Heroes and Dragons - An Avengers/PJO crossover

X - Genocide Squad assemble! Well, sorta.

Dragon's apartment

Dragon sat in the centre of her room, a sketchpad on her knees. She had five or six photographs of Steve and Bucky scattered around her, and working from memory and observation, she was drawing them together. Steve had taught her to draw - she remembered that well. Strange, how the photographic memory that in her HYDRA days had been a curse, was now a blessing. Sometimes, anyway.

She added, from memory, the metal arm Bucky now had. A metal arm. It was so strange to see Bucky so changed.

She taped the drawing onto her wall. Her walls were almost entirely covered, with drawings of the people she loved. Loki, Nico, Bucky, Steve, and a man with midnight hair and yellow, cat like eyes. Her family.

And now, someone else, on one single drawing. Not a member of her small, broken family, but someone she thought of often. A girl with dark hair and a crown of silver - and the same eyes as Percy's friend Jason. She had a bow across her back, and kept appearing in Dragon's dreams. She didn't know who she was, only that she had power, and another girl had called her - lieutenant something?

The girl had looked directly at her. She had promised her safety. And Dragon was worried. How did a strange dream-girl know the secret of her old name?

There was a knock at the door. She opened it to see Loki. "Back already?" she said. Loki had been taking the twins and Jenna to Camp. It wasn't safe for them here anymore.

Loki nodded. "You have a visitor."

"If it's Fury or Steve, the answer is no."

Loki shook his head, and Dragon went into the kitchen. "Bucky?"

She flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. "I thought we'd lost you forever."

He hugged her back. "Hey Icy. How've you been?"

She frowned at him. "Who's the icy one now, snowflake?" He snorted.

"I guess Frosty here's been helping you with it?" Silence from Dragon. Bucky swore. "You didn't tell him? Shit, Dragon, you have to tell them!"

"I have glyphs to control it - I'll be fine."

Loki frowned. "What's going on?"

Dragon glared at Bucky. "I was attacked by what I now know to be a frost giant when I was on a mission. I killed it, but I was hit by a blast of its power. The serum allowed me to absorb it instead of dying, but I have... frost giant stuff. It used to come out whenever-"

"-Whenever you were feeling extreme negative emotion. I know." Loki interrupted. He glared at her. "Why didn't you tell me? I can help you control it!"

She flinched, lowering her eyes and her shoulders into a submissive posture. "I am sorry. I did not intend any offence." Bucky reached across and slapped Loki, who rubbed his face, where a red mark was forming.

"What was that for?" demanded Loki. Bucky nodded across at Dragon, who was still in the submissive posture she had when she felt threatened by people who she thought of as superiors. It was beaten into her from years of HYDRA conditioning - Bucky knew it, because he had been there.

He lightly brushed a hand against her arm, a gesture of which Loki didn't fully understand the depth. She allowed very few people to touch her, and Loki had been one of them almost from the moment they met, unusually, for Dragon was very slow to trust.

"Я забочусь о тебе. Не оставляй меня." He said.

"Я не уйду. Просто будь в безопасности, хорошо?"

Loki gave Dragon a look, but didn't ask. Bucky flipped her something, and she caught it easily. "What's this?"

"Dark chocolate. Your favourite food." She hugged him again, her voice choking in her throat.

"You remembered."

"Couldn't let you starve to death." He gripped her Lowe arm, and then froze.

She glared at him. He grabbed her hand, flipped it over and pushed up her sleeve. The narrow, white lines stared accusingly at Dragon. She looked at Bucky. "I stopped, I swear. I stopped when I met Loki. I-"

He met her eyes. "We're survivors, Dragon. You, me, and Loki. We've done terrible things, because we had to. Now, we can learn to be normal."

Dragon looked at her two friends. "We should start a club, the three of us. The Genocide Squad. Ex-murderers."

Loki snorted. "Catchy."

Bucky spent the night at Dragon's apartment. The spare room was bare and ugly, so they grabbed sleeping bags and had a movie night with all of the foods Bucky was just beginning to remember he liked. Popcorn, chocolate, and some entirely new things, like Skittles, which he loves, and Oreos, which he didn't.

Three broken people, learning how to be whole.

The next morning, Dragon woke up early, like normal. She slipped out, grabbing her keys and some mortal money, and made an early morning motorbike trip.

The first thing Bucky registered was two people leaning over him. Dragon and Loki were shaking him gently - he leapt up, knocking Dragon backwards. Loki had surprisingly good reflexes for this early in the morning, maintaining perfect balance.

"I -uh. Dragon, not me, went out to Kowalski's to get breakfast. Pastries!" Loki cheered.

Bucky sprinted to the kitchen, snagging the biggest on the way past. Dragon followed him. "Who wants to watch a couple more episodes of that science fiction show before we head to the tower?" said Dragon.

"Err, we aren't going there. I'm not going anywhere near my brother until he apologises for the invasion of my privacy," said Loki.

"Your brother?" Dragon raises an eyebrow. Loki swears, and they drop the glamours, revealing them to be each other.

"Oops," says the real Dragon. "Sorry. I was hoping we could keep him fooled for longer."

Bucky just grins around a mouthful of pastry. "Well, I'm perfectly up for some more Rick and Morty, but maybe later. Let's go raid Tony's food."

They finish the impromptu breakfast, Bucky commenting the pastries are still the same as they used to be seventy years ago.

"Yeah, old family recipes. Some of them are adapted - you can buy gluten, nut, or milk free versions -but they still have the same shop, in the same place. No chain brands, just the world's best pastries."

Dragon insists on racing Bucky to the tower. The super serums that created them are very similar, but Dragon is faster whilst Bucky has more stamina.

They take the stairs two at a time, pushing themselves.

Meanwhile, in the living room

JARVIS interrupted Annabeth and Natasha kicking Percy's and Clint's collective butts on Call of Duty. "Dragon and an unknown adult male are entering the tower at speed. Please advise."

Seconds later, Dragon and Bucky sprinted through the doors, Bucky pulling ahead at the last second to touch the couch first.

"Yes!" yelled Bucky. "I am the ultimate champion!"

Dragon glared at him. "I let you win, snowflake."

"Too bad, ice dame. Sucks to be you."

Dragon flopped into the empty chair, pulling half a bar of dark chocolate out of her pocket. She broke off a couple of squares and threw them at Percy, yelling, "Think fast!"

Without even looking at her, he lifted up a hand and caught them. He handed one to Annabeth, eating one himself. Clint wolf-whistled. "That's some reflexes."

Dragon nodded. "Yes. Percy, when were you going to tell us?"

Percy froze. "Tell you what?"

"I'd guessed, but you confirmed it just now. I'll keep the secret, but be careful. I'm pretty smart, but not uniquely so. If I've figured it out, you can bet someone else has."

Have you figured it out? It's going to be important, later. Don't forget.