A Lofty Choice

Chapter 10

Everyone moved to the training room. Tony had ended up with a blue bowl holding the popcorn.  He had offered the other avengers popcorn, but they looked at him exasperated. 

There was a mat on the floor.  They had grabbed a bench that was meant for laying down and set it down.  Tony sat down, but Natasha refused to sit.

She stood on the side of the bench with her arms crossed.   Annabeth stood on the opposite bench scanning everything.  

Percy was walking around the mat while Steve stood looking at Percy.  Percy wasn't paying attention to him instead his ADHD had taken full control.   Was he nervous?   No, but it sure did look like it.

Natasha tried not to reach out and drag Percy out of the room.   She had just gotten Percy, and needed to remember he was not the baby she had once lost.  He was a teenager.  She needed to see his skills for herself and judge.   Did she think Percy was going to win against Steve.   No.   There was no way Percy could win against an avenger.

Tony looked over at the other avengers.   "What are we going to bet on?  Who gets the newest weapon?  Money?  First pick on the next mission?"

"We are not betting on my son," Natasha said ms. 

Natasha was glaring at Tony.  

Steve looked disappointed.  "You should not be betting on a fight between a kid and an avenger."

"Her, your the one fighting the kid," Tony said.  

Steve rolled his eyes.  "It's not a real fight."

Bruce finally walked in with his medical supplies. 

"Now we can begin," Tony said, excitedly. 

Percy stopped fidgeting and looked up smiling at Steve.  Steve smiled at Percy.   "No hard feelings," Steve asked. 

"No hard feelings," Percy repeated.  

Percy got into his stance.   Natasha observed carefully.   She has never seen that stance.   Percy hadn't attacked, and Steve got impatient. 

Steve went to grab at Percy, but Percy quickly evaded and knocked a punch to Steve's side.   Steve stumbled back in surprise, his eyes wide.   He hadn't expected him to evade that and quickly attack.  

"Percy stop giving him a chance to recover," Annabeth yelled.

Percy looked sheepishly at Steve.   "No hard feelings?"   Then Percy started attacking.  

Steve was blocking the steadingly faster blows he was getting, but was having more difficulty.   Finally Steve took another kick that sent him back.  Unlike last time Percy didn't hold back so he could recover.   No, he went on to him and punched him square across the face, and then landed another kick.  

Steve went down hard smacking against the mat.   Percy quickly locked him into a position where he could not get up.  

Natasha could not believe her eyes.   Her son had to have extensive training.   Dark thoughts clouded her mind on Hydra.  She didn't like it.   What had he gone through?  There was something in Percy's past that he has not talked about.  

Percy held him down until Steve tapped out.   Percy released him and bounced of the ring.  

"What the he....," Tony started screaming.

"Language," Steve coughed out.  He was still recovering from the hold that Percy had him under.   He glared from the sitting position he was in at Tony.  

"You just got your butt kicked and your still saying language?!"   Tony looked like he wanted to laugh, but remained stoic.

"My turn," Annabeth said.

" Are you really going to fight my mom," Percy asked.

"I won't hurt your girlfriend too bad," Natasha said.   She was trying to recover from the shock of seeing her little boy take down a full grown avenger.   Natasha knew there was a possibility of Annabeth taking her down, but she was an avenger.   She was a trained assassin.  There was no way it should be possible, but she just watched.... No, it shouldn't be possible.

Annabeth shrugged her shoulder.  "We don't have to fight if your scared."

Natasha shook her head.  "I won't fight for the jabs like these airheads.   Nice try though," Natasha said.

Annabeth smirked.  "It was worth a shot."

Natasha smirked feeling a kinship in the threats.  They both had a fighting spirit.

"Are you not going to wish me no hard feelings like Steve did," Annabeth asked.

Natasha smiled. 

"What is happening here," Tony asked. 

"I am not exactly sure," Bruce said.   "I don't like it though."

They started attacking each other.   Natasha tried to go for Annabeth's legs and Annabeth caught onto that.  She used the force of the move against her to swing her to have Natasha on the bottom.   Natasha tried to break away from the hold, and Annabeth let her only for Annabeth to slam her and an unexpected place.   Natasha staggered back.  Annabeth let her.  

"Hey, didn't you tell me not to hold back," Percy asked, thinking out loud. 

"So you want me to beat up your mother?"

"No, I mean....?"

Steve patted Percy's back.  "Sometimes silence is better. 

They went after each other blow after blow.   Finally,  Annabeth had Natasha pinned her down.

When Annabeth released Natasha Annabeth was flipped.  

Annabeth just nodded in respect and got up from the mat after that.  

After that the room needed to breathe.  It felt like the whole room was suffocating from what just happened.

"Avengers meeting!  Kiddies go away but don't leave the building," Tony yelled.   They were startled from the silence.

Tony dragged the rest of the people out of the room. 

"I feel like we made a mistake," Percy said.  

Annabeth shrugged.  "If we hadn't done that they would have never let you go out."

With that Annabeth and Percy decided to back to his room.