A/N - Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck by me and this story. It's been a long time since I posted that first chapter (2010?!) and I am sorry it's taken over a year for this one. It turns out I am very bad at writing action scenes! I've had the ending written more or less since the beginning, but I've had real difficulty trying to connect all the scenes together. Real life has also left me little time to write. Just a quick heads up that I have taken some creative liberties as to the appearances of the Titans. In any case! It's here now and hopefully the next and final chapter will be a little less painful.

Special thanks to my three guest reviewers, MadAsAHattereys and meowelina. Also thanks to everyone who favourited and followed.

Enjoy! (Also, I think it's the longest chapter I've ever written...)

CHAPTER 21.

Abhorrent beings of sharp cruelty threw themselves out of the miasmic portal into the mortal world, and the very earth shuddered in revulsion.

The first being to pull himself out of the swirling gates was Ophion, the serpent, whose monstrously huge body slithered its way out of the portal and filled the waiting teens below with dread. His toothless mouth opened in a gaping roar and spat out a very familiar object which had Artemis appearing in a flash of light; fists clenched in fury as it bounced upon the ground.

"My bow!"

She ran towards the terror and slid herself between its legs to retrieve her Item of Power. Coming up behind the Titan, she drew back the string and a pearly arrow formed. Using her ire to fuel its power, she released it straight into the beast's chest.

It had been a very short battle for Ophion. Much like her Great-Grandmother, Artemis had very little patience for the elder Titan and had swiftly dealt with him, though this time more permanently.

However, while he may have been the first, he was certainly not the last to emerge, as Titans and other prisoners of the Underworld, began to pour out of the portal in twos and threes and fours – until the school entrance appear to have every spare inch of ground covered by the monstrous enemy.

The Yugi-tachi were beginning to feel a little out-numbered. However, this was not for long, as more flashes of light appeared around them and soon Dionysus and Hermes were at their sides.

More forms appeared at their rear, as the Gods of Olympus came down to pit themselves against their greatest enemies.

"Wow, is that Aphrodite?" Otogi exclaimed, as a quick glance behind him turned into outright goggling. "Dude, she's hot!"

"Eyes front, Otogi! If you hadn't noticed, there's something far more dangerous right in front of you!" Anzu screamed; it amazed her how he could still act like such a perv when his life was at risk!

Her exclamation was what began the battle, as the invading monsters and Titans tried to take advantage of the momentary distraction.

In no time at all duellist, god, Titan and monster were locked into battle.

Artemis took the lead, as she threw herself at the largest target possible – the King of the Titans and the god of destructive time, Kronos. As the instigator of the first Titan war and the leader of his brothers' plot to ambush their father Uranus, Kronos had once again taken the lead in this attack against the gods. Though he appeared as an elderly man, with long white hair and an impressive beard, his robe could not hide the fact that his body was in peak condition. As he raised his scythe and prepared to strike Artemis down, the muscles in his arms bulged underneath his bronzed skin.

Artemis, however, was too quick for him. She darted underneath his strike and placed her booted heal into his stomach – pushing him back some meters. She quickly aimed her bow and stuck fast; two arrows entered the left side of his chest.

Head bowed and on his knees, Kronos gripped the arrows and roughly pulled them out, uncaring of the blood that gushed out of the wound. It would heal soon enough. Raising his head, the mighty Titan grinned blood stained teeth at his granddaughter.

And so their battle went on.

Hand in hand, Yami and Yugi took their lead from the goddess and engaged with the creature that charged towards them out of the portal. This being, Iapetos, was the Titan-god of mortality, an aspect that had warped his body during his time in Tartarus, becoming the withered husk Yami and Yugi saw before them. However, being the brother of Kronos, he was a mighty foe and his emaciated state did nothing to hinder his sharp tactical mind, nor his aim. With a hefty throw, the yew-wood spear flew from his hand towards the former Pharoah in the span of a few seconds.

It was only Yugi's quick casting of the Millenium Sheild that protected him from certain death. The warrior card, however, did not last the attack and turned to ash within his grasp.

There was no time to mourn, however, as they knew this would not stop the Titan for long.

Sending a grateful look to his partner, Yami summoned his faithful Dark Magician. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Yugi calling upon Gaia the Fierce Knight. They wished they could summon stronger monsters, the god cards or Exodia would surely be game-changers, but neither knew how long this fight would go on for, so had to conserve their strength. They hoped a combined force of magic and might would give them the upper-hand.

The summoned monsters readied themselves for the fight as Iapetos surged forward to regain his spear.

Anzu was no fool.

As soon as the Titans made their move, she had already whipped out her monster of choice – the Dark Magician Girl. Yugi had lent her his card for the battle and she would not let the element of surprise go to waste.

Otogi at her side summoned Orgoth the Relentless and called out an attack.

This tag teaming turned out to be extremely effective and took the Titan-goddess of meadows, Eurynome, down very quickly. The Titan in question had barely put up a fight, but Anzu and Otogi could not take the risk of letting an enemy roam free on the battlefield. Otogi took a closer look at the woman laying prone on the ground and admired her gentle features. He wondered how such a beautiful, but gigantic woman had ended up imprisoned in Tartarus in the first place.

Anzu hit him. He must have said that last part aloud. She wasn't wrong either; he should know better than most that a pretty face did not equal a kind heart, or vice versa.

A screech behind Anzu drew her attention away from the unconscious Titan. It was none other than Alecto herself, whose visage was even more monstrous than the last time they saw her. More bird than woman, her hair still the nest of writhing nightmares, her face dominated by a cruel beak, her feet nothing more than razor-sharp talons and her hands tipped with claws. Never again would anyone say that Chono-Sensei was anything other than an ugly bitch.

Anzu readied her deck and nudged Otogi into action. Otogi was pretty sure that in this woman's case the inside matched the outside.

Both of them were going to enjoy this.

Honda would like to say it was annoying, having your Dad chaperone your first divine battle, but honestly, he could only feel grateful that Hermes had stuck by his side. Especially as the towering Kreios hauled himself towards them.

"Nervous?"

Honda glanced over at his father, who was nonchalantly leaning against his caduceus, a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it.

"Yeah," Honda replied with a wobbly grin.

Hermes chuckled.

"No need to be. I mean look at him," he gestured towards to humanoid mass of gases and light. The ram-horned Titan-god of the heavenly constellations was slowly pulling his gigantic form towards them with his muscular arms. "He is literally half the man you are. Get it!" he grinned at Honda, "Because I cut off his legs in the last war! Ah man, I kill me,"

Honda was now nervous in a different way.

"Well, he's sure taking his sweet time, so let's get this ball rolling," Hermes stood up straight and swung his caduceus onto his shoulder. "Let me show you how your old man came to be known as a 'Giant-Slayer',"

With that, Honda stood back as his father floated into the air with his winged sandals. Within a few seconds, he had propelled himself towards Kreios with a tremendous war-cry.

On the far right of the emerging battlefield, Bakura and Ryou had been cornered by the serpentine giant, Typhon.

Backs pressed against the brick wall of the school building, it took only one look between them before Bakura pushed his magic into the Millennium Ring, creating a blinding light that caused Typhon to rear back.

In the monster's confusion, Bakura summoned his Puppet Master and Ryou Doma The Angel of Silence; both set their monsters to attack the Titan.

The Puppet Master flew past Typhon, avoiding his writhing coils, and in doing so dragged his strings with him. Once clear, the monster tightened his string, effectively trapping Typhon in an inescapable net. The trap set, Doma The Angel of Silence unleashed its powerful dark attack – which streaked from its Tsuki Yari (a spear with a crescent-shaped blade) towards the great snake. A huge plume of dirt was displaced during the attack, veiling the outcome.

After the cloud of dust settled down, it became clear that while wounded, Typhon was not beat yet.

Kaiba just could not believe this was his life.

Standing before a Titan, who looked like a supped-up, glowing, naked bodybuilder and had a staggering height over nine feet tall, he could not believe he had been reduced to this.

The Titan grinned and started to slur out derogatory comments towards him. To be honest, Kaiba wasn't really listening.

Something about being a puny mortal, can never win, blah, blah, blah.

It wasn't anything he hadn't heard before from competitors. He had always had to fight for his position and for power.

Besides, the idiot's tirade would provide enough time for Kaiba to figure this thing out.

He glanced down towards the Millenium Rod which had been forced upon him by the Pharaoh.

'Dig deep and remember my past, my ass. Well here goes nothing,'

Kaiba raised the rod and uttered his most famous words.

"I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Sure it was a draining summons, being an eight star monster, but you know what they say:

Go big or go home.

Although Artemis had made the first move, this did not mean that the other gods were just standing around doing nothing.

Aphrodite, contrary to what many people would think, took to arms very soon after.

In her ferociousness, she had engaged the three banished Cyclopes and the three Hecatonchires (hundred-handed giants) to a duel. It was truly a spectacle to see her spinning round her assailants and giving as good as she got with her sword. It was like a herd of bulls being continuously stung by a bee that flittered between them avoiding any and all retaliation. After a half an hour of this pattern, she had reduced the number from six to four. It was almost as if she was playing with them, biding her time to enjoy the fight while it lasted. By the grin on her face, she probably was.

Not far from her, Dionysus and Eros had teamed up to tackle earliest residents of Taratus. These two giants, named Otus and Ephialtes, had attempted to break into Olympus and kidnap Hera and Artemis for their own purposes. Needless to say, the two gods were not going to go easy on these Titans who would have hurt their family in such a way. Moreover, this pair had caused a real worry to Zeus back in the day, and had taken Ares prisoner, so it would be wise to take them as a serious threat.

The two giants had been bound to columns with snakes as punishment and now used them as weapons against the gods. With fierce grips around their tails, they flung the long serpents like whips towards their enemies; a tight squeeze when they reached their target caused the jaws of the snake to open and pump venom into the flesh of their victim.

To counteract this, Eros stayed out of range and fired his arrows with deadly accuracy towards the head of the snakes. Whenever he could, he also tried to aim at the vulnerable eyes and bellies of the giants, but was rarely successful. The thick skins of the brothers proving to be durable even against divine weapons. Dionysus looked after his back, as he spun his thyrsus (a staff of giant fennel) to block strikes from the snakes and dived towards the bodies of the giants to deliver damage.

Every now and then, one of them would slip off to handle some beast that tried to approach one of the Yugi-tachi in their blind-spots. A knowing smile was passed over the shoulder of Hermes, as Eros shot down a shadow monster that had been creeping up behind Honda, who had been trying to building up the courage to decapitate a bound and bruised Kreios with the sword his father had given him.

The numbers of monsters dwindled as this system gradually thinned out the rest of the encroaching enemies.

Though Jou was keeping an eye on all these goings on, he was not sitting idle. Almost as soon as the portal had opened, Jou had been set upon by Tityos, a giant who had attempted to rape his mother some few thousand years ago. He had been no match for Apollo and his sister then and had been punished in Tartarus for his impudence – sentenced to be stretched out and tortured by two vultures feeding on his liver. The look in the beast's eyes showed Jou that this upcoming fight was going to be personal.

Moreover, it was not going to be easy.

Without his powers, Jou could only rely on his deck, his mortal magic and the heart of the cards. With a flick of his wrist Jou summoned his trusty Red Eyes Black Dragon, who roared into existence before him. With barely a word, his monster surged towards the giant and let loose a veritable stream of fire.

When the flames died down, Jou saw that while singed, Tityos was mostly unhurt. This was going to take a while and Jou worried for his friends fighting around him.

Various other gods surrounded him and fought off the hordes of lesser Titans, Cyclopes, Giants and nightmares that had arrived on Earth. However, Jou was blind to their struggles as his mind was focused on his friends and close family.

Seeing his friends fight with such courage and skill made Jou's heart burst with pride. He was so honoured to fight next to them and felt secure in the knowledge that between them and his immortal family, there was no possible way they could lose.

And so, with bolstered courage, Jou battled on.

After a couple of hours of hard battle and not long after Jou had sent his Baby Dragon to fight a small Cyclops who had been trying to sneak up on Artemis, he saw Yami jog over to him.

"Jounouchi," Yami panted, "I am afraid that our part of this battle may be over;.Yugi, Bakura, Ryou, Kaiba and myself do not have much magic left and I'm afraid everyone else has already exhausted themselves,"

"In that case, I think it's time to get everyone off the battlefield. I have a little more left in me, so I'll meet you outside the school grounds, shall we say next to the convenience store?"

"Agreed-"

The rest of Yami's sentence never made it out of his throat. His eyes were wide with terror at something going on behind Jou.

"Yugi!" Yami's cry was desolate, and Jou's head whipped around at the noise.

What he saw made his heart stop.

A leader of the Titans, Coeus, chased after his greatest friend; who, gripped with fear, had set off running. Like a hawk swooping on a timorous dove in the mountains, Coeus pursued and Yugi fled as fast as he could in terror, barely watching where he went.

Before long though, the Titan raised his spear and hurled it towards his chosen victim.

Yugi had at Yami's cry turned around to look behind and it was at that moment he tripped and fell. Laying in the dust, he quickly clenched his eyes and curled up around himself for protection.

It would have all been in vain, except as he heard the inevitable swoosh and thunk of the projectile's he felt nothing.

Not the nothingness of death, his ankle throbbed too much for that, and so he opened his eyes and raised his head.

Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, Yugi had unknowingly raced towards where Jou had been standing, and at the moment of impact...Jou had taken the hit.

"Jou!" he wept in horror, as his protector, his ally, his brother in all but blood, stood there with an olive-wood spear staking him through the chest.

The monstrous giant gurgled in joy, as he crowed:

"Down with order! I have slain the supplanter of my daughter, no more lives the shining one!"

At this the fighting stopped. And all around cheers and sobs alike took to the air.

Jou gurgled as well, as blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, as Yugi carefully laid him on the ground before he could fall and damage himself even more.

Alecto having heard the news from afar continued in delight.

"Ah! What a ransom your family would pay for the safe return for your body!" But then she grinned viciously, "However I would rather die than to see you with a happy fate. And when we're through you will have no family left! To the dogs with his body!"

More cheers received this statement, before Artemis in fury began battle once more. Sorrow powering her arrows and hatred guiding her aim into the heart of her enemies.

"I'm so sorry!" Sobbed Yugi, as he clutched the dying body of Jou.

"But-" He coughed and more blood bubbled from Jou's lips.

"No! Don't talk, I'll get some help, and you'll be okay, alright?"

Jou did not believe that was supposed to be a question.

A quick glance around tired him more than it should have, but showed that no one would be coming to the rescue any time soon.

From the blurry edges of his vision, and among the various gods in combat, he could see that Yami had returned to fending off the hell hounds he had previously been fighting with help from his summoned Dark Magician; Bakura and Ryou were back-to-back, their Diabound protecting them from the wrath of Echidna, along with the berserk Dionysus; Honda and Anzu appeared to be unconscious and Hermes with his caduceus stood over them as he battled the three giants that had cornered them. As his eyes slid shut and his breathing turned ragged he realised that he had seen no traces Otogi and Kaiba.

"Jou," Yugi shook him, "Wake up, c'mon, stay with me. If you do I'll...ummmm...buy you burgers for a year!"

Jou laughed, the action rattling his ribs and pushing more blood from his wound this time, though it had been steadily seeping before.

"Jou, please stop trying to move," Yugi looked helplessly towards the spear lodged in Jou's diaphragm. He didn't know if it would be better to remove it or leave it in.

Either way, Jou knew that it wouldn't change his fate. There was no pain, just numbness.

"Why-" Yugi's words drowned out by his own tears, "Why did you do that? I'm not worth it, I'm not a god like you are, I'm not useful like you!"

But he was worth it. Jou had never met such a kind hearted soul. It hadn't even crossed his mind that he was endangering himself until after the fact. He just couldn't live with seeing someone else he loved die because of him. Because of who he was.

If by dying he saved Yugi's life, then so be it.

And with that, the life left Jou's body. Yugi could feel it. It was like a moth in the night; swiftly flown away.

Everyone fought a little harder after that, and Yugi pulled the heavy spear from his deceased friend's body; throwing it carelessly to the side.

In his mourning, he cradled the blond's head and weeped.

However, in battle there are no still moments which can last, as in his distracted state, he had forgotten that Coeus had remained in the same place from which he had sent that fateful weapon.

Watching, Waiting.

"How sweet,"

Yugi startled.

"That you would mourn for the likes of him," He spat on the ground as he sauntered forward. "A new era is arriving, and we have no need for the weak," His hand filled with cosmic energy, "You are not even worth a noble death. Incineration shall do-"

He stopped and everyone all around stopped and stared at the sight.

Somehow, Coeus had been stabbed with his own spear – an attack which had aimed straight for the heart.

It was not before long that the Titan corpse collapsed, his eyes quickly clouding over in death.

There was silence even amongst the beasts, as the body of Jou dropped his hand from the follow-through of his attack and placed it amongst the multi-coloured spikes of Yugi and ruffled them gently.

He raised his head in the direction of the fallen giant.

"You coward," he hissed, "That you would aim for the back of your opponent – a mere child!"

"Jou! You're alive! And I'm not a child," cried Yugi, his face alight with joy, "How-?"

But then he looked. Really looked.

It was as if Yugi had been living in a world of shadows, which to be honest he had. But with the return of Jou there was light.

And Jou grinned a golden smile.

"I guess I just found the loophole in my bet,"

He gently removed Yugi's hands from his person and rose.

Yugi noticed immediately, that the horrible gaping hole in Jou's chest was gone, and his skin practically glowed through the bloodied cloth.

Before him was no longer a man, but a god.