Author's Note/Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Class of the Titans. I do happen to own the legend of Synara and any other make-believe creatures/persons that pop into my head. Feel free to point out any mistakes; it'll help in future stories.

Chapter 1: To Have and To Hold

The knob jiggled violently, Atlanta over shaking the key as she attempted to unlock the door. The lock clicked, sending the door swinging open and Atlanta tumbling in, her luggage dropping. Herry ventured to step over her, multiple bags held in his arms.

"No, you don't," Atlanta growled from the floor. She twisted her hand around his ankle, pulling his leg towards her.

"Whoa!" Herry yelled, losing his footing. The walls shaked as he fell heavily onto the marbled tiles, the bags sliding across the floor. They all piled in after the two, dropping their bags, slightly exhausted.

"Oh, I've missed you," Archie moaned, crawling towards the fridge. He pulled out a cold bottle of water, uncapping it and downing half of the bottle. He burped loudly, slowly rising up to follow the other six into the living room.

Odie collapsed in the arm chair, his hand lazily rubbing his eyes under the tinted glasses. He yawned, causing a chain reaction to Theresa who slumped against the doorway.

"Let's go report to Hera," Jay said, even when his tired expression betrayed him. He stifled a yawn himself, half turning to the front doors.

"Have fun," Neil droned, his head in his hand. His blue eyes blinked slowly, out of focus.

"C'mon, you guys," Jay said, his voice harder. The team groaned, slowly stretching up and following their leader stubbornly.

Herry halfhazardly drove to the school, waving between the early morning traffic. Without realizing, Herry fishtailed into the empty parking lot, taking up two spaces before shutting off the engine.

Jay slid the gold pendant off around his neck, shoving it into the intricate keyhole. A mechanism of clicking sounds emanated as the custodial door swung open. The seven crammed into the closet, Atlanta skillfully closing the door behind her and sighing in relief as the blue wave of light illuminated before them.

They tumbled through it and walked silently together down the hallway leading to Hera's study.

"Welcome," Hera's pure voice rang. She opened her arms in reception as they took their seats on the yellow sofas. She continued her casual questions, receiving exaggerated answers from a now awake Neil.

Archie reached over, grabbing for an apple and biting off half the fruit. He chewed for a bit, brining the apple back to bite into it, then blinked, dazed, at his suddenly empty hand. Atlanta chewed, pretending to listen to Neil's re-cap, Archie's apple now clenched in her hand.

"Hera," Jay started, speaking out as Neil's voice faded. He leaned forward, not looking the Goddess in the eye. "There were a few … problems." His eyes glanced quickly at the dark purple bruises still inhabiting Theresa's neck. He cleared his throat, preparing to start up their story.

The Goddess held up her hand, stopping him prematurely.

"You do not need to re-live your experience on the island," she said calmly. Her gray eyes softened. "I know of what happened, and I hold no blame to any of you." Her hand trailed lightly down the peacock's neck that stood next to her.

Jay exhaled in relief, sitting back into the couch, his hand twining into Theresa's. Herry suddenly snored loudly, his hand holding up his face as he napped.

Hera smiled, the lines appearing on her face. "You're free to leave; I know you all need the rest." She walked behind her wooden desk, sitting into the office chair and leaning over the few papers scattered across the top.

The seven mumbled their thanks, stifling the yawns as they shuffled out the tall doors.

"Are you up to driving?" Odie stared hopefully up at Herry. His eyes blinked down to the jingling keys in his hand.

"Don't even be thinking it," Herry growled, snapping the keys tightly in his hand. He marched to the driver's side, wrenching open the door.

"It was worth a shot," Odie shrugged, hopping into the back seat, smiling. Archie shook his head slowly, sliding in next to Atlanta.

----

Atlanta stirred, on the edge of waking up as she heard the faint creak of the floorboards in front of her door. A streak of dull light beamed across her carpet, the door opening inches wider. Atlanta's eyes snapped open as she heard the faint gruff of frustration.

In her snap reaction, Atlanta shoved her hand under the pillow, her fingers tightening around the small dagger. As she sat up, Atlanta pulled the knife from its sheath and held it in front of her.

"Atlanta! It's just me!" Archie's voice whispered frantically in the dark. His cool fingers wrapped around Atlanta's wrist, lowering the weapon.

"God dammit, Archie," Atlanta sighed angrily. She slammed the knife down on her bedside table, blinking at the time displayed on the clock. "You scared the hell out of me." Archie reached around her, flicking on the table lamp, momentarily blinding both of them.

"Well I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from you," he shrugged, smiling and sitting next to Atlanta. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, maybe a little." His laughter shook the bed lightly.

"You could at least warn me the next time you plan on entering my room at midnight." She smiled lightly at him, pulling her knees towards her chest.

"I'll remember that for next time," he whispered, leaning back on his elbows. "Nice pajama's, by the way," he smirked. Atlanta blinked, distracted as she looked down at her faded Sailor Moon night shirt.

"What's that -?" She began to retort before Archie's lips silenced her.

He leaned awkwardly, angling his head up in order to reach her. Atlanta blanked, still slightly sleep-deprived before she responded back, turning her body towards Archie, her hand reaching behind his neck. She broke off, resting her head on his shoulder as Archie attempted to stifle a yawn.

"Still tired?" She joked, closing her eyes herself.

"Just a bit," he chuckled back. His long arms reached over her, and the room became dark again. Her head remained on his shoulder as Archie maneuvered himself under the covers, finally wrapping his arms around Atlanta.

"Goodnight," he whispered, nuzzling his face in her hair.

"'Night," she mumbled back, already fading.

----

Her hands blindly grabbed in desperation, grabbing for the bed sheets instead of the intended object. Theresa tossed in her sleep again, the sheets twisting more tightly around her legs. Her breathing accelerated as the nightmarish vision played behind her eyes.

She watched in horror, frozen in place as she looked down at the young teenage girl run down the dark street. Theresa opened her mouth, attempting to scream a warning at her, only to have no noise escape her lips. The black shadow stooped down the street, catching up to the fleeing girl, swallowing her in the darkness. The shadow engulfed the girl, seeping into the dimly lit street and growing larger.

Theresa's scream muffled into the pillow and she pushed her face into it more, draining out the last of her cry. Theresa slowly sat up, inhaling fully, and blinking back the few tears that moistened her eyes. She wiped them away, pushing the stray hairs out of her face. The clock illuminated faintly, and she grabbed for the glass of water next to it.

Her mouth still felt dry even when she drained the half-full glass. Theresa untangled herself from the sheets, jumping up and leaving the dark room, walking towards the kitchen.

She re-filled the glass, setting the pitcher down and resting her arms on the cool marble of the island. Theresa's body stiffened as she heard the sound of footsteps emanating from the hallway behind her.

"Theresa?" Jay poked around the corner, his hair standing up dramatically. His eyebrows pulled up in concern as she turned to meet his gaze.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" She whispered, thinking of her muffled scream. He shook his head, rubbing the side of his face in a tired manner.

"Nah, just thought I heard something." He tucked something behind his back and Theresa caught the shine of his xiphos quickly.

"Always the protector," she mumbled under her breath as he shuffled up next to her. His hand brushed the side of her face, pushing the hair away from her tired eyes.

"Wanna talk about it?" He said, his hand trailing down her neck, his palm making soft circles on her back.

"You know me too well, you know that?" She sighed. He smiled back at her lightly, his eyes curious. Without hesitation, she told him her nightmare, telling him the confusing details she didn't understand.

He sighed, frustration echoing through him. "Confusing," he mumbled, running his hand through his hair. His other hand rested on the table, now twined loosely with Theresa's.

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" She side-glanced at him, staring through her long eyelashes. Her bottom lip jutted out slightly.

"Of course," Jay smiled. He stood up, planting a kiss on her forehead. "C'mon, it's late," he eased off the chair, pulling her after him.

Jay silently creaked open the door, tugging Theresa beside him and directing her first into the dark room. She gripped his hand tightly as he shut the door and followed her. He stifled a laugh when he heard Theresa bump into the wooden bed frame, cursing under her breath.

"This way," he breathed, pulling her tight to his chest. She gasped slightly, both of them falling lightly onto the mattress. Theresa giggled quietly as Jay kissed her lightly along her neck, his arms wrapping around her.

"'It's late'," she quoted him, pulling awkwardly for the discarded blankets. He laughed, reaching to stroke the side of her face, cupping her chin in his hand.

"Alright," he whispered, his smile beaming in the dark. He leaned in, kissing her lightly on the lips, pulling back when Theresa leaned in for more. She grinned at him, resting her head on the pillow. Jay yawned, slacking his arms around her and tucking his head under her chin.

Theresa chuckled softly, it soon turning into a yawn.

----

"Archie," Atlanta whispered in his ear. His body remained still, making no reaction to Atlanta's awake voice. She sighed, breathing into his purple hair. She shifted her elbows, planting her palms on his shoulder blades and pushing up effortlessly. Archie's torso rolled slightly, his head lolling on her shoulder. His body remained motionless, lying slanted across her body, his legs handing off the mattress.

Atlanta attempted to push him again, her arms shaking as she froze when she heard him mumbled into her shoulder.

"Archie?" She said his name louder. The corner of his gaping mouth twitched up slightly, a trail of jumbled noises escaping him. His mouth pulled up into a grin and he nuzzled the side of his face more into her shoulder blade.

"Archie! Get out of the water!" She said loudly in his ear, her voice dramatic. "Look out!" Archie's eyes shot open, his head snapping up to look around, frantic. His body twitched violently, rolling off of Atlanta and falling unexpectedly onto her floor.

"What did you do that for?" He retorted, glaring up at Atlanta. She laughed, wiping a tear from her eye.

"You were on top of me," she laughed, sitting up. Archie raised an eyebrow, most of his aggression gone. "I was having trouble breathing," she added, raising her eyebrows back at him. He scoffed lightly, lying back on the plush green carpet. Atlanta grabbed for a pillow, throwing it down on his face.

"I was actually thinking of something while you were crushing me," her tone turned serious. Archie's eyes peeked from behind the pillow, surveying Atlanta curiously. "I think we should tell them."

Archie raised himself on his elbows, biting his bottom lip. "I was thinking that yesterday; on the way back." He straightened his muscle shirt back into place.

She nodded back, rubbing her eyes. "Well, let's get it over with then." She briefly stretched her legs, standing up with Archie. He reached out for her hand, wrapping his large fingers around hers.

It was still early in the morning as they descended the stairs together, Atlanta bring her lip nervously. Odie was bent over his now soggy bowl of cereal, his concentration more focused on the entertainment magazine open in front of him. Jay's eyes darted back and forth as he read through the newspaper, only a cup of coffee steaming in his hand. Theresa sat next to him, chewing absent-mindedly on a piece of toast, not yet completely awake. Neil yawned, leaning on the counter and picking through his fruit salad as Herry dug deeper in the fridge in search of more food.

Archie cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the five gathered around the island.

"We have, er, news," Archie inhaled, his hand tightening reflexively around Atlanta's.

"Archie and I," Atlanta began, turning to look up at Archie. "Have recently -,"

Neil jumped in. "We already know," he said dully, stabbing a piece of cantaloupe.

"What?" Archie said blankly. Atlanta shot a look at Theresa, her expression mixed with anger and surprise.

Theresa shrugged back, biting into her toast. "We just kind of knew," she mumbled through her foot sleepily. Jay smiled, hiding it quickly behind his coffee mug.

"It was only a matter of time," Odie pitched in. He stood up, placing his empty bowl in the sink, his expression slightly uninterested as well as he walked out of the room. Herry removed himself from the fridge, a collection of condiments in his arms; he blinked at the couple, kicking the door shut.

"That was almost too easy," Atlanta murmured to Archie, lightly releasing his unclenched hand. He nodded stiffly back at her, his growling stomach interrupting his serious façade.

"I'll talk to Persephone about it," Theresa stopped Jay as he turned to speak. She blinked at him, tearing the last of the crust off.

"Then I'll wait for you in the library," he replied, folding the newspaper in front of him. She smiled back, her eyes still tired from the lapse in rest that night.

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Alright, this'll be my last chapter for a while. I still have to start writing the other one. Sigh. I'll hopefully get some of that started on my vacation. ^_^ YAY. Okay, anyway, this is the first chapter of Beauty Kills' sequel: Beauty's Battle. It was the same title from my previous one, and I STILL don't like it. I really couldn't think of anything else to name it, so I kept it. Frustrating, I know.

By the way, they didn't do anything. Get your minds out of the gutter :P. I know you were thinking it. Hah.

Thanks to all the reviewers, your words are always overly kind and I appreciate them. I hope everyone has a really good holiday break, whether it be Christmas or Hanukkah. Thank you, thank you thank you.

I hope everyone sticks with Beauty Kills, 'cuz it's about to get a LOT more interesting. HAH, that'll keep ya guessing.

Christina,