Well, this is the final chapter. Thanks to all the reviewers, you were awesome. c:
Archie and Atlanta walked back towards the rest of their group.
"I'm coming with you!" Atlanta exclaimed proudly. Jay stared at the two of them, frowning.
"Archie, I thought I told you we were making her stay." He complained.
"I know, I tried to get her to, but she wouldn't listen! You know how stubborn she is!" Archie retorted. Jay sighed.
"Alright fine… But what are we gonna do about telling them apart?" Theresa smiled.
"I think I have an idea… Archie give her your hoodie."
"What? Why? How is that going to help?"
"Simple. Your copy won't be wearing it, plus it will keep her warm. Which in her condition is probably a good idea. And if we run into Thanatos the hood will conceal her hair." She explained. Archie raised an eyebrow.
"Wow. That's actually a surprisingly good idea. Especially coming from you." He then removed the blue jersey and handed it to the girl next to him. She slipped on the item of clothing, and stretched her arms through it. The hoodie was noticeably large on her, her fingers only just poking out the ends. "Jesus Archie this thing is massive." He just laughed at her.
"No you're just short." She poked her tongue out at him. Jay coughed loudly.
"If you two are done? We have a mission to attend to." He was already walking out the door of the centaur's office. The rest of the team quickly walked after him, the drastic nature of their situation dawning on them.
Herry's truck pulled up in front of a small forest on the far side of town. The tracker on Odie's PMR had traced Atlanta's double to this location. Sadly the forest was too dense for the vehicle to pass through, so much to Neil's dismay, they were forced to travel on foot. After clambering out of the truck, Jay quickly went about giving the team orders. "Alright, we need to track her down as quick as possible. If she gets to Cronus before we do it is all over." Atlanta quickly began scanning the woodland for any sign of her twin. A faint flash of red in the distance caught her eye.
"Found her!" She cried, before speeding off after it. The rest of the team's heads all shit around, having forgotten how spontaneous the girl was after a week without her.
"Atlanta! Wait up!" Archie yelled as he ran after her, soon followed by the remainder of his friends.
Atlanta skidded to a halt as she entered a large clearing. Standing directly in the centre was the very person she was hunting. She had her back turned, but Atlanta could tell the other girl knew she was there. "You…" She hissed. "You're the one who's made my past week a living hell!" With immense amounts of speed she raced towards her opponent. Before the girl could even blink, a small fist had been launched into her face. "You're going to pay for what you put me through!" She yelled.
The sound of footsteps behind her alerted her to the arrival of her friends.
"Atlanta!" Turning her head around she could see Archie racing towards her, as she was about to lay another blow upon her opponent. But as her attention was diverted the girl kicked Atlanta in the stomach, knocking her back a few steps. "I don't need your guys help, I can handle this myself!" She cried, stabling herself. It wasn't long before Archie was standing at her side.
"No way I'm letting you fight her on your own. You're not the only one who wants to kick her ass." He remarked, and Atlanta couldn't help but smile a little.
"Alright… Fine."
The team of heroes had quickly surrounded Atlanta's double. "Give up, you're outnumbered." Jay ordered, pointing his sword at her.
"Jay, I wouldn't be so sure about that…" A voice from behind them caused them to immediately turn around in shock. Standing before them was a man they knew all too well. Behind him stood three large giants, one of them the team immediately recognised as the infamous Agnon.
"Cronus…" The leader hissed, redirecting his weapon.
"Ah, Atlanta. I see you decided to join us as well." The said girl narrowed her eyes at him. "You know I have a friend of mine who will be very happy to see you. He should be here any minute now…" The man said sinisterly. The young girl's eyes immediately shot open, realising what he meant.
"Thanatos…" She whispered.
"Alright. Archie you take the twin, I'll deal with Cronus. Everyone else, take out the giants." Jay directed, making sure his voice was low enough to not be heard by their opponents.
"What!? Why don't I get to-" Atlanta immediately stopped arguing as she saw the look he gave her. "Okay. Giants are good…" The team quickly split up into their separate groups.
Herry quickly managed to leap on top of his giant. He had wrapped his arms around its neck, strangling it. The creature was flailing its arms around in a wild attempt to remove the boy from his back. Odie and Neil were attempting to taser their giant, while racing around trying to dodge its blows. Atlanta was running circles around her giant, distracting it while Theresa attacked it. The older of the girls had noticed however that her friend was running much slower than usual. It was still incredibly fast by human standards, but not for her. She launched her foot into the giant's face, causing him to plummet to the ground in a heap. He was out cold. "Atlanta, hey. Are you feeling alright?"
"Theresa I'm fine. I wish you'd all just stop worrying about me!" She complained.
"Okay, okay. If you're sure…" Still, she couldn't help but fear for the young girl. She could only hope that the girl was telling the truth, and not trying to sound tough.
Archie meanwhile was having slightly more trouble battling his opponent. She was better at fighting than he had expected, but Cronus obviously hadn't given her Atlanta's speed. Only that wasn't the problem. Fighting he could handle. But fighting someone who looked identical to his own girlfriend? Not so much. He had originally thought he would be happy to fight the double, considering what it put the real Atlanta through. But when it actually came to fighting her, he just couldn't do it. He knew she wasn't really Atlanta. But he just couldn't do it. So instead he found himself attempting to dodge all of the girl's blows.
Jay and Cronus however were somewhat more evenly matched. Every swipe Jay could aim at the man was counter by a scythe, and vice versa. The problem was, Jay was getting tired. Cronus wasn't.
The boy launched his sword towards his opponent's stomach. But it was easily dodged. Before Jay could even blink, the older man's golden scythe was hooked onto his waist, and he was being flung through the air. He hit the ground with a large thud, the wind knocked right out of him. Grinning darkly, Cronus approached the boy. His scythe was raised, ready to lay the final blow. But before he could, a flying foot knocked it square out of his hand. The force of the kick caused him to flinch back, wincing at the pain in his hands. The villain turned his head to identify the offender. It was none other than the red head he'd had imprisoned for the past week. She was looking rather smug.
A fireball quickly formed in his hand, which soon morphed into a new weapon. The girl began to race off, away from the man. But he was too quick. His weapon caught the back of her new found hoodie. With one swift motion the clothing was ripped down the middle. The yank on it had also pulled the girl wearing it to the ground. She was now in a similar position to what her leader had been in a few minutes ago. And again, one of her friends came to her aid. This time it was the team's other red haired girl.
But unfortunately for her, she was not fast enough. Cronus saw her coming, and effortlessly blasted her out of the way, knocking her out cold. "Theresa!" She heard her leader cry in the background. He was only now getting to his feet.
But this distraction gave Atlanta just enough time to get out of the way of Cronus' wrath. Leaving the hoodie on the ground, she was now left in her normal attire of cargo pants and a t-shirt.
"Wow Cronus. You ruined my hoodie! I'm so scared." She taunted sarcastically. "I think you're losing your touch." The old man grinned.
"Oh but Atlanta. I wasn't aiming at you in the first place…" The girl was confused. What does he mean by-
Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud, demonic screech coming from behind her. "Oh look Atlanta. That friend of yours I invited is finally here. A bit late though if you ask me." It was then Atlanta realised what he had meant. Without that hoodie, there was no visible difference between her and the doppelganger.
"Well, I best be going then. I think Thanatos will be able to handle things on his own." And with that the man disappeared through a pitch black portal.
"Oh shi-" Before she could even finish her cursing, a bony hand wrapped around her neck, pulling her into the air. She attempted to cry out, only to find her voice box had become extremely restricted by the hand. Instead, she heard someone else cry out her name.
"Atlanta!"
As she was hauled away by the creature she could see it had managed to snatch her double as well. Part of her was pleased that they were finally going to pay for what they had done. The other part was absolutely terrified of what Thanatos was going to do to her.
"Thanatos, stop!" One of her friends cried. It wasn't the same one as before. Their voice was slightly lower. The said 'man' came to a stop in the air.
"I realise young heroes you do not wish to see your friend succumb to death, but I must follow orders."
"And we will let you take the one who has attacked the gods. But one of them is innocent! Let us take her back." It was Jay. That was who the voice belonged to. She could recognise it now.
"I shall allow that. Which one is not the traitor? I shall release her." For a split second Atlanta felt the grip on her neck release, and she began to fall. But then the hand clasped itself around her wrists, hoisting her into the air once more, along with her twin.
She now had a much better view of where she was. Her friends were all standing beneath her. She was also several metres above the ground. Theresa was still unconscious, Herry carrying her limp body in the background.
"Well, that's the problem. We have no way of telling the difference. If you can just wait until my friend over there wakes up…"
"No. I do not have time to wait. You must decide now, or I will simply take them both." Jay sighed, and turned to Archie, who was noticeably anxious about the situation. He nudged the younger boy forward.
"Archie, you're up." He stared at him in shock.
"What!? You want me to try and decide?"
"Well yeah. Without Theresa, you're the one who knows her best. You worked out which one she was before. You can do it again."
"Yeah but then I had a few hours! Not minutes! And how am I supposed to guess when they're both here. If I ask them anything the fake will just copy the real one's answers!" He replied exasperated.
"And what happens if I get it wrong? What if I end up killing my own girlfriend?" Jay placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Just relax. You know Atlanta better than even she probably does. You'll make the right choice." Archie sighed, and then took a step towards the floating skeleton. He looked around, trying to think of how to identify which one was his Atlanta.
"Maybe I could… No that wouldn't work. What about…? No…" He began muttering to himself.
"Uhhg… I dunno? Which one of you is the real Atlanta?"
"I AM!" Both of them cried simultaneously.
"I was afraid of that…" He sighed.
"I suggest you make your mind up quickly, I am growing impatient." Atlanta could see Archie wasn't going to be able to make his mind up any time soon. She would have to prove it herself.
"Archie!" She tried to direct his attention towards her. The boy's head shot up. She quickly began biting at the neck of her shirt. At last she found what she was searching for. Tugging at the thin thread now between her teeth, she pulled out a small pendant from beneath her shirt. His eyes widened as he recognised the object. It was a small circular object, with a smaller circle carved into the centre. There were also a series of black lines around the edges.
"That… That's the pendant I gave you." He stated. Atlanta nodded. A smile broke out onto his face.
The other 'Atlanta' had begun to panic. If she didn't try and think of some way to get out of this, she was going to die. "Um, uh… Look! I have a pendant too?" She pulled out a much larger golden pendant, with an A engraved into it. Archie narrowed his eyes at the girl. Earlier the fake Atlanta had been in possession of the same necklace. This only further cemented his decision.
"Thanatos. The one on the right is innocent. Let her go."
The elderly god nodded, releasing his grasp on the girl. She let out a small cry as she fell through the air. She had expected him to simply place her on the ground, not drop her. But before she collided with the hard ground, a pair of arms connected with her torso, breaking her fall. She looked up to see Archie's face staring down at her.
"Wow. Nice catch." She remarked, smirking.
"You're welcome." His smile then faded slightly. "I can't believe you're still wearing that thing. I gave it to you like six months ago. And you're not really the one to wear jewellery…" She smiled and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck.
"Well you never know when you're going to be attacked by a crazed, blood thirsty were-wolf." Her head then lowered slightly, and her voice faded into a whisper. "Plus it was kinda sweet you saving my life and all… Even though you were scared shitless." She smiled at him again, only this time it was much more sincere.
"Now can you put me down? You know I hate being carried around."
Meanwhile, Thanatos had begun flying away with the doppelganger, who was pleading to let her live. Jay stepped forward.
"Thanatos wait."
"What is it now? I already gave you the girl you wanted? I am not making any more deals with you." He gestured towards Archie and Atlanta, who had
"I know, I know. I just want to talk to her for a few minutes. Then you can do whatever you want with her." Jay explained, his hands raised in defence. Thanatos narrowed his eyes at him.
"Alright…" The girl's eyes widened.
"Why…"
"I want to know who you are. You obviously aren't who you say you are." She looked around for a few seconds, before sighing.
"Alright." Suddenly the body of the girl changed. The small, red haired girl was replaced with a taller woman. The blue shirt and cargo pants replaced with a long toga. She was much older than Atlanta. Not elderly, but more, adult. Thanatos fly upwards slightly in surprise.
"This is not the girl I was asked to find. You all tricked me into releasing the real traitor!" He hissed, glaring at the real Atlanta.
"No!" Archie cried, pulling Atlanta into his arms. He wasn't about to lose her again.
"Wait stop!" The woman Thanatos was carrying cried. "They didn't trick you. I am the traitor you speak of. I am the one who attacked the gods. I was using the form of the young girl the whole time, so that I could infiltrate the gods' headquarters." The skeleton relaxed somewhat, deciding to listen to the woman.
"Who are you?" Atlanta asked, pushing herself out of Archie's grip.
"I am Coronis." The name received nothing but confused looks from the team. Even Jay, the one with the most expansive knowledge of Greek Mythology, was at a loss. "I was the mother of Asclepius. I was in love with Ischys when I was pregnant with him. But the gods found out about my affair, and sent Artemis to kill me. Then they took away my child and killed my father!" She was in tears by the end of her story. "Cronus promised me revenge against the gods. I just had to impersonate the student of the one who killed me all those years ago. It all seemed so perfect!"
Thanatos was growing tired of the woman's tale. "Can I take her to Hades now?" Her eyes widened.
"NO! You can't take me back there PLEASE." She cried. "I'm sorry for everything I did, please!" She stared directly into Atlanta's eyes, pleading. The young girl froze for a second, pondering what to do. Then she stood straight, her mind made up. "No. Because of you I was left to rot in a cave for a week thinking my friends had abandoned me!" She hissed. "Take her away." And with that, the god of death flew away, the sounds of the woman's screams fading into the distance.
"Are you alright?" Archie asked, seeing the solemn look on the young girl's face.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'll- I'll be fine." He stared at her for a second. Something told him she wasn't being as truthful as she seemed. "Oh, I think Theresa's waking up." She quickly changed the subject, seeing her friends gathering around the no longer unconscious form of her friend. The boy followed after her at a slower pace, shaking his head.
"Put me down!" Atlanta complained, trying to squirm free of Archie's grasp. "No." He carried her through the door of her room. "You need sleep! Like Chiron said."
"I don't need sleep! I need to study! I have a geography exam in three days!" She tried to push against his chest, but to no avail.
"You can study tomorrow!" Archie said. He walked over to her bed and dropped her onto it. She landed with a soft 'oomff'. Before she could get up again he quickly pulled the covers up to her neck. He gently began running his hand through her hair, simultaneously forcing her head against the soft pillow. Her eyes began fluttering as she tried to stay awake.
"Go to sleeeep." He whispered.
"I'm not tired… I'm perfectly-" Her mouth opened up into a wide yawn. "-awake." Her eyes then at last closed, unable to resist the warm welcome of a soft bed. Archie smiled, and then placed a quick kiss on her forehead. He was about to exit the girl's room, when a book caught his eye. It was Atlanta's geography text book. Grinning wildly, he picked it up and walked out of the room with it. As he was about to close the door, a loud groan of protest cried out from behind him.
"It's great to have you back Atlanta." He replied before closing the door, book in hand.
Welp, that's the end. I was never really expecting this story to be a very long one. But don't worry, I (probably) won't be taking another years break like last time… I have about three other fan fic ideas mulling around in my head. 2 CotT ones, and another one which is a Green Lantern the Animated series/Portal crossover. I won't go into the GLTAS/Portal one now, if you want more on that there's more info on my tumblr (via my profile). Just chuck 'tagged/Portal' on the end of the url and you should find it.
As for the CotT ones, there's two. One is called 'In Blackest Day', and the other the title is still pending. I'll just call it 'Renegade' for now tho.
Renegade I've had in my head for about the same amount of time as this story. AKA a while. If anyone here is familiar with the Jak and Daxter games (mainly Jak II) it's basically that but with the CotT characters. It's not identical to JaD, just kinda based off of it. There are still some quite major differences. I can't really summarise it for anyone not familiar with the games tho, it's kinda hard without spoiling a lot of major plot twists.
In blackest day I've been thinking about for really only a month or so now. And it is pretty much impossible to summarise. The only thing I can say about it is really, you're all going to HATE me when you read it. God damn some of the shit that goes down in the first chapter is intense. But I'm gonna write it anyway. Cause it's a cool story.
The one I'm probably gonna end up writing first tho is the GLTAS one. That one is the most developed out of all of them; I have a concrete ending and beginning, much more so than any of the others. I just need to iron out some more of the middle bits, and then it should be ready to write. Probably in a few months.