Categories > Cartoons > Class of the Titans > The Art of Song
When dawn finally broke he grasped that he wasn't going to find any sleep no matter how much he wanted it. There was simply too much to think about. In a few hours time he was going to reveal to the titans exactly what had happened between him and Cronus...and a bit of family history they needed to understand before meeting his family for the first time, even if it meant trotting down a path that had long since been emotionally barricaded. How was he ever going to tell them that he'd been apart of such a scandalous affair? Well...I guess we'll find out soon enough he thought.
Getting up from his lumpy mattress set, he walked over to the mirror where heavy bags under his eyes seemed the welcome edition to the rest of the sleepless package thrust upon him that night...morning. Pulling on a bathrobe, he walked over to the door and left his room. "I'm going to need a lot of coffee if I hope to make it through the day," he whispered, "a lot of coffee."
Upon entering the mini café that separated all their rooms, he wasn't at all surprised to find a beautiful red head waiting for him with a hot cup of coffee made ready. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asked trying to fight through her yawn.
"Not a wink," he said groggily, slumping down beside her and starting on the cup of coffee resting directly in front of him. "So what cause your sudden case of insomnia?" he asked curiously.
Blushing, she turned he head to the side and whispered, "Dreams...I've been having some dreams..."
Babbling wasn't something Theresa did often, but he knew her well enough to know that whatever she had been dreaming embarrassed her a great deal so he wouldn't press her. "Bad dream?" he asked.
"No..." she squeaked awkwardly.
"Good dream?" he asked trying to weasel an answer out of her.
"Hmm..." she replied, taking a sip of coffee in order to get away from answering.
The lights came on shortly thereafter as each of their friends cam bustling into the café: Chez DiLorio.
"What are you two doing up so early?" asked Atlanta yawning.
"Coffee," they grumbled at the same time.
Before long they were all sitting at the table pigging out on cinnamon buns, coffee and the likes. It was the point in the day everyone liked best. There was no plotting, no fighting, no...plotting. They could all just sit around and enjoy each other's company, before all the serious matters at hand were to be brought up, and Jay for one, was happy enough to put that off. Unfortunately there were just not enough hours in the morning for that to work, and as noon hit he finally faced the music...it was now or never, and never really wasn't an option.
"Alright, first of all I just wanted to apologize for not telling you guys this sooner, but, thanks so a certain individual who shall remain nameless, I've been placed under an enormous amount of stress...and it was rather private." Glancing over at all of them he nodded and continued. "As you all know, we're headed over to Greece to visit my family, but I never had the chance to tell you why. As you might have already read in the letter, my mother is celebrating her twenty-fifth anniversary on the seventeenth, and asked if I could attend."
"So we're going to go party it up with the Greeks?" asked Neil liking what he was hearing.
"Not exactly..." said Jay. "You see Cronus has threatened my parents safety, and so...we're actually going there to...get them out of there."
"Why would Cronus threaten your parents?" asked Herry, "it's not like they're..."
"He's using them to gain my co-operation," he explained interrupting Herry. "He thinks if he has my parents, he can use me to win him the Dorium in Messenia."
"I though you said you weren't the person we were looking for?" asked Archie with a smirk.
"I never said I was"
"In any case, don't worry Jay, we'll get your parents out of there safely," he said placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "Family's family right?" Smiling Jay nodded.
"What aren't you telling us?" asked Theresa sensing something wrong.
"Nothing. We'll be docking near Athens on the twelfth at around noon, and be flying out with my mom to Thesseloniki three hours later."
"What's happening on the fourteenth?" asked Theresa.
"Nothing," he said in the barest of whispers.
"If we want to open up the lines of communication batter," said Odie, "then now might be a good time to explain everything."
Jay turned his head and faced the wall wishing to be anywhere but where he was at the given moment. "The fourteenth...is the anniversary," he said swallowing a breath of air, "of the day I killed my brother Andy."
"You...no!" said Archie shaking his head, "you'd never...No!"
"I may not have killed him with my own hands," he whispered, "but I'm the reason he's dead all the same."
"How?" asked Atlanta.
Sighing he began his story, "when I was eleven-twelve, I was asked by the International Bureau of Music to start touring after they had come and listened to a concert I had performed in with my brother Andy, who was at that time only eight. When the touring started, Andy started changing. He was staying out late for an eight year old. He was getting into clubs by association with certain people we were touring with. I'd confronted him a number of times, and was told that he was just treating himself to some well-deserved recognition. Because he was associated with me, he was entitled to reap the benefits of my work so to say. One day I caught him with Jon's brother Mike smoking...smoking...anyways...on his ninth Birthday he died of a mild heart attack due to an overdose. His body couldn't take all the toxins he was pouring into his body...so it shut down...permanently. I quit the business and left the tour to live in Santorini, and I haven't sung or confronted my parents on the matter since. I've never even seen his grave."
He got up from the table quietly and headed back to his room.
"How can he think he killed his brother?" asked Atlanta.
"I don't know...I think there's something he's still not telling us," said Odie.
"Best not press him on it know," said Theresa watching him as he opened the door and went in. "Did anyone notice how tired he looked this morning?"
"Yeah, I wonder if he got any sleep last night?" asked Herry.
That's when they heard the sniffing.
"Neil?" the all shouted in unison.
"What?" he asked, "I've got something in my eye!"
"Are you crying?" asked Archie amused. "Don't worry I'm sure Jay'll be fine," he said patting his back.
"It's not that...I...I spilt coffee on my new silk pajamas," he said breaking down. "I'll never get that out."
Amidst all the whining, he never saw them leave. "Guys?" asked Neil, "Oh well!" Turning to head back to his room, he walked past Jay's door, which was partially opened. Glimpsing inside he saw Jay with his wallet out staring at a picture inside, shoulders shaking as he caressed the photo close to himself. Looking down at his slippers, he sighed and let himself in.
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I hope this is entertaining enough? I'm trying to put in somemore Drama. Any advice for the story is deeply...deeply...deeply appreciated!
Getting up from his lumpy mattress set, he walked over to the mirror where heavy bags under his eyes seemed the welcome edition to the rest of the sleepless package thrust upon him that night...morning. Pulling on a bathrobe, he walked over to the door and left his room. "I'm going to need a lot of coffee if I hope to make it through the day," he whispered, "a lot of coffee."
Upon entering the mini café that separated all their rooms, he wasn't at all surprised to find a beautiful red head waiting for him with a hot cup of coffee made ready. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asked trying to fight through her yawn.
"Not a wink," he said groggily, slumping down beside her and starting on the cup of coffee resting directly in front of him. "So what cause your sudden case of insomnia?" he asked curiously.
Blushing, she turned he head to the side and whispered, "Dreams...I've been having some dreams..."
Babbling wasn't something Theresa did often, but he knew her well enough to know that whatever she had been dreaming embarrassed her a great deal so he wouldn't press her. "Bad dream?" he asked.
"No..." she squeaked awkwardly.
"Good dream?" he asked trying to weasel an answer out of her.
"Hmm..." she replied, taking a sip of coffee in order to get away from answering.
The lights came on shortly thereafter as each of their friends cam bustling into the café: Chez DiLorio.
"What are you two doing up so early?" asked Atlanta yawning.
"Coffee," they grumbled at the same time.
Before long they were all sitting at the table pigging out on cinnamon buns, coffee and the likes. It was the point in the day everyone liked best. There was no plotting, no fighting, no...plotting. They could all just sit around and enjoy each other's company, before all the serious matters at hand were to be brought up, and Jay for one, was happy enough to put that off. Unfortunately there were just not enough hours in the morning for that to work, and as noon hit he finally faced the music...it was now or never, and never really wasn't an option.
"Alright, first of all I just wanted to apologize for not telling you guys this sooner, but, thanks so a certain individual who shall remain nameless, I've been placed under an enormous amount of stress...and it was rather private." Glancing over at all of them he nodded and continued. "As you all know, we're headed over to Greece to visit my family, but I never had the chance to tell you why. As you might have already read in the letter, my mother is celebrating her twenty-fifth anniversary on the seventeenth, and asked if I could attend."
"So we're going to go party it up with the Greeks?" asked Neil liking what he was hearing.
"Not exactly..." said Jay. "You see Cronus has threatened my parents safety, and so...we're actually going there to...get them out of there."
"Why would Cronus threaten your parents?" asked Herry, "it's not like they're..."
"He's using them to gain my co-operation," he explained interrupting Herry. "He thinks if he has my parents, he can use me to win him the Dorium in Messenia."
"I though you said you weren't the person we were looking for?" asked Archie with a smirk.
"I never said I was"
"In any case, don't worry Jay, we'll get your parents out of there safely," he said placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "Family's family right?" Smiling Jay nodded.
"What aren't you telling us?" asked Theresa sensing something wrong.
"Nothing. We'll be docking near Athens on the twelfth at around noon, and be flying out with my mom to Thesseloniki three hours later."
"What's happening on the fourteenth?" asked Theresa.
"Nothing," he said in the barest of whispers.
"If we want to open up the lines of communication batter," said Odie, "then now might be a good time to explain everything."
Jay turned his head and faced the wall wishing to be anywhere but where he was at the given moment. "The fourteenth...is the anniversary," he said swallowing a breath of air, "of the day I killed my brother Andy."
"You...no!" said Archie shaking his head, "you'd never...No!"
"I may not have killed him with my own hands," he whispered, "but I'm the reason he's dead all the same."
"How?" asked Atlanta.
Sighing he began his story, "when I was eleven-twelve, I was asked by the International Bureau of Music to start touring after they had come and listened to a concert I had performed in with my brother Andy, who was at that time only eight. When the touring started, Andy started changing. He was staying out late for an eight year old. He was getting into clubs by association with certain people we were touring with. I'd confronted him a number of times, and was told that he was just treating himself to some well-deserved recognition. Because he was associated with me, he was entitled to reap the benefits of my work so to say. One day I caught him with Jon's brother Mike smoking...smoking...anyways...on his ninth Birthday he died of a mild heart attack due to an overdose. His body couldn't take all the toxins he was pouring into his body...so it shut down...permanently. I quit the business and left the tour to live in Santorini, and I haven't sung or confronted my parents on the matter since. I've never even seen his grave."
He got up from the table quietly and headed back to his room.
"How can he think he killed his brother?" asked Atlanta.
"I don't know...I think there's something he's still not telling us," said Odie.
"Best not press him on it know," said Theresa watching him as he opened the door and went in. "Did anyone notice how tired he looked this morning?"
"Yeah, I wonder if he got any sleep last night?" asked Herry.
That's when they heard the sniffing.
"Neil?" the all shouted in unison.
"What?" he asked, "I've got something in my eye!"
"Are you crying?" asked Archie amused. "Don't worry I'm sure Jay'll be fine," he said patting his back.
"It's not that...I...I spilt coffee on my new silk pajamas," he said breaking down. "I'll never get that out."
Amidst all the whining, he never saw them leave. "Guys?" asked Neil, "Oh well!" Turning to head back to his room, he walked past Jay's door, which was partially opened. Glimpsing inside he saw Jay with his wallet out staring at a picture inside, shoulders shaking as he caressed the photo close to himself. Looking down at his slippers, he sighed and let himself in.
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I hope this is entertaining enough? I'm trying to put in somemore Drama. Any advice for the story is deeply...deeply...deeply appreciated!
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