Aquaman? Whoops, Wrong Universe: A Percy Jackson Marvel Crossover

Chapter 33: Percy

Percy was so... tired. Sometimes, everything seemed so unbearably loud and chaotic, he wanted to scream. He was still uncovering his fuzzy memories, snippets flooding his mind when he least expected it. His dreams were consistently terrifying—stuck in that tube, flailing unmoving limbs, not safe even in his own mind. He often woke up screaming in a cold sweat, forgetting where he was. Forgetting he was safe. His mom would rush to his room, hold him in her arms while he sobbed and choked, and waited with him until he fell asleep again. 

The only person he could bear to be in the same room alone with for more than five minutes was Annabeth, who let him lean against her in silence when he wanted to, and talk when he wanted to. He told her everything he thought about, and she told him everything she thought about. They shared their concerns, their hopes, their dreams... everything. And that was how it should've been. At the moment, she seemed to be one of the few bright spots in his life. His Wise Girl. His Annabeth. His light. His love.

Peter wasn't half bad to be around, though. More bearable than Tony or Steve, that was for sure.  Who knew crying while hugging a spider boy could be so cathartic? Peter seemed to understand Percy, even if he couldn't imagine what it was like, having free will torn from you. 

Natasha was kind, kinder than Percy ever could have expected. Percy had heard whispered rumors of what she had gone through as a kid. She understood.

Percy could tell you—it wasn't fun.

Percy sighed, flipping through his thick history textbook that was just dragging on and on, praying that some god would strike him down and end his suffering, only half-joking. He was trying to catch up on homework—a ridiculous notion considering the ordeal he had just been through. But if he had too many more absences and bad grades from school, he might get expelled. And that could not happen again. So, here he was, not quite ready to go back to school yet, but stuck doing menial assignments that drove him nuts.

He had come back to his mom's apartment five days ago, just one night after the incident. 

The first day, Percy wondered if it would ever get better. The second, exhaustion wore him down like a weight under the water. He had stayed cloistered in his room for all 48 hours, his mom bringing him meals.

On the third day, a pinprick of hope had entered his life. He talked with Annabeth that day, breaking off his vow of silence and opening himself up to comfort. Relief was swept over his shoulders as they chatted about what their futures looked like, what Percy was going to do, how excited Annabeth was for college. Annabeth seemed beyond comforted that he was letting her in, probably worried he was going to drown in his own loneliness. But when he was with her, he realized that he would be okay. They would be okay.

On the fourth day, Percy had remembered Bucky, and wondered where he was now. Was his memory coming back as fast as Percy's? Did he have anyone to help him? Was he already recaptured by HYDRA? The organization had seemingly retreated into the shadows once more, as they always did (the cowardly lot). Even so, Natasha, Clint, and Steve were already on the case, reportedly spending their free time gleaming as much information as they could.

Percy was fine with letting them take the reins on this one. At least, that was what he told himself and anyone who asked. Secretly, Percy couldn't help but feel a thirst for revenge. He wanted to watch as the whole thing was burned to the ground, him holding the match. He wanted to see Pierce fall to his knees by the very person he had once held under his own command. He wanted the irony to sink in, then transform into horror as he realized Percy was going to kill him. 

Every time his fantasy of revenge entered his mind, Percy remembered the feeling of watching another man's life slipped away, and immediately felt disgusted with himself. How could he wish death on another? He... he couldn't. He just couldn't. He wouldn't sink to their level willingly. If he did... there was no coming back from that.