A/N:

This one-shot is set months after the Ragnarök Arc and the epilogue of Snow Hound 2. it's also Athena Snow's first solo one-shot so, I hope you all enjoy it!

Pairing:

Burning Blade: Athena and Sallie May

End of A/N.

Athena P.O.V

Peace… now that's a foreign concept to the denizens of Hell. Nothing was peaceful to them. Never mind the fact I was part of the team that went to war with one of my twin brother's abominations to bring peace between Heaven and Hell, anytime the opportunity appeared for chaos, the denizens of Hell would take it without a second thought. They were sinners after all. It was in their nature to be the biggest dickheads imaginable.

However, they didn't know what I was capable of. They knew my twin for being the reason our stepdad, Kai, killed him to save Snow and Balthazar. They knew my baby brother as the avenging Genesis and defender of those who couldn't defend themselves.

Me? I don't know…

As I sit on the edge of a random roof looking over the Pride Ring, I can only space out and look out over the horizon. Surely I had a purpose? If not… then what do I do?

Buzz, Buzz.

Pulling out my scare phone from my pocket, I turn on the phone screen to see what my newest notification is for me to look at. Seeing it was Millie, I touched the notification to open it up fully on my screen before I read it in my head.

'Whatcha doing later?'

This made me think for two seconds before I typed out my reply.

'Just sat zoned out on the roof of the local convenience store in The V's District… why, what's up Mills?'

It only took Millie three seconds to reply to my message with this.

'Need you to come to Loona's home ASAP! We've got something important to talk to you about.'

Millie's reply puzzled me. Have I had something happen at Loona's? Had my baby brother hurt his wife? Have I had something happen to my nieces and nephew? These were the questions I had running through my mind like Usain Bolt on speed. Luckily, my fears were eased the minute Millie hastily put in her next message.

'It's nothing bad! We just need to see you for something is all."

I nod with a puzzled look still on my face. I had a few emotions mixing in with the confusion I felt but, something was there, niggling away at my mind, wanting me to acknowledge it. Setting off with the beat of my grey wings. I made my way to my sister-in-law's home. The nagging thoughts pushed to the back of my mind… for now.

Outside Snow and Loona's Apartment, Pride Ring of Hell

Upon my descent, I noticed Loo and Mills stood awaiting me with shit-eating grins on their faces. Noticing these looks the minute my feet touched solid ground beneath me, I asked the only question I could.

"So… what did you two want me for?"

Snow and Loona's Apartment Lounge, Pride Ring of Hell

"This better be worth it Loona. You know full well I haven't been on a date since my husband was alive. I'm a little rusty when it comes to this sort of thing."

Loona couldn't help the chuckle that left her at the older woman's complaint. Finishing up Athena's make-up for her so Millie could do the Snow sibling's nails, the hound replies.

"Thena, we've seen you mope around your apartment for too long. Yes, we know you miss your husband but, he's been dead for years now, you need to let go and get out more."

Athena glares at the hound before Loona continues.

"Plus… mom said the same thing I have. Only… she was, a little, more explicit with her words about you sis."

The older Snow sibling chuckles in knowing. Her mom wasn't known for mincing her words around her kids, grandkids or great-grandkids. So, why should she start now? Once Millie was done with Athena's nails, she set to work on the female's long snowy hair. The minute she put a brush through the long hair on top of the older female's head, Athena caught Millie's attention with the downcast look on her face. Deciding to bite, the imp asks.

"What's eating atcha?"

Athena looks at Millie with a soft side-eye before replying.

"This is your baby sister you're setting me up with Millie. I'm not sure I'm the right woman you should be setting her up with. I mean, I know you told me she doesn't like people hitting on her if she isn't interested in them, but, what makes you think she's interested in me?"

Millie merely gives Athena an amused eye roll before laughing quietly, making Athena ask in annoyance.

"Okay, I'll bite, what's so funny Mills?"

"Nothing sweetie. I'm just laughing at the fact you just said the same words your twin said to you before we set him up with Liana."

Athena's eyes shot open in realisation before chuckling lightly about how she'd aired her brother's words out in the open. Realising Millie had finished with her hair, the older Snow sibling looks at herself in the mirror before commenting about her appearance and fluffing her lightly curled hair.

"Dayum Mills, you ever thought of going into hair and beauty if the assassination business goes tits up?"

"I used to do Sallie May's make-up. Normally ah'd do Moxxie's make-up when he has to dress as a girl on a job. So ah might consider it after ah retire from murdering people. Or, when Nixie's old enough to help her Ol' Maw out."

Athena couldn't help the smile on her face. She hadn't felt this great since she first went on a date with Raziel in her late teen years. Now she was in her late 30s at the age of thirty-seven, she knew it was now or never to get back in the saddle and find love again.

On The Bus

'This bus departs towards the First Mall of Hell. Make sure you have all of your belongings on your person or you will be robbed."

Walking onto the bus and finding a seat at the back of the bus. Athena can be seen scrolling through her phone. Checking her messages, she notices four new messages. One of those messages was from her baby brother, one of them was from Millie telling her about where Sallie May was going to meet her, and one was from her mother about remembering Persephone was visiting next week before Athena looked at the last message and smiled… it was from Sallie May.

'Hey… I'll be at the mall in the next five minutes. Super nervous to meet you for the first time!'.

Athena couldn't help the smile on her face at the message on her phone. Pressing the message box with Sallie's message on. She drops the text box down before pressing reply. Choosing her words carefully so she didn't scare off her date before she had the chance to meet her, Athena types back.

'Hey to you too… yeah, super nervous too. I haven't been on a date since I was nineteen so, it's nice to try dating again."

Re-reading the message she'd typed a thousand, agonising, times over in case it sounded cringey, she hit send on the text before placing the phone on her chest and letting a sigh slip through her lips. Once the agonising part was over, she picked up her phone and opened up a music app. Scrolling through and finding the song she wanted. Athena began bobbing her head to the music coming through her wireless earbuds whilst she sat in a reclined position at the back of the bus. If only she'd re-read the messages from her baby and twin brothers. She'd realise that she'd nothing to worry about when it came to her getting her family's support.

For those who want to know, the messages read like this.

Snow's Message:

'Hey, sis! Heard you were, FINALLY, going on a date from Loona. So who's the lucky guy, or in the case of your lesbian ass, lucky gal? But seriously, I'm happy for you.'

Zack's Message:

'Good luck today sis. You deserve another chance at romance again. And be it a man, woman, trans or a toaster strudel. Just know that myself, Li-Li and the rest of the family support you in whatever direction you decide to take on your dating path. Just, don't scare them off, dumbass. Love you sis… good luck!'

First Mall of Hell in the Pride Ring.

Walking into the busy main atrium of the mall to see many a denizen going about their afternoons/evenings. Honestly, Athena didn't know who to look for in the busy shopping complex. This is shown by her thoughts having an internal argument within her brain. While having this conflict in her mind, she never noticed the Wrath Ring native walking towards her from where she was standing in front of a smoothie stall.

'I hope I haven't kept her waiting too long. Millie'll kill me if I stand up her little sister! No… you need to relax, Athena! I'm sure she's just gone to peruse around the building until I turn up. Yeah… that's it, she's just gone to browse until I text her to tell her I've turned up!'

"Well howdy… I take it you're the infamous Athena, ah've heard so much about?"

Athena froze before her eyes widened in horror. Turning slowly, she sees the farm girl looking at her whilst drinking her smoothie through her straw. Shaking her head to rid herself of her horror-stricken look, Athena finally musters up enough vocal range to speak to the woman before her.

"I'm Athena, yes… you must be Sallie May… Millie's sister?"

Sallie nods in confirmation, allowing Athena to take a breath before standing around awkwardly. Eventually, the imp speaks up with a smoothie held out towards Athena to break the silence.

"So, ah reckon that if we're on a date set up by our siblings, we might as well make the most of it… smoothie?"

Athena had to do a double take before realising Sallie was offering her a drink before nodding and taking the cup filled with smooth strawberry and mango inside. Taking a sip, she asks.

"Thanks… should we maybe go see if the movies are available? Maybe go to a diner for some food if you're hungry?"

Sallie May smiles at Athena's attempt to make small talk and, deciding she'd heard enough of the woman's rambling, she replies whilst leaning into the taller woman, causing Snow's big sister to blush tomato red at the contact from the woman.

"Ah'd like that… the dinner or movie part that is… man, dating's tough."

Athena couldn't help but nod with a chuckle. Walking with the tall imp beside her, the two made their way to their first stop at Winter Snow's Family Diner.

Winter Snow's Family Diner.

Seeing the two potential lovebirds sat by the nearest window must have been good for business in Winter's diner. Athena seemed to be enjoying herself whilst listening to Sally and looking over to a little wall of fame across from her. She saw so many potential lovers and couples sharing desserts and other confections in the pictures. It was almost adorable until Sally spotted one picture that made her ask the woman before her.

"Hey, Athena… isn't that your brother and Millie's work colleague in that picture?"

Athena raised a confused eyebrow before looking where Sally had indicated. Just as her date had pointed out, there was a picture of Snow and Loona standing on the wall. In said image, the two were sharing a giant Neopolitan milkshake and a banana split sundae between them.

Once they took their seats in their booth and placed their orders with Max. Athena wondered how to start a conversation with the woman before her. When Sally noticed Athena looking confused at her, she smiled at her before she took Athena's hand. This action had caused Athena's cheeks to tint pink at the bold action from Sally May. But, as she was feeling, her heart felt like a weight had been lifted and felt a million times lighter.

She is soon broken out of her trance when Sally coughs to get her attention. Realising she was still in her world. She began rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment before she realised their food was in front of them. Tipping her nephew-in-law for the service. The two dug into their food.

When a certain song came on over the jukebox. Sally wanted to get up and dance with Athena. But, no matter how much she refused, she soon forgot how strong a Wrath gal was when she was dragged up from her seat to join her and the other couples dancing by the jukebox in the corner. The sounds of Stop This Flame by Celeste were accompanied by the cheers of the small group of couples dancing.

Athena couldn't help it, she was entranced by the country girl dancing with her. For the first time in years, Athena could finally let Raziel's memory rest now and focus on her newest chapter. Hilariously, it didn't go unnoticed by a certain pair of brothers observing from their booth away from the dancing couples and their sister with her date.

"She's doing well so far, Snow. She hasn't scared off Millie's sister with her seriousness."

Eric nods happily whilst cutting up his steak. Swallowing down his food with a swig of his cola, he replies.

"It would seem so, Zack. She's finally loosening up."

Zack couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's response. Looking at his twin having the time of her life with the imp, he smiles warmly. However, something was running through his mind that made him wonder.

'What is it with imps and the Snows getting together?'

Zack couldn't help the thought due to him being married to Liana, an imp. Seeing the two being close to each other made the twin brother of Athena wonder how far this relationship could go.

We now cut back to two as they are, now, sitting back in their booth sharing a milkshake. However, when Sally would steal the occasional glance at the female before her. She would look away with a shy smile when Athena caught Sally staring at her.

The scene was perfect for the two. Finished plates of food were pushed to one side, hands being held with fingers interlocked from across the table whilst soft music played soundlessly in the background.

For Athena's first time since the murder of her husband. She was doing surprisingly well for someone who'd never thought of finding love again.

Luckily, Snow and Loona had given Athena some pointers before she'd gone on this date with Sally to this small diner. Now that their date was going smoothly, they'd reach the holding hands stage. Nothing seemed to want to pop up and disrupt their date… or so the couple thought.

"Hey sweet cheeks, this seat taken?"

"Yeah, this seat is taken."

A wild dickhead appears. The demon and his posse didn't see the female sitting across from Sally holding her hand. When he tried to rudely barge Athena away, the male that had barged spoke up.

"Beat it, bitch! You're interrupting my precious time with this little lady."

With a look to the males before her, Athena nods a signal that only Sally catches onto before getting out of her seat with her hands up.

"My bad, I'll just find another seat."

The moment Athena tries to leave. One of the guy's posse members tries to trip Athena up. Causing the sister of Zack and Eric to stumble a bit and walk away like nothing happened. Soon, Athena noticed her brothers sitting at the far booth about to get out of their seats and react. Seeing them, she holds her hand up and mutters to her brothers.

"Leave this to me."

Zack and Eric wanted to disagree with their sister. But the minutes discreetly withdrew something from one of the pockets and, seeing it was one of her many knives, Eric was the first to smirk at his big sister's plan. Zack soon followed with a look that said.

'Fuck 'em up, sis!'

Despite the taunts and the guy laughing and joking about scaring off a woman. Sally soon saw her saviour. Seeing the knife in her date's hand, she smirks when Athena, knives held between her fingers like wolverine with his retractable claws, swings for the fences and cuts the throat of the guy who mocked her from ear to ear before kicking him across the floor from the hit while he was stood within swinging distance of the scarily calm Athena.

"Shit, we need to go, you guys! It's Blade Dancer!"

However, the others didn't listen, leading to the attempted gang-up on the female. Only, this time, Athena was ready. When the first punch is thrown, Athena drops her blades before she dodges the hit and flips the guy over another couple's table head first. The second guy was not so lucky.

With the second guy within Athena's grasp. The only female sibling to the Snow brothers swept the guy's legs with her right leg before dropping the elbow into the groin. Once she got up, she used a forearm to knock her second assailant out before the third one jumped in.

A judo throw and a knee to the temple soon swiftly left the thug lying out cold on the marble floor below. The guy, who stood back at the table, looked like a scared child when looking at Sally before he looked at Athena. He soon realised that looking at the two was the last thing he would ever do.

Outside

While Balthazar was doing some clothes shopping with Verosika. And, was helping her stay inconspicuous so the couple didn't get hassled by members of the public. He witnessed something very amusing when a denizen had been sent flying out of the diner window with a crash and a thud to the outside on the floor below.

Looking to see which person he knew had caused a guy to scurry away. Balthazar's amusement went up tenfold when he saw Athena and Sally May climbing through the hole in the broken window. Looking at the woman before him, he asks.

"Having a good date ladies?"

Seeing the amused black-winged angel standing before them, Athena answers after wiping the glass off of her dress and taking Sally's hand in hers.

"It could've done without that dickhead annoying my date, Bal. Besides from that, I'd say I'm having a good night."

Balthazar merely nods with a smirk. Once he left with Verosika, Sally noticed Athena breathing unsteadily before asking.

"Are you sure you're okay Athena?"

Steadying her breathing long enough, Athena answers her date.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to show you that you could be dating someone who doesn't stand for shit like that."

Sally nods. She had some semblance of an idea of what Athena was like from a phone conversation she had with Millie earlier about the woman standing beside her trying to catch her breath. Millie had told her to trust her instincts when it came to Athena. Boy, was she glad she listened to her big sister now?

Montage Time (Song Play: 'I Don't Wanna Wait' by David Guetta and One Republic).

The female Snow was in her comfort zone when the two went to the crazy golf course inside a part of the store Athena hadn't been to in years. They were soon kicked out mainly because a demon was stalking Sally May without her notice. So, without the stalker's notice, Athena grabbed the demon and caved in his head with the putting club. Next, she was seen dragging the half-alive body towards the alligator trap and, slamming the top of the robotic demon gator's mouth down onto the demon's neck. She'd essentially decapitated the demon and scared a demon child that was on another hole when the head rolled onto that family's part of the course. Seeing her date looking at her with a satisfied smirk at her job once she'd thrown the bent club away, Sally May merely shook her head with a smile at Athena wiping the blood off of her after protecting her date from some weirdo.

Arcade

The moment the two saw an arcade. Sally and Athena were on some of the machines they liked the look of. found the hybrid. One of them was one of the many shooter machines inside the arcade. Sally had wanted to see the female Snow in her comfort zone. She got her wish as she watched the female Snow smashing her baby brother's high score on the machine after killing the final boss on 'Eternal Dragons'. Soon, the two were laughing with each other whilst playing a rhythm game. The laughter was mainly Sally May laughing at Athena when she showed she had two left feet and crashed into the trash can next to the machine. When she helped the trash-covered female stand to her feet. The two couldn't help but laugh at Athena's situation of being covered in junk. Overall, it was a fun experience for the female to see Athena have fun in her presence. It just showed she was comfortable to make an ass out of herself around her date.

The last stop was the cinema. And, considering the date was going smoothly now, Athena not only paid for the entry into a random movie she liked the look of, but she bought snacks for the two to share inside the theatre where the movie was showing. When they exited the film after it'd finished. Sally and Athena were both flat-out disappointed by the movie they'd just seen. It was a classic killer trope movie kind of film. That and, to the taller of the two females, felt more like a comedy at how some of the deaths could have been avoided. And, hilariously, weren't avoided. Leading to the two facepalming, laughing and groaning at the moments that were meant to scare the denizens in the theatre with the two. She vowed to herself that, if Sally became her girlfriend, she would never watch a movie that terrible ever again.

End of Montage (End Song)

Later That Night outside Moxxie and Millie's Home

The night was quiet for the two ladies walking home from the bus stop towards Moxxie and Millie's home where Sally was staying the night.

Stopping in front of the door and letting go of her date's hand, Sally addresses Athena with a smile on her lips that makes Athena feel giddy internally.

"Ah had a blast tonight Athena. Maybe we can do this again when you're not busy with work?"

Athena nods with a small smile before replying.

"I'd like that Sal. Maybe in the next two weeks if Blitzo hasn't got me up to the gills in paperwork possibly?"

It was Sally's turn to nod in confirmation. Before Athena watched imp walked towards the door to open it. The female Snow's eyes soon widened in shock when Sally planted a soft, chaste kiss on her left cheek before waving goodbye to the woman she'd been on a date with. This one action left Athena standing stock still and holding her left cheek from where Sally May had kissed her.

When a few minutes had passed and Sally had entered Moxxie and Millie's, that was when Athena snapped out of her trance long enough to realise she was standing there like a doofus. Smiling at the fact she hadn't scared off a potential girlfriend, the eldest Snow twin began to make her way back to the bus stop so she could catch the bus back home to the Pride Ring.

But, if we know anyone with the surname of Snow, things weren't going to be plain sailing.