Heroes Crusade: End of All Hope
Most characters fan-napped 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: Mild language, lots of angst
Authors Note: I know, I know Small's Story just threw everyone off and no one knows what the heck is going on anymore, right? I'm going to try and, hopefully, help you guys out here so pay attention and I'm sorry I have to destroy your minds for this story to work!
Small's Story is another storyline/plot going on at the same time as the events of EoaH, but it moves at a faster pace and makes a lot more sense when it's kept inside EoaH, which is why it's not its own separate story, not to mention it's almost completely AU and none of the characters in Small's Story are characters from CotT, but you can for sure see the similarities and I can tell you that Small's family is the spitting image of our favorite group of seven teens.
Anyways, now we're back to our regularly scheduled angst and I hope to create a broader and more developed world for our Teeroes. Please enjoy!
Story Notes:
"Talking"
Thinking
//Phones/ walkie-talkies/ pmr's/ earpieces/ basically just mechanical devices//
-Thought speech-
00oo00oo scene/time/POV change
Previously:
Jay is stable now, but when Theresa went to visit him, he reacted angrily and completely out-of-character and shouted at her. Not to mention, he had blocks in his mind to keep Theresa out- and Jay has always been open to her and her top supporter. That is something Jay never would have done. Frightened by Jay's strange behavior, Theresa went back to the others, but the tensions between the team mates might be enough to keep them apart. Archie, Atlanta and Odie went off to speak to Jay.
Perfectionism becomes a badge of honor with you playing the part of the suffering hero.
David D. Burns
Time to Heal
He was trained to act from a young age. When his parents screamed at one another, breaking and throwing valuable things at one another, he had to act like he didn't exist. While they were around, Neil had to act like he loved every boyfriend like they were his real father. When his father- and every man after him- walked out the door and never came back, Neil had to act like he hated them. In front of strangers Neil had to act like all was well in his life. And if anyone asked about the occasional bruises on himself Neil had to work his charm and use his skills to make everyone believe his charade was real.
Posing, adopting a look or attitude in front of a camera was no problem. Getting a lead role in any school performance was child play. If you could act well enough to fool everyday people, charming an audience took no effort on his part.
He could even fool his mother into believing she was doing a wonderful job raising him, so well a job that she would take the knife from her wrist or let him unknot the noose around her neck. Anyone he met he could fool into believing he was so vain and conceited he didn't need them. That was partially true, he was gorgeous and perfection to the extreme. But that did get lonely sometimes. A lot of sometimes.
Neil loved mirrors. Even from a young age, he could never fool the mirror into believing what he wanted it to. The mirror would go along with whatever act he was putting on, smiling and laughing just like himself, but he would always see behind that mask into what Neil really was.
Who Neil truly was, he didn't even know himself. He acted so much, slipping from one scene to the next that he wasn't sure where the costumes stopped and he began.
Mirrors always understood him, and when he felt he was getting too wrapped up in his roles, he would stop and look into a mirror to remind himself what Neil looked like.
Charm and acting had gotten him far though. Money, clothes, a roof over his head, food, medicine for his mother. All the things they'd lived without at one point or another when all of her money went to needles and smokes.
Neil had never set out to change the world, or to shake everything to its foundations. He didn't need the burden of saving anything, or being responsible for anyone. One day he just wanted to wake up and throw his masks out the window and have friends who would welcome him with open arms, for who he was.
His mother was getting better, skipping pills more and more often and still smiling and never asking Neil for the key to the knife drawer. He'd stopped reminding her what she had to live for and forgot to tell her he loved her most of the time. One morning he remembered, over breakfast, and he kissed her cheek as he headed out the door for school.
The limo dropped him off right on time and he strolled to class casually, smiling at himself in his mirror and for once Neil-in-the-mirror might pass as truly happy. The knives were safely away, mother's medication was safely stored, any ropes or long strings were banished from their household. He had a photo shoot that afternoon for the loss prevention- something to do with sad faces. He was sure he could do it.
Neil even walked home from school that day and breathed in the humid, filthy air of downtown. Somehow it felt fresh to his senses and the sunlight would make his tan more natural. There were fans outside of his apartment building, waiting in a crowd. They didn't notice when he showed up.
His mother was getting better, anything dangerous had been hidden away and she had a doctor to look after her while Neil was away. He was normally quite content with skirting around a crowd- as crowds tended to surround him- but he pushed through people this time. She was getting better; there was no way for her to harm herself. There was an ambulance parked on the street. Neil was going to take her out for dinner after his work.
Who would have guessed she would jump from their balcony?
The police were asking for anyone who might be a relative or be able to contact a relative. They were asking for witnesses. Neil had said he loved her that morning. He smiled for her, he laughed with her. What did he do wrong? Why did she jump?
He left the crowd. Neil himself was crying. His face was blank. He fumbled to pull open his mirror, fixing his hair. He strode down the sidewalk in fast steps. There were tears streaming down the real Neil's face. His face was still blank.
He went to work. To the shoot for Victims Anonymous. He was supposed to be a boy in distress. That should be easy enough. Today he'd let the camera see the real Neil. He'd let them see the real tears, the real pain he was hiding.
They said his tears, his expression of grief, were too fake.
Atlanta followed Archie through the halls only slightly slower than his pace so she never completely caught up with him. The walked in silence, and she knew he was immediately aware of her. Their footfalls were far too loud in the silence and they both tensed as they waited for someone to break the tension between them. Atlanta couldn't remember a situation like this between her and Archie. He paused, finally, at the final turn that would take him to Chiron's office where Atlanta knew he was going to fight with Jay about what had happened with Theresa. She stopped as well, and realized she had no idea what she was doing.
She'd started off going to speak with Jay, but he had been the last thing on her mind. She was still angry at him for what he'd said to Theresa- and Atlanta felt terribly guilty that she found herself and Archie the most important things to her and not the feelings of her best friend. Archie, though, definitely had his sister's best intentions at heart and was still being the good man- even though everyone was not-so-secretly afraid of being killed by him. Atlanta felt worse. She wanted to tell Archie she wasn't afraid of him- that she trusted him, but that would be lying. She wasn't afraid of him, but it was losing him that made her breath catch and she did trust him completely- but to do the right thing and separate them forever. Atlanta was too selfish to let that happen. What she really wanted to do was run up and hug him and feel his arms around her and know things were going to get better- like they always did.
His back was to her, yet she clearly knew the creases in his brow and the frown that would curve his lips down as he struggled with himself to be loyal to his word. Archie was loyal to a fault when it came to promises. Atlanta also knew a part of him that he didn't think she knew of, the part of him that longed to die. He was only still alive because of a promise, and that made Atlanta slightly jealous. She wanted to be the object, the desire that kept him alive. Not the remains of a dying man that were bound so tightly to a promise he would have to die twice, and one at a very old age.
Archie let out a long sigh and Atlanta knew him well enough to know that meant he'd come to a decision. She wanted to blurt out something motivating and life-changing that would open his eyes and make him see the truth, but her tongue was dry and she didn't know anything smart beyond 'I'm selfish and heartless and I want you all to my greedy own self'. His own face told her he was having the same difficulties. The words had died in his throat but she knew what he was saying from the pained look he gave her.
He meant to say 'Turn around and leave, Atlanta. There will never be a you and I, an us. There is nothing between us, nothing for you to hold on to. I've left romance behind. You have no chance. Go back and comfort Theresa.'
But he wanted to say 'Don't leave me alone. I need you; I want you by my side. We'll get through this together, just like we both want.'
No words followed. They stared into each others' eyes and Atlanta tried to show her adoration for him in her own eyes, but they only started tearing up the slightest amount. Then there was the slightest scuff in the hall behind her and Atlanta felt Odie's cool gaze on her back and Archie broke away from her eyes.
"I'm going to talk to Jay," he said quietly, which meant go away, please, "see you later," it won't happen Atlanta.
Archie turned and headed down the hall, and even in the wrinkled worn and slept-in clothes he was wearing with his hair disheveled and dirt and dried blood on his skin, Atlanta felt he was the strongest person she had ever known as he walked away from her. And that thought almost had her running after him, ready to be the weeping woman if that would make him stay.
"Atlanta," Odie said in a soft, warning voice, "we've talked about this already." And without another word he walked past her and headed down another hall that led the way to Hermes.
Atlanta's shoulders drooped and she meant to go back to the others, but her feet wouldn't move so she just stood in that spot waiting for someone to come and get her.
00oo00oo
Archie practically kicked down the doors to Chiron's study. Jay was so out of line for shouting at Theresa, for making her cry like that. He was trying to come up with rage, seething, boiling rage to block out the thoughts of Atlanta, of what he'd just done to her.
"What Did You Say To Her?" he shouted as he marched into the room. Jay moaned on his bed, turning his face away from the intrusion of light. Chiron had a few candles on his desk lit, but those had been the only dim light source.
"Archie? Are you alright?" Chiron asked. He moved with such a spring to meet Archie before Archie got to Jay, Archie wondered what was wrong. Chiron was looking at him quizzically, unsure of something.
Oh, Archie realized, emotion. He'd forgotten he was still Pretending. His face and voice were emotionless. He still looked insane, and almost felt it.
He forced a grin, " 'Course I am, Chiron."
Chiron didn't look quite convinced, "Are you sure you don't need to sit down?" Are you actually in control of yourself or should you be strapped down for a little longer?
Archie let the grin fall, Chiron wasn't buying his act like the others had, "I'm not going to hurt him, I promise. I just need to talk."
Chiron glanced at the distance between the two of them and Jay's shivering form, huffed, and stepped aside. Archie walked slowly to Jay's side, forcing the urge to hurt Jay away.
"Jay," he said in a light whisper as he crouched at his Leader's side, "Jay, listen to me. What did you say to Theresa, Jay? You really hurt her. You hurt Theresa, Jay. She's crying. And if you weren't already half dead, Jay, the guys and I would probably be sending you to see Chiron ourselves. Do you understand me Jay?"
Jay moaned pitifully as he turned his head to look at Archie, "I know you," he said in a hoarse voice, "you've tried to kill me."
His fists tightened in reflex. Archie knew he should have felt angry that Jay was not answering him. Anger still wouldn't come. He knew for a fact his body language was giving away his emptiness. They would chain him up again. Archie hated being tied down. He wanted to cut that vacant look right off Jay's face- maybe take the other half off instead.
Archie licked his lips and glanced at Chiron, the centaur was still nearby and ready to intervene in a moment's notice, "Do. You. Understand. What. I. Said?" he said, pronouncing each other slowly.
Jay smiled weakly at him, "Are you going to kill me now? Make the pain go away?"
Archie narrowed his eyes at Jay. Their leader was completely doped up on medication and had no clue of what he was talking about. There was no point in talking to Jay. He was babbling nonsense. Before Chiron could stop him to make him sit down for a while, Archie turned and strode out of the room, throwing the doors open wide with no regard for the way Jay whimpered at the light.
"Ares!" Archie shouted as he moved down the hall. The god materialized to his left and Archie spun to face him.
"Fight me! Make me angry, Ares, make me hurt! Make me Feel something!"
00oo00oo
Theresa had stopped crying, but Herry and Neil wouldn't leave her side. The three of them were perched precariously on her cot and Herry was stroking her hair softly. Theresa was falling asleep, lulled along by Neil humming a soft tune and wrapping a blanket over her shoulders while he rubbed her back. She wondered when he'd gotten so good at taking care of someone.
She hardly noticed the door open until Persephone's slim, cold fingers brushed the hair off her face. Theresa blinked her eyes open.
"It's alright, dear. You can rest. You've had a very exhausting return. Sleep now," Persephone whispered soothingly. She said something to Herry and Neil and dismissed them and Theresa willingly lay down again. She was so tired and her head was pounding and she felt ugly and heavy from crying so hard. It was easy to pass into a deep, dreamless sleep. What else could one call a sleep that awakened one to her most frightening nightmares?
00oo00oo
Athena was waiting for Herry and Neil outside the doors.
"Wha's up?" Herry asked. Usually he and Neil were only wanted for extra things, like manicures with Aphrodite or to help Hephaestus in his forge.
Athena did not smile at his friendly tone, she was dead serious, "Representatives of the… 'Rebellion' are here to see you. We need you two," she stared them both down as if to enforce the severity of her words, "to speak with them and keep them calm. Under no circumstances are you allowed to reveal Jay's condition or anything that happened today," that meant not to speak about Archie either, "now come along, the longer they wait the fussier they'll be."
Herry and Neil followed along after her.
"What about Theresa? Or Odie? They should be the ones speaking right now, even Archie and Atlanta are better at talking to these guys then we are," Herry remarked to Athena.
"Theresa's had a long, rough day and hasn't been here for the past two weeks and right now she needs to rest to be back in her prime, physique- as well as mental wellness. Odie is off somewhere probably on errand for Hermes, but we'll find him and he will be joining you later- as well as Atlanta, once they have both been located. Archie… Archie is currently preoccupied," Athena was quick, brisk and to the point, "you two are the only ones we have readily available to speak with the messengers."
"Oh," Herry and Neil echoed.
00oo00oo
Jay's groaned loudly as he woke up and the pain returned. It was dulled by Chiron's painkillers and so instead of being sharp and skull-splitting, no pun intended, the sword was softened and instead like a hammer continuously pounding away at his entire body.
He could hardly think. So much pain. Instead of searing his body white hot it slowly burned, like an oven and he wanted to run away form the pain and the heat. He wanted to move but the drugs in his body weighed his body down.
How long had he been out? How many days had melted away while he lay in pain? How long had his team been without a leader? He couldn't think. Only blurs of memories, brief images of faces twisted out of recognition.
The nightmares returned. The evil thoughts. How long had he been asleep? Had it been so long that his team had been unable to function? Had someone been hurt without his guidance? Or worse yet- had they replaced him?
He was no longer of use.
It wasn't impossible to believe. He had no skills of any use on the team. All he was good for was leading them, because for some reason they would follow his orders and respected him even though they were all so superior to him. How could he have let them down? He couldn't lead like this. The pain. The pain. He had to get to his feet. He was useless just laying around. He could push through the pain. He had to. Jay wasn't useless. Jay was the leader. It was all he had. It was all he was.
"Jay? Are you awake- oh no! Sit down, Jay," Chiron shouted in alarm somewhere in the distance, "you're far from well enough to be getting up! Lay down!"
Oh god it hurt so much. Jay clenched his teeth but he pushed himself further. Just sitting up had left him light-headed. The pain. The pain.
"Jay, sit down, please!" Chiron was beside him now, urgently trying to care for his patient.
"No, Chiron," Jay snapped. He hadn't meant to be harsh but speaking was so difficult, "I'm getting up. I am the Leader."
"What you need is rest Jay!"
"I am the Leader and my team needs me. I'll survive Chiron. My team needs me."
He was on his feet. He wanted to die. So much pain. He couldn't think about it. His legs were numb. Pain. He was disoriented. Depth and colors didn't match in his only eye. He didn't want to think about what the bandages covered. Monstrous. That's what he was now. A monstrous leader. But he was still a leader. Still a leader.
"What's going on right now? Where is everyone?"
"W-well I'm sure they are all resting-"
"Nothing ever rests here. Something is happening or they would all be here right now. Where is my team, Chiron?"
Chiron sighed dejectedly, "If I tell you, then you must return to bed Jay. You cannot strain yourself right now. But if you must know there are representatives from the Rebellion here."
Jay straightened automatically and his head swirled and he wanted to vomit, "When?! How long have they been here? Who is speaking to them?" No good. No one else on the team knew how to properly deal with the Rebellion. Jay had been working for months, trying to placate the Rebellion and keep them from truly rebelling against the gods and the heroes themselves. One wrong word, one slip of the tongue could destroy everything.
"I do not know Jay, only an hour or so, but it is not you worry, you must rest!"
They needed him. His team needed him. The world needed him. He didn't have time to cry or feel the pain of his injury. If he stopped he would have time to think to reflect. Now was the time to act. It hurt so much. The burdens were so heavy. He wanted to break. He was tired. So much pain. He walked forwards. The room swirled around him.
"I can rest when I'm dead."
Because I don't know if I'm going to have a chance to properly explain this in the next chapter, I'm going to explain the Rebellion you guys right here:
We all know that in this battle we have Cronus on one side and the seven 'Teeroes' and that the kiddos are predicted to defeat him. But we have a problem here, they haven't so far, and it's been a year or two of them fighting Cronus and no signs of winning. So many of the magical 'underlings' of the gods are getting upset that they have to live in fear of Cronus when he should be defeated by the seven children as predicted. So they've decided that the kids just aren't going to be good enough and are forming a force of their own to fight Cronus, the Rebellion, but they're not just fighting Cronus- they're also rebelling against the gods as well because they feel like the gods are taking care of incompetent, worthless mortals who can't seem to do just one thing.
That's the Rebellion. They just want to be rid of any forms of government, monarchies or tyrants or prophesies and want to get rid of the 'old ways'.
I hope that helps with they way everyone's been talking about them in this chapter, hahaha.
-Demenior