Okay, i'll make this brief, sorry for da wait! Let;s get on with the story!

Beauty and the Dracaena

"Cut, CUT, CUT!" Ares shouted. "Jay, what the kólasí where you guys doing out there?! You lost to a freaking simulation of Cronus!"

"Ugh," Jay moaned, rubbing his chest as he got up from a simulation machine, taking off the helmet. "Ares, we've been doing this for days on end, how can you expect us not to be off our game!"

"Yeah," Atlanta shook her head as the other Titans slowly came out of their sleeping state. "We've already beat Cronus once years ago—"

"But I've told you guys," Theresa interjected. "I've lost that psychic power I had before! It's gonna be harder to beat Cronus compared to before!"

"Exactly why you all need to train harder!" Ares yelled. "Now, come one, get off those lazy gaïdoúria and move! We need a new plan, a new training regime for the sorry lot of you!" The Titans moaned in complaint but Ares would have none of it. "Come on! Go! I want six, no, seven, no better yet, TEN! Ten laps around the track; I want 'em done in—!"

"ARES!" an elderly woman stood at the door, fondly stroking a peacock on her shoulder.

"Y-yes, Mother?" the war god jolted and turned to face her.

"I need to have a word with them…" Hera strode in. "Alone."

Ares was about to plead his case, but noted the look on her face and nodded curtly. "Yes." He turned and strode out of the room.

Hera motioned for the Titans. "I have an urgent message for all of you."

"Well, duh!" Neil muttered as he gazed into his mirror, running his fingers through his hair. He noticed everyone's glares. "What? Something has to happen for the Queen of the Gods to come talk to us looking like that!"

Hera cleared her throat. "In a way, you are correct, Neil; this news…it is of utmost importance and may not exactly be considered….good…"

(I wonder how many'll find this familiar…?) "What is it, Hera?" Jay felt an unsettlingly cold feeling. "Is it that bad?"

"About Cronus…" Hera sighed, putting aside the bird. "I know you all have recently defeated him, but your journey as heroes has not yet ended. I just met with the Oracle and a new prophecy has been made."

Beat that, Sim Cronus! Jay thought in amusement. So there IS a prophecy for you to deal with!

Hera continued, snapping him back to reality, "This time, there will be a total of ten heroes…all of which will be needed to stop Cronus, hopefully once and for all…"

"Great, so how many'll be girls?" Herry joked. "Eh? Eh?" He nudged Odie playfully, the latter blushing and mumbling as he readjusted his glasses.

Hera glanced at him pointedly. "The point here is the location of the first to be found is already found thanks to Hermes and his…technical support…"

Jay took on his original leader-like attitude. "Then we don't have a minute to loose!" He glanced at his team. "We have to go there now…who knows, if Cronus has this location, they could be in danger!"

"Alright!" Archie pumped his fist. "Somethin' fun other that Ares' training!"

Theresa glanced lightly at Jay. "I dunno…may not be psychic anymore, but I don't think things'll be the same after this mission….it's kind of a—"

"—something you shouldn't freak out about?" Atlanta put in, wrapping an arm around Theresa's shoulder.

"Yeah," Neil grinned. "After all, we are going to change after this vacation…we're gonna get a new person! This will be the best day ever!"

"This is sooooooo not the best day ever!" Neil whined, clomping around mud puddles. "I'm gonna get my shoes all dirty! YLECH!" He leapt delicately over a particularly large puddle and continued his complaints.

Theresa rolled her eyes. "Are you sure they live near here? The new guy, I mean."

"Yeah," Odie nodded. "The Oracle told Hera that the hero will be found near the 'lost kingdom of Scythia once lay'."

Jay glanced around nervously. "Yeah, well I hope we don't have to go near any caves—!"

"CAVES!" Odie stopped abruptly. "That's the other part! 'In the cave of the monster of Hercules' love she awaits'!"

Herry paled. "Wait, his what now?"

Odie glanced at Herry then around at the other Titans. "Oh, uh, none of you guys know the myth…?"

"Of what?" Archie suddenly seemed interested in where the conversation was going. "Tell us more, Odie!" he grinned, wrapping an arm around the boy.

"Uh…" Odie flushed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Jay, can you…?"

"Oh sure, cuz I'm part Greek?" Jay teased, nudging Odie. "But still, yeah, I know this myth."

"So spit it out, quick!" Atlanta was more than happy to listen to anything that had nothing to do with Neil and his precious shoes.

It was Jay's turn to blush a little. "Well, the saying went that Hercules was visiting the country of the Scythians. And, well, when he was asleep, his horses suddenly disappeared. Right when he woke up and wandered about in search of them, he came into the country of Hylaea. There, he found the Dracaena of Scythia in a cave. When he'd asked about his horses, she told him that she took them, but refused to give them up, unless he would stay with her for a certain amount of time and he—"

"Oh please no," Theresa shuddered. "Can you…skip that? If it's what I think it is, I mean."

Jay nodded and finished meekly, "Hercules accepted the request, and became the father of Agathyrsus, Gelonus, and Scythes...children he had by the Dracaena."

"Ooooookaaaaay…." Herry shuddered. "So Hercules and that snake-thingy…YLECH!"

"That's just gross!" Atlanta groaned, shaking her head. "Boys can be really disgusting!"

"Aw, not all of us!" Archie protested. "I mean, maybe Herry might, but me-!"

"Hey!" Herry glared at Archie, cravking his knuckles threateningly.

Archie skipped to his point. "What if he couldn't help feelin' a little for her? Don't they both have romance rights, too? You have to admit it; even monsters can get them urges too, right-?"

"Oh yeah!" Odie proclaimed, pumping his fist in the air, more intent on his laptop than Jay's story. He looked up and noticed the awkward glances aimed at him. "Uh…Sorry, the cave is just a couple of minutes away…"

"Wait, hold up! She's the hero we're supposed to pick up?!" Theresa yelped, paling. She couldn't help but shoot a concerned glance at Herry who returned a panicked glance.

Jay gave no answer, but the meaning was clear enough to the lot of them.

"So…" Atlanta tried to break the awkward atmosphere. "Where to…?"

"That way," Odie pointed.

The group was silent as they trudged along a path, each of them thinking about the story Jay had told...except Neil who obviously thought about his shoes rather than the latter.

"Ya know, I don't think she'll surrender to our offer without something in return…" Odie began, then stopped. "Whoa…."

A wave of awe possessed them. What should have been a mere cave was a ruined castle-like architecture made out of the rocks.

Jay moved in front of the doors. "Should I knock? Or should we just—?"

"WHO DARES VENTURE ONTO MY TERRITORY?!" a voice hissed from within the walls.

"Gah!" Jay tumbled back, falling flat on his rear, the rest of the Titans—except Neil—taking defensive positions. "Uh, h-hey! I-I'm Jay, and my friends and I would like an audience with you?" The last part was because he assumed she wouldn't exactly graciously accept their offer without a fight.

"I KNOW VERY WELL THAT YOU ARE WITH A GROUP!" the voice snapped. "I CAN SEE THE SORRY LOT OF YOU FROM WHERE I STAND!"

"Then can we meet?" Jay tried to maneuver a persuasive tone into his voice. "We would all like to discuss—"

"YOU MOST CERTAINLY CANNOT! ONLY LIKE A SINGLE HERO MAY JOIN ME," the voice interrupted. "THEN I WOULD GLADLY SURRENDER TO YOUR TERMS IF I SEE HIM FIT." After a slight pause, the voice continued, "AS FOR WHO THE HERO SHOULD BE, I LEAVE FOR YOU TO CHOOSE WHICH ONE YOU WILL OFFER TO ME…EITHER THAT, OR YOU CAN ALL JUST LEAVE!"

"I told you guys she'd want something in return!" Odie groaned, shaking his head. "So…who's gonna—"

"I volunteer Herry!" Atlanta clutched Archie's arm. At everyone's glances—especially Archie's cocky expression—she let go of him and quickly added, "I mean, he IS the descendant of Hercules, so—!"

"Oh hell no!" Herry shuddered. "I'm not Hercules, so I wouldn't even think of going through with somethin' that he did in the past!"

Odie hit a realization. "Wait a minute—!"

"Don't hurt yourself," Archie teased."Thinkin' is bad for the low-brained!"

Odie tried to fit himself into their conversation. "Hey, I've got an idea—!"

Herry laughed curtly. "C'mere you!" He tried to grab Archie but the laughing boy had dodged his grip.

"Jay, I—!"

"How about Archie?" Theresa suggested, trying to direct Herry's attention off of Archie. "He could—!'

"NO!" both Archie and Atlanta shrieked. Archie shot Atlanta a grin, "What? Gonna get jealous, Lannie?"

"Uh, guys—?" Odie began again.

"Uh, no!" Atlanta let go of him and shot him a heated glare, crossing her arms. "It'd just be wrong!"

"Guys—?"

"But it'd be wrong with me, too!" Herry protested. "Let's make Jay go!"

"Guys—?" Odie tried yet again.

"No way!" Jay shuddered. "I am not going in there!"

"Guys—?" Odie was getting annoyed.

"Yeah, he's got a girlfriend, remember?" Theresa argued, taking a hold of Jay's arm. "He shouldn't—!"

"OH MY FUCKING GODS, WHY DON'T WE JUST SEND NEIL?!" Odie all but exploded.

Silence fell over the group, the broke when Jay began to laugh, "Well, Odie! That's a first for ya, isn't it?"

Odie blushed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"It's all right," Theresa glanced over at Neil. "Problem will be getting him inside…"

"Guys, what happened over here?" Speak of the devil, Neil walked over to them. "I mean, was I dreaming, or did Odie actually loose his cool?"

The other Titans nodded.

"Actually," Jay tried to hide the true intention. "We need you and your…luck for a special mission."

Neil narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jay tried to smile. He glanced back at the others, mouthing: Help me out!

"Uh, hey!" Archie snapped his fingers. "Let's just keep it at that we'll spend a whole day watching your favorite movies if ya go! Will that make up for it?"

"Hmmm…" Neil thought it over. "Will you listen to me when I tell you all about me?"

"Deal," Archie promised, making a mental note to carry ear plugs with him 24/7.

The other Titans frantically shook their heads, but Neil grinned and said, "Okay! I'll be back in a jiffy!" He froze. "Wait a minute, will this mission be scary and dangerous?"

"Uh….no!" Jay shook his head a little too eagerly. "Not at all!"

"Okay!" Neil ran up to the doors and slipped inside.

"Phew!" Archie plopped down on a log.

"Don't you feel bad that you tricked him into going in?" Atlanta sat down next to him. "And at our expense?"

"Well, better him than me!" Herry picked up two other logs and set them down, the timber arranged so that it almost felt like a perfect place for a campfire. "Even tho' listening to Neil would probably be worse than being with that dracaena…" He paused and thought it over. "...probably…" he amended.

"Yeah…alright, let's wait here," Jay led Theresa to her seat, but couldn't help hearing—or at least he thought he did—an ominous-sounding, disdainful hiss emitting from a window at the top of the ruins.

Neil strode around the ruins. "Hmm…now what was I supposed to do…?" He smacked his forehead. "Aw man! I forgot to ask Jay what my mission is!"

"Your mission was to keep me company long enough to convince me to accompany the lot of you back to wherever you came from," a voice hissed.

Neil jumped, looking around frantically, trembling uncontrollably. . "Wh-who's there?!" He backed up and bumbped into something tall and hard. Letting loose a girlish scream he turned around….and found himself staring into a partially shattered mirror. "Well, hello, Handsome!" All fear was lost for those fleeting seconds as he checked out his reflection.

"Ever heard of the story of Echo and Narcissus?" the voice hissed from above him.

"Uh, yeah!" Neil jolted slightly then relaxed. "Narcissus is my ancestor! That's how I got these looks!...Tho' I look waaaay better than he ever did!" He fondly stroked his hair.

"Have you heard of Hercules and the Scythian Dracaena?"

"Yeah…that one too! Shocking, I know, but there wasn't anything else to read at the place where my hair gets done!" Neil answered excitedly. He froze. "Wait…we're in the place where this…Scythia place used to be…right…?"

"Undoubtedly so." A shadow darted behind a column, glowing eyes—red and green—staring back at him.

"That means…you…" Neil's voice trailed off, paling slightly. His voice became a nervous whisper. "No wonder Jay wanted me of all people to come here!"

The shadow vanished, the voice suddenly appearing to come from behind him, twisted with disgust. "Your friends wanted to get rid of you…assuming that I would want something from you to…entertain me…"

Neil froze…then a surprisingly cunning grin spread on is face. "And that bothers you?"

"Wh-what?!" the voice seemed to waver, suddenly coming from the left. "What do you mean?! Your fate means NOTHING to me!"

"Then why're you upset about me being here?" Neil began to walk around, listening carefully.

"It's just wrong what they did!" the voice yelled out in outrage, all formality leaving her voice. "Leaving the more naïve of you to face me, all of them very well knowing who lived here and what she'd probably want from you, it's just plain dishonorable!"

"Oh yeah sure, what the famed Dracaena of the fallen kingdom of Scythia would want," Neil stopped, grinning cockily. "Well…" He turned and lunged, pinning a girl about two years younger than him to the wall. "If she even existed!"

"Huh?!" She paled. Neil had to admit it; the girl was much better looking than all of the girls he'd seen in his life! She was wearing a white nightdress and had chocolate-brown hair streaked with jade, bangs that covered her right eye reaching down to her chin, a jade green eye glaring at him in shock. Her skin was like the color of cinnamon, seemingly glowing with a soft, candle-like light—usually the sin of an immortal, but he assumed that might not exactly be the case here.

"Well?" Neil grinned. "Got anything to say for yourself, Miss?"

"What—? How the—?" She shook her head. "How did you know?"

Neil laughed, pulling away from her. "Because…monsters don't care about me, nobody does for that matter, but you did. Only a human would feel anger for something like that!"

"'Human'?" The girl eyed him suspiciously, crossing her arms. "So…what're you going to do now that you know who I really am?"

"Keep you company," Neil grabbed her hand. "Now, you got any non-broken mirrors in this place? And a sink or something? Cuz I probably got my hair and hands all dusty from teasing you!"

"You are definitely the strangest hero I have ever encountered!" The girl shook her head. "And the vainest! You mentioned Narcissus was your ancestor?"

"Uh yeah," Neil scoffed slightly. "I think you should listen more!"

"Ugh!" The girl growled slightly. "You got a name?"

"Uh, yeah no," Neil answered matter-of-factly. "I've read my share of occult stories and from what I've heard, names have power. Never give your name—"

"—unless sufficient trust has been built," the girl finished, grudging admiration in her voice. "So you are not as naïve as your friends think. Come, what you seek is upstairs."

"Lsn't that going a little fast?" Neil asked innocently.

"What?" the girl turned and eyed him curiously.

"Nothing!" NEil smiled sweetly. "Now about my personal needs, i need the highest quality of hair products, nice warm water, a decent hairbrush..."

"Ya know, for a girl who lives in a dumpy place, you sure got luxury!" Neil came out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel through his moist hair. "I haven't had a bath as good as that in years!"

"Hmm…" Lying on a couch, belly-side down, the girl eyed Neil, who thankfully at least had pants on. When Neil caught her eyeing him and he'd flashed he a wink, she snapped at him, saying, "J-Just get dressed will you?!"

Neil laughed. "Not so fierce now are you?" He plopped down next her, the girl scrambling frantically into sitting position for decency's sake. "Aren't you gonna let my friends in on your fancy digs?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "What I 'let you in on' is a way of me giving you sympathy for what your friends put you up to, nothing more. They deserve to suffer the elements for the night!"

Neil froze. "Uh…what?" He glanced sheepishly at her. "Uh…can you…?" he motioned to his hair.

"I mean," the girl sighed, picking up a brush as he leaned his head onto her lap, "that there's gonna be a slight storm tonight. Your friends will be drenched and you'll stay dry…if you stay in here." She carefully brushed his hair to the way it was when he'd arrived. "Ugh, doing this for you makes me feel like those sluts that hung around the temples of the gods!" She unconsciously passed him a mirror when he'd cleared his throat, fingers fixing any stray strands into place.

"Problem is you aren't," Neil inspected his face.

"Excuse me?!" the girl blushed, a look of indignation passing through her features."I—!"

"Whoa, I look good!" Neil, not even noticing what was happening around him once the mirror reached his fingertips, ran his fingers slightly through his hair. "Wow…I look soooooo amazing, don't you agree?"

"Should I?" the girl asked, not sarcastically, but sort of attentively.

"Yeah," Neil inspected his perfectly straight, white teeth. "yeah, I think you should!"

"You look…stunning," the girl admitted. She jolted. "Wait, what am I saying, I don't give a hell about what you look like! You're just so damn talkative and conceited!"

"Wow," Neil grinned and arched his head back to look at her upside-down. "And you're letting me stay?"

"Until the morn," the girl snapped, pushing his head away. "You'll sleep in the next room, got it?" She stood up and pointed to the door. "That connects to the next room, now go!"

"Can I at least get a massage?" Neil chirped cutely. "Cuz I think that's the least you could do for me since you don't want us to—"

The girl jerked sharply. "OUT!" She pushed him to the door, opened it, and kicked him in. "No funny stuff, you hear me?!" She looked around briefly and grabbed his shirt, tossing it in. "STAY!"

"Good night!" Neil called.

"Get to sleep!" The girl shouted. She plopped down on her bed, slipping in the sheets, curling up. She let out a sigh. Ugh, what an idiot that guy is!

A flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder led to a shriek escaping her lips. She sat up with a start, fingers clutching the sheets, body trembling slightly. I-it was nothing! Nothing at—!

"You know, if you're that scared of thunder," Neil was suddenly at her side. "Maybe I should stay here?"

"What?!" the girl shrieked, violently shaking her head. "N-No! I don't think—!"

Neil slipped in the sheets alongside her. "Yeah, but it's soooooo cold out, so…"

"But, I—! You—! UGH! Fine!" the girl snapped, rolling to face away from him. "Just stay on your side!" She pulled the covers over her head. "Idiot."

"Oh, come on!" Neil whined. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

"Actually," the girl's voice was blunt and venom-filled. "I do."

A moment of silence passed between them.

Just before he dozed off, Neil heard a soft whisper, "I'm Nicole, by the way."

He grinned as he felt her snuggle against his back. "I'm Neil."

Nicole snapped awake. Sitting up, she stretched, reaching for the ceiling then out to the sides. "Mm!"

She stood up and glanced out of her window at a tree, dewy droplets on the opalescent leaves. Must've been some storm last night! Nicole noted several branches were bent, some had fallen to the ground as well, petals scattered here and there. No wonder I'm so sore…! "Hey, I the weirdest dream ever!" she told it. "I dreamt these foreigners came here asking for me and I ended up having to spend the night with an insane narcissistic boy in here! Isn't that just crazy?!"

"Other than talking to a tree, I'd say it's crazy!" a voice from behind her spoke up. "Especially if it was real!"

"Huh?!" Nicole turned around. Without warning, Neil had her pressed against the windowsill, mouth on hers, kissing her roughly.

Just as suddenly as he'd started it, Neil pulled away, grinning. "That was real too, by the way!"

"Huh?!" Nicole stared blankly at Neil. "What the kólasí was that?!" Her hands flew to her mouth. "You—! What did you—? Why—?!"

"Think you can come with me?" Neil cupped her chin. "I did my part of the deal. I played your Hercules, now you keep up your part!"

Nicole jolted. "M-ME?!"

Neil grinned. "Yeah, you!" He grabbed her hand. "Whaddaya say?"

Nicole shook her head. "I don't think—"

Neil kissed her again. "Well?" He had a puppy-dog look on his face.

That damn boy is more cunning than he lets on! Nicole's head was whirling. "Uh…let me...get dressed."

Jay paced around, hair still sopping wet from last night's storm.

"Jay," Theresa stepped out of the tent the others had set up. "Are you still worried about Neil?"

Jay glanced at her helplessly. "I—I'm guilty about making him go in there, okay!"

Theresa helped him take a seat on a log. "Jay, Neil will be fine."

"How can you be sure?" Jay groaned, face in his hands. "For all I know, he had to spend the night with a monster, doing who knows what!"

Theresa jolted. "Okay, TMI, Jay!" she teased, bopping him on the nose.

Jay laughed lightly, leaning his head on her shoulder. "You can't blame for it!"

Atlanta and Archie stepped out, Archie holding open the tent flap. "Hey, isn't Neil supposed to be out by now?" Atlanta asked. "It's scary but I actually miss him!"

Archie grinned evilly. "What if he didn't stop goin' at it?"

"Stop going at what?" Jay, Theresa, and Atlanta paled.

"Oh I don't know," Archie smirked. "Didn't Jay tell us the myth yesterday—OW!"

"Sick-minded pig!" Theresa punched him in the arm.

"Perverted idiot!" Atlanta followed up, beating the other arm.

Jay shook his head. "Dumbass," he muttered under his breath as Theresa and Atlanta pummeled Archie with blows.

"I HEARD THAT, JAY!" Archie yelled.

"What's with the noise?" Odie sleepily poked his head out of the tent as Herry made his way around him to get out.

"Archie's being an idiot!" Theresa yelled.

"Hey, I want in on this!" Herry laughed, cracking his knuckles.

"Don't you dare—!" Archie yelped.

The doors grinded open and out walked Neil looking….well-rested and utterly happy. "Oh, hey guys!" he waved. "I just spent the best night of my life!"

The rest of the Titans stared blankly.

"Uh…" Jay put a hand on Neil's shoulder. "So, about the Dracaena—"

"What about me?" a voice called out.

Jay jumped. "Uh…hey! I'm Jay, and with me are," each other the Titans raised their hands when their name was called, "Theresa, Archie, Odie, Atlanta, Herry, and you've met Neil?"

"Yes, a darling boy," the voice drawled. "Compared to the rest of you!"

"What do you—?" Jay began when suddenly Nicole stepped out to the open.

"Surprised, young Jay?" Nicole hissed, malice in her eyes. Switching to her normal voice, she explained, "I've always had a talent with my voice… a neat little trick I picked up from my ancestor!" She looked Herry up and down. "I've heard of you guys…Hera's little pets, right? Well, seeing as I have no intention of joining her cause…Herry, attack Atlanta!"

"Oh, you think that's actually gonna work?" Archie scoffed. "Not like—WHOA!" Atlanta crashed into him when Herry had suddenly picked her up and thrown her. He charged again, but Atlanta was prepared. She leapt into the air over him and jumped onto his shoulders. "Herry! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Herry reached behind and grabbed her by the hips, throwing her at Archie again, both flying back.

"Herry, snap out of it!" Jay pulled out his sword, glaring at Nicole. "What did you do to him?!"

Nicole crossed her arms. "Get this straight, favorite of Hera, Neil was indeed—and surprisingly—(Neil: HEY!) correct when he said names have power; just by knowing your name, I can control your body's will!"

Theresa, mindful of the commotion being caused by Herry under Nicole's spell, glanced at Jay who gave her a furtive signal. She moved behind Nicole.

As soon as he'd seen Jay's signal, Neil instinctively shouted, "Nicki, behind you!"

Nicole turned abruptly caught Theresa's kick. "Theresa, Jay is your enemy, not me! Attack him!"

Theresa froze, eyes glazing over and lunged at Jay.

"Ah!" Jay's sword was knocked from his hand. He grunted when Theresa punched him twice in the stomach. He rolled to the left when Theresa had punched the ground where his face hadf been. "No! Theresa, not you too!"

Nicole was about to step towards the doors when something wrapped around her, tying her arms to her sides. Archie!

"Try this neat trick for a change!" Archie pressed a button on the hilt of his whip. "We'll get you to come with us, one way or another!"

"AAAHH!" Nicole fell to her knees as electricity arced through her body.

Neil noticed something peculiar about his surroundings. Why is Nicki's tree shaking like that? When the realization hit him, he began to play his part in the fight. He dodged Herry, who was busy trying to pound Atlanta into a pulp, and threw a vicious roundhouse kick at Archie's back.

"Unh!" Archie tumbled, letting go of the whip.

Nicole shook off the shock and glared at the fallen hero. "Archie—!"

"Nicki, stop!" Neil shouted, stepping in front of his friend.

Nicole froze and turned to Neil in surprise. "What?"

Neil huffed out his breath. "Nicki, you're hurt, don't waste your energy!"

"Wh-what makes you think I'm hurt?!" Nicole snapped, shaking slightly. "I don't see how—?!"

"Your tree!" Neil pointed. "Someone cutting it down!"

Nicole narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe—AH!" She felt a searing jab at her abdomen.

Herry and Theresa snapped out of their hazes. "Huh?"

Jay glanced over that the direction of the tree. "Odie!"

Odie peered over. "Hey, guys! Some guys are just collecting firewood. I went to make sure it wasn't anything illegal or—WHOA!" He paled when he saw Nicole falling to her knees.

Neil rushed over and steadied her. "Where does it hurt?"

"Nngh," Nicole winced, glaring at Odie. She pulled her hand away from her stomach. Blood flowed from a wound that looked as if someone had hit her in the chest with an axe.

"Ah!" Neil glanced at Jay. "Get a med-kit or something!"

Nicole coughed and pulled out something from her pocket. "Take this…!" she placed the object into Neil's hand.

"Nicki, what—!" Neil saw her lose consciousness. "NICKI!"

"Neil, it's okay!" Odie rushed to him. "I get the problem now! Nicole's a tree nymph!" He grabbed the object in Neil's hand. "Let's get her to Mount Olympus High, Chiron'll know how to help her."

"He'd better," Neil muttered, looking angrier than he'd normally get.

Jay glanced at him, brows furrowing in concern. "Come on!"

Nicole opened her eyes slowly. "Uh…"

"Nicki, you're alive!" Neil suddenly crushed her.

"Ugh!" Nicole squeaked. "Neil, Neil, I'm okay!"

"You had me sooooo worried!" Neil pulled away. "So I brought you a present!" He grabbed a potted plant from her bedside. "Chiron told us what to do…since your tree was hurt badly…that seed you gave me…well, look!" A sapling had sprung from the soil.

Nicole glanced at him suspiciously. "We're at the place of the gods, aren't we?"

"What's with the look?" Neil asked.

"Note this…" Nicole began.

Hera suddenly entered, followed up by Jay, Theresa, Archie, Atlanta, Herry, and Odie. "So this is what you picked up?" Hera eyed Nicole coldly.

"Uh, she has a name, Hera," Neil corrected. "Nicole."

Nicole, however, glared back at Hera with equal distaste. "If it isn't the high and mighty Queen of the Gods herself," she said sarcastically.

"You guys have history?" Jay asked cautiously, eyeing the two.

"Not with me," Nicole answered, not taking her gaze off of Hera. "My ancestor."

"Who?" Theresa asked.

"She is a descendant of the tree nymph Echo," Hera replied coldly. "By how that insolent nymph had managed to continue her lineage I don't know, but—"

"Is that why you asked me about Echo and Narcissus?" Neil asked Nicole.

She nodded. "What version of Echo's story did she tell you?"

"Echo liked to talk a lot and angered a god," Herry responded, chomping on his sandwich. "Why?"

Nicole glanced at Neil. "You wanted to know why I was mad at your friends back there and why I set them on each other?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," Neil nodded.

Nicole huffed out her breath. "The real story is that Lord Zeus was fooling around with one of Echo's friends. When the Great Queen of the Heavens descended, looking for him, Echo realized the kind of punishment that would befall her friend. So what did she do? She kept the Queen of the gods entertained by talking to her about everything she could think of while Zeus and her friend escaped."

"I'm warning you, child—" Hera growled, startling the Titans, but Nicole would have none of it.

" When the Queen found out via a traitorous nymph, she chose to curse hapless Echo so she could not talk save for repeating the last words of everyone's sentences. So in other words…" Nicole glared at Jay, Theresa, Archie, Atlanta, Herry, and Odie. "…My Ancestor actually had the gall to stand up and take the fall for her friend regardless of the harm she'd cause to herself, whereas your friends decidedly let you put up with what could have been a Dracaena because of your naivety and helplessness, rather than to send one of the stronger ones who could have subdued her instead or go all together in the first place!"

Jay glanced guiltily at Neil.

Neil however, grinned. "But where would the fun in that've been?!"

"Huh?" Nicole looked at Neil in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Neil laughed. "I wouldn't have met you first if we'd done that!"

Nicole was at a loss for words. "I—"

Archie leaned over to her. "You got any weaknesses? Other than the fact that we-kill-your-tree-you-die?"

"Why should I tell you?' Nicole scoffed.

"Because we all have a right to know," Theresa told her. "We're all linked by fate, not matter what we do so we might as well know where to boost you up if we need to."

"So we need to know your weakness," Neil told her. "Other than your fear of thunder and lightning—"

"Neil—"

"Wait, she what?" Archie coughed, trying to conceal a laugh.

"Shut up, would you?! Ugh, if you really need to know, I have to know one's name to control them and if I can't speak, I have limited combat skills," Nicole huffed. "Satisfied?"

"Not very," Theresa was curious more than ever about their new teammate. "What exactly are the limits of your—?"

"Look," Jay stood up. "We'll let you recover. Contrary to what you believe, we don't just look out for ourselves, but for each other, too." The other Titans stood up with him.

"Wait!" Neil yelped. "Before we go, I want to ask you something reeeeeeeaaally important!"

"What is it?" Nicole looked as if she'd poured acid on her hand as Neil took a hold of her hand.

"You wanna be my girl?" Neil asked, sincerity in his eyes.

"HUH?!" The Titans' eyes nearly bugged out of their heads.

"No," Nicole icily and bluntly answered almost immediately.

"What?!" Neil protested. "But why—?"

"Come on, Lover Boy," Herry picked him up and slung him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"But—! But—!" Neil whined, his complaints becoming faint as Herry carried him out of the room.

"Did anything happen between you two…?" Jay glanced curiously at Nicole.

She stiffened, blushing fiercely. "Jay Atlanta, Archie, Theresa, Odie, GET OUT OF HERE!"

All of the Titans filed out, Jay called back, "So is that a yes to the joining us question?"

"I'll think about it!" Nicole snapped, diving under her covers.

Jay closed the door and walked away. "Neil—?"

"She means yes," Neil told him with a grin.

So….I kinda did break the promise I made in the prologue…but still, I think some things need to be made clear at the appropriate times, don'cha think? Eh, who cares, for now, I have to get back to RPing and writing up for m'storires! XOXOX! ~Dina G.