Hi everyone! Well, this is the (very) long awaited sequel to my story Blood Is Thicker than Water, or BITTW for short. Thanks to all of those who had the patience to put up with my lack of writing, and to those who didn`t I truly am sorry. I had hoped to get this done much sooner

I also would like to apologize if I confused anyone by my change in user name. I wanted something new, fresh, and different to mark my return to writing.

Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait.

Disclaimer: I own no part of COTT, and I write solely for pleasure, not profit.

Chapter One

Everyone says that when you die, you see a blinding flash of white light (which is totally not true, by the way!), and that you, like the highly intelligent individual that you are supposed to be (but you`re not if you think this works), is supposed to go towards that bright light and you`ll reach the end of your souls journey. Well, to me, school is exactly like death. Yeah, you heard me. Just hear me out. You struggle through the many years of your life, wondering why life has cursed you with such horrible luck, and curious as to why and how runaway trains and physics, Shakespeare, the political system of North Korea, and the molecular structure of a dandelion will ever become part of your daily adult routine. You go on, never really caring to wonder how, until you`re almost at the end of your rope. Half dead from exhaustion, too many all nighters, and chugging one too many of those caffeine suffused energy drinks, you see it: that glorious light at the end of the tunnel! Your final year is upon you, and you can`t help but give it that little bit extra in order to reach your one true goal: that damn sheet of paper with the fancy gold stamp claiming you to be better educated than your neighbour who sells pot to children in the back alley! Oh glorious light! How I`ve almost reached thee!

Unfortunately for me and every other poor sap trapped in this building, that`s not for at least another ten months! Might as well be a lifetime! Anyway, welcome back, sports fans, to ARTF! If you can`t quite recall, that`s Archie`s Random Thoughts and Feelings. I would make some crack like `108.9, home of the Gods!`, but I'm scared of getting sued for possible copyright infringements. There's no room for lawyers in my life right now.

"Archie! Pay attention!" I snap out of my daze as an eraser is lobbed off my forehead.

"Ow! Why so abusive?" No, seriously, why?

"It`s only two weeks into school, and you`re already slacking off! You said you wanted my help on this, so at least try to look interested."

How can one try and be interested in biology? Besides, I`m much more interested in how perfectly green Atlanta`s eyes are right now, even though she`s glaring at me. It seems the more pissed she gets, the deeper her eye color gets. Maybe that`s why I`m always teasing her, pushing her buttons. Finally, after much hesitation, I look down at the textbook open on the floor before me. The jelly-like green blob staring back at me is apparently a plant cell. Don`t ask me anything more about it. It`s square-ish and green. And that is the extent of my knowledge on said subject.

"So...what were you saying, sorry?" This is your fault. You and your fantastic eyes! Still, I try to act sheepish. It`s not like its below me.

"Augh! Why do I even bother trying?" She`s so cute when she`s angry! Cross-legged in front of me, she puts her hands on her hips.

"Because you love me?"

"That is so not the reason!" She`s glaring holes through my skull. Just makes me happier to press on.

"That is totally the reason!" Leaning forward, I get in her face. "Why else would you help?"

"Because you need it! And maybe because I`m a good person. I could just let you fail!" Now her cheeks are red. I love this! I force back a smile.

"Now, why would you think I`m failing?"

"`Cause you`re an idiot!"

"Now what`s mom and dad fighting over?" Neil, the snoopy little narcissist that he is, sticks his head in the room, looking peeved. I forgot we had the door open. "Some people are trying to watch a movie!"

"Mitochondria!" Without another word, Atlanta grabs a sock ball from beneath her bed and flings it at Neil`s head. He reacts the way any other male in his position would: he ducks and screams like a little girl. After his near-miss, he glares at Atlanta. "Do you even know where those could have been?" He makes it sound like someone might use them in ceremonial animal sacrifices.

By now I`m laughing so hard, I think I dislocated a rib. Neil then pins me with a glare before stalking off back to his room. Like it`s my fault his hair was almost within the same vicinity of a dirty sock. What a pansy.

After I catch my breath, I smile at her. "It is because you love me though, right?"

She gives me a raised eyebrow at first but eventually smiles back at me, that dazzling sight that caught my attention when we first met. "Yeah, I suppose." Playfully smacking me in the arm, she stands. "I`ve had enough of books for one day. Let`s go boarding."

And, ladies and gentlemen, that is why I love this girl with my entire being. She`s smart, beautiful, talented, graceful...a girl who loves kicking ass and taking names! Plus, she just gets me. It`s like a match made in heaven! Ok, so that was a little bit sappy, but whatever! I`m in love!

Quickly scooping my board from my room, I follow her into the afternoon heat of September. Jumping down the steps of the Brown Stone, I can`t help but glance westwards. From here, back before the `March Incident`, as I like to call it, you could see the top of the New Olympia Petroleum Building. Now the site is littered with cranes and steel workers, busily labouring to erect a new skyscraper. Business as usual in the oil industry, I suppose. They`re saying this one will be larger and grander than the first one, but they`re still working on clearing the rubble. One step at a time.

I guess it`s really been a while, so I`ll let you in on the details. It`s been close to six months since Cronus decided to break my worst nightmare out of jail, thinking he could use Robert to destroy us. I guess we all know how that turned out. The silver pendant around my neck has brutally reminding me of those few weeks every day since I...well, since I died. I don`t like talking about it too much, since it`s hard to really think about. Jay has been a great help here, as he knows what I went through, though how he managed to get back so easily, without the pendant, confuses me. We`ve sort of made like a little support group, as I like to call it. Zombie`s Anonymous.

Anyway, the rest of the spring and summer was spent tidying up after Cronus` mess. All the creatures that were let loose have since been rounded up and hidden away. The citizens of New Olympia were the hard part though. Everyone in the city got a taste of Cronus and his vision of the world that day. Even with the monsters gone, the damage had been done. The secret was out, and there had only been one solution to the problem. Zeus and the Gods had gathered together and used what I like to call the "Über Spell". Lame, I know. Shut up. So they all bundled their power together and cast a spell over everyone in the city, as well as the surrounding countryside, that wiped their memories of the whole incident! That`s just...really handy! Luckily, the news station had been attacked by harpies, so no footage got out to the world about monsters and a vengeful god. That would have just sucked so hard!

"Hurry it up, slowpoke!" Sorry, that`s just Atlanta, yelling at me like always. Sometimes I think I`m in an abusive relationship, but I wouldn`t have it any other way. She gives a hearty laugh as she jumps the curb and crosses the road... straight into traffic! My heart leaps into my chest as a cars horn blows, and I`m pretty sure I just had a heart attack! Crazy bloody woman! They`re all nuts, I tell you!

Joining her on the opposite curb a (safer) moment later, she just giggles at my frown and takes off towards the park, as if she didn`t just narrowly miss that dump truck. Pushing off the concrete, I follow, all the while watching her back. I don`t care if the day comes when she truly hates me, I`ll never stop watching her back.

In the back of my mind, a nagging thought surfaces. It`s been doing so for a while now. With everything that happened in March, the night the tower fell, she`s barely spoken three words about the incident. I know it must have affected her badly, but she keeps it masked behind her smile. She usually wears her feelings there on her sleeve, but now she`s hidden her thoughts away from me, and it bothers me. I want to help her, but before you push Atlanta, you might as well just throw yourselves to the lions, or poke a bear with a stick. Both have less painful outcomes.

I`m also deathly afraid! There, I said it. I can own up to my feelings when I need to. With Robert gone for good now, I don`t have to worry about him anymore. To tell you all the truth, it`s now Cronus that scares the hell out of me! He`s getting smarter and smarter with each new plan he comes up with. That last incident got everyone rattled, and it was way too close a call. We haven`t heard a sound from Cronus for months now, and it`s got everyone on edge. Jay has been nearly unbearable, and Theresa`s taking it pretty hard. Never thought I`d say this, but poor girl.

"Aw, man, you missed it!" Once again ripped from my thoughts, I glance ahead. Atlanta has her board under one arm, grinning like mad. "You should have seen the air I just got! Puts that lame little jump of yours from yesterday to shame!"

Hey, I don`t care if she`s gorgeous, trash talking me and my board is asking for trouble. "Oh please! My `little jump` got me applause by complete strangers!" Coming to a stop, I give my best shit-eating grin. "I don`t see anyone clapping."

"You`re suck a jerk, you know that?" As a matter of fact, I do. Thank you. "Why did I ever fall for you in the first place?"

"Maybe it`s my irresistible charms?" That just makes her laugh. Way to hit the vulnerable areas, honey. She hates pet names, and it`s a wonder why she ever told me that in the first place. She should know me by now.

It`s just then that I notice were a good ways into the park. Damn, I didn`t notice where I was while boarding? Isn`t that something akin to drinking and driving? Dangerous lifestyle I live, I`m telling you! Anyway, I always liked the park, when it`s not being inhabited by twelve foot spiders or sirens. The leaves are still predominantly green here, as New Olympia has always been relatively warm for the area, but they`re showing signs of change. Already one tree by the Brown Stone is completely yellow, and another is bright red. I personally like that tree...wonder why...

"Wonder why...what?" Atlanta`s staring at me. I really have to fix that filter of mine.

"Just wondering why it`s always so warm here in the fall. It`s nothing like this back home." Grabbing my board, we start walking, just enjoying the warm air and the pleasant company.

"Maybe it`s because the Horae and Theresa are pretty tight friends, since she`s with Persephone ninety percent of the time." Atlanta muses. She`s probably right. The Seasons seem to have a soft spot for our psychic teammate. Maybe she`s the one to thank for our extended summers and gorgeous falls. All the better for us, I suppose.

Seeing an empty bench beneath a willow tree, I go for it, dragging Atlanta with me. We sit in pleasant silence and I watch an older woman feeding the ducks on the lake. It really is a gorgeous day! Not a cloud in the bright blue sky, and barely a whisper of a breeze. Aeolus and Zeus must be off somewhere, maybe playing chess. I could never get into that game. Way too annoyingly complicated.

"So..." Atlanta`s whisper is barely audible next to me. I glance at her, and raise my brow. She continues, "Have you heard anything from Galenthias lately?"

I must have frowned, as she nods and says nothing more. Galenthias, or Gal as I had started to call her (much to her displeasure), has been MIA ever since she took Atlanta from the crumbling tower to safety. From what I`ve gathered, once Atlanta was safe, she came back for me. After that, no one knows where she went. I just hope she`s ok. My theory is that she's trying to avoid the gods, and with the mess this summer, she's gone underground. Sure, she helped us out a lot, but she's still associated with Hecate. Not a stellar record there.

Listen to me, being all sappy and sentimental. She`s Galenthias for goodness sake! Personal right hand of Hecate! As if I should be worried. Plus she can fly! I`m sure she`s fine, but it still makes you wonder. I rub my hand over my face, throwing those thought somewhere to the back of my mind. Finding Atlanta`s hand, I twine my fingers through hers. Want to know the very best part of that small move? She doesn`t say anything, just smiles and squeezes my hand. Who would have thought in a million years that I would get the chance to be with the girl of my dreams? It`s like ecstasy without the drug.

"Want to grab come ice cream?" I blurt. Way to be subtle, moron. Atlanta just blinks a few times at the random intrusion to the moment, and then grins.

"Sure, but you`re buying!"

"Well, duh! That`s why I asked you, goofball!" She just sticks her tongue at me. Standing, we accidentally scare the ducks off the pond. The woman gives me a glare. Why is everything that`s happening today somehow my fault? Well, screw you too lady! You and your ducks can just...well, I'd usually say 'go to hell' but that is way too harsh for the situation. Maybe just...I dunno. Forget about it.

About to jump on my board and follow, my PRM starts ringing. I should go talk to Odie and see if I can`t get better ringtones on this thing. That weird little jingle can get annoying. Maybe some Black Sabbath! That would be wicked.

"Yo." Man of few words, am I.

"Archie! Hey where are you, buddy?" I recognize Herry`s voice immediately.

"Me and Atlanta are just over in the park, about to grab some donderma."

There`s a long pause on the other end, before "Is that, like, booze or something?"

"No, that`s what they call ice cream in Turkey. I was thinking we could hit that Turkish shawarma place...and wait. What?" My brain finally kicks in. "Dude, you have to be twenty one to buy alcohol. You know that, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I know." He states almost too casually. I can only roll my eyes. What a guy. "Anyway, Hera wants everyone to meet her at the school for something. I`m not sure what though."

A sudden cold feeling of dread sweeps over me. Why, I can`t really say. It`s just the last time she asked us all to the school like this, she told everyone my homicidal ex-dad was out of prison. We all know how fun that turned out to be. I must have tuned out, as I can hear Atlanta calling me to follow, and Herry`s voice is questioning his PMR signal, no doubt thinking he`s been disconnected.

"We`ll meet you guys over there, okay Herry?" With his confirmation, I flip my PMR closed, and glance towards Atlanta. "Ice cream will have to wait."

Giving an involuntary shiver, I follow Atlanta through the blue field from the closet and into the God`s inner sanctum. Sitting patiently beneath the giant statue of Zeus are the rest of our gang. They all seem to be in good spirits, which help ease some of the tension from my body. What are friends for, right? I give most of them a headache every once in a while – or for some, every day – but I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

"Hey, what took you guys?" Odie is the first to notice our arrival, giving us a wave.

"Well, along the way, I had to show Archie how to board properly." Atlanta jokes, giving me an elbow jab to the ribs.

"Right." I give her a look and a raised brow. "Who was the one who beat you here?"

Knowing where this is going, Jay raises his hands. "Now, now, guys. You can both argue this later. Let`s just go see what Hera wants."

Turning, he leads us down the sunlit hallway towards Hera`s sanctum, Theresa hot on his heels. I can`t help but still marvel at the architecture of the place. It really is amazing how the parapets allow enough natural light in the hidden space to allow it to play off the golden statues and reliefs, making everything glow. A perfect way to keep electricity bills down, no doubt. Anyway, I know what you must be thinking. `Great for you, marvellous darling, no move on!` Yeah, yeah.

Entering the sanctum, I have to dodge a pair of turtle doves as they whiz by my face at forty miles an hour. They do a quick circle around the place before landing in one of Hera`s many trees, joining a plethora of other colourful birds. A big red macaw calls out at our entrance, which to me sounds more like a cat being run over than an actual bird. Lovely place, really.

"Ah, children, welcome!" Hera calls out, stepping down from her dais. A pair of peacocks follow her down, long tails trailing behind them. My focus is really on the goddess, though. This has to be the happiest I`ve ever seen her...like, ever! I`m almost afraid to think of what she might be high on...unless she really is just, well, happy. If so, good on her! She spreads her arms wide, still smiling like the sun. "Please, have a seat!"

Looking around at the others, they all seem to have made the same conclusion I have. We all share a collective WTF look before sitting down on the twin couches, nervous, yet anxious, to hear what the mother Goddess has to say. I`m gonna bet it has nothing to do with Cronus. When it comes to fathers, she and I are in the same boat.

Clearing his throat, Jay speaks up. "So, why did you call us in, Ms. Hera? You made it sound very important." Aw, look at him! I always get a kick at how formal Jay always is with Hera. Sure, she is the wife of Zeus – not to mention a God - and deserves our respect, but it makes him look almost scared of her. See, if I don`t call Ares `sir`, he would gladly kick my ass. I`m sure she wouldn't kill him if he toned it down a bit.

Clapping her hands together (she actually clapped!), she beams at all of us. "Over the past year and a half that you have been here with me and the other Gods in New Olympia, I have grown to think of you all as my own children. Your constant determination and strength in handling Cronus and all he has thrown at you has never ceased to astound and amaze me. Nevertheless, the way in which you all have handled yourselves over the last few months, during your battle with Cronus and Robert, as well as the aftermath, has made me very proud! You have proved yourselves more than worthy of the title of heroes!"

And, wow! Was not expecting this...I can`t help it as the heat rises in my cheeks. I probably look like a tomato right now, as I`m not very used to getting praise of this calibre. Hell, I`m not used to praise at all! Looking around, I see everyone else in various states of discomfort. Like me, Jay, Theresa and Herry are all bright red. Atlanta isn`t as red, but her cheeks have more color that I usually see. Odie is scratching the back of his neck, looking very uncomfortable, while Neil has brought out his mirror, checking his hair.

"Thank you, Miss Hera." Theresa speaks up after a moment, and we all nod and thank her as well. Neil just continues to stare at himself. Oh, my god, what a tool.

Still beaming, Hera continued, "Cronus` disappearance has raised some questions as to whether or not he truly has been defeated, and I beg you all to please keep your wits about you until his status has been proven." There were nods all around at this. "On another note, though, I believe Hermes has some good news."

At the mention of his name, the messenger god flies into the room so fast, the breeze ruffles our hair and clothes. He too is looking like the cat that ate the canary. I mean, I know he`s fast, but could he tone it down a bit? Readjusting my clothes, I return my attention to the two Gods and am surprised to find Hermes standing right in front of me.

"Uh, hello?" I`m seriously at a loss as to what this could be abo-

Oh. My. God.

I leap to my feet so fast I scare Neil away from his mirror. Everyone is staring at me. Don`t worry guys, I`m not going to die again. "You did it, didn`t you? Oh, god, please tell me you..."

Thankfully the god doesn`t leave me hanging. "We did."

"You did..." I gape for a moment, looking all the part of a brain dead fish. "OH MY GOD!" I scream, and this time I scare everyone. I start punching the air, wearing a smile so wide I think I split my lip.

"Mind filling us in Archie?" Odie asks, still looking uncomfortable, but I think that`s my doing.

At the moment, I`m too ecstatic to find my voice, so Hermes speaks up for me. "After Archie came back to us, he asked me to look into a few things, do some research. And we just got a breakthrough." He leaves them hanging for only a moment.

"We`ve found Angela."

Again, thanks for waiting on my slow, sorry butt. If you want to flame me for taking forever, go ahead. Otherwise, structural criticism is greatly appreciated. I hope to have the next chapter up soon, as the plot has finally taken form.

Until then, rock on!

»Crystal Marionette«