Avengers and Percy

Chapter 4

—- Percy —-

After hiding all night in an old warehouse, I walked to school. On my way I stopped at the graveyard, doing my usual: said a few words to Annabeth, the seven, my Mom, and Paul. I silently placed a hand on each grave and continued on to school.

Sleeping was still hard. Too often I woke in a cold sweat after reliving the worst points of my life. At times, they'd come to me when I was awake. It only happened when I thought of my past or someone mentioned something which would trigger them. However, it usually took a while and I could usually tell when one was coming on, so no one has ever seen me during a flashback, thank the gods.

I don't know why I bother to thank them anymore. After the absolute joy they've made my life. They're all selfish. And power hungry. I want to be angry at them. After all, there's a large number who rightly deserved it. But there are also a few who I can't be completely angry at, no matter how much I want to be. Dad. Aunt Hestia. Hermes had always been willing to help me out.

In the end, I knew the real problem: me. I was the screw-up. I was the idiot who could never get there in time to save the people he loves most. I was the absolute Seaweed Brain who woke the earth with a nosebleed. I was just a stupid teenager with a sucky life who was stupidly thrown into a fight and told Hey! The world is gonna die if you don't win this. Good luck!

Why do the Fates hate me?

I passed by the jewelry shop and my mind went to the necklace automatically. When I found the two sea-green pearls and asked Leo and Hazel to turn them into the eyes of an owl necklace. When I gave it to Annabeth for her birthday. Well, I guess it was more like a half-birthday present, half-apology for freaking her out and disappearing for so long. It's long since been removed - probably bought - but I couldn't help but think about it every time I passed. 

Thinking about it actually nearly triggered a flashback and I quickly squashed down the problem to the size of a pea in my mind. Of course, my ADHD just couldn't leave me be after that, so I started thinking about the weirdos who attacked me yesterday. What was with the costumes?!?! I walked into an alley, still so focused on mulling it over in my head that I nearly didn't notice the tranque dart whistling to my neck.

Nearly.

I grabbed it at the last second. Seriously, I must have been millimeters from my neck. And then, I threw it back. Now, I've never been all that good with shooting targets, just keep me away from the archery equipment, but Annabeth always forced me to practice throwing knives with her. And I'd gotten pretty good, if I do say so myself - not Annabeth or Apollo kid good, but still good.

So, needless to say, the feminine intake of breath and quiet thud was like music to my ears.

Then the arrows started coming at my face.

I smirked since, one, they'd lost the element of surprise and I was fully alert now, and two, I was all too used to the arrows of Huntresses coming at my face at any given moment, sometimes from multiple directions at once. This was a trust exercise compared to that.

I fluidly grabbed each arrow out of the air, looking down at them briefly before quickly 'returning to sender'. I couldn't tell you for sure, but I swear I heard a fairly accurate impression of a squeaking mouse somewhere near the archer and then another thud.

I quickly spun around, sensing the presence of a third attacker trying to take me from behind. I knocked him into the dirt by way of face kickage. Then registered it was Uncle Sam Wannabe, and punched his temple - effectively knocking him out.