The Life I'm Running From

45\ The Final Explosion

I was alone, on a dark street in the middle of Queens. Adults stumbled out of bars, their drunken laughter echoing off the walls in a way that was jarring to my ears. My sneakers kicked away pebbles of the road, and I stepped onto the sidewalk to avoid an oncoming car. It swerved, but in a way that told me the driver was drunk or high or both. These people were going to get themselves killed, even before a supervillain put them in the crossfire.

The street light flickered, and a ghost of a breeze stroked the back of my neck. I looked to my right quickly. All I saw was an empty alley, but my eyes weren't seeing everything. I knew Bucky and Steve were down there, backs pressed against the walls, loaded guns in their arms.

I looked to my left. On top of a sushi restaurant, behind the diluted neon lights, there was a metallic gleam of red and gold. The door to the restaurant opened, and I quickly kept walking.

Down at the end of the street, pretending to smoke a cigarette, Dr. Banner was hanging around the corner. He was our backup, and our lookout.

Ravenyx should be showing up soon. She didn't give me too many specifics, but she had to appear soon. After all, she couldn't exactly recruit me to her team if she didn't show.

There was a whistle from one of the sidewalks, and whether that was directed at me or someone else, I didn't bother to look. My boots clacked on the pavement, and I stepped over a puddle on the curb. My necklace rested on my collarbone comfortably, reminding me of my defense. Or, I guess, offense in this case.

Percy and Annabeth were hidden somewhere here too, both of them ready with their celestial bronze weapons. On one of the rooftops Peter was waiting, webs forming at his wrists.

But I was here. In the middle of the street, waiting to meet my enemy.

I walked around a dense crowd that had been walking down the street, oddly silent. As I passed, I made eye contact with one of the women. Her eyes were a rolling grey, and her curly blonde hair streaked with black was pulled into a ponytail. The man beside her adjusted his jacket, and I saw a flash of metal hidden beneath.

Quickly snapping my gaze forwards, I passed by them. They were part of Ravenyx's group of demigods, no doubt. So then where was—

Black smoke flashed at the end of the street. As the tendrils of fog dispersed, it revealed the figure of Veronica Goldmyn. Well, she was one for dramatics.

I took a deep breath. Let's do this.

an hour earlier...

"I can't believe you brought friends to our battle," Tony grumbled, the steps of his Iron Man suit echoing on the metal floor of the quinjet. "You should've asked first."

Steve pushed his shield up into the overhead storage space, almost nailing Bucky in the head. "Come on Tony. They're here to help."

"Not that we need it," Sam interjected. His wings were strapped to his back, but thankfully retracted. The space in here was already tight with eleven of us in here.

Dr. Banner sighed, brushing past us to get to the cockpit. He had agreed to come along, but he made it clear Hulk was more of a secondary option. I leaned back to let him pass, and nearly banged my head on the storage rack. Peter helped steady me last minute. I smiled at him, and was going to say something when I realized Peter wasn't looking at me anymore.

"Why does your brother hate me?" Peter whispered, his eyes locked on Percy.

"He doesn't—" Percy looked away from Annabeth and caught sight of Peter's hand on my back, and our close proximity, and Percy's face dropped into a scowl. I bit my lip. "He's just a little protective. He'll get over it soon enough."