Agent Jackson

Chapter 10

It was nightfall by the time they reached the safehouse. It was a nice, one story house. It was painted red with a white trim. The yard was perfectly kept and it had a white fence around it.

"Your godfather owns this place?" Luke asked.

Percy nodded with a hum as they reached the door. "Thanatos Mortem," he said at the door, his voice unlocking it.

Once they had entered, Percy cursed, sensing two people in the kitchen. He had been hoping that the safehouse would be empty, but it seemed that Fate was not on his side.

Natasha appeared in the doorway with a gun aimed at them. When she saw them, she cautiously lowered the weapon. "Percy?"

He winced. Out of all the agents to be there, it just had to be Natasha. "Hey, Tasha. Who else is here?"

Natasha sent him a stern glare as she holstered her gun. "Don't worry, Coulson," she called back into the kitchen. "It's just Percy."

"Percy? What's he doing here? I thought he was off grid somewhere in New York!" Phil said, appearing beside her in the doorway.

Percy smiled sheepishly and waved. "Look, we can do questions later," he said. "Right now, we need somewhere to rest."

The adults looked over the three and nodded. "Alright," Phil said. "Go leave your stuff in the bunk room."

The demigod agent smiled tiredly at them and gestured for his two companions to follow him. He led them to a room that had several bunk beds against the walls. He plopped down on a bunk and said, "Choose a bunk, guys."

After both of them had chosen a bunk, Luke asked, "Who were those people?"

"My aunt and uncle," Percy said casually. "They also work for the government."

"Do they—" he faltered. "Do they know of your... powers?"

Percy smiled. "Of course," he answered. "They helped me learn to control them, after all."

"Oh," Luke said. He sounded oddly pensive, and Percy attributed that to him not having the same support growing up. His mother had been insane and had never been there for him, and Hermes, while he wanted to be, wasn't there for him either.

"You guys get some sleep, alright?" Percy said softly.

Grover sighed happily as he flipped back onto his bunk and fell asleep almost immediately. Luke quickly followed suit, though his sleep was obviously more restless and Percy prayed to Morpheus to allow him to sleep well.

After he was certain both were asleep, he snuck out of the room and to the living room, where his aunt and uncle were waiting with folded arms and expectant expressions. "You better have a good explanation for this, Perce," Tasha said firmly.

"Does being a demigod son of Poseidon on a dangerous quest to retrieve the Master Bolt and save Clint and Piper count as a 'good explanation?'"

"Explain," Phil said.

So, Percy proceeded to tell them everything that had happened. He told them about Piper and Clint being taken, he told them about being a demigod, he told them about being claimed, and he told them about the quest and the prophecy for it. He told them what supplies they had been given and why he hadn't contacted them.

When he had finished, Phil looked to be in shock, while Natasha was scowling. "Let me get this straight," she said dangerously. "You're traveling alone, with only two minors for company. You have no chaperone and you're going to the Underworld?"

Percy glared at her, feeling offended. "Since when have I needed a chaperone?"

Natasha sighed. "It's not that I'm doubting that you can do this, Perce," she assured him. "It just makes me angry that that camp sent you off with barely any supplies and didn't even insist on an older camper going with you!"

"I'm also concerned," Phil said. "It's not that I don't trust you, Percy, but it's never a good idea to go on missions that aren't sanctioned by the agency. I understand that it's for Clint and Piper, but Director Fury would easily approve of a rescue mission for them. All we need to do is call him."

Percy shook his head. "No. Nick would ask too many questions that I can't answer yet. I wouldn't even be here if we didn't need a safe place to crash for the night, and then we wouldn't even be having this conversation. We'll hit the road again in the morning, and I'll call you when we get to L.A.. Please, guys, just keep this on the down low for now?"

The two exchanged glances before sighing. "If you get jammed up for this, it could set you back years," Phil warned, ever one to think logically.

Percy chuckled. "Please, with how young I am, I'll be on track by the time I'm twenty. Let's just hope he doesn't fire me."

"He won't. If he did, the agency's success rate would drop ten percent."

Percy opened his mouth to say something sarcastic when his cell rang. Frowning, he turned it on and saw it was Nick. He sighed and answered the call. "Yes, Director?"

"You disappear for weeks, leaving no digital fingerprints or any other way to trace you. Then I get a notification that you used your security pass to access a safe house in Nevada, states away from where you were supposed to be. You better have one hell of an explanation, Agent," Nick said, his dark eyes glaring at Percy, though a hint of worry shone in them.

Percy glared at the ceiling and imagined throwing Hermes off a cliff. He controlled communication, for gods' sake! Couldn't he have made sure that notification never got to Nick? "Hello to you too," he muttered sarcastically.

"Explanation. Now."

"I found out how my dad is," Percy said quietly, "but I doubt you'll believe me."

"You have no idea how many times I've heard that during my career," Nick said with raised brows.

"Poseidon, Greek god of the Sea, Horses, and a bunch of other shit. One of the twelve Olympians." Percy stared Nick in the eye. "I'm a demigod."

"Okay, so the gods are still around today," Nick murmured. "Why not? Norse is real, after all." He looked to the side for a moment before sighing and looking back at Percy. "How did Sally meet Poseidon, then? She was never on assignment in Greece."

"Ever heard of the concept of Western Civilization?"

"Yes... where are you going with this?"

"It's real. It moves with the culture and the gods move with it," Percy explained. "Currently, it's here in the United States."

He frowned. "Are they a threat?"

Percy gnawed on his lower lip nervously. "I don't think so. They rely on mortals, as much as they hate to admit it..."

"But?" Nick prompted.

"But that doesn't mean there's not risks," Percy conceded. "Currently, Zeus is threatening war with Poseidon. If that happens... well, it would be bad." He explained everything again.

"What can we do to help you?" Nick asked.

Percy blinked, half surprised by the question. "Be prepared to evacuate New York. If we fail, that's where it'll be the worst."

"I'll make the preparations," Nick promised. "Don't fail, Perseus."

"Not planning on it," Percy snarked.

Nick smiled a little and hung up after saying, "Stay safe."

Percy sighed and slipped his phone back in his pocket. "Well, I'm going to head to bed, guys. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Little Sea Snake," Tasha said fondly.

Percy smiled as he lay down for bed, drifting off into the dream world. His last conscious thought was a brief contemplation of telling Luke everything.