Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All characters belong to their respective fandoms and authors.

To life-amIright and xenocanaan, thank you so much for your support!

*Edited Jan 19, 2019

May, 2012

"This has gone on long enough." was the only warning that Percy received, before the door to his cabin was kicked open. Harsh light streamed into the dark room, with two silhouettes in his doorway. "Sorry, Uncle P, but it had to be done." The daughter of Zeus spoke offhandedly, before yanking her youngest cousin through the doorway and slamming the door shut behind them.

"Hey, Perce." Nico gave a half-hearted wave from his position beside Thalia.

"It reeks in here." Thalia wrinkled her nose as she surveyed the dimly lit room. She walked around, yanking the blinds open and letting light stream into the cabin. Then she glared at her reclusive cousin.

"What are you two doing?" Percy gave his cousins a halfhearted glare, before averting his gaze. Sea green eyes returned to a photograph on his nightstand. Thalia inhaled sharply as she noticed it - the photograph depicted Percy and Annabeth, not long ago, on their second anniversary. Next to the photograph was a small, velvet box. Unrestrained sorrow seemed to resonate in the air, before the intruders pulled themselves together.

"We're getting you out of here. You've been a hermit for far too long." Thalia replied, trying in vain to keep her voice upbeat.

"I don't want to be around camp." Percy stated dully, finally tearing his gaze away from the photograph once more.

"Who said we're staying at camp?" Nico flashed his cousin a smirk, pulling out a card from his jacket. Percy glanced over, and upon closer investigation, it turned out to be a Lotus Cash Card. "You still have yours?" Nico asked. Percy shook his head mutely.

"Don't know where I placed it."

"Then you're in luck." Nico tossed the card at Percy, watching unsympathetically as it hit his cousin in the face. "That one's Bianca's. She had given it to me before she left for the quest." Percy froze. Thalia's eyes shifted to Nico, before she spoke, her voice softer.

"Come on, Kelp Head, they wouldn't want you to waste away." She felt guilty for guilt-tripping Percy, but her words were true. She gave a mental cheer as Percy finally got out of bed, his movements slow. She threw a shirt at it, inwardly hoping that it was clean and dutifully looking away as her cousin got dressed. She couldn't help the relief that bubbled up in her chest as they made way for the door. She might not be losing this brother, after all. Her lips curled up in to a smile.

"Hurry up, you two! Manhattan's practically calling our name!"

The cousins reached Manhattan without too much fanfare. They were dropped off by the heart of the city and Nico tipped the taxi driver generously, watching in amusement as the man's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. Once on the sidewalk, the three cousins looked around.

"Is this really a good idea?" Percy asked a split second later, as the grateful taxi driver drove away. Thalia gave a half shrug. "So many things could go wrong." Percy sighed, but still continued to follow Thalia as she confidently strode down the sidewalk.

"Of course this isn't a good idea!" Thalia replied cheerfully, "besides, what's the worst that could happen?" She laughed as both of her cousins groaned.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Nico muttered, sharing a commiserating glance with Percy, who was equally resigned to their cousin's antics.

"Well, Percy jinxed us first. Maybe double negatives cancel out?" Thalia suggested, "I mean, it's a nice day so far. The sky's blue, weather seems clear, and what the fuck is someone falling off of Stark Tower?!" The abrupt shift in her tone caught her cousins' attention as all three turned to the enormous tower.

A man was plummeting, free falling, glass hitting the floor and the man mere meters away from certain death. The cousins couldn't look away. Around them, some of the other onlookers screamed. They continued to stare, transfixed, as something metal seemed to wrap around the man and he was swiftly lifted away.

"Speak of the devil." Thalia's voice was breathless from shock, blue eyes blown wide at the scene.

"What the fuck." Nico muttered as Iron Man flew back up, his gaze following the iron-clad hero before settling on the warping sky above the tower.

"Well, so much for the blue sky you were talking about." Percy remarked, staring at the growing hole. The cousins shared a glance.

"What the fuck." Nico repeated.

"Damn it." Thalia glared at the offending wormhole.

Then there were aliens.

"Son of a -" Nico cursed as he dragged his cousins back, away from the newcomers. "What in Tartarus is happening?"

"Screw that!" Thalia burst out, glaring at the aliens. "People are getting hurt! We have to help them!" The cousins glanced at each other in agreement, but before they had a chance to even draw their weapons, they heard a woman's voice sound from behind them.

"No." They turned to see familiar grey eyes, on the calculating, cold face of Athena. "You three are to return to camp this instant. We have no business here."

"...we have no business here?" Nico repeated, giving Athena an incredulous stare.

"Yes, do I need to repeat that again?" Athena's voice was cutting. "Father sent me here to teleport the three of you back to camp."

"So we're going to leave these people to die?" Thalia inquired, raising her eyebrows, doubt flitting over her face.

"They have their own heroes." Athena replied. "We have to hurry up." The cousins glanced at one another. They made their choice.

"No." Percy's voice was deceptively calm. He gave Athena a hard stare. "We aren't going to leave."

"We have no business here." Athena repeated. Thalia's face contorted in an ugly snarl.

"Are you actually kidding me?" The demigoddess glared at the goddess. "First off, this is Manhattan. Unless I'm mistaken - which I highly doubt, isn't this the supposed territory of the Gods? From that logic, you guys - we have all the business here! Second, if we leave, we'll be leaving all these people, all these civilians to-"

"-die." Nico continued seamlessly. Dark eyes bore into Athena's, clearly judging her word and that of the Gods that had sent her here. They heard thunder in the skies, but the three demigods ignored it. "If we leave, instead of helping them out and lowering death rates, we will be leaving them to face death with no help." His voice seemed to turn frigid. "I'm surprised that you're trying to send Annabeth all this company already." The goddess of wisdom flinched, but the cousins were far from finished.

"And they'll pray to whomever they believe in, won't they?" Percy's voice was cutting, sharp as the blade he now held in his hands. "And they'll still be left to die, right? You and the others want us to leave these people to die - and it shouldn't be any surprise - after all, that's the fate you left your daughter, right, Athena?" If Percy had been in a forgiving mood, he might've felt a touch of guilt when Athena recoiled, but he was far past angry at this point. If Athena had answered - if any of the 'mighty' and 'powerful' Gods had answered, perhaps she wouldn't have-

"You dare-" Athena screeched, furious, but Thalia was having none of it.

"Yes, we fucking dare, but we've established that already. Haven't we?" Thalia spat in return, glaring at her dead sister's mother with loathing and disgust. "Come on," she gestured to her cousins, giving Athena one last glare before turning her back to the angry goddess, "we've wasted enough time here." Percy and Nico followed her lead, paying Athena no mind.

"You dare-" The enraged goddess attempted again.

"Yes, we dare." Percy replied unflinchingly, not even looking at the immortal. "What are you going to do," here, he shot a venomous glance over his shoulder, "kill us? I'd love to see you try." Then he turned away from the goddess once more. He saw a flash of light wash against the walls of the alley and Nico cast a subtle glance back.

"She's gone." He murmured, hand already poised over his ring.