The Magnificent Seven.

chapter fifty-three, The Magnificent Seven

a/n : hey y'all, and welcome back!!!

It's the start of season three and I hope you're excited because Athena is going to be stirring shit UPPPP

Also, instead of it being five days after season two. I'm making it like a month later. Because I can 🫶

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Metal rock music blasts through the Impala.

The eldest Winchester lets out a fit of laughter that is filled with a sense of freedom. He speeds down the highway, while the middle Winchester shifts side to side in his seat.

"Let me see your knife," Sam speaks.

Dean's smile drops and he pulls his brows together. "What for?"

"So, I can gouge my eyes out." Sam then grimaces, thinking about walking in on Dean and those women.

Dean laughs, "It was a beautiful, natural act, Sam."

"It was a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean," Sam replies.

Dean chuckles and pats Sam on the shoulder. "Hey, I appreciate you giving me a little quality time with the Doblemint Twins."

"Yeah, no problem." Sam sighs.

Dean looks at Sam, "Really?"

Sam shrugs and looks forward.

"Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something." Dean sputters.

Sam shakes his head, "Not at all. You deserve to have a little fun." His voice was soft.

"Well, I am in violent agreement with you there." Dean chuckles. He glances at Sam. "What's Bobby got?"

"Not much." Sam answers. "Crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Could be demonic omens."

"Or could just be a bad cell and a bug problem," Dean says.

Sam sighs, "Yeah, but it's our only lead."

"Any freaky deaths?" Dean inquires.

"Nothing Bobby could find—not yet, anyway."

Dean shakes his head, "It's weird, man. The night the Devil's Gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"

"17."

"17." Dean nods. "You'd think it would be 'Apocalypse Now,' but it's been 1 month and Bubkes."

"What are the demons waiting for?" Dean scoffs.

"Beats me."

"It's driving me crazy. I'll tell you, if it's gonna be a war, I wish it would just start already."

Sam inhales, "I don't know, man. Be careful what you wish for."

The car falls silent for a moment. Dean shifts in his seat, another thought popping into his head. "Have you heard from her?"

Sam's chest tightens and he shakes her head. "Radio silence since The Devil's Gate." He looks at Dean. "You?"

Dean softly scoffs, "If she's not calling or texting you, she sure as hell isn't contacting me." Even though he ended his statement with a laugh, it hurt him to even think about that.

Sam pulls his brows together. "I asked Bobby about her and he...hesitated."

Dean's spine straightens. "Hesitated? What do you mean—what does that mean?"

Sam shrugs, "I asked him and he just paused. Then he changed the subject."

Dean's heart drops. Shit.

"Well, we can ask him about it when we see him." Dean's grip on the steering wheel tightens and he increases the car's speed, practically flying across the road.

By the time the boys got to Nebraska, the sun was out. Dean quickly stops the car when he sees Bobby leaning against his pickup. He parks the Impala and gets out of the car with urgency and Sam matches that too. Bobby slightly tenses as the brothers stalk over to him.

"Where's Athena?"

"Calm down, you two," Bobby says.

"Sam said you hesitated when he asked about her," Dean states. "Then you changed the subject."

"She's alive if that's what you're wondering," Bobby reassures.

"Well, what about—"

"No broken limbs." Bobby cuts off Dean's question.

"What about—"

"No bleeding, no bruises. She is physically fine."

Sam and Dean look at each other. The middle Winchester pulls his brows together. "And mentally?"

Bobby tenses again, which causes the brothers to tense. "Look..." he exhales. "She's not with me."

"What?!"

After the Devil's Gate, Athena told Sam and Dean that she wanted to stay with Bobby. One, Gilbert was at Bobby's, and Two, she didn't want to wait around for Dean to die. And she didn't want to come last. And with Dean dying, she knew that Sam would be so busy trying to find a way to break his deal; he wouldn't have paid much attention to her. So, she took herself out of the equation. She didn't even want to see them when she turned 13.

Was it harsh? Yes.

Did Athena give a fuck? Hell no.

But if she wasn't with Bobby now. Then who the hell was she with?

Bobby growls from the sudden yelling. "Well, where is she, Bobby?"

Bobby opens his mouth to speak, but he is cut off by the revving of a vehicle approaching.

The three men look at the motorcycle approaching them at a high speed. Bobby lets out a breath, "Speak of the devil..." he grumbles and rubs a hand down his face.

The motorcycle came to a stop, and it was clear that there were two people on the bike. "Who the hell are they?" Dean asks, still trying to understand where his sister's whereabouts are.

The person driving pushes the kickstand on. The driver pulls their helmet off and blonde hair spills out of the helmet. Simultaneously, the Winchester's mouths drop.

"Jo?"

The blonde looks over at the two brothers. "Oh, hey, boys." she smiles.

"Are you...what're you doing here?" Dean asks, his heart beginning to accelerate.

"Is Athena with you?"

Jo frowns, she looks at the person still wearing her helmet. "Yo!" she motions her head forward.

The smaller person jumps off the bike, her combat boots coming into contact with the dirt. Dean pulls his brows together and he tilts his head. "Who the fuck...?"

The girl pulls the helmet off and the three men's eyes blow wide.

"What the shit?!" Bobby's voice booms.

"That's not our...is that our sister?" Sam tilts his head.

"No, it's an imposter!" Dean points at the little girl.

Jo looks at the girl and chuckles. "Yo!"

Athena looks up at Jo and pulls her brows together. Jo points at her ears, signaling Athena to take her headphones off. Athena lets out a small breath and pulls her headphones down to hang around her neck. She then looks at her brothers, her blind eye still had a bandage over it. All you could see was the scar on her cheek and a part of that scar across her eyebrow, causing her eyebrow to have a slit in it. And that might've been the only thing about Athena that hadn't changed.

Her hair was now straightened, it was blonde and there were hot pink streaks in it. Dark messy eyeliner and eyeshadow were compacted around her eye. Each of her fingers had rings on them, while she was wearing a dark green corduroy jacket with ripped jeans and fishnet leggings underneath; paired with a black Star Wars graphic tee. And when Sam squinted his eyes, he saw a light reflect on her face.

"Is that a piercing?" Sam squints.

Dean's eyes widen, "What?!" He steps closer to Athena. She pulls her face back as Dean practically scans her face. His eyes land on the stud in her nostril and he snaps his eyes over to Jo. "You let her get a hole in her face?"

Jo raises her brows and shrugs a shoulder. "Yeah, of course."

"How much did this go for exactly?" Bobby asks.

Jo frowns, "Well, actually...I did it for her."

"You What?!"

Athena lets out a heavy sigh. "I'm getting a headache."

"And these clothes. Whose money did you use to buy these?" Dean lifts the collar of her jacket. She pulls his hand away from her.

"My credit card."

Jo rolls her head to the side, a smile of pride on her lips. But she knew that the three hunters in front of her were pissed, so she had to wipe the smile off her face and act like a responsible adult. She pulls at Athena's earlobe and the young girl winces.

"Damn." Athena rubs at her recently double-pierced ear.

"Tell them the truth, you little liar." Jo quietly speaks her smile now evident. Athena chuckles.

"Lying?" Sam raises his brows. "Who are you, right now?"

Athena rolls her eyes and looks at Jo. "Can I go back in the car—"

"Tell. Them—"

"Okay." She seethes and looks back at her brothers. She huffs and throws her arms up. "I...stole them..."

"You what?"

"You heard me—or are you losing your hearing as fast as you're dying?" Athena cocks her head to the side. Dean pulls his face back. Jo covers her mouth, to suppress her laughter. He then shakes his head. "I don't believe this—I can't...I can't believe this."

"Yeah, I can't believe this either." Athena huffs. "I mean, why the hell am I still out here? Can I go back in the car?"

"Look, Attie." Jo clears her throat. "We're here for your family, right now. They wanted to see you."

Athena rolls her eyes and kicks a rock. "Well, I didn't want to see them." She murmurs.

"Fair point. I tried to give you as much time, but you know how men are."

Athena quirks a brow in agreement. "Boys will be boys, I suppose."

Both the girls murmur in agreement.

"Watch your tone, missy," Bobby grumbles.

Athena then scoffs, "Yes, Dad." sarcasm seeps into her voice.

Sam and Dean are tense. Jo lets out a nervous chuckle and touches Athena's shoulder. "All right, little lady. Calm down before they get pissed at me."

Athena closes her mouth and exhales through her nose. She crosses her arms and walks over to the Impala. Simultaneously, the three men turn to the blonde. "What the hell, Jo?" Dean snaps.

Jo rolls her head to the side and sighs. "Guys—"

"Why didn't you call us?" Dean asks. "You could've called us—"

"No, I couldn't." Jo raises her brows. "Athena needs her space. The whole reason she chose to stay with me instead of Bobby was because she wanted to be around someone of her own gender:" she tilts her head. "You guys think that this girl wants to be around men her entire life after..." she trails off her words and sucks in a breath.

"She just needs her space, all right?" Jo quickly says.

"Seriously?" Sam questions. "She's...that mad—"

"You heard what she said before she left with me that night, right?" Jo snaps. "Of course she's mad. She's mad at the whole goddamn world." She folds her arms.

"I can't believe she's...all broody now. I mean, it happened kind of fast." Dean crosses his arms uncomfortably. "Does she still like Hello Kitty?"

Jo shrugs, "If she does, she doesn't say anything about it."

That shouldn't have made the brother's heart hurt. But it did.

"Wow, this is really good!"

The men all looked at the girl, she had her hands wrapped around a burger and her mouth was full. Dean's eyes widen, "Hey—that's mine!"

"Oh, was it? I thought it was Sam's." Athena sags her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Dean."

He squints his eyes at the girl and she smirks before taking another bite out of it. "You really are a thief."

Athena swallows the food and burps, "A wasteful thief." She then drops the burger to the ground, causing a gasp to come from Dean's mouth. He clutches at his chest and grasps Sam's arm.

"Uh-oh, looks like death's coming for him early, boys." Athena pats the excess food off her hands and chuckles. She walks up the patio steps. Sam's body tenses, "Athena, wait." He quickly walks over to her. "We don't know what's in there."

"No, shit, Sam." Athena snorts. "That's why we're going in, right?"

Sam quietly chuckles, "Right." He has to admit. Her tone kind of hurt him. Dean recovers from his trashed burger and walks over to the door. "Candygram!"

No one answers. Dean crouches down and begins to pick the lock. Sam and Bobby pull their guns out of their waistbands. Then Sam looks down to see Athena taking a gun out from her waistband.

"She has a gun now too?" Sam whispers his eyes on Jo.

Athena rolls her eyes, "Look, before you totally brutalized Jake, I shot him in the leg—perfectly." She tilts her head. "Or did you forget about that?"

"Of course, I didn't forget about the guy that killed me," Sam replies.

Athena presses her lips together. "Could've fooled me with the way you believed Dean's bullshit lie about Bobby patching you up."

"It was a good lie...for the most part." Dean voices. He gets the door open and the five hunters are greeted with the smell of death.

"Aw, sick!" Athena covers her nose. She then winces from the pain of her piercing.

"That's awful." Sam voices.

"That so can't be a good sign," Dean whispers. Sam and Dean go in one direction while Bobby, Jo, and Athena go in another. Athena had her finger against the side of her beretta, not on the trigger. As much as she has been getting on Bobby's nerves (purposely), she still used to his lessons. Just like how she still uses John's lessons.

Athena, Jo, and Bobby found nothing on their side of the house. They silently make their way over to the brothers. Bobby is the first to step into the room, only to stumble back from the rancid smell basically melting his nostrils. Athena goes to step into the death-filled room, but Bobby holds his arm out. "Stay here."

Athena's finger twitches as Bobby and Jo walk into the room, looking at the three corpses sitting upright on the couch.

"Bobby, what the hell happened here?"

Athena shoves past Bobby, "This is all of our first times in this house, remember?" She looks at the bodies, her hand over her nose. "Bobby sure as shit doesn't know what happened—"

"I told you to stay out—"

"Jesus, look at them." Athena looks at the three bodies. "Did they starve to death?"

"Can we please show some respect?" Dean murmurs, his nose covered.

Athena rolls her eyes, "Whatever—I'm gonna go looks look for any sign of sulfur." She walks over to one window and inspects the sill. The three men all exchange a look, already tired of the girl's attitude.

Dean's ears perk when he hears the floorboards outside creak. He whistles, catching everyone's attention. He motions for them to round the house. Athena sputters her lips as Dean exits the house through the back door. She then hears a loud thud, then a struggle.

"Isaac? Tamara?"

"Bobby! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same!"

"Heya, Bobby!"

"Hello. Bleeding here."

Athena's ears perk. She walks outside and walks over to the group of adults. She looks down at Dean, who was bleeding from the nose. Athena raises her brows, she points at Dean and laughs.

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"So, Jenny, is it? That's a beautiful name. That's my sister's name."

Jo squints her eyes at Dean, her arms crossed.

Athena grimaces, "If you're trying to seduce a woman into giving you information, maybe you shouldn't compare her to your sister." She sets her brown bag down and Gil hops out.

"You know this attitude is getting real old," Bobby speaks.

Athena arches a brow, "Yeah? Well, you'll get used to it. Not like it's not going away anytime—"

"Did you want Sam to stay dead?" Bobby asks.

Athena snaps her eyes over to Bobby. "Of course not."

Bobby lets out a heavy sigh and crouches in front of her. He takes notice in the fact that now Athena was almost the same height as him when he crouched. "They're confused about your anger and honestly, kiddo...so am I." His eyes were soft.

Athena's jaw clenches and she crosses her arms. "Well, maybe that's because it has nothing to do with you guys."

"Oh, come on—"

"Let me rephrase that." Athena blows her pink strands of hair out of her face. "It has nothing to do with you." Her tone was cold and sharp.

Athena watches as a taken-aback pain forms on Bobby's face and guilt rises in her. She looks to the side and Bobby inhales. He stands up and pulls her into a hug by the back of her head. Athena keeps her arms folded, not hugging him back.

"Yeah, kiddo, I know. It just sucks seeing you mad at them, is all."

A lump forms in Athena's throat and she scrunches her brows together. She steps out of Bobby's hug and walks into the room where Sam, Tamara, and Isaac are.

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me," Tamara speaks.

"So, how long you two been married?"
Sam questions, a small smile on his lips.

Tamara and Isaac smile at one another. "Eight years this past June." Isaac kisses Tamara on the cheek.

"The family that slays together..."

"Right. I'm with you there." Sam chuckles.

It takes all of Athena's strength not to scoff out loud.

"So, how'd you get started?" Sam asks.

Silence fills the room and Athena tenses. "Jesus, dude...even I know not to ask something like that."

"I-I'm sorry, it's not—that's not none of my business."

Athena huffs, "No shit. How would you feel if people asked you how you got back into hunting?"

Sam tenses. Jo nudges the toe of her boot into Athena's leg. Athena hisses in pain and looks at Jo, "What the fuck? It was a joke...or something."

"No, it wasn't." Sam voices, his disappointed eyes on her cold storm blue ones. "But, I get what your point was."

Athena felt the need to crawl under a blanket and cry. Why the fuck would you say that? The girl looks at the ground and meets her cat's hazel brown eyes. She could've sworn he was looking at her with the same amount of judgement.

Oh, please. I didn't mean it. Athena voices in her head.

Yes, you did.

Athena arches a brow, Yeah, I did...

"Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, then I'd love to have an appletini." Dean shrugs as everyone stares at him. "Yeah, call you." He ends the phone call. "That was the coroner's tech."

"And?"

"Get this—that whole family, cause of death—dehydration and starvation."

Athena touches the tip of her sharp-edged nose. "Told ya."

"But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away," Bobby states after Dean finishes explaining.

"Right? What is this, a demon attack?" Sam questions.

"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty."

"Well, what now? What should we do?" Dean asks.

"Uh, we're not gonna do anything." Isaac speaks up.

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

"You guys seem nice enough but, this ain't 'Scooby-Doo'. And we don't play well with others."

"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together." Sam voices.

Isaac sighs, "No offense, but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devil's gate get open in the first place."

"No offense?" Dean lets out a bitter chuckle.

"Oh, don't get butthurt, it's true." Athena shrugs. "You guys screwed up."

"You were there too," Dean states.

Athena quirks a brow, "Yeah, but I'm a troubled 13-year-old. You can't blame me."

"Yeah, and I wasn't there." Jo holds a hand up. "My mom was though—still kind of upset none of you called me."

"Isaac, like you've never made a mistake." Tamara looks at her husband.

"Oh, yeah, locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink." Isaac nods. "Never brought on the end of the world, though."

"All right. That's enough." Dean says.

"Oh, yeah, go ahead and argue with him, Dean. That's gonna make the situation better." Athena scoffs. "I suggest we go home. They seem like they can handle whatever this is."

"I agree with the kid, you guys should just leave." Isaac voices. "Look, there are a couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us—on all of us."

Tamara inhales, "Okay. That's quite enough testosterone for now." She grabs her husband's hand and leaves the room. Jo arches a brow, agreeing with Tamara.

Athena sighs while crossing her arms, "Imagine how I feel every day of my life..."

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"Surprise, surprise..."

Athena let out a breath as she walked over to Dean, who was talking to a blonde woman.

"...Dean can't keep it in his pants. Not even on a case."

Sam chuckles, "He's always had that problem."

Dean coughs and touches chest. "Guys, I'm sorry. It's just I don't have much time left, and..."

Sam rolls his eyes and Athena's hands curl into fists. How can he joke about his death so easily? Could he be any less inconsiderate? Can't he see how it's affecting her and Sam?

Dean continues to exaggerate his coughing.

"...got to make every second count."

"Yeah, right. Sorry." Sam murmurs before looking at the ground.

Athena scoffs, "The only thing I'll be apologizing for is not keying your car while you were alive." She tilts her head.

Dean pats her head and she slaps his wrist away. "Gross." She grimaces.

"Well, you've got 11 months left to make it happen, kiddo."

Athena squints her eyes. She's trying everything in order to make him mad. But he doesn't care. Athena's chest flares with frustration and she runs her tongue over her teeth. "Whatever, idiot."

Bobby walks over to them in a suit. Dean whistles, "Looking spiffy, Bobby. What were you, a G-Man?"

"Attorney for the D.A.'s office." Bobby states. "I just spoke to the suspect."

Dean opens his mouth to say something snarky, but his voice gets caught in his throat when Jo walks over to them in a pantsuit. The blonde sighs, "Did you tell them?" She looks at the siblings and notices one of them had their eyes on her for a lot longer. "Dean?"

"Gross..." Athena rolls her eyes.

"Uh...h-hey, Jo. You look—"

"Like a total badass!"

Jo turns to Athena, "Ya think?"

"Yeah! I want a suit!" Athena laughs. "Can I get a suit?"

"Hell yeah. We'll be badasses together." Jo gives Athena a low five.

Sam nudges Dean, forcing him out of his staring act.

"Yeah? So, what'd you think? Is she possessed or what?" Sam asks, getting back on track.

"Don't think so. There's none of the usual signs—no blackouts, no loss of control. Totally lucid." Bobby explains. "Just, she really wanted those shoes."

Athena raises her brows, "Bitches be bonkers." She clicks her tongue. "Did you use holy water?"

Bobby nods, "Spilled a glass on her just to be sure. Nothing."

"It's like Athena said, maybe she's just some random wack job."

"Uh, don't agree with me." Athena looks at him. "When I say 'bitches be bonkers' it means everyone is a bitch. But when you say it, I have a feeling you're only thinking about women in that context."

Dean holds his hands up, "Aw, what? After all those lessons you put me through, you still don't think I've learned anything?"

"Yup."

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author's note.

First chapter of season 3 is done! In the actual episode based off this chapter, Jo isn't in it; but I decided to put her in 🫶

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