Hey dear readers! I just got back from our camping last last Sunday, and apparently, I missed a lot. I had new friends which had absolutely nothing to do with any of this. Just sharing, you know. I got my new cellphone! Thank the gods above! I'll tell you, this writing is just amazing, and I'll never leave you guys hanging. To my wonderful reviewers, you'll find my responses at the end. Sorry if I was hesitating to update this, because there isn't as many as viewers there are on the second chapter as there are on the previous one. And my very long rant is over.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Avengers.

This is gospel for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart [2x]
Their gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds
But they haven't seen the best of us yet
~This is Gospel, Panic! At the Disco

Chapter 3: Conspiring Legacy

When Tony entered the conference room with a bottle of martini in one hand, Fury was already holding a folder, with Clint, Natasha, Thor and Steve already there. As usual, he was always the one who will be the last to attend the meeting.

"Glad you could join us, Stark," Fury said, one eye grim.

"Oh, don't mind me," Tony said with an easy grin. "So sweet of you to wait for me."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "If you could start, Director?"

"I'm gonna say this one time, so listen carefully." Fury paused. "We are going to have a new Avenger, and his name is Percy Jackson."

The conference room went entirely silent, and then it exploded into different reactions:

From Tony: "Him? An Avenger?"

From Clint: "Woah! An Avenger? Can't wait to meet him!"

From Natasha: She leaned back, eyes wide, and it told everything, coming from the Widow.

From Steve: "Do you know him, Director? You raised him as an Avenger right now?"

And last, but certainly not the least, from Thor: "The Percy Jackson? Hero of Olympus?"

This went not unnoticed by the genius, who rounded on the god. "What do you mean, hero of Olympus?"

Thor held up a placating hand, the other resting lightly on the hilt of Mjolnir. "He is the greatest hero of this age, who saved Olympus, the home if the Greek gods." He smiled, oblivious to the others' shocked and stunned expressions. " We aren't allowed to interfere, but we do know from the stories that Percy Jackson is one of the greatest heroes."

"One of?" echoed Clint, expression looking a little overwhelmed.

"And now you're going to recruit him as an Avenger," said Steve, who was more focused at the task at hand than the others. "Why, exactly?"

Fury looked more grim than ever, expression impossibly darker. "There's an oncoming war, that came from an, ah, unknown source. We don't know any details, but it's going to be big. And we need everyone we could get." He set down the folder he'd been holding on the table and slid it to Natasha, who immediately began to read.

"Perseus 'Percy' Jackson. Age: Seventeen—"

"Woah, hold it right up there," interrupted Clint. "The guy's seventeen?" He leaned back in his seat, impressed. "Gotta give him credit for saving the goddamn Olympus in the age of fucking seventeen."

"He's a teenager, Fury," protested the soldier, who was less amused. "Surely you can't let him participate in a war."

"He saved the goddamn Olympus, Captain," Fury shot. "And he's chosen by a god. Two gods, in fact. What do you expect less of him?"

"And you expect us to believe that," Natasha said, once forgetting to read.

"You're staring at one in the face," growled Fury, sweeping a hand at the thunder god. "And another one is a murdering maniac who almost destroyed the city."

Natasha sighed and continued, "Became an international criminal when he was twelve, when apparently he was not, only defending himself against a man; destroyed a national monument and jumped off St. Louis Arch while he was at it."

"Really?" said Tony, thinking back one week ago and whistled. "He is my hero."

The assassin rolled her eyes. "Kicked off by a couple of schools—"

Clint crowed. "Sweet! It's our guy, Tin Man!" He and Tony exchanged high fives, grinning, looking like Christmas had come early.

"After that, there's nothing here... except it states here that he was lost for almost ten months."

"Okay," said Fury, capturing everyone's attention. "I want you in Stark's tower in three days. All of you," he added when the god looked like he was about to protest. Poor Jane.

"I've got Bruce covered," said the billionaire, grinning. "He's coming over in two days. And all of you have your own specific floor. And no, Katniss, you can't sleep in the vents."

"Aww!"

"Who's going to fetch the kid?" asked Steve, a little frown on his face. Obviously, he wasn't still satisfied with the idea of a teen fighting a war, but what could he do with the rest of his team against him?

Fury turned to Tony, a glitter in his eye, and the genius knew exactly the answer to Cap's question. "Since you're so enthusiastic about the kid, why don't you fetch Jackson tomorrow?"

Somewhere in the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound, a god released a shout of frustration as he once again failed to break free of the manacles.

He flinched as he reached for the once reassuring core of his magic inside him. But now it lashed out, wild and confused and hurt (just like him, a treacherous voice whispered inside his mind) and the feeling spread throughout in his body (magic is all I had, I am magic, magic is me.) The magical runes in the shackles burned ( bad, evil magic) and seared his already-red wrists. He tried to struggle free, even when he knew that it would prove fruitless, but strength is all he had, and even that is slowly taken away from him too.

He remembered his judgement day all too clearly, of how he was bound, even with his silvertongue not allowed to be used. His not-so brother, standing over him where he was forcefully knelt by some pathetic mortals, with eyes narrowed with ever so slightly with concern hidden behind the heavy disappointed frown as he delivered the crushing him down that almost buried him six feet under.

" Loki Laufeyson. By the ancient standards, we have decided that you have the chance to be redeemed, and we send you back to those whom you served, those mindless beasts, the Chitauri, and will remain there until they decreed enough."

He could almost imagine the fight that happened between father and son when they decided over the course of action. The All-Father was not this merciful, and with Thor's subdued expression was anything to go by, it was clear that the thunder god gave all that he had to lighten the sentence.

But for the trickster, it wasn't enough. Oh, if they only knew. If they only knew that it wasn't the Chitauri he served. If they only knew what he will do to him.

Loki started to scream, long and hoarse. The scream reverberated throughout the dull empty chamber, but no one answered. No one heard him.

He will be taken back to the dead planet of the planet of Chitauri.

Ninety- six weeks. For Midgardian time measure.

It was his ninety-sixth week, and they think of him as too weak. Damaged. They grew overconfident, because it was now months since he tried to attack them. (But maybe they're right.)

At first, they were met by resistance, as expected from the god. Because as long as the god had his strength, he will try to escape this hellhole as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

But they were many, and the Other is ever watchful. They beat him, trashed him around, played with him and done so many things unforgivable that he lost count. Strength failed him, as his magic failed him.

But he wasn't called Silvertongue for nothing. He provoked them, taunted them, called names, and retorted to every phrase turned against him. When they got annoyed and angry, they burned his tongue with a white-hot rod, and after that, he ceased talking.

But it healed, no matter how slow the process will be. They will all heal, over time, and it's the only thing that was keeping him alive. That, and his wits. The magical shackles still bound his magic inside, frustratingly out of reach. It kept slipping away from his grasp like a frightened animal. But it was still there, so there's still hope. Still clinging into that miniscule hope. Even when he's barely hanging.

At his fortieth week, they started to get bored on him, judging from their expressions. But they did not stop abusing him. Not ever.

At his sixty-sixth week, his voice abandoned him.

At his seventieth, the Other paid him a visit, and threw taunts at him. How he failed. How he was beaten by the so-called Avengers, by those pathetic excuse of mortals and his idiot of a brother.

How fallen Loki had gone.

At his eighty-sixth, he didn't miss the laughs of his torturers, and their mocks that their little god had started to break.

It was his ninety-sixth now, and the wasteland of the Chitauri had burned itself into his mind forevermore. Memories of the Golden Realm, of Asgard, blurred together. He only remembered his not-father's disapproval, of Prince Thor, who would be crowned right now, shining and golden and loved by more than one Realm, of how he shunned away his ever-loving mother, and of Bifrost, and falling, falling, falling. Of how the Mad Titan found him.

How fallen Loki had gone, and how hard he fell.

But he remembered, oh how he remembered, of blue skies and gray smoke, of buildings and skyscrapers, of people living through destruction. Of Midgard's controlled chaos.

(He always loved chaos.)

And a blur of red and gold, who offered a drink to him as calmly as you please, an enemy who wanted to rave his city to the ground. Of his technology. Of his willing sacrifice, directing the missile up, and up, and up into the Void (of nothingness and nothingness.)

Straight into the heart of the enemy.

And how he fell.

But he was caught, and he was saved by the monster.

And he remembered a man of unwavering loyalty. A soldier and his patriotic love for his country. Of a woman's sharp mind and wits. Of a man containing a monster inside.

A ragtag team of Midgard's superheroes.

And at his ninety-sixth week, the Other became arrogant, for he hung his head too low. He became overconfident, and made his biggest mistake that cannot be ever undone. The biggest mistake of the millennium.

They freed him of his magical bindings.

This may be a worse day than any other day in his life, because S.H.I.E.L.D. treated him like a freaking school service bus, and assigned him to pick up Percy Jackson.

He don't know how to handle teenagers, much less superhero teenagers. Little kids, maybe, who adored Iron Man. But certainly not emotional, superhero teenagers who were running wild on hormones and other kinds of things.

But he was curious of this Jackson kid. The boy who jumped off a building. So he ordered Happy to take him to the address given to him by S.H.I.E.L.D. first thing tomorrow morning.

When he knocked, he held his breath in anticipation, waiting for the door to open. He winced as something crashed inside, a muffled yelp, and a yelled, "Coming!"

He was met with a shock if green eyes and a messy hair like a bird's nest. And a half-eaten pizza.

"I was eating," protested Percy while he attempted to tame his wild hair. He frowned and stopped when it seemed to be not working. "Do you guys have a habit of showing up while I was eating?" He peered at him, and chewed his pizza. "So, you one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. guys?"

Tony smiled at him charmingly. "Nope." He removed his sunglasses, which was just a part of his disguise. "Nice to meet you again, kid. I must say, I'm a big fan of yours when you jumped off St. Louis Arch. A pity that we haven't introduced ourselves properly the last time we met."

"Oh. They told you that?" Percy seemed struck speechless for a moment, then tried composed himself. "Wait. You're Tony Stark? The Tony Stark?" He ogled at him, then stepped back, eyes still wide. "Come in, but I can't promise you that your stay will be comfortable. I'll, uh, take a quick shower. Help yourself."

"Anywhere to sit will be nice," he said, stepping over the threshold. Percy quickly finished the pizza, picking up the box and throwing it a few feet away from him without even looking. His aim was perfect; and now that Tony looked there were other pizza boxes at the bin.

The inventor looked around at the apartment, his curiosity getting the better of him. Percy stepped into the shower, closing the door with a click. The TV was still on, news flashing across the screen. The curtains were closed, minimum sunlight peeking through.

Tony wandered over the kitchen. The faucet was dripping, and when he tried to close it, he only made it worse, so he left it at that, and hastily drew his hands away. Two of the glasses in the rack were missing. And when he opened the fridge, all he saw were bottles of water and the occasional Coke. Seriously, this kid's life was a mess.

"Yeah, I know," said Percy's voice behind him, as if reading the genius's thoughts. "But my mom and dad's having their honeymoon at Maldives, and they deserve some time together. I wasn't gonna stop them." He was drying his hair in a towel, making it messier than it had been a while ago. "But I can do well with my own. Mom gave me enough to last a few weeks."

"With pizza and Coke?" The billionaire shut the fridge and glanced behind him to see Percy chuckle.

"Well, it's been a week, and I'm still alive."

"So, ready to go?"

The teen shrugged, smiling lopsidedly. "I'll just get my bag. You could go right ahead."

"How 'bout your parents? Won't they be worried that you'll be gone to join some world-saving team of heroes?"

Percy glanced at the billionaire and stopped tapping his foot, broken from his musings. If Annabeth was here right now, he thought, face contorting for a moment,, she and Tony will have a very confusing conversation about building and architecture and stuff. If—

He shook himself mentally. "Nah. At least I'll be coming back to welcome them at the airport, and maybe throw a small party. Then I'll explain it after. I'm sure they'll understand." Mom would freak out, then Paul would be probably ecstatic, then he'll be serious when Mom will glare at him. He smiled at the thought.

Tony stared at him, eyes wondering and curious and something a little bit unreadable. "Who are you? You jumped off a building twice, once with a horse, fought off Doombots with freakish awesomeness, Thor said you are the greatest hero and got to save Olympus, which has to be a myth after all, and now S.H.I.E.L.D. wants you to be an Avenger to the upcoming war." He gestured wildly with his hands, then dropped them. "What are you, really?"

Percy sighed, laying his head back into the seat. "I'm not getting away from this, right?" When he got a raised eyebrow for an answer, he chuckled. "Okay, okay. Fine, then." He paused dramatically, and straightened his spine, fighting off a grin. "I'm a god."

"What?" Tony yelped.

At his reaction and gobsmacked face, and at the way the car suddenly swerved the wheel, the demigod laughed. "Just kidding. You know about the Norse gods, right?"

"Yes," said Tony warily, drawing out the word.

"Well," said Percy slowly, "do you know about the Greek gods?"

"Yeah, I think," the genius said, face scrunched up as he tried to remember. "There's Hercules, Zeus, and Hades…"

The green-eyed teen glanced at the sky outside. " No, not Hercules. He's not a god. Well, technically, he is, but he was made a god..." he trailed off, noticing the man's confounded appearance. "Right. Sorry. Story for later on. The thing is, I'm a demigod." At his blank expression, he said, "Half-mortal, half-god."

There was a few moments of stunned silence, until Tony said, "What?"

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, I know. My mom is mortal, say, human, and my dad is Poseidon, the god of the seas."

"Huh," said Tony, brow furrowing. "That explains two things. One," he put out a finger, "the whole thing of your father being 'lost at the sea—'"

"How did you know about that?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has your files, so I checked them."

"Figures. They were all the same: stalkers."

"And two," continued Tony, "the whole water thing that happened a week ago."

A week ago. Percy's chest constricted, and he clenched his fists, looking away. His breathing turned harsh. "Don't," he said in a low voice.

Tony jumped at the tone his voice. "Why? What happened—"

He cut him off with a smoldering glare. He can't think of her, not now, not now that he's starting to forget, he'd almost forgot—

But he never did. He remembered her in every hour, every minute, every second of his life ever since last week. He never did, did he? He can't stop thinking about her, that when he even tried, he can't, he just can't.

And it hurts so goddamn much that it hurts just to breathe, and he squeezed his eyes shut, hearing her labored breaths, and he can see her, dying, dying in his arms, dying—and he can't breathe, gods, he can't breathe—

"—ppy! Stop the car! Kid, goddammit, calm down!"

There's someone shaking him, and the grip on his shoulder that he didn't even know was there tightened, and he realized his cheeks were wet.

"Listen to me. Focus on my voice, Percy. You need to breathe with me, okay? Slowly. Breathe in."

Vwoop.

"Breathe out."

Woosh.

"Breathe in."

Vwoop.

"Breathe out."

Woosh.

"Happy, would you drive, please? Faster this time."

They lurched forward, the world whizzing by. Then someone shifted, and the grip on his shoulder loosened. Breathing seemed a little bit easier now, and before he could react, something crinkled when a thing was shoved in his loosely clenched fists.

"Here, drink this."

He opened his eyes to find a plastic bottle in his hands. He quickly took it and gulped down the water, soothing his throat and somehow washing away the last of his tears, feeling a bit better when he finished.

He put his head down in his hands, gripping his hair tight, feeling a furious blush creep in his cheeks. He had a panic attack before, but he never cried in front of other people. He started when someone laid a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, he met the concerned gaze of Tony. He felt his cheeks burned again, but he wasn't mocking him.

"Sorry. I'm not going to ask again," he said slowly. Percy could see it in his brown eyes too, reflected: the despairing look, and the understanding. "I knew what you're going through." It's loss. Hesitantly, he said, "You could talk to me, if you want, okay?"

Percy nodded smiling. It was a weak one, but it was genuine. "Thanks. I'll remember that."

And then Tony ruffled his hair like he was a little kid, making Percy wrinkle his nose. He was back to his normal self, grinning. "Now I've got to show you your own floor in the tower," he said, as the tower came into view.

Lying down in his new, stiff bed in a new room at a new floor that will be only his, the demigod couldn't sleep. He wasn't even sure he wanted to, with what the nightmares could do to him again, waiting.

So, after a few minutes of shifting and tossing and turning around, he threw off the thick covers and swung his feet to the side of the bed, because he couldn't take it anymore. The moment his bare feet hit the cold floor, a voice said from the ceiling, "How may I help you, Mr. Jackson?"

Percy jumped, before sending an exasperated look at the ceiling. He almost forgot about Tony's AI, his invisible butler, JARVIS. It had taken all of his willpower to not uncap his pen when Tony first introduced him to the AI. He expected someone to come around the corner and bow politely, when a disembodied floated up to him. "Hello, Mr. Jackson."

Well, after fighting monsters and some things that are better left unsaid, he could not just stand there and wait for something to happen after hearing a disembodied voice say hello to him. At the way the inventor laughed, he guessed his face looked priceless.

"Okay," he said. "Could you direct me to the kitchen?"

He followed the voice of the AI, and he soon came to his destination. However, he was not alone. Tony was there, looking like he just having finished brewing his coffee, the bitter taste filling the air.

"Couldn't sleep?" asked the genius lightly.

The demigod nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yeah. Just need time to adjust." He took a glass and filled it with water. "You?"

Something flickered in the genius eyes, there and gone so fast that Percy thought he imagined it. Then he grinned, back to his old self. "Head's full of ideas. And, well, we have a new Avenger." He took a sip from his cup. "We'll fetch Bruce tomorrow at the airport, and the others will come to the tower in two days time."

Percy's heart skipped a beat in anticipation. "Wonder if they'll like me?"

Tony laughed dismissively at his worry. "Sure they would! Well, it's not so easy with Nat, but once you got to know her, she'll be nice to you." He shrugged a shoulder. "But she'll kick your ass out if you manage to irritate. Clint already likes you. And I think Thor worships you."

The green-eyed teen blinked. "A Norse god worships me?"

"Well," Tony said, "not worship worship, but he knew about your heroic stories." He scrutinized the demigod with a critical eye. "If you're not planning anything, you could join me in the lab."

Percy grinned, instantly gratified. "Sure."

And there ya go! Say, any of you Supernatural fans out there? I've got another fic running, and it's entitled Deadly. So, these three fics, I've got, like, every week to update, so you're gonna wait two weeks after this.

Awwwww.

And, man, two weeks will be like, when our school starts. Man, this will be hard. So, keep the reviews coming *wink wink* 'cause I will continue to answer your questions and to thank those who appreciates this fic.

Aviendhaphiragon: Yep, you're right. 'Cause, you know, that it's a - - - - - - -. Blue cookies for you! Thanks for reading!

ShadowPhoenix22: Thank you! Agent Coulson's secret? Nah, he's not. Remember? The Avengers thought he was dead. And they still didn't know that he was alive.

risinhero14: Ohhhhhhh, I don't know. But, nah. Great theory, though.

forever-a-fanchic: Thanks! This is the update! Hugs!

LittleManY2K: Salamat! (That means thank you in our language.) Really, and I know that my answer will always be yes. Thank you and thank you very much!

Monkey dragon: Hey, Monkey Dragon! I know you enough! Man, thank you for the encouragement and your reviews.

Guest: Hey, really, your words struck me most, and I was near tears when I read your review. Thank you for believing in me, for making me believe in myself, even in this goddamn minute my mom was breathing down in my neck.

Guest: DID I SAY THAT I WILL DISCONTINUE THIS? NO! Hahahaha. Stay tuned, man.

Team Leo: Heya, Team Leo! I don't know, man. I'm still unsure. I don't know where this story goes, but, I'm still making this up as I go. And for your guess… well… aren't you a smart one.

TheInsaneM: Yeah? Thank you! And yes, I will continue them!

Guest User: Yeah, ya think? Stick around and see how awesome this gets, not that I'm… you know… oh well.

Thank you for all who followed and favorited this!

~BloodDarkerThanCrimson out.