ground. She runs through the bar and pulls her brows together, thinking. She could definitely get more money if she found Sam. Athena runs over to where Sam is interviewing the two college students.

"Sammy?"

Sam continues to talk to the students. "Big brother Sam—"

"Oh, god. The party pooper's arrived." Sam says.

"I don't poop at parties."

"Haha funny." Sam deadpans. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Well, I was wondering if I could play the arcade game over there?"

Sam looks at Athena then at the game. "Games'll rot your brain." He pushes his glasses up—

"Hold on. Hold on. Hold on!"

Athena rolls her eyes.

"That is not true!"

"You don't have to lie." Athena scoffs.

"Athena, I don't even wear glasses." Sam deadpans.

Athena stops and her expression drops. "Shit that's right."

"Well, you still sound super nerdy."

Dean snorts, "I know that's right." He holds a hand up and Athena high fives him.

"You made yourself sound like Oliver Twist and we were your evil step brothers or something!"

"Oh, come on—thats crazy!" Athena waves a hand. She then chuckles. "You guys are my evil blood brothers."

Sam and Dean glare at the giggling girl. "And you took money from us."

"Nuh-uh! You gave it to me!"

"Yeah, but I didn't know Dean had given you money already!" Sam retorts.

Athena points at him, "It's not my fault you didn't ask." She points at her brain. "And it's also not my fault I've got a brain."

Dean snorts, "Okay, scarecrow."

"Well, at least I don't have a blue cat—"

"Don't insult him!" Athena pulls Gil close to her.

"Yeah, the cat didn't do anything, Sammy." Dean shakes his head.

"He was just sitting there living his best life." Bobby sighs.

Sam throws up his hands in defeat, never knowing how to win.

"You know what—whatever," Sam exclaims. "Anyway, we figured it might be a haunting so we went to check out the scene of the crime."

Sam's POV

"So, how long you been working here?"

"I've been mopping this floor for six years." The janitor answers.

"I wanna be a janitor..." Athena quietly pouts.

The janitor clicks his tongue and pats Athena's head. "If you put your mind to it, you can be anything."

"That's true, but there are better things than being a janitor." Dean murmurs to Sam.

Sam gives Dean a pointed look. "Don't be an ass."

The janitor unlocks the door and flicks the light on. Athena pulls out her EMF.

"What the heck's that for?"

Athena slightly opens her mouth. "Oh. You know...checking finding wires."

"Well, you're a smart little runt."

"Runt?" Athena knits her brows together. "Who the hell are you—"

"Runt is such a good nickname for her." Dean interrupts.

Athena's nose flares and she slams the heel of her foot against Dean's foot. And lets out a strained groan.

"Well, I'm not sure why you're wiring up this office." The janitor leans against the wall. "Not gonna do the professor much good."

"Why's that?"

"He's dead."

"Oh." Athena raises her brows.

"What happened?"

"He went out that window." The janitor points. "Right there."

"Yeah? Were you working that night?" Sam asks.

"I'm the one who found him."

Athena hears a crunch and she turns her head to the side. She raises her brows when she sees Dean eating. Athena walks over to him, "I want some."

"What?"

"Gimme." Athena reaches for one of the chocolates . She grabs one and pops it in her mouth. Athena raises her brows, "Ooh it's got peanut butter inside."

"Good, right?"

Athena vigorously nods her head. Dean holds a finger up, "How many do you think I can fit in my mouth?"

"Not more than me."

Dean squints his eyes at the girl and Athena returns the same look. At the same time, they both grab a handful of chocolate and shove it into their mouths.

Athena and Dean look at each other and laugh at the chocolates stuffed in their mouths.

"He wasn't alone..."

The siblings walk back over to Sam.

"Who was he with?" Dean asks.

Sam looks at Dean and rolls his eyes from his stuffed cheeks. Then he looks at Athena and deadpans.

"Come on! I ate one, maybe two."

Sam looks at Athena,  "Oh, what? You don't have anything to say?"

Athena smacks her lips, "Oh, I know, I stuffed my mouth full of those chocolates. They were delicious."

"Okay—but I didn't—"

"Shhhh just let me tell it, okay?" Sam speaks.

Dean rolls his eyes, but he lets Sam continue.

"He was with a young lady."

Athena tries to chew on the chocolate in her mouth, but there were too many.

"I told the cops about her but, ah I guess they never found her."

"You saw this girl go in, huh?" Sam questions." But did you ever see her come out?"

"Now that you mention it, no."

Sam shrugs, "You ever see her before, around?"

"Not her."

"What do you mean?" Athena asks, one of the chocolates pop out of her mouth and rolls on the ground. She looks at her brothers, Sam shakes his head and lets out a sigh of disappointment while Dean laughs. Athena looks at the janitor. "I-I'll clean it up."

Another one pops out of her mouth. "I'll clean that up too!" She grabs a paper towel and picks up the chocolate. She tosses them in the trash and sends the janitor two thumbs up.

"Thanks, kid."

☆

"What do you mean you're not sure?"

The three Winchesters exchange a look of uncertainty. "Well..." Athena purses her lips. "It's weird."

"What's weird?"

"The next part, we, uh..." Dean trails off. "We didn't see it happen ourselves, exactly, but...it's pretty friggin' weird, even for us."

"Well, not for me." Athena voices. "I always suspected something like this would happen someday."

And as soon as they explained it to Bobby, he started pacing the room.

"Aliens?"

Athena bites her lower lip and smiles. "Yeah."

"Aliens?"

Athena pulls her brows together, noticing Bobby not buying the alien story. Her smile lessens.

"Look, even if they are real they're sure as hell not coming t Earth and swipin' people."

Athena slumps her shoulders and flops her back onto the bed. She groans and covers her face.

"Hey, believe me. We know." Dean then points at the 12-year-old. "The only one who didn't know was Athena."

"Shhhhh!" Athena seethes. "He didn't have to know."

"My whole life, I've never found evidence of an honest-to-God abduction." Bobby voices. "It's all just cranks and pranks."

"Yeah, that's what we thought," Sam says. "But, Athena convinced us that we should at least talk to the guy."

Bobby looks at the girl and she bunches her shoulders. "Hey, he had a story--a crazy story that I was interested in."

Athena's POV

"Hey, you ought to give those Purple Nurples a shot." Dean exhales a breath and laughs. Athena looks at him and shakes her head. The college student glares at Dean, which causes the eldest Winchester's smile to drop.

"So, what happened, Curtis?" Sam asks.

Curtis shrugs, "You won't believe me. Nobody does."

"You could give us a chance." Athena softly smiles. "We may surprise you."

Curtis looks at Athena and he slowly nods his head.

"I do not want this in the papers."

Dean holds up his hands, "Off the record, then."

"I, uh...I blacked out, and...I lost time, and when I woke up I didn't know where I was."

"Then what?"

"They did tests on me." Curtis answers. "And, uh..." he stops and takes another shot, obviously not wanting to mention the next part. "They, uh...they probed me."

Athena pouts her lower lip as she watches Curtis shift uncomfortably. She pulls her brows together and turns to Sam, to see him smiling. Athena exhales through her nose. She pinches his arm and Sam groans.

"Ow!"

"It's not funny." Athena hisses. "Dick..." she looks back at Curtis.

"They probed you?" Dean questions.

Curtis nods, "Yeah, they probed me."

"Again and a-again and-and again and a..." he takes another shot. "And again and again and again. And then one more time."

Athena blinks, "Oh, uh that's a lot of...probing." she bites the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"And that's not even the worst of it."

"How could it get any worse?" Dean asks, a laugh escaping his mouth. "Some alien made you his bitch."

Athena's jaw clenches and she pinches Dean's arm. He lets out a cry, "Okay, sorry--I'm sorry."

Athena looks back at Curtis, "Go on." her voice was soft.

The 12-year-old prepares herself for the worst part of the story.

"They...they made me..."

Athena tenses and her shoulders bunch.

"...slow dance."

The girl pulls her brows together, "I'm sorry, did I...hear you correctly? You..."

"I slow danced with an alien." Curtis nods.

Athena frowns, "Oh..."

"What song?"

"The Lady in Red."

Athena slowly nods her head. "Th-that's a good song."

"You guys are exaggerating again, huh?"

"No." All the Winchesters speak.

"Then this frat boy's just nuts," Bobby states.

Dean shifts, "We're not so sure."

☆

Dean's POV

"So, you and this guy, Curtis, you were in the same house?"

"Yeah."

"You heard what happened to him, right?" Dean asks.

The boy nods, "Yeah, he says it was aliens but, you know, whatever."

Sam pouts his lower lip, "Look, man, I...I know this all has to be so hard."

"Um, not so much."

"He's so brave." Athena smiles softly, she begins to suck her thumb.

"I want you to know...I'm here for you." Sam says, his eyes becoming misty.

Dean rolls his eyes at his two siblings.

"You brave little soldier." Sam cranes his neck forward. "I acknowledge your pain."

Athena nods her head, "Yes, acknowledge his pain, that'll make it easier for him to talk."

"B-But, I don't want to talk about anythi--"

"Come here." Sam pulls the college student into a tight embrace.

Athena continues to suck her thumb and places her head against the man's side, joining the hug. Dean looks away from them for a moment, hoping no one was watching this interaction.

"You're too precious for this world."

"I just want to turn you into a bird and lock you in a cage." Athena gushes. She yawns and looks at Dean. "Okay, it's time for my nap--"

"Oh, yeah right!"

Athena folds her arms and scoffs, "I didn't suck my thumb and I don't have a nap time!" she points at Dean. "I take my naps whenever I want now!"

"And I never said any of that!" Sam exclaims.

Dean waves a hand, "What? You're always saying pansy stuff like that." he points at Sam. Then he looks at Athena. "And let's be honest. For a 12-year-old. You're still childish."

Athena gasps, "How dare you?!"

Bobby watches the three siblings continue to argue with his brows pulled together.

"Can we refocus, please?" Sam speaks, rolling his eyes.

...

First, it was Sam's laptop that was lost. Then, Athena couldn't find her backpack. Now, Dean's tires were flat and all he found was Sam's money clip at the scene of the crime. And Athena...

A scream erupts from Athena's room, causing Sam and Dean to halt their argument. The door next to their room swings open and slams shut.

"Open the fucking door, morons!" Athena continues to knock furiously.

Dean rolls his eyes, "I'm telling you, that jar would come in handy right about now..." he walks over to the door and pulls it open. He looks at Athena, "Why are you so--oh my god!" he stares at the blue cat in Athena's arms. He looks back at Athena's pissed and panicked expression then he looks back at the cat. Dean bursts out laughing and points at Gil.

"It's not funny!"

Sam walks over to the door and his eyes blow wide. He lets out a chuckle, then that chuckle turns into a full-hearted laugh. Athena presses her lips into a firm line. "It's. Not. Funny!" she holds Gil up in Dean's face and Dean sneezes.

"Who did it?--Who did it?!"

"Look at mister tire reliever here." Dean walks back over to his bed.

"I didn't touch your car!" Sam snaps, and he follows after Dean.

Athena marches into the room and slams the door shut. "Who dyed my cat blue?! He hates blue."

"Athena, obviously Gil did it to himself for attention," Dean says.

"What? But why would he do that? I pay plenty of attention to him..." Athena trails off her words and she raises her brows. "You're just saying something random to distract me! Well, guess what?" She sets the cat down and sprints toward Dean.

Before Dean could register anything, the money clip was out of his hands. Sam and Dean turn to the girl, who was holding the money up.

"Neither of you deserves this money." Athena squints her good eye. "This money is going to Gil's new hairdo--"

"He's a cat, Athena!"

"A cat that I would die for!" Athena points at them. "You know what? What if...I threw this money away--"

"Athena, h-hold on." Sam holds up his hands.

"No, I won't hold on!" Athena mocks Sam in a nasally tone that causes him to growl and causes Dean to laugh.

Sam runs a hand over through his hair, "I have had it up to here with you guys." he seethes.

"Yeah, well..."

"Right back at you!" Athena and Dean exclaim.

Sam's jaw clenches, he reaches for the money, but Athena pulls it back. Dean then reaches for it and Athena kicks his shin. Dean groans and clutches his leg. "Oh, that's it, you little shit!"

"What are you going to do, you...big shit?!"

Dean lunges forward, tackling both Athena and Sam onto the bed.

"Give it back!" Sam shouts.

"How about I shove it up your ass?!" Athena screams back.

"Get off me!" Dean cries.

"You tackled us, dummy!—"

"Okay, I've heard enough." Bobby interrupts.

"Anyway, you showed up about an hour after that," Dean says.

"I'm surprised at you three, I really am." Bobby shakes his head. "Sam, first off, Dean did not steal your computer."

"But I--"

"Shhh!" Bobby holds a hand up and Sam quiets down. "And Athena, they didn't steal your backpack or dye your cat blue."

"But, then--"

"Aht, Aht, Aht!" Bobby holds up a finger.

Sam and Dean hold up their arms.

"And, Dean, Sam did not touch your car."

"Yeah." Sam laughs.

"And if you three bothered to pull your heads out of your asses it all would've been pretty clear," Bobby says.

Athena pulls her brows together. She softly clicks her tongue and taps her finger against the cup of her apple juice. The girl begins to push aside her frustrations she's dealt with for the past few days with her brothers and thinks.

"What you're dealing with."

"Aliens aren't real..." Athena murmurs. "Alligator in the sewer...ghost that doesn't exist." she shakes her head. "It all just seems like one big joke." she sinks in her seat. She sticks a pinky in her ear and thinks. Bobby watches as Athena works her magic.

"One...big..." Athena closes her eyes. Something clicks in her brain and her eyes fly open and she gasps. "Trick!" she touches her nose. "I-It's a Trickster!"

Bobby smiles and nods his head.

Dean snaps his fingers, "That's what I thought."

"What? No, you didn't!" Sam retorts.

"I got to tell you...you three were the biggest clue."

"Uh, what do you mean?" Sam asks.

Athena slumps her shoulders and slaps a hand on her face. "These things create chaos and mischief...it's as easy as the ABCs for them." she drops her hand and looks at her brothers. "It had us so turned around and at each other's throats, we couldn't even think straight."

"The laptop..."

"The tires..."

Sam and Dean finally start to get it.

"It knows you're onto him and it's been playing you like fiddles." Bobby adds.

"So, what is it? Wha...spirit, demon, what?" Dean asks.

"Well, more like demigods, really." Bobby voices. "There's Loki in Scandinavia. There's Anansi in West Africa. Dozens of 'em."

"They're immortal, and they can create things out of thin air. Things as real as you and me. Make 'em vanish just as quick."

"You mean, like an angry spirit or an alien or an alligator."

"Oh My God..." Athena covers her face. "Everything makes so much sense now."

"The victims fit the MO too," Bobby says. "Tricksters target the high and the mighty knock 'em down a peg, usually with a sense of humor. Deadly pranks, things like that."

"Bobby, what do these things look like?" Dean asks.

"Lots of things, but human, mostly." Bobby shrugs.

Dean turns to his younger siblings. "And what human do we know who's been at ground zero this whole time?"

Athena and Sam look at each other, a light bulb shining in both their heads.

"That son of a bitch--he dyed my cat blue!" Athena shoots up from her seat. "And to think I wanted to be like him when I got older."

☆

"Whoa, baby!"

Athena points at the two women in lingerie on the bed at the front of the auditorium. Sam rolls his eyes, he covers Athena's eyes and pulls her behind him. "Stay here."

"Hey, man. You don't have to tell me twi--"

"And keep your eyes covered."

Athena slowly nods her head, "Right, right--got it."

Sam and Bobby walk down the steps with their stakes in hand.

"You wanna see a real trick?"

A chainsaw is heard and Athena pulls her hands off her eyes. Her eyes widen at the masked man holding a chainsaw above her head.

"Shit!" Athena scrambles away from him. The masked man stalks after her as she runs around the auditorium. "Why didn't you guys make me a stake?!"

Athena then trips over the carpet and falls forward. She groans softly and turns onto her back. The masked man stands over her with the chainsaw raised. Athena's good eye widens, "I'm gonna pee my pants!"

Sam tackles the masked man to the ground. Bobby helps Athena up. She then grabs at Sam's jacket and tries to pull him away from the masked man, who was already on his feet.

"Dean, Dean, Dean...I really didn't want to have to do this..."

Athena's eye lands on the stake by her feet. She lifts her head up, meeting Dean's gaze; the same idea in their heads. Athena kicks the stake over to Dean, he quickly grabs it, and plunges it into the Trickster's heart.

"Me neither."

The figments then disappear into smoke. Dean rips the stake from the Tricker's chest and he falls back into his seat.

"You guy's okay?" Dean asks as the three hunters walk over to him.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"All I got to say...he had style." Dean chuckles. He winces in pain and groans.

"I wonder if he could've made Spider-Man real," Athena says. "That would've been so cool."

They all exit the building.

"Hey, Bobby, thanks. We really--"

"Hey, save it!" Bobby exclaims. "Let's just get the hell out of Dodge before somebody finds that body."

"Yeah..."

Sam stops and looks at his siblings. "Look, Dean, Athena, I just wanna say that I'm uh...um..."

Athena looks at Sam with a confused expression.

"Hey," Dean speaks. "Me too."

Athena raises her brows, "Uh, I'm not. Because I have no idea what you guys are talking about!"

"We apologized."

Athena pulls her face back, "No, you didn't. I didn't hear an 'I'm sorry' in you're 'apologies' at all." she points between her brothers. "Say 'I'm sorry'."

"What? No--"

"Say it." Athena seethes. "Here, I'll go first."

"Guys I'm sorry for accusing you guys of stealing my things and dying my cat blue." She holds her arms out. "And I'm sorry for being very, very mean."

"Your guy's turns."

Sam and Dean shake their heads. Athena folds her arms, "We're not leaving until you guys apologize with words."

"Athena, we're not--"

"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Bobby pokes his head out the window. "If you two don't apologize right now, we're all getting thrown in the clink and Athena's going to the nuthouse."

Athena pulls her brows together, "I don't think you can call it that anymore--and why would I go to a mental institute?"

The three men deadpan. Athena rolls her eyes, "Whatever, just use your words so we can go."

Sam and Dean look at each other.

"I'm sorry, Sammy."

"I'm sorry too, Dean."

Athena smiles, "Now group hug!--"

"We can do that later! Get your asses in the car!"

"Yes, sir."

The Winchesters pile into the Impala and Dean speeds down the road.

Athena then felt a chill rush down her spine, which caused her to turn her head back to the building. A tight feeling forms in her stomach.

We're not done...

━━━━━━━━━━

author's note.

now back to our regularly (sad) scheduled program. hehehehe 🤭

words : 6275