Disclaimer:
The following is a non-profit fan-made crossover story. Young Justice and Percy Jackson are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Rick Riordan, respectively. Please support the official release.
A/N: This was supposed to come out sooner, but I've had a very busy few weeks. It was not good. Also, the first part of this chapter was supposed to be part of the last one, but I forgot to add it in.
Anyway, enjoy, and wish our best boy Percy Jackson a happy birthday!
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
"Gods Among Men"
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
Location: REDACTED (July 18, 10:16 MDT)
Somewhere, deep underground in a secret lab, Brom Stikk stared at the monitor in front of him, showing the last images from his android's camera before it was crushed with a rock.
"Now, Brom," a voice spoke behind him. "Aren't you relieved I didn't let you wear the armor?"
"Extremely, professor," Brom responded, turning to face his employer, the infamous T.O. Morrow. "But you're not upset?"
"I'm convinced our tracking program was operational, and that the real Tornado was somewhere in the vicinity." Morrow said moving to stand beside Brom in front of the controls for Mister Twister.
"Besides, you know science advances in fits and starts. Even failure can be instructive."
Morrow twisted one of the knobs on the controls, and the recording of Twisters fight reversed, showing images of the several young heroes. A boy with dark hair and sunglasses with his utility belt, a red-haired boy with goggles, running at superspeed, a young man who looked remarkably like Superman, a dark-skinned Atlantean, and a young Martian girl.
Then, there was the image of a young man, with dark hair and sea green eyes, who commanded water and wind. Morrow stopped at the last image of the strange boy.
The image showed the boy, with his hand out and a beam of light coming from his palm. A strange shimmer surrounded him, like a shroud of light, and a faint glow around his chest. It looked like a pair of wings, shining through his shirt.
"And I'd say we learned quite a lot today."
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
Mount Justice (July 18, 17:25 EDT)
It had been a long day for M'gann M'orzz.
It started out well enough. She and Superboy had given the rest of the Team a tour of the Secret Sanctum, getting to know each other as they waited to receive their first mission. She'd made a fool of herself by using her telepathy to speak with her new friends. That didn't go well.
Then Red Tornado sent them to investigate a disturbance in Happy Harbor, where they ran into Mister Twister. They were soundly defeated, and M'gann humiliated herself again by convincing the others that Mister Twister was Red Tornado in disguise. What a rookie mistake.
They eventually came back together and M'gann redeemed herself, defeating Mister Twister with her plan; pretending to be Red Tornado. They brought back the remains of the defeated android, safely decommissioned by Robin, and warned Red Tornado that he was specifically targeted.
Afterwards, the team spread out to rest after their ordeal. Superboy went back to his room after apologizing to M'gann, which made her feel warm inside. Wally, Kaldur, and Robin headed back to the kitchen to grab some food and watch TV, before heading back to their mentors. M'gann didn't feel like sleeping yet, and decided to join them.
"Hey, beautiful," Wally greeted her from the couch, already holding a bowl of popcorn. "Nice work out there. You did great copying Tornado's speech pattern, by the way."
"Thanks, Wally," she replied with a smile. "I'm just glad I managed to fix my mistake. Hello, Megan! Of course, Twister wasn't Tornado; not all androids are the same."
"No need to apologize," Kaldur reassured her. "This team is still new. We all made mistakes today; what's important is we learn from them."
"Thanks, Kaldur," she said with a smile. "Are you feeling well now? You seemed a bit distracted the whole day."
"Yeah, I noticed too," Wally interjected. "Anything on your mind?"
Kaldur seemed surprised, before shaking it off. "I am fine. I've just been having a strange feeling since last night. Atlanteans have a strong, mystical connection with the ocean, and it feels like it's suddenly more… alive? I'll have to ask King Orin what it means when next we meet."
Wally rolled his eyes at the explanation but said nothing more. Before M'gann could ask more, Robin spoke up.
"By the way," Robin said, as he inspected the eye of the android they defeated, which Wally had pocketed earlier. "Did any of you notice that Twister looked a bit banged up when we faced off again?"
"Uh, no duh! We kicked his robot butt," Wally replied with a grin.
"No, I mean before that."
"I just assumed that damage was from your efforts in slowing him down while I wasn't there," M'gann confessed.
"No, Robin's right," Kaldur said, looking contemplative. "We barely damaged him during our first encounter. We lost track of him for a while before we caught up to him in the docks, and he did appear slightly injured."
"Exactly!" Robin exclaimed. "It doesn't make sense. There was no one else in the area other than Tornado who could've faced Twister, and he was here in the Sanctum."
The young heroes became silent, as they thought back. "Do you think one of the Leaguers was incognito in town?" Wally asked.
"They would've revealed themselves to us or Tornado if they were," Kaldur countered.
"Then who could've done that to Mister Twister?"
Robin immediately stood up and started making his way out of the kitchen. "That's what I intend to find out."
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
New York City (July 19, 11:51 EDT)
"I'm sorry," the woman said. She had dark skin and hair, tied into a long braid past her shoulder. She held a baby in her arms, swathed in cloth and quietly murmuring. "I think you have the wrong apartment."
Percy stared at the woman, before nodding and apologizing. The door closed and he stared at the apartment number. It was the correct number, in the right building, and on the right street. Percy stood in the hallway for a while; he stepped back and leaned on the wall across from the door.
After the events of the previous day, Percy had stayed with the Waylands for the rest of the day. Melvin and Timmy had refused to let go of their savior, and Aenne had practically smothered him in joy after she learned he kept them safe. The grateful family insisted he stay the night and leave for New York the next day. There were teary goodbyes as he boarded the bus home. "You're welcome to visit anytime," Aenne told him.
Now, here he was. At his mother's apartment, where a different family lives, and the landlord had never heard of Sally Jackson or Paul Blofis.
"I guess I'm really not in Kansas anymore," he muttered to himself, letting out a half-hearted chuckle. He slid down to sit against the wall, holding his head between his hands. He'd held out hope, despite the overwhelming evidence, but now he was forced to face the truth. This was not his world, and he didn't know how to get home.
He was alone.
The thought began to settle in his mind, drowning him. This was worse than when he woke up at the Wolf House. Back then, even without most of his memories, he knew he had family and friends waiting for him to come back. He had a home.
But not here.
Percy shook his head and growled in frustration. He took a deep breath and stood back up, making his way out onto the streets of New York. He couldn't let himself be overwhelmed with hopelessness. He needed a plan. If he managed to find a way to enter this dimension, he could find a way out of it.
The Upper East Side looked just as he remembered it, but different at the same time. There were restaurants and brands that he'd never hear of, or just had a mangled but similar name. Daskin Robbins? Benny's? He walked around the streets for an hour, passing by shops and houses as he tried to think of what to do next.
I could try to go back to where I arrived in this world, Percy thought before dismissing it. I have no idea where that is, just that it was somewhere in the ocean, maybe near Happy Harbor. It would be impossible to find the exact spot…
Percy sighed in frustration as he passed by a store selling TVs, where the screens were showing the news. He stopped to watch, as he saw another of those costumed superheroes having an interview. The hero wore a green suit, that made him look like a knock-off Robin Hood. They appeared to be standing in front of an ornate, white building, that Annabeth would definitely appreciate. The reminder was painful, but Percy pushed through it as he listened to the interview.
"The Hall of Justice is always open for visitors," the hero said. "The Justice League is happy to help."
The reporter started closing the interview, providing the address for the Hall of Justice, and Percy suddenly had an idea. It probably wouldn't work, but it was all he had at the moment. He used the rest of the cash from Aenne to buy a Greyhound ticket to Washington D.C.
It was time to get professional help.
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
The Watchtower (July 19, 17:50 EDT)
In space, no one can hear you scream.
Or in Barry Allen's case, no one could hear him snore.
It was his turn for monitor duty in the Watchtower, the Justice League's true headquarters. A massive asteroid retrofitted with an old Green Lantern base, which was then refurbished by S.T.A.R. Labs and Wayne Tech. It was a beautiful and awe-inspiring sight.
Though, at the moment, Barry couldn't care less.
He had never liked monitor duty. Sitting still for hours on end watching a huge monitor for threats, was not ideal. He was the Flash! The Scarlet Speedster, fastest man alive. He was not made to stay still. Yet, there he was, alone in space watching the whole world go by.
"I wonder when Bats will be done with that 'Brother Eye' project of his," Barry mused to himself. While the implications of having an A.I. keeping tabs of everyone on Earth was horrifying – he finally watched A Space Odyssey, and it did not help his unease of being alone in the Watchtower – it would be nice not to have to sit and stare at the flashing screen all the time.
Wait…?
Barry jumped into action. The screen would only flash when there was a dangerous energy reading detected, or a member of the League was calling for assistance. He immediately pulled up the alert, and saw that someone was trying to contact him. He answered the call, and was immediately met with the voice of Diana Prince – Wonder Woman, to the rest of the world.
"-der Woman, designation 03, requesting immediate assistance. I am currently in pursuit of a criminal target carrying a heavy weapons payload, possible WMD. He's entered the United States, and is heading west. Please respond!"
"I've got you, D," Barry responded, already swiveling his chair to the other side of the computer. "Closest support we got is Supes. I'll send him a message. Care to explain who the target is, and his mode of transportation?"
"Took you long enough," he heard Diana mutter. "His name's Nikos Aegeus, a Greek terrorist and thief. Right now he's on board a Pegasus, carrying Zeus' Master Bolt, and other weapons with him."
There was a distinct pause as Barry turned back around, after sending Diana's request to Superman . "Come again?"
"He stole them from Olympus," Diana continued, as if that was a reasonable explanation. "I don't know how he did it yet, but I intend to find out."
"And he's on a flying horse?"
"A black pegasus, yes. Why do you ask?"
Barry let out a groan, as he finally received a message back from Clark Kent, the Big Blue Boy Scout himself. "I hate magic. Supes is on his way, with both of your speeds, you'll be cutting off your thief in Washington D.C."
"Thank you," Diana replied before ending the call.
Barry leaned back against his chair and let out a deep sigh. Sometimes, the world could just be a bit too strange for his taste.
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
Hall of Justice (July 19, 18:16 EDT)
The locked glass door, and dark room beyond seemed to mock Percy.
Percy had arrived only to find the Hall of Justice was closed for the day. Who knew the headquarters of a superhero team ran on office hours? A spike of frustration pierced through him, but he pushed it down with a deep breath. This was just a minor setback. He could wait until tomorrow morning. He could be patient.
With a dejected sigh Percy began to walk away from the building, trying to figure out where he could spend the night. The bus fare from New York to D.C. took up most of what was left of the money Aenne gave him.
Just as he was about to check the remainder of his cash, he heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. He looked around, seeing a cloudless evening sky, stars barely visible from the city lights. There was another rumble of thunder, much closer this time. Percy was beginning to feel uneasy. This was definitely not normal.
What's Zeus mad about this time? Percy wondered. Actually, does Zeus even exist in this world? Is he the same Zeus? Is he mad because I'm here, when I'm not supposed to be?
Just as Percy had that horrible thought, there was a sudden moment of silence, as he heard – or more like felt – a quick, simple warning.
LOOK OUT!
Immediately, Percy dove to the side just as a loud boom and the crackle of lightning sounded above him. Something shot past from behind him, crashing heavily on the ground and digging a small trench across the smooth concrete walkway in front of the Hall of Justice.
Percy scrambled away, staying low and taking cover behind some foliage as he stared at the new crater in front of him. Dust and debris obscured whatever it was that hit the ground, and before he could decide to approach it, Percy heard the flapping of wings and the clip-clop of hooves on concrete.
He turned in surprise to see a black pegasus land off to the side and begin approaching the crater. It had golden barding covering its body, and golden reins around its muzzle, held tightly by the rider.
The figure appeared to be a man, wearing a mix of tactical gear, and bronze Greek hoplite armor. His face was hidden under s bronze helm, like the ones from Camp Half-Blood. He carried a mix of modern and ancient weapons, like a belt of grenades and an assault rifle, along with a sheathed sword and a spear. What was most surprising, was what he held in his other hand: a two-foot long cylinder of Celestial Bronze, capped on both ends with god-level electrical explosives.
"Di immortales, not again," Percy quietly grumbled to himself.
"Give it up, princess," the rider called out in a mocking tone. "Not even you can withstand the full force of the Master Bolt!"
There was the sound of shifting rocks, as Percy turned to see one of the first superheroes he saw on TV stand up from the crater. She looked disheveled, but otherwise unharmed after taking a lightning bolt to the face. "That's true," she daid with a smirk. "It's a good thing you have no idea how to use it's full potential."
Percy could see and feel the man's scowl. "It just takes a bit of practice. Which I'll be more than happy to do with you!"
The rider pulled hard on the golden reins on the pegaus, making the creature whinny in displeasure. It seemed reluctant to fly, until the reins began to glow and the horse screamed in pain.
Percy's eyes went wide. The man was hurting her. He was forcing the pegasus to assist him with his crimes, against the creature's will. Percy could feel himself begin to vibrate with rage, as something coiled around his ear, whispering a thought to him.
Take him down.
And then his vision went red.
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
Diana was getting tired of fighting this fool.
She had hoped to have beaten him when Clark arrived to help, but Nikos was smart. He'd destroyed a railway line to distract Clark and make him focus on saving an oncoming train filled with civilians.
It was difficult to get close to Nikos, especially with his unruly pegasus helping to defend him. She still wasn't sure where he got the creature, or how he tamed it, but it was making things more difficult. It was fast, agile, and had a hard kick. She couldn't even try to lasso him off the pegasus since he had the Knife of Vulcan as well.
Diana ducked down from another swing of Nikos' sword, and dodged another kick from the pegasus. She was beginning to pant from the exertion.
"Getting tired there, princess?" Nikos drawled out.
"I can do this all day," she responded.
"Well," another voice interjected. "I don't have all day for your little sparring session."
Diana turned to see a young man watching them. The boy had windswept, black hair and sea-green eyes that seemed to be tinged with red. He held a sword in one hand, tapping it lazily against the ground as he watched them with a furious expression.
Immediately, Diana was on guard. Whoever this boy was, he was radiating power she had only felt from the gods, or a few of her allies in her time as a superhero. He was dangerous, that much she could tell. She just wasn't sure if he was here to help Nikos, or to help her.
"What's this?" Nikos asked with amusement. "I didn't take you for one to take a protégé, princess!"
Before she could respond, the boy moved like a blur and was immediately on the pegasus hand around Nikos' neck, the sword raised, ready to strike. Diana reacted, throwing her lasso around the boy's arm and pulling him off. Nikos may be a criminal, but she wasn't going stand by and watch him be murdered.
The boy landed on his feet, skidding to a halt near Diana and growling at her. "Let me go!"
"Stand down, boy!" she ordered. "I don't know who you are, but you can't just try and kill someone."
"I'm not trying to kill him, I'm trying to free her!"
The boy pointed to the pegasus who had begun to buck wildly, when Nikos had released his hold on the reins. It seemed it would toss him off, but the thief was able to grab the reins once more and take back control. Diana's eyes widened, then she turned back to the boy in front of her. "Good catch, young man. Do you think you can get close again?"
The boy simply nodded. "Wonderful," she responded. "Follow my lead."
Diana immediately flung herself towards Nikos, trying to capitalize on his distraction. The man was flustered, looking around to make sure the boy wasn't near him. He nearly got clocked by Diana's fist, but managed to yank back on the reins and force the pegasus airborne. He was immediately forced back down as the boy jumped into the air and tried to cut his head off.
On and on they swung fists and swords, dodging blows and near misses. Nikos decided to stick to the air to at least get away from the boy. Diana flew up above Nikos and threw her lasso at him, yelling "Catch!"
Nikos did the opposite, and ducked down, staring at Diana incredulously. "Did you really think that would work?!"
She merely smiled and said, "I wasn't talking to you."
Nikos' eyes widened as Diana pulled her lasso back. He turned around just in time to see the boy with the sword come flying at him, Wonder Woman's lasso wrapped around him. The boy was grinning as he aimed his sword at him. Nikos screamed and tried to dodge but he needn't have bothered. The boy wasn't aiming for him. Nikos felt the reins loosen in his hands, as he looked down and found the reins had been cut.
The pegasus stilled and turned its head slowly to look at him.
"Oh, no," Nikos whispered.
The man screamed himself hoarse – pun intended – as the horde bucked him off and he fell down to the earth.
Diana caught the man before he could impact, finding that he had fainted. She wrapped him tightly with her lasso landing next to the young boy, who was now being nuzzled lovingly by the pegasus.
"It's okay, girl," he whispered. "You are a girl, right? I've made this mistake before."
The horse huffed, and the boy laughed. He turned to look at Diana, expression sheepish. "Sorry for growling at you. I have no idea what came over me."
"It's alright, young man," she responded. "You were extremely helpful. What is your name?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, I'm Percy. Percy Jackson."
Diana gasped and stared at him wide-eyed. Percy's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Not the usual reaction to my name. Do you know me?"
Before she could respond, a man in blue spandex and a red cape dropped down next to them, eyes glancing at the unconscious and tied up man, the winged horse who was nuzzling a boy holding a sword. He turned to Diana, who was staring at the boy with visible glee. "What did I miss?"
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
A/N: Percy meets Diana! Things are going to be interesting. He'll finally get some answers.
Probably.
Maybe not at all.
See y'all in the next chapter!