Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Aftermath (PJ/TA Crossover) ~ Completed ~

Chptr. 8

"When you were young

And your heart was an open book

You used to say live and let live

You know you did

...

But if this ever changin' world

In which we live in

Makes you give in and cry

Say live and let die.'

~ Live and Let Die by Guns 'N Roses (original lyrics by Paul McCartney) from the album 'Use Your Illusion I'

(Song can be found on the side. Song is also on Spotify, YouTube, Itunes, etc.)

No one's POV

The sun started shining in New York City, the city that never sleeps. One demigod was already awake in Tony Stark's Stark Tower. Not being to sleep for long spans of time because of the past haunting him in his dreams. He was training by jogging on a treadmill. One drop of sweat rolling down on the side of his face. Flashes of battles they won, kisses of the dead, smiles of the lost, were in his mind. He shook his head, trying to get the images away from his view.

A thousand feelings went through his heart as the face of his mother was in front of his eyes again. He breathed in and again shook his head, making Sally's face disappear and bringing him back to the present. He couldn't have heard the other soldier walking into the room. Steve Rogers looked at the teenager in front of him. And looked for a second on the clock, 5:32. "Percy, what are you doing up?" Steve asked, looking back at the kid. "Just used to it." The demigod answered, not looking at the man. "Come on," Steve made a gesture that Perseus should come, "Let's eat something." Percy looked at the man who had captured him. "Sure," He said with a small smile on his face.  He turned off the treadmill and walked over to Steve, who put an arm around the shoulders of the teen.

"Got any sleep after yesterday?" Steve asked. "Yeah, just not too much." They walked through the hallways of Stark Tower to the elevator to eventually go to the heart of the Tower, which was the kitchen. They both made their own breakfast, baked eggs with bacon for Steve and blue pancakes for Percy. This all happened in silence, even though Steve's mind was filled with questions. Not only about the unknown past of the boy in front of him, but also the boy's mother, Tony's sister. What was she like? What happened to her? And some English teacher called Paul Blofis? And again, why was he engaged?

"Why are your pancakes blue?" Steve asked, looking questioningly at the blue pancakes on Percy's plate. "Inside joke with my mom," Percy answered with a slight grin on his face. "But... I don't understand. Why would blue pancakes be funny?" "Gabe once said that blue food didn't exist and from that moment on we always made blue food," Percy said. Disgust obvious when he said the name of the man who had abused him for years. But he smiled for a second when he thought back to his revenge. "You don't really seem to like him," Steve said. "No. I don't really like him, no." Percy said after putting another piece of his blue pancake in his mouth.

"So, do you like it here?" Steve asked, putting a piece of his bacon in his mouth. To be very honest, he didn't really care about breakfast, he just wanted to have a place where he could sit and talk to this kid. Not only for the answers to so many questions but also to just get to know the kid better. In the end, Tony was his guardian now and Percy would probably stay in Stark Tower from now on to live with him and the Avengers. "Am I going to live here?" Steve looked up from his thoughts. "What?" "Am I going to live here from now on?" Percy asked again to the soldier. "I think so. Stark is your only relative." 'Not true...' Percy thought. But he could not tell them about the other side of the family. In the end, even though he saved Olympus more than once, survived hell and fought in wars, Percy was 17 and needed a guardian, according to the law.

"Do I smell bacon?" Barton's head popped out of the door opening. "Yeah, good morning Clint," Steve said with a small smile. "Good morning Steve, Percy." Clint went over to the cabinet and grabbed a plate and then to the pan for some bacon. "Slept well?" He said to the two as he put the plate down on the table and went to get some bread. "Yeah," Steve said. Percy didn't answer and just took another bite of his pancake. "Percy?" Clint asked, looking at Percy. Percy looked up, "Yeah, I got more sleep than usual." Steve looked weirdly at Percy when he said that. Hadn't he just said he didn't get much? "I thought you said you didn't get much?" "Well, more than usual." Clint looked questioningly at Percy and asked, "Exactly how long did you sleep?" "Three hours or so."

The room fell silent. "That's certainly not healthy," Steve said. Percy shrugged and ate the last bit of his pancakes. "I'm going for a jog." And he stood up and went out of the room. Leaving the two Avengers in a mild shock. "What."

"Hi, guys." Natasha and Bruce went into the kitchen and started making their own breakfast. "Bruce, how much hours of sleep do you need for a good night rest?" Steve asked. Making the two who just entered the room look weirdly at him. "Adults need at least seven and teens like eight. Why are you asking that?" "Percy slept for three hours and according to him, that's more than usual. And when I found him he was training and now he's going for a jog."

"Don't worry about it, Steve. I have to give him a check-up today, if I see anything that worries me, I have to inform Fury and Stark." "Why Fury?" Clint asked. "He's the one who wanted Steve to arrest the kid in the first place. And according to the rest of the files, there is a high chance Percy is a terrorist."

"Who is a terrorist?" Stark walked in, immediately walking over to the coffee machine. "Percy is." Stark turned to the doctor. "Why would he be that?" "According to his files, he has blown up almost every school he went to, he has something to do with a volcano erupting, shot with a cannon at a school bus, do you want me to go on?" "Erupting a volcano?" Steve said shocked. "How could a kid erupt a volcano, Banner?" Natasha asked. "As I know, the files just say he has something to do with that." "Wait, where is he?" Tony asked suddenly. "He said, he was going for a jog, Tony." "If he is not back within an hour or so, we need to track him, okay?" Tony said. "Try to trust him," Steve said.

What they all didn't know was that Percy was at his old apartment, packing a few things. Some clothes, ambrosia and nectar, nine framed pictures and final, the letter of Annabeth.
She had left it in case something happened, just like he had done for her. But looking at her handwriting, the heartbreaking words, the tear stains on the paper... It hurt so much.
He put them in a dark blue bag. He threw the bag over his right shoulder and went away. Not wanting to see the apartment, too many memories.

He went to the flower shop and grabbed thirteen bouquets of white roses. He had them under his other arm and walked to the graveyard three blocks further. The walk there was always terrible, his heart wanting to talk to them, hear their voices, feel their hugs and just to walk with them. But what was left was their bodies underground and the stones above.

Ten minutes further the gate appeared. Percy felt his heart drop a little, but he went on.
He went inside and walked over to the graves, dropping his bag and cleaning them and laying the new flowers on them. Knowing he had to go back to Stark's, he tried not to cry. But, looking at the graves, the many memories and the ache in his heart, the tears started streaming. His cheeks became slightly red and his eyes became bloodshed. Sobs tried to get out of his mouth, but he held them inside.

"Oh Percy, just show me," Annabeth said. Percy's hands over her eyes, not showing her where they were going. "One second, Annie." "You know I don't like to..." Percy's hands moved away and a beautiful sunset was seen by the girl's eyes. The dancing colours in the sky. "Wow..." A little picnic was set up on a rock for the two in love. Percy took his lover's hand and went over to the rock with her. She sat down on her small red pillow on the red blanket. "I love you."

The memory disappeared.