Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO or the Avengers. You don't need me to tell you the real geniuses are Rick Riordan and Marvel's creators.
To Guest Reviwer 1: I'm not giving away any spoilers- sorry- just wait and read.
To Guest Reviewer 2: THANK YOU!
To Matt: S.H.I.E.L.D is frustratingly paranoid, but surprisingly, they're not without compassion. Just wait and see what happens the chapter after this with the Avengers!
To actionliker: Well, here's the next chapter, but I'm sorry there isn't as much action here as there is the chapter after this! Sorry! But I promise there will be battle scenes and a lot of excitement!
Fury sat on his desk, mulling over what had happened at the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Vegas.
Lotus… Phil and his team mentioned eating those flowers, and saying they were the best things they'd ever tasted. When the infirmary tested them, they found residues of some kind of chemical- a really powerful chemical compound. They didn't think it was LSD but it looked really strong. Unfortunately, they weren't able to test it due to the fact that it wore itself really fast. Even when extracted they quickly vanished, leaving no trace behind, not even a long-term addiction. However, Fury was thankful that courtesy of Fitz-Simmons and Agent Ward's quick thinking, they had managed to save a sample. Now he was researching it.
Lotus… Otherwise known as the water-lily. A sacred, famously fragrant flower held as a symbol of purity, beauty and other things in many cultures and religions. But in this case, what happened to Agent Coulson and his team, as well as Darrin Kyle, was not natural, purifying or in any way a spiritual experience- just a drug high. And while opium from poppies were used in ancient rituals, as Fury had researched, lotus blossoms were not. In Asian countries like China and Korea, their petals were used as garnish, their roots were also a delicacy. The latter country also made an herbal tea from the white petals of the dried lotus called Yeonkkotcha연꽃차. The rhizome was eaten mainly in Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean cuisines, along with other countries. Even in America you could eat a tasty dish with lotus ingredients in Chinatown. Rich in dietary fibre, vitamin C, potassium and a whole other bunch of minerals, they were also very low in saturated fat.
On the whole, not a bad thing to be eating. But what little the scientists managed to get, was that the chemical found in the lotus blossoms they had filched (or rather ripped out of Agents Fitz-Simmons' hands), did not in any way seem to be synthetic. Nor was it identifiable via tests, such as in drugs like cocaine and heroin. It seemed like it had come from the plant itself, exuding intoxicating pheromones, a chemical which intoxicated any animal or human which smelt it. The taste itself, according to the agents, was marvellous. So while these flowers were definitely Nelumbo nucifera, otherwise known as lotus or water-lilies, they weren't like any breed of plant which the scientists at S.H.I.E.L.D or anywhere else had ever studied.
Fury's frown deepened as he turned his attention onto another matter and studied the file in front of him.
Percy Jackson. Supposedly the boy was a lot more trouble than Fury himself had ever thought he'd be, and he was well-known for sniffing out trouble.900 After disappearing for months, he was spotted in Canada with two other friends. Their names were Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang.
He decided to speak with the Avengers about this. It wasn't going to be easy for them, but this was something they should know about.
"Wait- you're serious?" Tony gaped. "These flowers?"
"Unidentified, but most definitely natural," Fury sighed. "No LSD, no Ecstasy- nothing we've ever encountered. But definitely strong."
"What about the original chemical composition itself?" Natasha questioned. "Is S.H.I.E.L.D able to replicate it to find an antidote?"
"No," Fury replied. "It appears to be natural. Which is strange, because despite that being lotuses, lotus blossoms don't have hallucinatory properties-"
"Well, if they did, Chinese restaurants would have to look for a new ingredient," Tony pointed. "But what's this about Percy Jackson?" Of course it would be something about this guy.
Fury sighed and rubbed his head. He'd had a tiring day.
He threw the files in front. "You'll want to see this." Natasha picked one up. They all peered at it with interest. "These are Percy Jackson's other companions."
"Frank Zhang, born 5th June 1994, Vancouver, Canada." Fury declared. "Father unknown-" "Yet again," Steve muttered in disgust. "Mother: Captain Emily Zhang, a Canadian soldier of Chinese descent." Steve looked mildly surprised- but only mildly. "Her parents and grandparents migrated from China, from the village of Li Jien, in the sixties, set up an import-export business in Canada. Their business has been largely successful. By the time Frank was born, only two members of his immediate family were living: his mother and grandmother.
"His mother had met his father during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. She never mentioned who he was, only she had a kid. She was a good soldier, Emily Zhang," he said softly. "S.H.I.E.L.D would've definitely taken an interest in her- only she died in 2010 during another tour of duty in Afghanistan, during a botched raid. She was helping her fellow Canadians and their American and British allies to escape. She held the enemy off and died fighting."
Steve was silent. "She was a great soldier," he said softly.
"Yeah," Fury agreed. "But what I wanted to talk to you about- the enemy they were fighting had ties to the Ten Rings."
Tony nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wha- you don't mean," he spluttered. Tony Stark actually went pale.
"As in the guys who kidnapped you and tried to get you to build your Jericho missile for them?" Fury looked grim. "Yeah. The raid was botched from the start: new evidence found suggests that the Canadians had a double agent. A double agent who suggested that Emily Zhang and her squadron was the one sent to assist the Americans and the British in a tight situation."
Clint's eyes widened. Bruce looked on in shock. "They targeted her?"
"It appears so," Fury appeared aged, for some reason. "In any case, she died, her son was left orphaned and living with his grandmother. Yet, not long after his mom was buried, he disappeared. By April 2010, he was in San Francisco- with Percy Jackson."
The Avengers gaped at him. Tony stared, unblinking.
"There's more," he warned them. "Six weeks after Captain Zhang's death, another teenager appeared with her son and Percy Jackson. Her name is Hazel Levesque."
He threw a black-and-white photo out in front of them. "This picture was taken in 1941, New Orleans," he confessed. "And this one, more recently."
It was of an African-American and Creole descent; an undeniably beautiful girl with rich, satiny cocoa-brown skin, curly cinnamon-brown hair tinged with gold, and strange golden eyes. That was a colour photograph taken recently. But the black-and-white photograph taken in the 1940s, showed an undisputed resemblance. That was Hazel Levesque.
Natasha's eyes bugged and she looked up at Fury. "Anything to do with the Lotus Casino?" She demanded.
"It doesn't look like Hazel has ever been to Las Vegas at any point in time," Fury said dryly. "But like Nico di Angelo- and you, Captain Rogers- she was definitely born prior to World War Two: on December 17th 1928, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother was Marie Levesque, otherwise known as Queen Marie, a Voodoo priestess and a fortune teller. She dealt with tarot cards, crystal balls, tea leaves, gris-gris and séance- the whole nine yards. Her father was again, unknown, but she went to Saint Agnes' school for girls- and befriended a kid in the neighbourhood named Sammy Valdez."
Natasha's eyes sharpened. "Relation to Leo Valdez?"
"His great-grandfather, according to genealogy experts," Fury replied. "Sad to say, he was her only friend. Though observers described her as a sweet girl, her mother's reputation wasn't a good one. They called her a witch and then she started selling diamonds."
"Diamonds?" Bruce interjected.
"Gold and jewels," came the response. "Weird things started to happen. "When a gold nugget was sold to a jeweller's by Marie Levesque, it was made into a bracelet. The person who brought the bracelet, had his arm cut off with the bracelet attached. Normally, people would've rubbed off that incident, but more stuff started to happen with the diamonds and emeralds, rubies, sapphires, gold and silver nuggets that Marie Levesque had sold. People started saying they were cursed."
"So if I brought a ring for my girlfriend and she loses a finger, I'll definitely know who to blame." Tony muttered. "They actually believed that?"
"She was a Voodoo priestess," Fury pointed. "And a single mother in the twenties, thirties and early forties. I don't think people back then were inclined to be genuinely helpful and kind to her or her kid." Steve winced.
"Anything on the jewels themselves?" Natasha interrupted.
"Nothing's been found," he stated. "But rumours suggest that the valuables were found by Marie's daughter, Hazel, ever since she was just a kid."
Tony snorted. "Yeah, right. Cause kids find diamonds in playgrounds all the time."
"Nevertheless," Fury cut in. "On Hazel's birthday in 1941, Marie made an abrupt move out of New Orleans. Neighbours suggest that she had been behaving erratically at that time. She never had anything good to say to anyone, and even her daughter preferred to spend time outside of the house, even if it meant being harassed by the neighbourhood kids."
Steve looked upset. He always hated those kinds of kids. Whoever this kid Hazel might be, she didn't deserve to be so unhappy at home and outside.
"So they left and ended up in Seward, Alaska," Fury continued. "Where Marie worked as a waitress and cleaner. She dropped all kinds of Voodoo and fortune telling, and the family lived in extreme poverty. Finally, reports suggest that some uninhabited island off the coast, near the Hubbard Glacier, and the whole sea and coast around the island were suffering from tremors, like earthquakes. There were floods and other catastrophes. Finally, Marie and Hazel Levesque's bodies were found. They'd died."
Natasha's eyes widened in shock. "But then-" she managed.
"Yeah," Fury said. "She was seen in April 2010 with Percy Jackson and Frank Zhang in San Francisco- a place where she'd never been to in the twentieth century. Facial recognition identified them. CCTV and satellite imagery tracked them.
"According to Zhang's grandmother, she'd sent the boy to summer camp to help him cope with the loss of his mother," Fury continued. "She never mentioned where he went- never indicated he went to the United States. But they were spotted in Multnomah County, in Portland, Oregon, and around the Jimmy Carter Library. Then they ended up in Vancouver, Canada, at the Zhang family mansion. Frantic neighbours called the police, calling about gangs and thugs surrounding their house, trespassing on private property. They shouted death threats to Frank Zhang and his grandmother, and some rumours-" Fury's mouth twisted. "Suggested cannibalism."
They stared blankly at him.
"Either way, the garden's irrigation system exploded and either the thugs fled or were killed on spot. They must've fled 'cause we've found no bodies. Nothing on the grandmother either, though the whole mansion was destroyed.
"But the three kids must've made it, because they were seen in a nearby airspace, used by the Zhang family for their business, and flew to Anchorage, where they took a train to Seward, the site of Hazel Levesque's old home. Unfortunately, the train was destroyed- totally wrecked, and by the looks of it, attacked. There were no survivors, apart from those three. And for the life of us-" he looked frustrated. "We can't figure out who attacked them!"
"Nothing on satellite imagery?" Natasha questioned.
"Nothing." Fury replied blankly. "But they made it to Seward, anyway, where they visited Hazel's old house- well, house is a generous term with how rough and how little the family were living. But they were seen going around the Hubbard Glacier, and crossing the border to Canada, with some heavy junk in tow."
"What?" Tony sputtered.
"That and an elephant." Fury said. Tony, Clint and even Bruce and Steve looked ready to laugh. "Funny, cause there were no zoos, or breakouts nearby.
"Either way, they must've made their way back to the United States," the director continued dryly. "Because Jason Grace, Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase were seen in Salt Lake, Utah. I don't know how they got there. Reports have it that they must've flown, but there were no aircraft- private or commercial- associated with them. They were also in Topeka, Kansas, and this woman in Atlanta, mentioned speaking to them about salt water-"
"Salt water?" Steve asked.
"Yes, Rogers. Salt water. She told them there was an aquarium. The aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia is, after all, the biggest in the world. She gave them some brownies, a jar of peach preserves and money for a taxi ride to the Aquarium."
"Nice lady," Tony laughed. "You don't meet people like those as a billionaire."
Fury ignored him. "All we know is that a tank broke after Percy Jackson and Frank Zhang were spotted going inside. And then Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase and Hazel Levesque were in Charleston, talking to some Southern Belle in a crinoline."
"This story just gets weirder and weirder," Natasha muttered. Clint couldn't disagree with her.
"For an international organisation with high level tech, usually courtesy of you, Mr. Stark-" Fury pointed dryly. "The pictures were damnably blurry. We can't even get any facial recognition on who the Southern Belle was, or if there was anyone dressing up like a Southern Belle in Fort Sumpter at that time."
Tony raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"As it turns out, Fort Sumpter was the last place the seven- and Nico di Angelo- were seen in Northern America," Fury explained. "The next time they appeared, they were in Europe- they ended up in Rome. Some satellite imagery showed them sailing on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, but the name of that ship is blurred again- and we don't even know what kind of ship."
Fury paused to take a deep breath. "We also don't know how they got there so quickly," he admitted. "Normally cruise ships, and even naval vessels take over five times the amount of time to get from one destination to another- and that's not as far as these kids have travelled. They were in Rome."
"Rome?" Natasha and Clint spoke at the same time. "Why Rome?"
"Why anything?" Clint asked dryly. "Jackson, Grace and Tristan McLean's daughter were seen in and around the Colosseum, but somehow, though they were looking around, it didn't look like they were tourists. Normally, reports of a scuffle at a historical site would've attracted a lot of attention- particularly from the police- but we got nothing."
The Avengers were alarmed. "The next time, we see them, was in Greece."
"Hold on-" Steve held out his hand. "Greece?"
"Greece," Fury confirmed. "They circled the whole Peloponnese Peninsula on their weird-as boat-"
"Sounds like a private vessel," Natasha remarked.
"-And ended up in Athens." Fury continued. "They were in Olympia- the site of the ancient Olympic Games- the very first ones which our modern ones were modelled after. Now, Olympia gets a lot of tourists, including at the ancient stadium, but these guys weren't taking pictures, or anything of that kind.
"Oh, so they went on vacation, without going on vacation," Tony smirked.
"Frank Zhang was spotted in Pylos- with a whole lot of birds," Fury remarked. "Sometimes, we couldn't even see him amidst all those birds." He shook his head. "Funny how the images of these kids just keep getting blurrier and blurrier, by the second."
Tony was serious for once. "Can you hand 'em over? JARVIS and I might just be able to make something out of it."
Looking far more aged and worn, Fury waved a hand in consent.
"They were in Sparta-"
"Oh, come on, seriously?" Tony sounded amused. "Tristan McLean's daughter visited the set or the actual city site- the city of macho men-"
"Yes, that." Fury was irritated at how quickly he was able to go from being serious to his normal, chirpy self. "They were seen around the olive oil museum-" Tony snorted. "Very Spartan." "But Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean were mostly spotted at the temple of Ares."
"Like the god of war?" Steve frowned thoughtfully.
"Yes, the Greek god of war. Ruins. Some kind of catastrophe, the girls ran out as fast as they could, looked like there had been a scuffle of some kind- and this crazy dude came running after them, but didn't last long. There wasn't much in the temple, last we checked. But there was a pretty big statue of Phobos."
"Phobos?" Steve interjected.
"The Ancient Greek god of fear," Natasha explained. "It's where we get out modern word, 'Phobia' from."
Tony smirked, Natasha shot at him: "Stark, don't you dare!"
Tony raised his hands. "I wasn't."
"That's highly debatable," she retorted. Natasha looked back at Fury. "Where did they head to next?"
"The Aegean Sea," Fury pointed. "Which should've been catastrophic, because a giant sea storm was spotted by our satellites."
"And they survived?" Tony asked sarcastically. "No, really?"
Wisely, Fury chose to ignore him. "They stopped over at the island of Mykonos, and Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang were seen talking to a couple of people- only we don't know who the heck they are. Like that Southern Belle in Charleston, we have a very hazy, blurry and confusing image at best. In some cases, the picture was cut.
The Avengers all frowned.
"The pictures keep getting more and more blurry?" Steve questioned. He knew that photography and satellite imagery was way more advanced than they had ever been, he still didn't know that much about them as compared to the others, but he was certain they were supposed to be better than that.
Particularly if they had been designed by Tony Stark. Steve shot a look at Tony who was frowning intently, all traces of humour gone. Irritation was evident on his features and he knew he was going to be hounding for answers very soon.
"Where did they go next?" He asked.
"Epidaurus- an ancient city on the Argolid Peninsula- it's part of a new city now, but they didn't go to any of the modern sites."
"Interesting," Natasha mused slowly. She looked at Clint.
"What are they, historical tourists?" Hawkeye frowned. "Ever since leaving the United States, they've only been to ancient Greek and Roman sites. The Colosseum, the temple of Ares, the stadium at Olympia…
"Yeah, it's getting weirder and weirder," Clint admitted. "These kids don't seem like history nerds."
"Well, you never know," Bruce Banner shrugged. "Has anyone ever taken a look at their grades, favourite subjects and all?"
"Well, if they are, why would they go to the world's biggest aquarium in Atlanta?" Natasha pointed out.
"In any case, they were at the Acropolis in Athens," Fury picked up the conversation. "There were photos of some big riot- but then all our cameras went black."
"Whoa, seriously?" Now Tony looked angry. "Who is responsible for maintaining this equipment?"
"We've all looked- even members of your team, Stark, personally trained by you to repair, maintain and keep high-level equipment in optimum condition," Fury replied. "And nothing was wrong. It wasn't so much the equipment itself as what was going on down there."
Natasha leaned forwards, alarm barely visible in her eyes. "And what was going on down there?"
"How could these kids possibly have interfered with your equipment all the way down there- when they were busy travelling no less?" Bruce asked.
"We don't know." Fury said softly.
"But this isn't all. There's a whole lot more, we just couldn't make sense of it… Yet."
"You couldn't make sense of it?" Steve sounded baffled. "As of this moment, we have more immediate things to worry about." Fury said grimly.
"Two of our agents have gone missing, they were keeping tabs on Percy Jackson- reports have it they were trailing Nico di Angelo to Percy's apartment where he met with Ms. Jackson, Mr. Blofis and their toddler daughter. He left the apartment about half-an-hour later and headed for the Queensboro bridge which was nearby. Then he vanished. The agents couldn't find him anywhere, and they had scanned the whole area. So they went back to their apartment and that was the last time we had ever seen them."
"Seriously- who are these kids?" Tony spluttered. "Regular teens don't have private jets, or ships, whatever they are. I don't think even celebrity dads buy that kind of stuff exclusively for their kids. Well, mine wouldn't dream of it. Not without attracting a whole lot of attention."
"And people don't just vanish into thin air," Steve pointed sceptically. "Did you check the agents' apartment?"
"We did," Fury admitted. "And found… Nothing. Not even their bodies."
Curses and groans all around.
"What do you mean they attacked the Lotus Hotel?" Percy asked incredulously.
"It means they sent agents there- agents who never came out, until a whole strike team came and practically dragged them out. Thanks to Hephaestus' inventions, his mechanical spiders-" Annabeth grimaced. "-injected a toxin in them- kinda like the ones they use to keep people in there. Now, the whole hotel's been moved, location-wise." Nico said, almost casually. He looked at Alex.
"I guess they've found you," the latter calmly said.
"Not yet," Nico pointed.
"But it's a matter of when, instead of if," Alex pointed back. "So you've moved hotels. You told me you were the subject of a nationwide manhunt when you were twelve," he looked at Percy. He was referring to the time when Percy told him how he discovered he was a demigod.
"Mortals may be blind at times, but they aren't stupid." He said, eyes darkening. "Sure, isolate a few incidents and they'd come up with their own 'reasonable' explanations for that. The gas main that ruptured during an earthquake, a crazy kidnapper, but put them all together, and if any of you have been seen at the scene of the crime-"
Annabeth interrupted. "We haven't. Not all of them."
"Are you sure? I did shoot down a CCTV camera on the way here," he said slowly. "Cameras which by now, would have recorded footage of us fighting. They might not know what those things were but…" He trailed off.
Chiron sat up sharply. "What's this?" He demanded, looking back and forth between the campers.
Percy sighed as he had to explain to Chiron what had happened. Chiron looked alarmed.
"So they've seen it," he whispered. "Knowing Tony Stark's reputation, that technology would have ensured S.H.I.E.L.D would have known by now."
Annabeth's grey eyes widened and she was in a panic. Piper and Jason too.
"Wait a minute Chiron," Percy warned. "I don't think Tony Stark goes about repairing every CCTV camera in the United States- or the whole world. If I were a billionaire and an Avenger, I would have other things to do, spare time included."
"True," Alex agreed. "But an organisation such as S.H.I.E.L.D- particularly an international organisation of that level, would have access to all the CCTV cameras in the world. They've probably picked it up, or else they're picking it up and processing those images as we speak, license plates, type of van, et cetera." He sounded almost nonchalant about this.
"I have worked in liaison with spy agencies before. S.H.I.E.L.D is a step up, but I understand how it works."
The campers gaped at him. Chiron started from his stupor. "Ah, well, in that case, what do you know about S.H.I.E.L.D?" He asked.
"Firstly, it stands for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division- somehow, I think they made it so that it deliberately spelled shield. Based in the United States, headquarters are in the Triskelion, on Theodore Roosevelt Island, located on the Potomac River between Washington and Virginia." He gave them a look. "However, they have bases everywhere throughout the globe, on every continent and island, and undercover operators. The CIA and MI6 operatives among others believe that to be promoted to S.H.I.E.L.D is not merely a step-up and a dream come true, but it's such a good dream, it's hardly realistic, at least most of the time." He shrugged. "Same with every soldier in the Special Operations division throughout the world. But it's like saying that you've suddenly in the running to become king of the whole world- it's infinitely simpler to win the lottery."
"Shame." Leo Valdez popped out of nowhere. "I'd like to be the king of the whole world- not literally, of course," he added hastily looking up at the skies.
Alex raised an eyebrow, but continued. "What makes them so unique isn't merely their level of skill, technology or their size. Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, they're responsible for maintaining world security. That means, international counter-terrorism measures, extra-governmental military- so basically, they're independent armies, navies and air forces, intelligence agencies, computer, chemical and nuclear scientists like CERN, of their own, protecting everyone from any perceived threat, no matter how tiny and microscopic." He looked at them. "They're considered the greatest military power in the whole world- at least counting it by the mortal terms. The rumours about nuclear warheads have never been confirmed, but high-tech missiles, explosives, chemicals and weaponry, are true enough. And that's without adding the Avengers to the equation.
"Independent of any government, they instead answer directly to the World Security Council- an international council formed from politicians from some of the world's most powerful countries- and run by Director Nicholas Fury, guy in an eyepatch, though technically, that last bit's not information your average joe should have." He admitted. "Famously advanced, large, powerful and notoriously secretive, as always, one of its founders was Howard Stark, Iron Man's father and an ex-girlfriend of Captain America- again, not supposed to be privy to that particular bit of information."
"Then how exactly are you privy to that information?" Jason asked, baffled.
"Simple answer: they offered me a position," Alex said, as if saying someone had simply offered him free ice cream samples or canapés.
"WHAT?!" Some of them exclaimed.
"Yup, I turned it down."
"Why?" Percy blurted.
"Because I didn't trust them, you guys might have picked it up, but I have issues trusting people- except my own soldiers." He said grimly.
Nico raised an eyebrow. "You came with them easily enough." He nodded to four of the Heroes.
"I wasn't supposed to."
Percy stared. "You told us-"
"I lied," Alex said, flatly. "I had no intention of coming to New York with you- at least not until S.H.I.E.L.D operatives showed up and began following us. Then there was that gunfight- you might have forgotten about that little scuffle. I couldn't fire a weapon without attracting more S.H.I.E.L.D members, possibly their STRIKE division." He looked irritated. "The ticket and visa was meant for some other part of the US- before I changed it. You were good fighters, but these guys would have caught you- they were that smart, that observant, that quick and that strong. You underestimated them simply because they were mortals with a short lifespan- a big mistake. Mortals weren't supposed to see gods in New York, but they did. They're aware of supernatural activity now, and make no mistake- S.H.I.E.L.D. is like a learning robot. The Avengers too, they store every bit of data in." He gave them a look.
"It's one thing to fight monsters with Ancient warfare, swords and shields, bows, arrows, spears and those kinds of things. But I did shoot down that CCTV camera for you, and even then, it might be too late. You guys- I have to tell you this, before you go charging out on any mission to stop them- are either just too reckless, too impatient or too arrogant to believe these guys are any threat- and they are." He made a face. "I thought hubris was a sin according to the Greeks and Romans."
Annabeth flinched at that, but if Alex noticed (which he probably did), he gave no indication. "If you didn't trust us, why did you come?" Piper asked.
"Because you needed saving, that's one thing. You had no idea what you were up against, I easily caught you out, you can bet S.H.I.E.L.D will do the same. Plus, I was starting to wonder if S.H.I.E.L.D was going to come after me as well. It's not a matter of trust- I've fought against extreme odds and in the toughest situations- it's a matter of mutual self-interest." He explained.
Chiron looked at him and studied him intently. He seemed to be reading and analysing this new 'pupil' of his.
Only he wasn't your average pupil. If he was a pupil at all.
"Do you have any cameras installed around this whole area?" Alex asked Chiron.
Chiron sighed. "Not me." He pointedly looked at Leo.
"Welllll….. A bit." Leo said sheepishly.
"Leo!" That was Piper.
"Actually, that's good." Alex cut her off. "Someone might actually just be sensible and logical enough to save us. Where's the perimeter? May I see the footage?"
"Uh, sure." Leo led them all off.
"Okay, so here we have… That camera," Leo poked at the security or speed camera that the Heroes and Alex had brought with them after reviewing their defences. "Well, based on what I can see, it looks like a regular, old CCTV camera, except that it's not."
"Oh?"
"See here- this wire," he pointed. "High quality- real high quality. Yeah, I know, but CCTV cameras are around more than you think. This is real expensive stuff. It's only one wire but it connects to-" and he kept chattering on, the others barely or not understanding at all.
Jake Mason's eyes darkened. "Spy agencies."
"No- S.H.I.E.L.D," Alex corrected gently. "I told you they had access to just about every CCTV camera in the globe. Satellites too, they could easily track us from above."
The demigods paled. "I'd forgotten about that," Leo said in a very small voice.
"Satellites?" Calypso frowned. "Machinery above the earth's atmosphere?" Alex raised his eyebrow, but did not comment on her observation.
"Yes. Meaning they could have easily tracked us." He stated. "Or bugging. In fact, I would be surprised if someone hadn't picked something already."
"But how?!" Percy exploded.
"How do you think?" Alex countered. "Explosions, battles, natural disaster- don't you think those attract a lot of attention? Plus, we live in the digital age. Smartphones, Twitter, Facebook- you name it. These things can circle the globe in seconds, if not milliseconds. Mankind has gone very far. Names, birth records, death records, heck, even your old high school test results and university results too. Everything about your parents, how many times you've been treated in hospital, every trip you took abroad- S.H.I.E.L.D would have access to it. In fact, they may even have your individual bank account details." He murmured.
Annabeth looked sickened and pale. She glanced at Percy. "How did we not see this?" She whispered.
"I don't know," that was Jason, whispering his response.
"They were one step ahead, Wise Girl," Percy said softly. "They were good, but we didn't know it. We didn't see it."
"You need to adapt, otherwise you'll die," Alex pointed.
"That will be all," Chiron sighed. "We must call a meeting of Cabin Counsellors- and you, Alex, must attend."
Alex inclined his head, gracious and polite for once.
"And that's what happened." Percy finished recounting his story.
The others stared at him in horror. Many of them were pale-faced and looked sick.
"They've discovered us," one of them whispered.
"Maybe, or they're still on their way," Piper said softly. Jason's jaw tightened and his hand found hers. "It's only a matter of time."
Clarisse's hand tightened into a fist. "We have to stop them."
"And then what? You intend to barge into the world's most secure location- the White House and Kremlin included- charge in with your weapons- which I've heard can't even harm mortals- and demand them to surrender?" Alex raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Yes, that sounds like a recipe for success."
"Who are you?" Clarisse demanded.
"He's the guy that saved our lives," Percy defended. "And he was the one who discovered just about everything."
"Gun fights, sword fights, I've been trained," Alex said idly. "Lieutenant Colonel Alexander McDermott, of the Sciathán Fiannóglaigh an Airm, otherwise known as the SFA, the Special Operations Division of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Ireland." His eyebrow rose again.
Clarisse stared. "Oh."
"Wait-" Malcolm- Annabeth's second-in-command (those were permitted for the meeting too). "You're a soldier?"
"Yes," Alex replied smoothly.
"In the… Olympus, that's- Alexander McDermott- were you by any chance that officer who almost single-handedly saved entire villages and towns in the Kurdish regions from terrorist armies?" Malcolm blurted. "And…" He couldn't even finish. His eyes bugged.
Annabeth started. "What? How the heck-I never knew that!"
Malcolm stared. "Annabeth- he's one of the most decorated officers in the world- one of the best commandoes in any Special Operations division, the best in Ireland. One of the greatest in Europe. How can you not know his name?"
Everybody's heads whipped towards Alex, many practically gaping.
Annabeth opened her mouth, but was unable to say anything.
"Yes," Alex said dryly. "But now you know how S.H.I.E.L.D managed to take an interest in me, until I said I wasn't interested- I didn't trust them."
"And they let you go?" Jake asked in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I kept them guessing." Alex stated. "Kept them under the impression I was going to accept someday, but I was still biding my time. I didn't trust them, but I have ways of evading them."
"Then you can tell us how to do that," Katie insisted. Alex shook his head.
"Frankly, unless your esteemed mothers and fathers are ever going to wipe the whole universe's minds blank, then I'm afraid we can't." He said, bluntly. "It's already been done, you can't turn back the clock. The Avengers included one god from Norse mythology, he had a brother who led the invasion of New York-"
"Yeah, and prevented us from entering the fight and defending our own territory," Clarisse growled. "When his brother attacked us."
"In which case I am can guess that the Greek and Roman gods aren't very happy with their Norse counterparts," Alex responded, smooth as ever.
"The frank truth was, S.H.I.E.L.D probably knows about you guys- maybe they suspect you're already in one big group, maybe they don't know just yet. But when you have information about every individual in the entire world at your fingertips: birth records, bank account details, criminal records, drivers' licenses, hospital records, et cetera. Even your High School and University examination results would be available to them. Facial recognition can be done in mere seconds, judging by the technology of Stark Industries. Satellite imagery- everything. And if you guys spend your entire lifetimes, fighting, relying only on the Mist to keep you covered, with explosions, natural disasters and other things happening in the mortals' eyes, I have no doubt S.H.I.E.L.D would take an interest in you too, more so now that they have an awareness of the supernatural."
Everyone gasped, and paled dramatically. Alex was possibly the only calm one.
Chiron tried to be reason. "Now campers," he started. "S.H.I.E.L.D has not found us yet."
"But if they did, they're likely to pick a fight with us, imprison us, or force us to work for them- and I can't avoid them this time." Alex pointed.
Chiron sighed. "And here I was hoping for a shred of optimism." He looked darkly at Alex.
"Optimism?" The way Alex said it made it sound foreign. "Just because I'm Irish doesn't mean we depend solely on luck and look on the bright side of the rainbow. I'm a realist, and I don't have ginger hair- and do I look like a leprechaun to you?"
"No, no, I didn't mean that," Chiron said hastily.
"My life sucks, the thing is, I don't spend my time whining about it," Alex said idly, not at all offended. "I've had American Navy Seals underestimate me because of that. Don't make that same mistake- S.H.I.E.L.D wanted me, but the reason I didn't take their job was because I didn't trust them. I knew something was different about me-" his eyes darkened. "And believe me, different isn't always good. When just about everyone you've ever loved in your entire life is dead- dead before their time, and you've been forced to endure, survive things you can never imagine, will never wish your worst enemy to endure, you have to learn not to trust people so easily. Even if you are desperate." He glowered.
"You've gone easy on the mortals. And soft." Clarisse scowled but said nothing.
"Above all, you've grown lax in your power, confident in the use of the Mist and your victories, unaware of the wider world." He was positively glowering now. "And countless innocent children have paid the price."
The Heroes of Olympus and Chiron winced.
"Clearly, you've never managed to check beyond your own borders, or very rarely." Alex spat bitterly. "Thousands- no, tens of thousands of children, your own brothers and sisters would still be alive if you had."
He wasn't going to let that go any time soon. Not when he still saw their bodies in his mind.
The others were silent. Many looked down. A number even had tears in their eyes. No one could meet his eyes.
Alex shook his head.
"This is going too far!" Someone was raging.
"Whoa, chill man. We could easily talk things out,"
"APOLLO! This is no time for-"
"Ouch. That hurts bigly!" Snickers.
"Ares, I swear ONE MORE TIME-!"
"What's the matter, Cereal Face?"
"SIIILEEEENCCCEEE!" Zeus all but howled. He held his Masterbolt in the air, and lightning sizzled and cracked like whips while thunder boomed.
Everyone fell silent. The king of the gods glowered around the room.
"On the matter of the Asgardians," he all but spat the last word out. "Odin is desperately trying to negotiate-" the king of Olympus was still steaming.
"But we have put forth an ultimatum." He forced himself to calm down. "The Egyptians are none too pleased either. We demanded Loki's head, and their support to wipe the mortals' minds blank, but Thor-" he spat his name. "Has refused."
"Aw, come on!" Ares whined. "They were going to find out anyway! These damned mortals just got too smart- that's what we get for giving Western Civilisation over to them." The flames in his eyes rose higher as he gave a maniacal grin. "Besides, why are we hiding? Since when were we scared- the mortals used to-"
"That was back then, Ares," Athena sighed, exasperated.
"Enough!" Zeus bellowed. He glared at his son. "Ares, you will not do anything- that's an order!" He tried to breathe deeply. Some of the other gods stared at him fascinated, half-expecting steam to come out of his godly ears.
"Now," he snapped. "As this matter has the potential to go on for days, if not weeks-" cue the sparks in his eyes. "We have other matters to observe. Namely- the unknown demigod."
"Yes." Athena narrowed her eyes at him. "Father- are you sure he's Greek?"
"Could be Roman," Hephaestus agreed.
Zeus frowned intently. "I have never even seen him. But…" He looked confused. "Apparently, an unknown benefactor-" he scowled. "Has shown footage- recorded by magic. The boy is now at Camp Half-Blood, but we will be able to watch his journey carefully and monitor whose child he is and whether he is Roman or Greek."
Some grumbled, some looked suspicious at the mention of the mysterious benefactor.
"Now," Zeus waved his hand. The images appeared in the flames of the hearth, as if cast by some magical projector.
They showed a boy. One turn and everyone gasped.
None louder than the ones who lived during the oldest days of Olympus when they glimpsed the boy's face.
"AGAIN?!" Came the screech.
"He's there." Aglaia stood at the doorway.
He stood straighter. "In Camp Half-Blood I presume?"
Aglaia gave a nonchalant shrug, but he could tell she wasn't pleased.
"They came," she said shortly. "To Ireland. Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase. Four Heroes of Olympus. They know."
"They already knew," he pointed. "Their foolishness would have cost them many of their children's lives." His two-shaded eyes darkened with rage and grief.
And guilt. Guilt and shame which had lasted for over two thousand years.
Aglaia looked at him. Understanding was in her eyes, she reached out to touch him.
Never pity. He was not made for that.
"We must ready our forces," she replied. "They will attack soon, I can attest to that."
"I am sure," he replied. "Very well then. But Alex…"
"Alex's training has been without equal and he is without peer in regards to this," he said slowly. "If anyone can be trusted with such a mission, it is him."
Aglaia nodded slowly.
"He will bring them to us," he assured them.
He knew Alex would never let him down.
Unaware that Zeus, his brothers, wife, sisters and children up on Olympus were currently watching his journey from being picked up by the Heroes of Olympus in Ireland, all the way through to the present moment, the demigods continued on their war council.
Alex rolled his eyes lazily as he watched them bicker and trade insults. "Well, this is productive," he gave a sardonic smile. He cast a cool glance at the frustrated-looking Heroes of Olympus.
Sensing this was going to take some time, Alex shot a look at the centaur trainer.
Chiron was pounding his hoof, trying to keep things under control, but when people panic… You know. Alex just leaned back in his chair, enjoying the coolness of it all.
"Alright, that's enough!" He managed to get his voice across.
Everyone calmed down almost instantly. Chiron looked at Alex. "Alex," he began. "Do you know anything about S.H.I.E.L.D's practices- how they will try to target us, and how do we respond from there?"
"I might know some things," he admitted. "But as I said, when they do find us, everything will depend on whether we'll be able to coexist peacefully- or not. Because unlike Olympus, Asgard is another world- literally. Olympus exists on earth- above it, yeah, but still… You get what I mean. And like it or not, human beings have never been very good at sharing. Ever since the first Homo Sapiens fought their Neanderthal cousins, humanity has been fighting amongst themselves. It fights with others who are different- a Homo Sapien could easily turn against their own kind, as well as a Neanderthal. Moving aside from all references of Cave Men, S.H.I.E.L.D's primary goal is to keep the world safe- from terrorism, and supernatural forces. The demigods of Olympus live amongst mortals- and word has it- a very poorly-kept secret- that S.H.I.E.L.D is registering and keeping tabs on the Enhanced."
"The what?" Butch, son of Iris asked.
"Humans who have been subject to scientific experiments- like Captain America and Black Widow, or the Hulk, even. Steve Rogers started out as a scrawny kid with every illness on the book, until he got a serum from a Doctor Erksine and became Captain America. Black Widow was just a regular kid- in the KGB Red Room program, until she got enhanced too. The Hulk's case was an accident, no doubt about that. Being exposed to Gamma radiation can have disastrous consequences for any human, but for some reason, it turned Doctor Bruce Banner into a giant, green rage monster when he gets angry. Things like that." Alex paused. "S.H.I.E.L.D's creator, Howard Stark was the one who put forth the Avengers Initiative- a group of highly talented, likely enhanced people with special abilities. As you may have guessed, or already know, he was Tony Stark's father. It was only after his death that his son carried out his idea- his proposal, thanks to Nicholas 'Nick' James Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was his idea when Loki first appeared in their facility in the Mojave Desert, drawn by the Tesseract which they were examining as a part of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S- I know," he rolled his eyes as some looked amused and the most immature snickered.
"Director Fury quickly got the Avengers together, as a response to Loki's threat. Thor went back to Asgard, taking Loki with him, and earth has tried to stay on good terms with Asgard- because an extra-terrestrial world of deities being your enemy is a very bad idea."
"So they might not attack us?" Someone asked hopefully.
"I didn't say that." Alex said calmly. "We might be captured, used as hostages to ensure our immortal parents behave." Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if furious by such an idea. "Or we might be wiped out- and they would seek to destroy Olympus- everyone's worst fears. Pray that they aren't that stupid and reckless. We might be forced to work for them, or they would continuously spy on and keep tabs on us, using satellites and a bunch of other, new and improved technology, using some of the Chitauri tech they'd left behind- people learn from that stuff. Or both. The possibilities are endless."
The demigods looked at one another.
"Analyse the situations all you will," He continued. "But they may- or may NOT- try to end us and Olympus too."
Thunder again, rumbling angrily. Alex again ignored it.
"Key- they MAY," he emphasised. "Or they may NOT. There's the rub. What happens if Olympus falls?"
The demigods winced. They've been in too many wars.
"Western Civilisation would cease to exist," Annabeth said slowly. "Yeah, it won't disappear all at once, but things will start returning to the dustbowl it began." That was Percy- quite surprising.
"Even with all these other gods?" Someone else argued.
"Best not to risk it," Alex stated. "Please continue." He looked at Annabeth.
She shook her head. "Alex, I just don't know. Western Civilisation is everywhere. From the buildings like the Lincoln Memorial to the White House in Washington D.C, the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Centre-" Percy grimaced. "The eagle of Zeus being this country's symbol- those are just the only things. Basically, everything that makes this International Corporative Culture, this worldwide civilisation, not just the Western one, stems from the gods and their children. George Washington was one of my mother's children. The heroes of the War of Independence, the American Civil War, heck, the heroes from just about anywhere, were demigods."
"Not to mention, famous examples of popular culture, including the Beatles and Alfred Hitchcock." Will Solace put in. "Famous physicians, not just Ascplepius, scientists, inventors, engineers…"
"Electricity, running water, writing, heck, even wine, music, medicine and education would disappear." Percy admitted. Annabeth looked at him surprised.
"Wow," she sounded impressed. "You surprised me, Seaweed Brain."
"Clearly, your boyfriend isn't an idiot like your nickname for him so bluntly puts it." Annabeth flushed and glared at Alex. "In fact, he isn't stupid at all, like you suggest." He looked at Percy with interest.
Annabeth flushed even deeper. "Hey! I never called him stupid- it's just a-" Chiron waved her off, his own eternal patience fraying for once.
"So basically, what you're saying-" he nodded to Percy. "Is that this world would be reduced to the Stone Age?"
"Basically?" Percy grimaced again. "Yeah, that sums it up."
Alex sighed. "Well, maybe we can put that as proof as to why the Olympians need to remain in power." He rolled his eyes. "But don't expect them to trust us. They'll still want to keep tabs on us- most likely use and hire us."
"Damn," Leo whistled. "These guys sound persistent."
"They are, they would never have taken a no for me- they're also quite persuasive." Alex confessed. "But I was just as persuasive- and I persuaded them to wait."
"And kept putting it off." Jason raised an eyebrow. "Damn. That must have been tough."
"Well, I have run off with you guys, so it appears that their efforts to recruit me will cease for the time-being." Alex stated dryly.
"There's something else I would like to know," Chiron was the one who addressed him, narrowing his eyes. "You said you were one of many."
Alex was stone-faced. "I am."
"What happened to those children? Demigods, I presume?"
"You said they were killed and tortured," Percy said slowly. "Please tell us- it isn't true, is it?"
"Would I joke about this? Would I make up some sick story like that?" Alex asked, icily. "It's real. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, maybe even more, many of us from outside of North America, kidnapped, even sold. We were experimented upon, like lab rats. Tortured to test our point of endurance." His eyes grew darker, more… Haunted… He looked like he had seen Tartarus or at least the Fields of Punishment, which at least Percy, Annabeth and Nico had. Yet there was something more. "We were forced to kill," Alex said so quietly, that it was a good thing everyone else was silent, otherwise they would never have heard them. "We killed monsters for their amusement, training and being experimented and tested upon for their benefit, to become their army. No, their killing machines. Sometimes, they made us kill monsters, in order to have food and water, maybe a little warm clothing- anything. Or endure days and nights without food, water, medical treatment, light- or extreme pain, such as questioning under use of torture methods." Alex said softly.
"Most of the time, it was to test how good we were at surviving, at killing. Or for their own amusement. We were given harsh lessons before we were tested, tested always to the point of endurance, to the point of breaking. What was the worst thing? Most of us were so young, we knew no other life. Those sometimes did not survive. To survive in that world, we had to become monsters. Because," he said slowly. "They didn't just pit us against monsters. They pitted us against each other. We had to kill one another, like gladiators, for their amusement, and to see if we would do it. If any child showed mercy, that was a weakness. Sometimes- rarely- they received a second chance. Other times, if they refused to kill their opponent, they would be killed." He looked up at them. They could see the shadows in his face, even as their hearts, veins and stomachs turned to ice and dropped in a bottomless, black pit. "If a child or a teenager showed emotions, like fear, anger- which led to recklessness- or even romantic attachments- they were punished." Images of a blond-haired boy and a brown-haired girl being forced to watch as the other were tortured and then killed flashed in his mind.
He looked back up at them. "But always they made sure we were demigods- or at least that was what they said. We didn't always believe them- would you believe your torturers, those sadistic killers, the guards? I don't think so."
Alex could hear their screams, their shouts and helpless threats. Their desperate cries. Everything. He closed his eyes.
His hands tightened into fists on the table top.
His jaw clenched and unclenched, His shoulders hunched over.
Percy- or Jason- asked quietly. "Who's them?"
Alex didn't respond.
"You've failed me once again." The voice hissed.
They whimpered and cowered at his feet. Pathetic.
"Doctor," the voice said slowly. "Is the trap ready?"
The Sokovian doctor who had personally dealt with Alex came forwards. "Yes, my lord."
"But what of the Avengers?" Another asked.
"They shall be dealt with easily. "Once my allies have arisen, they shall know the meaning of pain. In the meantime, allow them to dig deeper.
"Soon, Percy Jackson will fall. And with him, Olympus.
"And we shall have our revenge."
Some things will be the same, others will be totally different. If I could go back and rewrite the Second Trojan War series, I would. Next chapter: S.H.I.E.L.D and Roman demigods. Greek demigods meet with Romans, Olympus goes crazy, Asgard meets up with Olympus among other things. I can definitely promise things are about to get tense.