The Great Eight (Temporary Hiatus)

Chaos 101 III

"Okay, Neil. This is the secret entrance where the immortal gods of Olympus live now." Jay explained to the disbelieving model as him and the rest of the crew crowded around the door leading to the portal in the school.

"A janitor's closet?" Neil chortled, looking around wholly unaffected by any of this nonsense, "You guys just won't quit!" Though, instead of responding to the blonde's teasing Jay and the others began to showcase their golden pendants. "Hey cool! I've got a pendant just like that!" Neil pulled his from seemingly out of thin air. Well if the modeling wasn't working out so well, I bet his luck streak would make him a killer magician.

"We all do" The others chimed in with deadpan expressions, though a few were kind enough to send a small smile his way.

"It means you're one of us." Theresa inputted.

"Use it to open the door." Jay instructed, flicking his pendant around his finger before impressively catching it.

"Uh, okay! Here I am using my secret pendant key." Neil's voice heightened in volume as though trying to gather an audience to see the ridiculous ploy the others were pressuring him to do. But, whether he wanted to please his supposed audience or sate his curiosity, Neil pressed his pendant into the conspicuous door lock.

"Huh?" Neil grunted as Jay took him by the shoulder and ushered the teen boy in, not giving him enough time to process the fact that the pendant even worked in the first place. Nevertheless enough time to ogle at the fancy light show that emanated from the lock once the pendant did its thing.

In either case, the others began to file in after the two. Normally, this kind of behavior should be raising red flags to anyone and should not be condoned. Especially after Theresa shut and locked the door behind them, leaving them in shadows and darkness. Really, someone should be helping this poor guy out and getting the heck out of dodge.

Herry settled one of his hands on Neil's back and used the other to reach the chain and activated the glowing portal. Everyone, no matter how many times they've seen it yet, all took the portal in like it was also the first time. The moment was quickly over, though, once Neil opened his mouth with yet another remark.

"Okay. Talk to me."

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The goddess of love sat in her overly large, shell chaise picking at her teeth while referencing her reflection in a gilded hand mirror. Every so often pausing to check her smile or her golden accessories on her head. To make sure they were situated in just the right spots to flatter her gorgeous face further. She abruptly halted the process altogether once her doors popped open with an unexpected surprise.

"Neil! You look wonderful darling!" She gracefully rose from her lounge and beckoned her protégé over with opened arms.

"I know, thanks" Neil stated narcissistically but happily obliged the goddess with equally opened arms as he approached the steps to her dais. And like a lurker, Hera magically appeared next to Jay, watching the beautiful people interact together. Archie was the only one brave enough to send the mother goddess a side-long look.

"Ah, you've found the last hero." the lady stated, "All eight together at last except for Mel and Odie."

"I'll call 'em" Jay volunteered, whipping out his PMR and politely walking some distance away to contact his other two teammates. Theresa, on the other hand, walked towards the two prancing songbirds and intended on returning Neil's custom mirror set.

"Ah here, I think this is yours."

"Hey, I've been looking for that." The second Neil's eyes landed on his belonging, his hands ceased to hold on to Aphrodite's as he made to take the mirror from Theresa. Unfortunately, Neil and Aphrodite had been using each other's combined balance to hold the leaned-back position they were in. So when Neil went for his mirror, the goddess had no time except to let out an uncharacteristic shriek as she fell to the cushioned floor pillows below her. Theresa stood gawking as she sent a wide-eyed look to Jay, who used his PMR as an excuse to leave the situation with a nervous smile. Desperate to move on from the dreaded social ramifications of a scorned goddess of beauty.

"Odie? Any progress on your end?"

"Progress? Yeah Jay, I've been running some more calculations." Odie's sarcasm was palpable as he multi-tasked various technology gizmos. Clicking some buttons here, swiveling left to put a CD into his reader, the works. Mel stood by as moral support, looking over the computer screens foretelling catastrophic weather with darting eyes. "Unless we do something soon, the world is gonna rip apart in less than 24 hours!" Odie took a breath, wanting a momentary distraction from his dire mathematics. "What about Neil? Did you bring him back?"

"Well uh, yes." Jay responded, glancing over to see Neil cooing at his reflection all the while Theresa and some nymphs were attending to a temporarily distraught goddess of love. "But I'm not sure he's the answer we were hoping for. Have a look for yourself " And with a good measured shoulder cringe, the teen leader directed his PMR's screen over to Neil. It was luck as the moment the screen feed came back, Neil's mirror interacted with Aphrodite's chandelier and glared bright light into Odie's and Mel's retinas. Said girl yelped and frantically began shielding and rubbing her eyes as Odie grouched his disapproval.

"Can you tell him that his reflection " until Odie was hit with a stroke of genius, "His reflection! Is brilliant! Jay he is the answer!" Odie beamed as he turned towards Mel, who gave a tentative smile back as she had no clue on what world Odie was living on at the moment. Jay was in much the same boat.

"Huh?' Jay stared at his PMR, horrified.