Chapter 11
Annabeth
“So why can’t anyone else see any of your weird demigod shit,” Peter asked. He was spinning around in one of the chairs in the lab, one that she was pretty sure he had specifically requested for himself. It was one of those gamer chairs, but instead of black it was blue and red, just like his Spider-man suit. Tony had a matching red and gold one at his desk that she just knew Peter had definitely talked him into getting.
“You have the ability to see through the mist, which is the veil that conceals anything mortals shouldn’t be seeing. Occasionally though, mortals like you can see through it,” she explained.
“That’s kind of ironic, given that I was practically blind before the spider bite.”
“It’s probably the spider bite that allowed you to see through the mist, actually. The only other mortal I’ve met with the ability to see through the mist ended up becoming The Oracle of Delphi, so maybe when you were bitten you were given the sight because you became a part of our world too on that day,” she shrugged. Peter was still spinning around in his chair, and he stuck his leg out to catch one of the table legs so that he could stop going in circles.
“The who of what?”
When she opened her mouth to explain who the Oracle was, all she could think about was how much Peter reminded her of Percy when they had first met. He too had known next to nothing about anything Greek and had been constantly confused, especially in those first few weeks. Her explanation was cut off before it had even begun though, interrupted by FRIDAY.
“Peter, Annabeth, there’s something you should see.”
“Bring it up over by Annabeth please Fri,” Peter responded, already rolling over to her.
Seconds later, news reports filled the holo screen in front of her. Her own face, along with Peter and Tony’s stared back at her. The bold headlines stood out and her breath caught as she started to read.
TONY STARK'S SECRET CHILDREN?
ANNABETH STARK REPLACED?
CONSEQUENCES OF STARK’S PLAYBOY DAYS CATCH UP WITH HIM?
“Oh shit…” Peter trailed off as he started reading one of the articles.
The pictures appeared to be taken yesterday when they had all gone out to lunch together. Peter had raved about a sandwich shop called Delmars all morning, and Tony had thrown up his hands in defeat around lunchtime, declaring that they had to go in order to get Peter to shut up about it. There had been no bite behind his words though, and he had smiled fondly over towards Peter, reaching over to ruffle his hair as they made their way to the garage.
She had thought that they’d stayed out of sight as much as possible, but apparently not.
“FRIDAY, please get Pepper down here immediately,” Peter urged.
“She is already on her way down Peter, ETA two minutes.”
They lapsed into silence as they waited for Pepper to arrive. Both of them were trying to read the articles, but Peter seemed to be succeeding while she couldn't even process what this was going to mean for her.
She wouldn't ever be able to go out as just herself again. No more dinner dates with Percy whenever they felt up to it. No more picking up Estelle and taking her for a walk in the park. School wouldn't be the same.
Sure, she could manipulate the mist to alter her appearance for some things, but it was exhausting and not sustainable as a long term solution. Piper would probably be the best person to help her adjust though, so she made a mental note to call her as soon as she could.
Pepper burst through the lab doors looking just as put together as she always did, but her eyes betrayed her panic.
“As of right now, the two of you are on lockdown. Every reporter in New York is currently after any scrap of information about the both of you and we don’t need to add more fuel to the fire by giving them shots of you leaving the tower.”
Peter nodded as if he’d expected this. Still reeling, she nodded along as well, trusting that Pepper knew what she was doing.
The days following the article's release were stressful to say the least. Tony had been relieved at first when the three of them had pulled him out of the board meeting Pepper had forced him to attend, But when he found out what had happened he was furious. Not at them, of course, but his prickly attitude was not helping their problem solving. Pepper had banished him from the lab until he cooled off and stopped threatening to sue all of the newspaper companies.
It did not help when Pepper pointed out that they’d nothing illegal, and they couldn't sue them for being assholes.
Tony had been there the next morning though, anger mostly gone and doing his best to help. According to Pepper, their options were to do a press conference and tell the truth, say nothing and let the rumors fly, or make a statement denying everything.
Since Peter wasn't actually his son, just his intern, denying everything would still be half correct. That was the option Tony wanted to go with, but Pepper was wary, saying that withholding the truth about Annabeth being his daughter could have legal repercussions down the line when the truth came out. Because she was listed as a kidnapped child who had been missing for fourteen years, the police would have a lot of questions as to why they hadn't been informed she had been found.
The NYPD had already sent Tony an inquiry about the whole ordeal, but it was worded like they didn't actually think that they were his children, just something they needed to send out as protocol.
Pepper and Tony were still half-heartedly arguing about the best course of action, Peter between them chiming in occasionally. She wasn't listening to them though, as her mind had been made up hours ago. All she was waiting for the others to acknowledge was that the truth was the only viable option here. There was no avoiding this, and delaying it would only make matters worse.
“Annabeth, ultimately this is your decision. What do you want to do,” Tony questioned, and all three of them turned to her.
“I know what I want to do, but I need to talk to someone else about it first.”
***
FRIDAY announced the arrival of Sally, Paul, and Estelle just as they finished making dinner. She raced over to the elevator, anxious to see them. As soon as the doors opened, Estelle came sprinting out at full speed and she crouched down so they were on the same level. She had a surprisingly strong grip for a five year old, and didn't let go when Annabeth stood and shifted so she was carrying Estelle.
Peter came out of the hallway carrying Morgan, and the two five year olds eyed each other. She sensed Sally and Paul walking up behind her, so she set Estelle down to properly greet them. Peter seemed to get the same idea, whispering something to Morgan before setting her down as well and walking over to them. Sally put her arms out for a hug with a soft smile, and she practically fell into her arms.
“I missed you around the apartment kid,” Sally whispered into her ear.
“I missed you too,” she replied, not sure how to say just how much she missed living at the Jackson-Blowfis apartment. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy living in the tower and getting to know her dad, but she missed the comfort of living with Percy’s family. The tower felt cold and lifeless somedays, but the apartment always felt full of joy and memories, even when no one was home.
They made their way to the table where Tony was struggling to get Morgan to sit in her own chair, rather than squeezing herself into the same chair as Estelle. Apparently the two of them had already decided they were best friends and didn't want to be separated, even though their chairs were next to each other anyways. She watched him throw up his hands in defeat and just let them be, moving to sit in his own chair.
Over dinner, the adults exchanged stories about their respective kids. Everyone laughed except Morgan and Estelle, who pouted and exchanged mischievous looks. The tension that had hung over everyone since the articles came out seemed to have dissipated. Tony and Pepper seemed to genuinely like Sally and Paul, which greatly relieved her. They’d been suspicious of Percy’s family at first, so it was nice to know they were friendly now.
Tony insisted that he would clean up and waved off any offers of help, so the group migrated to the living room. Sally pulled her aside before they sat down though, bringing her out to the balcony to talk. Estelle and Morgan didn't make it to the living room either, running off down the hall presumably to play in Morgan's room.
“Are you really ok, Annabeth? Everyone saw those articles.”
“It’s a lot. I wish Percy was here, but at the same time I’m glad he’s not because he’s not exactly low profile.”
“Yeah he’s been on the news too much already, and pretty much never for anything good.”
“Exactly. But Sally, I don’t know what to do. Pepper said that we can come out with the truth and deal with the media attention, completely ignore it, or lie and say I’m not his daughter, which might lead to more issues in the future when people find out that I actually am. It’s a lose-lose situation and I don’t want to make the wrong decision.”
“Annie, you are one of the strongest people I know, and judging by the look on your face you’ve already made your decision. Go with what your heart feels is right, don’t try to logic your way out of this.”
Her eyes started watering, and she nearly tackled Sally into another hug.
“I love you,” she murmured, and felt Sally’s arms tighten around her in a nonverbal response.
***
Walking out with Peter and Tony into the press conference room almost made her flinch from the sudden onslaught of camera flashes, but she steeled herself and stood tall. Tony walked up to the podium with the confidence of someone who’d had years of practice. The reporters quieted, and he began to speak.
“You're all here so that I can address the rumors that have been spreading saying that these two are my kids. Peter here is my personal intern, and his family are close friends of ours. However, Annabeth is my daughter.” There was uproar at that, every reporter in the room gasping or trying to ask a question. Tony held up a hand to quiet them, and after a moment they settled back into silence. “We found her a few weeks ago and ask for privacy as she settles back into our family. We’ll take a few questions now.”
Almost everyone in the audience started talking and put their hands up at once. Tony chose a blonde reporter in the second row with a determined face to go first.
“Karen Page, New York Bulletin. Where has Annabeth been all these years?”
“When we found her, she was living with her boyfriend's family. They are all wonderful people who would never hurt her.”
The reporter's eyes narrowed as if to say that wasn't what she asked, but Tony called on another reporter before she could speak up about it. She caught the reporter's eye and was surprised by the fire that she found there. This woman didn't look like she was here for a piece on a kidnapped child who’d been found. She looked like she was here to find out everything that had happened in those years and wouldn't settle for anything less than the truth.
Karen Page would make either a very good ally or a very bad enemy.
She wasn't sure which category the woman fell into just yet.