Percy Jackson and the Avengers

Chapter 79

POV: Annabeth

          "Percy." Speaking was painful, but she couldn't help herself. He was hope personified to her. Not Elpis, the spirit in Pandora's Pithos, but her hopes. Everything she ever wants, or needs personified. With him, she could do anything. Her other half.

          But she knew better than to believe him now. Annabeth knew that it was nothing more than a cruel trick. Something her mind liked to make up.

          "Annabeth I'm going to get you out of there ok? Just hang tight." The hallucination whispered to her roughly, drawing his sword. She smiled at him, drinking in the sight of him. The familiar green eyes, crinkled in the corners with worry, dark messy hair swept away from his eyes, fists flexing tightly around the hilt of his sword, the little scar on his chin from a shaving mishap when he was fourteen. She'd laughed so hard when he'd told her the story, best swordsman in three hundred years and he'd cut himself shaving. She closed her eyes, savoring the happy memories that came flooding in each time this particular hallucination came to haunt her. Ever since her dream, he came to her. Taunting her with freedom that was just out of her reach.

          "Annabeth - that's her name right? - Annabeth, I need you to open your eyes. I need you to stay awake ok? Annabeth?" An unfamiliar voice called to her. She was so tired, waking up the once to see Percy was enough for her. But the voice kept persisting. The stranger kept calling her name over and over again so she did. Dragging her eyes open, she scanned the front of her cell, finding Percy first then taking in the rest of the unusual scene.

         Understanding flared inside of her. She dragged her eyes back to the hallucination; no, not a hallucination.

          "Percy! Please tell me you didn't break on of our most important laws to get the Avengers to help rescue me!" She whisper shrieked at her very real boyfriend. A sheepish smile crossed his face even as he shook his head no.

          "Wise Girl I'm not that stupid." She glared at him. This coming from the boy who had challenged the god of war when they were twelve. The beginning of a very long demigod career of stupid, reckless and otherwise questionable decisions over the past half decade. Ocean colored eyes softened as a silly grin crossed his face.

          "Ok, ok I would be that stupid. But I swear I didn't break any laws. I had permission to tell them." He whispered to her through the bars, both hands wrapped tightly around them, as though he wanted to simply rip them down. Not that he could. Annabeth looked back to the redhead crouched next to the lock. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Next to her hovered Dr. Bruce Banner, the Hulk. He was the one talking to her, tired brown eyes laser focused on her. He'd visibly relaxed when she'd opened her eyes. Nico was slumped against the wall behind all of them, practically disappearing into the shadows. Tony Stark stood next to Percy, signature gold and red armor looking slightly singed. She could see the edge of a shield she'd seen in person one other time; during the invasion back in April, while Percy had still been missing. She had taken a small squadron of the most experienced greek demigods to defend the city, fighting guerilla style, avoiding cameras and protecting mortals as best they could. She been evacuating a bus when Captain America and Hawkeye had swooped in and pushed a horde of aliens back while she and Clarisse had taken the last few civilians to safety. She could feel the presence of a god nudging against her sensed, and assumed that Thor had to be guarding the other end of the hallway.

         "You can't open it." Annabeth whispered. The Black Widow raised her head, eyes narrowed at her.

         "I'm good." Came the short response. Annabeth shook her head, lank, filthy hair falling around her shoulders.

         "No, I mean it's unpickable. Enchanted metal. If we're lucky, Percy or Nico's swords might be able to break it, but otherwise you're going to need the key." Clint Barton sidled out of the shadows from next to Nico.

         "And where do we get this key?" He asked. Annabeth raised defeated eyes to her boyfriend.

         "From around Kampe's neck."