Kept Behind Enemy Lines

C H A P T E R S I X T E E N

"Hey, aren't we missing someone? I feel like we're missing someone." Tony remarked.

"Oh shit! Percy!" Clint exclaimed, suddenly dawning on him that they were missing a certain raven haired teen.

"Clint, language! There are kids here!"

"I'll call him, see where he's at." Tony said, fumbling for his phone.

The phone rang, everybody held their breath.

"Tony? Is that you? Where in the name of Hades ARE you all!?" Percy yelled at him through the phone. Tony winced.

"Ah well you see... we kinda forgot you existed..." Nobody remarked on Percy's odd use of swearing.

"I freaking noticed!"

"Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

"No, no. I'll come to you. Just tell me exactly where you are."

"Ahh... Give me a moment. Hey Clint, where are we?" Clint gave an address, which Tony passed on.

"Good. Now be ready to catch me."

"Okay. Wait... what?" The air in the room seemed to take a breath before the form of a human appeared in a swirl of mist before solidifying into Percy, who promptly collapsed in a heap on the table.

Everybody leaped away, yelling in shock.

"YOU SAID YOUR POWER WAS WATER MANIPULATION!" Tony yelled at him.

"It is. I used water to get here." Percy huffed, on the verge of passing out. He looked a right mess, suspicious golden dust coated his skin and tangled in his hair. Dirt smudged on his face. His clothing was torn in multiple places. It look almost as if he'd been mauled by a pack of wolves. His already dark clothing was darker in some areas. There was a scratch on his cheek that was turning an angry red and dripping thin lines of crimson blood. "Water." He croaked.

Natasha rushed to the kitchen and came back with a glass of icy water. Percy snorted but accepted it. He promptly tipped the whole thing on his face.

It wasn't enough, but it would keep him from passing out a little longer. Percy healed a few of his minor non-visible wounds and willed himself to get wet. All the Avengers knew about his powers was that he could control water. And now they knew he could use it as a means of transportation. That alone would take enough explaining. Never mind adding in a healing factor and staying dry.

"What was the point in that?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

Styx. Possibly should have thought that through a little more...

"I am seriously heating up in this thing." Percy said. It wasn't a complete lie. He was beginning to overheat. One thing he'd learnt over the years was to always run a lie of the truth.

"Uhm, Clint? Why has a teenager just smashed my table?" It sounded worse than it was. For starters, the table wasn't broken. And there was nothing on it other than the odd coffee mug (thankfully he missed those) and placemats, the table was bare. "Don't tell me he's an Avenger?" Laura hoped he wasn't. He looked far too young.

"Not officially..." Clint tried to explain everything in a way that wouldn't cause his pregnant wife to explode. "He just sort of works with us."

"Yeah. I don't think these guys trust me as far as they could throw me." Percy commented.

"That isn't true." Steve denied.

"Absolutely. Because you didn't leave me behind at the fight scene between a murderous robot and his minions and all of you." Percy said, the sarcasm painfully clear.