Percy

Smoke burned through Percy's lungs as he hobbled down Madison. His progress was painfully slow, his wounded leg soaking his jeans in blood. Shattered glass from Barneys' windows littered the street, catching the flashing lights from the police cars blocking his exit. Silver arrows from Thalia's bow streaked past him.

"Hurry up!" she screamed.

"I'm trying!"

Behind him, Nico cried out in pain and Percy turned just in time to see his friend flung across the street like a ragdoll, crumpling against the pavement with a startling craaack! His heart leapt into his mouth – please don't be dead… please don't be dead… please-

"Perseus Jackson… We meet again."

On the roadside, Nico stirred, but there was no time to be relieved. They were trapped; from mortal cops behind and in front, just one of the many monsters Percy had hoped would stay in Tartarus forever…

"Echidna," he spat, voice seething with venom. His injured leg shook beneath him.

"Hi, honey," In the still-smoking wreckage of Paul's Prius, which Percy had been driving only ten minutes before when she'd wrenched open the door and attacked, stood an enormously fat woman wearing a wide, denim dress stretched tight over her huge belly, a grotesque smile twisting her features. She had greenish skin and stubby fingers ending in hooked, talon-like nails painted poisonous yellow. Unfortunately, Percy recognised her – he'd fought her when he was twelve, a battle which had ended with the destruction of a national monument.

The mother of monsters wasn't even the worst of his problems. Five feet away and encroaching fast was her son, the chimera, who Percy had also fought before. And lost. He recognised the rhinestone collar glinting from the depths of it's blood-caked mane from the St Louis arch incident, six years ago now. It threw back it's lion's head and roared, warm spittle flecking Percy's face. He knew they were screwed; he was losing blood fast, Nico was barely conscious, and Thalia's arrows glanced off the monster's skin. They'd been caught by surprise and with so many mortals around, they couldn't risk using the full extent of their powers.

"Are you seeing this?" he heard one of the cops mutter behind him. The squadron was shifting with unease.

Ever since that billionaire, Tony Stark, had started messing with things he didn't understand, the Mist had been weakening - or rather, more and more mortals were becoming clear-sighted. Once people accepted the possibility of the impossible, there was only so much you could hide, and since the Avengers' battle with the Chitauri, they could no longer rely on Hecate's magic to shield them from the outside world.

"Run," his voice barely worked. He tried again, screaming this time, "Run!"

The squadron broke ranks, scrambling for the safety of 61st street. Mortals cowered inside stores, clutching rosaries and watching with wide eyes. Someone screamed, "Get the Avengers!" but Percy knew the Avengers couldn't help – it was up to him.

He raised Riptide, it's tip quivering in the air. His vision swam as he focused on Thalia, "Get Nico," he croaked, "Go!"

"No!" She cried, "We're not leaving without you!" but it was too late.

Bored of the disaster film unfolding before it, the chimera pounced. Percy barely dodged it's poisonous tail. His arms felt heavy, but he planted himself firmly between the monster and the defenceless mortals, "I can do this all day," he muttered weakly.

Echidna shrieked with laughter and the chimera charged again but this time Percy was ready. As the beast bellowed in defiance, he drove Riptide upwards into the monster's mouth. It's claws raked across his chest, shredding skin like tissue paper, but he stayed put. Echidna's unearthly scream ringing in his ears, he twisted the blade and felt the chimera crumble into dust above him.

"My child!" she screeched, "You'll pay for that!"

Percy fell to his knees. He couldn't fight anymore. He was dimly aware of a river of blood gushing down his chest, his life ebbing away. It hurt to breathe. Oddly calm, he watched Echidna run at him, her razor-sharp nails outstretched but there was nothing he could do. He wished Annabeth was here, to say goodbye…

"Get down!"

Something whistled over Percy's head and Echidna exploded in a shower of golden dust, her talons barely an inch from his face. Combat boots crunched the broken glass underfoot and suddenly he was staring down the barrel of a gun. A voice drifted down to him, "He's just a kid."

"I don't care how old he is, we need answers."

His vision flickered and suddenly he was lying on a stretcher, staring up at the sky. His fingers dabbled in his own blood, swirling patterns across his chest.

"We're losing him…"

He turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of a word on the side of a van before letting the darkness claim him.

S.H.I.E.L.D

Thalia

Nico's eyes flickered open, "Where's Percy?"

"He's gone," Thalia whispered, her head dropping into her hands. From the shadows of the alleyway she'd dragged Nico to, she could see reporters swarming the scene of the fight. In the distance, a siren wailed.

"What?"

"They took him," she groaned.

Nico struggled to sit up, gasping in pain. She handed him a flask of nectar which he took gratefully, "Who took him?"

"The government? The Avengers? I don't know!" She couldn't believe it. Percy was gone. Again. She grabbed her bow, indignation rising in her throat, "We have to find him!"

"We will," Nico promised, "But we have to go back to camp first. If we're going up against the Avengers, we'll need back-up."

Thalia hesitated. Part of her knew Nico was right, but the other part wanted to start searching for Percy immediately – that part was, though she would never admit it, terrified of admitting to Annabeth what happened, how a simple outing had gone so horribly wrong.

"Thalia," Nico begged. One look at him – deathly pale, his hair thick with blood - told her searching for Percy wasn't an option.

"Fine," she said, reluctantly, "We'll go to camp, but then I'm calling the Hunters. We're going to find Percy."

Whatever it took.

New story, hope you enjoy!

Lileaf, xoxo