Disclaimer: I don't own COTT, just this decade long story.

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Theresa dropped to her knees and scooped Jay into her arms.

"Jay?! JAY?!" She screamed through the tears. Her voice was shrill and piercing with agony. "Oh my god, please no!" What have I done?

Jay's breathing was hoarse and ragged. Blood slowly trickled out the side of his mouth.

Cronus took a step back and looked at his sickle. His mouth was agape in shock. He studied the blood drenched gold and ran his finger along it. He rubbed the blood in between his fingers, bringing his hand within inches of his face. His lips curled into a smile.

"Finally…" He breathed. He cooed with soft, deadly, laughter.

Theresa cradled Jay's head. His eyes fluttering as he gasped direly for air. "J-Jay… I'm… Oh p-please stay with m-me!" Her tears fell freely onto his face. Jay's harsh breaths pierced Theresa's chest with every gasp. Everything was spinning. Theresa was trying hard not to be sick.

She pushed her hand against his wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. But it flowed out the sides of her fingers, and Jay continued to struggle for air. Theresa's head was pounding. The metallic smell of blood was crowding her nostrils so much so that she could almost taste it.

Cronus wiped more of the blood onto his hands. "The blood of Jason… The blood of Jay... How… Peculiar." He studied his fingers, rotating his hand from front to back. "Nothing… Extraordinary about it." He began to pace, taking long, mocking steps. It matters not for I have won. Cronus thought. "You would think, the way you stupid children run around and claim yourselves heroes and Argonauts, that this blood would be tinted gold, smell of roses, or possess some sort of magical properties." He bellowed with laughter.

Cronus stopped pacing and glanced at Theresa, poor, pathetic, and crying over her fallen leader. Or should I say lover. Cronus thought. He couldn't help but pity her. What a worthless little girl. He shrugged and spoke aloud, "Now you see your destiny, you peasants were never meant for this world. This world belongs to the strong, and you and your friends, my dear, are nothing but weak ants."

Theresa could barely hear any of Cronus' pointless monologue. If she did catch any words he was spewing, she couldn't care less. Her whole body was shaking as she continued to try and stop Jay's bleeding.

Cronus had kept her waiting long enough. He flicked his hand, and some of Jay's blood flew off and spattered on the ground. "You weak little mouse. I am disappointed, I thought you had so much potential. I guess I was wrong." He took a deep breath in and released it with calmness. Then he looked directly to Theresa. "I think it's time you join your hero."

He lunged at Theresa, his bloody sickle raised high, again, and ready to strike down on her.

Suddenly, Cronus was knocked sideways off his feet. He fell hard and skidded against the dirt, almost being tossed completely into the woods. "Argh!" He cried out in fury and in anger. Stunned he looked to see where the hit had come from. He glared at the young, burly teenager.

Herry's face was contorted in pure anger and his shoulders raised and lowered with growling breaths. He bolted towards Cronus, fists held high. Screaming, he began to throw his punch at Cronus. The titan rolled out of the way just as Herry's fist made contact with the ground. The Earth seemed to split open as dirt flew everywhere.

Cronus rolled onto one knee and crouched. "Well, well, it's true about this strength you ha-", he abruptly stopped and his smile faded as he glanced over to where Jay and Theresa were, except they were not alone anymore. Atlanta, Odie, and Neil were standing in a protective line in front of Theresa. Cronus's blood boiled as he glanced to another figure behind them, crouched by Theresa with his hands on her shoulders.

The whites of Cronus' eyes were blazing as he saw the purple-haired boy, gaunt and weak-looking, but his deadly eyes directly staring into Cronus'. "It...It can't be…" He stood up shakily. "You were… You can't be…" He snarled.

Before anything could be done, Herry was on Cronus again, throwing his fists wildly. Cronus barely dodged the knuckles and jumped back, swinging his sickle hoping to hit something. His sickle nearly made contact with Herry's ribs, but missed slightly, catching only a piece of Herry's already torn shirt.

Odie turned to Neil. "Neil, go get the car! We need to get Jay out of here!" He reached into his pocket and tossed Neil the keys, who fumbled messily but was able to catch them on his fingers. Neil was pale with fear, but shakily nodded and ran towards the woods.

Another fist hit the ground, as Cronus dodged Herry again, panting and out of breath.

Atlanta looked at Odie. Her teeth gritted in anger. "Odie, stay here and look after them," she nodded to Archie, "I have a score to settle." Odie opened his mouth but she didn't give him a chance to answer. She turned and charged towards Cronus.

In a flash of speed, she kicked Cronus square in the jaw, just as he was attempting to slash Herry. Cronus grunted and flew backwards, landing hard on the ground. He barely had time to think as Herry's own leg came crashing down upon him. Cronus put up his arm up just in time to block it from shattering his face. He pushed back and flung the young boy off his feet.

Herry landed with a loud thud, but before Cronus could charge at Herry, Atlanta's left foot made contact with Cronus' neck. It knocked him sideways and he skidded on the ground. Atlanta raised her wrist laser and shot at Cronus. Cronus quickly lifted his sickle and blocked the first few shots, but one got through and skimmed his cheek.

"Ack!" He grunted and grabbed his now cut and bleeding face.

Atlanta stood in front of Herry. "You okay?" She called behind her.

Herry rubbed his head and stood up. "Yeah, fine. Let's get this bastard!" He cried. Both heroes charged at Cronus.

Archie moved to Jay's head and propped him on his knees. "Hang in there Jay," he whispered. Jay's eyelids were growing heavier and he no longer attempted to speak. Archie looked at Theresa. "Theresa, it's gonna be okay. We'll get him to Chiron and Hera and they'll help. They always do."

Theresa didn't move. She only remained trembling with her hands pressed on Jay…

Archie looked at Theresa, trying to catch her eye, but Theresa kept her head down, eyes directly on Jay.

Odie put a hand on her shoulder. "Theresa?" She made no reply. "Theresa, Archie's right. Jay's been in worse shape before and come through." He tried to be honest, but even to himself his words felt disingenuous, as his eyes drifted to Jay's pale face and horrendous wound. Odie looked behind him. He frowned, "That is, if Neil ever gets back here with the damn Hummer."

Atlanta and Herry both were on the attack. Herry threw his fists at Cronus, while Atlanta kicked and shot her crossbow. Cronus' sweat and blood flew from his face as he ducked and dodged, throwing his sickle up to block the purple beam's from the heroine's weapon. The fourth beam struck his sickle so hard that it knocked it out of his hand and onto the dirt.

He grunted and clutched his wrist. Cronus could feel the heat rising in him. The anger was pulsing through his veins. Why would these brats bother when their leader is gone? He was furious. He jumped back away from Herry's right hook, and stood up taller than he ever had.

"ENOUGH!" He screamed. It did not deter Atlanta and Herry as both sprung towards him.

Cronus felt a new wave inside him. He grabbed Herry's wrist as it was coming towards him, and swung him sideways into the red haired girl as she, too, was throwing her fists at Cronus. Herry's body collided with Atlanta's and she crashed to the ground.

"Atlanta!" Herry cried, but Cronus hadn't let go of him just yet.

With his other hand Cronus grabbed Herry's neck and held him up high, letting go of Herry's wrist. Herry clawed at Cronus' arm, but there was a new strength in Cronus as his fingers tightened around the burly hero's throat.

Herry struggled and thrashed but Cronus was too powerful. Where did this come from?! Herry thought as he tried to fight against the tight grip.

Atlanta quickly jumped up. "Herry!" She yelled. She dove at Cronus and fired her crossbow.

But Cronus was too quick. He swiveled right and put Herry in the way of her shot. The purple beam struck Herry on the right side of his back. Herry cried out in pain.

"Herry!" Atlanta screamed and couldn't stop herself from running.

Cronus reached out and grabbed her crossbow arm, and pulled her to within inches of his face. "Now look what you've done," he whispered. She could feel the heat from his body.

Before Atlanta could pull away, Cronus grasped the crossbow and with a loud crunch he crushed the weapon against her arm. Shards of the metal dug into her skin and Atlanta screamed. Cronus then lifted her up and with a great force he threw her hard against the ground.

Atlanta couldn't brace herself as the back of her head hit the dirt hard. She tried to put her arms up to defend, but the sky was swirling and she couldn't tell which way was up. Before she could get her bearings she felt a hand wrap around her neck.

Cronus pulled her up and held both heroes by their throats, squeezing tightly. Atlanta kicked and thrashed, gasping and scratching at the arm gripping her throat.

The rage radiated through Cronus as he clenched his hands tighter. He glared at Atlanta. "Now, you will die." He grunted.

Atlanta could feel the muscles in her neck crackling under the pressure. She looked over at Herry, who had stopped struggling and his eyes rolling back into his head.

"He...rry…" Atlanta whispered. She kicked a few more times. She could feel herself losing consciousness. "Ar… Archie…" She gasped.

Archie's eyes darted towards where Herry and Atlanta were. "Atlanta! Herry!" He made a move to stand up.

Suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm. Archie turned to see Theresa's bloody hand curled around his wrist. He looked up into her eyes. Theresa was staring right at him. Her eyes were glowing with a dull green. "No… Archie…" A strange aura was pulsing from her body.

Odie had made a move to run but had frozen, mid-running pose, knee raised in the air and eyes wide. He too saw a glow emerging all around Theresa.

"W...Wha…" Archie started.

"Stay here." Theresa said softly. There was a strange echo in her voice. Archie couldn't move. He wanted to say something, anything, he wanted to run to Atlanta, but something had stopped him.

Theresa rose to her feet, slowly, and seemingly calmly. There was a light wind that whipped around her. She glanced at Odie and nodded. Odie's leg came back down and he stood motionless. Theresa, then, looked up to the heroes in peril. She opened her lips slightly.

"Cronus." She whispered. The name flew on the wind to where he was.

Cronus felt a strange shock through his system. W...what...? His head turned slowly to look at the figure that had begun to slowly walk towards him. Her eyes pierced his own. It sent an electric wave through his body. A viscous energy flowed through his veins. The glowing green… He couldn't look away. His muscles felt tight and his body was stiff.

Theresa took long, slow steps towards him, almost appearing to be walking through water, her hair flowing in the wind. The aura pulsed from her skin. "Let go." She whispered, outreaching her arm towards him.

Cronus sucked air through his teeth. What is this… I… I can't control my body... He grunted against his own muscles. Something was taking him from the inside. His hands let go of the two heroes and they hit the ground with a thud.

Atlanta gasped for air and clutched her throat. Herry had the wind knocked back into him on his fall and too was gulping air desperately. Both heroes rubbed their necks and looked up to see Cronus slowly start to walk towards Theresa.

"T...Theresa?" Atlanta wheezed, but she could see Theresa's eyes, glowing, and fixed on Cronus.

"What… What is this…? Magic?" Cronus squeaked, he fought against his own body, but couldn't stop the robotic movement of his legs as he glided closer and closer to the red-haired hero.

The wind became stronger as it whipped around Cronus and Theresa, her eyes glowing brighter and bolder with each step. Theresa came to a stop. Cronus also became still. Both stared at each other, a few feet away. Cronus grunted and tried to look away, trying to free himself from Theresa's invisible grip, but it was impossible. He gazed into her eyes, he could feel the power emanating from her, and it was aweing.

All the heroes were motionless. Herry and Atlanta were clutching their throats, Archie and Odie were still, and all of their mouths were open in shock.

The wind blew Theresa's hair around her. "Cronus…" Her voice was deep and metallic. Cronus trembled from the sound, a cool sensation rising from his toes to his shoulders. The aura began to pulse from Theresa outwards. The trees of the forest were shuddering. Cronus tried again to move in vain.

She continued. "You have hurt so many people. You have destroyed so many lives." Her voice grew more powerful and echoed darkly in the air. "In your pursuit for this world, a world that does not belong to you, you have created so much pain." She glanced back to look at Jay, lying on the ground unmoving. She turned back to Cronus.

Cronus was shaking, trying to fight against the sorcery. But he couldn't move. He wanted to cry out in rage. He wanted to yell and scream. But he couldn't. He wanted to run away. But he couldn't. For the first time… Cronus felt fear, and the fear consumed him.

Get… Out of me! Let me go! He thought. He had never lost this much control before. He had never felt this way. He was terrified. Please! Stop this! He had abandoned his pride and was begging for release.

Theresa's eyes suddenly grew darker. Her glare was digging into his soul. "No Cronus, you will stay." Cronus' eyes were so white they were almost bulging from his head.

She continued. "It is time you paid for what you have done." She raised her hand.

From behind Cronus, something gold whizzed past his ear, barely missing him. It was his sickle, his favourite weapon of choice. It flew past him and into the hands of Theresa. Cronus tried to shake his head. Theresa's mouth curled into a smile. She opened her eyes wide and cried out. A beam of light streamed from her eyes and shot directly at Cronus.

Cronus screamed in agony and the world shook.

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'What… Where… Where am I?'

Cronus looked around. The sky was dark. Streams of light, perhaps it was lightning, occasionally lit up blackened the sky. There was no wind, but Cronus felt chilled. He looked at his surroundings. The world around him was scorched. The trees were black. The floor was ash. The clouds were smoke. There was a dark cold feeling that crept into Cronus' bones.

He looked at the ground. The dirt all around was an ashy dark red. There were cracks all throughout the Earth. A few of the splits even appeared to have some sort of dark liquid flowing from them. It was almost as if the ground was oozing blood.

'Where is this?' Cronus thought. His eyes darted around wildly, looking for something, anything that would be familiar to him.

Suddenly he saw a figure ahead.

Cronus squinted his eyes. It was a woman. She stood with her back towards him. Cronus took a few steps closer, slowly. Who was she? He studied her silhouette and couldn't help an uneasy feeling. He got closer and closer to her. As she became more in focus, he could see she was wearing a long, white robe. Something was familiar about her...

He abruptly stopped a few feet away from her. 'It can't be…' He thought. He had recognized the woman. Her long black hair was wavy and glossy. Hair he used to run his fingers through as she would rest her head on his shoulder. He felt his chest tighten.

'Rhea?'

He breathed her name aloud.

The woman turned around slowly. Cronus felt tears prick the back of his eyes. She was still as beautiful as ever. Her hair flowed down her shoulders. Her white, silken robes almost glowed against the darkness of the Earth and sky. She smiled at Cronus. Her eyes a piercing blue, speckled with green, they had always reminded Cronus of the sea, but they twinkled like stars. She was holding something against her chest. He looked down to see her embracing an infant. A baby boy. He was sleeping soundly, the side of his face pressed into her bosom. Even from where he stood, Cronus knew he was beautiful like her.

Cronus moved towards her again. He outreached his hand. 'Our boy…' He got close enough to touch him. He put his hand on the infant's head. The boy's hair was soft, and his head warmed Cronus' hand. He looked up at Rhea. She was so beautiful. Rhea was smiling at him. She tilted her head slowly to one side.

Cronus felt something strange under his fingers. He glanced down. His eyes widened. His son was gone, and in place of him was a lifeless, dark stone.

'No…' Cronus whispered. He looked to Rhea. She was still smiling, unmoving. Cronus tried to pull his hand away, but he couldn't. The stone was growing hot under his fingers. 'You betrayed me…' Cronus whispered, the tears began to roll down his face. He tried to pull away again, but it was as if his fingers had fused with the stone. His hand began to scald from the heat. Cronus cried in pain.

Rhea remained unflinching, still staring into Cronus' eyes. Her smile etched into her face.

Cronus whimpered. 'Please… Why… Why did you do this?'

Rhea's smile disappeared. She looked to the stone and then to Cronus. She brought up one hand, a golden sickle clutched in her fingers. She raised it above her head. Cronus was motionless, he was gazing into her blue irises. Rhea softly spoke. 'For him'.

Cronus closed his eyes as she thrust the sickle down towards him.

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Cronus blinked slowly, his vision returning to him. He was staring into green glowing eyes. The sweat beaded around her forehead, and rolled down the side of her face.

Cronus felt the pain in his chest. He looked down and saw the sickle lodged deep within the middle of his chest. He could feel it. He could feel his shattered sternum. What force you have Rhea… He could sense the tip of the sickle sticking into his heart.

Cronus smiled. The wind had stopped and it was deathly silent. His body felt cold, but his arms were numb. His heartbeat was slowing. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump. Thump. She had hit him right where she wanted, right where she had hit him once before. He looked to Theresa.

Theresa's face was within inches of his. "For him." She growled and yanked the sickle out of his chest.

Blood flew everywhere and Cronus began to fall. His vision was blurry. As he fell, he couldn't help but feel light. He fell far down, he fell through the Earth, he fell into the fire, and finally to water. He stared up at the sky. The stars were so bright. Blood flowed from his chest, fast, and he gazed into the night, into Rhea's eyes. He let out one last chuckle, the blood spurting from his chest. Oh I hate these brats.

Thump... Thump... Silence.

Archie and Odie stared in disbelief. "Oh my god…" Odie let out.

Atlanta stared at the scene. She had seen Cronus crumble to the floor. She watched him lay there, stiff. She saw the sickle in Theresa's hands. Did that really just happen?

Theresa now stood still, the green aura still pulsing from her. Her shoulders were rising up and down with staggered breaths. Her head was down. Atlanta still felt uneasy. The wind returned and a gust blew, swirling around Theresa. She dropped the sickle to the ground.

Atlanta shakily stood up. She looked to Herry. "Herry…" She said calmly.

Herry too, was in shock, but he turned his head towards her voice, not taking his eyes off of Theresa. "Yeah…" He squeaked.

Atlanta took a step towards Theresa. "I don't think this is over yet…"

Herry flicked his eyes to Atlanta and then back to Theresa. He rolled on to his knees and stood himself up. "Okay… What… What do we do…"

Atlanta took another small step forward. "Theresa?" She called loudly, but gently.

Theresa's head shot up. Her eyes were no longer green, but the dark, black and purple. The aura around her began to pulse with the same colour. Atlanta froze with fear. Theresa gritted her teeth and the gust of air continued to get stronger. She slowly turned her head towards Atlanta.

"Get… Away…" She managed to say.

Before Atlanta could move, Theresa began to scream. A dark black beam of light shot into the sky and the wind blasted outwards from her. Atlanta and Herry brought their arms in front of their face and braced themselves against the blast, grunting.

Archie grabbed Jay's shoulder and covered him protectively, while Odie knelt to the ground. "What's happening?!" Archie called to Odie.

"I don't know!" Odie tried to call above the wind, his words almost lost in the wind and Theresa's scream, which had turned into an infernal roar, echoing as if in a cave. Odie's eyes darted to Atlanta and Herry, both still bracing themselves against the powerful force.

The trees began to uproot. One weak tree fell nearby, crashing to the ground. "We have to do something!" Atlanta cried desperately.

Suddenly, Archie felt Jay move under him. "Jay?" Jay's arm was shaking, but moved towards his pocket. He grunted, trying to say something, as more blood ran from his mouth. His fingers trembled but tugged at his pocket weakly.

Archie quickly reached into Jay's pocket and his fingers wrapped around a small, cylindrical object. He pulled out the shiny metal object carefully. A syringe.

Archie looked at it puzzled but looked up to Odie. "Odie!" He called. Odie glanced at the syringe. Odie's eyes widened. "The needle from Hera!" Odie cried.

Before Archie could respond, Odie snatched it from his hands and ran towards Theresa.

Another gust of air blasted out from Theresa, stopping Odie dead in his tracks, holding his hands up to block the force. Her cry was becoming deeper and darker. The beam that was shot into the sky was turning the clouds a dark black, and radiating outwards, it covered the forest in darkness.

Odie braced himself against the wind as it began to circle around Theresa like a tornado. He held the syringe above his head. "Atlanta! Herry!"

Atlanta squinted to see what Odie was holding. She gasped. "That's it!" She looked to Herry. "Herry, get ready! I need you to restrain Theresa!" She cried out to him.

Herry was still struggling against the wind. "You want me to do what now?!" He grunted as a few twigs scraped against his arms. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that!?" He bellowed over the howling sounds.

"I'll give you a window, just make sure you hold on tight!" Atlanta called. She then bolted towards Theresa. She quickly checked which way the wind was blowing around Theresa and darted the other way. She picked up her heels, sprinting as fast as possible.

Atlanta flew by Odie, lapping in a large circle around Theresa. Atlanta was sprinting the fastest she could. She could feel the twinge in her ankles, slowly becoming more painful, but she refused to give up.

"Odie!" She called as she lapped Theresa again. "Get..." Another lap. "Ready…" Another lap.

The winds from Theresa and Atlanta began to clash. Theresa's roaring stopped as she shook with the force. Her glowing eyes still blazing as she brought her own arms up to block the powerful winds. She grunted and moaned against the gusts and blasts.

"NOW!" Atlanta screamed as she passed Herry one more time.

Herry lunged forward and burst through the clashing winds. He quickly wrapped his arms around Theresa, he clamped his hands together as she began to struggle and cry against his grip. "GOT HER!" He bellowed.

Everything happened within an instant.

Atlanta flew past Odie and grabbed his shirt, and with all her might, more than anything she could have done before, she tossed him into the vortex of winds. She had thrown him so hard she lost her own balance, tripping over her feet and crashing into the ground. She skidded against the dirt and gravel, rolling to a stop on her stomach.

As Odie was launched through the air, Herry turned Theresa around to face him, who was still struggling against the heroes might. With one thrust Odie jammed the needle into her chest and pressed hard on the end of the syringe. The liquid flew through the needle and into Theresa. The force pushed both Herry and Theresa back, and all three heroes fell to the ground, Herry still with his arms around Theresa, Odie face-planting into the dirt.

The vortex blew outwards and the light that was emitting from Theresa was swallowed up by the sky. Atlanta lifted her head but then quickly threw her arms over face to cover the blast of air that erupted from the collapsed heroes. Nearby, Archie protected Jay once more as the wind expanded like a giant ripple, the trees shook violently. Then suddenly, there was silence.

Panting, Herry released his grip on Theresa slightly, she had stopped struggling. Odie looked up to her face. He saw her black eyes staring directly at him. He froze with fear, but quickly let out a sigh of relief as the blackish purple murky colours seeped away, revealing Theresa's grey-green eyes.

She blinked a few times, and realizing she wasn't breathing, she took a huge gasp in, startling Herry into letting go of her. Theresa sucked in air and Herry put a hand on her back.

"Theresa… Are you… Okay?" He said softly.

She turned her head to look at him. "W… What happened?" She said hoarsely, she then clutched her throat and rubbed it. "Ow…" Her throat felt scorched and raw.

Herry laughed. "Yeah ow is right… That was a lot of screaming you just did!" He chuckled and then his brow furrowed. "Uh… Odie… Can you…" he nodded to the syringe still sticking out of Theresa.

"Oh! Sorry, Theresa…" Odie moved closer to her and gently took the syringe out.

Theresa shuddered as the needle left her body. "What… What happened to me?" Her eyes flickered wildly. She looked around, and saw Cronus, crumpled in a pile on the ground nearby. Her eyes widened. "What happened to Cronus?!"

"Uh… Well…" Odie looked over at Cronus' body. "You kinda… Well… I mean you sorta…"

"You kicked his ass that's what happened!" Herry boomed. "Theresa, you fought him and you WON!" He emphasized and grabbed her shoulders. Theresa sucked in breath and clutched her head. "Oops sorry…" Herry said bashfully. Nearby, Atlanta sighed with relief and shakily stood herself up.

"I don't… I don't remember anything…" Theresa whispered and she held her head. Her skull was pounding, she winced against the pain. She pulled her hand away and looked at the red stains on her palms. Her eyes widened in realization, remembering who's blood it belonged to. "Oh my god, Jay!" Her eyes darted over to the brunette boy still lying on the ground.

Theresa moved to stand up, but a spell of dizziness made her collapse onto her knees. Herry jumped up and reached for her arm. "Theresa, easy, wait…" he said. But Theresa pulled away and began to staggeringly run towards Jay and Archie. She felt woozy, but trudged her feet forward. She needed to get to him.

Atlanta jogged up beside Theresa and softly put her arms underneath hers. She steadied Theresa as they came to the two heroes in front of them. Theresa dropped to her knees and Atlanta moved beside Archie, crouching and taking his hand in hers. Her eyes met his, and though he was relieved she was alright, his eyes were dark with sadness and fear.

Theresa took Jay's hand in hers and brought it to her chest. She clutched it tight. "Jay?" She whispered softly, tears were pricking the back of her eyes.

Jay's eyes, almost closed, sluggishly opened. He slowly blinked and his gaze drifted towards Theresa. With what strength he had left, the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile.

"T… Theresa…" His words were so rugged and hoarse, it made Theresa's chest tighten in pain. She gripped his hand tighter and then reached out her arm and touched his forehead. "Jay, I'm here," she whispered softly. He felt cold under her fingertips.

Theresa heard Odie and Herry slowly approaching from behind her. "We're all here, Jay, don't worry. We'll get you out of here soon." She brushed the hair from his face.

Jay continued to weakly smile. "You… You did… It…"

Theresa shook her head. "No, Jay, we all did it. We defeated Cronus, together. I wouldn't still be here if it weren't for you all." She continued stroking his forehead and lightly squeezing his hand to her chest. "Oh Jay… I'm so sorry… I-I didn't mean to…" Theresa whimpered.

Jay's smile remained and he shook his head. "Not… Fault…" He breathed back. Theresa didn't know whether to feel relief or more pain from his words.

Jay suddenly wheezed and took a sharp breath in. Theresa gasped and Archie steadied the back of his neck. "Jay, don't move okay?" Archie said calmly. He could hear the faint rumble of a motor in the distance.

Atlanta looked up to see the shining lights of the Hummer flashing and coming closer in the distance. She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Neil's almost back, Jay!"

Theresa smiled widely. "Yes, okay Jay, just hang on a little longer and we'll…" Her words fell on her lips as Jay slowly shook his head again.

He gazed into her eyes. "He… told me… I could… I could… Make sure… Safe… Everyone… Gave… Me more time..."

Herry and Odie exchanged confused looks. Archie's heart dropped. If he was right about what Jay was talking about then… He knew.

Jay wheezed and chuckled. "I… Told… Him… Bout… You..." He tried to lift his other hand. He wanted to touch her face, to embrace her. It wasn't pain, but numbness he felt, a cool sensation rushed over him like a wave. His strength had finally failed him. "He… Likes you too…" he managed to get out.

Theresa was perplexed. "Jay, who is he?" She shook her head. "Never mind that, Jay just please save your strength…" She pleaded.

"I… He… Proud…" Jay's words were becoming less and less audible. He took another sharp breath in and his smile faded, his body shuddered and his gasped in more air.

The young heroes around leaned in quickly. Theresa panicked. "No, no, Jay, you stay with me!" She cried and squeezed his hand a little harder. "Please Jay…" The tears were now freely falling down her rosy cheeks.

Jay, gazed into Therea's beautiful eyes. He loved her so much. She was so beautiful. So intelligent. Such a strong woman. He loved everything about her, her smile, her laugh, her kindness, her courage. He knew she would be okay.

He made a motion to say something, to say one more thing...

Suddenly Jay's body became completely still. His lips slightly parted, the last air escaped his mouth slowly, quietly. His eyes went dull. His heart gave out.

Thump... Thump… Silence.

xxxxx

I'm so tired of being here…

xxxxx

"No… Jay?" Theresa squeaked, she felt his hand go limp in hers, her face contorted in pain as the tears continued falling. She slowly, shakily, wrapped her arm around the back of Jay's neck and lifted him off Archie's lap. She cradled the back of his head. "Jay?" She looked into his blank eyes. The light that usually reflected back to her was gone. "Jay!" Theresa breathed in and screamed.

xxxxx

These wounds won't seem to heal…

xxxxx

Atlanta made a noise and her own tears flew from her eyes. She clutched Archie's hand and he held her close to his chest. Archie tried to hold back his sobs as he squeezed Atlanta tightly.

"No," Odie whimpered through tears. He collapsed to his knees and Herry dropped beside him and put his arms around his friend.

Theresa screams turned into sobs. She grasped Jay's body closer to hers and buried her head into his chest, rocking back and forth.

xxxxx

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears…

xxxxx

Theresa inhaled shakily. She raised her head up slowly. She brushed away a stray hair from Jay's forehead. She leaned forward and kissed his lips. The cold skin against hers made her tears seem like fire. She pulled back and clutched him close again.

"I love you Jay…" She whispered. Her sobbing began once more.

xxxxx

You still have… All of me.

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The heroes didn't notice the rain start to fall. They didn't care. They didn't care about the world around them or their victory. They cared only for that moment. They didn't notice the destruction that surrounded them. They didn't notice the fallen branches, the uprooted trees, and the torn up dirt. They didn't notice the wind in the air or the rustling of the bushes. They didn't notice the coldness in the air, or the darkness around them. And they didn't notice the Hummer pull up behind them.

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(Author's note:)

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Thank you guys so much for still supporting me through these years! It's been another zillion months but here was the 'Finale' chapter. I kept re-writing it and leaving it and then editing and editing and I wanted to make it how I envisioned it years ago, and I think I have done that. Teenage me would be proud!

I'm hoping to write a brief final FINAL chapter/epilogue, but you know me… I could be 40 by the time I do that! (No but honestly I will have it done by Spring!)

Thank you all so much.

M,J.