Apollo is in the middle of a near fistfight with the god of Death when a random man pops out of thin air and steals his kid.
Everyone in the Poseidon stares idiotically at the place where Will disappeared.
"Stop just standing around! Find my son!" Apollo jabs his finger at Hades' chest. "This is your son's fault!"
"We've already been over this! How is my son's fault?" Hades seethes.
"If Nico hadn't gotten kidnapped, Will wouldn't have gotten kidnapped!"
"That is not how it works! He didn't get kidnapped on purpose!"
"Maybe he did," Apollo says hotly. "If you were my dad, I'd get kidnapped to escape you.
Annabeth attempts to take control of the situation. The last thing they need is two angry Olympian gods fighting at the camp. "Nico isn't helpless; he can protect himself. Will also isn't an idiot. They will be fine while we devise a plan to save them."
"We should start with, does anybody recognize any of the people from the Iris Message?" Percy asks.
Leo makes a scandalized gasp and dramatically collapses against Frank. Frank pushes him off with an annoyed grunt. "How do you not know who that is? That is Tony Stark!" He sighs at their blank stares. "Typical. Demigods don't know anything. You know, Iron Man?"
"Who?" Annabeth isn't proudly admitting she doesn't know something, but this feels like a have-to case.
"Don't you keep up with what's happening in the world?"
"No, because I've spent the last eight years saving it," Percy sasses.
"Tony Stark is a literal mortal superhero. He built a suit and became part of a team of superheroes. At first, I thought he might be my brother, but I guess he's just a normal genius." Leo sighs, dejected.
"I don't care who he is. Do you know where he lives?" Hades asks.
"With all due respect, why don't you find Nico yourself?" Percy questions.
Hades' glare would make most demigods cower; Percy, however, meets Hades' eyes head-on. Apollo answers to pull the attention off of Percy and Hades' faceoff. "Gods can't interfere with demigod and mortal affairs."
"It's your kids!" Hazel angrily exclaims.
"As much as I wish it did, that doesn't change anything. We're counting on you to rescue our children."
"Tony should be at Avenger's Tower," Leo says. "Unless they took Nico to a different location."
"Even if he did, Tony's living space is as good a place to start," Percy says.
"Is no one else questioning why a mortal superhero would kidnap a demigod?" Annabeth asks.
"That is a fantastic question," Jason agrees.
"Maybe he mistook Nico for someone else?" Frank offers.
"If that were the case, you'd think he'd have released Nico by now."
"Enough chatter!" Hades roars. "Find my son!"
"And mine!" Apollo adds.
"Where is this Tower?" Hazel drops onto one of the empty beds in the Poseidon cabin.
Leo throws his hands up in frustration; small flames flicker through his fingers before fizzling out. Frank edges a few inches away. His life force isn't tethered to an easily burnable piece of wood anymore, but an excitable Leo still makes Frank uncomfortable. "The Avengers have saved the world multiple times; how do you not know who they are?"
"Probably because I've been halfway across the world stopping apocalypses since I was twelve," Percy answers straight-faced.
"Ignoring that we've all been living under a rock for years, Leo, can you tell us how we can infiltrate this tower?" Annabeth asks, bringing the group back on track.
"I can devise a plan, but I can't tell you how long it will take me. I'll need to hack their security, find floor and security plans, and work with you to determine the best action. It could take days."
Percy snaps his fingers. "Mrs. O'Leary! She can shadow travel us there. We won't have to break into the building or bypass security."
"That's actually not a bad idea, Seaweed Brain."
"Can she take us all?" Piper questions.
"I'm not sure. I've never ridden her before with a lot of people."
"I'll stay here," Hazel offers.
"It's your brother," Jason protests.
"I'll be the least helpful," she counters.
"That isn't true. You're our expert on the Mist. We'll need you to keep the mortals from seeing the true nature of us all," Piper tells Hazel.
"There's no reason not to try. If Mrs. O'Leary can't take all of us, somebody will have to stay behind. Don't forget we'll have Nico and Will on the way back."
"The damn dog is a Hellhound; no matter how disgraceful, she can carry all of you puny demigods as well as the other two," Hades scoffs.
"That answers that question," Annabeth says decisively. "Leo, can you hack their cameras? We'll need eyes on the situation before we pop into it."
"Can do," Leo salutes them as he heads out the door, presumably to use the only working computer - in Bunker 9- since Annabeth lost Daedalus' laptop.
"Should we talk to Chiron before we leave?" Jason asks, worried. He may not be a praetor of New Rome anymore, but the idealogy of order and authority is still deeply ingrained in his brain. It bothers him that they are planning this rescue quest without the knowledge or permission of the activities director.
"There's no time. Chiron would make us wait for a prophecy from Rachel. It's better to ask forgiveness than permission," Percy says.
Hades stoops to Percy's eye level. "Bring my son back alive, Jackson, or prepare for an eternity in the Fields of Punishment. You've already allowed one of my children to die; don't repeat the mistake."
"That wasn't my fau-" Percy shuts up with a warning look from Annabeth.
The gods leave soon after, neither interested in planning their children's rescue.
They continue to use the Poseidon cabin as a base of operations because it is one of the few cabins without other campers. Leo returns an hour and a half later with the entire Avengers Tower floor plan printed out.
"I believe if Nico and Will are in the Tower, Tony Stark has them in the containment rooms on the middle floors. I'm not sure which ones. We'll have to shadow travel to one level, check all the rooms, and repeat the process on a different floor if we don't find them."
"A very time-consuming plan," Jason remarks.
"We don't have a better one."
"Let's do it. Leave your weapons here. They won't be useful, and it gives Hazel less work to conceal with the Mist," Annabeth instructs.
Percy looks mournfully at Riptide, in pen form, resting inconspicuously on his bedside table. "But-"
Annabeth stops him with a hand held up. "No," she says sternly. "Riptide must stay here, Percy. And you will change before we leave. I won't allow you to wear anything with pockets Riptide can appear in."
Percy doesn't try to convince her otherwise, but he crosses his arms and pouts like a toddler.
"Meet by the pavilion in five minutes. Anyone late will be left behind."
The meeting adjourns, and the demigods head to their cabins to prepare.
...
"So, yeah..." Will finishes a primitive explanation of demigods and the two camps. Over the past two hours, most of the Avengers have arrived back at the Tower and settled in for the story.
Tony slaps his knee. "Well, I'm not surprised."
"How the fuck are you not surprised that Greek gods exist and have kids that can quite literally destroy us?" Clint asks. He tightens his grip around Pietro's waist with a cautious look at Nico.
The wary glance does not go unnoticed by its recipient. Nico shrinks into himself. All the years spent at Camp Half-Blood being feared and hated haven't wholly lost their hold on him.
"Hello," Tony makes a show of pointing at Loki, "you've met my sexy boyfriend and his 'meh' looking brother. Why are you surprised?"
"My boyfriend is sexier," Will says smugly from the couch.
Tony gasps, offended on Loki's behalf. "Bullshit. My boyfriend is a prince."
"So is mine."
"Mine is grouchy and sullen."
"So is mine."
"Mine hates everyone but me."
"So does mine."
"Mine can kill anyone with anything."
"So can mine."
"Mine has a scary ass family."
"So does mine."
Nico hides his face in his hands. "Solace, stop."
"Why? You're hot as Hades. I'm gonna brag about my sexy boyfriend."
"I hope you are talking about the realm and not my Dad," Nico says, disgusted.
Steve fingers through the knots in Bucky's hair as he studies the demigods. "I should be surprised, but I am not."
"I've seen so many unnatural things; nothing can faze me," Bucky agrees.
Clint takes a look around the room. "Has anyone seen Nat lately? I know they were interested in this."
"Last time I saw them, they were in the kitchen," Bruce nods toward the open kitchen door.
"Hey, Nat, will you bring me a drink when you come back here?" Clint yells.
"Fuck you," Nat yells back. "What kind?"
"Dr. Pepper. Thank you."
"I would love to say meeting you all has been delightful- but it hasn't- so can we fucking go home now?" Nico grouches.
"That is up to Cap over there. Fury left him in charge of this "interrogation," Tony flippantly waves a hand in Steve's direction.
Steve glances between the tired demigods and the rest of his team with a sigh. "I'd love to let you kids go home, but with everything you've told us, I'm not sure I can do that."
"What does that mean?" Will asks testily. The hours of being separated from his boyfriend and kidnapped have frayed his patience to snapping.
"From what I have gathered, you are a camp full of mostly unguarded children, frequently sent on quests, where you come back injured or dead. I cannot, as a responsible adult, allow this to continue. Children should not be fighting wars."
Nico rubs his eyes before leaning forward, elbows on his knees. "Listen, Captain Patriotism, as much as I agree with you, you simply don't understand. Yes, we go on quests and fight in wars, but it is what we are born and raised for. The gods need us. If it weren't for demigods, the world wouldn't exist. Less than six months ago, his dad-" Nico points at Will, "saved the world from evil Roman emperors and a giant snake with the help of a twelve-year-old demigod.
Steve pales. "That is horrendous! Children should not be involved with things like that! For your parents to even ask you to-"
"Most of our parents aren't involved," Will says. He realizes he made a mistake when Steve's jaw drops further.
"Will," Nico says, voice practically a whine, "I want to go home. I'm tired of people."
Will looks fearfully between a grumpy Nico and the Avengers. He wishes Nico could shadow travel them out of here, but whatever drug they used on Nico must be strong enough to work on a god. Nico's powers haven't shown an inkling of coming back yet. "Um... You should let us go soon. Nico gets moody when he gets tired of being around people. He once sunk the entire Hermes cabin because the Stolls wouldn't stop pestering him."
"I will have to speak with Director Fury," Steve stays amicably.
'Sir, there is a security breach on level sixty-three,' FRIDAY announces.
"Who is it?" Tony asks, unfazed. He's used to "security breaches" in the tower, turning out to be a visiting superhero.
'It appears to be a group of teenagers, sir.'
Tony cocks his head to the side. "A group of what?"
'Teenagers, sir,' FRIDAY repeats.
Nico smirks at Will. There is no doubt in his mind that this group of teenagers are their friends from Camp Half-Blood. Will leans back against the couch, relaxed, confident they will be out of there in no time.
"Cap, Clint, go check it out," Tony orders.
"You do not give this team orders, Tony," Steve says, teeth clenched.
"Unclench your butt cheeks, Steve. This is my tower. I'll do whatever the fuck I want. Somebody has to watch these two, and I don't trust Clint to do it."
Steve gives Tony a withering look. "Fine. Clint, Nat, come with me."
Nat pokes their head out of the kitchen. "What's happening?"
"We're going with Steve to check out an intruder alarm."
"Ooh, fun."
"I guess I'm out, then. I don't want to be part of this anymore," Bruce takes his leave quickly.
Tony points two fingers between his eyes and the demigods on the couch. "I'm watching you."
Nico wiggles his fingers in a mocking wave at Tony.
...
"Are they in there?" Percy asks, anxious.
Jason takes a deep breath, then lets it out in a whoosh. "I don't know, Percy. I haven't checked yet."
"Oh, sorry," Percy ducks his head.
Jason cautiously turns the doorknob - Piper somehow knows how to lock pick- and peeks into the first containment room on this floor. Empty. Damn.
Of course, it wouldn't be that easy, but Jason still held hope. He shakes his head. "Not this one."
"We need to split up. We'll never get through checking all the rooms before somebody finds us," Piper says.
"If all doors are locked, how will we get in if we split up?"
"Break it down," Leo suggests with a maniacal grin.
"Absolutely not," Jason shuts him down quickly.
"Aww, you're no fun."
Annabeth pinches the bridge of her nose. "Can we focus, please?"
"Yeah, Jason, focus," Leo snickers.
"I will steal all of your left socks," Jason threatens.
Leo gasps. "You wouldn't."
"Try me."
"Hazel, Piper, as the only competent people here, come with me." Annabeth leads the girls down the other hallway, ignoring the offended squawking of the boys.
Piper lock picks the doors, and they efficiently make their way down the hall. All of the rooms are empty. "Next floor?"
Annabeth nods. "Yeah. Let's hope the boys haven't gotten there first and caused chaos."
They use the service stairs instead of the elevator to avoid detection. Twenty years drop off Annabeth's life when they exit the stairway.
"Shi-"
"Fuck!" Annabeth cuts Hazel off.
Her shout catches the attention of a man hanging back from the fight happening. A red-headed person grapples with Leo, throwing him over their shoulder and knocking the wind out. Percy and Jason are teaming against a blond man with a decorated shield.
The only weapon obvious on Clint's body is a sleek bow slung over one shoulder, nestled next to a full quiver of arrows. "Piper, can you-"
Piper steps around Annabeth. "Already on it." She gives Clint an award-winning smile. "Hello, I'm Piper. Let us pass, please?" He steps aside. Piper blows him a kiss as they walk past him.
Percy catches a glimpse of Annabeth out of his peripheral vision. "Wise Girl, do something!"
"I'm taking care of it," Piper says. "Everyone freeze!"
Everyone stops moving, demigod and Avenger alike.
"Unhand my friends."
The redhead backs away, leaving Leo wheezing on the ground. The man with the shield drops Jason's arm, which he had twisted behind his back.
Jason rubs feeling back into the appendage. "Thanks, Pipes."
Piper smiles in acknowledgment at him. "Take us to Tony Stark," she orders the blond man.
...
"I'm so sorry about all of this," Peter babbles. He bounces in place on the floor. "I didn't know Director Fury was going to do this. I assumed he was just going to ask a few questions."
Will smiles at the teen, who can't be far from his age. "It's okay. Honestly. No harm done."
"All the harm was done," Nico corrects. "How do you think those three will fare in a fight against Percy?"
Will winces. "Fair point."
"Peter, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay on your floor until we resolve all of this," Tony admonishes. He walks out of the kitchen with a mug cradled in his hands.
"Is that alcohol?" Peter asks.
Tony makes an 'oops' face. "No," he says quickly. "It's coffee."
"Suuure." Peter rolls his eyes. "I wanted to know what was happening. You lied to me, by the way. You said nothing bad would happen to Nico once we found him. I trusted you," Peter sounds so betrayed it makes Tony's heart ache.
"I didn't think so either, buddy. Fury did this. Your Dad and I tried to convince him to let them go. He wouldn't listen."
"Why are they still here? You can let them go."
"Fury threatened to bench us for a month if the kids escaped."
Peter clumps to the floor.
The elevator dings, and off walks a group of teenagers followed by three docile Avengers. Piper points to an area of the floor between the kitchen and living room. "Sit." All three adults shuffle over and sit cross-legged.
Tony gapes.
"Nico!" Hazel is the first to notice the two on the couch. She flies across the room to her brother. Nico barely stands before Hazel plows into him. Ge returns the hug with just as much vigor.
"I knew you guys would come," he whispers in her ear.
"Always."
Peter is stuck between wanting to help his teammates and being scared of the newcomers. Tony repeatedly pokes Steve in the forehead. He points at Piper. "What did you do to him?"
"I'll fix them once you give us Nico and Will," Piper barters.
"Oh, no! I'm not asking you to fix him. I want to know how you did it so I can do it too."
Percy shovels his way to the front of their small crowd. "Enough chit-chat. Give me back my cousin and his boyfriend, before I level this entire building - once everyone is out of it."
Tony's lip quirks up. "You can't do tha- You know what, take the little shits. I don't want them anymore."
Will looks at him in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah, what the hell. This is clearly an uneven attack. There is no way I alone- shut up, Peter, you are not here- could hope to defeat all of you. I must choose the safe decision of surrender."
Nico and Will share an astonished look. "Well, alright. Come on, Nico, let's go home."
Percy and Jason pull Nico into a tight hug. "Glad to have you back, man."
"Glad there wasn't a debate on whether or not to save me this time," Nico mumbles.
Jason flinches. "You know I'm sorry about th-"
"It's fine," Nico cuts him off. "Let's go home."
"How did you even get here?" Will asks as he comes up behind Nico.
"We used Mrs. O'Leary."
Nico turns to Tony. "I want my sword," he demands.
"Your what?"
"Sword. The one your boyfriend took from me."
"You must be mistaken. Loki didn't take any sword. He likes daggers."
"Yes, he did. I want it back," Nico's eyes darken.
Tony scrambles to pull his phone out of his pocket. "I'll call him, alright! We'll figure this out." The phone rings for a few seconds. "Babe," Tony yelps into it, "Nico is saying you took his sword or something. Do you know anything about that? Ah, yes, that will work. Thank you."
Nico's Stygian Iron sword appears in his hand. He twirls once or twice before he's satisfied. "Let's go." He puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles.
Mrs. O'Leary materializes seconds later. She barks when she sees Nico. He scratches behind her ears. "Hey, girl. I promise to take you to have a playdate with Cerberus soon."
She barks happily. "Will you take us back to Camp?" She barks again.
Tony drags Peter away from the giant, slobbering mess of a dog. The demigods each place a hand on Mrs. O'Leary's back, and she vanishes.
_____
Words: 3,119
Published: 9/6/23