Catch Me If I Fall (PJO/Avengers Crossover)

79

"Did we get them all?" Bruce asked softly, looking around the circle. Percy punched the bridge of his nose in discombobulation, trying to process the fact he had been on Asgard just a few seconds before. Asgard. Home. 

He then looked up, too, realising all six stones were in the hands of six different people in the room. Immediately, he started smiling, and turned to face Loki.

"You're telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey asked, astonished. But something was wrong. 

Loki was staring into space and Natasha stood next to him, holding the soul stone, doing the same thing. Percy moved his eyes again, expecting to see Clint. He wasn't there.

"Where's Clint?" Bruce asked softly. Nat and Loki stayed silent- almost as if they hadn't heard a word of it. As if Clint had-

Oh. 

Oh.

The realisation his him suddenly. It was like a hit to the face, a kick to the stomach. A window several feet away smashed- courtesy of Percy's emotions running wild without his permission. At that point, the world had become very fuzzy. Sounds were dimmed, his sight became that much blurrier, he couldn't smell the remnants of Asgard in his hair anymore. It felt... it felt like being mortal again, like having temporary, limited senses. Like everything that made him him was falling into pieces because Clint Barton had been the glue holding him together.

Having enough, he walked out, not wanting to think about it anymore. He'd got the reality stone, his job was done. 

*

"Do we know if he had any family?" Tony asked softly, standing by the lakeside. Percy had lay down under the water for about an hour and the original Avengers plus Loki had gone looking for him. Eventually, Tony spotted his head of black hair and urged him to get out and talk. He got out without any question, but hadn't opened his mouth since doing so.

"Yeah. Us," Steve said. Thor looked at them incredulously, as if what they'd said was completely outrageous. 

"What?" 

"I just asked him a question," Tony explained.

"Yeah. You're acting like he's dead," he argued. "Why are we acting like he's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, we can bring him back. Isn't that right? Right?" His tone turned desperate, then urging and angry. "So- so stop this shit. We're the Avengers. Get it together." 

"It's impossible," Loki said softly. His voice sounded broken and gravelly, the way one's voice sounded after a long and agonising scream. 

"What?" 

"It's permanent," Natasha snapped. "He's not coming back."

Thor laughed, taken aback by the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "I'm sorry. No offense, Natasha, but you're a very earthly being, okay? We're talking about space magic. And 'can't' seems very definitive, don't you think?" His tone was almost patronising. Loki looked at him, nostrils slightly flared, jaw clenched. 

"Then why isn't he here, brother?" He asked, his voice wobbling dangerously. Percy took his hand, trying to calm him down, but Loki ripped it away. "Why isn't he standing with us now? Why-"

"That's my point-" Thor began, trying to reason with his brother and Natasha.

"He's gone!" Natasha's voice was raised, then it lowered, wobbling. "It was supposed to be me. I tried to- I had to- we need to bring everyone back. For him."

"If I hadn't lost concentration..." Loki made a wave in the water with his magic just as Bruce picked up a bench and hurled it across the lake. It created a huge splash and ripple there. In other circumstances, it might've been beautiful. But, instead, it was filled with bitterness, anger and grief.