Categories > Cartoons > Class of the Titans > Screwed up love life
Author's Note: So here's chapter 4! Hope you guys enjoy it. Not too much to say here but thanks for all the reviews! And 9 more days until See you at the Crossroads! So excited! Anyways, on with the story!
/Chapter 4/
The sound of laughter was heard echoing to the first floor, the boys' current territory, where they sat around lazily, barely watching the movie that was playing. Jay looked up at the sudden noise, and Odie and Archie exchanged confused glances. Shaking their heads, they made their way to bed, hoping the girls' laughter would soon subside. Soon enough their wish was granted, but only to fall into an uneasy sleep.
A fist came crashing down on the source of the noise. The purple haired boy rolled over onto his side, trying to fall asleep once more. But of course, as life would have it, he couldn't. He cursed lightly under his breath before abruptly getting up. He slowly and lazily walked over to the bathroom he shared with Jay, Theresa and Atlanta. Atlanta was still in there, and Theresa was waiting patiently outside the door, slumped onto the ground. Archie sat down beside her, feeling completely drained of energy. Theresa seemed to be wide-awake, which wasn't surprising for her considering she and Jay had always been the first to wake up.
What seemed to last for hours were only minutes before Archie got feed up and knocked on the door.
"Atlanta, we need the bathroom too you know! Don't tell me you're starting to turn into Neil?!" Half a second later the door opened and Atlanta's head popped out, immediately glaring at Archie. He glared back even harder until Theresa ended their starring contest with a loud sigh.
"Atlanta, can I please use the bathroom? I've got to go see Persephone and then I've got training." Theresa didn't seem mad, but she was definitely annoyed. Atlanta looked back once more from Theresa to Archie and back to Theresa before emerging from the bathroom.
Now Archie was left alone waiting for his turn. 'Great, now I've got to wait for the drama queen.' But surprisingly, he didn't. Theresa was out in record time. He starred at her intently for awhile, wondering if she and Atlanta had switched personalities before remembering why he was even here.
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Theresa was trying, she really was. But pretending to be happy when you really weren't isn't that easy. She tried to smile, to pretend everything was okay, hoping it would grow on her, but it wasn't. Nothing was okay. She couldn't even look Jay in the eye anymore. And Atlanta had changed, she really had. She would have usually glared playfully at Archie before ruffling his hair, laughing. But now it was as though she had forgotten about Archie. Maybe she was trying to. Maybe she couldn't handle just being his friend now that she knew he loved her. Maybe, just maybe that was too much for her. Maybe this was all just too much for her. Besides loving Jay, he was a friend to her. An amazing friend that was always there for her. But now... it was all just... too much. She hoped a little meditating with Persephone would help her gather her thoughts without crying. Crying. She hated it when she cried. She was already aware of everything that was going on around her, but crying just seemed to make it all crash down on her all over again. She sighed, absentmindedly stirring the now soggy cereal in front of her. Just what would it take to change everything back?
'Training... just concentrate on the training. No, not on Theresa. Training. Focus Jay, focus!' Jay was getting dressed for the training with Ares they all had that early Sunday morning, but he just couldn't think straight. And it was something that was deeply troubling him. What if he let the team down because he was distracted? There were other more important things to think about than Theresa. 'No, not more important. Other sure, but not important.' He shook his head and groaned. This was exactly what was driving him insane, and he was afraid this ride would crash in the end.
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Theresa had left for the school early since she had to see Persephone before training. Once she arrived, Persephone was sure not to waste any time and quickly gestured for Theresa to get into her meditating position. Usually Theresa would have minded, but not today. She needed some quiet, not that their dorm wasn't. Sure, it was quiet, but it was also amazingly tense, something she could feel more than the others.
She shut her eyes, trying to clear her mind. This was usually easy for her, but today it seemed as though the thoughts just wanted to remain swirling through her mind, coming to abrupt stops whenever they wanted. She shook her head, trying to concentrate even harder. She breathed in deeply as she slowly felt her pain and worries be cast aside. It was like a chance for her mind to start fresh all over again. She loved that feeling, that feeling of nothing. Not having worries, or responsibilities. Not having to remember the pain she went through. For an hour she was just /there/. Sure, she was hoping to gather her thoughts, but that was for later...
Theresa sat there silently, her face expressionless until a small frown started to form on her delicate face.
She felt as though her thoughts and worries were consuming her whole. Leaving her without the tiniest bit of air. She felt she was unable to do anything but watch as her world started to slowly crash down before her eyes. As though she had been unwillingly thrown into a deep sea full of pain and worry. She felt as though she was sinking. Drowning. And fast. Trying to grasp the tiniest bit of air, but always seeming to sink back down. She would try again and again, breaking through the surface of the water, only to be thrown back by the currents. Slowly her tries at reaching safety were beginning to be less frequent. Would someone throw her a life line before it was too late?
Theresa's eyes had immediately shot open. It wasn't a vision, was it? No. She had asked for her thoughts to be gathered, and here they were. She wasn't literately drowning, of course, but for her it seemed so... so real. It was like her pain and worries had come together, only to weave an unforgettable image. An image of what was happening to her, on the inside. Sure, she was fine physically, but she couldn't say the same for mentally. How come Jay had so much of an effect on her? Had she given up on them? Would she wait for him, or would she move on? Did she want to move on?
Theresa hated dishonesty, especially in herself. Who was she trying to kid? Of course she didn't want to move on. Of course she still wanted him. She still loved him, that was for sure. But living like this... it was just too much. She couldn't handle seeing so many friendships be broken before her eyes. She couldn't handle seeing hers be broken. She shut her eyes again, trying to forget about the image she had seen only moments ago. But it was no longer in her control; her emotions were just too powerful. She got up, half dazed, and walked over to the gym, quietly whispering a goodbye to Persephone.
She didn't feel like going to training, but she knew how Ares could be when he was mad. He hated it when she was late, especially if it was because she was with Persephone. Slowly pushing the cold metal doors, she noticed she was early. Or everyone else was just late. She also noticed that Hera was talking to Ares in the far end of the gym, but her mind was far too preoccupied to take any further notice. She sat on the far side of the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest, resting her head on them. Her hair fell around her small body as she thought. 'What was that... that image? What did it mean?' She hated it when she couldn't understand something she 'saw'. But this time it was different. It had nothing to do with Cronus... she knew that. For once it had something to do with her. Whatever that was, it reminded her of Archie. Why, she couldn't understand. Maybe because he was afraid of the water, and of drowning. Did it mean her friendship was 'drowning'? She didn't know what she was feeling exactly, but she didn't like it. Things had been incredibly different for her these past few days. Was this not going to end well?
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"Neil, come on, we're going to be late!" Jay stood at the bottom of the stairs, slowly taking up his role as the leader once again. He had thought about it, and there was nothing he could do. Why should he give Cronus the upper hand? The sooner they beat his ass back to Tartarus, the sooner he could get things straight between him and Theresa.
"Neil!" he screamed even louder this time after hearing Herry honk outside.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, sheesh." Neil came down, mirror and new comb in hand, trying to style his hair while walking; something he had surprisingly mastered. Jay shook his head at how narcissistic the boy was.
"Hey, Theresa isn't even here yet, how come you made me come down??" Neil had made a rather clever discovery once he entered the truck.
"She's already there you smartass." Archie rolled his eyes at the stupidity the boy held. He couldn't figure out how someone so self-centered could be so lucky.
The short trip to the school was rather quiet, usually Atlanta and Archie would be heard arguing in the back by now, but today they both seemed silent, each looking out a window. Herry concentrated on his driving while Odie and Jay talked battle strategies. They soon arrived, everyone quietly walking into the secret wing of their school, Jay leading the way to the gym. They emerged through the thick metal doors, only to be held unnoticed to those already there. They saw Hera and Ares talking as well, and they were glad he had been occupied enough not to notice them come in late, no thanks to Neil.
Jay noticed Theresa sitting in the corner, and he started to walk over to her before he stopped, deciding on what he would say. He hesitated before he walked back to where the rest of the team was seated, still in confusion. Archie had spotted Theresa out of the corner of his eye and started to call her over.
"Hey Theresa! Theresa!" Archie yelled her name but she made no acknowledgement of having heard him.
"Hey DQ! Wake up!" Still there was no answer. (A/N: DQ stands for Drama Queen if you didn't know... lol, or dairy queen works too :D Oo, ice cream) His face took on a confused look before he got up and headed towards her.
He was standing over her when she slowly lifted her head up, sensing someone else's presence. He smiled weakly at her.
"Hey sleepy head, you death or something?"
"Sorry, I was just... thinking." Archie nodded his head slowly before helped her to get up, noticing that Hera and Ares were walking towards them. They made their way towards the rest of the team when Ares cleared his throat.
"Today you will be doing one on one battles with your partner. There will be two groups of two, and one group of three. Okay Ja-" Ares was cut off when Hera started to whisper in his ear, while he nodded.
"Okay, where were we? Oh yes... Archie and Atlanta will be team one. Jay and Theresa, you will be team two, and Odie, Herry and Neil will be team three. Neil, you'll fight the winner of your team. Now get into positions!" Ares stood in front of the shocked teens, pointing to the weapons room.
Atlanta, Jay, Archie and Theresa made their way to the weapons room as this new piece of information slowly sunk into their minds. Were the gods mocking them? They each grabbed their weapons and slowly walked back into the gym. Theresa had her head down and Jay was trying to think of something to say. Archie and Atlanta were silent, occasionally glancing at the other. Usually they would have been overly competitive when they were put into a team, but today they choose silence. (A/N: okay, I cannot write 'fight scenes' or explain them very well, so please don't laugh at the poor fights I will be TRYING to explain here:D)
"Now...Start!"
Theresa lifted her head up, determined to get through this as fast as possible. The sooner one of them fell, the sooner the teams would switch. Jay ran forward, sword pulled out, an attack Theresa easily blocked. He tried once more, and Theresa had blocked that too. It didn't seem as though he was even trying. She, on the other hand, was going to try. She ran forward as well, and managed to pin Jay onto the wall, making sure he couldn't get loose. He starred at her in shock, clueless as to what to say or do. He smiled, confusing Theresa for a moment, and then pushed her with not all, but most of his force, until she was now pinned to the ground beneath him. He supported his weight to one arm, and drew the sword up on top of her. She, realizing Jay was actually fighting like he normally would have, pushed him back with her feet and jumped up. She drew out her shield and sword, blocking and hitting into an on-going battle.
Atlanta had run forward the second Ares told them to start. She tried hitting Archie on his side, but he immediately blocked her attack. Archie aimed for Atlanta's right arm, but she dodged it. They ran forward, each one hitting and missing only by mere inches. They each striked again, but again, each missed. Atlanta was found pinned to the ground when Archie had caught her during a moment where she was distracted. He smiled triumphantly, while Atlanta struggled to break free.
The sound of swords clattering was heard through the gym walls. No one spoke a word, they just fought.
Ares watched each group carefully; it didn't seem as though they were getting along. Herry had won against Odie, Theresa had Jay pinned down again, but it was always changing, and Archie still had Atlanta pinned down. Even he could feel the unusually strong tension between them. He wanted to change the groups; he had no time for teenage drama. But Hera had insisted on placing them in this order. He sighed, rubbing his temples, feeling the anger rise through him. They weren't concentrating, and they were in no shape to attack Cronus.
That's enough! Drop your weapons!" Immediately the swords clattered against the ground. Everyone stood in a horizontal line in front of Ares. He started to pace around in front of them.
"I don't know what is going on between you, nor do I want to know. When you come into my gym, I expect you to leave your personal feelings outside. I don't want any of your 'teenage drama', understand? What would you have done if Cronus were to attack?!"
They all had their heads down, barely listening to what Ares was saying.
"... that's it. You are all dismissed. But I expect improvement in your next class!"
If it wasn't for Neil jumping and screaming a 'booyah!', then they wouldn't have known that they were free to go.
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Back at the dorm still no one muttered a single word. They were all seated in the living room, all but Herry who went to make himself a sandwich.
"Well, I uh, I'm going out." Everyone but Archie and Neil turned to Atlanta.
"Where are you going?" Jay immediately asked.
"I'm going out with Michael." Jay nodded and told her to keep her PMR on.
"But didn't you go just yesterday 'Lanta?"
"Yeah, so? Aren't I allowed to go out whenever I want to?!" Atlanta quickly snapped back. Theresa was taken aback by Atlanta's sudden outburst at her.
"No, but I mean you went out last night and stayed out pretty late... I mean, you're going to see him tomorrow anyways..." Atlanta was about to make another comment when she mentally smacked herself for being so rude with Theresa. Why was she being mean to her? Theresa hadn't done anything. Archie did. 'What did Archie do that is so wrong? Love you?' Her conscious started to kick in again as she wordlessly left the brownstone. What had Archie done wrong? Why was she mad anyways? Because someone loved her? Michael never told her he loved her... but they had only been going out for a day.../'Do I love Michael? Wait, what kind of question is that? ... Yeah, wait, what kind is it actually? Do I love him?'/ Did she love him?
She started to remember all the times she was sick, and Archie would stay up with her because she couldn't sleep. She remembered when he'd always be out with her running at midnight when she had the random urge to feel the cold rush on her face. He had always been there for her. Did he do it out of love? Out of friendship? Would Michael have done the same for her? Had she ruined that friendship that was so valuable to her?
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Archie was found lying in his room, head promptly rested against his pillow, starring at his plain white ceiling. His room was a mess, as it always had been. He had never bothered to clean it. Once Theresa tried to persuade him into doing it, but he had only yelled at her in response. Theresa. Did he hate her? Did he still love Atlanta? He admitted he felt bad for Theresa... she was going through exactly was he was. And if he had the choice, he wouldn't have done what he did. At least he thought. Did he regret telling Atlanta? Why hadn't he listened to Theresa in the first place? He sighed. He hated going through this everyday. Why couldn't he just find the damn answers and move on already?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on his door. "Archie, you in there?" It was their leader, Jay.
"Yeah... Come in."
"Hey Archie... actually I was just wondering if you have any ideas about leads for Cronus...He hasn't attacked for a while and it's got me worried..." Jay was back to his usual self, uptight and serious.
"Nope. You see, unlike you, I don't spend my time thinking about Cronus. I'm surprised you are actually." He looked Jay in the eye, actually wondering if he and Theresa had patched things up.
Jay, on the other hand, averted his gaze from Archie's and looked down at the ground.
"W-what do you mean?"
"I mean did you and Theresa... are you guys okay now?" he asked, ending his answer with a new question.
"No actually... not really."
"Wait, you mean you and Theresa still aren't talking and you're thinking about Cronus' next attack? ... Wow, she was right... He really is more important to you." The end of his sentence was more of a mutter to himself, but it seemed Jay had heard part of it.
"What? What do you mean she was right?"
"I mean Cronus apparently means more to you than her... nice man."
"No he doesn't mean more. I just care about our safety. Tell me Archie, is that so wrong?"
"No it isn't, but is dating Theresa? You know, she really likes you. Heck, maybe loves... I don't understand girls... at least not our girls..."
"How did you know?"
"Hm, I overhear things... but tell me, are you going to do what Atlanta did to me? Are you just going to leave Theresa hanging like that, just like Atlanta left me? Jay you may not know how it feels but-"
"I do know how it feels Archie. I just don't want her to get hurt. You know if Cronus found out -"
"There you go again. Cronus. Honestly, I don't even know how Theresa ever liked you like this. You're too busy thinking about Cronus to even pay attention to her. At least me and Atlanta hung out a lot."
"So what, now you care how she feels? You're the one that always made her cry!" Archie looked up at Jay and starred at him. Cry? He had made Theresa cry? And more than once?
"She never cried. She knows I'm just joking around with her. And if she did, then she's just being a drama queen." Jay just rolled his eyes.
"Why don't you just ask her then? And what about you and Atlanta, huh? Are you just going to sit here while she's out with some other guy? I thought you loved her?!"
"I DO!"
"Then why aren't you with her right now?!"
"Well why the fuck aren't you with Theresa?!"
They both fell silent, each not knowing what to say to the other. They knew they were just taking out their anger on each other, and having another fight wasn't going to help them solve anything.
"Listen Archie... I'm sorry I yelled. It's just that, occupying myself with Cronus helps me try not to think about her. Okay? That's how I deal with this. So don't judge me in any way. Now if you have any ideas about Cronus..." Jay took on his leaderly roll, wanting to settle what seemed to be turning into a fight.
"Nah. I don't. But uh, sorry too. Guess I kinda freaked out there on you..."
"... I still suggest you talk to Theresa. Maybe it'll make you feel better? It's something I'd love to do..." Archie smiled at Jay's last comment, as Jay left his room, quietly shutting the door behind him. On top of feeling horrible about Atlanta, he felt even worse once he found out he had made Theresa cry. He sighed. So much was going on. Why? Had they done anything wrong? Were the gods testing them? He took his seat back on his bed, trying to catch up with the sleep he missed that morning, while one thought raced through his mind. Just what were they going to do?
Well, here ends chapter 4. It's probably the longest one yet. Not that anything has really happened. Sorry if Jay and Archie seemed kind of OOC in the last parts, but I also didn't want them to keep fighting... I already feel bad enough for ruining their lives, lol. Oo, I make no promises for a happy ending. Who knows? Zeus does! Lol. Sorry, random moment there. I'm very hyper because I dissected a worm in science today, it was soo gross. Anyways, tell me what you guys think should be improved/worked on and what you think about it. Leave a review; honestly it doesn't take that long :D Just a click of a button and a couple of words stating your opinion. Btw, on Thursday I'm seeing this show/play about Greek Mythology for my French class. Isn't that great? So, have a great weekend guys, and R&R!
/Chapter 4/
The sound of laughter was heard echoing to the first floor, the boys' current territory, where they sat around lazily, barely watching the movie that was playing. Jay looked up at the sudden noise, and Odie and Archie exchanged confused glances. Shaking their heads, they made their way to bed, hoping the girls' laughter would soon subside. Soon enough their wish was granted, but only to fall into an uneasy sleep.
A fist came crashing down on the source of the noise. The purple haired boy rolled over onto his side, trying to fall asleep once more. But of course, as life would have it, he couldn't. He cursed lightly under his breath before abruptly getting up. He slowly and lazily walked over to the bathroom he shared with Jay, Theresa and Atlanta. Atlanta was still in there, and Theresa was waiting patiently outside the door, slumped onto the ground. Archie sat down beside her, feeling completely drained of energy. Theresa seemed to be wide-awake, which wasn't surprising for her considering she and Jay had always been the first to wake up.
What seemed to last for hours were only minutes before Archie got feed up and knocked on the door.
"Atlanta, we need the bathroom too you know! Don't tell me you're starting to turn into Neil?!" Half a second later the door opened and Atlanta's head popped out, immediately glaring at Archie. He glared back even harder until Theresa ended their starring contest with a loud sigh.
"Atlanta, can I please use the bathroom? I've got to go see Persephone and then I've got training." Theresa didn't seem mad, but she was definitely annoyed. Atlanta looked back once more from Theresa to Archie and back to Theresa before emerging from the bathroom.
Now Archie was left alone waiting for his turn. 'Great, now I've got to wait for the drama queen.' But surprisingly, he didn't. Theresa was out in record time. He starred at her intently for awhile, wondering if she and Atlanta had switched personalities before remembering why he was even here.
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Theresa was trying, she really was. But pretending to be happy when you really weren't isn't that easy. She tried to smile, to pretend everything was okay, hoping it would grow on her, but it wasn't. Nothing was okay. She couldn't even look Jay in the eye anymore. And Atlanta had changed, she really had. She would have usually glared playfully at Archie before ruffling his hair, laughing. But now it was as though she had forgotten about Archie. Maybe she was trying to. Maybe she couldn't handle just being his friend now that she knew he loved her. Maybe, just maybe that was too much for her. Maybe this was all just too much for her. Besides loving Jay, he was a friend to her. An amazing friend that was always there for her. But now... it was all just... too much. She hoped a little meditating with Persephone would help her gather her thoughts without crying. Crying. She hated it when she cried. She was already aware of everything that was going on around her, but crying just seemed to make it all crash down on her all over again. She sighed, absentmindedly stirring the now soggy cereal in front of her. Just what would it take to change everything back?
'Training... just concentrate on the training. No, not on Theresa. Training. Focus Jay, focus!' Jay was getting dressed for the training with Ares they all had that early Sunday morning, but he just couldn't think straight. And it was something that was deeply troubling him. What if he let the team down because he was distracted? There were other more important things to think about than Theresa. 'No, not more important. Other sure, but not important.' He shook his head and groaned. This was exactly what was driving him insane, and he was afraid this ride would crash in the end.
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Theresa had left for the school early since she had to see Persephone before training. Once she arrived, Persephone was sure not to waste any time and quickly gestured for Theresa to get into her meditating position. Usually Theresa would have minded, but not today. She needed some quiet, not that their dorm wasn't. Sure, it was quiet, but it was also amazingly tense, something she could feel more than the others.
She shut her eyes, trying to clear her mind. This was usually easy for her, but today it seemed as though the thoughts just wanted to remain swirling through her mind, coming to abrupt stops whenever they wanted. She shook her head, trying to concentrate even harder. She breathed in deeply as she slowly felt her pain and worries be cast aside. It was like a chance for her mind to start fresh all over again. She loved that feeling, that feeling of nothing. Not having worries, or responsibilities. Not having to remember the pain she went through. For an hour she was just /there/. Sure, she was hoping to gather her thoughts, but that was for later...
Theresa sat there silently, her face expressionless until a small frown started to form on her delicate face.
She felt as though her thoughts and worries were consuming her whole. Leaving her without the tiniest bit of air. She felt she was unable to do anything but watch as her world started to slowly crash down before her eyes. As though she had been unwillingly thrown into a deep sea full of pain and worry. She felt as though she was sinking. Drowning. And fast. Trying to grasp the tiniest bit of air, but always seeming to sink back down. She would try again and again, breaking through the surface of the water, only to be thrown back by the currents. Slowly her tries at reaching safety were beginning to be less frequent. Would someone throw her a life line before it was too late?
Theresa's eyes had immediately shot open. It wasn't a vision, was it? No. She had asked for her thoughts to be gathered, and here they were. She wasn't literately drowning, of course, but for her it seemed so... so real. It was like her pain and worries had come together, only to weave an unforgettable image. An image of what was happening to her, on the inside. Sure, she was fine physically, but she couldn't say the same for mentally. How come Jay had so much of an effect on her? Had she given up on them? Would she wait for him, or would she move on? Did she want to move on?
Theresa hated dishonesty, especially in herself. Who was she trying to kid? Of course she didn't want to move on. Of course she still wanted him. She still loved him, that was for sure. But living like this... it was just too much. She couldn't handle seeing so many friendships be broken before her eyes. She couldn't handle seeing hers be broken. She shut her eyes again, trying to forget about the image she had seen only moments ago. But it was no longer in her control; her emotions were just too powerful. She got up, half dazed, and walked over to the gym, quietly whispering a goodbye to Persephone.
She didn't feel like going to training, but she knew how Ares could be when he was mad. He hated it when she was late, especially if it was because she was with Persephone. Slowly pushing the cold metal doors, she noticed she was early. Or everyone else was just late. She also noticed that Hera was talking to Ares in the far end of the gym, but her mind was far too preoccupied to take any further notice. She sat on the far side of the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest, resting her head on them. Her hair fell around her small body as she thought. 'What was that... that image? What did it mean?' She hated it when she couldn't understand something she 'saw'. But this time it was different. It had nothing to do with Cronus... she knew that. For once it had something to do with her. Whatever that was, it reminded her of Archie. Why, she couldn't understand. Maybe because he was afraid of the water, and of drowning. Did it mean her friendship was 'drowning'? She didn't know what she was feeling exactly, but she didn't like it. Things had been incredibly different for her these past few days. Was this not going to end well?
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"Neil, come on, we're going to be late!" Jay stood at the bottom of the stairs, slowly taking up his role as the leader once again. He had thought about it, and there was nothing he could do. Why should he give Cronus the upper hand? The sooner they beat his ass back to Tartarus, the sooner he could get things straight between him and Theresa.
"Neil!" he screamed even louder this time after hearing Herry honk outside.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, sheesh." Neil came down, mirror and new comb in hand, trying to style his hair while walking; something he had surprisingly mastered. Jay shook his head at how narcissistic the boy was.
"Hey, Theresa isn't even here yet, how come you made me come down??" Neil had made a rather clever discovery once he entered the truck.
"She's already there you smartass." Archie rolled his eyes at the stupidity the boy held. He couldn't figure out how someone so self-centered could be so lucky.
The short trip to the school was rather quiet, usually Atlanta and Archie would be heard arguing in the back by now, but today they both seemed silent, each looking out a window. Herry concentrated on his driving while Odie and Jay talked battle strategies. They soon arrived, everyone quietly walking into the secret wing of their school, Jay leading the way to the gym. They emerged through the thick metal doors, only to be held unnoticed to those already there. They saw Hera and Ares talking as well, and they were glad he had been occupied enough not to notice them come in late, no thanks to Neil.
Jay noticed Theresa sitting in the corner, and he started to walk over to her before he stopped, deciding on what he would say. He hesitated before he walked back to where the rest of the team was seated, still in confusion. Archie had spotted Theresa out of the corner of his eye and started to call her over.
"Hey Theresa! Theresa!" Archie yelled her name but she made no acknowledgement of having heard him.
"Hey DQ! Wake up!" Still there was no answer. (A/N: DQ stands for Drama Queen if you didn't know... lol, or dairy queen works too :D Oo, ice cream) His face took on a confused look before he got up and headed towards her.
He was standing over her when she slowly lifted her head up, sensing someone else's presence. He smiled weakly at her.
"Hey sleepy head, you death or something?"
"Sorry, I was just... thinking." Archie nodded his head slowly before helped her to get up, noticing that Hera and Ares were walking towards them. They made their way towards the rest of the team when Ares cleared his throat.
"Today you will be doing one on one battles with your partner. There will be two groups of two, and one group of three. Okay Ja-" Ares was cut off when Hera started to whisper in his ear, while he nodded.
"Okay, where were we? Oh yes... Archie and Atlanta will be team one. Jay and Theresa, you will be team two, and Odie, Herry and Neil will be team three. Neil, you'll fight the winner of your team. Now get into positions!" Ares stood in front of the shocked teens, pointing to the weapons room.
Atlanta, Jay, Archie and Theresa made their way to the weapons room as this new piece of information slowly sunk into their minds. Were the gods mocking them? They each grabbed their weapons and slowly walked back into the gym. Theresa had her head down and Jay was trying to think of something to say. Archie and Atlanta were silent, occasionally glancing at the other. Usually they would have been overly competitive when they were put into a team, but today they choose silence. (A/N: okay, I cannot write 'fight scenes' or explain them very well, so please don't laugh at the poor fights I will be TRYING to explain here:D)
"Now...Start!"
Theresa lifted her head up, determined to get through this as fast as possible. The sooner one of them fell, the sooner the teams would switch. Jay ran forward, sword pulled out, an attack Theresa easily blocked. He tried once more, and Theresa had blocked that too. It didn't seem as though he was even trying. She, on the other hand, was going to try. She ran forward as well, and managed to pin Jay onto the wall, making sure he couldn't get loose. He starred at her in shock, clueless as to what to say or do. He smiled, confusing Theresa for a moment, and then pushed her with not all, but most of his force, until she was now pinned to the ground beneath him. He supported his weight to one arm, and drew the sword up on top of her. She, realizing Jay was actually fighting like he normally would have, pushed him back with her feet and jumped up. She drew out her shield and sword, blocking and hitting into an on-going battle.
Atlanta had run forward the second Ares told them to start. She tried hitting Archie on his side, but he immediately blocked her attack. Archie aimed for Atlanta's right arm, but she dodged it. They ran forward, each one hitting and missing only by mere inches. They each striked again, but again, each missed. Atlanta was found pinned to the ground when Archie had caught her during a moment where she was distracted. He smiled triumphantly, while Atlanta struggled to break free.
The sound of swords clattering was heard through the gym walls. No one spoke a word, they just fought.
Ares watched each group carefully; it didn't seem as though they were getting along. Herry had won against Odie, Theresa had Jay pinned down again, but it was always changing, and Archie still had Atlanta pinned down. Even he could feel the unusually strong tension between them. He wanted to change the groups; he had no time for teenage drama. But Hera had insisted on placing them in this order. He sighed, rubbing his temples, feeling the anger rise through him. They weren't concentrating, and they were in no shape to attack Cronus.
That's enough! Drop your weapons!" Immediately the swords clattered against the ground. Everyone stood in a horizontal line in front of Ares. He started to pace around in front of them.
"I don't know what is going on between you, nor do I want to know. When you come into my gym, I expect you to leave your personal feelings outside. I don't want any of your 'teenage drama', understand? What would you have done if Cronus were to attack?!"
They all had their heads down, barely listening to what Ares was saying.
"... that's it. You are all dismissed. But I expect improvement in your next class!"
If it wasn't for Neil jumping and screaming a 'booyah!', then they wouldn't have known that they were free to go.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Back at the dorm still no one muttered a single word. They were all seated in the living room, all but Herry who went to make himself a sandwich.
"Well, I uh, I'm going out." Everyone but Archie and Neil turned to Atlanta.
"Where are you going?" Jay immediately asked.
"I'm going out with Michael." Jay nodded and told her to keep her PMR on.
"But didn't you go just yesterday 'Lanta?"
"Yeah, so? Aren't I allowed to go out whenever I want to?!" Atlanta quickly snapped back. Theresa was taken aback by Atlanta's sudden outburst at her.
"No, but I mean you went out last night and stayed out pretty late... I mean, you're going to see him tomorrow anyways..." Atlanta was about to make another comment when she mentally smacked herself for being so rude with Theresa. Why was she being mean to her? Theresa hadn't done anything. Archie did. 'What did Archie do that is so wrong? Love you?' Her conscious started to kick in again as she wordlessly left the brownstone. What had Archie done wrong? Why was she mad anyways? Because someone loved her? Michael never told her he loved her... but they had only been going out for a day.../'Do I love Michael? Wait, what kind of question is that? ... Yeah, wait, what kind is it actually? Do I love him?'/ Did she love him?
She started to remember all the times she was sick, and Archie would stay up with her because she couldn't sleep. She remembered when he'd always be out with her running at midnight when she had the random urge to feel the cold rush on her face. He had always been there for her. Did he do it out of love? Out of friendship? Would Michael have done the same for her? Had she ruined that friendship that was so valuable to her?
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Archie was found lying in his room, head promptly rested against his pillow, starring at his plain white ceiling. His room was a mess, as it always had been. He had never bothered to clean it. Once Theresa tried to persuade him into doing it, but he had only yelled at her in response. Theresa. Did he hate her? Did he still love Atlanta? He admitted he felt bad for Theresa... she was going through exactly was he was. And if he had the choice, he wouldn't have done what he did. At least he thought. Did he regret telling Atlanta? Why hadn't he listened to Theresa in the first place? He sighed. He hated going through this everyday. Why couldn't he just find the damn answers and move on already?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on his door. "Archie, you in there?" It was their leader, Jay.
"Yeah... Come in."
"Hey Archie... actually I was just wondering if you have any ideas about leads for Cronus...He hasn't attacked for a while and it's got me worried..." Jay was back to his usual self, uptight and serious.
"Nope. You see, unlike you, I don't spend my time thinking about Cronus. I'm surprised you are actually." He looked Jay in the eye, actually wondering if he and Theresa had patched things up.
Jay, on the other hand, averted his gaze from Archie's and looked down at the ground.
"W-what do you mean?"
"I mean did you and Theresa... are you guys okay now?" he asked, ending his answer with a new question.
"No actually... not really."
"Wait, you mean you and Theresa still aren't talking and you're thinking about Cronus' next attack? ... Wow, she was right... He really is more important to you." The end of his sentence was more of a mutter to himself, but it seemed Jay had heard part of it.
"What? What do you mean she was right?"
"I mean Cronus apparently means more to you than her... nice man."
"No he doesn't mean more. I just care about our safety. Tell me Archie, is that so wrong?"
"No it isn't, but is dating Theresa? You know, she really likes you. Heck, maybe loves... I don't understand girls... at least not our girls..."
"How did you know?"
"Hm, I overhear things... but tell me, are you going to do what Atlanta did to me? Are you just going to leave Theresa hanging like that, just like Atlanta left me? Jay you may not know how it feels but-"
"I do know how it feels Archie. I just don't want her to get hurt. You know if Cronus found out -"
"There you go again. Cronus. Honestly, I don't even know how Theresa ever liked you like this. You're too busy thinking about Cronus to even pay attention to her. At least me and Atlanta hung out a lot."
"So what, now you care how she feels? You're the one that always made her cry!" Archie looked up at Jay and starred at him. Cry? He had made Theresa cry? And more than once?
"She never cried. She knows I'm just joking around with her. And if she did, then she's just being a drama queen." Jay just rolled his eyes.
"Why don't you just ask her then? And what about you and Atlanta, huh? Are you just going to sit here while she's out with some other guy? I thought you loved her?!"
"I DO!"
"Then why aren't you with her right now?!"
"Well why the fuck aren't you with Theresa?!"
They both fell silent, each not knowing what to say to the other. They knew they were just taking out their anger on each other, and having another fight wasn't going to help them solve anything.
"Listen Archie... I'm sorry I yelled. It's just that, occupying myself with Cronus helps me try not to think about her. Okay? That's how I deal with this. So don't judge me in any way. Now if you have any ideas about Cronus..." Jay took on his leaderly roll, wanting to settle what seemed to be turning into a fight.
"Nah. I don't. But uh, sorry too. Guess I kinda freaked out there on you..."
"... I still suggest you talk to Theresa. Maybe it'll make you feel better? It's something I'd love to do..." Archie smiled at Jay's last comment, as Jay left his room, quietly shutting the door behind him. On top of feeling horrible about Atlanta, he felt even worse once he found out he had made Theresa cry. He sighed. So much was going on. Why? Had they done anything wrong? Were the gods testing them? He took his seat back on his bed, trying to catch up with the sleep he missed that morning, while one thought raced through his mind. Just what were they going to do?
Well, here ends chapter 4. It's probably the longest one yet. Not that anything has really happened. Sorry if Jay and Archie seemed kind of OOC in the last parts, but I also didn't want them to keep fighting... I already feel bad enough for ruining their lives, lol. Oo, I make no promises for a happy ending. Who knows? Zeus does! Lol. Sorry, random moment there. I'm very hyper because I dissected a worm in science today, it was soo gross. Anyways, tell me what you guys think should be improved/worked on and what you think about it. Leave a review; honestly it doesn't take that long :D Just a click of a button and a couple of words stating your opinion. Btw, on Thursday I'm seeing this show/play about Greek Mythology for my French class. Isn't that great? So, have a great weekend guys, and R&R!
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