TITLE
ATHENA WINTERS
-
GENRE
ANGST
-
WARNINGS
KIDNAPPING, IMPLIED GROOMING, IMPLIED SEXUAL ASSAULT, ABORTION
-
RELATIONSHIP
Athena Drake/Blue Jay & Reggie Winters/Icecube
-
NOTES
i am oh so very fucked up in the head
-
UNIVERSE INFO
WHAT IF...ROXIE GRAYSON KILLED RICKIE?
~♜~
Oh God.
Her parents were gone. Janet and Jack were kidnapped. Obeah Man had taken them for his voodoo bullshit.
Athena's feet slapped the ground. She was in class when she got a text from her brother telling her what had happened. With no explanation to the teacher, Athena ran out of the classroom and out of the school. Eventually, she collapsed in an alley.
She didn't know how long she was there. Seconds, minutes, hours, days. Everything was a blur.
Until he showed up.
"Hey, kid," he said, looking down at her. "You okay?"
Athena looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. She squinted, trying to place his face.
Then she remembered.
The circus.
The Graysons.
The man who found her after she ran.
Reggie Winters.
"You okay?" he repeated, crouching down in front of her. He gently brushed the hair from her eyes. His fingers were like ice.
Athena coughed, choking on spit and snot and tears. "I– I'm not–" She coughed again.
Reggie sighed. "What's your name, kid?" he asked gently.
She swallowed. "Athe– Athena."
His eyes went wide. "Holy shit," he swore. "Drake, right? We were– we were at the circus when the Flying Graysons–"
She nodded softly.
"Where are your parents this time?" he asked, moving a bit closer to her.
She licked her lips to wet them. Somehow they were so dry, despite the tears, despite the snot, despite the spit. "They– they were kidnapped," she said. "T-Tim told me. Obeah Man has them. He–" She swallowed, rocking slightly to comfort herself.
"It's gonna be okay," Reggie said softly. He reached out, his cold hand ghosting over Athena's cheek. "Do you have anywhere to go?"
Athena wondered if she should tell the truth. No, she had nowhere. But this was Reggie. The man who'd found her and returned her to her parents all those years ago. She decided she could trust him.
"I don't have anywhere," she told him softly.
He nodded, seeming thoughtful. Then, he held out his hand to her. "Come with me," he said.
So she did.
~♜~
Months passed. Athena found out that Reggie was Icecube. Instead of running, she decided to become his sidekick. She took the name Blue Jay and helped him steal and kill and plunder.
It felt good to be feared.
That must've been why Reggie became a villain in the first place. To hold power over people. To be feared by all.
All but Athena, at least. He took care of her. He almost seemed to love her. And she loved him, despite their age difference.
~♜~
Reggie kissed the top of Athena's head. "You were amazing today," he told her, running his fingers through her dark hair. "Remind me to give you a reward when we get home." He kissed the crook of her neck, smiling against her skin.
She was sixteen now, and she knew what Reggie's rewards entailed. She got them whether she wanted them or not. But it didn't matter what she wanted. So long as Reggie was happy, she was happy.
"I will," Athena promised with a smile of her own. She kissed Reggie's cheek.
~♜~
Athena sat in the bathroom of a gas station. Six pregnancy tests were on the floor. All positive.
This couldn't be happening.
Reggie would be pissed, for one. He constantly talked about how he didn't want kids. Not to mention that Athena was only 17. How could she have a child when she was still a kid herself?
A woman knocked on the stall door. "You okay in there?" she asked.
Athena wiped her eyes. She knew what she was going to do. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, cleaning up the tests. She threw them in the trash and left.
She walked across town to Planned Parenthood.
She wouldn't be a mother yet.
~♜~
Reggie wanted to get married. Surprising, right? But, Athena agreed. She loved him, after all. So, they flew out to Las Vegas, where they were married by a Batman impersonator. Reggie's idea. He thought it was funny.
And freshly eighteen, Athena Drake became Athena Winters.
