Athena made her way back to her room, ready to eat some mortal food and inject some of the synthetic blood that Xavier had given her. Yawning out of habit, Athena realized that Logan was probably sleeping when she found the door of their room shut. Carefully pushing the door open, Athena tried to figure out whether Logan was awake, or still asleep.
"Logan?" Athena whispered, barely audible in the still air of the room. A drop of sweat slid down from her temple as she called Logan's name again, and opened the door so that it was open all the way. She smiled as she saw Logan asleep on the couch, in a sleep that was apparently both blissful and a bit disturbed. Walking over to the couch as she saw him turn a bit, Athena wondered if Logan could hear her in his sleep.
"Logan, it's okay. Just keep sleeping." Athena's voice was gentle as she talked to Logan in his sleep. In fact, she had done this with the younger of her two brothers; her youngest brother, Kris, was just entering his teenage years when Athena had become Lupin's daughter, and Athena often helped Lupin with raising him. As a result, she recognized the soothed face on Logan that indicated that his sleep wouldn't be troubled any more. Knowing that Logan was now at ease, she decided that she would take a shower and change into a nice dress before dinner. Dressing up for dinner was the least she could do to thank all the X-men and Xavier for their hospitality; at home, a person only dressed up for people he or she respected and loved. Athena decided to do the same here, as she slid her hand up her shirt to remove the breastplate that indicated she was the Queen of the Damned. Sighing, Athena walked over to the bathroom and took a shower, the mortal and light part of herself enjoying the cool water washing away all of her bodily impurities. The dark part of herself, however, could care less about her body--she could feel all of the weight of her past fading away, and knew that it wouldn't come back to haunt her.
At least not tonight.
Jean went back to her own room to get ready for dinner, and was happy to find Scott there, showering and getting ready for dinner as well.
"Hey you," Jean said, a bit playful, kissing her husband on her cheek, "I've been looking for you all day. Where were you?" Scott smiled serenely, using a towel to dry off his freshly showered hair. "Sorry. I was in the danger room working with Kurt; he wanted to try something with his teleportation. He's an amazing mutant—and surprising. Having him at the Academy and with the X-men will be a real advantage."
"I imagine so. Can you imagine growing up, and having to control that power? I can't even think of what he must of had to go through . . . " Jean shuddered, not out of fear, but out of wonder. Scott went to his armoire, and pulled out a clean shirt and black leather pants that weren't tight, but fit nicely on his athletic frame. "I couldn't either. I doubt he could imagine what it might have been like to control a laser beam that shoots out from your eyes, or. ." Scott walked over to Jean, letting his sentence draw out for a few seconds as he pulled her closer to him in a sort of hug. ".. having to control a powerful telepathic power. We all have our own problems, and we deal with them. Together." Scott smiled at Jean, and let go of her. "You should get ready for dinner. I think you might even have to cook tonight—if Storm hasn't already cooked." Jean nodded, and started to get ready for a shower, having sweat during the hot day. Athena was in Jean's mind and consciousness; she couldn't imagine having lost a family, even so long ago as during the age of Cleopatra. Jean did the math—and realized that Athena was more than four thousand years old. Poor girl. To be alone all that time . . . and without a family. . I couldn't do all that she's done. She's become the Queen of Vampires, and created something out of pain. What an amazing woman. Jean smiled. Now that's the kind of person I could get to like.
Toweling off after her shower, Jean lazily chose a shirt and some jeans for dinner— she had never dressed up for dinner. Why start now?
Jean followed Scott down to dinner, walking hand-in-hand with the man she would follow anywhere, even to the ends of the earth.
...……
Athena finished her own shower and walked out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel, having just injected the synthetic blood after her shower. Unbeknownst to her, Logan had just woken up as she had turned off the water. Not wanting to embarrass her in her state of undress, he pretended to be asleep, turning over on the couch so that his back was towards Athena as she went to her closet, looking for a specific dress that she just had to wear.
"I know it's here somewhere. It's so beautiful, and I had better wear it tonight. I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to show it to him, after all these years." Athena searched through all of her clothes, looking for the dress that Kurt had given her during one of the last times she had seen him in Germany. It was a beautiful white, pristine dress. The neckline was a bit low, but it was a dress made in the Roman style, almost like a toga. The fabric was the same exact kind that would have been used in a toga, and she loved the way the bottom of the dress played against her figure. Athena had strong legs, and the shortness of the dress—it ended around the top of her knees—showed them off in a way that wasn't trashy, but not modest either. Athena was ecstatic when she finally found the dress. Walking to the bathroom, Logan could hear the towel fall to the floor as she carefully started to put on the dress.
It wasn't five minutes before she came out of the bathroom, as beautiful as she was during her mortal days, searching for a mirror in which she could admire herself. Logan was so tempted to see her in what she was wearing for dinner that he chose this moment to formally "wake up". Groaning a bit, he rose from the couch and started to stretch. The moment he saw Athena, he knew that all his waiting had paid off. She looked like a goddess—like Aphrodite or Venus—and more beautiful than the goddess whose name she borrowed. Athena was a bit startled when she saw Logan awake.
"Oh, hi Logan. Did you have a good rest?" Athena smiled at him as she started making sure that the dress fit perfectly by twirling around in front of the full-length mirror that was the door of her closet. "I hope I didn't wake you." Satisfied with how the dress fit her, Athena looked at Logan, waiting to hear him speak. Logan had to take a breath before he started to speak. "No, not at all, Athena. I just got up . . . was a little tired." Logan smiled, and couldn't help saying, "Athena, you look beautiful in that dress. Where did you get it?"
"Actually, Kurt gave me this dress. He and I go way back . . . I used to invest in a German wine brewer's company, and the owner of the company was a friend of Kurt. I used to love Germany—but I had to stop going frequently because I teach at Xaphania." Athena crouched down, opening the door of her closet as she searched for her favorite black high heels. The heels were about five inches high, and there were several straps that wrapped around the width of the foot, as well as some around the ankle. Smiling as she found them, Athena hesitated to ask, "Logan, could I sit down on the couch? I need to put on my shoes . . . "
"Oh yeah, sure." Logan moved over on the couch, letting Athena sit next to him and watching her as she put on her shoes with the stiletto heels that looked like they could kill someone. He couldn't help but notice her beauty, and wonder how good they'd be together. Logan was hardly ever driven this crazy by a woman before, but Athena wasn't like most women he'd met. Nevertheless, Logan felt guilty, even for all of Athena's extraordinary features—she didn't look more than a year older than Rogue. She was a woman . . . but she was a child first, and Logan knew this within himself. He felt tormented, and hoped that his feelings would pass, like the need he'd once had to feel Jean's kiss upon his lips had passed. Logan saw her finish putting on her second shoe, and felt his heart skip a beat as she looked at him.
"Are you ready?" Athena said.
"For what?"
"Dinner."
"Oh." Logan was practically immobile, and only ran his hand through hair idly.
"Do I have to say, 'Dinner, stupid,' or will you go without that?"
Logan smiled at the girl's attitude, and said, removing his shirt so that he could get one from his own closet. "I think a 'Dinner, stupid' will have to do."
Athena carefully opened Logan's closet, removed a fresh black shirt, which Logan had never worn before, and said, "Dinner, stupid." Smiling, she left, Logan following her as he deftly slid on his shirt.
Athena felt fresh and renewed as she walked down the stairs, headed for the kitchen. Logan followed close behind, listening to the rhythmic click of her heels against the marble of the Academy. They could both smell the fragrant odor of lasagna as they entered the dining room, Storm removing the culinary masterpiece from the oven just as they arrived.
"Hey, Athena, Logan. My, Athena, you look beautiful." Storm smiled as she carried the lasagna she had made to the dining room table. Removing her oven mitts and waiting for their dinner to cool, Storm turned back to admire Athena's dress. "Where did you get that dress? I want one now." Athena smiled, blushing a bit, smiling as she said. "Kurt actually got me this dress. We're really good friends . . . we met in Germany. I was an investor in a German wine brewer's company, and Kurt's a friend of his. I haven't seen Kurt in years, though, even though I still give money to the company. Ever since I started teaching at Xaphania, my father's Academy, I haven't had much time for myself anymore."
"Ain't that the truth." Storm smiled. She had just been done with grading herself before she had to make dinner for all the X-men—and the children as well, who had just finished eating a half hour ago. Storm was a bit troubled—were Kurt and Athena involved, then? Inexplicably, Storm could feel herself brewing a little jealousy in her sub consciousness. Athena could sense the jealousy in Storm's mind, and was happy that Kurt had a woman who was beginning to love him. Not wanting to make Storm think that she was involved with Kurt, Athena added, "The dress that my boyfriend Lestat gave me was too formal for dinner, so I decided to wear this one." Storm smiled, and nodded, since Athena and Kurt were just friends, after all. "Please, sit, and join us. You must be famished."
"I am," Athena said, flipping her hair. "Thank you." Athena approached the dinner table, and started to pull out a chair so that she could sit, but she saw that Logan was pulling the chair out for her, and motioning her to sit. "Thank you," Athena said, blushing for the second time as Logan pushed in her chair for her. She was delighted to see that all of the X-men—even Rogue and Bobby, who she'd been curious to chat with ever since entering the Academy—started to gather around the table. Logan sat to Athena's right side, and, though a few people wanted to sit on the left side, Kurt sat to the left of Athena, wanting to catch up with his old friend. Professor Xavier sat at the head of the table, like a father sitting down with his children.
"Storm, this lasagna looks delicious. Thanks for cooking, since the chefs are on an unexpected hiatus." Xavier smiled, smelling the unmistakably Italian smell of the certainly tasty lasagna. Storm started to serve everyone, and smiled as people started to comment on the utterly scrumptious taste of the lasagna. "Storm, could I have the recipe for this lasagna? It's remarkable! My brothers and father back at Xaphania would just love it." Athena couldn't help but eat the lasagna while it was piping hot, and burned her lips a few times.
"Of course. Anything for a guest." Storm beamed; she loved receiving praise, even if it was for something as normal as her cooking. She was content just to watch them all eat, and let her mind wander while they enjoyed her handiwork.
"Storm, pwease, sit and eat," Kurt said, pulling out the chair next to him and motioning her to sit next to him. Athena smiled inside, knowing that Kurt was telling her that he liked her a lot—and wondering if she liked him in the same way. Storm smiled at his Eastern European accent, and sat down beside him, taking a plate and a piece of lasagna, eating it carefully though it had already cooled down.
Athena finished her first piece just after Storm sat, and reached over to take a second piece. However, before she could reach the dish, Logan touched Athena's arm, and said gently, "Let me get it for you." He knew that she could carry it, but he wanted to do something gentlemanly for her. Logan got up and brought the pan of lasagna to the area of the table where he and Athena were sitting. Serving her a second piece and taking another for himself as well, Athena smiled at him and thanked him. Logan smiled slightly, and said, in a somewhat gentle manner, "You're welcome." Focusing back on his dinner, Athena looked at the rest of the X-men, hoping to be acquainted with more of them as she ate her second piece more slowly than the first.
"So, Athena," Kurt said, his accent flawlessly pronouncing her name, "vhat have you been up to all these wears? I've missed you in Wermany." Athena smiled, turning towards her old friend, her British accent even more obvious, "Well, I've just been teaching at Xaphania. It doesn't sound like much, but keeping up with my classes as well as being an investor in Europe keeps me more than busy."
Scott smiled at Athena, recognizing a person who was probably a remarkable worker but modest, and said, "What do you teach?"
"Oh, this and that. Mainly Potions, Transfiguration, and some Combat Training. I graduated myself from Xaphania with high grades, so they asked me to teach afterwards. I took the job since I wanted to stay close to my father." Xavier smiled at Athena's modesty, adding, "She holds the record for the highest grades in Xaphania since . . . well, since I was her age." He was obviously referring to her apparent age, but no one besides Jean and Kurt knew that. Rogue piped in the conversation, her clearly Southern accent blending in with all the accents present at the table. "Wow. You said you teach Combat Training. What kind?" Rogue stuffed a bit of pasta and cheese, and chewed like a teenager as she listened to Athena.
"Well, I teach all sorts of things. I'm a matrixa, and the first in rank, so I get many girls at Xaphania who come to me to learn, saying they want to be just like me. I'm the first among all of the matrixas, so I guess they hope they surpass me, or whatever. I've always thought that a girl who just embraced who she was would beat me sooner or later . . . but girls keep coming." Athena shrugged, talking about her combat classes without revealing her vampiric nature. Bobby and Rogue both listened, intrigued, and responded together with a unanimous, "Cool." However, Scott's eyebrow cocked in curiosity as he said, "Why only girls, though? Surely guys come to learn too."
"Well, guys go to a different teacher. A werewolf, the first matrix-- that's what we call a male fighter— teaches guys who want to place like him. You see, the way guys and girls fight are completely different. Guys are usually very muscular, and use their strength and brawn, along with some fighting theory—mainly physics. However, girls are less muscular. We use our lightweight and agility, as well as the slender nature of our bones. People say that this is the reason why we are the better fighters . . . we use our brains in a more synchronized manner with our muscles and strength. You see, the first matrix is actually a worse fighter than I am. We're great friends, but that's how it is." Athena was afraid that she'd come off a bit arrogant in that last statement, but when she looked at everyone around her, they were listening in an interested manner. "So, yeah, that's basically what I spend my time doing." Athena felt a bit embarrassed at the thought that everyone was looking right at her. Looking down, she finished her lasagna in silence.
Kurt smiled at his friend, and then turned to discreetly watch Storm. Ever since he'd come to the Academy, he'd always found her beautiful. He'd hated to see all of the anger that lay beneath her beauty, but since he'd met her at Alkali Lake, Kurt wanted to get closer and know her a bit better. When he realized that she needed a drink, then, he rose and said gently to her, "Would you like something to drink, Storm? I feel vhirsty, and wondered if you vanted anything." Kurt went to the cart with all manner of drink, and looked at Storm. She blinked normally as she said, "I think I'll just have some orange juice." Kurt smiled, getting a glass for her and himself as well, and carrying them back as he placed her juice next to his, since they were sitting together. "Thank you," Storm said warmly, looking at Kurt as a friend, but also as something more, but Athena could tell that that something more was just beginning.
Athena looked around at all the happy couples that were at the dinner table-- Jean and Scott, who, she just noticed, were married; Kurt and Storm, who were just starting to act on their feelings; and Bobby and Rogue, whose love was more than just young and impulsive. She started to think about her and Lestat, and suddenly the reason why she had been noticing Logan more than she would have noticed any other attractive man dawned on her.
She and Lestat were girlfriend and boyfriend, this was true, but she had forgotten that first spark—like the spark that would start the engine of a car. She and Lestat sometimes acted like an old couple—and though both of them were vampires, they had a relatively short relationship by even their own standards. Athena loved Lestat deeply, and didn't want to leave him for anything, but this epiphany made her realize that if she wanted to continue with Lestat, she would have to go to him when she returned to London with a renewed spark. She had to really make love to him, to give a part of herself to him as she used to do, though they could never make love in the conventional sense. Athena, though she was having a terribly good time at the Academy, longed to go home immediately and spend tonight with Lestat—without the presence of their adopted daughter.
Almost as if Fate was at dinner as well, Athena received a call on her cell phone, which she was carrying in the underclothes that encircled her waist. "Excuse me," Athena said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, and left the dining room to answer the call. She smiled and was overjoyed to see that it was Lestat. "Hello baby," Athena answered with renewed love and vitality. However, her expression changed as she heard the suave and seductive voice over the phone. The words, to her dismay, did not make her boil with passion, but a single blood tear slid down her face.
Athena sprinted, as best she could, back to her and Logan's room, and cried until she found the strength to search through her bag and retrieve the one item that could help her in her time of need.
As the rest of the X-men finished their dinner, the silver moon began to rise with terrible beauty and grace, guided by the strings of Fate.
