Annabeth
The drive back to the city was spent in complete silence. Their driver, a large but mostly cheery-looking man called Happy Hogan, greeted them politely but said nothing besides asking for Percy's address. Percy kept looking at Annabeth, but she shook her head at him. They needed to wait until they were back at his mother's apartment to debrief and figure out what just happened, and what it meant for their future.
Annabeth's mind was racing a mile a minute. The questions the Avengers asked, the things they found out about them . . . this was worse than she had originally thought. She had been right to think they were suspicious of her and Percy, but apparently that suspicion went deep. Deep enough for them to find out their life stories and even hack into their medical records. And there might even be more that they hadn't revealed in the interrogation. What else did they know?
Finally, they were back in Manhattan and pulling up in front of Percy's apartment building. The two of them thanked Happy and rushed into the building as fast as they could without looking too desperate.
"What the Hades just happened?" Percy said as soon as he closed the apartment door behind him.
"There you are, dear, we were worried sick!" Sally exclaimed, rushing forward from the living room to hug her son. As soon as she let go of him she embraced Annabeth as well.
A nervous bleat from behind her drew Annabeth's attention to the living room where Grover was waiting. "I came here after you told me to leave. I was worried, and I thought Mrs. Jackson would want to know what happened."
"Sit, tell us everything," Sally instructed, putting a plate of blue cookies on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"You're the best," Percy said, flopping onto the couch and grabbing a handful of cookies.
Annabeth sat next to him and took one as well, but she was too distracted to do more than turn it over in her hands continuously.
"Was it those Avengers?" Sally asked.
"She told me everything that's happened these past few days. About the attack on the bridge, your dream, all of it," Grover said. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Sorry," Percy croaked around a mouthful of cookies.
Annabeth sighed, glancing at Percy who had three cookies in his mouth at once. "We didn't want to worry any of you. Nothing huge has happened so far. But this . . . they're on to us."
So Annabeth filled them in on the interrogation. She told them all about the questions they had been asked, what the Avengers already knew, the way they treated them, and what she had noticed about the compound they were taken to.
"There's definitely more people there. We only saw three others, one had red skin and looked kind of like a robot," Annabeth said, still a little amazed at the sight.
"It's probably safe to say that at this point, Tony, James, and that Spider-Man aren't the only ones of their team that know about us. And from the look of their compound, they could be a serious threat," Percy said. "If they think we're a threat. Which it feels like they do."
Annabeth was impressed. She agreed with him wholeheartedly. For once, it seemed her Seaweed Brain of a boyfriend had actually paid attention to his surroundings and was listening to his instincts. She had to admit his instincts were almost always right, despite his kelp for brains.
"Do you think these Avengers have anything to do with your dream, with Phorcys and Keto?" Grover wondered.
"In our lives, coincidences don't exist. They have to be involved." Annabeth turned to Percy, biting her lip. "Tell me again what they said in your dream, as best you can remember."
Percy took a deep breath, looking a little fearful to call up the memory. "That weird voice, the one that sounded familiar but I couldn't see who it belonged to, it said it was gathering information and allies. It had seen the future from the Fates, and said something like 'they will gain mortal allies, we will need mortals of our own to combat them,'" Percy recalled.
"So, whatever's coming, it sounds like we're going to have some mortals on our side," Annabeth concluded.
"But we'll be fighting against mortals too," Grover added.
"These Avengers may have some powers, but I think they qualify as mortals. At least, they're not Greek, Roman, Norse, or Egyptian. So the question is, who are they?" Percy leaned back against the couch, the cookies forgotten. "Our allies, or our enemies?"
Ω
"Valdez, my man!" Percy grinned as the Iris Message came into focus. Annabeth plopped next to him on the couch, smiling at the image. "It's been way too long."
Leo chuckled, wiping his hands on a rag. He looked the same as always, with elvish ears, a mischievous smile, and greasy clothes. Neither Annabeth nor Percy had ever been to the Waystation, but they could hear the sounds of machinery and cooking in the background that fit with what they'd heard about it. Leo was in his own room, having just made some adjustments to Festus, hence the oily hands.
"Good to see you too, Percy, Annabeth," he greeted. "Sorry I haven't been in touch."
"That's okay," Annabeth assured him. "How's the Waystation, how's school?"
He shrugged. "Fine. Calypso and I are thrilled to be on summer break. I'm still surprised she even wanted to go to school." He shuddered.
"How is she?" Annabeth asked, and she could almost feel Percy's relief. His encounter with Calypso may have been short and a long time ago, but she still liked teasing him about it. Although, she was glad the three of them hadn't interacted much, after the curse she'd suffered from in Tartarus. She could understand why Calypso felt so alone and abandoned after all those years, but still . . . Percy made her out to be so nice, and feeling like Percy had abandoned her was the worst thing Annabeth had ever experienced. Sometimes Annabeth thought Percy had trouble believing Calypso would even do such a thing.
"Calypso's good, her magic is getting stronger every day. She's adjusting to life in the twenty-first century—man, am I having fun teaching her about everything," Leo said, tossing the rag onto his workbench and sitting on his bed.
Annabeth's voice was soft when she said, "And how about you and Piper? After . . . you know. None of us have heard from you in a while, not since the funeral. We wanted to check in."
Leo nodded. "It was hard, at first. I mean, when I showed up in Malibu hoping to surprise Piper and Jason . . . it turned out I was the one who was surprised. But she and I had a lot of time to talk, and . . . grieve . . . on the way to Oklahoma. Then there was the funeral, and seeing everyone helped, and Piper and I had more time together afterwards too. She and I check in with each other every week." He looked down. "I just wish I could've said goodbye."
Annabeth looked at Percy, filled with gratitude that he was still there beside her. "Us too."
"And how is Piper?" Percy asked. "We're getting worried."
"You know she took it the hardest out of all of us," Leo said, and they nodded. "She's doing the best she can, but she'll need some time. Still, I'll tell her to IM you guys tomorrow."
"Thanks, Leo, we appreciate it," Annabeth said.
"What about you two, how's the summer been so far?" Leo folded his arms. "Don't tell me it's been uneventful. The two of you—well, it's mostly Percy—attract more trouble than any other demigods I've ever met."
Annabeth exchanged a look with Percy. Besides Grover and Poseidon, they hadn't told anyone about Percy's dream or their encounters with the Avengers, including the interrogation the day before. There was still so much they didn't know about the situation. There was no evidence yet that it would turn into something big, anyway, or that whatever that mysterious voice saw from the Fates was real. Until they knew more, there was no need to worry their friends. She and Percy could deal with whatever came on their own, and if they couldn't, then they would call in reinforcements.
Annabeth forced out a laugh. "Unless you count the usual monster attacks on our walks through the city to get ice cream, nothing weird has happened, amazingly. We're just enjoying the break from quests, school, and dramatic deities. Plus, we've been helping Paul and Sally with Estelle."
"Right, your little sister!" Leo's face lit up. "How is Lil' Blowfish?" Ever since Percy had told Leo his step-father's name, Leo insisted on calling him Blowfish. When Estelle came along, he called her "Lil' Blowfish."
"She's wonderful." Percy beamed. "She's already said 'Mommy,' 'Daddy,' 'Percy,' and 'Annie.' She hasn't figured out how to say 'Annabeth' yet."
Leo guffawed. "I bet you love that, huh, Annie?"
Annabeth glowered at him. "You wouldn't call me that if you were actually in the room with me, you know." She casually summoned her drakon bone sword.
Leo gulped and stopped laughing. "Of course not, Annabeth."
Annabeth grinned. "Still got it."
Calypso poked her head into Leo's room and shouted at him in rapid Spanish. Leo responded likewise, and the only words Annabeth caught were "mamacita" and "salsa." Calypso grumbled in response and walked away, and when Leo turned back to the IM his face was red.
"Sorry guys, I'm in trouble. Talk again soon?" Leo raised his eyebrows as he stood from his bed and straightened his tool belt around his waist.
"Of course." Percy nodded, wrapping his arm around Annabeth. "No more ghosting us."
"Swear on the Styx," Leo smiled.
"Will you be there for the Argo II reunion at Camp Half-Blood next week?" Annabeth asked before Leo could end the message.
Leo mock gasped, "As if you could keep me away! I'll make sure Beauty Queen comes too."
"Great," Annabeth said. Piper needed to come hang out with them, it would be good for her.
"See you soon, Repair Boy," Percy said.
"Looking forward to it, Aquaman."
Leo ended the message. Annabeth turned to Percy only to find his face much closer than she anticipated, but when he kissed her, she didn't complain. When he pulled away, she grinned, "What was that for?"
He brought out a wrapped present from behind his back. "Did you think I'd forget that today's your birthday? How does it feel to be eighteen? Also, we're having a birthday feast tonight complete with blue cake made by the one and only Sally Jackson, and you are not having any less than three slices."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but secretly her heart felt like it was about to burst. "With everything that's been going on, I forgot today's my birthday."
"Well, go on, open it!" Percy urged, gesturing to the present.
Annabeth studied it. It was crudely wrapped, which is how she knew Percy had done it instead of Sally. It was very thick and hefty. Annabeth smirked. It was definitely a book, but the question was, which one?
Without waiting any longer, Annabeth ripped off the wrappings, revealing a glossy hardcover titled The Immortal's Guide to Architecture, by Athena.
"You remembered." Annabeth smiled widely, her love for Percy growing.
"I remember everything when it's related to you," Percy said.
Annabeth leaned forward and gave him another deep kiss. Despite every horror they'd been through, Annabeth would do it all again if it meant she could keep Percy forever.