Chapter 18
Percy
Percy saw it before he heard it: Tony closing the first book enraged. Uh oh.
"They sent you to do this when you were twelve?! What's wrong with them?! All the risks..." he started pacing back and forth. "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, Tunnel of Love Ride, Saint Louis Arch, Crusty's Water Bed Palace, the Underworld... It's almost ridiculous!"
"Wouldn't it be better to comment on my awesome mom?" Percy said nervously.
"Oh, yes. She's a sweetheart," Tony said before remembering what got him angry. "But you know who isn't? The one who accused you from robbery before you even knew your heritage!" Percy had warned them not to say their names out loud, but dear Drama Queen still acknowledged the comment and struck with lightning a piece of land quite close to the tower.
"We already resolved that, we're on better terms now, relax."
"How can you tell me to relax when they put you through that?" And before Percy could utter a word, the billionaire stormed out. Percy could tell it would take him a while to be mentally stable enough to start the next book.
Oh what would they think about Hera if that was their reaction to the first book.
.ψψψ•
"The Sea of Monsters is what?!" Clint's voice thundered through the living room. Percy ran his hands through his hair, he was already regretting his decision.
The former demigod sighed. "The Bermuda Triangle."
"Too much to process... No... I wasn't ready for the answer to a worldwide mystery... No..." And he continued rambling.
Percy only sighed again.
.ψψψ.
"But she was only twelve... Poor girl... Crashed to make her brother happy and save her friends... That's true loyalty," Natasha commented and Percy's expression hardened when he understood what she was talking about. He relaxed once he realized that, even if they were reading his biography as a story, they were all well aware that everything was true. They weren't mourning Bianca as a fake character but rather as a true hero. Percy relaxed further when he realized they were, in a way, honoring her memory.
.ψψψ.
"Percabeth!" Bruce shouted and Percy didn't doubt a single second in which part he was.
The dark-haired god turned to Thor. "Just wait for it."
Not five minutes later, another shout was heard. "No, Calypso! Have mercy with my OTP! Oh, wait, this was years ago, they're engaged already..." Percy smiled at the shipping and then laughed when he noticed that Bruce had completely ignored the volcano explosion.
.ψψψ.
Steve entered the kitchen with his head hanging low and sat heavily in one of the chairs. He put the fifth book, The Last Olympian, in the table and finally looked at the protagonist of said story.
"Children and wars should never mix." And Percy couldn't help but agree.
.ψψψ.
"Why aren't you in the first book of the second series?" Clint asked while sprawled in the couch. He was obviously at the beginning but very used to Percy's constant presence in the story.
"Read the title," Percy said with a sigh.
"Oh..."
.ψψψ.
"That bitch kidnapped you for how long?!" It was Natasha this time.
"Eight months. I know, I'm not completely over it yet but please, please, refrain from upsetting gods, we need them for the upcoming war." A warning thunder sounded outside, showing Zeus was listening and agreed with him.
"Whatever," she answered and left to her room, fuming.
.ψψψ.
"I knew that this would happen because you told us but don't you dare let go," Bruce said so quickly that his words were almost lost. Percy sighed; he seemed to do that a lot lately. "NO!"
.ψψψ.
"Stark, are you... crying?" Steve asked, while he started The House of Hades.
"No-" But he choked and then proceeded to look out the window, where the stars shone brightly. "Bob says hello." And then he kept on crying.
Percy watched in silence, sharing Tony's feelings. He was also thankful that Tony allowed himself to be so vulnerable around him even after knowing he was able to control poison and practice blood-bending. He was so grateful he didn't lose allies and- more importantly- friends to capacities he never asked for.
.ψψψ.
"A nose-bleed almost ends the world," Bruce said thoughtfully and also kinda shocked, but no one could really blame him.
"Not the world itself, considering that would have been like a suicide for Gaea, but the world as we know it..." Percy clarified.
"Nice," Bruce answered to that new information and carried on having an existential crisis.
.ψψψ.
(Let's pretend all the books and crossovers- The Son of Sobek, The Staff of Serapis and The Crown of Ptolemy- make sense here regarding time)
"Why didn't you just give him your number? Did you really trust a stranger to write in your hand with magic ink something that you couldn't understand? After all you had experienced? I think you have too much faith in humanity," Natasha said. Looking back at it, Percy realized she was right.
"There's not much I can do about it now, can I?"
.ψψψ.
"After reading your books, I think I agree with Annabeth on making a 'What Were The Gods Thinking' list," said Tony.
"I can let you borrow mine if you want to," Percy offered absentmindedly while he read The Kane Chronicles (in Ancient Greek of course).
"That'd be helpful, thank yo-" he was interrupted by Natasha yelling.
"Your fiancée also agrees that the hieroglyphic was dramatic!" Percy only chuckled.
.ψψψ.
"That man was thoroughly insane," Clint stated to Percy, who nodded.
"Yep, yes he was."
"Will you need to become the Eye of Nekhbet again?"
"Hopefully, no. Knowing my luck, yes"
.ψψψ.
"Egyptian books now? Really? Wasn't it enough mythology already? My head is about to explode with information and weird names..." Clint complained.
"And they were also kids," Percy added. Steve groaned.
.ψψψ.
"There's a baboon god named Babi? And a dwarf god was able to scare him and the vulture goddess away with his ugliness?" Tony stopped talking and stared at his book in disbelief. "We need him in our side." And Percy hoped it was possible.
.ψψψ.
"They merged into one? What a nice-" note the sarcasm. "way to solve a love triangle. Geez, kids these days..." Steve said.
"I know! And, above all, Sadie recently told Nico that he looks like Anubis," Percy recounted the meeting and the group laughed. It was enjoyable to pretend everything was fine and normal.
.ψψψ.
"Why did we read the last three books? That is not even your pantheon," Natasha asked Percy, who sighed.
"This war... It's against the Pit..." The Avengers froze. "And he got the help of some unknown Egyptian gods. We have to know our enemies so I read them too. That's literally the whole reason why you read my books, I wouldn't have let you if it wasn't necessary."
"Do you- we-" Steve corrected himself- "have a prophecy?" He was in soldier mode now and Percy felt relaxed slightly because he was taking it as seriously as he should.
"Yes. It goes like this:
The being of the Pit will rise
Mortals will be needed to fight
For the key to victory is now part of both worlds
And this enemy won't fall for words," he recited. "We know that he declared the war because he wanted revenge."
"Revenge for what exactly?" A deep frown was visible in Natasha's face as she said this. She stared at apparently nothing, but it was quite obvious she was too focused thinking of plans to care or, for that matter, to realize.
"Against the seven for defeating his dear wife, Mother Earth, and against the three demigods that managed to survive his Pit, meaning Nico, Annabeth and I," Percy answered her question and she nodded. War and revenge weren't something new to her or the team.
"And what about the Egyptian gods you mentioned?" Tony asked, thinking just as hard as the only woman in the group.
"Well, I know for sure he has allies in that pantheon, though I still don't know who. For that, I need to make a call. Stay away from the message's visual range, please, they don't need distractions.
"Oh, Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Carter Kane, at the twenty-first Nome, in Brooklyn," he said while creating mist out of nowhere in front of the window and throwing in it a drachma.
Carter screeched. Sadie laughed.
"I need to learn how to do that," the blonde magician said, amused.
"Yes, but you almost gave me a heart attack! I turn around and all of a sudden there's a Percy looking at me!" Carter complained.
"I'm so sorry!" the former demigod said, but the grin in his face betrayed his words. Carter frowned accusingly but said nothing; with a sister like Sadie, you learn to recognize lost causes.
"So, what happened? Why didn't you call? It's been four days already," Sadie asked Percy.
"Oh, yes. Sorry about that. Well, the first day I had a... demigod problem... And then I was making my mortal team learn a little about mythology and out pasts for the war. I'm sorry," he apologized and this time he said it genuinely.
"It's fine, we were just worried since you weren’t picking up either," Carter said. It was true’ Percy had given Steve his phone back and it had been once again forgotten by the super soldier. "We have new information."
"It wasn't easy but now we know who the god helping Tart-" Sadie started but was interrupted by Percy.
"Don't say his name. If you appreciate your life, never say it. Greek and Roman gods hear you when you say their names and we don't want that, do we?"
"Ok, sorry," she apologized distractedly, but Percy could notice that she actually took what he said into account. "Well, we know who is the god helping him," she paused for drama and Percy waited patiently. She didn't speak again for ten seconds so Carter intervened.
"Nefertem. He's the god of the first sunlight and is planning to take away the light he gifted the world."
"Oh," was Percy's response. "That's... Nice."
"Yes, indeed. When were you planning to tell me this about my son?" A voice said from the other side of the IM. Percy couldn't recognize the goddess but guessed she was Bast based on the books he had read about them.
"Bast!" Yep, he was right. "We can explain..." Sadie told her protector.
"You better do," she threatened. Percy thought that maybe he could help, but Sadie ended the connection before he could open his mouth (Percy didn't even know how she learned to cut it). She was right to do it, though; it wasn't Percy's problem, it was more a family thing and he had no place there.
Percy turned around and faced his team. "Well, shit."
"I still have a question," Stark said quietly. Percy nodded once, encouraging him to ask. "If the golden dust is because you killed monsters... you're not actually obsessed with glitter?"
"No, I'm not," Percy replied, amused.
"You know, lying gets you to the Fields of Punishment," a voice said from behind him. Percy would have automatically pinned the unknown person to the ground with his sword at their neck, but he recognized the voice pretty well.
"Nico..." He groaned. "I called you eons ago! What where you doing?" And then he turned around, noticing that his cousin wasn't alone.
"Me," said Will. Nico smacked him in the arm.
"No, I wasn't," Nico said and crossed his arms.
"You know, lying gets you to the Fields of Punishment," Percy mocked him. Nico pouted.
"Whatever. What did you want?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Well, we have some new information. And also, the Avengers now know about everything. And I mean everything." The black-haired god said and proceeded to explain again everything that had happened since their last encounter.
"You want me to tell camp?" Nico asked a little confused.
"No, I want you to do the exact opposite. I need you to stop the information from getting into camp. I have a plan that they won't let me carry out if they know, and I'm sure Annabeth will easily realize what I'll try to do."