Needledrop

20

Revenge

Athena

I take a seat next to Giovanni where Wynnona usually sits, Star coming to sit in my lap. I smile at Giovanni as he places the ship into Dayna's control.

"She's resting?" He asks, referring to his little sister. He looks much older than 25 as he leans back into his chair stiffly. His eyes look tired, wrinkles kiss the corners of his eyes. This is all likely because he died, and I brought him back to life.

"Yes, her and Roe are sleeping." I study the speeding by galaxy.

"She loves that kid like a son." He says humming. He looks much wiser. "Turns out being brought back from the dead has its effects." Giovanni jokes having noticed the way I was staring at him.

"You should still be 25 though." I say aloud, perplexed. He smiles warmly at me.

"I am, my looks just seem to have aged slightly." He shrugs. Both of us turn our attention to the entrance to the control room when we hear a shout. I smile when I hear the string of curses from Oriana. She is now out of the game.

"I miss being young." I sigh as I lean back into my seat, petting Star affectionately. Giovanni studies me with a question in his eyes. "I miss before I was trapped. I've been stuck in that cursed book for thousands of years. I miss before that, when I was younger." I sigh dreamily remembering the fire tempered girl I had given my heart to. "Trivial issues such as romance seemed like the end of the world back then. I miss that." He smiles at me.

"You're talking about Artemis, aren't you?" He asks me. I stare at him, amazed he knows that. "Being brought back by you also has its perks. Like you, I get glimpses of the future. A part of that was seeing your past, but only the memories you hold closest." I smile at him. He asks me questions which I happily answer. Hours pass of us talking, laughing, and smiling like old friends. Our attention is no longer on paying attention to what is going on outside of the ship.

"Dropping out of fast travel." Dayna's voice catches our attention. We are nowhere near where we are supposed to stop. "Intruder in mainframe." Her voice cuts out sharply with a static being left behind. The ship is suddenly tossed to the side with a sharp hit. Giovanni is frantically hitting buttons to figure out what is going on when I hear bare feet swiftly padding across the metal floor.

"What's going on?" Wynnona's gravelly voice comes from the entrance to the control room. Her voice is huskier than usual, likely she's just woken up. Her hair is a mess, sticking up in every direction. There is a small trail of drool coming from the corner of her lips. I hold back a smile at this all. She is normally so put together, conveying nothing but intimidation. I love seeing her like this, open. "The hell did you do to my ship?" She growls at Giovanni. I stand from her seat, allowing Star to sit on her shoulder, as I go to little Roe. He clings onto me in fear.

"Lesbian, nice." Giovanni says, pointing to Wynnona's shirt. She raises an eyebrow at him, causing him to cower ever so slightly. The ship is thrown to the side again.

"Athena keep an eye on Roe." Wynnona starts to give commands as she hits different buttons, doing what Giovanni was trying to do. Into the ship's front window comes Gunther's face. He looks more insane than when Wynnona last encountered him. Everyone has filed into the room now.

"Didn't think I'd find you my love, did you?" He asks Wynnona. A pang of jealousy fills me. "I see you've been able to return Athena to her body. Thank you for that, it will make killing her in front of you much more fun." He lets out a laugh that makes even me fearful.

"I dare you to come lay a hand on her Gunther." Wynnona says so low, so coldly, I wonder if she is still in control. For a moment, Gunther looks fearful. I smile slightly at that, squeezing Roe's hand to tell him it will be okay. "I swear to you Gunther, if you hurt a single hair on any member of my crew, I will make your life a living hell until you beg me for death." Something clangs in the ship catching everyone but Wynnona's attention. She hits a button on the control panel, causing Gunther's face to disappear from the screen. She turns and starts to give everyone orders as to what to do. They all nod, running to do what they are told.