Hey guys! Sorry it has been so long since I've uploaded. There are a lot of reasons, but I don't want to bore you with them. Besides, I'm here now!
So I've made an executive decision that instead of this being after Age of Ultron, this story is going to take place after the first Avengers. As for Agents of SHIELD, this story is going to take place somewhere after the mid-season finale of season 2. Somewhere around episode 11 or 12. It was just too confusing for me to try to incorporate NatxBruce since it would make the plot too busy, and to be honest, I don't ship it. Therefore, the whole inhuman thing in the start of this story should make sense. I tried to line up where AOS would be in coordination with that. (if that makes sense). To be honest, a big factor of me not posting was because I was trying to figure out how to change things so it would make sense, but still be better for me to write. I have written around 4 more chapters, so I haven't been completely lazy. Anyway, this still takes place after Blood of Olympus and the Staff of Serapis stuff, so yeah! Enjoy c:
P.S I don't own any characters by Rick Riordan or the Marvel universe (sadly).
Piper and I made our way down the stairs, practically hugging the walls to stay hidden. I tried to ignore my shaking hands. It was one thing to fight monsters. Basically all demigods were desensitized to that. But it was another to fight mortals... Mortals with guns.
I turned behind me and looked Piper in the eyes, "We stay together."
In return Piper nodded solemnly. She glanced down at my hands and slightly frowned. She grabbed them in a sisterly gesture and gave me a reassuring smile.
"Stay safe, alright?" She told me.
"Ditto." Once more, Piper squeezed my hands before pulling away. Together we descended to the bottom of the steps.
As we reached the bottom, the first thing I registered was two blonde heads on the other side of the warehouse. I met Annabeth's eyes, noting that they were especially stormy. She was mouthing something - go or no, maybe. Jason and her were hiding in an adjacent corner of the lobby area away from where the fight was happening. Only their heads were peeking out. Jason's eyebrows were knitted together and he was trying to subtly stick his hands out of their hiding spot and wave them. I gave him a questioning look and he pointed. There was a group of maybe five people fighting two faces that I recognized. Phobos and Deimos. I mouthed a swear word that I'm sure would've made my mother wash my mouth out.
"Pipes... Phobos and Deimos. The two guys in the leather jackets. Watch out. They make you watch your worst fears and manipulate your worst memories." I paused as I snorted, "Not like we have very many of those." Piper cracked a half-smile at that.
"We need to get to Jason and Annabeth." Piper sighed. I groaned inwardly. Only 5 armed adults and two dangerous gods to get through.
"Oh! Lookie! Phobos, guess who dropped by?" Deimos grinned wickedly turning around to face us, his scars marring his face. The hairs on my neck stood up, but I grinned good-naturedly.
"Long time, no see... Although I can't say I'm happy to change that." I said sarcastically. Piper slightly nudged my arm.
"Oh, and you brought a friend. Piper McClean. I can't wait to get into your mind and dissect it, Miss McClean. See how you tick... Just how long you can last..." Deimos licked his lips excitedly. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Jason leap forward. Annabeth tried to restrain him, but failed.
"Ah, Jason Grace. Protecting your little girlfriend. But you won't be able to in the end. None of you will." Deimos grinned. Sparks flew off Jason's arms.
"You know these freaks?" A girl with dark hair and bangs who looked to be in her late 20's asked Piper, Jason, and I. I took this time to survey the team. There was an official-looking guy in a suit with an ear-piece who looked to be in charge. He had a long scratch down the side of his face, and his suit was a little worse for wear, but other than that, he looked to be okay. His air of authority led me to believe he was in charge. A tall blonde lady in a tight-fitting suit stood warily next to him. She was wearing a mask of calm, but underneath I could tell she was raging. Her batons were cut in half, and she seemed to be hovering protectively over a middle-aged man with brown hair and stubble. He also seemed to be okay, but he looked more distraught than the others. A lady, who appeared to be one of the oldest in their group, stood in a defensive position. She was lean and lithe, like a cat, with long dark hair. She was also wearing a defensive mask. I almost wondered why they didn't look more upset, but I realized the time Piper and I spent coming down the steps, that had seemed like eternity, was merely a few moments.
Piper glowered, "Yeah. I've never had the pleasure of meeting them in person though." Phobos put a hand mockingly over his heart.
"Now Piper," He said condescendingly, "is that a way to talk to the people who helped you defeat Mimas, and saved your quest?" He feigned sadness.
"Quest? Swords? What are you the Knights of the round table?" I heard a male, British voice mumble. It came from the middle-aged brunette man, who got a swift elbow to the side by the blonde lady.
"Ow Bobbi!" He shot at her.
"A lover's spat? Percy I guess you know what that's like. I mean really... You and Annabeth must be on the rocks after your little tumble into the depths of hell." Phobos said innocently. Fear slipped it's way up and down my spine. I clenched my jaw and gave my best glare at Phobos.
"Oh really? Is that so?" I asked angrily. Phobos laughed happily and looked me in the eyes. Immediately scenes of Tartarus played. The air turned putrid, and the room turned into a vast expanse of land with a cliff off of one side. It became scorching hot, and there I was with Annabeth facing Akhyls. I watched myself, watched something inside of me snap. The poison wrapped around Akhyls, and in a terrifying sight, she started to drown. I peeled my eyes off of myself and saw past-Annabeth. Her eyes widened in absolute terror and disbelief. I was ashamed of what I did to her. Quickly, she became pale and shrunk away from the scene happening in front of her.
I've known her for years, and the only time I had ever seen her that scared was when Luke and Kronos joined together. Gee, wonder what that says about me.
I shut my eyes and clenched my fist together. I could hear her sobbing, begging me to stop.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I repeatedly whispered to her. Logically, I knew this was Phobos messing with me, but emotionally, it felt so real.
"Percy! Percy! I'm here. I'm here right now." I heard Annabeth say. It sounded muffled though, like in a dream. I felt a hand take my hand and place it on their heart. I could hear a steady beat, but it felt like it was happening in another world.
"PERCY! SNAP OUT OF IT!" I heard Piper call with her charm speak. I opened my eyes to see Annabeth staring concerned at me. Her hand was wrapped around mine, holding it up to her heart. Piper and Jason walked over to check if I was okay. Dazed, I looked over to see Phobos sprawled on the ground, sopping wet. He was gasping and choking. Deimos and the mortals were staring in shock at me. It was weird though because, the girl with bangs almost looked relieved.
"What happened?" I asked. Annabeth and the others stared at me in shock.
"You don't remember?" Annabeth asked worriedly.
"All I remember is that psycho showing me... I don't remember that happening." I told them. I mean I clearly would have remembered that creep getting soaked.
"Percy," Annabeth started off delicately, "you were drowning Phobos subconsciously, until we woke you out of your nightmare." She couldn't meet my eyes all the way.
"What?" I whispered, horrified. My hands shook, and I glanced at them horrified. Was this an Akhyls repeat?
I didn't have long to reflect on that thought as Deimos disappeared and reappeared across the room next to his brother.
"Get up!" He snarled as he manhandled Phobos into a standing position.
"Okay... What the hell is going on?" The British man asked exasperatedly, "I mean what the hell?"
"Less talking, more fighting." I muttered as I lunged forward after Phobos. Annabeth ran after me, as Piper and Jason headed towards Deimos.
"Don't let them get inside your head, and you're fine. They're terrible swordsman." Annabeth called out to Piper and Jason. I slashed riptide in an arc over Phobos' head. At the last second he managed to dodge the sword. Annabeth stood next to me and thrusted her drakon-bone sword. Together we sliced at Phobos, who was barely managing to not get chopped in half, let alone play offense.
"Don't you want to check on your Mom, Percy? She could be dying... And it would be your fault for not helping her." Phobos taunted me. His eyes turned red, and I saw my Mom dying, sobbing, calling out to me.
"Percy! This is your fault!" She cried. I wrenched my eyes away from her face.
"This isn't real." I told myself. My hands were shaking and my heart raced. It was true of course, but having an anxiety attack wouldn't stop Phobos and Deimos.
"It's not real." I repeated. I took a few deep breaths, and covered my ears to drown out my Mom's voice.
"Not real. Not real." I repeated this mantra a few more times, before I uncovered my ears and opened my eyes.
"Percy! Duck!" Annabeth shouted, and I fell to the floor. Phobos had swung his sword right where my neck would have been. Beheading... Offhandedly I wondered if Phobos had been watching Game of Thrones lately.
I grabbed Phobos' ankle, and dragged him to the ground. Annabeth grabbed his sword, and stepped on his hand.
Annabeth turned towards me, "Let's take care of him and go find your Mom, Percy." I nodded as she looked down. Phobos' eyes turned red again, and Annabeth turned pale. She was quiet for a moment before she started whispering.
"Percy... No Percy! Some things shouldn't be controlled." She called out. The horror was apparent in her voice, and immediately I knew what she was reliving.
"I'm here." I consoled her. I stood up, and grabbed her hand, but she snatched it out of my grasp.
"Hey it's okay. We're together, and safe." I told her soothingly. Beads of sweat dripped down her face. It was frustrating, because I couldn't do anything to lessen her pain. Annabeth teared up, and my frustration turned to absolute rage.
I turned on my heel and bent down to get on Phobos' level. One hand, acting on its own accord, clasped around his throat, and the other punched him so hard in the nose, it probably broke. Golden ichor gushed down his face, as he grinned maliciously.
"Stop what you're doing to her. Right. Now." I hissed between clenched teeth. A small flicker of terror illuminated the god's face. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.
I slapped my hand down next to his face after a short period of silence.
"STOP IT! STOP HURTING HER!" I roared. In response, Phobos spat ichor in my face. Angrily, I wiped it off. I punched him again, and again, as Annabeth's condition worsened.
"Percy! Percy stop!" Jason yelled from across the room. The five mortals rushed over. I punched him again. It was like a dark force had grabbed hold of me, and I couldn't stop.
"You're going to kill him!" The girl with bangs shouted. I didn't bother telling them that I couldn't. Why didn't Phobos just teleport away?
"Sir, I'm going to need you to back away from the man. Right now." The boss-dude said. I kept on punching. My face and clothes were covered in ichor at this point. The blonde lady grabbed my arms, as the boss-dude grabbed my torso and dragged me away. I struggled, trying to get out of their grasp. They held tight though. Oddly enough, I noticed that Phobos' eyes weren't red anymore.
"Simmons, bring in the sedative." The boss dude said into his earpiece. I made eye-contact with Piper and Jason who had trapped an unconscious Deimos under some scrap car parts. They didn't bother trying to hide their revulsion. It was startling to know that I had caused the looks on their faces.
All of the sudden it hit me... Phobos' eyes weren't red. Annabeth had seen... Oh my gods... Annabeth had seen what I had done. I quickly met her eyes. She couldn't meet mine. She was trembling so violently, I was worried for her health. Had I done that?
Her hair was knotted and she looked years younger, and so vulnerable. She looked like the 12- year old Annabeth that was terrified of Luke. The worst part was her expression... She wasn't shocked. She looked like her worst fears were confirmed. I couldn't stand that I had disappointed her. I wanted so bad to go back in time and just disappear.
"Annabeth..." I croaked. Her chin trembled. I grew limp in the mortal's arms. I just wanted to stop fighting and sleep for a long time. For once, I wanted to break down and scream until I couldn't speak. I didn't want to struggle anymore. I felt so many emotions that I couldn't feel separate them from each other. I felt everything and nothing at all. My mind was racing, with so many thoughts running through it, that I welcomed the familiar pinch of a needle. Everything became fuzzy at once, and the last picture in my mind before everything went dark was Annabeth with her eyes wide, and her mouth set in a firm line. She looked so beautiful and wild, kind of like the lion we had seen at the zoo on our last date before our lives went to hell.
"I'm sorry." I tried to tell her. But my mouth soon tasted like cotton and my head lolled back as the welcomed drugs kicked in.
So that's pleasant haha ;) don't worry. The whole fic isn't going to be so angsty.
I was thinking of maybe making a short story after this fic is finished where the characters from the Kane Chronicles series meet up with Percabeth and the Avengers... I'm not too sure yet.
P.S Points to anyone who can guess who made up the SHIELD team, and also points to anyone who can figure out why Skye looked relieved!