Whoo, new chapter! A bit shorter than I would have liked, but I felt I needed to give you all something! I got a new job recently, and I`ve been dragged through many twelve hour shifts, so I haven`t had much time for anything besides work and sleep. With that in mind, the remaining chapters in this tale may come out a bit later than expected, but they WILL come out. That`s the Crystal Marionette Fanfiction Guarantee! Don`t like it, you can flame me within 90 days of release!

Disclaimer: I own no part of COTT, only the character Angela (Coral). I write solely for pleasure, not profit.

Chapter Seven

I`ve always found the sensation of waking oddly strange. I`m not sure if anyone out there can relate, or whether it`s my own weird style and sense of the world coming into play, but hear me out. Right before my mind kicks me out of that oh-so-sweet bliss of nothingness, I become aware of that high pitched ringing in my ears. You know the one I`m talking about, and if you don`t I`m calling you a bold faced liar. It`s that high pitched whine you can only perceive in a peaceful, totally quiet room. You may even be able to hear it with background noise if you`ve gone through your fair share of rock concerts. The one they say only dogs are supposed to hear. But either way, it`s always annoying, but it`s also what lets me know I`m still alive...

Second is almost always the sense of touch. The sensation of warmth if you`re lying in a bed, wrapped in your covers. For me at the moment, I can`t seem to feel anything...but like I said before, that god awful noise is telling me I`m still alive. I feel as though I`m floating right now, and that could mean either one of two things. Either my friends have managed to find me through my SOS message earlier, and this is some drug induced haze thanks to field treatment, or the worst case scenario. I`m still lying in the muddy grass and leaves with Angela, in the south of Germany and this is me slowly bleeding out. The ground beneath me moves, or is it just me that`s moving? Also, I can feel something hitting me. Not hard or anything.

Next is hearing. And I don`t mean the ringing, but beyond that...through that. Some people like – or severely dislike in most cases – waking to the sound of an alarm. I like it `cause it means going running with my favourite girl. It means I get to wake up and kick evil butt! It means I get to wake up and actually have friends. Well, I used to have that anyway. Most hate it because it means work. Pansy`s. It was hazy at first, but through the fog I can hear someone`s voice. Don`t ask me whose it is or what they`re saying. This is a process people! In other words, I`ll figure it out eventually. I can also hear the distant sound of thunder. Aw crap, I`m still outside.

I finally open my eyes, my last and final stage. I see green, and purple...aw no.

"Please, mister, please wake up! We gotta go!" Angela is above me, shaking me gently as rain falls all around us. She has one hand on my shoulder, her other one clutching my photo to her chest. She looks scared, and why not? After what she`s just gone through? And all I can do is gasp as the pain returns, fiery and hot down my left arm and chest. I try and sit up, try to fight through it like I had before, but my limbs don`t want to listen to me. Angela must have seen through my defences as she`s started to cry again. Don`t cry, Angela, please don`t cry...

"Please, don`t cry..."

She rears back, looking confused. "I think you have the wrong person. My name is Coral."

Filter, damn it! I don`t say anything for a moment, finally getting my vision back in focus. My mouth tastes like I stuffed it full of cotton balls. "How long was I out for?"

"Not long, maybe a minute or two. I didn`t know what to do, in case that man came back."

"Have you seen him?" I`m relieved as she shakes her head. "Have you seen anyone else? Like a tall guy in a striped yellow sweater, or a girl with red hair?" Again, she shakes her head no, looking confused again.

I figure if I`ve only been out for a minute, the gang wouldn`t have had time to show up yet. They would have to get to school, gather, wait for Hermes to triangulate my signal... "Have you gotten a good look at that picture?"

She nods, looking at the image again. She gives a small smile, looking so much like my mom. "I`m really young in this, but I know it has to be me. You`re in it too with a really pretty lady." She spares me a glance. "Before you passed out, you said you were...that you were my brother?"

I nod, finally managing to sit up and lean heavily against a tree. Even through my new...well not-so-new jacket, I can still feel the rough bark. "Look, there`s a lot going on right now that you probably don`t understand, and whether you believe me of not is up to you." I look her in the eyes. I can`t believe how tall she is now... "You know you were adopted right?" Getting a grip on the tree behind me, I steady myself and get to my feet. Even while I explain this, we should still be moving...

She rolls her eyes and huffs. "I`ve been through enough homes in my life. I`d be dumb not to know."

I start walking, and she follows me. I`m hoping the reason behind her actions is that she feels safe around me. "Did anyone ever tell you about your real family?" I know this answer, but I want to hear how it played out from her.

She shrugged, giving me a glance, then looking at the photo like she`s trying to compare my younger self to me now. "They found me in a river, floating on some wood. They asked me what happened, but I really had no idea. I couldn`t even remember my name." Her bottom lip quivers, but she`s stronger than she looks. She presses on, despite her emotions. She does give me this look, however, that almost sends me back into the dirt. "Do you have any idea how that feels? Waking up and not knowing who you are?"

I just stare, and shake my head. My stomach wound flares, and I grimace, wrapping my bad arm around it.

"Well, it`s the scariest thing you can imagine!" her eyes are big. "When I couldn`t answer, they must have thought I was crazy."

"I`m sure no one thought that. You had just gone through a trauma."

She nods, albeit slowly. "Yeah, maybe. Then they took me to the police station to try and find my parents. No luck. So, they did what they could. They placed me in foster care and gave me a new name. They thought Coral would be suitable since they found me in the water."

I stumble a bit, and she reaches for me, trying to help. I grip her shoulder, my sight blurring again. I cannot, will not pass out again. I have to get her to safety! My friends should be here soon anyway. Just a bit longer...Still gripping her gently, I pull her into a hug. I feel her stiffen, but she doesn`t fight back. Maybe she doesn`t want to hurt me. I don`t care. She`s also trembling, soaked through to the skin as the rain continues to fall. Her head only comes to my chest, so I lean down to whisper in her ear. "I don`t know if you believe it or not, but please believe me when I tell you I will never lie to you. Coral, that picture is all I have left of our family, and believe it or not, I am your older brother." I really feel like breaking down and crying like a baby, but I can`t. I have to be strong for both of us. "There was an accident...and I thought I had lost everyone. It`s why I didn`t come for you right away. I...I`m sorry! I`m so sorry."

She pulls away, disbelief in her eyes. I knew she probably wouldn`t believe me. I had thought the photo-

"You`re sorry? Do you know what kind of crap I`ve been through?" I have no answer for her, so I just let her go on. "Tossed around the country like a football? Like I don`t matter? When one family got tired of me, they`d just give me back! Like some broken thing being returned to the store, and all you can say is you`re sorry? Where were you?"

The pain I`m feeling right now is so much worse that what I felt moments ago. Like my heart was taken and stomped on. I can`t blame her for feeling the way she does. I was lucky enough to have my grandparents, but she had no one to trust or count on. "Look, I-"

"If you say you`re sorry one more time, I`m going to go back home."

"No! Please, just listen!" I sway again without her support, and back into another tree. I grunt as I feel more blood seep from my arm and stomach. "I never thought they would change your name! I never knew you had lost your memories! I was looking for Angela...not Coral."

She had her mouth open to argue, but she stops and just stares at me. I have no idea what she`s thinking, but right now I don`t care. She can believe anything she wants, but I know the truth. Then I feel warmth running down my face, and I know it`s not the rain.

"Angela...is that my name?"

I nod. "I know this has to be hard for you, but please, you have to believe me. I would have never stopped looking if I had known." I stare at her long and hard, as though thinking that if I blinked she wouldn`t be there anymore; that this is all just a dream. "I thought you were dead."

Running a hand through her hair, a nervous trait I recognise as one of my own, she looks down at the photo once again. Then it hits me that a picture may not be enough.

"I`m not sure if I can ever help you get your memories back, but I`ll help in any way I can." Reaching in my shirt I grab my medallion. "You were barely two back then, but you used to love this thing. I have no idea why." I hold it up to my face, smiling at the memory. "Grandma gave it to me when I was little, and I`m not sure if it was because it was shiny or what, but I could always find you with it. It was like you were attracted to it like a magnet or something."

She stared at it with an odd look in her eyes, probably trying to place it. Reaching out, she slowly takes it in her hand, turning it around and inspecting it. She looks at it, and then looks at me, a light in her eyes. "It looks so familiar..." Gasping suddenly, she drops it. It falls with a thunk against my leather jacket, and I look at her expectantly. Rubbing her fingers, she gives me a look. "It`s cold."

Grabbing her arm, I pull her down into a crouch, all the while trying to look everywhere at once. It can only mean one thing, and I need to get her away from Cronus before I pass out again. The way the world is spinning after such a sudden move, I doubt it'll be long before I do.

Silence. It's everywhere. Not even the birds are chirping; just the rustle of the cold wind on the boughs of the oak trees.

I wait another moment, not wanting to get caught by surprise, and still nothing happens. Reaching, I lightly touch the silver medallion with a fingertip, surprised when I find it only moderately cool, not cold as ice. I send Angela an odd look.

"Are you sure you – "

I hear the whistle nanoseconds before the scythe slams into the tree, not an inch from my face. Tree bark is ripped free and goes flying as Angela screams in surprise and fear. Not bothering to look back, I drag her to her feet despite the pain and make a break for it.

And...bad idea! I barely make it five feet before the world spins violently and I'm down in the dirt. I fight down the urge to throw up, nauseous from the sharp stabs of agony running across my torso. The sudden head rush didn't really help things a whole lot either. Laying on my side, it's really hard not to curl into the foetal position. Angela's next to me, looking scared as she glances around, one hand clutching the sleeve of my jacket.

"Did you really think you could get away so easily?" Cronus' voice seems to come from everywhere as it bounces off the trees. I wince as he steps out from behind a thick pine, then nearly gag as my vision blurs and one becomes three. Three of him? Oh what hell that would be. "I am a God after all."

"You're a Titan, moron. You got your sorry ass handed to you by your kids. Don't flatter yourself." I cough. Angela gives a small whimper next to me, no doubt just as confused as to what we're even talking about. And where the hell are my friends? They shouldn't have taken this long!

"A fighter 'till the end. That's something I had always admired about Achilles, you know." He saunters over like he's the cat whose about to eat this pissed off canary. Hope he gets heartburn.

"Go play in traffic, specifically the Autobahn." Angela is tugging on my coat now, trying to get me up. Believe me, I'm trying too! I`m also pretty sure those last words were slurred.

He just smirks and snaps his fingers. His giants are suddenly here now as well, having come out of hiding. They're all grinning down at me and Angela, and I wish I could stand and kick their teeth in. I take a breath, clenching my fingers in the grass. Get up! Gotta do this! Have to...need to! I can't let him near my sister, not when I just found her. So...just freakin' get the hell up! "I really did admire his tenacity." Cronus goes on, and it makes me want to vomit on his shoes. "Always got the job done. And then he died...from an arrow to the heel! How utterly pathetic, just like you!"

He's within spitting range, but I never get the chance as he rears back and delivers a vicious kick to my ribs. The already open wound flares, and I can feel the skin ripping apart further as I gasp. I`m knocked back into Angela, who`s crying again, and this time I`m the one holding onto her. The pain...oh God, I can`t breathe...

"Taken out by history`s greatest coward by an arrow. Not even a dignified death, let alone one of a warrior of his standards." There`s a blur of motion and more pain, though not as intense. Another kick no doubt, but my body is starting to go numb. Isn`t that just the oddest thing? Knowing you`re touching something but not being able to feel it?

"Leave him alone!" Angela screams at Cronus, not letting me go. It`s amazing how quickly she`s come to trust me. An hour ago, she didn`t even know I existed...now she`s trying to protect me from a Titan. Cronus is right, I really am pathetic. Letting my little sister fight me battles for me. I cough again and again, this time tasting the blood. Everything is blurry but a glance at Angela tells me she`s covered in it. Well this just turned into the worst family reunion ever.

Cronus laughs, and snaps his fingers again. A shadow looms over us as she`s suddenly ripped from my grasp. NO! No, no, no, no! I swore I`d keep her safe! I swore to Mrs. Sauer, I swore to myself! I swore to my mother`s spirit that should I ever find her...The giant just laughs as I dredge up a last ounce of energy to take a swipe at him. He merely steps away.

She`s screaming, and I know I`m screaming for her, but everything sounds distant and garbled, like we`re all under water. There`s little black spots in my vision now too but it doesn`t matter; everything has lost its color. Where are my friends? Have they just abandoned me? They`re not the type...I am. I left without a word, just left. No warning, no indication as to where I was going, but anyone there should have figured it out. Except for Atlanta, I`m sure they all think I deserted them, and from my past attitude and go-my-own-way attitude, they probably all thought nothing of it. Pain lances through my body as a foot lands hard on my chest and stays there. Cronus is leaning in, smiling like he always does when he thinks he`s won, and at the moment, he has no reason to think otherwise. He`s saying something, probably something rude and cruel. Sound has completely left me now, and it nice, really. Peaceful as the darkness starts to encroach further than mere spots. I`m calm, and I don`t know why; I should be tearing people apart with my bare hands, breaking every bone in his body in such a rage that Achilles himself would be afraid, but I can`t even seem to care when Cronus reaches out and snatches my medallion off my neck. All I can see is Angela. All I can sense is fear and anguish in every tear that runs down her face. I try to reach a hand out to her, tell her everything is going to be okay, but nothing happens. Just a twitch of my fingers, a soft exhale of breath. The giant is walking away now, unimpeded by Angela`s small flailing form. That`s right Angie...fight with everything you have.

Then, before the darkness can get me once again, I feel my body shift and roll, a flash of black darker than pitch, then nothing.

Everything is nothing. Nothing...everything. Light is dark and the darkness is the brightest light I`ve ever seen. Suddenly, there are people all around me, laughing, smiling. All my friends are here...Odie, Herry, Theresa, Neil, even Jay though I thought he hated me. Atlanta. Her smile is brightest of all, warming my soul. The Gods are here too, standing like mountains; tall, majestic, powerful. They`re all having a great time, it seems, and none are looking my way. As if I`m not here...

"Hey, guys! What`s up?"

My voice is the only thing that responds, echoing back as though I`m in a huge space. Still no one looks my way. Am I invisible or something?

"Guys?"

As suddenly as they appeared, everyone is gone, save for Atlanta. She has on the same outfit as that glorious afternoon all those months ago in the park. The sunny day, the breeze that blew her skirt against her body in small waves. She looks at me, as though surprised to see me here. She smiles, then tears run down from her jade eyes.

"You shouldn`t be here." Her voice is so low I almost miss what she says.

"Atlanta, I-"

"You can`t be here."

She`s still smiling, and I`m so confused. What does she mean, I can`t be here. Where the hell is here anyway? I take a step forward, my brace clinking as though I`m walking on tile. I look down. I`m not wearing shoes.

"You have to go." I look back up, and she`s gone as if she never was here to begin with. Her voice still echoes around me, coming from everywhere.

"You shouldn`t be here."

"You can`t be here."

Everything is nothing. Nothing is everything.

"Go back."

Waking is like a slap to the face. Awareness doesn`t come gradually like usual, but everything at once. Sound, smells, touch, pain.

"Augh!" It hurts so badly! It feels like someone`s digging a knife through my ribs! Then I feel something else, pinning my arms down. Oh God! No! Let me go! I start to thrash, trying to escape the torment. "Someone, please!"

"Calm down, please calm down."

The familiar voice stills my attempts at escape, but I let a whimper escape my lips. I then realize my eyes are closed, and I`m not longer in the void. I slowly open my eyes, and blink at the harsh lights overhead. My head is pounding, and the metallic taste of blood is still present in my mouth. My limbs feel like they`re pinned down with boulders. But I`m alive.

Then another thought invades my mind.

"Angela?"

I look around. There`s books in tall shelves, and people are here too. They look scared, and worried. My friends...but how can I tell if they`re real? Will they vanish like before? Please don`t vanish. Don`t leave me too...

I feel someone grip my hand. Fire red hair and tearful green eyes.

"Atlanta..." she just smiles. Tears and smiles, just like before. Please, don`t vanish. I must have spoken aloud, as her smiling face becomes puzzled.

It`s then that I catch a glimpse of who spoke. They stand just within my peripherals, and it takes all my energy to turn my head. The action drains me of energy...

"Gal?" And before I know it, I`m fading into blissful sleep...

A lot of fading in and out in this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. This chapter, though written in bits when I was awake and NOT working, was pretty fun! Maybe it`s just my morbid muse getting the better of me. Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but please be patient. Training will be done soon, and I`ll hopefully get a normal schedule.

So, please let me know what you though! Feed the beast within me craving for your utter satisfaction! Until next time!

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