Hi ho! I just remembered the Avengers are actually part of this story! 

It's off to work we go~

.

Tony smiled languidly, stretching his arms above his head like some great cat. "Gotta say, the guy does a better job with the story than my old man."

Steve stared blankly ahead, not even acknowledging the other heroes in the room. All this time... Percy had known back when they were just a coupla' losers from Brooklyn trying to follow their friend to war. He knew this great big secret when he tricked him into letting Percy try the serum first. He knew. There was a great big secret hanging over the kid he used to watch on the weekends and Percy never thought to tell him. Even before he got Buck killed.

"I never knew..."

Tony glanced up from the StarkPad he pulled from somewhere. "You say something, Spangles?"

He laughed wetly. "I've known that kid since he started tottling around Ms. Jackson's apartment in the late twenties. We used to share everything -- him an' me an' Bucky. What happened?"

"Time and War affect us all, Captain," Bruce muttered sagely. Funny; who knew the Green Bean's other half could be such a philosopher.

"His life," Tony said, sighing and stuffing away his gizmo, "Percy never had an easy day. One of his friends -- a brother-in-arms -- damn near killed the rest of the Flame by siding with Kronos in the thirties. He was pretty hesitant to trust too many people after that."

"Damn. Can we just wrap the dude up in bubble wrap in put him in one of Stark's fancy safe houses? He's like this cute little puppy that got kicked too many times." Clint wiped his shades  and shoved them on top of his head.

Nat scoffed. "Like that would work. Major Jackson strikes me as smart enough to get out of anything we can throw."

"So what do we do?" he asked, almost beseeching.

Nat and Bruce shared a look, something akin to parental worry passing between them. "Keep him safe and watch his back. What else can we do to stop a mutant with super serum?" the doctor replied. "At least until this whole fiasco is over."

"And then," the widow hissed, "you are going to make amends with that kid, Steve, and help him hunt down whoever the hell Loki was talking about in Stuttgart."

He tipped his head in acknowledgement. "Yes ma'am."

Without another word to the tense people around him, Steve stood and marched for the door. He need some time alone to grieve the last bit of nostalgia he had clung to in Percy.

Eight turns and a grinding elevator ride later, the stolid captain's hands shook as a water-damaged and faded picture was pulled from beneath his mattress. It was of him and Buck, little Percy laughing over Bucky's broad shoulders. A fair, or maybe a party to see off soldiers -- he could barely remember anymore.

"Hey, Buck?"

"Yeah, little man?"

Sticky fingers in their hair, a sweet smile on the younger boy's face. It was cool that night -- odd for summer.

"Ever think that fish ponies are real? I know this kid named Ty who says they are and that he'll take me to ride them with his Da when we're older."

Innocent green eyes. Buck's infectious laugh. A cold feeling in his gut. Percy was too old for his imaginary friend anymore.

"Look, Perce," he told him quietly as they walked away from getting their picture taken at a booth. "You're too old to believe in Tyson and the fish ponies and the Sea God, alright?  They're not real.You need to start growing up and  helping your Ma. You're the man of the house, after all."

Percy sniffled, burying his head into Buck's side so he didn't have to look at Steve again. His best friend just comforted the kid, sending a dark glare at Steve. As if it was his fault Percy refused to grow up and face reality.

He remembered that moment vividly, though; it was the last of Percy's childhood. Weeks later he disappeared with his mother for a while to a beach and wasn't the same when he got back. He went to some fancy summer camp every year after that, but still followed Steve blindly to chase Buck in the service.

Steve didn't know how he missed the signs of war already showing on him.

It hurt; it really, really did. He ended his friend's childhood with harsh words. But instead of snapping Percy to, he ripped the demigod's reality further away than it already was. He ruined everything, and now he was going to make it right.

The photograph was lovingly place back under the bed and Captain America stood with a face that led men into roaring battle. And this was war.

"Percy..." he stuttered, racking a hand through military short hair. Finding his friend pacing the deck wasn't hard. What came next, however...

"What," he snapped, causing Steve to flinch.

"I- I'm so, so sorry. I screwed up big time with you and Buck and your friend Nico. I see that now. My pride and worry and overprotectiveness got in the way of a lot of things, and I doubt that'll go away anytime soon, but I'll try. I swear I'll be better about slowing down and using that noggin your mom always said I had.

"I know it won't come easy. Heck I'll be surprised if it's even in this lifetime, honestly. But, Percy, I really hope you can find it in you to forgive me so we can start repairing what we had. It doesn't sit right with me to lose the one wall I still have from going insane with all this change."

He closed his eyes, breathing deep.

A quiet, broken laughed came from Percy's direction. "It's a start, old man."

He opened his eyes with a mock-glare. "Who you callin' old? You're well into your seventies too, ya know."

Percy struck a pose and this was all so familiar. "Yeah, but I make it look good. You just make age look like a piece of dried out bologna."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Doesn't have to; I'm a high rank than you, soldier."

It was a bit awkward, but both relics started chuckling at the feeling of comradery.

Then, there was a giant crash a few deck below, followed a a war-cry and a vicious roar. They shared a look.

"I'll take right," Percy stated with a little smirk.

.

Boom! I'm healing a relationship and FINALLY getting back to this little thing called plot!

Questions: Will I randomly throw in my favorite heroes for kicks? Is this girl ready for A PUSH? Can I remember what happening in canon and kind of follow it or will this hot mess just turn into one big AU (well, more than it is...)? If Thor is a pirate angel, what does that make Percy? Or Tony, for that matter? Will Bruce and Nat get together in this? WILL PEPPER UNLEASH HER INNER BAMF??? (It's a big-fat, wearing-Sammy-Winchester-to-prom yes on the last one, folks!)