Pandemonium

"I'm not surprised." Apollo said, sounding resigned. "I had suspected as much, since you know," Apollo did not know what to call their marriage, "since five years ago." He settled for.

Percy looked confused. He was sitting on Apollo's bed, in a corner. He seemed relaxed but tired. He was adorable. Apollo wanted to paint a portrait of his right then. He sent a part of his conscience to do just that.

"He's the only legitimate son, but he's third in the line of succession after me and Athena. And he's jealous because father doesn't pay him enough attention. No attention at all. He never gets anything. Not even the prospective brides and grooms." Apollo gave Percy a pointed look at that, hoping he'll understand what he meant.

Percy, thankfully, understood. But he seemed even more confused. "Ares hates me."

"He hates your guts. Even a blind man couldn't ignore the beauty that you are." He turned to look at an interesting keychain on his bedside table.

Percy seemed to be avoiding looking at his face as well.

"So, this plan might've begun as early as five years ago?" Percy asked.

Apollo scrunched his face, thinking and turned to look Percy. He looked more and more tired by the minute.

Apollo decided that Percy needed a massage. He didn't know if he would be welcome to do it though. But he walked up to Percy and sat down behind him on the bed. He laid his hands on Percy's shoulders and sensed him tense up. He was halfway there anyways, so he decided to go for it and started kneading the muscles on Percy's neck and shoulders.

He sensed Percy relax beneath his hands.

"I'm not saying it had to be five years ago. I just know that it's a reason for him to switch sides."

Percy turned to look at him over his shoulder, a frown on his face. "You 'know' that it's a reason?"

"God of Prophecy, darling." Apollo grinned at him. "I see some things on occasion. Nothing very catastrophic or world changing but things that lead to disasters or certain outcomes. I don't even know when the vision is going to happen."

"So how do you know that that's why Ares switched sides?"

"I've seen him say that in one of the visions, looking all angry and jealous and pointing at me. But the visions don't always play out as I see them either. So it's reliable for deduction, but unreliable for prediction."

Percy nodded. Apollo took to concentrating on the massage. He couldn't sense anything wrong with the muscles, but there seemed to be some issue inside him.

"Percy?" He asked. "You don't happen to have poison in your body do you?"

"God of Poisons, darling."

Apollo laughed out loud at that, the first time they laughed together since five years ago.

But he couldn't shake his worry, not even when Percy thanked him for the massage, looking so much better than he did minutes ago.

Apollo wanted him to stay, wanted them to fix what had once been broken, but he knew he was being selfish. There were bigger things at stake and Percy would never rest until he had given the best he could.

For now, Apollo just hoped that Percy would let him be there for him.

-

Percy decided to go to the Tower first and clear any of their doubts before they decided to dig deeper.

He materialised in a side alleyway, away from surveillance cameras and got into his car. A blue convertible custom made by Leo. He made a mental note to meet up with his demigod team and brief them on the issue as soon as he was done checking with the camps.

He revved up the engine and pulled into the Tower's parking lot, while quickly sending Tony a text to ask everyone available to meet him in the meeting room. He greeted the receptionist and took the elevator to the room.

Natasha and Steve were chatting in a corner of the room when he arrived. Clint sat on a chair with his feet propped up on the long table. Bruce sat a little away, quietly fiddling with his glasses.

They all turned to look at him when he arrived, and he smiled at them.

They all just stood there for a moment.

"How's your mom?" Bruce was the first to break the awkward silence.

"She's doing ok. But the whole incident has all of us a little shaken up."

"This has happened before." Natasha stated. It was clear they had gone through his files and found out all they could. He just needed to understand how much they knew and how much he could tell them.

"I'll tell you guys everything once Tony is here. Don't want to have to repeat it."

Natasha nodded.

Steve gave him a smile.

Clint threw him a gummy bear.

He felt tired again, so he settled down in a chair beside Bruce and waited for Tony.

-

Tony had trust issues. Even the slightest indication that someone close to him was hiding something sent him into a spiral of self preservation, as he searched and enquired and used all of his resources to find out the maximum Intel on said person. He had spent all night thinking through the events of the past day.

The worst part was that he liked Percy. The normal guy, a genius in his field with looks that could kill, and a normal life with a normal family. But the last two days had him questioning every interaction he ever had with the man.

He noticed now that Percy always flinched at the mention of his father, a possible indicator that maybe he's not in the picture. But he also occassionally mentioned cousins and his mother was an only child, so maybe the father isn't out of the picture but their relationship is strained?

Then there's the matter of Apollo and Rachel Dare and Piper McLean and probably Leo Valdez in some pictures. Nothing on paper to connect them all, except that Leo and Piper went to the same school for a month or two and Rachel and Percy went to the same school for two years. Maybe they were dating each other and met through Rachel and Piper because they're rich and famous and then met Apollo because he was rich and famous too.

These were all fairly reasonable and mundane explanations but Tony knew instinctively that this was not it. It wasn't the whole picture.

So, when Percy entered the building and texted him to meet up, he was excited.

Wrapping up his work in the lab, he got ready to go meet the team when he was hit by sudden apprehension. He wanted answers, but he also wanted someone he could trust inexplicably to help him process it. To help him make sure that he wasn't being deceived. He trusted the team on the battlefield, but in matters of intelligence and information, he knew not to trust two trained assassins. He had nothing against Bruce and Steve, but they were just too straight laced for him.

So, he took a little diversion and asked Friday to take him to Pepper.

-

Pepper, bless her, seemed to know exactly what he wanted or maybe Friday told her, but it's the thought that counts right?

She had been wrapping up an early meeting with the PR team when he went up to her. She finished rattling off instructions to the assembled team members and turned to take his hand. He gladly let himself be dragged to the meeting room.

"Hello Percy. How's your mother now?" She asked as soon as she was inside.

"She's doing well. She's more worried about me though." He gave a sheepish smile at that. Tony immediately relaxed a little upon seeing the familiar expression on his face.

He was seated at the table talking to Bruce about something and sharing a packet of gummy bears with Clint. Natasha and Steve were talking to each other and seated on the other side. Tony and Pepper took adjoining seats near the head of the table.

"So, you had something to tell us?" Tony asked him, leaning back in his rotating chair.

Percy seemed to consider something for a moment and then said, "I bet you guys have some questions. You ask and I'll answer them for you."

The whole team looked at each other, or more accurately speaking, the whole team looked at Natasha.

Nat leaned forward like a panther, elbows on the table, "How do you know Apollo?"

Tony just looked at Natasha, confused. Percy seemed surprised by her question too.

"You're curious." Clint said to her, cracking a sly smile.

"He caught my knife."

"He's also very hot."

"He probably sleeps with a different woman every day."

Percy seemed to snap to look at her at that. He looked oddly offended by the last statement, "He is married."

"There was no ring." Natasha said.

"Not a happy marriage." Percy looked pained as he said it. He must be really close to the man. "It's pretty evident from his songs these last few years."

"And what about you? Are you in a relationship?"

"This sounds like a boyfriend eligibility interview." Clint chuckled.

Percy looked a little embarrassed.

"It's complicated." Was Percy's reply to that.

He wasn't lying, Tony thought. Just choosing what to reveal. He had never said much about his private life. Never mentioned boyfriends or girlfriends. They just knew that he was bisexual. Last he heard, rumours were that Apollo is bisexual too.

"How do you know Apollo?" She asked again, bringing them back on track.

"He's the half-brother of one of my best friends."

"How long have you know each other?"

"We met when I was 14," he smiled a little at that, "and so, I guess we've known each other for over 20 years now."

"Where did you meet?"

"At the camp where his half-sister and I used to go. He dropped us off that summer."

"This half-sister is your best friend?"

"One of my best friends, yes."

"Do we know her?"

"You don't. But her mother was famous. Beryl Grace."

"The actress." Tony said. He remembered watching her movies as a kid.

Percy nodded. But he was looking a little green in the face. Tony's brows drew together in worry.

"You seem to know a lot of famous people." Natasha observed.

Percy raised his eyebrows, clearly asking her to elaborate.

"Rachel Dare, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Apollo, Beryl Grace's daughter."

Percy laughed at that. He seemed to be genuinely surprised. "I always forget that Rachel and Leo are famous. I've known them all since childhood and it's weird thinking of them as famous people. Piper is often followed by paparazzis so I remember that. Apollo ofcourse is always busy with his tours," again with the guilty look,"and Thalia likes to stay under the radar. I'm pretty sure she's convinced the government that she's dead."

"Friday?" He called and asked Percy, "Uh, what's her name again?"

"Thalia Grace." Percy said with a wince. "If you ever happen to meet her, you did not hear her last name from me."

Friday pulled up files on Thalia Grace.

She went missing over two decades ago, and was presumed dead.

"You're telling me she's still alive?"

Percy nodded, looking a little proud and smiling like he's sharing a private joke.

"What about her brother? Jason Grace?" Natasha enquired.

All humour seeped out of his face. He seemed to take a moment to compose himself before he could answer, "Dead." His voice sounded choked.

"You knew him." Pepper was the one who said it, and she did so in a mild and caring way. Tony was so gone on her.

"Yeah. He was a year younger than me. I didn't know him as long as I knew her, but we became fast friends. He was only 16 when he died."

The room just lapsed into silence for a long moment. It was clear that Percy was extremely uncomfortable with talking about Jason. It seemed like he still held a lot of guilt and responsibility about his death.

Although Tony didn't know how he died, he was absolutely sure that Percy had nothing to be guilty about. But he knew all the more what it feels like to take the blame for something that wasn't his fault.

"Wait," Natasha said, "You met all of these people as kids at a summer camp, right?"

He nodded.

"They were all rich ofcourse, being children of celebrities. And we know you did not have a privileged upbringing. How did you afford the camp?"

Even Tony had to admit that was an extremely rude and uncourteous question. But Percy didn't look offended. He looked even more ill than before though. Tony was starting to get concerned.

"What I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential and cannot go out of this room." He suppressed a cough.

Bruce asked him if he was ok, but Percy waved it off. Pepper gave Tony a side eye, probably trying to tell him that that is what Tony looks like when he says he's fine. He shrugged at her. She rolled her eyes.

When Percy looked ready to speak again, everyone leaned in.

"Our camp doesn't exist in government records. It is an exclusive establishment used by children whose parents are highly powerful and influential and either want to train their children for the outside world, or to hide them from it."

"What?", Was Clint's eloquent response.

"My father," his face twitched a little, "Is a very powerful and influential man. He doesn't want his enemies to know about me because they can use me to get to him. Nor does he want his friends to know, because I'm his illegitimate son."

"Why this camp though? Can't they just stay out of the picture? Bury records if they are so powerful and influential? There has to be some other way." Steve asked, for the first time that evening. He never liked it when children were ill treated.

"My friends and I are still actively trying to find better ways to do this. But the camp is a place for us to train and prepare for our absentee parent's world. They have lots of enemies who have similar resources and can very easily get to us. So they train us with weapons and basic defence. Teach us about our parents' main rivals and how to outsmart them and basically just stay alive."

"They train children to use weapons? You told us you were going to camp at 14 years old. That's too young for weapons training." Natasha observed.

"I started at 12 when said rivals kidnapped me and my mother. I was lucky to have even that many years of a normal childhood. Some of us start as young as 7." Percy looked devastated.

"Christ." Steve had his head in his hands.

"So these enemies kidnapped your mom yesterday?" Bruce asked.

"No." Percy seemed to age before his eyes. His skin lost its sheen. His eyes lost their sparkle. His voice was getting more hoarse by the second. "It was some other people who did it. Theu were working under the idea that me and my friends were the Illuminati. They wanted her to confirm their theory for them."

The look in his eyes gave Tony chills. It made him want to crawl under the table and hide behind Pepper's legs.

All of them knew that Percy was very protective of his family and friends. He had seen that very same protectiveness in action when a man at Bruce and Percy's celebration party had tried to touch Nat. The man swore up and down that he had accidentally stabbed himself in the groin.

It wouldn't take a genius to imagine how furious Percy would be if anyone dares to lay a finger on his mother.

The scraping of Percy's chair made him look up.

"You guys sit and review whatever I told you. Please don't go looking for answers. It will only get you and me in trouble. I'm not supposed to reveal anything, least of all what I just told you guys. Any more questions, you ask me. I can't promise I'll answer though." He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Sit down." Pepper ordered him.

Percy sat.

"You are not moving from here until I'm sure you're in perfect health. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." He said, trying to smile again, but failing.

He looked green. His shoulders were hunched, his hands were shaking and he looked about to faint.

He had looked a hundred times better ten seconds ago. Tony was beyond worried at this point.

Percy pulled out a phone from his pocket fingers barely stable and called someone. They picked up on the first ring.

"I'm not feeling so good." He said in a barely discernable way into the receiver and started coughing up blood.