Annabeth Chase and the Avengers

Chapter 10

Tony

Tony exited his home and strolled through the nearby woodland to his daughter's playhouse. He clapped his hands rhythmically. "Chow time!" He sat down on the tiny chair outside her tent. "Morgan Stark it's lunchtime."

"Define lunch or be disintegrated." Little four-year-old Morgan Stark emerged from her tent, wearing a blue mask similar to Tony's.  

"You should not be wearing that okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift I made for mom." Tony kissed her on the mask. He gently took off the mask and said, "Are you thinking about lunch? Thinking about a handful of cookies, and a bit of lettuce?"

"Ewwww." Morgan said in disgust.

"That's what you need." He lifted up the mask. "How did you-- find this? Were you looking for it?"

"I found it." Morgan replied. 

"Let's go... find a better hiding place." Tony said, picking up his daughter and carrying her into the house.

In front of the house was a black Audi, and a familiar blue Maserati Spyder. From the driver's seat of the Audi, Steve emerged. Nat came out from the passengers' seat, and Scott from the back row. Annabeth emerged from the drivers' seat of the Maserati, and Percy from the passengers' seat.

Tony let out a sigh. This was going to take a while.

After Steve, Scott, Nat, Percy, and Annabeth's sob story about trying to save everyone by somehow navigating the Quantum Realm, Steve, Scott, and Nat left, leaving Percy and Annabeth there to have dinner with the Starks.

Dinner had been mostly subdued, aside from Morgan peppering Annabeth and Percy with questions, and Pepper asking the occasional question about how they and the other Avengers were doing, how she liked college, that sort of thing. 

After finishing dinner, Annabeth offered to help clean the dishes, giving Tony time to talk privately to his niece.

"How are things?" Tony asked, scrubbing furiously at a plate, soap foaming.

"Fine, I suppose." Annabeth said. Tony figured she was probably angry that Tony had refused to help.

"Look, I don't want to mess up the timeline." Tony said. "I want our friends back, more than anything, but I don't want to risk the life I have now."

"Of course you'd say that!" Annabeth shouted, abandoning her sponge and plate. "You have everything, and you're happy! Me? I had to live the past five years without my family, right when I had finally made up with them! My closest friends are gone, and the ones that were still around after the Snap have pushed away."

She let out a little hysterical laugh. "Of course, it's just my luck. A week of hope, my future looking bright, and then," She snapped her fingers. "Just like that."

"Annabeth-- I'm sorry-- I--"

"I told you this five years ago, and I'm going to tell you again." Annabeth interrupted. "You could never, never, understand." She stormed off, and out the front door, and Percy got up abruptly and followed. 

Tony groaned and had half a mind to go after her, then he turned back to the stack of dirty dishes, and sighed. "Sorry Annabeth, but dishes win."

After he finished the dishes, he couldn't ignore the nagging "What if?" feeling any longer. He headed into his office and pulled up a new file, which was illuminated in a white light. 

After working for a few hours, he hit a jackpot.

"I did a mod inspiration. Let's see if it checks out so I can run one last sim before we pack it in for the night. This time, in the shape of a mobius strip inverted, please?" Tony said.