Chapter Two: Pursuit

A/n: Slowly but surely I'm finishing this fic. I don't think many people have found this one yet, as I don't have many reviews, but special thanks to FelindatheDreamweaver and Alison who reviewed. This one is for you.Becky

Atlanta adjusted her earpiece and sighed. "Okay, Jay, we're at the mall. She's going shopping, and trying stuff on. Don't say I have to go so far as go in the change room with her."

"I won't." But his voice sounded weird, as though he had just been about to do just that. "Call us if there are any problems. Oh, and Archie wants to talk to you… he's kinda being obsessive."

Atlanta grinned. "Sure thing." If there was anyone who could make her feel better, it was Archie.

"Hey there, Atlanta," his voice came over the earpiece. "How're you doing?"

"Fine, we haven't lost her…"

"Yet!" Neil chimed from the background. She stopped to glare at him for a moment.

"Yeah, Neil's being a pest… nothing new there."

Archie laughed, but it was strained. "Jay's really worried, ya know."

"Of course," she said dryly. "It wasn't too hard to tell."

Archie lowered his voice, about to say something in confidence. "He says that he doesn't care about her anymore, that his mission is to save the gods, but I caught him talking with Chiron and begging for a way to save her. He must really like her."

"Yeah."

"Atlanta, are you all right?" he asked, concern slipping through his tone. She shrugged, and then remembered he couldn't see her, and said, "I guess. It's just that I've known Theresa for a while, and I thought of everyone she was the most trustworthy."

"The most trustworthy with the most dangerous gift," Archie said softly, his voice sad. "I'll think of a way to save her if I can Atlanta. Got to go… love you."

Atlanta took a sharp inhale of breath, then slowly let it go, blood pulsing through her veins so hard she thought she's pop. Then she said the words that were gushing against her tongue, trying to get free… "Love you too, Archie."

Neil sighed teasingly behind her, and instinctively she kicked him, feeling a guilty pleasure as he yelped. Then she leaned back against the bench she was sitting on, and Neil sat down as well, as far from her as he could get. He took out his mirror and began to inspect his face, as if any dirt could have magically appeared to tarnish his image since the last time he'd checked… three minutes ago!

Atlanta moaned, rubbing her hazel eyes tiredly. Following Theresa was hard work. Her friend…

"Or is it ex-friend now?" she wondered aloud. Neil stopped making kissing faces at himself in his mirror long enough to respond.

"How about friend of days past?" he asked dramatically, ending with a grand flourish of his hands, almost dropping his mirror. He squeaked in alarm and caught it before the glass could shatter on the ground. Atlanta rolled her eyes and surveyed the premises. They had trailed Theresa from her bedroom to the mall, where she was now shopping casually for jeans and t-shirts. Atlanta used her keen eyesight to pick out her friend from among the shoppers, her fiery red hair like a beacon in the night.

"So, what do you think drove Theresa over the top?" Neil asked nonchalantly, inspecting his nails as though he were talking about the latest gossip but didn't want to appear too eager for the buzz.

She stared at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

He glanced around to make sure their hot-headed friend was not in sight. "What drove her… co-co?" he asked, making a twirling motion with his finger beside his ear. "Well?"

Atlanta went rigid like a piece of cardboard. "Shut up, Neil."

"Grouchy," he huffed, sitting back and crossing his arms in a pout. "How long do we have to stay here anyways?"

"As long as it takes for her to…" Atlanta trailed off, trying to find their captive amid the customers. Her blood went cold as ice when she saw that Theresa had vanished. Sitting up rapidly, she reached over and grabbed Neil's arm so hard he did drop his mirror. The glass smashed to dozens of pieces, and Neil sobbed quietly. "Neil!" she hissed. "Theresa's gone!"

Neil's face changed from sad to full of alarm. Even he knew that was bad news. "Jay," she cried, fumbling with her earpiece, "Jay!"

"What? What is it?" Odie's voice filtered through the line.

"We've lost Theresa!"

"Oh great," he muttered sarcastically. "I'll go find Jay!"

There was a rustle of cloth, and suddenly Jay's frantic voice sounded from the other end. "Find her Atlanta! Track her! Herry's gone to get his truck and we'll meet up with you using the GPS on the PMR. Does she have hers with her?"

"No, I don't think so."

"You'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

"I'll find her, Jay."

"I know." His voice grew quiet, and Atlanta knew he was thinking deep thoughts. Over the years she had grown accustomed to reading Jay like a book. They were close, like brother and sister, and she had often needed to comfort him in his dire need of sympathy. "What're you thinking?"

"Would you be gentle with her if you find her?" he asked softly. "Maybe there's still some good in her."

"I'll try," she promised, because she couldn't think of what else to say. He signed off, and she turned to Neil with a stricken look on her face, the concept of what may happen to her friend if she turned fully evil too horrible to think about.

"We have to find her, Neil," she said determinedly.

"No duh."

Suddenly a voice crackled over her earpiece. "I'll stay on the line with you, Atlanta," Archie said.

"Sure."

Then Atlanta and Neil turned and rushed to the store first. Entering it, Atlanta made a beeline for the clerk, who stared at them through bored green eyes as they approached. Honey-red hair streaked with grey tumbled around her shoulders, and a permanently stuck-up nose made Atlanta wonder if she had been punched in the face and her nose squashed when she was younger.

"OHH!" Neil cried, distracted by a bunch of necklaces that hung nearby on racks, their jewels glittering in the light of the store. "Check out the bling!"

"Neil!"

"Oh, sorry." He chuckled sheepishly and grinned at the clerk.

"Excuse me, we're…"

"Looking for a necklace to get your girlfriend, there, boy?" The clerk nodded at the necklaces and then at Atlanta inquisitively. Her face went beet red and her jaw dropped open in astonishment.

"WHAT did she say?" bellowed Archie, who could hear everything perfectly, but didn't want to admit hearing what he didn't want to hear.

"She thought Neil was my boyfriend," she squeaked. Clearing her throat, she addressed the clerk. "Actually, no. We're wondering if you saw our friend leave. She's tall, slender, with green eyes and blonde-streaked light red hair?"

The clerk pursed her lips thoughtfully. Now that you mention it, I did notice a girl with red hair in here. Not many natural redheads around, are there?" she chuckled. "Yep, headed outside through the door there." She indicated the back of the store. Atlanta clapped her hand to her forehead.

"Thanks." She rushed to the door, dragging Neil past racks of clothes that crackled invitingly to him as he was hurried through. He stretched his arms out longingly, relinquishing the desire to throw himself at them, wrap his arms around the rack, and never let go.

"They're calling me," he cried desperately.

"Whatever."

She berated herself for not thinking of door from the outside. How could she have been so stupid? She should have watched more, harder, better…

She stopped herself when she realized she was starting to sound like Jay. Bursting through the wide swinging doors, the two stopped as people stampeded by. Atlanta still wasn't quite used to the city. She tripped over a foot that wasn't hers and nearly did a face plant on the concrete. Catching herself, she strained to see if Theresa was anywhere in sight. Nowhere, absolutely nowhere.

Tires screeched on asphalt as Herry's cherry red truck tore into the parking lot, Jay, Archie, and Odie spilling out of the back and Herry from the front. They ran towards her and Neil, Archie reaching her first.

He looked like he wanted to give her a huge hug, but he backed off as Jay caught up. "I'm guessing you couldn't find her," Jay commented briefly, nodding a hello. Neil shook his head, even having the sensitivity to look guilty. Atlanta bit her lip.

"We have no idea where she is, Jay."

He sighed, swiping his bangs out of his eyes. "It was bound to happen. Not that you aren't great at that sort of thing, but Theresa has powers we can't account for. We're all going to have to be watching her next time."

"Or we could just lock her up in a dungeon," Neil joked. Herry was the first to give him an ungrateful look, clenching and unclenching his fists. Neil gulped and sunk his head into his shoulders in a vain effort to disappear.

"We'll find her somehow." Odie's voice was full of doubt, and Herry patted his back reassuringly.

"Hopefully, little buddy," he said, gazing around at the number of people flocking about, as if they could provide any clues as to where she had gone. "Hopefully."