When in Rome
Rating: K+
Summary: It's summer vacation, and Percy and Peter are spending a month at Camp Jupiter.
June
It had been two weeks since Peter had left New York.
He had only told Aunt May he was leaving, knowing it would break her heart if he left without a word. He couldn't bring himself to tell the Avengers, especially Tony. He had pleaded with May to not tell them where he was going, just tell them he was safe with someone he trusted. He didn't want them trying to pry, or to have a mission thrown onto him. Peter just wanted some time to himself, and though he felt a little guilty from not telling Tony, he went through with it.
Peter had needed a break from being a superhero, from all the stress that came with it, with training. It was nice to be out of school for the summer, and when Percy had invited him to California, he had accepted.
It was odd, the place they were staying. Peter was still adjusting to the idea that both Greek and Roman gods existed, and that Percy was part of that life. It boggled his mind even further when Percy told him that the Norse and some of the Egyptian gods were also stationed in the US.
But here he was, in the middle of a hidden camp for Roman demigods.
He had been to Camp Half-Blood for a few days over spring break, but it was quite different from Camp Jupiter and New Rome.
Percy had explained that while he was Greek, the two camps were working together. As well, even though it had been for a very short time, he had been one of the leaders. It was a place that took him in.
Even though Peter himself wasn't part of the mythological world, he could see things as they truly were. Percy told him he could see through the Mist. Thus him being invited along, invited to stay for a month over summer break. It was unheard of to bring a mortal into camp, except for Rachel who became the Oracle, but after some convincing, it was allowed. In the end, it was because it was Percy who asked, that it was allowed. They had all seen the path he had been falling down immediately after the war had ended, and with his new friend, he was recovering far better than they could've ever hoped.
Peter could hold his own when they did hand to hand combat, as he had trained with the Avengers. It was nice, though, to face other powered people, such as Percy, Hazel or Jason. He could use his powers, though to keep his identity safe, he usually wore his uniform.
At Camp Jupiter, he came as Spider-Man, but at Camp Half-Blood, he was just Peter. It had been his choice, and Percy respected it. Peter didn't imagine revealing his identity to a whole mini city hidden in California, preferring to keep it a secret.
Or at least, it started out that way.
Two weeks in and he was sparring as himself. He had come to trust all the demigods, knowing that they knew what it was like to hide part of their identity from others. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Greek demigods. But he had spent less time with them. Two weeks had been enough time with the Romans to decide it was safe to reveal who he was. They were a bit wary of him at first, a mortal superhero entering their safe space. But now they trained alongside him, teaching him how to use a sword and a bow and arrows.
They were impressed with his reflexes and his strength.
Peter was happy there, at Camp Jupiter. They were tough on him with training, but that didn't matter. He was with kids around his age who had seen some of the things he had. No one talked down to him, or treated him like a kid, but they understood his vulnerability and his PTSD.
It felt like a home.
Tony grumbled under his breath.
He was working on upgrading Peter's suit while he was gone. May hadn't told him where Peter was, just that he would be safe. Even though he tried to bribe her, she wouldn't tell him, saying that Peter didn't want others to know. She assured him that it wasn't him or the other heroes that were at the compound, that Peter just wanted to have a month of his summer for fun, without worrying about having a mission come up. He had been worried that if the superheroes knew where he was, they could drag him on a mission, and he just wanted a break. However, Peter had said if a real "end-of-the-world" mission came up, his aunt had a way to contact him, and he could get to New York quickly.
While mortal phones didn't work at the camps, the demigod phones Leo had invented did, so May had Percy's number. She didn't know exactly what was up with Percy, but after a talk with Sally, had been assured Peter would be safe and have everything he needed during his month away. Sally had explained there were strict rules about cellphones, but that if she needed to, Percy had a phone he was allowed to use.
Tony knew that if it came to it, he could reach Peter, but was trying to convince himself that Peter would be fine without having Tony check in all the time.
To make matters worse, Tony couldn't even track Peter. The GPS on his phone turned off in the middle of California, and whenever he tried to call him to check up, he would get a message saying there was no service. It reminded him of the couple days over Peter's spring break that he couldn't find the kid.
Tony hadn't realized how accustomed to Peter's presence he had become until the teen had been gone for a week. There was no rambling about school and patrol, no teen working in his lab or eating all his food, and no kid falling asleep everywhere. He even missed Lola. The border collie was usually hanging around Peter, happy to follow him anywhere. She had her own spot in the lab to make sure she didn't get in the way, and her heavy breathing had become another part of the noises in the lab.
He could understand why Peter wanted a break from his normal life. It was hard to balance a superhero life with a normal one, and Tony could only imagine what it was like to be a teenager in high school on top of that.
However, Tony had felt that he and the kid were close enough for Peter to tell him where he had gone. But he trusted Peter's judgement, and since his aunt knew where he was, the man let it go.
Peter smiled as he soared through the skies on the back of Percy's pegasus, Blackjack. It felt wonderful to fly through the air, without worrying about his webs.
Below him was Percy running through the field with Andi and Lola at his heels, tails wagging furiously.
They were taking a day to themselves out in the gardens of Bacchus. Peter originally was going to be walking with Percy, but the demigod had grinned, before pulling the superhero into the stables.
After Percy talked to Blackjack and told him to give Peter a ride— he still couldn't get over the fact that Percy could talk to horses!— he took their dogs and made his way across the field, keeping an eye on the sky.
"Man, that was great," Peter grinned as he leapt of the pegasus' back. "I mean, yeah, I've been on Blackjack before, but that was long distance travel. This was more fun."
"Glad you enjoyed it," Percy smiled back. "Blackjack is a great horse. Flies me all over the place, since I can't actually fly in a plane or anything without the fear that good ol' Uncle Zeus will strike me out of the sky." He turned, digging into the bag he had brought with him, pulling out a box of donuts. He held one out to the pegasus, who whinnied happily before eating it. "He loves these things," is all he says in response to Peter's questioning look.
They lay down on the grass, looking up at the blue sky. Their dogs curled up next to them, heads protectively on their stomachs.
"You enjoying camp?"
"Yeah, I love it," Peter responded, honest. "I mean, yeah, Camp Half-Blood is more relaxed," Peter continued, remembering the two days he spent at the Greek camp during spring break, "and yeah, I love it there, and the people are really nice. But here? I don't know, it just feels more comfortable to me. More what I'm used to. I mean, superhero training is different, especially with some of the Avengers around. They're cool, but it's nice, being around people my age who understand what I've been through, who I can talk to without feeling patronized."
"Yeah, they're pretty great about that," Percy grinned, petting his dog. "I mean, no one can understand exactly what you go through personally, but they don't judge you for it. We've all been through battles."
"The Avengers have all been through things, but they don't get what it's like to balance a superhero life with a teenage life. You guys understand it a lot better."
"Hey, that's what we're here for. You're welcome to come back, to either camp, whenever you need a break. I asked Chiron when we were at Camp Half-Blood in March, and he let Mr. D know that you were allowed to be there whenever you want, even if I'm not there. That's why I disappeared for a few minutes before we left. Had to ask them. And it's the same here. If you ever want to come here, let me know, and I'll send Blackjack to pick you up."
Hearing his name, the black pegasus carefully nudged Peter's outstretched hand.
"Reyna and Frank are in charge here, and I still have some pull. They like you. Told the guards to let you in, again, even if I'm not with you. They get what it's like, and want you to have a place where you can be safe, and with people your age."
Peter's eyes actually teared up at that. What had he done to deserve a friend like Percy?
"Hey, you help me out just as much," Percy glanced over at his friend, knowing what he was thinking. "It's because of you and Mr. Stark—I still can't believe you know him so well— that I even have Andi." He rested his hand on his dogs collar, fiddling with the tag that was engraved with his home address on the back, and Andi's full name, Andromeda, on the front. "I needed help," the demigods admits, "and I didn't get it for a long time. But having Andi at my side at all times is a big help. And I know Lola is a big help for you."
Peter smiled softly as Percy talked about their service dogs. It had been a big step for both of them, one that had noticeably helped them.
The two friends lay there quietly, enjoying the slight breeze the blew through their hair.
For the first time since spring break, they were completely at ease.
"Reyna," Percy whined, eyes wide. "Stop stealing my Peter. It's bad enough you always steal Annabeth away from me when she's here. But both of them?"
The female praetor frowned slightly, staring at her friend. Percy didn't relent, eyes widening even further.
Peter popped up behind Reyna, hair stuck to his flushed forehead with sweat from training. Reyna had been training him personally, declaring he was one of a few people that could actually challenge her. The only other ones who could hold their own against her were Annabeth, Hazel, Jason and Percy. "Is he pulling the eyes? Yeah, he's pulling the eyes."
"Pete! Tell Reyna she can't steal you away from me," Percy pouted. "I'm the one who brought you here!"
"Are you jealous they like me better, Jackson?" Reyna raised an eyebrow.
Peter laughed at the look on Percy's face as he pushed his hair back.
"Oh, you're on, Ramirez," Percy responded, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "I win, I get my best friend back. You win, I won't complain about him training with you for two days."
"Deal," Reyna nodded. "Pegasus race or sword fight this time?"
"Pegasus race," Percy declared. "I already got my training in today with Hazel. Man, am I glad she's on our side."
"People say the same about you," Reyna raised a shoulder in a half shrug. "You should see yourself in battle."
"Yeah, I've seen you during war games, and dude, if I didn't know you, I'd be worried," Peter agreed. "That's just in war games. I can't imagine you in an actual battle. And I know you don't use all your powers. Do you forget you can create earthquakes?"
Percy's eyes dropped, shoulder sagging as he glanced at the ground.
"Percy?" Reyna asked curiously.
"I- I don't use those powers," he responded, voice quiet. "I used them once, without knowing. It wasn't worth it."
"Do you want to talk about it?" the daughter of Bellona asked, unsure.
"I probably should," Percy sighed as he lowered himself to the ground. "I mean, it's something that a fair amount of people know about, but they don't know everything." He lay down, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the sun.
Reyna sat down next to him, Peter on the other. Reyna whistled, and their four dogs made their way over, curling up around the demigods in a protective shield.
They had done this a few times, the three of them leaning on each other when a particularly bad memory came up. They had grown close, gravitating towards each other. They were the three at camp who had service dogs, and it was a normal sight to see Aurum, Argentum, Andi and Lola chasing each other across the fields.
Percy and Reyna had gotten to know each other better during camp restorations, and after getting passed the whole ordeal on Circe's island, learned to trust each other, becoming closer than anyone thought they would. She learned to let down some of her guard around him, laughing at his stupid puns. Sure, she was close with Annabeth and few Romans as well, and was working on rebuilding her friendship with Jason. However, the bond Percy and Reyna formed was unbreakable, only strengthening due to their dogs.
When Percy arrived at Camp Jupiter with Peter, she had hugged her friend, which came as a surprise to many. She was unsure about Peter at first, wary that a mortal was in her camp. But she trusted Percy, and when she got to know Peter and Lola, she let him in, too.
Annabeth had been glad to see her boyfriend open up about his past, knowing he had the tendency to hold it in. She had been at his side during a lot of it, and knew firsthand how grief could affect him. However, she knew she couldn't be his only confident. They needed to talk to other people. It didn't make their trust in each other lessen in any way. If anything, it kept their relationship strong, because it was easier to laugh and be carefree with each other, nothing dangling overhead. She herself had Piper to confide in, and was strengthening her friendship with Rachel.
Annabeth trusted Reyna, knew the praetor needed someone like Percy in her life. And while the daughter of Athena had been wary of Peter at first, when she saw him and her boyfriend interact for the first time over spring break, she knew they would be able to help each other.
Percy sat up, adjusting his position, before laying back down, this time with his head in Reyna's lap. She began to run her fingers through his hair, helping him calm down as he began to talk.
"I was almost fifteen when it happened. We were dealing with the labyrinth and the reformation of Kronos that summer. Annabeth and I were investigating a monster base at Mount St. Helens. We needed to get out when we were discovered. I forced her to leave, and she did, though reluctantly. She had her cap, luckily. There were a lot of telekhines. They were forging Luke— I mean, Kronos' new sword. Once she was out, I confronted them. They threw lava at me. It's harder for me to burn, because of who my father is, but not impossible. I had to get out of there. The pain was too much. I called on the water inside me, and unknowingly called upon the earth. I made the mountain erupt."
"I remember that," Peter spoke up during the silence, knowing Percy needed a little push to continue his story. Reyna nodded in agreement, careful not to mess up Peter's attempt at braiding her hair.
"Then I was flying through the air, and then everything was black. I woke up on Calypso's island. It didn't feel like I was there very long, but I was gone for two weeks. I left Calypso there, even though I didn't want to. I wanted to escape from the prophecy, and I felt safe there. Lord Hephaestus stopped by to see if I was coming back. And that's when I found out. What the explosion caused. Authorities had to order the evacuation of almost half a million people as a precaution. Ash had fallen as far away as Lake Tahoe and Vancouver. The entire Mount St. Helens area was closed to traffic within a hundred-mile radius. No deaths were reported, thank the gods, but there were many minor injuries and illnesses. On top of that, the explosion weakened the seal on Typhon's prison and lead to a reaction within the mountain that awakened him. I was terrified of myself, thought it would be better for everyone if I stayed with Calypso, let people think I was dead. I didn't want to hurt them. I so desperately wanted to stay. I didn't want to hurt Calypso, didn't want to see friends die. But I had to. And when I got back… they were burning my burial shroud."
Reyna's hands stilled, frowning. "They thought you were dead?"
Percy nodded. "Yeah… honestly, the way my life is going, it'll happen again."
Peter tied off Reyna's braid, before laying down, head on Percy's abdomen. He smiled when the demigod began to card his fingers through the brown curls.
"That reminds me when I hacked my suit and Karen, the AI, stopped sending my vitals to Mr. Stark. Man, he was mad. They cut off suddenly, and he was afraid I had been killed. He gathered all the Avengers to meet where my tracker last placed me. They were all ready for battle, weapons at the ready, and they found me calmly eating a sandwich as I sat on the roof of a building."
Reyna snickered. "You freaked him out that much?" It was hard to imagine Tony Stark that worried, pulling a parent card. The praetor didn't know much about him, as she was from a different country, and spent most of her time in America at camp, but knew enough to realize how ridiculous it was.
"Yeah," Peter laughed. "I've become something of a fixture in Mr. Stark's life."
Percy smiled lazily, eyes closed. It was nice to be with his two friends.
They fell asleep, sprawled on top of each other. For the first time in awhile, none of them woke up screaming, or feeling trapped in their nightmares.
When Hazel came to get them for dinner, she smiled, before gently waking them up.
"It's time to eat," she kept her voice quiet as the three blinked slowly, before untangling themselves.
The four friends started walking, the dogs running ahead.
"That's a nice braid," Hazel smiled as she spotted Reyna's hair. "It's different from what you usually do."
"Actually, Peter did it," Reyna admitted. She pulled the braid onto her shoulder, looking at it. "And yes, it is different."
"It's a fishtail," Peter shrugged. "I've had practice braiding hair. Uh, my honorary aunt, Pepper. She wanted to teach me."
"Well, you did a great job," Hazel praised him. "Maybe I should get you to teach me," she teased, laughing a little.
"I guess I could," Peter chuckled. "We'll just have to find a time."
"We're still having movie night tonight, right Rey?" Percy asked, slinging his arm around the praetor.
She glared at him, but she was smiling. Percy was the only one who used a nickname when talking to her. Jason used to, but while they were rebuilding their friendship, they stuck to their full names. Occasionally, Reyna would use his last name, but no one dared use hers.
"Yeah. It will be the four of us, and Frank and Jason. We are meeting at my place at eight. I was thinking we could get a pegasus ride in beforehand. The four of us?"
Hazel smiled, glad to see Reyna learning to take breaks and have fun sometimes, rather than always working. "Sounds good to me! Right after dinner? Then we can head over to Reyna's together."
Reyna nodded her assent as they reached their destination. The three followed her to the praetor's table. Hazel usually sat with her cohort, but with their guests, she was allowed to sit at the main table. Jason and Percy, as two former praetors, also usually sat with their cohort when they were in New Rome, though no one questioned it when they sat with Reyna. And as Peter was a guest, and a mortal at that, everyone agreed he should stay with Percy, who he knew well.
Frank and Jason were already at the table when they got there, talking quietly to each other. Hazel smiled as she sat down next to her boyfriend, gently squeezing his hand.
Percy sat down across from his cousin, Reyna across from her partner, and Peter across from the son of Jupiter.
Peter smiled as he looked down at his shirt. He had been given a few camp shirts, and had taken to wearing them as often as possible. It made him feel like he fit in, like he belonged. Sure, he didn't have a probatio tablet or a legion tattoo like Reyna, Jason, Hazel, Frank or Percy did. But they accepted him.
They talked about what movies they wanted to watch as they ate, their voices blending into the rest of the noise in the room.
Once the meal was over, Frank and Jason split off from the group. Frank had some paperwork to get done, and Jason was going to train with some of his old friends from the legion. He was working on rebuilding his friendship with them.
Reyna stopped at her place, taking off her toga and praetor cape, while the others waited outside. She stepped out a few minutes later, hair still in the braid, but wearing jeans and a camp shirt. She looked like a normal teen in that moment, rather than a warrior and leader of New Rome.
They left their dogs at Reyna's, before making their way to the stables.
Percy greeted Blackjack, who had brought him and Peter to camp. Reyna went to Guido, Hazel to a dark brown pegasus named Mocha who she usually rode when Arion wasn't around. Peter hesitated, hanging around the stables, before Percy noticed.
"Peter. I think you'll get along well with Porkpie. He's friends with Blackjack and Guido. They helped us out back during a few quests leading up to the Battle of Manhattan. He'll go easy with you."
Peter nodded, before heading over to the white pegasus Percy was pointing to.
After all four of them had mounted the horses, they took off, the light breeze blowing through their hair as they smiled at the feeling of flying.
The kept to a steady pace, close enough that they could talk to each other without yelling if they wanted to. Reyna and Percy were in the middle, Peter and Hazel at their sides.
They flew above the gardens and the field where they held war games, waving as they passed over campers enjoying their free time.
With the height they were at, the sunset was even more beautiful than usual, and they watched it sink, the crimsons and violets painting the sky.
Noting the time, the four turned around, heading back to the stables reluctantly. They all wanted to spend more time flying around, but they had plans for the night.
The walk back to Reyna's was quiet, peaceful. They walked along the roads, arms linked together, Reyna and Percy once again in the middle.
It was becoming a common sight to the other demigods, though the first time it happened, it had come as a surprise to most, Gwen, Dakota and Bobby the only ones who smiled rather than looking confused.
They were some of the only Romans who knew Reyna past her chilly exterior, who could truly call the female praetor a friend. Gwen had been Reyna's first friend at camp. When she had arrived, she had been wary of men after her experiences on the pirate's boat. They had made sure that a female doctor checked her over, and Gwen had volunteered to look after her, show her around.
The daughter of Venus had slowly gotten Reyna used to being around males, and soon, Bobby, Dakota and Jason joined their group. They were all close, but Reyna and Jason became best friends. She rose to praetor status before him, but supported him when he was raised on a shield.
After Jason disappeared and came back with Piper, things changed. Piper herself wasn't the problem. Reyna actually liked her as a person: she was strong and powerful, and was proving stereotypes about her wrong. But Reyna could hold a grudge. It was Jason she blamed, but it was hard to bring herself to hate him after all the memories they shared, so she unfairly projected it onto the daughter of Aphrodite.
Despite not being able to hate Jason, she still resented him. He didn't look twice at her when the Greeks arrived, choosing to show Piper around instead of catching up with his old friends. He didn't thank her for doing a job for two, or apologize to her for all the worry he put her through, even though it wasn't his fault. He didn't tease her about her having a crush on him, like he did often before he was switched with Percy.
He ignored her and their friends, spending time with Piper and the rest of the decided Seven, only acknowledging her if he had to.
It had stung, but Reyna just shoved her feelings aside, and handled it professionally, acting as if they had never been anything more than acquaintances.
After they left on the Argo II, Gwen found Reyna angrily destroying a practice dummy with her sword, Latin swears spilling from her mouth.
The blonde could immediately tell that Reyna was getting her hurt feelings out through anger and training, and was cautious when she approached her friend, not wanting to startle her.
Once Reyna had completely destroyed the dummy, Gwen approached. Reyna's face was void of emotion, but Gwen knew her too well, and because of her mother, could sense Reyna's emotions. She led the daughter of Bellona back to the praetors' house, making both of them a mug of hot chocolate before trying to get her friend to talk.
They talked late into the night, Gwen being one of the only ones allowed to see Reyna at her weak points. Jason had been the other, but wouldn't be again any time soon.
Even though Jason had been her friend, too, Gwen was peeved at him. Reyna had been through a lot the past eight months, and now her best friend was pushing her to the side.
Gwen made a vow to herself to not let Jason off the hook easily, and that if he wanted their friendship back, he would have to work for it. She was Reyna's best girl friend, and Reyna was hers.
Even now, as Reyna and Jason slowly worked on rebuilding their friendship and spent time actually listening to each other's side of the story, it was obvious it would never be the same again. Percy had moved up to claim the role of best guy friend and trusted confident, and Gwen was still the praetor's best girl friend.
Things were different, but as things fell into place and they recovered from the wars and met new people, it was getting better.
Jason watched curiously as Reyna and Percy interacted.
He hadn't seen the female praetor and his cousin interact very much since the war had ended, as Percy was at the Greek camp, and Reyna with the Romans. Jason himself traveled between camps to help with repairs, finding both of them his home. He knew Percy did, too, but his family was in New York, and at the time, his mother had been expecting a baby.
Now, though, he could see how much things had changed.
Usually, he would've been the one teasing Reyna, pulling her hair, or making her laugh with the stupid things he said. Now, Percy was telling her bad puns to make her laugh, was allowed to braid the girl's hair, and had no hesitations to hug her, or wrap his arms around her shoulders.
It was odd to see how close they had gotten, but it wasn't actually that big of a surprise. Even though the son of Poseidon hadn't been at Camp Jupiter very long, and had a history with Reyna (Circe's island), he had been more of a help to her than Jason had. Percy had fought at her side, and Jason knew that when the Greeks had arrived, Percy promised he would fight at the side of the Romans if the visitors attacked, even though Annabeth had been on the ship.
Percy had proved his loyalty, and trusted Reyna during the war. They worked alongside each other, and it was awe inspiring to watch them fight together. Percy fought like a Greek, Reyna as a Roman, and together, their techniques and experience could hardly be beat. The only other pair that could beat them was Percy and Annabeth.
Their friendship had fallen into place fairly easily, even more so after Percy got his emotional support dog. Reyna had been the only demigod with support animals, so when Percy got Andi, they had another thing to bond over.
Jason smiled wistfully as Reyna rolled her eyes at Percy, smiling slightly as he told her a pun, before he pulled her into a side hug. It was nice to see his old friend opening up to more people, and learning to have fun.
He regretted how he had treated her when he returned, but couldn't take it back now. He was just glad she had Percy, and now, Peter, as well as their old friends. It made the son of Jupiter sad to know that he wasn't in Reyna's closest circle of confidents anymore, and that they couldn't spend their nights looking at the stars like they did when they had both been praetors, a bag of jellybeans between them. He didn't get to hear Reyna's innermost thoughts, and even though they had been close, the easy hugs and physical contact that Reyna had with Percy had never been a thing with Jason and Reyna.
But he was glad she was giving him a chance to rebuild their friendship, to get to know her again. It would take time, he knew that, but he might just be able to call her one of his best friends again sometime in the future, and she would call him one of hers.
He hoped so, anyways.
Percy pulled Reyna aside before they started the movie, the rest of the group getting settled.
"What is it?" Reyna asked, head tilted slightly in curiosity at the look on her friend's face.
"It's not about me. It's about Peter. He, uh, sometimes suffers from sensory overload because of his enhanced senses. I wanted to let you know, so we don't make the movie too loud. And when it's done, we should turn the lights back on slowly."
Reyna nodded. "I'll stay in control of the volume."
"Thanks, Rey," Percy smiled at her, before they walked back to the living room.
Peter was sitting at the end of one couch, the rest of it empty, as he was saving seats for Percy and Reyna.
Hazel and Frank were curled up on the floor on a pile of pillows and blankets, and Jason was sitting on an arm chair, legs draped over the arm rest.
Percy bounded over to the couch, claiming the space in the middle of himself, tucking his legs under him as Reyna sat down on his other side.
Reyna turned the tv on, pressing play.
As Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban began to play, the demigods and superhero started to eat the popcorn they had made, the only noise besides the movie being the sound of chewing.
By the time that Hermione had punched punched Draco in the face, Peter, Percy and Reyna were curled up close to each other, the two on the sides resting their heads on Percy's shoulder. Their legs were interlocked by their ankles, and Percy had a hand intertwined with both of his friends.
On the floor, Frank's arm was wrapped around Hazel, a blanket spread over their legs as they watched the movie intently, occasionally whispering to each other.
Jason was now sitting upside down, hair brushing the ground.
Percy laughed at that, catching the other's attention, who also laughed when they spotted the son of Jupiter.
Jason just rolled his eyes, grinning good-naturedly, not bothering to move, simply throwing a piece of popcorn at his cousin.
Peter grabbed it out of the air easily with his reflexes, before popping it into his mouth, doing all of it without looking, focused on the movie instead.
Jason raised an eyebrow, impressed, but didn't say anything, turning back to the screen.
As the movie came to an end, there were yawns all around, all of them tired from their day. There were mumbles, and they all stayed where they were for a few minutes, not wanting to move.
Jason was the first one up, and he headed towards the lights to turn them back on, humming "Hedwig's Theme" under his breath.
"Jason!" Reyna called out, reaching her hand out, eyes wide. "Wait!" She tried to get Jason to stop before turning the lights on, but it was too late. The lights came on at full strength, and when they did, Reyna quickly turned to look at Peter, relieved when she saw the sunglasses on his face, smiling at the confused look on his face.
"What-" Peter blinked, before realizing the lights had been turned on suddenly, rather than gradually like he was used to at home and at the compound.
Percy shrugged. "Didn't want to risk overloading your senses. Reyna knows about it, but I decided I'd rather play it safe and keep sunglasses on me in case someone else reached the lights before one of us."
"Thanks, Percy," Peter smiled, thankful that his friend was so thoughtful.
"What just happened?" Jason asked, still standing by the light switch. "And why did you tell me to stop?" he aimed his second question at Reyna.
Reyna rolled her eyes at her old friend. "Peter suffers from sensory overload sometimes, due to his enhanced senses, and the shock of it going from dark to bright could've affected him. I was going to turn the lights on slowly, but you got there first. Thankfully, Percy thought ahead."
"Oh, man," Jason looked sheepish. "Sorry, dude. If I had known—"
"It's fine," Peter waved his hand, before sliding the sunglasses off his nose, adjusted to the light now. He handed them back to Percy. "I didn't tell you, so there was no way of knowing. Even I forget about it sometimes."
As Hazel stood up, she stretched her arms above her head, yawning. "How about one more mug of hot chocolate before we call it a night?"
Everyone nodded their consent, flocking towards the kitchen where Reyna and Hazel started pulling out mugs.
They stood around the island, sipping on their drink as they recounted their favorite parts of the movie. They all agreed that Hermione punching Draco was one of the best scenes in all eight of the Harry Potter movies. They each had another scene the especially liked, and they went around, sharing one by one, until they finished their hot chocolate.
After helping Reyna clean up, the group headed out, heading back to the barracks, and in Frank's case, his praetor house.
They waved to each other, wishing each other a goodnight, promising to meet up at some point the following day.
As Peter fell asleep that night, he smiled.
On their last day at the Roman camp, Peter and Percy pulled out all the stops, making sure that it would be a memorable last day. They squeezed in everything they could, spending time with their friends, and visiting their favorite places.
Their stay came to an end with the group in Reyna's kitchen, standing around and talking, music playing as Percy made them cookies. They had offered help, but Percy said he could handle it. He had learned how to bake from his mother, and often used it as a coping mechanism. He was pretty good if he did say so himself, but no one was better than his mom.
It surprised some people to hear that the Savior of Olympus enjoyed baking, but once they tried his food, they agreed that he was talented at it.
The cookies were blue, of course, and Percy made sure that everyone got a dozen cookies, with an extra two dozen for them to eat then.
They sat around the living room, comfortable and at ease as they munched on the cookies, reminiscing on the fun they had over the past month, and making Peter promise he would come back at some point.
At five, Peter and Percy gathered their stuff, before heading out to the stables. They would be riding Blackjack back, and Nico had agreed to shadow travel Lola and Andi back to New York, like he did at the beginning of the month to get the dogs to California.
They got to New York fairly quickly, touching down at Camp Half-Blood, where Percy gave Blackjack another donut, before saying goodbye.
They made their way towards a nearby bus station, taking it a few stops up the line to where Percy's car was, a gift from his parents that May and Tony had contributed to. Until Peter got his license, it was Percy's car, but they would share it when Peter could drive. It was decided this was the best arrangement, as when Percy was going to be moving out to New Rome for college at the end of the year, and wouldn't need a car. It would be around the time Peter learned, and he could use it to practice when Percy was away. They spent enough time together when they were both home, that there was no point in both of them having a car.
Plus, it was a great way to hide the demigod world from the other Avengers, as it would be hard to explain a pegasus, or whatever else they might see.
After Nico arrived with their dogs, they thanked him, packing their stuff into the car. They drove in silence back to the compound. Peter would be spending the night there, as his aunt had a late shift that night.
After saying goodnight, and thanking Percy, Peter made his way slowly into the building, heading to his room, tired. He yawned as he exited the elevator, waving in greeting when he spotted Tony, Clint, Natasha, Bruce and Steve standing around in the kitchen.
"Have a good time, Peter?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah," Peter stifled another yawn. "It was great. Lot of fun things to do, good memories and even better people."
"Alright, get to sleep. I don't need your aunt yelling at me for keeping you up," Tony nodded at the kid. He would have time to ask Peter where he was in the morning.
"G'night everyone," Peter waved, starting to make his way to his room, before pausing. "Hey, Clint?"
"Yeah, Spider-boy?" the archer looked up.
"Let's have an archery contest tomorrow. Noon in the training room?"
"Yeah, sure," Clint replied, humoring the teen, figuring he was just tired. "See you then."
Peter woke up well rested, smiling as Karen greeted him. After grabbing breakfast and lounging around for a while, he made his way to the gym.
He entered the weapon room, analyzing the different bows, before picking one out. While he waited for the others, he played on his phone.
"You were serious about this?" Clint's voice startled him. "Have you even touched a bow?
Peter shrugged. "Just humor me."
"Alright," Clint agreed, grabbing his bow as Natasha set up targets, Bruce, Tony and Steve sitting on the sidelines to watch. "Five arrows sound good?"
Peter nodded his assent, stepping back as Clint fired off five arrows quickly, each one hitting its mark. Five bullseyes, some of the arrows hitting the same spot as one previous, splitting the wood.
"Impressive," Peter admitted as he stepped up, adjusting the arrow. Concentrating, his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly, he aimed, then let the arrow fly. He didn't look at the others in the room until all five had been fired, and he had set the bow down. He was nowhere near as good as Clint, who had way more experience, but he had gotten three in the middle, the other two in the next circle up.
"Wow, kid," Tony whistled as Steve clapped, a shocked look on his face, Natasha simply raising an eyebrow, Bruce looking curious. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"
Peter shrugged. "Let's just say I have some friends who know their way around a wide assortment of weapons."
"Are these "friends" the ones you hung out with this past month, and over spring break? Does Percy know them?" Tony looked interested, leaning forward. All eyes were on Peter as he responded, all the heroes wanting to know more.
"Yes, and yes," Peter responded. "And no, I won't be telling you about them. Some things just need to stay a secret," he grinned.
Before anyone could ask anything else, Peter saluted them, before flipping out of the room, laughing.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this part. I felt like it was about time for Peter to meet some of Percy's Roman friends, but I also wanted to show how some other characters are doing, even if they only showed up in a scene.
Next up: Percy meets the Avengers.
Feel free to leave comments if there's something you'd like to see later on in the series. Thanks for reading!
~NewtsSuitcase