(Canonally, the age difference is 9 years between Clint and Percy. For the sake of this story, I lowered it to 5.)
Pegasus
Clint and Percy's Complicated History
Twelve years ago
Percy's POV
Percy cursed rapidly in Greek as he ran up a hill. He wasn't sure how he knew the words, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. The minotaur was fast on his heels as he ran. Thankfully, his mother had gotten away safely-but now the minotaur was completely focused on him. He found himself backed against a tree, the minotaur charging towards him. He jumped to the side on a whim, and watched as the minotaur slammed head first into the tree, one of his horns imbedding itself into the hard bark. With a howl of rage, the minotaur tried to free himself.
CRACK!
The minotaur was free, and was glaring at him with a murderous rage. He felt his blood run cold as the minotaur ran towards him, but this time, Percy noticed that his stance was lopsided as the beast was missing a horn. An idea sparked to life in his mind as he led the minotaur on a wild chase, eventually flinging himself into the branches of a nearby tree as the minotaur flew past him. He grasped the branch firmly under his hands as he kicked the minotaur with everything he had, and was pleasantly pleased to watch the minotaur fall forward on his face.
"Catch!" A voice yelled at him, and without hesitating, he grabbed the object thrown at him. He registered that it was a sword, and he shoved it through the back of the minotaur. He watched with fascination as the minotaur dissolved into golden dust.
He turned around as the footsteps got louder behind him, and he turned to see a blonde teenager approaching him. The teen was short for his age, with close-cropped blonde hair and light blue eyes. He had an arrow holder flung across his back, with a bow in his hand. "Nice job!" The teen beamed. "I saw you running and I came to help, but it seems like you had it in control after I threw you my sword."
A smile crept onto his lips. "Thanks for that, by the way."
"No problem," The teen said easily. "I'm Clint Barton, son of Apollo."
"I'm Percy Jackson," He said, shaking Clint's hand. "Son of… someone, I hope."
Clint laughed. "Well, let's hope that you get claimed pretty quickly. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Let's get you cleaned up." Clint began to lead him towards the hill, but stopped. "Don't forget your trophy."
"Trophy?" He asked in confusion, until Clint pointed at the ash pile that had been the minotaur. The wind blew through the pile, leaving a severed horn behind. He grabbed the horn, and followed Clint into the campsite.
Ten years ago…
Percy's POV
"What?" Percy asked Clint. He wasn't sure he had heard the man right. They were standing in front of the Poseidon cabin. They were cleaning the camp after the Labyrinth fight, but nobody paid them any mind as Percy gawked at Clint.
"I'm leaving camp." Clint repeated with a huge sigh. "Perse, you know me. This constantly running, constantly fighting… I'm over it. I can't do it anymore."
Percy's smile faded into a deep frown. This was too much for him. The one camper that he looked up to would be leaving camp. "What will you do?"
"I'm not sure, honestly." Clint admitted. "I'm shit for medical, even as a son of Apollo, so that's out."
"Well, just because you're a son of Apollo, that doesn't mean that you have to do something related to that." He told Clint. "Make new skills, learn something new."
Clint looked like he was deep in thought. "Thanks, Perse. I'll have to look at what kind of fields are in the mortal world. I never stopped to look beyond running for my life."
"Be good out there, okay?" Percy's voice broke. "Don't die, I'd feel completely guilty for letting you leave camp."
Clint laughed wholeheartedly. "Even if you have more power as a son of Poseidon, you know I can take care of myself. But just to soothe your hero complex, I promise I will be careful, okay?"
"I don't have a hero complex." He grumbled, lightly punching Clint's arm.
"Oh yeah?" Clint grinned. "Mr. I have to save everyone? Mr. Loyal?"
"Whatever, Clint." He rolled his eyes.
Clint grinned at him before pulling him into a hug. "I'm not sure where I'll go. I may stay close or wander far; but when I settle I'll come back to visit and give you an update. Promise."
"You'd better. I'd hate to stick Mrs. O'Leary on you."
They broke apart, and Clint laughed once more. Percy watched him leave until he stood at the top hill of Thalia's tree, where Clint waved at him. Then he was gone.
Eight years ago...
Percy's POV
Percy drove nervously up the road to the farmhouse. He had borrowed Paul's Prius to make the trip to Clint's house. He wasn't even sure what he was going to say to Clint. It had been nearly two years since Clint had decided to drop being a demigod and make a name for himself in the mortal world. After two months of digging, he had found out where Clint had lived.
The farmhouse laid out peacefully in the hills. The house's once-white color was now a faded yellow, with a green roof and a matching green door. The grass looked like it seriously needed to be cut, but besides that, the house looked normal.
The perfect demigod hideout.
As Percy turned the engine off of the car, he took a deep breath. The air smelled wonderful—no pollution. He could see why Clint had decided to move out here, but one thought nagged at the back of his mind. Why would Clint alone need a house so big?
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, heading slowly up the stairs. He could hear a dog barking from inside the house, but he paid it no attention as he raised his left hand to knock on the door.
After a bit of a pause, the door opened, revealing a heavily pregnant woman. She stared at him blankly, as if she expected someone else. "Uh, hello." The woman said, trying to mask the unease in her voice. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for Clint Barton." Percy told her. "Does he live here?"
The woman frowned. "Yes, he does. I'm his wife, Laura." She shook his hand.
"His wife?" He echoed.
She nodded. "Unfortunately, Clint's not here right now, he's working."
"Okay." He said slowly. "Do you know when he'll be back?"
"I'm not sure." She replied. "Clint's work sometimes takes him away from home for months."
He frowned. Months? What kind of work did that? "Can you tell him I stopped by? My name is Percy Jackson."
"Sure." She said with a smile. "Would you like a drink before you go?"
"If it's not too much trouble." He replied calmly.
She led him into the house, glancing at a toddler as he was playing with toys in the living room. He still wasn't sure of how Clint had managed to keep all this quiet. The toddler alone was probably around two years old—and Laura looked like she was ready to give birth to baby number two.
Laura handed him a coke, sitting on the couch. "So, how do you know Clint?"
He opened the coke, taking a sip before answering. "Oh, uh, we're related through his dad's side. I guess you can say that I'm his uncle."
She tilted her head, confusion sweeping across her face. "Aren't you a little young to be Clint's uncle?"
He smiled lightly. "My dad is older than his." He told her.
She pursued her lips. "Clint's never said a word about his dad's side of the family."
He spat out his coke, almost choking. Laura looked at him in alarm. "I'm fine," He said to her unasked question. "Clint never told you about his dad's family?"
"No," She said quietly. "Should he have?"
"Well, it's not easy to explain." He said, uncomfortable with the amount of attention the stranger was giving him.
"We have plenty of time." She patted the couch. "Have a seat."
He sat on the couch uneasily. "It's Clint's secret to tell, really. I'll just say our family is complicated and leave it at that."
She laughed quietly. "I'm no stranger to weird families."
"Do tell," He smiled slyly. "I'm sure my stories can top yours."
"My mother was always so weird," She said, a happy smile on her face. "The things she used to do—they still stump me to this day. Sometimes, my aunt would come over to the house, and the two would go out shopping, but they'd come home with the most ridiculous stuff. Things such as pink toasters, egg beaters that sparkled, rugs made from silk—the list goes on. I'm still not sure of what you can do with a silk rug, but it does not mix well with untrained puppies. I think the rug lasted a day. Tops."
He laughed quietly. It was nice to get some of the pressure off of his shoulders for once, such as the upcoming war with Kronos. To have something to laugh about that for once, was completely normal. It was a nice feeling.
"That's nothing." He told her. "So I went to the Hoover dam once—" He hesitated, "—on vacation, and I saw this girl. Well, I literally ran into her. Really embarrassing. So I thought to myself, well, I'm never going to see this girl again, I'll never have to relive the embarrassment. But guess what?"
"What?" She asked, listening intently.
"She lives in New York, and goes to my high school! I was so mortified. What even were the chances of that?! What made things worse was that she recognized me. She pulled me into the band room to talk about the incident, but we were gone so long that people thought we were making out!" He pulled a grossed-out face.
"No!" She said in disbelief, laughing hard. "I guess that does top my rug story, huh?"
"Oh, I have so many." He grinned, taking another sip of his coke. He began telling her about his 'vacations' he had taken over the years, leaving out many details and filling in half-truths where needed. He found himself staying for dinner, and then it was time for bed by the time he finally left that day.
"Come back and see me sometime, yeah?" Laura asked. "It gets lonely out here with only me around. The company is nice."
He smiled at Laura. "Of course," He found himself saying easily. The thing that surprised him, is that he meant it. He waved goodbye to Laura, and drove home.
He found himself coming to check on her as often as he could. It was a welcome change from the war, where he always had to be the leader, the son of Poseidon, but here he could just be Percy, an almost 16 year old.
One day, he found himself pulling into the now-familiar driveway when he saw him.
Clint.
He opened the driver door and ran towards Clint, who turned at his appearance, his mouth hanging open. "Percy? What the hell are you doing here?"
He hesitated. The man's voice underlined his anger, but he didn't understand why Clint would be angry seeing him here. "I came here looking for you a few months ago, and I met Laura. I come and visit her when I can."
"Did you tell anyone else about her?" Clint asked seriously.
"Just Annabeth." He replied evenly.
Clint's shoulders sagged in immediate relief. "Is that why she was asking me if I knew you? I thought it was strange she knew your name, but I just told her you were an old friend."
He nodded. "I told her we were related, but that's about it."
"On my dad's side?" Clint let out a breath. "Percy, I kept that information from her on purpose. If she knew about me, about us... it puts her and my kids in danger and I don't want that."
He scowled. "Clint, she needs to know. Your kids will be in danger as they grow up anyway! They're legacies; Greek legacies. Every monster in a hundred mile radius will know they're here. Wouldn't it be better for her to be prepared and know what to look for if something does go wrong?"
"No." Clint said firmly. "Not knowing has helped her so far. This is the last we're talking about this."
Percy grabbed Clint's arm, his green eyes flashing in anger. "Clint," He hissed, his voice betraying his own anger, "If you don't tell her the full truth, I will."
Clint's face morphed into rage. His light blue eyes darkened, and his fingers twitched as if he was reaching for an arrow that wasn't there. "No." His eyes narrowed. "Get the hell off my property!"
He ignored Clint, and pushed past him on his way to the house. He heard a gun click behind him. "Clint." He growled, his hands balling into fists at his side. "Lower that gun before I break your arm."
"I've already told you that I don't want you telling her. She's my wife. The mother of my children. I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe, even if it means I have to hurt you, Percy."
"Then tell her, godsdammit! Barton, do you even hear yourself?!" He shouted. "What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm afraid of leaving her alone, and coming home to find my house destroyed and finding her mangled body." Clint told him. "All it takes is one monster, Percy. One. And my whole life is gone."
He sighed deeply, turning around and pushing Clint's gun down. "Look, this house has plenty of advantages, and that's why you chose it, right? It's in the middle of bumbfuck nowhere, has miles of open fields, and plenty of space. If you're so worried about telling her, why do you leave? Why don't you just stay?"
"The mortal world is expensive, Percy." Clint explained. "Houses like this aren't cheap. I have to provide for her somehow."
"I'd tell you that she's welcome at camp, but Clint, she's safer here… things aren't good in camp."
Clint frowned. "What do you mean?"
And so he told him everything. Luke's army, the approaching war, the betrayals, and Kronos's resurrection. He talked until his throat was sore. Clint fell silent until he was done explaining.
"Do you need me?"
The simple sentence shocked Percy. He wasn't sure what to say to Clint. He did need the help. The experienced man now had mortal experience on top of his experiences as a demigod…
But he had a family.
"No," He lied to him. "We'll be fine without your help."
Clint smiled lightly. "That's good. But if you change your mind, I have connections. I can help."
"I'll keep that in mind."
He never told Clint about the battle that followed and what he had to do to win it.
Seven and a half years ago…
Clint's POV
Clint leaned over the bar, completely drunk. He didn't get back to New York in time. He had heard about Kronos's war from Percy, but the little shit didn't tell him the battle had come and gone. By the time he knew it was too late. He felt miserable; anger churned in his gut, insatiable, unstoppable anger. He wanted to find Percy and strangle him, but he also wanted to find him and ask him why.
Why hadn't he told him?
His head thunked onto the bar counter as he put a finger up for another round. He picked his head up as the cup slid next to his head, and glanced up at the television over the bar. It was playing a basketball game when the news came on. He took a large sip of his brandy, and promptly spit it out as a picture came across the screen.
PERSEUS JACKSON, 16, MISSING FROM NEW YORK CITY
The picture above the headline must have been taken recently. The teen had a scar across his nose that hadn't been there the last time he'd seen the kid. He coughed, trying to get the brandy out of his lungs.
"Can you turn that up?" He asked the bartender eagerly.
The bartender glanced at the television behind him. He shrugged, turning up the volume. "You know the kid?"
Clint nodded numbly. "Yeah." He responded. "That's my nephew."
The bartender's face morphed into a look of pity. "Sorry to hear that, man."
"Percy Jackson was reported missing last week, precisely two months after the mysterious events of New York City on August 18th. If anyone has any information, please contact the NYPD."
He downed the rest of his brandy, clearing through five more shots before setting a hundred dollar bill on the counter. "Keep the change," He slurred. "I gotta find m'nephew."
"Not like that, you're not." The bartender laughed. "You got any family I can call to pick you up?"
"Tony Stark." He replied immediately, wondering why he'd said Tony's name.
"You know Tony Stark? Yeah right, kid." The bartender scoffed. "And I'm Iron Man."
"Just call him, would you?" He snapped. "He'll come for me."
He pulled a card from his pocket, and in his drunken state, the action caused him to fall from his stool. The bartender sighed, and pulled the card from the counter and dialed the number.
"Tony Stark." The voice answered the phone on the first ring.
"Uh, yeah," the bartender hesitated, not expecting the line to go to Tony Stark's personal cell phone. "I have a… kid, what'd you say your name was again?"
"Clint Barton," Clint huffed as he struggled to sit on the stool. He kept missing the mark and sliding back off and onto the floor. On one try, the only thing he managed to do was drag the stool to the floor with him.
"I have a Clint Barton that says he knows you." The bartender huffed. "He's piss ass drunk on the floor of my bar."
The line was silent for a moment. He was afraid that Tony had hung up, when there was a deep sigh from the line. "Thanks. I was wondering where Clint had gotten to. I'll be there in ten."
Then the unmistakable click sounded, and the line went dead.
"Alright Barton, Tony says he's on his way for you." The bartender frowned deeply, as he noticed the man sprawled on the floor, and several bar stools knocked over. He walked around the counter and helped the man onto a stool, and set his head onto the counter. He had just picked up the last stool when Tony entered the bar, pulling off his sunglasses and staring at Clint with a deep frown.
"How many drinks has he had?" Tony asked.
"Too many." The bartender made a face. "He should've been knocked out three shots ago. Must have a good metabolism."
Tony scoffed. "He only drinks when he's upset. I wonder what did it this time."
"Who knows?" The bartender shrugged. "He was already pretty upset when he came in here, but I think the news pushed him over the edge."
"What news?" Tony asked, glancing at the news behind the bartender. The television had since changed back to the weather, and he didn't find his answer.
"Some kid was on the news a few minutes ago." The bartender explained. "Barton said it was his nephew."
"His nephew?" Tony scowled. "I didn't know he had a nephew."
The bartender shrugged again. "All I know. Need help dragging Barton to your car?"
"Nah," Tony replied easily. He pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed a number quickly. "Happy," Tony said with a playful tone. "Cleanup on aisle three."
A moment later, a huge man, who the bartender assumed was 'Happy', came and threw Barton over his shoulder and out the door. Tony followed the man out.
The next morning, Clint found himself with a major migraine. He tried to open his eyes, but the bright light assaulted him before he could even move. He rolled over, and blindly fumbled on his bedside for the small baggie he kept for emergencies. He opened it up and plopped an ambrosia square on his tongue, and waited for it to kick in. The taste of Laura's blueberry muffins came across his taste buds, and he couldn't suppress the smile.
When his head cleared, he opened his eyes to see Tony standing nearby with a frown. He cursed madly, nearly falling off the bed from shock. "What the fuck?!"
"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Tony said, his voice betraying his annoyance. "Spill."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Clint grumbled, swinging his legs off his mattress. He found himself in the same clothes he'd had on last night. There was dried vomit down the front of his shirt. He grimaced in disgust as he got up to shower, but Tony blocked him.
"Now." Tony said firmly. "It's not a request."
"I don't recall you being my boss," Clint snapped.
"No, you're right. I'm not. But we are friends. Or are we only friends when you need me, Barton?" Tony looked hurt.
Clint sighed. "Okay, fine. What do you want to know?"
Tony held up a printed copy of a missing poster.
PERSEUS JACKSON, 16, MISSING
Clint's blood ran cold. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. He vaguely remembered seeing something about this yesterday.
"Oh, so you do know this kid, then?" Tony smirked. "Is that why you went to the bar to drink yourself stupid?"
"I…" He trailed off, looking at the missing poster of Percy. He numbly grabbed it from Tony's hand. "I have to go." He said firmly.
He made to move before Tony put a light finger on his chest, careful not to touch the day-old vomit. "Not without a shower and an explanation."
"How good are you at keeping secrets?" He frowned.
"I already know he's your nephew." Tony interrupted. "That's what the bartender told me you told him, anyway. What's the truth?"
He was silent for a long moment. He closed his eyes as he organized his thoughts. He trusted Tony with his life; surely he'd be able to keep a secret like this as well. "He's not actually my nephew…" He said slowly. "He's technically my uncle."
Tony glanced at the paper. "He's 16, Clint. How's a 16 year old your uncle?"
"It's complicated." He admitted. "We don't dwell too much on it, anyway. But he is family, Tony. I practically helped raise this kid when we first found him…"
"Found him?" Tony frowned. "Was he lost?"
"Like I said, complicated." He said. "You may want to sit down for this."
Tony took a seat in a chair by the wall of his room expectantly.
Clint took a long breath and prayed to Zeus that he wouldn't smite him for this. He explained about Greek gods, and his own abilities, which Tony had seen first-hand, and their increased durability. He explained how each child of different gods could get different abilities, even if they were the child of the same god. He told Tony about how he was a child of Apollo, but was shit at medicine, but a skilled archer.
Then he explained how he'd met Percy while he fought the minotaur and how impressed he'd been at the then 12 year old. Then he explained how and why he left camp, but he'd kept tabs on Percy's wellbeing, along with the confrontation he'd had six months ago with him.
He was careful to not tell Tony who Percy's father was or any of his abilities. That wasn't his secret to tell.
Tony stayed silent through this whole explanation. He seemed as if he was deep in thought.
"That makes quite a bit of sense, actually." Tony said slowly. "So this guy, Perseus-"
"Percy." Clint automatically corrected.
"Percy," Tony continued. "He's one of you?"
He nodded. "One of the best, from what I heard."
"So how do we find him?" Tony asked.
He smiled at Tony. He didn't regret telling the billionaire his secret.
Seven years ago…
Clint's POV
Nothing. They had been searching for Percy for eight months. Not a hair, a sighting, nothing had placed Percy anywhere. It was almost as if he'd dropped off the face of Earth. Clint didn't want to admit defeat. Annabeth had been looking for Percy as well, with no luck. Neither of them wanted to admit the alternative…
Tony had been looking for Percy through his connections. He had every CCTV camera in the country running facial recognition for Percy 24 hours a day. If Tony Stark couldn't find someone then it was hopeless.
Clint spent a week drinking. He felt incredibly guilty. He should have followed up on Percy; he should have tailed the kid until the threat with Kronos was over with. He should have known better.
First, he missed the Battle of New York. Now, he'd lost Percy.
What kind of demigod was he? What kind of man? Laura was devastated; his kids, who had gotten to know their 'uncle' were devastated. Clint had taken to seeing Percy's mom, Sally, on a semi-regular basis with his search results. He couldn't show his face in camp after a month of not being able to find Percy. He didn't have the strength in him to walk past the empty Poseidon cabin. He knew Annabeth had it worse, but every time he looked at her without Percy, he broke down all over again. He couldn't do it.
He had just gotten to his favorite bar that he'd become a regular to, when Tony appeared and grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the bar. Tony shoved him into his limo as they sped back to Stark Tower.
"What the fuck?" Clint growled.
"I found Percy." Tony said excitedly.
"What?" He sputtered, suddenly alert. "Where?"
"California." Tony replied. "You think someone there could've kidnapped him?"
Clint's blood ran cold. The number one demigod rule was to never go to California. He didn't know why, nobody did. That was just the rule.
So why the fuck was Percy in California?
"How soon can we get there?" Clint asked eagerly.
"That's the thing. He was sighted in California once, after that I haven't been able to find him. He's fallen back off the grid. But we know now that he's alive." Tony told him.
"Great." He sighed.
"But, now that I have a rough estimate on where he is, I can keep tabs on him. This system will alert me to any sightings of him anywhere in the area." Tony showed a tablet in his hands. The tablet was showing a map of the Western Coast, with a huge square over the entire state of California.
Clint had never been so relieved in his life. He settled on the next time he saw Percy was to strangle him for making all of them worry.
They spent the next week on a wild goose chase. Percy's sightings were all over the country. California, Oregon, Washington, then finally Alaska. Then finally, back to California. Then, Annabeth disappeared. She told him that Percy was alive and okay, but that they were both on a quest.
Needless to say, Clint was incredibly pissed off.
He waited impatiently in camp for the two demigods to return, only to have the shock of his life. The same gods that had sired an entire camp of Greek demigods also had a Roman side?! Which had an entire Roman camp in California?!
He supposed that's why the rules were to never go to California. It suddenly made sense to him after all.
When he finally met with Percy again, he had an entire plan in mind. He was ready to rip him a new asshole, when he saw the look in Percy's eyes. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Annabeth about Percy at all.
Percy watched the approaching demigod with caution. As Clint grew nearer, he held his hand out. Clint, dumbfounded, stared at Percy for a full minute. "I'm Percy Jackson," Percy said. "I've lost my memory, can you remind me of who you are?"
Clint had never wanted to drink so badly before that moment.
Six and a half years ago…
Clint's POV
Tony had officially banned Clint from drinking. Tony was worried that Clint would become a useless drunk, and he didn't want that. Tony told him that if he saw him with another drink or heard that he was drinking, he'd tell Apollo himself and throw him out the side of Stark Tower.
Clint privately agreed with Tony. He quit drinking cold turkey. He instead spent his time training in the gym. He gave Percy lots of space, but he'd be lying if he wasn't still worried about the kid. After Percy regained his memory of him, he told him bits and pieces of what he'd been through. He told Percy that he'd always be available to talk to him. He found Percy sleeping at his house a few times. He was a good kid, and Clint would be lying if he said he didn't care for him. After knowing him for almost 5 years, and everything Percy had been through, he had a healthy respect for him.
Clint did everything in his power to help Percy to regain himself. After a few months out of Gaea's war, he began to see the difference. He also made sure to always have blue food dye on hand at home. He knew that he couldn't stop Percy's nightmares, but the only thing he could do was to be there for him.
Six years ago…
Percy's POV
It was a year after the war with Gaea. Percy and Annabeth had moved into a small apartment of their own in downtown New York City. Annabeth had started to go to college in the city, so it wasn't far from the grounds. The two of them had a full year away from the gods so far, and they couldn't be happier.
Annabeth had befriended this mortal girl named Alice, who had introduced Annabeth to her group of friends. Once they had checked that they were all mortal—and not monsters in disguise—Annabeth had started to hang out with them a few nights a week. Which meant that Percy was left alone at home, but he called over Leo, Jason, Frank, Will, and Nico when Annabeth wasn't around.
But naturally, that's when things went wrong.
Frank and Jason had been chatting about their futures with their girlfriends, and possible jobs. Percy was sitting between Leo and Jason on the burgundy couch, stretching and yawning. Sure, it was early morning, but he was still tired from the move. Who knew you could have so much junk?
"I'm just so nervous," Jason said. "What if I mess it up while popping the question?"
Percy smiled lightly. "You can take down gods and monsters but you can't propose to your girlfriend?"
"That's different, man." Jason insisted.
"Of course it is," He agreed. "You don't over think it. You just do it."
Percy had proposed to Annabeth at Christmas, and the two were going to get married next summer. Percy wasn't sure if they were going to invite their godly parents or not, but he figured he had plenty of time to talk that over with Annabeth.
"Easy for you to say." Jason grumbled. "Your girlfriend isn't the daughter of Aphrodite."
"My girlfriend was an immortal Titan." Leo said with a shrug. "If I can do it, so can you."
"How is that better?" Percy asked him.
"It's not," Nico says. "If it was me, I'd never get married."
"Well, gay marriage isn't even legal in the US." Will said. "So we couldn't get married."
"We?" Nico asked, his face highlighting in a blush.
"We in a general sense." Will said, his face equally as flushed.
"This is terrible to watch." Leo grimaced.
"Yep." Percy agreed, popping the 'p' sound, hopping up from the couch. "Who wants drinks?"
The five other teenagers voiced their agreement, and he went to the kitchen to start making cups of juice. He had just pulled the pitcher from the fridge when the kitchen exploded. He was thrown violently back into the living room.
"Percy?" Frank asked. "Are you all right?"
Percy didn't respond at first. His ears were ringing, and his vision was fuzzy.
Leo walked forward and slapped Percy, and after a second, he mumbled, "Ow," before his vision and hearing cleared.
"What in Hades' name is going on outside?" Nico asked, looking out where the kitchen wall used to be.
The entire side of the apartment building had been blown up, revealing a several-story drop. As Percy looked out the hole in the wall, he could see planes flying around the city, with a lot of flashing lights coming from the planes. Were those even planes? He wasn't sure.
Screaming sounded from outside, and at once, Percy knew he had to help them. He turned to the other five teenagers, who were suddenly on alert.
"New York City is under attack." Percy said to them. "That much is clear. Frank, go to camp and get them to send demigods to the city to help. Will, Nico, evacuate any citizens you find. Leo, Jason, help me fight those—things."
The five demigods nodded, not even fighting his orders. Percy knew that he technically wasn't supposed to be fighting at all—he had given that up a year ago—but he couldn't just sit and do nothing either.
Without thinking, Percy jumped out of the hole, landing on a stone slab about a floor down. He ducked into a roll, and climbed down the rest of the way to the ground. Jason had floated himself down, but he didn't see anyone else besides a small bird flying out of the apartment building.
Drawing Riptide from his pockets, uncapping the pen as he went, he jumped into the air, grabbing at the first plane he saw. As he got closer, he realized it wasn't a plane, but a freaking spaceship. Pushing his weirdness aside, he swung in an open arc and killed the first alien. The second alien pointed a gun at him and fired, but Percy ducked easily, and stabbed in with his sword, effectively knocking the gun from the alien's hands, and killing it at the same time.
"Huh," He said to himself. "I guess they count as monsters."
The third alien turned and picked up the gun that the second alien had dropped. He swung his sword again, cutting the gun down the middle. The alien was stunned, but it didn't last more than a second. The alien opened its jaws wide, revealing several razor-sharp teeth. He jabbed inwards with his sword and killed the alien without another thought.
He realized his mistake at once when the spaceship took a nosedive and started to fall back to the ground. Cussing in Ancient Greek, He looked out at the ground. He could see a large mob of aliens centered in the spot where the ship was going to crash.
He ran to the edge of the ship and jumped, rolling to a stop on the ground as the ship crashed behind him.
"Duck!" A voice called from the side of him.
Without question, he ducked, and an arrow sailed over where his head was a second before. He looked up, expecting to see Will, but instead, Clint Barton stood over him.
"Clint?" He said stupidly.
"Hey, Percy." Cling said, notching another arrow in his bow. "Long time no see."
Percy got to his feet, swinging his sword at an alien as he replied, "Yeah man. We need to catch up sometime."
"Hopefully when the city isn't under attack." Clint responded.
"What have you been up to since I saw you last?" He asked, looking around as the area they were in was cleared of aliens.
"Well, you know. A bit of this and that." Clint shrugged.
"Hey!" A woman shouted. "Less talking, more killing!"
A woman with red hair was running towards them, holding a pistol in one hand, and in her other was a strange device.
"Sorry, Nat!" Clint grinned cockily.
"You forget it was a warzone or something?" The woman, now identified as Nat, growled.
"Partly my fault," Percy said.
Nat glared at Percy, but decided she didn't care, and turned back to Clint. She pointed at Stark tower. "We need to get up there and shut off the portal."
"How can I help?" He asked Nat.
"Kill aliens." Nat responded. "Come on, Clint, if we cut up this way there's less of the aliens and we'd have a better chance of getting to Stark Tower."
Percy brought his hand to his lips, and blew his best New York taxi cab whistle. Nat spun around, staring at him. "What are you doing?" She demanded.
Percy didn't respond. His eyes were on the sky, and a moment later, a black mass got closer to him. Eventually Blackjack landed, whinnying slightly.
Why do you always call me in the middle of a warzone, boss?
Percy grinned. "Sorry, Blackjack. I need you to take this woman to the top of that tower there."
"Are you talking to that horse?" Nat blinked in confusion. "Why does it have wings?"
Fine but you owe me doughnuts, boss. Blackjack trotted over to Nat, and waited patiently.
"Get onto his back. He'll take you directly to the tower." He told Nat.
"I am not riding a flying horse. I'd prefer to walk." Nat said.
"Come on, Nat! When else would you ride a flying horse?" Clint pleaded. "We need to shut that portal off before Loki destroys the city."
"Hang on." Percy said. "Did you say Loki?"
"Yeah," Clint replied.
"You know Loki?" Nat asked.
"Homicidal maniac, wears horns on his helmet?" He questioned.
"That's the guy." Nat crossed her arms.
"Met him, and I have to say, not a fan." He put his hands up in surrender.
"When did you meet Loki?" Clint asked, bewildered.
"Like two years ago when Loki tried to kill Annabeth's cousin." Percy said casually.
Blackjack must've gotten tired of the conversation. In one swift move, he grabbed Nat and the two disappeared into the sky.
"This conversation isn't over." Clint replied as he knocked another arrow.
"How about we put a pin in it?" He suggested, swinging his sword in a wide arc to keep the aliens at bay.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Clint agreed.
Then the two charged at the aliens together.
Five years ago
Clint's POV
Clint straightened Percy's tie. He smacked Percy's hands away as he attempted to move it again. "Stop," He gently chided. "It's straight now."
"Do I look good?" Percy asked him as he admired himself in a floor length mirror.
Percy's wild hair was slicked back with gel, but he had a few stray hairs poking around his forehead. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a sea-green tie. Percy's eyes swam from dark to light as he shifted nervously on his feet. Clint himself thought he looked handsome as the best man; he wore a black suit of his own, but his tie was orange. His blonde hair was slicked back, not a hair out of place.
Nico walked into the room. Nico's dark black hair was tied in a low ponytail. He wore an identical black suit to the one the two men wore, and begrudgingly wore an orange tie. "It's nearly time, Percy," Nico told him.
"Neeks, be honest, do I look okay? I feel like Clint's not being honest." Percy pleaded.
Nico rolled his eyes, not even bothering to correct the use of his nickname. "Percy, you look fine. We got to get in position before you're late to your own wedding."
"Is everyone out there already?" Percy asked.
"Everyone's here." Nico confirmed. "Even the gods. We're all waiting."
Percy gulped down her nervousness. "Alright men, let's do this."
Clint couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped him. When Percy snapped his head to look at him, he couldn't falter the glare that the 18 year old was sending him. The glare only made his laugh come harder.
"What?" Percy asked.
"Nothing," Clint said quickly.
Percy sent him another glare, which was promptly ignored.
Two weeks ago
Clints pov
Clint had been eating dinner away from the rest of the Avengers. He didn't like shawarma, so he hadn't found a need to go out with the group. He put his plate into the sink and with a frown, noticed the sink was full. Thor was on the planet again, and it seemed as if he never stopped eating, yet he never washed dishes. At least he had finally learned to put the dishes into the sink instead of breaking them on the ground like a fucking menace.
He pulled some of the dishes from the sink and filled it full of water and grabbed a sponge. He had a few dishes done by the time the rest of the Avengers came into the tower.
"I didn't know we had a busboy," Nat laughed. Clint stuck his finger up but didn't respond to the redhead.
Tony finally entered the tower, and made a beeline straight for Clint. "You'll never guess who we saw eating shawarma."
"That pretty waitress you couldn't stop talking about?" Clint asked as he scrubbed at a sharp knife. What even was stuck on this?
"Percy Jackson," Tony replied.
The sponge slipped past the knife and he felt a cut on his finger. With a muttered curse, he pulled his hand from the soapy water and dried it off, heading to the medicine cabinet to grab a bandage.
Aware of the other Avengers in the room, he replied smoothly, "How is my little nephew these days?"
Tony pulled a picture up on his phone that he had taken that morning. Percy had a forced smile on his face, and even Clint could tell that the kid was annoyed.
"So anyway, we were having a lovely conversation, so I decided to give him my card. I whipped up something special for him if I had ever met him. Check it out." Tony handed him a card, and at once Clint noticed what was so special about it. The card was written in Ancient Greek, and as he watched, a phone number appeared at the bottom of the card as if it were magic.
"Please tell me you didn't give him this." Clint whispered, glancing at the other Avengers in the room. Luckily, they seemed preoccupied with their own conversations and activities and weren't paying any attention to them.
"Why not? It's pretty cool if I do say so myself. Took me forever to find the translations, I didn't know Ancient Greek was untranslatable. I figured that'd be a good way to meet the kid and have a talk." Tony had a proud smirk on his face.
He grabbed Tony's wrist and led him to an empty room. "Jarvis, stop recording."
Clint listened as the hums of the electronics in the room shut off. "Tony, for all your smarts, you are the dumbest sack of shit I've ever met."
Tony guffawed. "What?"
He sighed. "The card is cool, yes, but think about it from Percy's perspective. Our heritage is the biggest secret we keep. And you somehow know about it? You hand him this card and he's going to run for the fucking hills!"
Tony frowned. "I didn't think it would scare him off. That's why my phone number is on there."
"Just don't approach him about Greek stuff, alright? I'll have a chat with him and tell him that you mean him no harm."
He walked off, but Tony's comment made him stop.
"Well, what about Fury?"
He whipped around. "What about Fury?"
"I had lunch with him a few days ago, and saw something odd. I just didn't think much about it at the time," Tony seemed nervous. "But now I think back on it, and I think he may have been one of yours."
"Spit it out, would you Tony?"
"So Fury and I were having our annual Avengers checkup at a restaurant. And people are walking past us, well I'm not paying much attention to them. Till this gay couple walks past us. My attention was drawn to them because, well, one of them looked just like you."
He frowned. "Like me? How so?"
"Blond hair, blue eyes."
He scoffed. "Many people have blond hair and blue eyes, Tony. What's your point?"
"If you were say, eight years younger, he'd be your identical twin." Tony frowned. "And Fury saw me staring at the kid, so he followed my gaze and as we both watched them, they just melted into the shadows and disappeared. Fury watched this. So of course, he was out of his seat in an instance and called SHIELD to check security cameras for them. I insist on coming with him under the pretense of a recruit, and he lets me tag along as he finds the kid and arrests him. At this point, I know they're both one of yours. All the signs were there: a missing parent, dyslexia, ADHD, and the fact that one of the kids disappeared in the 1940s."
Clint swore loudly, but Tony continued with his story.
"So during the interrogation, we find a crumpled up photo in one of their wallets. A picture I recognized."
"Percy's wedding." He whispered, and Tony nodded.
"So the guy escapes and takes his husband with him. Clint, at some point Fury will call you."
"He'll think I had something to do with it." He crossed his arms as he paced. "If I know Percy and Annabeth as well as I think I do, right now they'll be packing their bags and they'll be fleeing to camp after you gave them your card. Nico-the black haired dude-will get them safely there and as long as they're there, Fury can't find them."
"That's good," Tony visibly relaxed. "At least that card will have some good come from it."
"That reminds me," he turned back to Tony. "Don't ever do something like that again. At least ask me next time, alright? Paranoid demigods are dangerous and uncontrollable. You freak us out when you do shit like that, man."
"Okay, okay." Tony put his hands up. "I won't ever again. Promise."
"Good," He sighed. "I'll check in with Percy and Annabeth tomorrow."
Little did he know what would happen that night.