Percy Jackson and the Avengers

Chapter 55

POV: Natasha

She surveyed the empty cemetery. While the boys had shouted at each other about who was at fault, how they got out, how they needed to microchip the Baby Avenger; she'd gotten on her bike and waited for the kid to show. She had a hunch that was where the kid visited when he vanished. Whoever was buried there, was important to him. She didn't have to wait long before the rest of the team joined her.

It was starting to get dark when Percy finally came slogging up the road to the cemetery. He tossed something that flashed gold in the streetlight and made a beeline for the middle of the graveyard.

Natasha did a physical evaluation of the kid as she followed him to the headstone he was sitting next to. While disheveled, and his clothing torn and a little bloody, looked perfectly ok. A few scrapes that she could still see but over all he seemed healthy. Strangely he carried himself as though he'd just gotten beaten to hell and back. He was also covered in some kind of yellow powder, shedding it from his clothing with every step he took.

Percy's shoulders tensed when she approached but other than that didn't acknowledge her presence. He was crouched in front of a beautiful white headstone, engraved with the name Annabeth Chase.

The name Nico had mentioned when he'd staggered into the tower earlier. She had died almost two weeks ago.

Natasha studied the dates and realized that the girl would have been Percy's age. She'd died far to young.

"Who was she?" Natasha asked him gently.

"Everything." Came the hollow answer.

"How did she die?" Natasha regretted the question as soon as she asked it. Percy's fists curled tightly and he snarled something in a language she couldn't understand or even recognize.

Just as suddenly his shoulders slumped. A muffled half sob broke out of his chest.

"She went... missing." He said carefully, his voice quivering. "Presumed dead. Until today." His voice got hard as he stood up.

"I'm leaving for a little while." He said turning around. The pain in the kid's eyes made her step back a little.

"Percy, you shouldn't..." She trailed off when he took a menacing step forward.

"She's alive." He said flatly. "I'm going to bring her home." Nat saw the desolation in his eyes. He didn't really believe it was possible. But he would die trying anyways. To her surprise, it was Tony, and not Steve, who stepped forward to wrap the kid in a tight hug.

"We'll help you."