Chapter Five

Percy Third Person POV

While he didn't necessarily like being pricked, Percy could honestly say that he didn't care too much about a blood sample of his being taken. He no longer had any ties to the gods, and Chaos hadn't officially adopted him yet, so he was perfectly human for the moment.

Fury wouldn't find anything.

That being said, I won't let him do it again. The son of Chaos mused, strapped into a cushioned seat as they crossed the border into Germany on their quinjet. In the vehicle with him was Agent Romanov and a pilot. Another man stood at the rear end of the vehicle, where the ramp had opened. He had yet to notice Percy, due to the fact that the son of Chaos had hidden himself with the water vapor around him, a trick that had gotten him and Annabeth through Tartarus. Unless they looked directly at him, then he would just blend right in.

The man, whom Natasha had called Steve, was taking deep breaths, but not like he was trying to calm himself down. It was more like he was trying to release pent-up energy. He wore an American flag-themed outfit, made with bullet-resistant Spandex. It looked cool, but honestly, stars? Whatever, the suit made it work.

In front of the Captain, the cockpit opened, the roaring wind making Percy's sea-green scarf whip back and forth around his neck.

"You ready Cap?" Romanov called over her shoulder, receiving a nod in response. Percy narrowed his eyes.

Time to see just what Loki was up to.

Third Person POV

Loki walked out of the opera house triumphantly, scepter in hand. As he grinned maliciously, the black suit that he was wearing melted away, replaced with his golden ceremonious armor. Without even pausing, the son of Odin flashed himself to the outside of the opera house, where a massive crowd of people were screaming, mobbing the streets to get away from the building.

A police car turned the corner, horns blaring as it made a beeline for the opera house. Barely looking over as he moved forward, Loki flicked his hand and a concentrated burst of blue energy smacked the bottom of the car, causing it to flip forward from its momentum and land upside down where the god of Mischief had been standing a second ago.

The mass of people turned to run, before a copy of Loki appeared in front of them, staff and all. "Kneel before me."

As the crowd turned tail, going the other direction, before another Loki appeared. The original snarled. "I said..." He slammed his staff on the ground, causing a blue sheen to surround the entire square. "KNEEL!"

A quiet hush rose over the crowd who fell to their knees as one, looking at the god of Mischief with eyes full of fear. Loki raised his hands slightly, smirking as he observed the scared mob of people in front of him.

"Is not this… simpler?" Loki asked, his voice loud and clear. "Is this not, your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity. That you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy, in a mad, scramble for power."

"Your identity," He continued softly. "You were made to be ruled."

"In the end," He finished, smirking. "You will always kneel."

As he finished speaking, an elderly man rose from his kneeling position, standing up among the crowd of people on the ground. Loki raised his head arrogantly in surprise."Not to men like you."

Loki smirked. "There are no men like me."

The man, although frail, didn't move. "There are always men like you."

Loki's smirk didn't waver, although the slightest hint of amusement appeared in his eyes. "Look to your elder people," He said, pointing the scepter at the man as the tip of it glowed blue. "Let him be an example."

A bolt of blue energy shot out of the scepter at the speed of sound. Just before it hit, Steve Rogers fell from the sky and landed in a crouch, his shield in front of him. The energy beam deflected off of the Vibranium and hit Loki, slamming the god of mischief into the ground.

Captain America rose and started to walk forward, holding his shield by his side. "You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else... we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier," Loki spat, slowly rising to his feet. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time."

Behind the Captain, a quinjet slowed, until it was hovering in the air facing Loki. A hatch from the bottom opened, and a large turret extended from it, pointed straight at the god of Mischief. A female voice sounded from the jet.

"Loki, drop the weapon, and stand down."

In response, the god of Mischief fired a bolt of blue energy at the quinjet, which banked sharply to the left to avoid it. Steve threw his shield with pinpoint accuracy, but it merely bounced off Loki's chestplate before returning to his hand as he sprinted at the god of Lies, landing a heavy right hook on his jaw.

In retaliation, Loki swung the scepter at the Captain, before twisting it back to hook his shield and push it away, and slam the butt of the staff into his chest, knocking him back.

Gritting his teeth, Captain America hurled the shield at Loki, who batted it away and ducked underneath a punch. He dodged the scepter a few times, but was caught from behind and thrown forward.

Loki strode forward, placing the butt of the scepter on Steve's head. "Kneel." He growled.

He received a kick in the face in response. "Not today!"

Percy was watching the entire fight from the quinjet by leaning over Agent Romanov's shoulder, watching Loki battle it out with Captain America. At one point, she twisted the jet to avoid a beam of energy from the crazy Norse god, which sent Percy flying into the cockpit where he slammed into a First-Aid cabinet full of painkillers.

"Did you have to turn so hard?"

"Yes." The redheaded agent replied emotionlessly, although Percy could have sworn that she was hiding a smirk.

A few seconds later, when Percy had regained his spot from behind the seat, the entire quinjet was filled with the sounds of AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill". Dimly, Percy recalled Leo jamming out to this same song on the Argo II.

A voice echoed over the music. "Agent Romanov. Miss me?" The Black Widow merely pursed her lips in response.

Iron Man burst past the jet, a repulsor blast smacking into the god of Mischief and knocking him back to the ground.

Tony Stark landed in a classic Iron Man pose, before straightening and revealing every weapon in his arsenal, all aimed at Loki. "Make your move, Reindeer Games."

Captain America walked up to stand beside Iron Man, watching the Norse god closely. Carefully and deliberately, Loki raised his hands up in surrender, his armor melting off him before fading away. Tony retracted his weapons and lowered his arms. "Good move."

Percy Third Person POV

Percy watched as Loki was loaded onto the ship, sitting across from the son of Chaos. Loki merely stared at him, before raising his head and sneering. Percy grinned at the Norse god fiercely, fire in his eyes. Loki raised an eyebrow in response, and the former son of Poseidon could see the god of Mischief regarding him with a new interest. All in the eyes.

Steve and Tony Stark seemed to be having a slightly tense conversation, but it was interrupted by Agent Romanoff, who frowned slightly at the loud crackle of lightning around them. "Where is this coming from?"

Thunder crackled fiercely around them, and Percy felt his stomach twist instinctively. Had Zeus found him? He shifted slightly, slipping his hand into the pocket of his aviator jacket, reassuring himself with the cool feel of the metal pen in his hand. He frowned slightly, noticing Loki look up slightly apprehensively.

"What's the matter?" Steve Rogers asked. "Scared of a little lightning?"

Loki's reply made Percy's blood run cold, although he couldn't understand why. "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

The words that Chaos spoke echoed in his mind. Another pantheon. Out of this world.

The ship suddenly shook violently, something hitting the top of it causing everyone inside to balance themselves suddenly, Percy holding onto the belt beside him to stay on the seat. Tony grabbed his mask, putting it onto his face where it glowed and covered his head. He walked towards the ramp, slamming his hand down on a button to open it.

"What're you doing?" Steve shouted, his voice muffled by the wind.

A man with long blonde hair and a red cape landed on the open ramp in front of Tony, completely unaffected by the wind. In his hand was an intricately carved hammer, and Percy remembered the stories that his mom used to read to him at night.

Thor.

Iron Man raised his hand, a repulsor charging, but the man slammed his hammer into Tony's midsection, knocking him backwards, stunning him. The god of thunder then grabbed Loki by the neck, ripping the shackles off the god of mischief as he pulled him to his feet. Walking back where he came from, Thor spun his hammer, before flinging himself out of the window, holding Loki by the neck.

Tony rose, looking out of the ramp with his jaw clenched. "Now there's that guy."

Let's hope that he doesn't hate Greeks, Percy thought grimly, still fingering the ballpoint pen in his pocket.

"Another Asgardian?" Agent Romanov yelled, twisting to adjust the ship.

"Think he's a friendly?" Steve asked.

"It doesn't matter," Tony replied walking to the edge of the ramp. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

"Stark," Steve yelled. "We need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan- attack."

Percy First Person POV

Percy, Chaos hissed.

What?

It's time to introduce yourself to Thor. You need to try and get Loki back.

So what, you want me to just jump down? I can't fly.

Trust me.

I sighed, watching Captain America strap a parachute to his back and exchange a few quick words with Agent Romanov before jumping off. Without really thinking about it, I shrouded myself in water vapor, jumping off the ramp just before it began to close.

The wind roared in my ears as I began flipping in the air haphazardly before straightening myself and pointing my head to the ground.

Right. Chaos?

I received no reply.

Chaos?

Which idiot jumps off a jet without a parachute?

You said to trust you!

Chaos sighed. You're stupid.

Thanks. I replied dryly.

Try vapor-travelling. Chaos spoke in my head. Imagine yourself dissolving, and try to keep yourself together.

I had no time to reply, as the ground was rushing closer and closer to meet me. I extended my arms to slow my fall marginally, before imagining myself as a vaporized Percy, courtesy of a grumpy Zeus. In my mind I saw myself dissolving, melting into the air. My body began to tingle slightly and I opened my eyes to see the ground less than 50 feet away from me.

I screamed (a completely manly scream, I promise!) and closed my eyes, bringing my limbs in to minimize the danger of impact. Hopefully there was a lake around, or I wouldn't survive the fall.

Instead, I felt a slight bump and I felt myself bounce slightly, before settling back down. I opened my eyes to see the ground right in front of my nose. Except- I had no nose. I wasn't even breathing. Heck, I was breath.

I was a shifting, see-through blob of air.

It felt… very strange. Now, how to change back.

Suddenly, I felt myself start to rise as a gust of wind blew through the forest I had landed in. The foliage and twigs rustled, the leaves flew into the air, and I was lifted like a feather as I flew past trees, leaving my stomach behind somewhere. Chaos!

Imagine yourself coming back together, then force your body to become solid.

Right. Solid.

In my head, I imagined the me-cloud coming together and solidifying into my human shape, clothes and all. I fell to the ground with a muted thud. Opening my eyes, I saw that while I had a human shape again, my body was wispy, white smoke curling off my fingers and jacket.

Chaos. Did I mess up?

No. It looks like that for a few minutes after you vapor-travel. Don't worry, it's not as easy to notice as it seems.

"I hope so." I muttered, getting up from the ground. As soon as the words left my mouth, a thunderous crack was heard and a tree crashed into the foliage beside me, the trunk snapped in half and ripped off it's roots. One of the branches slammed into my stomach, pinning me to the ground, and I gasped in pain.

On the other side of the tree, I heard what sounded like metal slamming on metal, and then a body slammed into the ground.

Third Person POV

Thor swung his fist at Tony, landing a punch on the metal faceplate. Tony threw two heavy punches, but Thor grabbed his wrists, locking them in a stalemate as they glared at each other.

The Odinson growled, his hands digging into the metal as if it were soft butter. Alarmed, Tony twisted his hand, firing a repulsor, before headbutting the god of thunder, who promptly smashed him back with ten times the force.

Iron Man flipped backwards, landing in a crouch. He flew forward, grabbing the god of thunder and throwing him into a tree. Tony threw a punch at him, but Thor ducked underneath it, smashing his elbow into the back of Tony's head. He roared, and grabbed the billionaire by the shoulders, lifting him with inhuman strength and brutally smashing him into the ground.

Tony was about to get up, when he heard a low groan of pain nearby. His radar showed him that there was a body to his left that seemed to be immobile. Distracted, the billionaire wasn't able to dodge the massive blow aimed at his head, and the concussive force from the hammer knocked him out cold as his armor shut down, reacting to his vitals.

On the other side of the tree, Percy groaned again, before drawing Riptide, slicing through the branch, and sheathing it all in one swift motion. However, the glint of metal had caught Thor's eye, and he stared at the son of Chaos carefully before kicking Iron Man away.

Percy stood up, balancing himself lightly and checking to see if he had any major injuries. Finding none, he walked over to the god of Thunder. "Thor Odinson. Brother of Loki, Norse god of Thunder and Strength."

"What do you want, mortal?" Thor asked, gripping his hammer tightly.

"We're on the same side." Percy said, his voice cool. "We both want to stop Loki and protect this planet. Would you be willing to help us? We have resources that may be of use to you."

Thor nodded slowly, contemplating his options. "That would be helpful."

Suddenly, the forest around them stilled, the wind slowing. It quickly picked up again in the other direction, but Thor stiffened, eyeing the son of Chaos warily. "What is that I sense in your pocket, mortal?"

Percy raised an eyebrow before pulling out a white plastic baggie full of water. Thor glared in response. "Not that."

The former son of Poseidon pulled out the other object in his pocket, a cheap disposable pen. "It's a pen, my writing utensil. Problem?"

Thor snarled, hefting his hammer. "Do not lie to me, Greek!" He growled, lunging at the son of Chaos.

Oh boy. He jumped back, avoiding the wild swing and uncapping Riptide. "I am not a Greek."

"You lie!" The Odinson said in a low voice. "Your blood is empty, but I can feel the aura of the weapon that you wield, weakened though it may be."

Weakened? Percy looked at Riptide, and saw that it did indeed seem weaker. He hadn't pulled out the sword since he had left Olympus, although looking at it now, it seemed to emit far less light than it once would have, and pulsated weakly. The blade itself was noticeably duller, and less lustrous than before.

Gritting his teeth, Percy pocketed Riptide. It would do no good against the hammer, and if anything, would shatter against it. He ducked under another wild swing from Thor and punched the Norse god in the face, stunning him. Dropping low to the ground, he swept his foot under Thor's legs, causing him to fall face-first into the dirt.

Thor growled, before kicking out at Percy. Percy blocked, but the force of the attack alone sent him stumbling back. Lifting the hammer, he raised it high into the air. Above the pair, lightning crackled and a bolt flashed down, hitting the hammer and growing in size before flying at Percy. The lightning connected with his chest, blasting him back fifty feet into a tree.

Percy coughed, blood trickling from his mouth as he slowly rose, his back throbbing from the impact with the tree. He stared at Thor, his eyes full of fury. This guy hits ten times harder than Thalia… So that's how we're going to play.

Reaching into his pocket, the son of Chaos pulled out the plastic baggie, before ripping it open. Water flowed from his hands to cover his body, momentarily enveloping him in a protective membrane, healing his wounds. Thor looked at him in shock as he observed the teen boy gather all the water in his palms, eyes burning with anger.

The son of Chaos leaped forward, closing the distance with a single bound, and punched the Norse god with a water-encased fist. Thor flew backwards, crashing through a tree but getting up just as quickly. He leaped upwards with a roar, bringing his hammer down only to meet a solid shield of hardened water, which quickly flowed up his arm and froze itself at his shoulder, seeping into the joints of his armor. The god of Thunder winced at the cold, before flexing his shoulder and shattering the ice.

The frozen crystals floated in the air, twinkling innocently before melting into water and returning to the palm of the son of Chaos. Percy grinned, seeing the new expression of wariness on Thor's face. He was now cautious. He didn't fear him though.

Not yet.

The Odinson made the first move this time, hurling Mjolnir at his opponent, who retaliated by ducking underneath the hammer and flinging a throwing knife made of ice at Thor. The ice clipped the god of Thunder, before reappearing back in Percy's hand. He swung the knife at Thor, who dodged and landed a low uppercut on Percy's midsection. The son of Chaos responded fluidly, twisting backwards and to the side before smoothly knocking Thor to the ground with a quick backwards snap kick to the head.

Thor rolled backwards, clambering to his feet unsteadily. With a primal roar of anger, he slammed Mjolnir into the earth, which rippled outward, causing Percy to stumble backwards, grabbing a tree to right himself. Thor pressed the assault, swinging his hammer in wide arcs and firing off lightning bolts in quick succession. Percy dodged most of them, realizing that the god of Thunder was now consumed by battle rage and blind anger.

Covering his fists in water, Percy leaped forward, a bolt singing his hair as it flew over him. Just before he connected with Thor's face in a knockout blow, a shield smacked off his chest, hitting the god of Thunder in the head and stunning the two before flying back to a man in a blue and red armor.

"That's enough!" Steve Rogers said loudly, his voice firm. He turned to Thor.

"Now I don't know what you plan on doing here."

"I've come to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor spat.

"That's what we all want." The Captain said, playing peacemaker. "The authorities would like to take him into custody for information. After that, he's yours."

Thor frowned, before pointing at Percy. "And him?"

Steve frowned. "I don't know. But SHIELD can deal with him."

Thor nodded then, glaring balefully at Percy, who glared back. His back hurt.

"So, are we done here?"

"Sir, the Widow's arrived with Loki, although you should probably take a look at who else they brought in." Hill said, walking up to him.

The leader of SHIELD nodded. "Alright then. You know where to put him." As he began walking towards the detained god of Mischief, a voice made him halt.

"Director," A voice behind him called out, the voice apprehensive.

Fury turned to the lead scientist, who had called him. "What?"

"We have the results of the blood analysis you asked us for." His voice was slightly confused, with a hint of disbelief in it. "It's- Um..."

"What about it?"

"Well, you might want to take a look at this..."

Thanks for leaving the reviews! Your interactions warm the ink in my pen and keep me writing. :P Next week, next chapter. Cya then.