Your daily reminder that we're getting a PJO TV show. 

>u<

TONY SHOULD HAVE SENT PETER HOME.

Then again, he wasn't expecting Coulson to arrive so quickly. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was alerting him of his arrival within an hour or two of their call, and at that point he was in over his head babysitting the group of teenagers littering his living room. He sat at the kitchen bar, debating whether or not he should admit that he'd just learned the group's friends were probably being waterboarded somewhere in a Hydra cell. He couldn't help but look at his intern and think that these Percy and Annabeth kids were only a few years older than him. That it could easily be Peter he was searching for, if anyone ever connected the dots between his relationship with Spider-Man and the teen. Any of his many villains would have no trouble getting him to cooperate with their demands if Peter was on the line.

Instead of dealing with the emotional repercussions of those thoughts, he pulled out his laptop and began researching the two so-called demigods in the background while Peter continued to get much chummy with their company. For his tastes, at least. They were even laughing about something at some point, which sent a pang up his arm. The one kid he liked (scratch that, second. Harley was tolerable)... Why did he attract danger at every turn?

"Wait, so what do you mean you have fire powers?" the Spider-kid questioned, brown eyes swirling in curiosity. Tony couldn't help but turn to listen.

The Latino grinned wildly, swallowing a handful a pretzels he'd thrown in his mouth (yeah, that's right. Tony had given the delinquents food. What was his life turning into?). The billionaire scowled. Something about the kid screamed trouble. "Oh, amigo. Let me tell you. I can spontaneously combust at will! Wanna see?"

"Rain check on that," Tony declined immediately with a sick turn of his stomach. He'd seen enough of people spontaneously combusting back with his fight with Killian and Extremis. Phoenix fire amazon lady Pepper still haunted his nightmares on occasion. His mouth had just opened to set some better boundaries revolving around don't start on fire or do anything a normal teenager could, or couldn't when his watch buzzed with a notification.

"Shit," he mumbled, the color draining from his face. As cool as he had sounded on the phone, he was not ready to see the apparently alive Coulson. The idea made his palms sweat, and he hated feeling clammy. Peter immediately scrambled to his feet, running over to the man. "What, what's wrong?"

The man waved him off. He was slightly embarrassed he had been so easy to read. "Go play with you friends- without destroying anything! I have a meeting."

"Now?" the teenager frowned, dark eyebrows raising on his forehead. "I thought-"

"I've still got a job, Underoos," Tony cut him off coldly, too stressed to feel guilty by the cold shoulder he was turning to him. "Name's on the building, remember? It shouldn't take long. Can I trust you to handle this until I get back?"

Peter shifted on his feet, glancing between their company and Tony's hardened expression. "Yeah. But how long are you going to be gone?"

"Two hours, max. I'll get DUMM-E up here to help babysit, F.R.I.D.A.Y., keep me updated? And Peter? Please don't destroy my tower. If you need anything, text me."

He opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut after a second thought. "Okay. Can we watch TV?"

Tony nodded. His eyes skimmed the room. Once it was confirmed that his res floor was mostly baby proof, the billionaire jumped into the elevator to meet with the man back from the dead.

...

Tony knew a lot of things. How to design a missile. How to create an Iron Man suit out of a box of scraps in the ashes of captivity. How to push just the right buttons on people to get them to snap. He'd graduated MIT at 19 with multiple degrees in engineering and physics and artificial intelligence. The man even had a vague understanding of how to parent stubborn teenage superheroes.

But he had no clue how to react upon seeing his presumably dead associate alive and in the flesh. A man he had grieved. A man he had flown a missile through a wormhole to avenge. An agent that had haunted his nightmares on occasion.

He settled with a handshake.

The man had come dressed as Tony had always remembered him; clean shaven, bright eyed, and donned in a slick gray suit. It was only the added wrinkles of stress on the man's forehead and subtle new scars that differentiated this Coulson from the one he'd met so many years ago. The billionaire also noted that he seemed just a little more... tired.

He supposed dying had that effect.

Coulson watched the billionaire warily, as if expected an explosive reaction. Tony refused to give him the satisfaction. Yet. Even if he felt sour over having his death plague him for years for nothing.

"Phil," he greeted with a sniff, forcing himself to maintain eye contact. His fingers twisted around one of his cuff links with nervous energy. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

The air was stiff and uncomfortable. Coulson managed to look unbothered, smiling his small smile he didn't remember growing to miss. "Thank you, Stark."

"Yeah. I just want to clarify, though- you're not having any sudden cravings for brain matter?"

The director's smile tightened. "I'm sorry you weren't informed. It's-"

"Above my security clearance, yeah, I know the standard bullshit," Tony cut him off with squinted eyes. "Sure. We're here on business though, correct? No use in me asking what the hell Fury did to bring you back? How long he's had this Jesus resurrection trick up his sleeve?"

"No, I don't think so. Let's talk business though. Lead the way."

Tony wasted no time in turning towards the elevator, the director following at a distance. He'd come alone, not wanting to create any more of a scene than was already imminent. The rest of the team stayed back at the compound, continuing their tireless search for Daisy, Mack, and the demigods. He left them with nearly no progress and half heartedly begging Lincoln to stay put. Coulson doubted he would. The Inhuman had no loyalty to them, only Daisy. Part of him expected to return to learn he'd fled, and a worse part wished he would. He wouldn't be able to keep Lincoln off a recovery mission, and that put everyone at risk; the guy was a loose cannon he couldn't control.

His thoughts preoccupied their journey into a large conference room, much too empty and foreboding for the pair of men. The well furnished earthy tones and elaborate arm chairs did nothing to ease their anxieties.

Tony's fingers traced the tabletop, feet leading him to the small bar in the corner of the room. He busied himself by pulling glasses out before  looking forward with all the charisma of his younger self. "So, Agent- sorry, it's Director now, isn't it? You lost two kids to a terrorist organization?"

Coulson tapped his fingers on the wooden table top, the steady tempo keeping his mind in order. It was great to see Tony, sure, but his heart skipped a beat with the fear that their conversation could quickly derail at any moment. The billionaire was unpredictable. While he wanted to believe the Avenger had the intention to help him, the man feared the shock of his state of health would cause them to lose time they didn't have. He hated that Daisy was with Ward. It made him sick. Mack, Percy and Annabeth... he feared what Grant would do to them.

It also was strange, in a way. He felt like an imposter in this room. Tony was tied to his old life, before Loki and aliens and his team. It felt wrong.

But he didn't have time to wallow in those feelings. He had a mission to complete. And right now, a question to answer. "And two of my men. To Hydra. An old enemy."

"Well, that's implied, isn't it? Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. have been enemies since my old man. Drink?"

"Just water, thanks. The man that took them is Grant Ward. He was a mole on my team a while back, and I guarantee you this hit was intended to be personal. Though the kids are certainly an asset to him, if he succeeds in getting them to defer."

The last sentence made the superhero stiffen. He'd been staring at innocent school portraits and smiling candids of the two for the past few hours. Imagining them being tortured, like he had been... Coulson's casual stating of the subject made him uneasy. He walked across the room to hand his friend the drink. "You think they'll capitulate?"

The director grimaced. "They're strong. Annabeth, she's smart... strong-willed, calculating if she needs too. She'd definitely be challenging to control. Reminds me of Natasha."

Tony kicked the tile. "No, then."

The AC kicked in. Both startled, glancing at the vent before returning the conversation.

"The young man? Percy? He's dangerous. A good kid, but his powers- I wouldn't want to be on his bad side. He blew out the plumbing on my jet on accident. But I only knew them for a few days and it isn't hard to tell that his girlfriend is his glaring weakness. I don't know that there is anything he wouldn't do to protect her. They're both extremely co-dependent. Ward's smart enough to use that against them."

Tony shook his head, glancing once at his company's calmly folded hands. "And how, exactly, did you screw this up?"

"We don't know. Someone hacked our transport log. I don't have time to debate my shortcomings, though, Stark- the longer we go back and forth the longer they suffer in captivity... or worse. I have a lot invested in this."

"So you've said," he sighed, leaning backwards. "Well then. I'm going to need everything, on the teens, on this Grant Ward figure- coffee, your mission specs-"

"Tony, I can't-"

"Beggars can't be choosers, sweetheart. Do you want me to find them or no?"

The two held each other's eye, silently standing off. Coulson ultimately sighed, pretending as though he didn't intend to redact a large percentage of the documents for him. May and Fitz had already prepped files. He'd assumed Stark would want as much information his greedy hands could get a hold of.

"Okay. But you start looking now."

"Really? I thought you'd at least threaten me with Super nanny-"

"Stark."

"Right. Let's move, Living Dead."

xxx

A full hour of programming later, the billionaire leaned backward. "Alright. Give F.R.I.D.A.Y. a few hours and she should have an answer for us. Hydra software has never been the best; blowing past their firewalls will be a piece of cake."

Coulson frowned, eyes sweeping over the vast display of monitors and holograms cycling through location pins and information. "A lot of their software evolved from old S.H.I.E.L.D. servers."

Tony shot him an unimpressed look. "Exactly. I can hack your systems with my eyes closed. So thanks for the redacted documents earlier, but no thanks. Interesting friend you've got there, by the way, Daisy. Skye. Mary Sue Poots, she's really-"

"Alright, point taken," the director bristled. He didn't feel threatened that Stark figured out the information. The man wouldn't do anything in mal intent. The fact was just annoying; he'd forgotten how nearly every interaction with the superhero felt like babysitting. Even Hunter was a walk in the park compared to the innovator.

"Still can't find anything on your miraculous recovery," the billionaire admitted with a scowl. "You ever going to share that story with me?"

"No."

"Fair enough. It is good to see you, though, Agent."

Coulson didn't have the time to gape at the sudden sentiment from the man before a vibrating phone cut through the silence. Calloused hands grabbed at the screen, brown eyes flicking across the screen before rolling.

The director leaned forward on the stool he had settled on. "Did you find something?"

"No. Just trouble."

Coulson didn't respond, except with a raised brow that urged him to continue.

"Come on," Tony stood, wincing when his knees popped audibly. "Meet the friends of your lost heroes before they burn my building down."

xxx

Coulson felt even worse when Tony led him into a room full of teenagers.

All six of their heads turned to look at him. All young, all suspicious of his suit and tie. He'd taken their friends. He'd taken their friends and essentially signed their death warrant, accidentally handing them over to Hydra.

He swallowed, hard.

"I thought I said no fire," Tony glared at Latino on the couch. Coulson narrowed his eyes in confusion. There was no fire that he could see. Just a flat screen playing a Star Wars movie with the audio turned down, a few bowls of snacks on the table. If he didn't know better, or oblivious to the tension that hung in the air, he'd thought he walked in on a slumber party.

"Bro, you tattled on me?" the accused turned to a shorter brunette.

"I told you F.R.I.D.A.Y. would!"

"Anyway. Dade Murphy and friends, this is Director Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Dade Murphy and friends. And Peter."

The brunette smiled shyly and jumped off the couch and stuck his hand out politely. The director exchanged pleasantries, slightly confused with their relationship. His eyes moved between the teen and Stark. "Peter, nice to meet you. You're Tony's... son?"

He made the most logical guess. He knew Stark's past. The two looked enough alike. The man clearly held some sort of affection towards him.

His guess was quickly cut off with Peter lighting up red and Tony correcting to "intern."

A tall blond stood, following Peter's lead on shaking his hand. His gray eyes stared unsettlingly into Coulson's, just as Annabeth's had. If he hadn't had years of experience keeping a straight face in the company of criminals and psychopaths and monsters there was no doubt he would have winced or turned away. "Malcolm. You took my sister. And Percy?"

Coulson was speechless at the forcefulness of his tone. He nodded shortly, embarrassed.

Malcolm stepped back, crossing his arms. He had at least three inches on the director. "So where are they? Are you going to make us barter for them, or something?"

The man's blood ran cold. He turned to Stark warily. "You didn't tell them."

"Oh, it's your story. I didn't want the credit."

The rest of the group, though already listening, grew more intrigued.

"Tell us what?" Malcolm narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"

Coulson stood straighter in his suit, resisting the urge to fiddle with his sleeve. He cleared his throat and explained the situation as lightly as he could, which was about the weight of few elephants.

The teens had a variety of reactions. Some looked to be in shock, but the majority... the majority were just mad. Understandably furious.

"Oh, that's rich," Nico cursed, standing angrily. His black combat boots thudded against the floor as he began to pace. "So you lost them. You kidnapped them, decided you wanted to protect them, and screwed that up too? What kind of a joke organization are you? This is why no one wants to know you exist!"

"You literally... gave them to a terrorist organization. That tortures powered people." Mary Kate whispered, horror written across her face.

Harriet wiped her eyes, the reality hitting her hard. "They're going to ruin them."

"Hold on, guys," Malcolm stopped the spiral. "They're Percy and Annabeth. They can hold their own for a little while. A little while," he directed at Coulson. "So what's your big plan to get them back? You have one, right?"

"He better," Nico sneered, clenching his fists.

"We're searching for them as we speak," Coulson scrambled to ease their minds. "We'll find them-"

"No, you don't get it," Nico's eyes flashed. "Do you even know what they're been through? You don't, I guarantee you, you don't. It's bad enough you, you felt the need to abduct them. But-" his voice fell away, face still aflame with fury. Coulson had to fight not to look away.

"I know," he said softly. "I know. I can't express my regret, or apologies. But hopefully soon enough, with Stark's technology, we'll have their location. He's confident he can find one. Once we do, I have a team prepared for extraction."

"We want to go with," Mary Kate dropped her hands on the table. "We're going to help."

"No," Coulson paled. He couldn't have any more innocent blood on his hands. Marching these kids into a Hydra base would be suicide. "It's okay. My team is highly skilled, we-"

"Obviously not," Leo blurted out. He only flushed a little when all heads turned to him. He spread his hands. "I mean, they're obviously not that skilled if they took Percy and Annabeth right out from under your noses."

"It wasn't my team's fault."

"It was yours," Annabeth's brother reasoned, a hard edge to his voice. His glare hadn't relaxed. Coulson wasn't offended. He deserved every ounce of hate and ridicule these kids threw at him.

"Here's the deal," Malcolm cut in, voice calm but definitive. "You let us help or we'll expose the entirely illegal operation you have of kidnapping teenagers off the street. What happened to due process of law?"

Coulson clenched his jaw. "I can not allow-"

"Oh, you can allow it. You can't afford not to. Nico can- well, he can teleport essentially. Your 'extraction team' can go in and find them. Tell us where they are, we can go in and immediately get them out."

The rest of the demigods were stunned. Malcolm was generally soft spoken, gentle and quiet. Leo was the first to recover.

"I'll keep them preoccupied with this," the son of Hephaestus snapped his fingers, a small flame appearing above them. Tony made a choking noise and turned away.

Harriet looked up. "I can make us invisible, for some time. I can help you get in, unseen. Or help get them out."

"Harriet can do Jedi mind tricks," Peter's eyes lit up. "They told me. She could trick the guards."

Tony looked around wildly. "Why did I think it was a good idea to leave you all alone?"

No one answered him. Coulson held his breath. The kids... seemed right. They would be huge assets to him. But they were children. He couldn't put their safety at risk to save the lives of children he'd already put at risk- he couldn't make that mistake again.

"We're your best bet, and you know it," Malcolm nearly read his mind. "We're not volunteering to do this because of you. We're doing this for Percy and Annabeth. This is the least you can give us after what you've done."

The room held still with a tense silence. Tony watched the director with curiosity. Watched as his resolve slowly faded away.

"Okay," Coulson agreed. "But this is a dangerous mission. You understand that?"

They all nodded, sharing a similar look. Nico stared at the ground darkly. "It wouldn't be our first."

Peter sent Tony a look, excitement brewing behind his dark eyes. "Mister Stark knows Spider-Man. Maybe he would go with, to help?"

The genius' eyes narrowed immediately, lips pursing tightly. "Spidey's a friendly neighborhood hero. Not super villain organizations. If anyone was going to go, it would be me, and I can't. So, no."

"Why can't you go?" Leo blurted out, immediately regretting it. His chest pounded with just the idea of fighting alongside Iron Man. Calypso would swoon.

Well, after he did, of course.

"Iron Man's retired," Tony declared matter-of-factly. "And I trust Coulson can figure it out."

"Coulson lost them," Mary Kate muttered under her breath.

"Well, I still think you should ask Spider-Man. He could be a big help," Peter pushed recklessly. The billionaire clenched his jaw, shooting the kid a dark look. "Spider-Man's on vacation. Not available."

"Well-"

"Hey, intern. Since when are you in charge of sending my vigilante into battle? Actually, I'm pretty sure there's still some data you're supposed to be analyzing downstairs. Go work on that, huh? We'll finish business up here."

Peter frowned, unspoken words flying between the two. Malcolm quickly put it together, looking between the two, but kept to himself as their newly made friend argued back weakly. Coulson looked up with interest, immediately piecing together the context.

Interesting. There was a lot he had missed.

Tony sighed, slapping the counter. "Coulson, I'm going to go get him started on a project. Can you hold ship up here for a minute?"

The director nodded, all the confirmation the inventor needed to spin on his heel after a pointed look at his mentee. "No fire!" he shouted over his shoulder before disappearing with Peter down the hallway.

The spider followed him nervously. Once out of earshot, behind the comfort of his soundproof office, he spun with a fury. Peter took a step back to avoid the immediate wrath. "What the hell, kid? Are you trying to announce your identity to the world?"

The teenager glowered, hands curling into fists. "I wasn't-"

"Your friends in there aren't idiots. Even DUM-E could put the dots together. I guarantee you Coulson in there has it sorted out, which means all of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to know. Great. Great strategy, Underoos. You really thought this one out, didn't you?"

Peter's mouth turned sour. His  brown eyes hardened, the golden hue of the sunset filtering into the room turning a shade darker. "I wasn't that obvious-"

Tony shook his head, pacing the room. "You're a smart kid, Peter. Genius. Some days I think you're god damn brighter than I am, and then you go and pull this shit. Why, why would you do something so stupid? 'I think Spider-Man could be a big help?' What the hell, Peter!"

The teenager didn't know whether to be insulted or impressed that the Tony Stark had just told him he thought he was smarter than him. The admission only left him with slight pause, however, his mind jumping to the defensive at the accusatory tone. "Stop yelling at me! I just want to help!"

His mentor scoffed. "Help. Help? Peter, do you understand what Hydra is? What they're doing to those Percy and Annabeth kids? If they got their hands on you... No. You're not going."

"They wouldn't, ugh, I could just... web them from afar-"

"Peter, they wouldn't kill you. They would torture you until you wished they did and then make you kill for them. Is that what you want? Huh, kid? You want to be Hydra's little spider pet?"

The teenager grit his teeth, annoyed. "I wouldn't get caught," he argued.

Tony shook his head vehemently. "Yeah, like you didn't get caught as a pancake downtown?"

The fire in Peter's eyes died at the shot.

Tony relented, a rare spike of guilt poking hotly at his conscience. "Shit, kid. Look. If its not Hydra on your ass it's going to be Ross, and-"

"Or you," Peter muttered bitterly. The brunette across from him glared. 

"Yes, or me. And I'll stay on your dumb ass, because if I don't, you'll be locked up and tortured. I'm not taking that risk, Underoos. I'm not. Especially if I won't be there."

"Why won't you-"

"Do you not remember why I dragged you to Germany in the first place? The Accords, Peter. A bunch of political bullshit that I can't afford to get wrapped up in anymore than I already am. I can't get the amendments I need passed if I'm out parading in the suit."

"You're Iron Man! You can- you can do whatever you want. There's people that need saving, and you're just gonna-"

"Peter, part of this job is knowing what fights are yours and which aren't. Coulson and your friends have a plan. Let them do good on it."

"They're not my friends. You can't just-"

"Do you know what happens if I go, Peter? This internship or whatever the hell we're calling it is over. I get detained, they subpoena the company, Pepper has to deal with a shit load of press and government hearings she shouldn't have to and you, you get locked up by Ross and the ATCU who will waste no time experimenting to see how long you can stick to walls and how long it takes your freaky powers to heal stab wounds. I'm done discussing this. I'm not going, you're not going, and you can bet your ass I will have F.R.I.D.A.Y. make sure you don't so much as consider leaving this building. Got it?"

Peter glared. "If we don't go, they could die."

"They could," he agreed. "But you won't. And that's reason enough for me."

"You can't- that's so-! I don't even need to ask your permission, you're not my... you're not in charge of me."

"I'm in charge of my suit," Tony countered. "And May's in charge of you. Want to call your aunt and ask what she thinks of this little rendezvous you have planned?"

"That's not fair!"

"Not fair? You want to talk about what's not fair?" Fucking Hydra has taken everything from me. My parents, my team- now you want to march in there on a platter with an apple between your teeth? He took a deep breath, sensing himself getting too worked up. Tony bit back some cutting comments that would surely win the argument but cause him more harm than good. Damn Pepper and the therapy she forced him to go to. "What's not fair is you asking this of me. The answer's no. End of discussion. Now you're going to stay here and calm down, or go train, or whatever, and I'm going to go check on the search. Alright?" 

Peter's fists were curled so tight his knuckles were white. His fingernails carved crescents into his palm in anger. He was angry. Angry that Tony was probably right. They stared at each other in a silent standoff until F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted them.

"Boss?" she asked innocently from above. 

Tony turned away with a huff. "Talk to me." 

There was a hesitation before the AI spoke again, just enough for Peter to meet his mentor's gaze one last time. 

"The search has been completed. I have a location with 96% accuracy."

The billionaire sighed, tugging a hand through his gelled hair. "Fantastic," he grumbled. "Fantastic. Let's go tell the rest then."

He left Peter to stew, leaving the room with a slam of the door.

xxx

(Long AN I'm sorry)

1. THE CHAPTER
I've had 99% of this sitting in drafts for forever and cajoling 's update finally motivated me to finish- I hope you like it!! Next chapter is going to be intense so I hope you're ready 🤠
We've only got about 3 more to go, folks. Oh boy. Anything you'd want to see? Any random names or inside jokes I could throw in there?

2. FIC RECS
Speaking of cajoling... If you're looking for an incredible S.H I.E.L.D./PJO crossover that blows this one out of the water? Go check out cajoling 's book The Hidden Son on her page! It's incredible, the characters are so perfectly written, it's heart wrenching, Percy and Annabeth kick butt, there's a shark that says ":("... what more do you need?

3. HI I'VE MISSED YOU
But anyway! HELLO, how is everyone? On a scale of one-ten, what are your sanity levels? I think I'm sitting at a solid 5 or 6. Currently coping with quarantine by working too much and having 37+ half written drafts for pjo one shots. But it's finally the 🎄🎅🌲holiday🌲🎅🎄 season so that is good!!

4. U.S.A. DRAMA
If you voted or told someone to vote or did whatever you could thank you thank you you're a rock star! The amount of relief the election results gave me is indescribable. There's still a lot of work to be done for sure but I have some hope this a start in a new direction. Your daily reminder to be kind to people and stay safe during the holidays, please. I feel the quarantine pain but if we have any chance of going back to normal its by wearing masks and staying away from crowds if you can! 

5. S/Os

I promised shootouts to the lovely browhal1, who is one of the most supportive and friendliest people on this site and I HIGHLY recommend awarding a follow to as well as FunnyMimi367 who is as funny and wonderful as their name and deserving of a follow. Both have some pretty freaking awesome stories on their accounts as well, so if you're bored in quarantine like me and would appreciate some art... *push.*

Sorry again for the length, I did warn you. The next chapter is already in the works... see you then ;)

JustAnotherGirlmcg