title: lessons in love

summary: "what do you even see in him?" In which love is messy and stupid and Athena cares a little too much. The 'Not even Greek Gods are Safe from High School AUs' AU—Athena/Ares/Aphrodite/Hephaestus

notes: i didn't know i shipped this until i wrote it. hello there ot4

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1.

When Athena finds them, getting hot and heavy in the girls' bathroom, she isn't surprised. Mostly she's disappointed. This isn't the first time.

"I thought you were done with him," Athena says to her sister once they're home. She's leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, watching as Aphrodite puts on her makeup at the vanity (idly, Athena thinks that the name is fitting, and even more so that her sister owns one. Aphrodite spends a lot of time sitting at her vanity).

"Ares?" Aphrodite says, putting on lip gloss. She smacks her lips together. "I'm just having fun Athena, don't worry it's nothing serious." Athena scoffs. That's not what she's worried about.

"Of course it isn't serious," Athena says sort of meanly, "You aren't the type for serious relationships. Unfortunately." Aphrodite whips around to face her and narrows her green eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean," she says hotly and suddenly Athena is angry.

"It means," she says slowly, "that too often, you forget."

Aphrodite scowls and turns back to her mirror. "Get out."

Athena complies.

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2.

She corners him in the halls after third period is over. For once, he isn't swarmed by his other asshole football friends.

"Stay away from her," she tells him. Ares just gives her this confused look before recognition slowly settles in.

"You're Aphrodite's older sister right?" he asks.

"Stay away from her," Athena repeats and this time Ares smirks.

"Aw," he says mockingly, "Are you jealous?" He looks at her lustfully and traces patterns on her bare shoulder with his fingertips. Her skin sizzles. "I'm sure Aphrodite wouldn't mind very much if you and I had fun of our own."

Athena slaps his hand away and he has the nerve to keep smirking at her. "You disgust me," she sneers, "Don't go near her again. She's already in a relationship. She has a boyfriend."

Ares snorts. "That scrawny little geek?" he says and then pauses, "You didn't tell him did you?" His eyes are narrowed at her in suspicion. Athena has never hated a person so much.

"I didn't have to," is all she says and then, "Just leave my sister alone."

Ares glares at her. "This isn't any of your fucking business," he says and then shoves past her just as the late bell rings.

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3.

"What do you even see in him?" Athena asks and walks over to sit on Aphrodite's bed. It's after school and while Aphrodite is trying to figure out the difference between a natural and artificial transmutation, Athena is still trying to figure out this thing that Aphrodite has going on with Ares (that asshole). And really, the only reason she's involved is because Hephaestus is pretty much her best friend and this thing is going to end in heartbreak, maybe for all of them but mostly for him.

"He's mean and short-tempered and crude—"

"He's passionate," Aphrodite says, looking up from her Chemistry textbook with this light in her eyes. Athena glances at her curiously and sees the dreamy smile on her sister's face.

She realizes that Aphrodite had lied before.

You're a horrible person, she wants to say but she doesn't. She doesn't feel like fighting this time. Instead she gets up from Aphrodite's bed, the springs creaking as she does so, and leaves.

Athena knows when to pick her battles.

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4.

Athena sits next to Hephaestus in art class. They've been working on sculptures for the past three weeks. Hephaestus creates something beautiful out of scrapped metal, aluminum foil and old pieces of jewelry. It's a sculpture of a woman (parts of a woman anyway, so far it is just the head and torso).

She wrinkles her nose at her own clay owl and it's misshapen head. Art has never been a strong point of hers.

"That's lovely," she comments and Hephaestus smiles.

"Thanks," he says, "It's supposed to be Aphrodite. Do you think she'll like it?"

Her stomach drops and yes, after looking at it more closely she can see that the sculpture has the same jade color for her sister's eyes, the same slender neck and sloped nose. Athena stares back at Hephaestus' hopeful eyes and shy smile and thinks that Aphrodite doesn't deserve it. Any of it.

"I hope so," she says because she doesn't want to lie.

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5.

Athena glares at the back of Ares head in World History because maybe if she tries hard enough, she actually will burn holes into his head.

It doesn't work (obviously, and she tries not to feel too disappointed) and so instead she opts for subtly flicking things at his head (childish? yes—Artemis raises an eyebrow at her but otherwise says nothing—but Athena really does not give a fuck right now) like little balls of paper. And then her pink eraser when she gets tired of ripping off pieces of paper from her notebook.

He turns around suddenly and yells at her to fucking knock it off. The class goes silent very quickly and no one speaks for a long time, practically choking on the tension between the two of them. It takes the teacher, a few seconds even, to get any words out.

Predictably, it's to tell the both of them that they have detention.

Athena's eyes widen. She's never had detention before and this is going to ruin her perfect record and it's all his fault.

She resists the urge to kick him as she walks by his desk when the bell rings.

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6.

Athena drags Hephaestus to a wild party at Eris' house. He didn't even want to go. She didn't even want to go and the only reason she's here is because Artemis made her come and the only reason Artemis is here is because Apollo is and it's basically Artemis' job to be her brother's caretaker or whatever because he would probably end up getting hit by a car whilst running naked through the streets with a lampshade on his head (Apollo would like to point out that, for the record, this has only happened once thanks).

The party is absolutely chaotic, with basically everyone in the entire school being there dancing and laughing and making out and getting into fights. There is also an endless supply of alcohol (courtesy of Dionysus).

Athena gets absolutely shitfaced, having never really had alcohol before and somehow ends up in Eris' bedroom. She can't remember how she'd even found Eris' room. So anyway, Hephaestus finds her there minutes later, sprawled on Eris' bed and crying over how she'll never be accepted into any exceptional college because of Ares and that stupid detention and God, he is such a horrible person.

Hephaestus almost looks amused. "You're being overly dramatic," he says and sits beside her.

"No, no I am not," Athena says seriously in response, sitting up, and then for a minute she just stares at him and thinks about how awful Ares is and how terrible Aphrodite is and how selfish and horrible their children would be and Athena thinks about how Hephaestus is such a wonderful person and such a nice friend and he may not be the most handsome but he's got the most lovely hazel eyes Athena has ever seen and he doesn't deserve all this shit, he deserves so much better and wow she really feels like crying but instead she leans over and kisses him.

She is sort of surprised at how good he is at this and wonders if he's ever kissed Aphrodite like this. It doesn't last very long though. After about four seconds Hephaestus puts his hands on her shoulders and pulls her away from him and looks at her with shock.

"What are you doing? You know that I'm—"

"She's cheating on you," she blurts out suddenly and Hephaestus is very still. Athena looks down.

"I know." His voice is barely above a whisper. Her heart twists and her stomach lurches. She hates everything.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly.

And then she leans over and throws up on his shoes.

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7.

Aphrodite comes home late one night, sneaking into the house after their parents have already gone to bed.

Athena only knows this because she'd been in the kitchen drinking a glass of water when Aphrodite walked in.

Aphrodite walks past Athena and stops, puts a finger to her smirking lips and winks at her sister before walking up the stairs to her bedroom. Athena inhales sharply.

She was wearing his jersey.

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8.

It starts off like this:

"You told him."

"What?"

"About me and Aphrodite. About where we were."

"No, I didn't."

"Then how'd he know where'd we be? How'd he find out about us?"

"Because he isn't a fucking idiot! Everyone knows! You aren't even trying to hide it anymore, I don't think you ever have!"

"Why do you even care? What are you—Are you jealous?"

"What? No. You are repulsive."

"You're jealous."

"Shut up."

"This is priceless. I can't believe this—"

"If you don't shut up I will make you."

"Go ahead and try."

It ends with:

Athena and Ares in a janitor's closet, his lips against hers and her legs around his waist as he pushes her against the wall. They grind their hips together and her hands are in his messy red hair.

It burns when he kisses her and Athena wonders if this is the passion her sister talked about.

.

9.

"And that is why I am a horrible person," Athena says and then buries her face into Artemis' pillow. She's sleeping over at her house this time. She can't be at home right now, around Aphrodite. She feels ashamed. She turns her head to peek at her friend.

Artemis looks thoughtful, twirling curly brown hair with her index finger. "It's kind of interesting," she says, "You've managed to turn their little love triangle into a more complex love—well not, square, I guess, it's kind of more of a distorted...doodle...thingy."

"Love doodle thingy. Articulate," Athena deadpans and Artemis rolls her eyes, "Also, way to make me feel better, Artie. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Artemis replies.

"This is all very messy," Athena continues and runs a hand through her short dark hair, "I hate messy."

"You want my advice?" Artemis says.

"Well I didn't come here for the free food," Athena says dryly (it's only half a joke because seriously, Apollo makes the most amazing food whenever Athena's over).

Artemis ignores her.

"Take a step back from this," Artemis says, "Just distance yourself from the entire situation. You had good intentions when this started, I know you did, but you care too much. You have to stop."

Athena sighs and hides her face in the pillow again.

She wishes it were that easy.