Chapter 19: Facing the Fury

Steve grimaced as he stepped out of the SUV into the late afternoon light. He looked up at Avengers Tower as the sun shone on the windows. He sighed. They'd been totally off the grid for over forty-eight hours with no contact to or from SHIELD. Fury was not going to happy.

Tony stepped up beside him. He'd accompanied them in the car to avoid any extra attention from the public. Steve glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "You know they're going to be furious about you hacking them again."

Tony shrugged. "How else did you expect to escape them? I'm sure as heck not apologizing for it." A smirk crept onto the billionaire's face. "You'd think they'd be used to it by now. Honestly, their firewalls are a piece of crap."

Steve chuckled weakly. It was true that Tony's hacks had become a kind of joke to the Avengers. He did it on a weekly basis, or whenever he got bored. Steve was pretty sure Tony'd blackmailed SHIELD into allowing the Avengers the freedom they had. Nobody really knew what he'd found, but most of it probably wasn't good.

"Well, I'd better go report to Fury," Steve said. "This should be fun."

"Have you thought about what you're going to tell him?" Bruce asked as they started walking into the building.

"And how much you're going to tell him?" Nat added.

Steve nodded. "I've got a plan. I won't tell him everything, obviously, but he has the right to know some of it. For example, I'll let him know that the world's in danger, but I'll be a bit vague on what's endangering it."

Clint nodded. "Sounds good. But if he murders you, can I have your room?"

Nat punched him in the shoulder while Tony and Bruce laughed, but Steve only grimaced. Fury was not going to be happy. He sighed and headed to the elevator with his friends. It was slightly crowded but it slowly emptied as they ascended. Just before Steve got off on his floor, he turned to them. "Just remember guys, if anyone asks, we didn't find Percy Jackson. Tony turned off our trackers and comms so that we could go get shawarma. Clear?"

Everyone nodded, and he walked out, but of course Tony couldn't resist a parting remark. "Good luck Capsicle! We all know you're going to need it!" Before Steve could glare at him properly, the doors closed, and he was alone. He sighed and turned away from the doors

As soon as Steve stepped out of the elevator, he felt eyes of the dozens of SHIELD agents snap to him immediately. He made sure he had his face arranged in a neutral expression. He couldn't afford to give Percy away now. He walked calmly towards Fury's office, cursing the fact that it was so far away. He had to cross the entire floor just to reach it.

Steve wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Fury was there. He took a deep breath and walked inside when he was admitted, ready to face the Director of SHIELD.

SFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

Fury stared at Rogers as he entered his office. The blonde supersoldier had a now-familiar expression on his face. The look of someone who'd just had their minds blown. For a man who'd been frozen for the better part of a century, it was a miracle his face wasn't permanently stuck that way.

"Director Fury, sir." He stood at attention in front of his desk and Fury let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Well, Captain?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Sir?" Rogers asked, a confused expression creeping onto his face.

"What bull-crap excuse have you concocted for me today?" He looked the man right in the eye. "I know you can't tell me everything, but I need to know the excuse for the Council."

A look of understanding overtook Rogers' face. "We didn't find Percy Jackson. We covered most of the New York area but there was no sign of him."

"And the reason Stark turned off the trackers?"

"Shawarma."

Fury groaned. He could've guessed. "And what are you willing to tell me?"

The captain's face grew nervous. "Sir, this must stay between us and the Avengers, and I can't tell you the half of it."

Fury nodded. He was, first and foremost, a spy, after all. He knew how to keep a secret. He gestured for the man to sit in the chair in front of the desk.

Rogers' shoulders slumped tiredly as he sank into the chair. Fury could see some of the mental exhaustion the man was feeling and recognized it as similar to his own. He internally winced in sympathy but kept his face impassive.

"We found him. We'd arranged before he 'escaped' to meet him. He took us somewhere and showed us... a lot. I can't tell you what exactly, but I can tell you that he's no threat."

Fury nodded. He'd figured they would have already planned to meet Jackson. And he'd already accepted the fact that the boy was not their enemy. But he could hear something else in the captain's voice. "But..." he prompted.

Rogers sighed. "The world is in danger again. We need a Quinjet and no questions. The only people who can know we're leaving are you and whoever has to get the jet ready. Clint can fly it. Tony will disengage any trackers." The look on Steve Rogers face and the serious tone in his voice left no room for argument.

Fury just nodded, and asked, "I'll have the clearance ready for you in fifteen minutes. It'll be waiting for you at the top of the tower. How long do you think this will take?"

The soldier just shrugged. "Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Can you keep the Council off our backs for that long, sir?"

Fury brandished his wolf grin. "Shouldn't be a problem. Stark isn't the only one with blackmail."

SFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

Tony looked up as Steve walked into the room. He had been doing some last-minute adjustments to his suit before they left. This celestial bronze was amazing stuff. He really hoped Cap and Percy would let him keep some of it, but he seriously doubted it.

"So, Capsicle, still have all your limbs I see," he commented in a conversational tone. "Fury was in a good mood then?"

Steve gave him a stern glare before turning to the rest of the team, who were lounging on the couches. All conversation had stopped when he walked into the room. Tony even put down his screwdriver and walked over, wiping grease stains off his hands with a towel. Pepper wasn't going to be happy when she found that after she got home from Washington.

"We've got a Quinjet on its way," Steve began. "We'll be ready to leave from here in five minutes. Everyone ready?" A wave of nods moved around the room. Tony stepped into the suit and moved around experimentally. The celestial bronze had given his repulsors an extra boost in power, both in flight and in a fight. He could see the others checking their own equipment. Natasha was sharpening one of her new daggers, Clint was checking his arrows, Steve was fitting his sharpened bronze covering onto his shield, and Bruce was checking the bag he usually carried with medical supplies.

A thought popped into his mind and he immediately rushed to his lab. He saw the strange white sword that the manticore Thorn had left sitting on his examination table and grabbed it. He figured Percy would appreciate to get it back. By the time he'd returned to the common room, the Quinjet was hovering next to the balcony and the team was climbing inside. He flew inside briefly to pass the sword to Steve who nodded in appreciation. He stepped out of his suit and asked Jarvis to deactivate any tracking devices that may be broadcasting a signal before Clint and Nat activated the cloaking and they left for Kansas.

Tony glanced at the time. If they pushed the Quinjet to its top speed they should make it to Kansas before the sun set completely.

"Who wants to bet that Percy's going to be attacked before we get there?" he joked.

SFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

Percy wasn't in the mood for joking.

He was leaning against the 32 Topeka sign watching Mrs. O'Leary race the occasional car up the freeway. The area was much as he remembered it. Hot, dry, with nothing but wheat fields for miles in every direction.

Of course, his memory of the place was still a little hazy. Last time he'd been here, he'd been possessed by an eidolon and forced to attack Jason (he totally won that fight, by the way) and Blackjack had kicked him in the back of the head. He didn't blame the pegasus, of course, but he'd had a knot on the back of his head for a week.

He thought about Annabeth. Honestly, she was all he'd been able to think about, no matter what he did to try to distract himself. He couldn't help but think about what they might be doing to her right now while he was here, sitting around, doing nothing.

But he had no choice. He couldn't save her on his own. He had to wait for the Avengers.

Even if the wait was killing him.

The sun was setting, with only a few minutes of light remaining. He stared at the sky as he pulled his jacket tighter around him. He'd been waiting for nearly two hours at this point, and he was desperately hoping the team would get here before night fell. He didn't want to have to leave in the morning and risk not finding them again until it was to late. And he really didn't want to sleep out here tonight without anyone but Mrs. O'Leary to help keep watch. She'd only woken a few minutes ago and would need more rest if they were going to keep shadow traveling.

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The sun had just touched the horizon when he heard the Avengers arrive. Percy sighed in relief when the futuristic-looking jet shimmered into existence. He waved at Clint and Natasha, who he could see in the cockpit window, and reluctantly stood as it landed softly in the field behind him. Traffic had been slowing down consistently, and he hadn't seen a car in the past twenty minutes.

He casually strolled over to the jet, and grinned when the ramp lowered, showing Steve and Tony waiting to get off. The billionaire immediately threw his arm around Percy's shoulders and exclaimed, "Darn it Percy! You just lost me twenty bucks!"

Percy looked at him in confusion. "How?"

Steve smirked as he followed Tony out. "He bet me that you'd have been attacked by now."

Percy laughed. "You got lucky Cap. Usually he would've been right," he said drily. Steve chuckled at Tony's mock-disappointed face.

Just as Bruce, Natasha and Clint exited the Quinjet, Mrs. O'Leary came racing over and rolled onto her back in front of Steve. She looked at him pleadingly and Steve raised a questioning eyebrow at Percy. "Is she asking me what I think she is?" he asked.

Percy chuckled. "You'd better start scratching or things are about to get ugly." Steve rolled his eyes and started rubbing the hellhound's belly. He could barely reach the center of her stomach, but she loved it anyways. Her tail started wagging violently and Natasha narrowly avoided being bowled over.

"So, Percy," Bruce started, "what's the plan?"

Percy grinned. "You guys got here earlier than I thought you would. We can spend the night here and keep going in the morning. Mrs. O'Leary still needs a little bit of time to rest. Shadow traveling such long distances tires her out."

The rest of the group nodded and everyone, except Steve (who wasn't going anywhere anytime soon) headed back into the Quinjet to find a spot to sleep. Thankfully, the seats, more comfortable than they looked, and it wasn't too difficult. Steve was stuck on the first guard shift be default.

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Percy was back in Koios' prison on Mr. Othrys. He could see Annabeth sticking her bobby pin back into her hair. Her hands and ankles were free, and her shoulder was scabbed over. He sighed in relief to see her alert and relatively unharmed. He was still going to kill Thorn for what he did to her, but he was still grateful to see her. He could feel himself relax and he walked forward and crouched by her side.

"Annabeth..." he whispered. He raised his hand to try and brush her cheek as she relaxed against the wall. I wish you could hear me, he thought sadly. "I'm coming for you Wise Girl. Nothing in Tartarus will stop me from getting to you."

Oh Perseus, a dark voice echoed in Percy's mind, sounding deceptively gentle. You really shouldn't promise things like that.

Just like the first dream, the image of Annabeth slowly dissolved into darkness despite his shouted protests and he was once again frozen in place. Percy glared into the darkness. "Tartarus!" he yelled. "Show yourself, you coward!"

"My, my, my," a low voice, no longer in his head, crooned around Percy, seeming to come from every direction at once. "Someone's in a bad mood today."

Tartarus finally materialized in front of the young demigod, and Percy deepened his glare. "What do you want?" he spat. He was tired of this horrible, nagging fear, of not knowing if Annabeth was alive or dead. He wanted this to be over.

"I simply wished to let you know that I know exactly where you are. You didn't think you could sneak away that easily, did you? And I also thought I should update you on your beloved's condition. But if you're going to behave like this, perhaps I should allow Koios to..."

"Don't touch her!" Percy screamed. He tried to hide the slight crack in his voice with his rage, but they both knew he failed. Percy could practically see Tartarus' smug grin as he was suddenly forced to his to his knees. A moment later, a flurry of punches pummeled his stomach and head, leaving him gasping for breath and groaning in pain. His head hung, chin resting on his chest as he fought back the tears of pain and anger that had formed, blurring his vision. Several deep breaths later, he looked up to see Tartarus just staring at him in amusement.

"And what would you do, young demigod, to ensure your dear Annabeth's safety?" the primordial asked.

"You already know the answer," Percy hissed venomously.

"True," the lord of the pit said, tilting his head slightly, "but I would really like to hear you say it."

This time, Percy made no effort to conceal the crack as he whispered. His voice sounded broken, even to his own ears. "A-anything..." he whispered.

Tartarus hummed in satisfaction. "That's what I wanted to hear. How I'd love to test that right now..." Percy's heart clenched in fear at the wistful tone in the primordial's voice, "but unfortunately that'll have to wait until you get here. Until then, enjoy a visit from an old friend. She's finally back and after she heard about what you did to her family, she's not very happy with you."

Percy mentally ran through his list of enemies. It was long. "Who...?"

"Ah, ah, ah, wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now, would we?" Tartarus asked in a mocking tone. "I'll see you soon Perseus. I do hope you survive until then."

Percy's vision suddenly went black and he felt himself finally begin to wake. But something was wrong, something was coming, he needed to warn the team...

Percy bolted upright, scaring the life out of Bruce, who had been bent over him. The doctor had narrowly avoided getting a broken nose when Percy jumped awake.

"Finally!I couldn't wake you! We're under attack!"