I still seem to be going strong, and it's all thanks to great support. Thanks a bunch for the continuing reviews. I'm all warm and fuzzy inside.
There's not much to really say this time around. I hope you enjoy where things are going.
Disclaimer: I do not own Class of the Titans. If I did, the relationships between Atlanta and Archie and Jay and Theresa would get a little more attention than just clumsy hinting. Someone would have figured things out by now.
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Time's Up
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Odie stared into his own blinking eyes with a mixture of shock and fascination. Had he not been trapped, forced to watch as his double took shape, grew and at last seemed to breathe with a life of its own, he wouldn't have believed his own eyes. Even being witness to all the steps, Odie still wasn't sure if what he was seeing was possible. It was too surreal, too dream-like.
Catching his expression, Pam muttered, "Pygmalion," and pointed to herself by way of explanation. She had already turned back to sculpting, paying little attention to her captive. The only time she seemed to even notice if he was there was when he moved.
"Kind of neat, isn't it?" the other Odie asked, holding a scrap of fabric between his fingers that had been snipped from the true hero's clothes. When there was no response, the doubly shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you would appreciate it more in a different situation." He tucked the cloth away in a pocket and snatched up Odie's computer bag. "Catch you later," he said, and vanished out the door.
Statue Odie headed to the janitor's closet as the final bell rung. He tired the door and finding it locked, assumed the key to open it lay back with his living counterpart. As there was no time to head back and no guarantee he would find the key, he waited for others of the group to appear, excuses already forming in his mind. When Jay and Atlanta arrived, he was wearing a sheepish smile.
"Hey guys," he said. "I seem to have left my key back at the dorm." At the twin looks of surprise, he raised his hands in defense. I know, I know, it was careless of me. But I was just so preoccupied with school, it totally slipped my mind."
Atlanta slid her medallion in place. "You shouldn't let computers mess up your head too much, Odie."
He nodded, following them inside. "It won't happen again. I promise."
The others were already waiting in the practice gym with Ares. Herry stood behind him, mumbling something to himself and keeping a tally with his fingers. As Jay, Atlanta and Odie joined them, Ares clapped his hands for attention, resting one on Herry's shoulder.
"Herry here is up for team strategist today and he has some good ideas." The God of War frowned slightly, obviously finding it hard to believe. But he soon brightened. "But Archie will have better ones, I'm sure. He's also taking a turn today, since you have the weekend off."
Archie could have smacked himself. "Ares," he groaned, "cut it out." The god merely shrugged and took his place as observer at the side. A video camera hummed beside him, compliments of Hermes.
"Okay guys, it's going to be a simple game of capture the flag with a twist." Herry held up six red blindfolds with a grin. As he passed them out, he explained the purpose of his exercise. "These aren't for your eyes, but your mouths. It's a matter of seeing if you can communicate with your team in ways other than words."
"Well," Atlanta said, accepting hers, "at least we won't argue."
Herry nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully." He began separating them into groups of three. "Jay, Neil and Atlanta against Theresa, Odie and Archie," he said handing each team a flag. "You have twenty minutes to get the flag."
"Do we get time to talk things over first?" Archie asked.
"Nope. Gags on and go." Herry took his place behind the camera, ready to capture every moment on film. "Whenever you're ready, guys."
They tied on the strips of cloth and one person on each side secured the flags at opposite ends of the gym. Jay beckoned Neil and Atlanta over to him and they huddled together. Through a long process of gesturing, pointing and miming, he explained a plan to draw their attention to Atlanta while Neil snuck in to snatch the prize. He would stay as guard.
On the other side, Archie and Theresa both seemed to have ideas as to what they should do, while Odie stood by, idly watching the other group, having no bright ideas himself. In a shrug of frustration, Archie turned away, intent on enacting his plan with or without help. Theresa threw her hands up in defeat and settled into a defensive stance. Odie drifted behind them both.
With a decisive forward wave from Jay, Atlanta was off, charging boldly ahead. Archie abandoned his tactics to meet her while Theresa eyed Neil, who wandered closer. Jay and Odie held their ground, eying each other and their teammates. Herry made sure to get it all.
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"Man, am I ever exhausted," Atlanta moaned, rubbing her shoulders and holding back a well-timed yawn. "Archie, as useful as your ideas could be, I really hope we never have to use them." She stepped out of the closet, followed by the others, who echoed their own lazy sentiment. Only Odie remained silent, watching the empty hallways carefully.
Jay patted the warrior on the back. "You really have a knack for thinking outside the box. I don't think Herry or Neil will ever smell quite the same again." He was about to say more but a figure stepping out from a dark classroom caught his attention. The group drew up short. "Anyone know who else would be here this late?" Jay asked quietly.
The person turned toward them, reaching a hand back into the room to snap on the lights. As the bright square of lights lit him up, he raised an arm to wave. "Hey," he said, though with a voice different from the one they'd expected. Neil smiled benignly at them as they stared.
In the fashion most often seen in old comedy, Herry looked back and forth between the Neil standing next to him and the one in the doorway, mouth agape. "What?" His brow wrinkled in confusion. "How is this possible?" he asked. His eyes widened further when a second Neil stepped from the room, blinking, just as dumbfounded as they were. "Someone tell me what's going on."
"Hey, don't look at me," the Neil of the group said, hands up in defense as eyes turned to him a second time. "I'm very flattered, but I don't know any more than you."
"I think you do." In Theresa's eyes, it was as if everything suddenly made some bizarre sort of sense. She was still missing a few puzzle pieces, such as why there were three when one would have been enough, but she left that to sort out later. "You've been acting funny, and at first I thought I was just seeing something that wasn't there, but now…" She gestured to the other two. "Where's Neil? The real one."
The two standing before them started laughing quite suddenly, causing more than one hero to jump in surprise. "If it's Neil you want," the first one said, walking toward them, "you're in luck. You can have your pick."
In a twisted parody of the circus clown car, Neil after Neil stepped into the hall, smiling a familiar grin that now seemed eerie and unnatural. The one they had believe to be their friend joined the ranks, becoming just another face in the crowd. When Jay shouted for them to turn and run, to regroup and figure things out before acting rashly, several more copies blocked their escape, hemming them in quite effectively.
"What do we do?" Archie asked, his eyes darting over faces that were exactly the same. "Do we fight… them?" His face scrunched up into a grimace. "What are they, anyway?"
A deep, gloating chuckle washed over them. "Why, my army of course." The Neils parted and Chronus appeared, strolling casually down the hall as if he owned them. "I admit, not my first choice, but inspiring all the same. Don't you agree?"
"Chronus," Jay growled, reaching for his sword. "What have you done with Neil?"
The Titan sighed. He was never allowed to savor the moment. "I've multiplied him, obviously. We struck a deal, not unlike one I've made before with another of your members. Only this time, it's not a ruse." He patted the closest copy warmly on the shoulder. "Face it Jay. You're not seven anymore, and that means I win."
"Not yet." The leader turned his attention back to his team. He lowered his voice so as to keep his question from the god, asking, "Is there any way to tell which one is real, or if they all are? Odie?"
Odie shrugged. "Why should I care?"
"Uh, because he's your friend and without him the world will end. How about that?"
"Sorry, not motivating enough." Odie shouldered his way past Herry and Theresa, moving to stand with Chronus' so-called army. "You really ought to keep an eye on your team, Jay. They slip between your fingers far too easily."
Stunned, Jay could only stare at him, mind wheeling. Was everyone some strange doppelganger? He looked over the others, seeing that similar thoughts were playing in their minds, judging by tight mouths and quick darting eyes. No, he thought, shaking himself mentally, we can't afford to fall apart by not trusting each other.
"Stick together," Jay said aloud, sword snapping to full length in his hand. "We can't let him get inside our heads. If we do, we're dead." He considered the figures surrounding them, mind shifting into battle quickness. "We fight," he decided.
Theresa turned to him, worry in her eyes. "But what about Neil?"
"If he's turned on us, we have no choice anyway. If he hasn't the only way to figure this out and get him back – get both him and Odie back – is to force our way out of here." He shook his head, unhappy with the options left to him but seeing no other way. "We have to fight."
Archie and Atlanta shared a glance, weighing their own silent thoughts against what Jay was saying. "We're with you," Archie said and Atlanta nodded. "Just give the word."
Herry flashed Jay a quick grin, one fist pounding into the other. "Yeah, me too."
"What are you whispering about?" Chronus demanded, growing impatient. They were supposed to be cowering in fear, or at least doubting each other. "There's no way out."
Jay gripped his sword tightly. "Don't count on it, Chronus," he said grimly, and then, "Now!" As one, they surged away from Chronus, aiming to put as much distance between themselves and the Titan as possible.
They met the wall of smirking, waiting blondes head on.
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Inside the art room, Pam leaned back in her chair and exhaled a long breath of air. She was finally finished, and it wouldn't be long before she'd get her due. Wiping her hands absently on her apron, she stood and looked her captive over. Odie was crouched, hand handing above his head awkwardly as he once more examined his creative restraints.
Pam cleared her throat and he jerked his head up, an exclamation of surprise muffled by his gag.
"If I let you go," she asked quietly, "will you keep me out of this?"
Odie could not nod his head fast enough. She fetched a wooden mallet and a large chisel. With a quiet word from her, Odie stood as still as he could. Pam deftly chipped through the manacle on his wrist and then bent to dig out his feet with precise tap-tapping work. Soon, he was rubbing feeling back into his cramped toes.
"Good luck," she said, a touch ironically, as Odie skidded out the door and straight into the thick of things.