Soooooo I am way too invested in this story. I just hope I don't get writer's block again. It was quite a struggle, writing this chapter. I didn't know how to get to the next part of the story. I feel like my writing fluctuates, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

Disclaimer: I don't own MCU or Percy Jackson sad day :(

Columbia University Medical Center

Percy was in an internal war. It didn't help that Percy was in a hospital, awaiting news from Natasha. It wasn't like Percy didn't want to be here. But he also was starving after that terrible plane ride that Fury made him go on and an even more terrible fight. He didn't even get to capture Captain America. So now he was here at this medical center, waiting for Natasha to speak with him, while craving a good McDonald's burger or a good pizza. The only good thing here was the spinny chair that kept him entertained for a good five seconds.

All in all, Natasha was the one who kept him here. Otherwise, he would be reporting back to Fury of another failure. It seemed like Percy was a danger magnet. After all, he was a demigod. A demigod who can't even do the simplest of tasks, Percy groaned. Normally, he would be calm in any situation but today, however, Percy felt a degree of anxiety to which he was unfamiliar with. He didn't mean to hurt the redheaded girl with telekinesis, but she hurt Natasha. It was the strangeness of the inexplicable pull he felt towards Natasha that had Percy feeling uncertain.

Seeing Natasha walk towards Percy, he took in the graceful curve of her neck that swept upwards to where her hair, soft and red, framed her worried face. Feeling even more anxious now that he was in the proximity of the Russian agent, Percy couldn't help but chuckle nervously, standing up while doing so. His shoulders tensed as Natasha stopped in front of him, certain her scrutinizing gaze was going to exploit all of his secrets.

"Hurricane."

Percy breathed in deeply, smelling the faint smell of vanilla. He peered up at Natasha. "Natasha."

"You seem to be everywhere I am. Vienna and the airport," Natasha listed. Percy made to disagree, as he was only at those two places, and it just so happened to be that Natasha was there too. He wanted to call it coincidence, but Natasha's gaze stopped Percy from even moving. Percy instead continued to watch her, his thoughts itching to burst out of his mouth.

"I know Fury sent you, but he never sent us a warning. Are you a wild card? Hell, I don't even know your name," Natasha looked closely at Percy for a long moment before releasing a sigh.

Percy contemplated for a short moment whether to divulge his name before resigning to do so. "Percy Jackon, at your service," he bowed, noticing the slight upcurve of her lips as he did so. "I guess I am a wild card. I just do whatever Fury wants me to, but in this case, I betrayed Fury. I didn't catch Captain America, because I trusted you in that short moment to explain later."

"I didn't want the Avengers to break up, but I knew that I had to help Steve. You told me Zemo bombed the Sokovia Accords." At this, Percy nodded and Natasha continued, "Before you came, Steve tried to persuade Tony to let him go. He said the scientist Zemo was behind all of this. That there are five more like Bucky. I trusted Steve to make sure that they didn't fall to Zemo's hands," Natasha explained.

"I understand, but now you've got nowhere to go. I assume since you went against the government's trust, you're a fugitive," Percy lifted an eyebrow, interested to see what Natasha had to say.

Natasha grimly nodded and shook her head, "You're a fugitive too, Percy."

Percy turned that one over his head, thrown off by the tiredness in her voice. She released a small breath, before moving away, towards the entrance. She left him there, thinking about how he was going to explain this one to Fury. Of course, he had let Captain America go. He, no matter what he was thinking or feeling, had the power to take down the quinjet, but he didn't. Percy could have slapped himself for the recklessness of his decision, although, he would have made that same decision if he were faced with it again.

"Wait," Percy quickly caught up to Natasha, stopping her in her tracks. "Where are you going?" Percy hoped that she would let Percy come with, desperate to see what had pulled him to her.

"A barn in Waverly, Iowa," She hesitated, before speaking. She was unsure whether or not she could trust Percy, but her core instinct pushed her to tell Percy the truth.

At this, Percy made up his mind. He was going to take her to Iowa. He needed to get to know her, at least, before going to Hestia for help.

"Let me take you there," Percy held out his hand. She narrowed her eyes at his hand, before making eye contact. Percy was certain she would take it, as he couldn't be the only one who felt the indistinguishable connection.

"How? You don't even know why I'm going there. We don't even know each other," Natasha seemed exhausted. To a stranger, it looked as though she was cold and heartless, distrustful of the hand that was reached to her. She stood tall and confident, not a trace of emotion found on her face. But Percy noticed the lack of bite in her voice, the weariness in which she stood, the strain of the choice she made. He saw her tired eyes. He saw everything, because he felt it too. She was a soldier, a good one, but one with many regrets. Percy understood.

"20 questions?" Percy offered jokingly, wanting to dissipate the tension. With no response from the woman, Percy merely shrugged before asking, "Do you feel it too?" Percy needed to know if she felt it, the link between them. Percy was a broken guy. He was cold, especially in the face of his enemies. He showed no remorse to anyone who abused their power. He wasn't close with anyone, besides Fury. But whatever this connection was, it caused Percy to return to his old self whenever facing Natasha.

"Feel what?" Natasha's voice was innocent. Percy, sure that she was faking it, grabbed her hand.

Her breath hitched in her throat, for a second, but Percy noticed. A flush covered her cheeks, before she yanked her hand back. She glared at Percy and in a blink, she shifted her face into a carefully controlled mask.

"Percy," Her voice warned of dangers. She met this guy a couple days ago and she was already failing in keeping her facade. She trusted the Avengers, but this, this was too much. A man she barely met was already breaking her calm mask.

Percy held his hands up. "Alright, clearly you don't want to talk," Natasha narrowed her eyes at him and Percy continued, "But I'm not letting you go alone."

"Why? Because I'm a woman?" Natasha couldn't help but goad Percy. She was sure that it wasn't the reason, but she needed to find a reason to leave, to escape.

Percy scoffed. "Trust me, I know plenty more women that are dangerous. I would never underestimate them," Percy thought of Thalia, Katie, and Annabeth. Surprisingly, Percy only felt a dull pain when he thought of Annabeth.

"Good," Natasha smirked before whacking Percy in the head, instantly knocking him out. He collapsed onto Natasha, and she almost fell under the weight. Dragging him to the nearby corner, she set him against the wall, carefully ensuring that he wouldn't fall over.

"I'm sorry," Natasha barely breathed out before leaving.


Groaning, Percy shakily stood. A dull pounding in his head caused Percy to stumble, resting on the wall. Undoubtedly, Natasha knocked him out so she could leave, but luckily for Percy, he knew where she was going. Looking out the window, Percy noticed that it was now nighttime, a clear indicator that it had been at least four hours that Percy had been out. Resting his hand on his head, he stopped the dull pain with Hestia's powers. "Thank the gods for Hestia," Percy murmured, shaking his head to clear his vision. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Fury.

"Jackson!"

Percy was accustomed to snap decisions and he liked to think that he was exceptional at making the right decision at the right time, so he promptly ended the call. He wanted to call Fury to ask what the significance of the barn was in Waverly, Iowa, but it was clear that Fury wanted to bash his head in. So Percy chose the next best option.

Praying hard, Percy was glad to feel the warm breeze that felt of love and hope that signified the arrival of his loving patron, Hestia.

"Percy," A gentle voice called out as a young girl of about eight materialized. She grinned widely, happy to see Percy again.

Percy dropped a knee quickly, bowing. "Lady Hestia," Percy smiled. He hasn't seen Hestia since this whole hectic mess began. Percy was hoping for more guidance, especially since he didn't know what he was doing.

"Percy, I know what you seek," Hestia waved off his bow before continuing, "I can send you there, but first, I have questions." She smirked knowingly and Percy's face grew warm. "Natasha Romanoff. Tell me about her."

Percy glanced away, hoping to hide the dull flush that exposed his feelings. Knowing Hestia would only pry, Percy relented. "She's different than most women. She can disarm me without me even noticing. She is loyal to her friends and somehow I feel drawn to her," Percy admitted. "I don't know, I can just feel that she is special. She doesn't know who I am but she knows of Hurricane. I feel a special pull towards her. I have a feeling Aphrodite is behind this," Percy growled.

Hestia's loud, genuine laugh cut off Percy's thoughts of Aphrodite's schemes. A grin stretched across her face as she noticed Percy's glare. "It's not Aphrodite. She told me that this is all your doing."

"But-" Percy stopped, before narrowing his eyes at Hestia. "This is what you were talking about," Percy almost laughed at the confusion that was painted across Hestia's face. "She can help me with my nightmares?"

Hestia motioned for Percy to continue his train of thought, a smile curling her lips. "Is that why I haven't been having nightmares with Kronos recently?" An incredulous laugh escaped Percy. Hestia nodded, content to see Percy happy.

"But she hit me," Percy pouted, certain that Natasha was annoyed with Percy. Hestia grabbed his shoulder, shaking him. "No, she is scared. Percy, just as she has helped you, unintentionally no doubt, you can help her. Get to know her, understand her. Take care of her."

Percy's jaw clenched, wishing to help her now. "Am I exploiting her trust to join the Avengers?" Percy faltered, wondering if this is what Hestia planned.

"It isn't that, Fury was going to add you to the Avengers after the airport fiasco, but you failed to come back," Hestia stopped Percy's anger from rising. Sheepishly, Percy lowered his eyes, embarrassed to even think of Hestia in a bad way.

"It's nice to see you this way," Hestia murmured. It was a struggle for Hestia to see Percy spiraling into the cold darkness he set out for himself, arguing that he deserved it.

The words, coupled with the warm look in her eyes, the relieved look in her face, spoke volumes. "It's nice to feel this way." It won't last - though Percy left the words unspoken. When she returned with a smile tugging at her lips, Percy felt lighter than he had felt in a year. "I don't love her," Percy cleared the air. "I just met her."

"Yes, I know," Hestia let out a soft chuckle. "If the chance comes, Percy, take it. Be happy." Percy nodded to placate Hestia's worries. "Any thoughts before you send me to her?" Percy's expression was that of extreme hopefulness.

"Remember, soon you will have to go to the HYDRA Siberian Facility. You must aid Tony Stark in his quest to stop Steve Rogers. Stop Zemo."

"Understood. Thank you, Hestia. This means a lot to me," The words tumbled from his lips, unsure of how to express his appreciation for all that Hestia has done for him. She simply smiled, before grasping his shoulders and in a short second, a flash of flames invaded Percy's vision.