*peaks from behind vibranium shield* Hello? I guess there isn't any excuses- actually no! I do have a good excuse this time (besides laziness). I have a back injury and have kinda been in pain for a while now and when I finally got it checked out professionally, they told me I had developed scoliosis from sleeping on my stomach. So, kids, remember, sleep on your side!
Anyways, this chapter is a kinda short one, but a lot of character growth happens and relationships are formed and...stuff. So, yeah, I hope you guys like it! Comment, vote, follow, and + to your library! Stay safe and happy reading!
- your author
Ω ♆ Ω
"So what do we know?" Annabeth asked as they reentered the meeting room from before.
Everyone else filed in and sat down before Steve answered her. "Well, the attacks seem to be random, but very damaging. The green fire is practically uncontrollable, and the terrorists have threatened to do something worse, with a lot more power. We have no way of tracking the attacks, and we're clueless on where to start."
Percy noticed that Annabeth had the crinkle between her brows again, which meant that she was thinking hard. So, he sat back in his chair and waited for her to figure this whole thing out.
"So you know nothing?" Jason asked, sitting forward and scanning through the information projected.
Annabeth was studying a map of the attacks, and her brain was on overdrive. She may not be able to throw fire, or fly, but she could figure out just about any pattern. This one didn't take long to find.
She hummed, "Not necessarily. I think I know the pattern of the attacks. Plus, we know how to deal with the green fire. Or, at least, Leo does."
Leo got a crazy grin, making Hazel extremely worried about what was going through his head. With him it could be anything.
"What's the pattern then?" Tony asked, obviously skeptical.
"Oh my gods," Percy muttered, realizing what the pattern was with horror.
"What? What is it?!" Tony exclaimed, clearly not enjoying being left out.
Percy and Annabeth seemed to be the only demigods who had figured it out, so they exchanged another silent conversation with each other. The only way to explain the pattern was to possibly let slip the gods' existence, and that was not an option. Annabeth thought that they should at least TRY to tell them, but Percy was adamant on not saying another word. He still wasn't completely trusting of SHIELD, and he had had even less interaction with the Avengers. He had absolutely no reason to trust them yet.
Finally, with one last chilling glare from Annabeth, Percy relented with a sigh and a nod. Everyone else in the room looked at them with either confused, or exasperated expressions.
"Those locations are all important parts of–our world. Clearly, someone is trying to send us a message, and it's not a nice one," Annabeth said.
"So these attacks...they're targeted at you guys? And the people there are only getting caught in the crossfire?" Natasha clarified, insinuating that this was the demigods' faults.
"We're trying to save them. This is not our fault," Frank said.
Percy's mind had already wandered away from the conversation. He was filled up with guilt. All those people, it was his fault.
His mind went back to that night at the Brooklyn Bridge. Percy had been so distracted saving the bridge that his thoughts slipped right past what Marlin had told him! He remembered what the mortal had been saying...it was so obvious now! They had been threatening the gods, and wanting them to reveal themselves! This really WAS all his fault. He could've stopped this way earlier if he had taken the time to notice everything.
"Percy! Snap out of it!" Jason yelled, breaking him out of his trance.
"Huh?" Percy said.
"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth rolled her eyes in exasperation, "I asked you if you can remember anything from the Brooklyn Bridge?"
He paled and started stuttering, "Oh, well, not really. I mean, it was pretty dark...and loud."
Tony scoffed, "How would the kid know anything about what happened there?"
Annabeth scowled and directed her icy gaze at Tony, "He saved it, you βλάκας."
"Annabeth, it's fine," Percy assured, "I do remember something, anyways. The mor–bomber was talking about how the people were blind to the truth. And it was a normal guy with the bomb."
"Blind to what truth, though?" Bruce sighed, rubbing his forehead.
The demigods shared a look. This investigation was already testing their ability to keep the secret.
"No idea..." Jason lied.
The Avengers didn't look believing, but they kept silent.
Tony clapped his hands, "Welp! Nice chat! Let's revisit this later, m'kay? The kids can go get settled now, anyway."
Piper said, "We're not kids!", at the same time Annabeth protested, "We're not staying here!"
"We're a team, for now. We need to get used to each other if we're gonna be effective in battle. And we don't have any way of contacting you otherwise," Steve pointed out.
"But we have lives!" Percy insisted.
He knew his mom would freak if she found out he was staying with the Avengers. In her eyes, they only brought trouble, and he had enough of that as it was.
"Sorry, kid. This isn't a debate. You're staying here," Clint declared, clapping Percy on the shoulder as he walked out.
Percy got up and was about to protest when Annabeth stood and whispered in his ear, "Perce. Calm down. It's fine. We'll just call Sally and tell her what's going on. We don't want to cause a scene."
She gave him a pointed look before glancing over at the water dispenser in the corner, which was currently shaking around like it was in the center of an earthquake. Percy's shoulders sagged in defeat, and he walked out without another word.
The rest of the demigods followed silently, having been in a situation like this before. None of them knew what had happened down in Tartarus, but they did know it did something to Percy and Annabeth's heads. They weren't the same people when they came back, and that was to be expected, but it was different.
The Seven knew they were keeping a secret from them, but they didn't want to push them, so they never asked. All they could figure out was that it had something to do with Percy's powers. He had avoided using them, when he used to use them for everyday tasks like washing the dishes.
"Where are we going?" Leo asked when he realized nobody knew where they were headed, only that they were following Percy's purposeful strides.
"The pool," Annabeth answered, reading her boyfriend's mood.
The only way to calm him down when he got like this was water. He had sensed the pool and immediately been drawn to it. Plus, with the money Tony Stark had, the pool had to be incredible.
Percy wasn't angry at anyone, though it could be perceived that way. He was mad at himself. In Annabeth's opinion, he had done nothing wrong, but Percy was still disappointed with himself. He had lost control, even in just a small way. That was his fault. It shouldn't have been happening.
Whenever this happened, Annabeth always reminded herself what Posiedon had said all those years ago- "The sea does not like to be restrained."
Percy was fighting his nature, and it was fighting back. He had to accept it, and she knew that. He never wanted Annabeth to watch him lose it again, so he was choosing to not use his powers at all. But that was just going to lead to an explosion when he finally let go, and that isn't any better.
Annabeth had tried to talk to him about this before, but he had always shut the conversation down before she could get any good points in. It had grown futile to try, so she just let him deal with it in his own way, only helping him when he directly asked.
Ω ♆ Ω
"What do you think about them?" Steve asked Natasha as they sat down in the kitchen, "The kids, I mean."
Steve, Natasha, and Clint had all made their way to the kitchen after the meeting had ended. They were sitting down at the kitchen island, discussing their new teammates. It was hard to tell if they should trust them.
"I don't trust them. They're obviously hiding something, and they don't seem like they're planning on telling us what it is," she answered.
"That's true...but everyone's entitled to their secrets. I'm sure you have plenty you keep from us," Steve countered.
The spy didn't seem to have an answer to that. It was true, she kept many secrets from her team, but they weren't her only team. She was an agent of SHIELD, and that meant keeping secrets for a living. Some that were much more important than that of a couple teeangers.
"They're teenagers. What's the biggest thing they could be hiding?" Clint cut in, voicing Natasha's thoughts.
"Exactly," she said, "They need to tell us more than what they are for me to be willing to work with them, especially if it means breaking the law. We're technically putting minors at risk. I, out of everyone, should know not to underestimate people based on age, but these kids' pasts don't show any evidence pointing towards them being trained."
She didn't really care that much about that part, but she figured saying it would turn Steve onto their side. He would be useful in finding out the kids' secrets.
With a sigh, he relented, "You're right. But we'll deal with this later, okay? First, we need the kids to trust us. That means no snooping!"
"Yeah," Clint nodded, "Also, where did the kids go?"
"To get settled," Steve answered.
"Actually, sir, they are currently residing in the pool room. It seems that Mr. Jackson might be drowning," JARVIS spoke, as if he hadn't just revealed the possible-death of one of their newest teammates.
Steve shot up in concern and ran out of the room in the direction of the pool. Clint jogged after him in a slightly more leisurely manner. Natasha stood up as well, but stayed in the room.
"JARVIS, bring up the video footage of the pool room," she ordered.
The AI pulled up the footage in a hologram in front of her, and she saw what he had been talking about. Six of the teenagers were around the pool, with either their feet dipping in or tossing a ball back and forth. The seventh one, Perseus, was at the bottom of the pool, lying down on his back in complete calm. He appeared to be sleeping, or even meditating. Nevertheless, she rushed towards the pool as well. She was interested in what was going to happen.
If he was really dying, his friends were bound to notice, so it had to be something to do with his powers. If he could breathe underwater, he could be a real asset.
She was able to get there just as Steve and Clint were rushing up to the kids out of the water, who seemed shocked by their presence and general panic.
"What are you doing?!" Steve shouted, taking off his coat in preparation of jumping in.
Annabeth caught on to what he thought had happened, and smirked. She wasn't sure whether she should give into the temptation to just let him do it, or to let him know Percy was fine. The former would be way more entertaining.
But also...she wasn't sure if Percy had fully cooled down yet. He could be quite snappy after he lost control.
Before she could come to a conclusion, Clint had walked up to her and repeated Steve's prior exclamation, "What are you doing?!"
"I'm sitting by the pool. Why?" she responded, giving him an innocent look.
"Your boyfriend is DROWNING!" Steve exclaimed, "And you're just sitting there!"
Leo snorted, "Percy? He's fine."
"Yeah, he's fine. Can't you see?" Hazel pointed to Percy's relaxed form.
Steve came to the conclusion that he had already passed out, and that he needed to take action quickly, so he dived in. When he got to where Percy was, he grabbed his arm and was about to pull him up when the teen's eyes snapped open in alarm. He turned to see who had disturbed him and saw it was Steve, causing confusion to lace with his features.
"Captain Rogers?" he asked, his voice coming through surprisingly clear in the water.
Now it was Steve's turn to look bewildered. His oxygen was running out, and Percy seemed to notice it. With a recognition flashing through his eyes, Percy grabbed STEVE'S arm and propelled them up until they burst through the surface, landing on the side of the pool. Steve coughed up some water while Percy looked around at the group of heroes now staring at them.
"What?" he asked, glancing at Clint and Natasha, who were sporting similar looks of confusion and shock.
The rest of the Seven were just standing there, amused. It was always funny to watch new people discover what Percy could do. It happened all the time when a new camper came to camp, and it never got old.
"Seaweed Brain, they didn't know you could breathe underwater," Annabeth answered him with fond exasperation.
"Oooooh!" he said, "Well, I can breathe underwater. That all?"
"Yes. But we're having dinner soon, so clean up and meet us in the kitchen," Steve answered, just realizing that Percy was still fully clothed, and dry.
He didn't even want to ask though. That would just give him an even larger headache that he didn't need.
"You got it, boss," Leo mock-saluted, "We'll be there soon."
The Seven's lips quirked up at their friend's antics, and at the fact that Steve seemed really overwhelmed and confused.
As soon as the adults were gone, the teeangers burst out in laughter for a full minute. It may be hard to get much past the Avengers, but finding humor in odd situations was what demigods did best. They were always in odd situations.
"Come on, guys. Let's see what the mighty Avengers eat for dinner," Annabeth said, leading the group out the door.
Ω ♆ Ω
When they got to the kitchen, the demigods saw that the Avengers had all seated themselves around the kitchen island and were grabbing pieces of pizza from multiple boxes. There appeared to be 10 boxes in total, which was not going to cut it with Leo and Percy's appetites.
"Are there any dairy-free options?" Frank asked, shifting his feet in discomfort.
Annabeth had almost forgotten he was lactose-intolerant. He rarely made a big deal of it, so it had just slipped her mind. Not many demigods liked to talk about any possible weaknesses.
"You're lactose-intolerant?" Clint exclaimed. The way he said it made it seem like it was the craziest thing he'd heard.
"Yes, he is. Now can you answer the question?" Hazel sighed.
She didn't understand why every little thing with these Avengers had to take so long. It was a simple yes or no answer here. They either had something for Frank to eat, or they didn't!
"Uh...sure. In the fridge. We have a salad I think," Steve answered for his team.
"Thanks," Frank muttered before going to the fridge and pulling out a salad kit.
Salads weren't the most filling food, especially for demigods, but they had learned to eat what they got, so Frank quickly made his dinner and moved to stand next to Hazel.
The Avengers had taken all but one of the seats, and that was taken up by Leo so he could try to talk to Tony. The other demigods were either leaning up against the counter or sitting on the countertop.
After everyone had gotten their food and started eating, everything was silent except for the chewing. Nobody knew what to say. Steve had ordered them to all be there so they could try to "bond," but no bonding had been initiated yet. It was only a matter of time, though, because when you put a large group of mostly-ADHD demigods in one room, there's no way it stays quiet for long.
Sure enough, Leo let out a frustrated sigh and started talking, "Can someone talk please? I hate silence."
That made Piper let out a snort, "Understatement of the century."
Instead of being mad at his friend for teasing him, Leo just smiled his mischievous grin and spoke again, "I know what could liven this dinner up a bit."
"Leo, no. Whatever you're planning, just no," Annabeth ordered, but she knew it was futile.
Leo slowly started to lift up a single pepperoni from his pizza, pulling his arm back in a throwing position, aimed, and let it fly. It hit Piper smack-dab in the center of her forehead, sliding down until it was clinging to her shirt, leaving a trail of red, oozing sauce.
If it were possible, Piper had steam coming out her ears, "You're gonna pay for that, metalhead!"
And before anyone could stop her, Piper let her charmspeak go, "Dump that entire pizza over your head and wear it like a hat, Leo."
The way she said it, Percy almost wanted to do it himself. If she had not added Leo's name at the end, he was sure he would've.
Leo got a glazed-over look in his eyes before his limbs performed the task. Piper seemed like she wanted to do more, but the look she got from Jason shut her up. She grumbled something about 'goody-goody sons of Jupiter' under her breath.
The Avengers had been watching the interaction with inquisitive eyes. They had hoped it would lead to more understanding of their new comrades, but no such luck; only more confusion.
"Do you always use your powers for everyday activities?" Natasha asked, going into spy-mode.
She wanted to make these kids squirm, and maybe then they would tell them something. If she had to act like she thought she was above them, then so be it. Lots of the Avengers, used their powers for simple things, anyways.
Piper didn't even bat an eyelash. She had been dealing with stuff like this from police officers and teachers, and many other adults, for a long time, and she knew what Natasha was trying.
"Yes," she answered simply, a sweet smile on her face.
Natasha's fake icy glare turned into a real one. Piper glared right back. They did this without breaking eye contact for two minutes, rebuilding the tension up.
Before it could get too bad, Percy broke in, "Nice pool."
"Oh, yeah! Percy can breathe underwater! Did you know that?" Clint made a spectacle of telling Bruce and Tony.
"You can? How? Do you have gills, or is it a different kind of filtration inside your body? The scientific possibilities ALONE could–" Bruce was cut off by Tony.
"Easy, Big Green. It's cool, but not that cool," Tony said.
Annabeth didn't like someone undermining any of her friend's skills, let alone her boyfriend, so she turned to whisper in Percy's ear, "Do it."
She didn't even have to say what she was referring to. Percy had been watching her, and he saw her glance around the room before her eyes zeroed in on the can of Coke sitting in Tony's hand.
Percy smiled. He may not like doing big things with his powers, but if it was for payback and something small, he was very willing.
Tony didn't know the teens well enough to notice their subtle changes, and that was going to cost him. The rest of the Seven had all shifted until they were on the metaphorical edge of their seats, and Percy had moved so he was sitting up straight.
Natasha and Clint seemed to be the only ones who had noticed any change at all. They were glancing at each other nervously, wondering what the kids could possibly be planning. This might be the thing that made them right about the teenagers having too much power for their maturity level.
With a simple flex of his power, the coke in Tony's bottle exploded from its can and right into his face. The Seven all burst out in uncontrollable laughter.
All of the Avengers had either joined them, or at least smiled.
Tony was sputtering and furiously wiping his face with a napkin while simultaneously glaring at the son of Poseidon, who only smirked in response.
"This is why I hate kids," Tony grumbled as he walked out the room, no doubt to take a shower.
"So you can control more than just water?" Clint asked, voicing both his and Natash's thoughts.
The mood dropped quickly back to awkward, and Percy stood up before answering, "Yeah, I guess. I'm just gonna go...to bed...now. Bye."
Annabeth left with him, and the rest of the Seven trickled out after them.
Steve turned to glare at Clint and Natasha for ruining their plan before leaving, too.
Back with the demigods, they had all stopped in the hallway outside their rooms, which were all next to each other.
"Meet in Percy's room at midnight. We need to talk," Annabeth ordered.
"Got it, boss," Leo saluted before disappearing into his room.
The rest of the group went into their respective room without another word, leaving just Annabeth and Percy standing there. Annabeth took one look at his baby seal eyes, and nodded, following him into his room and onto his bed.
They both cuddled up together, Annabeth tucking her head under Percy's chin as he pulled her close to him. Being together like this was more than just a nice thing for the couple, it helped the nightmares, and eased the effects of bad days like today. She knew they had to meet the others at midnight, but they had a few hours before that, and a little nap never hurt.
Soon, Percy was snoring next to her. Annabeth lay awake for only a few more minutes, her head resting on his chest. The beat of his heart filled her mind, soothing her worry. It acted as her lullaby, assuring her he was alive and well. Despite being in unfamiliar surroundings in an unfamiliar bed, she fell into Morpheus' realm quickly, at home in Percy's arms.
Ω ♆ Ω
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