DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO or Avenger/Marvel. Neither do I own any of their characters. Only thing I claim to own is my characters and plot.

..::When You Need Help::..

..::Ten::..

Tony covered the phone's speaker with his hand. "JARVIS, track this."

Once he removed his hand, Steve continued the conversation. "How, did you get this number?"

"Not entirely important at the moment." Piper's voice was smooth as she spoke. "I was heading out of town when I got an alert from my office." There was a small scuffle in the background before she continued. "Was there something specific you were looking for?"

Steve made eye contact with Tony trying to gauge how much they wanted to tell her. Tony just gave a shrug and gestured for him to carry on.

"Not exactly." Was Steve's reply.

"Well, that's inconvenient. Pity I wasn't there, maybe I could've helped you."

"Or maybe you left early intentionally." Tony stuck his face real close to the phone when he spoke.

"Or maybe you're just overly suspicious." Quipped Piper on the other end. "Now, are you sure there's nothing you needed? I only have a little bit of time before I check out."

Tony took the device from Steve without even asking. "We were following a lead on an agent you examined not too long ago."

"Which one?"

Steve stood behind Tony now. "Peter Johnson." he answered into the phone.

"Hmm . . . Very interesting." Her voice was muffled as she kept on speaking. "What'd he do to get the two of you on his back?"

"He has recently shown to possess an extensive amount of inhuman-like powers. When reviewing his files, we discovered his blood work says he's completely human."

Tony kept on shifting his weight between his feet as they waited for a reply. There wasn't any response at first but, when she spoke again, her voice wasn't as light as it had been previously.

"Could you tell me what caused him to do this?"

Steve took the phone back from Tony and stepped a few feet away from him. "He was on a mission that went wrong. Bullets were flying everywhere." The Captain paused when he noticed Stark walk closer to him again. He continued, "Almost in an instant he seemed to snap and caused the wave."

There was more shuffling on the other end of the phone along with a few muffled words.

"Sorry, had to get somewhere a little more private." Was heard, her voice clearer than it had been. "I'll tell you two things. One of them you probably already guessed." Both Steve and Tony waited silently in anticipation. "I switched Peter's blood results. Don't ask why, because I won't tell you."

Steve raised an eyebrow at Tony. "And the second?"

"Peter doesn't 'just snap' as you so beautifully put it. He hasn't used his powers in almost five years. Something triggered him."

"Like what?"

"Not sure. Guess that's what you get to find out."

Loud noise begun to slip in and cover Piper's words, making them almost unintelligible. However, they managed to overhear a loud announcement in the background, something about last call for a flight.

"Wish I could chat more, but gotta fly." Tony scrambled over to one of his displays to see what the progress was on tracking the phone number. "Just one last thing. Don't go after him. You've got better things to be doing."

The phone cut off with two low tones.

"I was unable to get a specific location, sir." JARVIS spoke lowly, the screen displayed the area he had been able to narrow it down to. It was a still a 50-mile radius.

Tony wrinkled his nose. "That's kind of rude, don't you think?" He walked over to the cockpit and started typing out commands onto the displays.

Steve made his way over to him, gripping onto overhead handles as he went. He ended up just sitting in one of the jumper seats lined up against the walls.

Lounging back into the chair he responded to Tony. "Just a bit, I would say."

As Steve readjusted in his seat, Tony turned around and walked towards the other end of the jet.

"Well, now we have something to go off of."

Steve lifted his eyebrows, not knowing what his fellow Avenger was talking about. "Which is?"

"She said not to go after him, which means that's exactly what we gotta do." Tony walked back towards Steve and sat on a jumper seat across from him.

Once he was seated, Tony slid a nearby container in front of him. After adjusting it for a few seconds, he used it as a footrest, placing both his feet on top of it.

"Where to next?" Steve leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

Leaning towards his left and reaching into his front right pocket, Tony pulled out his phone, unlocking it. "You hungry? I am."

That was not what the Captain had been expecting. Bewildered (though he really should've been used by now to Stark's random comments), he countered. "Food isn't really important right now."

"Food is always important." He retorted dismissively, holding the phone with both hands now and typed in something. "Did you know Chick-fil-A has an app now?"

This made Steve pause for a moment. He remembered Nat showing him something about apps. "Is that good?"

"Heck yeah, it is. I just got a free chicken sandwich for downloading it."

Steve messed with the hem of his shirt before leaning back again. "Do we really have time for this?"

"It's called Fast-Food for a reason. Plus, it's on our way back." Tony tapped repeatedly on his phone screen. "You want that cool wrap again?"

The Captain finally gave in. "Sure." he drew out his answer.

"JARVIS, go ahead and take us back to New York. We'll pick up food on the way."

"Right away, sire."

..::..::..::..::..::..

Back in New York . . .

It took almost no time to get to Stark Tower, even with the small detour for food. They were both finishing up their respective meals when Tony got a notification on his wrist device.

Taking notice of it, Steve questioned with curiosity. "What's that?"

Tony checked the notification and stood, leaving his unfinished food on the table. "Just something from JARVIS."

"Is this another side project or is this actually relevant?"

"I like to think all of my projects are relevant." He popped a small fry in his mouth. "But I had an idea earlier and sent JARVIS to go check it out."

"Tony, sharing. We talked about this."

"I'm getting there." Taking a long sip from his drink, he waited for Tony to continue. "It's not a major breakthrough, just sent him to Peter's apartment."

Steve put his drink back on the table. "Why aren't we there?"

"Because I don't feel like walking and, if he finds anything, we'll be able to leave without backtracking."

Rolling his eyes without responding, Steve stood and gathered his trash before walking towards the kitchen. It took only a moment for Tony to copy him and throw away his own trash.

"Don't be that way, Cap." He let the trash can lid fall close. "It's the 21st century, Of course I'm ambitiously lazy."

Steve quirked an eyebrow. "That's one way to put it."

Another notification rung out, cutting off anymore conversation that might have carried on.

"Sir," JARVIS's voice spoke. "I believe I've arrived at the correct destination."

Tony motioned for Steve to follow him as he trekked out of the kitchen. They walked for a few minutes before they ended up in a large, empty room. There didn't appear to be anything special about it since the only thing it had going for it was a large floor to ceiling window that had a lovely view of the city.

"What's this room for?" Steve inquired as he inspected the room. Tony strode right past him towards the center of the room.

"Multipurpose." He put plainly.

Clapping his hands together, causing a loud echo to reverberate around the room, Stark called. "Go ahead, J."

On cue, multiple holograms generated in the blink of an eye, completely surrounding Tony. Steve had to take a step back to get the full picture of what he was seeing.

From his point of view, it looked like just a large box with a single door in front of him. When he walked closer, though, it looked less like a box and more like walls. Once he was right in front of the door, it opened with Tony on the other side.

"Welcome, glad you could join me." Tony stepped aside to let the super soldier by.

Now on the other side of the door, Steve could see what the projectors were displaying. It was a perfect replica of an apartment. Every detail was in check, even the leftover coffee cup on the end table.

Steve made a full 360 turn. The apartment itself was fairly small. The kitchen and living area were one room, separated by one couch. The kitchen half of the room was lined with cabinets and a small amount of counter space bellow. A small island in the middle made up for the lack of counters.

"Is this Peter's place?"

Tony held his arms out in a dramatic fashion. "And now, we can get all the perks of going to his apartment without all the cons." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin bracelet. "Here, put this on."

Not worrying about questions, Steve obliged and slipped the small loop over his wrist.

"There, now you'll be able to interact with the projections." To demonstrate, Tony picked up a throw blanket off the sofa.

It was Steve's turn to test it out. He reached to pick up a spoon left on the kitchen counter "Neat."

"'Neat'? I create a perfect three-dimensional landscape in my room -which doesn't affect the actual apartment, by the way- and all I get is 'neat'?"

Steve strolled deeper into the apartment looking unbothered. "When you get my age, Tony, you'll feel the same."

"Whatever, old man." Tony walked towards the kitchen. "Let's just see if there's anything here, alright?"

A shrug from Steve gave him the indication that that was fine with him.

While Steve searched through the bathroom down the hall, Tony rummaged through the kitchen.

"JARVIS scan the walls, please."

The AI obliged and had the wall scanned in a zip. "Small traces of unknown matter were picked up in the back of this cabinet."

"What kind of 'unknown matter'?" Stark opened said cabinet and moved some paper plates out of the way.

"The kind that doesn't seem to exist anywhere."

He stepped back from the cabinet. "Like, alien?"

"Doesn't seem to be extraterrestrial, sir."

Thinking over it a moment, Tony decided to take the safe route. "Go ahead and get some samples, we'll scan them later."

"No problem."

The projection of the cabinet started to move on its own as JARVIS shuffled around to collect the sample.

Not really concerned about searching the kitchen anymore, Tony migrated towards the hall where Steve was, passing the bathroom and entering the bedroom.

As he began searching the bedroom, Tony thought it a good idea to check on the Cap.

"Find anything worthwhile?"

"More like I didn't find anything." Steve entered the room as well as he replied. "The bathroom is spotless. It's like he was never there."

Tony scratched his scalp. "Hmm, smart." He walked over to the window on the other side of the room. "We can't get any DNA samples."

Steve didn't have any comments. He kept searching the room while Tony got a broader view of the room. Eventually Steve opened the top drawer of the nightstand next to the bed.

Inside was something worth noting.

"Check this out, Tony." He held a picture frame in his grasp. There were two people in the picture. "Who does that little boy look like to you?"

The picture had a woman and a little boy. The kid had the messiest black hair one could imagine. There was a blue ribbon in his hand and he had the biggest smile on his face.

Both Steve and Tony came to the same conclusion. The little boy had to be Peter.

Tony made a grab for the photo. "Interesting. Why not leave it on the desk?" Steve handed it over with no resistance.

"Maybe he's ashamed of it."

"I would be if I only had one of my front teeth."

Steve snatched back to photo with a disapproving glare. "As in maybe the woman passed away recently."

"But she is still alive." JARVIS's voice spoke from right next to them. Neither of them had realized JARVIS was in the room with them.

Tony was intrigued by his AI's comment. "Keep talking, JARVIS."

"Facial recognition confirmed. Sally Blofis, recently married and currently lives in Manhattan. She also owns a bakery which is a ten-minute walk from this location." A small display screen formed in Tony's hand, showing all the info JARVIS had just said. "From her records, it appears Mrs. Blofis previously lived in this building as well."

That grabbed Steve's attention. "That's one heck of a coincidence."

Tony grunted as he brushed away the display. "I hate coincidences."

"Guess we should pay her a visit?" As Steve spoke, Tony deactivated the holograms. Now, they were both left in the empty room.

"I guess," Tony and Steve both made their way out. "As long as we don't have to walk."

..::..::..::..::..::..

Despite Tony's previous statement they ended up walking for about five minutes to the bakery. The large sign outside read 'Hues of Blues Bakery'.

Both stood on the sidewalk right outside the bakery. After examining it for a moment, Tony made a comment. "What a quaint little place."

Steve turned his head to Tony. "'Quaint'?"

Tony just shrugged and walked towards the main door. "Let's just get going."

The Captain followed, only a few steps behind. He had to open the door for himself since Tony didn't hold it open for him.

The door chimed as they walked in and the smell of sweet treats rushed over them.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" A voice yelled from the back.

Steve and Tony walked a little slower as they took in their surroundings. Tony noticed another room behind the cash register.

Probably the kitchen. He'd thought to himself.

He saw someone walk across the doorway at a rather brisk pace. When Tony turned away from the doorway he heard the person speak again.

"Sorry for the wait, had to sort somethings back here."

From behind the counter a woman walked from the back. Her brown hair was streaked with silver, when she smiled it was so welcoming it seemed almost supernatural.

"Hello there, my name's Sally." She rested her elbows on the counter. "We're having half off Macarons, if you're interested. My personal favorites are the orange." When she brushed her hair away from her face hey could see bright blue eyes.

Steve turned his attention towards the woman as he walked towards the counter. "Umm . . . We're not actually here for treats."

Tony was in front of the counter before Steve. "Well, he's not. I'll take two of each flavor you've got."

Steve didn't even try to stop Tony. Plus, he wanted to try whatever those things were.

The woman leaned down behind the counter and came back up with a small plastic container. As she started to fill the box, she carried on the conversation. "If you're not here for treats, may ask why you're here today?"

"We're with SHIELD, we have a few questions we were hoping you could answer."

She halted her actions just as she was placing a brown one into the container.

Steve altered his posture with a scrutinizing look. "Is that okay with you? Miss . . ." he trailed off as he tried to remember her last name.

"Blofis," Sally filled in. "Mrs. Blofis, if you're being technical." She seemed to remember her current action and continued filling the container. "Well, I'm not sure how I can help. I'll do my best, though."

Steve glanced at Tony, silently asking if he wanted to question her first. Tony just swung his arm in front of himself to let Steve know he could go ahead.

"Earlier this morning there was an incident involving an agent." Steve decided best to start out this way.

Sally was putting the last of the small cookies into the container. "What kind of incident?"

Tony cleared his throat. "We can't tell you at this time."

"But," Steve redirected while pulling out his phone from his pocket. "While we were looking through the past records of the agent in question, we came across this photo." It took him a half-minute, but he got the picture pulled up on the device. "Would you mind taking a look at it?"

"Hold on a sec'." She tapped on her iPad as she wrung up the Macarons. "$62.63"

Tony pulled out his own phone and payed with the Apple Pay. Sally typed in a few more things before getting a small plastic bag for the cookies. Once everything was neatly packaged, she gave it to Tony.

"Okay," She returned her focus back to Steve. "What was it?"

"We'd like you to take a look at this photo." He passed the phone to her.

Sally gripped the phone carefully as she inspected the picture. She looked at it for barely a minute before she let out a small gasp.

"I forgot about this photo." She raised her gaze back to Tony and Steve. "H-how did you get this?"

"We found it at his apartment." Steve informed her. "It was in a nightstand drawer."

Sally's eyebrows scrunched together as she handed the phone back to Steve. "Who's?"

Tony intercepted the phone and took a hold of it before Steve. "Peter Johnson," He flashed the screen at her again. "We've been trying to find him."

"I'm sorry," She put both of her hands on the counter to stabilize herself "Who? Why would they have this picture of me and my son?"

Steve side eyed Tony, who did the same to him. Neither of them had anticipate that question. Steve motioned for his phone back; which Tony handed over easily.

Steve cleared his throat before speaking again. "We assumed it was Peter in the photo, mam."

Sally held her face with both of her hands for a minute. When she felt a little more composed she dropped them both back down to her side with a thump.

"Who is Peter?" She asked finally.

That really shook everyone. Looks were being exchanged all around more than a trading post. There was a good minute of silence before anyone even had an idea of what to say.

Steve moved his hands in front of him in a peaceful gesture. "I believe there's a bit of a misunderstanding."

"I'd like to show you another photo," Tony jumped in sporadically. "If you don't mind." He pulled out his own phone and pulled up a different picture. This one was Peter's first SHIELD ID picture; taken almost 5 years ago.

After handing the phone to Sally, he asked another question. "Do you know who this is?"

Hesitantly she looked at the screen. It didn't even take a minute for her to identify the person. "That's Perseus." When she answered, her voice sounded a bit more stressed than previously.

"As in Perseus the kid in the other photo?" Questioned Steve intently.

"Why are you asking about him?" She snapped. "He's been dead for 4 years."

That switched the mood in an instant. Steve readjusted his posture and his demeanor. "Dead?" he questioned solemnly.

Sally didn't meet his gaze and just nodded her head once.

"I'm sorry." Steve lowered his head instinctively. "How did it happen, if you don't mind me asking."

"It was about five years ago, He uh . . . He drove his car into the East River." She paused for a moment then returned her gaze to them. "Percy had suffered a lot of trauma in the year before he died. I don't know how I never noticed how much of an effect it had on him."

Tony and Steve were both hesitant to carry on, but they had a job to do.

"You're certain this is your son?" Tony asked her while showing her the picture again.

She just smirked and brushed her hands on her jeans. "I was his mother, Mr. Stark, I'd recognize him at any age."

Tony got an idea. When he tried to convey his thought to Steve, it wasn't received. Tony just decided to go at it himself. "When exactly did you say your son passed away?"

"It's been almost 5 years." She messed with her hands in an anxious manner.

Tony turned to Steve now. "Which is conveniently right before Peter was enrolled into the SHIELD Academy."

Sally quirked her head at Tony. "Excuse me?"

"Mrs. Blofis," Tony turned his attention back to her. "Do you mind taking a look at another photo for us?" When Sally nodded Tony pulled up one more photo on his phone. "Can you say for certain that this is your son?"

Sally gripped the phone with both hands as she scrutinized the picture. Unlike the previous photos, this one was Peter's current ID shot.

After a moment longer, Sally responded.

"Yes," She paused to take another look at the picture. "I think. He kind of looks a little too old to be Percy, though."

Steve stepped forward towards the counter so he was now leaning his elbows on it. "Do you think this could be Percy, say at about age 21?"

She glanced at the phone screen again and looked back up at him. "I guess, why are you asking?"

"Because," Steve took the phone back slowly to let her release her grip. "This photo was taken a month ago."

Tony put both of his hands in his jean pockets. "Mrs. Blofis, are you sure your son died five years ago?"

Sally took a step back. She didn't speak for a solid minute as tears welled up in her eyes.

"What kind of question is that?" She asked in a soft voice, covering her mouth as she took a deep breath.

Steve straightened his posture before replying. "The kind that we really need an answer too."

She moved her hand from her mouth to wipe away a tear from her cheek. "We had his memorial, the cops said he was dead-"

"-Did they recover his body?" Tony pressured, taking his hands out of his pockets.

She shook her head as two more tears slipped down her face. "No, but they said that it was very rare to find the body in those circumstances." With both hands, she brushed away any tears that had fallen. "There's no way he's been alive all this time."

Steve rested a hand on the counter. "We know this might be hard-"

"-You think?!" She slapped her hand against her leg, causing both Steve and Tony to jump slightly. She took in another deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry. It's just . . . why would he fake his own death?"

"Was there anything he was hiding? Or maybe was there someone he was afraid of?" Steve spoke with a lot of hand movements.

Sally had to pause again as she tried to recompose herself. After wiping at her nose, she continued speaking. "Are you sure it's him? I mean, I'd heard on the news that clones are a thing, are you sure it's not that?"

"Well, if he is a clone, I think it'd still be relevant." Tony added with little emotion.

"Do you think he's a clone?" Steve asked her this as well.

She made a lot of gestures with her hands as she tried to find the right words to say. She finally settled with crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know at this point," She met both their gazes. "I thought I would be left with the memory of him as a teenager and now you're telling me he could've been alive this whole time?"

Tony decided to go with a more sympathetic approach. "I know this is a lot for you. It's a lot for me frankly. But, do you have an idea where Percy might have gone if he was in trouble? Or someone he'd go to for help? We really need to find him."

"When he was younger he only had a few friends." She scratched her scalp and rested her arm down her side. "I don't know who he'd go to now."

"Do you remember their names by any chance?"

Taking a moment to answer Steve's question, she wiped her face again. When she felt she was able to carry on, she replied.

"Uh, Annabeth . . . Something. And um, Grover. Sorry I don't remember their last names."

A noise sounded in the room behind the counter. "Sally?" A new voice called for her. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the shop!"

From the kitchen, a man stepped into the bakery. He appeared to be in his mid to late thirties. His hair resembled salt and pepper while his features resembled a movie actor. He slipped an arm around Sally's waist naturally.

"This is my husband, Paul." Sally introduced him with a hand resting against his chest.

Tony nodded his head once in acknowledgement. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Paul."

"Likewise." Paul let a warm smile spread on his face. "Say, you look an awful like that billionaire Stark."

Tony tilted his head back while raising his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah, you could totally pass for him any day."

Tony looked over at Steve then back at Paul. "I'll remember that next time I don't wanna pay for my food."

Steve cleared his throat to bring the attention back to him. "We were asking your wife about your son."

"My son?" Paul turned towards his wife with a goofy grin on his face. "Sally, you wanna tell me something?"

Sally lightly slapped his arm with a small chuckle.

"They're talking about Percy." She told him in a more serious tone.

"Oh, got me a little panicked there."

Even though both Steve and Tony were immensely confused, they remained silent. Sally noticed their expressions and explained.

"I had Percy before I married Paul."

"Yeah, great kid he was." Paul commented as he scratched his chin quickly.

"Did you two get along?" Steve questioned curiously.

"Well, as much as you can get when you marry the kid's mother." Paul scrunched his eyebrows. "Sorry if this comes off hostile, but why are you asking? I thought the detectives already closed his case."

Steve hesitated as he tried to decide how much to tell him. "After some recent events, we came across Percy's information during our investigation."

Right after Steve said that, Tony got a notification on his phone. After checking it he knew it was time to wrap things up.

"Sorry to chop things short," Tony cut in while placing a hand on Steve's shoulder. "But we've gotta get going."

Paul leaned his head to the side. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yes, come on, Cap." Tony started to back away towards the entrance. "We'll be on our way."

"Thank you for your time." Steve told the couple, following Tony out the door. "Good day."

"To you as well." Paul waved goodbye as the door swung shut. After they were out of sight, he turned to Sally. "That man was the spitting image of that Stark fellow."

"Mm-hmm." Sally agreed with her oblivious husband.

Paul didn't dwell on the thought and switched the topic. "Anyways, you should get cleaned up. Don't wanna be late picking up Estelle, now."

"Of course." She patted his chest then exited into the kitchen to do just that.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Meanwhile elsewhere New York . . .

At the JFK Airport, boarding was being called for flights to Houston Texas. Percy kept walking when they were calling for First Class.

He was booked for a different flight. A flight that left in seven minutes. He kept his pace neutral and his face passive.

If he was lucky this would work, but when had Tyche ever liked him? He still wasn't quite sure what he did to piss her off. When another weary traveler bumped into Percy's shoulder he just mumbled a small apology and kept on his way.

Percy counted the large number signs as he searched for his terminal. 12 . . . 11 . . . Just need to get to 9.

He sidestepped a man who'd leaned down to tie his shoelaces. He didn't even say sorry this time as he was really crunching the clock.

He could see his gate right there, just had to dodge a few tourists and couple of business men and he'd be right there and ready to go. He had to stop quickly when a security guard drove by on a Segway. Before Percy continued he noticed a man that stood out among the crowd.

He was a little more straight-back, a little more alert than the bleary travelers drugging along around him. Percy would've brushed it off as him looking for a friend if not for the fact he saw another one in a similar stance a little way away. And another whom he already passed.

These men weren't looking for a friend, they were looking for an enemy; they're looking for him.

He casually slid towards the wall with a few techno people charging their devices before moving on in the world. SHIELD had put out agents quicker than he hoped they would.

That meant there was no way he'd get anywhere looking like he did now. Percy looked up and saw a family bathroom about five feet away from him. He had an idea, he just hope SHIELD is as stupid as their reputation serves.

As he opened the bathroom door, he shrugged his backpack higher on his shoulder, locking the door behind him.

He managed to catch sight of himself in the bathroom mirror. A little rugged, and a bit sleep deprived. What's new here?

Well, there was that scab on his chin, which had a small chance of scarring. One more thing to help people identify him. Just awesome.

Running his hands through his hair before breaking eye contact with himself, he rummaged through his backpack looking for one particular item. He pulled out a plastic bag which contained what he wanted.

Inside was a chestnut brown wig. It was not high quality; you could probably find something better at a Party City. To be fair, though, he was on a budget. He pulled out a wig cap that'd came along with it.

Pulling his hair back into an almost ponytail, he maneuvered the cap onto his head. Once all his hair was tucked in nice and neat, he slipped the wig on top.

Now, looking in the mirror the hair stuck to itself in choppy locks. Percy ran his hand through it a couple times in hopes it would give off a more natural look. He didn't expect much fruit to bear from his efforts, which was why he kept hold of his beanie, slipping it over the wig and that hid most of the cheap hair.

Returning to his reflection, he gave off more of a high hipster appearance. He removed his leather jacket and swapped it for a hoodie he had in his backpack. Instead of putting it on, he tied it around his waist in true early 2000's fashion.

To really tie his whole disguise together, he pulled out two more items from his backpack: a pair of glasses, and a camcorder.

Ready, he slung his backpack over his shoulder. With his camcorder in hand, Percy braved the outside and exited the bathroom.

Deliberately, he walked with a little more -quote on quote- 'swagger'. Only those who tried to blend in stuck out. He opened the side screen of the camcorder and hit the record button. As he made his way toward the exit, he purposely ran up to every art piece imaginable.

"Would you look at that!" Percy would exaggerate everything he said. "So much life here, my dudes."

A man dressed in standard SHIELD wear crossed in direct paths with Percy. Right before the agent ran into him, Percy put the camcorder to his eye and zoomed in real close to his face.

"Look! All these people everywhere!"

"Get out of my face," The agent pushed the camera out of his face with a grunt. "Tourist." he mumbled as he walked away.

Percy repeated this with random people so he wouldn't be too suspicious. As he neared the exit he made a head count of who he bombarded with overzealous enthusiasm. So far, he had stepped on the toes of six everyday people and shoved his camera in the face of three agents.

Percy walked backwards to get a full view of the decorations hanging from the ceiling. With the camcorder covering up most of his face he didn't even realize someone was behind him until he full on body slammed into someone.

They both tumbled to the ground. The person behind took most of the fall, because gravity.

"Sorry, bro." Percy apologized in his 'swagger' voice. "Just got caught in the sights, ya' know?"

He hoped to his feet and held a hand out to help him up.

"Say, why don't you give me your take on this wicked town?" He obnoxiously zoomed in on his face and stepped closer, making sure to keep it close to his own face.

When he looked at the display he recognized who he'd just toppled over.

Now, Percy had only seen this guy in person once. That was because he was giving some big speech about trust or something like that but, now, he stood in front of him like some majestic pony. It was no other than the Director of SHIELD himself, Jeffery Mace.

Percy nearly blew his cover. This dude was a freaking legend, not to mention he has the most beautiful blue eyes this side of the Atlantic.

"Sorry, kid. I don't have the time at the moment." The Director re-buttoned his suit jacket. "I'm quite busy at the moment, and . . ." He started to trail off when he got a better look at the person sorta-kinda interviewing him.

Jeffery couldn't see his face, but his hair was very strange. Most of it was brown, but he could see certain locks of hair that were jet black.

"Nah, you're cool, man. You look like an important person. I'll let 'chu off and be on my journey." Percy stepped around him keeping the camera pointed at the Director until his own back was to the door. At the last second he made a 180 turn and tried his best not to sprint.

He made it to the curb before the Director called out for him.

"Hey, young man!" Jeffery started to walk after him. "Wait a minute!"

Percy didn't change his pace, not acknowledging the man's call. However, he did lower the camera from his eye, sneaking a glance over his shoulder making eye contact with the Director and unintentionally letting a grimace spread on his face.

Jeffery Mace put a hand to his ear and spoke into a mic clipped onto his sleeve. "I think I've got him." He relayed, picking up his pace as he trekked towards him.

He could see Peter look both ways as he crossed the street. Multiple cars rolled by him at slow speeds.

A voice in Jeffery's ear asked. "Where?"

"Follow my location, I can see him."

"On it."

Peter made a quick spin with his camcorder held to his eye. He saw Jeffery still following him and continued on his original path. He found a big huddle of tourists and marched straight through the middle.

Jeffery tried breaking through them, though he kept on losing sight of Peter. When he made it through the group, however, he spotted Peter again; he was barely 10 feet away from him.

"Hey!" Using his more authoritative voice, Jeffery shouted at him. "Kid, stop!"

Peter didn't. Instead he turned around and chucked the camcorder straight at the Director's face. Without waiting to see what happened he barged out the nearest exit and kept on running.

He ran along the side of a busy road trusting his instincts that he'd be able to make an escape. Besides almost every car honking at him, he could hear footfalls racing after him.

He looked to his right and saw a plane taking off and, just past it, he could see water. Making sure he wasn't going to get run over, he crossed the street towards his exit route.

More shouting was heard behind him but they didn't seem to be any closer than they had been before. In a blur, he was approaching the fence guarding the runway.

He could sense the water just across it. As he neared the fence, he commanded the water to him; it responded in an instant.

The water rushed across the concrete at an unnatural pace. When Percy was almost 30 feet from the fence it had already surrounded him, lifting him off the ground and, as a result, Percy rode the wave right over the fence. If you asked anyone else he looked like the spitting image of a surfer.

The water didn't retreat when he cleared the fence, though. Percy kept the water around him and sped across the runway. In the distance, he could see an airplane getting ready to take off. He wasn't worried about that, he'd be long gone before that'd be a problem.

When he was almost to the other side, he noticed a second fence guarding the speedway. Without hesitation, he commanded the water to rise again, this time he went higher than before. With his momentum sending him upwards, he let the water return to the ocean. When gravity took a hold of him again, he extended into a perfect diving form.

Diving head first into the water, he let himself be pulled lower into the murky depths. Lots of algae floated around him along with numerous pieces of trash. Without wasting time, he propelled himself through the Jamaica Bay with a few arm strokes.

As he distanced himself from the airport with each passing moment, he realized he'd need to find a new destination. Originally, he had booked a flight for California but, seeing as he was still on the other side of the country and his only transportation was his swimming skills, he'd need to find something a little closer.

After considering his previous encounters with SHIELD, it wouldn't be much longer until they sent something into the water after him. He'd need to get above the surface as soon as he could.

Percy continued out of the Jamaica Bay until he was swimming with the fishes in the Lower Bay. He kept his course passing by curious creatures and bewildered sea life, only starting to slow when he noticed boats seemed to pass him more frequently now. When another one passed overhead, he propelled himself to the surface and raised his head so just his eyes were out of the water.

Eyes that camouflaged with their surroundings scanned the horizon and noticed he could see the shore. Granted, it was still a long way away, but there it was. When another small boat started to near Percy, he ducked back under the waves.

He waited underwater for another five minutes until he noticed an unusual boat in the distance. Percy got closer just to make sure what he saw was what he thought it was.

And what would you know, he was right. It was a sailboat; a new and large one at that. Now, preferably he would like to be the one actually sailing said sailboat but, as he neared, he could hear at least three people bustling around on deck.

Just as he was about to continue on his way, he overheard the crew talking aboard.

"If the weather stays good, we should make it to Boston in no time!"

That gave Percy an idea. He was sure at least one of his old friends still hung out around there. Plus, Boston was a big travel hub; he could bolt at any given moment.

Also, SHIELD was going to be avoiding civilians. If he stayed with the boat, he should avoid any interaction with them.

The sailboat started to pick up speed and Percy had to put an extra effort into keeping pace with it. Poking his head just above the surface, he could see all the crew members heavily focused on their task.

Using just a bit of his powers, Percy sneaked towards the back of the boat and lifted himself up to grab hold of the railing. Once he had a good grip, he let the water float back down to its original form.

No one looked his way; he couldn't even see anyone to be exact.

This is a very large boat. Percy took notice of it right away.

Quietly, he crept along the deck, making his way across the back of the boat towards an unknown pile covered with a tarp. When he reached it without getting caught, he lifted the edge and registered what it was.

It was a small rowboat; probably in case of an emergency, so there was very little chance anyone would be using it in the near future. Accepting his luck, Percy climbed into the smaller boat.

Once he was completely in the rowboat, he rearranged the tarp back into its original position. It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping arrangement, but it beat not sleeping for who knows how long.

Percy let out a long breath, he was tired. So, as long these people didn't sink the boat, he'd be good for the whole trip. With that last thought, he turned onto his side and let himself drift off to sleep.

But the Fates were never kind to him. Percy should have expected that much.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Meanwhile on the Other Side of the Country . . .

The streets of California were quite busy, especially in the Downtown area of LA. It was that time of the day when people walked to and from work. Of course, those lucky few had the privilege of driving their air-conditioned vehicles in the Summer heat, but our friend here was one of the unlucky ones left walking on the sidewalk pavement.

As she crossed the street on the crosswalk, she tucked a rebel strand of blonde hair behind her ear, keeping up her brisk pace despite wearing a pencil skirt. Even after she'd made it safely across, her heels clicked against the sidewalk as she rushed past many other people who were walking a much slower pace.

It wasn't until she got off the sidewalk and into a large building that her speed lessened, letting out a long sigh as the cold AC rushed all around her.

"You know I have a car." A male voice spoke to the woman. "I could give you a lift if you'd just ask."

"Whatever." She continued towards the elevators that were across the room.

"Don't say I never offered, Annie." The man sitting behind the counter commented with a wide grin on his face. "By the way, Mr. Boss Man said he's sending a team to Boston." The woman paused to listen to him. "Your name might have come up."

She grunted as she readjusted the bag on her shoulder. "I swear, I don't have time for your jokes."

As she began to walk away from him, he spoke again. "Why don't you go ask him yourself, Annie?"

She stopped in her step then turned her stormy eyes back at him. "It's Annabeth. Don't call me Annie."

Edited 10/23/2018

(Quick shout out to: ForeverReading24 for beta-reading for me. Love ya!)

When will you learn?

I never update frequently.

If you want an apology, I'd like to direct you towards almost every time I've updated. I don't know guys, I just don't even know. Don't get offended if I don't update before next year. (Wow, that's a scary thought.)

I don't think there were any questions I haven't answered by PM. If there was, I am very sorry for not seeing it.

Of course, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, FAVORITES, AND FOLLOWS! Like . . . I sometimes forget that I actually have over 1,000 people following this story. I don't even think I know 1,000 people in real life.

With this long butt delay of posting, I've actually read some books since I last updated. (I know, shocker.)

But now I have a book suggestion!

Next up we have:

"Faceless" By: Alyssa B. Sheinmel.

This one isn't as unknown as most books I've recommended, BUT I had never heard of it before reading it. I'd put this in the same category as "North of Beautiful." It's a little more on the cheesy side, but I really like cheese.

It's just such a cool idea and was executed in such a marvelous way. After I had finished this book, I had to sit there for a minute just because I didn't want it to be over.

Well, that's all folks. I hope this chapter was as fulfilling as I planned it to be.

Next update will be when I darn feel like it.

Don't take it personally I love you guys so much *insert heart here*

Later my Dudes. (Or whatever you are. I don't discriminate.)

-MFM

stay weird.

(P.S if you'd like to help me with a new story, check out my profile or PM me for more info. It wouldn't be posted until after this story is finished.)