Chapter Text
The logical side of Athena couldn’t believe they were doing this. She almost died not twenty-four hours ago from the thing and yet they were inviting it to them.
On the other hand, if this is what attacked, took to that place, and possibly killed Will and Barb, she knew it needed to die. Both for vengeance for the two, and so it didn’t get to anyone else.
Once Athena gets upstairs, she notices that Dustin isn’t in his room, or the house at all. She knows he isn’t at Mike’s because his bike wasn’t in the yard when she and Jonathan descended the side of the house
“Dust? Are you there? Over.” She speaks into her walkie talkie, sitting on her bed.
It takes a few minutes for a response. “I’m here, Thea. Are you okay? Over.”
“I’m fine, just got home. Where are you? Over.” Maybe she’s being a little overbearing. Before everything with Will, she wouldn’t try to keep tabs on her little brother and his friends so much, but this was different. Especially considering what she now knew existed out there.
“I’m at Lucas’. Over.” The boy speaks, sounding annoyed.
“Don’t take that tone with me, Dustin. I’m just checking in on you. Where are the other dipshits?”
“Sorry, Thea.” His voice comes through, his annoyed tone staved off. “And they’re right here.” There’s a scuffle for a moment before she hears a chorus of Mike and Lucas’ voices saying hi to her.
“Why do all of you sound annoyed as hell?” Athena asks, concerned.
“Because Mike won't shake.” Lucas’ voice comes through. “He drew first blood, but he won’t listen to me and won’t shake on my conditions. Party rules. And remember to say over when you’re done speaking, Thea. Over.”
Athena huffs, “I don’t want to know why Mike drew first blood. But figure it out. You guys need each other now probably more than ever, and that’s more important than a stupid fight. Over.”
She gets a chorus of mumbled affirmations before she speaks again. “Where’s El? How is she? Over.”
It’s silent for a long time, “Hello?” She asks.
“You’re right, Thea! We gotta go figure it out! Love you! Over and out!” Mike choruses over the walkie talkie, frantic.
Athena furrows her eyebrows, Mike has never once said he loved her. She gets a mumbled noise that sounds close to it sometimes when she tells him, but never full words. While touched, she knew it was weird and something was off with the boys. She rolls her eyes, tossing the walkie talkie to the side and flops back on her bed.
Checking the time on her alarm clock, Athena realizes that she doesn’t have time to go to the Sinclair home to find out what the hell was going on with them before Jonathan was due to pick her up. Instead, she takes another quick shower for good measure, rewraps her wounds and finds a similar outfit to yesterday. Just with older clothes she wouldn’t mind getting blood, goop, monster saliva, and things of the like on.
★
Athena, Nancy, and Jonathan end up at the Army Surplus store. There are taxidermy bears all over, looking like they were going to take the souls of any human that looked into their eyes.
The Byers teen is in another aisle looking for traps, while Athena and Nancy have baskets on their arms in another.
“You okay?” Athena whispers to the girl next to her.
“I should be asking you that.” Nancy replies at the same volume, twisting some kind of hammer around in her hand.
Athena huffs quietly. “I’ll feel a lot better when that bastard is dead. I can still feel its claws on me and I’m so on edge I feel like I’m going to go insane at any second.” A shiver shoots down her spine.
Nancy nods silently, a grimace on her face. “Again, I’m sorry for leaving you. I didn’t know-“
“Nance, I knew that if you knew, you would come after me. That’s why I didn’t call for you. Couldn’t have both of us dead, then Jon would be fucked,” Athena says with a breath of a laugh.
“I’m protective over the people in my life. Probably too much, especially with all this shit going on.” She speaks, giving a nudge and smile to Nancy. The Wheeler girl returns the smile.
Jonathan comes around the corner to their aisle as Athena spots some bear traps on the back wall. Looking at her friends and shrugging, she grabs one.
They make it to the check-out counter, and the cashier looks bewildered as they unload their haul onto the counter. A bear trap, gasoline, a mallet, flashlights, nails, and Jonathan requests four boxes of .38 bullets.
“What are you kids doin’ with all this?” The cashier asks.
The teens give each other a look. “Monster hunting.” Nancy replies with a shrug.
As they load their haul into Jonathan’s trunk, Athena and Jonathan laugh. “Monster hunting?” The boy asks.
“You know, last week, I was shopping for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me and Barb all weekend. It seemed like life or death, you know? And now – “
“You’re shopping for bear traps with Jonathan Byers.” Jonathan finishes for her.
“And Athena Henderson.” Athena adds, laughing.
“Yeah,” Nancy says as Jonathan closes the trunk.
“What’s the weirdest part?” He asks, locking it. “Me or the bear trap?”
Nancy looks at him with a smile. “You. It’s definitely you.” They both laugh.
“You know, Nance, in full transparency, up until this week, I thought you were the kind of girl that would think it was life or death that she couldn’t find a top to impress her boyfriend. Maybe then I was right. But now? I know that you’re a total badass,” Athena says, opening the door to get in the passenger seat.
Before anything else can be said, a honk comes from behind them. “Hey, Nance!” A teenage boy calls out from a car driving by, the three teens’ heads whipping around. “Can’t wait to see your movie!” His laugh fills the air as the car drives further away.
“What the hell was that?” Jonathan asks.
“I don’t know.” Nancy walks, eyes tracking the car that drove away. She suddenly turns around, an angry look in her eyes as she runs down the sidewalk.
Athena and Jonathan call after her as they run after. “Nancy, wait!”
Nancy eventually comes to a stop in front of the “Hawk” movie theater, looking up at the marquee in shock, nearly tears.
Athena and Jonathan come to a stop right behind her and follow her eyes. Athena’s blood boils as she reads it. “All The Right Moves” in black lettering, telling the town that the movie was being played. Under it, “Starring Nancy ‘The Slut’ Wheeler” is marked messily with red spray paint.
“Who the fuck?” Athena seethes as Nancy gasps, looking around at the people staring.
Nancy runs off suddenly, Athena and Jonathan staggering to catch up with her.
They round the corner they saw Nancy turn, seeing the girl standing in front of Nicole, Carol, Tommy H. with a can of red spray paint in his hand, and Steve Harrington standing back like he’s orchestrating it all.
Athena scoffs, unsurprised, but blood still boiling as she shakes in anger. She and Jonathan walk up behind Nancy as Tommy catches sight of the two. “Speak of the devil.” He laughs, jumping off the platform he was on. “And the fatass, here with the freak. Hi.”
“God, Hagan, do you ever shut your fucking mouth?” Athena steps towards him angrily.
“You came by last night?” Nancy asks Steve.
“Ding! Ding! Ding! Does she get a prize?” Nicole and Carol provide a useless commentary.
Steve looks down at Nancy through his eyelashes as though he couldn’t stand to look at her.
“Look, I don’t know what you think you saw, but it wasn’t like that.” Nancy tries to convince Steve.
“What, you just let him into your room to study?” Steve deadpans, looking over Nancy’s head to set eyes on Jonathan.
“Or for another pervy photo session?” Tommy laughs, arm around his girlfriend.
“We were just –“ Nancy begins.
“You were just what? Finish that sentence. Finish the sentence.” He grits, enunciating each word as he steps closer to Nancy.
Nancy breaths heavily, not sure of an answer to give him.
“Jesus fuck, Harrington, I was there, okay? Nothing happened.” Athena steps forward, standing just to the side and behind Nancy. For some reason, Nancy likes Steve, so she would help her friend as much as it pained her for more reasons than she can explain.
Steve’s eyes switch immediately to her, the bite in them fading nearly completely. They look at each other for a moment, like an unspoken conversation was happening. Athena gulps, jaw working. Her mouth opens to ask what his problem was, staring at her like he was, but Tommy speaks first.
“Damn, freak, two pervy photo sessions? Didn’t think you had it in you, Byers.” Tommy cackles harshly.
It’s as if upon hearing Tommy’s voice snaps Steve out of his trance of staring at Athena. The bite in his eyes returns multiplied with something else in them as he continues to stare at Athena for a moment that only she notices before looking back at Nancy.
The Harrington boy shakes his head at Nancy, “Go to hell, Nancy.” He turns to walk away.
Jonathan lunges for Nancy and Athena’s arms, pulling gently. “Come on, Nancy, let's just leave.”
“If the asshole doesn’t believe you, he’s not worth it,” Athena mutters as Jonathan tries to pull the two girls away.
“You know what, Byers,” Steve turns back suddenly as they try to walk away.
“I’m actually kind of impressed. I always took you for a queer, but I guess you’re just a little screw up like your father.” Steve pushes Jonathan’s shoulder repeatedly as the three still try to leave, Jonathan having let go of the girl’s arms.
“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that house is full of screw ups.” He pushes Jonathan again. “I mean your mom . . . “
Nancy grasps Jonathan’s arm, trying to pull him away, “Jonathan, leave it.” He almost complies with Nancy.
“I’m not even surprised what happened to your brother.” Steve’s voice rings out.
Athena freezes, hearing going muffled, like hands were cupped over her ears and she can only hear voices, not words themselves.
Before anyone else can react, Athena’s fist swings at Steve Harrington’s mouth, his head snapping to the side due to the force power her anger affords her.
The throbbing in her hand goes unnoticed by Athena.
Steve looks back at her, his eyes unreadable as blood begins dripping slowly from his split lip. She looks up at him, unadulterated fury and disgust written plainly all over her face, finger pushed harshly into his chest.
“Don’t you ever even fucking think about talking about Will Byers ever again.” Athena grits through her teeth.
“How fucking pathetic,” She pushes a finger against his chest. “Pushing eighteen and talking shit about a dead twelve-year-old boy.”
Steve's jaw clenches as Tommy’s laugh rings out. The two are nearly chest to chest.
“How fucking naïve,” Steves voice is voice low as he looks down at her. A whisper. “Thinking that a few months of friendship in middle school would make me want to stand up for you.”
He shakes his head once, clenching his jaw as he takes half a step back. “What the hell was I thinking, ever being your friend?”
Athena scoffs bitterly, “Took the words right out of my mouth, Harrington.” She pushes his chest with a full hand, making him take another half step back. “Stay the fuck away from us.”
She turns finally, walking past Jonathan to reach Nancy.
Steve goes back at Jonathan again, not stopping. He keeps pushing Jonathan on the shoulder. “I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but the Byers, their family is a disgrace to the entire-“
Jonathan’s will power finally breaks, whipping around and punching Steve so hard it makes Jonathan stumble.
Steve is bleeding even worse from his lip now. He ends up tackling Jonathan against a car then throwing him to the ground.
They keep throwing punches back and forth and pushing each other, Tommy cheering Steve on while Nancy, Carol and Nicole yell at the boys to stop.
Athena is silent as she watches. Shaken up by Steve’s words. Of course he would use them against her. Despite her better judgment and before she could stop herself, she knocked a few bricks down of the mass of walls she built up against him and told some of the truth.
And this is where it got her.
He was sitting there like was. Looking up at her like he was. And it looked as though there was genuine shock and remorse in his eyes that day in her bedroom. It was wishful thinking. It was naïve. But she knew better now.
Athena, finally tired of the fighting, stomps up to the boys. Steve’s back is facing her as he throws a punch at Jonathan. She makes the mistake of grabbing his arm. “Fucking stop, asshole! You’ve done enough!”
Lost in the fight, Steve’s arm comes loose and an elbow is sent straight into her nose, a sickening crunch resulting from the impact. She gasps in pain, head knocked back as her hand comes to cup her nose.
“Thena!” Nancy yells, panic lacing her voice, running up to her friend.
Steve spins, wide-eyed at the call of Athena’s name, seeing for a split-second blood gushing from her nose as his stomach sinks. The distraction affords Jonathan the chance to tackle him to the ground, throwing punch after punch as Steve just takes it.
Sirens come wailing down the street, getting closer and closer, but yelling and pulling doesn’t deter Jonathan as he continues punching.
Callahan walks up behind Jonathan and pulls on his arm, only to get an elbow to the nose, matching Athena’s. Powell, however, pulls Jonathan off by the jacket, slamming him into the hood of the cop car as Callahan takes off after Steve, Tommy, Carol and Nicole who are getting away.
As Powell is handcuffing Jonathan, the officer’s eyes set on Athena who is clutching her nose, blood still trickling. “Athena, you okay? He do that to you?” He nods towards Jonathan, who is still struggling against the car.
Athena rolls her eyes, shaking her head which makes the pain worse. “No, Powell, he didn’t.” She waves a vague arm toward the direction that the other group ran off to. “He did.”
Nancy’s hands are on her head as she panics. “It’s fine, Nance.” Athena makes an effort to calm her. “Hopper will handle it.”
★
They sit at the police station, Jonathan handcuffed to a desk as Athena sits next to him, nose no longer dripping blood and numbed due to the cold of the ice on it. Nancy is at the fridge with Flo, getting ice for the Byers boy.
Athena only catches some of their conversation. “You and Athena, yes. Him, no. He assaulted a police officer.”
Athena calls from across the room, “Callahan had it coming, Ms. Flo, you know that. And it was an accident.” Her voice is altered due to her probably broken nose. Flo ignores her.
Nancy brings Jonathan some ice wrapped up in a towel and presses it against his eye.
“Thena, I’m sorry.” Jonathan begins quietly.
“Why are you sorry?” She turns toward him. “Not like you elbowed me in the face. I shouldn’t have gotten that close anyway.” She murmurs her last sentence.
Powell and Callahan walk by eventually, the latter’s nose swollen, making Athena laugh despite the pain it gives her.
“Don’t know why you’re laughing, Henderson. You got it worse.” Callahan responds to her with a side-eye.
“I pull it off, Callahan. Take your hat off and you look like Gargamel with the way you’re balding and how swollen your nose is,” She retorts, making Jonathan and Nancy laugh quietly.
“You wanna get arrested like Byers here?” Callahan nearly seethes.
“For what? Insulting a police officer? That goes against the First Amendment, Gargamel. But I guess you wouldn’t know that with the single day of cop school you obviously attended.” Athena responds.
“Enough,” Powell says, exhausted.
“You called Hopper yet, Powell? He’s the only one of you with more than half a brain besides Ms. Flo.”