CHAPT 13 - BACK OFF BIRDMAN
Online school for me *cue unenthusiastic yay*
It's weird, I think I'm the only one out of all my friends who hates Online schooling with a passion. Anyone else?
Anyways!
Tony Stark POV
The next few days were pretty quiet, Loki and Percy usually hung out with each other doing their own thing. Did that concern us? Maybe slightly.
Nicky showed up a few times to brief Clint and Tasha on some missions, so they disappeared a few times. Not that that wasn't the norm.
Banner and I usually just stayed in the lab. Steve in the gym.
Said super soldier entered the lab at, well, a very bad time.
Bruce and I were leaning over a highly flammable experiment. If we succeeded we would've made another form of matter.
"Alright, Bruce, don't talk. No distractions." Bruce scoffed but leaned in closer.
"Tony! Bruce!" Steve yelled opening the door.
The whole thing imploded.
"Dammit Rogers, really? Brucie and I were so close!" I complained.
Steve completely ignored it. "We're having a training session now."
I groaned. "Whyyyyy"
"Because I said so." He threw a pointed look at me. I groaned again and walked out the door. Bruce followed too. He never trained with us personally. Well, unless Nat wanted to teach him self defence, otherwise Bruce usually sat on a chair, studying our movements and writing down our weakest points.
Nat, Clint, Thor, Percy and Loki? were already there. "Um no. Blue boy, you are not training with us." Loki frowned at the nickname.
"I will do what I so please. Besides," A flash of green light and he had two daggers in his hands. "I wish to spar with Thor and Perseus."
Thor was beaming. "I would love to brother!" Loki looked uncomfortable at the name but with an elbow to the ribs by Percy, he didn't correct him. Well. That was a first.
Steve clapped his hands together. "Well, first of all, Percy do you know how to use a weapon?"
Thor laughed like he'd just made the funniest joke in the world, even Reindeer Games looked amused by the comment. Percy rolled his eyes at the two. "I'm good with a sword."
Clint spluttered. "Sword? What is this? the 15th Century?" He laughed.
Percy dismissively waved his hand, "Says the one with the Bow and Arrows." Clint grew quiet.
The mutant reached into his pocket and uncapped a pen? Nope. Not a pen. Not a pen at all. That's a six foot bronze sword. Everyone but the two gods backed up in surprise. Percy just looked confused. "What?"
"That was a pen." Steve so helpfully stated. "And now it's a sword." Percy's eyes widened, his eyes lost focus -as if he was thinking or something- and then grew focused again. "It's um. Nano tech?" Nat raised an unimpressed brow.
I, on the other hand, felt like a child on christmas. "Nano tech!?" I was on him in an instant, he looked like he got ambushed. "That's amazing! So it allows your sword to turn into a pen? Did you make it?"
"Uh- no. It was given to me." Oh. That's disappointing.
"Can you tell me who made it? I wanna see if I can-"
"Stark." Loki interrupted. "We would all be eternally grateful if you could cease your rambling." I rolled my eyes and gave Percy a look that said 'I'll get back to you later.'
Percy Jackson POV
Why wasn't the mist working for them? Sure they were able to see other things, but ... Well, it's official.
Steve had asked for me to demonstrate my, and I quote 'ability to use a sword' which is how he found himself mid spar with Loki.
I couldn't help but admire the fighting style Loki used. While Thor's style was harsh and brutal, Loki had an elegance and deadly calmness to his.
"Wow." Clint nodded to us both, then frowned. "Loki never attacked us this skillfully."
Loki snorted, but there was a vulnerability in his eyes. "That's because I didn't anticipate the need to use such strength."
"Don't hold out on me." I smirked.
"Oh I wouldn't dream of it." And he lunged again.
"This kids got some skill." Tony whistled.
"Some?" Nat raised an eyebrow at him.
With the same maneuver Luke taught me, I managed to get rid of one dagger. That brought Loki off his balance, having to completely switch fighting styles, giving me the open window to aim Riptide to his abdomen.
Loki huffed. "That has always been a weakness of mine. I'm just perturbed you found it."
"I didn't, well I did. But only after I got rid of the dagger." Loki nodded. Nat clapped while the others stared with varying impressed looks.
"Kid can you use a bow?" Clint asked.
My eyes widened. "Yeahhh- no." He heard Artemis and Apollo laughing.
"C'mon, it's not that hard." He insisted.
"Uh, yeah, it is." I sent a pleading look towards Loki who smirked and shrugged. Sore Loser.
Thankfully, at that moment a guy flew through the window. I stumbled back a few steps, pointing at him. "Okay birdman, fly away. Thank you."
The birdman gave me a weird look before looking at Loki. He was alert immediately, drawing two guns and aiming it at him. "Cap. Why didn't you tell me you had a war criminal here?"
"Stand down Sam, SHIELD handed him over to us, his punishment from Asgard is to help us." Loki gave him a smile that was all teeth. I hid the urge to roll my eyes, I guess I could try and mend the relationship between Thor and Loki, but with the Avengers? One step at a time.
"So ... You got wings." I started.
"Yeah." Birdman- Sam replied looking mildly amused. Then he frowned. "Wait. Is that Loki's kid?"
I whipped my head to Loki then back at Sam. "Lo- I'm- ... What?"
The rest of the team blinked as well. "Wow, they do look similar." Tony mused. "Wait his dad is unknow-"
Loki snorted. "As much as an honour that would be, he is not my child."
Thor laughed as well. "Loki has many children, the great Percy Jackson is not one of them."
Natasha's eyes widened. "He has what?"
"Great?" Sam asked
Loki rolled his eyes. "Yes, I have children Agent Romanoff, keep up."
I wasn't overly surprised, gods are known for it. So, without continuing the conversation, I turned to Sam. "I knew a dude who made metal wings."
That seemed to perk his interests. "Really? You might know the inventor. He went by the name Quintus."
I smiled faintly. "Yeah, that's him."
"D'you know him personally?" Sam asked.
"He's a friend, mentored me for a bit too."
"Do you know his full name? The military's been going crazy trying to work it out."
I snorted but didn't answer.
The conversation apparently over, Sam turned to Steve. "Can we talk?" Steve nodded and they both left the room.
"You know a dude that makes wings?" Clint asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Can I meet him?" Tony asked excitedly.
"No." I didn't feel sad whenever I thought about him, Daedalus seemed relieved about his death, and from what Neeks told me, he was happy. "He's ..." Serving out a punishment that he loves in Asphodel. "Gone."
Tony's face dropped. "Sorry."
"Your all good." I said.
"Well," Nat broke the on coming silence, "Do you know much hand to hand combat?" I blinked. Turns out I actually didn't, Chiron really should teach us that stuff. I shook my head. "Well." She clapped her hands together. "Step into the ring, i'll teach you."
The Fates had payed the Olympians a visit.
"Lady Fates." Zeus addressed.
"We come with news." They said in sinc.
Poseidon's eyes widened a fraction but he didn't dare push them.
"You are not to tell the demigod." The first one said. They, of course, agreed.
"The two Norse gods, one of mischief and the other thunder." The second said.
"The rift in they're relationship could soon tear their pantheon apart." The third said.
Athena frowned. "Why should we care what happens to another's pantheon?"
The second one spoke again. "Because all pantheons are bound together. If one shatters then so do the rest."
The first one spoke "This is why we sent the demigod."
"He is the only one who can fix this." The third finished.
"How do we push him into doing it if we can't tell him?" Apollo asked.
"You needn't push, just let it happen." The first said.
"We have woven it this way." They said together and then vanished.
"Well ..." Aphrodite said looking into the hearth. "They weren't lying."
Athena scoffed, "Of course they weren't."
"No. Look."
"..eep pushing Thor away?" Percy was asking.
Loki had looked away. "He's not my brother."
Percy scoffed. "Yes he is."
"Not by blood."
"Family doesn't stop at blood." He insisted.
Loki was silent for a few minutes. "He's annoying."
Percy snorted. "Yeah, that's siblings for ya."
The Olympians each looked at their siblings, agreement radiating off of them.
"He was a horrible brother." Loki started. "Made me feel less than him."
Percy frowned at that, but continued. "He's trying to fix it. Isn't that what matters?"
"I still need time before I can forgive him." The god sighed.
"I understand that." Percy said. "But, if you keep letting you're hurt shoot Thor down, you're not going to heal."
Loki blinked. "That's ... true."
Percy beamed, "So, will you try?"
The god sighed. "Alright."
This line break is brought to you by Canadians
The Olympians watched in amusement as Steve Rogers barged into the kitchen where Percy, Loki, Natasha, Clint and Thor were minding their own business, before declaring that they train.
"Wait." Ares frowned. "Did Rogers just leave?"
"Probably went to get Stark and Banner." Hephaestus grunted.
"Oh. Right."
"He's back." Dionysus sighed.
"Yes." Hades looked at him like he was stupid. "We got that."
"Don't pick on my boyfriend." Hermes huffed at Stark. Everyone whipped their heads to him. He blinked. "Well not actual boyfriend ... but ..." Aphrodite squealed. "No! It's- it's not like that!"
Apollo looked at him, unimpressed. "Some god of lies you are."
"Shut up i'm flustered."
"Um guys." Percy got their attention "Why isn't the mist working for them?"
Athena's eyes widened. "They saw Anaklusmos turn from pen form to sword form?"
"Yep."
"Say it's nano tech." Hephaestus answered. "That'd give Tony a heart attack." He laughed.
Apollo gave the god a weird look. "It didn't though."
Hephaestus blinked. "It's a figure of speech."
"Huh." Apollo wrote it down on his long list called Do-Not-Take-Seriously . Being the god of truth was a nightmare.
They watched as Steve put Loki and Percy together. "Well Loki certainly isn't holding back." Poseidon sighed.
"Neither is Percy." Hades pointed out. He may not get along with his siblings very well, but, he would admit that Poseidon seemed to have changed through the aeons. He managed to hold his temper very well and almost seemed to be kinder.
Maybe it was global warming.
Nevertheless, he decided he'd give him that little bit of comfort.
"Right. Yes. Thank you." The sea god muttered.
"My boy taught him that move!" Hermes shouted proudly as they watched the demigod disarm his right side.
"He's won then." Athena shrugged. A second later, it was true. When Ares gave her a weird look, she rolled her eyes. "Fighting with one dagger and fighting with two require two entirely different fighting styles, therefore he'd have a moment of weakness switching his mindset and body to the other.
Ares scowled at her and looked away. "I knew that."
"Sure."
Artemis and Apollo tried not to laugh when Clint asked about the bow and arrows. They really did. But they made the mistake of making eye contact with each other and burst in a fit of laughter.
"It's honestly not that funny." Demeter frowned.
"Oh no, it's delightful to watch." Dionysus said. "Have you seen Chiron's look of annoyance everytime the arrow ends up in his tale, there is always a 57% chance."
The twins laughed harder. Artemis replayed the scene, and snapped her fingers.
"Aww! What did you doo!" Apollo complained.
"Sent his horrified look to Thalia." Artemis shrugged. "She will definately be Iris messaging him tonight."
"Why does this man have wings?" Hades asked, eyebrow raised looking at Zeus.
"Daedalus designed them when he deigned to come out of his labyrinth." The king shrugged. "His name is Sam Wilson." Hades nodded.
"Um. He's my son." Poseidon scoffed. "Back off."
"Private conversations" Apollo singsonged.
"So Chiron doesn't teach hand to hand combat?" Athena huffed in outrage. "I'll be having a conversation with him."
I always loved the idea of Sam having his wings made by Daedalus.
Anyways, tell me what you think.
Votes as always, would be appreciated.
- Addi :))))
Word count: 2039
