Demigods Assemble (PJO/MCU)

Chapter 30

Peter

Peter thought the Hunters of Artemis were awesome. They seemed so organized, disciplined, and independent, and their weapons were beautifully lethal. It was almost enough to keep him from feeling offended when they were pointed at him as soon as he came close.

The one who seemed to be in charge while their lieutenant was inside, a tall dark-haired girl with black eyes who looked to be one of the oldest, walked forward to address the Avengers remaining outside. "We are happy to make introductions and get to know each of you, but be warned. We have all sworn off romantic love of any kind, and many of us have had difficult relationships with men. Many hunters strongly dislike men as a result. Do not test us."

All of the men on the Avenger side of the grass exchanged looks while the women smirked.

"Understood," the new guy, Mack, huffed and folded his arms. "What's your name?"

"I am Reyna, daughter of Bellona," the girl stated, a no-nonsense tone to her voice.

Vision ran through introductions and Reyna studied each of them in turn. Peter was unsettled by her intense eyes and made a mental note not to piss her off. When they were done becoming acquainted, he blurted out, "Are you all really immortal?"

"Unless we break our oath or fall in battle, yes," Reyna answered. "Some of our youngest look eleven years old, but have lived on this earth for hundreds of years."

Peter's jaw dropped and he stared at the Hunters, trying to guess which ones were really hundreds of years older than they appeared. The ones who caught him looking sneered at him and turned their backs. That was a "talk to the hand" if Peter had ever seen one.

"Until we get the full story from our lieutenant, would mind giving us a brief explanation of who you are and why we're here?" Reyna asked.

"To fight a war," Bucky said.

"We're superheroes," Clint said, trying to sound casual.

Reyna considered him, nodded, and turned around.

"Wait, that's it? You don't need any more information than that?" Sam said.

Reyna cocked her head. "Why would we?"

"From what Percy and Annabeth tell us about you and your world, you don't know much about superheroes. You don't have any questions?" the inhuman Daisy said.

Reyna raised her eyebrows. "Of course I do. But our lieutenant will tell us more. In the meantime, we will set up camp and train."

"Want any sparring partners?" May smirked.

Reyna smiled, equally mischievous. "As long as you can keep the boys in line."

With that, Reyna instructed the Hunters to finish putting up their tents and then prepare to train. The Avengers spread out and did the same. Peter was fighting Daisy, but even the thrill of witnessing her powers couldn't keep his attention away from the Hunters.

Most of them were practicing with their bows and stationary targets, and Peter couldn't help but be amazed as they showed off their skills. They fired arrows with speed, accuracy, and power Peter had never seen, not even from Clint's high-tech bows. Hawkeye seemed equally in awe of the female warriors, almost drooling over their bows.

Daisy finally gave up trying to train with him when she knocked Peter down and he didn't even notice. He was too absorbed in watching the Hunters, especially when Clint approached them. After seeing the way they'd snarled and all but attacked Sam, Bucky, Rhodey, and Fitz when they tried to spar with them or offer constructive criticism, Peter expected this encounter to be more of the same. Instead, Clint presented his bow and asked for tips, and after a quick private discussion, they smiled and welcomed him into their midst. For the next half hour, the immortal teenage girls and Clint practiced their archery, as content as could be. Those that weren't practicing with him were engaged in conversation with Simmons, Daisy, Elena, May, and Wanda, whom they seemed to really like.

When Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Tony, Steve, Coulson, Natasha, and Carol finally returned after an hour, they found a clear divide on the lawn with all of the male Avengers minus Clint on one side and the Hunters plus Clint and the Avenger women on the other. Most of the men looked offended, Fitz in particular as he watched his wife interact with the Hunters wistfully.

"They're getting along better than I expected," Percy said as he and Annabeth came to stand next to Peter.

"I know, all the boys are still intact. I'm impressed. And they really seem to like Clint," Annabeth observed.

"They're not big fans of the rest of us," Peter pouted. He was especially miffed after seeing the Hunters welcome Steve peacefully, although it was hard not to like Captain America.

"They'll get over it," Percy assured him.

"Peter, right?" The lieutenant, Thalia, came up to Peter after briefing her Hunters on the situation.

"Peter Parker, yeah," Peter said.

"Percy and Annabeth tell me you're something of an arachnid acrobat—keep it up with the spider stuff, by the way, Annabeth needs some scaring," Thalia dodged Annabeth's attempted shove, "—and I was wondering if you'd show some of our younger members. A few of them are really into gymnastics, I thought you could give them a few pointers."

Peter's heart rose in his chest. Was this what it felt like to be chosen for a higher purpose? The Hunters wanted to hang out with him! Peter felt honored.

"I'd love to!" He grinned.

With a reassuring glance from Percy and Annabeth, Peter followed Thalia into the Hunter camp. A few of the older members glared at him as he walked by, but since he was with Thalia they didn't bother him.

"So how come you're fine with men while the others aren't?" Peter asked.

Thalia shrugged. "Some of them come from really troubled pasts that involved bad people, mostly men. Yeah, I was betrayed by one of my oldest friends, and he was a guy, but I've never held that against the entire gender. Granted, men are still idiots, but most of you are good idiots."

Peter frowned. "Thanks, I think."

Thalia smirked and stopped outside one of the smallest tents at the back of the camp. A small trio of girls was sitting outside it, gossiping while they sharpened their arrows. They all appeared to be twelve years old, one with high cheekbones and red hair, another with dark eyes and matching hair, and the third with blonde hair shaved at the sides. At the sight of Peter, the redhead and dark-haired one tensed and clutched their weapons closer, but the blonde just smiled. Peter guessed that the two apprehensive ones had had those bad experiences with men Thalia referred to earlier.

"Girls, this is Peter. Peter, this is Andromeda, Lexi, and Carina. He's good at acrobatics and gymnastics and has agreed to show you some moves," Thalia said.

At those words, all three girls perked up, even Andromeda and Carina, the ones who had looked skeptical before. "Do a flip!" Lexi ordered.

Happy to comply, Peter did a backflip. The girls squealed in unison, clambered to their feet, and spent the next hour with Peter showing off their skills and begging him to do the same so they could improve. Peter had the time of his life with them, and it was almost enough to make him forget about the coming fight.