One Problem: Percy Jackson/Marvel Crossover

7: I Shall Never Touch That Wall Again. I Swear on the River Styx.

Annabeth's POV

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Leo exclaimed, practically bouncing down the hallway. Percy followed his example while Jason laughed. Piper, Nico, and I chuckled a bit as Percy landed flat on his face.

Peter - yikes - hung back a bit. He had explained to us that Stark was tired and wanted to discuss this 'Superhero stuff' the next day. I didn't really like Peter when I'd first met him (he gave off the same vibe as spiders do, and I, being a daughter of Athena, didn't like that vibe.), but he was now kind of reluctant to talk to us and cautious. I've learned to read people over the years at Camp Half-Blood, but now I had no idea what was with him.

"Hey," Piper nudged my shoulder gently. "Lighten up."

I nodded gratefully. I get lost in thought so easily, especially since... no. I wouldn't think of that now.

I watched Percy and Leo tumble down the hall. We had all agreed to go down to gym - some physical activity could be good after that long meeting. Leo and Percy had no gymnastic skill, so their attempts at cartwelling often ended up with them hitting their head and us cracking up - except Peter, whose poker face didn't even change.

Percy grinned as he joined the gaggle by my side. There was a bit blue something stuck in his teeth, which was actually cute.

"So," He said. Our hands drifted into each others. "Why'd you close Athena, of all things?"

We'd picked superhero nicknames in the hallway a while ago. Percy had chosen Riptide, like his sword, and I'd chosen Athena. Why? Well, for one, it was my mother's name. It sounded cool, and it was associated with wisdom and knowledge.

I shrugged. "What else would I choose?"

He rolled his eyes. "How about... Owl Head?"

"Ha ha."

Percy grinned. He was such a Seaweed Brain sometimes.

We came into the gym. It was a big, high-ceilinged room with a floor covered with different sports lines, like a school gym, but whole lot bigger.

We fanned out around the room. Jason went to the punching bags, followed by Percy. Piper went the climbing wall at the back, while Nico hacked up some dummies he found somewhere. Leo tried to chat up Peter on the gymnastics equipment. Peter had set the bars to their max height (which was taller than the usual bar) and put them in a row and proceeded to sit atop of them, out of ear shot of Leo, who was trying to climbing his way up to the top to Peter (which wasn't going so well until Leo got out a miniature portable Archimedes sphere and helicoptered his way up. Peter's face was priceless.) I decided to join Piper at the climbing wall.

I don't really like climbing with ropes - I've gotten used to climbing without at Camp. The lava wall there doesn't have any harnesses or ropes, so I haven't really climbed with them. This wall did though. I found a right-sized harness and clipped the rope to it. I climbed upwards, remembering what Chiron alway told me - hand then foot, hand then foot.

When I looked up, I saw that Piper was struggling at a tough spot. She wasn't using ropes. Her right foot had found a good hold, but her left foot was dangling. Her left and right hand were squished to each other on a frog-shaped hold. She was eyeing another frog, like she was about to try and grab it, but the thing was too far away.

"No," I muttered urgently. I scrambled up as quickly as I could.

Piper's right hand let go of the frog and made a mad grab at the other one. She missed and she wobbled dangerously. Her knife, Katoptris, bounced in its sheath.

"Pipes!" I wanted to yell, but my voice wasn't working. I wouldn't make it.

Piper reached again, but her foot was at the edge. Piper Mclean lost her balance and fell to the ground from two stories off it.

She tumbled through the air. The others noticed. Jason dashed toward us from the other side of the gym, but he was too far away. Piper's knife lost weight and floated from Piper's side, before gravity took hold and brought it down to her side, embedding itself above her hip.

-

Piper's POV.

I was falling. I vaguely was aware of the gym flashing in and out of my sight, and Annabeth clinging to the wall. Wall... was that what I fell from. I couldn't remember. I was lonely consciousness.

I felt a prick of pain above my hip. I didn't really know what that was, everything was so blurry... a cry woke me up. Everything was still so blurry, and I couldn't really see or hear anything. My other senses were already shut down. I knew there was something really painful in my hip, but I was already slipping away.

Something latched itself on my leg and I felt a vague tug, and I remembered Enceladus' words.

We'll see how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth.

{Time skip}

Beep... beep...

I woke to the sound of a hospital. When I regained my sight, I saw that I wasn't in a hospital, and I wasn't alone.

Percy and Annabeth sat on my left, gripping hands. Leo hovered around the end of my bed. Jason sat next to me. He was holding my hand. Nico stood behind him, frowning. Peter and a gray-haired man - Ben? Bryce? - hovered by the doorway.

Jason sighed with relief when he saw my eyes open.

"Oh thank the gods," he breathed for probably the first time since I fell. "You're awake."

I smiled and nodded.

"About time," Nico said. "I could see your life aura fading when the knife..."

The knife... I looked over to the bedside table. Katoptris sat on top of it, next a glass of water. It was still stained with blood. My blood.

"What happened?" I croaked. My voice sounded like sandpaper.

Percy shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Annabeth should probably tell it -"

"It was group effort," Annabeth insisted. "We all can tell it. I'll start. You were climbing up the rock wall, and -"

I nodded impatiently. "I know that. But when the knife hit me. What happened?"

"Katoptris slipped from its sheath," Jason explained. "Then it fell back to your hip where it caught your shirt, then..." his voice cracked. "It stabbed you."

"We were ready to catch you," Leo added. "But then Spider-Man, Peter over there, swung in and attached you to one of his web thingies and -"

"It was nothing," Peter shrugged from the doorway.

Percy took up the story, ignoring Peter. "He brought you down safely and I rushed out to get Bruce while Jason carried you to the infirmary and Annabeth fed you am- healing food." He caught himself, but Bruce frowned.

I looked over at Jason. "I guess we're matching," I said, recalling the time Jason got run through with an Imperial Gold sword in Ithaca.

"What?" Jason's face conveyed confusion before he remembered Ithaca. "Oh, yeah... Ithaca. At least we weren't at a zomb -"

"Shh," Nico warned.

Jason stopped, making Bruce frown even deeper. We'd almost given ourselves away twice in less than five minutes. We would have to be more careful, if we were going to keep the world of Gods a secret.

"So!" Leo broke the silence. "Hulk, is Piper well enough for us to get lunch?"

"Don't call me Hulk," Bruce muttered under his breath before entering. "All her health signs seem fine. You can go if you'd like, but that wound might still hurt. I'm sure you'll just give her some of that medical food you have if she has any trouble."

Percy nodded and got up. "You can walk, right? I don't want to leave my food waiting!"