Stand Chapter 1, a class of the titans fanfic

A/n: Song is "Stand" by Rascal Flatts. Please review!

Sweat beads formed on Jay's brow as he gripped his sword tightly, his heart racing, and his mind reminding him that this was it: the last stand against Cronus. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew that he had to make his move.

"Prepare to be defeated, Cronus!" he yelled, and lunged. But the God of Time simply smiled, his stony amber eyes glinting, as though he knew something Jay didn't.

"Jay, no!" Theresa's warning shriek came too late. Cronus' scythe sliced Jay's arm, leaving a trail of blood as Jay slumped to the ground, groaning as pain split his nerves, racking his brain. Explosive lightning seemed to strike him inside again and again.

Footsteps resounded on pavement as his friends rushed towards him, and he felt himself being moved so that his head rested on Theresa's lap. He squinted up at six worried pairs of eyes; one a deep forest green, one a dark hazel, a pair of dark blue ones, two pairs of dark brown, and one a deep blue. Theresa, Atlanta, Archie, Herry, Odie and Neil; his friends here to help him and try to make the pain go away. Yet Jay felt alone, as though none of them could understand.

"I've failed," he faltered. A single tear caressed his cheek, although from whom he didn't know. When another crawled down it, he realized it was him.

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright
You'll be alright

"You haven't failed, Jay," Atlanta protested. She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Cronus is still around here somewhere. You can still get him."

"You have to get up!" Theresa said firmly. "You can't let Cronus kill you."

"Inside or out," Archie added, and the others all nodded.

"Jay, you're our leader," Herry stated reasonably. "Who better to teach us what getting back up on our feet really means?"

He stared at all the hopeful faces, so full of love and admiration for him. Even Neil looked concerned, and he knew that he wanted to defeat Cronus just as badly as he wanted to go home and shower. Odie had stopped taping at his computer, and was busy trying to bandage his arm. Atlanta and Archie were giving him their puppy dog looks, and Herry was standing guard as the teens tried to help their fallen friend. Theresa was deep in thought, a light blue glow about her as she focussed her energy into discovering Cronus' whereabouts.

He couldn't let them down.

He struggled to his feet, arousing Theresa from her concentration. The others all stopped what they were doing and smiled at one another.

"Lead us on, Jay," Odie declared, exchanging grins with his brawny friend as they followed Jay towards Herry's truck.

"Where is he, Theresa?" he inquired. The red head smirked. "Where he thought nobody could find him," she answered.

The custom truck screeched into the parking lot of the beach, and the seven teens hopped out, heading towards the rental store to get a boat. Within minutes they were motoring out towards a secluded island. Stormy winds picked up, and Jay felt them buffeting his face, sending his light brown bangs to slap against the sail as he steered them. Theresa and Atlanta were busy making sure their weapons were ready, and Odie was trying not to get sick, while Archie closed his eyes and tried to meditate and forget about the water, as Theresa had taught him.

"There's Cronus!" Herry cried, pointing to a rocky outcrop of the isle. Jay got them as close to it as possible, and then he brought the boat to the nearby beach, deserting it and rushing to help his friends.

Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

But as he approached them, he heard the telltale signs of trouble: silence. He leaped behind a bush and peered around it to see that his friends lay gagged and tied in a clearing, and Cronus stood over them.

"You foolish mortals, you thought you could win," he was saying. "Well, I think the sharks will enjoy a meal." He indicated the cliff, where below, steel gray fins protruded from the waves. "They haven't eaten for a while." He chuckled.

Jay's eyes widened with horror, and anger rose within him. "Over my dead body," he snapped, stepping out were they could see him. His friends started to shake their heads vigorously, begging him to stay away. Cronus grinned.

"You stepped right into the trap, my boy," he said. His giant minions stepped from around a large pile of rocks, where they had been concealed. They advanced towards him, arms outstretched to grab him. He dodged and rushed Cronus, sword drawn, anger fuelling him to keep going. "Let them go!"

Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand,
Yeah then you stand.

Cronus seemed surprised, and he yelped as Jay cut his arm, drawing blood. Before he could react, Jay had ran to his friends and cut their bonds, and soon seven heroes stood together once more. At least, almost all. Cronus grinned, and sent a spurt of power to engulf Theresa, whose ropes had yet to be undone. He used them to transport her over to the edge of the cliff, where she hovered.

"Jay!" Atlanta cried. "Theresa!" He turned, and nearly fainted in horror. The others turned and gasped at their helpless friend, whose big green eyes were wide with anger and fear.

"So, what are you going to do, young heroes?" Cronus spat. "Make your choice: capture me, or save your friend?"

Jay turned with his sword at the ready. "Both." He struck at Cronus, only to have Cronus' sickle blast him away. He landed on the rocky cliff near where Theresa was suspended. Breath knocked out of him, he could hear the god's chuckle of victory.

"Point for me," he laughed. But Jay wasn't about to give up. He scrambled to his feet at the moment that Cronus let Theresa go, sending her falling towards the ocean. Jay was ready to be a hero; Jay was ready to defeat Cronus and send him to Tarturus where he belonged, but even more so Jay was ready to stay true to himself and save his team member and friend. He leaped towards Theresa, catching her arm just as she fell past him. He nearly staggered over the cliff from her weight, but Herry picked him up and helped him drag her to safety. They quickly cut her bonds, and she dusted herself off and smiled gratefully at them.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Ooohhh

Jay sighed and whirled around to see that Cronus had made his escape. "He's gone!" he cried despairingly. Archie patted his arm consolingly.

"We're a team, Jay. We'll find him again eventually." Jay nodded; he knew Archie was right.

Later on that day, Jay sat alone on the roof of the brownstone, thinking about what he had done wrong that day: he had almost let Theresa die; he had let them get captured in the first place…

"Jay?" He turned to see Theresa walking hesitantly towards him. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head. "You nearly got killed today."

"So?"

"It was my fault, Theresa. If…"

"It doesn't matter, Jay. Who cares how many times you fall down, as long as you get back up again? You can blame yourself forever, Jay, but it doesn't change the fact that you're a hero. Because when you find yourself in a difficult situation, you never give up. That's what makes you our leader. So stop worrying, okay?" She sat beside him, and squeezed his hand tightly.

He smiled gently. "Thanks, Theresa."

She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. "No. Thank you, Jay."

She stood up, leaned down quickly to give him a kiss on the cheek, and then she hurried away, leaving Jay to stand and look up at the twinkling stars, feeling stronger than ever. Inside and out.