LIGHTNING ✔P.M. ₁

chapter seventeen

ROBIN GROANED AS HE laid in his bed. He didn't dare move his arm, even though he knew he should reach for some ambrosia. But that was all the way in the wardrobe, in his bag, and that was too far away.

Knocking came at the door, but he ignored it and continued staring at the ceiling. Muffled words were said from behind the door. Then the door slid open, and two figures entered, while others walked down the hall. Sam walked up to the side of the bed. "You doing okay?" He asked.

The boy lazily turned his head. "Do I fucking look okay?" He snapped back.

Wanda sat on the edge of the bed, patting his leg sympathetically. He finally sat up, suppressing the throbbing pain coming from his shoulder. He immediately thought of Will and Apollo. It would be hard to reach Will from where he was, but maybe the god of healing would show up.

Bruce entered the room as well, causing Robin to groan. Tony followed. He walked up, pushing past Sam, his hands in his pockets. "Listen kid, just stop throwing a tantrum and let Bruce check you out."

Robin rolled his eyes. "I can handle it!" He barked, standing up. He ran a hand through his hair. He inhaled sharply and pointed to the door. "Just... give me a few minutes."

Luckily understanding, the four left, notifying him they'd be waiting just down the hall. As soon as they left, Robin rushed into the washroom, praying for Apollo to help him out. In a flash of light, the god himself was there. The demigod let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Zeus."

An amused god leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Would you look at that, Robin is praying to me," He teased with a smirk.

Robin rolled his eyes, but smiled regardless, having missed their interactions. "Aren't I just so glad we made you mighty gods interact with us demigods more," He joked.

Apollo pushed himself upright, smoothing out his shirt. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Why do I have to want something to talk to you?" The boy asked. When the god just gave him a raised eyebrow, he sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Fine, I need a favor."

Robin left his room alone, joining his new teammates. As they walked, he bit his lip, hoping his plan would work. He was being led to a lab, he presumed. He couldn't have that happen. He figured they would make sure he was okay, then hang out as a team, or whatever. A voice shook him out of his thoughts. It was Maria, informing them about someone at the doors. They quickly joined the others. Tony pulled up a screen, a live feed of the doors. There stood a handsome blonde wearing an outfit similar to a doctor's, but somehow more flashy, holding a brief case.

"Who's that?" Natasha asked, tilting her head as she observed him.

Tony shrugged. "As if I know."

Robin concealed a smirk. "That's my cousin," He lied smoothly.

Steve snapped his head to face the boy. "How did he know you were here?" He demanded.

"We share a special bond." He shrugged. "He's a doctor, probably knew I was hurt."

Sam trod closer, his eyebrows furrowed and his arms crossed over his chest. "You don't like talking about your family," He stated suspiciously. "Telling us any of this is odd behavior from you."

Robin gulped. "Well, I'm also dying, so, people change."

Accepting his answer for now, Sam stepped down. The boy let out a silent sigh of relief. Tony let the man in, sending Maria to escort him over. The man immediately went towards Robin, throwing his arm around his shoulders. He let his hand hover over his injured shoulder for a second, healing it. He smiled at the group before ruffling the demigod's hair. He leaned closer. "You owe me one, Rob," He whispered.

Robin swatted his hand away. "Shut up, I know," He mumbled back. The Avengers stood staring at the pair. He rolled his eyes and grabbed Apollo's arm off his shoulders, dragging him away to a secluded area. "He's gonna fix me up, then he'll be gone," He called over his shoulder as he walked to his room.

He quickly closed the door, pulling the god inside after making sure no one was eavesdropping. He sat down on his bed as he let Apollo finish fixing up his shoulder. It was over with quickly.

Apollo pat the boy on the back. "Good as new, buddy. Now, try not to get hurt in the next little while, otherwise it'll seem like I favor you over the others."

Robin gave him a look. "You do."

The god pursed his lips. "That's true, isn't it?" He received a nod. He sighed.

Robin stood up and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, seriously."

Apollo hugged him back. "Of course. But don't start thinking this is a regular thing," He said as he pulled away, giving him a pointed look. He left the building afterwards.

Robin returned to the Avengers, but still stood away from them. He didn't want them checking on his shoulder or anything of the sort. Wanda joined him, and they spent the day talking and laughing, oblivious to a certain speedster's glare. The entire team, however, was, for a moment, blinded by their fun times to realize they would soon have a mission.

All the way out in Los Angeles, another demigod was plotting his cleansing of the world. He would be soon getting rid of a disease plaguing the earth, and save the world's environment once and for all. He would finally be getting rid of humans and their unholy ways of living.