Athena's Pov

I grabbed an apple and bit into its crispy flesh. Grandpa wanted me to have a complete breakfast but I can't help the nausea I feel at the sight of food in the early morning.

“How am I going to school?” I asked and all four men turned their attention to me.

“I'll drop you.” Hades and Zephyr said at the same time.

“You guys wanna box for it?” I suggested making them roll their eyes.

“Rest Ares, I'm her father I'll drop her.” Zephyr said as a final statement.

“Your school allows such…” Hades asked, gesturing to my attire.

I looked down on myself. “You mean a thigh high skirt and a hoodie? Yes they allow it. As long as I'm not bending down to give guys a view of my ass.”

“But uh- never mind. You know better.” He dropped the subject.

I huffed at his concern and lifted up my skirt. “See I'm wearing shorts underneath. No one's gonna see anything. Chill uncle.”

“C'mon let's go.” Zephyr called me.

“Zephyr did you forget you have a meeting in one hour? Her school’s in the opposite direction, you'll get late if you drop her.” Ares interjected.

Zephyr took a moment to think then turned to me with an apologetic look. “I'm sorry, I’ll take you to school tomorrow, okay?”

“It's okay. I understand you have work.” I felt bad for him because he really wanted to come with me.

“C'mon I’ll take you to school.” Ares got up and offered me his arm to hold.

I gave him a weird look and grabbed my bag before going out the door. I might be living with Ares and Hades but they shouldn't expect me to forgive them. I haven't forgotten what they've done to me. They don't even regret their mistake to ask for forgiveness like Zephyr did.

————

The excitement was killing me. Wait has always been my weakness. I lack patience. Which is why I end up taking the most insane decisions ever.

My new relationship with Tristan can also be termed an impulsive decision. But it doesn't change the fact that it was the right decision.

I might’ve hurried but I knew exactly what I was doing.

I needed Tristan. He has always been mine, I just had to claim him.

“Tristan's here.” Jane; one of my classmates announced.

I turned to look at the door and seeing him walk in with his eyes only on me —like always— was such a beautiful sight. I liked how there's only one person on his priority list; me.

I see a slight touch of blush on his features which makes me smile. It was the first time we were meeting publicly —in our school— after getting in a relationship and he's nervous of our interaction.

I get up from my chair and naturally he takes me in his arms. That's how we always greet each other and anyone who knows us would think it's all platonic but things have changed now.

He was my boyfriend.

I never imagined having a serious boyfriend. Those I was with were always just a means to the end. They were just a fling to me as I was to them.

I was their dirty little secret and they were my sin. Our relationship was never meant for the light of the day. But now I have someone who doesn't fear showing me off. He won't be judged for having a teenage girl on his arm.

Because our relationship was anything but inappropriate.

“How're you?” I asked pecking his lips.

Jane beside me gasps at my actions but I didn't take my eyes off my man. Tristan shifts from one foot to another and bites his lip feeling awkward.

“Um, I'm good. How're you?” He asks, putting up a small smile to hide his timidness.

I leaned towards his ear and slightly nudged him with my elbow. “Is my baby girl shy?”

His eyes widened and he jokingly pushed me away. “Don’t you dare call me that in public.” He whispers with a warning in his voice.

“So I can call you that in private?” I tease.

“Only if you want to die.”

“Choking on your dick? Sure.” I kissed his cheek and he shook his head, sighing.

If he thought dating me was going to be easy, he’s in for a shock. I'm gonna have a blast doing everything that will make him embarrassed.

We may be in a relationship now. But we're always best friends first. And I can't let him have such an easy life.

“C'mon let's announce our relationship.” I said, hooking my arm with his.

“I bet they all saw it coming.” Tristan chuckled.

————

I was peacefully using my phone sitting on the living room couch when the trio got back from work.

Being the nice person I am, I took the bag from Zephyr, threw it on the couch and hugged him. “How're you?”

“I'm good.” He reciprocated the hug and chuckled. “Looks like you missed me.”

“Not really… maybe just a little.” I acted casual and sat back on my seat. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course I did.” I loved hearing that. “I wanted to come pick you up but we were all stuck at an important meeting so I sent the driver.”

“It's okay.”

“I didn't get a hug.” Ares looked at me weirdly.

“Because I didn't miss you. You didn't miss me either so it's even.” I shrugged.

“Who said I didn't miss you?” He questioned taking a seat beside me.

“Your chat records. I didn't receive a ‘have a great day at school’ text. Neither did you message to ask if everything's going good or if it's okay if your driver comes to pick me up. But Zephyr did all that.”

“So you’re mad because I didn't text you?”

I kept my face neutral. “Not at all. Why would I be mad? It's not your responsibility. Zephyr’s my dad and he's taking good care of me. You can chill and live your best bachelor life.”

I didn't let him defend himself and turned to Zephyr. “I took a few pictures for the exhibition today. Do you wanna finalize some with me?”

“Sure. I'll just quickly freshen up.”

————

“Would you consider your relationship with Tristan to be a rebound?” Eleni asked.

The question truly bothered me. It implied I was using Tristan to move on from my past. I could never do that to him. I was with him because I wanted to. Because I loved him just as much as he loved me.

It's been five days since Tristan and I started dating and after constant reassurance from Eleni that our conversations are private, I finally decided to tell her about my new relationship.

I expected appreciation but as always she figured out some flaw even in the best decision I've ever made.

“No. He was my best friend for years before I even knew anything about sex. I'm not with him for sex.”

“I'm not speaking about the sexual aspect of your relationship. Is he your emotional rebound?”

“He's happy to console me without the tag of a relationship. If that's what I wanted then I would’ve kept things as they were.”

“In my opinion…” She closed her notebook before looking up to give me her full attention. “As we’ve previously established… you wanted someone because you can't stay single. But this time you knew what you shouldn't seek, which are older men. You also knew what you should seek, which is an emotional bond. And so Tristan happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right feelings for you.”

I gave her a weird look before asking, “What's your point?”

“Look Athena, I understand sometimes the easiest way to move on is to replace the old thing with a new one. But-”

“Wait! Let's just establish something… I'm not using Tristan for anything. He's not a replacement for those pedos. He's my best friend, Eleni. I can't imagine playing with his feelings.”

“I'm not saying you’re using him but… sometimes we do things unintentionally-”

“I’m not doing anything unintentionally.” I was flaring up with each word she uttered.

“All I'm saying is that having a healthy relationship is good. It helps you in many ways but it may also arise problems that you're not ready for, that you wouldn't have had otherwise.” She spoke very slowly so I could understand each word. “So it's better to sort out yourself before dating anyone.”

“I know what I'm doing. I’ve sorted myself out enough.”

“Just hear me out, Athena. Your relationship with Tristan isn't wrong. But you should give yourself time. You need to figure out your life because you might not be ready for a relationship right now and if you do exactly that then you might end up ruining even your precious friendship.”

“I won't let anyone or anything ruin our friendship.”

“But-”

“It's anyway too late now. I won't go to Tristan and tell him we can't date anymore because my psychiatrist thinks it's not a good idea.”

“Athena-”

“Can you for one second stop criticizing my decisions, Eleni?” My voice echoed through the library as I got up from my seat in anger.

“I'm just trying to help you.”

“Just because I've made some bad decisions in the past, doesn't mean I’m incapable of forming a single right one. My mind may be fucked up but I'm not as dumb as you or everyone else thinks.”

“I never said you're dumb-”

“You know what your problem is?” I spat the words out as my frustration got the better of me. “You're so focused on fixing me that you've completely disregarded that my actions were somewhere a reaction to my circumstances. You've made me so self aware that I can’t forget my mistakes. I doubt everything I do. And you add to my unconfidence by always suggesting I might've messed up again.”

“Athena, maybe I haven't communicated well with you-”

“You know what I think is the strongest emotion? The purest form of all? Guilt. It makes a person human. It eats away your peace and leaves you with nothing but the remnants of a person you once were. The person who was happy just the way she was.” I took a breath to calm down but my rage was only burning my insides. “Living with them and these sessions have made me so guilty, so fucking guilty that I… I don’t know how to feel normal again.”

I didn't let her speak. I wanted to get my point across. I wanted to say what I've been burying in my chest for so long. “You're adamant on putting all my mistakes on me and I'm dying everyday thinking about how I destroyed my life with my own bloody hands. But those who have done me wrong are happy in their lives. Zephyr might regret his decision now but he can't reach the level of pain I feel for ruining the happiness I could’ve had. And let's not talk about Hades and Ares,” I let out a mocking laugh. “They're enjoying their best life. No daughter. No responsibilities.”

She stayed silent, giving me time to get everything out of my system. “Just like they don't see my pain, you don't either. You keep telling me it's all my fault. I ruined my life and only I can fix it. But that's false. I can't fix it alone. I'm weak. But you want me to leave the only person who truly understands me.”

I’ve done everything I thought was right. I've changed as much as I could. But now everyone is criticizing each of my decisions. I won't let them control my whole life.

Even if I am making a few mistakes, it's part of life. They can't protect me so much that I just become a puppet unable to formulate my own thoughts.

Some things just feel right. Even if it's the wrong time, Tristan is right for me. He always has been even when I failed to see it.

When I finally fell silent Eleni passed me a glass of water. I didn't feel like being civil but I knew my life wasn't a mess because of her so I didn't see it fit to take my frustration out on her and took the glass, taking a seat opposite to her.

“I’ve been a psychiatrist for more than two decades now, Athena. I have hundreds of patients, all with different issues, circumstances and backgrounds. Each time I can suggest them the best possible solution to their problem. But those solutions aren't always viable. Everyone doesn't have the privilege to implement them.”

I was confused why she was telling me that but I didn't interrupt her. “You're correct, the triplets must realize how their mistakes have affected your life, they must feel guilty for what they've done to you. But they aren't my patients, you are. I can only advise you to change your habits, behavior, decisions and everything that will be best for you.”

“So you think it's fair that I keep living with them acting as if nothing in the past ever happened?”

“I can't let you depend your life on their best effort to repent. Life is always unfair. They might not ever understand your side but that shouldn't stop you from improving yourself. Even if you have a family, there are some things you have to do alone. You can't seek them to miraculously change your life for the better. You have to do it yourself. For yourself. You have to take what you're getting and make the most out of it.”

“And what I'm getting are people who want me to act like I was never abandoned.”

Eleni sighs and nods at my words. “You’ve already suffered a lot in life, Athena. Being your psychiatrist, I would recommend you to choose some peace. Even if it's being offered by the very people you haven't forgiven.”

I shook my head as another way of irritation surges through me. “I have some homework, Mrs Drakos. I'll have to go now.” I didn't wait for her reply and moved to the door but before leaving I said one last thing. “I hope you know I'm not the only one who needs therapy here.”