DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus, all rights to Rick Riordan! I also don't own The Avengers either, so rights go to Marvel or whatever.
Reyna paced back in forth under the shade of the tent, absentmindedly sticking her hand into the bag of candy resting on the desk and tossing a blue jellybean into her mouth. What were they going to do? How could they trust anything Rogers said? Even if they did strike a peace treaty, why would the rest of SHIELD follow suit? She was just about to eat another jellybean when Frank appeared.
"Hey, Reyna. They're here." He pushed aside the tent flap a little bit and moved aside to admit four people.
Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase, and Hazel Levesque entered the tent. Piper stepped forward and hugged Reyna, asking her how she'd been doing since the Giant War.
"Good, actually. Frank turned out to be a better praetor than I thought." Reyna grinned, and Frank laughed.
"Someone's gotta make sure Hannibal doesn't get too many treats."
Jason smiled, glad the two were getting along. Reyna had lightened up quite a bit, as well. He was relieved that she seemed a lot happier since Frank became praetor. "So…Reyna. Where's the infamous Captain America?"
She motioned for the group to follow her. "He's in the "jailbird tent", as Vitellius likes to call it."
Jason snorted.
Before she entered the "jailbird tent", she turned and addressed Annabeth. "Percy's doing well? And Nico…?" Truthfully, Reyna was concerned for Nico. She'd finally found a friend she could really relate to—connect with. The thought of losing him…Reyna shook her head almost invisibly.
Annabeth nodded. "They're a bit groggy, but nothing they can't get over in time."
Reyna seemed relieved, but then again Annabeth could never tell how Reyna felt most of the time. "Good." She turned on her heel, poker face ready, and led the group into the tent.
Captain America glanced up as the group moved inside.
Annabeth noted the four demigods—all armed with shining swords—guarding each corner of the tent. The daughter of Athena had no doubt there were more outside.
Rogers sat in a plastic chair, one that you'd typically find in a school. His piercing blue eyes followed Annabeth as she came to a standstill in front of him.
The tent was crowded and becoming almost unbearably stuffy, so Reyna dismissed the four guards. On their way out, one of them tied one of the entrance flaps open, letting in the cool, post-rain air.
"Captain America."
Jason glanced at Annabeth, unable to tell if her voice held awe, venom, or sarcasm.
"You blew up our car," she stated bluntly. She figured "our" sounded a lot better than "my boyfriend's step-dad's car".
Rogers held his hands up defensively. "That wasn't me. That was Stark." He said the name with a certain amount of distaste. Annabeth couldn't decide if she should trust him more or less for that.
"The peace treaty," Reyna said, reining in the conversation.
Steve nodded. "I've spoken with my director. He'll tell his agents to stand down if we can arrange the terms of surrender—"
"Woah woah woah, hold on a second. Surrender?" Jason sounded incredulous. "Who told you we were surrendering?"
"You're the ones who started this," Annabeth added.
Steve paused momentarily, and in that moment Reyna thought she saw anger ignite in his eyes. "Look, I don't want to fight you guys. You seem peaceful enough." He lowered his voice. "This isn't my choice, okay?"
Reyna narrowed her eyes. "It doesn't matter whose choice it is. Either we come to an agreement on a truce, or there's going to be bloodshed."
"You would do anything to keep a war from breaking out, Rogers," Piper intervened. "Isn't that right?"
Rogers seemed a little stunned for a minute, then he nodded.
"You don't want to murder children." She continued.
"Uh-uh." Frank shook his head quietly. Piper's charmspeak wasn't only affecting Rogers.
"You want to tell your director that it's immoral to start a war with a peaceful people." Piper took a step forward, tilting her head a little as if sympathetic. "Captain America is supposed to do good, be righteous. Not cruel."
There was a moment of silence, in which an almost inaudible sound was heard.
"What is that?" Reyna whispered.
"It sounds like voices." Frank put in. Piper didn't take her eyes off Captain America.
"Schist." Hazel flicked her wrist upward, and a small metal object flew into her palm. "It's an earpiece. He's had someone in his head this whole time."
"What?" Piper demanded.
Captain America seemed to lurch out of his charmspeak-induced stupor.
Reyna took the device from Hazel and held it in front of Steve. "Who's been talking to you?" She demanded, leaning in close. Aurum and Argentum prowled into the tent.
"It was just my director, ma'am. I—"
Reyna's eyes flashed dangerously. "It's praetor to you, Rogers. I'm not an old lady. And secondly, I thought you were against your director's actions. Now, we find he's been listening to this the whole time! Were those his words you were using? Terms of surrender?"
Steve shook his head. "I'm being honest with you, I don't want to fight—"
"—a group of teenage kids." Reyna finished. "And yet you continue to betray our trust."
Steve Rogers seemed to regret following orders and bringing the earpiece. He looked truly worried that he'd screwed up major time. "How can you talk about trust when she just brainwashed me?" Steve motioned towards Piper. Jason moved in front of her protectively, as if by mentioning her name she would be SHIELD's next target.
Jason shook his head. "You never trusted us to begin with."
"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, I had orders, and I had to follow them no matter how much I hated it. I didn't have a choice. It was either negotiate with the earpiece or not at all." He said it quietly, as if he was trying not to let his director hear. 'I don't want a war any more than you do."
"Always the faithful little soldier." Annabeth scoffed. Hazel looked a little surprised to hear so much venom in her friend's voice.
"Then don't." Everyone turned to look at Reyna.
"Don't what?" Jason asked quietly. "Reyna, you can't mean that—"
Reyna took a deep breath, a pensive look on her face. "Join us. You say you don't want to fight against us, then prove it. Help us defend ourselves against SHIELD."
Annabeth whirled on Reyna. "What are you talking about? Do you even hear yourself?" Piper put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder, but the daughter of Athena shrugged it off. Her eyes were alight with rage and betrayal. "He's the enemy! How can we trust him when he's already done so much damage? He ganged up on Percy with the rest of his team! What does that say about his character, Reyna?" Her shoulders shook with anger, and a light breeze swept into the tent and blew her blonde hair across her face.
Reyna's poker face was invincible. "I know you're angry with him, Annabeth. So am I. But if we're going to have any chance at winning this war, we need him."
"We fought Gaea without him. We killed the giants without him. We won the Titan War without him. Why do we need Captain America now?"
"Annabeth, you of all people should understand my reasoning. There are choices you have to make as praetor, and not all of them are easy. Sometimes you have to take risks, and it looks like this will have to be one of them." The rest of the demigods in the tent were watching the heated argument intensely, waiting for something to happen.
Annabeth crossed her arms, seeming to concede the point. As a daughter of the goddess of wisdom, it was hard for her not to see the truth in Reyna's words. For the sake of her pride, she counted to ten before speaking. "Fine."
Reyna nodded slightly. She turned to face Steve again. "What do you say? Will you fight with us?"
Captain America's blue eyes moved around the tent, seeming to have in internal battle with himself. It was a tough call, but Steve knew what he had to do. As an agent of SHIELD and a member of the Avengers team, it was his duty to do the right thing, even if he hated it.
"All right. But I'm not going to hurt any of them, understand?"
Reyna smiled grimly. "Very well." She turned, addressing Frank along with the rest of the demigods. "I think it would be wise to have him gather itel for us." She said it as if she had been thinking of this same plan all along.
"Wait." Frank stepped forward. "Send me."
"What?" Jason glanced at him.
"Hazel can use the Mist to disguise me, and this way we don't have to worry about him telling SHIELD what's happened here. They can't know about Piper's charmspeak or anything else he's seen here."
"Hazel?" Reyna looked at her.
Hazel nodded slowly. "Yes, I think I could do it. It would be dangerous though, Frank…"
"I know, but I have to do this." He looked at Reyna for confirmation, and she nodded.
"Good then," she said. "Feed them false information, we could use any advantage we can get. Be careful, Zhang." She smiled at him.
"I will." Hazel and Frank left the tent.
Captain America grit his teeth, trying to harden his resolve. His loyalties were swaying dangerously like a rope bridge over a waterfall. But he had to do this. No way was he going to fight a bunch of kids who'd never done anything to provoke SHIELD.
Reyna uncovered the earpiece and held it to her mouth. She spoke loudly. "Listen up, director of SHIELD—whoever the Hades you are. You blew it. Forget the truce. We're sending Captain Rogers back to you unharmed. That's as far as we're going to extend mercy. Just remember, this was your doing, not ours." Then she dropped the device into the grass and stepped on it.
~*~
"I don't know if it's safe for you three to go back." Frank sounded worried.
The group now stood outside, where the rain had started up again. Thankfully, there were only a few droplets falling from the heavens instead of the thick sheets that had fallen earlier.
"He's right," Reyna said. "After this we can't count on any promises SHIELD has made. If they can't keep their promise to come alone, they won't keep their word and give us safe passage back, either."
Piper rocked back on her heels. "Maybe I could go first and charmspeak them? It seemed effective enough on Rogers."
Jason opened his mouth to shoot the suggestion down, but Hazel intervened. "Actually, that's a good idea."
Jason was shaking his head emphatically. "Uh, no. I don't think so. Have you seen what they're capable of?"
"Hazel's right." Annabeth glanced at Piper, who was looking very determined. "It's our only way to get back."
"I can protect myself, Jason. Don't worry about me." Piper smiled at him encouragingly.
Jason wasn't the overprotective type, but after the Giant War had almost taken his girlfriend from him too many times to count, he was a little different. "I think we should stay here." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than everyone else.
Reyna shook her head. "If war breaks out, you should be with your camp. They'll need a leader."
Their gazes locked for just a second too long before Reyna glanced away.
Jason sighed reluctantly. "All right." He hooked an arm around Piper's shoulders.
"Okay then," she said. "Let's go. Just leave the talking to me."
-PAGE BREAK
Blackjack's hooves thumped lightly on the soft ground before coming to a halt.
"…should've brought an umbrella…" Percy was muttering. He shook his dark hair like a wet dog and dismounted. "Thanks, buddy."
No problem, man. How about a tip for the driver? Maybe one of those awesome donuts your mom buys?
The son of Poseidon grinned and pet his pegasus behind the ears. "I'll bring you some next time."
That's what you said the last time, and it was at least two days before I actually got the donut, Blackjack protested.
"I promise you'll get your donut by midnight tonight," Percy amended, patting the animal on the flank. "I have to get back to my cabin now, before Annabeth gets back."
Blackjack bobbed his head in agreement. Better hurry, boss. She's coming over the hill.
Percy glanced toward Half-Blood Hill and, sure enough, he caught sight of his girlfriend's golden blond hair.
"Thanks again." Percy walked as quickly as he could without aggravating his wounds to the little porch attached to Cabin 3. Blackjack spread his wings and took to the sky as Percy closed the door behind him. The son of Poseidon climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin, closing his sea green eyes to sleep.
Why in the Hades did it take you so long to update? you were probably wondering. Yeah, I do realize its been almost a month. I'm sorry. I was trying to figure out any other way to write this chapter because I think I did a horrible job on it. So..yeah. I do realize it sucked. Hopefully the next one will be better. And another thing, this story is almost over! The final battle is fast approaching. Thank you all!
Arrow :D