FicWad

So here we go third chapter, I'm desperately hoping to put a really good fluff scene here with Jay and Theresa, I just don't know if it'll be any good. Well here's hoping.
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Theresa woke to find six worried faces looking back at her. Groggily she looked around and recognized the dorm living room.

"Welcome back."

Theresa turned and saw Jay sitting beside her. She offered a weak smile in greeting. Suddenly as her body began to wake, a pain in her hand caused her to let out a small cry.

"What is it?" Atlanta asked, dropping to her knees.

"My hand, it feels like it's broken."

Atlanta frowned and turned to the boys. "Archie get an icepack, Neil get the gauze from under the sink."

Herry watched the two boys hurry off to the next room. "Is there anything Odie and I can do?"

Jay got up and nodded. "Yeah you two track Cronus. Something about tonight doesn't feel right, there's no way he would give up so easily."

Odie and Herry exited. Atlanta delicately picked up Theresa's bruised purple hand. Gingerly she began to apply pressure on it.

"It's not bad. Your wrist is sprained and two of your fingers are broken, but I can fix them. I once broke all my fingers when I was rock-climbing."

"Theresa what happened? When I found you, you were lying on the ground of the mine. Why did you go in there alone? You should have brought someone with you."

"But I couldn't!" Theresa blurted out.

Before Jay could say anything Atlanta loudly cleared her throat and shot Jay a warning glance.

Just then Neil and Archie returned, carrying supplies in their hands. Atlanta caught the icepack as Archie tossed it to her.

"Put this over your hand 'till the swelling goes down. Jay could I talk to you?"

Jay looked over at her confused.

"Now." She added, a little more firmly.

Reluctantly, Jay left Theresa's side and followed Atlanta.

As soon as they stepped out into the hall Atlanta looked over her shoulder to make sure they were out of ear shot, and turned around to face Jay.

"What was that all about?" she whispered, glaring at him.

"What are you talking about?" he whispered back, feeling foolish.

"Oh come on, attacking Theresa like that! Why are you being so crazy protective around her?"

"Atlanta when a member of my team gets hurt I think I'm aloud to be protective."

Atlanta shook her head. "That's weak and you know it."

"Are we done here?"

"Well there was one thing." Atlanta's voice suddenly lost its harshness and instead became concerned.

"What?"

"It's the broken bones in her fingers."

"What about them?"

"I'm not sure but... it looked as if something had crushed them."

"Like what?"

Atlanta shrugged. "No idea, something powerful though."

"One of the giants?"

"Maybe."

"Well we can ask her."

"I... don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Haven't you noticed? Theresa's been so weird lately. I think there's something she's not telling us."

Jay nodded. "Yeah you're right. I noticed it for a while now. I just didn't think she would want to hide anything from us."

"You mean hide anything from you."

Jay opened his mouth to ask what that was supposed to mean, but Atlanta was already leaving. Frowning, Jay followed her.

As he entered the room he saw that Theresa was curled up on the couch, her feet tucked beneath her. Atlanta was sitting beside her, examining her hand. Atlanta was saying something but Theresa wasn't listening; her eyes were clouded and distant, staring out the window.

He was about to walk over to them when Archie and Neil came up to him.

"Do you need us for anything?" Asked Archie.

"Yeah, get some sleep. We've got archery class tomorrow."

Neil yawned and nodded, and both boys left. Jay looked up the girls again. Atlanta refused to make eye contact with him, and Theresa was still staring out the window. Jay sighed and pushed his hair away from his eyes. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly made his way to the couch.

"How you doing?"

"She's fine." Atlanta answered curtly. Then she stood and gave Jay a cold look. "Theresa your hand's done. Remember to keep it elevated and change the gauze every other day."

"Get some sleep okay?" Jay told her gently.

Theresa looked up and smiled at him. "Thanks you guys." And slowly she rose and left for her room; leaving Jay and Atlanta alone.

"Do you want explain what the heck is going on with you?"

"Look, I'm just getting so... annoyed with you."

"What, why?"

"Whatever. You can live in denial about you and Theresa all you want, but one of these days you're gonna realize what a total idiot you're being and by then it'll be too late."

And with that she turned and stomped upstairs, leaving Jay alone.
§ § §

Theresa stared up at her ceiling, her mind running the scene of Cronus and the rock over and over again. What had that stone done? What was that pain that had coursed through her body? And what did he mean when he said she would make Jay suffer?

Theresa shook her head and lifted herself off the bed. There were too many questions to be answered. It was time; she needed help. She looked over at her clock and saw it was 2:32, too late to go back to school and talk to Persephone. She sighed and looked back to her bed. But there was no way she could sleep tonight, not when every time she closed her eyes the image of a sneering Cronus appeared.

She walked toward the door and opened it, stepping out into the hall. She needed a distraction, maybe some TV. But as she neared her destination, she noticed a dim light coming from the living room.
§ § §

Jay sat on the couch, his head staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't been able to sleep, memories of his spat with Atlanta kept running through his mind. Or at least that was what he told himself. Jay didn't really care what Atlanta thought of him, it was concern for another certain red-head that kept him up.

The pale light from the lamp on the side table revealed that he was in his pyjamas, purple pyjama bottoms, and an old white muscle shirt. He had relived Herry and Odie of their monitoring duties and stayed up for hours searching for Cronus. But there was no sign. What was the renegade god up to? They had never won a battle so easily without Cronus doing something like releasing a monster or two on them.

"Jay?" Said a small confused voice behind him, which Jay instantly knew was Theresa.

"Oh Theresa I di-" The last words were caught in his throat as he turned to look at her. She was wearing a dainty almost see-through pink nighty that skimmed just below the top of her thigh, and had a plunging neckline that clearly showed of the top of her bust.

When he realized that his eyes must have been bulging out of his head he quickly turned away, his face growing hot. He tried desperately to shake away the tingling that was traveling up from his toes and along his stomach.

Theresa didn't seem to notice though. "Guess you have a freak case of insomnia too, huh?"

Jay gulped and nodded dumbly, the only thing he appeared to be able to do at the moment.

She smiled and folded her arms across her chest. Gracefully she walked forward and slid onto the couch next to him.

Jay felt his mouth water as the thin layer of silk rose up her thigh when she sat, revealing more milky white skin. It was all he could do to stop himself from whimpering. He could feel his blood begin to heat in his veins and quickly jumped off the couch, trying to put some distance between them.

"Jay no, please I...I really need someone to talk to. In fact it's best if I tell you first."

He looked down at her and for the first time could see the anxiety in her eyes. He prayed that he could keep his urges in check and sat back down on the couch. But as he watched her, all his previous thoughts evaporated, and he reached over and took her took her hand.

"It's alright, you can trust me."

"I know I can, I always could. I'm so sorry I didn't see that before."

"Um... you're not making any sense."

She let out a watery laugh as a warm crystal tear trickled down her cheek.

"Hey, don't..." Jay said, reaching up and wiping it away. His hand lingered on her cheek as she looked up at him. No words were spoken as emerald eyes met dark chocolate ones. Jay could feel himself being lost in her sparkling green gaze and slowly began to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Jay jerked his hand away and crossed his arms firmly over his chest. Maybe Atlanta's words had gotten to him after all.

"S-so you were saying?" He stuttered.

Theresa held back a laugh. He was cute when he was uncomfortable, she never noticed that before. Any other time she might have loved to continue this little game, but not tonight.

"Earlier today, in Persephone's office, I told you there wasn't any more to my vision."

"Was there?"

Theresa looked down at her hands folded in her lap and nodded.

"I had a feeling..." He sighed.

"Jay I-I'm so sorry, I knew I should have told you about it but I-"

Jay held up his hand to stop the flow of words. "It's alright. Tell me now."

Theresa closed her eyes and tried to remember. Her last vision had seemed so long ago.

"Well it starts with this huge black sea..." Slowly Theresa told Jay everything. Several times she paused, as if recalling the memories was too painful, but eventually she would continue on. Finally she stopped and let out a shaky breath, running her fingers through her hair. "That's all I remember."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. That's how my vision ends."

"I wasn't talking about your vision. Theresa what happened in the mine tonight?"

Theresa forced a smile. "Well I guess I've gone this far."

"If you aren't ready Theresa it's fine."

"No, you should know the whole truth. You deserve to know the truth."

She sighed and wondered where to begin. "I went into the mine because I saw Cronus."

"And you went after him alone! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well... you were all sort of... frozen."

"What?"

"Cronus froze all of you so I would follow him into the mine alone."

Jay looked over at her; his eyes flashed a wicked shade of cobalt. "Did he hurt you?"

Theresa almost flinched at the intensity of his words. "Please Jay just let me get this out." She said quietly.

Jay clenched his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white, and Theresa could see a muscle in his jaw twitch irritably but he stayed silent.

"I followed him until I reached a dead end and thought he had escaped, but when I stepped forward there was this huge wall of fire and I fell backwards. He caught me and...I don't know he must have knocked me out. But when I came to I wasn't in the mine anymore, I was in the desert from my vision. Only this time it wasn't a vision. He was there, Cronus I mean, and he told me that he knew about my premonitions. Jay he knew everything! Me not telling you about my visions, my talk with Persephone, I-I'm scared to think what else."

Slowly she lifted her bandaged hand. "He did this. Then he grabbed my throat and told me to listen to what he had to say."

Fury roared in Jay's ears and he grinded his teeth together.

"What did he say?" He asked slowly trying to keep his voice steady.

"Well at first he started to tell me something about dark magic, how it's the strongest form of magic. Then he told me I could have the ultimate power with the shadow stone."

"Shadow stone?"

"This small black stone he had in his pocket. He said that it drains all good magic and replaces it with dark."

"Do you think that was the same shadow from your vision?"

"I'm almost sure of it."

"Then what happened?"

"I said no, that I would never be like him. But he just smiled, he told me that he wasn't asking and threw the stone at my feet. At first it didn't really do anything but then..."

"What?" Jay asked in a whisper, almost fearing what she would say next.

"A pain like I've never felt before. It was like all my bones had turned to fire. I though for sure I was going to die when everything went black. The next thing I knew I was here, with you."

As she finished Theresa shut her eyes and breathed deeply. "That's all. That's everything that happened."

The two sat in silence as Jay let her story sink in. He tried to think about everything but his mind kept wondering back to the stone. If what Cronus said was true then did that mean Theresa was...? He looked over at her; her hands were neatly folded in her lap, her uninjured one trying to cover her bandaged hand from him. He reached over and placed his rough broad hand on both of hers, giving them a comforting squeeze. No, not his Theresa, not her.

"Thank you for telling me."

She looked up at him, her large green eyes filled with relief.

"Are you going to tell the others?"

"Well I thought I should, they need to know too."

"There going to see me differently now, I know it."

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a slight teasing tone in his voice. "You told me and I don't see you any differently."

"Jay that's different. You've always trusted me, and would still trust me no matter what."

"Why wouldn't the others trust you anymore?"

"Because of what that stone did to me! My vision told me Jay, it told not to let the shadow get me and now..."

Quickly Jay slid closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I would never let anything happen to you."

She smiled a tiny smile and looked at him. "Promise?"

"I swear."

The sincerity and fierce protection in his words surprised Jay. But he knew that it was true; he would die to protect her.

"I don't want to be alone tonight." She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The smell of sweat and Old Spice still lingered there.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly Jay lay back on the couch, holding Theresa close to his chest. As his head hit the pillow he reached up and clicked off the light. Theresa snuggled down beside him and rested her head on his chest. His steady breathing and the heat from his body slowly soothed her to sleep.

Jay watched her chest slowly rise and fall against him. The pale moonlight from the window turned her hair silver. Slowly he reached down and pulled a stray strand of hair behind her ear. In her sleep a small smile lit her face as his fingers grazed her cheek. He shifted his body slightly so he could wrap and arm around her, and placed his hand on her waist. As he moved, her body slid closer to him, and she sighed.

Before her warm scent pulled him into down into sleep he stared out the window. Cronus was out there somewhere. The world was depending on him. So what the hell was he doing falling in love?
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One of my reviewers asked to be mentioned here. It's a little bit of a weird request but reviewers deserve most of the credit for a successful story so thank you to:

Queen Denby

Pretty Gal

Krica

Loretta

Princessofoyownworld

Runty Grunty

Death

Justforstories

Brianna

Amanda!!!