Annabeth came to conscious slowly. She could hear the shuffling of monsters around her and feel cold metal on her wrists. She sucked in a quick breath as she remembered what happened.

The trap.

Thorn.

The Sto... A pang of sadness hit her heart as she remembered the two brothers falling to the ground.

Focus Annabeth, she chided herself. There'll be time to mourn later. She let her senses explore the area around her. As she focused, she could make out an occasional word, but it was muffled. She assumed it was emanating from behind a door. She breathed in deeply, detecting the strong scent of wet fur and strong BO. She grimaced. Hellhounds and Cyclopes most likely. But there was also something else. One more deep breath and she had it. Eucalyptus.

Of course, she thought. Mt. Othrys. Again.

After a few more moments to ensure that she was alone, Annabeth opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a stone room with no windows and only one door. Celestial bronze chains kept her from getting within five feet of it. All in all, standard medieval dungeon style.

She sat up and scooted over to the wall opposite the door. The only light came from a barred window on the door, and she was able to check herself for injuries. Aside from a cut on her left arm that had already scabbed and a headache that she was pointedly ignoring, she was fine.

Once she'd determined that she wasn't in any immediate danger, her mind turned to Travis and Connor. The two sons of Hermes had been the counselors of the Hermes cabin since she was twelve. They'd been there for almost long as she had. Oh gods, she thought, what am I going to tell Katie? The daughter of Demeter had been dating Travis for a few months now. But now, Travis was gone. Annabeth sighed. The life of a demigod.

She grinned sadly, thinking about some of the pranks the two had pulled. Putting chocolate Easter bunnies on the Demeter cabin roof, the Golden Mango (that one had nearly started another Trojan War). She was even able to forgive the spiders they'd let loose in the Athena Cabin throughout the years (Percy had had to prevent several murders). She focused on the happy memories and refused to remember the fact that they were gone.

A few minutes later, a large clang echoed through her cell. Her head shot up and she watched as the door creaked open, and she was momentarily blinded as light flooded the room. Once her eyes had adjusted, she looked up to see Thorn looming over her. She leveled a glare at the manticore.

"What do you want Thorn?" She spat his name out like it was poison, wanting nothing more than to plunge a sword into his chest and send him back to Tartarus.

Thorn smirked. "My dear demigod, I only wanted to introduce you to my boss." Thorn turned, and another figure entered. The temperature in the cell dropped twenty degrees. After he'd stopped in front of her, Thorn left. Annabeth recognized the Titan.

"Koios, Titan of the North," she muttered. For the briefest moment, she saw surprise flicker in the Titan's icy-blue eyes. But then it passed, leaving her wondering if she'd imagined it.

"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena," he replied. "You recognize me?"

"I do my research." She responded coolly. He didn't need to know that she'd seen him in Tartarus. "So you're Tartarus' lapdog?" She could tell that she'd struck a nerve when his eyes hardened.

"I do what I must to survive." He said. "I'm assuming you know why you're here?"

She shrugged. "I've got a few ideas. Demigod blood has power... blah, blah, blah. You want Percy, you think he'll come save me..." She was cut off by the Titan's laugh. She cringed. It sounded like an avalanche.

"Oh I don't think he'll come for you, daughter of Athena." He grinned. "I know he will. His flaw is personal loyalty, no? He'd come for you even if Tartarus stood in his way."

She dropped her head cursed mentally. Did everyone know Percy's fatal flaw at this point? She looked up and met the Titan's eyes. He smirked, knowing he was right. "And we'll be waiting when he does."

The Titan turned and left the cell, taking the cold with him. But Annabeth could still feel the chill. Percy, she thought, Please, just be careful.

ACACACACACACACACA

Clint stared at Tony before facepalming. Seriously, what was wrong with that man? They'd all been staring at Percy in shock and awe, but Tony felt like it was necessary to completely ruin the moment. Clint looked around at his fellow Avengers. Bruce and Steve had resigned expressions on their faces, while Tony looked both excited and nervous at the same time. Natasha had her poker face on, but Clint knew her well enough to know that she was as nervous as he was. They'd already had to deal with one god's temper tantrum. He really hoped this wouldn't lead to another.

He shook his head before turning back to Percy. The kid was chuckling slightly at Tony's comment. He hadn't entirely understood the two geniuses when they'd been talking about the whole Greek gods situation, but now...

Percy had just admitted that he was the son of a Greek god, and then proceeded to blow their minds. At least his powers made sense now. If Clint remembered correctly, Poseidon was the god of the sea and earthquakes. Percy must have inherited those powers from him. But there was still one thing that he didn't get.

"So are you from another planet, too?" He asked. Percy's eyes snapped to his and the humor left his face, replaced by confusion.

"You think I'm an alien?" He asked.

Natasha backed Clint up. "Thor and Loki are from another planet called Asgard. We're just wondering if there's another one called Olympus that we should be monitoring for homicidal gods."

Percy looked at Natasha, surprised. "Huh, that explains why I've never run into the Norse gods before." He turned back to me, grinning slightly. "But no, I'm not from another planet. My father and his family are..." His face grew hesitant. "Actually, I don't think I can tell you. My uncle's already going to be pissed at me. He didn't want me to tell you at all."

Steve made a slight choking noise. "Your uncle? Koios?"

Percy made a face. "No, he's my great-uncle. I'm talking about Zeus, you know god of lightning and the skies, king of the gods, giant crybaby that can't exercise any self-control when he sees a pretty woman." Thunder crashed outside, and the Avengers started. Clint half expected Thor to come sauntering in. But Percy sat there looking smug. "You know I'm right!" He yelled, looking up, seemingly talking to the ceiling. He turned back to Clint. "He's a little sensitive."

Tony's mouth was hanging open. "Did you just..."

"Yep," Percy cut him off. "I'm not exactly Zeus' favorite demigod. I should probably avoid air travel for the next few days."

Clint forced his brain to ignore the fact that Percy was deliberately antagonizing a god and move on. "So what now?" he asked.

Percy's face immediately darkened. "Now I'm going to remind my family why you don't mess with my Annabeth."

Stark held up a hand. "Annabeth as in, daughter of Athena Annabeth?"

Percy looked at him. "Yeah, so?"

Stark grinned. "Just making sure."

"So how many of you are there?" Natasha asked. Clint could see Percy's wince.

"Not as many as there used to be," he said, and we could all hear the sadness in his voice. "After the Second Titan and Giant Wars..."

Steve interrupted this time. "Wait, wars?"

Percy groaned and sat back down. "Uggh, I'm going to have to explain this all won't I?" he muttered, half to himself. He looked at us. "You guys might want to get comfortable, this is going to take a while."

Clint sat on the floor with his back braced against the control panel while Natasha claimed the only chair. Steve, Tony, and Bruce mirrored Percy and sat on the floor of the cell. Percy took a deep breath.

"Well, it all started when I was twelve and I found out my Pre-Algebra teacher was a psycho demon-grandmother..."

ACACACACACACACACA

Agent Maria Hill of SHIELD looked up as an alert popped up on her screen. Her eyes widened. She rushed to the Director's office.

"Director," she said, as soon as she was admitted. "We have a problem." She held out the tablet she was carrying. "It seems that someone hacked into SHIELD's spy cameras in Jackson's cell as well as the ones covering the hallway outside and disabled them."

Fury cursed and met her eyes. "Does this hacker happen to be a five-foot nine Avenger with a goatee."

Hill grimaced but nodded. "He took them off-line a few minutes ago, right before the entire team disappeared. We're pretty sure they went in there to talk to Jackson. No one else is in the room, they dismissed the agents we had stationed in there. Our techs are working on getting back some audio... but its Stark. He doesn't do anything halfway, so they're not very optimistic. Jarvis keeps booting them out whenever they get close."

Fury rubbed his face and sighed. "That man will be the death of me," he muttered. He was about to respond when the door slammed open.

An agent burst into the room. "Director Fury, the Council just called. They're asking for you."

Fury glared at the man. "Can't you tell them I'm busy?"

The agent shook his head. "They're insistent. They said it's about Perseus Jackson."

Hill cursed in her head. If the World Security Council had found out about the Enhanced teen and his abilities, they'd want to take him to a more secure base and away from Fury. They'd been on shaky terms with the Council since they'd tried to nuke New York. And Hill knew that their methods to make the boy talk wouldn't be as gentle as theirs, if only to spite Fury. He'd tried to keep the kid a secret for just that reason.

Fury stood reluctantly. He nodded to the agent. "Tell them I'll be there in the next few minutes." The agent left, and Fury turned to Hill. "Get to the Avengers. Tell them what's going on. They need to get the boy out of there."

"Are you sure, sir? If they're wrong about him, and he's really a terrorist or worse..."

"I'm sure. That boy may be an Enhanced, but I have a feeling his heart's in the right place. But either way I can't let the Council take him just to get back at me."

Hill nodded. They needed to get Jackson out of the Council's reach. If they didn't... Hill didn't want to think about it. She ran out of Fury office and took the elevator straight to the detention levels. She ran to the door leading to Percy's cell and hit the control pad to open the door. As she expected, it refused to open.

"Apologies, Agent Hill, but Mr. Stark is not allowing anyone in at this moment." Jarvis' cool voice informed her.

"Jarvis, tell Stark I need to talk to him. It's urgent."

"Very well." Thirty seconds later, Jarvis spoke again. "Mr. Stark is busy but asked for you to leave a message."

Hill's temper flared. "Tell Stark that it's about the kid and that if he doesn't get his metallic butt out here he might not ever see him again!"

A pause stretched out in the corridor. A few minutes later, Jarvis' response came. "They're coming out."

Seconds later the doors slid open and Tony walked out, followed by Natasha and Clint. Tony stared at her. "What are you talking about, Agent Hill? You better not have just said that so I'd come out. I was really enjoying that conversation."

Maria took a deep breath, burying her curiosity. "The Council called Fury. They found out about Jackson and they're not going to be happy. Fury's ready to bet the Helicarrier that they're going to take him, and if they do, it's not going to be pretty. He wants you guys to get him out of here."

"How?" Natasha asked. "We can't just walk him out of here."

Hill grinned. "Let him escape."

ACACACACACACACACA

Percy watched as Tony, Clint, and Natasha (he'd finally thought to ask them) walked out. He caught a brief glimpse of a dark-haired woman in a dark combat suit outside before the door slid shut. He hoped he'd made the right decision in trusting the Avengers. If he was wrong... Percy didn't think Zeus would be very forgiving if the truth about Olympus was on the frontpage tomorrow morning.

His only comfort was that Steve and Bruce looked as confused as he was, so he knew they weren't in on anything. He sighed. It was too late now to do anything about it. He'd managed to give them a brief rundown on the truth of Greek mythology and the Second Titan War without giving too many details. He hadn't told them where Camp Half-Blood or Olympus. He wasn't a total Seaweed Brain, despite what Annabeth thought.

He winced. The thought of Annabeth sent a pang of sadness and fear through his heart. He needed to speed this up and find her as soon as he could. He wasn't about to lose her after all they'd been through.

He stood as Tony walked back in with Clint, Natasha and the woman. "What's going on?" he asked.

Tony turned to him. "We need you to escape." Bruce and Steve's face clearly displayed Percy's surprise.

"W-what?" Steve stuttered.

The woman turned to him. "Fury needs the kid to disappear. If he doesn't get out of the Council's reach, he's toast."

"Agent Hill, how can you expect us to..." Steve started, but Percy tuned him out.

Percy was confused, but if they needed him to leave, he would oblige. He closed his eyes and focused on Riptide. He didn't have any pockets, but he knew the swords connection to him ran deeper than that. Tuning out the talking around him, he concentrated solely on his sword. Ever since he was twelve, he'd relied on that sword for his very survival. It was the most important thing he owned, the only thing that had allowed him to survive his many quests and the depths of Tartarus.

A silly thing like no pockets wouldn't stop his sword from getting to him. After a few seconds, the usual length of time it would take the pen to arrive in his pocket if he had been disarmed, he felt a familiar weight settle in his hand. He opened his eyes and smiled at the simple ballpoint pen in his hand. He looked up at the Avengers who seemed to be debating the best way to let him escape and called out for their attention. "Hey guys! How about we do this?" He walked forward and uncapped Riptide. He slashed through the glass. The Celestial Bronze blade cut through the clear wall easily and a couple more cuts left him with an opening he could easily walk through. He stepped through calmly and allowed himself a few moments to enjoy the dumbstruck faces in front of him.

Tony was, for once, speechless. "How did you... What did you... Where...?"

Percy just winked at him. "I've got a few extra tricks up my sleeve." He turned to Steve, his face growing serious. "Do what you have to do to make this look believable. I'll be fine." He hesitated briefly, then made up his mind. "Something big is coming. We're going to need to work together. Do you trust me?"

Steve glanced at the rest of the team. Percy did as well, and he could see the determination to help him in their faces, even Agent Hill, whom Percy had just met. He locked eyes with her, pleading silently, and she nodded, leaving immediately. When Steve met Percy's eyes again, he nodded, his face matching the others. Percy took a deep breath, before turning to Tony. "What time is it?"

Tony looked surprised at his question. He checked the tablet in front of him. "Four o'clock in the afternoon."

Percy nodded. He turned back to Steve. "When you guys come to 'look' for me tonight, head for the same stretch of road where you confronted Annabeth and me. I'll be waiting. I'm trusting you guys to come alone."

Steve nodded in understanding. "And we're trusting you not to lead us into a trap."

Percy continued. "I don't understand what's going to happen, but I know that I'm going to need you guys. I've dealt with a lot of things since I found out who and what I am, but this is different. It's going to take a combined effort."

Steve didn't have to ask the team for their answers. "We'll be there."

Percy sighed in relief. Regardless of what else the prophecy had said, it had been clear that he would need the Avenger's help. The fact that they were willing to trust him was a good sign. He walked to the door and it slid open, revealing an empty hallway. But Percy could here lots of footsteps coming towards him. He called back over his shoulder. "Oh and Tony? Sorry about the plumbing!" With that he charged out of the room, capping his sword as he ran. He knew it wouldn't work on mortals. As he ran he kept an eye out for any SHIELD agents, but he didn't see anyone until he reached the elevators. As the doors opened, a group emerged and pointed their guns at him. He concentrated, and a moment later. The pipes in the walls around him exploded, the water inside them washing the agents back into the elevator as Percy raced past.

He sprinted into the stairwell and started racing down the stairs, glancing at the sign that indicated what floor he was on. He groaned. Seriously Stark? Who puts their cells on the forty-fourth floor? Water cascaded down the steps behind him. It was still flooding out of the pipes he had busted. He grimaced at the mess he was making. Oh well, he thought. It was unavoidable.

He managed to make it down at least ten floors before he heard commotion on the landing below him. He cursed and ran out onto the main floor, which was filled with little office cubicles. Several employees looked at him in confusion as he burst in, breathing heavily and probably looking strange in his plain grey outfit, completely barefoot. He quickly called out, "Where's the nearest window?"

One person pointed to his left, so he nodded quickly and started sprinting for the hallway. Once he was out of eyesight, he hit a nearby fire alarm, and ducked inside an empty office as a mad rush for the elevator ensued. Once the flow of panicked people slowed, he ran out, grabbing a navy sweatshirt from the back of the door as he did. It wasn't much, but it would help. He threw it on, and kept moving down the hallway, looking for a window. He had a crazy idea, but he needed to get an idea of where he was first.

He finally saw sunlight pouring out of a door and dashed inside, locking the door behind him. He turned and found himself in another office, but with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the Manhattan skyline. He could see the East River a few blocks away. If he could just get there he would be good. He examined the distance between the window and the closest building. It looked like a hotel, with some gardens on the roof. He'd have to drop a few floors and clear the alley below, but he thought he could make it.

Suddenly, a banging at the door alerted him to the agents just as they crashed into the room. Three guns were leveled at him and fired. He managed to evade their first shots and charged them. He grabbed the first guy, wrestled him into a headlock and spun around to face the other two, keeping the struggling agent in between them. He could hear more footsteps approaching and knew he had to get out of there. He glanced behind him and saw cracks spreading across the window from the missed shots.

He turned back to the agents and grinned. "Tell your director I think his security needs some upgrades." He shoved his hostage onto the other agents, causing them all to tumble to the ground. He turned and charged the window, throwing his shoulder into one of the cracks, causing the entire window to shatter. He cried out as he felt some of the glass shards slice his legs.

His momentum carried him over the meters separating the buildings as he freefell, and he managed to roll safely as he hit the roof of the neighboring building. He grinned wryly. Those vacations to Camp Jupiter were definitely coming in handy now. He never thought he'd be so glad to have been dropped from giant golden eagles repeatedly. He checked his cuts, but they were nothing life-threatening.

He stood and sprinted for the rooftop access door ten meters away, bursting into a stairwell just as he heard gunshots firing. He charged down the stairs, emerging onto the next floor and immediately slamming his hand into the down button for the elevator. After a few minutes, a ding alerted him to the elevator's arrival, and he entered, pressing the lobby button. As he descended, he turned the sweatshirt inside out, revealing the paler inside. He ripped off the last few inches off his pants and used them to bandage his cuts. He pulled up the sweatshirt's hood and thanked the gods when no one else entered the elevator. Once he reached the ground floor, he casually walked out, crossing the lobby in a few seconds.

He emerged onto the street and checked carefully to make sure he wouldn't be noticed. He could hear sirens and saw SHIELD agents exiting Avengers Tower. He lowered his head and walked calmly away from them, heading for the River. He had to duck into alleys a few times to avoid cop cars as they raced by, sirens screaming. He found an abandoned pair of old tennis shoes in one and pulled them on. They were a bit big, but they were better than nothing and helped him blend in.

After several detours to avoid agents and one or two fist fights, he was only a one block away from the river. He quickly checked around him and casually jogged towards the waterfront. When he was a few meters away from the edge, he heard the unmistakable sound of a safety being released behind him.

"Jackson!" he heard. "Turn around slowly, with you hands up!" He pivoted slowly and faced the three agents behind him. They were dressed in street clothes and each had a hard expression on their face. Pedestrians were stopping around them and looking at them in fear. One of the agents addressed them, holding out a badge. "This is SHIELD business everyone! Please back away while we apprehend this man."

Percy narrowed his eyes. He couldn't do anything huge with so many mortals around. If he could just get to the water he'd be fine.

The agent who had just taken care of the crowds turned to him and started slowly walking towards him. "Now, Mr. Jackson, just come with us and we'll do this the easy way."

Percy took a few steps back. "Sorry boys, I'm not interested." He sensed their movement before he saw them move. He turned around and dove for the water a few meters below him. He felt something slam into his shoulder, and his brain briefly registered the fact that he had been shot before he hit the water. He gasped in pain as he commanded the currents to take him around the southern tip of Long Island.

He quickly examined his shoulder and was relieved to see the bleeding had stopped already. With his war-trained eyes, he could tell that he'd gotten lucky. The bullet had completely missed his collarbone and major arteries, and it had passed clean through. He allowed himself to relax as he sped towards Camp Half-Blood to wait for the Avengers.

He just hoped they'd show up.