Tower of Secrets

Percy Jackson

I woke up in the mood for a snack.

You read that right.

I woke up in the mood for a snack.

Woah.

As soon as I registered that what I was feeling wasn't the typical dull ache in my stomach, but rather actual hunger, I threw off my sheets and rushed to throw on normal clothes. What can I say? I still wasn't comfortable going out to eat looking like I'd just gotten out of bed in front of the Avengers. I'd been at the tower for what felt like a while, but I still felt the need to dance around really making myself at home there.

So, I pulled on the first shirt I found and a pair of shorts and bolted out the door to the kitchen, desperate to eat before the hunger subsided. Once I found myself in the kitchen though, I didn't know what to grab. In a frantic attempt to eat something, I just grabbed the first thing I saw: a Nutty Buddy. Clint could do without one, right? Besides, the chocolate was enticing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a banana in the fruit bowl. Glumly, I resigned myself to the much healthier option. My mood quickly skyrocketed when I realized that I was still hungry. I ate an apple. Then, because I was so proud of myself for eating two nutritious items in full, I downed that Nutty Buddy like it was going out of style. Which was weird, considering I didn't remember them ever tasting so delicious. But, I wasn't going to question it.

"Morning, Percy," Peter's voice yawned. I glanced to the side to see him in a pair of bright yellow pajamas with his hair tossed every which way. "You're moving early."

"Morning," I greeted. "How was your date?" I hadn't seen him since he left yesterday, unfortunately. Our paths just seemed separate after he got back.

He smiled groggily. "Pretty good. I saw her parents."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, MJ's mom works with food stuff in an Oscorp lab. She said that they're trying to re-engineer some foods so that they taste better, but are healthier, or something like that. It was pretty cool!"

"What does her dad do?"

"He studies DNA at Biotechnix."

I nodded absentmindedly. "They sound like a smart couple."

Peter chuckled. "It certainly explains a bit about M."

I frowned slightly. Maybe it had something to do with my abnormal parenthood, but it had quickly become a pet peeve of mine when people attribute others' personality traits to their parents. "Well, not exactly. Michelle's into fiction, right? That's on the other end of the spectrum compared to science and math."

Peter thought for a moment. "I guess you're right. Still, she's lucky to have such supportive parents." Finally deciding to start being productive, Peter began to pack his lunch with a sandwich, some Cheese-Its, a Nutty Buddy, and a special granola bar that only he seemed to eat. Actually, I'd been meaning to ask about that...

"What's with the weird granola bar? Do you just like that brand?" Despite what I said, I wasn't sure that there was a brand. After all, it appeared to just be in a plain white wrapper.

"This?" he confirmed, holding it up. "I have enhanced metabolism. This helps manage my appetite when I'm out in public. Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, and Dr. Cho helped me make them."

"Who's Cho?"

"Oh right, you haven't met her yet, right? She usually mans the med-bay, but she's been off doing SHIELD research as of now."

"Cool."

Peter eyed the treat in my hand, obviously contemplating on whether he should say something.

"Hey, I got an apple and a banana down. I've not had a dessert food in a while, so let me have this," I beamed.

"Does it, like," he shrugged, wringing his hands, "bother you if someone talks about you eating?"

I frowned. "What makes you ask that, Pete?"

He sighed, reluctant to admit this next piece of information. "Well, you and your girlfriend have some eating disorder, right? I did some reading on them, and sometimes it gets worse when people watch them eat or talk about it too much."

I smiled; Peter was a sweet kid. "No, it doesn't really bother me, nor should it bother Wise Girl, if I'm not mistaken - obviously I can't speak for her, so that's an assumption. But, our, uh, disorder has to do with damage done to our stomachs as far as I know. I've mentioned it before, but we were once it a situation where we had to literally eat fire to survive, and I'm sure you can imagine that there would be some negative effects."

He nodded hesitantly. "How does that work?" he asked. "I mean, the whole 'fire eating' thing."

"It was a river of fire that we scooped up in our hands and drank," I deadpanned.

"O-oh."

"Yep."

"The fire had nutritional value?"

"Apparently. Annabeth and I survived, like, a week on it."

Peter shook his head. "You've got a scary past, man."

"From what I've gathered, so have you."

He quirked a brow. "How would you know about that?"

I smirked. "There have been plenty of people that have expected me to know stuff I've not been told." I glanced at the clock on the oven. "You might wanna get dressed; it's about time."

He gazed at it as well. "Guess it is. I wish school was later in the day; I need more time to wake up."

"Don't we all," I chuckled. I quietly agreed before rushing to get changed.

"Y'know," a feminine voice from behind remarked, startling me, "his birthday is on the tenth."

"Morning, Nat. What are we planning for his birthday?" I turned to face my companion.

"He's got something with his aunt and some of his friends on Friday. He'll be back on Sunday, which is when we'll have a party here. Think about what you want to get him and let me know."

"Will do."