It felt strange to Athena, to be walking around Xavier's Academy in clothes that she regularly used to practice and hone her combat skills. It reminded her of her home, and all the fun that she had at Xaphania with her two brothers and two other girls that were the second and third best matrixas. If Athena could become homesick, she had a mild case of it as she walked down the stairs, coming from her and Logan's room (where she'd changed her simple clothing), to go to the danger room.
Admiring all of the beautiful portraits, paintings, and pictures that Xavier had accumulated on his wall after all of these years, Athena was stopped in her tracks as her eyes remained fixed on the one portrait that hurt her.
It was the one that Lestat had had done of herself while she'd been a prostitute at Versailles.
Athena swallowed and blinked, hoping to wash away the layer of pain that the picture brought to her memory. So I'm really alone, Athena realized within her mind. A single tear slid down her face, and she thought of what Lestat had once said to her. 'I know this portrait hurts you . . . so as long as I have it, and hide it from you, you'll know I love you. It's a beautiful painting . . . but if only to save you from suffering, I'll hide it from your raw memories.'
Athena jumped as Logan came in, walking so that he stood alongside her and glanced nonchalantly at the painting. "I think it's a beautiful painting," Logan said, his voice rough and like gravel, "as well as a remarkable likeness. I don't think your true nature has ever been captured more accurately. The portrait of a whore fits you nicely . . ."
"Leave me alone," Athena said, as the tears came more quickly. She started to walk away from Logan, but couldn't help but turn back. "Why . . . why do you hate me so?" Logan could see that the blood-red tears of the vampire were beginning to stain Athena's face. "Because you deceived us. You lied to get in through the door. You lied to get me to . . . " Logan blinked, continuing on his tirade. " Even if you're telling the truth, how do we know?"
"You want proof?" She said, brushing away the rest of her tears as her emotions gave way to anger. Taking one of the very many knives that littered the sheaths on her body, Athena cut open the thin leather combat suit she was wearing so that the small of her back. "There. There's your proof."
Logan was astonished when he saw the massive hole in the small of Athena's back; it was as if someone had drilled into the young girl's body. This was the proof that Athena had showed the house-elf that had been in Xavier's study; Logan could no longer deny the proof—that kind of wound was painful, and no one would endure it for a lie. "It's a way for me to stay connected to the earth," Athena said, her voice strengthening as the aggression inside of her made her resolve stronger. "I can draw as much magic as I want from the Earth, if I need it. But I have to be careful—as much as I take from the Earth's energy for my magic, I have to put back in when I'm done." Athena turned around, facing Logan directly. "What else does your foolish pride question?"
Logan was taken aback by Athena's apparent aggressive nature; he countered his voice harsh and unforgiving, "What about what happened in the basement? Why did the Professor know you'd be in the basement?"
Athena smiled and closed her eyes, though Logan could tell it wasn't a pleasant smile and expression. "Darkness is where creatures of the night go when sorrow is too much to bear. The basement is the darkest place around here. Moreover, as for my injuries and my form . . ."Athena opened her eyes, which were now entirely red with excited fire. "I inflicted most of those wounds upon myself, after Lestat left me over the phone. Except for the wounds that you gave me . . . And I was a tiger because I was given that form as a birthright. The form of a wolf was a gift from Lupin; the tiger is really what I am, and what I become when I'm exhausted or weakened beyond my limit of tolerance." Athena turned around, anxious to go to the danger room, where Scott was no doubt waiting for her. "Are you finished with your questions? I have something fun to do."
Logan had, indeed, one more question, but he was afraid to ask it. Summoning the courage within himself, he said, almost inaudibly, "Why did Lestat cause you to hurt yourself so much?"
Athena blinked, and started to walk away. Just before leaving the room, she said, in an even tone, "Lestat was my world. He was my love and my friend . . . him leaving me was the end of a chapter in my life. People have forsaken me, since Lestat chose to leave. I've wanted. . the possibility that Lestat once offered, but all the potential people that could have given it to me forsook me."
With that, Athena left Logan to think on his own; she was anxious to get her emotions out in the midst of a good and rigorous fight.
The Danger Room was even more beautiful than Athena could have pictured in her mind; it was immaculate, and had more space than her fighting room had at home. Though Athena rarely stayed inside to train, she thought to herself, I have got to get me a room like this. Grinning so that her vampiric teeth were visible, Athena was startled as she heard Scott's voice boom all around her—through a PA-type system. Looking for the young mutant, Athena smiled as she found him in the tower that overlooked the entire Danger Room. "Are you ready, Athena? It seems like I've been waiting for ages."
"Yeah, sorry, I just got a little hung up with my clothing." Athena yelled, straining a bit to match the volume that Scott had, speaking through a microphone. Athena had a powerful voice, but she had never had to sing or speak so loudly as Scott was in the microphone. Touching the small of her outfit that had been cut open during her confrontation with Logan, she willed it fixed, and it was done, after she'd done her exchange with the energy of the Earth all around her. Grinning, she adjusted all of the usual weaponry she carried on her as she readied herself for a good fight.
"I'm going to put in the most difficult simulation, since you are the top matrixa fighter." Scott smiled, and Athena responded with a thumbs-up, not wanting to strain her voice anymore. "I'll show you how this works later." Athena showed signs of impatience as the simulation loaded and Scott babbled on about how the system worked. Chuckling, he finally loaded the simulation and let Athena demonstrate what she did best: combat.
Suddenly, Athena found herself in a beautiful meadow. It smelled of the beginning of summer, but it wasn't yet too warm. Summer was just making its way carefully into nature, until its heat and sweat would permeate everything. Smiling and smelling, knowing that this simulation wouldn't be easy, she tried to sense her enemy's presence before whatever it was would attack. Athena strolled along the virtual environment for perhaps a good fifteen minutes, becoming ever suspicious with every passing minute. Here I am . . . fresh meat, she thought to herself. What the hell are they waiting for? Athena's eyebrows cocked with suspicion, and she tried to hear what was going on in the nature all around her, and not just the meadow she was standing in. She became aware of a forest not far off, and a waterfall that was a little farther away. Closing her eyes and letting herself feel the energy of the Earth all around her, not taking anything nor giving anything, but just sensing the auras of living things all around her. It was difficult, since the Earth recognized her and wanted to help her by giving her its magic—even a small portion. But Athena wanted to try listening to the Earth first, and then perhaps just plugging in to the Earth and becoming one with it—not using its power until any foes came.
The hairs on the back of her neck bristled for just a second, and Athena knew that the enemy would be coming shortly. Smiling, she got out her favorite weapon; it was a katana, a Japanese sword that she'd managed to save from Egypt. It'd been brought from Japan to Egypt as a gift for the fair young daughter of Cleopatra—a gesture of goodwill. Athena had treasured it from that time, however, and it became the weapon that was quintessential to her arrangement of knives, bows, and arrows. It was almost like a part of her body; she felt her connection with it even as the enemy came in the present moment. Breathing, Athena found the center within her, and held that first breath in it carefully.
Athena almost attacked as soon as the first foe came; strangely, it was a beautiful Siberian tiger. She smiled, remembering that the second matrixa had that form, and how much fun it had been to hone their skills with their tiger romps—her Bengal tiger, and her friend's Siberian tiger. However, Athena knew that this tiger wasn't real, and that she had to kill it.
The tiger leapt, as if Athena had been prey, so that it would tackle and pin her to the ground. However, she moved quickly, shifting the katana in her grasp so that the sharpest part of the blade held the beast's mouth back. The Siberian tiger was stunned, and almost froze in its tracks. It tried to claw at Athena's fair skin, but she held it back and the paws swiped at nothing but air. Grinning and almost pitying the stupidity of the tiger, Athena threw back the feline so that it lay on its own back, and prepared to stab it directly in the heart. However, the tiger quickly leapt up on its four paws, and started to leap towards Athena's legs. Biting her lip, Athena knew that no weapon could help her in this situation—only her own hands would suffice. Wrestling the tiger, Athena pinned it to the ground, getting a few cuts and scratches along the way from the creature's sharp teeth. Taking a smaller knife from the sheath on her thigh, Athena managed to barely restrain the tiger's limbs as she cut through the tiger's 'wrists', exposing the bone, and following suit with the tiger's legs. The creature howled and almost seemed to cry. Nevertheless, Athena stabbed it in the heart with her katana, ending its suffering suddenly, but not before it let out one last piercing cry.
Athena backed away from the body of the tiger as she ensured that it was dead, taking out her katana from the feline's heart. Using her arm to wipe away some of her mild perspiration, Athena grinned, saying to herself, "Is that all you got, Scott?"
Even as Athena started to walk towards the forest so that she could explore, a sight that she would never forget confronted her eyes.
The yowls and cries of the Siberian tiger that she'd just killed had brought out something that was a little bit harder to kill. Twenty-foot-tall Siberian tigers were heading for her—perhaps ten of them in one pack, probably the pack that the Siberian she had killed—a baby in size compared to these giants—had belonged to. For so many minutes, all Athena could do was stare as the lumbering giants slowly made their way to kill her.
Swallowing, Athena could only say, "Oh, crap." She put away her katana—a sword that small would never take out these gigantic creatures that probably had hearts the size of two people her size. She knew that her archery skills would come into use here; she would have to act fast to kill as many of them before they were close enough to hit her directly. Getting out her bow and arrows, Athena breathed as she started to nock her arrow, aim, and fire. She carefully decided to try to take out the six that were in front. Athena was relieved when she saw that her aimed arrows caused the wounded tiger to stop for just a bit, giving Athena more ground the faster she managed to shoot her arrows. It seemed like working at a job that had no meaning; even though she shot as many arrows as she could, the tigers just kept coming, and showed no signs of falling.
Athena now shot two arrows at once, one from each side of the nock of the bow; she smiled and celebrated within herself as she managed to take down two of the tigers that were side by side in the front. It had taken about forty or so arrows to kill each of them, so Athena knew she had a difficult task still ahead of her. I can try to handle two of them, if I can't manage to get rid of all of them before they make it here. I doubt I'll be able to kill them before they reach me. So there're ten, I killed two, and I'm planning for two to come here. I still have to kill six of them, which means I'll need 240 arrows. Athena thought, glancing discreetly at her quiver, which didn't hold 240 arrows. As she aimed and fired, which was an action that she had made a natural reflex by now, Athena muttered, "Amazonium." Her quiver then filled with arrows—probably more than enough to kill what tigers she needed to for her plan to work. Sighing, and reestablishing her focus, Athena continued aiming and working on the four that were in front—and that she needed to kill, no matter what.
Scott was impressed as he saw Athena work—this was a simulation that even many of the X-men still needed to master. He realized that she hadn't just been bragging; she was the real thing, and was the best fighter he'd seen. Scott bit his lip, a bit nervous and excited at the prospect of him fighting her. He'd never fought such a person as Athena, and he'd wondered how he'd fare against her strict determination and skill. Though she was using arrows, Scott'd seen her hand-to-hand skills with the normally sized tiger. He was now convinced; she had a gift, and it was a fearsome as well as remarkable one. Scott sat as if he were watching a show, and carefully observed Athena's motions. Looking at the details of the simulation on his computer, he knew that the tigers wouldn't be approaching Athena for a while, which would test her endurance. Leaning back in his chair, he smiled at the thought that despite all of her power and skill, Athena was his friend and a good woman, after all.
Logan still had Athena's words and the fact that she'd been crying, in his mind. He didn't know what to feel anymore, when it came to her. She was still beautiful, and he knew that would never change. But he wondered about what lay inside her; was she a good girl with a bad past, or just using the good girl as a mask for someone who loved blood, suffering, and a generally despicable other self? Logan didn't know, but he knew that he was going to find out, eventually. However, as he kept training using the punching bag in front of him, Logan knew that he just had to wait and the answers would come to him. At Alkali Lake, he'd been impatient and nothing about his dark past had come to him; it had only been when he hadn't been looking for them that the answers had come. He was a person who learned from experience, and he wouldn't ignore it now, especially in this situation.
Logan had trained for about a half-hour or so when he decided he needed to sit down and rest. The living room being the closest place where there was a chair, Logan entered the ornate room and plopped down on a chair, breathing a bit quickly. He smirked when he realized how out of place he was; he was naturally a brash person, but his surroundings were refined and beautiful. Feeling like a bull in a china shop, Logan was a bit surprised when he saw someone come out of the fireplace. But he remembered how Athena's older brother, Keanu, had come out of there to check on the well being of his dear, adopted sister. So when a stranger with black hair and distinctly black clothes that contrasted with his white face entered, Logan rose and said, not unkindly, "Who are you?"
The stranger smiled slightly, and said slowly, "I'm Athena's younger brother, Kris. Could you take me to my sister?" He swallowed, and then continued, "I have something to give my older sister. Our father has something to make her feel better, after her little accident." Logan nodded, and said, "Of course. She's in the danger room, I think. Just follow me." Logan rose from his chair, and led Athena's kin to the danger room, keeping an eye on him while the boy walked behind him.
Gaining entrance to the Danger Room, Logan saw that Athena was still in a simulation, and wouldn't be available just yet. Turning to Athena's brother, Logan said, "I'm afraid we'll have to wait for a few minutes. Your sister is a little busy training and practicing."
Nodding and smiling, the teenager calmly said, "But of course."
Beads of sweat formed on Athena's forehead as she worked even more quickly to kill the last two gigantic tigers that she'd originally planned to kill. She'd been proud of herself when she managed to sink some twenty arrows each into the last two tigers that she would have to deal with when they finally reached her. Athena managed to keep her breathing even, which she knew was important if was ever going to keep her aim steady and accurate. When she'd finally killed the two she'd been planning to kill, and the last two were the only foes left, Athena gambled on her last bunches of arrows. Putting twenty bows on each side of the bow, Athena wanted to see if she could kill the last two tigers before they reached her, especially since they were dumb enough to continue walking in a straight path, meaning that they were stepping over the bodies of the other tigers rather than walk around them, as the others had.
Pulling back the bow, and almost endowing her own strength to the weapon, the twenty arrows soared straight and true . . . piercing the hearts of the very last two tigers, and making them fall right on top of their fallen comrades bodies. With that, the simulation ended; no one had thought to make it continue, since that part of the simulation had been so difficult that some of the X-men couldn't handle it.
"Bravo!" Scott yelled from the tower, straightening his posture as he drew himself closer to the microphone. "I don't think I was able to defeat those damn tigers on the first try. You're something special, Athena. I think that I might want to see you battle another mutant that actually has some semblance of a chance against you." Athena smiled, bowing and curtsying at his praise. Combat was what she was about; she loved the rush and danger of a good and formidable enemy that was heading fast towards her.
Glancing at the time, however, she longed for a good bath, and to see if Storm and Kurt had gotten home yet from their date. It was about ten o'clock, and though Athena wanted them to have a good time, she wanted to find out how they were doing in terms of a relationship. However, she heard Scott's voice come on. "Oh, Athena, there's someone waiting for you at the entrance of the Danger Room, and I'll open it up for them. He's with Logan, and . . . it's your brother Kris?" Athena was confused; why would Kris come now? Much more importantly, how had he come? He'd always been poor at transportation magic, and needed help even with traveling from one fireplace to another, just as Keanu had done when Athena had almost killed herself. "Let him in," Athena said, curious to see what was going on back home.
However, when the doors opened and Athena saw the person with Logan, anything but brotherly love came to her mind. Her own adamantine claws sprung forth, and her booming voice, with wolfish and vampiric qualities, screamed, "YOU!"
Stomping towards the stranger, Logan and Scott (who'd come down from the tower), watched as she tried to pin the stranger against the wall of the Danger Room, but was nearly flung back when a person clad in white with black eyes appeared at his side, laughing. Athena's vampiric teeth and eyes, for the first time in months, had finally surfaced.
"You fool. What are you doing here?" Athena's skin started to pale, and she became like a human predator, barely able to speak as the teeth in her mouth elongated, "You know I kill traitors and rebels on sight. How lucky I am! I have every vampire looking for you, with my blood love as the reward, and here you are, right in front of me! The stupidest vampire ever crafted by the hand of Akasha, Siete!" Athena's hair started to change its color; tiger stripes replaced the black and brown. Her rage became even more evident.
"Here you say I'm stupid, when it's really you who are the dumb one. Coming here to save these despicable mutants, almost like lepers to the human race. They are MINE, and there's nothing you can do to save them, especially since I have Loki here on my side." The powerful demon in white, cackled, though Athena and Siete knew what would happen to him after this war— he would be killed. That's how Siete was; he used those that could be reliant on him, and then just destroyed them when he didn't need them anymore. "Laugh now, Loki, but something from the underworld is coming right now to smite you, so to speak. Your Prince is my pawn, and there's nothing, nothing you can do against me. Whatever is in this house, I will find, and root out. There's no hiding from me—I'm everywhere."
Athena cackled as a black smoke appeared from nowhere, and a strangely attractive man, wearing a black suit and finely groomed hair, appeared near Athena. "You called, my mistress?" Athena seized the Prince of Darkness by his collar, and yelled to him, her vampiric blood running through her voice, "CONTROL YOUR SERVANTS . . . OR YOU DARE NOT KNOW WHAT I SHALL DO TO YOU."
As Logan and Scott watched, they were stunned—too stunned to move. Here, in front of them, was the man who Athena was saying was her top enemy and would start a war, along with the Devil himself. The most shocking thing was that Athena was controlling the Devil, and that he was almost scared of her. They all watched as the Devil confronted his demonic servant, and Siete and Athena had their own confrontation. Siete laughed, even as he saw Memnoch, the name of the Devil, chiding his servant Loki. "You think you're here to root out something I'm going to put in. But you have no idea how far I've come to grasp this house, and these people." Siete raised his hand, and though he had nothing inside it, grasped hard at something invisible. At that moment, Jean came running into the Danger Room, followed by Rogue, concerned about her friend. Athena's poor friend was clutching her temples, and yelled as if her brain was being imploded.
"Don't you see, foolish Athena?" Siete smiled unpleasantly. "I have my hands in more pockets than you know. And one of those pockets includes this mutant, with an untapped source of power that I could use to rule the world . . . change time . . . even kill you." Siete grinned, his own vampiric teeth visible, just as Athena's were. Athena breathed a preternatural breath, and laughed in a way that was more evil than Siete could have even managed. "Foolish, foolish, boy. Your father did not educate you as well as it may seem." She looked at the suffering Jean and Scott who was trying to go to comfort and console her, but was restrained by the terrible demon Loki. Looking back at Siete's eyes, Athena smiled wickedly. "This woman is indeed a source of great power, but she also has something that you will never have . . . a great will. Jean, this mutant, will throw you out of this house herself, and I shall, one day very soon, kill you." Siete laughed, with pure disbelief in his throat, but Athena wasted no time and reached out to Jean's mind.
Jean! Jean!
Athena . . .? Jean's mind was weak, but the point was, her own will and small strength was still there, and would never be broken. Is that . . ?
Yes, it's me, and Siete's the one doing that to your mind. Jean, I need you to listen to me; just concentrate on the sound of my voice. I promise we'll get him out of your mind permanently soon, but you need to listen to me to escape his clutches alive. Okay?
Athena smiled as she heard Jean's mind say, Okay, I'm listening. She could feel Jean's powerful mind centering on the rhythm that was her own voice.
Picture yourself in a beautiful forest. It's so hot, but you don't notice it. You're not yourself . . . you're a strong Bengal tiger. You have claws that could kill a man if you wanted something interesting to pick at. You're the top of the food chain, and nobody uses you. You hear me? Nobody! Within this forest, within this world, you are God! Athena kept speaking to Jean's mind, and intensified her tirade when she realized that Siete was trying to intensify the hold on Jean. Athena smiled in relief as she saw Jean shift her shape, with Athena's soothing guidance, and become the Bengal tiger. Siete ground his teeth, frustrated when his own mind control no longer worked, and Jean, in control of the form, ran as fast as she could, following Athena's advice. Knowing that Siete couldn't be allowed to sink his clutches into any other mutant, Athena decided to force a change upon all of the mutants present. Scott became a cheetah, Rogue became a lioness, and Logan became the form of wolf that Athena had, called a Parisian wolf.
Run! She yelled to all of their minds, and that's just what they did. Athena was satisfied with her cunning as she saw that her triumph over Siete's mind control came at the same time that the Devil had slapped Loki on the cheek, leaving a distinct red and bloody mark on the fair demon's face.
"Now who's the foolish one?" Athena said, evil rippling through her voice as she laughed manically at Siete. Siete understood what their mother, Akasha had once said; Athena was both dark and light, and could use them both to rule righteously and well. Because of this dangerous charismatic leadership quality in Athena, he knew that he had to flee now; otherwise, Athena would make short work of him in flame, which could kill him, since he wasn't the King of his kind. Athena knew this, but still had fun playing with his cowardly nature, which was shielded by his evil. Before Athena had quenched her thirst for fun, Siete had shimmered out of Xavier's Academy. Both Loki and Memnoch fled down to Hell as well, where Athena guessed their fight would continue.
When she felt that she was truly alone, Athena sighed, and went to look for her friends. "I hope they're okay," Athena said aloud, longing for the spoken word after so much talking in a telepathic manner. Reaching out for their minds, she followed the trail their minds and animal presences had left. She felt that they were all okay, but Athena knew that they had to exorcise, in a manner of speaking, Siete from this house and from Jean's mind. If we're going to win this war, then I need to be able to hit Siete hard and fast, the Queen of the Vampires thought as she thought about all that had just happened, and the future that was quickly coming.
