Man, Rise of the Titans absolutely DESTROYED me. The ending could have been soooooo good, but noooo Jim had to go back in time and completely undo the whole message of the whole "Tales of Arcadia" saga. So here I am, projecting my own angst onto poor Jim. So I hope you enjoy some pure angst without a real happy ending! (also it takes place before the movie)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything.

Darkness. It surrounds Jim, encasing him in its black liquid. Trapping him in a body he never asked for. As he sinks deeper and deeper into the inky blackness, Jim watches as the last ray of light is closed off. A few moments of tense silence follow, as Jim anxiously awaits what he already knows will happen next. Suddenly a scream of pain is torn from his throat as his amulet glows a bright blue, power rippling off every part of him.

Jim feels himself change. He feels his skin harden, his fingers meld together, his teeth sharpen, his hair grow. He feels horns protrude from his head, breaking and pushing through his skull like it was paper. Jim gasps for breath, tears pricking at the edge of his eyes. He never did tell his friends and family how painful the whole process truly was. How each second was agony, as Jim drowned over and over again, his body changing itself into some…some monster.

Suddenly the darkness shifts. Instead of being a dark, empty void, it turns into something more sinister. Green accents line the black rocks that surround him, and terror pulses through Jims soul as he realizes where he is. The darklands.

Jim jumps as a booming cackle breaks the silence. He whips around and sees a glowing blue rushing towards him. Jim's heart pounds and all his instincts tell him to run, but he can't. His feet refuse to move, his limbs ignoring his commands. He feels like he's stuck in Angor Rot's stasis trap once again, unable to move an inch and vulnerable to whatever attack the enemy does. And so Jim is forced to stay still as Gunmar speedily approaches, his decimaar blade raised to strike. Jim squeezes his eyes shut, and covers his face with his hands, as if that's going to do anything. He feels tears slip down his face as he waits for the blade to rip through him.

But it never does.

Jim slowly blinks open his eyes and realizes he's on the top of a roof, a blacked out sun blazing behind him. He looks up and realizes the scene has switched. Instead of himself being stabbed by Gunmar's blade, Jim is the one pumping daylight through the evil troll. Jim gasps in shock as Gunmar screams, falling off the roof and smashing into a billion tiny pieces, never to reform again.

Jim sighs, thinking he's finally safe, but he quickly tenses once more as he watches someone emerge from the rubble. Golden armor is the first thing he sees. Then a lasso of pure, golden energy is lashing out towards him. It hooks around his waist and with a quick flick of her wrist, Morgana sends Jim flying.

He lands on the bridge to Arcadia with a pained grunt. He wobbles to his feet, his vision blurring in and out. Finally his eyes land on four people, standing directly in the line of fire.

"NOOO!"

The scream is ripped from his throat as Jim launches himself forward, shielding his friends - no, family - with his body. Waves of golden energy wash over him, and Jim throws his head back in agony, the pain quickly consuming him. With what strength remained, Jim looked to Claire, the love of his life for what he assumes is the last time. Her tear streaked face is the last thing Jim sees before everything goes dark.

When Jim opens his eyes again, it's to watch as a bright green shell crumbles away from his body. He bolts up quickly regretting it as pain shoots across his chest, spiraling out from his heart. Jim looks down to see a shard of metal sticking out of his red amulet. His blue, four-fingered hand shakes as it reaches up to prod at the metal. As soon as his hand makes contact, anger floods Jim's system and he feels his eyes glow a sinister red.

When his eyes refocus Jim realizes he's in a throne room, being pushed closer and closer to the sunlight. Jim growls and struggles, trying in vain to get away from the beam of light. The guards holding him just keep pushing him towards it - keep pushing him towards death. From somewhere in the distance Jim hears Steve's voice;

Tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, toc,

Jim sighs, knowing his death is inevitable, and that each second he spends living he gets one more step closer to the end. Maybe he should just give up. Maybe everyone would be better off without him. As these thoughts invade his mind, voices invade his ears. "You're not worthy enough." "Beast." "You monster." "You were never strong enough." "Beast." "Run while you still can, young atlas." "You let us die." "You could have saved us!" "Beast."

Beast.

Beast.

Beast-

"I'M NOT A BEAST!"

Jim screams, as tears of fear and self-doubt cascade down his face. Images flash in his mind; Jim screaming in pain, surrounded by Blinky and AAAARRGHH. Jim changing once more, into a giant troll monster as big as Gunmar. Jim losing all sense of self and being controlled by the dark knight.
He curls into a ball, hugging his rock hard knees to his equally hard and stoney chest. Sobs rack his body and his breath comes in strangled gasps. Jim wheezes as his lungs try to inhale and exhale at the same time. The walls that he spent so much time carefully building all come crumbling down as quickly as the bodies of his enemies. Jim can't do this. He can't keep going. He's already lost so much, how much more can he take?

Jim chokes, as his airways are suddenly cut off. His trollish eyes open in fear, flashing from yellow to purple and back again before finally settling on his baby blues. His body burns, and Jim feels his giant, beastly form change for the last time. His stoney skin turns to real stone, and Jim slowly loses control of his limbs. With his last dying breath, Jim whispers to the love of his life, reaching out to her grief-stricken face. His name on her lips is the last thing Jim sees before everything goes dark for the final time.

Jim bolts upright, a silent scream on his lips. His sheets and blankets fall around him, a subtle reminder that Jim is home. He slowly blinks open his eyes - his two very human eyes - and looks around his dark room.

His breath starts to quicken as the room seems to shrink, the walls closing in on him. He curls his knees close to his chest in an attempt to ward off the incoming panic attack. It doesn't work. Jim feels tears prick at the corners of his eyes as his room traps him in. Memories flash in his mind, as vivid as the nightmare he just woke up from.

The Darklands.

Angor Rot's stasis trap.

The green crystal.

Camelot.

His own body.

All these places trapped Jim, much like his bedroom is doing right now. His heartbeat quickens as his sheets change to the rocky stone floor of his cell in the Darklands. His body freezes, unable to move, like when he was stuck in the stasis trap. His eyes glit open and close and his mind wanders between the present and memories of the past - much like when he was stabbed by a metal shard and Merlin encased him in that green crystal. The word "beast" from his nightmare rings loud in his ears, and the voices from Camelot overpower his own breathing.

Jim needs to get out.

With what remaining sanity he has left, Jim forces himself to get out of bed. He sways when he stands, the floor swimming with his vision. He stumbles to the door, leaning heavily on his desk and bookshelf along the way. Jim reaches out for his door knob with sweaty hands and after a few tries, he manages to pry his door open. Without wasting a second he rushes down the stairs. He flails his arms and makes his way to the front door, practically ripping it off its hinges as he opens it.

Once outside Jim collapses onto the grass. He gulps in air, trying to even out his breathing and heartbeat. The fresh air doesn't help. Jim looks down the block and watches as the street shrinks and the houses close in on him. He gasps, clutching his chest as his lungs yearn for air that refuses to come.

Shaking, Jim manages to get up and shuffle to the garage. He yanks out his bike and pedals off, not bothering to put on a helmet. He speeds off, not knowing nor caring where he's going. He just knows he needs to get out.

After what feels like hours of endless biking - but was probably only about fifteen minutes - Jim crashes to the ground in exhaustion, his bike landing a few feet away. He heaves in big breaths, forcing his lungs to cooperate. He wills his heartbeat to slow down like he's done so many times on the battlefield. He swats away the fog in his mind and crawls across the ground. Only when his hands touch air does Jim sinaly stop and look around to see where he is.

Peeping open his eyes, Jim stares off the cliff overlooking Arcadia. He lets a soft smile grace his lips as he remembers that this was the place he and Claire had their first dance. The smile quickly falls however as he also remembers that this was the place Jim met Angor Rot for the first time. He shudders, memories of the way the assassin toyed with him bubbling to the surface.

Why can't the universe let him be happy? Anytime Jim's life starts to go his way fate throws another curveball at him. He's been through more in just a few years than most men see their entire lives. Jim just wants it all to end. He looks over the edge of the cliff once more, that sense of dread and desperation growing in the pit of his stomach stronger by the second. He inches closer and closer to the edge, knowing how easy it could be to make it all stop.

"I thought I'd find you here," A voice says as Jim nearly jumps out of his skin. He turns around and the pit in his stomach instantly dissipates as he gazes upon the love of his life. He slowly moves away from the cliff as Claire walks towards him. She kneels down in front of him and opens her arms with a soft smile. Jim doesn't hesitate and leaps forward, sinking into her safe embrace. He holds her close, like Claire is his only lifeline.

"What…I mean, how…?" Jim asks, trying to get his mouth to work and form words.

"Toby saw you leave and immediately contacted me, saying you biked off somewhere. I instantly knew I'd find you here. Claire says, smiling at him. Jim returns the smile, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes yet. His gaze drifts back to the ground and Claire looks at him solemnly.

"Another nightmare?" She asks quietly, holding him close. Jim just nods against her, silent tears trekking down his face. She sighs and stands up, practically carrying Jim with her as she walks over to the bench nearby. She sits down and motions for Jim to join her. He obliges and collapses onto the bench, never once letting go of Claire. He rests his head in her lap and she gently cards her fingers through her fingers through his hair. Choking out a sob, Jim lays there letting himself feel safe and vulnerable with Claire. And they stay like that as Jim cries himself to sleep.

I hope you liked that! I want to add that I'm working on a fix-it fic for the ending of the movie and will try my best to have it posted within the next few days, so keep an eye out for that! Bye for now!