Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Aftermath (PJ/TA Crossover) ~ Completed ~

Chptr. 42

"I hear voices, awoken from my sleep

I'm haunted by the thoughts, that creep

...

All the ghosts

That float, float around us

Now they turned all our dreams into dust..."

~ Ghosts by BANNERS from the EP 'Banners'

(Song is up above! The full EP can be found on Spotify, iTunes and Google Play! Enjoy!)

...

...

"C'mon boss!" The shouts were coming in like bullets from a machine gun. It was the last duel of the evening, Perseus Jackson against Steven, the boss. Nobody could believe what they were seeing, a teenager almost beating their boss. Sweat was dripping from the boss' face while the kid didn't seem to be trying hard at all. The telephone was ringing in the background but was not heard because of the shouts and the tense atmosphere hanging in the air. "What's goin' on, boss! Just beat the kid!" 

Percy was growing tired of this, this needed to end. The others were probably waiting for him at home. One push was enough to end it all and to make everything go silent. Shocked faces all around. The boss looked in shock as Percy let go of his hand, stood up and fluently picked up his bag, leaving the construction site. 

...

"You have got to be kidding me!" Percy shouted as he punched the wall in anger, red crossing in front of his eyes. "Percy, calm down! We have to just..." Thalia tried to finish her sentence, but it was not possible, they had to leave... Leave everything behind. "We are not going to be scared away by her," Percy said, pointing at nothing in particular with every word. "I refuse to be afraid of her. To become a pawn again." Percy ended with a sigh and sat down on the couch. Will and Nico were sitting in the kitchen at the small eating table, staring into nothingness. "Percy, what will we do when she comes? If she finds out..." "She won't, hide..." "But..." "Nico! Will!" 

The two of them entered the room, worry crossing their eyes. "The three of you are going to the cafe tonight, stay there until after midnight. I'm going to talk to Artemis." "What! Are you out of your mind!" Thalia shouted. "What if something happens or..." "Thals, I survived worse," Percy said with a small smile, standing up from the couch. "Okay..." Thalia looked down in defeat, Nico and Will walking over to the hallway, grabbing their coats. "I'll see you guys tonight, enjoy the drinks," Percy said, making sure there was not a bit of worry left in his voice. "We... We will," Will said, trying to act normal. Thalia looked back one more time while putting on her coat. "Bye Perce, we'll see... We'll see you in a bit!" Thalia said, trying to smile. "Bye, guys!"

...

Steven entered the cafe, still thinking about the lost competition. He never lost and now, he did. And to who? A teenager! Even though it happened, a small smile crossed his face, the kid surprised him every day. "One regular for me, Shirley!" He shouted as he walked through the door, looking at the woman behind the bar. "I'll get ya a regular, Steven!" Shirley shouted back as Steven brushed his feet off the little mat beneath his feet and put his coat on the little coat hanger beside the door. "I heard about the competition! I never thought I would even live to see the day our Steven would lose in an arm wrestling competition!" Shirley shouted as she grabbed one of the glasses in the cabinet. "Well, let's just say that the kid is not as weak as he looks," Steven said, sitting down at one of the barstools. "Yeah yeah," Shirley said as she filled the glass with beer. "The kid is special, Shirley, I can feel it. He acts as if he's an adult." "Well, technically he is..." "You know what I mean," Steven said, looking at the beer in the glass which was put in front of him. 

The bell rang as the other three teenagers of Percy's group entered the cafe. "Hi, guys!" Shirley said happily, looking a bit confused at the looks on the faces of the teenagers which had just entered her cafe. "Is everything okay?" She asked, Steven also turning around towards the teenagers to see the girl in a shocked state. It was the blonde kid who answered, "Just a rough day," he said with a small smile. "Could we all get just... a cup of tea?" "You come all the way from that little house of yours to here to get tea?" Shirley asked jokingly. "Yes, but you got to say, there's nothing like having a cup of tea in a cafe," Blondie said. "That's true, I'll get the three of you some tea, wait a second." 

Steven looked at the three with a questioning look. Where was the one he knew? "Where's your friend at?" He asked in a neutral tone. "He... He had some things he had to do at home," The blonde one said. "Okay..."

...

"Where are you going, Artemis?" 

"I'm going out, I'll be back in not too long," The goddess answered. 

...

Keep on smilin'!

Xo'

Maria