(Riordan-MCU) The Avengers Chapter 12: Epilogue, a Percy Jackson and the Olympians + Avengers Crossover fanfic

EPILOGUE

Percy walked off into a quiet corner of the tower and then pulled out the phone Stark had loaned him. He quickly dialed in the number and held it up with baited breath. She answered on the first ring.

"Percy?" Annabeth said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yeah, it's me," he said, smiling. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"Gods," she muttered and he could tell she was crying. "You have no idea how good it is to hear yours."

"After everything we've been through, I think I have a pretty good idea," Percy told her and she laughed. He quickly told her what had happened, from the moment they had arrived in the city to when the portal closed.

"Gods," she said again. "I can't believe this is happening. And to us."

"Yeah, the universe really hates us, doesn't it?" Percy said, smirking to himself. But it quickly faded. Sometimes it really did feel that way. He and Annabeth had been through so much already and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. It actually looked like it was going to get worse from here on.

"I'm struggling to wrap my head around this," Annabeth muttered. "Aliens. Actual aliens invading New York. Somehow I can handle gods but not aliens." She sighed deeply. "How bad is it?"

Percy looked out the window and felt his stomach sink and his blood go cold. Every time he looked outside, he swore it was worse than before. Collapsed buildings, blown up streets, spreading fires. And the people, wandering around in a daze of disbelief. Those that could, anyway.

"Do you remember how bad it looked after the Titan War?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, picture that but about a hundred times worse. Still wouldn't do it. At least Kronos wasn't going out of his way to destroy the city. The Chitauri…they actively blasted at everything they could. It was like it was the one thing they had to do, destroy everything around them." He leaned his head against the glass. "The people were spared last time. They were asleep. And now? I…I," he stopped for a moment, composing himself. "So many died Annabeth. We fought as hard as we could and still so many died."

"I know, Percy. I know what you're feeling now. But if you hadn't been there, how many more would have died?"

He smiled a little. She was right. She always was, so he shouldn't be surprised. Even if they had failed to prevent the invasion, they had stopped it. They had saved millions more. But that didn't do much good to those who were already gone.

"I'm just grateful my mom and Paul and Estelle weren't here," he said, closing his eyes to try and blot out the thought of them among the mob of terrified people running for cover before being shot down. "Gods, I don't know what I would have done if-"

"Percy, they weren't," Annabeth reminded him. "Don't dwell on it. They're safe. That's what matters."

Percy nodded, standing up straight. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, it's just…" he sighed. "It's hard sometimes."

"Trust me, I know," she told him. "I just spend the last couple of hours worried about my boyfriend fighting against an alien horde."

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to get caught up in this, but…" he trailed off, not sure what to say next.

"It's fine," she said. "Don't worry."

"So, where are you now?" he asked.

"LaGuardia airports," she replied. "Just got off my flight and now I'm just getting a taxi. Should be there soon."

"Actually, about that," Percy said, hesitating as he talked.

"What?"

"The city's being closed down. They're only letting people out now, and only very carefully. They're not letting people in."

He heard her swear on the other line. "Ok, so then what's the plan?"

"Go to camp," he told her. "I'll be there soon. I'm going to help out here for a while, see what I can do. Just get to camp and let Chiron know what's happening."

He heard her sigh audibly. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'll be fine, Annabeth, promise," Percy said. "I'll see you soon."

"I love you," she told him softly.

"I love you too," he replied and then hung up. He rubbed his eyes as he did, finally feeling the weariness crash onto him. He hadn't slept since the previous night. And there was still too much to do. Time to get to work.

"You ok?"

Percy turned at the voice and saw Steve standing a few yards away. "Yeah, I'm good," he said. "Just, uh…talking to my girlfriend." He held up his phone.

Steve smiled sadly at that. "What's her name?" he asked.

"Annabeth," Percy said. He smiled just thinking about her. "She's…well, she's everything to me. My better half, my rock. I…I honestly don't know who I'd be without her. She's more than my girlfriend even. We've been through so much together that…I don't know how to sum it all up."

"I think you just did," Steve said. He still had this sad look on his face that Percy didn't quite recognize. "Where is she now?"

"Outside the city," Percy replied. "She's heading to…well, a place we know," he said, stumbling as he did. While he did trust Steve, the camp's secret wasn't really his to tell. Steve frowned as he talked, catching the stumble, but he didn't say anything so Percy continued. "I'll meet up with her tonight then come back tomorrow to see Loki off."

"Good," Steve nodded. He then eyed Percy carefully. "But how are you doing?"

Percy frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't mean to, but I overheard your conversation," he said. "What you said about not saving everyone."

"Oh, yeah," Percy turned back to the window. "Well…" he sighed. "I've been in battles before. I've seen people die, friends. Even one in Manhattan that lasted several days. But, there were never any civilian casualties. It was always contained to my world. This…I don't know how to handle this. I've never dealt with this before."

Steve walked up next to him, standing beside him as he too stared out the window. "When I was fighting in the war, it was always really one battle after another. The next mission, the next attack. Always pushing forward against the enemy. We didn't really stop to help repair the damages to civilian areas because we didn't have time. We were always on the march, always preparing for the next assault."

"Offense, never defense," Percy remarked.

Steve smirked at that. "Yeah, that's about it. I've never had to defend my home from an attack before, I was always the attacker. So I never had to deal with the aftermath of it either. Just moved on." He turned to face Percy. "So why don't we go out there and do some good. Face it together."

Percy smiled at that. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

They both turned to walk away, heading back to the stairwells. "So, what's your plan after all this is over?" Steve asked.

"See my girlfriend and my family," Percy replied. "Finish my term at college. Then, just relax for the summer. After this whole mess, I could use it."

"Sounds nice," Steve said. "Good for you."

Percy looked up as he said that, once again seeing the sadness in the man's face. "You ok?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you might want to tell your face that," Percy told him. "You look like someone who just lost their pet."

Steve snorted slightly. "That obvious, huh?"

"Wait, you actually lost a pet?" Percy asked incredulously. "Oh man, this day must just suck for you. I am so sor-"

"No, I didn't lose a pet," Steve stopped him. "I am happy that you get to go back to your girlfriend and your family after this and you have plans going forward. But I have none of that. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do and I have no one to go to."

Percy stared at him for a moment, completely at a loss at what to say. What could one say to someone like this, who had lost everyone and everything he knew and loved. Who now existed in a world that wasn't his? Who had fought a long battle with nothing to go to now that it was done?

"I'm sorry," he said not sure what else to say. "I shouldn't've said all that about my family and my plans and-"

"No, it was fine. It was nice to hear that you have somewhere to go," Steve said kindly.

Percy stared at him for another moment, this man out of time, when it hit him. "You're not alone, you know."

"It's a nice sentiment, Percy, but I don't think the others are what I'd call my friends right now."

"No, not that," Percy said. "I mean, I should've realized it sooner, but you're not the only person taken out of time."

Steve looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I know these people. Nico and Hazel. They're siblings. They're also from the 1940s. Nico, he was taken to a place where time basically stands still. When he got out, 70 years had passed. Then…" Percy paused here, not sure how to explain Hazel's journey since he didn't know how Steve would react to learning about the underworld. "He found Hazel and brought her here too. I think it was harder on her since Nico was kind of conditioned for the twenty-first century beforehand or something, I don't really know. But I know for Hazel it was pretty hard. She really struggled for a while. But now she's made her home here. So, you can too."

Steve had practically gaped at him the entire time he talked to the point where he actually looked like a trout. When Percy stopped talking, he gulped and took a moment to breathe. "You're saying that there are people who have been through what I've been through?" he asked.

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "And I'd be glad to introduce you to them, if you want. Well, I'd have to ask them first of course but I'm sure they will. Hazel will, at least. Nico is a little more aloof…and I'm just rambling now." He stared worriedly at Steve.

Steve was looking past him, almost at nothing, deep in thought. Percy stared at him, unsure of what to do. He was uncomfortable just standing there like that but he didn't want to move his arms since that might make him look impatient. So he just stood there for a few minutes as still as he could, which was literal torture for him as his mind kept noticing little things around him the grabbed his attention and he unconsciously started tapping his finger or foot, his ADHD kicking in.

Steve suddenly started, shaking his head. "Sorry," he said. "I was just…um…lost in thought there for a second. I just…" he shook his head in amazement. "I can't believe someone else went through what I went through. Two people, in fact. I-I don't know what to think or feel right now."

"Well, maybe they can help you get settled here," Percy told him. "I know that they had to find a place for them. And they're happier now then I've ever known them. So, try and find what makes you happy, what you're good at. Start with the small things to make this your home and build up from there. And, if you want to do a proper celebration of surviving an alien invasion, I'm sure my mom would love to have you over for a dinner. If the Chitauri didn't blow up her house, that is. Should probably look into that," he said, glancing back out the window as if he could see her place from there.

"Thank you, Percy," Steve said. "That…that means a lot. And I'd be honored to accept. If your house did survive. And, I would like to meet this Hazel and Nico, if that's possible."

Percy nodded. "I'll make it happen."

"You're a good man, Percy. If one good thing came from all this, I'm glad I met you. I'm glad I met the others too, but I'm especially glad I met you."

Percy felt a warm feeling in his chest as a man he had admired in his childhood praised him. While he hadn't much thought about Captain America since then, a little busy with monsters and gods, he still held that admiration. And now he knew that man was so much better in real life. "Same to you," he said. "Now, let's get back to work." He started walking but a second later his phone started buzzing. He pulled it out and looked at the number on the screen and stopped cold as he recognized it. "Right after I apologize to my mother for not calling her sooner."

"I'll let you handle that," Steve told him, heading out. "See you down there."

"Yep," Percy replied, already bracing himself as he answered the call and held it up to his ear. "Hey mom."

The panicky tirade lasted a few minutes, the section of questioning why Percy hadn't called lasting the longest, but eventually his mom calmed down and said, "well just thank god you're safe."

"Gods, mom," Percy told her. "Plural. That is plural right?"

"After everything they've put you through, I'm putting my faith in the other guy," his mom said.

"Look, I know it was scary to see that on the news and to hear I was here during it but everything is fine. This isn't the worst thing I've handled, remember?"

"Oh, don't remind me," she moaned. "I'm just grateful we weren't there."

"Yeah, so am I. Listen, I'll be staying here for a little longer to help with search and rescue and I'll check on the apartment while I'm at it. Make sure it's not, you know, blown up."

"Ugh," his mom moaned again. "That's the last thing we need. I don't think we're insured for alien invasions."

"Oh, you don't think they're going to cheat people out of their insurance that way do you? What am I saying, they're insurance agents, of course they are. Look, I'll check up on it and let you know. Hopefully everything's fine."

"Alright, honey. Stay safe, please."

"Oh mom, when am I not safe?"

"Don't even joke about that," his mom warned him.

"I promise I'll be safe," he said. "Oh, and I kind of invited Captain America to dinner if our apartment is there. Of course with the city locked down now, it might be difficult anyway. Still, he has no one else to turn to so I thought…"

"Oh, honey that's a great idea."

"Thought you'd like it," Percy smiled. "Ok gotta go now. Love you."

"Love you too," she said and then hung up.

Percy put the phone away and stared out the window and all the destruction and chaos facing him. "Ok. Time to go to work."

"So," Sadie said, "how's it going?"

She could practically hear her uncle's eyes roll as he sighed audibly through the phone. "How am I doing?" he asked. "My niece spends the last couple of hours fighting off an alien army and the only way I can track what's happening is through the newsfeed on my phone on an airplane and she asks me how I'm doing?"

"I was trying to be nice, what can I say," Sadie replied.

Amos chuckled on the other end but she also heard a tiny sob escape him as the pressure of worry was relieved. Sadie's smile faded. She could barely imagine what he had been going through, waiting to hear her call back. She wondered how many other calls there were for all the people of Manhattan, all those other friends or family members waiting to hear from their loved ones to know if they were ok. She wondered how many would go unanswered.

"I'm fine, Uncle Amos," she told him. "I've been through worse, we both know that."

"Yeah and that makes it so much worse," he replied. "Tell me what happened."

Sadie quickly filled him in. "Look, I need you to get all available magicians here. Help clean up this mess. The portals should be working again now that the Tesseract is powered down."

"On it," Amos promised. "But first, I have a young man sitting next to me who is quite anxious to talk to you."

Sadie felt her heart go thump and her mouth went dry but she managed to say, "put him on."

A few seconds later, she heard, "Sadie?" and she nearly collapsed right there. It didn't hit her until just then how bad it had been. Almost as bad as Apophis. And in the middle of it all, she hadn't allowed herself too much time to dwell on whether or not she'd make it, just on fighting on. But when she heard Walt's voice, it all just washed over her. All the stress, the pressure, the fear, everything. How close she had come to dying. And she'd had none of her friends, her family, the people she relied on the most, anywhere near her.

"Hey," she said softly, struggling to hold in all her emotions. She cried softly and smiled. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"Right back at you," Walt replied, his voice shaky. "Are you ok?"

Sadie chuckled. "Yeah, I'm ok. It's over now." She leaned heavily against the wall. "Wish you were here right now."

"I'll be there in a couple of hours, I promise," he told her.

"Go to Brooklyn House," she said. "I'll meet you there. The city's on lockdown right now so it's practically impossible to get in."

"Ok," he replied. Then, softer, "I love you."

She let out a deep breath. "I love you too."

A few seconds later, Amos was back on the phone. "Sorry to interrupt that," he said, "but I was beginning to get uncomfortable."

Sadie laughed. "Sorry, Uncle."

"No need. You just survived an invasion. I just wanted to let you know we finally tracked down Carter and Zia."

Sadie perked up. "Really? Where are they?"

"On their way here now. Apparently they came under attack from some fire demons and it took a while to dispel them."

Sadie gave off another sigh of relief. At least there was an explanation for why Carter had been gone for so long. She was still going to punch him when she saw him for letting it happen to him in the first place. He deserved that much.

"Ok, I'll see you soon," she said and then hung up. She leaned against the wall and just stood there for a few moments. She thought she was done with all of this. She had saved the world when she was 13 and it had nearly cost her everything. Now, a few years later, she was thrown into another world-ending threat. And she had helped stop it again. She just wondered what else was coming her way. What else would she have to face in her lifetime?

Sam looked out the window of Stark Tower at the city, all the destruction from the battle. Smoke still rising up the skyline, fires still blazing, people still scrambling around in a panic. This…she wasn't prepared for any of this. Throughout her entire career as a Valkyrie, she had managed to avoid causing mass panic since mortals only saw what they wanted to see. Now, that illusion was shattered. The world was forever changed. She was changed too. When she first learned about who she was, she had almost had a mental breakdown. She was a devout Muslim, a true believer in Allah. And yet, pagan gods existed and one was her dad. But she had accepted it eventually. Then Magnus revealed the Greeks existed and the Egyptians came after that. Then, this weekend, she learned there were other Norse gods as well as aliens. And scientists who turned into enormous green rage monsters. And super soldiers from the second world war. And men who could build an iron suit that was a living weapon. She had had to expand her mind so much to comprehend it all and fit it into her worldview. But it was a lot. And if it was a lot for her, she wondered how the public would handle it if they ever realized how much they truly didn't know was out there.

She sighed and pressed her forehead against the glass. All that destruction and chaos out there. She couldn't help but feel responsible for it. If she had just stopped Loki before, not let her anger get the best of her, not underestimated him, then he would still be in that cell and none of this would have happened. This city would still be standing.

Tap tap.

Sam jumped, startled out of her thoughts when she saw the raven at the window, tapping the glass. Her eyes widened, knowing what it meant. She quickly looked around and, not seeing any unlockable window, hefted her axe and smashed through the glass. The raven cawed once then flapped its way in. As it did, a single feather dropped from its plumage and landed in Sam's hand. And instantly, her mind was elsewhere.

"Thor!"

The god looked over as Sam approached, Loki still beside him. They were in the lobby now, with armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents all around. Tony was talking to some people in business suits and one older man was on the phone. Judging from his expression, it wasn't a good conversation.

Sadie was also there, walking up as Sam approached.

"Whoa!" Sam said, seeing a crater in the wall. "How did that happen?"

"Apparently the Hulk doesn't like stairs," Sadie told her dryly. "He's calming down now with some food." He nodded over to the other end of the lobby where the green goliath was chowing down through all the hot dogs in a cart.

"Ok," Sam blinked before turning back to Thor. "I just received word from my Odin." She looked over at Loki. "Apparently your Odin and mine worked out a deal. Since Loki here technically didn't attack any of the Aesir or their compatriots and didn't go into any of their lands, we are willing to let him go."

"Ah, wonderful," Thor grinned and nodded. "I would have hated to battle you to claim him, honored Valkyrie."

"Dream on, big guy. I would have creamed you." She hesitated then. She had to admit, out of all the gods she'd met, this Thor was one of the better ones. "However, I will admit it was an honor to fight beside you, Thor Odinson. You are actually better than my Thor. He's more bluster and brag than actual action."

She could see Loki roll his eyes dramatically but either Thor didn't see it or chose to ignore it. "Thank you, Samirah of the Valkyries. It was an honor as well to fight alongside you against my brother."

"One other thing." She turned to face Loki now, glaring hard. "If he ever does come back, my Odin has promised to unleash all his power to destroy you. No matter what. So make sure he stays in your Asgard."

"Do not worry, we will keep him well contained," Thor promised.

It was hard to tell if Loki was smirking with that muzzle on, but he definitely winked at her and that was the last straw. Sam stared at him a moment before turning as if to leave. Then she quickly twisted back around, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and punched him hard in the face, knocking him back.

"Make sure you remember that next time you threaten my world," she said as Loki groaned.

Thor laughed and clapped Sam on the shoulder, nearly dislocating her shoulder. "Well said. Now, if Stark is finished here, let's go to this place of shawarma he spoke of."

"This place of what?" Sam asked with an eyebrow raised.

After a long and tedious lunch, that honestly seemed like a waste of time to Sam, she began to make plans to return to Boston. Odin had promised one of his steeds would be arriving the next day. She'd be staying long enough to see Thor and Loki go back to Asgard in the morning before heading home. Jid and Bibi both thought she was staying over at a friend's place for the weekend so that was at least something off her plate. She had been texting them, letting them know she was alright.

"There you are."

Sam turned to see Sadie and Percy standing a few feet away. "What's going on?"

"Well, Percy and I were talking and considering how the three of us became involved in this and since we're all from different pantheons," Sadie shrugged, "maybe we should stay in touch. You know, just in case something else happens."

Sam briefly thought about it. It wasn't a terrible suggestion. It did make sense to form some communication. But, she did feel a sense of unease about this. These pantheons of gods had remained separate from one another for a reason. To start mixing them up now was…dangerous. Maybe too dangerous.

"Look, this was more of a one-time thing," she said.

"Yeah, but just because it happens once doesn't mean it can't happen again," Percy replied. "Sadie and I had to team up when this crazy Elvis dude started tearing Egyptian and Greek magic apart."

Sam frowned at that, but decided not to ask. "I just think that maybe it's for the best if we to our own worlds for now."

"Look, I get it," Sadie told her. "Mixing up our different…things may not be the best idea. But we did it now and nothing bad happened."

"True," Sam agreed. "But that doesn't mean it won't happen next time. Look, for now I think we should keep our worlds separate. For now," she emphasized. "But, you're right that something like this could happen again. So," she shrugged, "here." She gave them her number. "If there's another situation like this, call me and I'll see what I can do. But let's try not to make this a habit. The gods keep to themselves for a reason. I don't want to find out what that reason is."

Percy and Sadie both nodded, though Sadie looked a little disappointed. "I guess that's true," she admitted. "Still, it's good to know you guys are out there. Means I don't have to worry about world-ending threats from your end. You know, since I know you'll stop i-"

"Yeah we know," Sam interrupted. "Thanks."

"Well, I don't know about that," Percy said, looking down. "I kinda retired from the saving-the-world game. This," he twirled a finger around, gesturing to the whole Avengers thing, "was just because they asked for my help. I'm not making a reoccurring thing here. I want to live my life outside of constant fighting."

"Yeah, it's why I'm technically not a Valkyrie," Sam said. "I do occasional missions for Odin, but I'm not really involved anymore."

"Oh come on, now I have to worry about world-ending threats from your worlds," Sadie complained. "I only really trust you guys, since I haven't met anyone else."

"Well," Percy told her, smiling, "you can trust that there are plenty of other heroes working on it. Friends of mine. No world-ending threats from my end."

"Or mine," Sam added. "Look, just keep in touch in case of emergency missions. Otherwise, let's keep to ourselves."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Percy nodded.

Sam turned to go and then stopped. She sighed softly before turning back. "I do have to say that it was an honor to fight alongside both of you. Sadie's right. With people like you around, I don't really have to worry the world ending."

"Same," Percy nodded, smiling. "Magnus told me a lot about you and it's cool to see that he wasn't exaggerating."

Sam smiled back, blushing a little at hearing her friend's praise. "You're not too bad yourself

"Yeah, we're all pretty awesome," Sadie agreed. "And apparently the press is raving about us. They started calling me the Sorceress." She bobbed her head smugly. "I accept."

Percy smirked and Sam stifled a laugh. "What's the deal with codenames anyway?" Sam asked.

"Keeps our identities secret," Percy replied. "Or at least keeps my family out of the spotlight. Fury already agreed to help scrub my identity from the internet but no one really knows me anyway and my family already knows everything."

Sam thought about that. She had kept her hijab up so her face had been hidden. Her identity should be safe as well. She definitely didn't need Jid and Bibi looking at the television and seeing their granddaughter battling aliens. Maybe these codenames wasn't such a silly thing after all. She briefly wondered how they'd react to finding out and felt a twinge of jealously that Percy could be open with his family. She wished she had that kind of relationship with hers. But at least she had Amir.

"What are they calling me?" Percy asked.

"I think it's Aquaboy," Sadie replied and Sam was barely able to contain her laugh this time at how quickly the smile fell from Percy's face.

"Boy?" he questioned. "Not even man? Just boy? What the hell! Besides, I'm nothing like Aquaman. He can't control water. That was Mera, his wife."

Sam frowned. "Why would you know that?"

Percy looked down. "I may have picked up a comic when I first got powers for…research."

"What about a marine biology book?"

"I tried that too but I have dyslexia so readings not really my thing. The comic was easier, if dumber." He growled. "Going to have to correct them on that name."

"So, just for clarity, you don't have any of Aquaman's powers?" Sadie checked. "You can't talk to sea animals?"

Percy pursed his lips. "Ok, I can do that," he admitted. "But I still also command all the water around me, so I'm already way above Aquaman's league."

"Yeah, seems like you're a combo of Aquaman and this Mera." Sadie suddenly snapped her fingers. "You're Aquamera."

"Yes," Sam agreed jokingly. "Aquamera."

Percy let out a long-suffering sigh. "That's definitely not going away," he muttered.

"Ok, but seriously, what are you going to change it to?" Sam asked. "You have to have a good option or else Aquaboy will stick."

Percy seemed to think for a second before he looked down at something in his hand and smiled. "Riptide," he said.

Sam nodded to herself. Not bad. "Good choice," she said.

"Thanks." He looked over at her. "And what about you? I mean, if you want one."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I've got people to protect who I definitely don't want knowing my secret other life." They would usually forget, like with Loki's visit last year to announce her marriage to the giant Thrym (shudder). But since the gods had lifted the veil a little on some of the mortal's eyes and since this was not Norse magic but an actual alien invasion, she didn't know if it would work this time and she wasn't going to chance it.

"So?" Sadie pressed. "How about Shapeshifter. You know, cause…" she gestured at Sam. "You shapeshift."

"Yes I got that," Sam nodded. "But no. I have mine. My last name, al-Abbas, means of the lion."

"Ooh, Lion," Percy said.

"Lioness," Sam corrected. "The Lioness."

Percy emerged from the waters of Long Island Sound, his clothes instantly drying as he did so. One of the perks of being Poseidon's son.

It had been a long day, but a fruitful one. He had helped clean up all the damage done to the city and had taken all the alien ships out of the East River as well as a whole bunch of trash he snuck on board the ships as he lifted them up (part of his recompense to the angry river god for dumping a bunch of alien metal into his river). And it turned out his apartment had made it through so that was something to be thankful for.

Still, he could see the images in his head of the collapsed buildings, of the people looking for their loved ones with only around half being successful. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape the feeling that somehow he had failed them. He kept thinking back to all the other ways he might have been able to stop Loki sooner, but that didn't change anything. He couldn't go back and fix it. He just had to deal with that, as hard as it was to do that.

He sighed and then focused in as he entered Camp Half-Blood, a smile crossing his face as he did. No matter where he was, this would always be the place he truly felt at home. The place where he discovered who he really was, had met his friends and the love of his life. His eyes drank in the sights of the climbing wall, the amphitheater, the strawberry farms, the woods with the sounds of monsters roaming around, the Big House, the sword-fighting arena, and of course the row of cabins where all the children of the gods slept. Twenty in total, but room for more.

But as he walked, his senses began to pick up on the atmosphere. It was still May, so only the year-rounders were here and there weren't many of them anyway. Percy recognized some campers here and there, others looking brand new. He saw the satyrs and dryads roaming around, keeping busy. But as he passed, he saw them looking at him. Watching him as he walked on. They knew what had happened. They just weren't sure what it meant yet. And frankly, neither was Percy.

He forgot all that though as the best sight of all appeared to him. Annabeth, leaning on the porch of the Big House, waiting for him, the sunset creating a halo around her that made her look even more like an angel. He grinned and broke into a run, racing up the last stretch and up the steps directly into her arms. And before either of them knew it, their lips locked and nothing else mattered.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, or maybe longer since Percy wasn't keeping track. After getting involved in yet another world-ending threat, he just wanted to lose himself in this perfect moment. He even picked her up and held her at one point.

When they finally pulled up for air, neither one let go of the other. "Hey," Percy said softly, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Hey," she replied.

"So, were you worried?" he asked.

"Nah," she replied. "I knew you'd be ok."

"Oh yeah?" Percy raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know that?"

"Because if you weren't, I would have dropped down into the underworld and kicked your butt for leaving me."

Percy grinned. "Yeah. When all those aliens were shooting at me and all the buildings were collapsing, all I could think of was that I couldn't die because then Annabeth would get mad."

"Damn right," she said and then pulled him down again. He once again lost himself in the moment until he heard an awkward, "ahem."

They both stopped and turned to see Chiron in wheelchair form sitting a few feet away looking slightly embarrassed. "Ah, if you two are done," he said and both Percy's and Annabeth's faces flushed red, "perhaps we can converse inside."

"Yes," Percy nodded. "Let's do that."

They went on through and sat around the living room where Seymour the living leopard head snored on the wall. The thing always gave Percy the heebie-jeebies since it ate all the time and yet no one ever knew where the food went.

"Now, my boy," Chiron said as they settled down, "if you could tell the whole story."

Percy did, from when he received the phone call from Hill in New Rome to them capturing Loki in the Stark Tower. Chiron already knew about Fury, Percy having told him of the meetings earlier. And there wasn't much else that surprised him. He raised an eyebrow when Percy explained how there were two versions of Norse gods running around. He blinked when Percy told him about Zeus's decision to lift the Mist on the Avengers. And he sniffed at the description of the Hulk.

"You're taking this all far better than I did," Percy told him once he was done.

"Well, I have lived far longer than you have," Chiron replied. "You'd be surprised at the sorts of things I've seen."

"So what's our next move?" Annabeth asked. "I mean, these people know about us now. They know we exist."

"Yeah, and I think Fury has something to say about that," Percy said. "He wasn't altogether thrilled when he learned about us."

"Hmmm…" Chiron stroked his chin, looking down. He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "This is unprecedented," he said. "I don't quite know what the gods were thinking when they made this decision."

"Poseidon said it was based on something the Fates saw," Percy told him.

"Well, that might explain a few things. Still, it has put us in a precarious position. Humans are a suspicious race, untrustworthy of that which they do not understand." He looked up at Percy. "We saw that when the Greeks and Romans nearly went to war simply because they worshipped different versions of the gods."

"Wouldn't say I worship the gods, but I see your point." Percy leaned back, sighing. "So what are we going to do?"

"Based on what you said, it seems that this Nick Fury is perhaps more negotiable than his superiors."

"Given that he tried to stop their nuclear strike on Manhattan, I'd say that's a yes," Percy said.

Annabeth scoffed. "Terrible planning," she muttered.

"Then we will meet with him," Chiron said simply. "Explain our world as much as we can, alleviate his fears, and see if can work together in the future. With him, specifically," he added.

Percy nodded. "That seems like a good plan." He moved to get up but Chiron held up his hand, stopping him.

"One more moment, Percy," he said. "There is something else we must discuss."

"Ok," Percy said as he sat back down, confused.

Chiron pursed his lips, as if attempting to come up with the words to say. "This…" he started, and then paused again. "These interactions with the other pantheons is worrying."

Percy frowned. "By pantheons you mean the Egyptians and Norse?"

"Yes," Chiron nodded.

"Well why is that worrying? Sadie, Sam, and I worked great together as a team."

"Percy," Chiron said, looking at him closely. "The gods do not interact for a reason. Each pantheon wields a variation of the ancient magic that sustains them. When they come into contact, the result is almost always…explosive."

"How so?" Annabeth asked. "I mean, we've worked with Sadie and Carter before and nothing bad happened. And I helped my cousin Magnus out a little."

Chiron sighed. "Yes, because in those instances the right people were interacting. I believe if anyone other than Percy hosted the vulture goddess to stop this Setne, the plan would have failed utterly."

"Huh," Percy mumbled. He didn't know what to make of that. "Well that's something."

"I waived aside my concerns before because I hoped they were isolated incidents. With Setne, he used a mixture of Greek and Egyptian magic which meant that it required the same mixture to undo it, which you did. And in the case of Magnus Chase, you did not get involved in his world, merely offered advice and training. Thus I believed that that would be it. But now, the three pantheons have converged once more in an incident that did not involve them."

"What?" Percy questioned. "How did it not involve us? It had a god trying to take over the world."

"Yes, but he was not of our world," Chiron reminded him. "Him and his kind are more linked to the mortal sphere than the godly one."

"How does that even work?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron sighed. "It is a complicated matter," he said. "One even I do not fully understand. What I can say is that those gods, while still possessing godly magic and abilities, are still in all essence mortal beings. They are born, they live, and eventually die. Our gods live and breathe magic, albeit in different ways, and thus are immortal."

Annabeth still seemed confused but she let it pass. Percy was lost almost as soon as Chiron started talking but he got the gist of it.

"Alright, fascinating stuff, but let's get back to the matter at hand," he said. "Why are you so worried about us interacting? Sam was the same way, thinking that just us hanging around together would cause some sort of catastrophe."

"Like what happened with Romans and Greeks?" Chiron said almost innocently.

Percy stopped, thinking on that. "Ok, fair point."

"That is exactly my point. The Greeks and Romans share the same pantheons except with some variations. And that was enough for them to go to war with one another whenever they crossed paths."

"But that's over now," Percy said. "We fixed the divide and now we're all friends."

"After nearly going to war again and utterly destroying one another," Annabeth added.

Percy glared at her. "Not helping."

"Yes, that is true. And unprecedented. But, as Annabeth said," Chiron nodded at her, "it very nearly came to disaster. It was only thanks to very cool heads prevailing as well as the common enemy of Gaea emerging. And the Romans and Greeks, as I said, worship the same gods. With the others, there are no commonalities. The magic is too different, the worlds too different. To continue to interact is a very dangerous idea."

Percy sighed. He could see Chiron's point of view. Yeah, so the Romans and Greeks had nearly wiped each other out, but they had managed to fix it and were now better than ever because of it. And Percy had hung out with Egyptian and Norse heroes before, fought alongside them. He understood that they should proceed carefully, but to not do it at all felt wrong to him. These pantheons existed, and while the last thing he wanted was more trouble in his life, to continue to ignore them seemed like a mistake.

Percy leaned in closer. "Chiron, the way you say all this…have the gods interacted before?"

Chiron shook his head. "No. So no one really knows what might happen if they do. But they are gods, and they do not like sharing."

Annabeth snorted. "That's an understatement. I can just imagine Aphrodite and Freya attacking each other with beauty products." She saw Percy's look of confusion. "Norse goddess of love," she told him.

"Ah," he nodded. "Yeah, so we get why the gods shouldn't interact. But the heroes might. I mean, I did share a body with an Egyptian goddess. It's not something I ever want to repeat, but I did it." He sighed. "Look, Chiron, I know it's a dangerous idea. But honestly, do you really think it's a coincidence that me, Sadie, and Sam arrived in the same place at the same time? Heroes of three completely different pantheons arrived to stop a cosmic being calling himself a god and teamed up with each other and a bunch of super-powered mortals to do it? Cause that's one hell of a coincidence."

Chiron mused on this, still looking dubious.

"I'm not saying that I'm going to start working with them full-time. Heck, we're only getting back together tomorrow to see Loki off and then we're all going our separate ways. And we have no plans to meet up again. But…" he hesitated, trying to think of the right way to say what he was thinking. He turned to Annabeth and she helped him out.

"Chiron," she said slowly. "Don't you think it's odd that in the last few years, there have been several different world-ending threats? The Titan War, the Giant War, the Rise of the Emperors. Then the Apophis rise with the Egyptians and the close instances my cousin came to Ragnarok. Not to mention Setne nearly ripping Greek and Egyptian magic apart when he tried to become a god. Now this invasion by Loki and the Chitauri? It just…" she paused here, collecting her thoughts for a moment. "It feels like a plan. Like someone is building to something bigger and we're just not seeing it. Like we're the pieces on a chessboard. Someone makes a move to end the world and someone moves the pieces to thwart it."

Percy frowned, confused. "Wait, it's two people now?"

"I…I don't know," Annabeth said, her brow furrowing in concentration. "Look, what I'm saying is that I agree with Percy. Maybe it is a little dangerous to keep interacting with these other gods and their heroes. But maybe it won't. Maybe it can help us in the long run. I don't know. Right now, I say we take it slow and see how it goes. If another threat comes that needs all three again, we'll be ready. But if it doesn't, and we all hope it doesn't, then problem solved."

Percy nodded in agreement. Chiron looked at the two of them, his eyes moving back and forth before he sighed and leaned back. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But I do trust your judgment. And the gods must have allowed this for a reason. So yes, we will take this slow and hopefully nothing comes from it."

Percy nodded, but inside he kind of hoped a little. Working with Sam and Sadie had been nice, and he enjoyed working with Magnus and Alex and Carter before. He wouldn't mind doing it again.

"Now, one last thing," Chiron said, leaning forward in his wheelchair again. "Tell me more of these Avengers."

"Uh…ok," Percy said, a little confused. He described them all and as he did, he saw Chiron's eyes continue to narrow in concentration. When he was done, the centaur leaned back, deep in thought. "What is it?" Percy asked.

"This is also unprecedented," Chiron told him. "There have been, of course, a scattering of heroes throughout the ages without any godly blood in them. Jason of the Argonauts, for one…" he trailed off as a sadness settled over them at the name. It still felt too raw, too soon. Chiron blinked for a second and then recovered. "There have been several. But ones like this? At once?"

Percy nodded. He had gotten that same feeling looking at them all.

"A man who made a weapon as mighty as the works of Hephaestus. A man with the strength and skill to fight as well as any child of Ares. A man with the skill of a bow to rival that of a child of Apollo. A woman who, as you say, can fight as well as any of our heroes or better. And, of course, the scientist who can transform into a monster of enormous strength and power." Chiron let out a deep breath. "You say this Nick Fury wishes to keep an eye on us. Well, I say we must also keep an eye on these heroes."

Percy frowned. "Why? They did help save the world."

"Yes. But heroes can lose their way. And where there are heroes, there may also be villains to oppose them with the same strength and power. All of your experiences tell me that the mortal and immortal worlds are colliding more and more, and we must be ready because of it. We have no idea what the future may hold, so we must prepare for everything." He nodded to himself. "I will present this to the gods, although most they are probably aware of already. And of course we must share it with Frank and Hazel. But other than that, we should keep this contained, not let many others aware."

"But…Chiron, it was kind of on the news," Percy said. "We can't hide something that big from the others. I mean, people were staring at me as I came in."

"They were not truly aware. They knew your presence meant something and they were aware something was happening in New York, but you forget we do not actually have a television here for them to view. I will take care of it," Chiron promised.

"Alright," Percy nodded.

"How about the mortals?" Annabeth asked. "I mean, I saw you on the news pulling those alien ships into the river. They filmed that."

"Yeah, but I mean, people are so far taking it as some kind of weird tech or that I'm just a cousin of Thor right now," Percy told her. "I heard Atlantean thrown around as well so we're good on that front."

"But how did they anyway?" Annabeth pressed. "The Mist should have shown them what their brains could comprehend."

Chiron coughed. "I believe in this instance, with an alien invasion, their minds were already blown open so Percy's powers were not that much of a stretch."

"Hey, speaking of which, have you ever known about aliens?" Percy asked, curious.

Chiron shifted slightly, frowning in concentration. "I heard rumors among the immortals of other worlds out there. But the gods did not follow up on them, preferring to concern themselves with Earth and their own realms. I was not prepared for an event of this magnitude however."

"Hmm," Annabeth seemed lost in thought, tapping her finger. Percy could tell she was in planning mode. For what, he had no idea.

"Alright, well it's been a pretty long day," he said, standing up. "I think I'll go to my cabin and get some sleep."

"Yes, of course," Chiron nodded, showing them out. "Sorry to keep you. And Percy?" Percy stopped turning back to him. "Good work today," he said. "Not many heroes could have accomplished what you did."

Percy smiled. "It wasn't all me," he reminded his teacher.

"No," Chiron agreed. "But you still played a role in it. And you saved countless lives."

Percy's smile faded slightly, thinking of the ones he hadn't been able to save. But he didn't dwell on that. He nodded one more time then walked out with Annabeth, leaving the Big House and heading towards the row of cabins.

"So what are you thinking about?" he asked when they were halfway there.

Annabeth sighed. "Why now?" she replied. "Why did the aliens attack now and not before?"

Percy tilted his head. "Well, I think it has something to do with Loki. According to Thor's report on him, he never had a reason to do it until now. Something about learning his true heritage or something, I don't know. Thor wasn't super talkative about it and I wasn't totally listening."

"Gods, Percy, you are hopeless," Annabeth shook her head.

"But you love me."

She gave him an endearing smile. "Somehow, I do." She turned back to the cabins. "But where did this army come from?"

Percy shrugged. "Don't know. Don't think Thor does either. I think Loki struck a bargain or something for them."

"Hmmm," Annabeth said again. "I don't like this. Everything feels unclear. Like it was wrapped up so quickly and we're too happy about it to question it."

"Oh trust me, I'm questioning it," Percy said. Annabeth gave him a look and he relented. "Ok, so I'm not really questioning it. But I am now. Which is why I have you."

"Lucky me," she said wryly, but still gave him another smile. "I'll do some digging of my own. See what I can find out. Don't expect to learn anything of course, but maybe I'll get lucky."

They stopped as they arrived outside Cabin Six. Percy pulled her in close and just held her for a moment, both of them enveloping the other in their warmth.

"I'm sorry," he told her after a minute. "About all of this. I didn't mean to have to start saving the world again. It just sort of happened. And-"

"Shh," Annabeth said, holding up a finger. "I get it. If I were in the same shoes, I would have done the exact same thing. Which brings me to my next point. I think you need to keep doing it."

Percy's eyebrows shot up. "What?" he asked. "What about us living the rest of our lives in peace? Going to college and then settling down somewhere?"

"We can still try that, but Percy I don't think we were being realistic. And you and I both knew that."

Percy sighed, nodding. She was right. Even when they had said it to each other, he hadn't believed it would last.

"Something always comes. Some danger we have to face. It's not fair and it's not right but it's our life. At least, we can try and face it together. So, keep in touch with these people. Work with them. Maybe, with their help, we can help make sure this doesn't keep happening. And maybe, in the long run, we can all help one another."

Percy frowned at that, wondering where she was going, but she shook her head as if to push those thoughts aside. "I don't know if this is a one-time event," she continued. "But my gut tells me it's not. And I want to be as prepared as possible for the next thing. Don't you?"

"Absolutely," he nodded. "And I don't have to work with them alone. I'm sure there's an open invitation for others to join. Like a badass warrior and expert strategist with kind of a thing for bad boys." He wiggled his eyebrows at that last bit.

Annabeth laughed and shoved him lightly. "Maybe," she said, thinking about it. "We'll see. But for now, let's stick with you. Ok?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "Fine with me. But how about, for right now, we stop worrying about the future and just focus on what's happening right now."

"Oh yeah?" she asked suggestively. "And what is happening right now?"

"This," he said and then pulled her close into another deep kiss. And all his fears and worries just melted away.

After some lunch with the rest of the team and a brief talk with Sam and Percy, Sadie took off over the city skyline, heading for Brooklyn House. It had been a simple matter of retrieving one of her backup staffs she kept in her own storage space in the Duat. Now, she smiled as she felt the cool air waft over her. For a few moments, she just let her mind go blank, not thinking or feeling anything at all. Just letting herself go.

Of course, it was quickly derailed by the smell of smoke and the sounds of sirens. She reopened her eyes and looked out over the city, over all the people whose lives had been changed by the alien invasion, ruined by or it or even ended by it. Sadie knew about consequences. Her mother had given her life to free Bast and stop Apophis. Then her dad gave up his life to become Osiris. Desjardins, a man she didn't really like but did respect had died to buy them time to stop Apophis. And so many good magicians had died during Apophis's rise. She still remembered the craters in Dallas. But not civilians. They had always managed to limit civilian casualties, protected the people from the threats of their world. Here, she couldn't do that. There had been no way to do that. And now it was Dallas except a hundred times worse. A thousand, actually. And there was nothing she could do to help them. She was one of the most powerful magicians in the world and there was nothing she could do for them. Not now.

Brooklyn House appeared on the horizon and she head straight for it, glad to be rid of her thoughts for a moment. She saw the griffin roost on the roof and Freak chomping away at some turkeys. She smiled. A sure sign that Carter and Zia had arrived since they had taken the demented hummingbird with them.

She saw the pool with Philip of Macedonia lounging inside alongside his not-so-small companion that Carter had picked up in his first adventure with Percy almost two years ago. She saw the balcony where they ate their meals. And she saw her friends and family waiting for her at the roof doorway.

Sadie came in for a soft landing and then slid off her kite, turning it back into a staff. She had barely finished before Walt ran over and wrapped her in a huge hug which she practically melted into. She closed her eyes and hugged him back, finally letting the stress of the last few days she hadn't even known she'd been holding onto fade away.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just hold me," she replied. "And I will be."

They stayed like that for a few minutes until someone coughed next to them and they finally let go of each other. Carter stood there, looking uncomfortable. "Sorry," he said. "But…" he trailed off, clearly not sure how to finish.

"It's fine," Sadie replied, walking over and pulling him into a hug as well, though much shorter. Then, when she pulled away, she immediately turned and slugged him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he cried out, stepping back for. "What was that for?"

"That was for leaving me to fend off an alien invasion!" she replied.

"It wasn't my fault," he protested. "Zia and I got attacked by fire demons."

"And it took you two days to deal with them?" Sam questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Carter suddenly turned a little sheepish. "Well…" he said, not looking her in the eye, "they sort of attacked this morning."

"And yesterday?"

"Well…"

"Stop doing that," Sadie said.

"Look, Sadie, we're sorry," Zia interjected. "Carter and I both stayed away from all communications. We needed a break for a little while. We were going to check first thing this morning but then the fire demons came. It was…" she sighed and looked at Carter, both looking embarrassed. "A mistake," she finished. "We just wanted some alone time."

Sadie switched between them for a minute before backing away. "It's fine," she told them. "I was just giving you guys grief. I understand. Still, would have been nice to have you by my side back there."

"I know," Carter nodded. "I'm really sorry."

"Perhaps we should take this inside," Amos said, stepping forward. "And Sadie can tell us everything."

A few minutes later, sitting at the table with a good cup of tea in her hands, Sadie told them everything, from her first investigation in Nevada to the closing of the portal. Most of it they already knew from Amos, but others still surprised them.

"Wow," Carter muttered. "So, these Avengers? We can trust them?"

"Yeah, I think so," Sadie replied. "They seem like good people. And I certainly trust them more than I trust S.H.I.E.L.D. right now."

"Speaking of, what are we going to do about this Tesseract?" Zia asked. "We can't leave it in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands."

"We're not," Sadie said. "Thor's taking it with him. Tomorrow, he and Loki are heading back to Asgard with it."

"Good," Walt said. He had a dark look on his face, staring at the table. "That thing is too powerful to be in their hands."

Sadie frowned at him. Sometimes she forgot that her boyfriend was technically sharing the body of a god but it might come in handy right now. "Walt, what is Anubis saying?" she asked.

"Not much," Walt replied. "He doesn't know much about it. None of the gods do."

"Yeah, that's what Izzie said," Sadie muttered.

"All I do know is that they're glad it's leaving," he continued. "They're afraid of it."

Amos grunted. "They're afraid because it might destroy them," he interpreted. "If that power wasn't so dangerous, I wouldn't mind having it."

They all thought about that for a moment. They'd each fought darker gods as well as the embodiment of Chaos itself and nearly died each time. Sadie couldn't help but wonder if maybe they had the power, it would make their job easier in containing those gods. But of course, there weren't only dark gods. Sadie knew plenty of good ones as well as a few that were noble if not good. Thor was right. Trying to use this power would only provoke and threaten them. Right now, magicians and gods had a truce and they couldn't risk disrupting it.

"What about the other energy, the mental one?" Amos asked.

"The scepter, yeah," Sadie nodded. "I took a look at it but didn't really get anywhere. The thing was immune to my magic. But I'm not getting the same sense of energy I get from the Tesseract. If it is one of the items Izzie talked about, then either the power inside is dormant or the scepter just harnesses the power and the real item is somewhere else. I don't know. I think it's Asgardian," she added. "Thor will probably take it as well."

"Good," Amos said in a dark tone. Sadie glanced at him, feeling a wave of sympathy for him. They didn't talk about it much but he still had the scars from when Set took over his body, forcing him to commit acts against his will. And yet he had gone back to Set to become a stronger magician. Sadie didn't know if she had the strength to do that. Or the will. But he seemed better for it, so she didn't argue.

"So…" Zia said, drawing the word out. "What comes next?"

"Well," Sadie said, shifting her seat. "Tomorrow, Loki gets sent back to Asgard. After that…" she threw her hands up. "No idea. S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about us now. Or at least Fury does."

Carter frowned. "Wouldn't the Duat warp his mind to make him understand it as something else? That's what usually happens."

"Not this time. Apparently Percy's gods lifted their magic over the Avengers' and Fury's eyes so that they could see things as they were. And it seems like it was enough to work for mine and Sam's magic as well."

Carter slumped back, moving his jaw around as he thought. "Well that could be a problem."

"I don't think the Avengers are a threat," Sadie said. "Fury was the only one who seemed alarmed by it. He's the one to worry about."

"Hmm," Amos muttered. "Well, he seems negotiable at least. If he was willing to part with the Tesseract, then perhaps we can open a discussion with him. Make him see we are not a threat." He then turned to Sadie. "We have another problem though. You."

"Me?" Sadie asked in surprise. "What I'd do?"

"Your magic was on full display during the battle. I saw it on the news while coming here. The mortals saw you in action. The real you."

Sadie felt her eyes widen as the realization sank in. "So, they know magic exists now?"

"Fortunately, no. It appears the Duat still warped their minds into perceiving other things. They believe the kite was some form of glider and that you possessed advanced weaponry when taking down the aliens. But they are aware of you, that you are now a so-called superhero."

Carter and Zia snorted at that word and Sadie sighed. "I didn't set out to become a superhero," she said.

"We know that," Amos responded. "But like it or not, you are a public figure now. They may not know your face but they are already asking questions about this…what did they call you again…ah yes, Sorceress."

Carter raised an eyebrow at that and Zia didn't even try to stifle her laugh. Sadie, on the other hand, just held her head up high. "Yes, I do accept that name," she said. "I think it suits me."

"But what does this mean going forward?" Walt interjected. "I mean, something on this scale that brings heroes from the mortal world to fight alongside some from the different pantheons? The chances of it happening in the first place were tiny. We shouldn't expect it to happen again."

"So, yeah, there's really no need for Sadie to continue," Carter added. "This was a one-time thing."

"Ok, first off I'm right here," Sadie interrupted him. "So don't talk like I'm not. Second, it happened once which means that there's a chance it can happen again. But I wouldn't worry about that right now. I think priority should be talking to Fury and working out some sort of arrangement so that we don't become enemies. Agreed?"

They all nodded and the makeshift meeting was adjourned.

Sadie found herself back in her room, staring down at her scattered math homework papers she had thrown up in the air in celebration several days ago. It was amazing so much had happened since then. She had become immersed in the world of different pantheons of gods (two of which were slight variations of each other) and the agency of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as an alien invasion. She had just been in reaction mode, jumping from one moment to another throughout it all. She hadn't given herself time to process it all. When she first learned that the Egyptian gods were real, it had blown her mind wide open, but she had accepted it. After all, she learned it about a day after her father had blown up the Rosetta Stone and had gotten himself captured by Set so knowing the truth by then had been more of a relief.

Then, when she learned about Annabeth Chase and her whole Greek pantheon, she just kind of went with it. To her, it sort of made sense that the Egyptians hadn't been the only ones to deal with real-life gods. So then it wasn't hard to learn about the Norse ones. But learning about a different variation on the Norse ones. And an alien army. And a super-soldier from the 1940s. And a man who built suits of metal more advanced than any other machine and more powerful than some magic. And a man who could transform into a giant green rage monster.

That was a lot. Maybe too much. It was clear to her now that Fury had been right about one thing. The world was filling up with these enhanced individuals. And judging from what she'd learned from the other Avengers, not all of them wanted to be heroes. And if she could cross over to fight alongside them, what was to stop other people from her world crossing over to actively fight against them.

"Knock, knock."

Sadie jerked a little and turned to see Walt standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry," she said. "Didn't see you there."

"Been a long day, huh?" he asked.

Sadie gave a half-sigh, half-chuckle. "That's one way to put it."

Walt walked forward and sat down next to her on the bed. "How are you really doing?" he asked, serious.

It was one of the reasons why she loved him, that he could see through her so easily. Only her mother could really do it as well. Carter had some instinct, but not a lot. In the end though, it was Walt. She slumped into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He held her close and rubbed her shoulder and she sighed in content. "Better now," she said.

"So, what are you thinking?" he asked.

Sadie took a moment to answer that. It was kind of ironic she needed time to think before answering what she was thinking about. Or maybe it wasn't, she had never fully understood irony. "The future," she finally replied.

"Ok, what about the future?"

"The world's so much bigger now," she said. "Aliens, other gods, mortals with powers I can barely understand. It's just…it's a lot. Everything's so much more complicated than it used to be. And it used to be all about magic, so that's saying something." She sighed deeply. "It's also kind of what Setne said. That one way or another, he thought that the path we took would lead to him getting free. That this was just the beginning. Loki said the same. It's why I think Carter's wrong that this is a one-time thing. I think we started something, when we came together in New York. Whether we meant to or not. And the consequences are that the world will open up even more which means more threats to take care of, more problems to deal with. It's…that's what it feels like." She slumped over now, head in hands. "Or maybe not, maybe I'm just overthinking. Ugh, I feel like Carter right now, worrying about the future, trying to think it all through. I don't like doing that. I just deal with things as they come. But now? Now I feel like I need to plan ahead, to try and see what's coming because not to do it would be a mistake. Ugh! I don't know. What do you think?" she turned to him. "Why are you so quiet anyway?"

Walt gave her a small smile. "After the last couple years, I found it best just to wait until I'm sure you're done talking. Otherwise, I won't get a word in."

Sadie glared at him. "You're lucky I love you or else I'd punch you right now. Actually, I still might."

"Look, Sadie, I don't know what to do about any of this," he told her. "If you want me to have the answers, sorry but I don't. But what I can say is that I trust your instincts. I always have. You always know what the right thing is when the time comes. So, yeah, maybe you are overthinking or maybe you're even underthinking."

"Pretty sure that's not a word."

"Really? Cause you use it all the time."

"Because it should be a word."

"My point is," Walt continued, "that whatever you decide will be the right thing to do. When you were facing Set the first time with the Feather of Truth, you knew the right thing to do wasn't to banish him, but to reveal Apophis as the true enemy. When you went looking for Ra, you knew at the care home when to begin the spell to find him even when the others warned you about it. And when you went looking for Apophis's shadow, you knew you had to bring back Bes as well and it wound up saving you when he came to rescue you. And that's just off the top of my head. My point is that you have great instincts. So, what are those instincts telling you now?"

Sadie stopped to think about it and then stopped that. No more thinking. That wasn't her. Walt was right. She had to trust her instincts. "I think that no matter how much we may want it, this isn't the end. This really is only the beginning. And that means that the world might need a Sorceress to help it out once in a while." She smirked at that.

Walt smirked right back. "Well then," he said. "The world better be ready for some grade A magic coming its way." He then pulled her into a long deep kiss that made her breathless. When he pulled away, he looked deeply into her eyes. "You sure about this?" he asked seriously. "Going out as a hero now?"

"Well, not all the time," Sadie replied. "Just when I need to be. But yeah. I feel like it's the best way forward. The best way to prepare for anything coming our way. The mortal world is more aware now and that's not going to change. Might as well face it rather than ignoring it."

"And that is why I love you," he said.

"Good instincts?" she asked, leaning in closer.

"Doing what you think is right," he replied and then they kissed again, folding into each other as the sun began to set through the window behind them.

Sam stood on the roof of Stark Tower, gazing at the city as the sun sank below the horizon. She could still see the fires, the smoke, the damage. But now, it seemed like a calm had settled over the island. She could see why it was called the city that never slept since there was still a loud buzzing of sound all around her. But it had calmed down now, becoming less urgent. It was nice.

She wondered about all the people whose homes were destroyed in the attack. What were they doing now? Probably staying at one of the shelters set up or maybe had gone away to a friend's or relative's.

She wondered how she would feel if Boston had been attacked, how it would be different. Her friends, her family, everyone she knew. It wasn't something she wanted to think about and yet she couldn't help it. It had happened once and she prayed it was just a one-time experience. She was still coming to terms with their being aliens out there, much less thinking about further invasions.

"What are you doing up here?"

Sam turned to see Natasha standing a few feet away, watching her. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Just a few minutes," Natasha replied.

"Why?"

"People put up defenses around other people, especially ones they don't know. I wanted to see you for a minute when you thought you were alone. Get a better reading of you."

"Wow," Sam said dryly. "Never really lose that super-spy attitude, do you?"

"It's hard to lose once it's been indoctrinated in," Natasha replied.

Sam didn't really know how to respond to that. They just stood there for a moment, looking at one another, sizing the other up.

"So, why'd you come up here?" Sam finally asked.

"Because I was wondering how someone your age ended up in this line of business," Natasha said calmly.

Sam frowned. "How did you end up in it?"

"I was forced into it," she said. "Wasn't a choice. It's all I know how to be."

Once again, Sam found herself at a loss for words. "Uh…" she mumbled, unsure. "Ok. Well, I did choose this, I guess."

"Why?"

"Why do you need to know?" Sam pressed. "Why are you so interested in me? Look in on Percy or Sadie. She's younger than me."

"Sadie's easy to read," Natasha responded. "She gets a thrill from her magic or whatever she does. And I've met Percy before to know how he works. But you? You're more of a mystery."

"And you're doing this now…why?"

"Because I don't know what the future holds. I had to rely on you in the last battle because I had no choice. But if we work together again-"

"We won't," Sam interrupted. "This was just a one-time deal."

"I've been doing this long enough not to believe in those," Natasha said.

"Doesn't matter. I don't owe you anything. I don't have to say anything to you. So I'm leaving. Bye." Sam turned to go, heading off the rooftop.

"How does a seventeen-year-old wind up as one of the best fighters I've ever seen?" Natasha asked.

"Not listening anymore," Sam said over her shoulder.

"Does it have anything to do with you being Loki's daughter?"

That stopped her. "Ho- how did you kn-"

"You really thought you could just sneak into Loki's cell and not have anyone notice?" Natasha asked, eyebrow raised. "I saw what you two were up to and followed you. Heard everything."

"Huh," Sam mumbled, not sure what to do now. "So, yeah, I'm Loki's daughter. Not that Loki, a different Loki. It's complicated."

"Yeah, I got that," Natasha nodded. "That's a lot to process, but after everything it can be managed. Look, is that why you did all this? Why you became a…what was it…Valkyrie?"

"Yeah, the warrior maidens of Odin who guide the souls of fallen soldiers to Valhalla," Sam said.

"Ok," Natasha just nodded. "But why did you join?"

"Yeah, we're done here," Sam told her.

"Did you join to prove you weren't Loki?"

"I joined because someone believed in me!" Sam snapped. "I joined because all anyone could ever see of me were the mistakes. My grandparents constantly worried I'd end up like my mom. My classmates going around asking if I'm a terrorist. And I…I kept trying to push my powers away so I…yeah, I wouldn't end up like my father. No one ever believed in me, not even me. Except Odin. For some reason he chose me. I don't know what he saw in me, but whatever it was made him choose me and believe in me. And I didn't want to let him down. So I agreed to serve him. And I loved it. I loved what I did, my job. But when it came to be too much, I left. I still do some missions for him when he needs me to, but otherwise I'm retired." She wiped her eyes and glared at Natasha. "Was that what you wanted to hear?"

Natasha didn't respond, merely stared at her. Sam couldn't read her expression, her face practically a blank slate.

"How about now?" Natasha suddenly asked.

"How about now what?" Sam responded.

"You started being a Valkyrie because it meant someone believed in you and that made you believe in yourself. Do you still feel that way?"

Sam paused, collecting her thoughts. She'd never really spilled out her thoughts and feelings like that before, especially not to someone she'd only met the previous day. But there was just something about Natasha that made her want to.

"No," she said. "I was a Valkyrie to prove I wasn't my father, that I could be good. But after I helped stop Loki, I proved to myself I wasn't him and never would be him. That he had no more power over me and never would again. And then I didn't want to really be a Valkyrie anymore. I had nothing more to prove, to anyone."

"So why do you still do it?"

"Because I still have these powers," Sam replied. "So if the world needs them, I can't just turn away."

Natasha nodded at that. "That I can understand."

Sam pursed her lips together. "So, we done here? Or are there any more questions you want to ask?"

"I did this because if I'm getting involved with gods and monsters and magic, then I need to do it with people I trust," Natasha told her. "I needed to make sure I could trust you. And now I do. All this did was prove to me what I already suspected. That you're a good and trustworthy person." She then held out her hand.

This had been one of the weirder conversations Sam had had, which was saying something considering she hung out with Jack the talking sword. And yet, she was glad it had happened because she also trusted Natasha a little more. So she took the hand and shook it.

"I know I'm only a lowly mortal," Natasha said with a slight smirk. "But if you ever need help, you can call me."

"I might just take you up on that," Sam replied. "But I am still retiring."

"Just in case then," Natasha said.

"Just in case," Sam nodded back.

As soon as Percy closed his eyes in his bed, he opened them again to find himself back on Montauk beach. And standing at the shore's edge was his father, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts, a long fishing rod in hand.

"Father," he greeted.

"Hello Percy," Poseidon smiled back at him. "You have done well, my son. Exceptionally well."

Percy felt himself flush a little from the praise. He didn't get a lot of it since he didn't see his father too often. "Thank you, father. I did have help."

"Yes, I know." Poseidon looked out over the dreamscape ocean. "Mortals. Other demigods. An event like this has never occurred before. All us gods are worried for what it might mean. The future has never been more uncertain, my son. I fear it will need you many more times before we are done."

Percy sighed. He had expected as much but it still stunk to hear it. "Yay," he said dryly. "Sounds like loads of fun."

His father saw his grimace and offered a small smile. "Do not worry about it," he said gently. "We do not know what will happen. And whatever comes, you have my unwavering faith to see it through. The things you have accomplished in your lifetime are nothing less than remarkable, even more so considering how short your lifetime has been so far."

Percy smiled a little more. "Thank you," he said, feeling better already. His father hadn't let him down before, and now to hear him say he had faith in him made it feel like the burden of the future was a little easier to carry.

"Father," he said, frowning, "what do you know of these alien warriors?"

Poseidon shook his head. "Not much. We know of other worlds out there, but like with the other gods on this Earth, we choose to exclude ourselves until it becomes necessary to involve ourselves."

"How many other gods are there?" Percy asked.

Poseidon shrugged. "I do not know. The word 'god' is perhaps also the wrong word to describe all these other beings. We know of the cosmically powered mortals that refer to themselves as gods, such as the Loki you encountered. And there are others out there. Ones not belonging to this dimension that the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj battle. Ones from beyond the stars with celestial powers. And some who are best described as eternal rather than immortal."

Percy blinked. "That…that is a lot. And confusing."

"Yes," Poseidon nodded. "But I do not believe it is something to concern yourself with. Suffice to say, they exist but have never proven a threat to us before so we need not worry about them just yet."

"Sounds good to me," Percy agreed.

"I came here to congratulate you on your victory today." He then turned to Percy, his face taking on a darker expression. "And offer a warning."

Percy felt his insides go cold a little. "What is it?"

"When the portal was open over Manhattan, us gods felt a presence on the other side. Briefly, we sensed the mastermind of the attack."

Percy stepped closer. "And?"

"His power is…intriguing. We did not sense much, but we understood was that if mortal, he is perhaps the greatest mortal we have ever encountered. And his willpower is strong enough to match the gods. That is all."

Percy nodded, thinking about that. "Not much to that."

"No," Poseidon agreed. "But it is something. Hopefully, he is done with us and will not worry us again. We shall see. Until then, relax and enjoy your life. As today has shown, we do not know what tomorrow shall bring. And once again," he added as his body began to fade away, "you have made me the proudest father from your actions." And then he was gone.

Percy stared at where his father had been standing and sighed. Already the dream was fading around him, but that was alright. For the first time that day, he actually felt good. Maybe the future was dark and filled with threats. But right now, life was good. And that was enough.

Sadie kicked a pebble down the sidewalk, Percy a few steps behind her. Thor had just left back to Asgard with Loki and the rest of the Avengers had gone their own ways.

"So where you off to now?" Sadie asked.

"Back to camp," he replied. "Got some stuff to work out there. Finish my semester at New Rome. Then just some fun summer activities with the new campers, help the newbies figure things out. Go back and forth between the camps if I can. And of course there's the meeting with Fury."

"Yeah, can't imagine what that's about," Sadie said, rolling her eyes. Fury had pulled them aside earlier, wanting to discuss a meeting with their superiors about these god worlds. He tried to do the same to Sam but she claimed she was retired from it all. She did say she would pass on the message and maybe find him a liaison but as for the rest of it, she was out.

"What about you? What does the future hold for you?"

"Don't know. I usually just take things as they come, go where the wind takes me," she said, jumping up on a low wall and holding her arms out for balance as she walked down it. "But I kind of dig the idea of being a hero. Might try that out a little bit."

"What, you mean go out in a silly costume stopping crime?" Percy asked, smirking.

"No, that part's lame. But just helping where I can, when I can. That part I can get behind. But like I said, I'm really just going to see how it goes for now. But honestly, I wouldn't mind doing another team-up with you." She looked over. "Know any cool monsters or evil gods to take down?"

Percy laughed. "No. But if I do, I'll give you a call. Or an Iris-message."

"Yeah, Iris-messages," Sadie nodded. "We've got to figure out a way to do that cause that's just so much easier." She pondered that for a moment then looked over again and saw Percy looking at his feet as he walked, lost in thought.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

Percy paused. "About what?"

"Continuing this?" Sadie asked. "I mean, it took all of us to stop the invasion. Makes sense if we kept working together."

Percy seemed to think about that for a moment. "Yeah, it would make sense," he said, but Sadie detected some uncertainty in his voice.

"But?" she prompted.

"I don't know," he replied. "My life is complicated."

"All our lives are complicated. We deal with gods and monsters on a daily basis," Sadie said.

"Exactly. I'd like my life to be uncomplicated. After everything, I thought I could have it. But, then this happens. And I don't know what to do next. Annabeth thinks we should still do this, still try and be a part of the hero life, but I was hoping to be done with it."

Sadie looked at him closely. She hadn't been paying attention the last time they had teamed up, given that they had been busy stopping Setne the Elvis impersonator from ascending to godhood. But now she saw it. The lines of weariness on his face, the slight catch in his voice. "How long have you been doing this?" she asked.

He stopped for a moment, pursing his lips in thought. "Since I was 12. Well, technically 13," he amended. "I turned 13 that summer. So, about six years now."

"And does it get any better?"

Again he paused before he answered, giving this one serious thought. "There are good moments," he told her. "I've been taking a break for more than a year now and it's been great. But I also lost six months of my life thanks to a goddess. And I spent most of my early teen years in the middle of a war. And then I spent a month in literal hell. And of course there are all the people you lose on the way." He blinked suddenly and rubbed his eyes. "It's…it's a hard road. And some days are much harder than others."

Sadie stared at him. She couldn't imagine. When facing Apophis in the final battle, she'd only been doing magic for nine months. Since then, she'd only been facing minor threats. But him? He'd been going at it all this time and it seemed like there was always another hit coming.

"Why'd you come back for this?" she asked. "You didn't have to."

Percy sighed. "When Fury came to me a year ago, I had just…lost someone. A friend. And since then all I could think about was what I could have done. I could have joined the quest sooner, could have helped and maybe he would still be alive. So when Fury came with this proposal, I agreed because I thought I could save more lives that way. That if the world was in trouble, then I could be there to help." He chuckled dryly. "I just can't help it. When I know someone's in trouble, I feel like I have to help. I feel like I have to do it because I don't want anyone else to. Not because I don't think they can," he hastily added. "Just that…I don't want them to suffer."

"So instead you suffer," Sadie summarized. "You want to dive into the fire so no one else has to."

Percy nodded. "Yeah." He chuckled again. "Pretty messed up, huh?"

"I'm no therapist, but yeah. It kind of is." She stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder. "But it's also ridiculously noble. When I first met you, I thought you were some sort of goofball, and you were."

"Thanks?" he said uncertainly.

"But you were also more than that. You took on the spirit of a vulture goddess," Sadie gagged at that memory, "to stop Setne. You may not have liked it, but you knew what had to be done so you did it. When it comes to this line of work, most people are looking for power or to further their own interests or something. People who do this who genuinely want to help people? They're not so common. And you're one of those people. So, now I ask, what do you want to do next?"

"I don't know," he replied, shrugging. "I think right now I'm going to go back to my awesome girlfriend and see where the future takes me. If a situation like this happens again, then yeah I'll come back. Til then? I think I'm going to take it easy."

"Fair enough," Sadie nodded, but then spied something behind him. "But first let's see who can eat the most hot dogs: Riptide or the Sorceress?"

Percy turned and spotted the hot dog cart. "Oh you're on."

Sam relaxed in the saddle of the horse, finally letting the stress leave her. Loki was gone, back to Asgard (his Asgard anyway) and she was on her way back home. She couldn't wait to just sit back and relax for a while and not have to worry about the fate of the world. It was why she had stepped down from being a Valkyrie in the first place. It was all just too much. She needed to focus on friends and family. And also on her wedding next year.

She let a tentative smile cross her face. One year. Just one year and then she'd finally marry the love of her life. The one normal person who knew who she truly was and accepted her completely. She closed her eyes, already picturing that part of her life.

"Samirah."

Sam gasped as her eyes flew open, seeing Odin in front of her. It took her a second to realize she was still riding through the air, her body slumped on the horse right in front of her. She was dreaming this. Odin stood in the air, both of them motionlessly following the sleeping Samirah across the sky.

"Lord Odin," she greeted, bowing.

"You have done well," he nodded at her. "The threat of the other Loki has passed. Asgard thanks you."

Sam kept her head bowed. "Just doing my job." She closed her eyes, feeling the guilt well up. "I still failed though. I let him get the best of me. And because of that, he escaped and hundreds died because of that."

Odin sighed. "One can never truly know the future. Even the Norns only see a partial picture. Who knows what another possible future might be when we cannot live in it?"

Sam sighed. "But I sti-"

"Enough, Samirah," Odin stopped her. "You did your best and that is all anyone can ask. Do not dwell further on what might have been."

Sam nodded her head slowly. She didn't know if she could just stop thinking about it, just let it go like that. But he was right. She couldn't afford to dwell on it. What happened, happened. And she'd just have to deal with it.

"This situation may have escalated beyond control," Odin said, gazing upwards, as if looking at the stars and beyond. "You stopped it in time."

"It wasn't just me," Sam replied. "I had help."

"Yes. These Avengers. Mortals who fight with the courage of my einherjar," Odin nodded, stroking his beard. "Truly impressive. I do not yet know what part they will play in what's to come, but I do believe they are essential. As are those other heroes you fought alongside. Perseus Jackson and Sadie Kane."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "They were impressive." She hadn't spent much time with them, but she already knew they were good people. Being a Valkyrie, she had the privilege of seeing the bravest of the brave in combat, ones who gave their lives so others could live, who died nobly. And she had no doubt that if either Percy or Sadie had died in the Battle of Manhattan (and if they weren't of other pantheons) they would have arrived in Hotel Valhalla.

"Aye, if you had to fight alongside warriors of the other godly realms, I am glad it was those two," Odin said. "I have followed their exploits over the years. Mighty warriors indeed." He then turned his full gaze on Sam. "Samirah, I am afraid that this is not the end."

Sam felt her blood go cold. "What do you mean?"

"What Loki has done, what the Avengers have done, it has sent a message to all the realms and across the galaxy," Odin replied. "It has pushed Earth into the spotlight and shown that they are willing to defend against any attack, that they have the means to defend."

Sam remembered the conversation on the Helicarrier about the Tesseract's power and what Thor said. "A higher form of war," she repeated.

"Aye," Odin agreed. "And Loki was only the servant here, not the mastermind."

"So, there will be another invasion?"

Odin didn't reply at first, simply staring above them again at the stars. Sam stared at him and then followed his gaze, trying to see what he was seeing but still only seeing the sky above. She remembered what Loki had said in his cage. He was just the precursor to what was coming, a harbinger of doom. And that he had sent the gods in a panic. With the Tesseract.

"Lord Odin," she said carefully. "What is the Tesseract?"

Again, Odin continued to just stare at the sky. It was a full two minutes before he replied. "It is a power that was old before the universe. One of six powers. Infinity Stones." He looked down at Sam. "We gods do not know much. We have only come into contact with a few. One has been wielded by an order of magicians for millennia. The Tesseract was used by the other Odin for a long time before it fell to Earth. It is the one we are most familiar with and yet we still cannot understand it. And we briefly interacted with a third, many millennia ago, not long after when the other Asgardians first came. Some power that seemed to be able to change the very fabric of reality." He sighed deeply then. "Once, I went searching for them. I sought the knowledge to understand these powers. Yet I never succeeded. My quest ended in failure. All I learned was that they were six and they were unmatched in their capabilities. And that if used together, it would bring calamity unheard of since the origin of the universe."

Sam seemed to forget how to breathe as she listened. Her whole body was shaking, her hands trembling. She had never known Odin to not have knowledge of something. And that terrified her.

"What about Loki's master or whatever?" she asked.

"I do not know," Odin replied. "But whoever was behind this, I do not believe they are done." He then stared directly into Sam's eyes, startling her with his intensity. "This is why I need you. The other gods have suspicions but even they do not know the full truth of what I just told you. None do. I pray nothing comes of this but I doubt it. The Norns have glimpsed the future and they sense a great change coming and they believe these Infinity Stones are central to it. And they believe these so-called Avengers are key as well. Which is why I must ask you to stay with them."

"Stay with them?" Sam asked, confused. "The Avengers are all going their own ways now. We only joined for this one battle."

"Once something like this has begun, it cannot be stopped," Odin told her. "The Avengers are now a symbol, a representation. They will be called on again. And when they do, I need you to be with them."

"But, Lord Odin," Sam protested. She decided not to dwell on the fact that there would be more Avengers missions like the last one. She could only deal with one thing at a time. "I am retired from the Valkyries. I just did this at your personal request. I want to go back to my life."

Odin gazed at her sadly. "I am truly sorry, Samirah, but I must ask this of you. I do not know yet why but I believe you as well have a role to play in what is to come. Stay with these Avengers, work with them. And watch for the threats to come."

Sam looked down. She wanted to say no. Allah give her strength, how she wanted to. She had just pictured a life away from this, with her husband-to-be, a life free of this kind of responsibility. It had been within her grasp. And now it was being taken from her. Because she couldn't say no. Not when Lord Odin asked her, not when she knew what kind of threats could be coming. If she could help stop this, then she would do everything she could. It was how she was raised.

"Very well," she said. "I'll do it."

Percy stepped out of the limousine, feeling odd in his suit. He couldn't even remember the last time he wore a suit. Probably the time Hermes sent him and Annabeth to Paris for their one-month anniversary. But this was also an important occasion.

Annabeth followed him out, also wearing a suit and tie, everything sharp and clean. They looked like two lawyers heading to court. Percy smirked at that thought but it quickly passed when the third member of their party emerged. Chiron wheeled out onto the sidewalk, eyeing everything around him carefully. Percy was still surprised that they got a specialized limousine for wheelchair use. And one that allowed Chiron to stay in the wheelchair at all times (since he was unable to get out of the wheelchair without reverting to normal centaur form).

"This is the place?" Chiron asked, looking at the warehouse in front of them.

"It's where he said," Percy checked. "And the driver did take us here, so…"

"Let's stop debating and just head in," Annabeth suggested, moving to the open door. It was a week after the Battle of New York (as it was now being called) and now they had to have the talk. They walked through it, or in Chiron's case wheeled, and found themselves in a large open area that was almost entirely empty except for one table in the middle and the man in the dark trench coat standing next to it.

"Mr. Jackson," Nick Fury greeted. He turned and nodded at Annabeth. "Ms. Chase."

"Fury," Annabeth nodded back. They had met previously when Percy had showed off his abilities for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Fury then turned to Chiron and held out his hand, Chiron accepting and shaking it graciously. "Mr. Chiron, thank you for coming."

"It is an honor," Chiron replied. "And it is just Chiron, no need for the Mr."

Fury eyed Chiron a little strangely. "I was under the impression that you were a centaur, is that correct?"

"Indeed I am." And without another word, Chiron's body moved. Even though Percy had seen it hundreds of times before, it still caught him by surprise. The fake legs used as props remained where they were as Chiron's actual horse legs emerged from the inner compartment of the chair, then his body, and then the back legs until he had completely exited the chair, standing in all his glory.

Fury's eye had widened slightly as Chiron had emerged, but his expression remained the same. Once Chiron was done, he finally spoke. "That's quite the trick," he said calmly.

Chiron chuckled. "You don't faze easily," he noted.

"Comes with the job," Fury replied. "Once you've seen what I've seen, everything else just becomes natural."

"What have you seen?" Percy asked, curious.

"That's classified."

"Naturally," Percy muttered.

Annabeth sighed next to him. "Should we go ahead?" she suggested.

"One moment," Fury stopped her. "Our other associates should be arriving just about now."

A few seconds later, they heard the sounds of another car pulling up outside and a few seconds later, three more people entered the warehouse. Percy recognized Carter and Sadie instantly, Carter in a suit that seemed as sharp and neat as Annabeth's while Sadie just wore a plain shirt and blazer which she looked uncomfortable in. The other person Percy didn't recognize, a large dark-skinned man with red-tinted sunglasses and a pin-striped suit with a trench coat to match Fury's as well as a fedora that seemed to work for him. Percy realized that this must be their uncle, Amos Kane. Leader of the Egyptian magicians.

"Whoa!" Sadie exclaimed, seeing Chiron while Carter gaped slightly before recovering. Amos merely nodded, though Percy noticed a flash of concern cross his face. One that Chiron shared. He briefly wondered if the two knew each other. He also felt a strange feeling of wrongness come over him. That these two parties should not be interacting this way. He pushed it down though.

Fury greeted them the same way, shaking their hands and then sitting down at the table.

"How's it going, Jackson?" Sadie asked as she sat down next to him.

"Pretty good, Kane," Percy replied. "How was statue clean-up?" After the battle, he'd asked her help to fix all the statues that had gotten destroyed in the battle.

"Got it all done. Well, some magicians did and helped smooth over the mortals who witnessed it," she told him. "Hey Annabeth," she greeted.

Annabeth nodded back.

"Now that all the pleasantries are out of the way," Fury said, a little loudly, "we can begin."

"Hmm," Amos said on the other end of the table. "Very well. What do you wish to know?"

"What I want to know is why we're meeting in a drafty abandoned warehouse," Sadie interrupted, wrinkling her nose as she looked around the place. "It's like we're villains plotting some diabolical scheme."

"We're meeting here because it's off the books so my superiors, the World Security Council, doesn't catch wind of it," Fury told her. "As far as they know, you, Jackson over there, and Ms. Al-Abbas are all enhanced individuals with no ties to mythological deities. For your benefit, I'd like to keep it that way."

"Oh," Sadie nodded in surprise. "That makes sense."

"And since I've done you the courtesy of keeping you off of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records," Fury continued, "I was hoping you might return the favor and tell me about your worlds and your operations."

"Yeah, we don't really have operations so much," Annabeth told him. "We have quests, when they come up, to face monsters or complete challenges."

"We do technically have operations, even if they are similar to your quests," Amos added.

Fury sighed. "Well then, let's start with you." He turned to face Chiron. "Based on my previous conversations with Jackson, I am aware that the Greek gods and all the mythological monsters are real and roaming around today. I also know that these gods often have affairs with ordinary people with the result being enhanced individuals called demigods like Jackson. And since Jackson's powers are some of the more powerful ones I've witnessed in my life, this makes me concerned." He then turned to Amos. "Not to mention the magical abilities of Ms. Kane here which I believe extends to all your people."

Amos nodded stiffly. "That would be mostly correct."

Fury leaned back. "Then you can see why I am so concerned. Many enhanced individuals across the country, even the world I imagine, battling gods and monsters that neither I nor any other mortal, as you call it, mortal can see. As director of S.H.I.E.L.D., it is my job to ensure the safety of the planet and based on what I've learned in the last week alone, I haven't been doing my job well enough. That ends now."

"What does that mean?" Carter asked, leaning forward, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"It means that we are not leaving this drafty abandoned warehouse until I am thoroughly convinced that I do not need to worry about attacks from your worlds," Fury said. "Normal S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol would dictate that every demigod and magician would be added to the Index and placed in our database. I have elected, for the moment, to forego this. And, if I like what I hear, I may just skip that step." He now leaned forward. "So you had better do a very convincing job. Because so far, I'm not liking what I've heard."

Percy gulped slightly.

"Very well then," Chiron said. "What would you like to know?"

"This camp of yours," Fury said. "It is a training ground, yes?"

"Yes, it is," Chiron agreed.

"But not to train an army," Annabeth added. "It's more to train demigods on how to survive out in the world and defend themselves against monsters. We're not training an army if that's what you're thinking."

"Although they can be an army if need be," Percy put in, thinking about the Titan War. "And technically Camp Jupiter does train its campers to act like an army."

"Two camps?" Fury questioned.

"An army of defense," Annabeth said at the same time, glaring at Percy. "They have an army to defend their camp, like against Commodus and Caligula. They don't use it for offense."

Percy frowned. "What about when they attacked Camp Half-Blood. That was definitely on the offense."

"Percy!" she hissed at him. "You're not helping."

"It's like watching a train wreck," he heard Sadie mutter.

"This is only increasing my concerns," Fury told them.

"Perhaps," Chiron interrupted them all, "it's better if I just explain. Yes, there are two camps, one Roman and one Greek, that train demigods in the ways of warfare against any threat to them. They can become an army if need be, but my camp has only done that to defend against Kronos and his invasion of New York, and the Romans' invasion of our camp when we found ourselves on opposite sides. I see no cause for that to happen again in the future."

Fury eyed him closely for a moment, his single eye scrutinizing the centaur, before he finally spoke. "Tell me more of your world," he said. "I want to know how it works. The gods, these monsters, the demigods role, all of it."

They shared a quick look but they didn't have much choice. Chiron had convened with the Council of the Gods and they had decided, given the circumstances as well as their dealings with the Fates, that Fury needed to know. They didn't know why yet, but they knew it was key. They had to earn Fury's trust. So, as much as it twisted Percy's gut into knots, he knew they had to do it.

So they told him. Chiron explained the history of the gods and their connection to western civilization. How the gods moved from place to place over the centuries. About the monsters and how they must be continually be sent to Tartarus so they didn't get out of hand. About the demigods and how the camp worked to help train them for this world. Percy then explained his adventures from the lightning bolt being stolen, the Titan War, the Roman camp, the Giant War, and the return of the Roman emperors. Annabeth helped him a little with the explanations with Chiron offering clarity on some points. Through it all, Fury remained silent, taking it all in. He would seem surprised at some moments, but his expression swiftly went back to neutral, like it was his default mode. When they were finally done, Percy looked at him hesitantly, wondering what his response would be.

"Huh," he said, bobbing his head slightly. "Alright." He then turned to the Kanes. "Now, your turn. How is your world different from theirs?"

"We don't train for defense so much," Amos replied. "For all intents and purposes, the House of Life is similar to that of your agency. We train our magicians to act as operatives in the world, but we are protectors. We seek out the demons and monsters and rival gods and ensure they do no harm to the mortal world. We fight to keep chaos at bay."

They'd already conveyed to Carter and Sadie what their gods had told them and while the Kanes weren't happy about it, they had agreed. Apparently they had also gotten a second opinion who had agreed.

So then the Kanes explained their world, about all the Nomes across the world, about the types of magic used. About the different gods and monsters. About the Duat and the myriad of worlds that dwelt within it. Then Carter and Sadie explained their adventures from their mother's sacrifice at Cleopatra's needle to their encounter with the god Set. The resurrection of Ra and the final battle with the chaos lord Apophis. Once again, Fury remained silent throughout, just letting them tell him everything. When they were done, he leaned back in his seat, fingers crossed.

"You can see why I am concerned," he said. "Wars going on that I'm not aware of that decide the fate of the world. Gods and monsters running around that I can't see. My own eyes playing tricks on me, clouding my mind."

"It's not anymore," Percy offered. "The gods removed it. For now."

"And will they put it back up?" Fury asked, eyebrow raised.

Percy paused. "That I don't know."

"For now, no," Chiron interjected. "I spoke with Lord Zeus before this meeting. As long as we can work with you instead of against you, the Mist will not cloud your sight. The same with these other mortals you call the Avengers."

"Izzie's saying the same for us," Sadie chimed in. "You'll see things as they are from now on."

"You do realize that will make you a target from these gods and monsters," Carter pointed out.

"I've been a target for most of my life," Fury replied. "At least I'll know who I'm fighting." He eyed them all carefully, as if weighing his options. Percy didn't know he was holding his breath until he felt a tightening in his chest. "As I said before, S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol would have me record all of this and have personnel take charge of these camps and Nomes to put them under our jurisdiction," he said. Percy found himself holding his breath again. He silently prayed that a but was coming, because otherwise this situation would go south very fast.

"But," and Percy sighed with relief, "I don't always agree with the protocol. This is one of those occasions. Based on what you've all said to me, these systems are critical to our world. And opening them up could lead to disaster. So I will not be reporting them. On S.H.I.E.L.D. files anyway."

Annabeth leaned forward. "Anyway?" she questioned.

Fury held up a small device, a black box between his fingers. "This is a specially encrypted databank that only I have access to. No one else. And no one can hack their way in. I've checked multiple times. I will be putting all this information in here purely for my benefit."

Amos's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure I like that plan."

"Too bad," Fury replied. "This information will be only available to me. But I do need it recorded."

"Why?" Annabeth asked. "We told you everything. Do you know how vulnerable that makes us? We did this because Percy and Sadie told us we could trust you. That you were the right person, despite the fact you're the director of one of the top government agencies whose job is to safeguard the world from people like us. We know you tried to stop the nuclear strike on the city, which is why we trust you. So why can't you show some faith to us."

"Because trust needs to go both ways," Fury said. "I am grateful for the level of trust you've shown me but I also don't know if I can fully trust you. For all I know, all you've told me are stories and you are building armies to takeover. I find it unlikely, but I don't know. Normally, I would send agents to investigate it all, but this time I've decided not to. I am placing as much trust in you as you are in me. But I can't just accept that you're all fighting the good fight and let it go. I need this information on hand, just in case. And that's not all. I need to be in contact with you at all times. Need to know about all incursions with monsters and gods. Need to know about all threats from your world so that I can be prepared. According to you, there have been three world-ending threats in the last few years, not including all the other smaller events you mentioned that could cost civilian lives. If this is going to work, I need full cooperation. I respect and understand your desire to keep this information out of the government's hands because I know what they will do with it. So I will not share it, just keep it for myself. But this needs to be a partnership. I need to know all the goings on in these worlds, all the threats coming our way. I won't be blinded anymore. So," he leaned back again, "that's my offer. Take it or leave it."

"Hold on," Sadie interrupted. "I mean, is it really as bad as you're making out?"

"Four years ago, a massive freak storm system cut its away across North America from Washington state to New York City causing earthquakes, avalanches, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, violent thunderstorms, and a myriad of other disasters wherever it went, displacing several million people, killing hundreds and possibly thousands, and generally causing untold amounts of damage. This storm caused mass hysteria across the continent and baffled all experts on its formation and structure. Now, I learn, that it wasn't a storm system at all but a giant that sought to conquer the world that was only defeated at the last moment," Fury retorted. "This is something I need to know about."

There was a brief moment of silence. "That is a good point," Percy admitted. "But, and no offense here, what do you think you could do against Typhon?"

"Probably nothing," Fury admitted. "But at least I'd know about it. So, those are my terms. That I am in the know on all mythological threats and keep the information in my private data file. In exchange, this information does not leave this room and no one at S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about it."

Percy looked at Chiron and Annabeth, holding up his hands in a shrug. This was out of his hands. He wasn't the best negotiator or strategist. Whatever they decided, he'd back them up. But, honestly, he thought this deal was the best they were going to get. Based on the shared look between Chiron and Annabeth, they agreed.

"Very well," Chiron nodded.

"We agree too," Amos said. Fury nodded back and Percy thought he saw a brief flicker of relief cross his face, but it quickly passed.

"There are still some kinks to work out, but that can be decided at another point," Fury added. "I will need to meet with these Roman praetors, Mr. Zhang and Ms. Levesque, is that right?"

Percy nodded. They were already aware and were prepared for their own conversation with Fury. They weren't happy, but they understood.

"What about Sam and the Norse gods?" Sadie asked, eyebrows raised.

"I reached out to Ms. Al-Abbas but she told me that she was not a representative of the Valkyries or the gods but she would put me in contact with them. I will meeting with them separately. However, based on what Ms. Al-Abbas has told me so far, I do not think the situation is quite the same as with your groups."

After that, they went into discussion on how this new cooperation would work with the exchange of information. Percy zoned out a bit here, his attention lapsing as the conversation got boring. Eventually, everyone reached a consensus, Fury said goodbye and left. Percy didn't really think this was all necessary anyway. In his world, the monsters never really bothered with mortals. They always went after the gods or their children.

"So, that was something," Sadie said once Fury had left. "I think I need some cheeseburgers to recuperate."

Carter visibly rolled his eyes at his sister. "You know if you payed more attention, you might learn something useful."

"I learned everything I needed to know," Sadie retorted. "That business meetings are boring and should be should all be banned for life."

Percy smirked. "Hey, Carter," he greeted, not having the chance to do so before. "Missed you in the battle."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Carter apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "Got sidetracked by some fire demons. Still, heard you handled yourself well. And I hear they're calling you Riptide now."

Percy grinned while next to him Annabeth coughed loudly which sounded suspiciously like a muffled laugh. "Well, I wasn't about to let them call me Aquaboy. Plus, I like the name Riptide. Still not as good as Sadie's though."

"The Sorceress," she said in a dramatic voice, throwing her hands out in a flourish for effect.

Carter rolled his eyes again but then his face got serious. "But do call me next time anything like this happens again," he said.

"Next time?" Percy questioned. "Let's just hope there is no next time."

"I know. But in case there is?"

"Definitely," Percy nodded and the two clapped hands together. Next to them, Annabeth and Sadie hugged. Then they left, Carter and Sadie went with their uncle, getting into their limo and driving off. Percy and Annabeth stood by for a moment, watching them leave.

"You know," Percy said, "if there does come another end-of-the-world threat, then I don't think there's anyone else I'd want by my side."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "They're good people." They stood next to each other for another moment before Annabeth asked, "except for me, right?"

"Oh, I thought that was obvious, yes," he replied, turning to kiss the top of her head. "You're always the person I want by my side no matter what."

"Same," she smiled at him.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Chiron said, rolling up in his wheelchair again. "We don't need more trouble."

"Come on, Chiron," Percy said. "Relax. We won. And everything worked out."

"For now," Chiron warned. "Trust me, if I've learned anything in the last three thousand years, it's that things can always get worse. An alien invasion is something no one on Earth expected to ever really happen and yet it did. Who knows what might happen next?"

"That's a fun thought," Percy mumbled while Annabeth sighed deeply, glaring at the centaur.

"But on the other hand," Chiron added, "I've also learned that things can always get better. Like three heroes from different pantheons working with mortals to save the world and winning. Like a government operative learning the truth of us and agreeing to keep our secret." He smiled softly, watching as the sun began to descend in the sky. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that we truly do not know what will happen. So, let's try and enjoy today, shall we?"

"That sounds good enough for me," Percy replied. He didn't know what the future might bring, good or bad. And while he hoped it was only good, at least he knew that no matter what bad thing came, he had good people to stand by his side and fight it. What more could he ask for?

The small, lithe figure dropped down from the window into the ground. He paused on the ground, listening but the only sounds were the rustling winds and chirping insects. No signs that his crime had been discovered. The figure smiled and then moved on, clutching the precious cargo in his hand.

The figure then turned and walked into the dark wall and the world seemed to fold around him, transporting him somewhere else. Voiceless whispers surrounded him and chills ran down his spine before the world reappeared around him, the darkness fading slightly. A small wave of fatigue came over but the figure pushed it down. There wasn't time for that. He pushed on, heading for the park.

Walking through it swiftly, the figure spotted the second, much larger figure sitting on a bench, looking up at the sky which began to glimmer with the first signs of light, the sun minutes from rising. The other figure, a muscular, tanned man, barely noticed the first figure's arrival, merely turning his head slightly.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

The figure held up the prize in response.

"Good," the man nodded, a smile crossing his face. "Very good." He looked at all the mortals around him, going about their daily business with no clue as to what was coming their way. "Are you sure you can do it?" he asked.

"With this, we can do anything we want," the figure replied. "Those idiots had no idea what they had in their grasp." He held up the vial, peering closely at the red liquid within. "The possibilities are limitless with a fallen god's blood."

"There's only one thing I want," the man said, his voice like a storm about to break. "Retribution."

And that's that. I am so, so sorry for the long wait on this, especially since it's just the epilogue. I really did mean for it to come out earlier, but it just started expanding and growing until it became this. I really did not mean for it to take a month to complete, but it's here now. And that marks the end of this story. Whoo! I came up with this idea six months ago now and at the end I am very glad I did. And I am so excited to show you what I have in store. I'm humbled that more than 500 people are following this story. I can't believe that many people like my story and it means a lot and I promise to keep it up. However, I must say that this particular story is complete. The Avengers is finished and this is the last update you should be getting from it. This is because I envisioned this as a series with each story being separate. So if you want to keep up to date on all that's coming, I'd recommend following me as well.

Now, the future.

No, this is not the end. This story is done, but there is so much left to tell. When I first started this, I envisioned going up to Endgame. Now, I am thinking I might go past it but Endgame is still the goal. But there are stops on the way. I first thought I would go right to Age of Ultron but have now decided to make that the stop after the next stop. Instead, the next story will be very much mythology-centric tentatively titled THE NEW GODS. Not DC, don't get excited about that. There is still a lot to be excited there but I can't share much since I'm still mapping it out. There is one thing that I can promise though. I got the idea from one reviewer (shoutout to arieljoseph.08), and once I started thinking about it I couldn't not do it. So prepare for Thor vs. Thor. And yes, that is Riordan Thor vs MCU Thor.

However, that is still a ways off. One thing I learned when writing this is that I haven't been keeping up with all the chapters. I don't like making you all wait a month for each new installment. That's not fair. So, I've decided that I'm going to write it all out first and then release it weekly. What does that mean for its premiere release? Late summer, I'd imagine but don't hold me to that cause I still have other stuff to do as well. Speaking of which, The New Gods will not be my next story. Instead, the next fanfic will be completely different and wild. I am super excited to get into that and I hope to start releasing that much sooner. I can say is that I will be using some of the same characters but it will be a different universe. It will be one epic crossover. But until then, I've also decided to throw in some one-shot stories dealing with characters in between the main stories. The first ones will primarily be about the aftermath of the invasion and how the side characters react.

And now, to answer some questions.

Br0kenThOrn, you've waited the longest so I'll answer all of yours first. There are some I can't answer since it will spoil what I have in store but here's what I can say.

I don't know about the ABC and Netflix shows since it's hard to know if they're canon or not. We'll see soon enough considering recent reports. Agents of SHIELD more likely though.

Yes, I will be doing solo adventures for each phase, and maybe an extra here and there. Like I said, New Gods is first up. And as for Marvel villains, I will be using a mix of Riordan and MCU characters in my stories, heroes and villains. So stay tuned.

For Age of Ultron and Quicksilver, don't get your hopes up. His death effected Wanda and helped set up WandaVision and canon is super important to me. Also, chances are Quicksilver will return. But I don't know for sure yet, so we'll see.

As for your aftermath questions and the Riordan characters reactions, well look out for the one-shots.

Your other Age of Ultron question, no I will not follow it so meticulously like I did with this film. I had issues with Age of Ultron so I will change some things. However, I won't change many like in the story you recommended. Canon is still very important to me as it is the crux of the MCU so nothing will change in a big way. But there will be many more changes in Age of Ultron. Also, Annabeth and Leo will be involved.

As for the secondary characters, yes they will have their time in the sun. Don't yet fully know how or if it will be like WandaVision or Falcon and Winter Soldier but I do have ideas.

Black' Victor Cachat – I will address more of Sam's Muslim side in my next story. Just wanted to make sure I got it accurate.

Berightback – Percy's PTSD is an interesting topic. I've seen different fanfics try to address it and none felt accurate. I just don't think Percy has it as bad as they made it out. Rick Riordan never addressed it in his stories except for a few small scenes. Tartarus seemed to affect Annabeth more in that sense. I will address it all more in the next story just what kind of trauma Percy is wrestling with but I don't think it's going to be what you expect.

There were other questions but they went into spoilery territory. And to answer all the complaints about Percy, I know he has moments of enormous strength like with Mount St. Helens. Once again, I will address all this in my next story. But I still say he is not as powerful as many people say he is. But he could be, which I will explore.

Until next time, keep reading everyone all the stories you can out there. Stay tuned for what's coming and hope we can all get vaccinated as soon as possible. Thanks again for liking my story.