Hey Guys!

I have to tell you, it's been a busy week.

I know I've mentioned it before in passing, but quick refresher: I'm a ballroom dancer.

Well... Until last night.

Last night was the last time I ever got up on that stage. The week leading up to it involved one of my partner's getting a twisted ankle, two dances I needed to learn last minute, and dance I had to choreograph, and practices in the school auditorium that lasted from after school to well into the evening (9-10ish). There was a good amount of tears, some blood, and enough sweat that I know I'm more out of shape than I should be. Needless to say, yesterday was the best day of my life.

Also, I haven't seen Civil War yet. That should be a given, though I plan to see it this week. Maybe I'll even go on a date (unlikely). I've been taking about ten minutes each day to write, though I am dividing my time between two stories now. I hope you guys understand that I'm trying my best, and I'm glad that you're all so patient with me. Sometimes, the best reviews I get are the ones that say to keep writing, or that I've made them stay up on a school night to read Heroes & Ghosts. Or when people call me evil. I like that, too. Hehehehe.

I want to recognize everyone who reviewed the last chapter, but I'm in a bit of a rush, as well as heavily sleep deprived, so you know who you are and I want you to know how much I appreciate your love and support.

Now, two questions:

TeamCap or Team Ironman?

And is anyone a ballroom dancer?

Review section, have your fun.

Disclaimer: I am not Rick or Marvel.


Annabeth:

They really should've known. I mean, she had it in her pocket since the living room incident. When Tony Stark had walked in, she thought he'd figured it out for sure. He'd demand that she give him her 'all access pass' to Avengers Tower, and she'd be left to find another way to escape the tower. Thinking anything else though, she would've guessed it was impossible.

Now, her security pass still pinned to her chest, Annabeth strode confidently down each flight of stairs and towards the lower floors.

She had her answer, she had her reason for being her partially fulfilled. For now, she could be satisfied. She could plan her next steps carefully and work out whatever problems that she might have later. Now, she just needed to get out.

She wasn't walking down eighty flights of stairs, though. Not just out of pride, no, they'd catch her at the bottom. Winded and out of energy, she'd probably end up in an actual cell. Worse still, Agent Hill would probably make her walk back up the stairs. She wouldn't suffer that kind of humiliation, especially from another one of Percy's girlfriends (the idea sent a wince of pain over her features).

She had to think fast. Tony and Steve might tell Percy what happened, and then she'd never see him again. She scanned each floor individually, finally choosing a floor. She pushed the door open carefully, quiet in case anyone might be on the other side. She peek through the doorway, and was reminded of the games Thalia, Luke, and her would have while they were on the run.

She just had to think of this as a massive game of hide-and-seek, and everyone was seeking… Including the building itself. She took a deep breath, trying to remember what she knew about Avengers Tower.

Eighty stories, with different functions for nearly every floor. It was powered by one of Tony Stark's arc reactors, and one of the cleanest buildings in the city, environmentally speaking. It had an AI specifically designed by Tony Stark that monitored security and categorized threats.

(Grover was a big fan of Stark's clean energy plan.)

'First things first: my hat and my sphere.' She thought, picking up her pace. She seemed to have ended up in some sort of office floor, with cubicles and computers as far as she could see. She frowned, wondering just where in the building she was. She couldn't be too far down, and knew she had to be closer to the upper levels and suites… The Avenger's home. She must be in the middle…?

She wandered, but it appeared to be that the floor was mostly unoccupied. She could hear the distant noise of fingers typing away at a keyboard, and she decided to stay away from that end of the office. She didn't want anyone to see her, and get herself caught.

But each step made her panic spike as she went through the endless lines of identical cubicles. Nothing varied, nothing changed. Everything was the same, and everything was so bland and she couldn't find a door and and and-

She'd become lost. Lost. Her sense of direction was off completely, and the odds of her being caught were multiplying exponentially with each passing moment. She ran through a full line of office cubicles only to see that the opposite side was exactly like the side she was already on? Who had decorated this building, because if she saw that potted plant again, she was going to break it just to have a landmark to work with.

Finally, she ducked into the nearest cubicle and leaned her head against the wall, trying to overcome her panic. This… Setup reminded her of the cave that Piper and her had gone into with the chained Ares statue. She couldn't think straight. She didn't get panic attacks as often as when her and Percy had first gotten out, but when she did they were incapacitating. She need a minute, and she needed to get her bearings straightened out.

'I'm going to be caught. I'm going to be thrown into a cell and stuck in here until someone bothers to remember I'm there and let me out.' She thought in a panic. She tried to breath easier, but she was hyperventilating instead. Her body wouldn't comply to her mind.

She wished that she had some sort of guide. A crayon map would've made her feel better if it gave some sense of direction. Anything.

The computer beside her flickered to life.

"Finally! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Annabeth blinked a few times, not sure what to say. This AI sounded… Relieved to find her. Admittedly, she had no idea how to reevaluate her situation now that the computer beside her had decided to come to live. She didn't beg, because that wasn't likely to quiet the machine and she'd never beg.

"We don't have much time, my girl. If you want to get out of here before they find you, you must follow my instructions carefully."

Okay… What?

Annabeth looked outside of the cubicle she'd sought shelter in, making sure she wasn't being pranked. When all she saw was the same bland walls and grey carpets, she put her full attention onto her apparent rescuer. "Have we met?" She asked quietly.

There was a hum that came off the monitor, and the machine seemed to vibrate. At first Annabeth balled her fists, wondering if she'd somehow offended the AI and would have to fight a desktop. But, soon enough, she realized that the AI was chuckling. Tony Stark was surprising her with each passing minute, she had to agree.

"You don't recognize me, daughter of Athena? You don't recognize your own brother?"

Annabeth mentally went through a checklist of every sibling she had at lightning speed, but she came up short. She had no clue what this machine could be talking about. 'Maybe my mother… 'had' an AI.' She thought idly. She tried not to let the mental images of Athena falling in love with a laptop in a coffee shop invade her mind. 'Stranger things have happened in the past.'

"I'm afraid I don't remember having a supercomputer for a brother." She said cautiously, taking a seat in front of the glowing screen. Another chuckle shook the cubicle desk.

"I suppose it's been awhile. I'll explain on the way, but you must hurry. Agent Hill found you missing, and the building is on lockdown. If you want to get out of the building, you must follow me."

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly the lights above her began to flicker on and off in a pattern, moving from the cubicle to parts of the office she might have already been in. They reminded Annabeth of Vegas, when they'd been caught in the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

"Well, move along. Unless you'd like Agent Romanoff to catch you in about thirty seconds."

Annabeth took a chance, standing and moving in the directions the lights were taking her.

"Why am I going back up?" She asked, taking each step as fast as she could go. Her legs were beginning to turn against her, and she realized just how out of practice she was. Each step sent a jarring pain through her body, aching and making her clench her teeth. But still, she pressed forward and up. The lights flickered around her, making her vision spin.

"Because, you'll need equipment to make it out of the Tower, and Jarvis is checking the floors from the bottom up. You'll be caught in less than ten minutes."

"Jarvis?" She asked, confused.

"Tony Stark's AI. The building itself, really. It was Friday, momentarily, but Stark wasn't pleased without the usual voice in his ceiling." The voice echoed downwards, towards the ground floors. "I've changed the requirements of your security pass. You now have complete and entire access to both the Tower, and the computers within."

Annabeth bounded upwards. The lights were steady three flights up, so her destination must be on the floor below. Annabeth didn't slow her pace, though. Instead, she doubled it, her strength and adrenaline reaching new heights in endurance. These were stairs, for goodness sakes! She could beat a few steps. "Why are you helping me, again?"

This time the chuckle was much more distinguishable. It echoed all around her, vibrating through the handrails. "Because, Ms. Chase, you helped me. A long, long time ago."

She reached her destination. Floor seventy five. Two floors above her were the suites. Her mind whirled, trying to find this voices identity. It wasn't a god, it wasn't an AI (at least, not fully). It had to be a demigod…

"Daedalus?" She asked, unbelieving. He was in the underworld, designing highways and roads for the dead. He couldn't be in Avengers Tower.

"Very good. Now, keep walking. Eight minutes before you're discovered."

Annabeth went through the door, following the lights. Questions flew past her, until she found the one she wanted answered. "How are you here? Where are you right now?"

"Currently, my soul and its consciousness resides in the underworld. But I used a piece of my soul to upload into a laptop some years ago, and this piece of me was dormant for a long, long time."

Annabeth reached a large metal door, reinforced with steel and- what appeared to be -bronze. As she grasped the handle, the door opened easily. "But not anymore? You're free?"

"Still in the laptop. I've been helping a certain demigod in his Avenging endeavors."

"Percy." Annabeth breathed, walking into what was obviously some form of armory. Guns, swords, and all other forms of weapons that would've made the Ares cabin drool rested on the walls. Oddly enough, her sphere and hat sat on a table right in front of her. She snatched them up quickly, shoving the hat on.

"Yes. Percy. Five minutes. I need you to open locker four in row three."

Annabeth nodded, following the lights until she reached what her long dead friend had asked her to reach, but all the while deep in thought. The idea that Percy had had a son of Athena protecting him all this time made her feel better, but also cautious. Why did Daedalus need her now? Why help her? Her eyes glanced at the names above each locker until she found the one she needed.

SAM WILSON - FALCON

Annabeth opened the locker and took in a sharp breath. The dark metal under the light reflected danger, and she new instantaneously what this was.

"You're kidding me, right? This isn't your plan?" She asked. There was no way she was expected to operate this complex piece of machinery, right? To… Fly?

"Three minutes, Ms. Chase. The heat sensors were not on when you first came into the building. Jarvis will not make the same mistake twice."

Maria:

Her mission had been strictly business, nothing more or less. As far as Fury was concerned, she was doing exactly as ordered. A separate interview with Annabeth Chase to address weakness in the world's infrastructure regarding demigods, and how they might be able to understand fully where demigods might appear in history, or where they could be today.

Fury was already trying to find any demigods scattered around the globe. Power fluctuations that matched Percy's own anomalies. Similar pasts, cloaked in uncertain origins and gaps of where they could've been. Percy had told them everything about his past, but the pasts of other demigods, and the future for that matter, needed to be understood.

It was a big task, but Maria had accepted it wholeheartedly.

She was now walking beside Percy, and he had no idea what he was thinking. Tony and Steve had fully admitted to Percy what they'd done, and Percy had been quiet ever since. They'd divided the teams into twos, and set out to work around each floor until they met at the top.

At least, everyone but them.

They were working from the top to the bottom. Percy insisted she'd go up, and if they couldn't find her they'd work their way down. Meanwhile, Percy had no idea of her true intentions. She'd been sent to guard Annabeth, and as far as Percy was concerned she was innocent.

"I can't believe they'd do this. It's so unlike all of them, don't you think?" He asked bitterly, though she knew he wasn't expecting an answer. He was muttering, barely intelligible enough for Maria to hear. He'd been this way since they'd first gotten into the elevator, fists clenched and mouth set into a thin line. "They knew. I told them not to talk with her."

Maria remained silent, but inside she was feeling a very raw, decaying emotion: guilt. This would be her he was talking about, if he knew what she'd been told to do. The order she was going to carry out. The same thing the two Avengers had done, only she hadn't had the chance. She vaguely wondered how the blonde had gotten out, though Percy had seen the open door and nodded, accepting the truth easily enough.

"It's not as if she has any detailed plans of the building. We'll find her wandering the hallways, or somewhere in the lower offices-"

"A son of Athena worked as an intern while I was gone." Percy said, interrupting her. "He was Annabeth's lieutenant back at camp, and I wouldn't put it past him to sketch a map while he was here. Annabeth probably has a full blueprint of the upper levels."

"Which is why she would stay up here." Maria said, peeking into one of the conference rooms.

"Exactly. She'll find a way past us, but to do that she'd need to prepare. We do the unexpected at start from the upper floors." He said, walking past Maria and deeper into the conference room. He did a much more thorough search, under tables and checking the screws on the grates (Clint was already investigating the ventilation).

Maria quirk an eyebrow, watching from the doorway. Percy always had a fun-loving, boyish quality to him. Underneath though, Maria knew he was wise beyond his years. His complex plans that usually spurred from random situations (prank wars, mostly) made him a free thinker, but smart enough to adapt to any situation. That included a building wide hide-and-seek. "You think she'd try the vents? Should I check the water main as well?"

Percy gave her a warning glare, but she met his gaze easily. He went past her again, moving to the next room. "I've known her too long. The biggest lesson that she taught me: never bet against Annabeth. You will always lose."

"You sound like you speak from experience." Maria said.

"Two hundred and thirty assorted board games, and twenty or so life or death experiences." He said, then paused. "Give or take a hundred." She couldn't decide if he was being serious or not.

They went through each room on the top floor (with Percy awkwardly asking if she would check the woman's restroom) and came up empty. They were about to move down a floor when Jarvis's voice came to life above them.

"An alarm was just triggered in the training room. The rest of the team has already been informed."

Percy nodded, looking at Maria. She was struck by his appearance, so casual for what must be an extreme encounter. His jeans and t-shirt looked much more comfortable than her full body suit. His smile, however, was the best part about him by far. His eyes shone brighter and his face seemed to lose years off of his life. He looked like a teenager instead of a young adult. "C'mon. We can get there first if we hurry."

They sprinted towards the stairs, and Maria couldn't get that sinking feeling out of her chest when she realized that smile wasn't for her.

Maria was both impressed and intrigued by what she saw. At least for the first thirty seconds or so.

Annabeth Chase was managing to hover twenty feet above the ground with almost no wobbling, something that Sam Wilson, the Falcon himself, had struggled with for two weeks (and he was the advanced student). She looked both determined and scared, duel emotions that Maria could admit she had felt on occasion. She just didn't… Express it so openly.

"By the gods…" Percy muttered, already pulling out his sword. Maria watched as he swung it in his hand, getting a feel for its balance. She wondered if Percy was planning on throwing his sword at her as she hovered, wings extended and flapping. The goggles she wore appeared to be too big, but she'd stuffed something between the strap and her head. She paid complete attention on staying up, trying not to fall.

She fell.

It was an instant reaction, one wing tilting too far left and her not being able to compensate for the shift in balance. She began to plummet, wings flailing wildly as she did.

Maria wouldn't have been surprised if Percy had caught her. In fact, she expected it. That was the kind of person Percy was. He even took a step forward, heading towards his ex.

But as quickly as she had begun to fall, she prepared herself for the impact. The wings folded up back into the wing pack, leaving her ten feet above the ground in a metal backpack. Then, she managed to land on her feet, though by the noise she'd made she'd knocked the breath out of herself. When she stood, Maria saw the minuscule, almost invisible limp that she'd developed. Maybe she'd broken an ankle…

Annabeth muttered something under her breath, but Maria couldn't hear it. She guessed it was about fake wings, but she couldn't be sure. Annabeth stood up straight, dusted herself off, and raised her arms into the same starting position Sam took before takeoff. She was going to try again.

Maria wasn't going to give her the chance. The training room was located right beside the pool, and that meant it was nestled beside the edge of the building. Maria knew without proper safety precautions, Ms. Chase might fall through the window beside her and plummet to her death. She pulled out her taser. "On your knees! Hands behind your head and on your knees!" She yelled, asserting her authority.

Annabeth noticed them for the first time, her head whipping up to meet her two (former) captors. The red tinted goggles made her eyes look larger than tea plates.

Her reaction was instantaneous and completely unexpected, but as it happened Maria heard Percy's warning echoing in her head: never bet against Annabeth.

The wings were out faster than lightning, and the thrusters screamed to life in an instant. She was only two inches off the ground, her toes almost skidding against the mats. Maria might describe it as graceful, but then the blonde's shoe connected with her hand. Her taser was knocked away, along with a shooting pain in her trigger finger.

Annabeth looked just as shocked, but with her wings positioned behind her she thrust them forward. Maria and Percy were both knocked off of their feet by the sudden rush of air. Her head smacked against the mat, a position only Natasha Romanoff could put her in during a spar (on a bad day). Annabeth flew backwards, off balance but catching herself before hitting against the glass behind her.

Percy was up in an instant, and Maria watched in mesmerization as he jumped towards his ex, sword raised and a war cry bubbling out from his throat. He sprinted, his sword moving in an impressive, powerful arch towards Annabeth.

Maria would've honestly panicked at the look Percy was giving Annabeth, had she been in the blonde's position. Along with the fact that she wore a pair of wings she hadn't fully grasped the concept of controlling, and coupled with the experience of watching Percy fight, she would've been dead, run through by a sword that couldn't actually kill her.

But Annabeth Chase must've been made of something else entirely.

How Annabeth could move so fluidly in a pair of wings she couldn't have had for more than ten minutes, Maria would never guess. She flawlessly dodged the incoming strike, pivoting to the side. She threw her arms (and therefore her wings) forward, pushing herself away from danger and knocking Percy off of his feet again. All in less than three seconds.

Maria stood, but her finger was causing some minor issues. Ms. Chase might've broken the bone, and if her trigger finger was broken…

She stopped focusing on the pain and watched the two demigods fight instead. Hopefully, Percy could keep her grounded until the other Avengers arrived.

"Like old times, huh?" Percy taunted when she skirted out of his reach again. His gritted teeth and focused eyes reminded Maria of an animal. "We always knew who the better swordsman was though, didn't we?" He said. His sword was held to attention in his hand, ready for another jump.

Annabeth shook her head, almost sadly. Her eyes were unreadable under the goggles, but Maria could feel Annabeth's reluctance coming off of her in waves. She stood in a defensive position, but wings spread out like a guardian angel. It was an imposing view, to be sure. "I don't want to fight you, Percy. I never meant for any of this. It wasn't supposed to go this far." She said, as Percy stalked closer. Each step was demanding, yet light on his feet.

He didn't waver, taking a few practice swings ahead of himself as he moved. "You keep saying stuff like that. 'It was always you,' or 'I never meant for any of this.' It happened. What's done is done. You were never supposed to come back after that." He said, stopping right in front of her. They were eye to eye, but Percy kept his sword in a defensive stance while Annabeth had her open palms raised.

"But I did." She said, tone softer that Maria had ever heard. "And I want to explain everything I've said. But not here, with your new friends, or even our old ones. Just the two of us." She said, emphasizing her final words in that statement. They echoed in the open room.

Percy's strike was fast and deadly, but Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest and the wings folder around her. The celestial bronze caught on the tip of her wings, and they stayed locked in position. Annabeth kept the wings in place as she spoke, and it was in such a casual tone Maria almost didn't catch it. "Our mutual friend already has the details. He'll tell you when we meet."

Percy placed his converse onto the solid structure of the wings, pushing away and untangling his sword. When they were a safe distance from each other, Maria could see the tension building. Someone had to give. Someone would soon.

Then the doors to the room opened fully, and the Avengers piled in.

Half assorted weapons, such as a few repulsor gloves and Steve's shield moved in. Clint's hunting knife and Natasha's fists. Thor and his hammer, of course, stood out. But what Maria wouldn't give for some green fists…

"My wings!" Sam yelled, moving past his fellow Avengers. "You do not take another guys wings, you hear me blondie? First rule in the Air Force!" He said, moving towards Annabeth. The others began to move around her, cutting her off.

Annabeth sent one last look at Percy, and a level of vulnerability shone in her eyes. Her face was stern, jaw set in defiance, and nostrils flaring in obvious anticipation. "You were the best. But you never beat me." The change in tone, the finality of her statement, set everyone in the room on edge.

But too late, Maria saw the blonde clutch at some sort of hat and scrambled to put it on her head. She was gone before Maria could blink or Steve could throw his shield. Percy threw his arms up and the pool in the next room over suddenly began to flood into the training room, but all that did was disguise the sound of glass breaking.

Annabeth Chase has escaped.

Maria wrapped her own finger and took a painkiller. She was going to have a horrible headache when Fury heard about this, but that couldn't be helped. Instead, she discussed the game plan with the other Avengers.

Thor had taken off after the demigod but returned shortly afterwards without any luck. Tony was talking about prepping the Iron Legion to run a full city wide search for infrared readings that didn't match up visual contact. Steve, Natasha, and Clint seemed to be have a private debate of some sort. Talking and talking, but with very little action going on. Maria turned her attention to the one she figured needed her help the most.

Percy looked so casual, his hands in his pockets and back slouched over. Maria thought back to Annabeth's casual appearance in jean shorts and an orange t-shirt, and decided she felt a bit over dressed. She'd change after she got off work, then report to Fury from her suite. That would be best.

Till then, she approached Percy until she stood beside him. He was staring intently at the shattered window pane, as if trying to fix it just by looking at it. His face was unreadable, and he looked like he just wanted to get out of Avengers Tower altogether. Maria didn't speak, and he didn't either. They just stood beside one another, unmoving.

"How do you think she did it?" Percy asked, turning his attention away from the hole in the glass.

Maria had been asking herself that same question since she opened Percy's bedroom door to find it empty. She'd been wondering what kind of security gap Annabeth had exploited. What they would need to patch. At the moment, Maria didn't know. She shook her head.

Percy pulled something out of his pocket, shifting it around in his hands. Maria caught sight of a black, gleaming security pass. Percy held it up for her to see. "She left this. Right by the door. She must've known we could track it." He said, shoving it back into his pocket. Maria was silent for a moment, thinking it over. Even a security pass would've been tracked from within the building. Jarvis would've found her much easier.

"She had help from inside the building. You understand that?" Maria said, speaking for the first time.

Percy nodded, but didn't look surprised. He looked resigned. Tired. Like he needed a really, really good nap. "Yes. I already have a lead." He said, teeth gritted and fists balled. "She'll be back, if I don't do what she wants me to. I need to act fast, or I'll lose whatever advantages she hasn't already taken."

Maria nodded. "So you have a plan?"

Percy shook his head. "No, no. A few loosely set goals and a general idea of what to do." He said, then began to walk towards the door. Tony and Steve watched as they left the room and stalked into the hallway, but said nothing. "But she surprised me. I need to be careful not to be surprised again."

Maria nodded along, feeling a bit confused by what he was saying, but not letting on. She was quiet all the way to the elevator, thinking her words through before she spoke. "The Avengers need you, Percy. Are you sure leaving is the best option?"

Percy shook his head. "I'm never sure about anything. But I need to make things right before I leave, and if I do make things right, I'll have to leave."

"Make things right… And what do you mean by that?" She asked. The elevator began to rise.

"I've been disconnected from my old life for too long, Maria. I need to at least talk to them again."


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