Beautiful Disaster - PJO/Avengers + OC And Peter Parker

Chapter 10 - Uneasy Friends

    Perhaps the strangest thing happened a few weeks later in the hallway before class. Flash Thompson had been gone for a while, nearly a month at this point, and no one knew where he had been. Now, however, he was back, and rumors were flying around the school like crazy, with MJ's three friends seeming oblivious. She, on the other hand, heard them all.

    Tracy Lee told her that Flash showed up that morning with a black eye and a nasty temper, and Jake Woods said the guy had a sliced up arm and stitches above his eyebrow. MJ hadn't seen him yet, so she couldn't confirm either report. Still, it was interesting to hear the theories. Some people said he had joined a gang, others thought he was kidnapped and fought his way out, and a few thought it had something to do with the bridge that blew up over the past few days.

    They finally saw Flash later that day in the hallway when Peter accidentally bumped into him, not recognizing the other without the usual letterman and cronies. Surprisingly, after Peter apologized without knowing who it was, Flash didn't explode.

    "My bad, Parker." Peter looked up in shock at the lack of reaction, as did MJ and Harry, and they were surprised to see the shape he was in. The stitches covered a gash that went from over his eyebrow down the side of his face. He had a split lip, black eye, and what looked to be a healing broken nose. His arm was wrapped with bandages in a style only Peter recognized, and he looked at the other boy in shock.

   Jo walked up to them, very confused as almost everyone was heading to lunch by now. Then she saw Flash, and her eyes widened in what MJ and Harry thought to be shock at his injuries, but Peter had guessed already and put a hand at the small of her back for support.

    "Flash?" Her voice was startled, and Flash's eyes widened as soon as he saw her.

    "Jo?" She nodded. "What are you doing here?" She rolled her eyes.

   "Going to school, what else?" Flash frowned in confusion, though it looked rather painful.

   "I thought you finished already?" Jo shrugged.

    "Yeah, well, I got bored being stuck in the tower all the time. One scrape and Dad's got me on house arrest." Flash nodded.

   "Hey, at least it's a start." Jo shrugged again, and MJ spoke up.

    "Hang on, you two know each other?" Jo nodded.

     "Yep, distant cousins on my mom's side." Flash nudged her as MJ and Harry processed the new information.

   "Hey, can I talk to you please? It's family stuff." Jo nodded, and with a look shared between her and Peter, the latter quickly ushered the other two to lunch, and turned back to Jo and Flash. Flash raised an eyebrow when Peter stayed. "I said family stuff, Parker." Jo spoke up, lacing her fingers with Peter's.

   "Flash, it's okay. He knows." Flash's eyes looked to their hands, and he relaxed.

   "Okay, did not see that coming." He stuck out a hand to Peter. "Welcome to the crazy club, Parker. Sorry about before, I'm working on it." Peter shook his hand, smiling.

   "Thanks, Flash. And it's cool, I kinda get it now. What's happening?" Flash pulled the both of them into an empty classroom, frowning very seriously.

    "Monsters are coming back fast again, but it's different. The things in the sky come back pretty fast if it's windy, and the stuff on the ground sometimes gets picked up and reforms with leaves stuck in them. If it's windy outside at all they come back about as fast as we can kill them." Peter frowned.

    "The Bridge accident?" Flash nodded.

    "Anemoi Thuellai, about thirty of them. I lost Lila and Jasper, and Kayla's leg got pretty messed up. Will patched her up, but we both took it pretty bad when we couldn't find them. I was going to ask you about it when we got back to Camp, but Conner and Travis said you had to go to your dad's. They say hi, and they wanted to send you something, but I'm glad I didn't bring it with me. Piper said it turned green and started to melt." Jo rolled her eyes, amusement playing in them.