Everything's Changed

~ Chapter Five ~

Natasha's POV

Percy's tortures have been getting worse lately. He wasn't sleeping but when he was he would wake up screaming. Whenever someone tried to help him he would say he was fine and walk away. It was annoying.

Today was one of those days. He didn't want to talk or eat. As the day dragged on, I was getting more and more annoyed. I was heading towards Percy when someone pulled me back. I turned around to see Steve.

"Nat. As much as we want to help him, he has to want help too," he said.

"He's suffering. We can't just sit here and watch," I said angrily.

"How about this? If Percy has another nightmare, we'll try to convince him to let us help him.

I nodded and walked to my room.

It was getting close to two a.m. when I heard a scream. I jumped out of bed and headed to Percy's room. I opened the door and my breath hitched. Just like last time, he was covered in blood. There were cuts and marks steadily being added to his body. The others ran into the room and stopped.

We watched as Percy silently screamed. He didn't even flinch as new cuts appeared on his body.

"How do we wake him up?" Steve asked.

"I don't think we can," Clint said.

"We can't just watch this happen," Thor told him.

We didn't have to try to wake him up because Percy sat up, gasping for breath. When he saw us he sighed. He tried to get up but Bruce stopped him.

"Steve grab Percy and bring him to the lab," Bruce ordered.

"I'm fine," Percy protested.

"No, you're not. You're going to let Bruce patch up your wounds and we're all going to drink hot chocolate and talk," I told him.

Percy sighed and let Steve carry him to the lab. Bruce cleaned the cuts and wrapped them. He double-checked and tripled checked all of the cuts while asking Percy the same questions over and over to make sure he was okay. When Bruce deemed his work satisfied, we all walked to the living room. Clint and Thor brought hot chocolate while Steve and Tony grabbed pillows and blankets. Once everyone was satisfied we all looked at Percy.

"Are we really doing this?" he asked.

"Yes," we all said in unison.

Percy sighed, "Tonight was just like all the other nights. He asks if I want to join his side and I say no. He gets angry and punishes me for my answer and everything I've done in the past."

"How do you not even flinch when it happens?" Tony asked.

Percy shrugged, "I've gotten used to it. Sure, it still hurts but not as much as it did before."

"Have you ever considered joining them?" Bruce asked curiously.

"No. I would rather go through torture for the rest of my life than betray my family," Percy answered.

"There are other things you could do instead of just giving your life," I said.

"If it came down to my life or saving my family and friends, there is no other way," he said calmly.

Steve shook his head, "There's always another way."

"Not everything has to be fatal," I added.

"It is for a demigod. And for Percy, it's worse. His fatal flaw is loyalty. Personal loyalty. It's hotwired in his DNA," Clint said sadly.

Percy looked at Clint and smiled slightly, "You get used to it. As long as my family and friends are safe nothing else matters."

"What about you young hero? Do you not think your family would do the same?" Thor asked.

"I'm not willing to risk their safety for my sake," he said.

"If you don't want to tell your cousins, why not at least tell your dad," Tony asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure Uncle Poseidon would love to help," Clint added.

Percy looked at Tony and Clint horrified.

"My dad is the last person I'd tell. He'd try to lock me in his palace the first chance he got," Percy said seriously.

We all laughed at his expressions while he looked annoyed.

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad," Tony said.

"My dad, brother, and stepmother can be quite overprotective. I'd rather sit with Apollo and listen to his haikus all day," he said.

Clint winced.

"He's not telling them unless he absolutely has to," he laughed.

"And you can't tell them either," Percy said.

We all hesitated before nodding.

"If we don't tell them you have to tell us. If you're hurt or having a problem, you at least have to tell us. Agreed?" I asked.

Percy nodded.

I hope he keeps his end of the deal.