Chapter Text
“History is written by the survivors, and I am surely that.”
2064
Pain shot up her spine as her back collided with the cold, blue locker. With nostrils flared, her gray eyes met his blue, “As much as I’d hate to hit a girl as you pretty as you, ya get in my way again, doll, and I will.”
She could feel a growl make it’s way out of her throat, eyes still unmoving. Her lips pulled up in a sneer, “Let go,” the next word pulled a smirk onto his lips, “doll.”
“Cute, but I think I like you just like this,” his eyes raked her form. She’d never felt insecure, even now, but she couldn’t quite place what she felt as his eyes roamed her chest and thighs only covered by her school-issued skirt and sheer tights. Disgust? Fear? Rage?
Yeah.
Yeah, that sounded right.
She grinned, light glinting off her crooked, off-white teeth. “Alright then, doll,” her body moved without thinking, with such ease that was no way it was her first time. She brought her knee up into his crotch, and as his hand left where they were wrapped in her hair, she brought up her foot and kicked his knee, as hard as she could. He fell to his knees. She bent down to his level, “I think I like us like this better, doll. You look real good on your knees.”
She turned to the cowering boy that stood behind the bully, “You alright, Paul?”
He stole a glance at the large, boy still on his knees, “Yeah.” Was all he said, but as he looked into her eyes, all she could see was awe and admiration.
“Good,” she brought a knee up to the bully’s face. He let out a cry in pain, clutching his nose. She let out a chuckle as she saw red running down his hands. “Don’t tell mama ’bout this then.”
The only time Paul ever saw her smile was when someone else was bleeding, “Okay.”
As the two turned to walk away, two other boys rounded the corner. Laughing and pushing eachother as they made jabs about the other’s mother. The small one saw them first, “Oh, fuck.”
The meathead beside him lost his smile as he saw their "friend" (I use that term loosely) on the floor in pain, blood running down his face, “Always knew you’d catch 'im, Athena.”
“I’m sure. So how we doing this, boys? Fair or are you both gonna come at me?”
“You know the answer, ‘Thena.”
She turned to Paul, “Run on home, pipsqueak. Tell Ma I’ll be home ‘fore dinner. This won’t take long.”
“But-“
“No arguin’, pipsqueak.”
When she smiled down at him, a dangerous glint in her steel eyes, he knew she’d be home before dinner. “Okay.”
———
“Jesus, ‘Thena, what truck hit you,” a chuckle came from behind her as a hiss of pain left her mouth.
“A six foot four one,” she brought the peroxide coated q-tip back to the thin cut on her cheek. He bent down, studying the wound before flicking right above it. “Fuckin’ watch it, jackass!”
He rolled his blue eyes and let out a scoff, “Don’t let mama hear ya, she’ll be washin’ yer mouth out everyday for a week.”
“You’d know.”
“Sure would. Let me — got a lot more experience than you,” he offered, putting out his hand for the Q-tip and wet rag.
“I can do it myself,” she glared up at him. He almost gave in, if it wasn’t for the wince she accidentally let out when she pressed the rag onto her lip too harshly.
“I know,” His voice was soft and comforting, a tone she only heard when he cleaned her and their other siblings up after their father came home after work.
She handed him the cotton swap and the wet rag without further argument. He didn’t thank her or even acknowledge her giving in, as he knew she’d just snatch both items back if he mentioned it. He look at the blood soaked cotton swap and threw in the trash before grabbing the last one in the pack, promptly throwing that away too.
“The hell ya doin’, Aron? Ya can’t use the last one on me,” she tried to grab the cotton swab out of his large hands. As she stood from her seat on the toilet he also stood to his full height, still towering over her, and held the cotton swab over his head.
“It’s fine, ‘Thena. I’ll get more tomorrow. And you better start talkin’ more proper or mama’ll give ya a stern talkin’ to.”
She glared up at his, having half a mind to stomp on his foot and grab the swab when he was vulnerable. “Yer one ta talk, you keep gettin’ them same test grades in English an’ you’ll be in real trouble.”
“Funny, adelfí. You keep forgetting yer Greek vocab and you’ll get disowned,” he put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back to sit.
“‘M sure mama would like that,” She rolled her eyes, but kept her gaze averted. His lips quirked downward, not quite knowing what to say to his older sister. She was always the strong one, quiet too, so whenever she said something from the heart, he never quite knew what to say. So, he just did as he did and changed the subject.
“So you gonna tell me what happened or do I gotta ask Paulie why he came home alone?”
“You ain’t already?”
He chuckled, “You know me well. Still, I wanna hear the whole thing.”
“Well this asshole was bullyin’ Paul, ‘pparently he does it pretty regularly, and that ain’t good fer me. So I kicked his ass. Broke his nose, possibly his knee. ‘Course right as me and Paulie are leavin’, Tommy and one o’ his no-good friends come roundin’ the corner, not a care in the world. So, I send Paul on home and kicked both their asses.”
“They come at ‘cha at the same time?”
“Sure did.”
Aron stood to his fully height, grabbing a bandaid and putting antibacterial cream on it, “‘Course they did. Pussies.” Athena huffed out a laugh that turned into a wince as he put the bandaid over her cut, “and what exactly’d this come from? Knife ‘m guessing.” Athena hummed in agreement. “You catch the other kid’s name? The one with Tommy.”
“Nah, wasn’t much in a mood for talkin’ personally.”
“Uh huh, ‘m sure you weren’t,” he let out a quiet chuckle. “Yer all good, sis. Don’t know what yer gonna do when mama comes home though.”
“She ain’t home,” Her thick brows furrowed and her head cocked sideways in confusion. Dinner should be about ready, but mama ain’t home?
“Nah, fuckin’ papa ‘forgot’ to stop and get groceries on his way home.”
She let out a humorless laugh, crossing her arms over her chest as they walked out of the cramped bathroom, “Bet he ain’t ‘forgot’ his beer though did he?”
“‘Course he didn’t.”
“‘Thena!” Henry collided with the back of Athena’s knees, almost fully knocking her down.
“Gosh, kid, yer gonna kill me,” she feigned annoyance, but she couldn’t find herself to be too angry with the kid. Not when he was smiling up at her so brightly. So happy to see her home.
“How come you ain’t come home for so long?”
She pried him away from her and Aron picked him up and sat him on his hip. She put a hand on his head, ruffling the hair. She almost smiled when he giggled and shooed her hands away, “I’m almost 5, you can do that no more! ‘M too old.”
“Too old, huh,” she raised a brow.
“Mhm!”
“Well then since yer so big and old I guess I’ll just take my affection elsewhere,” she turned and took a single step towards Paul’s room.
“No, wait,” he called out. She turned back around and saw Aron’s exasperated eye roll, which only furthered her smug attitude.
“Yes, big man?”
He was too proud to say anything, just held out his arms in wanting. She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance her took him from Aron, “This what you wanted, big guy?”
He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. She took that as her answer.
“Athena, ‘m hungry, get down here!” The three of them heard being called from down the stairs. She could feel her shoulder’s tense before she could stop it. She squeezed Henry tight one more time before putting him down on the ground.
“Wouldn’t be hungry if you’d’ve got tha’ groceries…” she muttered under her breath.
With teeth gritted she headed towards the stairs, but stopped when a hand was put on her shoulder, “If it comes down ta it, just leave. Don’t come back ‘till mama’s home. We’ll be fine.”
She narrowed her steel eyes at Aron over her shoulder, “No, ya wouldn’t be.”
She really can’t remember much after that. She was eighteen at the time and tried her damndest to block out every time he was drunk and angry. This time was the worst though. It was when she decided that she was done. She had to leave the second she could.
She can remember thinking, “So this is karma, huh,” as he broke her nose, but other than that, the most she can remember is the faint pain overwhelmed by the black spots in her vision before she crumpled to the floor.
———
2070
“Captain…”
A feminine grumble that sounded faintly like a “fuck off” replied. Athena couldn’t tell who or where it came from, but it was loud. Not as loud as the ringing in her ears, though.
“Damn it, Captain Pallas get up!”
Wait, that’s her name, she recognized. She tried to open her eyes but was blinded by the brightness surrounding her. She forced her self to hold a hand over her eyes and try to sit up. She almost screamed as a hand pushed her back down by her shoulder, pain blooming up throughout her entire body, “Stay still for just a few seconds. And shut up.”
She didn’t recognize who was telling her this nor did she like their tone, but she did as was told. She always did as she was told these days.
She could hear quiet footsteps just a few feet from her, along with twigs snapping under their weight and snow crunching. Even in her vulnerable, groggy state, she could feel dread in her stomach so strong she wanted to throw up. Or maybe that was from the pain. Either way, she needed to roll over and puke soon.
“Alright, they’re gone.”
And so she did. She emptied what little her stomach held onto the snow beside her, which proved to be a very hard task as the pain in her body and mostly noticeably her head screamed at her to never move again.
“We gotta get up. We gotta go, Captain.”
There was that voice again. Who the hell was that? She turned towards the voice and saw someone she faintly recognized, but couldn’t quite remember. She couldn’t precisely make out the fine features of his face. She could see a well-built man with chocolate brown eyes and short dark brown hair. He was muscular, but not in the type a body builder would be, more of the kind a warrior would be.
A gunshot rang out.
Her body tensed and the man looked around wildly. Over her head, behind his shoulder, to each side and repeat.
Right, we’re at war, she remembered thinking. My comrades are around me dying and here I am takin’ a nap.
“Freis, right,” she questioned, her voice scratchy and deep.
“Yes, ma’am,” his shoulders tensed and his jaw clenched.
“What’s the situation, solider?” She glanced at her surroundings. The two of them were hiding behind a two trees that grew strangely close together. The ground beneath them was pink. Strange, she remembered thinking. Thought snow was white.
“Adams set off a land mine, he’s dead,”
Adams… she tried to remember him through the fog in her head, but there wasn’t time for that, “What else?”
“Rodriguez and Pierce were both injured. The commies were hidin’ behind a a hill and some trees, ambushed us. They shot ‘em and took down most o’ us.”
“What took me out?”
“When the land mine blew, you were too close and the blast knocked you down and some shrapnel got you.”
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. 1…2…3… she opened her eyes and saw only the blue of the sky that was quickly turning grey as storm clouds came over them. 1…2…3… “Help me up, Freis.”
“Are you sure, ma’am,” his eyes scanned over her body. Over the blood on the ground and running down her head. And mouth. And ears. Over the blood soaking through her pant leg and through her right sleeve.
“I ain’t ask ya ta question me private,” he helped her into a sitting position, leaning again the trees. “You been watchin’ while I was nappin’, ya think we got a chance o’ winnin’ this?”
He look around the trees that blocked the opposing soldiers from seeing them. He scanned for anything even remotely representing the US uniforms, but the only soldiers with a red, white, and blue flag were laying on the ground unmoving. He saw the commies shooting the unmoving bodies on the ground in the head. Just to make sure they wouldn’t get back up. “No, ma’am.”
“Ain’t think so,” she reached into one of the pockets on her waist belt. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the searing pain burning through her arm.
“Ma’am, I can-“
“Get the hell outta here private.”
His eyes widened as she cut him off, “huh?” He was dumbfounded. He couldn’t just leave his Captain. The only other survivor of that battle.
“Leave. I gotta set this thing off so they know we got fucked. Don’t run too far where our boys can’t find ya, just far ‘nough to where them commies ain’t gonna see ya when they come fer me.” He then noticed the flare gun she was clutching in between shaking palms.
“They’re gonna kill you, Captain.”
“I hope so,” she looked him straight in the eyes. She almost laughed at his confusion. He had no ideas of what they’d do to her if they caught her. When they caught her. She wasn’t even sure of the full extent of what would happen. All she knew was that she would rather be dead than experience what they had in store for her. “Either we both die or just I die. Leave, private. That’s an order.”
His eyes narrowed at her, he wanted to argue, she knew, but who was he to disobey an order from his captain. “Yes, ma’am.”
So he left. And she was caught.
———
2074
“It is my honor to present 2074’s solider of the year, Major Athena Pallas.”
She could see the mass of people clapping and whistling for her, but she couldn’t hear not a damn thing. Her Colonel stepped away from the microphone, nodding at her, a gesture of encouragement. She stepped up to the microphone and spoke, “Hello, everyone.”
The whistling and clapping all quickly ceased in respect, but that only made the ringing in her ears appear all the louder. “I, um, ‘M very grateful to be given such a prestigious award. I couldn’t’ve done it alone. So, for the next few minutes, I’d like ta dedicate this award to my fellow soldiers. Um,” she swallowed deeply and took a deep breath, her fingers twitching slightly. Ordering around 40-60 grown men, easy. Public speaking in front of a crowd of 200+, not so easy.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she considered one of her hardest battles to date. The lights above her blinded her view of the crowd. Mostly, anyway.
”I’d like to dedicate this award to my fellow comrades, those who have dedicated themselves to serving and protecting this country, but I only have a few minutes so I can only mention a few.” Her voice came out only slightly shaky, but her way of speech was foreign to her. If she was talking to her boys, there’d be a few cuss words in there and a whole lot more “country twang” as her boot camp friends said.
“Private Adams, you were eighteen when you were under my orders. I regret letting you be sent out that day. I don’t believe I could’ve stopped it, but, in hindsight, I wish I could’ve tried. You were the dumbass of our platoon. Always goin’ on about girls and always causing trouble with the other boys…”
A few chuckles rang out in the room.
They didn’t know him well, those who chuckled at her attempt to remember him fondly. She knew this as she look at her closest friend. What she could see anyway. The sparkling badge and gelled back hair that reflected light with the excess amount of product he put in it. He wasn’t smiling, just nodded in silent encouragement.
Athena didn’t cry. Hasn’t since she was a kid, sure as hell wasn’t gonna start that day, but, she was damn well close. So, instead, she took a deep breath, eyes not leaving him, and 1…2…3… she was fine again.
“You shouldn’t have been out there. It is one of my deepest regrets not being a better captain to you. For not teaching you that you should watch where you step.” Her joke was a lot less funny to the crowd than it was to her.
The dark-haired man in the crowd sent a sad smile her way.
He doesn’t look much different from that day. Still has the same chocolate eyes and dark brown hair. His body was different now, though, no longer a lanky private, instead he was as broad as he was tall with a few scars to match the “heroic” stories that he told (he doesn’t think they’re heroic, but it’s what the drunk listeners at the bars always said).
“Rodriguez you were twice my size and twice my age too. Whenever Adams and the other acted up and I wasn’t around, you put them in their place. Papa Rodriguez they called you. You always scolded them, told them to be more respectful to their elders, but the smile on your face showed that you didn’t mind.”
Sitting beside him was an intelligent and beautiful woman (much too smart and pretty for him, Athena thought) that the Major could consider a friend — no, family.
“Pierce… I can remember yer shitty attitude and your smug smile… I can remember when you shot your first target at 330 yards. You were so proud. You turned back ta me like some kid who just just hit his first home-run, ‘specting me to congratulate you. I wish I would have. Instead I told you ta hit the 400 yard target and when you missed, ta try harder.
“I… I wish I could tell you all about these three amazing men… They were some of the best. I failed them as a leader and as their Captain. Many people have tried to tell me I did what I could but, I failed them. It’s just the truth. I will have to live with this truth for the rest of my life… but… I’d like to make one last dedication to the man who saved us both. He did not fail me. Please give a round of applause for Nathan Freis.”
———
2076
“It is my honor to present 2076’s solider o’ the year, Captain Nathan Freis.”
1…2…3… He took a deep breath and stepped towards the mic, “Hello, everyone.”
The whistling, clapping, and shouts of encouragement started to cease as Nate’s eyes scoured the room. He saw many friends before landing on the woman beside him.
She looked so different from that day. Her dark brown hair was longer, nearly to her waist. Nora helped her curl it a few hours previous.
She had a couple scars then. One on her cheek from when some kid bested her in their youth, and a scar on her chin from a training incident in the beginning of her career.
Now she had more scars than he could count. Many of which having never been seen by more than a handful of people, including those who put them there. There was a burn mark on her left temple from where the bullet had just grazed her that day. There was a pale white line surrounding her right eye, looking as if someone had traced the skin with the sharp side of the knife, but never quite dug in. The worst was the burn mark that was just barely visible under the collar of her army jacket riddled with medals.
They locked eyes. Her jaw was clenched tightly, she wanted to get the fuck off the stage, he could tell, but she’d stay. For him and for her duty… mostly for him he likes to think.
He turned to the most beautiful woman in the world. She sat front row, almost directly in front of the microphone. Pink lips smiled lovingly at him, olive colored eyes twinkled with adoration.
He almost felt his heart leap out of his chest. Here he was, some damaged war vet and he got the perfect wife. He had scars, some physical, some otherwise… but she never judged him, never said they were ugly or too much for her, but smiled and told him she loved him.
Without breaking eye contact, Nate started his speech.
———
“Thank you for this tremendous honor. I realize that I had been chosen out of thousands of others and I could not be more grateful.”
He stood such poise that Athena could never quite manage. Authority, sure, but grace… no — grace was never much her thing. She had never imagined she’d be so proud of someone, especially someone not kin.
“I’d like to take a moment to honor the two people who made this possible for me: my amazing wife Nora…”
Athena, along with the rest of the room, clapped for Nora. She admired her. She didn’t think she could do what Nora did, waiting at home struggling through the BAR while her husband was in the field getting shot at. “Love makes you strong,” Nora told her. Athena didn’t want to find out if that was true or not. She couldn’t.
“And my mentor and closest confidant, Major Athena Pallas.”
Athena narrowed her eyes at him and her name left his lips. His grin only grew smug as the room clapped for her, and it grew even wider as her annoyed look turned sheepish as she lifted a hand in acknowledgment to the audience. Oh, how she would have loved to kick his ass in front of everyone in that moment. Her fingers twitched, which he took as his cue to put the attention back on him.
“To start, with Athena, I can’t even describe to you how much I look up to her. When she was my captain and now especially, after she’s retired. I look at her and I see what I could only dream of being. She is the strongest person I know, and while I’ve seen her flip a man atleast 60 pounds heavier than her over her shoulder, I don’t just mean physically. She is incredibly intelligent and the best commanding officer and best friend I could ask for. She’s family.”
Athena let the side of her lips not facing the audience quirk upwards for a moment. Yeah, definitely very proud. That smile fell as Nate mouthed to her in mock sympathy, ‘you’re crying.’ She wanted to kick his ass again.
He chuckled as he turned back to the audience, “And my wife… Nora… I cant even describe how grateful I am that you’ve put up with me all these years…”