The Ruin of the Orb

File: Guilty

All of the inhabitants of the tower were pleased to hear that Percy had awoken. Percy, for his part, endured the hugs and pats on the back that came along with their joy. A few mumbles went around about how the demigod ended up injured whenever he went out with Daredevil, and maybe he should stop spending time with him. Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Deadpool protested loudly, all three having enjoyed Percy's company.

Percy put his foot down that he was an adult and could decide who he wanted to spend time with. If anyone tried to put their two cents in, he would not participate in any Avengers mission for two weeks and only help out in Hells Kitchen and Queens. Needless to say, everyone decided to let Percy do his own thing.

Despite his burning curiosity, Tony made no move to ask Daredevil about his identity, and instead offered his tower as a way for him to receive medical attention for any serious injuries. Daredevil accepted with a pleased smile, pushing Deadpool off the couch when the mercenary poked his cheek.

Everyone quickly ate the pizza JARVIS had ordered, Percy disappearing for a moment so he could drop some off with Wanda and Pietro, and used the leftover time to simply talk to amongst each other. Percy elected to sit between Bucky and Tony (and ignored Luke Castellan, who kept trying to get his attention), telling them about his time stuck in his head with the Ghost Rider and using extra descriptors for Daredevil (not that anyone knew).

"I'm going to head down to the workshop." Tony eventually said, looking over at his boyfriends. He pressed a kiss to Bucky's lips, enjoying the way the soldier hummed softly in response, and he was surprised when Percy stood up with him after giving him a kiss. The demigod stooped down to grab his duffle bag before lacing his arm with Tony's, steering him towards the genius' elevator.

"Are you alright?" Tony asked when they entered the workshop, his brown eyes alight with concern.

"Yeah." Percy's mouth quirked slightly before he dropped his duffle bag on a table with a resounding clang, his armor inside shifting with the fall. "I need a favor, please."

Tony blinked in surprise, his eyebrows raising. Percy never asked anybody, save for JARVIS, for favors. The demigod was the type to do everything himself until it broke him, not relying on another person unless it was out of his skill set. For him to be asking Tony for a favor meant that he had tried to do it himself and failed. "Of course." The genius smiled, moving closer to his boyfriend. "What is it?"

Percy didn't say anything for a moment, his gaze focused on his bag, before he reached in and pulled out his armor, laying the pieces across the worktable. "There's a lot of things about myself that I've never told you. Sometimes, I feel like all of it leads back here, to these." He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly, and he could basically feel how Tony tensed next to him, aware of the fact that he was probably saying more than he ever had before. "I thought I was past this, but Wanda... She brings out a side of me that I'm not proud of."

"Percy... Whatever you've done, it doesn't make you-"

"That's not what this is about." The demigod interrupted, looking at his boyfriend for a moment before looking back at the armor pieces. "Or maybe it is. After Annabeth-" He sighed, shaking his head. "-After I lost everyone, I stopped caring about anything. I stopped listening to my mom. Nothing she, or anyone, said or did could get me to listen, to move on."

Tony frowned, moving closer so he could rest his hand next to one of the pieces. "But I thought you did move on, at least somewhat."

The son of Poseidon scoffed, a look of self-loathing making its way across his face. "No, I didn't. I didn't care about anything, and the gods took advantage of that. Of course, my dad tried to intervene but that didn't work so well."