Finding Home

Chapter 12 - A New Point of View

Natasha's POV

The group of newcomers were strange. They looked strange, acted strange, and some of them even talked strange. Not to mention half of them were teenagers. Teenagers. Luke was a prime example. He couldn't be older than sixteen, but he seemed as though he was older. His dark purple hair was long and messy, occasionally falling into his face and covering his ruby colored eyes. I found it difficult to believe they were from Earth.

Then there's Perseus... I didn't know what to think about him. He was closed off, and his story was vaguer than I would have preferred. After he left, I saw Luke watching him walk away, a concerned look on his face. He quickly left to follow Perseus's instructions. I turned to Steve. "Are we really trusting him?"

He nodded. "Yes. He could possibly be our strongest ally, and he spoke the truth about his father. A man with the amount of grief he feels will want revenge. I believe that we can trust him to help us."

I looked at Thor, who was still pale. "Thor? You okay?"

He snapped out of whatever daze he was in. "Yes. As long as Perseus stays an ally, we will succeed. Do not betray him, and he will not betray you."

I grudgingly nodded. "Okay, we trust him. But how did he do that? The shapeshifting?"

"His kind is much more powerful than anyone else in the universe, and he is the most powerful of them. If we make an enemy of him, we would be doomed. There would be no chance for a fight, it would be immediate defeat."

Wanda nodded, agreeing with Thor. "He is powerful, I can sense it. Now, we should wait in the courtyard for Stark. Call Pepper." Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked away.

I followed her, wanting to question Perseus's team more.

"Don't." Wanda said suddenly.

"Don't what?"

"Don't question them. You'll only plant seeds of doubt and suspicion, and Perseus obviously already has enough on his plate without you doubting his intentions." She snapped.

I glared at her. "Stop reading my mind."

She ignored me as we walked into the yard. I saw Luke and Nico speaking to each other quietly, concerned expressions on their faces. "You know what being here did to him last time, and that was only an hour. I'm worried about him, Nico." Luke said.

"I am too. With Chaos gone, Percy has to rule the universe. He's going to be overwhelmed and, for once, I don't know if I can help him." Nico agreed. "If it weren't for James, he probably would have broken down by now."

I decided to make them aware of our presence. "Hi. Is Stark going to be here soon, or should we head back inside?"

Luke shrugged. "She should be a half hour away at most so—Oh, hi Will—we should wait out here."

Will nodded and snapped his fingers, causing a large tent to appear from thin air. Having seen some of the things Wanda could do, I wasn't too shocked, but I still couldn't stop myself from blinking in surprise. "I saw Percy on my way here. He was headed this way, so he should be here in a few minutes. Carol will be here soon. Hun, can you get me some IV fluids?"

Nico nodded. "Of course." He kissed Will on the cheek and walked into the nearest shadow, disappearing completely.

"Where did he go?" I asked.

Will shrugged. "Probably the nearest infirmary."

"I mean, how did he do that?"

He seemed genuinely confused for a second before realization dawned on him. "The shadow travel?"

I nodded.

"Oh, that's one of his favorite things to do. I stopped trying to stop him about 3,000 years into immortality. He basically turns into shadows, allowing him to travel through them, though, when we were mortal, he almost faded a couple of times from overexerting himself."

Now I was curious. "You weren't always immortal?"

He shook his head. "No. We were accepted onto the team earlier than the others, but we were not always immortal. Percy has had a hard enough time recruiting for the team without trying to humble immortals."

"Not enough people?"

Luke snorted from where he was sitting on the grass. Will smiled as well. "The opposite, actually. He gets so many people asking to join, he has to turn them away."

"Why?"

"He only ever extends offers, and only if he sees potential. Usually the person risked their lives to save someone, gone through something horrible, or has risked their lives for a selfless cause." Luke said.

I looked at him. "What about you?"

His eyes darkened, and he was about to speak when a new voice cut in. "We do not speak of the past." Percy said as he walked into the clearing. He walked over to Luke and knelt next to him. Luke wouldn't meet his eyes. "Look at me Luke." He said gently.

Luke shook his head.

Percy sighed. "We have been over this, Luke. No one blames you for anything."

Luke didn't answer and Percy rolled his eyes. "No one on the team hates you, you made a mistake. We have all made mistakes, we all have our dark sides. You know mine quite well, if I remember correctly."

"Thanks." Luke mumbled.

Percy smiled at him. "Now, come. Ms. Danvers is almost here."

Right after he said that a spaceship came descending out of the sky, with what looked like a woman carrying it. As soon as it touched down, Tony and a girl I didn't know came stumbling out. Will and Luke helped them inside the medical tent. Luke then stood guard outside the door.

The woman walked over to Percy who nodded to her. "Right on cue, as usual, Ms. Danvers."

She smiled. "Miss me?"

Percy dipped his head slightly. "Of course."

"Why so formal?" She asked. "You annoyed with me?"

Percy shook his head. "Of course not. Father is gone with the rest of them, which leaves me to rule until he returns. Not to mention, I am here again. And it is so different now than it was last time I was here. The air is polluted, and the humans wear these ridiculous outfits."

The woman laughed. "These are their fighting uniforms, not their civilian clothing."

He cocked his head to the side. "Ah, that does indeed make more sense."

She laughed again. "So, where's Nick?"

Percy winced. "Well, you see, that is our dilemma. Half of the universe turned to ash, their souls taken, and Mr. Fury was one of them."

All the humor drained out of the woman's expression. "Who the hell took him?"

Percy responded in the same calm voice, despite her dangerous tone. "A Titan by the name of Thanos. He collected all six Infinity Stones and used them to steal the souls of the people."

"Where is he?" She growled.

Percy nodded. "That is where we are going next. Once we get Mr. Stark and his friend stable, I will take us there."

"Fine. Where are the others? I haven't seen them in a while."

Percy rolled his eyes. "I know, but I believe a proper introduction is in order first."

When the woman nodded, I stepped forward. "Hello, I'm Natasha Romanoff."

"Carol Danvers. I would say it's a pleasure but considering the circumstances..." She trailed off.

I nodded. "Agreed."

We talked for a bit, and everyone reintroduced themselves. Then Nico walked into the clearing carrying an armful of IV bags. He went right to the tent, giving Carol a small nod. A silence fell over our group, everyone awaiting news of Tony's health with bated breath.