With cookies, water and a sickening feeling in my belly and the Belly Abyss quiet, for now, I now feel ready to leave the room. Archie was still plucking at his clothes- which were actually mine but have somehow ended up in his bag- and still looking upset about wearing girls clothes. Pan was licking the fruit bowl for all he was worth, and still looking absolutely adorable. Meleager was sitting beside my bed and staring at me, and I had the blankets pulled up to my chin and all the pillows piled up on his side to try and stop his stare. Jay and Theresa were sitting against the wall, or at least Theresa was. Jay was lying on his back and getting his leg in a frenzy as Theresa hesitantly scratched his belly with the most horrifying mixture of fear and pure glee on her face that I have ever seen.

"…so how long have I been out?" I asked, waiting to duck. The last time I asked this Theresa blurted out her most inner thoughts, and I do not need any more mental scarring.

"It has been a pair of nights and an era of agony awaiting to see you awake again my love! I suffered endlessly in the despair I may never see your sunburn-colored hair in the wind again!" Meleager cried from behind the Great Pillow Wall.

Okay, he'd definitely been in Archie's poetry, and wasn't doing a good job of flattering me. Is my hair really sunburn-colored? I always thought it was kinda blood/fire-hydrant red. I avoided slithering all the way back under the covers and glared at Archie.

"…so how long?"

"A night, a day and another night," came Pan's muffled reply from the bowl.

"Wow… that's… a long time." Everyone nodded, only half-listening to what I was saying. I rolled my eyes and decided to get up. Oooh. Fuzzy sweater is veeerryy nice. I'll have to remember to thank Pan for grabbing it, once we're out of earshot of Archie because Super-Archie can't stand Pan-Man being around Damsel-Lanta alone. Go figure, he's jealous of other guys and doesn't even make a move on me.

I was petting the sweater as I moved to the door. Almost heading out, I stopped and looked up. No mistletoe. Thank goodness. I almost walked out before getting a better idea.

"Hey, Meleager. Can you go outside and look around for some mistletoe? I'm allergic and I'll die if I go near it."

I didn't even see him leave. He almost literally climbed the walls and was looking so hard he might've burned holes in the walls. I calmly walked behind him. Archie and Pan followed, Archie now trying to rip the fruit bowl from Pan's chompers and Pan was not going to let go. Theresa followed with Jay trailing behind us on all fours.

Just thinking about how we must look, I started getting the giggles again and by the time we were at the end of the hallway I was full out laughing, while everyone stared at me like the madwoman I probably was.

I was two steps from the bottom of the stairs with one foot in the air when I was attacked by the NOH of the Noah group. Herry and Odie hugged me tight, Herry lifting me in the air and Odie hugging my legs, and even Neil came over to pat my shoulder. OH kept blubbering on about how glad they were to see me up and alive and laughing. I didn't have the heart to kill them right then. I heard Jay scream 'HUGZ' and he leapt on top of us, and thanks to me being on the stairs and Herry's precarious balance, we all tumbled over in a heap of me, pretty-boy, teddy, afro and dog.

Mealeager was overturning couches and throwing nymphs and satyrs out of his way in his hunt for mistletoe. I dragged myself out of the pile of men, if you count Neil as one, and dusted myself off as I stood. Archie nudged me quite roughly as he passed.

"I'm going for a drink, be back in a few," he said as he walked. Wow, his silly-looking Dork-walk looked even funnier in those tight girl-jeans. The scariest part was, he looked good in them and they fit him better then they did me. I think I have another point to prove to Theresa that Archie has bigger hips then mine.

Rubbing my side, I made to turn away, and that was when I realized there was mistletoe above the kitchen doorway Archie was headed for. I almost called out to warn him, but he deserves not being warned. That nudge was a man-jab to the appendix! Instead, I decided to watch. Ha, if he doesn't see it I'll give him a kiss. With my elbow. Right into his spleen. Now I want him to get caught under the mistletoe.

Of course, Archie's an idiot and didn't see it. He was walking under and I was about to run over to tell him what he just did, when a few nymphs squealed. The pack was on the move! I jumped, and so did Archie, and I think he finally just noticed what he'd done because he looked up and went white. The nymphs hit him like a tsunami and they all fell into the kitchen. Sucker, he got what he deserves. That's karma Archie! And I am not one bit jealous that he's probably getting smooched up by a bunch 'o beautiful, immortal, perfect, tall, fair-skinned, soft-haired nymphs. Not jealous at all.

Okay, now I'm leaving. Let Archie stay with his pack of mistle-nymphs. Haha, that sounds like Missile-Nymphs. MN's on the prowl!

Note to self: stop letting your mind wander. Your sanity suffers when it gets lost.

"I think we should leave him another few minutes," Pan said, appearing beside me. He was nodding back to where Archie had gone down, "at least, we'll save him before the nymphs tear him apart… too much."

Of course, Pan was too kind to let anything really bad happen to Archie, but the two of them did have a long-standing rivalry… over me.

I scowled, "No. Let him have his stupid MN's. I don't care if they do tear him apart."

Pan laughed, "Are you jealous, Atlanta? All they're doing is following the code of mistletoe, nothing really bad. Besides, Archie's too afraid of anything with lips and hips to do anything but run screaming like a baby."

It was so horribly true that I found myself laughing with Pan. Wow do I love his laugh.

"Bad Jay! Heel! Heel, boy!" Theresa shrieked as Jay went burning past on all fours, taking with him what looked like one of Theresa's shoes in his mouth.

I heard someone whistle and Jay turned on his heel and sprang over the back of the couch and nearly smack into Medellia's lap. She smiled and scratched his head.

"Good Jay! I think you get a hug," she cooed at him. Oohhh, she is so in for it! I made to go after Medellia, as she and Jay hugged each other, but I caught Theresa's eye from across the room and she shook her head. Using our amazing girl-hand-talk, Theresa made some motions that I did not understand at all. And from what I tried to understand, she wanted me to sniff a polar frog in Madagascar on a rainbow midnight between Friday and Blaasday.

"She wants us to leave," I told Pan. He nodded and the two of us headed out, Pan asking how I knew what she wanted and me telling him it was for girls to know and for goats to never find out.

"So… how've you been lately?" I said awkwardly. The more we walked, the better Pan was looking.

"Good. Growing trees, cleaning rivers. Protesting… with some flower power, you know. That sort of stuff," he smiled as he talked.

"Oh, well, yeah," I've never felt so tongue-tied before. We walked in silence. I don't think I've ever seen this part of the Brownstone before, or maybe it's just all the horrible Christmas decorations everywhere.

"Hey… Atlanta?" Pan said quietly.

"Yeah?" I slowed a bit to stay beside him. I like going fast, even when I'm walking.

"You know… the first time we met we got off on the wrong foot, and I never did get to tell you… but I really do think you are beautiful. It wasn't only Cronus's hypnotism that brought me to you." He gave me the inside-melting smile and I felt my insides turn to gush… and that was a crazy déjà vu right there.

"Umm… thank you?" How do you respond to that?

He hardly seemed to hear me, "I… I almost didn't come to the party, knowing that, well, you guys are probably still sore about that whole take-over-the-world thing, but I wanted to see you again. The truth is, Atlanta, I miss you. I miss us. I miss what we had, you know?"

We stopped walking. Wow. What am I supposed to saaayyy? I don't know how to handle these things! Why isn't Theresa around to coach me right now?

"Well… what… 'We' were great… but… I mean… like I still…" I took in a deep breath, and almost came up with some great speech that would make everything better, "I don't know. I forgot what I was going to say."

Pan laughed, "That's what I miss! You're such an amazing person, 'Lan, and we share so many common interests and you're… you. You're not like anyone I've ever met before."

I shifted on my feet nervously. I've never been praised like that before. Stupid Archie always puts me down and the Husband makes me die a little more inside every time I smell him.

Fuzzy-Fuzzy Sweater was starting to get really hot. Absentmindedly I tugged at the neckline. Why was it so hot in here? It's winter for crying out loud!

"I…" what can I say? "thanks? I… well, yeah. Thank you." Geeze-Louise! I can't speak anymore.

I did what I knew I could do and tried walking again. My knees were almost like jello and I felt like I was falling in every step. I was moving down the hallway slowly, Pan matching me step for step. His hooves clicked on the floor. Fuzzy-Fuzzy was getting so hot I think I was going to end up as the roast turkey this year.

Somewhere in the background I heard Archie screaming for help, and the sound of nymphs giggling and chattering and squealing swallowed the sound. And many crashes that are made by furniture falling over when one is trying to outrun a pack of Missile-Nymphs. I looked at Pan, thank you Achilles for having a descendant with a shriek loud enough to save me from this awkward moment.

"Shall we save him?" I asked.

"If we must," Pan shrugged.

Together we ran back down the hallway to save Archie, though I tried to stay just a step behind.

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Jay was barking and racing around, hugging ankles and leaping onto unsuspecting victims with his harmful glomps of affection. Medellia and Theresa followed not too far behind, Medellia with a cup of eggnog and Theresa with a giant bone from the turkey Athena had been butchering earlier. For now Jay was ignoring their calls to him, and their glares at each other.

The mass of MN's seemed to have grown. I almost decided not to help Archie, but it was the right thing to do. Jerk-Dork or not. Pan and I plunged into MN's up to our waists and were trying to dig through them, calling for Archie. I can't hear him anymore. Is that a good sign? Pan was almost taken under, but I grabbed his flailing hand and pulled him out of the undercurrent of MN's.

"I can't see him Pan! Where is he?" I shouted over the music, barks and squeals.

"I don't know. I thought he'd be right here, but he might have drifted off somewhere. It's almost impossible to see anything," Pan shouted back.

Something grabbed my ankle, a hand! It had to be Archie! I took a deep breath and plunged into the MN's. The hand was still grabbing at me, and I caught it. Stupid dork. Missile-Nymphs closed overtop of me and blocked out the last of Pan's calling me back. I swam through and found myself face-to-face with Meleager.

"My wife I… -must leave and seek safety from the dangers… -found more nearby that… -love your manly arms!" Meleager cried at me. I only heard half of what he said, and it sounds like he's leaving?

The gods do care about me!

"Aw, too bad," I forced out. Hey, I'm not completely heartless. But I couldn't help doing a Happy-Dance in my head, "Titan- I mean, Meleager, have you see Archie?"

Meleager stared at me like I had a second head. I rolled my eyes. Stupid idiot. I scrunched up my face in a scowl and stuck two fingers up on my forehead. Meleager's eyes widened.

"The boy-girl who wears your clothes? With the hair of horns of the fragrance of lavender?" I almost burst out laughing. Almost. But Atlanta is in serious mode!

…then again. How does Meleager know how Archie's hair smells? Even I don't know how it smells. I'm very scared now.

A goat-send hand came from above and grabbed me, pulling me out of the MN's and away from Meleager. I heard him crying 'farewell' before I saw Pan's glorious, not-Meleager's, worried face. And I couldn't help it; I just had to do my Happy Dance. The Husband is lea-ving! The Husband is lea-ving! I threw my arms around Pan in joy.

"A-Atlanta…" Pan mumbled quietly.

"He's finally leaving, Pan! I'm freeee! The Husband is lee-heee-viing!" I laughed, trying to dance around in the MN's. I almost fell over.

"A-Atlanta!" Pan snapped, holding my hands and keeping me upright. I dance a while before he squeezed my wrists.

"What?" Why is he ruining my Happy Dance? Not cool, Pan, not cool!

Pan pulled me to him as he stepped forwards and our faces were so close our lips were almost touching. His soul patch and nose were tickling my face.

"You're under mistletoe, Atlanta," he said. I hardly had time to say 'oh' before he kissed me.

And you know what? It was great. Nothing like that accidental kiss I gave Archie, and certainly nothing like those head-swallowing things Meleager had tried to give me, and not a big wet kiss from Jay. It's so wrong that a half-goat kisses better then any of the guys around her, but it felt so right. I melted into Pan and threw my arms around his neck. Take that Archie my inner Atlanta hissed.

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Uh-oh!

So where is Archie? Is he still lost in the currents of MN's? Is Meleager really leaving? Is Atlanta going to pick Pan? Who will Jay hug next? And what about the others? How are Odie, Herry and Neil faring? Will Atlanta make it out of the party alive, and with a boyfriend? Or is it now a billy-goatfriend? Who knows!

But this is my Christmas gift to everyone, I hope you enjoy! I'll try to update this on a more regular basis, and I'm so sorry for the long wait between chapters. I don't know if there will be an update until the New Year, and if that's the case 'Merry Christmas' (or whichever holiday it is you celebrate) and a Happy New Year from Demenior!

Love from,

Demenior