My dumbass forgot to post the chapter yesterday. My bad.

Jason regains consciousness before the dust settles.

The smell of ash stings in the back of his nose. Debris has cut up his skin and fire has scorched it over. His insides feel melted and his arm won't stop twitching.

The alley is no longer an alley but a memory of one. The abandoned buildings around have an entire chunk of their sides missing. Support beams have turned to dust, so it's not a matter of if the building's collapse but instead when.

Naruto is beside him, angrily staring something down. They're hidden from sight, behind this huge piece of the wall. Hedge is to his other side, knocked out but not with a lot of visible damage.

Jason groans and Naruto looks back at him with concern.

Jason only has a second to process how horribly burned and mangled Naruto's face looks before that's all gone— skin literally repairing and connecting in front of Jason's very eyes.

A few places stay scarred over. Jason doesn't have the time to question.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asks, "Can you fight?"

Jason coughs. "Fight what?" He asks.

Naruto looks back. Jason sees wisps of silver from somewhere in the dust, then sees the weapons of another. A crab claw and a trident.

Jason wracks his brain for which monster has that set of weapons.

"Titans," Naruto finally says.

Oceanus. Oceanus had those.

A genuine terror, pure like honey, floods Jason. With every memory back, he knows the might of a titan.

Beings such as the giants that could face and defeat gods. Beings that could hold up the entire sky for eons and match Zeus' fists. The same Zeus that hurled mountains like pebbles.

Unless your name is Hercules, you do not breach into that level of power, being a puny demigod.

"Stop overthinking it," Naruto tells him.

Jason tries. He reaches for Ivlivs in his pocket. "Where's Clarisse?" His voice shakes. "I have a plan."

"I don't know," Naruto says. "What's the plan?"

"We have to run," Jason says, wincing. "I know you don't like the idea—"

"Duh," Naruto interrupts, "But, how? That's the real question."

Jason's eyebrows shoot up, but he shakes his head. He scans his brain for information. For the first time all week, Jason finds it easily.

"They can't hurt us," he declares. "We have to challenge them for them to attack. It's an ancient law."

"No way that's true," Naruto says, "They blew us up, Jason."

Jason bites his lip. "I… don't know how. Or why they would take that risk."

Naruto gets up. "Perhaps things are different cause they're not the head honchos anymore, or maybe because we've seen supposedly unbreakable laws get broken. Case in point, your existence."

True. Jason doesn't allow his mind the reprieve to be surprised.

Naruto's eyes widen. Jason looks towards the titans. They're both looking around for him and Naruto.

One has got this rich and silver flowing hair. His eyes the same color, his features twisted to amused. His pale fingers wrap around a terrifying spear nearly double the height of Jason.

The other titan's features are particularly cruel. His lips curved down, and his eyes hateful. His shoulder is decorated with a crown of jagged shells. His trident shines.

Behind them laying motionless is Clarisse. She took the worst of the explosion.

She must have been the one who yanked on his shirt. She'd pulled him away behind her, and Naruto would have covered the satyr.

Because of that, Jason feels a twinge of guilt when he turns to Naruto and says, "Can you do something to cause a distraction."

"Lots," Naruto says, "Why?"

"Do that." Jason's voice wavers. "Then we escape."

Naruto furrows his eyebrows. Jason wonders how the guy has managed to stay so still and listen to a plan, something he's never shown to be able to do. Guess that's all completely different in life-or-death situations.

"How do we get Clarisse?" Naruto asks.

Jason licks his lips. This is… going to be hard to explain.

For the slightest of seconds, he thinks about abandoning his plan. It feels wrong in his gut. We are a team, he'd said.

Then he remembers Juno. 'You've spent too long with the Greeks,' she'd said.

Jason remembers that he is Roman. A hypocrite, but a Roman. "We don't," he declares. "We—"

"What?" Naruto hisses.

It's a wonder the titans don't hear him. The silver one mutters, "Did we just incinerate the wrong guys?"

"No., They showed the exact looks and mannerisms the child said they would. Now shut up, idiot. Keep your ears peeled."

"If you guys come out, uh, will er… kill you extremely painfully."

The child? Which–

Oh.

There is a stupid traitor. The titans knew where they were because a damn traitor had told them.

Jason can see it now. Traitor tells Kronos' army where they're going. It's a bit too general of a location, so they send a monster to find what route they'll take. Naruto literally throws it in their faces. In his complete unpredictability though, Naruto takes Sally's car instead of boarding another bus but like idiots, they stick to basically the same route.

They decrease the monsters so their guards are down. Then pounce, when least unexpected. What he wonders, is why specifically them?

"We can't win this," Jason says, "One dead person isn't worth two more, and we need to tell the camp of the traitor."

Naruto glares. Shivers race up his spine. "Where was this attitude when on the bus? When you ridiculed Clarisse for endangering me?"

"Avoidable situation. In case you didn't hear me, we cannot win this."

"You don't get to decide that for me!"

So stubborn. Naruto is a person who refuses what he doesn't like, leaving chaos behind. A week of knowing him and Jason can tell.

"Your overconfidence will get you killed."

"Your rules will get your comrades killed!" Naruto shouts. "Because this is what this is? Another rule, isn't it? "If a loss is imminent, choose duty above all else," he mocks.

"Those who abandon the mission are scum—"

" —and those who abandon their friends are worse than scum!"

They're shouting. Top of their voices.

Shouting. Them.

Fuc—

A mop of silver hair leans over the top of the debris. The titan's eyes are predatory but tinted a bit excited. Excited to turn them to donuts.

"Modern day teenagers are hilarious," the titan says. "I mean you're going to die and you decide to argue." He burst into giggles. "Hilarious."

Jason's blood goes cold, then his shirt is grabbed again, this time by a sharp claw that digs into his skin, and he's launched to the other side of the alley.

His back lands on something firm, then he breaks through it. Every muscle on his body screams out in pain.

He gasps.

Naruto looks back in alarm, then is kicked away with force so in excess, it sends wind flying about.

Jason charges up lightning. His cells light up, a buzz runs through his body and he focuses it on his palm.

Jason launches the lightning even before it's fully formed. In a blink of an eye, it's in front of the titans.

The silver one bats it away with a flick of his wrist

With a flick of his wrist.

They were screwed from the start. They're going to die.

Naruto shakes off goosebumps, and gets up. He stumbles a bit, dazed.

He pulls at the back of his hair and he finds glossy and sticky blood. The wound knits and a concussion fades, His sternum twinges.

He bursts out of the building he was launched into. He swipes with a kunai. The titan dodges and strikes.

Naruto tilts his head, The hit glances by.

"Oh?"

The ocean one then tries to hit him with his crab arm, and Naruto blocks. He's sent till Jason, and his arms go numb.

"How are you—?" Jason asks.

Naruto takes a deep breath. Think. Think.

"Water doesn't mix well with lightning. I trust you to handle him?"

Jason looks at him like he's mad. "He's a titan: Oceanus for gods' sake." he squeaks. "I can't—"

"Don't trust yourself Jason," Naruto says, "Trust me, and I'm telling you, that you can fucking do this."

Jason gulps.

Naruto doesn't know if the titan's steps are too loud or he feels something in the air but he knows to move

He dodges a spear stabbing through where he had just been. He'd have been skewered like a kebab.

Jason swings his sword and the silver titan literally disappears. Oceanus or something, comes in and slams into him which makes him slam into Jason.

His breath is wrenched out of him.

Lighting strikes down from the heavens between them to stop the titan from proceeding. Naruto doesn't know if it's survival instincts or even better that Jason's got his head back in the game, but he won't complain. Won't wonder. Not now at least.

Naruto wheezes. "You take Oceanus," he chokes out. "I'll take the other guy— Bob or whatever."

The titan gasps. "My name is not… Bob!" he says, affronted. "It's Ia–"

"I couldn't care less," He says. Bob's face goes a bright golden, and he charges at Naruto.

Bob tackles him and they go flying away from Jason and Oceanus.

They crash into another abandoned building and the entire thing shakes. Naruto pushes Bob away from him, and swipes with kunai. Bob brings his spear around.

They clash weapons. Naruto's hands waver first.

He slides down and comes back up, wordlessly forming a Rasengan. It's about to land true when Bob waves his spear and a silvery light like a star bursts from its edge.

Naruto is too close to dodge. He brings his arms up fruitlessly.

He gets sent back. His blood sticks to the tatters of his shirt, a gash opened from shoulder to hip.

He waits a second, then another. Then a third.

It's not healing.

For a second, he thinks it's the Kyuubi restricting the flow of his own chakra into Naruto, like in the fight with Ares. Pulling it back like a battle of tug-of-war.

Naruto remembers how he'd healed from the shockwave, and disregards it. Perhaps it's the titan then. Why some burns from the actual explosion refuse to stop stinging his cheeks.

Why he's getting back some of the Kyuubi's chakra, he's still kind of confused. Jiraiya had once told him his seal would continue to weaken, and so this must be that. The Kyuubi might still be tying but it's… less effective?

He's just kind of spitballing here.

"Did you think your fox could protect you?" Bob asks, smirking. Naruto hopes to the heavens that titans and gods cannot read his mind.

Bob strolls, unconcerned. "You might be an Immortal mortal but that is ultimately useless against the titan who holds the domain of mortality."

Ooh. Wordplay. Scary.

Naruto smiles. Okay, he thinks. This is fine.

"Not all I have unfortunately for you."

"I've countered your blue ball. Your clones are too weak to touch me, and you cannot heal. Everything Castellan informed us of, I can beat."

Naruto raises a brow. "You think I showed everything I have to Luke? Luke?" Bob squints. "Why would I show all my cards to a weakling?"

He's bluffing. He makes his words so convincing, he starts to believe it himself.

Bob laughs. "Hubris. I love opponents with hubris."

Naruto lets enough of his chakra out for a blue hue to come over his hand. Bob does the same with whatever silver energy he has.

"Now come, titan of mortality. I will teach you suffering."

Jason should be winning. He's got a type advantage. And Oceanus is in L.A, far away from any beach around.

But, well, Jason is struggling.

He's not even a Pichu, going up against Perfect Chaos, and the guy is so goddamn slippery, Jason can't land even a single hit.

He stabs with his gladius, and the guy parts into streams of water. Then that stream grabs his ankles and sends him hurling.

Jason stops his momentum with a swipe of his hand and a slight gust of wind.

His shoulders creak in protest. He turns back to his opponent.

Jason strikes himself with lightning and points it towards Oceanus. Before he can launch it, Oceanus forms in front of him and swats him away.

Oceanus follows and tries to stab him with his trident.

Then the weirdest thing happens; time slows down to a crawl. Jason feels like fireworks are popping in his head. He parries the blow with his hilt and tries to slice Oceanus' head in half.

It almost works.

Oceanus twists his head, grunting. Jason's sword cuts through the titan's ear. Golden ichor flows.

Oceanus jumps back. Jason stares for a second. How did he do that?

Jason then remembers. He remembers that he'd charged up lightning. It was still in his body, then. He hadn't discharged it.

Static runs through his bones. Jason feels… alive.

They interlock blades and Jason matches the titan, blow for blow.

Well, nearly.

The titan's got experience that Jason can never hope to get. Jason can't hold a clash for too long because the titan is leagues above him in strength.

But speed. Jason is just barely slower than a freaking titan in speed.

Jason dodges the trident and it swipes just a bit under his eye. He flies backwards and into the sky.

"Coward," the titan calls, "Come face me!"

It's quite a comical sight seeing the titan not able to catch him in the sky, Like Jason is an older brother dangling a toy in front of his younger brother.

Before the titan thinks of throwing his trident at Jason, he elects to think of something to defeat the titan once and for all.

Jason is human, and his stamina isn't endless.

Oceanus is not.

Breathe. He can't worry about all that. Trust me, and I'm telling you, that you can fucking do this. How could he fail after… that?

Jason calls for help from a father that has never once acknowledged him. Jason expects nothing, but he hopes for a lot.

A beat.

Then Jason feels it.

Jason feels the might of a lightning bolt from the sky. He doesn't see it and he doesn't care to see it. He feels the thunder boom in his bones and he feels the utter weight of a continuous pour of lightning strike his shoulders.

It's like a drug, honestly. Jason feels on top of the world, and that no one can stand in his way.

It's all a bit too much. His heart beats faster than any tempo in Guitar Hero, and his eyesight goes a bit too precise. Jason would die if he intended to keep it, no matter the rush.

Good thing, he isn't keeping it anywhere near him.

Oceanus isn't dumb. He saw the lightning and he heard the thunder. He's making his way to Jason, smartly bouncing between alley walls.

His trident is poised to strike. If Jason moves, his body won't be able to handle it. He doesn't even know how he knows that.

Jason charges the lightning to his fingers. Oceanus is too close now. But if Jason cannot defeat him in the one move, it's done.

He has to finish this now.

Jason will bear the pain. For he is a Centurion of Rome. The next praetor, and the strongest goddamned Roman alive.

He. Will. Not. Falter.

There is a sound of flesh being pierced but it's not Jason's. Oceanus has a spear plunged through his torso. A spear made of fire.

Jason looks down. Clarisse is covered in an angry red hue that makes her look like a soldier, like the leader of a battalion. Her skin is burned. He can see where the scars will form, the scars she got for him.

Clarrise does not hate. She nods

Jason nods back.

He puts two fingers to Oceanus' head. The stunned titan can do nothing.

Jason gives him everything.

Yellow lightning arcs over Oceanus' body. Green static pours out of Jason's cells, and blue electricity shines where Jason's fingers meet Oceanus' head.

Oceanus fades into golden dust before he hits the ground. Jason is caught before he does too.

Clarisse doesn't flinch at his weight. Through her aura, he sees a smile. Proud, almost.

Jason's heart breaks with guilt. Then he fades into unconsciousness, having beaten a titan.

Bob is covered with scratches on his abdomen, and bruises on his face. Naruto has ichor between his nails and flesh on his kunai. He takes carnal pleasure from that, even as his body agonizes.

The battle is coming to an end. Naruto feels it and he believes Bob feels it too.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. Steady your feet. Sharpen your mind.

Let your instincts guide you.

Naruto weaves through a couple strikes, crouches and sticks his palm out like a Hyuuga. Then he follows with another Rasengan.

Naruto's hands move without his mind's input. The Rasengan condenses. Naruto's chakra leaps to add more chakra to make it the same size it was, even before it was condensed.

Naruto gets a clear shot at Bob's abdomen.

All that is lost in a moment. Bob waves his hand and a silver projectile hits Naruto between his eyes.

He staggers back into a wall and that sends copious amounts of smoke around. There is a loud sound as Naruto's forehead cracks.

As Naruto lands on the floor like a dead fish still bleeding out, all gross and stuff. Bob taunts, "So much for your taunts. A whole year and all you've added to your repertoire is little puny weapons?"

Naruto coughs. "So much for yours. You're being matched by me after all."

Naruto gets a kick to the face for all the effort. As he goes flying back, he notices something. He notices where he'd been attacking from, the Rasengan is still floating around. Dissipating quickly, but not immediately.

Heh.

Perhaps, Naruto could make Rasengan mines with that? Not as it is now, perhaps with a few weeks of effort. He should be focusing on the fight right now, but that's freaking cool, no?

Naruto rises. He doesn't let Bob's words cut him because it's just not his style to let someone's words get to him.

Naruto forms a hand sign. A little pop deafened by the sound of Bob's footsteps. Bob stabs his spear through his head a second later and smiles victoriously.

Naruto pops into smoke. Bob flinches in surprise.

That smoke from earlier wasn't just Naruto falling through the wall. He'd made a clone then before Bob could stab him, he'd switched with the clone. Bob wouldn't know of the wonders of the substitution jutsu.

Shikamaru (and Annabeth) would be proud.

Naruto is behind the titan before he can turn. He's grabbed back the Rasengan. He condenses it again.

It shines green.

Naruto slides gracefully under a backhand, the final sad attempt from the titan. There might be a call for Naruto to have 'mercy' or perhaps not.

Naruto plunges his hand into Bob's stomach and the Rasengan blows up there.

There is a terrible cracking sound underneath Bob's yells. The walls around shake and tremble and a shockwave blasts around.

A body lands in the distance.

Bob's hold over Naruto's wounds shatters. Naruto waves his hand and his skin starts to repair itself. Life-threatening wounds vanish in minutes.

Bob is nearly unrecognizable. His body is like a purple and sad bruise. Golden ichor flows down wounds and pools under him. Naruto's thoughts should be; Ew, I did that. I'm sick, but they go more like, Get rekt.

Bob croaks. "When Kronos has taken back the world, I rise again with my full power. I shall come for you, Uzumaki Naruto. Know mortal, that you have made an enemy of Iap–"

Naruto doesn't fret about the opponent being in a weaker state, because Naruto did win, no matter the excuse. So he walks up, and says, "Shut up and die, Bob.". Then spins out a kunai and stabs the titan between the eyes.