Title from the song "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara.
Bruce sighed as he exited the room. He shut the door softly. Percy's answers had become more and more alarming the more Bruce questioned him. He'd started by confirming the diagnoses Percy already had—dyslexia and ADHD. But after that, everything had gone downhill.
"Okay, so I'm no doctor or anything—" Tony started.
"Yeah, we know," Clint interrupted, just as Steve said, "Obviously."
"But those answers couldn't have been normal," Tony continued with a huff.
Bruce frowned. "No, they're not." The doctor sighed. "He seems to be suffering from PTSD." He met their eyes gravely. "Severe PTSD."
Murmurs echoed in the room.
Natasha's eyes flickered to Thor, who didn't look surprised. "Thor, what do you know?"
He hesitated. "It is not my place to say," he finally responded.
Clint frowned. "Thor, he's a suspected criminal. We need to know what were dealing with.
Thor exhaled slowly. "Even I do not know the full story. All I will say is that he is as much of a hero as all of you."
The Avengers exchanged confused looks. "Thats not very helpful, Point Break."
Bruce pushed up his glasses with a sigh. "Okay, well we still need to do his physical."
The doctor went back in the room and exited a few seconds later with Percy.
"—is on the third floor," Bruce was explaining as he led Percy out.
Percy nodded, eyes flickering warily to the others. "Can I take the stairs?"
"Why?" Tony asked. "Scared of a little elevator ride?" The billionaire teased.
Percy pressed his lips together so hard they began to turn white.
"I will walk with you, Perseus."
Percy threw Thor a grateful look.
"After all," the god continued, "I need to get my cardio in."
Percy cringed inwardly. He should probably tell Thor what that meant.
...of course, that would ruin the fun.
"I'll come with," Natalie spoke up, deciding to ignore the Asgardian's weird behavior. Thor was normally strange, so Natasha would have been more worried if Thor wasn't being weird.
Percy nodded again, hiding his unease. The unusual trio walked to the stairs and down to the third floor in awkward silence.
They exited the stairwell, and the two led him to Bruce's lab. It had a bunch of regular doctor stuff, as well as fancy glow-y things and other stuff Percy wasn't gonna even try to describe.
Percy wasn't as surprised as he should have been to see all of the Avengers gathered there. They seemed to follow him around like lost puppies.
Tony looked at Percy's raised eyebrow and shrugged. "Don't think you're special or anything, kid. I just have nothing better to do."
Steve turned to Tony. "Didn't you just say you were supposed to be in a board meeting with Pepper?"
"And don't have, like, an entire enterprise to run or something?" Clint asked, amused.
Tony shrugged, unbothered. "Exactly. Nothing better to do."
Bruce shook his head and motioned Percy to an examination table. Percy sat down and looked at the doctor expectantly. Bruce first checked his vitals, which were normal for the most part. He checked his head, eyes, ears, nose and throat quickly, as well as Percy's motor functions and reflexes. Bruce pulled out a clipboard and confirmed Percy's identity.
"Full name?"
"Perseus Achilles Jackson."
"Birthday?"
"August 18, 1993."
Bruce nodded. "It's been awhile since you've had a physical. Anything new I need to add? Surgeries, new medications, broken bones or tears or anything of that nature?"
Percy frowned. "Well, I've broken a few bones and things like that."
Bruce nodded. "Can you list them for me? You can start from the beginning."
Percy stared at a wall thoughtfully. "Hmm... I've broken and fractured some ribs. I fractured my collar bone when I was like eight or nine. I've broken a few fingers. I hurt my ankle one time, but I think it was just a bad sprain. And then after that..."
Percy trailed off, his mind trailing off into a dark place. He closed his eyes and bit his lip. His hands gripped the table tightly. The snap of bone, and the screams of his pain echoed in his ears. Percy opened his eyes and forced his breathing to steady. "That's about all," he finished, voice barely shaking.
Bruce hesitated, pen hovering indecisively over the paper. "Are you sure—"
"Yes," Percy interrupted. "That's all." He had just healed all of them anyway, so He could keep having his fun with Percy.
Thor frowned, and the other Avengers shifted warily at his hard voice.
Bruce blinked once before slowly nodding. He glanced down at his paper. "Okay, any smoking or excessive alcohol, drug, or medication use?"
Percy's mind flickered to Smelly Gabe. "No."
"And you never said anything about surgeries, so I'm assuming that's a no, as well?"
Percy hesitated, thinking about all the impromptu surgery-like procedures the Apollo kids had had to do with Percy and the other demigods. "Yeah, that's a no, too."
"No irregular or sharp pain?" At Percy's head shake, Bruce continued. "What about your diet and exercising habits?"
Percy chewed his lips. "I get plenty of exercise. And I eat."
Bruce raised an eyebrow at the vagueness. "Sometimes," Percy muttered defensively.
Bruce's lips tugged downward, and he gestured Percy off the bed. "Let's get your weight and height."
After weighing and measuring Percy, Bruce recorded the results. "6'1" and 143 lbs." Bruces gaze flickered over Percy's body. "For your height and muscle mass, that's a little under. But not enough to warrant any action."Bruce met his eyes. "Yet."
Percy settled back on the bed with a sigh, the warning loud and clear.
"Since you are suspected of a criminal act, I'm going to ask you a few other questions. Have you ever been shot, stabbed, or poisoned?"
"No, yes, and yes."
Bruce raised his eyes from the clipboard. "How many times for each?"
Percy scratched his head. "Um..." His mind skimmed over all of his training, and monster fights, and his time with Him.
Everyone stared at him.
"...a lot?"
Bruce pushed up his glasses with a worried look. "I'll just make a note of it then."
He scribbled something down, while Percy shifted uncomfortably.
"Do you have any tattoos or gang markings?"
"Uh, well, I do have this." Percy pushed up his sleeve.
"Is that a... brand?" Steve asked uncertainly, leaning forward for a better look.
Percy nodded. "What does it mean?"Clint asked.
Natalie looked at him closely. "And where did you get it?"
Percy faltered. "It was at a... summer and school camp of sorts. The trident is just a symbol I picked. I think it may have had to do with my birthday or zodiac sign or something."
Percy wasn't the most eloquent liar.
"The number of lines is how long I was there, and the SPQR is a Latin phrase, Senātus Populusque Rōmānus." At their confused looks he clarified, "The Senate and the People of Rome."
Tony blinked. "Do you know Latin?"
"Not really. Just a few phrases they made us learn."
"Thats an odd motto for a school," Natalie said.
Percy groaned inwardly. He already wasn't a great liar, and this woman seemed to pick up on everything.
He faked a casual shrug. "Yeah, I thought it was a little weird, too. They're just really Roman based. I guess to whip us in shape or something, like the Romans did back then."
Natalie hummed. "And what was the name of this... camp again?"
Percy grimaced, well aware he hadn't given a name. "Camp Jupiter. After the Roman king of the gods."
"Do you have a phone number for this Camp Jupiter? Or a website? Even an address?" Natalie smiled, though the humor didn't reach her eyes. "I'd just like to follow up on your statements. I'm sure you understand."
Percy forced a smile to match the woman's fake one. "Of course." He waited until Natalie grabbed a pen and paper from a nearby table before rattling off a series of numbers and the camp website's URL.
If Natalie was surprised that Percy had a phone number and website ready, she didn't show it. "I'll be right back," she said, exiting with another fake smile in Percy's direction.
Percy blinked after her. "She's a little intense."
Tony snorted. "I think you mean scary."
"Yeah. That too."
They waited in tense silence for a few minutes. Bruce could have just finished the exam—he didn't need Natasha for it, after all—but he decided to wait.
Percy shifted anxiously. If Natalie dug too deep...
The door swung open. Natalie walked in, heels clicking on the floor and another fake smile plastered on her face.
Percy clenched the table nervously.
"Everything checked out," she finally said.
Percy breathed a sigh of relief, as did the rest of the Avengers.
Both camps had set up a fake website and front, which wasn't easy for demigods who had to use technology sparingly. But it had to be done for times like this. The Mist couldn't hide everything anymore, not with all the technology and data at the tip of everyone's finger.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, but there are procedures we have to follow."
Percy forced a tight smile. He had a feeling Natalie wouldn't let it go that easily. "It's fine."
Bruce cleared his throat, pushing up his glasses nervously. "I'm glad that was cleared up." He glanced down at his board and hesitated. "Perseus—"
"Percy."
"Right, Percy. Well some of your answers raised a few red flags, as I'm sure you're aware."
Percy grimaced and nodded slowly, unsure of where the doctor was going with this.
Bruce cleared his throat again. "I know this may be uncomfortable, but I need to ask you remove your outer clothing."
Percy blinked once. Twice. "...what?"
"Uh, Brucie buddy. Do we need to have a little talk?" Tony asked, as he and the other heroes shifted uncomfortably. Thor spoke up as well. "Surely, this Midgardian law cannot be correct. It is improper and uncalled for."
Bruce sighed, once again pushing his glasses up his sweaty nose. "With his records, suspected crimes, and disturbing answers, a doctor or government official is required to inspect his, uh, body for any more markings, or alarming bruises or scars that may indicate any affiliations or background."
Everyone stared at Bruce.
"Now, as you're a minor with no known next of kin, it's a little more complicated. You have the right to decline, but Social Services and the government will step in. If your charges are not dropped or under suspicion, you won't have much of choice. They'll probably just wait until you're eighteen, and then charge you if you resist." Bruce's gaze flickered to the other members in the room. "I can ask Natalie," he stumbled subtly as he almost gave away her real name, "to leave because she's a woman, but I'll need at least one other person in here. Just for precautionary purposes, of course."
In case you try to escape or attack me. The unvoiced statement was heard loud and clear by everyone in the room.
"But I'm still required to show them and any government agents or police that ask the notes. There's not patient confidentiality in these kinds of cases."
Percy's frown deepened.
"There probably won't even be a problem, and Thor can be the one stay," Bruce offered, wanting to cushion his earlier words. "I'm sure you'd be more comfortable with him."
Percy stayed still, biting his lip. Bruce rummaged through a drawer before pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. "I need you to sign this, giving us full permission to do this."
Percy's eyes skimmed the paper, not comprehending any of the words. "You're welcome to have a few minutes to read over the paper before you... ah, never mind," Bruce finished lamely when Percy started signing it. The paper rustled as Percy handed it back to the doctor, who clipped it to his clipboard along with his other papers.
"We can just start with your shirt," the man suggested, obviously trying to make Percy more relaxed since most guys had no problem taking off their shirts. "If there's not a problem, you may not have to take off anything else."
But Percy hadn't taken off his shirt in public since... since then.
He hated staring at his scars. They made him feel dirty. Unwanted. And the memories they brought back Percy's breathing quickened at the thought.
It wasn't only that. If these mortals saw his scars, questions that Percy couldn't answer would quickly arise.
Not for the first time, Percy wished he could manipulate the Mist like Thalia.
"Percy?"
Percy glanced up at Steve, who looked worried and a little uncomfortable. "Like Bruce said, we can leave if you'd like more privacy."
"No."
The boy's abrupt words had everyone blinking.
Percy sighed. "He just said he'd have to tell you everything anyway, so there's not much of point." Percy would rather see their reactions first-hand, so he'd know how to respond and handle them later if need-be.
"But if it'd make you more comfortable—" Tony started.
"Let's just get this over with," Percy bit out, hands already reaching for his shirt.
He slipped his shirt off and stared at the side wall. Gasps echoed in the room. Percy's nails dug into his palms at the heavy weight of the stares.
A jarring, clattering sound drew Percy attention back to the group and broke the taut silence.
"Ah, s-sorry," Bruce muttered, bending down to pick up the clipboard that had tumbled from his hands.
"Perseus," Thor murmured, taking a step forward.
"I don't want to talk about it, Thor," Percy said sharply.
"This is..." Steve muttered, unable to tear his eyes away, so he just stared with horrid fascination.
"Kid... who did this to you?"
Percy's eyes flickered to Tony's pitying expression before returning to their spot on the wall.
"A monster," he finally said.
Clint coughed. "Well, yeah, only a monster would do this, but we're looking for something a little more substantial."
Dark amusement shivered through Percy's sea green orbs. It'd been a literal monster—not that he could tell them that.
The Avengers stared at scars littering the boy's body. Whip marks and cuts layered over each other across his pale skin.
"Percy," Bruce spoke up slowly.
"Hmm?"
"Uh, well, can you turn around? I need to see your back, too."
Percy stiffened slightly. He'd hoped they'd be too distracted to look at his back. He turned silently, glad he couldn't see their faces anymore. Grim silence fell over the room. The boy's back didn't look any better than the front.
"Percy... is that another brand?"
Percy's jaw muscle twitched. He nodded slowly. On his left shoulder, a large T had been burned into his skin.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say this one wasn't by choice," Steve stated quietly.
Another nod.
Silence.
Percy glanced over his shoulder hesitantly. "Can I put my shirt back on?" He asked, subdued.
Bruce coughed softly. "Yeah, sure."
Percy nodded his thanks and slipped his shirt back over his head. He turned around fully and met their eyes.
"Can I leave now or..."
Or did they need to continue?
Bruce watched him carefully. "Is there anything else we should see?"
Percy stared into his brown eyes. "No."
Bruce nodded. "Ok, then. Thor can bring you to your room."
"We'll have to lock you in." Percy's gaze switched to Natalie, and he nodded stiffly.
Thor strode to him and placed his large hand on Percy's arm. Percy resisted the urge to flinch. "Come along now, Son of Jack. I will show you to your dwelling." The god steered him gently through the quiet Avengers and out the door.
They walked down the hallway, the stairway, and another hallway silently. It wasn't until Thor stopped in front of a beige wooden door that the Asgardian spoke up. "I truly am sorry, Percy."
Percy noticed how Thor used his nickname in an attempt to make him feel more comfortable. He smiled humorlessly, the light not reaching his eyes. "For what, Thor? You weren't the one who did it."
Percy slipped past the giant man and reached for the doorknob. He faltered and spoke without facing Thor. "Thank you."
The boy's barely audible words had Thor smiling gently. The door clicked lightly as Percy shut it. Percy exhaled and slid down the door, slumping against the floor.
Percy flinched as the snap of a lock echoed throughout the hollow bedroom.