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Theresa knocked softly on Persephone's study door, waiting. Persephone's voice called through the oak doors, beckoning Theresa in. Theresa pushed on the door and stepped into the bright solarium, her eyes scanning the room for the Goddess. Persephone had her back to Theresa as she watered her tall plants. Persephone turned slightly and friendly smiled at Theresa.

"Welcome back, Theresa," Persephone set down the watering can and walked towards Theresa, embracing her softly. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to be back," Theresa smiled. Persephone released her and walked slowly towards the couches, with Theresa following after her. Persephone bent over the short table and began to poor some hot tea. She raised her head and glanced at Theresa, acknowledging the tea set.

"Yes, thank you," Theresa said, lowering herself comfortably on one of the floor cushions. Persephone set a hot cup of green tea in front Theresa and sat down across from her, holding her own cup.

"So, what's new?" she asked pleasantly, sipping her tea and looking at Theresa calmly. Theresa took a long sip of tea, letting the sensual smell soothe her mind.

"Well, what I really wanted to walk to you about was the visions I've been having lately," Theresa said, sliding her pinky finger quietly around the rim of the tea cup. "The first was after the...situation with Synara," Persephone nodded slowly as Theresa quickly described of her vision in the hotel room. Theresa stopped and raised her cup, waiting for Persephone's response.

"Well," she said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. "I don't know what to say about that one, Theresa. Has there been anymore?"

Theresa nodded. "Just one more. Last night, while I was sleeping," Theresa began explaining her night terror, trying to remember certain details that could lead to any kind of clue. What did the shadow mean? Who was the young girl?

Persephone stared down at her hands around the tea cup, looking at the tea leaves. She sighed and released her cup, reaching over to Theresa's empty one. Persephone murmured something as she rotated the cup in her hands.

"What is it?" Theresa whispered, slightly worried.

"A flag. It means 'a warning'," Persephone murmured, staring down at the cup darkly. Theresa inhaled sharply as the message processed through her. Persephone lowered the tea cup and looked up at Theresa.

"I'm sorry, Theresa. I don't know what either of these happenings could mean, the tea leaves or your visions," she said, offering Theresa a sad smile. Theresa was slightly taken back, but she nodded slowly in understanding. Persephone smiled again and took Theresa's hand.

"Come along. We should do a purifying and focusing ritual. It will make the both of us feel better," Persephone raised Theresa and brought her to the open area on the far side of the solarium.

"Oh. How is this going to help me?" Theresa asked, watching Persephone prepare. She walked towards a small cabinet and pulled out three brass bowls, a stick of incense and a tall candle.

"It will help you focus more and release some stress, trust me, it'll make you feel better about all of this," she smiled. Persephone laid down the bowls and candles on the North, East, South and West points on a circle carved onto the wooden floor.

"This," she said, pointing to the salt filled bowl in the North position, "represents Earth, which signifies feminine and nourishment." She took a couple of steps forward and waved her hand over the East bowl. In a haze, sand suddenly appeared inside the bowl. "This symbolizes Air," she said as she stuck a burning incense into the sand. "Air is for the mind, intellect and communication." Persephone snapped her fingers and a light flickered on the candle in the Southern position. "Obviously, the element Fire. One of the strongest elements, it symbolizes transformation, success and passion." Theresa's eyes followed Persephone to the West side of the circle as she waved her hand over the bowl, materializing water. "And finally, Water. Good for emotions, love, beauty and healing."

Persephone walked around the circle and took Theresa's hand, smiling. They both stepped into the circle and sat across from each other cross-legged. Persephone raised one finger and drew an invisible circle in the air. Theresa watched in awe as a line of white chalk lined inside the indent on the floor.

"Alright, let's begin," Persephone said calmly, taking Theresa's hands. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Theresa breathed evenly and did the same. They sat still for a little while, breathing quietly and meditating.

Suddenly, Persephone's voice echoed quietly through the room. "Water, cleanse us. Air, purify us. Fire make us whole and pure. Earth center us," she said the words slowly, letting the force course through their bodies. As they meditated, Theresa felt the stress beginning to flow off her as she breathed in and out deeply.

"We send the cleansing energy into ourselves," they whispered in unison. Theresa felt a weird sensation as the words left her lips without realization as Persephone's hands left hers. With a feeling that it was appropriate, Theresa formed her hands into fists and raised them up, breathing in. After a few seconds, Theresa lowered her arms and opened her eyes slowly.

Persephone also had her arms up and her eyes still closed. Theresa waited and watched the Goddess breathe evenly. Soon enough, Persephone lowered her arms and opened her eyes, smiling at Theresa.

"How do you feel now?" she asked calmly.

"Much better. Thank you, Persephone, that was just what I needed," Theresa smiled, feeling in a much better mood than earlier.

"Well, if that's everything, I don't want to keep you," Persephone sighed. She raised herself up and waved a hand. In a blink, the bowls and candle disappeared. Theresa stepped out of the circle and walked towards the door.

"Thank you again, Ms. Persephone," she said before opening the great door and stepping out.

10 Minutes Later

Hera bent over her school papers, concentrating on her 'principal' duties. She glanced up as she heard the faint knock on the tall doors. Hera waved her hand slightly and the doors creaked open; Persephone's blond head poking around the corner. Hera set down her pen and folded her hands in front of her, beckoning Persephone with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Hera," Persephone smiled, stopping in front of Hera.

"How are you?" Hera asked, taking note of Persephone's uncomfortable stance.

"Not so well, Hera. Theresa just came and told me some...disturbing things," she sighed. "Her latest visions. They...worry me."

"Does Theresa know how you're feeling?" Hera asked calmly.

"No, it didn't feel right for her to worry about it now," she responded. Hera nodded in response as Persephone lowered herself into the chair in front of the wooden desk. She sighed and lowered her head, her white blond hair falling in front of her face.

"She first told me about the one that she had in Mexico. This one didn't worry me as much, only confused me," she explained. Hera raised her eyebrows slightly from the hidden news from the Mexico trip. "Theresa told me she saw dark water and then a pair of red eyes," Hera's expression stayed hard, no hint of understanding at all. Persephone continued. "Her second one frightened me more. She had it in her sleep and it involved a young girl running from a dark shadow, which engulfed her at the end."

"...I see," Hera sighed, rubbing her temples softly.

"I might be jumping to conclusions...but I don't think Synara is gone. Cronus may have brought her back to life," Persephone said grimly, watching Hera pace slowly behind her desk. Hera stared at the floor as she thought hard. After a very few long minutes, Hera sighed heavily and laid her hands on the desk, staring at Persephone sadly.

"Persephone, I fear the worst has yet to come," she said darkly.

The Library
12:04 PM

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Jay mumbled quietly as he flicked through the history pages. Five large old history books lay sprawled out in front of him. Jay had spent the last hour skimming through the history books for some information on Synara. He knew it was too late, but some information wouldn't hurt and he was bored. So far, Jay wasn't having any luck.

Jay sighed and slammed the Greek Mythology book shut. He stretched back in the chair, yawning. How could there be no records of Synara at all? Were the Gods doing this on purpose, or was Synara not a piece of fiction? Jay leaned forward and began closing and stacking the books when he heard the soft swish of the library doors. He perked his head up and glanced between the large bookshelves, searching for a strand of Theresa's vibrant hair.

"Theresa?" he called out, slowly standing up and walking towards one of the tall shelves.

"Behind you," her voice said softly. Jay turned quickly and faced Theresa. She was sitting in his abandoned chair, glancing at the books and encyclopedia's scattered across the table. "What were you doing?" she asked, glancing at Jay quickly before studying the Greek Mythology cover.

"Oh, just looking up some stuff on Synara," he said, watching Theresa's hand run over the detailed cover.

"Have any luck?" Theresa's eyes followed Jay as he sat down on the corner of the table.

"Nothing. I've been looking for an hour and I've only read her name once," he sighed. Jay glanced down at Theresa, smiling softly. "How was your meeting with Persephone?"

"It was alright," she sighed, resting her chin in her hand. "She had no idea what my visions meant."

"What? No idea at all?" Jay said, shaking his head in frustration. "That doesn't seem like Persephone."

"That's what I thought too. She read my tea leaves and that made me feel worse. She was a flag, which means a warning," she sighed, closing her eyes. Jay nodded and rested his hand on hers, urging her on.

Theresa opened her eyes and tightened her hand in Jay's, smiling up at him. "It got better, trust me. We just did a purifying and focusing ritual, which, thankfully, made me feel a lot better," she smiled. "But, I have a feeling that it isn't going to last much longer."

"Well then, help me put these books away and then we'll get Odie and hop on out of here," Jay stood up and pulled Theresa up with him. He released her hand and grabbed the three big encyclopedias. Theresa smiled and grabbed the last two Greek Mythology books, following after Jay.

As the two placed the books in their rightful places, Odie soon found them. He had gone to see the Techno-Greeks to squeeze in some game time against Team Anubis. Odie kept rubbing his fingers, saying they were sore from the game controller. Jay explained briefly for his collection of encyclopedias. Theresa offered to take them out for lunch, so soon enough, they were in Theresa's convertible driving to the local burger joint.

The Brownstone
1:27 PM

"You are officially the worst cook known to man kind, Atlanta," Archie said, staring down at the burnt grilled cheese sandwich in front of him. All around was black, even the cheese was black. Atlanta threw an oven mitt at his head and turned back to the frying pan.

"Well, excuse me," she retorted. "Maybe you should come over and try it, Mr. Big Shot," she said angrily, flipping over another burnt sandwich. Archie laughed and walked up next to her, taking the spatula away from her. Atlanta hit him softly on the arm with the oven mitt as Archie flipped a perfect sandwich. Atlanta stepped back and sat down at the island, glaring playfully at Archie's back.

"Is lunch almost ready in there?" Herry called from the living room.

"You'll eat when the food is ready!" Atlanta leaned back on the stool to glare at Herry. She leaned forward and watched Archie cooking. "So hurry up, Emeril."

Archie laughed and shook his head back and forth. "Bam!" he shouted as the sandwich made a loud sizzling noise on the hot pan.

Surprisingly, Archie wasn't that bad of a cook. Atlanta's burnt sandwich was thrown in the garbage quickly, as they sat down. Herry devoured almost six sandwiches, sending his gracious thanks to Archie's cooking. Neil refused to have a sandwich, "too many calories," he said, taking an apple out of the fridge. Atlanta ate her sandwich silently, watching Archie with a jealous stare as he took a huge bite of his sandwich.

"Maybe I'll teach you how to successfully cook something without burning it to a crisp," Archie laughed.

"Ha, ha, ha," Atlanta scoffed. "It's not my fault that my brother's are the only ones who inherited the cooking gene."

"Good lunch, Arch'," Herry burped, slapping Archie on the back which sent him lurching forward into the table. Herry chuckled and walked out of the kitchen, burping along the way. Atlanta giggled and silently collected the dishes, setting them in the sink and turning the tap on. She began to hum quietly as she swirled her hands in the soapy water. Archie came up behind her and brushed his hands down her arms and into the water.

"Stop it, Archie," she said sternly. Atlanta turned her head away from Archie to hide her smile. Archie laughed and kissed lightly down her jaw as Atlanta tried to concentrate on the wet dishes.

"Come on, leave those dishes for later," he whispered against her skin. Archie twined his fingers around Atlanta's hands and lifted them out of the water.

"Give me one good reason not to do them," Atlanta murmured as their hands dripped over the sink. Archie smiled against her neck and planted a line of faint kissed up to the corner of her mouth.

"This," he whispered. He turned Atlanta and pushed against her, pressing his lips against her already opened mouth. Atlanta twisted her body more and kissed him back eagerly. Archie released Atlanta's hands and grabbed her waist, turning her fully towards him and pushing her back against the corner. Atlanta raised her wet hands and ran them through Archie's purple hair, feeling her back bend over the counter as Archie's kiss forced her down.

"Eww, please, can you two get a room?" Neil's disgusted voice shot out from behind the couple. Archie immediately released Atlanta's waist and took a giant step back. Atlanta straightened up and turned away from Neil's piercing gave, embarrassed. Archie glared back at Neil and straightened his hair, watching Neil smile smugly at the two of them.

Neil turned his head away from Archie's steel gaze and got himself a water bottle. As he left the kitchen, he glanced back at Archie, winking as he strutted out of the room.

"That was embarrassing," Atlanta coughed as she pulled her shirt back into place. Archie smiled sheepishly back at her and checked his watch.

"Wanna go rent a movie later?" he said, watching Atlanta turn away from him and back to the sink.

"Yeah alright," Atlanta dipped her hands back into the sink. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to do these dished without any interruptions." Archie smiled and gave Atlanta a kiss on the neck.

"I'll go check the latest releases," he said, kissing Atlanta once more on the neck.

"Make sure it's something scary!" Atlanta called back at him as he left the kitchen. Archie laughed as Atlanta turned back to the dishes, rinsing a plate under the running tap.

12:46 PM

It was New York City at night. Theresa knew that. Her Mother took her there three summers ago as an early birthday present. It was one of the greatest vacations she would ever remember. Shopping down the busy New York streets, hailing taxi's to go and buy all the Chanel and Guess bags she could get her hands on. It was heaven for her and her Mother.

But right now, the New York Theresa saw wasn't any kind of heaven. Theresa was staring through the dark window of a cigarette smelling taxi. She watched the flash of cars and shop lights flash by in a blur of colours.

A few minutes passed and soon Theresa felt the body she was inhabiting hand the taxi driver a small wad of American bills. The door opened and the women stepped out onto the brisk sidewalk, slamming the door shut. As the woman walked quickly down the sidewalk, Theresa took in her surroundings. The woman seemed to have gotten off in the farther down town part of the city. Street lamps sent pools of light on the damp streets, illuminating the few people lying asleep against garbage cans and alley walls. A mixture of noised became clearer; the faint clicking of the woman's boots, the distant sound of a car alarm, and the roar of the busy cars on the main streets.

The woman's pace suddenly quickened and Theresa felt her head turn twist around to glimpse behind her. At first, Theresa didn't see anything, but then the woman started running. There was an unrecognizable sound behind her, but the woman's boot clicking overtook the sound.

The woman took a sharp turn and slammed her back against an alley wall, breathing heavily. Theresa's eyes looked down as the woman rummaged through her purse, finally pulling out a spray bottle of mace. She felt the woman take a deep breath and turn the corner, throwing her making hand up for the attacker.

The woman gasped as she threw her head around in confusion as the sidewalk in front of her was empty. She turned around quickly to face the other way, glancing all around her for any sign of danger.

Theresa heard the woman sigh in some form of relief as she lowered her arms. She glanced around herself again and started walking forward again. Suddenly, Theresa felt herself suddenly air born. A quick scream escaped the woman's lips but was quickly muffled as Theresa listened in horror at the loud hissing noise filling her ears.

Then everything went black.

Theresa opened her eyes slowly and looked around in the dark. She slowly moved her hand and was relieved to feel her soft comforter. Theresa raised her head slightly and glanced at the clock; sighing and letter her head fall back onto the pillow. A few minutes passed of Theresa lying there, staring at the ceiling in wonder. Theresa sighed again and ripped her sheets back, stretching out of bed and creeping silently out of the room.

Theresa walked silently down the hallway, trying not to make any noises. The only light that could be seen seemed to be coming from the living room. She turned the corner and looked down at the couches. A faint blue light was coming from the television. Curious, Theresa silently stepped down and glanced at the couches.

A broad smile appeared on Theresa's face as she looked down at the sleeping couple. Archie was fast asleep with his mouth hanging open, his hands draped over Atlanta's back as she cradled on top of his chest. She made a faint sighing sound and grabbed at Archie's shirt, pulling it towards her face. Theresa searched around the room, finally finding a large afghan from behind the armchair. Theresa quickly unfolded it and draped it across their bodies, ruffling Atlanta's hair as she turned away for the stairs again.

Soon, Theresa was silently pushing Jay's bedroom door open. She glanced around his dark room for any sign of movement, and seeing nothing, Theresa stepped into the room, snapping the door shut quietly. With one hand extended out in front of her, Theresa shuffled through the dark. Theresa's knees bumped into something wooden, and she bent down to feel the bed's head board and soft quilt.

Something stirred under the sheets and Theresa saw faintly that Jay lay asleep under the covers on the far side of the mattress. Theresa's eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark as she reached over and ran her fingertips across Jay's cheek.

Jay sighed and turned his head slightly into Theresa's hand, but he never opened his eyes. Theresa slowly pulled back the bed sheets and quietly crawled in. She rolled over slightly to face Jay's sleeping form.

His brown hair was ruffled down across his forehead, the ends dancing across his closed eyelids. Theresa reached out and stroked the side of his face trailing her hand slightly down his neck.

Theresa brought her hand back and continued to stare at him. She watched his bare chest rise up and down as he breathed evenly, every few minutes a long sigh escaped his lips as he moved slightly for comfort.

Theresa sighed softly and moved closer to his warm body, wrapping her arm around his waist. Jay moaned slightly at the sudden feeling of cold hands. He shuddered softly and grabbed blindly for the bed sheets. Noticing this, Theresa pulled the sheets farther up over them, moving her body closer to him. Immediately, Theresa felt Jay's immense body heat as she pressed her chest against his. Jay sighed again as Theresa's hair brushed against his face.

"Shh," Theresa cooed, hearing Jay begin to mumble words as he nuzzled into her hair. Jay sighed again as Theresa's eyes began to droop. As Theresa slowly drifted, she heard Jay mumble her name before she passed into her dream state.

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OMG. Finally she updates! Oh man. I took a long time to write that one, and a longer time to type it. I don't know why. I've just been recieving good news after good news. My Nana is coming in for a week in April! Yay! I love you Nana! She has the same kind of personality as me. She's spunky for a 74 year old. Then yesterday, I found out the release date for Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. SQUEE. One of my all time favourite authors. If you aren't into vampires, but are a romance fan, I suggest you read Twilight. It got me viewing the lives of vampires in a WHOLE different way.
ANYWAY. My reason behind the delay is one night I was watching television with my little blue binder, which is where I write everything, a magnificent idea popped into my head. That's the main reason I delayed in typing this chapter up. I got a brilliant idea for a brand new story. DON'T WORRY, it will not interfere with Beauty's Battle. I plan to write the new thing all up, then do chapter 3 and then...possibly reveal the new thing over the summer. Chapter 3 will hopefully be up before summer, lol. My new story will be called "Bump in the Night".
It's going to show the darker side of my writing skills. As a spoiler, there's going to a lot of course language from our CotT characters and some brutal violence. I get woozy at the sight of blood, so this might be an interesting challenge for me.
Bows and Eros this weekand! I AM SO EXCITED!

Christina!