knock knock

"HOW ARE WE GOING TO FIND ELENA?"

"Well, obviously she's been going to the old witch house frequently enough to undagger you two and bring Finn there," Athena shrugs, gesturing vaguely to the Originals standing before her. "But I don't think she's stupid enough to be staying there, or at her actual house. That leaves limited options."

Elijah raises a brow, curious but not condescending. "How so? She's a vampire, she could compel anyone to let her stay with them."

"Yeah, but this is a small town and everyone knows who she is," Athena waved off the possibility. "Even showing up somewhere like that would get people's attention. And people would definitely start asking questions if she just randomly moved in with a stranger when Jeremy and Jenna are perfectly fine."

"So where do you suppose she's staying?"

Athena raised a brow, shrugging at Klaus's question. "My best guess? Our resident werewolf has a history of making terrible decisions. It wouldn't surprise me if he agreed to help her hide from us."

Klaus rapped his knuckles against the counter with a smirk. "Then I guess we should pay him a visit,"

"Pretty sure he's at football practice right now," Athena muttered, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. "But you could go and see if she's there."

"You're coming with me," He pointed at her and she frowned.

"Why me?"

"Because you have a particularly homicidal quality about you, and I don't want to listen to my brother's pep talk about morals on the drive over there," Klaus smirked, ignoring Elijah's glare as he reached for his keys.

Athena sighs, shaking her head at his immaturity. "Fine, let's get this over with."

She stood straight, glancing at the rest of them. "Stefan, will you please look through the Gilbert journals for anything about Wickery Bridge?" He nods quietly, giving her a small, tired smile she reflects before she looks at Damon. "And don't let our guests out of your sight,"

"We are standing right here, you know that, right?" Kol looked at her, his eyes narrowed somewhat accusingly.

"I'm aware," She gives him a pointed, careless look. "I don't trust you."

"But you trust Nik?"

"Unfortunately for everyone, yes,"

"Enough chit-chat, brother," Klaus interrupts their bickering, glaring at his amused younger brother. "Let's go, Athena."

Sighing, the goddess nodded and followed after the hybrid, giving them all one last careful glance as she exited.

──────

"You do understand this is like, not even half of a plan," Athena spared a glance at Klaus as they walked up the steps to the Lockwood mansion, her heels scuffing along the concrete with her somewhat lazy steps. "What are you gonna do if Tyler's not here? What are you gonna do if he is?"

Klaus hummed to himself, a brief, contemplative look on his face as he took in her question. "If he's not, I'll kindly ask his mother where he is. If he is, I'll torture him until he tells me where Elena is."

"Carol won't tell you anything," Athena shook her head, lifting her hand to knock on the door. "She probably doesn't even know what's going on."

"If she's got no knowledge of her son's whereabouts, then she's of no use to me," Klaus sniffs haughtily, making Athena roll her eyes at his dramatics. "Then she becomes the next best thing."

"Which is?"

"Collateral," Klaus gives her a devious smirk as the door swings open, revealing Carol Lockwood.

The older woman's smile falters a bit and Athena narrows her eyes suspiciously before she quickly opts for a soft smile that seems to make Carol relax.

"Mayor Lockwood, it's so good to see you,"

"It's been a while. How have you been, Athena?" Carol tilted her head, sparing a glance at the Original beside her.

"Oh, you know, busy," Athena waves off the question, feigning aloofness. "College applications are stressful. Hey, uh, is Tyler home? I needed to talk to him, but he wasn't answering his phone."

Brief confusion washes over Carol's face at the quick change of subject, but she catches up easily and shakes her head at Athena's question. "No, he's out right now, but he should be back shortly. Do you want to come inside?"

Athena spared a quick look at Klaus, who barely tilted his head in a nod that she took as permission. Looking back to Carol, she grinned kindly and nodded. "That'd be great,"

Carol shifted to the side and gestured them in with a wave of her hand. "Come on in! I'll make tea,"

Klaus stepped over the threshold just behind Athena, and the Mayor gestured to the sitting room with a quick movement before she excused herself to the kitchen.

"You stay here, and if Carol comes back, tell her I went to the bathroom," Athena whispered, making sure Carol was long gone before she spoke. "I'm going to see if there's any proof that Elena's been here recently."

Klaus nodded and she stepped around him, keeping her footsteps light on the marbled floors. Her hand drags up the staircase as she makes her way up to the second level of the mansion and she scans her dark eyes around every antique, every painting, every lump in the rug that walks the length of the hall.

She stops in front of Tyler's room and suddenly thinks of the past. Of the days she'd spent there with him and Caroline, playing video games or working on homework. Before cheerleading or football mattered, or popularity. Before the accident, before Stefan, before Tyler's dad died and he became a werewolf.

It doesn't feel like it was all normal two, or three years ago. It feels like it wasn't even Athena's past, but some version of her that simply didn't exist in the same dimension as the one she did now. The extra second she spared on the thought confirmed what she already knew; she didn't miss it in the slightest.

Everything is as it's supposed to be now, and Athena will continue doing whatever it is she needs to do to make sure it stays that way. Even if it means betraying the people she used to love.

She pushes the door to Tyler's room open and walks in, scrunching her nose at the strong cologne scent that hits her. She isn't sure how Tyler can stand to be in his room, especially with his enhanced senses.

She looks around and walks over to the desk piled with clothes, and she roots through it mindlessly, not bothering to hide the fact that she'd done it. She stops suddenly, though, when something atop the desk catches her eye.

Scoffing, Athena reaches for the diary and snatches it off the desk, her fingers going white with the force at which she held it in her hand and she let out a short, humorless laugh as she flicked through the pages, seeing Elena's scrawling handwriting loop on every page.

She drops the shirt that had been in her other hand and steps through the mess she'd made on his floor carelessly, hurrying down the stairs closer to the end of the hallway.

She keeps her steps light even in her rush, and the old carpet beneath her feet muffles her presence as she enters the kitchen, looking directly at Carol Lockwood's back.

"You need to stay away, I don't know what they want."

Athena's brows raise and she huffs quietly to herself in disbelief.

"No, no, just let me handle them. Don't–"

"Who's on the phone?"

Carol yelped in surprise and whipped around, clutching the phone to her chest. "Athena, I didn't hear you come in,"

Ignoring her comment, Athena stepped further into the kitchen, a wry smile twitching on her lips. "I can't imagine you're telling the gardener to stay away, or the housekeeper. I'd say it was anyone else, but the only other person you have is your son."

She steps into the woman's space, glaring heatedly at her as she trembles before the goddess. She yanks the phone from her weak grip, ignoring the noise of pain Carol lets out as she brings it up to her ear.

"Lovely weather we're having, Tyler,"

"Athena, leave my mom out of this. This is between you and me, okay? She didn't do anything."

"Well, that's where you're wrong," Athena drawled. "This is between me and Elena. And you brought your mother into it the second you brought Elena here to hide from me."

"If you touch a single–"

Athena rolled her eyes at the beginning of his threat and dropped the diary onto the counter with a pointed slam that made the older woman flinch. "Tyler, I promise nothing you could do or say will ever hurt me. Now, if you hurry home with your new pet dopplegänger, I promise not to touch a hair on mommy dearest's head."

"Athena–"

"Just bring me my dopplegänger, and then I'll think about not killing you."

Athena hung up before he could say anything else, and she fixed her dangerous stare on Carol.

"You really shouldn't have made that phone call, Carol," She stepped towards the woman, making her take a step back. "All Klaus and I wanted was to talk, to see if we could come to a compromise."

Carol shook her head, letting out a shaky breath as Athena backed her into a wall. "I was just trying to help him,"

Athena slammed Carol against the wall, the thud echoing loudly as she glared at the woman. "That's not a good enough reason for me to not kill you,"

Klaus appeared in the doorway, beckoned by the thud, and Athena's eyes shot to him. "Our gracious host snitched on us,"

Klaus's eyes filled with the same fire in Athena's and Carol let out a desperate whimper at the sight of it. He fixed Carol with a damning look and shook his head, making a scolding noise. "That wasn't very nice of you, Carol,"

Athena stepped out of the way as Klaus approached her, his hand immediately wrapping around her throat and squeezing tight.

"Please don't hurt him," Carol bit out, struggling to breathe beneath Klaus's grip. "He's all I've got left."

Klaus tilted his head, a small smirk on his lips. "And you're all he's got left. Such a shame that I've never been one for sentiment,"

Klaus tightened his hand again and Athena listened to the fragile bones in her neck collapse beneath the weight. Klaus released her immediately and stepped back, watching her slump to the ground.

Athena eyed her, wondering if she should feel bad, and then quickly deciding she shouldn't.

She steps past Klaus to the fridge and swings it open, grabbing a bottle of champagne off the shelf. She spun around, showing it to the hybrid. "A drink while we wait?"

Klaus shrugged, his smirk widening as she popped the cork off. "Let's consider it an early celebration,"

Athena brought the bottle up to her lips and took a large swig before offering it to Klaus, letting out a delighted sigh at the sweet taste of the bubbles. "To killing a dopplegänger."

Klaus took a drink from the bottle and then looked at her. "To killing anyone that stands in our way."

──────

"I've got a joke,"

Athena took the bottle of champagne from Klaus again, leaning back against the stair above her as they lounged in the foyer, Carol's body dropped carelessly near the front door. "Let's hear it,"

"Knock knock,"

Athena raises a brow, but Klaus silently urges her on as he takes the bottle back from her. "Who's there?"

He smirks, entirely amused with himself. "The mayor,"

Athena sighs, giving him an exasperated look. "The mayor who?"

Klaus doesn't say anything and Athena gives him an imploring look he chuckles at.

"The mayor who?"

"That's the joke," He says, taking another swig from the bottle. "Because I killed the mayor."

Athena wishes she'd stopped the amused snort that leaves her, but she can't, and Klaus gives her a smug look, knowing she doesn't want to laugh at the terrible joke. "That was awful, Klaus,"

"Everyone always laughs at my jokes,"

"Probably because they know they'll be killed if they don't,"

Offense crosses his face but Athena holds up a finger, cutting him off. "Hold on, hold on, I've got one. Knock knock,"

"Who's there?"

"The mayor's son,"

"The mayor's son, who?"

The door bursts open and she gestures to where Tyler stands in the doorway, his chest heaving angrily.

Realization hits Klaus and he chuckles, wagging a finger at her. "That was good, that was very good. It's all about timing with those sorts of things–"

"You promised you wouldn't hurt her!" Tyler cuts their banter off, tears shining in his eyes as he approaches them.

Athena rears back, frowning at him. "Yeah, and I didn't. Klaus did that. You don't listen,"

Tyler's jaw clenches and she stands, wiping off her skirt as Klaus stands beside her, suddenly towering over Tyler.

"It's funny how quickly someone you love can become collateral damage," Klaus shrugs, still holding the bottle of champagne. "Now, give us Elena and we'll leave you to mourn in peace."

Tyler sniffs stubbornly, looking from Klaus to Athena. "I'm not gonna give her up to you guys, no matter what you do. She's my friend–"

"Oh, my god, shut up," Athena cuts him off, groaning dramatically. "She's not your friend, you idiot, she's an emotionless vampire who's using you so she doesn't have to face the consequences of her actions."

Tyler scoffs, giving her an incredulous look. "Her consequences being death?"

"Yes!" Athena shoves him backward into the table in the middle of the foyer, gritting her teeth frustratedly. "That is what dopplegängers do, Tyler, they use and abuse, and when you're entirely used up, they throw you out. Look what being on her side has done to you, Tyler. I watched your little werewolf leader Jules get her heart ripped out of her chest for nothing, because she survived, and now your mom has become the latest in a long line of deaths that can all be traced back to that infuriating bitch."

Athena spun around, yanked the champagne from Klaus's hand, and smashed it over the table, sending bubbles and shards of glass flying at their feet. She shoved the jagged remnants of the bottle into Tyler's stomach and he grunted at the pain, a stuttering breath leaving him.

"Either you give her up, or you end up like your mother,"

Athena steps back, crunching glass beneath her feet as she rolls her shoulders back. She nods at Klaus, watching Tyler struggle to rip the bottle from his side out. "You can't play both sides, Tyler. You're either winning, or you're dead. And right now, well," She huffs a humorless laugh, glancing at Carol's limp body. "I think we all know what side you're on."

Giving Klaus another look, she straightens her skirt and gestures to the door. "Let's go, Klaus. I'm starving, and I need to make sure your brothers haven't destroyed my house."

Klaus hums, following her out as they leave Tyler to struggle in the shattered remains of his home. "There is a strong possibility Kol has broken something already, he's always been a nuisance. He hates being in close quarters with others, it makes him desperate for attention."

Rolling her eyes, Athena let out a long sigh. "We're gonna need a bigger house,"

──────

author's note; can't be tamed by miley cyrus (a certified bop) is one of athena's theme songs also rip carol 🙏🏻 you did in fact die in vain but it's okay because we got klaus and athena brotp being murder besties

originally published; 3.4.22.

edited: 12.9.23. 

- liz