chapter three
we are so screwed

Poguelandia 2.0 was perfect. The business was booming, their friendship was stronger than ever, and they had all they needed to survive. They all still had dreams – Kie and Sage wanted to save the turtles, Pope wanted to go back to school, Athena wanted her charity – but for now, this was home, and this was all they needed.

They would catch dinner or Kie would grow it, and they would all eat together at the house. It was perfect. All they needed was each other, and that's what they had.

Treasure hunting was in the past. They didn't need to do that anymore; they had all they needed.

But what the pogues didn't understand... was that nothing ever stood still in the OBX.

Athena stood in the kitchen of the house, drinking a cup of tea when her phone buzzed, a message lighting up on her screen that made her smile. She quickly downed her tea, rushing outside to where JJ was with a large smile.

"Hey, everything alright?" JJ asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I have a surprise." Athena told him. "For you."

"Okay?" JJ nodded, his confusion growing by the minute.

"Come on." Athena grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the Twinkie. "We're stealing the truck!"

"Okay! Don't hurt my baby!" John B shouted back.

"Your piece of shit car is already hurt by you calling it baby, JB!" Athena called back, ignoring John B's offended reply as she climbed in the passenger seat.

"Where are we going?" JJ wondered.

"It's a surprise." Athena stated.

"Fine." JJ huffed.

Athena drove down the road, heading towards where her surprise was but parking the car a few minutes away from it.

"Is this my surprise?" JJ wondered.

"No, I need you to close your eyes." Athena instructed.

"What?"

"Close your eyes." Athena repeated. "Come on."

"Fine." JJ huffed once more, climbing out of the car and closing his eyes.

Athena smiled at him, taking a hold of his arm and guiding him towards where his surprise was. They walked for a few minutes before Athena slowed down, stopping JJ's movements as she paused as well.

"Okay we're here." Athena told him. "You can open your eyes."

JJ opened his eyes, but his eyebrows furrowed further in confusion. "You brought me to Bluebell cottage?"

"I did yes." Athena nodded. "Come look inside."

JJ's confusion was ever growing but he followed after his girlfriend anyway, allowing her to pull him towards and inside the house. JJ paused as he entered the house, something feeling different about it. He looked towards the kitchen, but nothing had changed in there, and nor in the living room. Nothing had changed structurally about the house. JJ started to walk down the hallway when it hit him.

The walls were lined with photo frames... of him, of Athena, of the pogues, and Dorota, and Wheezie. He spun around, walking back into the living room, catching sight of the framed photo of the Camerons on the counter.

JJ was more confused than ever when he turned back to Athena who was smiling.

"What—I don't understand." JJ finally spluttered out.

"I renovated." Athena shrugged.

"You renovated?" JJ repeated in a questioning tone. "With what money? How?"

"Dorota's husband, Corey. He's really rich and he, uh, he invested in my charity, but he said I needed a home to start with and he gave me some money. I think he mainly wanted it because he wants me to be his and Dorota's child's godparent but..." Athena explained. "This is ours."

"Ours? We own—Athena, I—" JJ didn't know what to say, he was completely speechless. "Wait, he invested in your charity? That's happening—Wait, Dorota's pregnant?"

"Yeah. Dorota's pregnant, she told me a few days ago." Athena nodded. "And it's happening. The Cameron Foundation, it's... it's gonna be real."

"Oh my god!" JJ exclaimed, wrapping his arms around the girl and spinning her around. "That's incredible, all of it is incredible, this—this is incredible. You did all of this while helping out with Poguelandia."

"Yep." Athena nodded. "Explains why I was so tired."

"You're amazing." JJ commented.

"We don't have to keep the house." Athena told him. "We can give it away to John B and Sarah, or we can just let it stay here until we don't wanna live with the others, I don't mind."

"This is ours." JJ repeated.

"All ours." Athena smiled.

"I wanna live here with you." JJ stated. "If not right now, then one day. I promise."

"Good." Athena responded. "Cause I want that too."

The boy pressed his lips to hers for a few moments, a feeling of peace settling over him that he had never experienced before. This was the life. He had the found family, he had the business, he had the home and most importantly, he had the girl, and he never wanted to lose any of it.

"Can we stay here tonight?" JJ wondered.

"Of course." Athena nodded with a smile, pulling the boy towards the bedroom and kicking the door shut behind them.

That night there was a storm, not that either JJ nor Athena would notice, and the next morning they rushed back to poguelandia to the news that the fuse box had exploded because of it.

"Anyone want fried fish?" John B asked sarcastically as he scooped it out of the cooler.

JJ let out a sigh. "What's the damage, Pope?"

"Fuse box is busted." Pope explained. "Without the live bait, the fishermen won't come, and there goes half of our business right there. We have enough profit to cover it, but barely, just barely. All right? This is it, the last of our Au."

Pope grabbed the can from on top of the shelf, pulling out the container with their last nugget of gold inside.

"Uh, what?" John B asked.

"What?" Sarah echoed.

"It's the periodic symbol for gold." Athena stated.

"She's right, it's gold." Pope pointed at Athena.

"All right, smarty pants." John B muttered.

"I was on an island for multiple years and even I knew that." Sage added, staring at John B incredulously.

"Shut up." John B grumbled.

"Why not just say gold?" Kie commented.

"Because it doesn't matter, all right." Pope sighed once more. "This is all our savings, and it's a no-go. This is for property taxes."

"I feel like you shouldn't have shown us that." Athena told him with a sigh.

"We're gonna have to tighten up..." Pope began his lecture, ignoring Athena's comment, looking towards JJ and John B first. "Which means no more $600 in gas chasing tarpon up the Gulf."

"Pope, that's my job."

"We were chasing a bait board."

"No more $200 in heirloom tomato seeds." Pope turned to Kie.

"What about my imported peppers?" Cleo asked.

"Peppers gotta go too, baby." Pope told Cleo.

"I need to run charters as well."

"It's not the tomatoes' fault." Sarah piped up.

"We need all of that." Sage added.

"Guys!" Pope exclaimed. "If the business starts failing, the sharks start circling, all right? We don't even know if your dad is coming back."

"Yeah, well, it's not his anymore." JJ reminded him.

"Doesn't matter." Pope shook his head. "What's he gonna think when he sees all this? Why is Athena the only one being sensible."

"Cause I'm awesome." Athena stated like it was obvious. "And money don't matter."

"Listen, if we want to save this place, we skinny up until the business gets afloat again. Okay?" Pope finished his rant. "Be more like Athena."

"Yes, mama Pope." Athena called after him as he walked out of the shop and back towards the house.

The Kildare Enduro was an annual event that everyone wanted to go to. Athena stood next to Sarah and Kie as she watched the bikes warm up, racing up and down the track. She glanced over to where JJ was getting ready, only to see John B and JJ arguing next to his bike. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering what the hell had happened.

She made her way over to JJ, "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna win." JJ stated. "I'm gonna win."

"What did you do JJ?" Athena asked him, playing with the bottom of her shirt.

"I betted the gold on myself." JJ admitted.

"You did what?" Athena gasped in shock. "I can't—You better win, J. Good luck."

"I'm gonna win, okay?" JJ called after her, the girl turning and making her way back to the girls.

"Does your boyfriend ever think before he does anything?" Sarah asked her.

"No, never." Athena shook her head.

They stood with bated breath as the race was beginning, and as soon as the flagged was waved, the bikes shot away. Well, apart from JJ's whose bike started late, causing him to fall behind the group. They couldn't see all the way across the track, relying on the commentators to tell them what was going on.

Rafe was in the lead with Topper in second. Athena gasped, grabbing Sarah's hand at the sound of Topper pushing JJ off of his bike. Athena's hand stayed attached to Sarah's as JJ fell off of his bike once more, being finally able to see the bikes as he reached the buoy.

"What is he doing?" Athena muttered, her breathing catching in her throat as JJ began to drive straight for the ramp, going to jump the inlet.

She held her breath as he went over it, a scream leaving her lips as he touched down on the other side, now in first. She jumped up and down happily, cheering loudly but it dimmed at the sight of Rafe now fighting JJ for first, Rafe ramming into the back of him and sending both of them flipping over their bike and falling onto the sand.

And just when John B was gonna win inside, JJ was in the way causing John B to stop his bike and allowing Topper to win.

Athena let out a sigh, rushing onto the sand and towards JJ. "JJ!"

JJ had walked off by the time she reached John B, checking the boy was okay when Rafe walked past. "Get used to it!"

"What did you just say?" John B asked but Rafe ignored him. John B clenched his jaw, moving to shove Rafe. "Hey, no, what'd you say? Huh? What'd you say?"

Rafe shoved John B. "Get used to it."

Sarah and Athena quickly jumped to action, moving over and shoving Rafe away from John B. "Stop!"

"This is forever, all right?" Rafe shouted. "Y'all don't get to win."

"You could've killed each other!" Sarah exclaimed.

"You could have died!" Athena emphasised.

"Yeah, like you two give a shit." Rafe commented, rolling his eyes as he walked away. "You gonna kill me like you killed dad."

"Excuse me."

"What did you just say?"

"Hey, Sarah, how's that pogue life treating ya?" Topper wondered as he walked past, laughing.

"Screw you, Topper." Sarah exclaimed.

"We are so screwed." John B stated they watched JJ throw his glove to the floor angrily.

"Yeah, we are." Athena sighed.

"Why are we screwed?" Pope asked, looking around in confusion.

"You can tell him." Athena stated, walking around from the group.

"Tell Pope what?" Pope questioned.

"Come on, let's just go." John B ignored him.

"Tell Pope what?" Pope exclaimed.

They finally told Pope on their way back home, the boy's anger and stress levels rising to a concerning level and Athena was waiting for him to explode.

And he did, as soon as they got home and were sat around by the Twinkie. "I said it! I said it again and again. I said don't touch the last of our nugget. That was it. That was the last of our savings! Do you not care?"

"Pope, you saw what happened, man." JJ snapped. "He stole it, okay? He cheated and he stole it. That's not my fault, Pope."

"Do you know how selfish you sound?" Pope questioned.

"I sound selfish?" JJ repeated in disbelief. "I was trying to help us!"

"You helped us. You just cost us everything. Thank you." Pope spoke, full of sarcasm.

"JJ, why are you making it sound like you had nothing to do with it?" Kie asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Okay, Kie! I was gonna bet it all, it's just who I am!" JJ exclaimed.

"You should have told us." Kie stressed.

"It was too risky this time!" Sage added.

"And what were you doing?" Pope turned on John B. "You knew he had it and you just let him race."

"He told me last minute, all right?" John B defended himself.

"John B, look, man. You were supposed to cover—"

"I did cover!"

"You were supposed to not take our savings—"

"Enough!" Athena shouted, cutting them all off. "It's done. We can't change it! Okay, we all knew something like this was going to happen, it's who JJ is. We've been through this before. He was just trying to help, and J, I know you have the best intentions but please, baby, just ask someone else first, next time."

"Okay." JJ nodded, letting out sigh.

"Next time? There isn't going to be a next time cause he—"

"Pope." Athena cut him off. "You shouldn't have put the gold where any of us, but you, could touch it. For a smart person that was a stupid mistake, you know who your friends are. But it's gone. Stop shouting."

"What's the damage, Pope?" Cleo finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"How bad is it?" Pope wondered, scoffing. "We have a $13,000 property tax payment due in seven days. And we have zero working capital. There is nothing. And you took the last of our savings. So thank you."

Pope walked off and that was that.

They had no working capital and no money left.

But not all hope was lost.

"Wait, guys, holy shit." Kie suddenly sat up from her place on the sofa, her laptop in hand, a few days later. "They... they wrote about us."

"What?"

"The Outer Banks Sentinel wrote about us." Kie stated, the group gathering around her on the sofa as she began to read the article. "'The extraordinary discovery made by the young adventurers has validated the existence of the City of Gold.'"

"Oh my god."

"That's us."

"That's my name!"

Archaeologists had finally excavated the cave that Sarah and John B blew up and suddenly, the pogues were heroes. They had a ceremony, celebrating the pogues and after it, a Wes Genrette came up to them with a proposition. He invited them to his estate to discuss it in further detail.

So here they were, eighteen months after finding El Doroda, on their way to Goat Island, back in the G game.

Athena only hoped this time, they'd finally have their happy ending.

( 💌 ) isobels notes
more cute jathena aww
athena protective era >>
quick question : ahould i make
athena pregnant ????