Percy's eyes snapped open. He gasped, lungs shrieking for air. The god's wild, sea-green eyes flickered erratically across the ceiling. His gaze finally settled on a dent, and he let his breathing slow. Once he wasn't gasping like a dying fish, he closed his eyes and put a hand to his sweaty forehead. Flashes of memories ran through his head.
Darkness. Cackling. Pain. Blackness.
Percy sat up with a sigh. He swung his legs over the bed, and his shoeless feet sent a shiver up his body when they touched the icy floor. He rubbed his bare arms, trying to rid them of goosebumps.
His nightmares were getting worse. Tartarus still couldn't physically hurt him, but Loki's mental shield could only last so long.
Percy was running out of time.
The god wandered into the kitchen area, a habit he had quickly developed after receiving godhood. He dug through the freezer and pulled out his favorite ice cream: Blue Moo Cookie Dough.
It was blue and had bits of cookie dough. What more could Percy ask for? Not as good as his mom's blue cookies, but it was a close second.
Percy plopped on the couch and stuffed his face with the ice-cold, sugary goodness.
He was a quarter of a way through his gallon—What? He was a growing boy—when Bruce walked in.
Percy couldn't help but sigh. Did no one in this tower sleep? Sure, he was up a lot, but between the nightmares and not-needing-sleep-god-thing, he figured his excuse was pretty good. But he always seemed to run into at least one person at night.
Bruce glanced over, not surprised to see Percy up. "Stress-eating ice cream, huh? Guess I'll join you."
Bruce didn't bother asking the younger male why he was awake. Percy had already told them that he didn't really need sleep. But Bruce had a feeling there was a little more to it. Call it a doctor's instinct, if you will.
Percy side-eyed him. "You're a doctor. Shouldn't you be telling me that eating my emotions is unhealthy or something?"
Bruce shrugged. "In the long run, sure. But it's not that bad every once in a while. It's not like I don't do it, too."
Bruce pulled out his own ice cream and sat down across from Percy. Percy glanced at the container and raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Hulk-A-Hulk-A-Burning Fudge?"
The scientist followed his gaze and grinned. "Yeah. Ben & Jerry's named an ice cream after me. Or, rather, after my giant green alter ego."
Percy shook his head, unable to hold back his smile.
Bruce took a bite of his green dessert, which Percy figured was either mint chocolate chip or some type of pistachio variation. The superhero swallowed. "Tony's got one, too: Stark Raving Hazelnuts. But it's a little chalky, if you ask me."
Percy took a bite and waved his spoon. "Wha' 'bout the Cap'i'n?" He finished his bite. "He got a red, white, and blue ice cream or somethin'?"
Bruce shrugged in a 'beats me' type of manner. "I'm sure he's got something. Probably a Fourth of July special." He winked.
Percy chuckled softly.
The two ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Bruce spoke up. "I had a nightmare," he said, answering Percy's silent question.
Percy nodded. It wasn't like there was much he could say. But he could offer the man some of his own troubles. A nightmare for a nightmare.
Percy explained calmly, "I'm running out of time." Bruce glanced up from his food but didn't say anything. "The dreams... they're getting worse. He can't hurt me yet, but," Percy frowned. "Soon," he muttered. "Very soon."
Bruce sighed and set his ice cream aside on the coffee table. "I hear you're having a little trouble focusing."
Percy started. He didn't think any of the Avengers, except Thor, knew about his time with Loki. "Hmm?"
"Your training. With Loki." Bruce clarified. At Percy's confused look, he chuckled. "Don't worry. No one else knows." He paused. "Well, Natasha probably does." Percy nodded at that. Natasha was basically a superspy, even without superpowers. "But I get why you didn't want to tell us. Especially with Tony and Clint in the picture."
Percy nodded. It'd been hard to hide it from them for the past two weeks. It wasn't that he felt guilty or anything—he didn't think he was doing anything wrong—but with two spies and the rest overprotective superheroes, he had to be very careful. It'd helped that the heroes were in and out of the tower a lot on business.
"So how'd you find out?"
"Thor. He may be pretty strong in a fight, but he's not great at keeping secrets." Percy nodded again, not at all surprised. In that regard, Thor was the complete opposite of his adopted brother.
Of course, Thor and Loki were opposites in most regards, so that wasn't saying much.
"Anyway, Thor was telling me of your concentrating problems. Not surprising considering your ADHD."
"Mmm." Percy tilted his head. While Loki had found another way for him to focus, Percy still needed to be able to concentrate at certain times. He wasn't having much luck so far.
"I can give you some tips if you want."
Percy raised an eyebrow.
"With the Hulk always crawling under my skin, I have to be very careful. Keep my emotions in check. Clear my mind. Calm my thoughts. That kinda thing. Seems you could use something like that."
Percy blinked and then nodded slowly. "Yeah, that would probably be helpful." Sure he'd lived with ADHD his whole life, so he'd developed his own tricks (not that they worked that well). But he could always use some outside advice.
"Do you want to know my secret? How I control the Hulk, I mean."
"Um... lots of meditation?"
"Well, that too." Bruce chuckled. "But, my real secret..." The brown-haired man took off his glasses and tilted forward to whisper. Percy couldn't help but mimic him and lean forward in anticipation.
"I'm always angry."
"...Huh? Doesn't that seem a little, I don't know, counterintuitive?"
In case, you're wondering... Annabeth taught him that word.
Apparently, most of the things Percy did were counterintuitive.
Bruce chuckled again. "Not at all. If I'm always angry, then I'm never angry."
Percy blinked. The scientist watched him, worried that it might have gone over his head.
Percy slowly nodded. "That makes sense. I think."
"Unfortunately, I don't think that's gonna help you much. But, before I learned about that, I did constantly mediate and do breathing exercises."
"Did you do yoga?" Percy snickered. "Goat yoga?"
"No, I never really got into yoga... or goats." Bruce gave him an odd look with his last statement.
"Shame. I was just kidding anyway." Percy snickered again, proud of himself.
Bruce sighed. "You seem to be in a better mood now."
"Ice cream makes everything better." Percy shrugged. "Plus, sugar helps me calm down."
Bruce nodded. While sugar hyped most people up, people with ADHD normally calmed down with a little sugar.
"Well, anyway, I had several calming techniques, but one of the best was having a centering object."
"Centering object?"
Bruce nodded. "Something you can squeeze, or rub, to calm yourself." He reached into his pockets and pulled out something.
"A hairclip?"
He tilted his head. "Yes. Someone dear to me gave this to me." He squeezed the tiny flower clip before slipping it back in his pocket. Percy stayed quiet, watching a flash of sadness cross the man's face. He gave Bruce a moment to recover before speaking up.
"So I should get something small to hold?"
Another nod. "Yes. I've seen people use rubber bands or smooth rocks. But I think it works best if it has personal significance to you."
Percy stayed quiet for a second before sighing and standing up. "I think I know something that may work."
He walked out of the room and to his own room. Once he got there, he knelt under his bed and pulled out a box. He'd picked it up from his house a few days after getting to the Tower. He let out a shuddering breath and slid the lid off. Percy sat there for a moment, overwhelmed by a rush of emotions. He closed his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from leaking out. He exhaled and slowly dug through the box.
Most of it was Annabeth's belongings, though he had pictures and keepsakes from the other Seven. Annabeth's father had been gracious enough to let him keep many of her things. He'd given Daedalus' laptop to Malcolm, though, as Malcom would get more out of it than Percy. He paused at one of her clothes, a gray sweatshirt Percy had given her that read 'Caution: Blonde With Brains,' before balling it in his fist and inhaling its scent. Tears prickled at his eyes when he smelled nothing but dust.
Percy picked through more of it. He paused as he came across more and more of the Seven's belongings. Frank's fire-proof bag. Leo's wrench. Hazel's horse pendant (from Frank, of course). He couldn't help but chuckle and pull out a few things.
The Seven had decided to do an impromptu holiday celebration on the Argo II, complete with gifts, food, and laughter.
The girls had gotten together in secret and agreed to give the boys gag gifts and funny t-shirts.
Of course, the boys had figured out the plan and decided to do their own jokes.
Piper and Jason had a shirt war. Along with a makeup kit, Jason had gotten his girlfriend a bright pink princess shirt with the words 'Glitter is always an option.' Jason quickly learned the hard way not to anger a charm-speaking daughter of Aphrodite.
Piper had gotten her revenge with a total of three shirts. A brick patterned shirt (which had been an unending joke for days after), a Superman shirt with the words 'I'm just saying, you've never seen Superman and me in the same room,' and a t-shirt saying 'I lost my glasses, but I need my glasses to find my glasses... do you see my problem, because I can't.'
Leo gave Frank Chinese handcuffs. While the elfish pyrokinetic had found the gift hilarious, Frank hadn't seen the humor. Everyone else had, though.
In retaliation, Frank had given Leo a Mockingjay pendant with a Hunger Games shirt saying 'Girl on Fire' in bold, flaming letters. Funnily enough, Piper had also gotten Leo a sweater that said 'Warning: Contents are Hot.'
Of course, Annabeth had gotten in on the shirt action, too. She'd gifted him a Star Wars shirt saying, 'Come to the Dark Side. I've got cookies.' Except she'd inserted the word 'blue' before cookies with some kind of paint sharpie thing. And she'd gotten him a sweatshirt to match hers—'Caution: I do dumb things.'
Percy's eyes darkened. His mind flickered from the laughing, happy demigods to the dead, bloody corpses.
Percy exhaled, shoving the traumatic images from his mind. He continued picking through the things. Eventually, he found what he was looking for, wadded at the very bottom. He pulled it out slowly. This time, Percy couldn't stop the tears dripping from his eyes as he stared at the silver necklace.
It was in the shape of heart, though it was only half of the necklace. The other part that had fit into his half had been burned with Annabeth's shroud, so his piece only looked like a broken heart, which was pretty accurate. A small circle dangled from the chain with the letter P. And below that was another circle shaped like a cookie, blue of course. Annabeth had had a tiny red book. His half heart said Her one, while Annabeth's half had said His only.
He squeezed it and slammed his eyes shut.
"You drool when you sleep."
"I am never, ever, going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."
"You're cute when you're worried. Your eyebrows get all scrunched together."
"Right. We're going to the Land of the Dead and I shouldn't think negative."
"No, Seaweed Brain. That's hummus. Hubris is worse."
"Please, Percy... change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."
"I don't know. But I just know that I'll be fighting next to you... because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"
"You promised, Seaweed brain. We would not get separated! Ever again!"
"As long as we're together."
Percy sighed, rubbing the indents slowly. He gave it one last look before clasping it around his neck and slipping it under his shirt. After putting the lid back on the box, he pushed it back under the bed.
Percy returned to find that Bruce had put the ice cream up.
"Thanks," Percy muttered when he sat down.
Bruce glanced up from browsing his phone. "No problem." He noticed the chain around the boy's neck but decided not to comment on it.
"Well," Bruce started, standing, "you may not need sleep, but I do. I'll see you tomorrow, Percy."
Bruce patted his leg and left the room, yawning softly.
Percy blew out a breath and slumped against the couch, eyes closed in exhaustion. The god slipped the necklace from under his shirt, methodically rubbing circles in the metal.
Bruce had been right: it was relaxing. The tension seeped from his shoulders. His thoughts slowed to a crawl.
Eventually, he picked up the remote and looked for something to watch.
Percy browsed lazily through the movies and shows before finally stopping at one.
Looked like it'd be a Harry Potter marathon tonight.
I don't own the design for any of the shirts or the necklace!