another horrible decade dance

"WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Athena ran her hand down the side of her dress, smiling as she shimmied so the skirt of her dress would twirl with her. "Would I fit in in the 60s?"

Stefan smiles as he turns to face her, his tie lazily tied in a messy knot. "You look amazing. You'd fit in perfectly, and I would be hard-pressed to let you even leave the house because everyone would want you."

Athena raises a brow as Stefan steps towards her, his arms sliding around her waist. She rests her hands on his chest, a pointedly challenging look on her face. "I'd have suitors lined outside my door, begging for my attention. Who's to say I'd entertain you?"

"I say," He mirrors her daring look, a smirk crossing over his features as he leans down and presses a kiss to her sharp jawline, and then to her scar, listening to her pulse as it begins to race. "No one else can have you, because you're mine."

Athena runs her palms up from his chest, resting them on his shoulders as he trails his lips down the side of her neck. "Stefan,"

"What?" He hums knowingly, his hands running across her body, leaving paths of fire that set her skin alight. Her chest heaves as he slowly pulls away, and she takes a premature breath of relief when he does.

The vampire takes a minuscule step backward and bends his knees, dragging his hands from her back, around to her stomach, and back around her hips as he kneels before her, fingers digging into her exposed thighs as he settles on his knees.

Athena's eyes widened and she instinctively dug her hands into his blond tufts, tilting his head back slightly. "We have to leave in thirty minutes and your tie isn't even tied right," She breathes, chest heaving with anticipation.

"Sweetheart," Stefan says, the cocky smirk crossing his features once more as he drags his hands up underneath the green and white dress and hooks his fingers into the thin fabric beneath her skirt. "I don't give a damn about my tie."

"God," She breathes, fingers digging into his scalp as he nips the inside of her thigh with his suddenly sharp teeth. "You're going to kill me."

Stefan laughs breathily, the action making her break out in goosebumps. "How much time did you say we had?"

"Thir–thirty minutes," She stutters.

Stefan leans forward vigorously, his grin unwavering and devilish. "Perfect."

──────

Athena looks Damon up and down as they approach him, her eyes narrowing tauntingly. "I can't tell if you're dressed for the sixties or if you just look like this much of a whore all the time."

Stefan pinches the bridge of his nose, watching as Damon glares at Athena. "I can't stand you two already. I'm going to get us something to drink," He kisses Athena's cheek and departs from them, making Athena let out a small sigh of relief.

Damon rolls his eyes, ignoring her previous comment. "Are you ready for this?"

"Not at all, but I don't really have a choice, do I?" Athena's eyes scan the crowd and she frowns slightly. "Have you seen Bonnie?"

"She's dancing with Jeremy,"

Athena turns her head slightly, looking at Damon. "Jeremy as in Jeremy Gilbert?"

The vampire nods once and Athena hums. "I didn't realize they were that close,"

"Neither did I," Damon smirks wryly, but his eyes tell a different story. "Hey, she's good to go, right? You let her take some of your goddess-juju or whatever and she can take Klaus, right?"

"Of course, Damon," Athena swallows, her dark eyes diverting to the crowd once more. "I wouldn't let Bonnie get hurt."

He nods, heaving a sigh as he takes a sip of his punch. "John's here already, and so is Elena. All you have to do is tell Caroline and she'll handle Stefan and Elena, and John will be free game. Are you sure–"

"I can handle John on my own, he's human. Besides, Elijah's going to help me," Athena waves him off, searching for the man in question. "Have you talked to Ric lately?"

"Not since earlier, why?"

"He's been weird today. He could barely keep it together in class, he just seemed out of it."

"He was probably hungover," Damon shrugs her off, though he subconsciously searches for the man in the crowd. "No big deal."

Athena nods slowly, but she's not convinced herself to believe anything yet. Alaric was many things, but he wasn't a bad teacher. He didn't have off days, at least none like today. Sighing, Athena steps away from Damon, looking over her shoulder at him. "I'm going to dance with my boyfriend. Don't do anything stupid, okay? Just stick to the plan."

Damon regards her for a moment before he nods. "That means you're not allowed to do anything stupid, either,"

Athena smiles slightly and disappears into the crowd, her steps leading her to Stefan who greets her with a smile from beside Caroline.

"Hello, lover," She grins as the music slows, letting him twirl her around so he can lead them into the crowd of dancing teenagers. She leans her head on his chest, her short heels doing nothing to help her height despite the decade she was dressed for.

Stefan kisses the top of her head, smiling into the dark locks that sit, perfectly teased and voluminous around the headband she'd carefully tucked behind her ears. "What were you and Damon talking about?"

She shakes her head minutely, the action stilted from where her head lay. "Nothing important,"

"I highly doubt–"

"Thanks for being here, everybody," Dana's voice cuts through his sentence through the microphone, and Stefan and Athena part, turning to face the stage together as cheers break out around them. "We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Elena, from Klaus,"

Athena's eyes widen and she curses beneath her breath, feeling Stefan's sharp inhale from behind her. "Shit,"

Athena pulls him through the crowd, meeting Bonnie and Damon's matching looks of shock at the unexpected callout.

"That was a lame, cheap shot," Damon looks around, eyes roaming wildly. "He's trying to bait us."

"Um," Caroline's voice comes from behind and they all turn and face the blonde. "That wasn't supposed to happen, right?"

Athena silently shakes her head and tilts her head in Stefan's direction, catching her eye quickly. Caroline's eyes widen in realization and she looks at Stefan, feigning sudden concern. "Elena could be in danger, right? I mean, Klaus could get her at any second."

"Yeah," Stefan mutters, eyes searching the gym for the doppelgänger. "Caroline, will you help me find her?"

"Of course. We'll get her home safe, Stefan," Caroline nods, letting Stefan drag her away from them with a successful look thrown over her shoulder that Stefan thankfully misses.

"Now that that's taken care of," Athena turns to face Damon and Bonnie, her eyes reproachful. "I'm going to go see if John wants to have a friendly chat, and you two need to act normal for a minute. John can't figure out we have a plan, and neither can Klaus– wherever he is. And Bonnie, tell Jeremy what's going on."

The two nod and Bonnie turns, seeking out her companion for the night. "Jeremy, let's dance,"

The teenage boy startles, his brows furrowing. "I don't–"

"Too bad," Bonnie pulls him on the dance floor, departing from them quickly.

"Look, there's Ric," Damon pats Athena's shoulder. "I'll be back."

Athena runs her tongue over her teeth, her heart rate spiking as the seconds pass. She seeks out the familiar Original but has no luck in finding him in the crowded gym before she starts her path toward John Gilbert.

The man recognizes her immediately, his defenses rising when he realizes she's headed straight for him. "Athena, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You already have an answer to that, John. Got time for a few questions?"

"I'm here to watch over Elena, I don't–"

"Elena is fine, it's handled," Athena cuts him off, not bothering to hide her bitterness at the thought of Stefan's protectiveness of the doppelgänger, compelled or not. "Now, you can answer my questions or you can make it difficult for yourself. It's your choice, but if I may, I'd prefer to keep any permanent stains out of this dress."

John rolls his eyes slightly before conceding with a nod, making Athena gesture to the doors that led out of the gym.

They're encased in the darkness of the night quickly, the noises of the gym muffled through layers of concrete and metal, and Athena turns on her heel, facing the man warily.

"Now, Athena, I don't know what you think I'm doing, but I'm not capable of much on my own. I'm just a human, after all."

"I'm well aware of your shortcomings, John, and they don't just stop at being human. You're also a shitty dad and fake uncle," Athena simpers, earning a glare from the man. "And don't patronize me, or I'll kill you."

John's face falls into a glare and he steps towards Athena, making her tilt her head backward to maintain eye contact. "If you think that you will stop me from protecting my daughter, you are very wrong. I may not be as strong as the rest of you, but you'd be surprised at the connections I have in your world."

"It would be wise of you to step away from the girl, I have dealt with her anger firsthand and it isn't pretty," Elijah's level, yet slightly smug tone comes from behind Athena and she hums smugly at his timing.

She turns her head over her shoulder and gives the Original a smile in greeting, an action he returns as he adjusts his suit and regards John with a slight quirk of his brow. "I don't like to repeat myself, John,"

John grits his teeth and steps away from Athena, raising his hands in silent surrender.

Athena smirks at the sight of his realization and she cocks a hip out, shifting her weight. "You'd be surprised at the connections I have, John. Now do me a favor, and tell me what the hell you're trying to do to Stefan and Damon."

──────

"A special dedication, huh?" Alaric rocks on his feet as Damon saddles up beside him, eyes searching for any suspicious faces. "This guy's a little twisted,"

"I'm not impressed," Damon shakes his head, missing the offense that flashes in Alaric's eyes.

"No?"

Damon shrugs, eyeing Alaric's rigid posture beside him. He thinks of Athena's words from earlier, and how she'd been questioning Alaric's behavior all day and he nips the inside of his cheek with his teeth before meeting the man's gaze. "I mean, he didn't do anything crazy like we expected. He hasn't even shown his face. Seems to me like the legends aren't as truthful as they seem,"

Damon walks off before he gets a response, peering out of the corner of his eye as Alaric clenches his fists at his side and rolls his shoulders back, clearly upset at his offhanded comment.

The vampire curses under his breath, eyes roaming the crowd of teenagers. His eyes meet Jeremy's and the teenager nods his head down at Bonnie, making Damon nod back in confirmation. Jeremy spins the girl out of his arms into Damon, making her yelp in surprise as the vampire quickly picks up the rhythm again.

"Damon?" Bonnie's hands rest on his arms, her eyes wide as she takes him in.

He smirks down at her. "How are you feeling?"

She sighs slightly. "Freaked out, mostly. How about you?"

"Cool as a cucumber," He shrugs, making his dance moves exaggerated to gain a half smile from the girl. "Everything will be fine, Bonnie. Remember the last decade dance? The vampires were all, 'ahhh' and you were like, 'I hate vampires, die!' and then you ended up saving all of our asses?"

Bonnie laughs, shaking her head. "I recall something like that, yes. You won,"

"We won," Damon corrects, briefly clasping her hands in his before he spins her out and back into his chest.

Bonnie tilts her head back onto his arm, looking up at him. "You're good at this,"

"I've got moves you've never even seen," He drawls, smirking knowingly as she tears her gaze away from his, grateful her flush can't be seen in the dim light of the gym.

Silence settles between the two for a moment before Damon clears his throat, looking down into the witch's dark eyes.

"What?"

Damon shakes his head, an almost uneasy smile crossing his face. "Nothing. Just, uh, worried, I guess. It's unfamiliar.

"Athena's going to be fine, Damon, she can handle herself."

"Yeah," He huffs slightly, blue eyes parting from hers for a moment. "Athena."

"It's going to be fine," Bonnie says softly, doing her best to reassure the vampire so he doesn't get any more suspicious than he already seemed.

Damon nods slightly, forcing a smile. "I know. You've got enough power, I like your odds more than anyone else's."

"Careful, Damon," Bonnie smiles, an unfamiliar feeling in her chest at the sight of his soft gaze. "I might start to think you actually care."

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Damon smirks, his voice filled with obvious sarcasm as he lets Bonnie shift to his side, their hands still intertwined at his side. "Thanks for the dance, honey. It was an honor."

Bonnie nods quietly before letting her eyes shift out over the gym. Her brows furrow slightly and she looks back to Damon. "Hey, did you see where Jeremy went?"

Damon shakes his head and Bonnie sighs. "I'm gonna go find him,"

She takes a step away but Damon pulls her back with their intertwined fingers, earning a shocked look from the witch. He furrows his brows, eyeing her up and down. "Be careful,"

Bonnie almost feels surprised at his words, but she hides it quickly and simply nods. "Of course,"

"And, uh," He frowns. "If you see Alaric, just go the other way. Something's not right with him."

Bonnie nods again before turning away and pushing through the crowd of kids, her heeled boots falling quietly amongst the blaring music and shuffling feet. She pushes through one of the metal doors, encased in muffled silence as she trails down the dark hallway. "Jeremy? Jeremy, did you come out here?"

She steps carefully, a sudden chill rising her spine and making her look around cautiously. The sound of a locker door shutting echoes and she frowns, looking down the expanse of the hallway. "Jeremy?"

"Not quite," The voice comes, and her eyes widen when she sees Alaric standing before her, an unfamiliar, dark smirk on his face.

"Alaric?" Her heart beats quickly, recalling Damon's warning from just moments ago. "I'm just gonna," She points over her shoulder in the direction of the gym. "I'm gonna go back in there."

The man chuckles and Bonnie takes a wary step backward, his gaze darkening and frightening. "You're a problem, Bonnie. A problem I can't risk having around."

"What? Alaric–" Bonnie yells in surprise as he appears before her, the vampire-like speed scaring her. The man wraps his arms around her and covers her mouth, dragging her off as she kicks and screams for help against his unexpected strength.

"Don't worry," He mutters, the danger in his voice making her heart race fearfully. "It'll be over soon."

──────

"Jeremy!" Caroline's voice echoed through the hallways and she rushed towards the boy, Elena, and Stefan trailing after her. "Jeremy, there you are. You guys should get out of here."

Jeremy frowns, shaking his head. "What? Why?"

"Because Klaus could show up at any second," Stefan tells him looking around the dimly lit hall warily. "We're taking you two home."

Before Jeremy can protest any further, the sound of a door shutting echoes, and the four of them turn to face the sudden faces before them. Jeremy frowns, looking at the three boys. "What's going on guys?"

"You okay, Gilbert? You don't look so good," A boy in a white tuxedo regards him, making Jeremy roll his eyes.

"Dude, seriously? Wrong day, wrong guy," Jeremy moves to walk past them, but the man immediately shoves him backward, causing Jeremy to mirror the movement in defense.

Caroline and Stefan take the other two, appearing before them as blurs before they throw their punches. Caroline yanks the boy off of Jeremy and wraps her hand around his neck, cutting his air off, but Stefan stops her.

"No, no, don't kill him! They've been compelled."

Caroline frowns, glaring at the boy. "So?"

"So, the whole thing's a distraction, it's Klaus!" Stefan grits his teeth, looking at Caroline. "Take them and go, now!"

Caroline nods, grabbing Jeremy, but before she can reach for Elena, she's thrown backward into the row of lockers. Elena yells in surprise and Caroline groans as her aching body quickly heals.

"Alaric, what the hell?" Jeremy exclaims, moving to help Caroline up.

The teacher shakes his head, heading straight for Stefan. He grabs the vampire's arm as Stefan swings and twists it at a sickening angle, making him yell out in pain as his bones break forcefully.

Stefan's eyes widen when he feels the pinprick of a needle in his neck and his green eyes roll back in his head as he feels the burn of vervain rush through his system. He hears Alaric sigh from above him as he drops to the tiled floors, gasping for air through the pain flooding through him.

"Sorry, old friend. It's a necessary evil," Alaric smirks, and his eyes land on Elena, who takes stumbling steps backward as the realization sets in.

Caroline groans, letting Jeremy pull her up from the ground. "Elena!" She calls out to her friend, clutching on Jeremy's arm.

"Go, Caroline!" Elena calls back, her voice thick with fear. "Take Jeremy with you!"

Caroline hesitates, and Jeremy begins to argue, but she wastes no more time before grabbing Jeremy and disappearing with him, leaving Stefan half-conscious, and Elena at the hands of Klaus.

Elena swallows, trying to put distance between her and her inevitable end. "What did you do to Alaric?"

"Don't worry about your precious teacher," He drawls, the actions so unfamiliar in Alaric's body. "You should be more worried about your witch. She's got a death wish, as it seems."

"Bonnie? Oh, god," Elena whispers in horror, her eyes widening impossibly. "If– if I come with you, willingly, will you let them all go?"

He seems to contemplate it for a moment and Elena thinks he's accepted her deal until his wicked smirk appears like it'd never gone anywhere and he stares her down unwaveringly. "I've got no time for mercy, Elena. We'll just have to wait and see,"

Elena screams as he grabs her, the sound echoing down the hallway even as her vision begins to go dark.

Stefan remains paralyzed, his eyes wide with fear as he fights the poison running through his body, slowly killing him as the seconds tick by.

──────

Athena grunts as she and Elijah drop John's unconscious body into the trunk of the Original's car, his hands and ankles tied together, bound to leave him uncomfortably sore in a few hours. "I should've known he'd make this difficult,"

Elijah sighs as he shuts the trunk, watching the teenage girl leaning against the car with varying levels of irritation crossing her face. He smirks slightly, regarding her curiously. "For only being a part of this world for mere months, you have adapted quite well."

She hums in agreement, adjusting her headband on her head. "That's because I was made for it,"

The man raises an eyebrow, silently questioning her vague statement. "Oh?"

"My father created me to provide wisdom and be courageous in times of chaos. He created me with war in mind, and I was supposed to be a peacemaker amongst humans. But it didn't work out, and he disappeared two months ago to figure out why my predestined fate got so royally fucked up."

Elijah takes in her words and shockingly thinks of Klaus. The boy was born with a predestined fate, and it had led him down every wrong path possible. He suffered for too long and has continued to do so even in his most powerful age.

It seemed that Athena had once been made for the same life his brother had lived, and he would hate to see her become so hardened by the pains of the world that she no longer cared or loved for the people around her as Klaus did.

"Perhaps it's best that he's gone," He finally says, earning a surprised look from Athena. "Fate is tricky, and more often than not, causes problems. Your father would be better off accepting you as you are now, instead of continuing to try and make you as he imagined you. Your fate was clearly changed for a reason. Whoever he intended for you to be was not the real you."

Athena looks at the Original with wide eyes, finding herself in a rare state of speechlessness at his words. "I, uh, thank you, Elijah. I guess I never looked at it that way. I just always thought I messed everything up."

"To me, it seems like you're doing everything right," He smiles softly, and Athena mirrors the action as they settle into brief silence.

"I guess we should–" Athena cuts herself off as a scream echoes in her ears, and she snaps her gaze to meet Elijah's, who's heard the same thing. "That's Elena."

"It's got to be Klaus," Elijah shakes his head, already following Athena back towards the school. "We've got to go, now."

Athena nods, leading him back through the gym and around the crowd of students oblivious to the horrors taking place around them. She pushes through the double doors and runs down the hallway, Elijah right behind her.

"Stefan!" She stops abruptly before him, kneeling worriedly. "What happened?"

She wipes his damp forehead, watching him grit his teeth. "V–Vervain, K–Klaus,"

"Shit," She eyes the small spot on his neck, helping him sit up against the row of lockers. "Did you see where he went? What did he look like?"

"He's– Alaric," Stefan breathes, his eyes flickering to Elijah as the Original curses.

"I should've known," Elijah shakes his head. "It's Klaus's favorite parlor trick."

Athena grits her teeth, her eyes flickering down further into the hallway and eyeing the three unconscious boys a few feet away. "Where did he go?"

"Cafeteria," Stefan says, eyes fluttering shut. "He took– took Elena, and–and Bonnie,"

"He has Bonnie?" Athena's eyes widen and she looks in the direction of the cafeteria almost fearfully. "No,"

"If Klaus is possessing your friend, he's got a witch on his side. He could easily overpower your friend and kill her."

Athena stands, walking over to one of the unconscious boys she briefly recognizes from school. "Feed on him, Stefan. I know you don't want to, but you have to heal. Feed on him and then come find us in the cafeteria."

"What the hell happened?" Damon's voice echoes and Athena looks at him with hesitance shining in her eyes.

"Klaus is possessing Alaric and he's got Bonnie and Elena in the cafeteria right now,"

Damon's eyes widen as he takes in his brother's weak form. "He's got Bonnie?"

Athena nods silently and Damon doesn't bother responding before he takes off down the hallway. The goddess looks over her shoulder at Elijah, sending one more concerned look to Stefan who waves them off.

"Damon. Damon, wait up! Hey," She pulls on the vampire's arm, making him look at her briefly as they trail through the hallways toward the cafeteria. "I have to tell you something."

"Whatever it is, it can wait,"

"Bonnie's going to die!" Athena's voice echoes in the hallway, and Damon stops abruptly, his back still facing Athena. She spares a glance at the Original beside her, and he gives her a silently pitying look she deters from lingering on.

"What do you mean she's going to die?" Damon turns slowly to face her, a dangerous glare on his face. For the first time since she met him, Athena feels fearful of him, and it's got nothing to do with him being a vampire.

"She– she channeled me so she could kill Klaus and it's going to kill her. My power is too strong for anyone else to take, and it's going to kill her, and I'm sorry, Damon, but–"

"We are going in there and we are saving her, alright? And if anything happens to her, Athena, it's on you."

Athena inhales sharply, feeling his words slap her in the face. "Damon, listen to me, it's–" She cuts herself off as he turns away from her, continuing to walk down the hall that's now stale with bitter tension.

Elijah gently pulls her back and she meets his gaze, swallowing around the lump in her throat. "Athena,"

"Don't," She shakes her head, taking her arm from his grip. "Please, don't." She rushes down the hallway, ignoring the way her voice cracks as she catches up to Damon.

The cafeteria doors come into sight and she steels her nerves as she and Damon both push on the doors, only to be startled when they don't budge. Her eyes widen when she looks up and sees the lights flickering above, sparking wildly as flyers and pieces of paper scatter around the room.

"Bonnie!" Athena slams her shoulder into the door, her teeth clenched tight enough to snap as she leans her weight into each hit. "Bonnie, open the doors!"

She watches in horror as Klaus stands back up, healing from his wounds quickly despite being in a human's body. She shakes her head and wriggles the chills from her body as she takes a few steps back from the doors, earning a strange look from Damon.

"Move," She tells the vampires, making them back away slightly as she turns, bracing her shoulders as she slams into the doors. She stumbled slightly at the gust of air that burst through the room towards them, but quickly recovered, rushing towards the chaos.

"Klaus," Elijah's voice echoes from behind her as she catches her breath.

She sees Alaric's eyes widen and she knows it's purely Klaus's surprise at the sight of Elijah. She hadn't forgotten his relief when she'd alluded to Elijah being 'taken care of' earlier that day, and it was obvious he'd thought that meant dead or daggered.

"Brother,"

"Stop this madness, Klaus!" Elijah shakes his head, his suit and hair quickly rumpled by the force of the magic surging through the room.

Athena tilts her head, her eyes landing on where Elena lay unconscious near a vending machine, painfully oblivious to her surroundings. She grits her teeth and pushes herself to her feet, wiping off a stream of blood that had trailed from her nose.

Alaric shakes his head, clearing his shock away. "I've waited a thousand years for this, Elijah! I won't be stopped again!"

Elijah rushes towards Klaus and tackles him, momentarily distracting him from Bonnie. It's clear Klaus is channeling some sort of outward strength as he throws Elijah off of him, sending the Original flying into a row of tables nearby.

Klaus turns back to Bonnie, a dark glare on his face. "Do it. Finish the job,"

"Bonnie, don't!" Damon calls out, eyeing the witch pleadingly.

Bonnie looks over her shoulder at him, her eyes filled with tears and regret, and a steady stream of blood trickling down from her nose. "I'm sorry," Her eyes shift to Athena, who nods softly.

Athena moves at the same time that they all do, and she latches her hand onto his wrist, yanking him back towards her with a low grunt.

The lights flicker dangerously and Athena squeezes her eyes shut as Damon's yells echo in her ears, already knowing the sight before her without seeing it. She hears Klaus yell out in pain, and silence follows, slowly, painfully, she pries her eyes open again just in time to see Bonnie's knees buckle as she drops to the floor.

She pushes Damon away as Elijah grabs Klaus, disappearing with him before she can even blink.

"Bonnie!" Damon breaks her hold off of him with a snarl and the goddess stumbles backwards as her adrenaline quickly plummets into exhaustion.

Damon falls beside the witch, his hands pushing stray strands of hair off her face, his eyes wide with fear. "No, no, no, no, Bonnie,"

He drags his thumb along the witch's cheek, cursing under his breath when he hears no pulse stutter in her neck. "Bonnie, come on. Wake up, please,"

Athena's eyes fill with hot tears and she turns her head away, seeing Stefan stop abruptly at the scene before him. He reaches for her and she collapses in his arms, letting him hold her weight against him as Damon's soft pleas for Bonnie to wake up echoed in her ringing ears.

"Damon," Stefan's voice echoed softly and his eyes drifted towards Elena's slumped position a few feet away. "Damon, we have to go. We can't get caught in the middle of all of this."

Damon groans, facing his brother with glassy eyes. "Don't," He shakes his head once, firmly enough to convey his seriousness. "Just don't."

Athena inhales shakily, hiding her face in Stefan's chest as she tries to escape the crushing guilt weighing her down. Their plan worked perfectly, but she hadn't anticipated it feeling so awful.

──────

"This is on you, Athena. Do you understand that?" Damon pointed an accusing finger at her, standing above her where she sat on the couch before the fireplace with her legs tucked beneath her.

She didn't respond, and the action angered him further. "If you had just told us what Bonnie was going to do, none of this would've happened. But you thought you could do it all by yourself and win, and Bonnie's dead because of it. This wasn't supposed to happen, and it wouldn't have if you had just set aside your ego for five damn minutes!"

Athena clenches her jaw, holding her head up with her hand as she propped her elbow on the arm of the couch.

"You're a kid, Athena! You're seventeen years old!" Damon exclaims wildly, looking at her with something akin to fear glistening in his eyes. "That could've been you, okay? You had no right doing this on your own, and you know damn well you should've told me!"

Athena sniffles, biting back her tears she refuses to let fall in front of Damon. "She's alive,"

"What?" Damon questions, barely hearing her muttered words.

"She's alive," She repeats, barely louder than the first time she'd said it. "Bonnie is alive. It had to look real– it had to be real for Klaus. We had to do it so Elijah could get Klaus to stop, to tell him what was going on. She's alive, Damon. She's with Jeremy at the old witch's house in the woods."

Damon stands silently for a moment before he shakes his head, gritting his teeth angrily. He doesn't bother with any more words as he grabs his jacket and storms out of the living room, passing by Stefan right as the other vampire walks in the front door.

The door slammed and Athena flinched, her posture tensing when Stefan came into view. "What was that all about?"

"He's mad at me," Athena whispers, missing the way Stefan's eyes flashed with pity. "I lied to him and he's mad at me."

Stefan's green eyes deepen with sympathy and he slides his jacket off, moving to sit down on the couch beside her. "Oh, baby, it's alright. It's alright," He lifts her and slides her into his lap, letting her bury her head in his neck and cling to him as she begins to silently shake with cries.

He rubs circles on her back with his palm, kissing the side of her head reassuringly. "He'll get over it. It'll be fine. You did the right thing, and I know it was hard. But it wouldn't be the right thing if it wasn't."

"I'm so tired," She cries, shaking her head as she tries to hide from the world in Stefan's arms. "I'm so tired, Stefan."

"I know," He whispers, unable to say anything else as she drains herself completely. Unable to offer her any sort of comfort when he knew that he was such a large part of this mess, to begin with. "I know."

All she ever tried to do was make sure the people she loved were safe, and all it ever did for her in return was rip her apart.

She almost entertained the idea of being her father's perfect, fate-controlled child in another life. Whatever he had planned for her couldn't possibly be worse than where her own decisions had led her.

──────

Elena sighed as she took her hair down from the tight ponytail it'd been in all night, and she questioned the silence of her home before remembering Jeremy's reassurances that everything was alright. Whatever plan they'd had for Klaus had worked perfectly.

She slips her earrings out as she steps into the kitchen, her eyes widening as she watches John brace himself on the counter.

"John? What are you doing here?"

He clears his throat, rubbing at his sore wrists. "I had a very informative conversation with Elijah tonight. Athena, too."

She furrows her brows, frowning at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You shouldn't trust them to protect you. They're going to give you to Klaus, Elena,"

Elena inhales sharply, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Athena is working with the Originals, the same vampires that are trying to kill you. She's going behind everyone's backs to make sure you die in the sacrifice."

"No, no," Elena shakes her head, looking at him in disbelief. "Athena and I don't like one another, but she wouldn't go behind everyone's backs and give me to Klaus, it's too risky. Besides, Stefan protected me tonight. If Klaus hadn't ambushed us, he was going to bring me back here."

John shakes his head, regarding his daughter with poorly feigned guilt. "I'm sorry, Elena. I wish things were different,"

Elena huffs a laugh, her exhaustion and disbelief making her nearly hysterical. "Why– why are you telling me this? Why do you even care?"

"Because," He sighs, rounding the counter to stand before her. "Whether you like it or not, you're my daughter. And I'm going to do anything to make sure you survive, even if I don't."

Elena frowns as he digs something out of his pocket, holding it out to her as an offer. "What is this?" She takes the small glass vial with him, frowning as she meets his regretful gaze.

"It's vampire blood."

"What? But you–"

"I know," He nods. "But if being a vampire means that Klaus can't use you in the sacrifice, then I want you to do it. I meant what I said. I'll do anything to protect you."

"I don't want this. I don't want–"

He pushes the bottle back at her, refusing to take it back. "Just think about it. The sacrifice is in two days, just, think about it. Please."

He doesn't wait for a response as he gives her a nod in farewell and departs, the front door shutting quietly behind him.

Elena looks at the vial of blood in her hand and takes a deep breath. Her hand clenches around it and she shakes her head, telling herself immediately she's not going to drink it.

But she walks up the stairs towards her bedroom, and rolls it around in her palm, and wonders what would happen if she did.

──────

author's note; let's unpack all 6k words of this chapter shall we? 

we have a steamy moment between Athena and Stefan, we love them. then we have Athena and Damon being their usual witty selves, and Athena being sus of Ric (as she should). then we have brief dancing, damon catching on and being smart for once, and athena being a bad bitch. and then we have ELIJAH being a baddie too, bc Athena/Elijah brotp obviously. THEN WE HAVE BAMON DANCING AHA!! AND PROTECTIVE!CONCERNED!DAMON!!! I was smiling so hard writing that scene omg. but then things get real bad, real quick and bon bon gets taken by our fave resident hybrid, and then stefan gets his shit rocked, Caroline saves Jeremy and Elena does the smart thing and tries to sacrifice herself. then we have more Elijah/Athena brotp because it's amazing, honestly, and Elijah giving fire advice about Zeus's clown ass, and then they come to the rescue. we get concerned!Athena, and then she has to tell Damon about bonnie :/ and he is mean to her bc he's scared. and then it's all sad and Athena feels like literal shit, and then Damon is a huge asshole because he's scared (but he's also such a dad, he's just worried about Athena don't hate him) and then we have Athena being sad as hell and just being exhausted (as she should) and then we have John. John buddy. u got a storm coming and it's in the form of a five foot two goddess. and Elena, honey, wyd?? hahahahaha PAIN, y'all, PAIN! 

psa: i have a Tumblr where I post little side-stories from this fic and other original writing. my username is the exact same (@/theeoriginals) 

originally published; 2.26.21. 

edited: 12.4.23.

- liz