Jovi raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Quickfire? Sounds like something a third-rate supervillain would come up with after a few too many protein shakes. You sure you didn't steal that from some knockoff comic book?" Was she testing the waters here? Yes. Was she probably going to get detention for this? Yes. Did she care? No. She was having too much fun.

Coach's eyes gleamed with that dangerous, calculating look. "Oh no, Winchester, I came up with it all on my own. Because that's all you are—just a bunch of sparks with no follow-through. All fire, no substance."

Jovi crossed her arms, clearly enjoying herself now. "You say that, but wait until I lead a full-blown rebellion against this gym class. We're talking total revolution, Coach. You're gonna need more than a whistle and some insults when I'm done."

"Tell you what, Quickfire, if you manage to go one class without your smart mouth running a marathon, I'll let you choose the final gym activity of the semester. But if you can't—" she smirked, "—you'll be running laps until your precious Winchester name is nothing but a footnote."

The class was now interested in the competition Coach was proposing, if Jovi Winchester could save them from Margaret's wrath then they'd stand by her every step of the way. Jovi's eyes sparkled with amusement, already knowing where this was headed. "Deal. But when I win, I expect a statue of me out front. Something in marble. Maybe with a sword."

Coach straightened, her expression stone cold but with a glimmer of amusement flickering beneath. "You keep dreaming, Jovi. You'll be lucky if you get a plaque in the detention hall"

Jovi grinned "we'll see"

Coach stared back at her "we will"

Jovi couldn't help but feel like she'd found her new favorite sparring partner. Sure, Margaret Steele was ruthless, but if anyone could keep up with Jovi Winchester's razor-sharp wit, it was her. Let the games begin.

☆

𝑱𝒐𝒗𝒊 𝒔𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 of the classroom, her black leather jacket slung over her chair, she wore a look that said she couldn't care less about trigonometry or anything Mr. Thompson was droning on about. She was too busy doodling in her notebook—elaborate sketches of monsters, weapons, and sarcastic remarks in speech bubbles. The usual.

From the corner of her eye, Jovi noticed Blake Winslow — He was
sat beside her, attempting to solve a math problem, but his usual confident swagger seemed a little off. His eyes kept darting in her direction. Jovi smirked.

Oh, he's trying.

She watched as Blake squared his shoulders, Jovi just raised an eyebrow, twirling her pen.

"So," Blake said, with far more confidence than he actually deserved, "how do you solve for x when the hypotenuse is, uh... 17?"

Jovi almost snorted. Seriously? She leaned forward, folding her arms on the desk. "Hypotenuse, huh? Look at you, using big boy words. Color me impressed."

Blake's grin faltered for a split second, but he recovered quickly. "Well, you know... I figured I'd show off a little. Hypotenuses are kinda my thing."

Jovi gave him a slow clap, not even trying to hide the sarcasm. "Wow, I bet you're so fun at parties."

Blake scratched the back of his neck, clearly trying to play it cool, but Jovi was making it overly difficult.

"Well, Jovi," Blake said, pushing his luck as he leaded towards her. "if you ever want me to tutor you in trig, you know, I could make time between football practice. Maybe dinner after?"

Jovi stared at him, her green eyes sparkling with that unmistakable mischief as she tried to hide the heat that threatened to rise to her cheeks. "Dinner, huh? That's cute. But you know what's cuter? Not pretending you know math when we both know you probably barely scraped by last semester."

Blake blinked, then chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay, okay, fair. But in my defense, I was more focused on... other things."

Jovi's grin widened. "Right, like looking good in your uniform? Nice try, Captain America. But you're gonna have to bring more than abs and dimples if you want to impress me."

Blake winced, his confidence taking another hit, but Jovi could see he wasn't giving up yet. In some weird way, she kind of respected that.

"Okay, how about this," Blake said, leaning on the desk, a spark of determination in his eyes. "I'll ace the next test. If I do, you owe me one coffee—just one."

Jovi tilted her head, amused. A bet? Now he had her attention.

"Alright, Blake," she said, tapping her pen against her notebook. "But when you fail—because, spoiler alert, you will—I'll let you buy me that coffee anyway. Deal?"

Blake grinned, his confidence restored. "Deal. But don't be too surprised when I win."

As he turned to sit down, Jovi smirked to herself. Sure, golden boy. Let's see what you got.

☆

𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚, Jovi found Ares heading out of the school. With a grin, Jovi ran up to him placing both her hands on his shoulders making him jump. His head snapping back to spot the smiling girl "What is wrong with you? I could've —"

"What? Punched the air beside me? Ran off like a wuss? Or maybe even let out a scream? We both know you're jumpy" Jovi remarked the mischief swimming in her eyes, Ares jaw clenched in annoyance "I'm a hunter too, you know?" Jovi scoffed, Hunter? Please! If he was a hunter she was god! "You? A hunter? More like an amateur but whatever helps you sleep at night" she told him continuing to walk down the steps of the school, Ares followed after her "I could be a professional if you'd help train me, I'm learning everything from Claire of all people!"

Jovi laughed complete entertained by the boys request. Train him? Ares Cassidy? He wasn't the Hunter type, sure, he had the flannel down but other than that what else did he have to offer? Fuck all. "Train you? Ares hunting isn't a game, it's not something you can escape either. Once you get started that's it, the rest of your life over. You should stick to being a normal person while you still have a chance"

Ares eyes hardened as he continued to follow after her, they were walking back to Jody's seeing as she was too busy to pick them up. "Yet here you are?"

Annoyance flashed across Jovi's face as she stopped turning fully to face him "I'm here because of hunting, because my dad's trying to prevent me from being killed by something supernatural. You don't understand anything I've been through because of that damn job, what I've lost, what I've survived, the trauma that comes with it. It's hell, Ares. So do yourself a favour and let it go, you don't need to get yourself killed too." She meant every damn word of that, she'd lost count of the amount of people that had died because of them, what they'd been through as a family, the amount of times all of the Winchesters had died and come back. All of it was forever engraved in her memory no matter how much tired to erase the memories or the guilt. If she could save someone else from her lifestyle she'd try.

Ares watched as Jovi turned on her heel walking away from him, his jaw twitched in frustration. He just wanted to be a hunter too, Jovi was a Winchester. She'd faced everything from ghosts to Heaven and Hell itself. Winchesters were legends amongst the hunters, if anyone could teach him how to do the job and not die trying, it's her. With a heavy sigh he dragged his feet following after her.

☆

𝑱𝒐𝒗𝒊 𝒔𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒅, her phone pressed to her ear. As the line rang, she absentmindedly tapped her boot against the floor, trying to think of the best way to explain this latest headache. The familiar gravelly voice of her dad, finally crackled through the phone.

"Hey angel, how was school?"

Jovi smiled at the sound of his voice finding comfort in the sound of it, she could feel herself calm down finally having someone to talk to about her situation. "Good, I guess, I mean it's school"

Dean chuckled on the other end of the line "that's good, hey, you're not gonna believe what we came across on the last hunt?"

Jovi could hear the excitement in his tone as he spoke, she could practically see the smile on his face "I don't know? Barney the dinosaur?"

"Nope, even better" Dean responded, Jovi let out a sigh "okay, what?"

"A werepyre"

Jovi blinked for a few seconds, what the hell what that? And why did he sound so proud of himself? "I'm sorry, what?"

"A werewolf vampire cross...a werepyre — I know you wanna say it too..."

Jovi only had one thought on her mind and it wasn't saying the word 'werepyre' "um...no, no I don't. But wait, tell me, did it look anything like Klaus Mikaelson? You know the one in the vampire diaries? Cause if it did I'm coming straight home—"

"No, Jovi. No, it didn't. You realise these are monsters right?" Dean replied exasperatedly, tired of his daughter's crush on the character. "But I could fix him..." Jovi said letting out a dreamy sigh, Dean rolled his eyes "okay, forget the fact his a good few centuries older than you and a psychopath—"

"At least his entertaining..." Jovi added which wasn't a chuckle from her dad, she then sighed returning to why she was calling her dad "anyway, I wanted to speak to you about something...well, someone — Ares to be exact"

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a slight groan. "Ares Cassidy? Like your... buddy or something?"

Jovi rolled her eyes. "He's not my 'buddy,' Dad. He's... I don't know. He's a walking disaster with a caffeine addiction. But the thing is, he's been going on and on about becoming a hunter. Like, he's dead serious about it. And I've tried to shut him down, but the guy doesn't get it. I need advice here."

Dean sighed, and she could practically hear him rubbing his hand over his face. "Great. Another one who thinks hunting's all cool and heroic 'cause of the stories, huh?"

Jovi nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Exactly. It's like he read Supernatural one too many times and thinks he's about to join the family business or something. He's been asking all these questions, and now he's begging me to train him. I keep telling him it's not what he thinks, but he won't let it go."

"Sounds like a pain in the ass," Dean muttered, and Jovi could hear the sound of a beer bottle opening on his end. "What does he think he's gonna do? Roll in and start taking down vamps like he's a damn superhero?"

"That's the thing," Jovi said, lying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. "He's not completely clueless. He's got some weird genius-level brain when it comes to research and figuring things out. But the field work? The real stuff? I don't know if he's cut out for it. I mean, you saw how he was on that vamp hunt. He talks big, but..."

Dean chuckled darkly. "Yeah, well, research ain't gonna save you when a ghoul's about to rip your throat out. Look, Jovi, this isn't a game. You know that. We've lost too many people who thought they could handle it. If he's already freezing up, then he's got no business out there."

And that's exactly what she said but did Ares listen? No, probably not. He'd probably try again tomorrow...

"I know that, Dad," Jovi replied, frustration creeping into her voice. "But I can't seem to get through to him. I tried telling him what hunting really is but he doesn't get it. And honestly, I don't want him getting himself killed trying to prove something. He doesn't get what it does to you. To your head. To your... life."

It wasn't that she cared about Ares or anything...but she didn't want more blood on her hands especially not his, she couldn't do that to Donna. There was a long silence on the other end. Jovi knew what her dad was thinking. The price hunters paid wasn't just physical; it was emotional, mental— scars that didn't heal. He'd spent his whole life trying to protect her from it, but here she was, already deep in the game.

Dean's voice was quieter when he finally spoke. "Sounds like this kid's got a death wish, or at least doesn't understand what he's asking for. And if he's got his mind set on it, there's not a whole lot you can say that's gonna change that. Trust me. I've been there."

Jovi exhaled sharply, sitting up again. "So what do I do? I can't exactly drag him out on a hunt just to prove a point. And I'm not letting him follow me around until something bad happens."

"No, you definitely don't do that," Dean said quickly. "Last thing you want is for him to think you're encouraging this. You've already told him what the life's really like, right? The truth? About the blood, the nightmares, losing people?"

Jovi nodded. "Yeah, I've tried. But it's like he only hears the parts that make it sound like an action movie. Not the 'my dad's been stabbed and tortured more times than I can count' part."

Dean sighed again. "Yeah, well, maybe he needs to see it for himself. Not a hunt, but... I don't know. Something that shows him it ain't all fun and games. Maybe talk to Sam. He's good with the whole 'talking people out of bad decisions' thing."

Jovi snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll love that. 'Hey, Ares,my uncle wants to talk to you about your bad decisions' That'll really sell it."

Dean chuckled. "Better he sees the ugly truth now than get himself killed because he's in over his head. But listen, Jov, you can't save everyone from making stupid choices. If he's set on this, you can try to steer him away, but in the end, he's gotta make that decision for himself."

Jovi stared at the horizon, chewing her bottom lip. "Yeah, I know. It just sucks, you know? I've had to watch enough people I care about get hurt. I don't wanna add Ares to the list, even if he drives me insane."

Dean's voice softened, just a bit. "You've got a good heart, Jovi. Too good, sometimes. But you can't control everything. Just keep doing what you're doing—be honest with him, show him what it really means to live this life, and if he still doesn't get it... well, that's on him."

Jovi smiled faintly. "Thanks, Dad. I just needed to hear that. I'll figure it out."

"You always do," Dean said, a hint of pride in his voice. "But hey, if he pushes too hard, you let me know. I'll talk to him."

Jovi laughed. "What, you gonna give him the 'big bad hunter' speech? Scare him off?"

"I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve," Dean replied, his voice lightening. "Just say the word."

"Will do, Dad. Thanks."

"No problem, kiddo. Stay safe out there."

Jovi hung up, staring at her phone for a second longer. She could already imagine Ares texting her later, probably sending some meme about 'being born to hunt' or whatever ridiculous thing he was fixated on now. But at least now, she had a better idea of how to handle it.

She smiled to herself, slipping her phone into her jacket pocket. Maybe Dean was right. Sometimes, the only way to get through to people like Ares was to let them see the real cost of hunting.

And if that meant sharing some of her darkest moments, then so be it.

☆

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒐𝒗𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 the corridor heading to Ares room, she wore some shorts and a tank top dragging her feet as she headed to the white wooden door. She sighed knocking on it waiting for Ares answer — she didn't want to walk in on something she'd never be able to unsee...

After a moment Ares called out a "come in!"

Jovi pushed the door open spotting the boy sitting on his bed leaning against his headboard computer in lap, he glanced at her confused not knowing why she'd willingly be coming to see him. "Uh? I didn't say Bloody Mary three times right?"

Jovi glared at him "hilarious, but don't even joke about her. The bitch is real" oh yeah that hunt had scarred her for life, you will never catch Jovi Winchester saying Blood Mary three times in a mirror — ever. Ares face pulled into one of slight fear and confusion. "she is?"

Jovi nodded sitting on the end of his bed "yeah, she's a real bitch too. Had it out for Sam"

Ares blinked not knowing how to respond to that, Jovi shook her head getting back to why she was there "okay, listen, hunting? This isn't a game. You keep talking like this is some kind of puzzle, or mystery to solve, like it's a joke. But it's not. It's real, and it's bloody, and people die, Ares."

He blinked, completely taken aback by her sudden shift in tone. "Whoa, I—"

"No." Jovi cut him off again, her eyes locking onto his. "You want to be a hunter so bad, but you don't have a clue what you're asking for. You think it's cool, that it's all about adrenaline and big bad monsters. But you've never had to live with what it actually costs."

Ares was quiet for a rare moment, his usual grin faltering. "I know it's dangerous, Jovi. I'm not dumb. I just... I want to help."

Jovi shook her head, her voice softer now but still firm. "You think you're ready for this life? Then I'm going to show you something. Something that's not in any of the books or lore you've been reading."

Ares brows pulled together as he sat up properly, Jovi was about to open up to him so he couldn't act as though he didn't care because he did...deep, deep down.

Jovi turned so her back was to him, she pulled the top of her top down revealing long faded scratch marks above her shoulder blade. Ares leaned forward his hands delicately brushing her hair aside as he looked at the scars sending involuntary shivers down her spine. "that was from a Daeva back in 2006, they tried to kill us after a demon was controlling them." Ares didn't know what a Daeva was but it sounded serious enough to make his eyes widen. She then turned back to him, she threw her hair back over her shoulders lifting her neck pointing to the small scar on the side of it "Lucifer, I was 9. He beat me to hell and was going to slit my throat but Sam managed to pull back at the last minute"

Ares face paled at the thought of Lucifer, he didn't even know the full story but the brief explanation sounded terrifying to him. She then lifted her leg showing him the long jagged scar on her inner thigh "this one was from purgatory, werewolf caught me with its claw. Dad had to use my earrings to try and sow it up, hurt like hell" Ares winced at the thought of piercing his own skin with the blunt end of a earring, in fact it made him want to throw up but here Jovi was perfectly fine after endearing all that pain and suffering. Her skin was like a roadmap of pain and she wasn't even done yet. She then lifted the tank top to show the scar that ran just below her ribs "this one was a hunter gone rogue. He tried to kill us on multiple occasions, hated me and Sammy. Anyway he stabbed me, if Sam hadn't of finished him off when he did — I could've died. Almost spent my 7th birthday in hospital"

Jovi turned to face him again. For the first time, Ares was silent. His usual snark, his cocky bravado — it was gone. He just sat there, staring at her, clearly struggling to find words.

"This is what it means to hunt," Jovi said quietly, her voice steady but with an edge that cut through the night air. "It's not just fighting monsters. It's blood and pain and scars that never fully heal. It's losing people. Watching your friends, your family, get hurt—or worse."

Ares opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was completely