August 2010
Natasha's P.O.V.
Percy had survived his war, and New York was in chaos. Somehow, the city had fallen asleep for a week, and nobody outside of New York noticed. Of course, Percy had explained it to her, but nevertheless, it was unsettling. She had thought that something was wrong when she had finished a mission in New Jersey, and then called SHIELD for a plane ride back, only to get no answer. Looking at the gathering storms nearby, she had seen a gigantic monster that must have been Typhon being circled by little lights, which must have been the gods. After Percy had told her about the godly world, she had become clear-sighted. She had hacked into satellites, zoomed in on Manhattan, and froze. She could see an army of monsters charging at about 80 teenagers. The demigods did well, but the sheer number of monsters almost discouraged her. She had watched, heart in her mouth, as her younger brother appeared on screen and tore through monsters like a tornado tears apart towns. She had been simultaneously proud and terrified.
Natasha shook her head. She needed to focus on her mission. She had it all planned out. Get in, find out enough information to cause the crime ring to attempt to kill her, and then get to the extraction car. The car would be chased, and they would lead the crime ring into SHIELD's trap. It was risky and a terrible plan, but it would work. Hopefully, the car chase would be inconspicious enough that they wouldn't make the news. So she snuck in wearing civilian clothes, and listened in on the crime ring's plans, which was some idiotic idea that would get them more weapons, which they could use to take out the competition. She gasped loudly in an appropriate place, and then ducked as they tried to shoot her. She hightailed it out of the building, hearing loud explosions behind her. She glanced back, and dove for cover as one of the thugs fired a bazooka. A bazooka. So much for inconspicious. It hurtled towards a car.
Good news: the driver saw it, got out of the car, and ran for their life. Bad news: that was the extraction car, and the driver was the agent that was supposed to get her out of there. She kept running, dodging explosions and bullets. Fortunately, the thugs were terrible shots. Suddenly, a blue Prius with dents (were those hoofprints?) on the hood screeched to a stop beside her. Naturally, her younger brother was sitting behind the driver's wheel of the convertible.
"Come on!" he yelled, and she hopped in, not even bothering to use the door.
"Drive!", she said. The sixteen year old put a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap on, then proceeded to floor the gas pedal. She shouted directions to him as they tore through the streets of Manhattan, the thugs behind them in black cars. She turned and shot at the thugs, and told Percy where to dodge. A missile came straight at them, and Percy swerved hard to the left, the car's wheels squealing loudly in protest. They spun around in a complete circle, and shot off again. The street ahead of them was closed, and Percy turned the car around to face their pursuers, driving directly towards them.
"Paul's going to kill me if I wreck this car." he muttered as they played a dangerous game of chicken. At the last second, Percy showed some impressive driving skills by maneuvering the car through a thin gap, cutting across the pavement. She was rather proud, as she had helped his step-father teach him to drive, after all. News helicopters circled above. Natasha briefly wondered how Percy would explain his step-father's car being on the news. Luckily, there were no police cars chasing them. SHIELD had probably tipped them off. By some miracle, they made it to the trapped area, and agents swarmed the place. Percy high fived her, and she hopped out, waving goodbye. He revved the engine and shot out of the area, not wanting to be questioned by SHIELD. Coulson asked her who had driven her, and she smiled, saying that he was just someone who was willing to help her out. Coulson looked faintly surprised at the answer, but dropped the subject.
Percy's P.O.V.
Like most of the more interesting days in Percy's life, that day had started out normally. He took Paul's car out (with his permission of course) for a ride, and cruised along, thinking about the end of the war. After he bathed in the Styx (in which he found that his mortal point was all of his friends), he had wreaked havoc on Kronos's army. Natasha had taught him well, and he had used all of his knowledge in a way that guaranteed the most damage with the least amount of effort. He had even picked up a shotgun from a police car and used it against enemy demigods. He didn't like that he had killed other demigods, but he knew that they had made their choice, and he had made his. They threatened the lives of everybody in the world, so they had to be stopped.
He had put his Achilles spot on his wrist, under where he always wore the indestructible watch Tyson had made him. The watch was a perfect fit, so it would never slip. The shield, one Tyson had made for him after he lost the first one in the Labyrinth, was made of a mixture of vibranium and celestial bronze. It had a hippocampus and a trident emblazoned on it, and the watch was an Omega Seamaster. His sword had the vibranium added to it as well, filling the engraving of its name, and lining the edges. Percy was aware that vibranium was rare, but he never asked Tyson where he got it. His cyclops brother had his ways. Tyson had been teaching him how to forge when he went to visit, which was pretty often. Percy had made Natasha a dagger, although he hadn't had a chance to give it to her.
Percy and Annabeth had decided that they weren't going to date each other, as the war was fresh on their minds. Though Annabeth would never admit it, Percy suspected that she had actually been in love with Luke. They remained best friends, and would often be seen in each other's company around camp. As Percy drove, he pulled out the dagger he had made for Natasha. It was a mixture of Olympic silver and vibranium, with spiderweb designs along the hilt, as well as an hourglass engraved on its base. It was light and easy to conceal, with an alternate form as a tattoo of a thin band around the pointer finger. He looked up from the dagger to turn left, and saw Natasha running while explosions went off around her. He floored the accelerator, and pulled up right next to her. He was glad he had brought a baseball cap and sunglasses. If he ended up on the news, he did not want his face to be known all over the city.
Later on, after pulling off several complex driving maneuvers that would probably allow him to do stunts for the Fast and Furious movies, he realized that he had forgotten to give Natasha the weapon. Luckily, she was coming by later that day for training. They finished up with Latin, and Natasha tested him on how well he could speak and translate it, although it was technically a dead language. Natasha started teaching him advanced close range fighting techniques. In an actual fight, Percy would beat Natasha due to his demigod powers, as well the strength and speed that came with it. He was like a super-soldier in that regard. But if Natasha was a demigod, then they would probably be even. The two were already just as effective a team as Captain America and Bucky Barnes. He knew that even though she was close to Clint, he worked better with Coulson. They had known each other much longer, and Coulson had taught Clint some things, after all. At the end of the lesson, he pulled out the knife and handed it to her.
"I made this myself, Tash. Think about it disappearing. If you throw it, and then flick your wrist, it will come back." he said, and watched as it became the tattoo. Natasha looked at her tattoo, and smiled, letting down her facade for a second. She summoned the dagger, flipped it in her hand, and threw it, nodding to herself as it reappeared in her hand when she flicked her wrist.
"Thanks, Alexei." she said sincerely in Latin.
"You're welcome, sis. Good night!" he said in Russian.
"Good night, little brother." she replied. He went home.
Later that night, Percy Jackson disappeared.
September 2011
Natasha's P.O.V.
Natasha plastered a sultry smile onto her face and stepped into chaos. This undercover job was annoying. Tony Stark was egotistic, flirted with her way too much, and could not figure out that he was in love with Pepper. He was also dying. But in order to complete her mission, she had to be a rather flirtatious PA named Natalie Rushman, who served as a distraction for Stark. Basically, she was forced to be eye candy for a genius playboy who happened to be a philanthropist and a billionaire. She wondered where Percy was. He was no longer missing, his mother had told her that. But she had yet to see him since the lesson when he gave her a knife, about a year ago.
As she made her way through the mess that was Tony's birthday party, she noticed that the owner of Dare Enterprises was present. She knew that his daughter was one of Percy's friends. Sure enough, she saw the red-headed girl with freckles standing over in the corner, looking rather bored. Next to her stood none other but Percy Jackson himself. He was wearing a dress shirt with short sleeves, which revealed an interesting tattoo on his inner left forearm. He was taller now, and leaner. Whenever drunk sons of rich people came over to leer at Rachel, he'd fix them with a terrifying glare that reminded Natasha of a wolf. She walked over to the duo. Percy raised an eyebrow.
"My name is Natalie Rushman, Mr. Stark's PA. I don't think I recognize you. Are you Ms. Dare's date?" she asked, curiosity lacing her tone. She detected a glint of amusement in Percy's sea green eyes.
"No, Ms. Rushman. My name is Alexei Romanoff, and it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ms. Dare's bodyguard." he replied smoothly with a light Russian accent. Rachel looked at him, shocked. Natasha smiled inwardly. She inclined her head, and melted into the crowd.
Two hours later, she found herself wearing a repulsor glove as Tony aimed her arm at an ice sculpture. She cursed inwardly. "Why did I tell him to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted? Curse him and his destructive tendencies!" she thought. Soon after, Tony was shooting bottles of alcohol out of the air. He threw a bottle of vodka towards where Natasha was leaning against a wall, alone in the shadows. Then, he fired. Shards of glass rained down on her, leaving cuts all over her face and arms. The vodka hit a second later, and she felt like she had been set on fire. She slumped against the wall, the blood loss making it hard to stay awake. The room spun dangerously, and she collapsed on the floor completely. She saw a person with concerned sea green eyes crouch next to her before darkness overtook her vision. "Percy." she thought. Black overtook her vision, and she was enshrouded in darkness.
Percy's P.O.V.
Percy had not been invited to the party. But Rachel needed a bodyguard and he had seen Natasha on the news as Tony Stark's new PA, so he asked Rachel if he could be her new bodyguard and found himself wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks, as well as polished shoes. He hoped he would enjoy himself. After going through Tartarus alone, he needed some serious R&R. He spotted Natasha, exchanged pleasantries under their aliases, and kept an eye on her, waiting for an opportunity to talk to her. Unfortunately, her alias seemed to be Stark's new woman of interest. So he continued watching, getting more concerned for her safety every minute that passed. Stark seemed rather destructive. His concern was justified when a bottle exploded over Natasha's head. Crimson liquid dropped down her arms and her face was streaked with red. Percy dashed over to her and crouched down just as she passed out. No one had noticed a thing, barring Rachel, who ran up to him.
"I told my dad that we were leaving, so where to? A hospital?" she asked quickly. Percy looked down at Natasha, wishing that she was a demigod. Nectar and ambrosia would fix this easily. He suddenly remembered that the gods owed him a wish from the second Gigantomachy. All the others had got what they wanted, but Percy had saved his wish. But before he went up to Olympus, he needed to heal Natasha.
He motioned for Rachel to follow him, and raced from Tony's Malibu house down to the ocean, carrying Natasha's limp figure. He placed her in the surf, and started healing her cuts. Percy covered the wounds in water, and focused, taking care to separate the salt from the water. He didn't want the process to be painful. He then gently cleaned out the injuries. Finally, he closed them. Tired, he jumped into the sea to restore his energy. Natasha groaned, and sat up.
"Ow. Why did I have to be assigned to the crazy, alcohol-loving billionaire? I would have preferred going to New Mexico with Clint." she muttered. Percy laughed.
"It's because you're the best agent they've got." he replied.
"Damn right." she smirked. Rachel looked at Percy.
"I don't know what's going on, but I've got to go. Make sure you explain this to me someday." She turned and headed back to Stark's mansion. Percy turned to Natasha, who was examining her outfit. There didn't seem to be any damage to it, which she seemed glad for.
"I'm taking you to Olympus to cash in a wish. We'll be back by tomorrow morning, don't worry." Natasha blinked.
"Okay..." Percy grabbed her by the hand and vapor traveled them to the Empire State Building. He had discovered vapor traveling by accident, as he had been wishing there was a better way to get from Camp Half-Blood to Camp Jupiter. Suddenly, he had dissolved, and found himself standing in the middle of the Field of Mars. Like Nico's shadow-traveling, it took a lot of energy, so it wasn't much good at short range.
Natasha stumbled a bit as they reformed in the lobby of the Empire State Building, but kept her balance. Percy tiredly stumbled over to the security guard, who was wide-eyed, probably because the two of them had just apppeared in front of him. Percy held a hand out for the key, and the guard wordlessly dropped it into his palm. He motioned at Natasha to follow him, and they entered the elevator. Once they exited, Percy could tell that Natasha was surprised. She kept her trademark blank expression firmly in place, but Percy could read her pretty well. They headed up to the throne room, where the Olympians sat in their thrones. He knelt, and Natasha followed suit.
"Perseus Jackson. Why have you brought a mortal here?" Zeus boomed.
"I consider her to be my sister. And I'd like to cash in my wish." the seventeen year old replied. Zeus looked slightly surprised.
"Your wish concerns this mortal?" the king of the gods thundered.
"Yes. I'd like for her to be able to use nectar and ambrosia." Percy said firmly. Natasha raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's all? She'd just need to be blessed or adopted by a god. Perhaps you'd like to do a blood bonding as well?" Poseidon asked. Percy blinked.
"What's a blood bonding, Father?" he questioned.
"You two will be true brother and sister, able to sense when the other is in danger, know each other's exact location, and also feel each other's emotions. Similar to an empathy link with a satyr. You won't literally have each other's blood, but you will be magically linked." Athena said.
"Um, okay. Yes, also the blood bonding." Percy responded. Zeus looked at the other gods.
"Who here is willing to bless or adopt this mortal? Poseidon, you cannot volunteer, as that would be giving too much power." Ares stepped up, and Percy looked at him apprehensively.
"As Ares, I don't like you much, son of Poseidon. But as Mars..." Ares changed aspect.
"As Mars, I respect you. You became praetor in a week. And this mortal, Natasha Romanoff. She seems strong, a good warrior. I will adopt her." Everybody looked at Mars, shocked. Zeus coughed, and cleared his throat.
"Then it is decided. Perseus Jackson and Natasha Romanoff, siblings in everything but blood. Do you two promise to stand by each other, till the end of the line? Do you promise to take care of each other, defend each other, side with each other, and be true siblings for as long as you live?" Zeus yelled. Percy and Natasha nodded simultaneously.
"We do." They said, in perfect sync.
"And do you, Natasha Romanoff, accept Mars as your father, and swear to represent him well?" Zeus continued. Natasha nodded again.
"I do." she said.
The Olympians chanted, but Percy paid no attention to what they were saying. Zeus pointed his master bolt at them. Percy and Natasha glowed slightly, lifting off the floor. Natasha blinked, looking at everything around her. Percy's face had changed a bit, becoming more similar to hers. He really looked like her brother.
"Like all demigods, you now are slightly ADHD. You will be able to read Latin more naturally, but dyslexia will not be a problem for you because you already know Latin. And monsters will not bother you, as you still appear to be a mortal to them. Children of Mars are able to handle all weapons well. They also have superior physical strength and speed to most demigods, the exceptions being the children of the Big Three, Hermes, and Herakles." Athena explained. Percy and Natasha bowed.
"Thank you." they said together. Zeus dismissed them, and they walked off. Percy faced Natasha.
"How do you feel?" he asked. Natasha smiled slightly.
"Stronger. " Percy laughed. They left the Empire State, and headed to Percy's apartment. Percy pulled out a bag of ambrosia and a bottle of nectar.
"Keep this on you at all times. These will heal all injuries, but don't eat more than a square of ambrosia and a sip of nectar at a time, or you'll burn up. The bigger the injury, the longer it will take for the magic to kick in. And you've got that dagger, right?" Natasha flicked her wrist, and the dagger appeared. Percy nodded approvingly.
"Make sure to always have that, okay Tash? And hold back when fighting, unless you really have to use your strength and speed." Natasha ruffled his hair.
"I'm older than you, Alexei. I've got this." Percy grinned.
"Okay. I believe you, sis." Natasha smiled.
"I need to get back to Malibu. Tomorrow, Fury and I are going to talk with Stark. I'll be free of Natalie Rushman! Of course, I'll still be his PA for a while, but no more flirting!!!" she said. Percy chuckled.
"I'll be here, awaiting your arrival. By the way, you won't be able to get mad at him for dropping a bottle on your head because you healed way too fast for that." he responded. Natasha groaned. The two siblings chatted a while more before Percy took Natasha back to Malibu. Then, the son of the sea went looking for the Olympian Bunkers.