Avengers meet the Ghost King

Chapter 13

"So Nico", Tony asked, licking his fingers of pizza grease, "any other perks to demigod life?"

"Demigod life isn't easy, Tony." Nico said. All light hearted conversations stopped.

"Well sure kid, life isn't easy." Tony replied taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper. Nico sighed and set his not even touched slice of pizza down on his plate.

"Sure, all of us have sob stories, a bad history" Clint added. The other avengers nodded in agreement.

"Well before yesterday I didn't have a clue who most of you were, so..." Nico trialed off.

"Well why don't we share, that way we know more about you and you know more about us." Steve said. The Avengers shared a look of agreement and a silent discussion about who would go first.

"Well I guess I'm first." Bruce said. Natasha raised her eyebrows, normally Bruce was the most reluctant to share is history.

"I used to be a successful scientist. I specialized in gamma radiation. One day there was an accident. The Hulk was the result. For years I hid away from the world trying to control him. When SHIELD found me again it was to track to gamma radiation in Loki's sceptor." Bruce explained, although Natasha noted that he had left out quite a few details. Guess he wasn't as comfortable sharing as he portrayed.

"I shall share next!" Thor exclaimed.

"Before I was sent to earth, on Asgard I was very arrogant and seeked war as a constant friend. I over stepped my duties as Prince and as punishment my father set me her as punishment. I had to regain my powers by realizing my mistake. I regained my powers in the end to stop Loki, my brother, from destroying the town which had harbored me." Thor said, taking a much more somber tone that his normal boisterous self.

'Huh, so Thor's fatal flaw was pride, not uncommon I wonder what it is now, or if it's still there deep down inside him.' Nico thought.

"My story as a super hero started in World War 2 when Tony's father, Howard, was trying to create a super soldier for America. I was the result, at first they didn't want me out in the field but after I went out anyway and came back with a platoon of previously incarcerated soldiers they gave me field mission. I stopped a German scientist the Red Skull from developing super weapons from the tesseract but in doing so I was frozen in ice for 60 years. "Steve said. Nico looked at Steve in a new light after hearing that he was also from another time period.

"I'm next I'm next!" Tony exclaimed. "Before I became Iron Man, Stark industries specialized in weapons but after a stay as a prisoner in a cave. I escaped using my first generation iron man which was made from scraps of metal. When I got back to the states I decided that Stark industries wouldn't be in the weapons field anymore, so instead I turned to clean energy, using my free time to create more Iron man suits." Tony said. 'Leo would just love to get his hands on one of his suits' Nico thought.

"I don't have a great big backstory like most of them. I grew up in Iowa, with an abusive father. Ran away to join the circus and practiced archery every day. I got so good SHIELD recruited me. Ever since I've been sent on missions all over the world." Clint said.

"I guess I'm last than." Natasha said. "I grew up is soviet Russian and was trained from the age of 6 by the Red Room. Before SHIELD found me I was know as one of the most lethal assassins in the world. But SHIELD, specific Clint, found me and convinced me to join their side and that's where I've stayed." Natasha finished. Nico raised his eyes at Natasha's vague backstory. 'I guess she hasn't told anyone her full story.' Nico thought.

"Thats cool. I'm guessing that you all want to hear my backstory now?" Nico asked. The Avengers nodded and leaned forward with anticipation.

"I guess my story, like Steve's started during World War 2" The Avengers looked a little shocked at that. "My mother, father, sister and I were staying in a hotel in DC shortly after Germany's surrender. We had immigrated from Italy just that year. Unfortunately that was also the year that Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had also made their agreement about their descendants. Apparently Zeus viewed me and my sister as evidence of Hades breaking his oath, even though we were born before the oath. So when Zeus decided that we had to die and threw his master bolt onto the hotel, in an attempt to kill us; Our father protected us by encasing us in a protective shadow dome. The dome didn't protect our mother and she died." Nico said. He had to stop, otherwise he would have broken into tears. The Avengers noted Nico's reluctance to show emotion.

"But how are you still young, if this happened 70 years ago?" Steve asked.

"I wasn't finished." Nico said, composing himself before continuing. "After Zeus killed our mother Hades placed us in a hotel in Las Vegas, the Lotus Casino; not before wiping our memories. Inside the Casino time runs differently. We thought we had only stayed in the Casino for about a month when it was really 70 years."

"Ok that explains why you still look fifteen but what happened next?" Tony said.

"Well our father sent a lawyer to take us out of the hotel and place us in a boarding school in Maine. There after running into some Greek monsters, and being saved by my cousin, Percy; me and my sister went to a camp for demigods like us. Back then we didn't know who our father was, so we were 'unclaimed'. My sister left camp shortly afterwards to join a group of female demigods called the Hunters of Artemis." Nico said, yet again unable to go on.

"So is that the end. You go to camp, your sister is off with the Hunters of Artemis?" Clint asked.

"No that's not the end." Nico replied quietly.

" Well then what happened kid, don't hold out on us." Tony said.

"My sister and the Hunters of Artemis went on a quest. My sister... she... she died. She died saving the other demigods on the quest. When my cousin told me I ran away, but not before releasing some of my demigod powers, which lead to me being claimed as a son of Hades. I sent the next six months doing odd jobs for my father, whom I finally met once I figured out how to get to the Underworld, and camp. Eventually I helped camp finish a war against the Titan Kronos.The next 6 six months I floated between two camps the greek and the roman one. Last summer that lead to an alliance between the two camps, who besides me, didn't know the other existed; which lead to them defeating mother earth." Nico finished.

Steve let out a low whistle. "That's some back story Nico."

"It not that different from most of the other demigods at camp." Nico said, 'At least the parts I told you weren't' He added to himself.

"Well know that we know your story let's go see what some son of Hades powers can do." Tony said jumping up. He and Thor raced to the elevator. Nico and the rest of the Avengers followed after, all except Nico leaving empty plates. Nico's still held a slice of unbitten pizza.