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

Chptr. 26

"Don't you know, we're still gold

Just another day we made mistakes

Face the rain

Don't walk away

There's another chance to set it straight..."

~ Paint it Black by Andy Black from the album 'The Shadow Side'

(Teaser is on the side! Song and album can be found on Spotify, iTunes, etc.)

...

...

"So Grover, what's it like being back?" "Well, it's weird. Really, really weird." Percy smiled at this. "I can imagine." "So, when are we checking the graveyard for more zombies?" "Did you seriously call yourself a zombie, Grover?" Nico asked while facepalming. "Yeah, why not? Let me call us zombies, in a way we are!" "Yeah yeah..." Thalia answered with a lot of sarcasm. "But, when?" Grover went back to the original subject. "I guess we could check the graveyard later tonight..." Nico said.

Silence fell in the room as the four teenagers thought of who the next person may be who'd come back to earth.

...

"What the actual fuck just happened!" Clint shouted after seeing the footage. "Jarvis, what was that thing?" "Well sir, according to all sources, it's the Minotaur." "Greek mythology?" Natasha asked out loud to no one in particular. "That thing in the maze?" "Yeah..." Steve answered Bruce's question. "What does that thing have to do with Percy?" "Well, it wanted to kill him, doctor Banner," Jarvis said. "Well, I saw that Jarvis," Bruce groaned. "But why does it want to kill him?" "I do not know that, doctor Banner." Bruce facepalmed as he turned back to the rest. "Tony, do you know anything?" Steve asked while looking at the hologram of the Minotaur. "No..." Tony sighed and sat down on the white couch. "Stark." A new voice entered the room, Nick Fury. "Where's Jackson?" "I don't know, Nick. Why?" "A monster just crushed your tower, knew your nephew and that family of yours jumped out of the tower and disappeared. Why would I be looking for him?" "It's none of your business, Fury." "It is my business when there might be a threat." "Who says he's a threat!" "The council, Stark! The council says he's a threat! And you know I do not act out of silly emotions." "Silly?" Anger coated Stark his voice like snow covers the earth in the winter. "This is the son of my sister, Nick!" He jumped up. "My dead sister! His mother! Emotions are not silly! They make us human!" "I'm human too, Stark. I just don't let the emotions cover up common sense." "What is common sense, Fury? Tell me! Does it make the world go round? Does it keep the sun going up in the east and going down in the west?" "It keeps the world safe!" "From what! Idiots without emotions like you!" "From letting the world be run by emotions."

Tony fell silent. "I care for family, Stark. But sometimes, you need to let emotions go and look at it with an objective perspective." "What if I can't?" "I will do it for you."

...

"Will?" A groan escaped Will's mouth. His body was hurting like Tartarus, but right now the only thing he cared about was the answer to the question: 'Where on earth was he?'. "Someone? He is awake!" Rachel? What was she doing... here? Will's thoughts went slow and he felt himself falling back into unconsciousness. "No! No! Will!" What... What... What did she want? "Will, can you hear me?" He wanted to nod, but his body refused to work, the only thing he could was throwing a groan out of his mouth like a bullet. "Will, you are going to be okay." Will felt a hand go through his hair. "I found you..." Rachel found him? "You almost died..."

Rachel took Will's hand, he was not hot nor cold, but knowing he was alive and in the safest place for him calmed her down. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "You darn idiot..." She said, her voice shaking as if she was sitting on a vibrating chair. "We can't lose you... I..." Will had his eyes closed, his body was covered in wires which were attached to what felt like a billion machines, but in reality, it was around seven. The beeping filled the room, the terrible beeping. It hurt Rachel's ears. The constant beeping, the sounds of machines running and the small gears that were turning. Will's skin was terribly pale, it shocked her every time she saw it. His hair had been washed by the other children of Apollo, not just for the terrible smell, but also to make their brother look more like he should look. Like their brother...

"Rachel?" Rachel turned around to see Chiron standing there. "Hi..." "I heard he's awake..." "Yeah, he just doesn't open his eyes, we can say all we want Chiron, but at least he's as stubborn as a demigod should be." "That's right, Rachel..."

...

"This graveyard keeps giving me the creeps every time we come here..." Thalia says as they step through the gates. "You fight monsters and some stones, grass and trees give you the creeps?" "No... Feel the atmosphere around you, you idiot," Thalia responds fastly to Nico. She is right, Percy thought, he could feel what she meant. The goosebumps on his skin were the evidence or maybe it was the cold wind sweeping away the dust of the old tombstones. One way or another, it did not feel good today to step onto this ground. "Maybe we should go..." Percy said with a serious tone. "There's something not right." "I feel it to...." Nico said looking around to find something that did not belong here.

A whistling sound. It came closer and closer. Percy looked up to see a small rocket heading towards the graveyard. "NO!" He shouted as he threw his friends behind him. "Wha...!" Thalia shouted as the rocket hit its target and caused an explosion. "PERCY!"

...

"The rocket hit its target, sir," Jarvis said. "Shall I get the satellites to send us footage from the target, sir?" "Yes Jarvis, put it on the big screen, please," Fury said as he looked at Stark who was in anger. "Here it comes, mister Fury."

On the screen the target was shown, the graveyard where all of Percy's friends and family members were buried. It was on fire, stones were laying everywhere. "That you'd do this to a teenager, Fury. Destroy the resting place of his family and friends," Steve said, looking at the screen in horror. There came no answer from Fury as he looked at what he had caused. "Zoom in, Jarvis." "Of course, mister Fury." The screen was now fully filled with the graveyard. "Try to get some sound, can you do that?" "Of course, sir." The crackling of fire was heard, but also the screams of a teenage girl. "NO! Where is he!" The camera turned to the right and there were three teenagers, two who were familiar to Tony. "That.... Those are the kids who were in my tower when Percy was unconcious," He said while pointing at the goth and the girl with the tiara. "Where is Percy, dam it!"

The blood left Tony's face and he felt himself fall back on the couch. "He was just here!" He saw the unknown teenage boy scream. "He was just here!" "Who tried to kill us this time!" "Nico, that does not matter right now! We need to find Percy!" The girl shouted as she stood up and started shouting, "Percy! Where are you, you dam seaweed brain!"