HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

IF YOU CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS, HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS STOCKING STUFFER!

I HONESTLY HAVE VERY LITTLE IDEA OF HOW HANUKKAH, BUT IF YOU CELEBRATE IT THEN HECK YEAH! HAPPY HANUKKAH!

GUYS, IS KWANZAA IN THERE,TOO? I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON. ANYWAYS, WHY AM I SPEAKING IN ALL CAPS? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.

HOLIDAYS! THAT'S WHY!

I DID A LOT OF PRE-WRITING FOR THIS WEEK, AND BASICALLY I'M ALL WRITTEN-OUT. BUT YOU ALL DESERVE IT, BECAUSE YOU ALL WAIT MONTHS FOR THESE UPDATES, AND I KINDA SUCK WHEN IT COMES TO UPDATING. I WANNA MAKE SURE I GET THIS STORY RIGHT, YOU KNOW? I'M GLAD YOU ALL HAVE BEEN SO UNDERSTANDING OF ME.

SO I'M UPDATING ALL OF MY STORIES, AND POSTING THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY D&D STORY. IT'LL BE A (LONG) FOUR-SHOT, SO GET READY FOR THAT, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. THAT'LL PROBABLY BE A ON-GOING, SO YEAH.

NOT ONLY THAT, BUT GUESS WHAT...

I'M UPDATING ON NEW YEARS AS WELL.

YEP.

NOW I'LL BE GETTING INTO SOME OTHER NERDY STUFF, SO IF YOU WANNA SKIP I DON'T BLAME YOU. ROGUE ONE: 10/10. VADER, OF COURSE, WAS A BAD-A. IF ANYONE HAS BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THE MARVEL COMICS, THEY HAVE SOME PRETTY COOL STAR WARS ONES THAT HAVE COME OUT. PERSONALLY, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF THE OLD REPUBLIC STUFF.

ANYONE KNOW WHO ZAYNE CARRICK IS? PM ME IF YOU DO AND WANNA TALK NERDY, PLZ. IT'S NOT LIKE I'M A TOTAL STRANGER OVER THE INTERNET SPEAKING HYSTERICALLY IN ALL CAPS!

(...)

FINAL FANTASY XV! HOLY CRAP, EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS EXPONENTIALLY. THE GAME ITSELF, 10/10. I LOVE THE STORY OF SELF-SACRIFICE AND BROTHERLY LOVE THAT INTERTWINES WITH THE CHARACTERS. AND LUNA... JUST AMAZING.

THEY ALSO RELEASED A MOVIE (KINGSGLAIVE, FFXV) AS WELL, AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH IT I BOUGHT IT ON iTUNES. THE ACTION IS AMAZING, AND WHEN COMBINED WITH THE VIDEO GAME, I MIGHT AS WELL BE WATCHING A MOVIE TRILOGY.

THE REASON ITS A TRILOGY, IN MY BOOK, IS BECAUSE THERE IS ALSO AN ANIME THAT CAME OUT AS WELL. I WATCHED IT ON YOUTUBE, WHICH WAS PROBABLY ILLEGAL, SO DON'T TELL ANYONE (AS I SPELL IT OUT IN ALL CAPS)! THE ANIME ALSO TIES IN, SO SQUARE ENIX JUST... REALLY WENT ALL OUT THIS TIME AROUND. I TRULY TIP MY HAT TO THEM.

ANOTHER THING, GO LISTEN TO FLORENCE + THE MACHINE COVER OF STAND BY ME. I LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH. REALLY ADDED TO THE VIDEO GAME.

IF YOU AREN'T GONNA PLAY IT, CHECK OUT TheRadBrad ON YOUTUBE. HE'S NOT MY FAVORITE GAMING COMMENTATOR, BUT HE DIDN'T DO THAT BAD THIS TIME AROUND.

I JUST SAW FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ON CHRISTMAS EVE WITH MY FAMILY, AND MY FATHER WASN'T DISAPPOINTED (CLOSEST THING TO A COMPLIMENT A MOVIE CAN RECEIVE FROM HIM). I WAS VERY IMPRESSED, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CHARACTERS.

OKAY. NERDY TALK DONE.

ONTO THE STORY!

YOU ALL REQUESTED A LIST OF JOBS EACH AVENGER HAD. I CAN'T GIVE MUCH AWAY, BUT LEMME FILL YOU IN A LITTLE:

WANDA: INTENSE PARKOUR TRAINING (BUT WHY?)

STEVE: VETERAN'S BALL

TONY: BUILDING PERCY SOMETHING

VISION: HELPING WANDA

NATASHA: WATCHING THE GOVERNMENT

SAM: WATCHING THE NEWS

THOR: WATCHING THE GODS

CLINT: WATCHING THE TEAM

JAMES:KEEPING HIMSELF TOGETHER

DISCLAIMER: EVEN THE DISCLAIMER IS BIG! I'M STILL NOT TRYING TO GET COPYRIGHT STRICKEN, SO RICK, THIS CHAPTER IS FOR YOU!


Piper:

Lunch was nice.

Percy explained that he had caught the crabs himself, with the help of Hope. He explained a lot about the small town they were next to: He spoke about the locals, the traditions, the island itself- Piper was almost uneasy, the way he made it sound like paradise.

And, okay, it looked like it as well. She admitted that although it might be cloudy and a bit windy, she actually liked where they were at. It was… nice. Like the lunch. You know, the crab meat Piper couldn't eat and the salad that Hope had made with Percy last minute.

The girl in question had spent the rest of the time between Thalia's accusations and lunch in her room, napping. Percy explained that she hadn't been given the full 'rundown' of each of them- only the good stuff, he had said.

So, obviously Thalia had been completely cut from the story.

Piper, who had at the time been sitting on the couch, put a hand on her stomach in an attempt to quell the sudden rush of what must've been hormones to bring that thought into her head. Sure, she was a coarse individual, but Thalia was a good person.

Percy had been very casual if Thalia ever asked anything. She, of course, had not apologized, but Percy didn't look like he expected one, anyways.

"I don't regret it. Meeting the people that I did, spending so much time with Hope- I'll never be able to regret it." He'd said. Piper believed him.

"So, who is up for thirds?" Percy said, passing around more food. Piper easily accepted another roll when it was passed her way. Nico quickly took a tong-full of steamed asparagus. Jason, however, was the one that had to put all the food down. All of it had ended up at his end of the table, across from Percy.

"You've literally stuffed us, Percy. Seriously, when did you start cooking as a career?" Jason asked, not fooling Piper one bit. She saw him sneak a roll as well.

Percy for his part had been putting more boiled carrots in front of Hope, who didn't seem to mind eating her veggies at all. He paused at the question, although only for a moment. "Mom was always a goddess in the kitchen." He said, not looking away from Hope. She was looking back up at him, though trying to be discreet about it. "I must've… picked up on it, I guess. I never really took it seriously until I was staying with the Bartons." He explained.

"It's delicious." Rachel stated simply, smiling slightly. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I'm sure she'd be proud."

Percy made brief eye contact with everyone around the table. Piper returned it with a small smile. "I appreciate that." He said, looking back at Hope. There was no doubt in Piper's mind he was thinking about himself at her age, picking at his carrots and smiling at Sally the same way that Hope was looking at him. He ran his hands through Hope's curly brown hair, causing her to giggle and swat his hand away.

"Gods, she looks just like her." Piper thought to herself, and a tear unwillingly slipped out of her eye. Hope was definitely her mother's daughter. Brown, curly hair. Warm, brown eyes. A smile that could light up a room shrouded in Nico's mist. Piper quickly wiped the tear away before anyone noticed. Unnoticed by her, electric blue eyes saw the action.

"So how long have you been living up here?" Nico asked, picking at the asparagus he'd just picked up.

Percy's picked his fork back up, stealing a carrot from his sister. She frowned as he popped it in his mouth. "Actually, this isn't my house. Yet." He amended when he saw all their startled expression. "All three of these houses are for rent- fishermen coming up for the salmon spawning in the late summer. I recently made an offer for all three of them." He explained.

Hope took a carrot from her brother's plate. He gave her a hurt look while Piper watched the exchange. Something inside of her chest hurt when she saw it. "All three houses… in Alaska." Grover said, as if he couldn't actually believe what he was hearing. "The land beyond the gods."

"I suppose that's why you chose it." Reyna said, although her voice was low. It matched the tone of the subject she was probing, Piper supposed. Percy simply nodded.

"Unfortunately, yeah. It wasn't my first choice, either, but all in all, it's pretty safe. Compared to other places I thought of…" He trailed off, suddenly taking a big interest in his food.

"Of what?" Thalia asked, the hostility toned down to a minimum. The fact it was still there irked Piper, but the look Thalia received from Hope was enough to make Thalia look down at her own plate.

"Later." Percy said, standing and picking up his now empty plate. Hope stood with him, her own plate raised. "For now, I think I promised all of you cookies." He stated, and all animosity in Hope's eyes disintegrated, replaced with joy at the promise of dessert. Percy and Hope both went around the table collecting plates. Soon, all of them were taking part in cleaning up. It wasn't long before everyone was back at the table with a large plate of blue- oh how she missed the best thing associated with the color -cookies in front of them.

No one hesitated to dig into them. Piper saw Nico stuff three into his mouth at one time. Grover got five.

The moment that the taste touched her lips, Piper felt a rush of emotion overcome her. Because, really- even after only a handful of meetings, Piper loved the woman. Sally Jackson was, truly, a goddess among women. She doubted the woman ever hated. Just hated, in general.

And tasting these cookies was like being right back there, helping mix the dough itself under her careful supervision.

Jason, loudly, might Piper add, moaned as if he'd just had a sip of water in the desert. Grover's eyes rolled back in his head. Even Reyna hummed in appreciation.

Hope laughed loudly, seeing everyone's reactions to the favored dessert of the Jackson family. Piper gave her an ear to ear grin.

Piper was out on the patio, looking out at the water. The sun was casting an orange and pink glow that she couldn't quite place where she'd seen it before, though she was certain she had. Jason stood beside her, both of them appreciating the view, along with each other. It really was pretty, and the few stars that she could see were already brighter than anywhere else she'd been. The scent of pine was intoxicating.

Jason had his arms all the way around his wife, hands resting on her bump. Her hands were above his, completely encasing them. His head rested on her shoulder, his hair tickling her neck. She put her own head against his, leaning back and splitting her weight with him. The sea, only fifty or so yards away, reflected the dying light.

They could both see Percy on the beach, setting up their fire. Hunched over on the sand, they could just see the sparks leaping from his hands. They'd both been skeptical when they'd seen him leaving with flint and steel, but he'd assured them they'd be out there in a few minutes, roasting marshmallows. That had been thirty minutes ago, and now both Reyna and Grover stood beside him, waiting for him to give up. Rachel sat off to the side in one of the many lawn chairs set up for them.

Thalia and Nico were inside, putting the plates from lunch away. They'd all vetoed dinner in exchange for a campfire cookout instead, much to everyone's reluctance. A campfire was special, especially to them. In the end, though, the fact that Percy hadn't been to one with them in years swayed their opinions.

"You ready to go down?" Jason whispered into her ear, running his hand over her stomach. Her shirt, a really frilly red top, bent to his will, his hands messing with the fabric. She rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Gimme just a minute. I still haven't decided where I've seen a sunset like that before." She said, leaning further back into him. His jacket was warm, covering up her arms. He pulled her closer as she did.

When the silence became tense, though, she was pretty sure Jason had just answered her question. She waited a few minutes, however, until his hands stopped moving and his breath became shallow against her skin. She came to the realization only a few seconds after.

"I think I know where I've seen it before." Jason said, and Piper wished she had brought her own jacket. Summer or not, they were still further north than she considered comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt. A chill went up her spine, however, that certainly wasn't from the cold. Her breath hitched.

"Me too." She whispered, and it was all starting to make sense now. At least, it was starting to make sense to her. She wondered if anyone else had guessed it. She half-hoped that they were jumping to conclusions irrationally. That there wasn't any evidence of what he was planning on asking. That he wasn't going to ask anything of them.

Piper looked between the three homes. She saw size, she saw distance. She noted the location, the road, the style… she recognized a lot. She could see how it could be improved upon.

She could see herself spending the rest of her life here.

"It would be safe." Jason admitted into her ear, taking her hands in his. He slid them down her sides, turning her around until they were face to face. "We could have a family. No… distractions."

Piper looked at the three homes, judging them. They were all beautiful… the place was beautiful. "It'd be different." She said nervously. "It'd change everything." She said, thinking of what the repercussions would be.

Before Jason could continue, there was a whoop of excitement from the fire pit as Percy stood back from a small flame. He began piling sticks onto it, making the orange flame grow. Grover and Reyna both picked a seat, beginning the circle that they would all sit in. Jason tugged his wife along, pulling her down the patio steps and onto the grassy path. "Change isn't always bad." He said.

Piper took one last look at the sunset, watching as it touched the mountains across the water from them. There was more pink than orange, now, casting a softer light across the water. The people down by the beach were becoming dark silhouettes. She shivered again, and couldn't decide what had caused it this time.

"It's not always good, either." She warned.

Thor:

Olympus was beautiful, in it's own way, he supposed. At least, compared to Midgard.

But Asgard was better. Not even threatened by the palaces and temples the Greek pantheon offered. Although, he did admit that the newer buildings, although old fashioned, were exquisite. He knew he was being biased, but the Lady Annabeth was by far the his favorite story character.

A true shame, considering she was now an enemy of Perseus. He had assumed, many years before, that the two of them would've lived 'happily ever after,' as the stories went on Midgard. That perhaps they could've surpassed the normal endings heroes usually met, and enjoyed a shared life, like the one he enjoyed with Lady Jane, even if they were only 'dating.'

But, as the old mortal midgardian saying went, 'work hard until your heroes become rivals.' He knew Perseus was a smart man, and would be able to beat the challenges that plagued him. Talking with his old allies, his fellow demigods, would mend bridges that Thor believed needed to be mended. After all, Thor had seen that Perseus was a troubled youth. He was lost, and believed that only he could find the right path for himself. Friends like them would be a good help.

So, as he crossed from the palaces of Asgard and onto the bifrost, he did so with a spring in his step, and a jovial attitude. For the past few days, Thor had instructed Heimdall to keep a close watch on Midgard. Of course, this had been a redundant statement, seeing as Heimdall watched all of the Nine Realms with equal observance, but the gatekeeper had taken the instruction with ease.

Meanwhile, they were also committing somewhat treasonous acts against another pantheon.

"Heimdall! How goes the watch?" Thor said, forcing a smile that he knew the Watcher had seen too many times to count. The being in question did not so much as spare the prince of Asgard a glance.

"Spare your pleasantries, if you would your Highness. I'm afraid that now is not the time for them." He said, large golden eyes staring into the cosmos. It truly was a beautiful view from the entrance to the bifrost. Asgard was very careful about the levels of pollution they released onto their Realm (something he was very grateful for, after visiting Midgard so frequently).

Heimdall's bluntness did nothing to phase him. "Very well then, my friend. How has your assignment progressed since last I spoke with you?" He asked.

Heimdall did glance at him now, giving the prince of Asgard a once-over. The guardian of the Nine Realms sighed. "It is not Asgard's place to spy on her allies." He said, repeating the same phrase that he'd said every day since this assignment had been given to him. Thor knew what he meant. It did, indeed, feel wrong.

But then Odin had placed his endorsement behind the plan that Perseus Jackson had laid out for the Avengers, much to the surprise of both Thor and Heimdall. As Odin had said- "Allies, though they might be, Perseus Jackson has long since earned their loyalty, and by that connection, ours as well."

A very honorable, if not questionable, 'backdoor' around the politics Thor hated so much, and Odin followed so fully.

Thor had been… reluctant, after receiving his instructions over Midgard 'e-mail' of what his friend had wanted from him. Originally, Thor had tried to request an audience with the Olympians themselves, but they had denied his countless outreachings. Heimdall was his final option.

"I do not wish this as well, old friend. But it is imperative that Perseus knows these things, lest his quest fail." Thor replied. It was his own way of justifying what he did for his friend.

Besides, the Olympians were bound to Midgard. Should they ever try to reach past the Earth, they would face the might of outside threats- Asgard included. It would be unwise for the Olympians to object to Asgard's involvement with Midgard's affairs. It was one of the reasons Thor questioned why they did not fight threats he'd had to- the Dark Elves and the guardian.

It had just boiled down to the fact that the Olympians were too old. They did not adapt well enough to the world, nor stick to what made them powerful to begin with. They were simply adrift- paranoid of outside rule and involvement, but not willing to risk themselves.

So Thor didn't feel too bad. Especially since Perseus was his friend.

Heimdall shook his head. "They sit on their thrones, as they did the day before, and the day before that." He said. "Strange still, as they are normally in many places at once. I suppose it is thanks to Perseus that they remain so cooped up." He said.

Thor, as he had done each day since requesting this from Heimdall and receiving reports, frowned at the news. It was against the agreement for them to spy on the Olympians, but that didn't mean Heimdall hadn't caught each of them accidentally- they were not the most subtle of deities.

But to not see them drifting from their thrones… that was most concerning. Even during their hiatus', when Zeus had demanded they stay out of contact with the mortals, Heimdall had caught glimpses of them, which had then been reported to Odin, and Thor as well.

Thor didn't know what to make of it, knowing that the Greek gods sat in their thrones, not causing trouble.

Their business concluded, Thor split from Heimdall, returning back to the streets of Asgard. They had long ago gotten tired of speaking about pointless and trivial topics. Besides, Thor had more pressing matters. Odin had been acting… strange.

Thor shook the thoughts from his head, currently occupied. He had to focus on Perseus. The demigod would need to know this. Who knew what the Olympians might be planning, and what preparations they might be making. Undoubtedly, they knew the son of Poseidon was back, and assumed his return for revenge.

Thor wondered if they were wrong. It was no secret that Perseus was troubled, after the betrayal. And it was no secret that he held ill will towards the gods (though he tried to deny it). Thor just knew, deep down, he would make the right decision. No matter what the right decision might be.

After all, his favorite story hero was just that: a hero. And to Thor, heroes mattered.


SO YES! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED! REMEMBER, I'M UPDATING AGAIN ON NEW YEARS!

READ, REVIEW, FOLLOW, AND FAVORITE!

LHG :)