There Goes a Fighter

Prophetic Dreams Just Dunk On You

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The team watched as Bruce and Thor set off in a Quinjet, heading off towards the stars before calling for Heimdall and the Rainbow Bridge. Thor had received a message from the Warriors Three and Sif that they needed him. They told about Surtur's movements and Bruce volunteered to go in order to study Asguardian astrophysics and radiation.

Little did they know both men would return to them very differently.

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They took a Quinjet; the Guardians had stayed at the Compound to be briefed on the politics of this world and how they would have to operate on Earth. Tony set the coordinates to Wakanda and the team settled in for the long flight. Tony and Peter gathered around a video conference screen, talking with Shuri and the other Wakandan scientists. Tony seemed to glow, in awe of all that not only the Wakandans have created but Shuri had.

Shuri loved that she had another person to talk to that she understood and Tony was happy to see all of her brilliance. While they both were into tech, especially nanotech, Shuri excelled in vibranium-based projects such as the kimoyo beads and the kinetic energy usage of her suits while Tony excelled in is arc reactor tech (which he realized was based on an infinity stone) and actual sentient AI tech. Both were protective of their various fields, but both made tentative promises to show each other how it was done. "You're not bad for a broken white man who only had a cave to use. You're joining my club."

"As long as you sign my science children adoption papers."

That was when Peter joined in, commenting about how it made sense, the two were just recycling. That brought Shuri and Peter into a huge discussion of memes, science, and jokes. Tony muttered about why he thought it was a good idea to adopt all these fucking children.

Steve was in the corner, quietly reading the thick packet of reports, using a heavy duty highlighter and a pen to make notes. Natasha and Clint were curled around one another and the twins were throwing a paper ball back and forth, trying to use their powers to their advantage. Bucky was staring straight ahead blankly as Percy was sleeping as well, head resting on his flesh shoulder. She was twitching, caught in a dream.

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Everything was blurry, and all Percy could see here swirls of grey. All she could feel was the sense that she was dissolving, being burned and dragged away into nothingness. And then suddenly everything sharpened to a point on the small of her back. She was being tugged, pulled back together by that force.

The dream then seemed to glitch, and color flooded her vision, bright spots of glowing color taking over her. Everything burned but she felt as her skin was strong, refusing to break under the onslaught.

And then everything exploded.

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Hours into the trip, Percy jolted awake with a yell, bolting forward and landing on one knee.

Everything stopped, Nat and Clint separating, Steve nearly threw his papers everywhere, and all conversations with Wakanda stopped as everyone whipped around to look at the demigod.

Percy's eyes were clenched shut, her fingers rubbing at her temples. There was a litany of curses being mumbled as she shook her head. Clint slid off of his seat and rubbed her back, until Percy could bring herself to look up and respond.

"I had a prophetic dream. After quite a while having them, I could parse out what I have to do. I have to go bathe in the Styx again. Fuck. I almost dissolved last time."

"Bathe in the Styx?" Steve asked, so very lost and confused.

"It's of course, in Greek Mythology. It is a river in the Underworld. Achilles, as a child, was dipped into its waters and it made him invincible. But his mother had been holding onto his ankle, making it the only place on him that was vulnerable. That is how he was killed, by getting shot in the heel with an arrow. Thus the term Achilles heel. I already bathed in it to fight Kronos when I was sixteen, and my weak spot was the small of my back. I was going to dissolve until I thought of Annabeth, who I thought was my soulmate. But when I crossed the Little Tiber carrying Juno, the Roman version of Hera, the curse was washed away as it was Greek and I was passing into Roman territory.