So! Is anyone there or has everyone gave up on me? -- I'm so sorry. Block is the worst. Everything I put on paper was trash. Hell this might be trash. But its much better than what Ive been doing lately. Thank you for those who waited and tell me what you think! MY New Years Resolution is to FINISH THIS STORY!

Fuming, she slapped his hand away from her face and stared at him in disbelief. Had he once again led her to believe that he actually cared for her? Was she that gullible?

Do you really want an answer to that question, Goddess? The familiar tone clawed through her mind like something rotten or impure.

Ignoring his taunts, she closed her eyes in attempt to block out the scenario. Perhaps she was dreaming. Yes. That was it. And in a matter of seconds, she would wake up to the real Stanton and he would assure her that all of this was just a crazy-

You're not dreaming, Serena. The voice once again invaded her thoughts and she opened her eyes to see the same cruel reality. He stepped forward, causing her to stagger back.

Dammit…

He reached over to pinch her shoulder and smirked. "Convinced?"

She nodded in defeat before suddenly scowling in realization. If this wasn't some farfetched hallucination, that meant…

"I don't believe you!" she cried, turning her head upright so that he could see the anger in her eyes.

He stepped towards her and she nearly tripped over her own feet to put space inbetween them. Her fear only caused a slow, lazy smile to slip over his lips. "You're about four hours too late".

"But you said you cared about me!" she argued, her hope sinking with every retort. "You said I was a Warrior Goddess! What about the pep talk across the beach?"

"Words can be deceiving", he growled as if speaking from experience. The smirk eventually returned. "Submit to the Atrox and I'll give you as much care and pep talks as you want".

"No thanks", she seethed, her hands at her hips. "I know that the Atrox's promises are empty. You can't just buy my soul".

He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "But I can take it".

Surprised at his sudden movement, she stumbled backwards, only this time, sand wasn't the only thing she fell onto. Spinning around, she took in the dark, shadowy countenances of what had to be thousands of followers, their eyes glowing yellow. Tymmie and Karyl were among the crowd, both of them laughing and jeering at her. She slowly turned back to her only exit.

Unfortunately, their prince was blocking her path…

She groaned. So this is what he had been playing at all along. Was there ever a moment when he didn't have something up his sleeve?

Where's the fun in that? He asked, closing in. The rest of them clawed at her hair and clothing.

"Do it now!" a spiky haired kid shouted from the crowd.

"Turn the Goddess to the Atrox!" A brunette with blonde highlights cried from somewhere beside her. Serena gulped, her eyes darting about for Maggie and the daughters, but they were no where in sight.

"TURN HER! TURN HER! TURN HER! TURN HER! TURN HER! TURN-"

"Silence!" Stanton bellowed from the head of the crowd and the chant immediately ceased. Serena let a low whistle escape from her lips. Talk about power… As long as they were occupied with being good lap dogs for Stanton, she could figure out a way to make her escape. Her eyes peered into the darkness. Every corner was blocked and that only left two options: Up and down. Unless she learned how to fly before the next few seconds were over, "up" was out. Her eyes lowered to the sand. She doubted that they would be able to see her clearly through the dark. She could drop down and crawl her way through the mob… or just be trampled to death.

Bad idea.

"You talk to yourself too much".

Blinking, she looked up to see Stanton sneering at her. So much for the plan… She watched as his pupils dilated and glowed with the same eerie, phosphorescent light as his minions. She heard a few followers giving squeals of delight. This couldn't' mean anything good for her. Glancing around, she started to call for help when Stanton took her by the chin and twisted her vision to meet his. She unsuccessfully tried biting at his fingers and pushing him away when he took both of her arms and pinned them behind her back. She swallowed hard as this only brought them closer. A moment later, two sets of hands reached out from behind to take hold of her legs. She knew what would follow. Building her energy, she darted into Stanton's mind so that she could manipulate his thoughts before he could control hers. But just as she expected, upon entering, she was met with a solid force field which sent her spiraling back into her own head with a hard jolt. Her mind felt like mush and she would have tumbled to the sand had it not been for his physical hold on her.

"Everything you know, you've learned from me" She moaned and let her head fall to the side. The words ran together and were difficult to comprehend, but she knew that he was referring to the night she spent in Stanton's cabin. "Never challenge your teacher".

"I had to try", she mumbled, slowly regaining her ability to see straight. When her vision finally did come to, she could see him smiling down at her. Admiration maybe?

Wishful thinking.

She frowned. Bummer.

But your pathetic attempts to faze me are kind of cute.

Her eyes caught flame. "Pathetic?"

You heard me.

Holding his stare, she found the thoughts of one of the boys who were holding her from behind and came across the same thing that she saw in every follower's mind: An endless parade of sin. Speeding through all of the garbage, she pulled slumber from the back and felt the pressure on her leg easing as he fell gently onto the sand. Then, before Stanton or his partner could realize what she had done, she kicked the other boy with her free leg and then brought it forward to knee Stanton where it hurts.

As she expected, his hold weakened and she ran away. A smirk found its way across her lips. No matter how powerful a guy was, he still couldn't survive a good, old- fashioned kick in the balls. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that she was a good ten yards away from the crowd now. Her smirk stretched wider. Just a few more and she should be able to find the rest of the-

"AGH!" She let out a cry and her ankle hit something hard and she went flying face first into a pile of sand. A few low giggles drifted on the breeze. Serena grimaced. She'd know that laugh anywhere.

"Cassandra!"

More giggles. "Maybe you'll watch where you're going next time, Goddess".

Hacking and spitting out grains of sand, Serena turned onto her back and sat up. "You're no Stanton. You can't keep me here. I'm leaving".

Cassandra frowned and crossed her pale arms over her bare midriff. "Stanton won't like that".

Serena laughed, now brushing the sand grains from her dark hair. "Stanton is back there holding on to his manhood for dear life. He won't be liking anything for awhile".

Cassandra smirked, her eyes wandering to her side. Think again.

Serena gave a deep sigh as she turned to face in that direction, sure of what she would see there. Sure enough, there was Stanton, his hands shoved in his pockets, his golden tresses flowing in the wind, and the usual smug expression as if he'd never been assaulted a day in his life. He neared the two girls and as his lips parted. Serena waited for a smart ass remark. What she got was completely unexpected.

"I see London. I see France".

Her eyes widened and immediately dropped to her legs where her skirt was disheveled and her "underpants" were indeed visible. A blush rose in her cheeks as she struggled to smooth her skirt down. That's where she made her mistake. Before she could even look up, he had her pinned to the ground, her legs straddled and her arms pegged on either side of her head.

"Stanton-"

"I was going to be gentle with you, but I see you like it rough".

More blushing. This is how we first met, a voice cooed from the back of her head.

Shut up! She screamed to herself.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Should I worry?"

She ignored his question. "That was a dirty trick".

"And the one you pulled back there was the nicest thing you've ever done to me".

"Just get it over with".

Gladly. Holding her wrists together with one hand, he used the other to twist her face toward his. With one look in his eyes, she could already feel the darkness closing in and shut her eye lids as hard as she could.

Open them.

They shot open, working at his command, rather than her own. She felt tears welling up.

Spare me. The words sounded harsh and unsympathetic but in his eyes she thought she saw something different. Even if only for a second.

Don't be afraid. The words were louder now and the beach and Cassandra seemed further and further away.

It's won't last long. Reality shattered completely and fell apart. All that remained was the chill of the settling darkness and the cutting irony that the one man she cared about could betray her in such a way.

Time passed and she didn't know how long she'd been under his spell. Maybe seconds. Minutes. Hours… When she finally did come to, she felt as if she'd been in a deep sleep. Too weak to stand and too ashamed to attempt to, she lay on the ground, her heart beating slowly. Is that what happened when someone became a follower? Did their heart stop beating? She put a hand to her chest and then let her fingers run all the way up to her cheeks. Dampness. When had the tears fallen?

"Is it over?" she murmured, her eyes traveling over the beach, searching for Stanton. She found him tussling with two people, a frustrated Cassandra trying to pry them both off of him. One of them punched her across the nose and suddenly Serena felt a whole lot better. Sitting up, she squinted to see Catty and the younger Vanessa trying to hold Stanton back. When he got ahead of them, they blinded him with their moon amulets and his shadow and flying abilities were quickly taken care of with Vanessa's invisibility. She heard Catty yelling something in her direction. Either she wasn't screaming loud enough or whatever Stanton had done had some effect on her senses.

"What?" Serena called.

"RUN!" Both girls cried at the same time.

So they were trying to buy her time by throwing Stanton off task. Recovering faster, she pulled herself from the sand and took off in no particular direction. She could finally make out the older Vanessa, Maggie, Adonis, and his father. Vanessa and Maggie seemed lost in a trance. They both swayed back and forth, clutching their heads. Confusion muddled their expressions. Stanton seemed to be troubled by something but nothing near what they were inflicted with. When Serena reached them, she fell to her knees at Stanton's side.

"Are you okay?" they both asked in unison. A genuine smile slid across her lips. This was the Stanton she was used to. "You first".

"I'm fine", he explained hurriedly. "Did he hurt you?"

"No" she frowned, remembering how he had betrayed her so easily. If she couldn't trust him now, what made her think she could trust him ten years later? She eyed Stanton warily and hugged her knees to her chest.

He only laughed. "I didn't betray you, Serena. Neither of us did".

"Then why-"

He lifted a finger to point to the swarm of followers that were now chasing Catty and Vanessa across the beach. Catty looked as if she was having fun, but Vanessa had already lost a shoe and was on the verge of crying. "There's a high concentration of the Atrox's energy here. It must be close by".

"Changing the subject?" She smirked and crossed her arms.

He returned her smirk. "Wait for it".

She nodded for him to continue.

"My tie with the Atrox has been severed for almost a decade now. He, on the other hand-"

Her eyes widened. "Are you saying that the Atrox's energy is influencing him?"

He sighed and closed his eyes as if reminiscing. "The darkness has a very strong effect on a follower's mind, Serena. It's always nearby. Like a curse. When I was still a follower, I found it difficult not to cross you over, despite my love for you. Can you imagine what happens when the source of that darkness is only inches away?"

Serena nodded but she couldn't help but to smile. So he hadn't betrayed her after all… "So", she started, gazing in sympathy at Catty and Vanessa. The followers were gaining. "What's wrong with Maggie and Vanessa? What happened here?"

He nodded towards the new daughter with spiky, red hair. "Alex is what happened".

Serena turned to see Alex staring at Maggie and Vanessa, her pupils dilated.

"Apparently she's been messing with their memories. They don't even know their own names anymore".

Serena swallowed hard, hoping that it could be reversed. "Any good news?"

"Well, Adonis is up". Before he could even finish the sentence, her son was tugging at the hem of her skirt.

"Mommy, I'm hungry".

This was the good news? She bent down to pick him up. "I'll get you something to eat after I return some memories, save Catty and Vanessa, and beat some bad guys, okay?"

Adonis's eyes widened in excitement. "Kick ass!"

"What?"

"Nothin…"

She frowned. "Where does he learn those words?"

Stanton whistled and looked the other way. "Hey, I think the first thing on your to- do list is taken care of".

Serena turned to see that Catty had run into Alex, knocked her over, and proceeded on her merry way. Vanessa and Maggie were blinking and shaking their heads as if trying to figure out what had just occurred.

"Serena?" Vanessa mumbled. "What-"

"Gotcha!" A familiar voice shouted in glee. Someone peeked around from Vanessa's shoulder.

Karyl…

Tymmie took hold of Maggie and sneered. "Stanton needs to see you".

"Now" Karyl added.

"He said it was urgent".

Serena rolled her eyes. "Whatever Stanton has to tell me, he can tell me himself".

"I need to see you". A hand touched her shoulder. "Now. It's urgent".

She spun around and flung his hand away. He really needed to stop doing that…

The younger Stanton's glance traveled down to his older self and then back. "You can't stay away from me, can you?"

"Er…" She bit her bottom lip, at a loss for words.

"It's alright" He grinned teasingly. "We can be together".

"After I sell my soul to the Atrox".

"Now you're catching on", he laughed before starting after her.

"I'll be careful!" She called to a worried Stanton and a puzzled Adonis before dashing towards Catty and Vanessa.

"I need help!" she screamed, falling into step with them.

Catty gave her a look. "Join the club".

"We have to stop those daughters and Stanton! They're the center!"

"Goddess". She turned to see Stanton taking form before them. They all came to an abrupt halt and a throng of followers took Catty and Vanessa by the arms and legs. Serena scowled as Stanton shook his head as if lecturing a child.

"Serena, you're going to be a follower soon". He took her by the arm and forced her towards him. "We can't have you fraternizing with the enemy".

"Let go!"

He pulled her face forward so that she could see nothing but his eyes.

"Don't!" Her friends' cries, the new daughters' laughter, and the followers' chanting joined together in a terrifying crescendo. She could feel herself sinking when suddenly-

"Mommy?"

She and Stanton both slowly looked down to see Adonis's innocent emerald eyes staring up at them.

"I'm hungry".

She gave him a sad smile, wondering if this was the last time she'd ever see him again. "I know. But later, remember?"

Adonis pouted and kicked at the sand before realizing that his temper tantrum wasn't getting him anywhere. He held up something brown.

"I made a mud pie!"

Serena gulped. "Er… that's nice but um…"

He took Stanton by the arm, leaving a trail of mud and cold water on his skin. "Let's build a sand castle!"

Stanton blinked, obviously confused. "Huh?"

"Let's build a sand castle!" Adonis stuck out his lower lip. "YOU PROMISED!"

Stanton just continued to stare at the boy as if trapped in a daze.

Adonis stared back and then, as if sensing something strange in his father's eyes, he reached up for Serena. She started to lean down and pick him up, but Stanton beat her to it.

"Stanton?" she asked, afraid of what he might do.

No answer. He only gazed at the boy, as if searching for an answer to some inconceivable question and the more he tried the more puzzled he became. What could he be thinking? Should she try to find out?

"Stanton?" she asked once again and received the same answer.

She would take her chances. Creeping into his mind, she waited for the solid wall to send her rearing backwards but nothing came. And as she pried deeper, she was met with a dazzling stream of images. Each of them looked like a picture straight from a history book and each of them had something in common. A boy. A boy riding a horse through green pastures. A boy laughing with his father. A boy that looked a lot like Adonis. Is that what was tormenting him? The resemblance? She recollected the times when he'd been reminded of his childhood. He always became touchy or faraway. Perhaps this was one of those times.

Serena. She heard Stanton's voice which meant that he was aware that she was in his mind, yet he hadn't bothered to force her out with some mind boggling attack. She eventually pulled out to see him staring at her. A frightened Adonis was now safely on the ground, scooping up his mud pie, and scurrying to another part of the beach.

"What happened?" Stanton faintly muttered, putting a hand to his forehead.

"What happened?" She cocked an eyebrow. "You tried to cross me over is what happened".

"I remember now", he groaned, still holding his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

She put a finger to his lips. "It's okay". She started to wrap her arms around him when a dangerous thought arose in her mind.

Was she really going to trust him again? He'd only screwed her over countless times.

No. He's different now. Like Stanton said, the dark energy-

What Stanton said was utter bull shit. He's probably in on it to.

That's crazy. He wouldn't do something like that.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Shut up.

He's going to do it again.

Shut up.

And he's going to keep doing it.

Shut up.

Until you're a follower.

Shut up!

And he's got a daughter on his trophy stand.

That's not true!

He's the cause of all your trouble.

My trouble…

All your stress.

Stress…

Maybe it would be easier

If I just…

Got rid of him.

Before she realized what she was doing, a string of energy shot from her fingers and through his chest, causing him to take a few steps back before stumbling onto the sand. A hint of surprise flickered through his sapphire eyes before darkness closed over and they appeared as lifeless as stone. Besides the cries echoing from some unknown person, the beach was completely still. A sense of betrayal thickened the air around them.

Only this time, it was hers.

Heheh. Don't freak! It's not as crazy as it seems… I think. I will respond to all of my reviewers personally but thank you ELEPHANTSROCMYSOX and whoever told me not to try to make the writing too extreme. I tried to write simpler this time and it came to me more easily. Thank you