Athena Erskine was beautiful and bold. A female scientist in a world of men. Athena lived every day outnumbered but not outsmarted. Athena had to force her way into every room. So that she could demonstrate how much brighter, she is than all the men...
"When we lose someone we love we must learn not to live without them, but to live with the love they left behind."
Anonymous
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Athena felt as if the whole world had stopped turning. Or maybe it was just that Athena world had stopped turning.
"It can't be true," Athena screamed as she started to sob, collapsing into Steve's chest. "Please tell me it isn't true," Athena begged.
"I'm sorry, Athena," Steve murmured as he pulled her in for a hug, "Athena fell off the train trying to save Bucky."
"No, it can't be true," Athena repeated.
Steve didn't say anything as he pulled Athena closer into him and started rubbing her back.
"It can't be true," Athen told him. Her voice muffled by Steve's chest.
"She was so happy, and she loved her life," Athena told him, "she can't be gone. So there must be something wrong."
"We have people out trying to recover their bodies," Steve told Athena softly.
"So she could still be alive," Athena told him. Athen brought her head out from his chest. Her eyes were red and filled with tears, "maybe she is alive still."
Steve saw the way that Athena's eyes lit up at the thought that her sister was still alive. Steve hated to extinguish the light, but he knew that her false hope would be even worse in the long run, "Artemis is not coming back, Athena." Steve mumbled, "I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you."
"There must be something I can do," Athena tried desperately, "Vati and I made a super soldier; maybe I can bring her back."
Steve knew that Athena was grieving, but this felt like a dangerous path to go down. Steve looked into Athens's eye's taking a deep breath, "Athena. Your sister is dead. There is nothing anybody can do now. She is in a better place."
"She not dead," Athena told him, but she seemed to doubt her words; they seemed full of false optimism. Steve watched as Athens's face crumbled, and she started crying again, "I just want my family back," sobbed. "I can't be alone in the world,"
"You aren't alone," Steve assured Athena, "you have me. I'm not going anywhere." Steve assured Athena, "I won't leave you."
"Promise," Athens asked him, looking up hopefully.
"I promise," Steve assured her. Bringer her body back onto his.
Steve knew she was grieving, and he was going to do anything he could do to help. So Steve held onto Athena's body as she sobbed into his chest. Steve knew that there was nothing that he could do to help her apart from being there at that moment. And if Steve was honest, her gripping onto him was helping him with losing Bucky. For he might have lost one of the few people who carried for him, but there was still at least one person who truly cared for him.
Steve wasn't going to let go of Athen. For at that moment, they were both lost in a sea's of grief, and they were both the others life raft. There only hope of getting out of the suffering. And they would both never be the same for their loss. But maybe if they both held onto the other hard enough. They wouldn't be too damaged on the other side.
The two of them stayed like that for a long time, just holding onto each other.
After they had both cried their tears, and their eyes were dry, Athena looked at Steve. Her eyes were burning with all the heat of a thousand suns. The determination told Steve that no was not an answer he could give.
"When you go after Schmidt, I would like to come to," Athena told Steve.
As he looked into her eyes, Steve knew that she thought it was a request, but Steve knew he couldn't say no. And part of Steve wanted to say no, but he knew that this was something that Athen needed to do. She needed to be there when the man who had caused her so much suffering was finally stopped. So Steve nodded her head, "as long as Phillips agrees."
Athens face lit up a little at that, and Steve saw a hint of the old Athena. And Steve knew at that moment he would do anything to help get the old Athena back so that he could see her smile. Steve knew that he had to be there for her. He needed to steer her from going down a dark path. For when grieving something, you are confronted with two routes. The dark way which you think will make it easier but destroy who you are as a person. Or the hard path, which looks like it won't help but heals you the most completely.
Athena nodded, glad that Steve had agreed. Then Athena buried her head back in his chest, and they stayed like that for a while. Their peace was only broken by Peggy, who Phillips had sent to get them.
"Phillips wants you both," Peggy told them quietly.
Athena and Steve both needed as they stepped apart to follow after Peggy.
"How are you both feeling," Peggy asked softly.
"Broken," Anthem murmured.
"And that okay," Peggy assured Athena. Then, when Steve didn't say anything, Peggy turned to him, "It wasn't your fault."
"Did you read the reports?" Steve Austin.
"Yes," Peggy nodded.
"Then you know that's not true," Steve told her.
"You did everything you could. Did you believe in your friend? Did you respect him?" Peggy question. When Steve nodded, Peggy carried on, "then stop blaming yourself. Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice. He damn well must have thought you were worth it."
"We are going after Schmidt," Steve told Peggy gesturing between him and Athena, "we're not gonna stop till all of Hydra is dead or captured."
"You won't be alone," Peggy told them.
"I'm glad," Athena told Peggy.
From the way, Athena was looking and sounding. Peggy knew that she would have done it with or without support. It just made Athena feel better that they had help. Peggy didn't say anything else as she led them to where they were making their battle plan.
Phillips was standing in front of a map that was marked with bond trajectories. Steve pulled out Athena's seat, pushing it in behind her. Steve then took his place. At the head of the table. Athena was sat around the corner to Steve right. To Athens right, there was an empty chair waiting for Howard. Athena picked up the paper in front of her, skim reading the critical bits.
"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bughouse," Phillips started to tell them. "He thinks he's a God. He's willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA."
"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities," Howard told them as he appeared, "he gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern seaboard in an hour."
"How much time do we have till this happens?" Athen asked.
"According to my new best friend, under twenty-four hours," Phillips told them as he looked up from some papers.
"Where is he now?" Dernier asked.
"Hydra's last base is here," Phillips told them as he held up a photo. "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."
As he finished, Phillips dropped the Phots down in front of Morita. Who looked them over, "So, what are we supposed to do. I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door."
"Why not?" Stevens asked, looking. at all their faces, "that's exactly what we're gonna do."
