Chapter 7
Peter
This green guy wasn’t giving up. After changing into his spider suit--in record time, might he add--he’d begun his pursuit by swinging up to the roof of a nearby building to get a good vantage point. It was pretty easy to track his movements from there. The trail if destruction he left behind wasn’t exactly subtle.
He’d swung down to intercept green guy, managing to catch him by surprise.
He kinda looked like a halloween decoration. Hs getup was ostentatious in a way that screamed Spirit Halloween costumes.
Like a goblin.
Peter decided that was a cool name for a bad guy.
“Hey dude, can ya put the destruction on pause? I need to put you under arrest!”
Peter hadn’t expected Goblin to even pay attention, most of what he said during fights was just to distract his opponents anyway, but he turned and cocked his head towards Peter.
Goblins movements were jerky, like he was fighting with himself. Their eyes locked, and Peter had to resist a shudder. His Spidey-sense did not like this guy.
Peter ducked barely a second before a blade was slashed right where his neck had been. He could hear the air whoosh above him from how fast it was. Goblin had to be enhanced to have speed like that, there was no way a normal human could’ve almost bested his spider-sense like that.
"Hey, Spirit Halloween, that's so not cool man. Decapitation won't make you any friends!"
A quick jab to the ribs had Goblin doubling over as the air left his lungs.
Peter didn’t notice Goblin taking that time to grab something from one of his pockets. However, he did notice when Goblin threw something at him, catching it on instinct.
The object looked like a Halloween pumpkin (seriously what was up with the Halloween theme here?!?) except it was green and started blinking rapidly.
Oh shit, Peter thought. It's a bomb.
Goblin could be seen remounting his glider and flying off with a dry chuckle. There were civilians everywhere. Peter had a split second to make a decision.
He quickly tucked around the bomb, hoping it wasn’t too powerful and he could survive the blast.
Tony
Knuckles white on the steering wheel, Tony sped back to the tower. He was itching to get out and help him in a suit of his own, but he knew Peter wouldn’t want that. They’d had a long talk about Tony needing to let go and allow Peter to vigilante however he saw fit without Iron Man butting in all the time.
He supposed the same conversation could now apply to Annabeth, minus the part about being a vigilante.
He parked in his private garage, nowhere near the lines, and tossed the keys onto a nearby desk. Practically running to the elevator, he nearly didn’t notice the concerned glance between Annabeth and Percy.
Concerned, but knowing. Neither of them were freaking out or stressing at his erratic behavior, once again proving that they’d been through some shit before he met them.
They followed him into the elevator, and then into his private lab. He hadn’t brought them through here on their little tour, and he could see masked awe on their faces. Percy reached out to touch a hologram, but Annabeth swatted his hand away with a pointed look. She wasn’t much better though, looking like she wanted to learn everything there was to know about all the inventions in the room.
He was glad she looked interested, it would be fun to show her the ropes around the lab.
FRIDAY had already pulled up Peter’s vitals, and he looked through security cameras in the area to find a good vantage point. Peter had broken the camera in his suit just a few days prior during an altercation with a mugger, and hadn’t gotten around to fixing it yet.
Tony was regretting not making him fix it right away now. CCTV footage from the streets and businesses nearby would have to do.
Out on the street, Peter was putting up a good fight, but it was obvious that he was outmatched. His adversary was clearly enhanced, and Peter didn’t have much experience fighting other enhanced individuals.
He didn’t have much training at all, actually.
How had he forgotten to get Peter training?
Over his shoulder, Percy seemed to be thinking along the same lines as him.
“He needs some serious training. There’s obvious strength and reflexes there, but he doesn’t know how to use them.”
“It’s my fault,” Tony sighed. “I forgot that he’s not trained. I should have asked Natasha to show him the ropes a long time ago.”
“We could teach him some things too,” Annabeth offered.
“I just might take you up on that, I need to know your skill level anyway.” Tony said, ever the pragmatist. Why not kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. He could have them teach Peter what they knew, with Nat watching to analyze their movements and fill in any gaps.
They continued watching in tense silence, flinching when Peter took a particularly hard hit.
Then they saw the bomb.
All of them stiffened, muttering explicitly. Tony could’ve sworn he heard them muttering in different languages, but maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him from the stress.
They all watched as Peter curled himself around the bomb, taking the brunt of the hit. The three of them sat in silence for only a fraction of a second, reeling in shock, before Tony was out of his seat and Calling to FRIDAY for a suit.
Seconds later, he was gone, leaving Annabeth and Percy alone in the lab.
Annabeth
She tapped her fingers on the side of the table, anxious energy needing to get released.
It wasn’t long before FRIDAY informed them that Peter was in critical condition in the Medbay; Tony had requested their presence down there. They followed FRIDAY’s directions and soon after found themselves in front of Peter's room. Quietly stepping inside, they observed their surroundings. Tony looked halfway to hell, and Peter looked even worse. Burns covered his body, in some places he was scorched all the way to the bone.
It was a miracle he was still breathing.
“They knocked him out with an obscene amount of drugs, so he shouldn’t be in pain,” Tony said softly. Annabeth was slightly taken aback by his demeanor. She’d only known him for a few days, but he’d been cool and confident in himself the entire time. Now, he looked defeated, like he felt he was to blame.
Maybe he was, in a roundabout way, but ultimately it had been Peter’s choice to shield the civilians around him from the bomb. And if Peter hadn't had his suit, which was obviously StarkTech, he definitely would have been dead.
They talked quietly around Peter, careful to not be too loud. Eventually, Annabeth found the nerve to ask him what he remembered of her mom. And then she would need to talk to Athena about why she had kept this from her.
“Do you remember my mom at all,” she asked finally.
Tony looked up, seemingly surprised by the question. His face scrunched up before he spoke, as if he was thinking really hard but the answers were eluding him.
“I can’t recall the details really, it’s all fuzzy. I just remember finding you by the front door of my house in Malibu. No note, Just you in a basket swaddled in a little yellow blanket. Pepper made me run a DNA test, and sure enough, it came back a complete match."
He met her eyes, speaking earnestly.
“Those four years were the best of my life. I never stopped searching for you after you were taken.”
She nodded, the story made sense. He’d probably met Athena at a science convention or something and talked to her for a while, then forgot about it afterwards. It explained why he didn’t know about Demigods, but it didn’t explain why Athena had let her live in ignorance.
That, however, was a question for another day.
The three of them spent the week in Peter's room, watching him heal at a remarkable pace. Ned and MJ were there most of the time as well, almost always hovering over Peter, as was May, his aunt, when she wasn't working. They hadn’t met Percy yet, but quickly accepted him into their group. Percy went home at night while she stayed at the tower and it was starting to show in both their faces how little sleep they were getting. They’d saved the world on less sleep than this though, so neither of them complained too much.
By Friday, Peter was almost completely healed, and ready to be fully taken out of his drug induced sleep. He’d woken up a few times during the week, barely able to talk to his aunt due to the now healed burns that had covered his throat.
When he came to, the first thing Peter asked for was a sandwich. A very specific sandwich from a place called Delmar’s. Tony simply looked up at the ceiling and FRIDAY ordered five.
With his enhanced metabolism, Annabeth had no doubt Peter would eat all five.
Soon after the food arrived, so did Peter’s doctor. Dr. Alvez was a whip smart young woman who was probably under more NDA’s than anyone would care to count.
“Mr. Parker, to be quite frank, it’s a miracle you’re alive. And the only reason for that is your healing factor and Dr. Stark’s quick response time.”
Peter looked up sheepishly from his third sandwich.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry for saving peoples lives, kid. All that matters is you’re alright now. I would prefer if you didn’t scare me like that again though,” Tony said.
“I guess we’ll just have to add bomb proof material to my next suit then,” Peter retorted.
Dr. Alvez cleared her throat, Peter and Tony turning back towards her apologetically.
“I recommend that you get some proper training and stay off the streets for at least another week. Other than that, you’re free to go Mr. Parker.”
“Thank you, and please call me Peter, i’m not 30.”
She laughed as she left the room.
“Well then,” Tony said as he stood. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand!”
“Can we go to the training room? Please? Dr. Alvez said I should learn how to actually fight anyway and I have wayyyyyy too much energy to burn,” Peter pleaded.
Tony sighed and threw up his hands.
“I was never good at following Doctors orders anyway, lets go.”
The four of them rode up to the training room together. Annabeth’s heart was in her throat the entire time. It never got easier to get in an elevator, no matter how many times she did. She breathed a sigh of relief when the doors opened and they all spilled out into the gym.
She looked around the gym, eyes landing on a pair of wooden daggers, made blunt for training purposes. Those would do perfectly. Striding over quickly, she grabbed them and walked back to the group.
Tony stepped back, seeming to be content with watching the kids train.
“So this is what we’re going to do,” Annabeth began, handing Peter one of the daggers. She stepped onto the mat, motioning for him to follow. “We’ll start by sparring so I can feel out your skill level, and I can go from there on what you need to be taught.”
Peter nodded, looking excited to start. Percy counted down, and they began circling like sharks.
Annabeth lunged first, Peter dodging easily before going on the offense. His attacks were sloppy, but he had the right idea. Really, he just needed to refine his basics and then he could learn some more difficult maneuvers. She supposed that since he was still alive, it wasn’t shocking that he was decent.
Not anywhere close to being able to beat her or Percy, but still, he could win an amateur fight, especially given his strength--though he didn't seem keen on using it very much.
She purposely prolonged the fight to get a good read on him; learning which side he favored and what his tells were. As she was alternating between sparring and teaching, it was a solid half hour before she took him down in a series of maneuvers that were textbook perfect.
Percy was grinning on the sidelines as if to say, that's my girl. Peter looked to be in awe of her from his spot on the floor, where she had just thrown him. Tony looked equally impressed from where he stood, across from Peter. She offered Peter a hand up, which he gladly took.
“Is it alright if Percy and I spar for a bit,” she asked, posing the question towards Tony.
He nodded, and Peter seemed grateful for the break as well as interested in seeing them spar.
Percy went over to the wall and picked up two of the practice swords, Tony tensing at his actions. Uncaring of his discomfort, Percy jogged back over, tossing her a sword. She threw aside her wooden dagger while simultaneously reaching for the sword, catching the sword with ease as Percy stepped onto the mat.
“You ready to go a few rounds, Wise Girl?” Percy teased, flipping his sword.
“As long as you don’t cheat, Seaweed Brain!”
And then they were fighting, swords clashing. They spun around each other in a carefully choreographed dance that only the most skilled of fighters could achieve.
Distantly, she was aware of Tony and Peter watching from the sidelines, now joined by another. A woman with red hair and a dangerous aura that told Annabeth to never underestimate her.
She refocused on Percy, whirling around and around as they continued to attack. It was nice to fight like this, for fun, when all to often they were just fighting for their lives.
They were pretty evenly matched, as long as Percy didn’t use his powers. He could obliterate her if he used his abilities, but without them Annabeth had the upper hand. If only because of how much longer she’d been training.
It took a while for them to both begin to flag, sweat pouring off of them both. Eventually she was able to knock Percy on his ass as well, feeling smug that she could still beat him even though he was much taller than her now.
He ignored her extended hand, electing to trip her so she was laying beside him. They stayed sprawled out together on the mat for a few moments, just breathing.
Then the woman on the sidelines started speaking.
Natasha
The kids were amazing fighters, and honestly might be able to beat her without any abilities.
But if Percy used his powers? There wasn’t a fucking chance in hell that she could win that fight.
The files Fury had given her had explained everything from Gods to Demigods to monsters to abilities.
Percy was one of the most powerful Demigods ever born. Period. And Annabeth? She was likely much smarter than her father, a nearly impossible feat. The two of them together? A nearly unstoppable duo of immense power.
Her mind had reeled from all of this information, but it really wasn’t that much if a stretch after fighting aliens, so it wasn’t that hard for her to accept.
She spoke to them in Latin, as the file had said they both could understand it, and even speak some.
“Care to explain how your mentor thought it was acceptable to send a pair of twelve year olds with a goat on an extremely dangerous quest across the country?”
Both kids froze, then almost simultaneously whipped their heads in her direction.
“How do you know of our history?” Annabeth demanded in perfect Latin.
“That is not important.”
“Like hell it isn’t!” Percy exclaimed, in Latin that was only slightly worse than Annabeth’s. His was conversational, as if he actually spoke in Latin fairly often. Annabeth spoke textbook perfectly, with no hint of an accent. Natasha figured it was from his time in New Rome, where he would have had to actually speak Latin on occasion.
Tony and Peter looked between the three of them cautiously, assessing the situation. She heard Tony ask Friday for a play by play translation of their conversation
It wouldn’t make sense to either of them though, so she wasn’t really worried. Even if Tony did manage to understand their conversation, he kind of had a right to know. In the end though, it was Annabeth’s choice whether or not to tell him, and she would respect that.
She understood keeping secrets from those closest to you.
These kids had been through hell, literally, and they deserved any and all fragments of control over their lives that they could get.
“Your lives and histories are very important to keep track of,” she said carefully.
Annabeth’s lip curled. “You mean to say that we’re listed as either threats, pawns, or both, to the people in power. Well guess what? We’re done fighting other people wars.”
She turned on her heel and stalked towards the stairs, Percy trailing closely behind her.
Stairs, because elevators had to be traumatic for them.
She paused. Maybe it had been too invasive to read through their entire lives.
Regret settled in the pit of her stomach, churning.