inevitable

"GOOD MORNING, ATHENA."

The goddess smiled as she walked towards her father, their brief hug making her straighten her spine out. "Good morning, Dad,"

"Did you sleep well?" The salt-and-pepper-haired god smiled, watching his daughter gently lift the skirt of her dress so she didn't trip as they walked down the steps from the temple into the golden morning that greeted them happily.

Athena sighed slightly, eyes glimmering. "Like a baby,"

"I'm glad to hear it," He sighed, overlooking the city. The clouds were slowly disappearing, their natural fog giving way to the golden streets and marble buildings. Rays of sun poured down onto them, shining unwaveringly.

They stood at the top of the landing before the final staircase that led to the street, watching the people go by. Some bowed at their presence or waved, some shouted their praises. Some children fawned as Athena smiled at them, or if Zeus sparked a taunting bolt on his finger.

"They adore you already,"

Athena squinted slightly as her olive skin soaked in the sun that warmed her from the inside out. "It's only been a week,"

Zeus waved her off, turning to face her. "Time is irrelevant. You are adored here, Athena. This is what you were meant for from the beginning."

She bit the inside of her cheek, withholding her initial response. "I know, Dad. I'm just happy to be here in the end."

He cupped her cheek, patting it softly. "I've got to go meet someone in a minute. Take a walk through the city, and familiarize yourself with it. I think Hermes is around here somewhere, you could have a familiar face with you."

She nods again, feeling better at the idea of a familiar presence in the sea of unknown faces. "I'll see if I can find him,"

Zeus smiles, brushing her hair back and kissing the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you, Athena. You did the right thing."

"I know. It was all for the best," She smiles as he turns and walks away, carrying himself confidently back into the temple she stood before. Picking up her dress, she began to walk down the grand staircase towards the street, a smile on her face as she walked amongst the smiling civilians.

──────

Long dark hair swishes on the woman's back and Stefan's breath hitches. He already sees her face before she turns around, dark eyes wide and shining just for him. Her lips turning up into a smile when she registers that it's him.

He lifts his head hopefully as she turns around, but as quickly as it comes, her name dies in his throat and his hope falls out of his chest onto the floor, stomped on by oblivious humans in the bar.

The woman is beautiful, he can see that. But she is not her.

"Hey, are you ignoring me?"

Stefan blinked from his daze, looking over his shoulder at Damon. They were in some random bar in Florida, Klaus was nowhere to be found as he undoubtedly tormented some innocent werewolf for information.

"Sorry," Stefan shook his head, looking back at the crowd he had no desire to interact with. "Got distracted."

Damon watches him with worry, his fingers tightening around the sticky glass he'd been handed over the bar a few minutes ago. "You alright?"

Stefan hums, nearly falling back into his daze as the music pulses and vibrates into his skin, his anxiety buzzing right alongside it. "I'm fine. Tired."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine, Damon," His tone hardens slightly, a warning to his brother. "It's been a month. I am– I'm fine."

Damon sighs, setting his drink down on a table nearby. "She's fine, you know that? She's perfectly fine, wherever she is."

"Oh, yeah?" He scoffs quietly. "Caroline still texting you, telling you she's nowhere to be found, then?"

Damon clenches his jaw. "No, actually, she and Bonnie are on vacation. And Athena can take care of herself. It's not like you gave her much of a choice anyway."

Stefan grits his teeth and nods, throwing the rest of his drink down before he brushes past Damon.

"Where are you going?"

Stefan shrugs, hand coming up to rub at his aching chest. "I'm going to get something to eat,"

──────

"You look like royalty,"

Athena huffs, rolling her eyes at the sound of Josh's sarcastic voice as he falls into step beside her. "You look like a bum,"

He holds a hand to his heart, faking a wince as he looks out at the crowds parting their paths to make way for an oblivious Athena. "Nice to know you haven't lost your touch. Hey– how long has it been since I saw you?"

Athena frowns slightly. "Like a month, why?"

He curses quietly. "It's just easy to lose track of time here, you know? A week here is a month on Earth."

Athena slows slightly, her face twisting in disbelief. It's been a month on Earth already?"

Josh shrugs, oblivious to her sudden concern. "A lot of us get distracted with our work here, we won't return for decades. It happens, but you forget about it after a while."

"Yeah," She mutters, recovering quickly. "So, uh, what have you been busy with?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question? I mean, what the hell happened, Athena?"

I can't do this anymore, I can't do this anymore, I can't– "Fate happened," The goddess shakes her head, biting the inside of her cheek. "It's for the better, though. Elena's dead and I'm here, becoming what I was always meant to become."

"Yeah," Josh eyes her with a look of varying concern and disbelief. "And you don't miss Earth at all?"

"No," Athena shrugs. "My father was right. I was meant to be here. What could I possibly be missing out on back on Earth?"

"Right," He sighs, looking around to see if there were any peering eyes looking their way. "Look, I– I can't tell you much about what I've been up to, but I was about to meet somebody nearby and they've been dying to meet you. Are you free?"

Athena looks over her shoulder, her dark eyes flickering up to the temple looming over them where her father was. She looks back to her half-brother, shrugging. "I've got nothing better to do,"

──────

"So," Athena trails off, looking around the place she could easily compare to a five-star resort on Earth. "This is a restaurant?"

"A bar, technically. I need a drink, and you probably will, too," Josh waves his hand, grabbing the attention of a tall, bearded man behind the bar. "Two red wines, please! Actually, the whole bottle– no, two bottles."

The older man rolled his eyes but went to get two wine glasses and bottles from the shelf behind him. Athena furrowed her brows and looked at Josh questioningly. "What did you do to him?"

Her half-brother frowns, feigning offense at her insinuation. "I didn't do anything, he's always like that. The god of wine works in a bar, it just ruins things after a while. You know, he's technically related to us."

Athena's eyes widen and she looks back at the man ambling towards them. "How is it possible that Zeus has so many children?"

"Well, you are his one true child. You were created by him, with no other deities or Olympians to help. His mother is Semele, mine is Maia. If a goddess comes to Zeus with an offering he likes, he blesses them with a child from his powers. Hence all of the half-siblings."

"Right," Athena smiles slightly as the man approaches, earning a narrow-eyed look in response. "Thank you."

"Thanks, Dionysus," Josh clapped his hand on the man's arm, smiling despite the glare being pointed down at him. "Have you met Athena? She's finally joined us."

The man, Dionysus, turns to face her with little regard. "You're Athena?"

She nods hesitantly.

"Little piece of advice," He leans forward, nearly slamming the two bottles of wine on the table, making Athena flinch. "Leave while you still can."

Athena's jaw drops slightly as Dionysus walks away and she slowly turns her head to look at Josh, who's pinching the bridge of his nose in a wince.

She leans forward, looking at him accusingly. "Why would he say that?"

"He's a grumpy old man, you know? Nothing to worry about,"

"Josh–"

"Hermes!" A feminine voice comes from across the bar, and Athena turns, her eyes widening at the sight of the long-legged woman standing with her arms outstretched.

She looked like something from a movie, a fairytale, truly. Bronze skin that glimmered gold and green, as if she had bathed in glitter. A strong jaw, dark eyes, and dark hair that curled down her back and swayed with her movements.

She was in a cream-colored dress that fell to the floor but didn't flow like Athena's blue dress did. A small tie wrapped around her waist, the only accessory to the dress besides the natural beauty the woman had.

Josh's face practically lit up and Athena watched as he stood up, greeting the woman with a tight hug. "Iris, you look amazing as always,"

The woman waves his charm off, her eyes shifting to Athena and lighting up with glee. "This must be Athena! It's an honor to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances, of course,"

Iris sits down across from Athena, taking Josh's previous place as Athena leans forward, her interest thoroughly piqued. "What do you mean?"

Iris waved a hand obliviously. "What with the argument about your fate, and Zeus denying any tampering despite all evidence pointing to him,"

Athena's face slowly morphed into one of confusion and she tilted her head slightly as Iris continued.

"It's very brave of you to come here right now, actually. A lot of people think you and your father messed with fate to ensure your place on Olympus, and– why do you look like you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

Iris stopped, her gaze shifting to Josh, who stood with a grimace passing through his whole body as the goddess's stare became a glare. "You haven't told her this?"

"I– I was about to! I swear," Josh pulls a seat up to the table, sending Iris an apologetic glance that she rolls her eyes at. "Zeus has had you at his side all week, otherwise I would've told you right away."

Athena's frown deepens and she looks in between the two people before her, her stomach unruly with sudden nerves. "I– I don't," She shakes her head, adjusting the sleeves of her dress. "Start from the beginning, please. And don't leave anything out."

Iris nods at Josh, who heaves a sigh and gives Athena a sympathetic look. "Zeus created you to be... everything. You were going to take his place at the head of Olympus when he stepped down from the throne, you would rule one day. You were a legend, you were infamous before you were even born. And when you were born, Zeus announced that he would be taking you to Earth until your eighteenth birthday when you came into your powers and started learning about taking over the throne."

"I knew that already," Athena props her cheek up, looking at Josh with hesitancy. "That day you came to see my father with me, he told me that it all changed after the accident in May."

Josh nods. "It did. Look– we have three fates. Past Fate, Present Fate, and Future Fate. Every deity on Olympus has a fate that is set in stone from the moment you take your first breath, alright? And up until the accident, you were following your fate to a T. And then,"

"I died,"

Iris pats her hand, earning a small smile from the girl. Sighing, the goddess takes over. "Your fate changed. Perhaps if you hadn't survived, it would've been alright, but you came back to life. Your powers saved you, even if you had no idea at the time. And when you came back to life, we realized Future had taken their own path with you."

"Zeus was," Josh shakes his head, eyes wide at the memory of the deadly storms that had plundered for days after the car accident. The shouting from the throne room, demanding to have the Fates brought before him. "He was irate. He was blaming Future for it all, for taking creative liberties with your fate and screwing it all up."

"Right now, your fate is completely unknown to us all besides Future, and they're nowhere to be found. Zeus has been traveling all over looking for them, demanding they face punishment for their crimes."

Athena narrows her eyes, looking at Iris suspiciously. "You said that my father messed with fate to ensure I'd come here, how could he do that if Future was gone? Wouldn't this be considered my future?"

Iris shrugs slightly. "The Fates are tricky, and they're very secretive. They rarely share anything unless it's an oddity, like you. It was Past that blew the whistle on the whole thing with Future, and it's believed that your father has been working with them to correct your fate and punish Future. This goes against everything Olympus stands for, hence all the arguing and secrecy."

Athena chews anxiously at the inside of her cheek, wringing her fingers together. "What about," She clears her throat, trying to keep her voice sturdy. "When I went to talk to him that day, my father said that Stefan and I were never supposed to meet because it would affect my fate, but we met anyway, and– and I didn't want to come here until he left me. I was happy on Earth, with my soulmate, and my family there."

She sniffles, shaking her head as she bites back tears. "And– and Stefan, he just left me out of nowhere. One minute I'm getting thrown around in the woods with Bonnie, and the next he tells me he can't be with me, you know? I'm not– I can't get involved in a full-blown war,"

Josh frowned, offering her a napkin from the table to wipe her eyes with. "What happened to you and Bonnie?"

Athena shrugs slightly. "We helped Klaus become a hybrid, and the ritual went perfectly. Elena died, and Klaus became a hybrid, and right as he started to shift, there was this huge gust of wind and we all got thrown around. It– it was weird, but when I got home that night, Stefan dumped me and I didn't really think twice about it."

"Shit," Iris mutters, her eyes widening as she meets Josh's gaze. "You know what this means, right?"

Josh nods, wiping a hand down his face. "We're so fucked,"

"What are you talking about?"

The two ignore Athena, caught up in their sudden panic. "He could go down for this. I mean, it doesn't matter who you are, you can't mess with time like that!"

"Guys,"

Josh leans forward, looking at Iris seriously. "We can't just run into the temple and tell them, they'll never believe us without evidence,"

"But we won't have evidence if Past isn't on our side,"

Athena slammed her hand on the table, making their eyes snap to her as she gritted her teeth. "Tell me what the hell you're talking about before I lose it,"

Iris sighs, turning to look at Athena. "One of the first things we're taught here is to never, under any circumstances, go to the past and change things for a different future. Changing the timeline is forbidden."

"What does that have to do with any of this?"

Josh leaned forward, eyes darting around accusingly at the other patrons of the bar. "It means that your father traveled back years, decades, even, and changed something in the past that made Stefan break up with you so that you'd have no choice but to come here."

Athena's heart raced at his nearly whispered words and she furrowed her brows slightly. "You're saying that my father traveled through time and changed the past so that I'd have no reason to stay on Earth, and I'd finally come here and do what he wanted me to do?"

The two nodded and Athena sat back in her chair, eyes wide. Silence settled between the three of them, and dread rested amidst it all. For a moment, nobody said anything as the implications of their words truly settled in.

When the silence was broken, it was Athena who did it, with a question in her voice. "Could– could he have done this more than once?"

"I don't see why not," Iris shook her head. "If he did it once, he did it a hundred times, you know?"

Athena rolled her lips together, nodding slightly. "Like, if he'd said something along the lines of, 'I did everything I could to keep you two apart for as long as possible,' would that be a red flag?"

Josh spluttered, his eyes wide. "W–What?! That's not a red flag, that flag is on fire! Athena, holy shit!"

"Well, I didn't know!"

"Okay, both of you stop yelling," Iris tugged them into the table, their heads nearly knocking together. "Athena, do you think that Zeus has done this more than once?"

She nods. "A few things come to mind, yeah. Mostly in the shape of Elena fucking Gilbert, which fills me with unbridled, homicidal rage, but that's beside the point."

"This is going to take a while to figure out. We need time and space," Josh shakes his head. "Both of which we might not have if we don't find Future before Zeus does."

"Guys,"

"Then let's do it," Iris clapped her hands together, shrugging at the two of them. "Nobody can get in or out of Olympus without somebody knowing, so Future has to be around here somewhere, right?"

Josh exclaims excitedly, drawing a few eyes their way that quickly roll away once they see who was making all of the noise. "Oh, shit! Hiding in plain sight, of course! High-five me, Iris!"

"Guys,"

Iris narrows her eyes at Josh in a flat glare that she points at his outstretched hand, mere inches from her face. "I am not high-fiving you,"

"Hey!" Athena has to yell for their attention yet again, and she glares at the both of them as they settle down sheepishly. "There's one giant problem with this plan of yours."

"Which is?"

"Which is the fact that I don't want to go back to Earth."

They both look at her in utter shock and she frowns at the reaction.

"Athena," Josh starts quietly. "You just found out that your dad took all of your free will away again, and we have a chance to get it back and you don't want to even try?"

Athena shook her head. "I told you, Josh. This was my fate, and one way or another my father was going to get me here. This is the route he took, and in the end, I came to him. I am the one who chose to leave Earth behind, and I'm not– I don't want to go back. Nobody there needs me anymore."

Josh looks at her with wide, somewhat hurt eyes, and she knows he's got a million things he'd like to say to her.

Instead of letting him try and plead their case, she stands up and offers them an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. But I'm staying here. Olympus is my home now, just like it was always going to be."

She leaves the two of them behind in the restaurant, Iris offering Josh a look of pity that he waves off.

"Something's going on with her," Josh narrowed his eyes at the door she'd departed out of, leaning back in his seat. "I'm not going to let her sit back and ruin her chance at true freedom. I know that's not what she wants, not really."

"So, we're still going to try and find Future?"

Josh nods. "My sister needs to be saved," He shrugs lightly. "Even from herself."

──────

author's note; heyyyy

originally published; 4.1.21. (bruh) 

edited: 12.4.23.

- liz