"What's special about Neil?!" Aphrodite gawked at the pair of teenagers sitting in one of her lounges from her reflection. Of which, stemmed from Neil's handheld mirror as the immortal being inspected its usefulness. "Why, he's a direct descendant of Narcissus!"
"Who's Narcissus?" Theresa narrowed her eyes, but gladly took a glass of lemonade from one of the nymphs which was carrying around a tray of it. Though, with all his family-related expertise, Jay gained a disappointed frown.
"Oh a lovely boy, just like Neil." The Goddess of love perched on her raised, seashell seating as she began the tale of the ancient, uh, hero. "And then one day he saw his own reflection in a pool of water and fell in love. And from that moment on he couldn't leave his own side." At that point Aphrodite stood up and walked down, ever so graciously, from her seat to return the mirror to the teens.
"Which would explain the mirror, the modeling..." Jay tacked on.
"So we've pinned out hopes on a hero who's chief virtue is that he's in love with himself?!" Theresa sent a reproachful look at her leader, who could only shrug in return.
"Well who can blame him? I'd kill to have cheekbones as good-looking as his " The Goddess of love, who by the by is the epitome of beauty, seemed to have forgotten herself. "Oh wait! I do!" Well that was until she gazed at herself once again in Neil's mirror and rediscovered her own narcissism with aloof laughter.
Theresa, who at this point was fed up with the talk of beauty and reflections, went to take the mirror back from the distracted Aphrodite when a nauseating bout of psychic energy assaulted her. Showing her a hallucination, if you will, of Cronus's penthouse. But not much else. And, it took her a few moments to regain her senses again before she mustered the courage to 'tune in' to the mirror again. This time, she saw Neil and Cronus conversing near the built-in pool.
"Jay! I know where he is!" Theresa gasped, as though resurfacing from underwater.
"You do?!" Jay exclaimed before beaming a thousand-watt smile at the girl, "The Oracle said you had the power to find him. Can you lead us there?" Theresa may have become slightly flustered, but was quick to regain her cool and affirm her confidence in her new-found skills with a determined quirk of her brows.
"Absolutely."
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"Come with me, Neil. I have something that I think will interest you." Cronus cooed at the unsuspecting, but also naturally frivolous anyways, teenager. So it was really unsurprising to see Neil tagging alongside the crazed God. The situation was far more underwhelming when the God gestured to a separate hot tub near the pool, and Neil practically drooled at his own assumptions of what this all could mean.
"A pool shoot?! Awesome!" Really, it was if the boy was descended from Narcissus himself or something. "I always look good in a swimsuit."
"Look good?" Cronus played into the kid's theory. "You'll be positively mesmerizing." And with a display of magic that had the hot tub water swirling and whirling before becoming this transfixing mirror. With glitter and sparkles on the edges, of course. "See for yourself." Nonetheless, all this went over the young model's head as his metallic grey eyes alighted on his own reflection in the water. And what did could he, a young and impressionable teenager, do but fall under the spell with a content smile. "There. That'll keep the fool busy for a while." Cronus sneered, embodying the 'worn out parent' attitude.
"Narcissus? A hero?" Cronus chuckled to himself as he made his way back indoors, gazing at the dumbstruck Neil who sat so still at the tub's edge. "The Gods must be crazy."
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Meanwhile, down in the chaotic streets filled with excitable doomsday preppers and the like, Jay and the rest of the teen hero squad were making their way downtown. Walking fast enough to rival even the best pro-shoppers when a mega sale is going on.
"You sure this is the place?" Jay asked Theresa, reluctant to break into a building that may or may not belong to their enemy. He was a hero now after all, and heroes tend not to break laws if they could help it.
"Yes. They're on the roof." Up above, the visage of the obscenely rich apartment building with the asteroid remnants in the sky above it was enough to send chills down their spines. But they have faced enraged Giants in hand-to-hand combat, a spooky-looking penthouse ain't enough to scare them off right?
Well apparently not, as next thing you know, the teens were walking through a set of automatic doors. Jay at the head, with his sword drawn and totally not freaked out, marched in as the rest of his weaponless friends trailed in behind him.
"Wow." Theresa whispered. Walking towards the glass windows that showcased the enamored Neil at the hot tub. Head in hands, gazing dumbly into the water. "This guy can't get enough of himself. And I fail to see that attraction." Burn
"How so, Theresa?" The startling voice of Cronus rumbled from behind them. "He attracted all of you, didn't he?" The teens heads' jerking backwards to see Cronus standing like a serial killer a few feet from them. And since one wasn't good enough, the God had two golden scythes in his hands. But the kind that have only a foot long handle since nobody, not even a God who summons them out of thin air, has time to deal with the excess length. And also the kind that have the blades retract back into the handle like a pocket knife, because when you are a serial killer you need to have the ease of sliding them into your pockets before you head out onto the streets.
"There are only six of you, Jay." Cronus pulled a choreographed stunt with the scythes, framing his wide red eyes and pearly white teeth. Looking like some reincarnated pharaoh holding the two scepters to his chest. "The odds are still in my favor " The God snarled at the young heroes who faced him bravely. Thus, enacting one of the first, direct fights the teenagers would ever have against a God.
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The Great Eight (Temporary Hiatus)
FanfictionA fanfiction based on the 2005, animated, television show called " Class of the Titans." Where I, the all-powerful author, create another hero of prophecy to input into the show to enhance the hero lives, and love lives, of the existing characters. ...
