"I don't know why you think I'm in any way qualified to help with this," Matt said, dressed in full Daredevil regalia and frowning. "I'm not exactly a professional superhero myself, Percy."

"You got hold of a costume somehow," Percy said defensively. "And Spider-Man needs anything, literally anything that's not..." He waved at Peter, who made an offended sound.

"It works!"

"It hides your identity," Percy said. "It sure as hell doesn't protect you from getting cut up by stones when you get dragged along behind a car."

Matt sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, alright, I know a guy."

"Why does Daredevil know you?" Peter hissed at Percy, as they followed Matt through the alleys. "Know you, and like you this much? I hear Daredevil doesn't like anybody."

"I'm a vigilante, not a street performer," Matt tossed over his shoulder. Peter winced.

"Sorry, sir!"

"We met during the Fisk thing," Percy explained. "He saved my ass a couple times."

"You about gave me a heart attack when I heard you start asking around for Fisk," Matt told him. Percy smiled sheepishly.

"Not my brightest moment," he admitted. "But I was upset even before threats started getting thrown around. Looking back, I'm kinda surprised I didn't just melt down on the spot."

"I'm guessing that wouldn't have been pretty."

"No," Percy agreed fervently.

Eventually they ended up in a workshop, where Matt introduced them to Melvin, a large but skittish man who reminded Percy strongly of Tyson. Melvin was willing enough to help once Matt explained the situation, and he immediately started taking measurements.

"I've always wanted to make superhero costumes," he admitted shyly, patting Peter to let his arms down. "This is a dream come true."

"Better than working for Fisk?" Matt asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Definitely!" Melvin agreed.

"So what were you working on?" Matt asked Peter, and Peter somehow both perked up with excitement and turned serious.

"Well, uh, a couple days ago I ran into these bank robbers with some crazy weapons..."

"Does Peter ever stop talking?" Matt asked Percy. Percy snickered and shook his head.

"Only when he and Ned are playing with Legos," he said. "I'm pretty sure they communicate telepathically when they do that."

Matt shook his head, looking fondly amused. "He's been calling me every day to talk about the most inane things. Getting ice cream on patrol, finding a lost bike."

"Do you want me to ask him to stop?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Matt said quickly, though he looked a little embarrassed. "It's cute, to be honest. I'm glad he still finds time to be a child even when he's taken on the task he has."

Percy hummed. "How's that going?"

He wasn't really following Peter and Matt's crusade against the arms dealers; he had enough on his plate already, helping keep track of patrols and enemy movement and supplies. He was even running down to camp every Saturday now, giving extra swordplay lessons to the younger campers. One of Annabeth's brothers usually did it, but it turned out that Percy was an okay teacher too.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Matt said. "I tracked down a man yesterday, Eric Davis, and he gave me some information. Apparently there's an arms deal planned on a ferry down the East River. Peter and I were going to go break it up. You want in on it?"

"Uh, not especially," Percy said, bemused. "Why?"

Matt winced, giving Percy a slightly sheepish smile. "It's your element," he said. "And I thought it would be good to have you there to look after Peter."

"Oh," Percy said. "In that case, sure."

So Percy found himself on a ferry, tucked into a corner to watch the other two work. Matt was in plainclothes – it was broad daylight, after all – and Peter, in his new spandex-looking suit, was hiding over the edge. As Percy watched, Matt wandered around the deck, subtly marking out each armed man, and then finally came to a decisive halt. Matt rapped out a pattern on the deck, and Peter moved.

Watching Peter work was as interesting as before. He was fast enough to dodge fire, agile and much more graceful in his new outfit, and he was able to web most of the weapons to the ground in minutes. He was better than before, too – Matt must have been training him.

The accident came when someone brought out an alien weapon like a machine gun, and it got stuck on 'fire.' In seconds, Percy saw it set its prison ablaze from the inside, and then burst through, firing violently in a terrifying arc that cut through the boat like a laser through glass. Matt jerked forward impotently, reaching out as if to stop it, and then froze.

The weapon fell silent, spent or satisfied, and the boat split with a groan.

"Oh no," Matt whispered.

Percy looked around, eyes wide. Gods, the ferry was packed, and people were already screaming and pushing around like a mass of ants, terrified by the attack. Peter was darting back and forth between the halves, trying to web them together, but it was clear it wouldn't work; he couldn't web fast enough, and strands were bursting only seconds after he left them behind.

Crystal clear, Percy remembered the Queen Anne's Revenge. He remembered pointing at the sails and watching them unfurl, and steering it with only a thought.

Adrenaline flooded his veins, and Percy lunged for the wall, pressed his hands against the hull, and yanked. His gut pulled so tight it felt like it was about to tear, and he grunted. The two halves of the boat snapped back together and held there.

In an odd decrescendo, the ferry fell deadly quiet, everyone taken aback by the sudden turn of events. All Percy could hear was his own labored breath.

"The dock," he rasped at last, without opening his eyes. "Where's the fucking dock."

Matt inhaled sharply, and then Percy felt a hand on his back, steady and reassuring. "Four o'clock, but there are two boats in the way."

"I've got them," Percy muttered, and yanked again with a grunt. The boat tipped harshly, and there were a few more screams as people stumbled and fell into each other. The boat turned on the spot until it was facing the dock, and then he pushed it ahead, sweeping the other two boats aside.

There was a patter of footsteps behind him. "Percy, I'm so sorry, what's happening, what's wrong, DD what's wrong-"

"Shut up," Percy hissed at the wall, and Peter fell silent. Percy sucked in another labored breath. He was shoving so much effort into manipulating the boat that his head felt hollow and his ears were ringing. Muscles that didn't exist were quickly getting sore.

"Percy's holding the boat together," Matt explained quietly. "It's taking a lot out of him, but we'll worry about that when everyone's on shore."

"Okay," Peter said in a small voice. "DD, I'm-"

"I know," Matt interrupted. "We'll talk later."

A few more people tried to approach after that – nearby civilians that were concerned about the grunts Percy was starting to make, one or two that had deduced what was happening. Matt headed them off, letting Percy focus on getting them all to safety.

Finally, they bumped up against the dock, and Percy yanked open the side door and let it bounce down onto the wood. The crowd didn't hesitate before rushing down it to safer pastures.

Percy watched them all flood away, not with his eyes but through his preternatural awareness of the boat. The flood slowed to a stream and then a trickle, and then it was just him, Peter, and Matt.

"Everyone's off, Percy," Matt said softly. "Let's go."

Percy nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, okay, I'll just..." He pried himself away from the wall and opened his eyes. With most of his attention still tied up in holding the boat together, he barely saw his surroundings at all, but he could see Matt and Peter in front of him. "Let's go."

Matt grabbed his elbow to tug him along when it became clear that Percy was too disoriented to do the navigating himself, and they scurried off the cracking boat, conspicuously after everyone else.

The second they stepped off the ramp, Percy let go of the ferry with a shuddering gasp of relief, and its halves split again. A few people screamed from the shore and dock, but Percy ignored them in favor of calming the water around the sinking vessel.

"What do we do now?" Peter asked, making a distressed noise as he leaned over and watched the boat slowly sink into the river.

Percy exhaled, unfairly frustrated by the situation. "Let's go back to my apartment," he said. "I think we have to do some damage control."

Sally took one look at Percy as he came through the door, and said kindly, "Why don't you tell me what happened and then go cool down in your room?"

Gods, Percy loved his mom. He reached up and yanked at his hair, still irate. "I'm not a part of this," he said firmly. "I don't want to deal with stupid Chitauri arms dealers. I'm not doing it." He exhaled, and then, more calmly, added, "I went to help Peter and Matt with something and it kinda went sideways. I'm gonna sleep for a bit."

"You do that," Sally said reassuringly, and then turned to Matt and Peter, both looking sheepish, while Percy retreated.

Percy flopped onto his bed and flipped on his stereo, music playing at a low enough volume not to bother his mom. He put his head down and practiced the stupid breathing techniques school counselors kept teaching him. Slowly, the feeling dulled, even if his irritation lingered, buzzing around his temples.

It was maybe unfair to be mad at Peter and Matt when he had agreed to go, even knowing what they were doing, but damn it, now there was going to be all sorts of damage control, and follow-up, and Percy didn't want to participate in any of it. He didn't want this stuff to be his damn problem. He had enough problems!

Restless, exhausted bitching slowly slid into half-dreams, increasingly nonsensical as he slipped further into sleep, and he felt better by the time a knock woke him up. He scrunched up his face when he registered the chorus of voices from the living room, way more than he'd expected.

"Mr. Stark, I don't really know enough legal terms to understand this."

"I've got it," Foggy said. "I've been getting a lot of practice explaining legal jargon."

"Percy? Are you up yet?"

Percy pushed himself upright and went for the door, rubbing his face. "Why's Tony here?" he asked his mom.

"He's handling everything," Sally explained. "The cookies just came out of the oven, do you want to come out?"

Percy flashed Sally a grateful grin. Blue cookies: always Sally's first resort when it came to cheering Percy up. Outside of a hug, that is. "Thanks. Yeah, I'll come out. How crowded is it?"

"Pretty crowded," Sally said ruefully. "You might want to sit in the corner."

Percy hummed in agreement and followed Sally toward the kitchen, where he took advantage of his mild heat resistance to sit on the counter and swipe a fresh cookie off the tray. Sally shook her head at him, looking fond, and he grinned at her.

"Feeling better?" she asked, amused. Percy nodded.

"Just needed some sleep," he said. "Is Peter alright?"

"Just fine," Sally assured him. "The Avengers are taking him and Matt under their supervision – Percy, I assume you knew about Matt?" Percy shrugged, smiling sheepishly, and Sally only looked fond. "I'll let one of them explain the details, but it's all going to be alright, and you shouldn't have to get involved anymore."

"Thank the gods," Percy sighed, biting into his cookie. "What are they doing now?"

"Matt insisted on formal contracts," Sally said, "so they're ironing out those details."

Percy nodded absently, gaze wandering off to the moonlace blooming by the window. He reached out to brush his fingers through it, thinking fleetingly of Ogygia.

"Mom?" he asked without looking at her. "If everything goes wrong next summer, will it be my fault?"

He wasn't especially surprised when he immediately felt arms wrap around him, and melted into the hug for a minute before he reluctantly pulled away. Sally combed her fingers through his hair and kept hold of his hand.

"No, sweetheart," Sally said, softly and with unwavering confidence. "The threads of Fate were spun out long before you were a wriggle in my tummy. I know you'll do everything you can, and if that's not enough, then it was never in your hands in the first place."

Percy wasn't sure that was true at all, but he hugged her anyway, blatantly seeking comfort before he let go and all at once returned to the topic at hand.

"I'm gonna keep looking after Peter when I can," he told her, glancing into the other room. "But I'm not gonna be a street vigilante. Promise. I just really, really don't want to open that can of worms."

Sally sighed, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I won't say I'm not relieved," she said wryly. "Are you sure Peter will be alright? From what Foggy tells me, Matt isn't exactly a paragon of self-care. I wouldn't want Peter to take on a similar mentality."

"I'm kinda impressed that you said that with a straight face when you know he can hear you," Percy admitted, grinning a little as he heard a sudden snort from the other room. "But no, Matt's been really careful with Peter so far. Doesn't want him taking on too much too fast, I think. Is that why you called Tony?"

"No," Sally said, suddenly looking sheepish. "It was the best way I could think of to make sure everything was handled well before you had to worry about it any more. I'm grateful he agreed to come out."

"He's nice," Percy said quietly, and then he finished his second cookie, grabbed a third, and slid off the counter. "Alright, I'm gonna go see what's happening. But then I might just go skateboarding. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Sally said. "Just be careful, alright?"

Percy smiled a little. "Mmhm. I will."

He stepped into the living room, and did his best to put everything out of his mind. He didn't have a lot of spare room in there these days.