A Lesson about Pissing Off Gods - August 2nd

Aug 02, 2018 02:30

Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 2

Title: A Lesson about Pissing Off the Gods
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Smallville
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Smallville people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Strange dreams and senses, new friends and acquaintances.

Notes: Athena Luthor Part 2 - Links Page
Seasons: Pre-Season 1 Smallville
Characters: Athena, Clark, Lana, Martha, Jonathan
Word Count: 2400



She was running through the dark streets. Someone was screaming. Something was chasing her. Her heart pounded so hard her chest hurt. She tripped.

The predator leapt on her, its human face was disfigured, eyes yellow. It lunged for her neck. A scream of pain escaped her.

Athena waited for Clark to respond. After a couple weeks of school, she had found that while Clark, Pete, and Chloe were quirky nobodies as far as the world was concerned, they were nice, fun people to be around.

Athena and Clark sat next to each other in the library. She had wanted to share her disturbing dream, and at the first opportunity had told Clark.

“That sounds terrible,” he acknowledged.

“It was so real, I keep checking for bite marks,” she admitted, rubbing her neck.

Clark moved her blonde hair aside. “I don’t see anything.”

She grinned. “Okay, I get it. It just has me weirded out.” It also did not help that most of the day she had been hyperaware of Clark, like she could sense him from across the room. A strange tingle that existed at the base of her neck. She had noticed when Clark moved, the sense followed him.

Clark suddenly looked ill.

“You okay?” she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Fine,” he assured, hunching down in his seat to read his book.

“Hey,” a female voice said, making Athena turn around.

“Hi.”

“I’m Lana,” the dark haired girl introduced herself. “Um, I know this is last minute, but there is cheerleading tryouts tonight and they are doing a recruitment challenge, and we can’t use people we know.”

Athena’s eye darted to where Clark was reading his book, trying to be ignored by the two of them. “What do I have to do?” she asked.

“Do you have any dance or cheerleading experience?”

“Not really, but I have ten years of martial arts training.”

“That’s great.” She smiled. “Can you meet me after school in the gym?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you so much!” Lana nearly jumped with excitement. “You’re…Athena, right?”

“Yes.”

Lana held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Right after school, in the gym.”

Athena shook her hand and nodded. “See you then.” She watched the girl head across the room.

Clark sighed.

Athena turned her attention to her friend. “You look terrible,” she noted. She pressed a hand to his shoulder.

“It’ll pass,” he muttered.

“Let’s get you some fresh air,” she offered.

Clark nodded.

Athena shoved their books into her bag and wedged herself under his arm. She could tell he was holding himself up as much as possible, since she did not notice his weight on her shoulder. She got him out of the library and out a side door of the school. She situated them beneath a tree.

“Better?” she asked.

“Yes,” Clark admitted.

“How often does that happen?”

He shrugged, taking a deep breath, his faced turned towards the sun. His color improved after a minute.

Athena pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed and waited for someone to answer. “Hey. It’s Athena. I need a workout outfit and shoes for immediately after school.” She listened for several minutes, approving things with short answers. “Thank you,” she said and hung up.

“Was that your mom or you dad?” Clark asked.

She shook her head. “My mom died when I was a baby.”

“I’m sorry.” He watched her.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “I didn’t know her, I have never really missed her, not like my older brother has.” She smiled thinking of the Lex of her childhood. His baldness after his visit to Smallville at age nine had not changed him. Being sent away to school had been difficult for him but they had written each other regularly and seen each other at holidays. Even eighteen year old Lex had been great to have around, until he got sent away. She had written him every week, but never heard a word from him. What she knew of him was from his various exploits splashed across tabloid covers.

“You look sad,” Clark’s voice drew her from her thoughts.

“I am. My brother is seven years older. We haven’t talked in a couple of years.” She grinned slightly. “I miss him.”

“Where is he?”

“Last I heard, New York.” She shook her head. “Do you have any siblings?”

“No. My parents adopted me when I was two and a half.”

“Wow.”

The bell rang, startling them from their conversation.

“We need to get to class,” Clark said as he stood and helped her up.

“Followed by lunch. I swear I could eat a whole pot of pasta.”

88888888

Athena entered the gym dressed in a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Lana waved her over.

“Hi. This is Athena,” Lana told the head cheerleader. “Athena, this is Marcy.”

“Hi,” Athena greeted.

“Nicely done, Lana. She has great form and is fit,” Marcy said. “Teach her the S.U.P.E.R. routine, you have ten minutes.”

Lana led Athena to the side of the gym.

“So, why are they having you tryout like this?” Athena asked.

“They call this the leadership phase. They want to make sure that we can interact with our classmates, even if we’ve never spoken to them before. And can we teach something we learned,” Lana explained. “I hope you don’t mind. I chose you because you seem…well built.” Her eyes darted to Athena’s exposed stomach. Lana shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “So here’s the routine.”

Ten minutes later, Lana and Athena were called to the center of the gym in front of a panel of six girls and a female coach. The rest of those auditioning were seated on the bleachers.

“You can start when you’re ready,” the coach said.

“Smile,” Lana said. “Be loud. Just like we talked about.”

Athena nodded and copied Lana’s wide smile, placing her fists on her hips. In step they started moving and chanting.

The S is for super
The U is for united
The P is for perfection
And you know we’re excited
The E is for energetic
The R is for rad
So tell the other team
We’re the best and we’re glad!

Athena ended with a backflip and Lana with a split jump.

The coach nodded and the cheerleaders discussed for a moment. Marcy shooed them all away and looked at Athena and Lana.

“That wasn’t bad,” she told them. “You were in sync and loud, for ten minutes of work…it was passable. Congratulations, Lana, you’ve made the team.” She turned to look at the girls gathered behind her. “That is what we are looking for from you.”

“Thank you,” Lana said to Athena as they moved to the side of the room so the next girl could go.

“You like doing this?” She gestured to the audition going on.

“Yeah, my mom was a Crows cheerleader too.”

“I’m glad you got a spot,” Athena assured. “I should get going.”

“Right. Right. Thank you.”

“You can stop thanking me.” Athena left the gym and entered the locker room. She considered changing and calling her driver. But she felt amped, her entire body primed for activity. She grabbed her bags and headed out.

With her backpack and gym bag strapped on, she started to run. It took a few minutes to find her groove. Then her gait smoothed out and she was set on her destination - the Luthor Mansion.

Arriving at the mansion, she frowned. It was at least six miles. But she was just starting to sweat and her breathing was normal.

Apparently I’m in better shape than I thought, she mused.

88888888

Athena stepped out of the car. She closed the door behind her and waited while the gray car drove away.

She made her way up the drive. She sensed Clark in the house and headed up the porch steps to knock on the door.

A redhead opened the door. She smiled widely. “Hi. Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Clark,” Athena said.

“Mom,” Clark’s voice came from behind the woman.

“Come on in,” Martha invited.

Athena entered the house. It was nothing like her own - even the office she had created for herself in the Luthor Mansion was not this warm and inviting. There were photos and knickknacks covering every surface. The house was done inside and out with bright colors. The air smelled of bread and apples.

“Athena,” Clark greeted, “what are you doing here?”

“I have your books,” Athena explained, pulling her backpack off. “When you had your meltdown yesterday, I think I mixed up our stuff. I’m missing my notebook, I was hoping it was in your bag.”

“Meltdown?” Martha asked, looking to her son.

“I didn’t feel good for a moment,” Clark explained. “Mom, this is Athena. Athena, this is my mom.”

“Martha Kent,” she introduced herself. “Clark has mentioned you once or twice.”

Athena looked at Clark. “Really?”

“Let me get my backpack,” he said, blushing and hurrying out the front door.

“Unusual name,” Martha commented.

“I know.”

“I knew an Athena once, several years ago. She was just a little girl.” She looked hard at Athena. “What’s your last name?”

Athena grimaced. She tried not to lie, teachers used ‘Summers’ in classes, but people rarely asked her directly so she had never had to outright lie about it. “I think you already know,” Athena said. “It’s why you’re asking.”

“You’re Lionel Luthor’s daughter.”

“I am.”

“Clark never mentioned…”

“He doesn’t know, no one does. I just wanted to find out who I was without the Luthor name leading the way.”

“You have a brother, right?”

“Yes. Lex.”

Martha nodded. “I remember you both.” She looked around the room. “In fact…” She pulled a four-by-six framed photo of Clark and an older man off the mantle. She opened the back and pulled out several photos. She looked at one of them a moment longer then handed it over.

Athena stared at the photo in surprise. Lex was easy to recognize, his pale skin and bald head, he was young. Next to him sat two children. The first was a blonde haired little girl wearing fairy wings with her entire face covered in glitter. Then a dark haired boy with glitter on his cheek.

“This is me and Lex,” Athena said. “Why do you have it?”

Martha pointed to the dark haired boy. “This is Clark.”

“I remember…” she whispered as an image flashed through her mind. “I kept kissing him and Lex, thinking fairy magic would cure them.”

“Your father, is he in Smallville with you?”

“No. It’s just me and a small staff.”

Footsteps on the porch drew their attention. Athena pressed the photo back into Martha’s hand.

“I have your notebook,” Clark announced re-entering the house.

“We should probably just empty everything out and get it sorted,” Athena told him walking towards the table.

“Sure,” he agreed. They cleaned out their bags and started sorting into stacks.

“You’re reading Nietzsche?” she asked.

“You have The Art of War,” he countered.

“A favorite of my father,” she admitted. “I prefer Alexandre Dumas or Louisa May Alcott. Both of which he does not approve of, except that they are classics.”

“Have you tried anything in the last century?” Clark asked, teasing.

She scrunched her face up at him.

“Athena,” Martha said. “You can stay for dinner if you want.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Kent.”

88888888

Athena enjoyed the meal with the Kents. Jonathan was a tall man, with a nice smile and work hardened hands. Martha made introductions, deftly running interference to avoid questions about Athena’s family.

“You should come to the farmer’s market,” Clark said. “Mom has some of the best pies and organic produce.”

Athena grinned. She had insisted that the housekeeper and chef use locally sourced flowers and ingredients, helping to rein in the mansion’s astronomical spending and setting a budget. If she remembered correctly, the Kent Farm currently provided nearly a third of their produce. All under an alias used by one of the staff to secure and pickup what was required for the household every week.

“Okay,” she said. “I am up early on Saturdays anyway.”

“Whys that?” Jonathan asked.

“Years of practices,” she told him. “I don’t think I’ve slept past five thirty in the last six years.” She speared a pea. “Lately, I don’t even make it to five before I’m awake.”

“Still having nightmares?” Clark guessed.

“Yeah. Running yesterday seemed to help. I’m wondering if maybe I just need to get a little more active than I have been since moving to Smallville.”

“Where did you move from?” Jonathan asked.

“Metropolis,” she answered honestly. “I prefer Smallville.” Her eyes went to Clark. “I like the people better.” The words were out before she could stop them. Heat crept up her neck.

Martha cleared her throat to cover a chuckle. Clark flushed as well.

“Small communities try harder,” Jonathan said, missing the byplay.

88888888

Clark led Athena up to the barn loft while she waited for her ride. She dropped her bag on the couch.

“You like astronomy?” Athena asked approaching the telescope set up near the loft door.

“Yeah. I could spend hours studying the stars.”

She looked up at the dark sky. “What’s that one?” She pointed to a cluster of bright stars.

Clark joined her at the loft doors and looked in the direction she was pointing. “Cassiopeia,” he answered.

“Ah, the vain and boastful queen, placed in the heavens to suffer indignity night after night.” She grinned up a Clark. “There is a lesson there about pissing off the gods.”

He grinned. “Don’t do it?”

“No. Go for broke. Better to be dead than punished for eternity.”

He chuckled.

They looked down at the sound of a car coming up the drive.

“That’s for me,” she said. She moved around Clark and grabbed her backpack. She stopped at the top of the stairs. “Good night, Clark.”

“Good night, Athena,” he said before she proceeded down the stairs and out to the car.

Clark stood watching the car reverse up the drive until it disappeared onto the road. Out of habit, he turned his telescope to the east, unerringly landing on Lana Lang’s porch. But he never put his eye to the lens, instead he stood thinking about a short blonde.

Thank you for reading. Reviews are always appreciated.

fandom: smallville, author: hermione2be, !2018 august event

Previous post Next post
Up