Hey guys! It's been a little less than a month since I last responded, but I'm glad I'm back! Sorry for the delay. wasn't letting me upload this chapter to the Doc Manager, let alone post it. I literally had to retype this chapter letter by letter, and probably came the closest to breaking my laptop than I ever have in my entire life.
...Seriously, I don't think I would have my laptop would have survived if that didn't work.
However, the problem's all solved! I tried making this chapter a bit longer than the last one, and hopefully more fun. Thanks again for all the support on this story! I love reading the comments, and they've all been so great!
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the Marvels Avengers franchise.
PERSEPHONE ||
When the jet landed all Seph could do was run off, stab wound be damned.
Not walk off, not get caught up in the sights. No. She was fucking sprinting off that deathtrap.
Oh, sure, the view was breathtaking, like no other, blah, blah, blah, but after being in the air for so long, the only thing she wanted was a sense of ground.
However, when she looked over the landing pad to see the probably hundreds of miles between her and the ocean — plenty of open air for Zeus to swat her out of the sky, she thought — she wanted to crawl back on the jet and demand they take her home.
With some effort and mild prodding from Andrew and a certain super soldier ("You were fine earlier! What happened?!" "Not a good flyer, ma'am?" "Not a good, above ground period, more like it."), they were able to wrangle her inside the station on board, where she could almost convince herself she was on land.
Despite the avid protest of both her and Andrew, they were corralled into separate rooms and given a change of clothes, doors locked until orders had been carried out. Though, there was an extra stop at the medbay for her.
However, due to the water bottle in the changing room along with her scrubs, there wasn't much left for the doctors to look at when she came out so she was herded away to another area with real clothes this time around.
No one seemed to care they were civilians or minors. Though she wasn't sure if she was bothered by how little anyone cared or how little she did. Stripping, she resigned herself to the new outfit.
Don't get her wrong, she thought, the sooner she got into something that covered her the better, but…She bit her lip as she changed.
The place just made her uneasy, and being separated from Andrew didn't help. Shimming into her shirt, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, looking at her reflection.
She'd exchanged her elegant dress for a tight grey t-shirt with leather sleeves and strips down the side, accompanied with tight black leather pants that seemed littered with pockets and a SHIELD issued jacket. Leaving the jacket, she resolved to just take whatever, Andrew had. They'd given her combat boots to wear in place of her red heels, and though she wasn't sure if they were offering them, she'd…appropriated a few knives and daggers that had been lying around…in the training hall she may have passed by. So it seemed like a free for all.
She didn't dream of grabbing a gun with her bad aim. Apollo, himself couldn't help her. Trust her, he'd tried, but she'd grabbed a few things for Andrew as well, in case he hadn't had the opportunity.
Her own bronze gladius was placed in a holster on her thigh and accompanied with one or two other borrowed knives in various places on her person.
As she walked through the halls of the helicarrier — and seriously, who named this thing? — she fiddled with Riptide, which had returned to her pocket on the pants' of her suit, making her way across the hall to where Andrew had been dragged off.
Just as she turned her head toward his door, the sound of marching echoed down the corridor. Twelve guards escorted Loki through the halls, three in front of him, three behind him, and three on each side.
A man in the lab beside her stopped to stare like the rest of them, catching the eyes of a smirking Loki before the madman's gaze passed over her, almost contemplatingly before he was shoved forward to where he was to be kept. The man quickly left afterward.
"Next time," Andrew said, appearing beside her. She jumped a foot in the air, swerving around to face her smirking boyfriend. "we're just going to go the movies and that's that."
"And ignore a summoning from the gods? I've been rubbing off on you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He huffed before rolling his eyes, and hugging her waist in return. "Well, it was Hera's summoning so I couldn't care less if I tried," he muttered, ignoring the crack of thunder in the distance.
She had an idea that this was what Hera had had in mind, and knew Andrew thought so too. It was too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
For now, though, Sephone just hummed in acknowledgement, contenting herself with admiring his own out fit.
While cat suit wasn't the right word, it was close. He had on slim tan cargo pants, and a very similar t-shirt to hers hat seemed normal, except the sleeves seemed to be made of thick material that showed off his arms in a way every girlfriend (and other specimen) had the right to appreciate, all hidden away under SHIELD cardigan.
There was matching SHIELD jacket tucked in the corner of his elbow as if waiting for her to take it. Happily, Seph removed it from his arms and slipped it on her own as they made their way towards the observation deck, which was a sight to behold.
Row after row of computers with accompanying lackey filled the sides. In the center was meeting table, just beneath a wall of floating blue screens where a stern woman with dark brown hair and a standard SHIELD uniform.
At the table sat Rogers — The Actual Captain America! Time to break out the trading cards…or get them — with Thor not so far away. Spy "Call me Romanoff" Lady sat a few seats away from Rogers just beneath Agent Lady while the —techie? scientist? — man from before sat in the seat closes to the Thor. Though Seph assumed that was only because it was also closest to the door. She could appreciate that.
They stood by the door as the video of a man in intimidating bondage gear tried (and failed) to interrogate the prisoner. The last thing they saw was Loki looking directly at the camera before the feed was shut off.
"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" the curly-haired main quipped. The air in the room was tense as everyone tried to focus on their next task.
Rogers only crossed his arms, ignoring the other's sarcasm. "Loki's going to drag this out, so Thor," he said turning to the demigod, "what's his play?"
The god of thunder raised his chin, scratching at his beard as he looked at the black screen. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not from Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth in return, I expect, for the Tesseract.
"An army…from space?" Rogers said incredulously. "Can't be harder than fighting earth itself," she grumbled under her breathe. The Captain, however, still heard her and turned towards her. "No offense, ma'am, but why are you two still here?"
"Excellent point," Andrew drawled as they entered the room properly, "not that you're not busy and all what with invading aliens and not that this hasn't been wonderful, but-"
"But we'd like to know if we could make our way home before shit hits the proverbial fan," Seph finished bluntly.
"After we contain the threat that's coming," Eyepatch demanded. The two demigods exchanged a look, but it was Steve, who spoke. "Sir, they're just kids and civilians at that."
"Kids who stood up against Loki and came out without a scratch." Madame Agent retorted raising an eyebrow. Roger's own brows furrowed in confusion as he glanced between Seph and the woman.
"From what I remember, Hill, the dame there got more than just a scratch."
"Then where is it captain?" Natasha asked, leaning forward. Seph couldn't help but dart her eyes nervously as Andrew rubbed the back of his neck, not looking the Captain in the eye either. "You've got some good medics on board," she tried.
Romonaff just raised an eyebrow, not buying it for a second. "They're good, but good enough to fix an open wound on your side in less then a few hours with no perceivable side effects." When the two made no counter argument she nodded and turned to the group at large.
"Exactly, look. Hill's right. We're gonna need all the help we can get." Andrew glared at the spy as she stared impassively at them.
"Now hold on," he demanded, his voice firm. "how about asking because I promise you will get nowhere by trying to hold us here against our will."
The man in the purple shirt shifted while the spy, Black Widow, just put her hands on the table. "Or what? Where will you go? Better yet, how far will you get before we get you back?"
"Try it, itty-bitty," Seph groused, about to jump the table just to get to her. The blonde held her back, gripping her shoulders as she tensed.
"We don't have time for this," Hill, apparently, interrupted. She turned to the two teens at the edge of the table, glare palpable even with the distance. "This will be everyone's fight soon enough. Sure you don't have to help, but from the looks you have family out there that you wouldn't want caught in the crossfire so help us make sure there's no fire to begin with. People with you training could be of real use to us."
Rogers didn't seem convinced, but turned to them with a comforting look on his face. "I understand why someone with little experience—"Her glare, which was much closer and just as strong, cut him off before he could go any further.
"Don't you dare question our ability. We've been through more than you know," she seethed, drawing back when Andrew placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Then you shouldn't have a problem with any of this," Natasha finished smoothly. Andrew shot her a glare and snapped, "Except the humans rights violation, right?"
"So," Bruce cut in. He could see where this was going, and that was nowhere fast. "He's building another portal, right? That would explain what he needs Erik Selvig for." From his own corner, Thor jolted at the name. "Selvig?" he questioned.
"He's an astrophysicist," Bruce explained.
"He's a friend." Thor replied with a firm shake of his head.
"Loki has him under some sort of spell," Natasha cut in, "along with one of ours."
"Wait, mind control?" Seph called, trying to keep a neutral face. She didn't think it was working. Steve shrugged.
"If you'd believe it," he said, turning back to the conversation. He almost missed the small snort that followed, though he knew he wasn't the only one to note the girl's bitter smile at her lap. "Yeah, I do," she breathed out through gritted teeth, barely audible if not for Steve's enhanced hearing, "more than you think."
"Okay, this is great and all, but I wanna know why he's here," Andrew piped up, pulling the Captain's attention away.
Thor frowned but faced the other blond. "What do you mean to say, young one?"
Andrew shrugged, leaning back in his chair, placing his arms solidly at the small of Seph's back. "I mean, I can't be the only one who thinks that it's a bit weird right? Look I might not know the whole story, but from what I've gathered from you guys," he said, gesturing to the table as a whole, "is that this guy is good. Beyond good. He was able to enter and leave your base at his will, taking important and loyal employees, and stay off the grid.
"Then suddenly he's on camera in Germany and we're able to take him down with no casualties and without him actually trying to fight back. I mean," Andrew chuckled, "the guy surrendered. Seems like a weird thing to do for someone as meticulous and crafty as this one. Not to mention, not human. Thor was taking hits from the Iron Man armor rather well in the forest, and while not Asgardian, Loki's people are said to be literally harder to break due to their time in the ice. So the question is-"
"What's he doing here, and do we have to be here when he does it?" Seth interrupted with a raised eyebrow aimed at the agents across her.
"They're's right," Steve managed, before Romanoff could respond. "The guy's not leading an army from here."
Bruce shrugged and took off his glasses. "I don't know," he said pausing absentmindedly. "I don't think we should be focusing too much on Loki though. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell the crazy on him."
"Have care how you speak," Thor rumbled. The offended look on his face almost made Seph laugh. "Loki may be beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother."
The Widow gave him a look, consisting of one raised eyebrow and a lot of judgment. "He killed eighty people in two days." At that Thor looked away, sheepish. "Ah, he's adopted," he relented embarrassedly.
"Okay, I'm confused."
The all turned to Seph who was looking at Thor with big disapproving eyes, arms crossed over her chest. "Is he your brother or not because bringing up the adoption papers makes him sound more like a family puppy that accidentally peed on the couch instead of your brother."
Thor tilted his head at her analogy. "I do not understand what you mean," he boomed consideringly. Honestly, he seemed to fit the puppy analogy better, looking more like a golden retriever than any god Seph had seen
Seph rolled her eyes, before leaning forward. "If he's your brother, he's your brother. Don't take it back every time you're embarrassed," she explained, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. "You don't make excuses in a family because then it's not a family. It's just lonely."
"Perhaps, you are right," Thor rumbled, properly chastised and remorseful.
From the other side of the table, Seph could feel Natasha staring at her from across the table. She turned to give the woman a glare of her own, but before she could reply, voices echoed from the hallway, coming closer to the deck.
Stark walked in, chatting seemingly one-sidedly with a man in a suit. He turned to the agent before entering the room, grabbing the guy's arm. "Seriously, one weekend, I'll fly you out there. Gotta keep the love alive," he stated before sauntering into the room.
"Another thing I don't understand," Bruce said, just as the billionaire began to descend the stairs, "It's about the mechanics. Iridium — what did they need Iridium for?"
"Well, it can be used as a stabilizing agent depending on the isotope and volatility of a project's nature," Andrew said with a shrug. Everyone stared at the boy just as he turned red. Stark just grinned at him as he made his way around the room. "Right you are, honey head. It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD."
Momentarily, he paused to pat Thor on the back as he breezed by, not taking a moment to stop moving. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants."
"Portal?" Andrew and Seph asked. No one answered them. Most looked as confused as they were, barely following the genius as he switched from topic to topic.
Andrew watched the man as he moved, never seeming to stop. Persephone grinned behind her hand, trying to smother an unladylike, but very Persephone-like snort. She didn't do such a good job if the wink Stark threw at them and the glare from Romanoff was anything to go by."And I thought I was the ADHD poster child," she said lowly. Andrew chuckled at her side.
Stark didn't pay them any mind again as he paraded around the room, too busy messing with the crew. "Raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails," he called as he walked onto the platform.
"What are we going to do?" Seph whispered as they continued watching the billionaire move around. The rest of his speech faded from their ears as the smile on Andrew's face did the same. The Athena boy sighed, "I'm not sure yet," he confided, his voice no louder than a murmur.
"We were always gonna get involved," he breathed, "just not so…" he tried to find the word. "Publicly?" the raven filled in. He nodded. "We'l figure it out." she declared softly, "we always do."
"Yeah," he said, "but how long until the others start trying to figure it out too?" Seph didn't respond, though she didn't get the chance.
"And you?" The Spider Spy — Spy Spider? Agent Spider? — called, jerking them out of their conversation.
"What?" Andrew asked, sitting up from beside her. Both of their cheeks turned red as they noticed everyone staring at them. The woman raised another unimpressed eyebrow. "you seem to know a lot about this stuff — thermonuclear astrophysics, that is."
"Oh," Andrew sighed in relief, "I guess, it interested me for a while, I thought of pursuing it."
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve cut in, a little uncomfortable with he interrogation beside him. Banner shook his head. "No, he's got to heat the cube to a hundred twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier."
"Unless," Stark shook his head, "Selvig has figured out a way to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."
Andrew's eyebrows shot up at the conversation. "Then he'd have Heavy Iron Fusion on any reactor. It wouldn't matter where he was or what he was using, though if it was to small of a receptor it could short circuit."
Tony spread his arms and rounded back to where the two sat, pulling them out of their seats as he stopped. "Finally!" he called, "People who speak English." He said as he shook their hands simultaneously.
"Is that what happened?"Steve commented the same time Seph said, "I think I'm speaking the wrong English." They were ignored.
"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner," Stark barreled on, having let got of the two's hand. "You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster," he continued nonplussed.
"Thanks?" the other bit out hesitantly.
Andrew whipped around, almost gripping. "Dr. Banner? As in Bruce Robert Banner? The Bruce Banner!"
Seph looked at the curly haired man curiously, a mischievous grin on her face. She snapped and pointed to the good doctor before facing her boyfriend. "Oh, yeah, isn't he like your brain crush or something?"
Andrew made a strange sound in the back of his throat, not taking his starstruck eyes off the scientist, though that didn't stop him from slapping her shoulder as she laughed.
"Banner is only here to track the cube," Pirate said as he walked up to the small group of brains. "But now," he continued, turning to the couple he'd picked up. "I'm think you should join them."
"And what will I do?" Seph asked as she spun her chair to face the man, ignoring the other blond's enthusiastic nod. Aye-Eyepatch didn't flinch at the question only firing back"What are you willing to do?"
Seph tilted her head, glancing at her captivated boyfriend for a second before turning back to the man in front of her, leather everything and all.
"Well, as much as I'd like to fight this civil rights violation," she started, rolling her eyes, "this seems pretty big, and it's not going away. Honestly, I'd rather help and know I tried than leave it up to a band of lunatics trying to work together for the first time."
"So is that a yes," the one eyed asked without asking.
Seph nodded. "It's a 'I'm going to rain hell down on anyone in my way' so I wouldn't be if I were you. I'll even see if I can get some friends to help. Besides," she continued, looking at where her boyfriend stood talking with his fellow geniuses,"as if I could drag him away."
"I'm sorry," Rogers cut in again, "but am I the only one that finds fault with letting a kid into this? Let alone any friend they may bring. This isn't a game. This is war, and it shouldn't be fought by children," He finished, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, you're right," Andrew punctuated, tearing his eyes away from Banner to stare blankly at the Spangled Man with a Plan. "This is war, and whether or not it should or shouldn't be fought with children, the effects will be lived by them." Andrew turned to stand behind Seph chair, mimicking Roger's own pose, his face set in a stony mask as his eyes swirled like an angry storm. The girl leaned forward, propping her arms on the table and clasping her hand together as they both stared at him, an almost devious glint in her eyes that seemed to set off like a hurricane.
"Whatever you do now, will affect us for the rest of our lives so I rather fight for it than watch someone else potentially screw it up," Andrew broke off.
"And don't call us kids again," Seph interjected, smiling sweetly. "because like you said, this is war, and there are no kids in that, only young people."
No one said anything as the air seemed to literally thicken around them.
Then Thor laughed, the echo shaking the top of the very glass table. "We will make no mistake again," he capitulated. Romanoff, too, leaned back in her seat, lip quirking as she nodded towards the two. "Okay then," she relented, and the mood subside around them.
"Let's start with that stick of his," Rogers said, a bit softer, his eyes still trained on the two. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."
Fury shrugged, walking up to his platform, "I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube, and I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."
"Monkeys?" The thunderer questioned. "I do not understand."
"I do," Steve blurted, looking slightly proud of himself despite Seph's answering laugh in the background. "I understood that reference." Andrew shot him an amused look, before rolling his eyes at his still laughing girlfriend. "I'd hope so. Come on, Toto. We're not in the 1940's anymore. Who hasn't seen the Wizard of Oz?"
"Well,"Tony said, wrapping an arm around each of his new lab partners. "I think we're gonna have some fun. Shall we play?" he asked, steering them out of the room.
Thor had already been snatched away by the agent Stark had walked in with, the two moving away to converse elsewhere, Andrew pausing to place a peck on the raven's forehead.
"Do you want to spar?" Romanoff said, materializing at Sephone's side. The girl jumped, glancing between the seat the woman had previously been and where she was now with narrowed eyes before nodding cautiously. "Sure," she drew out, not taking her eyes of the red head, letting her lead the way.
They paused at the door, glancing back at the only one still seated at the table, staring at seemingly nothing.
"You coming?" she called, but Rogers shook his head.
With a shrug, she sprinted ahead to catch up with the Widow as Rogers watched them leave, before following leaving as well.
In the corner of the room, unbeknownst to everyone, a technician watched as everyone dispersed, Hill and Fury both focusing on the screens in from top them. Ever so discreetly, the man turned back to his screen, another game of Galaga reloading on it.
And it's done! Hope you guys liked it! Within the next two chapters, it's really going to take off from the original story line, even more than in the last one. If you guys have any suggestions or notes, don't forget to tell me! Overall, I'm happy that you're happy!
Thanks for reading, and please review!
~SM