Chapter 11: Time to Talk

Percy emerged from the ocean just outside the borders of Camp Half-Blood. The sun had set a few minutes ago, turning the sky into a breathtaking array of fiery colors. For a moment Percy was reminded of the Phlegethon in Tartarus. He shook his head, clearing his mind of Tartarus. He had a job to do.

He started walking to the road a few miles away, gently massaging his shoulder as he went. The bullet wound was almost fully healed, but it was still pretty sore. Percy was just grateful it was his left shoulder, so his dominant-right would still be able to fight.

His rendezvous with the Avengers was still a mile or two away, so he started thinking about what he was going to tell them. He'd already decided to reveal Camp Half-Blood to them. He needed to go home anyways and figure out what was going on. He sighed. Chiron wasn't going like this.

He made it to the stretch of road where he and Annabeth had faced off against the Avengers. In the distance he could see Half-Blood Hill and Thalia's pine tree silhouetted against the darkening sky. He settled down to wait. The chilly fall air made him even more grateful for the sweatshirt. He ended up dozing off.

About an hour had passed before Percy was jolted awake by the sounds of an engine. He looked up to see the red-and-gold suit of armor a few hundred meters away and a black SUV approaching on the road.

He stood, groaning as his shoulder complained loudly. He moved out into the open, adopting a casual stance. As soon as the car stopped, Bruce jumped out and ran towards him. Percy's eyes widened at the frantic/concerned look on the doctor's face. For a second, Percy thought he was about to be attacked. He spun around, expecting a monster to be creeping up behind him. When he didn't see anything, he turned back and saw that Bruce was right in front of him. He yelped and jumped backwards.

"Percy! Where are you hurt?" He yelled. Percy realized that they must have heard about his injuries. He glanced at the rest of the team in full combat gear and saw their expressions mirrored Bruce's. He was touched by their concern and felt a twinge of amusement at the situation. He faced Bruce.

"I'm fine. Honestly!" He said as Bruce's eyebrow crept up.

Steve walked up to join Bruce, and Tony landed nearby. Natasha cut in. "You jumped out of a window, fell two stories, and took a bullet to the back. That is not fine."

Percy looked down at himself. He had to admit the spots of blood on his clothes didn't look good. "I've had worse. It's a good thing water heals me."

Bruce wasn't satisfied and closed the gap between them, forcing Percy to take off his sweatshirt and turn around so he could check the bullet wound. He whistled softly. "You're not kidding. This thing looks like its been healing for three weeks!" He let Percy turn back around and quickly scanned him for other injuries.

"So how'd you get out of the river?" Clint asked. "SHIELD is still monitoring the all the banks in a mile radius where you went in, but there was no sign of you."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "I can breathe underwater. Sorry if I worried you guys."

Tony snorted. "Worried? Bruce was so scared I thought the other guy was going to make an appearance." Steve glared at Tony, while Percy cocked his head. Huh, he thought. Guess I'm not the only one keeping certain assets to myself. But he shrugged. He couldn't expect them to trust him completely either.

"Ok, well, now that you're all here, time to come clean." Percy's face grew deadly serious. "You guys probably noticed that I avoided mentioning where I go every summer." He took a deep breath. "There's a place here on Long Island called Camp Half-Blood. It's one of maybe three places in the world where demigods like me are safe from constant monster attacks. That's where we're headed." He locked eyes with each of the Avengers. "I know you all understand the risk I'm taking, telling you this. Mortals are almost never allowed in Camp, but this is an emergency. Now, lets go." Percy walked over to the SUV with the rest of the group following him, including Stark. Percy turned to him. "You might not want to wear that into camp. Some of the kids might freak out."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "In an excited way or a freaked-out way?"

Percy thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Probably both."

Stark chuckled as he stepped out of the armor, allowing to shrink into suitcase form (A/N: Hey just like Festus!). Percy sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. He drove down the road until he got to the base of Half-Blood Hill. He hopped out, gesturing for the team to follow. He walked solemnly up the hill, pausing briefly to pat Peleus, the guardian of the Golden Fleece. He looked out over the Camp and felt himself relax. Everything was just like he'd left it. The two cabin circles, the Big House, the canoe lake. He sighed contentedly. He was home.

But then his eyes were drawn to the campfire in the distance. His eyes narrowed. He could see the flames, but Percy couldn't hear any camp songs. The flames were small and the color of ash. Percy was about to charge down to investigate when he heard a choked noise behind him. He turned and saw the Avengers staring at Peleus and Thalia's tree.

Tony recovered first. "Is that..." he gulped nervously. "...a dragon?" Percy wished he had a camera to capture their expressions.

"Yeah." He said dismissively. "That's Peleus. Just don't touch the fleece and you'll be good." Then, what Tony said finally hit him, and Percy spun to the Avengers. "Wait, who can see the dragon?"

Five hands shot up, along with Percy's eyebrows. They could all see him? Then Percy remembered something Annabeth's cousin Magnus had told him. He'd managed to help a mortal become clear-sighted by showing him the palace of the gods or something. The Fates must have opened their eyes so that they could help him.

Percy grunted. "Hmm, go figure," he muttered. He turned back to the camp and crossed the border before turning back. He looked to the skies. "I, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, hereby give the following mortals permission to cross the borders of Camp Half-Blood: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanoff."

Thunder echoed in the distance and he nodded his head. "Alright, come on." He turned and jogged down the hill, heading for the campfire, where he could see Chiron's silhouette outlined against the flames. He could hear the mortals following close behind him. Percy was grateful for the darkness around him. It helped him avoid lone campers and awkward questions. A hundred feet from the amphitheater, Percy turned and gestured for the Avengers to be quiet. He crept around to the side of the fire, and he could finally see the reason for the solemn atmosphere. His heart dropped.

It was a funeral pyre.

PNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNP

Natasha looked around at the dark camp. She could see the Ancient Greek influences everywhere. She quickly glanced at everything behind her before focusing on the scene in front of her. She could see at least one hundred fifty, maybe two hundred, kids sitting on the benches. Some were younger than eight, but none were older than Percy. Many had tears in their eyes. She looked at the front of the crowd. Standing there was an honest-to-goodness centaur, addressing the crowd. The creature's top half was a kind-looking man in a button-up shirt and a somber expression on his face, but from the waist down, he was a white stallion. She shook her head. Focus, she thought. Greek myths are real, stop being surprised. She focused on the flames and she could see a body wrapped in a grey shroud resting on the logs. The shroud had designs on it, but she couldn't make them out.

She looked at Percy just in time to see his face crumble. His serious expression was replaced by devastating sadness, and he gestured for all of them to stay still. He stood up straight and walked forward into the light when the centaur finished speaking. Immediately, the crowd's attention focused on him and as he walked across the stage to the centaur. She heard agitated whispers, including the young man's name, erupting from the campers. She could see many hopeful looks directed at the son of Poseidon. Natasha realized that Percy meant a lot to these kids. They admired him. Heck, she'd only known the kid for a few days and even she respected him.

Percy had given them a brief rundown of the Titan War. He'd had to lead these kids into battle against one of the most powerful beings in their world. They'd fought for parents who often didn't even care that they existed unless they were needed. Natasha's respect and sympathy for these teenagers rise. She knew what it was like to be forced into a life without any say in the matter.

She focused on Percy as he finished talking to the centaur. Both had grave expressions on their faces, but as the conversation continued, the centaur's face morphed into one of shock. He gestured wildly at the demigods and looked flustered. Percy said a few more things, and when the centaur nodded, he turned to the crowd.

"Campers," he started, and all whispers stopped immediately. They turned back to the front and faced the boy expectantly. Natasha could see Percy bracing himself, and then he continued. "I know you all want to know how I'm here, but that will come later. For now, we are here to remember Connor Stoll, son of Hermes." Percy faced the fire, a funeral pyre, Natasha realized, and sighed heavily. I've known him and Travis since my first summer here at Camp. I remember how fun he was to be around; how funny he was. He and his brother were always ready to crack a joke or play a prank when things were at their darkest. When he became one of the counselors of the Hermes cabin, he proved that he was a leader." Tears started streaming down Percy's face. "I've done this too many times. Too many friends, too many kids who've sacrificed themselves for the safety of this world. Connor knew the risks of leaving camp, but he did it to come find me, to help me."

Percy turned to the pyre, the shroud now almost completely consumed. "Thank you, Connor. Thanks for all the laughs. Your father will be proud. See you in Elysium." Percy bowed his head in respect to the fallen demigod, and the rest of the demigods followed suit. Fresh tears were pouring down. Natasha glanced around, and she was shocked to see the rest of the team crying as well. She touched her face and was shocked to find her cheek was a little wet as well. She looked back at Percy. The boy was turning to face a figure who had just rounded the opposite side of the pyre. The flames illuminated their face and she was shocked to see the face of one of the boys from Thorn's picture.

She heard small gasps echo hers from the other Avengers. They'd been sure that both boys were dead. His wounds had looked mortal. She watched as Percy walked forward and embraced the young man.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to need you all to follow me." A soft voice from her left startled Natasha. She spun and saw the centaur standing in front of her with a solemn face. "My name is Chiron. Percy will explain the situation to the campers, but we need to get you mortals to the Big House."

She looked at the boys and rolled her eyes when she saw that all of them were staring blankly at the centaur. She nodded cautiously. "Lead the way." Her voice seemed to snap the boys out of their stupors and they all followed the centaur to a large barn house a few hundred meters away.