Jay's Return
Disclaimer: I do not own COTT
He had decided he wasn't going to come back here after what happened with Theresa three years ago. That one last fight between her and Cronus, it ruined pretty much everything. A lot happened that day, Theresa lost control of her powers, she even lost herself, Jay came to realize how much he did love her and they thought Cronus was gone forever. Not only that but Theresa had died, died in his arms. That image never left his mind completely, but she came back and he made sure to remember that moment just as clearly.
But a month after that Cronus came back, and it wasn't pretty. In short, they lost two team members and nearly lost another. They won, sure, but at a price. What was left of the team split up, either went back home or very far away. Jay chose to go far away, very far away and he decided never to come back. The pain of remembering those few days of battle was too much, even thinking of the casualties stung.
Through all that, Jay had decided to come back. So here he was, in front of the dorm he had once lived on the three year anniversary of the unfortunate passing of Archie and Harry.
He took a deep breath and waked up to the door, as he reached the top step his mind was telling him to go home, back to Halifax. But he wasn't going to listen. He knocked, there was no answer but the door slowly creaked open, from one peak inside he knew that no one had lived here for a while. Three years to be exact.
First he saw the living room, his mind raced with memories. Theresa and him playing chess, scaring the girls while they watched another horror movie, and all those nights they were up late strategizing. Then another unwanted memory entered, four of them sitting in a circle, mourning while trying to keep hope for Theresa who was upstairs an inch from death.
In mid-thought he heard a voice from behind him, "Jay?" He spun around and saw a very familiar face staring at him with wide eyes. "Atlanta?" Atlanta smiled and pulled Jay into a hug, "What are you doing here?" They broke apart and Jay replied, "Had to come back, it just seemed right. What about you?" Atlanta shrugged and walked over to the living room and sat on the small couch.
"Do you remember the last time we sat on this?" She asked a morbid tone in her voice. "Trying to get over Harry and Archie's… passing and praying that the same wouldn't happen to Theresa." Jay nodded and joined her on the couch. "How've you been doing?" Atlanta shrugged again, "Okay, I guess. Last year of university nearly done, but I still miss him every day." She smiled, almost like she was attempting to comfort herself.
"How about you, Jay?" Now it was Jays turn to shrug. "I haven't heard from anyone since I left, but I'm working and sailing and all that." He paused a moment, "How's Theresa?" Atlanta smiled again, "I knew you'd ask about her," Her smile faded, "She's not doing so great. After the battle it took a year to learn how to walk again, and she got throat cancer." Jay's eyes widened, "What?"
"I was pretty shocked too; her dad called me actually told me what was going on." Jay was still frazzled, "Is it gone now? The cancer, I mean?" Atlanta nodded, "But they had to take her voice box out, we learnt sign language together and everything but that was one year ago and I haven't seen her since."
Jay was trying to take this all in, throat cancer, learning how to walk, what had happened? He felt a pang of guilt for not knowing all of this, and better yet, for not being there.
"How about everyone else?" Jay asked Atlanta thought for a moment. "Neil's been modeling in France, Odie's got a wife and a baby on the way, and Harry's been in Africa for the past two years."
"Wow." Jay said, he went to say somethingbut was interrupted by yet another voice, one he hadn't heard for quite sometime. "Jay, Atlanta, I had a feeling you'd be here." The voice remained bodiless for am moment before the two young adults saw Hera standing in front of them. "I'm afraid your going to have to save this world once again."