Annabeth Chase and the Avengers

Chapter 22

Annabeth

Thanos fingers snapped, a clunky, metallic sound, and Annabeth's muscles tensed, ready to feel herself turn into dust.

But it never came.

Lifting her head to look at Thanos, she saw him looking at the Gauntlet in surprise. He turned the Gauntlet over...

The Stones were gone.

Annabeth heard metal clanking behind her, and she turned around to see Tony, his right hand raised, gamma energy coursing from his fingertips, all the way down his arm. "Tony!" Annabeth let out a sob.

Tony gave his niece an encouraging smile. "Tell Morgan and Pepper I love them." Annabeth nodded, tears streaming down her face, and Tony turned to Thanos. "I... am... Iron Man." Tony drew his fingers together, and snapped them.

A glowing ball of energy emanated from Tony, and expanded, before shooting out in all directions. Annabeth felt the energy wash over her, and she was temporarily blinded.

When she had regained her senses, she blinked her watery eyes and stumbled to her feet. Tony was barely breathing, lying across a slab of concrete. Annabeth spun around to look at Thanos, who had a look of submission on his face, and he sat down heavily on a pile of debris.

"Why?" Annabeth croaked. She swept her hand over the barren wasteland Thanos had created.

Thanos said nothing, and merely stared at her blankly.

"Why?!" Annabeth demanded, rage filling her. "Why did set out to cause the destruction of half the life in the universe? Why break the remaining half of the population? Why did you do it?"

"I thought I did what was right." Thanos murmured.

Annabeth's eyes were rimmed with cold fury. "You were wrong." She snarled. All around her, she saw monsters disintegrating, and she knew it would eventually come for Thanos, but she wouldn't be satisfied with that.

Taking her sword, she raised it high above her head. Thanos seemed to know what Annabeth was going to do, and he merely lowered his head in acceptance. Letting out a cry, Annabeth brought the blade down into Thanos' spine, and the bone shattered with a satisfying crunch!

Annabeth retracted the blade, and stepped back. Thanos' body hung limply for a moment, before collapsing face-first into the dirt.

As soon as Annabeth had been reassure that Thanos was dead, she rushed over to her uncle. "Tony.." She sobbed. "Don't die."

Tony shook his head. "Sorry kiddo." He managed to gasp out. Annabeth looked all around for her friends, and saw Pepper flying overhead.

"Pepper!" She cried. Pepper looked down, and saw Tony's broken body. Her mask flipped up, as she shot towards the ground. She touched down next to her husband, and cradled his face in her hands.

"Oh, Tony.." Pepper sobbed.

"I love you, Pepper." Tony gasped. "Tell Morgan... I love her 3000. Promise me."

Tony's heartbeat was nearly gone, and Annabeth knew he wouldn't come back. She turned to Pepper, who nodded, tears streaming down her face. Tony gave Annabeth a faint smile. "Sorry.. I didn't... listen." He managed to gasp, before his head rolled back, and his eyes stared up at the sky lifelessly.

Pepper let out a mournful cry, and Annabeth felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned, and saw Percy's beautiful sea-green gaze staring at her gray gaze. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Annabeth nodded, and she gripped her boyfriend tightly as she sobbed.

Iron Man was dead.

-

After the battle, the bodies had been counted.

Piper. Tony. Paolo Montes. Damien White. Sherman Yang. Michael Kahale. Dakota. Dede. Erik the Red. John Red Hand. Jim Bowie. Twenty other people named Erik. Felix. All dead.

Annabeth blinked back tears. They had won, but at a terrible cost.

She glanced around at the hundreds of Wakandans soldiers. Dozens of Amazons, hundreds of enherji that hadn't been lucky enough to make it back to Hotel Valhalla in time.

All because of one man's deluded dreams.

She sank to her knees in front of Piper. Her best friend. Piper's eyes were still electric blue, fixated on the sky. Tears fell from Annabeth's face. Jason's life had been ripped apart. Separated from his other half for five years, and then getting her back, just for her to be ripped away again moments later.

Jason had come up to Piper, his forehead sporting a nasty bruise from the brick. His eyes were glassy, no longer sparking with energy. His glasses were broken and askew, with one of the lenses shattered.

He met Annabeth's eyes for a moment, and Annabeth saw how broken the son of Jupiter was. This time, there was no hope for her return.

Jason pressed his lips to Piper's; before pulling away, and gently closing her eyes.

"Hey guys.." Frank's voice said shakily from a few feet away.

Annabeth's heart plummeted as she spun around. Frank was on his knees, clutching something to his chest, smoking, a few feet away.

"No..." Annabeth sobbed. "Not you too, Frank!" She shouted.

She rushed towards Frank, with Jason close behind her. "Percy! Hazel!" She cried, spotting the two a little ways off.

The two spun around, and their eyes fell on Frank, horror filling their gaze. They rushed to Frank's side, and Hazel was sobbing. "No, Frank!" She cried. "Don't leave me!"

"How?" Percy asked, his voice hoarse. "Who did this to you? I swear I'll--"

"There's nothing you can do." Frank gasped, holding up the bundle he'd been clutching.

His firewood.

The wood was nearly gone, now the size of a toothpick.

"Leo!" Jason shouted across the field. Twenty seconds later, Leo was there, Reyna following closely behind.

Leo froze when he saw Frank. "No.. not my silly Chinese Baby Canadian Man!"

Frank gave a faint smile at that.

"Can you stop the flames from burning his wood?" Annabeth demanded.

"I'll try." Leo closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. The flames jerked to the right, trying to maneuver off of the tinder.

"I.. can't.." Leo mumbled, sweat beading along his forehead. "I can't move it.."

"The Fates." Reyna whispered.

Gasping, the seven looked up, and saw the three old ladies. Clotho, who held Frank's life thread in her hands. Lachesis held the middle of his thread, frowning and measuring out the length. Atropos had a sad look on her face, as she held the tip of the thread in one hand, and her shears in the other.

There was only a cetimeter at most of his life left.

"We can't do anything for him." Hazel sobbed.

Frank gripped Percy's hand. "Take care of Hazel, and I just want you to know.. you're a great guy. I'd follow you anywhere." He turned to Jason. "Take care of the Legion. I'll tell Piper... you said hello." Jason nodded, tears glistening in his eyes. Frank turned to Reyna. "I hope... immortality suits you well." He gasped. He turned to Leo. "I'm sorry we got off to a rough start.." He coughed. "I hope.. you'll forgive me."

"I do." Leo said solemnly.

Frank turned to Annabeth. "Keep it simple." He choked out, his voice filled with emotion as he repeated the words he had said to her in their first private conversation. He then gazed at his girlfriend. "I.. love you, Hazel Levesque. I always will." He gasped for air. "I'll wait for you... in Elysium."

Hazel sobbed. "I love you Frank." She whispered, and she kissed him, one, final time, before Annabeth heard the sound of shears cutting. Frank's head rolled back, and he stared blankly at the sky, and the son of Mars didn't move again.