Curious Beats: I mean we survived Ice Ages before. Also, don't forget there was a perimeter set up so that unless you are in that area, you were basically safe!
victorsan12345: The thing I didn't understand from your comment was how I have forced canon other than the Hulk (which if you think about it, is a perfectly logical point!). I feel like I've steered clear of the script other than the first chapter and the fight scene in the city. In regards to the Hulk, how likely is it that Banner would have listened to a barely-into-adulthood demigod who he had just met? I feel that the conversation Banner had with the old man at the warehouse was much more impactful than whatever Percy could do.
thunderofdeath97: thank you for always reviewing and giving me your thoughts on the story! I hope my future writing is sufficient enough to keep you interested!
Arraia: I'm sorry for the lack of updates! I've been very busy with totally important and definitely not World of Warcraft related things!
SpartanBoy: Thank you so much for your continued support of my story! I am sorry to inform you that there will be no Olympus eating scene, but rest assured: they did have Shawarma. This chapter will be a bit longer, so buckle up!
The Palace of Perseus Jackson
"I still can't believe he refused to eat the food I bought." Stark muttered, his annoyed look forever resting on Percy's tense form. The god had been acting weird the entire night of the celebration, his tension never leaving his body. Even when the sun dipped beyond the horizon and Artemis commandeered her chariot, the atmosphere around the Son of Poseidon was ripe with emotion.
The Avengers had tried to start up conversations with him, but they were quickly and quietly encouraged not to by Thor.
"The powers of Tragedy are not to be taken lightly, especially by mortals. If you value your sanity, I suggest you refrain from standing near Perseus Jackson while he is in this state." He had warned them, his piercing gaze never leaving the man in question. Further prying into the issues were futile, as not even Thor was willing to uncover possible reasons behind Percy's change in mood.
Thor had also been antsy the entire night, grimacing and clenching his fists at seemingly random intervals. There were multiple situations where he would abruptly leave the room and step out onto the patio that overlooked New York. Whenever thunder rumbled above them, Thor would glance up wearily, discomfort and unease evident in his entire form.
The city had calmed down significantly as the civilians began the slow and tedious process of looking through the rubble of their homes for their belongings. Temporary shelters had been erected for the short-term homeless population and rations had been stockpiled and handed out to those in need.
Other than the two Gods acting strange, the group of heroes had been thoroughly enjoying themselves in the palace of a deity, awestruck by the magical devices and modes of entertainment within the divine walls. It wasn't everyday you could claim you've been to a Greek God's palace atop of Mount Olympus itself.
Stark and Rhodes, as expected, had ended up competing against each other in everything available to them. Bowling, billiards, tennis, basketball, video games. If it existed, they could play it here.
Steve and Natasha had disappeared sometime during the night, exploring the mansion for something to do, eventually finding the gym on the second floor and a firing range on the third.
Nothing was more therapeutic than firing nine millimeter rounds into a realistic looking humanoid target dozens of times a minute.
Unfortunately, none of the Avengers were aware of the turmoil that was festering within their host's mind. Nor did they notice when he left them to visit a certain immortal's palace.
Meanwhile, with Percy
"How in the Hades do you deal with this, Melpomene?"
Percy didn't want to barge in on the Muse of Tragedy at three in the morning. He typically avoided inconveniencing people with his problems, but the issues at hand were far above his pay-grade. Despite all his very extensive research, there was much he didn't know about his major domain of Tragedy. Heroic deaths? Heroes? Those domains are easy to understand. His year off had led him to many...interesting discoveries.
Who knew that being a God of Heroic Deaths and Heroes gives him access to both the skills, powers, and knowledge of any and all heroic deaths that have occurred, and will occur.
Sadly, it doesn't work the same for the Heroes domain. It's a pity really…
He was really looking forward to getting a frisbee and a tin suit. But unless Iron Man and Captain America die, the toys will never be his.
There was a small chuckle from the next room over as the Muse of Tragedy prepared two cups of coffee for the conversations ahead. "I'm assuming you are referring to the unease that refuses to leave your gut?" She asked, her beautiful and echoey voice sending shivers down his spine, the power within her words crashing down upon him.
"The unease is something I can deal with. The ache in my soul is the main issue." Percy replies slowly, forcing his senses to calm down from the sudden waves of power that Melpomene produced from her mouth.
The silence that met his clarification was unnerving. His heart began to beat slightly faster as Melpomene didn't respond for a few minutes. The Muse was always quick to respond to him, almost always having an answer for any questions he had regarding their shared domain. Either that or a verbal barb/quip/lashing prepared on the tip of her tongue.
When she finally emerged from the kitchen, two cups of coffee floating beside her, he quickly noted the small frown on her face. She quickly handed the coffee to him, ignoring his nod of thanks as she sat down in the black and grey chair across from his.
"Describe this ache." She all but demanded, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she stared at him. He barely managed to hide his wince at the alien tone that Melpomene had adopted. He had never heard her speak with this much raw intensity.
"There is this dull ache everywhere from my chin to my waist. It throbs and writhes at random intervals, leaves me stressed and fatigued, and breaks my concentration regularly." He replied tiredly, rubbing his eyes before taking a sip of the coffee. "This is absolutely divine, Melpomene."
Melpomene continued to stare at him in silence, her eyes rapidly darkening as warning bells rang in her mind at the description.
"I need you to answer these next questions as quickly and precisely as possible. What are you thinking about before your concentration breaks? Does the ache come before or after it breaks? Does it gradually spread or does the entire affected area immediately ache? What's the last thing you feel?"
Percy's head dipped down as he sifted through the memories of the past twelve hours, quietly thanking the Fates for the perfect memory that came with his immortality.
"Before my concentration breaks, I'm thinking about what will happen to Loki and the Avengers. The ache comes after my concentration breaks and it spreads gradually, but quickly." He replied confidently, his eyes meeting hers. "And I feel an utter hopelessness and doom after it's gone."
Her sharp inhale of breath was all he needed to know that whatever was happening to him was a big deal. His eyes pleaded with her to help him, practically begging her to help treat or fix his problem. Her eyes were wide as realization crashed down upon her like a tidal wave, quickly threatening to drown her conscience with it.
"By my Father...no. No it can't be happening. I-it wasn't supposed to happen for at least another decade." She whispered to herself, her voice wavering as she spoke. Percy stiffened minutely at the implications of her words, mentally cursing himself for not expecting Melpomene to unravel his secret as quickly as she did. She always was the most cunning of the nine sisters.
"Melpomene…" Percy started, only to trail off at the intense fire in her eyes as she stared at him, the hurt in her eyes obvious enough that even his old, non-immortal self, would notice it. He lowered his head, feeling extremely guilty about the entire situation. He had wanted to tell her, considering she would be possibly the only Deity who wouldn't react rashly, but everytime he tried to, he could never get it out.
"I'm...I...fuck. I-I've been trying to f-figure out a way to talk to you about...about t-this." He stuttered, unable to meet her eyes for fear of what lies within them. She stared at him silently, eyes gleaming with unshed tears, sifting within his being for the signs of tragedy, guilt, or some other emotions.
"Were you ever going to tell...anyone?" She asked hesitantly, chewing on her lower lip as she heard him sigh. "You were going to take this all on your own...just like after the wars."
His head snapped up, anger flashing through his now glowing pupils as he glared at her. "Don't! Don't you dare...bring them into this."
"Or what?" She yelled, standing up from her seat so quickly it was sent flying backwards, shattering against the marble pillar behind her. "What will you do, Perseus Jackson?!"
She leaned towards him, her face mere inches from his as she glared at him. "What will the great Perseus Jackson do if I bring up the death of Jason Grace? Piper McLean? Leo Valdez?"
"I didn't ask for them to DIE, Melpomene. You think I wanted to watch their corpses be treated as garbage when they died?" He spat, standing up abruptly, subsequently pushing her face away from his. "Oh, don't play so coy with me, Muse of Tragedy. You and I both have intimate knowledge of pain and suffering."
"Yet it was I who opened my home to you, Perseus. I was the one who has been on your side for almost two years now." She replied, her pained tone hurting his heart. He internally winced at her use of his full name. She hadn't done that in a long time.
"I thought we were friends. Clearly, I was wrong."
Percy tried to speak, tried to explain his reasons and apologize, but it was for naught. He could only watch as Melpomene backed away from him a few steps, before turning on her heel and stomping out of the main room. His head fell as he heard her slam the door of her bedroom shut...hard.
The Palace of Perseus Jackson
Thor sighed as he watched the Son of Poseidon stumble through the front doors, drunk beyond belief, and deposit himself in the couch face first.
"You know...in my earlier years of life, my brother and I were inseparable. He would always have my back, no matter if he was a warrior or not. Even when he showed extreme talent in the art of Seiðr, I was...proud of him."
Thor sat down on the couch across from Percy's sideways form, gazing off into the distant lights that were the stars, memories of times long past filling his head.
"But...last year, I made a terrible mistake. I...I almost rekindled a war between Asgard and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. In doing so, I was...banished by my father, Odin. I was cast out, my powers stripped from me, and Mjølnir unresponsive to my command..." Thor trailed off, his eyes shimmering slightly as guilt and regret welled up. "I also found out that the creatures I had massacred that day, were of the same race as my brother is."
"During my exile, I found myself...lost. I was in previously uncharted territory, for I had never been truly alone in my millennia of existence." Thor sighed, closing his eyes as he thought back on the past year and a half. "Then I recalled the tales of a certain Son of Poseidon. A kid who fought for the love of his father, his mother, and for the betterment of his people. A selfless leader of demigods. A loyal soldier of Olympus. Your stories saved me during my darkest times. They gave me hope, which was something I desperately needed."
Percy stared at Thor, managing to conceal his surprise about these revelations. The pain he was experiencing was excruciating.
Thor was silent for a few moments, before letting out a watery chuckle. "I guess even immortals aren't perfect…" He wiped his eyes as he stood. Walking over to the couch that Percy was now sitting up in, he stuck out his hand to the God of Tragedy.
"The point is: I made a mistake, not quite unlike you. But the difference is that mine was much more grievous than yours, young Percy. You are a strong and powerful spirit, and you will only continue to grow."
Percy stared at the outstretched appendage briefly, before smiling slightly and taking the hand. Thor helped the now-sober God to his feet, patting him on the shoulder before he took his leave for the night.
"Thor." Percy called out, stopping the God of Thunder in his tracks, as he stared out his palace window, watching as the stars twinkled in the distance. "Thank you." He whispered hoarsely, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Thor hummed in response, actually taking his leave this time, as Percy stood at the window. As he stared out on a city that would never know of the true effect tragedy has on all that exists.
And they never will.