Clash of the Titans by CidGregor
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
Chapter 11
The earth maiden's eyes flashed from sparkling blue to pale gold; her hands, also encased in a golden aura, raised above her head, and the enormous boulder flew backward along its previous path, where it crashed at breakneck speed into the oversized rock monster's two heads. The impact threw the Earth Titan off-balance, causing it to spill over backward and hit the ground hard enough to rip open the earth beneath it. It struggled to climb to its feet again, but it would be a minute before it managed the feat.
Terra, meanwhile, turned her attention to the two wounded titans. "You guys all right?" she said, not meeting their eyes.
Robin was staring slack-jawed at the blonde girl, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing. His mouth worked frantically but no sound was coming out. Starfire, too, was gaping at her in astonishment. Both stares were making her quite nervous.
"Um…do I have a booger hanging off my nose or something?"
"Te…Ter…Ter…" Robin stuttered.
"TERRA!" Starfire practically shrieked in joy. A second later the Tamaranian had engulfed her in a crushing bear hug, despite the pain of her injuries. "JOYOUS, GLORIOUS RAPTURE! YOU ARE NO LONGER A STATUE!"
"Urk…y-yeah…um…Star, I need to breathe…"
"Eep! My apologies!" she said, letting go. "But I am most elated to see you, long-lost friend! I have missed you so!"
"You…you have?"
"Heh…I told ya she'd be happy to see you," Beast Boy's chipper voice said from behind her as he joined them. "Looks like we got here just in time."
"Beast Boy, did I not tell you?" Starfire exclaimed, noticing him. "The ones closest to our hearts never truly leave us!"
"Yeah…" the changeling admitted. "You sure hit that nail on the head…"
"Nail? I have done nothing involving nails since I accidentally pierced Cyborg's hand with one last month…"
"It's just an expression, Starfire," Terra said with a small laugh. "I…um…that is…it's really great to see you again."
"The sentiment is returned one-thousand-fold, dear friend! Welcome home!"
Robin, meanwhile, had finally managed to overcome his initial shock. "Terra…how did you…get out?"
Terra's smile faded slightly. "I…have Raven to thank for that…"
"It was nothing," came Raven's deadpan voice from the shadows nearby. She stepped out, her eyes on anyone but Terra. "Robin, Starfire…you're hurt."
"We'll be all right," Robin insisted. "It's Cyborg I'm worried about. He's out of power. We have to get him back to the Tower to recharge."
"And we still must defeat the monstrous Earth Titan!" Starfire said. "Fortunately Terra's earth-moving powers should be more than a match for it! Oh, thank X'hal Raven discovered a way to revive you at the time she did…any later and we might not have survived the night!"
Raven said nothing, but both she and Terra looked slightly downcast at those words, and Beast Boy threw a dark look in Raven's direction at the same time. Starfire noticed none of this exchange, but it did not slip by the Boy Wonder. And suddenly a thought occurred to him; it was awfully convenient that Raven had discovered a way to free Terra right at the moment that her abilities would be desperately needed. Too convenient for him to ignore. Robin wasn't getting the whole story here; that much he was sure of.
And then there was the obvious matter of Terra herself. She seemed friendly enough so far…but Robin couldn't help but be suspicious of her, and it was not without reason. This was the girl who had once betrayed the Titans and conquered the city in Slade's name. On the other hand she had, at least, renounced Slade and made an extremely noble sacrifice in the end. Still, trust was something easily broken, and once broken, it was rare that the Boy Wonder trusted the person again. Terra was no exception.
But now wasn't the time to worry about it. Terra was here now, she wasn't trying to kill them, and she had a pretty darn good chance, Robin knew, to stop the Earth Titan. That had to be first priority. The rest could wait.
"Terra, you couldn't have come at a better time," Robin said. "This monster…it's…"
"I know," Terra assured him. "Beast Boy explained everything. I'm here to help."
"Good. Do whatever you can to stop it, but do not let it leave the quarry, or it'll become a danger to the citizens of the city. It's already caused many deaths. I don't want to see it cause any more."
"Got it. And…um…Robin? Starfire?"
"Yes, friend?" Starfire said.
"I…want you both to know…I'm sorry. About everything. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, or be my friend still or anything, but…I really am sorry. I hope someday I can make it up to you."
"Oh, Terra," Starfire sighed, wrapping her up in a much lighter hug this time. "Of course you are forgiven. Your sacrifice saved our lives; and you have done so again today. I shall never, ever forget that."
"We'll worry about getting reacquainted later," Robin said. "We've got trouble right now."
A roar of fury told them all Robin was right; the Earth Titan was back on its feet and lumbering back toward the teens.
"This fight is all yours now, Terra," Robin said. "Raven, if you're up to it, Star could use some healing. Star, after Raven heals you, I want you to get Cyborg back to the Tower to recharge."
"What about you?" Raven said. "You look a lot more beat up than she does."
"I'm fine…"
"You are most certainly not fine!" Starfire insisted.
"Starfire's right. Look, I have power to spare. I can heal you too."
"Unnhh…all right, get on with it, then…"
Raven closed her eyes and waved her hands toward Robin and Starfire. Black energy streamed from her and wrapped around first Starfire's body and then Robin's. The two felt a brief tingling sensation around the worst of their wounds, and as the tingle left, so did the pain.
"Great…thank you Raven…Raven? RAVEN!"
Raven had suddenly fallen to her knees moments after her task was done. She was gripping her forehead so hard her nails were drawing blood, and her teeth were grinding together with a sickening scraping noise.
"N…no…you…won't…control me…not now…" she muttered.
"Malchior's getting stronger," Robin realized. "He's fighting Raven for control."
A second later, the tension on Raven's face eased, and she stood back up again. "He tried to take over while I was weakened from using my powers like that. Almost succeeded, too. I can't fight him off much longer…he's worn himself out for now, but the next time he strikes…I might not be able to resist it."
She glanced past the Boy Wonder, and let out a sharp gasp. "BEHIND YOU!"
The titans spun to see another huge slab of stone hurtling toward them. Fortunately Terra's reflexes were up to the task. Her eyes and hands flashed gold, and the projectile halted in midair once again. She sent it flying back at the Earth Titan just as before, but the monster had learned. It swung a fist forward and smashed the stone slab into bits, leaving it unscathed.
"We're out of time!" Robin said. "Star, get Cyborg out of here. Beast Boy, you and I are going to keep an eye on Raven in case Malchior strikes again. Terra…get in there and bring that hunk of rock down. Titans, GO!"
No one argued. A chunk of rock ripped from the ground under Terra's feet and flew forward, carrying the earth maiden straight toward the monster. Starfire hovered over to Cyborg's limp form, lifted him from the rubble, and sped off toward the Tower. Beast Boy, Robin, and Raven stood together watching Terra, each with very different thoughts of the blonde girl running through their heads.
"You can do this, Terra," she told herself. "You have to do this."
She hovered directly in front of the Earth Titan's two bobbing heads, which both snarled at her. One rough, rocky hand reached slowly for her…
"Let's see how thick this rocky skin of yours really is," she muttered.
There was a flash of gold, and the front part of the rock she was riding exploded outward, leaving a jagged spear in its place. She snatched two fragments of stone and leapt off the makeshift weapon just as it shot forward and straight down the throat of the left head. She expected to hear it shrieking in pain, but there was nothing of the sort. The head actually licked its lips with a giant, molten-red tongue, like she'd fed it a tasty treat.
"Okay…so that's not going to work," the earth maiden commented.
The two rocks she held in her palms glowed and hovered in midair, supporting Terra's petite body. She pulled away from the monster and drew another platform of rock toward her at the same time. She landed on the new platform down near the monster's feet. Aiming her hands at the Earth directly beneath its feet, she strained to slowly rip open the ground, hoping to make the monster at least stumble in the small fissure. But it was no use; she couldn't open the ground quickly enough. The Earth Titan moved clear of the hole and stomped toward the girl, ready to crush her beneath his massive feet.
She soared away on her platform and up toward its heads again. The Earth Titan roared at her, enraged. Its huge hands shot upward with surprising speed, coming at her from both sides. He was going to crush her!
"TERRA, WATCH OUT!" Beast Boy shouted from the sidelines.
For a crucial moment, Terra froze up. The monster's hands were coming toward her so fast…had she moved immediately she might have been able to get clear of the attack. But she hesitated a moment too long, and now, too late, she saw she could not dodge this one…
"TERRA!" came Beast Boy's scream.
The voice sparked something in the earth maiden. Like a reflex she scrunched her eyes shut and extended her arms out to her sides, as though she were strong enough to physically push against the crushing palms of the Earth Titan and not get flattened…
…and incredibly, the monster's hands were halted.
"Whoa…" Beast Boy breathed in awe.
Terra opened one eye and squinted at the scene around her, and then both eyes shot open, amazed. The Earth Titan's hands were frozen, shuddering in place, by the pale yellow glow of her own powers.
"What…? How did I…?"
"I told you, it's made of solid rock, remember?" Raven called to her. "You should really pay more attention."
"Oh, DUH!" Terra said, mentally kicking herself. "Of course! In that case…"
She backed away from the Earth Titan just enough to get clear of the hands. She focused her power in her own hands, still pointing at those of the monster, and the rocky appendages were shining all the way through with golden light. The creature stared dumbly at the sight, not moving.
"Let's see some fireworks," Terra said.
Her eyes flashed a bright, blinding gold, and the Earth Titan's hands promptly exploded into millions of tiny pieces. And finally the titans knew they had hurt it, for the shrieking roar that bellowed from its heads was unmistakably a roar of immense pain.
"ALL RIGHT, TERRA! WASTE THIS SUCKER!" Beast Boy cheered.
Terra's eyes flashed again, and suddenly the monster's left arm was reduced to pebbles. Another flash, and the ground beneath where its right arm used to be was showered with tiny rocks. Her power filled the Earth Titan's stubby legs and shattered them as well, sending the monster pitching forward into the ground. The impact tore a huge rip in the ground and shook the landscape like an earthquake.
"It's not pulling itself back together," Robin commented.
"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked.
"Before you came I managed to blow off one of its arms, but it didn't do any good. It just absorbed the pieces back into itself and reformed the arm. But now that's not happening. Something's different."
"Well, duh! That's all Terra's doing! YOU'VE ALMOST GOT IT, TERRA! KEEP IT UP, YOU'RE DOING GREAT!"
Terra landed her platform in front of the fallen monster, gazing unafraid into the four eyes that stared back at her. The Earth Titan roared in Terra's face, clearly yearning to pound her into pulp and helpless to do so.
"You hurt my friends…you killed innocent citizens of this city…for that, you're finished," Terra said to the monster. Whether it heard or understood Terra never knew, nor did she care. Her hands glowed, and the rest of the Earth Titan's shattered body was filled with Terra's power. One last time her eyes flashed with blinding gold light
"RRRAAAAAAUUUUUGH!" Terra screamed.
And with one last roar from its two heads, the mighty Earth Titan exploded into billions of tiny pebbles, showering everything within a quarter of a mile.
"OH, YEAH! TERRA, YOU DID IT!" Beast Boy cheered, running to her.
The blonde girl turned, smiling, to face to changeling. "I did…I really did…"
"Damn straight, you did!" he exclaimed. He raised one hand. "High five!"
Terra stepped forward and raised her own hand, but her eyes suddenly drooped and she stumbled, falling straight into Beast Boy's arms.
"Whoa! Terra, are you okay?"
"Unnhh…tired…" she muttered into his shoulder. Her eyes closed.
"Oh…guess that took a long out of you, huh?"
No response.
"…Terra?"
"Skkkknnnnnkkkk…" came her light snore.
"Heh…figures you'd spend six months sleeping inside a statue and then go right back to sleep two hours after you wake up," the changeling joked half-heartedly.
"Beast Boy, get Terra back to the Tower," Robin said, walking up behind the two. "Raven and I will be along shortly."
Beast Boy nodded. He morphed into a gorilla, laid Terra gently over one shoulder, and headed home. Robin and Raven, however, stayed a few moments longer, surveying the shattered remnants of the Earth Titan.
"She certainly made short work of the thing," Raven commented.
"I know…" Robin said. "After the trouble we all had, I was expecting it to be a struggle for her, at least…but she handled it easily."
"Almost too easily."
"If you're suggesting Terra…"
"No," Raven said quickly. "She only just came out of the stone. Which is exactly the point. She was able to beat this thing way too quickly. Malchior's plotting something…trying to lull us into a false sense of security…"
"It's possible," Robin admitted. "We'd better be careful, just in case."
"Agreed."
"Come on, let's get back home."
"Right behind you," Raven said to Robin's back.
And out of Robin's line of sight…a tiny smirk and a flash of purple light crossed "Raven's" face.
And behind her, a small pile of broken rock began to shudder and glow…