Athena's Epilogue

Sporty body mist, shoe rubber, and an industrial disinfectant make up the indoor pickleball court smell that Athena has come to love. Skirt fluttering, ponytail bouncing, she bounds after the ball to go for an effortless backhand. Mary’s return is all business, and Sal is too intent on the match to be distracted by the spectacle presented by this redhead in motion. She hits with a vengeance, and Athena feels a spike of panic; it won’t be the first time that Sal has traded precision for strength, but the ball stays in bounds—yet Blair is there. Athena scrambles to react. That’s another point lost. There’s no beating Blair. At least, not without a taser.

Just as the athletics center has overtaken the salon as Athena’s favorite place to be, it seems like Pineapple Propel might be on its way to unseating Zero Sugar Dr. Pepper as her favorite drink.

The first big guzzle after a match is always the best. She chugs it down, then stretches and nudges Sal.

“You need to chill,” she says.

“I’ll chill when I’m dead. It’s this, or I kill that bitch with a screwdriver.”

“Babe, you can’t have beef with everyone I’ve ever found attractive.”

“You mean there’s others?”

This seems to be something that Athena must accept. Just like Bruce Wayne would’ve surely been a psycho killer if he hadn’t become Batman, if Sal can’t be a jock dickhead to Blair in pickleball, she would surely be a jock dickhead to her in some other way. Poor Blair has no idea why Sal hates her so much.

“Be serious.” Athena kisses Sal’s mouth, then looks at her watch. “C’mon.”

“What are we celebrating again?”

“Mary wouldn’t say.”

“Is she gonna be there?”

“Blair? I don’t know.”

“She’s not riding with us,” Sal warns.

ATHENA’S EPILOGUE

The sun is setting, but it’s still more than enough to gleam alluringly on bodies covered in suntan lotion at Tipsy Tiki. The smell of the bay almost overpowers everything else, and the soft lighting seems to cast a little hush over everything. The live band is all ukuleles. Last time they were here, Sal remarked that she would like it better if the waitresses wore grass skirts. Athena told her she sounded like a fifty-year-old man. Sal hadn’t liked that.

Their table is right at the railing; the water is below, and Athena’s eyes are constantly drawn to the horizon. The water close by is a teal color, but out there, it’s dark. There are clouds too, and distant thunder, even though the sky above is clear.

She glances at a young couple that passes the table, both in swimsuits. A few months ago, she’d have felt inadequate that she and Sal are no longer in that place in their lives, where they can walk in and order drinks in skimpy bikinis. They could, but they wouldn’t be half as comfortable as those kids are.

There are still perks to being married to a fashion designer. Sal doesn’t always look as cute as she might, but she always looks cool as hell. Although Athena wishes she wouldn’t always wear FUTA-branded stuff. Tees. Polos. They look good on her, but still.

She watches Sal gaze at the sunset, her sunglasses perched on her messy hair. Athena could stare at her all night.

Their drinks arrive, and so do Tracy and Jess. Mary, Blair, Athena, Sal—that’s everyone, at least for tonight. Jess and Tracy took on a pair of surgeons today that Athean’s crew has a growing rivalry with. It wasn’t pretty, because Mary and Jess are supposed to be a team. But Mary has made herself Blair’s partner until the right person comes along. It’s the right thing to do, and Jess knows it—she just hates losing.

But they don’t need to talk about that.

“What, no FUTA Salogal swag today?” Jess pouts, kicking Sal under the table.

“I’m gonna get everyone here the whole new tennis set. I just need to, uh, take some pictures of all of you so I can get the tailoring right.”

Athena kicks her. “We’ll get the swag soon.”

“I’ll have a screwdriver,” Sal says to the waitress.

Athena kicks her again.

“Hey, stop the DV,” Mary chides them. “I saw you guys making eyes at each other in the shower. Set my heart aflutter. Get along.”

“Awww,” Jess says.

“Well, I wanted to go do the orgy sex massages that you guys do,” Sal says defensively. “But you wanted to come here.”

“That’s right. Because we’re celebrating,” Mary says, with dignity.

“And I think calling them sex orgy massages kind of oversells it,” Tracy adds, with even more dignity.

Athena glances at Blair, who sits contentedly with her light beer, just listening.

“Babe,” Jess cuts in, nudging Mary. “What’s the news?”

Mary smirks, then lifts one hand to make devil horns. “Grandbaby on the way. Confirmed.”

One drink is spilled as gasps and cheers fill the air. Jess almost knocks Blair over to get to Mary and squeeze her.

Mary closes her eyes and raises one fist high in triumph. “Thanks,” she says, accepting hugs, and there’s emotion in her voice. “I did it. We did it. I want to thank the team. The fans.”

Athena finds Sal’s hand under the table and leans against her. “Oh my gosh. She’s so happy.”

“Of course she is,” Sal says, sounding a little shaken.

ATHENA’S EPILOGUE

The drinks flow after Mary’s announcement. It’s a real party now, and Jess is the first one to drag them toward the dance floor.

“There’s got to be a hot, single eco-terrorist for you here somewhere,” she says, yanking on a struggling Blair.

Sal’s had too many, and she’s ridiculous. She’s never been a club person, so her antics probably look like a parody to the actual cool, young people as she shimmies around, cozying up to Athena’s booty and feeling her up.

Athena doesn’t mind. Sal is… pretty cool in a lot of ways. But she’s incredibly white. Somehow, maybe even whiter than Athena.

That’s not important. What’s important are the three drinks that Athena has had. She removes Sal’s hand from her waist. “Bathroom,” she says, slipping away. She spots Blair at the bar and angles over to check on her.

“You good?” she asks.

“Of course.”

Athena hesitates. “OK. I’m glad you’re here.”

Blair looks around at the dancers, the patrons, the waitresses, and then at the sea. She sighs, shrugs, and with some effort, smiles. “Me too.”

There’s nothing to do but trust her.

“OK.” Athena heads into the restroom, checking her reflection as she waits patiently. The stall at the end of the row opens, and she heads over only to be hit from behind. “Yah!”

Sal pulls her into the stall and yanks the door shut with a snap, pushing her against the wall and kissing her hard.

“Mmm!” Athena only fights for a second. She glares, then can’t fight her dumb grin, but Sal doesn’t let her say whatever she’d been about to because Sal thrusts her hand between her legs. Athena gasps so loud that the bathroom goes quiet for a second. She claps a hand over her mouth and stares in disbelief.

Sal’s always been horny and impulsive, but this is a huge escalation. Athena wears a light dress and cotton undies, and Sal is past both of them. She holds nothing back, brutalizing Athena’s neck with hickeys while she shows off finger work that takes no prisoners. Athena wobbles and whimpers behind her trembling hand, going from mildly frisky to soaking wet in the space of a minute. Her legs squeeze while Sal strokes and kisses as though her life depends on it.

It’s almost scary how quickly it comes. Sal feels Athena stiffen up and kisses her, thrusting her fingers savagely into the orgasmic contractions, holding her with bone-crushing strength. When it’s over, Athena feels moisture as far down as her calves. She looks dazedly at her smug, triumphant wife.

“No communist can do that to you,” Sal says. “Don’t take too long. Don’t know what these MILFs will do to me without you around.” She plucks her sunglasses off her head and puts them on, then leaves the stall.

Athena slumps against the wall, knees shaking.

“Woo,” some woman says, and another politely applauds as Sal leaves, no doubt strutting outrageously.

Athena shakes her head, blushing hard. She’ll try to scold Sal later, and Sal will say some dumb shit like “Oh no, don’t spank me, mommy,” and—well, it’s obnoxious. Rolling her eyes, Athena grabs some TP to clean herself up. Annoyed or not, there’s still a smile on her face. She knows who she married.

THE END!

Athena and Sal and/or the Pickleball Crew may return someday. In the meantime, next week our yuri story will be in House Semya, so look for it there. Thanks for reading this one, I hope you enjoyed it.