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"Theresa, can you help me for a second?" asked Atlanta
"Sure, what's up?"

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"I've come to strike a bargain with you Cronus," whispered Poseidon grotesquely.
"And what is it you think you have that I want?"
"You want Jay's voice, and we don't want the world to end. You can't get him to sing for you and neither can we so...
"So?" asked his father.
"So I propose a trade of sorts."
"What does this trade entail?"
"You get his voice, the muses are satisfied, the world doesn't end, and Hera comes back with me safely."
"Why would I agree to this?"
"Because if the world goes down, you're going with it," spat Poseidon.
"How do you propose I get Jay's cooperation exactly?"
"It's a matter of leverage. If you want something from him, he needs something from you. Something he loves, in order to do something he doesn't."
"You have something he loves?" asked Cronus.
Poseidon pulled out a lifeless body from behind him, bound and gagged.
"Son, I'm surprised. Here I thought you were so noble, this plan you have is astounding black-hearted. Maybe you have taken after your dear old daddy?"
"Don't fool yourself, I expect her back as well," he said handing over the body of Theresa. "I also expect to return to my palace with Hera."
"Yes, yes of course," he said maliciously. "Take her, I have no use for her," he said snapping his fingers summoning his buffoon of a servant Agnon. "Fetch my daughter here."
He grunted, and left.
When he did return with Hera, her eyes spoke volumes in seeing her brother there, and the body of Theresa in her hated father's arms. She was handed over to Poseidon roughly, and they quickly departed.
When they had made nearer the sea, he unbounded her mouth.
"What have you done?" she shrieked.
"Do not worry sister, not everything is as it seems. We are simply trying to get the cooperation of a certain charge of yours," explained Poseidon vaguely.
"I'm afraid I don't understand you," she said skeptically.
"Do not worry, I'll explain to you the plan on the way down to my palace. Then we need to talk to Jay."

***********************

Poseidon walked back to the golden doors and opened them with a gentle flick of his wrist.
"Jay, do you think I could talk to you for a moment?" he asked stationing himself between the doors of the giant theatre-like room, as Jay reminisced on how his life had gotten so complicated in as little time as three days.
"Sure," he replied. "What's the matter?"
"I couldn't help but overhear you-
"Sure you couldn't," he interrupted, "but I'm going to tell you the same thing that I've told everyone else who's tried to set me up as the competitor in this competition...
I'm not the guy you're looking for I'm just a guy who can string a couple of notes together that don't sound half bad. Millions of people can. I'm nothing!"
"Jay you're considerable more than that. What I heard lit up the entire ocean," he argued.
"I can't do it. It goes against everything I stand for. I made a promise to someone that I'd never sing again, and in the span of a week, I've managed to go back on my word twice! I'll not do it again. That's it for me."
"Jay you can't keep living in the past it isn't healthy, and as to that promise... did you really make it to that person because of what happened to them or were you afraid for yourself? Jay, I take great pride in the talents of your friends, and that of yourself, but I can't see why you'd hide such a talent and damn the world to extinction just because-
"I can't do it!" yelled Jay slamming his fists hard down into the Piano. "Not at the price it cost me the last time."
"It's okay to be scared Jay, but you have to understand-
"No, this is what you have to understand, I can't, nay, will not do it because of the toll it's already taken on me and my family. I don't think I could deal with another death on my hands."
"That's truly a pity," he said sadly turning his back to Jay.
"Why's that?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because I've come to see the importance of getting Hera back from Cronus, and thus traded her for something else I hold quite dear to me...
"And that might be?" asked Jay feeling an uneasiness spread all through his stomach.
"Theresa," he whispered softly.
"You what?" he asked barely maintaining his composure. "How could you have done something so...so...so-
"Jay?" called the familiar voice of his mentor.
"Ms. Hera?" he asked confusedly as she walked into view. "Please, what's going on?"
"Listen Jay, Theresa has been taken by Cronus and he's threatened to kill her if you don't cooperate with his demands."
"Let me guess?" he asked scornfully, "does one of these demands have something to do with competing in the Dorium, because I've already refused."

*

A second after Jay's outburst a servant of Poseidon ran into the room hurriedly. "Master!" he yelled. "Master!"
"What?" he boomed angry at the sudden interruption.
"The muses!" he said breathlessly, doubling over to catch a breath. "They're here! They've summoned the twelve gods of power and demand Cronus' appearance."
"Damn it!" he yelled. "I thought we had more time!"
"What do you want me to do?" asked the servant nervously.
"The only thing you can do...listen to them!" he said weakly. He turned back to face Jay and sighed. "The few singers you see here in this room can buy us some time, but you have to compete!"
"I won't!"
"Listen to reason Jay, someone else's life now hangs in the balance!"
Jay cringed slightly as his head fell.
"You have whatever time your fellow competitors can give you. Think it over Jay, please, think things through fully!"


"That's it," said Theresa, "I can't take this anymore, I'm going to tell him what's going on!"
"No!" yelled the others running up and holding her back.
"This is the only way he's going to go through with it," argued Archie moving to stand in front of her.
"I don't like lying to him, and Cronus isn't that stupid, he's going to figure out that Theresa we gave him is just a dummy created by Odie's technology. Jay will."
"We don't have any other choice Theresa, we need him to sing!" pleaded Atlanta.
"Fine," she relented, "but it doesn't mean I have to like it!"
"None of us do, but Jay isn't giving us much choice here. We gave him the option of clearing up everything on his own will, and he's refused. There's no other way but to con him into it at this point.
From behind them they heard the pitter patter of feet along the floor. Nine figures appeared from behind them in white peal togas and an ethereal look about them.
"Children," asked one of them, with a very lyrical lilt in their voice, "tell me, where is Poseidon?"
They pointed to the doors, and watched as they passed them by. They glided elegantly through the doors until they were out of their line of sight.
"We have to get you hide you Theresa!" said Odie with a remote in his hand. "I'll get the Theresa robot to act accordingly, but for this plan to work, you can't be here!"
"But-
"Wait!" said Atlanta, pulling Theresa along the hallway with her, "I have an idea. Quick Theresa, come with me!"
"Where are we going?" she asked puzzled.
"We're going to find you a disguise is what we're going to do!"
"Oh!"

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I know it's been a long time since I've updated. Sorry, life sort of got in my way for a little while...high school to....
Reviews...pretty please?