Authors Note: Thank you for the reviews. Remember to keep them up. The chapters still go up, but I need your help to keep them at their best with your criticism! Anyways, thank you again. heres a long one for you. I am super excited to bring you guys this chapter. Please enjoy!

Walls of Bricks

Act One: Destruam

Chapter 11

Chapter Theme: I Gave You All - Mumford and Sons

The sun beat down on the concrete jungle for the whole day. It had been the warmest day all year, and it was prom night, at last. The brownstone appeared empty at first glance, but the limo was and hour and a half away and everyone was getting ready. Theresa and Atlanta had been preparing since noon. Theresa managed to convince Atlanta to wear makeup, and surprisingly, she obliged. Atlanta warned them that this was a one-time thing, and that warning made Theresa smile for the first time all week. However, all the optimism she had was gone when the boys went into their rooms to prepare at four o clock. She could hear Jay humming a nameless tune behind the plaster wall. The sound of it was soft to her ears, but her heart turned to stone over the thought of him. She could never forgive him for what he did. Eric was a goner, and so were Theresa's hopes that Jay would ever love her. The man she loved so dearly wasn't there. He hadn't been there for a while, but she was too blind to see it. Last night made her realize what two years of battling gods had done to him. The gods had turned the cute, curious boy that he once was into a grizzled soldier. He looked the same aside a few scars, but inside had changed. She wasn't sure if he would ever come back from this after Cronus was defeated.

Jays humming started getting even more annoying, so Theresa turned up her stereo. The noise coming from the speakers managed to drown out Jays silly little tune.

She wasn't going with the others on their limousine. She and Neil were taking her car to Andrea's house, to meet up with their dates and have a few drinks. That meant leaving an hour before the others went off to congregate downstairs with all their dates. Theresa was glad to be ready before the others. It meant she and Neil could slip by unnoticed by most of the gang. They all knew where she was going, but she preferred avoiding attention.

And Sabrina…

Neil had taken all the guys to he tuxedo shop to order tuxedos. He had already seen them in their suits so he was content. He had agreed to leave quietly, although he was regretting not seeing Atlanta in a dress. Theresa had reminded him that he would see them all later on at prom.

She had one last look at herself in the mirror. She had let her hair down and curled. She had taken great care to use make up that complimented her hair and dress. Her silk dress was red through and through. The upper body had two small straps keeping it up, and the collar provided a fair amount of cleavage. She wore pearl earrings and had a pearly bracelet to match it. The lower part of her dress was layered and ended above her delicate knees. She complimented the dress with black heels that were difficult to walk in.

There was no point wearing the heels just yet, she walked out of her room barefoot and headed downstairs, but before reaching the ground floor, she stopped by Archies room on the second floor. She had scarcely seen him since the pier. In fact, nobody had really seen him at all.

His door was closed, but it was open, so she gently opened the door to peek inside. She found him sitting on his bed, playing with a metal lighter. Opening and closing the lid, although he might as well have been doing with his eyes. He seemed completely focused on he thing. He didn't seem to notice her entry.

"Hey," she said softly, "I'm surprised not to see you in you suit. You need to be ready in an hour."

Archie shut his lighter, and his gaze lifted to out the window. Through the shutters, you could see an array of orange and grey. The city was in rush hour and the sun was not far from setting behind the nearby skyscrapers.. "I'm not going." He said in a quiet face.

"Oh," she said awkwardly. "But you paid for your ticket and suit. Do you not want to go?"

"No." He said, going back to his lighter, "You know why."

Theresa stood in silence for a while thinking of a way to comfort him. "I guess that makes two of us who didn't get the dates we wanted." She sat down beside him on the bed. It felt hard as a rock. Theresa couldn't imagine sleeping well on it.

"You know, we should have gone together, you know, just as friends." As he said it, Archie let out a chuckle.

Theresa laughed a little as well, "Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Would have beat my date by miles."

"You are you going with?"

Theresa blushed a bright pink, "Oh, uhh, Biff."

Archie smirked, "That idiot? I thought you had higher standards Theresa."

"He asked me a while ago. I hadn't planned on taking him, but I had to say yes last minute. I would have ended up dateless."

"Yeah, I probably should have saved you from that. I'm sorry, I haven't really been thinking properly recently."

Theresa smiled and put her hand on his cheek. "You have nothing be sorry about. A shame that I won't see your dance moves though."

Archie laughed a little. "You know I don't dance, but thanks for the talk. I think I'll go for a workout, think a little. Fighting clears my head."

Theresa expected no less. She may have been rather foolish to think he was actually ever going to prom without Atlanta. Archie dropped the lighter on his bedside, and started rummaging through a pile of clothes in his wardrobe.

As he rummaged, he talked, "You know, Theresa, I never told you about my heel. How it got, well, wonky I guess."

"I figured you were born with it."

"No, I wasn't." He said, "I'm sorry, you're in a rush. I'll tell you another time."

She heard Neil walking down the stairs, it was time to go. She gave her friend Archie a smile and walked out with her heels in hand. When she got downstairs, Neil was waiting patiently. To say he looked glorious was an understatement. He had gone for the most expensive tuxedo in the store. His shirt was snow white and pristine, but his waistcoat was a dark regal purple and his bowtie matched. His black dress shoes were so shiny Theresa could see her own distorted reflection. He had a corsage; one for the date and one for himself, which was a yellow flower. Any girl would have swooned at the sight of him, Luckily, Theresa knew him better. Had he been a trifle less selfish, he would almost seem appealing to her.

"Theresa my darling, you look gorgeous." Neil complimented her with a gentleman's smile. He had never mentioned whom he was taking, insisting that it was a surprise. Whoever she was, she was in for one hell of a night.

It was rumoured that Neil was a lion in bed.

Theresa smiled back, picking her car keys out of her purse. Despite her misery, she felt good getting into the car, and turning the keys. She could finally get away from Jay for a bit, even though deep down she wanted to be closer to him, recent events told her otherwise. Neil stepped into the passenger seat. She pressed her bare foot on the pedal and drove off.

Atlanta looked at herself and sighed. It had finally happened, she was in a dress. She had gotten it back in January. Theresa and Neil insisted on getting it with them. Atlanta wasn't even sure if she was going to prom at the time, but Theresa was paying, and it couldn't hurt. It ended up being a two-day trip looking for something. Atlanta would have settled with any old dress, but Neil had a plan. When that guy has a fashion plan, he is unstoppable. She ended up getting a strapless silk dress that dropped to her thighs. It was an aqua colour and seemed to crinkle. Theresa had called it Satin, whatever that meant. Atlanta wouldn't lie. It was a lot more comfortable than she expected. When she stepped out of the dressing room, Neil's and Theresa's jaws dropped. Neil squealed, "That's the one," he said with exasperated excitement.

It seemed rather odd in the shop, but Atlanta looked at herself in her mirror. It was like she was staring at someone else. Theresa took charge with makeup, applying all sorts of chemicals to her face. The result have her some greenish tint of eyeshadow, some blush, and other things like lipstick, and eyeliner. The only thing Atlanta had chosen a silver necklace that Archie had gotten her over a year ago. It went well with the dress, and she rarely wore jewellery, so she chose something she liked, and meant a lot to her.

Just for tonight. She thought to herself. She felt like she was wearing a mask. She and Theresa had done nails, hair, everything all through the day. Atlanta resented not having the time for a run, but she concluded she could double her circuits the next day. The heels were uncomfortable, and they were what seemed to change her the most. Wearing them, she looked much more feminine in posture. She was used to wearing comfort clothes, her natural posture was that of Artemis. Fit, and tight. The heels though gave her chiselled posture a softer look. She looked more lady-like.

The strange thing was, that a part of her actually liked the new mask. She was always considered herself less girly than the others, and now that she was in the same shoes as all the girls in her school, it didn't seem so bad.

She heard the door close. Theresa and Neil. The past week Theresa had come into her room in tears more than once. She went on about Jay and how he was a monster. Atlanta had nothing to say, but her presence seemed to calm her down. Atlanta wasn't exactly thrilled about handing Eric over. She didn't trust him, nor did she like those cold eyes, but she wasn't going to tell that to Theresa. Theresa was fond of the man, He was the first person she ever met who shared a similar mind. Maybe they connected in a way the rest of the team couldn't comprehend. Whether he was telling the truth, however, was perspective.

She walked out of her room with all of her belongings for the night. She felt like the others must have been waiting forever. The hair took ages, but Atlanta wanted to play around with what Theresa had done with it. She had done it up very regally, but Atlanta wanted something a little wilder. Her hair was still up, but it hanged around a bit on the fringes. She preferred it that way. Not to mention it was more comfortable.

It had been over an hour since Theresa left, and the others were congregating downstairs. She could hear Herry's voice booming,

"Atlanta! The limos almost here."

Atlanta ignored the yell and fell into thought. Lucas asking her to prom was unexpected. She must have left an impression back at the party. Guys in that group rarely even noticed her. It never bothered her until all of her old friends in the school started catering to trying to show off to them. Atlanta didn't reform and instead hang out with the team and Archie more, never paying much mind of the dangerous world of the high school social world until she met Lucas. He was into all sorts of things like Ocean conservation, and he had a scholarship for a university out east where he was going to be studying marine biology. All of this time, and she just considered him a boring, self-absorbed jock. She had been wrong. He was a good person, unlike some of his rowdy friends.

He had apparently been at the party in the park too, where Pan happened to also be there and fuck a lot of things over. Of course, nobody except the team remembered what actually happened. She hadn't heard from Pan in a while. Probably so he could avoid Hera's affiliation with Atlanta. The two of them rarely met eye to eye on things.

Lucas, however, seemed to get with everyone he met. He had flowing brown locks that curled at the ends which made him look like he was born surfing. He also had a warm smile that went well with his dark brown eyes. His charisma allowed him to be friendly to everyone he met, including the team.

She finally made her way downstairs. When she looked downstairs, she could see all the crew. They all looked amazing.

Herry had chosen Katrina Yearney for his prom date. From what Atlanta remembered, she used to be very much into partying and clubbing, but in the past year she had some sort of epiphany and backed away from that whole scene. She was athletic, slim, and short. But everyone looked short beside Herry. Herry was in a light blue suit and bowtie with a white shirt. He claimed it was his grandad's prom suit and his dads. If that was the case, it looked pretty new to Atlanta. It must have been well looked after. His date matched ice with snow. Kat's dress was similar to Atlanta's in some ways, but Kat's was much more delicate and ornate, as well as white as snow. There was a beautiful white flower on her corsage, but there was something that scared Atlanta; her eyes. Her hair, her physique were all off, but her blue eyes reminded her coldy of Eric's. There was definetly no relation, but Eric's stare haunted all of the teams minds.

Isabelle seemed to make the room glow in her presence. Her pale face bore a smile that made even Atlanta melt slightly. She was also wearing a white dress, making her look angelic. Odie was wearing a black jacket and white shirt, , aside from a red tie and kerchief. Despite having the prettiest girl in New Olympia, and probably France too, Odie didn't seem to be smiling. He looked distracted deep in thought. The guy was being a tad off. If Atlanta was him, She would be beaming ear to ear. Odie however, was known to wander off in thought from time to time, so Atlanta paid no mind to it.

Jay and Sabrina were between them all. Atlanta didn't like her one bit. Sabrina had gotten Jay completely distracted from the rest of the team. It hadn't felt like a team since he started dating her. Jay wasn't bellowing commands as he used to, and he didn't radiate respect either. If a mission was to start at that moment, the team wouldn't follow him as eagerly as they had before.

Still, despite the unpleasant relationship between Atlanta and Sabrina, they had agreed to keep it to themselves for the night, and she did look very pretty in her long purple dress and curly blonde locks. Jay had a dark maroon vest and bowtie, black shirt and very dark purple overcoat. They seemed almost perfect together. Almost. Sabrina was a good match for Jay, but Atlanta felt like she wasn't smitten over him like Theresa was. The relationship seemed didn't seem entirely equal. It was like Sabrina was getting something out of it besides affection. Probably getting at Theresa for something.

The two were very similar, Sabrina and Theresa. Both were very beautiful, and had very strong attitudes. Both came from wealthy families and both of them were ambitious. It made sense for them to oppose each other. Opposites attract, alike repel. Atlanta remembered that from her grade ten science class several years ago. Why it came to her at this point in time, was beyond her.

Lucas hadn't arrived yet. He had sent her a text two minutes ago saying he was on his way. It didn't bother Atlanta. As long as he was here in the end. What did bother her however was someone else.

"Where's Archie?" She asked the others. Archie wasn't likely going to be a late one, but he was nowhere to be seen. Jay shrugged hopelessly. Atlanta let out a frustrated sigh, and walked over to Archie's door. The door was closed, but there was movement inside. She opened the door a crack, and then fully. Archie's room was a bitter mess, and Archie was dressed in anything but a suit. He was wearing tracksuit shorts, sneakers and his notorious blue and yellow hoodie.

"Archie, what's going on? Everyone's ready and the limo will be here in like five minutes."

Archie seemed to completely ignore her. He packed his whip, a spare heel brace, and a towel in a big grey duffel bag.

"Archie, are you going to say something?" Why had he been acting so strange? He had hardly even been seen the past few days, and he was never interested in talking to anyone. He just seemed to go out in the mornings, come back in the evenings and go to his room. Never smiling, never talking. Atlanta had tried to talk, but the only reaction had been silence.

"Archie, talk to me." She said more sternly. He looked up at her with a dull, dark stare, and continued packing his duffle bag.

"What is wrong with you? Don't you want to go to prom?"

"No." he replied simply.

"Well why not?" Atlanta asked. A hint of frustration slipped through her lips.

Archie stopped packing his bag for a brief moment and gave her a hard look. "You damn well know why."

Atlanta made a noise that seemed to be between a gasp and laugh. "Lucas? You can't be serious. Look, he didn't exactly make it easy for me to say no."

"You still could have." He muttered as he kept on packing his bag. That just made Atlanta angrier.

"Oh, no problem Archie, let me just rewind time and embarrass him in front of the whole school why not? Archie, I don't know what kind of delusional world you are living in, but I wasn't in a position to say no. I didn't have a choice."

Archie grumbled, "For someone without a choice you seem pretty happy."

Atlanta snapped back sharply. "Yeah, he is quite the gentleman, and it wasn't like anyone else was asking me."

Again, Archie paused as he stuffed his spare leg brace into the bag, his fist clenched.

"I would have." Archie said quite abruptly. He dropped the brace n the bag and stood up, facing her. "Yeah, I would have asked you. In fact, I've wanted to ask you since I ever met you. Do you know how that feels Atlanta? When there's always someone who gets ahead of you when you're at the end of a race? I've been trying to tell you for two years Atlanta. Two fucking years!"

Atlanta was lost for words. Why? Why did he decide to tell me now? After all this time? Why did he wait for the one day when I've committed myself? Her heart was beating slowly, but every beat felt like a needle in the heart.

"Archie. I don't-. I can't-."

"Why not? Run away Atlanta. We can run away and have the night of our lives. I really care about you, and I won't sleep until I know you feel the same way."

Atlanta found tears rolling down her cheeks, No, I must not cry. Not in front of him. "No Archie. I can't."

Archie stepped back from her, and let an angry huff, "Oh, so I guess that's how it is then."

Atlanta tears quickly dried up in her anger. He thinks he can just lay this all on me, after two years? Right now?

"I can't believe you Archie. You think I can just drop my things and run into your arms? You can't just come in here and spill your guts when I'm committed to someone else. Some of us are trying to live our lives. You need to do the same. We're not going to be fighting Cronus forever. What are you going to do with your life then? Were not kids anymore Archie." She ripped the silver necklace from her neck and threw it at his feet. The silver clanged against Archie's metal heel. She looked at him with hateful eyes. She dragged his duffel bag out the door. Being open, several of his belongings few out mid-air.

"Go ahead. Go to the gym. Go to Hades for all I care. Just get away from me."

She left the room, leaving Archie just standing there. She slammed the door behind her. You must not cry Atlanta. She thought to herself. Its his fault, not yours. He's the one who fucked up. She still managed to slip a tear out of her angry mask. She took a deep breath, and made her way downstairs. Out of some miracle, it had not ruined her makeup.

Lucas was now there. Seeing him made her feel a little better. He had gone for a black and light yellow suit and tie, and his brown locks had been gelled back. He was looking very handsome.

"Atlanta! Everything all right?" Asked Jay.

No. Everything's not OK.

Atlanta just faked a smile, "Yeah. I'm good." Atlanta wondered how much Theresa faked smiles. The others must have seen it. Atlanta hated lying. And Archie had been lying to her for two years.

Lucas smiled, "You look beautiful Atlanta." It was enough to make her blush, even in her mood. This was a hiccup. Tonight will be great.

"Come on guys," said Odie, "The limo's here."

The venue of prom had been carefully chosen by the student council. They had been promising all year that this was going to be the greatest prom the city had ever seen. The tickets had been very expensive, even for prom, but as Theresa stepped out of the sweaty limosine, she almost forgot to breath. The effect of the extra cash was visible from outside. The council had rented out the entirety of the Golden Feather Banquet Hall. It was known to be one of the most expensive places to rent in New Olympia. A long red carpet led the way inside, as the passengers of the limo entered in their regal pairs. Theresa looked rather disproportional to Biff. Biff was a big fellow. He was wearing a navy overcoat with a red vest and white shirt. To be honest, he looked rather handsome, but it didn't necessarily mean he had a handsome personality. At the pre party, he had given her an eye, a slap on the bum, and he went of to do shots with all the others. Leaving Theresa to talk over a cup of mixed drinks with Neil's date; Elena.

Theresa had been truly surprised when he showed her his date. Elena wasn't one of Neil's usual fangirls, in fact, she and Theresa got on fairly well from Math Class. Elena adored him, but she was never that open about it. Not like some other dimwitted girls that would have opened their legs on a second's notice.

She was a very respectable choice, not to mention very pretty. Theresa figured Neil must have figured out how much she liked him. Theresa would have expected Neil to ask one of his thralls for a date. It would have been more beneficial to his ego than to ask someone with an actual brain instead on jelly.

Maybe Neil isn't as blatantly selfish as we give him credit for. Theresa thought to herself.

They proceeded to prom and Theresa wasn't thrilled with Biff. As she walked, he staggered. It was very obvious that he had too much to drink earlier, which didn't bode well for him as they approached the entrance with two policemen with locked eyes with Biff.

The two showed their tickets, showed their bags, and then one of the officers asked Biff if he had been drinking. At first, Biff denied it, but the cops didn't seem convinced. They breathalysed him, and told him that he was not allowed to enter. They did let Theresa through. Biff began to whine and bitch at them. Theresa just kept going, pretending she didn't know him.

To be honest, she was quite relieved to be rid of him. While she empathised for when Archie beat him senseless, the guy was still unpleasant. Even if he was the school quarterback.

The lobby into the main hall took her breath away. Balloons were everywhere. In the centre there was a marble fountain the size of her bedroom. And on either side, there were four granite pillars holding bright orange flames in their palms.

Fire and ice. That was the theme. And the council left no limits with their massive budget except their imaginations. The lobby was bustling with her classmates. Many shades of fire and many shades of ice on the dresses and suits seemed the whole room seem to shine a sparkly glow. The main hall continued to impress. There was a main floor with all the tables, in light blue and fiery orange tablecloths, and each table had a unique central ornament opposite to the theme of it's table colour. The centre held a dance floor big enough for 300 sweaty dancers. A man was at the head of the stage, wearing big headphones and a monster of a dj system. It wasn't Pan, but Theresa would settle for second best. Music was already booming from the massive speakers scattered across the sparkling floor. The second floor had another bar, more tables, and countless places for taking photos, as many people were doing.

Theresa sighed. She began to wish her date hadn't been kicked out. She was surrounded by hundreds of pairs of smiles. She just walked over to her table and poured a glass of water, wishing it was vodka. She could see Neil and Elena greeting Jay and Sabrina, who had just arrived.

That should be me with him. Theresa thought darkly. I would have been, if it was Jay I am still looking at.

*Thump* The blue and red punch bag was as heavy as Archie, but it may as well have been an oversized empty pepsi can the way Archie was pummelling it.

For most people, fighting or even just plain exercising got you tired but the same was not said for Archie. Fighting was instinct. His body just did things. He hardly even needed to focus. His thoughts made him angrier, because he was thinking of Atlanta.

All these years, I was loyal. All these years, I was there for her. I told her I'd always have her back. And for it, she backstabs me. His fists had grown more aggressive against the poor unfortunate punch bag, but Archie was somewhere else. He kept going, thumping, and thumping, until his fist seemed to go past where the punchbag once was. Archie regained his balance quickly, and was forced to come back to reality. The angry voice that chord in his head went silent. He stared at where the punchbag was; on the ground. One of the old chains holding the punchbag had given way to the force his fists emitted. Archie also felt a tickle in his knuckles. Looking down, he had seen that his knuckles were bleeding.

Forgot to wear gloves. He sighed. He didn't even notice the bleeding until he had stopped. He was also sweating, and breathing rather heavily. He walked over to his towel for a quick dry off. His eyes rolled onto the mirror in front of him. He was shirtless, and wearing sweatpants. His body was tightly chiselled from the profound amount of exercise he did. What does it matter? Nothing I can do is ever enough.

His sharp ears caught footsteps. About three of four individuals, and they were heading this way. When Archie had entered the secret wing, the place had seemed as deserted as a building in an apocalypse movie. Ares very much disliked it when people used his gym without asking. He had given Archie a very hard time about it before, and although Ares probably wouldn't do anything about it, Archie wasn't interested in going through another lecture about respect for the gods. He grabbed his stuff, shut off the lights, and hid behind the closest pillar to him. He was right beside the door from where the footsteps were coming from, but he wasn't visible.

He heard the footsteps more clearly now. All very distinct. The slender footsteps of Hera, the fluttering wings of Hermes, Ares brutish stomps, and Persephone's heels. Archie wasn't surprised. The Gym was a popular shortcut from the throne room to Hera's solar on the far side of the wing. They were unaware of his presence however, and were talking very loudly. Ares most of all.

"My, my, this has been a good day." He bellowed as they entered the gym from the doorway closest to Archie. Archie didn't make a sound. "After all these years, that bastard Eric will finally face justice."

"Yes, the sedative will wear off tonight. We can sentence him tomorrow," agreed Hera, "And Cronus will be soon to follow, thanks to the heroes."

"I can't believe its gone on this long." said Persephone, "I am slightly concerned about the Theresa, she's become so powerful, especially recently. Just two weeks ago, she made a stone statue move like a being. I don't think I've ever seen anyone do that before."

"I agree," said Ares, "I don't feel entirely comfortable letting them become so powerful."

"It has been a necessity for them to defeat Cronus." Replied Hera, "I hear your concerns. The moment Cronus is dealt with, we must be ready."

Ready for what? Thought Archie. The gods kept strolling across the hall.

"Yes, we must strike fast. There is no room for error like last time." said Ares.

Strike? Error? It struck Archie. He was right. Eric, he had been right all along. He didn't know how to feel. Panic? Anger? Both? The gods were going to kill them. Jay, Herry,Theresa, Odie, Neil...

Atlanta. He had to warn them all. The gods continued to talk as Archie slowly and quietly picked up his duffel bag and his-

Oh no. My sweater! Where is my sweater?

The sound of steel against stone rang in his ears, and Archie quickly ducked. A Hephaestus forged sword crushed the marble pillar above him. Had he stood up, he would have been in two pieces, but there was no time to savour the victory. He rolled and made a run for the door, but another sword intersected his path. Archie managed to stop inches away from losing his nose to the shiny blade, but it caught him standing in plain sight of the four gods.

Ares had one more sword in his hand ready to throw. Persephone had her hands over her mouth and she was bright red, and seemed terrified. Hera seemed shocked too. That was the first time he had ever seen her with a surprised expression. Hermes just had a sad look on his face.

"He's been eavesdropping the whole time. He's heard everything!" Bellowed Ares, pointing his sharp sword at Archie. He could run, or try to run, but Ares would get him right between the eyes. All he could do watch the pointed blade in his direction. The gods just stared i disbelief that this had actually happened.

Well shit. I'm fucked. Archie eyes around there place for an escape, but there was none.

"We can't let him escape!" bellowed Ares. His voice was loud, but seemed oddly quick. It took a moment for Archie to realize that he was frightened. Frightened that Archie knew the truth. After all the beatings Ares had given him in training, it gave Archie a smile to hear fear in his voice, despite his current situation.

"But, but what about the prophecy?" replied Persephone. She sounded even more scared.

"Forget the prophecy. We can't let him live. The mortals will rise up. We'll have to finish Cronus ourselves."

"Ares-" The conversation turned into blabber between the gods.

"Enough!" a voice silenced the room as the gods panics silenced. At first Archie thought it was Hera, but as the little man flied forward, it revealed to Hermes, who had been quiet this whole time.

"I will not let you do it." He said, planting his leather boots firmly on the ground.

"Hermes," gasped Hera, "Have you gone mad?"

"This is wrong Hera, and you know it. I've born witness to this killing too many times and I have had enough. I will not let you hurt them." Archie thought he was dead meat until Hermes stood up. Hermes had never looked more the hero.

"We've done this a hundred times Hermes." Said Ares. He was trying to sound sincere, and was failing, "Why stand up for them now? When the mortals are a greater threat than ever!"

"First off, I never liked it. When we decided to kill them the first time, I disagreed with it, and I have sat by and since then I watched us fall from our prime and become what we are now. I thought we were gods. Not a bunch of scared kids. I should have put a stop to this a long time ago."

"You've gone soft Hermes!" yelled Ares, "Are you forgetting who you are? Who your Family are? WE are your family Hermes. NOT those worthless rats. One god is worth a million and more of them, and here you are 'protecting' them. Are they your family now?"

"No, they are OUR family, Ares!" The way he talked back to Ares, nobody talked to Ares like that. The whole room was silent. Hermes had an anger to him, like a dog, who had been teased with a piece of meat too many times had finally gotten a chance to get at the idiot holding the meat.

"And you, Hera. You brought them here, called them your children, you looked after them, protected, and now you want to kill them! This killing is senseless and you know it."

Hera fumed, "Hermes I command you to stand down!" The room went dark with her angry words. Hermes suddenly seemed much more calm, except for the fire in his eyes.

"For all this time Hera. I believed that you were the leader. Like Jason to the Argonaughts, or Washington to the Americans. Four thousand years I have heeded your words and done your bidding Hera. You and Zeus both. But only now do I see that everything you are, everything you stand for, is a lie." Hermes turned to Archie. Hermes gave him a rushed look. His eyes had gone pale, and there was a hopeful smile.

"Run Archie. Run."

The next thing Archie saw was blood spurting from Hermes chest, and then a shiny, sharp blade emerged, lifting his body from his feet. Behind him was the brutish figure f Ares.

"NO!" Archie yelled instinctively. Hermes flailed him arms around. All colours flew from his face and fell onto the floor. The last movement was his eyes, giving Archie a hopeful look, until his body turned into a ragdoll.

No. He's a god. He CAN'T be dead.

"God dammit Hermes!" Ares yelled, as he withdrew his short sword from the god's red belly. The limb body collapse on the ground in a pile of red blood. Turns out the messenger of the gods wasn't so godly after all. Ares was covered in the blood of his half brother, and he had a hot, furious face staring right at Archie.

"Ares, what have you done?" screamed Persephone, who rushed to Hermes limp corpse. Ares wasn't paying attention. His focus was on Archie, who had stood and watched the entirety of what had just happened. Hera rushed to Hermes body as well, tears welling in her eyes, He's really dead then? Archie didn't want to believe , somehow, he knew it to be true. An immortal god had died before his eyes, and as Hera rose up and faced him, Archie saw the fury of the queen of the gods awaiting him.

Well, what are you waiting for you idiot? RUN!