My family, the Avengers ( An Avengers/ Percy Jackson Crossover)

◎The Books Between- A friend

Percy looked out the window to see the buildings of high skyscrapers and small apartment buildings pass by quickly. Masses of people walk along the sidewalk fast, a never ending pace through the crowded streets of New York city, each of them with a goal and a destination in mind. Cars littered the roads, parked along the edge of the road, crammed in tiny parking lots, or honking to others along the busy street. 

For six-thirty in the morning, the city was alive like it was mid-day. Percy was barely alive. His eyes were tired and his limbs ached from the grueling training Natasha provided yesterday afternoon. Ever since the attack on their Malibu home, Pepper had placed him in after school martial arts training with his aunt Natasha. Percy couldn't complain much, he wanted to train and learn to fight, but he didn't expect Natasha to treat him like a soldier and push him to limits he didn't even know existed. (She was pretty impressed when Percy was finally able to do a pull-up and not fart straining his core to lift himself.)

"Hey, bud, you awake?" Happy glanced at the eleven-year old lazily gazing out the window. "We're almost to your new school."

"Why can't I be homeschooled? It's easier and faster and not crowded with idiots," Percy groaned.

"Because Pepper wants you to go to public school and be a regular kid."

"My dad's a norse god and my uncle in Tony Stark, I think I'm way too far from being a 'regular kid'." He puffed an annoyed breath of air through his nose and sunk deeper into his seat with his arms crossed and a pouty expression. Happy smirked looking at the red-light before him and turned around to look at one of the richest children in the world, "Yeah, but maybe Pepper felt you needed a friend."

"I have friends."

"The college people you play Call of Duty with aren't friends," He deadpanned and focused on the road again. "She wants you to have a friend your age and not studying halfway across the country in a community college in Oklahoma." They continued down the road in silence. Percy was too grumpy and sulking to talk to, and Happy decided it was best for him to drop the conversation and drive.

Not before long did they reach their destination and Happy pulled into the drop-off lane where the school's door was wide open, letting children Percy's age and slightly older walk in to get their education. Happy unlocked the door and watched Percy leave, fist tightly grabbing the dark blue backpack strap. "Hey."

Percy turned around. "Just..try to make a friend? For pepper?" 

He nodded his head and have a silent wave to the security/driver/whatever title Happy had as well before blending into the sea of students. 

"Good morning class," A chorus of 'good morning's replied the teachers greeting. "Today we have a new student joining us, say hello to Percy Jackson."

Percy walked into the classroom, hands buried into his Stark Industries hoodie fidgeting with the tiny socket-wrench he stole from Tony's garage. To say that he was nervous was an understatement. This was Percy's first experience in a public school, being homeschooled his whole life, and the intimidating stares of his peers made Percy want to shrink into the comfy darkness of the hoodie.  Mrs. Lagleder placed a hand on his shoulder, still talking to her students, "Percy had been homeschooled till now, so please help him with what he doesn't understand."She turned to Percy. "Now go to your seat by Peter--Peter raiser your hand please."

A boy with short brown hair looked up from his book, glasses halfway down his nose, and raised his hand barely above his head. He wore a faded orange jacket over his Capitan America t-shirt. Next to him was an empty desk that Percy assumed was now his, and so cautiously he walked to the chair-desk hoping not to trip over someone's leg like in the movies. Luckily, it didn't happen. 

"I'm Peter," the boy who raised his hand introduced himself when Percy sat down. He smiled brightly showing off his blue braces. 

"Percy," Percy dropped his backpack on the ground under his feet to keep it out of the aisle between desks.

"So, is this really your first time in public school?" Peter whispered, trying not to make the teacher notice his conversation. Percy nodded and opened the only notebook he brought. "Cool! Let me see your schedule, I wanna know if we have some classes together."

He handed the peculiar child the little slip of paper the vice principal gave him and watched as his brown eyes scanned over the words. His smile grew larger than Percy thought possible the longer he read the classes. "We have almost every class together, you have science with Mr. Wales and I have Mrs. Garcia, and I have Mr. Ackles for gym third period and you have him seventh. At least we have lunch together after english, neat!"

"Peter, Percy, pay attention to the lesson please," Mrs. Lagleder called them out, expo marker down by her side and hand on her waist. "You have passing period to chat like children, and I wouldn't be laugh Flash, your last quiz wasn't exactly the best. Now, where was I?"

The class exploded with quiet snickers and silent giggles to the blond haired kid a few rows to the right of Percy and Peter. Percy smiled to himself, Maybe public school isn't that bad.

A loud bell erupted throughout the building  and a stampede of children ran, shoved, and walked down the many halls of the school. Classes were over for the day. Some left the school grounds with their friends to hang out in nearby parks, arcades, or any public place they could. Some went to clubs that speckled the empty classes on the multiple floors, others jogged to the gym locker rooms ready to begin practice for whatever sport they signed up for. But Percy just walked down the semi-empty halls talking and chatting to Peter who he quickly became friends with. 

He didn't expect to enjoy school as much as he did, but he was ecstatic that he made a friend. Percy knew that Pepper would by jumping for joy when she finds out that Percy had a buddy to spend his education with. Tony would be impressed that the little imp agreed to befriend another human, but would be glad nonetheless.

"Bye Percy, I'll see you tomorrow!" Peter waived his hand and jogged a little to catch up to his Aunt May who was talking on the phone a few yards down the street. Percy smiled and waved to him and looked for the familiar black Audi Happy drove him to school in. He didn't see it though. He was sure that Happy and Pepper told him to wait at the corner of the block by the traffic light, but he didn't see it. 

Percy pulled out his phone and called Pepper, "Hello?"

"Pep, where's Happy? I don't see him," Percy said still looking for the car. "I thought he would be picking me up?"

"Oh, Tony said he wanted to get you so he's in his hotrod," Pepper answered. "He should be over there already, he left like, thirty minutes before your school let out."

"I see him, thanks Pep," Percy spotted the familiar bright red and meticulously polished hot rod Tony loved to drive from time to time. "Bye Pepper."

"Bye Percy," The call dropped and Percy shoved his phone back into his pocket and walked to the edge of the sidewalk where Tony pulled over and smirked to his nephew. Tony had left his temporary mansion-home in a corny joke t-shirt and iconic Stark style shades. "Hey, bud, how was your first day?"

"I made a friend like Pepper wanted," Percy tosses his bag into the back and climbed into the passenger seat. "He's pretty cool, but I quickly found out how lunch lines work. Very quick, very messy, and the food isn't even good."

"That's good," Tony pulled out into traffic. "Anything else you want to add to your Yelp review?"

"Not very sanitary at all, smelled like butt," Percy added. "But teachers are pretty chill, overall, a three and a half."

The conversation fell into comfortable silence as they drove back to their rented penthouse while Tony figured out the renovations for the new Avengers tower. All in all, today was a good day, despite waking up with tired bones and the bad school lunch. He made a friend. A real friend.

Words: 1442