Heroes Crusade: End of All Hope

Most characters kidnapped from: Class of the Titans

The rest are here from: My own mind and other places as will be noted in the future

Disclaimer: I don't own Class of the Titans

Warning: Blood, Disturbing Scenes, Character Death, Crude Humor, Suggestive Scenes, Mild use of Alcohol, Mild Language, (Hopefully) Mind-Blowing Plot Twists. Dramatic scenes may prove a choking hazard to avid readers. Keep out of reach of copy-cats.

Authors Note: This story here is my pride and joy. I've been planning it for a long time now, and I've tried to make as "Wow! No way!" as possible. I'm also going to kill myself keeping the characters in character and still move the plot along, and keep it interesting.

This first part can be from any character of the main sevens' point of view (POV). So sit back, and I hope you enjoy it!

Story Notes:

"Talking"

Thinking

//Phones/ walkie-talkies/ pmr's/ earpieces basically just mechanical devices//

-Thought speech-

00oo00oo scene/time/POV change

". . ." separation from story and authors notes

I will begin with this confession: whatever I have done in the course of my life, whether it be good or evil, has been done freely; I am a free agent.
-Giacomo Casanova

The Beginning

"I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, because I'm not to sure if my story is true or not. I suggest you keep your mind open and hold your comments to yourself, because you'll find out what happens soon enough, and your opinion won't change anything. It is a long story, so I suggest you have something to drink, but no food. I don't want you to throw up halfway through and ruin the tension.

We did what we could in the situations I'm going to tell you about, sometimes what we did right was wrong and what we did wrong was right. So a lot of the time we messed up when we succeeded and succeeded when we messed up. Not all of our decisions were great, and there are a lot that I'm not very proud of, but they helped us come to the final act and so maybe everything we did was right, even when it was wrong. I don't know, I'm just proposing the thought.

Could I have had better friends for this whole episode? No, I don't think so. It was their action and thoughts that saved our lives, even if it meant they'd lose their own. Not one person could have achieved what we did on their own; it had to be a group effort.

Were we helpful and tightly-knit the whole time? If we were, I'd know that the whole battle wasn't real. We had our quarrels, our spells of 'who's in' and 'who's out' of the know-how. We had our secrets, we had our loses, we had betrayals and shifts in power. Like I've said, not everything went right for us, but then again, by going wrong maybe it was right?

I do think we've all matured far beyond our years, maybe more than any mortal. Yet all our changes might not have been for the better. It's so hard to trust, to laugh, to relax. I finally understood the whole pressure of looking after the world and knowing we were the only ones in the way of utter destruction.

No, I don't think we were ever truly on our own. Whether in spirit or in flesh, there was always at least one ally with us. In fact, most of the time the world was with us. Our enemies were fierce, and lots of blood was spilled and we lost many people whom we should have- could have- saved. Many of the spilled blood and bodies weren't just humans; I slit the throats of traitors and laid the final blows on the beasts who were against us. Their faces and voices still follow me in sleep and awareness, and for that I think I'm glad. It helps you remain as close to human as you can when you have those nightmares.

Oh, it's not that we think of ourselves as better, or a stronger breed of humans. That would be foolish. We just know more, we've seen more, we've felt more. I guess it's easiest to say we're a more experienced group of humans.

Sorry to keep rambling on, I guess memories just have a way of captivating you, don't they? Now, once again I will repeat, I want your minds cleared and your ears attentive. You may not like what I have to say, or you may like it too much, but I swear every bit of this story is true and once again, your opinions won't change the fact that it has already happened.

Many parts will seem too fantastic to believe and others may seem like it is a classic fairytale, and it is neither. The truth is all I have to give to you, and so let me tell you everything that had already happened to us.

You see, deep beneath the earth or high above it, or on a different plane than us, there is a place called Tartarus. In Tartarus is the darkest prison to exist, and one of the prisoners there was a Titan. He freed himself from that place on a New Years Eve like many others, freezing time just long enough to slip out unnoticed. But it was noticed- by those chosen to defeat him.

Seven young, hormonal, talented, good-natured, good-looking, immature and altogether socially inadequate, teenagers. When I say we had bad social skills, I mean horrendously bad. None of us had ever had a truly good friend our entire lives- because we were so good-doing, righteous and firm in our beliefs, we could do no wrong. So we grew up rather isolated, involving ourselves in many means of escape. Modeling, hunting, karate, sailing, body-building, reading and fighting or gizmo's and gadgets were the most obvious. When we first met we were a sorry group indeed.

Now, back on track, we were the seven chosen to save the world from this Titan, who called himself Cronus. It was the Greek gods themselves that brought us to the City of New Olympia and from there through a portal that would take us to Mt. Olympus. They trained us, had us live together in a small little Brownstone house of fond memories and lots of laughter.

It was the first time I'd gotten along so well with a person, more than one actually because there were six others. We went on lots of crazy missions, had great times together and banded together into an inseparable force. I've never been closer to anyone, even my family I'm afraid to say.

Now, like I said, it's not like we were perfect. We had a lot of fights and arguments, mostly over stupid things, but in the end we came back together for the greater good.

So, anyways, there we were. Seven children against millennia's of cruelty and evil. We were the only ones who could stop him because we were the chosen descendants of seven of Greece's greatest heroes: Jason, Theseus, Hercules, Narcissus, Atalanta, Achilles and Odysseus. I think we'd all been preparing for this battle, unconsciously of course, but we were so prepared for it, and we adapted so easily. It was simply amazing.

Now, this little battle started off as such. Little. We hardly had to fight, and when we did, it took only a day to defeat the newest monster Cronus had unleashed upon the city. But as time wore one (actually, over the course of a year we had roughly about twenty-some missions) our tasks were becoming harder, more deadly, more time-consuming and a lot closer to home. You see, while we were sitting on our little bums at the Brownstone, Cronus was doing everything in his power to track us down.

Eventually it came to the point where we always had to watch our backs. People we went to school with had suddenly turned out to be our enemies, and even strangers tried to attack us in the name of Cronus. It wasn't safe to be outside anymore, it wasn't safe anywhere anymore.

So there, that brings us up to date on how this whole story started. Allow me to tell it to you now, from the beginning."

The city stood like monument to humanities achievements. Towering higher and higher until the tops of the buildings brushed the skies and they had to move the stars to make more room. People were blind. They didn't even realize the clicking and shuffling of a second, third, fourth pair of feet; supernatural creatures, only a select few took the time to notice. Even though it was early in the morn, horns sounded, the ruckus of many voices speaking sounded through the stone labyrinth. Many persons unfortunate enough to have to walk were carrying umbrellas with them; light raincoats to shield them and their briefcases, clutched tightly against their breast for security and protection from the outside.

A man wandered up to a newspaper stand. With the taste of coffee still strong on his lips and the reek of cigars stronger still on his clothes, bloodshot eyes ran over the various articles. Teenaged troubles, advertisements, and very little actually truth were subject to his gaze, before he selected one. In a lazy manor, he slapped the payment down on the counter, as he glanced at his purchase, one look causing him to laugh. The headline ran:

"A connection between the gangs and the monster attacks! What'll they come up with next?" he was still laughing to himself as he trotted away, leaving the clerk skimming over the headlines again.

The man made his way through the streets, pushing and shoving and ducking under umbrellas. Annoyed, he pushes another faceless person aside with a grunt, freeing up some room for himself. He ducked into an alleyway before the space around him filled again. Now that he was out, he made good time getting and back towards his apartment. Just as he was passing the high school, where all those stupid teenagers got their education, he heard something akin to a loud clang. Curiously, he wondered if some kids were vandalizing the place. About to cross the street to get a better look, the man was given the shock of his life when the roof opened and a large, yellow-grey jet rose up and out, and with a strong gust of wind, shot into the clouds and disappeared from view.

Too astonished to speak, the man didn't bother retrieving his toupee from the gutter.

"They sure as hell didn't have that when I went to school!"

00oo00oo

//How's it looking guys?// Jay pressed a finger to his ear, pretending to be playing with the gold loop in his ear he'd received a few weeks ago, when he was actually re-adjusting the minute earpiece to get a better reception over the din of voices.

//Clear so far, I think Cronus is going to let us have some time to relax today// Odie informed him. The young man was sitting calmly in the receptions area, playing the part of the greeting committee and just doing some work on his lap top. Work, that, for once only involved keeping track of his friends and making sure all of them stayed in one piece.

//Well, that means that we'll be fighting harder later. We can't let our guard down, that siren that almost got Herry yesterday will probably be back for more blood// Jay replied with a sigh. For a moment he thought about contacting Herry just to see how the big guy was faring after that nasty slash he'd gotten last night, but then felt eyes on him and knew he shouldn't try to contact anyone for the moment.

//Roger that, Cap'in// he heard Neil reply, after a moment he also heard a reply from Atlanta and a bit of an embarrassed grunt from Herry. They seemed to all be fine, but Jay still felt the eyes on him, and he hated that feeling.

It was worse than getting sick in the summer and being confined to bed all day, or having the clouds move in on the day you were finally going to go out sailing. Jay shivered and decided to do something against his stalker.

Jay maneuvered through the crowd and gingerly picked up a newspaper from the stand. A hand fell on his and sprang back in surprise. Jay looked up and came face-to-face with a fair-skinned, black-eyed, blonde-haired, tall, athletic girl. She smiled apologetically at him,

"So'y" she said, a distinct accent flooding her words, "Ah am jus' so new t' ev'ry'sing 'ere, so ve'y confusing." She blinked at him from under thick eyelashes.

Jay smiled, a convincing smile that would warm the hearts of any person, "No problem. Are you visiting here?"

She nodded meekly, almost completely unfazed by his kindness, "Yes, b'aut, I s'ink Ah 'ave gott'en off at 'da wrong stop."

"Oh, anything I can do to help?" Jay asked. He couldn't just leave this poor woman wandering around and not knowing what she was doing or where she was going.

"V'ell… eef y'o could 'elp me vi'z finding my te'minal, dat vould be vonderful," she blushed slightly, not enjoying having to take him out of his schedule.

"Alright then, I'll do my best to help. Where's your boarding ticket?" Jay asked, briefly checking the time. Archie and Theresa would be arriving in a few minutes. He had time, and besides, she was very pretty.

"Oh dea'! I 'ave not gotten 'von yet! Ah am so so'y!" She exclaimed. Jay chuckled and calmly rested a hand on her shoulder, sliding it slowly down her arm. He didn't miss the brief smirk that flashed across her too-perfect features.

"It's okay, let's go get your boarding tickets and from there I'll get you on that flight."

"Oh s'ank you, s'ank you!" she nodded, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Jay felt himself blush. Quick as lightning, she grabbed his hand tightly and led him to the front desks.

Guys Jay fingered the golden hoop again as he was pulled along //I've got a harpy. We're headed to the front desks, keep on guard//

00oo00oo

Odie furrowed his brow. Jay had 'accidentally' bumped into a harpy. That meant Cronus planning on having something happen here. At an airport of all places, where security was insanely tight and every little action could be watched? It meant that if they were drawn into an open battle, the police would be able to get their descriptions very easily. He glanced around, surveying all of the cameras in the room. Too many to really count, but enough to get most, if not all, angles and watch everyone. The thought crossed his mind that he might be able to find if Cronus was in the building if he hacked into the system, but if anyone, the terminal staff would find a hacker and they'd stop him immediately.

Odie looked up as he heard a sharp ding overhead.

"Flight 209 from London, England, has landed. Passengers will be disembarking shortly"

Good, they were right on time.

Everyone catch that? The plane landed. If Cronus wants to cause some trouble he'd better act now Odie grinned as he spoke.

He went to fold up his laptop, preparing to meet Archie and Theresa as they landed, and grinning like he'd won the lottery. There was a distinct skip in his step as he thought over all the worry this mission had brought, but everything had gone according to plan, everything was going to go smoothly and they weren't going to be fighting for their lives (again) and… no. No way!

Odie slowed to a stop as he saw the man in black, sitting on a chair near the entrance where the passengers entered. He could've passed as a father, or older uncle, waiting to pick up his relatives and spirit them away to create warm, fond memories. Yet the smile on his face was not sincere enough to pass as joy and elation, no, it was bloodlust and malice. Poppy-red eyes captured small brown ones and the man in black smiled cunningly.

Odie instinctively opened his mouth as his hand reached for his ear to contact the others, but Cronus's smirk didn't fade. 'Go on' the Titan mouthed, eyes gleaming with anticipation and the quiet tapping of his foot signaled his impatience. With a gulp, Odie finished his movement to his head and brushed back some non-existent hairs from over his ear, not touching the earpiece, and dropped his arm to his side. He set his lips in a thin line and strode forwards and sat down beside his arch nemesis.

"So you're all here to greet your friends?" Cronus said calmly. Odie smiled inwardly at the slightest hint of confusion in Cronus's voice, his move hadn't been thought of in the Titan's planning.

"Yeah, we can't wait to get them back; it's been lonely without them," Odie replied, just as calmly. He was careful on what he said, knowing all too well Cronus could turn and lash out at him with a scythe at any given moment. If it came to that, Odie only hoped his friends would be able to reach him in time.

"I would think so. Still, I would have thought more friends would show up to greet them, I know everyone I asked arrived," Cronus neatly folded his hands in his lap, surveying the scene with a bored look. His ancient eyes crinkled up as his sneer widened, and the tapping of his foot increased. Odie noticed the slight twitch in his hands- he was anxious. He was ready to strike at any second.

Odie allowed himself to look over the crowds. A man sitting across the isle in a comfortable tan suit, reading a paper all by himself looked over the top and smirked at him. Two laughing women by the water fountain, voices like water gurgling down a stream, cast a spiteful glance in his direction with sharp-fanged snarls. A young teen sitting outside the bathroom coughed loudly, covering up the faint word 'trapped'.

As the stewardess passed by, to open the doors so that the passengers from the plane could get off, she stopped in front of them. Briefly Odie wondered how it looked, a rather tall, pale man in black and a small, dark-skinned boy sitting together having what looked like a comfortable chat. Then, she flashed Odie a dark smile with brilliantly white teeth and went to open the door.

Mentally, Odie kicked himself.

"Well, we brought all we could and I bet they'll be happy to see us," the descendant hero said slowly.

There was a stretch of silence between them, each waiting for the passengers to come, for entirely opposite reasons. Odie could hear a consistent tick of a non-existent clock in his ear. It was like a spy movie where you had to cut the red wire- or was it the green wire? - before time ran out and the world was destroyed. Now, he had those scissors somewhere, he had to find them, and also discover the weakest point in this wire, if it was the right one.

"It seems that other matters have come to my attention, Small One, we will have to meet again when you are my personal attendant," Cronus explained curtly, rising to his feet and lightly dusting himself off as if Odie had left some remnants of something unwanted upon his clothing, "farewell, or, fare badly," and he was off, head held high and hands clasped behind his back.

Odie narrowed his eyes and watched Cronus stroll away.

Red wire, green wire, blue wire, yellow wire? Which one is he? Where is the wire I need to cut? He heard the faint sound of muffled voices and saw the passengers coming off. His eyes darted to the open door, with the stewardess standing stock-still and waiting. There was a flash of sharp metal in her hand and she cast a glance in his direction, giving him a taunting smile. His grip on his laptop tightened.

Green wire?

Among the passengers, he finally spotted the familiar flashes of violet and orange hair. His heartbeat quickened as he saw the stewardess tense up. Archie and Theresa had no idea how bad it had gotten while they were gone, they wouldn't be expecting an attack as they stepped through the door. He only had one chance to save them.

No, red wire

Odie sprang to his feet, the man across from him jumped up to grab him and Odie hurled his laptop as far as he could. The stewardess sprang back a step, but he wasn't really aiming at her. The laptop hit the plexiglass as he ducked under the man's swing.

Screams and shouts, along with familiar curses that Odie had almost no doubt were Archie's, followed as he bellowed a loud order, flicking on his earpiece to make sure everyone heard his order.

//" Run! "//

Archie and Theresa came hurtling through the doorway in record time, along with many panicked travelers, the stewardess tried to lunge at them with her large knife slipping out from under her sleeve, but with their adrenaline already pumping through their bodies, Archie and Theresa reacted lightning-fast. They ducked under her swing and Theresa kicked out and caught the woman in the stomach. The stewardess (which Odie assumed was another harpy in disguise) crumpled to the floor holding her midriff in pain.

Archie was first to reach Odie, and before he even said hello he'd already barreled into the man, throwing both of them to the floor where they continued to thrash and roll. Theresa leapt in and lashed out at the two women, hitting them both in the chest with a fist and a foot.

"Thank you!" Odie cheered.

"You're very welcome, Squirt," Theresa shot back over her shoulder.

Right about this time, among the screaming people who had no real idea of what was going on, Odie heard a shout and something smashing- loudly. Looking up he saw the teenager sprawled under several overturned chairs with Herry, clutching his shoulder painfully, standing nearby. He almost raised his voice to warn Herry about the security guard behind him, ready to use the club in a deadly manner, but a flash of green, tan and red slammed into the false guard in the same fashion Archie had taken the man to the ground seconds earlier. They obviously spent too much time together.

Said purple-haired teen was now helping Theresa finish off the two women who had tried to silence Odie, though Archie didn't look especially happy about hitting women, he looked happy enough being in a real fight. Now that he wasn't exactly dodging blows, Odie looked around for Cronus, but couldn't see him through the running masses.

"Let's go!" Atlanta called, ushering Herry to the front door. Odie gritted his teeth as he saw the tell-tale splash of dark on Herry's shoulder that meant his wound had re-opened. Stupid, stupid ambushing harpy. The small teen decided right then and there that he'd slit that harpy's throat, just for Herry.

Odie, Archie and Theresa quickly caught up with Herry and Atlanta. No one said hello as they pushed their way through the crowds, those greetings had to be saved for later. A loud inhuman yet recognizably female shriek made them all wince as they neared the entrance.

Gasps and shouts of astonishment, as well as screams of panic, came from the ring that had formed around one of the front desks. It parted quickly as a boy, yellow and purple polo shirt spotted with blood, and wielding a stained sword, ran through. The doors were already coming to a stop, real security guards storming in, all with guns or tasers.

"Let's go 'Lan!" Archie called, almost enjoying this mess. Atlanta grinned wolfishly and the two of them dashed forwards, towards the (now locked) revolving glass doors, and threw themselves right through the glass in a big, shattering, spectacular display. The glass sharps flew through the air and refracted the light and right into the eyes of the men ready to shoot them. Jay was first through the gaping holes Archie and Atlanta had left in their wake, the others right on his heels.

Odie briefly remembered hearing an unknown voice shout 'stop' as he ran through the broken doors, before the loud blasts of gunfire consumed his sense of hearing. An extra burst of adrenaline helped him escape the first round of bullets.

A thunderous humming was barely audible over the bullets whizzing through the air, but as it drew closer even the gunfire stopped so the men could watch the massive black and yellow aircraft descend out of the sky. Odie felt a wave of success pass over him at the thought of the cloaking devices he'd spent nights slaving over had worked and no one had detected the hover jet. Hair flew back like kites and Herry unconsciously placed a hand on Odie's shoulder to make sure he didn't go flying away, while the lower flaps opened and a short plank touched the ground. Theresa grinned and waved back at Neil who was in the pilot's seat, in full, good-looking gear too! With much pushing and shoving, they sardine-packed their way into the storage compartment in a matter of seconds as the lucky blonde pulled away into the air, whooping and cheering himself on.

"Well," Jay panted slowly, looking in the general direction Archie and Theresa had been packed into, since with the doors closed it was rather dark, but in the faint light they could still see the grin of a man who was proud of what he'd done, but not trying to show it on his face, all too well, "welcome home."

So there we go, any additions to a character or characterizations are merely how I interpret them, so they might not be the same as you like/are used too, but live with me.

And wow, that was one humdinger of a chapter, no? Anyways, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun writing this, and before I write anything else, I just really hope no one else stumbles onto many of the ideas I have for this first, and if they do I didn't (mean to) copy them, and I bet it goes vice-versa (I hope).

I'm attempting to keep this original, possibly throw in a myth or two into it, and keep characters in character. So if Jay doesn't seem too stuck-up to you, and he's being normal by getting a piercing, too bad! I have my reasons, and you'll just have to find out about them later.

Regardless, feedback would be wonderful and I'll try to update soon!

Now listen up, guys. This chapter was going to be held until I'd finished most, if not all, of the story, but I need some help. You see, comming up I'll need a whole shwak of characters, original, for the war. If you'd like your character to be part of this, then fill out the following questionaire and send it to me via SEND MESSAGE on my PROFILE. NOT IN A REVIEW PLEASE

You must understand though, these are BACKGROUND CHARACTERS, and WILL NOT be very involved with the main seven characters and WILL NOT get any special attention.

For now let's keep it to one character per person, okay?

Please take the time to completely fill out this questionnaire. The better you do the better I can portray your character how you see them. There is no limit to how much you can write, just make sure I can understand your character. None should be any sort of superman, and should be a descendant of an ancient Heronot a godif there are any heroes descended from gods, I will completely ignore them and not use them. If a question does not pertain to your hero, then give me a brief sentence saying 'why'.

Ancestor:

Ancestor's parents (you should be able to find them):

What did their ancestor do to become a hero?:

What traits (strengths and flaws) has your hero received from their ancestor?:

What is your hero's name?:

Boy/Girl?:

Physical Description (answer the questions that follow. If it does not apply to your character do not answer it. Be as thorough as you can so I can get a good grasp of your character):

Skin tone-

Nationality-

Eyes-

Hair-

Height (not exact height. Small, average, tall, extra tall)-

Body Type (heavy, slim, skinny, a tad of belly fat, etc.)-

Distinctive markings? (Tattoo's, scars, birthmarks)-

Character quirks (accents, plays with hair when nervous, has a lisp, anything a little quirky. Please not 'she is hyper all the time' or 'he likes to brood by himself over his parent's death' make it original, these are supposed to be real people)-

Personality (how they generally act on a day-to-day basis):

Relationship interest (single, in a relationship, or not looking; before the war):

Relationship type (flirty, soul-mate, doesn't believe in marriage, waiting for marriage, etc):

Do other characters, overall, find your character attractive? Physically or for what's inside? (Sexy, good-looking, pleasant, 'ify', irritating, unpleasant, or hideous):

How does your character view themselves, in regards to the previous question?:

Religion (I will not be insulting/degrading any religion as all are free to their own minds and choices):

Weapons of choice (or maybe they cook, rather than fight, or clean. If so, please say that and then when they prefer to do in those situations. Also remember their weapon of choice should somewhat relate to their ancestor):

Battle Strategy (are they aggressive and in-your-face like Atlanta, or maybe they hang back a little like Odie, waiting for the moment to strike. Remember what weapon they use and how this will affect their fighting)

Likes (short but sweet, please):

Dislikes (fears, phobias, general dislikes. Short but sweet)

Flaws (there should be a fairly good list- like they are quick to anger, or maybe they can be very lazy, or not good at taking orders):

Strength (should have a few, but don't make your character 'perfect'. Their flaws, unless they're more of an antagonist, shouldn't outweigh their strengths, most of the time):

Brief History (What kind of childhood, briefly, and how that has made your character who they are today):

Does your character not like any of the actual characters from the show? (Think broadly, from every villain, ally, god and hero that has been on the show. They may or may not show up but it would be good to know if your character does not like them. Please note you should have at least one name, Cronus, here, even if your character has never met the character they do not like, list the character):

Do I have permission to kill your character? (If no, please tell me how far I may injure your character. If they cannot be harmed, I will not use them. This is war, there will be bumps and scrapes):

Do I have permission to have your character insulted? (This would mean one character not liking your character or having personality issues with your character, making them opposite forces. This will not be character bashing of any sort):

Do I have permission to involve your character in a relationship with another Original Hero? (This is to add an element of reality in to the story, as many teenagers cramped into a small unit, and with so many hormones it is extremely likely for most to become involved in some sort of relationship):

Do I have permission to possibly make your character betray the other heroes and join an opposing army?:

Your Username so I can credit you/alert you if your character has appeared in a chapter:

If you took the time to help me out, I really, really appreciate it!

Demenior