Chapter 2

The brisk and chilled air rattled Percy to his bones. He had slept on the street the night before and now was pretty sure that hypothermia was setting in. He got up and started walking around aimlessly. He needed food and warmth, but he had no money and no idea how to get any.

He couldn't get a job, probably would lose it in a matter of a week. Hotels were too expensive. He'd waste more money on a hotel or apartment than he would on food. Sure he could probably ask his mom to lend him some money, but that wasn't right with his sister on the way.

He sighed and kept walking, watching his breath turn into steam and stretching his legs after staying in the same position all night. His red hoodie was filled with wrinkles, as were his navy jeans, both had stains from pigeon poop left over on the bench he had slept on the night before in Rockefeller center.

"Hey, kid. You know someone named Percy Jackson?" a male voice called from behind him.

Percy snapped his head in the direction of the man. He had blond hair that reminded him of Apollo's and wore dark sport style sunglasses. He had an archer's build, along with a duffle bag draped across his back.

Percy shrugged. "Nope. Sorry," He lied smoothly turning his back and hobbling away. His legs were sore so he couldn't exactly walk normally.

"You're lying. I've heard from reliable sources what he looks like and you look just like him." the Apollo haired man remarked.

"What's it matter to you if I'm lying?" Percy scoffed, not looking at the man. Instead, he watched the speeding car on the road in front of him. A plan was starting to form in his head.

"Because I want to help you. You're not the only one cast away by the gods." the man stated. Percy froze in his tracks, the half-baked plan in his head disappearing as he slowly turned his head towards Apollo hair.

"How in Styx's name do you know about my banishment?" he hissed angrily, voice laced with bitterness.

"Cause not every god wanted you to be banished, including my father. He asked me to help cause, well, I've been in your boat before." replied the man.

"No one's ever been where I've been before in a millennium," Percy stated.

"Not true. I got banished for insulting Artemis's aiming in archery. Not my best moment," the man explained. Percy glanced at the duffel on the man's back once more and noticed that it wasn't zipped. It was just a cover and on the inside, Percy could see the outline of the quiver attached to the man's back, along with the bow that was stored in it.

"You're a son of Apollo, aren't you?" Percy questioned.

"Yeah. The duffel gave it away, didn't it?" the man chuckled.

"And the hair," Percy smirked proudly.

"Anyway, will you come with me? I have a place where you can be at home and have a family." the man suggested. Percy thought for a moment, before nodding hesitantly. The man smiled. "My name's Clint. Nice to meet you, Percy."

"Nice to meet you too? Now where are we going?" Percy asked. He still didn't fully trust the son of Apollo, but if he was anything like Will then he'd be fine.

"Avenger's Tower," Clint smirked, leading the kid towards the giant skyscraper dominating the skyline. He lead Percy through the twisting streets until they made it to the front entrance. It was only 10 blocks from Rockefeller Center to the tower. Clint walked towards the entrance before typing a code into the keypad and scanning his eye.

"Welcome back master Clint. Who is your guest?" stated a monotone and slightly robotic voice as the door opened in front of them.

"Hey, Jarvis. This is Percy, and he'll be staying here for a while," replied Clint as he led Percy through the doors.

Percy flinched at the voice and looked around to try and find out where the voice had come from.

"Of course, master Clint. I will alert master Tony." the voice stated. Clint noticed Percy's reaction and chuckled before he set a hand on Percy's shoulder.

"That's just Jarvis, Percy. He's an artificial intelligence created by Tony, the guy who built this tower."

"Tony? As in Tony Stark?" Percy staggered out in shock.

"Yeah. He's a bit eccentric, but you get used to it." Clint chuckled at Percy's reaction.

"So let me get this straight. You got banished only to get taken in by a billionaire tech genius and haven't been killed by a monster yet!?" Percy exclaimed.

"Pretty much. It wasn't really Tony who took me in, in the beginning. At first, it was SHIELD. Then I became an Avenger and moved into the tower. Plus, when you're not associated with the camps, then monsters don't really care to come after you. But it may not be the same for you, after all, you are a son of Poseidon." Clint explained. Percy nodded as they got into the elevator and started riding up to the 95th floor.

"Now, one thing you need to know. We have a Norse god here named Thor," Clint started, just to be interrupted by Percy exclaiming again.

"THOR!?"

"Ya Thor, Kid. Calm down. Either way. He doesn't know I'm a greek demigod but I'm pretty sure he knows they exist. Second off, only one other person in this tower knows I'm a demigod and that's Natasha Romanoff. So don't piss her off because she can kill us 20 ways alone with a pencil. Third, I'm pretty sure we're all immune to the mist so be cautious of that. And finally, don't make Banner angry or mad. If you do, don't use your sword."

Percy opened his mouth to reply that he didn't have riptide anymore. Along with the other rules of his banishment, his sword/pen had been taken away, as well as a good majority of his powers. The only thing he was allowed to keep was his healing by water and the ability to talk to horses and other things associated with his father.

"My sword was taken away, so you don't have to worry about that," Percy stated dejectedly. Clint nodded in understanding and the elevator doors dinged before sliding open.

"We'll make you a new one. When I got banished they took my lucky bow, so I know where you're coming from. But trust me, any sword Tony makes for you will be better then you're old one."

"My old one could turn into a pen."

"Ok maybe it won't be that good, but it'll come close." A voice cleared their throat in front of them.

"Clint, what have we told you about bringing home random strangers," stated the man standing in front of them. Percy studied the blond haired man along with the red haired woman next to him. The man was well built and toned, both arms crossed over his chest in frustration. He had broad shoulders and stood like a well trained and disciplined soldier, along with the look in his blue eyes told Percy that this man had practically been through a lifetime of hell. The woman had the body of a gymnast but not the height. She stood at around 5"5, seeming small compared to the man's 5"6. Her hair was lightly curled, giving it a soft wave. Her body was well sculpted and toned for a woman. Sharp green eyes studied Percy, untrust and hesitation filling them.

"Ah, Cap! Nat! How was your date!? And Nat, this is Percy. Trust me, he's not a stranger." Clint grinned, winking at the redheaded woman. Her eyes widened before resuming their neutral position. The man turned red and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"It went well, I see. Percy and I are going to get some food and then take him to his floor. See ya!" Clint stated, before dragging Percy into the kitchen. "What would you like to eat?"

"Got anything blue?" the teen asked as he took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Yeah. Want some of Tony's Blueberries?" Clint questioned.

"Sure," Percy replied, "He won't mind?"

"Oh, he'll mind," the woman named Nat smirked as she walked over and took a seat next to Percy, "That's why we take them."

"Natasha," Cap warned walking over.

"What? It's the truth, Rogers!" Natasha scoffed. Cap shook his head before walking out of the kitchen.

"You got anything else blue?" asked Percy as he munched on some blueberries, letting Natasha steal a few every once in awhile.

"We can make something blue. We've got blue food dye and leftover pizza. Is that okay with you?" Clint replied after looking around the kitchen and pulling out the items.

Percy nodded eagerly. Clint smiled and carefully dropped some dye on the pizza and dabbed it around to make the pizza blue. He handed it to Percy, who scarfed it down in a minute.

Once he finished he wiped the crumbs from his mouth before Natasha spoke.

"Which greek god?" she asked, her voice flat and steady.

"Poseidon. Do you have a godly parent?" replied Percy, who was carefully watching Natasha.

"No, Clint just told me everything about them. He's like the annoying brother I never had." She stated.

"I'm not that annoying!" Clint exclaimed.

"Oh, you are," Natasha chuckled before turning back to look at Percy. "So why aren't you at that Camp half something?"

"Camp half blood," Clint corrected. Natasha nodded and looked at Percy, expecting an answer.

"I was...banished, like Clint." Percy sighed, hanging his head in shame.

"He didn't do anything. Zeus was just being paranoid." Clint interrupted, feeling the need to supply the spy with that single piece of info.

Natasha nodded in understanding, noticing the sadness that was displayed on Percy's face.

"You had to leave someone behind didn't you?" the spy questioned. She'd seen that look of pain many times before, on her own face and on others. It was the face of a broken heart.

Percy nodded, looking down at the empty plate before him. He tried not to let tears slide down his face

"I'm sorry." She replied sincerely, and Clint nodded assent.

"It's...fine...it just hurts a little, and it hasn't really set in yet," Percy explained looking up at the two. "I keep thinking that I'm going to see her tomorrow or something. I...uhh...had this gift I wanted to give her. Guess I never will." he choked out, the silver ring in his pocket weighing him down. Clint quickly wrapped him in a hug. Natasha joined in too after hesitating for a few seconds.

"It's going to be ok Percy, it's going to be ok," a voice murmured in his ear.