Categories > Cartoons > Class of the Titans > The Flames That Never Died Out
Author's Note:Not much to say... wow, that's a change. Well, this chapter was really inspired by Winter-Rae, so thanks a bunch, you rock Winter! And thanks to story_master/story goddess for beta-reading!! You know you rock Taylor!!
Chapter 4
Neil shut his eyes as he felt the wind rushing through his golden blond hair. It was gorgeous outside; the sun sent warm rays of sunlight towards everyone, the winds were soft and calming, and the waters softly crashed against the shore. The scent of freshly bloomed flowers floated around in the air, as the laughter of little kids playing in the park was faintly heard. A perfect day, as some would say. Yet none of the three remaining heroes took any notice of it. To them it felt as though the world around them had shattered. It no longer held a meaning to them. Yes, they had saved the world, but they had lost their own in the process.
These people, they had no real worries. The heroes, on the other hand, were protecting them from an immortal psychopath god that was out to get them and claim the world as his own. Not that any of them were aware of this. They lived on everyday, oblivious to the dangers they were so constantly protected and saved from. Now it was over... for many.
Theresa's apple-red sports car was their new means of transportation, since Herry's truck would remain where it had been placed. Neil sat in the front seat by Theresa, who was almost absentmindedly driving to the school. She would miss other cars by mere inches, doing exaggerated left and right turns. The sound of her tires screeching loudly, and even louder honks and curse words were constantly heard throughout the ride. Don't get me wrong; Theresa is an amazing driver. But when you've just lost four of your best friends, and the only place you have to stay is in a secret part of your school with some immortal gods, searching for a way to revive those dead friends, well, driving safely might not be the first thing to cross your mind.
Archie was in the back seat, distractedly staring out to the packed streets of New Olympia. It wasn't just cars honking, yelling and swearing... the pedestrians did their fair share of it too. But Theresa didn't even seem to notice this, not that he blamed her. She took one last left turn, as the view of the school grew nearer and nearer. Slowly the car came to a stop near one of the back doors. The click-click sound of unbuckled seatbelts and the clank sound of the trunk being shut were heard as the three made their way inside. Archie looked back at the streets and noticed the jam of cars in the middle of the intersection. He turned to Theresa and chuckled lightly.
"Nice job back there." He said, his thumb pointing behind him. She smiled.
"I try."
In the meantime, Neil had inserted his golden medallion into its proper spot in the key hole. The pendant turned a couple of times before the familiar click sound was heard. They were soon greeted with the familiar tingling feeling as they stepped through the light blue gateway that had materialized before them.
As they walked down the long hallway, nods and big bright smiles were being acknowledged their way. Some gods and goddesses would even come up to them to shake their hands, thank and congratulate them on a job well done. But they would only force a smile, impatiently waiting for whoever had a grip on their hands to let go.
Finally, their silent wish was granted. There they stood in front of two huge floor-to-ceiling wooden oak doors, Theresa's clenched fist only inches away from it. She knocked lightly, but it echoed even louder around in the empty room. Seconds ticked by until Hera opened one of the doors. She was about to greet them and invite them in when she noticed the luggage they were each carrying.
"You haven't decided to leave for home, have you?" She asked, concerned.
"No Miss Hera... we just wanted to know if we could stay here for a while."
"Of course!" She said, smiling brightly. "It's the least we could do. Consider this your second home away from home. You are always welcome here." She led them into the room, motioning for them to sit down.
"Hermes will take care of those bags." She whispered.
"Hermes!" She said, louder this time. Almost immediately, Hermes flew into the room, trying to catch his breath.
"Y-Yes Hera?"
"Hermes, I want you to set up three beds in one of the extra rooms. Take their bags as well. They will be staying here for a while." Hermes nodded and raced forward to grab the bags. He sloppily pilled them up on top of each other and quickly flew out of the room. Hera turned to them and smiled warmly.
"Feel free to do what you like. Hermes and Athena are always here if you need anything."
"Can we visit our friends?" The question was almost unexpected, and was quickly followed by silence as the three watched Hera hopefully. She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.
"I'm afraid not, my dear. I l know you miss your friends terribly, but it is forbidden for mortals to enter the Elysian Fields."
"But we-"
"I'm sorry. But I cannot allow you to go... And I would like it if you didn't leave without my permission." She smiled again, but her smile fell when she noticed their sorrow filled faces.
Her heart when out to them, it really did. But she of all people knew it was forbidden. She sighed as she placed a comforting hand on Theresa's shoulder, a knowing smile forming on her delicate yet rough face.
"Fate unfolds in many different ways, my children. You must understand, everything will turn out how it was meant to be, in the end. All you can do is hope, and hold on. Do not ponder over the path your destiny has taken, as well as others. Everything will fall into place as it was meant to be." They nodded, but Hera knew better. She knew they would question their fate, and the decisions they had, and would come to make.
Hera left them before they could ask any further questions. Theresa lifted her head up, Hera's words still lingering in her mind. Hoping and holding on were for bystanders. People who accepted everything as it was presented to them. But she wasn't a bystander; no, she was far from it. If she didn't like how things were going, well then fate would just have to deal with it. Because the rich girl always gets what she wants.
"Okay guys," she said, instantly snapping both boys out of the chaos in their minds. "How are we going to do this? We know the Elysian Fields is off-limits, so that's one option down... and technically, we can't cure them, so we can cross that off too... what's left?"
Archie and Neil thought about this for a while, while Theresa mumbled half to herself.
"We need... something. I don't know if magic would work... doubt it... maybe-"
"That's it!" Neil's high-pitched voice right then startled them out of their thoughts.
"What is it Neil?"
"We could go to the..."
"Yeah...?" They urged on.
"LIBRARY!" He exclaimed happily, obviously proud of his discovery.
"Neil, that's the stupid-" Archie started, but Theresa cut him off.
"Neil, that's brilliant!" Neil smiled mockingly towards Archie, who just gave Theresa a confused look.
"What's so special about the library?"
"The school library, Archie. With our pendants, we can get access to other parts in there, and get our hands on some more advanced books, that could help us find a way to bring them back! Our library is packed with Greek Mythology books!" She said giddily as she felt her spirits rise. Archie nodded and got up.
"Let's go then!"
They raced down the halls, everyone's image just a complete blur to them. They had one goal in mind and nothing else seemed to matter. Soon they reached a new set of wooden oak doors, and pushed them open frantically, all eager to get started.
They found themselves racing again, this time to the back of the library. It was dead silent, and the library seemed to hold a... heavy atmosphere. They breathed in the smell of old and new books merged together, and Neil shuddered. He never did like the library... he preferred the day spa any time.
They stopped at the little seating area they had in the back, with the comfortable little cushions arranged in various places, some comics purposely scattered carelessly on the table, with a CD player and some CD'S; the gods' sad attempt at trying to make the library a more 'hip' place for teens to hang out.
Theresa had seen Jay do it enough times to remember. She walked over to a seemingly normal looking bookshelf and removed another seemingly ordinary book. Just as she was about to insert her pendant into the 'secret' compartment, Persephone's hand shot over and covered its place.
"Persephone, what are you doing? Don't tell me we can't use these books!" Theresa's patience seemed to be growing awfully thin; she was tired of all the obstacles that stood in her way of saving her friends...
'If only she knew of the bigger obstacles to come...' Persephone silently thought, not removing her hand from where she had firmly placed it.
"No, it is not forbidden, but the answers you want lie in a different place." She answered simply.
"What!? Then where are we supposed to get these 'answers'?" Neil and Archie stood shocked behind Theresa. It seemed like the gods didn't want them to bring the others back.
Persephone smiled. Hera had forbidden her to give them the answers they seeked... but she had never mentioned helping them reach their goal, now had she?
"These books, they won't help you. The really important stuff is here." She said, her hand waving around in the air for an instant before a blurry white door appeared in mid air.
She smiled once more at the shocked faces.
"But you must hurry; I can only keep this passageway open for a certain amount of time. Take what you need, but be quick!" They all nodded and raced through the door as it quickly shut behind them. Persephone smiled inwardly, glad she could be of help in the young teens' journey.
Hera slowly walked forward from behind a bookcase, startling Persephone.
"You haven't said anything, now have you Persephone?" she asked.
"Of course not Hera." Hera only nodded.
"Alright Persephone... but you, as they, must understand that everything will happen as it was /meant to be/." Hera pronounced the last three words slowly and loudly, as though it would make it clearer.
"I know Hera... but a little help never hurt anyone, now has it?" Once more, Hera nodded and Persephone could have sworn she noticed her smile.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Once you're determined, you're truly determined. And that's exactly what they were. They were so determined that they hadn't noticed the beautiful sight right outside the window. Or the delicate and detailed statues everywhere. They just raced to some of the many thousand books, frantically flipping and glancing through pages. They would grab anything close to them, anything they could get their hands on. They searched for anything that would be of the simplest help to them. Heck, even Neil was reading.
But they were startled out of concentration when they heard a presumably big and heavy book shut loudly. Archie groaned.
"I can't find anything, and we've been searching for hours! If Persephone knows the answer, then why the fuck won't she give it to us?" Archie groaned in frustration again as Neil nodded in agreement.
"I know, I mean, come on, I haven't read this much since... ever! Can't she just tell us what we need to know?"
Theresa knew it wasn't the time to bash the gods, especially since Persephone had done all she could for them. They had to keep searching; there wasn't any time to waste.
"Guys, please. If Persephone didn't tell us, then I'm sure she had her reasons. So stop wasting time and complaining, and let's search!" She snapped back. She was tired of hearing both of them complain. Usually Neil was more than enough, but now Archie?
"What the fuck do you want us to do? We've probably read all these books twice, /each/!" Theresa turned to glare at Archie before she tried to calm herself down... but that didn't seem to be working this past while...
"What the fuck do YOU want is to do? Give up? You want to stop looking, is that it? Archie I don't fucking need you and Neil complaining. I've had enough myself, you know. Fuck, am I the only one really trying to get them back?!" Archie and Neil started at her dumbfounded, taken aback by her sudden outburst. Neil was smart enough to stay quiet, not wanting to further the psychic's anger... too bad Archie's has a horrible habit of talking before thinking.
"What the hell are you trying to say? What do you mean you're the only one looking? We've been in here for three and a half hours. Three and a half fucking hours. If that's not what you call searching, then I don't know what is. We've done as much as you have you know."
"Archie, fuck, I didn't say you haven't done anything. But damn it, I never thought you'd give up so fucking easily. Is this it? You've searched and came up with nothing, so it's all over? You're just going to turn your back on them? Just leave? Well then, hell with you, leave already. I've got enough on my mind, and honestly, I don't need your crap. I know what I'm going to do. I'm staying here until I can get them back. I don't give up Archie, and I'm sorry to see you have. Some friend you turned out to be." Theresa turned back to the book she held in her hands, no longer paying attention to the others in the room. Archie stared at her confused. He felt kind of hurt at her last comment, even though he would never admit it.
Theresa flipped through more pages, occasionally glancing at the time. Persephone said they didn't have much time... and she was sure three hours was a lot for a 'not much.' She groaned out, aggressively shutting the book she held. She raced to one of the shelves and grabbed a dozen of books in her hands, dumping them onto the nearby table. She grabbed one, and her cycle started all over again.
Meanwhile, Archie and Neil exchanged confused glances. They knew they shouldn't have talked about Persephone like that, and that they shouldn't have complained. Hesitantly, Neil walked over to Theresa and grabbed a book from her pile. She turned to him, and he smiled. She grinned back, and they both continued their search.
Neil would occasionally glance up at Archie, as though he was half expecting him to leave, and half expecting him to come over and help.
Archie thought back to all his friends; Atlanta, Odie, Herry, Jay. He knew they would've been here for months if that's what it took to get him back. He knew Theresa and Neil would've been here as well, as they are now. But not for him. Theresa was right; why was he giving up so easily? Had he really lost all hope?
No. A tiny voice in the back of his head told him./ 'No, Archie, you're not just going to leave your friends, are you?'/
Archie knew the answer to that question. And that's why he slowly walked over to Theresa and Neil, and placed a comforting hand on Theresa's shoulder, who just abruptly turned around. She smiled once she saw who the hand belonged to, and silently passed him a book from the growing pile.
Night abruptly fell upon them, not that they noticed. It was hard for them to admit, but the hope and determination they had when they had first run in here had slowly been disintegrating those past couple hours. Nevertheless, they continued, none muttering a word. Just when they were going to call it a night, Theresa screamed out in triumph.
"YESSS! Kiss that Cronus!" She twirled around a couple of times, laughing giddily before Archie and Neil raced towards her. She flopped down onto a chair, unable to stop smiling. She kept laughing, feeling capable of anything. This was it. She had finally found what they had been looking for for so long. They were such a big step closer to bringing back their friends.
Archie and Neil gathered around behind her, letting out their own smiles. Finally, they thought. They found it.
Theresa hugged the book tightly, excitement rushing through her. 'This just might do it.'
Woot! Done. Damn, that took a while... 2, 811 words! So they found a way... or have they? Oo, you'll just have to wait and see. And trust me, just because they've found it, doesn't mean anything's going to be that easy to get them back... Nope, who ever said life was easy? Well, this chapter was awfully long, maybe not one of my better ones, but that's up to you guys to decide. Tell me what you thought, and please be honest. Anything that needs work? I think I've come a long way from 'In this Life', especially since before this summer, I've NEVER written anything other than English essays or assignments... haha. Now it's something I constantly do:D Well, thanks again to story_master/story goddess for beta-reading, and all my reviewers, honestly, you guys are awesome! So, rate and review guys!
P.S. The 'way' they're going to get them back is ENTIRELY made up; it has NOTHING to do with Greek Mythology. All miiinee:P R&R guys! Have an awesome weekend!
Chapter 4
Neil shut his eyes as he felt the wind rushing through his golden blond hair. It was gorgeous outside; the sun sent warm rays of sunlight towards everyone, the winds were soft and calming, and the waters softly crashed against the shore. The scent of freshly bloomed flowers floated around in the air, as the laughter of little kids playing in the park was faintly heard. A perfect day, as some would say. Yet none of the three remaining heroes took any notice of it. To them it felt as though the world around them had shattered. It no longer held a meaning to them. Yes, they had saved the world, but they had lost their own in the process.
These people, they had no real worries. The heroes, on the other hand, were protecting them from an immortal psychopath god that was out to get them and claim the world as his own. Not that any of them were aware of this. They lived on everyday, oblivious to the dangers they were so constantly protected and saved from. Now it was over... for many.
Theresa's apple-red sports car was their new means of transportation, since Herry's truck would remain where it had been placed. Neil sat in the front seat by Theresa, who was almost absentmindedly driving to the school. She would miss other cars by mere inches, doing exaggerated left and right turns. The sound of her tires screeching loudly, and even louder honks and curse words were constantly heard throughout the ride. Don't get me wrong; Theresa is an amazing driver. But when you've just lost four of your best friends, and the only place you have to stay is in a secret part of your school with some immortal gods, searching for a way to revive those dead friends, well, driving safely might not be the first thing to cross your mind.
Archie was in the back seat, distractedly staring out to the packed streets of New Olympia. It wasn't just cars honking, yelling and swearing... the pedestrians did their fair share of it too. But Theresa didn't even seem to notice this, not that he blamed her. She took one last left turn, as the view of the school grew nearer and nearer. Slowly the car came to a stop near one of the back doors. The click-click sound of unbuckled seatbelts and the clank sound of the trunk being shut were heard as the three made their way inside. Archie looked back at the streets and noticed the jam of cars in the middle of the intersection. He turned to Theresa and chuckled lightly.
"Nice job back there." He said, his thumb pointing behind him. She smiled.
"I try."
In the meantime, Neil had inserted his golden medallion into its proper spot in the key hole. The pendant turned a couple of times before the familiar click sound was heard. They were soon greeted with the familiar tingling feeling as they stepped through the light blue gateway that had materialized before them.
As they walked down the long hallway, nods and big bright smiles were being acknowledged their way. Some gods and goddesses would even come up to them to shake their hands, thank and congratulate them on a job well done. But they would only force a smile, impatiently waiting for whoever had a grip on their hands to let go.
Finally, their silent wish was granted. There they stood in front of two huge floor-to-ceiling wooden oak doors, Theresa's clenched fist only inches away from it. She knocked lightly, but it echoed even louder around in the empty room. Seconds ticked by until Hera opened one of the doors. She was about to greet them and invite them in when she noticed the luggage they were each carrying.
"You haven't decided to leave for home, have you?" She asked, concerned.
"No Miss Hera... we just wanted to know if we could stay here for a while."
"Of course!" She said, smiling brightly. "It's the least we could do. Consider this your second home away from home. You are always welcome here." She led them into the room, motioning for them to sit down.
"Hermes will take care of those bags." She whispered.
"Hermes!" She said, louder this time. Almost immediately, Hermes flew into the room, trying to catch his breath.
"Y-Yes Hera?"
"Hermes, I want you to set up three beds in one of the extra rooms. Take their bags as well. They will be staying here for a while." Hermes nodded and raced forward to grab the bags. He sloppily pilled them up on top of each other and quickly flew out of the room. Hera turned to them and smiled warmly.
"Feel free to do what you like. Hermes and Athena are always here if you need anything."
"Can we visit our friends?" The question was almost unexpected, and was quickly followed by silence as the three watched Hera hopefully. She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.
"I'm afraid not, my dear. I l know you miss your friends terribly, but it is forbidden for mortals to enter the Elysian Fields."
"But we-"
"I'm sorry. But I cannot allow you to go... And I would like it if you didn't leave without my permission." She smiled again, but her smile fell when she noticed their sorrow filled faces.
Her heart when out to them, it really did. But she of all people knew it was forbidden. She sighed as she placed a comforting hand on Theresa's shoulder, a knowing smile forming on her delicate yet rough face.
"Fate unfolds in many different ways, my children. You must understand, everything will turn out how it was meant to be, in the end. All you can do is hope, and hold on. Do not ponder over the path your destiny has taken, as well as others. Everything will fall into place as it was meant to be." They nodded, but Hera knew better. She knew they would question their fate, and the decisions they had, and would come to make.
Hera left them before they could ask any further questions. Theresa lifted her head up, Hera's words still lingering in her mind. Hoping and holding on were for bystanders. People who accepted everything as it was presented to them. But she wasn't a bystander; no, she was far from it. If she didn't like how things were going, well then fate would just have to deal with it. Because the rich girl always gets what she wants.
"Okay guys," she said, instantly snapping both boys out of the chaos in their minds. "How are we going to do this? We know the Elysian Fields is off-limits, so that's one option down... and technically, we can't cure them, so we can cross that off too... what's left?"
Archie and Neil thought about this for a while, while Theresa mumbled half to herself.
"We need... something. I don't know if magic would work... doubt it... maybe-"
"That's it!" Neil's high-pitched voice right then startled them out of their thoughts.
"What is it Neil?"
"We could go to the..."
"Yeah...?" They urged on.
"LIBRARY!" He exclaimed happily, obviously proud of his discovery.
"Neil, that's the stupid-" Archie started, but Theresa cut him off.
"Neil, that's brilliant!" Neil smiled mockingly towards Archie, who just gave Theresa a confused look.
"What's so special about the library?"
"The school library, Archie. With our pendants, we can get access to other parts in there, and get our hands on some more advanced books, that could help us find a way to bring them back! Our library is packed with Greek Mythology books!" She said giddily as she felt her spirits rise. Archie nodded and got up.
"Let's go then!"
They raced down the halls, everyone's image just a complete blur to them. They had one goal in mind and nothing else seemed to matter. Soon they reached a new set of wooden oak doors, and pushed them open frantically, all eager to get started.
They found themselves racing again, this time to the back of the library. It was dead silent, and the library seemed to hold a... heavy atmosphere. They breathed in the smell of old and new books merged together, and Neil shuddered. He never did like the library... he preferred the day spa any time.
They stopped at the little seating area they had in the back, with the comfortable little cushions arranged in various places, some comics purposely scattered carelessly on the table, with a CD player and some CD'S; the gods' sad attempt at trying to make the library a more 'hip' place for teens to hang out.
Theresa had seen Jay do it enough times to remember. She walked over to a seemingly normal looking bookshelf and removed another seemingly ordinary book. Just as she was about to insert her pendant into the 'secret' compartment, Persephone's hand shot over and covered its place.
"Persephone, what are you doing? Don't tell me we can't use these books!" Theresa's patience seemed to be growing awfully thin; she was tired of all the obstacles that stood in her way of saving her friends...
'If only she knew of the bigger obstacles to come...' Persephone silently thought, not removing her hand from where she had firmly placed it.
"No, it is not forbidden, but the answers you want lie in a different place." She answered simply.
"What!? Then where are we supposed to get these 'answers'?" Neil and Archie stood shocked behind Theresa. It seemed like the gods didn't want them to bring the others back.
Persephone smiled. Hera had forbidden her to give them the answers they seeked... but she had never mentioned helping them reach their goal, now had she?
"These books, they won't help you. The really important stuff is here." She said, her hand waving around in the air for an instant before a blurry white door appeared in mid air.
She smiled once more at the shocked faces.
"But you must hurry; I can only keep this passageway open for a certain amount of time. Take what you need, but be quick!" They all nodded and raced through the door as it quickly shut behind them. Persephone smiled inwardly, glad she could be of help in the young teens' journey.
Hera slowly walked forward from behind a bookcase, startling Persephone.
"You haven't said anything, now have you Persephone?" she asked.
"Of course not Hera." Hera only nodded.
"Alright Persephone... but you, as they, must understand that everything will happen as it was /meant to be/." Hera pronounced the last three words slowly and loudly, as though it would make it clearer.
"I know Hera... but a little help never hurt anyone, now has it?" Once more, Hera nodded and Persephone could have sworn she noticed her smile.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Once you're determined, you're truly determined. And that's exactly what they were. They were so determined that they hadn't noticed the beautiful sight right outside the window. Or the delicate and detailed statues everywhere. They just raced to some of the many thousand books, frantically flipping and glancing through pages. They would grab anything close to them, anything they could get their hands on. They searched for anything that would be of the simplest help to them. Heck, even Neil was reading.
But they were startled out of concentration when they heard a presumably big and heavy book shut loudly. Archie groaned.
"I can't find anything, and we've been searching for hours! If Persephone knows the answer, then why the fuck won't she give it to us?" Archie groaned in frustration again as Neil nodded in agreement.
"I know, I mean, come on, I haven't read this much since... ever! Can't she just tell us what we need to know?"
Theresa knew it wasn't the time to bash the gods, especially since Persephone had done all she could for them. They had to keep searching; there wasn't any time to waste.
"Guys, please. If Persephone didn't tell us, then I'm sure she had her reasons. So stop wasting time and complaining, and let's search!" She snapped back. She was tired of hearing both of them complain. Usually Neil was more than enough, but now Archie?
"What the fuck do you want us to do? We've probably read all these books twice, /each/!" Theresa turned to glare at Archie before she tried to calm herself down... but that didn't seem to be working this past while...
"What the fuck do YOU want is to do? Give up? You want to stop looking, is that it? Archie I don't fucking need you and Neil complaining. I've had enough myself, you know. Fuck, am I the only one really trying to get them back?!" Archie and Neil started at her dumbfounded, taken aback by her sudden outburst. Neil was smart enough to stay quiet, not wanting to further the psychic's anger... too bad Archie's has a horrible habit of talking before thinking.
"What the hell are you trying to say? What do you mean you're the only one looking? We've been in here for three and a half hours. Three and a half fucking hours. If that's not what you call searching, then I don't know what is. We've done as much as you have you know."
"Archie, fuck, I didn't say you haven't done anything. But damn it, I never thought you'd give up so fucking easily. Is this it? You've searched and came up with nothing, so it's all over? You're just going to turn your back on them? Just leave? Well then, hell with you, leave already. I've got enough on my mind, and honestly, I don't need your crap. I know what I'm going to do. I'm staying here until I can get them back. I don't give up Archie, and I'm sorry to see you have. Some friend you turned out to be." Theresa turned back to the book she held in her hands, no longer paying attention to the others in the room. Archie stared at her confused. He felt kind of hurt at her last comment, even though he would never admit it.
Theresa flipped through more pages, occasionally glancing at the time. Persephone said they didn't have much time... and she was sure three hours was a lot for a 'not much.' She groaned out, aggressively shutting the book she held. She raced to one of the shelves and grabbed a dozen of books in her hands, dumping them onto the nearby table. She grabbed one, and her cycle started all over again.
Meanwhile, Archie and Neil exchanged confused glances. They knew they shouldn't have talked about Persephone like that, and that they shouldn't have complained. Hesitantly, Neil walked over to Theresa and grabbed a book from her pile. She turned to him, and he smiled. She grinned back, and they both continued their search.
Neil would occasionally glance up at Archie, as though he was half expecting him to leave, and half expecting him to come over and help.
Archie thought back to all his friends; Atlanta, Odie, Herry, Jay. He knew they would've been here for months if that's what it took to get him back. He knew Theresa and Neil would've been here as well, as they are now. But not for him. Theresa was right; why was he giving up so easily? Had he really lost all hope?
No. A tiny voice in the back of his head told him./ 'No, Archie, you're not just going to leave your friends, are you?'/
Archie knew the answer to that question. And that's why he slowly walked over to Theresa and Neil, and placed a comforting hand on Theresa's shoulder, who just abruptly turned around. She smiled once she saw who the hand belonged to, and silently passed him a book from the growing pile.
Night abruptly fell upon them, not that they noticed. It was hard for them to admit, but the hope and determination they had when they had first run in here had slowly been disintegrating those past couple hours. Nevertheless, they continued, none muttering a word. Just when they were going to call it a night, Theresa screamed out in triumph.
"YESSS! Kiss that Cronus!" She twirled around a couple of times, laughing giddily before Archie and Neil raced towards her. She flopped down onto a chair, unable to stop smiling. She kept laughing, feeling capable of anything. This was it. She had finally found what they had been looking for for so long. They were such a big step closer to bringing back their friends.
Archie and Neil gathered around behind her, letting out their own smiles. Finally, they thought. They found it.
Theresa hugged the book tightly, excitement rushing through her. 'This just might do it.'
Woot! Done. Damn, that took a while... 2, 811 words! So they found a way... or have they? Oo, you'll just have to wait and see. And trust me, just because they've found it, doesn't mean anything's going to be that easy to get them back... Nope, who ever said life was easy? Well, this chapter was awfully long, maybe not one of my better ones, but that's up to you guys to decide. Tell me what you thought, and please be honest. Anything that needs work? I think I've come a long way from 'In this Life', especially since before this summer, I've NEVER written anything other than English essays or assignments... haha. Now it's something I constantly do:D Well, thanks again to story_master/story goddess for beta-reading, and all my reviewers, honestly, you guys are awesome! So, rate and review guys!
P.S. The 'way' they're going to get them back is ENTIRELY made up; it has NOTHING to do with Greek Mythology. All miiinee:P R&R guys! Have an awesome weekend!
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