I Am The…

Chapter 6

Cafe

Percy

"-Listen up Leo, there is nothing wrong with bringing a girl to the movies. It's like the go-to date spot for new couples. Why are you stressing so much?"

"I don't know Percy, all these movies always show couples going to the movies. I just think it's way too overused and bland, not too much way too vanilla; and you know me, I'm anything but boring!."

"Whatever you say, Leo, whatever you say. All I'm trying to do is help you," Percy said nonchalantly. "And remember, this is Hazel we're talking about; she's not like Khione 'ice face' Reas."

"Hey, what's wrong with Khione? I get that she's not as friendly as any other girl but what exactly is up with the both of you?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying that you are doing a lot better going after Hazel than that snotty brat," Percy huffed.

He really hated Khione - well hate might but a strong word - because of how she acted as if everyone not on her 'level' of importance was a peasant. Percy understood that half of the reason why was because of her upbringing and the fact that her father owned one of Athen's most successful vacation agencies - they sent their clients on private jets for crying out loud! Still, she could've made do without her snotty and prideful attitude.

"I guess I should thank you then," Leo said sarcastically.

Percy smiled slightly, swearing that he could literally hear the eye roll over the phone. "If it helps I think that her smile, is cute."

Leo took a moment to respond, "That's like the only good thing you've said about her."

"Surely you jest Leo because I can count on both hands the number of nice things I've said about her."

"Like that makes it any better. Anyways-"

Sensing that the conversation was going to pick up again, Percy quickly butted in. "For the last time Leo, just go to the movies with her; now you either listen to me right now, or you can go do whatever you want because I am starving and I cannot eat while on the phone, bye."

Percy shut off the phone with a shake of his head and placed it on the table before rubbing his hands together as he looked at his breakfast. There was nothing like a nice hot fresh croissant with a nice brew of fresh mocha latte in the morning. The nice pure blend bean smell that came from the beverage complimented the faint buttery aroma of the pastry dish; making Percy drool as he slowly brought the treat to his mouth.

But right as he was about to take a bite he heard a cough from behind him. Groaning internally he looked over his shoulder and perked up at the sight of his blonde partner. Her hair was a mess and it looked as if she had tried to brush it out last minute; and who was he to care what girls did in their spare time?

The last time he did, Silena had all but beat him up like she did back when they were little tods. Although if he had one critique it was that even with her messy locks she was still…

"Adorable," Percy whispered under his breath; his eyes widening slightly at his slip-up before covering it up with a smile.

"Well hello, there dear partner," Percy smiled jovially. "Care to take a bite?" he motioned to his plate as he took a sip out of his coffee cup.

Gwen rolled her eyes and slid into the seat in front of him. She slipped off her gray backpack before pulling out a notebook and a pencil plus a pack of pencil crayons. Percy couldn't help but just watch the scowling girl dig into her bag with an amused smirk as he waited for her to be done so he could order her something to eat; but only if she accepts his offer.

"First off," Gwen drawled without looking at him as she continued rummaging through her bag. "I do not want to eat what's already been touched by your hands; secondly, I don't like croissants - I find them bland and way too puffy - and lastly, no."

Gwen finally looked up and stared him dead in the eye. "I'd much rather order my own breakfast thank you very much."

Percy grinned, "Your funeral, this is one of the best pastries ever."

"Whatever you say, Jackson, whatever you say," she sighed with a roll of her eyes before getting up to walk to the counter.

"Wait," Percy grabbed her wrist. "Let me at least order something for you," he said sincerely.

She looked at him suspiciously as if she was looking directly into his soul to see if he was lying or not. "And why would you do that?" she quirked an eye before pulling her hand hastily away from his grip, an action that made him frown slightly.

"Call it being a good samaritan," Percy replied cheekily.

He thought she was about to decline due to them having an ever-lasting eye contest, but finally, after what seemed to be a minute, Gwen resigned with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Go right ahead," she swooped her arm to the cashier.

"As you wish," Percy smiled. "What do you want to eat?"

"An Iced Capp would be nice oh and add a bagel in there; make sure it's twelve grain with some cream cheese."

Percy nodded and walked over to the counter to order where the same thought from before pierced his mind.

"Adorable."

Cafe

Gwen

"-Her smile is cute," said the raven-haired teen in front of her.

Gwen stopped briefly, her eyes darting to the slim black phone in the boy's ear. She didn't know but unconsciously she had let out a small breath of relief. Two questions crossed her mind. First off, why did she stop? And who was he talking to?

But like any other phone, it was silent unlike Ethan's, who sometimes forgot to take his phone off the speaker. It was hilarious sometimes, especially when his mom would call him and when she did she would use his pet name.

She heard a couple more words along the lines of "Reas, movies, brat, and the name of a peanut?" which didn't make sense at all. It was about a few seconds later when she finally spotted him pocketing his phone. Seeing that he was done and she wasn't going to interrupt anything she made her presence clear with a cough.

He looked over his shoulder and she swore there was a slight gleam that crossed his eye, but what she failed to notice was what he said under his breath. If she had just torn her gaze away from his eyes then maybe Gwen could've caught it but for some damn reason, she couldn't.

His voice knocked her from her stupor making her jump slightly which freed her eyes from the sea-green orbs of one mischievous Mr. Jackson.

Gwen rolled her eyes and slid into the seat in front of the grinning boy. She glanced once more from the corner of her eyes and mentally prayed. "Whoever is listening out there, please help me get through this."

Somewhere

Unknown…

"Damnit! Why can't you work you damn thing?!" the man hissed. "It doesn't look like the wires are in the wrong places; they're all connected to the right ports. Finally the gears! The gears are working smoothly - too smooth I might say - so what is going wrong?!"

"Just work you damn thing!" he yelled as it echoed throughout the big warehouse. "Just. Work!"

With a frustrated yell, he unstrapped himself from the suit and trudged down the wired steps where he retired to a small desk. It, unlike the rest of the warehouse, was littered with tiny trinkets: gears, pencils, and a piece of eroded metal, that he brushed to the side. He let out an irritated hiss as he grabbed a spare pencil and began to check his notes.

"I am a mechanic, this shouldn't be that hard. For crying out loud I've been working with tractors and machinery for who knows how long," he spoke to himself as he let loose another groan of annoyance and frustration.

He dropped his head into his hands and massaged his temple. There must be something going wrong because if one tiny component of a machine was invalid then the entire thing wouldn't work at all. But what exactly was not working?

Suddenly an idea popped into his head and he jerked straight up sending the chair skidding backward. His mind raced fast as he took a wrench and a screwdriver and began to tinker long into the night. If he finally got this to work his life would forever change along with his family's. This time no one could look down on them and in turn, he will be the one laughing at their shocked faces.

There was so much counting on this and there was not a lot of time left. His family was counting on him and no way in hell would he deprive them of what they were meant to have, and if it wasn't for that fateful interaction two months ago…let's just say for once in his life he was glad that fate had thrown him to the wolves…

Flashback

His face was scrunched up in confusion as he headed towards the door. He wasn't expecting anyone and his wife and daughter were outside buying groceries but they had their own key so who was it? Pulling open the door he was met with a man in a tux wearing black shades.

"Are you Mr._?" the man asked him.

"Yes I am," he replied skeptically, "now who are you?"

The man ignored him and proceeded to turn around and walk down the front steps. "I need you to come with us sir," he called behind his shoulder as two men drifted into view from either side of the door.

"Hey! What is the meaning of this? I demand you to release me now-" he was interrupted by one of the men slapping a bag over his head. "Hey! I-mhf, you…c-can't-mfh do!"

He was silenced once more by a punch. His stomach exploded into unimaginable pain as he felt his gut begin to wretch as his lunch traveled halfway up. But he didn't puke, instead, he was pulled out of his prone position and shoved into what he assumed to be the back of a car. A second later he heard the ignition start and then the car drove away.

"Please, Mr _ I need you to calm down," a new voice spoke.

"Then remove the damn bag!" he said gritted but it came out more like a muffled yell.

"I cannot do that but I will go ahead with what I have to say. So if you can, please do stay silent."

He was about to speak up but stopped. There was no way out for him and for all he knew they would murder him the more he disobeyed their orders. So he stayed quiet and listened to the man hum in delight.

"Good, now you might be wondering why you're here-"

He rolled his eyes through the bag. Of course, he wanted to know but he didn't dare speak up.

"It's simple really, I have a proposal that will benefit the both of us," the man stopped to let it sink in. "From what my people have learned. You used to work for one Wilson Fisk three months ago before being fired. The reasoning behind it is unknown to us but we do have intel that you were working on something for him."

He was lucky that he was bagged because as soon as he heard the name Wilson he was instantly on alert. No one knew he worked for Mr. Fisk, nor did he tell anyone at all for that matter. It was supposed to be a secret job and a high-paying one at that. But how had they found out? Were they people hired by the man? Just the thought made his face pale.

As if noticing his discomfort, the man continued, "No need to worry Mr. _. Although we aren't part of your personal vendetta with the man; he has also shamed us not once, but thrice and we do not take to being shamed at all," the mystery man snarled. "We are willing to fund that little project that caused you to lose your 'secret' job and in turn, we need you to do something for us."

"What that something is won't be revealed to you just yet and if that bothers you all you need to do is nod."

The man stopped and he knew he was waiting for his answer. There clearly wasn't a right answer because if he nodded he was ninety percent sure his family would find him in a ditch; but if he said yes then there might be a chance that the favor they wanted from him will be something he didn't want to be a part of. But what could he do?

As if noticing his hesitation the man continued. "Oh don't you worry Mr. _. Don't think you won't be rewarded after your job is done. You see we care for our employees; after all, we're one big happy family."

Although he knew there was only one answer after hearing a bit more he was a hundred-percent sure of what he was about to do, not to mention, he also had to think of his family.

He didn't nod.

There was a moment of silence before the man chuckled. It was a deep rumble of laughter that made his hair stand. "Good choice, really good choice," they chuckled as he felt them grab his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze of false comfort.

Even though his vision was cut off he could imagine the large grin that formed on the man's face. "Well then, it seems our conversation here is done," they clapped.

"Oh, and before I forget; here are your funds," he felt a smooth rectangular box be laid on his lap.

"There is a sufficient amount in there that should help you, but if it doesn't…well."

He waited for the next few words but they didn't continue, they didn't need to because he knew all too well what they met; it was the laughter he faced once again that did nothing but confirm his thinking. Suddenly the door snapped open and a pair of hands pulled him out as the voice called after him.

"It's been a pleasure…Mr. Toomes, ciao."

Cafe

Percy

"And…done! I now present to you, the great Fidus!" Percy thrust out the mini spear with his - in his opinion - beautiful and amazingly crafted detailed golden-winged spearhead.

"...Great," Gwen drawled. "Now here, you can start working on her shield; and once you're done that I need you to grab some coffee sticks and some straws," she said nonchalantly.

"Aww, why do I have to do it? Also, don't think I didn't catch your sarcasm there," Percy glared.

"Maybe because I'm currently busy," Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Busy with what? I thought you were done with her skirt," Percy frowned.

Gwen sighed heavily, "Clearly I am not, now chop chop," she waved him away.

"You could say please," Percy muttered before standing up to grab some more materials for Bellona's military attair.

"Would you please get me some straws and coffee sticks?" Gwen yelled cheekily behind him.

Percy couldn't even be mad because that was probably the first time that he heard the girl say anything nice; albeit it wasn't much better than her sarcasm and stern looks, plus the bland and neutral expressions she would send his way.

|━┨PXG┠━|

"I am beat, this was probably the longest I've ever spent working on a school assignment," Percy groaned loudly. He was currently lounging back on his chair, balancing on the back two legs with no care in the world. After all, he knew he wasn't going to fall…well maybe not.

"Eh, I'm pretty much used to it," Gwen shrugged carelessly.

"Well, then I envy you."

"Hm, too bad too sad. Maybe you can get used to it like me," Gwen hummed.

"Psshh, I doubt it; I don't think I can ever get along with school assignments. They hate me and I hate them," he said in faux sadness.

Gwen snickered and gave him a look of pity. An action that caused his eyes to widen. Percy was about to address the fact that she snickered but stopped. For the whole day, he was sure she was annoyed and pissed so why not end the day on a good note?

"Alright, I gotta get going; it was nice working with you today Jackson. We're all done so I'll just hand in our project on Monday."

Percy stood up and stretched. "Sounds good, I gotta go as well," he nodded before watching her leave as she waved without looking back.

Somewhere

Adrian Toomes

"Yes! It's finally working!" he whooped in joy. The suit had turned on after three excruciating minutes of praying not to hear that horrible and irritating buzz of failure. Now finally, after two straight days and an unhealthy amount of caffeine; his suit was finally working the way he wanted for the very first time.

He grinned and strapped himself tightly; testing how it felt and to his great surprise and joy he found that the material he had indeed used was light allowing him to move with relative ease. But that wasn't the cherry on top so without further ado and with a bit of hesitation, he grabbed ahold of the twin joysticks.

"You've got this, all you need to do is press this button…" he whispered to himself. With a deep breath, he felt the sturdy red button under his thumb and pressed slightly into it. At first, there was nothing until he felt his feet lift the ground as a light hum came from either side of his suit where they were implanted into the fans of his retractable wings.

"Holy shit, I'm actually flying," he said in shock before blowing into full-on laughter. "I'm flying, I'm flying…I. Can. Fly!"

He grinned madly as he took off from the warehouse where he had spent days, weeks, months, and a whole damn year as a second home. But now, now he can go back to his real home where he could finally change his family for good and to get revenge on those who wronged him.

"Get ready New York, for I am the Vulture."

A.N THE VULTURE HAS APPEARED! First major villain ohhh? I bet you're all wondering, "who were the people in the flashback?" hmm I can't tell hehe. But, they will play an important role further on in the story.

Sadly, folks, I guess it wasn't Gwen who Percy thought had a cute smile. Although, he does find her adorable "sigh" young love am I right?

N1. Regarding the Vulture: I don't know exactly what The Vulture's suit is made up so I didn't go into detail in that part. But, if you guys know, feel free to pm me so I can fix it up in the future whenever I have the time to edit the past chapters. On that note, I will be editing the first few chapters when I have the time.

Remember! I'm active on just reading so if you have any questions I'm only a PM away. Finally, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading!

Next update...surprise