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Nyx

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Night came and went and soon day arrived. The sun rose, announcing a new day. No one who knew of the supernatural smiled at the sight. Because they all knew what would be occurring that night. The Sacrifice. Athena never dreamed that she would ever see such a tragedy. Was this really what had become of her brother? Yes, she understood how important it was to him to break this curse their mother placed upon him. Esther had stripped away a part of him he wanted it back because without it, he wasn't who he was meant to be. A true hybrid.

But that did not excuse all of the things he did to reach that point. All of the blood spilt and the lives lost. During the journey to becoming a hybrid, Klaus Mikaelson lost himself. He had killed too much. He had devastated too many people. In his travels to find his sister and revive what was left of their family, he became the monster he never wanted to be. Now, he thrived in the thought of men fearing him.

That was never how he was before. Klaus was one an older brother of a sister who looked up to him, who looked up to all of them. The Mikaelson siblings collapsed without the care of their youngest sister. She was the light for them, she guided them and encouraged them to be their best selves. And the moment she vanished, all hope was lost for them. 

Kol massacred villages and busied himself with women he didn't even know the names of. Rebekah fantasized about Athena. Thinking if her sister would approve of the clothes she wore or if she would accept the man she was in love with at that time. Elijah read books and imagined her sitting beside him, perching herself on his knee and resting her head on his shoulder, listening and letting the story loll her to sleep. Finn stayed silent, ridding any thought of her because it was just too painful. Klaus drowned himself in hatred in not saving her, reveling in bottles of alcohol. And Kol would even join him sometimes. Together they would kill hundreds while they were drunk.

Athena being gone broke them. She was their bandage. She was their savior. She was their angel sent from heaven and died at the hands of Hell. But that girl was very much alive. And Klaus was determined to break this curse not only for himself but for her too.

The said girl had awoken the next morning to Katherine shaking her gently. Her eyes peeled open slowly to see the brunette. "Morning. Sorry, I figured I'd wake you since it's already ten o'clock," Katherine apologized.

Athena groaned but got up anyway. Katherine left and she went to the bathroom to comb her hair and brush her teeth. Her nose scrunched up when she realized she had no extra clothing. All of her things were at the boarding house. Going back there would be dangerous considering that the Salvatores no doubt wanted her dead. She'd even probably be used as leverage.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she walked into the kitchen and living room area where Klaus and Katherine were. Athena had come to the conclusion that both of them were part of her pack. Running thoughts through her mind she also came to the conclusion that Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie were part of her pack too. Damon or Elena wasn't. That didn't surprise her all that much because they hated her guts.

Without her having to ask, Athena was given a blood bag from Katherine. Her eyebrows rose, giving the doppelganger a skeptical look at the kind gesture. Klaus was watching from the counter with a scowl. He wasn't too pleased with how close she was standing to the same person who ran from him for centuries.

"Thanks, Katherine," Athena thanked, her posture still stiff as she took the blood bag slowly.

She gave her a sideways glance as she journeyed over to her brother to hide her face. Her instincts screamed to devour the blood bag but she remembered the restraint she needed to have. When her eyes turned the violet color she had grown to be embarrassed about, she shifted her body towards the wall. Klaus frowned, turning her so he could see. He never wanted her to dislike a part of herself. Because if it was taken away from her, she would soon miss it.

Athena quickly finished, not liking the attention, and threw the blood bag away, going back into the guest room and closing the door. Making the decision, she went to the window and opened it diligently. Then she took a step out and flashed out of the apartment before Klaus could notice her absence.

There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that irked her. It felt like something was pulling her towards a place where she knew she wasn't welcome. The Salvatore Boarding House stood in all of its glory in front of Athena. She took a deep breath and entered from the front door which was surprisingly unlocked.

Due to her being invited beforehand, she easily slipped through the barrier and made her way to the hallway. Voices sounded in her ears, coming from the direction of the study. "Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will."

Her face went pale. Elijah. Klaus never said he was here. What was Elijah doing with the Mystic Falls gang? After all, they were all interested in protecting Elena Gilbert. They didn't care about anyone else. She never doubted her brother. At least she never wanted to. His name passed through her lips without consent. "Elijah?"

She appeared in the door and looked at her brother. He slowly turned and saw her standing there. Elijah could not believe the sight in front of him. There she was. Athena stood in front of him with tears in her eyes. "Athena?"

"Elijah!" Athena flashed forward and they embraced each other.

He clutched her small frame. "You're here. You're here. You're alive."

Despite Elena telling him the news about his sister, seeing here in the flesh after so many centuries was different. They pulled apart and Athena had tears streaming down her face. "Nik wouldn't tell we where you guys were. I thought you guys were gone," Athena stammered. Elijah felt guilt overcome his face. "Where's Bekah. Where's Kol?"

The one thing he always wished for her to have glowed in her green eyes. Hope. And he would be forced to crush that hope. It had been years since he saw any of his siblings besides Klaus. Athena hadn't seen any of them in nearly a thousand years. "I think you might want to sit down," Elijah told her.

She sniffled and nodded. Stefan and Elena got up. "We'll leave you two alone," Stefan said. Athena smiled at them slightly before they left the room. Elijah sat down on the couch and Athena followed.

He sighed, holding her hands and looking into her hope-filled eyes. "He daggered them which preserved their bodies."

"Daggered?" Athena repeated in confusion. She expected them to be on vacation in another country. How naive she was. And from the way her brother frowned, she understood that them being daggered was not a good thing. From the sounds of it, it made it seem like they were stuck in a prison. Why would Klaus do such a thing?

He nodded. "He put a white oak ash dagger into their hearts and put them in coffins." Elijah looked down at the floor as if the next part were hard for him to admit. "Then he threw them into the sea."

She covered her mouth in shock. Her mouth tried to form words as a new set of tears streamed down her face. "They're dead."

"Just temporarily. If you were to remove the dagger they would come back to life."

Athena stood up, a new aura of anger filling her body. To think she trusted her brother. She still did. But this, what he did... the hybrid could not comprehend or even fathom why Klaus would do such a thing. What happened in the years she was gone to make him this way? "But that doesn't make it any better. And this curse with Elena... it's just... it's just too much. How could he do something like this? I don't understand, Elijah."

She fell on her knees in front of him and lied her head on his knee, sniffling. He shook his head sadly. "I wish I knew that answer myself."

Neither of them knew why. Had Mikael's torture really thrown him into the deep end? Had Mikael's endless torment changed Klaus from a sweet loving boy to an Original who craved power to protect himself? She still loved him. She just wanted to understand.

Athena looked up at her brother. "But he wasn't any different to me. He was the same."

The distant look in Elijah's eyes proved that whatever had happened through all of those centuries, it was dark and lonely. There was no going back. "We looked for you for centuries. I don't think he wanted to scare you off after getting you back. I think you should return to the apartment."

"I can't. If I leave now, he'll know I left and he won't let me leave again. That means I can't help. I just feel guilty for leaving Katherine."

"Why?"

She bit her lip, playing with the bottom of her shirt before sighing. "I'm the female Nyx of the werewolf legend." Saying it out loud felt good, it made it feel real. The warmth that filled her chest told her that admitting who she was, was a start to becoming who she was meant to be. Who was that? The Queen of Werewolves?

Elijah looked confused. "That can't be possible. You're not a werewolf." But even he knew that her being a werewolf was the whole point of being a Nyx. So instead of questioning her further, he nodded solemnly. "I suppose that means Katerina is part of your pack."

"Yes."

"Who else is part of your pack?"

Athena looked off in a daze. Her mind scrambled to find some answer, something that could help her. "I don't... I don't know. I just don't know, Elijah." She began to sob into his pant leg. Elijah picked her up and held her to his chest to calm her down.

"I'm so sorry it came to this, sister. We never wanted this for you."

———

Everyone was in a rush to get themselves ready for the sacrifice. Stefan was talking to Damon who was closing him off outside with a glass of scotch. Elena revealed the truth to her aunt Jenna and so now the older woman joined their cause. Elijah was prepping Elena, explaining to her the last effort to save her life at the hands of Klaus. Athena was making her way through a blood bag and contemplating when a voice yelled from the front door. "Get out!"

The entire gang made its way to the front door where a very angry Jenna stood with an aimed crossbow pointed at Alaric. The said teacher had his hands up in surrender, trying to talk her out of shooting him. "What's going on?" Elena asked.

"It's me, Elena, I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go," Alaric told them.

No one seemed convinced besides Athena who knew it was really Alaric. When Damon insisted that the man prove it to them, she spoke up among the chaos. "He doesn't need to. I saw two witches performing a spell, switching their bodies back. This is Alaric."

"You're the girl that was in the apartment with Katherine," Alaric realized.

Athena nodded. "That was me."

It was odd to see that the hunter was back without a scratch on his body. However, Klaus didn't want to busy himself with loose ends. He was so close to breaking his curse and he couldn't afford to get off track or screw anything up.

"Why'd he let you go?" Stefan questioned.

Alaric took a deep breath, looking out at all of them with a grave expression. "He wanted me to deliver a message." He stopped on Elena. "The sacrifice happens tonight."

They moved into the living room to further discuss the situation. The truth was undeniable so Athena did not get why they were all trying to dodge it. Klaus was breaking his curse. There was no stopping him. Elena almost seemed pissed that they weren't doing enough.

"So you don't remember anything that happened?" Stefan asked Alaric who was too busy pacing to recover any memory of what happened.

He shook his head. "No. It's like I blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine was there like I said earlier."

"She's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can."

Elena wasn't listening to any part of the conversation. Quite frankly she was drifting off. Athena was as well but at least she knew what was happening. Elijah had left not too long ago, instructing for the Salvatores to watch his sister because he did not want to risk taking her with him. Athena thought that they would for sure throw her to the wolves (no pun intended). They kept looking at her after finding out that she was not a vampire, but a hybrid just like Klaus.

"Where is Damon?" Elena asked them.

"I saw him go upstairs," Jenna told her.

The doppelganger left and the conversation continued. Alaric had finally stopped pacing and look at them, seeming concerned. "So what else did I do?" Everyone cast glances at one another, no one really wanting to tell him what happened. Because how is one supposed to tell someone they nearly killed their girlfriend?

Athena turned around and smiled at Jenna. "I'm Athena."

Jenna looked at her and managed a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Athena." The uncertainty clouded in her eyes showed the hybrid just how much this was all taking a toll on the aunt. One minute she's living a normal human life and the next she's helping her niece survive a sacrifice.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled suddenly from upstairs, worry lacing her tone. They all jumped up and Athena flashed up the stairs into Damon's room to see Stefan holding his bloody abdomen, a stake protruding from it. There was blood on Elena's lips, Damon standing nearby with a glare. "Get out of here!" Elena yelled at Damon.

Alaric and Jenna rushed into the room. What the hell's going on?" Alaric demanded.

"Get him out of here!" Elena said as she looked at Damon with disgust. Athena finally understood what had happened. Damon - not wanting to lose Elena - fed her his blood so when she died, she would become a vampire just like them. He wouldn't have to worry about losing her.

Alaric went toward Damon to make him leave but the Salvatore pushed him back and left the room. Guilt followed after him because he knew for a fact that he screwed up majorly. Jenna was glued to the doorway, gaping in shock at Stefan's wound.

"Okay, Jenna, downstairs are some blood bags. Go get them now. Go!" Alaric instructed.

Jenna left in a hurry and Elena removed the stake from Stefan's stomach. He let out a pained groan and laid his head on her legs. "It's okay. It's okay. You're going to be okay," Elena told him. He apologized twice before she stopped him. "Shh. It's okay."

He felt so weak at that moment. He could've done something to prevent this from happening. But now it was too late. Elena would become a vampire and her life would be over. Athena felt upset herself. She did not want someone from her pack to be in pain like this. So she extended happy thoughts to him, causing him to close his eyes and sigh in relief. Elena gave her a grateful look but also a warning one. She clearly did not trust her in the slightest.

Once Jenna returned to the blood bag, Stefan drank from it slowly and allowed Elena and Athena to led him to his bedroom so he could relax. He sat up instead of lying down, letting Athena lay her head in his lap. "How could he do that to me? Why?" Elena asked.

"Hey. We've never talked about this. What this all means," Stefan reminded.

"It doesn't matter."

Stefan shook his head. "Of course it matters." She did not look convinced and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It matters." He looked down at Athena and smiled slightly. "Why don't you go to the Grill with Alaric? Get some fresh air."

Deciding not to argue, Athena nodded, smiling back and sat up. She gave him a quick hug, offering Elena a smile before leaving in a flash. The doppelganger narrowed her eyes, feeling a slight pang of jealousy. Why does Stefan care about the Nyx freak? She's Klaus's sister. She's a monster just like him. Elena did not know that in the future, she would regret ever thinking that. Because the hybrid might be a monster in her eyes, but Athena would make people kneel in front of her one day. Elena just might be one of them.

———

Damon sat at the bar in the Mystic Grill, Alaric and Athena following behind him. He ordered a drink and Alaric ordered the same. The bartender rose an eyebrow at the seemingly young girl next to them. She grinned. "I'll have a water, please." He nodded and went to go get their drinks.

"I screwed up," was the first thing Damon said. Both people beside him whole-heartedly agreed, nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah, you did," Alaric agreed.

There was a strong presence and Athena did not have to look behind her to know who it was. She let out an annoyed groan, ducking her head into the safety of her arms. If only she could turn invisible. But of course not. She was blessed with drinking blood to survive and turning into a furry creature instead because the universe loved her so much.

"Gentlemen. Athena. Why so glum?" Klaus questioned, standing directly behind his sister. She mumbled something inaudible into her arm which sounded like a curse word. He gave her a look when she lifted her head to look at him. The thing was, he knew she was gone the second she jumped out the window. He just wanted to see how long until she came back. When it was clear that wasn't any time soon, he came to fetch her himself.

"Ugh. Klaus, I presume," Damon said, rolling his eyes, taking the drink the man gave him.

Athena took her water and sipped it, looking on. Boy was this a drama tv show or what? Despite her wanting to crawl up into a ball and wanting to disappear into thin air, watching Klaus intimidate the two was humorous. "In the flesh," Klaus replied smirking. He looked at Alaric. "Thanks for the loaner, mate."

Damon got up, glaring. "Any reason you stopped by to say hi?"

Klaus shrugged. "I'm told you and your brother fancy my doppelgänger. Just thought I'd remind you to not do anything you'll regret." He looked at Athena who gave him an apologetic smile, waving. "And to get my sister back of course."

Damon breaks into a smile at the irony of the comment of doing something he'd regret. "Ha. Thanks for the advice. I don't suppose I could talk you into a postponement, by any chance, huh?"

The look on Klaus's face was priceless. He was confused for a second before realizing that Damon was serious. But he couldn't be serious right? After a thousand years of waiting, why would he postpone it now? "You are kidding?" He looked at Alaric and his sister. "He is kidding, right?"

Both of them shook their heads. "No."

"I mean, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?" Damon tried to persuade.

Klaus was no longer in a joking mood, giving Damon a pointed look. He wanted to make sure that they knew this sacrifice was happening whether they liked it or not. "Let me be clear...I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up."

With one look at Athena, she was up and following after him. She did not bother giving Damon or Alaric a goodbye beside a small wave with only the teacher returned. They got outside and were making their way towards a car when Athena stopped. "I know what you did to them." Klaus stopped and turned to face her. "Elijah told me. You daggered them. Rebekah, Kol, and Finn."

"We'll talk about this later," Klaus told her with clenched teeth. He did not want her to know because he knew she wouldn't understand. She would try to understand. And reliving the memories of daggering his siblings was not something he enjoyed. Perhaps daggering Finn, yes. But not the rest. Finn had been in shut down mode, not wanting to aid in finding their lost sister.

Athena sighed. "Why? They're our family." She wanted answers. What had they done to him to deserve such a fate? Why would a thought such as to dagger his own siblings cross his mind? Did Klaus just want a family? Too many questions ran through her mind and her brother could see that. So he gave her an answer.

"I had to protect them."

She frowned. "From who?"

"From our father."

———

Katherine was causally making coffee when the two walked in. She noticed the tension between them and concluded that they must have argued about something. Acting like nothing was wrong was excruciating. Because the moment Klaus breaks his curse, he'll be coming back to get her and she would never be able to escape his clutches. Just imagining what her torture would look like sent Katherine's whole mind screaming for help. No one would be able to save her.

"Everything okay?" she asked them. She provided a small smile to Athena when she saw the girl's worried expression. Klaus glanced around, surveying the room almost like something had happened before they arrived. 

He finally turned back to the brunette. "What have you been doing?"

"Making coffee," she responded. She extended her arm. "Do you want some?"

In one motion, Klaus flashed over to her, grabbed her throat, and compelled her. Athena jumped in shock. She went to intervene but Katherine gave her a look that told her not to. The Original glared at Katherine, squeezing her throat tightly. "Tell me what you've been doing."

"Making coffee," Katherine choked out.

He released her, throwing her to the side roughly. Katherine held her neck, gasping for air. She went to go back to get her coffee but Klaus stopped her. "Wait. Take off your bracelet." Athena watched as the doppelganger listened and put her daylight bracelet in his palm. "Now, I want you...to walk over to the window and stand in the sunlight."

There was panic in her eyes. She was pleading that he wouldn't make her. It had been so long since she had been burned by the sun. She thrived in the light nowadays due to her daylight jewelry. "But I'll burn."

"You don't have a choice."

Athena forced herself to look away as Katherine stepped into the view of the open window. The sunlight burnt her skin and she screamed in pain. She would've gone over there to help her if Klaus wasn't watching her every move to make sure she didn't. He was smiling to himself until he looked over at his sister to see her eyes closed shut, her hands gripping the counter. Athena was trying to get the sound out of her head.

"That's enough," Klaus ordered.

Katherine rushed to the corner of the room in the shadows, gasping. Athena went over to her, tears pooling in her eyes. Klaus sipped his drink on the counter. "Guess I was wrong. All right, then. I need you to do something for me."

———

Klaus had left to make sure everything was going according to plan. He came back not too long after, looking indignant. "Where's Maddox? He should be back by now." The two females were sitting on the couch, awaiting the start of the sacrifice. Athena scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "I don't know. He never came back."

He did not bother snapping back at her and went over to the laptop on the desk. He opened the lid to show a live video of Jules lying on the floor of a cellar, chained to the wall behind her like an animal. Athena pried her eyes away, laying her head on her knees.

"What are you doing? Where's Elena?" Katherine asked him.

"I sent her off with Greta," he replied without looking at her. "It's almost time."

When he said that, Damon Salvatore strolled in, looking rather smug. He smirked and Klaus sighed, turning around to face him. "I wasn't aware you'd been invited in."

The way the vampire carried himself showed that whatever he had done, he knew exactly how angry the Original would be once he learned what he did. It also showed that he didn't care and that he wasn't afraid. At least, Athena did not think he was afraid. Klaus would tear him apart if he messed up this ritual. Suddenly, a rotting smell filled her lungs, making her nose scrunch up in disgust. "I've come here to tell you that you have to postpone the ritual," Damon announced.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Klaus pointed with a tired look.

He smirked still. "Yeah, but that was before I rescued your werewolf and vampire and killed your witch."

Athena's face went pale. Klaus stood up, going over to him. Katherine grabbed the girl, pulling her out of the way and just in case the situation got bloody. With how it was going, it wasn't going to be pretty. "Excuse me?" Klaus questioned.

"And you can kill me for it. I don't care. It was all...me," Damon repeated with a grin on his face. He pointed to himself.

Klaus clenched his jaw. "Katerina, Athena, give us a moment." He didn't need to repeat himself before the said vampire pulled the younger hybrid into the bedroom, closing the door. Athena sat on the bed, putting her hands over her ears so she couldn't hear a word they were saying. Katherine sat beside her and rubbed her arm.

A sickening crack echoed through the apartment not even a minute after they left the room. Everything went hazy as Klaus entered, giving Katherine an instruction that left Athena questioning what was happening. This wasn't her brother. He couldn't be.

Damon woke up on the floor to see Katherine slapping him. Athena was sitting in the corner of the couch, looking away from them. Damon slowly sat up. "What the hell happened?"

"He's gone," Katherine told him. She looked sad, even apologetic. "He went to do the ritual. I'm sorry. I had to. He would have known that I was on vervain if I didn't do it."

"Do what?"

He noticed Athena's red eyes when she peered over at them. Katherine sighed. "Klaus. He made me call her to lure her out. He needed another vampire." She did feel a bit guilty for what she did. But there was no other way. She needed to survive. Katherine Pierce was a survivor and did whatever was necessary.

"Who did you call?" Damon asked. She didn't answer and he forcefully grabbed her arm. "Who did you call, Katherine?"

"Jenna," Athena spoke up from the couch. She felt a tear go down her cheek. "She called Jenna." The older woman did not deserve any of this. She was innocent. She was human and Klaus did this to punish Elena. The rotting smell grew stronger and Athena pinpointed it to Damon who quickly stood up.

He looked worried for Elena. "Should have used me. Why didn't he use me?" Elena would be forced to watch as one of the last people in her family get turned into a vampire and then killed. Athena began to cry because Jenna did not deserve her fate. She was a good person. But Athena wasn't just crying for Jenna, she was crying for her siblings who she missed for than anything.

"He couldn't. Damon, he said you were as good as dead," Katherine explained.

"What does that even mean?" Damon wondered, pacing back and forth.

Katherine looked at Damon's forearm to see a bite. It hadn't traveled far back it looked nasty, veins were starting to form. "What is this, Damon?" Athena looked up again to see the bite. They all knew what that was. Questioning it wasn't needed.

"It's a werewolf bite," Damon realized, shutting his eyes in disbelief.

———

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