Dirty Little Secrets

Get Off of My Back-Bryan Adams

Third Person POV

"He's ignoring us."

"Are you surprised?"

"I want to talk to him."

"I want to know why he hid it."

"Why do you think he hid it? That's not exactly something that someone like Percy would flaunt."

"That's it!" Annabeth finally burst out. "I'm tired of being ignored. We're going to talk to Percy if it's the last thing I do."

"And how do you propose that?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well we know where he lives." Annabeth pointed out.

"So you're saying we go and try to break into Stark Tower? Fantastic plan, Annabeth, absolutely brilliant." Piper said.

"No, I'm saying we go and ask nicely to be let up." Annabeth retorted, sensing the sarcasm in her friend's voice.

"We're going to Stark Tower? I'm in!" Leo exclaimed excitedly.

"What about the rest of you?" Annabeth turned to the others.

"Sure, why not." Thalia shrugged.

"I guess. What do you think, Hazel?" Piper asked.

"Sure." The tiny girl responded.

"I suppose I'm in." Jason finally relented when everyone else said they would go with Annabeth to the tower.

"Great, let's get going." Annabeth got to her feet and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

----------------------------------

Annabeth took a deep breath and led the group in the doors. The secretary looked up at them and smiled. "Do you kids need anything?"

"I'm a student reporter at the local high school, I was wondering if I could interview some of the Avengers for a report? I'd be especially interested in talking to Mr. Stark." Annabeth lied easily, smiling sweetly at the girl.

"JARVIS, could you ask Mr. Stark if he'd be interested in this opportunity?" The lady, whose name was Candace, Annabeth noticed by her name tag, said to thin air.

"I will, Miss Candace. One moment, please." A robotic voice issued from the ceiling, his accent echoing around the room. Leo nearly peed himself from excitement.

"He says come right up." The voice added after a few moments of silence.

"Go ahead." Candace smiled at them. "Press the button with the Avengers logo on it to get to the level that they like to hang out on."

"Thank you!" The teens piled into the elevator and there were a few moments of awkward shuffling as they moved to figure out who could reach the button.

In the end, Jason reached over and the doors closed.

They reached the correct floor with a ding and the elevator doors opened, spilling the group of high school students into the expensive living room of Tony Stark.

Said billionaire was sitting on the sofa facing the elevator. His dark eyes assessed the group quickly and he raised an eyebrow.

"You know, I'm considered to be a genius." He started.

"Ain't that the freakin' truth." Leo muttered, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"But even Thor could figure out that you kids are not reporters."

"Thor? Like, the god?" Jason piped up. "Is he here?"

"What do you kids want?" Mr. Stark asked, his tone neutral and his gaze rather cold.

Annabeth swallowed nervously. This was a man who built a lethal weapon in a cave, with only scraps that a group of terrorists provided him.

"We want to see Percy."

Immediately, any semblance of friendliness in Tony Stark's gaze disappeared, replaced by a glacial expression.

"No."

"Please, Mr. Stark-" Annabeth started.

"I said no!" The man stood, his voice going from conversation level to a roar that could startle trained mercenaries. "You will not come into my house and ask for things that I believe you have expressely been told that you are not allowed to receive."

"Mr. Stark, we want to talk-"

"It's you, isn't it." He interrupted her. The sentence wasn't a question, it was an accusation. "You're the one who started this, the one who couldn't keep her Californian tanned nose out of my nephew's business!"

Annabeth opened her mouth, trying to think of a reply, but a familiar voice echoing through the hallway off to the left stopped her.

"Mom, did you do laundry? I'm out of socks!"

"You need to get out." Stark said to the group. Annabeth didn't agree with him.

"Percy!" She yelled, jumping over the sofa and sprinting for the hallway. "Percy, we want to talk to you!"

When she had almost reached the hallway, a ball of brown hit her in the chest.

In the span of a few seconds, Annabeth found herself on her back, nose inches from the gleaming teeth of a very angry German Shepherd.

"Hey, call off the dog, man!" Jason's voice came from somewhere to her right.

"Fai, heel."

The dog got off of Annabeth and walked back to the speaker, sitting at his side.

"Percy." Annabeth sat up slowly, Jason and Piper helping her get to her feet. "We want to-"

The blue haired boy scowled. "I know what you want. You aren't getting it so get out of my house."

"C'mon, Perce, just hear us out!" Leo spoke. "And you should totally show us your wings!"

The sea-green eyes, already turbent with many emotions, swirled more wildly.

"If you are not gone in under a minute, I'm setting Fai on all of you."

The German Shepherd bared it's teeth in a grin that sent shivers down the spines of those it was directed at.

"Now, get out." Stark spoke.

And they did.

"The German Shepherd was a good choice, Frank." Percy smiled as the dog next to him morphed into a burly teen.

"Yeah? I rather liked it too."

[A/N GRRRR Frank is ferocious!]