Categories > Cartoons > Class of the Titans > Demons Within Me
Blood
21 reviewsArchie finally decides to start doing something about the future he knows awaits him if he doesn't act against the gods' murder plot. But instead of answers, he only gets more questions and an even...
5Ambiance
Demons Within Me
Disclaimer: see previous chapters
Warnings: uhh... blood. Violence, action, possible character death. The works.
Parings: Archie/Atlanta, they're mainly the only ones in this chapter
Authors Note: Umm, not much. Thanks for the awesome feedback on the previous chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. I've had the usual, writers block, lack of inspiration, a not-wanting-to-be-written (well) chapter. Also, I went on a week-long road trip sortta thing with the family, couldn't do anything while I was gone, neh? Hopefully this longer chapter will make up for my lack of posting.
That's right- this chapter is LONGER than usual.
AANNNDDDD I'm terribly sorry to the artists, I kind of forgot them, but there is some new art for 'DWM':
By KitKat:
http://www.freewebs.com/kitkat1327/cottrelatedart.htm
And by Phoenee:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4329/tulaisrandomxn7.jpg
And if I've forgotten anyone- please tell me.
On another note, changes have been made to Archie's dream in the chapter 'Omens'. Nothing too big- just that the warning he got isn't that this 'Nothing's 'son' will kill him- but his 'bloodline/kin' will. You can go back and re-read that part if you want.
Chapter 23: Blood
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Archie lay curled up on his bed, safe, in his familiar room. It felt like forever since he'd been in here, yet it had barely been over a day. He was leafing through some of the books he'd taken from the library the day he had snuck in and heard Hera talking about killing him, and that the gods WERE going to get rid of him. He shuddered and forced himself to get lost in the pages of the books, retaining as much information as he could.
Slowly his thoughts drifted back to his argument earlier with Jay. It proved just how paranoid and frightened he was getting because of the gods plot to kill him. He needed to think clearly. Calm down and think clearly. The gods weren't going to try and kill him until AFTER Cronus had been captured and returned to Tartarus. He had that long (considering they could never really come up with a workable plan to capture Cronus) to figure out how he was going to prevent his own death. It was easy to guess that no one else would believe him- Atlanta might be sympathetic for a while but in the end she'd tell him to stop fooling around.
Archie sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He closed his eyes and breathed deep calming down again. He felt better as he turned his head and looked out into the dark sky then realized he had been reading for quite a while! His gaze flickered up to the bright moon, and momentarily he wondered where Tulais was and how the demon was fairing. Archie let his shoulders relax when he recalled Jay's words,
"You Demonspawn!"
So much had happened over the past few days- it was insane. Archie could still clearly remember training with Atlanta, knocking her down to save her from that bolo which wouldn't have even hit her, and feeling so awkward when Jay and Theresa had walked in on them. At most, that had only been four days ago.
He recalled actually going into the water and playing with the gang the very next day. They had all been so blissfully unaware of the future and happy, laughing and cheering each other on.
Then he'd had those dreams, which had really started this entire downward spiral. It was almost unbelievable, that only a few days ago they had been laughing and playing together, and now tensions were strained and his life, at least, was changed forever.
He couldn't imagine the gang going out and laughing like they usually did, not after all this. Especially Jay... Archie didn't think he and his Leader would ever make up.
Archie stretched his legs out, abandoning any thought of trying to get any information from the books he'd taken from the library. All he'd gotten as that there was some sort of legend about a demon, but legends weren't real, right?
Then again, everything that had happened these past six months was completely unreal. But who could he turn to to tell him anything? His teammates? No, not now at least. Definitely not the gods...
Of course- the Oracle!
Okay, he'd go see the Oracle soon. Archie shuddered at the thought, he didn't really like the creepy old man (was it really a man?) who ate sushi and just sat at the newsstand all day long. Well, it that was the case, why not just see him/it tonight?
He felt like he was in a mood to run, to let loose some anger and frustration and other emotions welling up inside of him. He got off his bed and headed for the door before remembering he didn't have his ankle brace on. There was a moment of hesitation, but he decided he didn't need it for a simple run, besides; his ankle could use some air and it wasn't feeling at all bothersome tonight.
Archie trotted down the stairs and was buckling his sandals on when a familiar pair of sock-covered feet stopped in front of him.
"You're not running away, are you?" Atlanta asked worriedly.
Archie looked up, "No way. I just need to go for a run to... clear my head." He felt bad about lying to Atlanta, but no one needed to know that he was going to see the Oracle- they'd want to know why.
Atlanta nodded, "Arch... you know that Jay- that everyone- is just a little freaked out right now. Everything will be okay, nothing's changed, right?"
{Yeah right, 'Lan. EVERYTHING'S changed. Fighting Cronus isn't such a game anymore- now it's hit so much closer to home because of my ancestors. Nothing will ever be okay.}
But for her sake, he gave her a half-hearted smile and then finished buckling his sandals, "I'll be back soon, kay?"
She nodded slowly, "Alright."
Archie stood up and left, slowly. Part of him wanted to run away and never see any of these people again- he might live if he ran, another part knew he had to stay because he would never abandon anyone. Another part wanted to ask, even beg, Atlanta to go with him so then he could tell her how he felt abut her and get her answer and finally tell someone all his secrets, but the final part knew that his secrets would crush her.
So Archie left the Brownstone and broke into a light jog, heading to see the Oracle. He knew the way fairly well, after spending nearly half a year running around this city fighting giant monsters. He allowed himself to move on auto drive, ignoring the few looks he got from the late-night people who were wandering the streets. He was so lost in a calm state of mind, not really thinking about anything at all, and having a momentary breath of peace without worrying over anything, that he almost didn't notice the other presence coming up behind him.
Instinct (and perhaps demon blood?) made him swerve on his heel, in an attack position. But he relaxed as soon as he realized Atlanta had followed him.
"Alright 'Lan, I know you're there," he called.
He heard a sigh of defeat and she stepped out form behind the alleyway nearby, "How'd you know?"
"You make too much noise and I saw you in the corner of my eye," he said proudly.
Atlanta shrugged, "Okay. I... I was wondering where you were going- it's to the Oracle, isn't it." she already knew the answer; it was more of a statement. Archie nodded and turned to begin walking again, so she caught up to him.
"What are you going to ask?" she wondered aloud. There had been a few times when they had all gone to visit the Oracle on their own time, and it was really interesting (and a bit of gossip) between the gang if anyone knew/could guess at what someone was asking. No one ever told anyone what they were asking about, but it was natural curiosity, so Archie didn't have to reply.
It was kind of funny, the little customs here and there that had set themselves up within the group. The Oracle was only one of them. There was being 'the best' in combat training with Ares or being the one with the answer in a mission- just something to have an edge on the others. All of them were little rivalries here and there, or the gang just trying to be normal. Archie briefly wondered if anything would come up about his demon blood.
They were just rounding the corner to where the Oracle sat at his newspaper stand with his sushi, all day and night, when Atlanta stopped and leaned against the building. Archie nodded to her, thankful that she was kind enough to stay out of earshot for something he obviously wanted to be personal.
He took a deep breath and walked towards the Oracle alone. The streetlights along the road were flickering on and off and a slight mist had crawled across the ground. Archie almost wanted to laugh at the all-too-cliché movie scene unfolding, but the seriousness of the questions he wanted answered calmed the nervous laughter inside of him.
The Oracle loomed up out of the darkness and Archie took another breath to calm his nerves, and stepped forwards. He opened his mouth to speak when the Oracle spoke first- which Archie hadn't ever really heard of before.
"Trust wisely, and have deep faith, young Godslay'r, for your loyalties are to be stretched soon. Have your devotion, even when the sky comes crashing down upon you, have loyalty."
Archie stood, stunned at the Oracle's words. Young Godslayer? GODSLAYER? What on earth could the Oracle be thinking? No one could kill the gods-
Flint-blue eyes widened in shock as he recalled that day when he'd snuck into the god's library and overheard Hera talking to Ares.
"You remember his other name, don't you?"
Godslayer. That's what Hera had meant back then.
"That Demonspawn will be better off once he's dead!"
THAT'S why they wanted to kill him- to save themselves! But how- why- would Archie want to kill the gods? Sure, he'd get really angry sometimes, but he'd never wanted to kill anyone.
"What..." Archie stopped himself there. He knew the Oracle wouldn't explain itself, "what... do you know of the prophesy- the one that includes the seven heroes."
"Have loyalty," the Oracle repeated. Archie began feeling frustrated and opened his mouth to repeat his own question, but the Oracle silenced him with a wave of his hand and Archie knew that was all he was going to get out of the strange psychic. With one last glare back at the Oracle, Archie turned and stalked back to Atlanta. She was waiting rather patiently, though eager to see whether he might possibly share what he'd learned with her, or see that some weight had been lifted off himself by what the oracle had told him. But the scowl and confusion on his face only proved that he was more troubled than ever.
Atlanta fell in line with him while they made their way back to the Brownstone. She remained silent, knowing Archie was trying to sort out what new (troubling) information he'd received from the Oracle. The only sound on the streets was that of their footfalls, and the occasional dog rummaging through trash or angry cry from inside an apartment from arguing spouses.
Archie was confused and angry beyond belief. He just wanted to live as normal a life as he could, after fighting an evil Titan, and not have to deal with all this prophesy and double-intentions crap and being spurned just because of his ancestor. He felt sick to his gut and almost like he wanted to break into tears, sob into Atlanta's shoulder, and blurt everything out, all the secrets he'd learned and all the questions he had. Yet, he remained silent.
"Archie... do you want to go in?" Atlanta asked. Archie blinked and realized that they were back at the Brownstone. He swallowed the urge to rush to his room and hide from everything, and shook his head.
"Stroll through the park?" his voice sounded raspy and foreign, like he hadn't spoken in ages and it rang loudly in the night. Atlanta nodded and they walked together again, side by side. Even though he couldn't tell her everything that was going on, at the moment, his only saving grace was Atlanta's mere presence and the fact that she seemed to be the only one who didn't hate him or treat him differently because of his lineage secret.
They reached the park and it was as still and quiet as the streets, maybe even more. Unconcioussly, they both walked a bit closer to each other for comfort. No breeze rippled the large pond in the middle, or the trees creating the large forest covering most of the park. The moonlight shone brightly, like the sun, and illuminated everything.
{Trust wisely, have deep, deep faith...} the Oracle's words rang sharply in his head.
"Atlanta," he began quietly, "do... do you still trust me? Even... even if I am..."
"A Demonspawn?" interrupted a terribly familiar voice.
Archie and Atlanta whirled around, both upset that they hadn't noticed Cronus sneak up on them.
The Titan of Time was standing behind them, scythe held loosely in his right hand.
"I was wondering when Hera would get around to telling you. Pity you won't live to 'honor' your bloodline," Cronus chuckled, advancing step-by-step on the two unprepared and unarmed teens.
Realizing that they hadn't brought their weapons and the fact that no one else knew where they were, Archie and Atlanta began to slowly edge away.
The grin on Cronus's face spread and he nodded to something behind them, Archie and Atlanta both dared a glance over their shoulders to see the three giants that usually accompanied Cronus circling them from behind.
Without a word, Archie and Atlanta moved into their fighting stances, both nearly standing on their toes and arms up. Almost like they had been training together for years instead of a few months, they stood back-to-back to face all of the enemies.
"What luck," Cronus continued, "that while I was out on a nightly stroll through this miserable town, I stumble upon two unsuspecting brats."
"So do you want to try and get rid of us- or are you going to stand there and talk?" Atlanta taunted.
Cronus scowled, "You'll be the first to die!" he lunged forwards with such warning that any other person wouldn't have had time to attack. But Atlanta wasn't just any person, she was Atlanta- fastest girl in the world- and she just managed to dodge out of the way of the scythe. Archie dove forwards as well, not as fast, and recovered in time to turn his dive into a roll so he was back up on his feet and running at the giants immediately.
The large brutes, though they'd fought the seven teens many times already, were still caught off guard by Archie's speed and Atlanta's lightning-fast movements. Archie had already delivered a kick to one of the giants' unfortunate chins by the time they realized they were under attack.
Agnon, the only one Archie knew of who was named and the apparent leader of the giants reached out, grabbed him while he was still in mid-air, and threw him at the ground.
Archie hit, hard, but fortunately Agnon hadn't thrown him directly to the ground, so the force sent him skidding on the cement path, rather than splatting on it. That didn't mean there was no pain though. For a brief moment, everything had been engulfed by a blinding white light and a searing pain that made him sick to his stomach. But as the light receded, the pain became more focused on his right side and his head. He lay in a trembling heap for seconds, catching his breath, when he felt the vibration of large feet running towards him. Acting on instinct alone, Archie rolled to the side as a massive fist slammed down where he had just been lying.
Once again, Archie rolled to his feet and wavered, he cursed when he saw the droplets of blood speckling the path following his roll. He didn't have time to check his injuries as Agnon lunged at him again. Archie sprang into the air and landed on the giants back. Using his momentum, he shot off Agnon's back and punched another giant in the face, wincing as he felt some fingers dislocate, and then kicked off that giant. He twisted in the air and kicked Agnon in the head, brining down his full weight on the giant to unbalance it and send the beast falling to the ground.
Archie jumped off Agnon and turned to face the other giants. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins, so he didn't really feel any of his injuries at the moment, and he felt truly alive. In battle, there was no time for error, no time to think about all the weird stuff that was happening in his life, and only about the opponent and staying alive. Some of the giants seemed more wary of him, seeing as he moved faster than they could, but knew that he didn't have enough strength to really hurt them at once, so that gave them hope.
Archie jumped, turned and twisted in ways he'd never have thought he could in real life, but in a fight, he felt he could do anything. Before he knew what had happened, he had actually knocked one giant out cold and the rest were far more fearful of him now. Then, Atlanta screamed.
Archie spun on his heel and saw her collapse to the ground, hands flying to the deep wound on her leg.
"Atlanta!" he hadn't even realized he was moving until his fist connected with Cronus's face. There was a painful surge up his arm and he remembered his possibly dislocated fingers, but only for a moment. The next thing he knew, he was dodging Cronus's scythe and felt it skim his ear. Archie regained his balance and gave his head a shake to get the stray trails of blood to stop dripping in his eyes. He barely managed to duck under Cronus's next swing and then braced his legs against the ground and sprang up to tackle the Titan in the chest. Cronus stumbled backwards and Archie took the opportunity to leap into the air and aim his kick at Cronus's collarbone. He hit and the Titan began falling backwards.
Now, whether it was just his imagination, or whether Cronus was effecting time, Archie never did learn, but time slowed down as he recoiled away from Cronus, kicking leg, his right leg, slowly being brought back to his body so he could turn and land on his feet. He was turning when he saw the glint of Cronus's second scythe come down and stab right down into his flesh.
Right into his heel.
Archie couldn't hold back the anguished scream this time as pain flooded all his senses. The last thing he remembered was seeing the moon, still shining brightly as it faded away to darkness and Atlanta's voice, sounding so far away even though she was only a few steps from him.
"ARCHIE!"
It was droned out by a furious howl...
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Thus, the long-awaited update for 'Demons Within Me'. I hope it satisfies, this one actually worked with me around the end.
I'll try to get the next update up as soon as I can, but sadly, I go back to school in two days so I'll try to keep up to my weekly update, but I don't know if I can promise anything.
Also, if you haven't already, check out my new story 'Ragnarok'. The first chapter is a bit of a test and will probably be edited up a lot; I mainly wanted to hear what people thought of it before continuing.
And to address another question that's been popping up often:
How long will it be before I post the sequel to 'Demons Within Me'?
I don't know. What I do know, to give you guys a bit of a timeline, is that I want to get further into the other stories I have planned. I've tried doing multiple stories at once, but it never seems to work. So at a stretch, I might be working on three different ones (which means slower updates) fairly soon, all of which I hope will please you awesome people.
So, generally speaking, I want to get close to finishing up a few of the new stories I have planned before working on DWM again, but, knowing me, I might start working (possibly posting?) it sooner than I expect. We'll have to see- okay?
Thank care,
Demenior
Disclaimer: see previous chapters
Warnings: uhh... blood. Violence, action, possible character death. The works.
Parings: Archie/Atlanta, they're mainly the only ones in this chapter
Authors Note: Umm, not much. Thanks for the awesome feedback on the previous chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. I've had the usual, writers block, lack of inspiration, a not-wanting-to-be-written (well) chapter. Also, I went on a week-long road trip sortta thing with the family, couldn't do anything while I was gone, neh? Hopefully this longer chapter will make up for my lack of posting.
That's right- this chapter is LONGER than usual.
AANNNDDDD I'm terribly sorry to the artists, I kind of forgot them, but there is some new art for 'DWM':
By KitKat:
http://www.freewebs.com/kitkat1327/cottrelatedart.htm
And by Phoenee:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4329/tulaisrandomxn7.jpg
And if I've forgotten anyone- please tell me.
On another note, changes have been made to Archie's dream in the chapter 'Omens'. Nothing too big- just that the warning he got isn't that this 'Nothing's 'son' will kill him- but his 'bloodline/kin' will. You can go back and re-read that part if you want.
Chapter 23: Blood
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Archie lay curled up on his bed, safe, in his familiar room. It felt like forever since he'd been in here, yet it had barely been over a day. He was leafing through some of the books he'd taken from the library the day he had snuck in and heard Hera talking about killing him, and that the gods WERE going to get rid of him. He shuddered and forced himself to get lost in the pages of the books, retaining as much information as he could.
Slowly his thoughts drifted back to his argument earlier with Jay. It proved just how paranoid and frightened he was getting because of the gods plot to kill him. He needed to think clearly. Calm down and think clearly. The gods weren't going to try and kill him until AFTER Cronus had been captured and returned to Tartarus. He had that long (considering they could never really come up with a workable plan to capture Cronus) to figure out how he was going to prevent his own death. It was easy to guess that no one else would believe him- Atlanta might be sympathetic for a while but in the end she'd tell him to stop fooling around.
Archie sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He closed his eyes and breathed deep calming down again. He felt better as he turned his head and looked out into the dark sky then realized he had been reading for quite a while! His gaze flickered up to the bright moon, and momentarily he wondered where Tulais was and how the demon was fairing. Archie let his shoulders relax when he recalled Jay's words,
"You Demonspawn!"
So much had happened over the past few days- it was insane. Archie could still clearly remember training with Atlanta, knocking her down to save her from that bolo which wouldn't have even hit her, and feeling so awkward when Jay and Theresa had walked in on them. At most, that had only been four days ago.
He recalled actually going into the water and playing with the gang the very next day. They had all been so blissfully unaware of the future and happy, laughing and cheering each other on.
Then he'd had those dreams, which had really started this entire downward spiral. It was almost unbelievable, that only a few days ago they had been laughing and playing together, and now tensions were strained and his life, at least, was changed forever.
He couldn't imagine the gang going out and laughing like they usually did, not after all this. Especially Jay... Archie didn't think he and his Leader would ever make up.
Archie stretched his legs out, abandoning any thought of trying to get any information from the books he'd taken from the library. All he'd gotten as that there was some sort of legend about a demon, but legends weren't real, right?
Then again, everything that had happened these past six months was completely unreal. But who could he turn to to tell him anything? His teammates? No, not now at least. Definitely not the gods...
Of course- the Oracle!
Okay, he'd go see the Oracle soon. Archie shuddered at the thought, he didn't really like the creepy old man (was it really a man?) who ate sushi and just sat at the newsstand all day long. Well, it that was the case, why not just see him/it tonight?
He felt like he was in a mood to run, to let loose some anger and frustration and other emotions welling up inside of him. He got off his bed and headed for the door before remembering he didn't have his ankle brace on. There was a moment of hesitation, but he decided he didn't need it for a simple run, besides; his ankle could use some air and it wasn't feeling at all bothersome tonight.
Archie trotted down the stairs and was buckling his sandals on when a familiar pair of sock-covered feet stopped in front of him.
"You're not running away, are you?" Atlanta asked worriedly.
Archie looked up, "No way. I just need to go for a run to... clear my head." He felt bad about lying to Atlanta, but no one needed to know that he was going to see the Oracle- they'd want to know why.
Atlanta nodded, "Arch... you know that Jay- that everyone- is just a little freaked out right now. Everything will be okay, nothing's changed, right?"
{Yeah right, 'Lan. EVERYTHING'S changed. Fighting Cronus isn't such a game anymore- now it's hit so much closer to home because of my ancestors. Nothing will ever be okay.}
But for her sake, he gave her a half-hearted smile and then finished buckling his sandals, "I'll be back soon, kay?"
She nodded slowly, "Alright."
Archie stood up and left, slowly. Part of him wanted to run away and never see any of these people again- he might live if he ran, another part knew he had to stay because he would never abandon anyone. Another part wanted to ask, even beg, Atlanta to go with him so then he could tell her how he felt abut her and get her answer and finally tell someone all his secrets, but the final part knew that his secrets would crush her.
So Archie left the Brownstone and broke into a light jog, heading to see the Oracle. He knew the way fairly well, after spending nearly half a year running around this city fighting giant monsters. He allowed himself to move on auto drive, ignoring the few looks he got from the late-night people who were wandering the streets. He was so lost in a calm state of mind, not really thinking about anything at all, and having a momentary breath of peace without worrying over anything, that he almost didn't notice the other presence coming up behind him.
Instinct (and perhaps demon blood?) made him swerve on his heel, in an attack position. But he relaxed as soon as he realized Atlanta had followed him.
"Alright 'Lan, I know you're there," he called.
He heard a sigh of defeat and she stepped out form behind the alleyway nearby, "How'd you know?"
"You make too much noise and I saw you in the corner of my eye," he said proudly.
Atlanta shrugged, "Okay. I... I was wondering where you were going- it's to the Oracle, isn't it." she already knew the answer; it was more of a statement. Archie nodded and turned to begin walking again, so she caught up to him.
"What are you going to ask?" she wondered aloud. There had been a few times when they had all gone to visit the Oracle on their own time, and it was really interesting (and a bit of gossip) between the gang if anyone knew/could guess at what someone was asking. No one ever told anyone what they were asking about, but it was natural curiosity, so Archie didn't have to reply.
It was kind of funny, the little customs here and there that had set themselves up within the group. The Oracle was only one of them. There was being 'the best' in combat training with Ares or being the one with the answer in a mission- just something to have an edge on the others. All of them were little rivalries here and there, or the gang just trying to be normal. Archie briefly wondered if anything would come up about his demon blood.
They were just rounding the corner to where the Oracle sat at his newspaper stand with his sushi, all day and night, when Atlanta stopped and leaned against the building. Archie nodded to her, thankful that she was kind enough to stay out of earshot for something he obviously wanted to be personal.
He took a deep breath and walked towards the Oracle alone. The streetlights along the road were flickering on and off and a slight mist had crawled across the ground. Archie almost wanted to laugh at the all-too-cliché movie scene unfolding, but the seriousness of the questions he wanted answered calmed the nervous laughter inside of him.
The Oracle loomed up out of the darkness and Archie took another breath to calm his nerves, and stepped forwards. He opened his mouth to speak when the Oracle spoke first- which Archie hadn't ever really heard of before.
"Trust wisely, and have deep faith, young Godslay'r, for your loyalties are to be stretched soon. Have your devotion, even when the sky comes crashing down upon you, have loyalty."
Archie stood, stunned at the Oracle's words. Young Godslayer? GODSLAYER? What on earth could the Oracle be thinking? No one could kill the gods-
Flint-blue eyes widened in shock as he recalled that day when he'd snuck into the god's library and overheard Hera talking to Ares.
"You remember his other name, don't you?"
Godslayer. That's what Hera had meant back then.
"That Demonspawn will be better off once he's dead!"
THAT'S why they wanted to kill him- to save themselves! But how- why- would Archie want to kill the gods? Sure, he'd get really angry sometimes, but he'd never wanted to kill anyone.
"What..." Archie stopped himself there. He knew the Oracle wouldn't explain itself, "what... do you know of the prophesy- the one that includes the seven heroes."
"Have loyalty," the Oracle repeated. Archie began feeling frustrated and opened his mouth to repeat his own question, but the Oracle silenced him with a wave of his hand and Archie knew that was all he was going to get out of the strange psychic. With one last glare back at the Oracle, Archie turned and stalked back to Atlanta. She was waiting rather patiently, though eager to see whether he might possibly share what he'd learned with her, or see that some weight had been lifted off himself by what the oracle had told him. But the scowl and confusion on his face only proved that he was more troubled than ever.
Atlanta fell in line with him while they made their way back to the Brownstone. She remained silent, knowing Archie was trying to sort out what new (troubling) information he'd received from the Oracle. The only sound on the streets was that of their footfalls, and the occasional dog rummaging through trash or angry cry from inside an apartment from arguing spouses.
Archie was confused and angry beyond belief. He just wanted to live as normal a life as he could, after fighting an evil Titan, and not have to deal with all this prophesy and double-intentions crap and being spurned just because of his ancestor. He felt sick to his gut and almost like he wanted to break into tears, sob into Atlanta's shoulder, and blurt everything out, all the secrets he'd learned and all the questions he had. Yet, he remained silent.
"Archie... do you want to go in?" Atlanta asked. Archie blinked and realized that they were back at the Brownstone. He swallowed the urge to rush to his room and hide from everything, and shook his head.
"Stroll through the park?" his voice sounded raspy and foreign, like he hadn't spoken in ages and it rang loudly in the night. Atlanta nodded and they walked together again, side by side. Even though he couldn't tell her everything that was going on, at the moment, his only saving grace was Atlanta's mere presence and the fact that she seemed to be the only one who didn't hate him or treat him differently because of his lineage secret.
They reached the park and it was as still and quiet as the streets, maybe even more. Unconcioussly, they both walked a bit closer to each other for comfort. No breeze rippled the large pond in the middle, or the trees creating the large forest covering most of the park. The moonlight shone brightly, like the sun, and illuminated everything.
{Trust wisely, have deep, deep faith...} the Oracle's words rang sharply in his head.
"Atlanta," he began quietly, "do... do you still trust me? Even... even if I am..."
"A Demonspawn?" interrupted a terribly familiar voice.
Archie and Atlanta whirled around, both upset that they hadn't noticed Cronus sneak up on them.
The Titan of Time was standing behind them, scythe held loosely in his right hand.
"I was wondering when Hera would get around to telling you. Pity you won't live to 'honor' your bloodline," Cronus chuckled, advancing step-by-step on the two unprepared and unarmed teens.
Realizing that they hadn't brought their weapons and the fact that no one else knew where they were, Archie and Atlanta began to slowly edge away.
The grin on Cronus's face spread and he nodded to something behind them, Archie and Atlanta both dared a glance over their shoulders to see the three giants that usually accompanied Cronus circling them from behind.
Without a word, Archie and Atlanta moved into their fighting stances, both nearly standing on their toes and arms up. Almost like they had been training together for years instead of a few months, they stood back-to-back to face all of the enemies.
"What luck," Cronus continued, "that while I was out on a nightly stroll through this miserable town, I stumble upon two unsuspecting brats."
"So do you want to try and get rid of us- or are you going to stand there and talk?" Atlanta taunted.
Cronus scowled, "You'll be the first to die!" he lunged forwards with such warning that any other person wouldn't have had time to attack. But Atlanta wasn't just any person, she was Atlanta- fastest girl in the world- and she just managed to dodge out of the way of the scythe. Archie dove forwards as well, not as fast, and recovered in time to turn his dive into a roll so he was back up on his feet and running at the giants immediately.
The large brutes, though they'd fought the seven teens many times already, were still caught off guard by Archie's speed and Atlanta's lightning-fast movements. Archie had already delivered a kick to one of the giants' unfortunate chins by the time they realized they were under attack.
Agnon, the only one Archie knew of who was named and the apparent leader of the giants reached out, grabbed him while he was still in mid-air, and threw him at the ground.
Archie hit, hard, but fortunately Agnon hadn't thrown him directly to the ground, so the force sent him skidding on the cement path, rather than splatting on it. That didn't mean there was no pain though. For a brief moment, everything had been engulfed by a blinding white light and a searing pain that made him sick to his stomach. But as the light receded, the pain became more focused on his right side and his head. He lay in a trembling heap for seconds, catching his breath, when he felt the vibration of large feet running towards him. Acting on instinct alone, Archie rolled to the side as a massive fist slammed down where he had just been lying.
Once again, Archie rolled to his feet and wavered, he cursed when he saw the droplets of blood speckling the path following his roll. He didn't have time to check his injuries as Agnon lunged at him again. Archie sprang into the air and landed on the giants back. Using his momentum, he shot off Agnon's back and punched another giant in the face, wincing as he felt some fingers dislocate, and then kicked off that giant. He twisted in the air and kicked Agnon in the head, brining down his full weight on the giant to unbalance it and send the beast falling to the ground.
Archie jumped off Agnon and turned to face the other giants. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins, so he didn't really feel any of his injuries at the moment, and he felt truly alive. In battle, there was no time for error, no time to think about all the weird stuff that was happening in his life, and only about the opponent and staying alive. Some of the giants seemed more wary of him, seeing as he moved faster than they could, but knew that he didn't have enough strength to really hurt them at once, so that gave them hope.
Archie jumped, turned and twisted in ways he'd never have thought he could in real life, but in a fight, he felt he could do anything. Before he knew what had happened, he had actually knocked one giant out cold and the rest were far more fearful of him now. Then, Atlanta screamed.
Archie spun on his heel and saw her collapse to the ground, hands flying to the deep wound on her leg.
"Atlanta!" he hadn't even realized he was moving until his fist connected with Cronus's face. There was a painful surge up his arm and he remembered his possibly dislocated fingers, but only for a moment. The next thing he knew, he was dodging Cronus's scythe and felt it skim his ear. Archie regained his balance and gave his head a shake to get the stray trails of blood to stop dripping in his eyes. He barely managed to duck under Cronus's next swing and then braced his legs against the ground and sprang up to tackle the Titan in the chest. Cronus stumbled backwards and Archie took the opportunity to leap into the air and aim his kick at Cronus's collarbone. He hit and the Titan began falling backwards.
Now, whether it was just his imagination, or whether Cronus was effecting time, Archie never did learn, but time slowed down as he recoiled away from Cronus, kicking leg, his right leg, slowly being brought back to his body so he could turn and land on his feet. He was turning when he saw the glint of Cronus's second scythe come down and stab right down into his flesh.
Right into his heel.
Archie couldn't hold back the anguished scream this time as pain flooded all his senses. The last thing he remembered was seeing the moon, still shining brightly as it faded away to darkness and Atlanta's voice, sounding so far away even though she was only a few steps from him.
"ARCHIE!"
It was droned out by a furious howl...
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Thus, the long-awaited update for 'Demons Within Me'. I hope it satisfies, this one actually worked with me around the end.
I'll try to get the next update up as soon as I can, but sadly, I go back to school in two days so I'll try to keep up to my weekly update, but I don't know if I can promise anything.
Also, if you haven't already, check out my new story 'Ragnarok'. The first chapter is a bit of a test and will probably be edited up a lot; I mainly wanted to hear what people thought of it before continuing.
And to address another question that's been popping up often:
How long will it be before I post the sequel to 'Demons Within Me'?
I don't know. What I do know, to give you guys a bit of a timeline, is that I want to get further into the other stories I have planned. I've tried doing multiple stories at once, but it never seems to work. So at a stretch, I might be working on three different ones (which means slower updates) fairly soon, all of which I hope will please you awesome people.
So, generally speaking, I want to get close to finishing up a few of the new stories I have planned before working on DWM again, but, knowing me, I might start working (possibly posting?) it sooner than I expect. We'll have to see- okay?
Thank care,
Demenior
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