Our Heroes (mlb x pjo x avengers)

(25) Forgive or Forget? Why Not do Neither?

[Clint's POV]

Clint silently followed behind Will the whole way to the coffee shop. Will had noticed, of course, but decided not to say anything. When they finally reached their destination, they silently ordered drinks for everyone. Will sat down, gesturing to the chair next to him.

Clint sat down solemnly.

"Will," he started.

"Wait," Will interrupted. "Let me go first." He sighed and finally looked in Clint's direction for the first time since they got reunited. "Look, I thought a lot about it and...I don't forgive you."

Clint looked down glumly, fingering at a scratch on the table. "Yeah, I—"

"Let me finish," Will cut him off. "I don't forgive you. I probably never will. But...I get it. I know how you felt about Luke, and I know how you felt about Dad. He wasn't a great guy back then and it was easy to feel like we were being forgotten. 

"But, things have changed now. Dad's changed, at least for now. And all the other demigods who were on Luke's side during the war were allowed back so...you should be too. You're still my brother, after all, and it's not like demigod's live that long anyway. We shouldn't be fighting while we're still alive or we'll regret it.

After this mess is over, though, I'm dragging you back to camp and giving everyone full permission to beat you up."

"Wait, so, we're good?" Clint asked confusedly, looking up from the table.

"Yeah. We're good," Will replied.

Clint let out a breath, not realizing he had been holding it in. It felt as if a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. He never thought that he would be reunited with his family, much less that his little brother was willing to get along with him again. 

He understood that he couldn't be forgiven—the thought never even crossed his mind. He knew what he did caused the lives of good people, his friends, to be taken away and it affected everyone terribly. He would never ask anyone to forgive him for that.

He didn't notice Will had gotten up to get their drinks and sat back down.

"So..." Will said awkwardly.

Clint nodded, stuck in a stupor. "Wait, you knew about how I felt about Luke?!" Clint suddenly exclaimed, having finally fully loaded the information he just received in his mind.

Will broke out into a smile, beginning to feel comfortable around his brother. "Well, yeah, all of Cabin 7 knew," he replied. "You were super excited to go on that quest with him to the Garden of Hesperides."

Clint turned away, trying to hide the blush spreading on his face. "O-oh..."

Clint cleared his throat, turning back to his brother, "And...What were you saying about Dad? He's 'changed'? What do you mean?"

Will sighed and said, "Sit back, this is going to be a long story." Will explained everything he's missed since leaving camp, from the final battle with Kronos; Luke's, Silena's, and other campers' deaths; the next Great Prophecy; the battle with Gaia; meeting and dating Nico; Annabeth and his other old friends' well-being; small tidbits about their siblings; and their father becoming a mortal, and his adventures.

ヽ(￣(ｴ)￣)ﾉ

[Steve's POV]

"So," Steve grunted, trying to keep his new sword that Nico gave him from falling as they sparred, "Tell us more about yourself."

"Hmm, I'm more curious about you," Nico responded, feinting left before giving Steve a particularly hard blow. Steve could tell that Nico was going easy on him since it was the first time he used a sword, but even when he was holding hiimself back, Nico's strength was clear. "You're supposed to have died a long time ago. In WWII. How did you survive?"

Steve gave him a look of surprise just as he dodged another blow, "I got frozen in ice." He dodged another attack from Nico. "They dug me out a few years back and now I'm here. Now your turn. How come you don't know much about us and why are you so secretive?"

Nico stepped back before launching another series of attacks, leaving Steve to only be able to defend himself. "I said, we don't really stay in the loop. Especially me, I guess," he said, not sounding breathless in the slightest.

"But you knew who I was," Steve noted, sidestepping and attempting to counter-attack.

Nico defended himself and said, "Well, yeah. You're Captain America. Back in—" He stopped himself and blinked blankly.

[Nico's POV]

Was I about to say 'back in my day'? That makes me sound so old, oh my gods, Nico thought.

"Back in school, they talked about you," Nico covered up.

"They talked about me, but not the other Avengers?" Steve asked, sweeping his leg to trip Nico.

"Yeah, I dunno why, you should ask them, not me," Nico said, jumping quickly and bringing his sword to Steve's throat. "I win."

Steve sighed and clapped his hands. "That was awesome, Nico. You're really good with the sword," he said in awe.

Nico awkwardly responded, "Thanks." The two of them sat down next to Natasha, who had been watching them while stretching on a yoga mat. She threw them some water bottles that were lined up next to her.

Her eyes were slightly narrowed, looking at Nico accusingly. She must have noticed that I lied, Nico realized.

"Are you a spy?" Nico asked her suddenly. Steve choked on his water and asked while coughing, "What makes you say that?"

"The way she looks at me like a human lie detector. Plus, the way she walks silently at all times, as if it's built into her. Not to mention the knife skills, insane flexibility, guarded expressions, body language, etcetera," Nico listed, absentmindedly patting Steve's back.

"Impressive," Natasha noted. "You pay attention a lot, huh?"

"So do you," Nico replied. "So?"

"Yeah, I am," she confirmed, causing him to make a small triumphant fist.

"My turn to ask. Will and Clint have the same dad, right?" Natasha asked after a moment. Nico nodded warily.

I think I can guess what she's going to ask but how should I respond? Nico thought.

"And you said that you got your powers from 'genetics.' Did Will get his powers from his mom or dad?" Natasha questioned.

Yeah, I knew this was coming. This lady is smart, she'll probably figure it out even without us  even telling her, Nico thought.

"...His dad," Nico answered. 

school is starting in like two days and i have a concert to go to tmrw so i have to start stocking up on pre-written chapters today but i have bad writers block 💀

also for anyone curious about the timeline: clint left halfway through The Battle of the Labyrinth aka book 4 

he joined luke on the quest to the hespiredes and became hard of hearing at the same time luke got his scar 

he left with luke immediately after The Lightning Thief, meaning he met percy 

nico was introduced in The Titan's Curse aka book 3 meaning clint has heard of nico before he decided to leave 

yup thats it :> i partly wrote that out for my own sake but i figured i should tell u guys too just in case anyone was confused by any of it