Percy Jackson Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent

2020 (3)

Much of the rest of the year blurred into one giant lump of 'living at a summer camp with small children', to be perfectly honest. I can't say that I hated it, but there was something about kids that just sapped my strength when I had to live with them day in and day out (and I even got my own cabin).

In an attempt to stay sane, me and Annabeth went out for a 'Happy Birthday' date in early August, with the vague hope that, if we went somewhere relatively out of the way, we could pretend that we were an ordinary couple living ordinary lives for once (and that I wasn't, for example, an international fugitive hiding from the world's farthest-reaching spy agency). This meant that we had to get dinner in an off-the-beaten-track diner in Rhode Island, because of all the places you would expect a criminal to pop up, Rhode Island is not one of them.

But, you know what? The fact that it was so very ordinary and out-of-the-way really just added to the charm (plus, it gave us an excuse to be out longer because of the driving time). I hadn't been in a good old-fashioned greasy-spoon diner in literal years, and it genuinely felt like quite a treat. (See? The secret to having a great time wherever you go out is to live under a rock for the rest of your life).

We slid into a booth on the far side of the diner, as far out of the way of the security cameras as we could physically get.

I grinned at Annabeth, lacing our fingers together over the table. "This is nice. You know, not almost being killed, no annoying siblings or other miscellaneous children, no gods forcing us to go and find their missing caduceus, no need to be armed to the teeth, you know. Just you and me." Okay, so maybe both of us were still armed, but that wasn't the point. I only had one gun, two knives and the garroting wire in my watch, so for once I wasn't a walking arsenal.

Annabeth chuckled. "Yeah, but isn't Rhode Island a pretty long way to come just for date night?"

"Maybe so. Look, I'm sorry that we couldn't do New York or anywhere closer."

Annabeth just smiled. "I know; no need to worry about it. It's just a shame that we can't both have a drink with our dinner, you get me?"

"We could, but I think I'd have to sell everything I owned to pay for the cab back, so let's not do that. And I really don't want to add 'driving under the influence' to my laundry list, do I?"

Annabeth paused whilst the waitress deposited a couple of menus on the table. "Maybe, but I'm not sure how bad it would look next to 'assassin responsible for multiple deaths', 'fugitive', and 'legally dead'."

I laughed softly. "Well, it would ruin the theme I've got going, wouldn't it? It would totally kill my rep at S.H.I.E.L.D., oh so he assassinated a Central Asian-" I side-eyed the waitress who was rearranging donuts in the display cabinet "-dictator, but he couldn't get away with drink-driving."

Annabeth huffed out a laugh at that. "Well, no one from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here right now, so you don't need to worry about your precious reputation."

It's kind of hard not to worry when you've spent the first three or four years of adulthood being trained to be highly suspicious of everyone and everything.

But I'd try for her.

I pulled her hand up to my mouth to kiss it. "Not to be cheesy, but if I were to wake up without my memories or any clue as to where I was, my first thought would be you."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "That sounds highly improbable. Anyway, how would you remember me, if you didn't remember yourself."

I frowned, my romantic gesture having been foiled by logic yet again. "You're right, but the sentiment's there."

Annabeth broke her stoic façade to laugh. "Maybe." She squeezed my hand. "Anyway, thanks for this. I know you feel guilty for not being able to take me out on dates like this all the time, but clearly romance isn't dead."

Her sweeping statement was punctuated by the sound of a drunk guy throwing up loudly in the bathroom. Ah, the perfect sound track to our first date in two months.

Charming.

A young and slightly harried-looking waitress came over to our table at that point, holding a notepad to take our order. I grinned at her as non-threateningly as I could whilst I ordered my cheeseburger and fries, but I think I might have shown too many teeth, considering how she skittered away almost immediately after Annabeth ordered the same thing.

"Do you think I frightened her?" I asked Annabeth, feeling kind of bad and wanting a second opinion.

Annabeth just laughed. "I think that the fact that you're young and male was probably enough to frighten her, actually. I thought your friendly act was pretty convincing."

"Are you insinuating that I'm not actually friendly?"

She shrugged and made a bit of a pantomime of thinking about it. "Well, you did just tell me that you assassinated some random dictator, so..."

"You're so horrible to me," I deadpanned, and both of us burst out laughing, for once smiling and carefree, unburdened by the responsibility that our heritage had bestowed upon us.

Ciao Fuckers!

930 Words