Natasha's Secret

Chapter 24 - Iced Tea

The flight to DC wasn't that bad, once Annabeth thought about it. She sat on the lavish leather seats of Tony's private jet, Percy next to her, and closed her eyes.

She slept almost the entire way there, only waking up when they were twenty minutes out.

Percy and Nico, on the other hand, were clutching the seats like they were going to be shoved off at any moment. Jason laughed at them for the healthy amount of time you should laugh at friends, then tried to calm them down. Everyone else was deeply amused by this whole display, and it was ultimately a nice way to start their journey.

The people at the airport were way too nice to them, probably because they wanted a nice tip from Tony (It was a private landing area).

Finding their hotel wasn't hard either, considering it was the most lavish hotel in a thirty minutes radius. Tony had gotten them the penthouse, with five rooms and two pull out couches.

"We shouldn't spend much time here, time to visit President Washington," Annabeth sighed, looking tired.

"Come on, Blondie, we were just on a plane for two hours, can we at least shower?" Tony complained, flopping onto the couch.

"Fine, a thirty-minute break. You guys do what you need to, I'm going to the monument," Annabeth declared, packing a bag full of water bottles and food.

"Annabeth, it's eleven at night, you need to sleep. And eat. And rest," Steve counted the items on his fingers, looking like he was begging Annabeth to listen to him.

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes, "I'm fine, me being pregnant doesn't mean I'm helpless," Annabeth sounded snappy.

Percy put his hand on her shoulder, "Wise Girl, Steve is right, you need to rest when you can. At least for my sake, you know I worry about you," He smiled at her, a soft smile that seemed too private to use in front of anyone but the two of them.

Annabeth wrapped her hand around Percy's, which was cupper her face, "Fine," she mumbled, leaning into his chest.

"Who knows when we'll have a safe place to sleep again, it's best we do it when we can," Will advised, wrapping an arm around Nico who yawned and pulled him closer.

"Ok, couples share rooms, some of the single people will need to pair up," Clint said, grabbing Tony and pulling him into a room much into the mechanic's displeasure.

"Frank and Rachel can share, Clint and Tony seem to be set, and Steve and Banner can have their own rooms. The couples share rooms," Jason said, opening a door to a room.

Everyone agreed that their time tonight would be best spent resting, and retired to their rooms.

The next morning, Annabeth woke up before anyone else, making sure not to disturb Percy who was sleeping beside her.

Putting on her running clothes, Annabeth decided to check out the monument and get herself an iced tea on the way. Leaving a note for her teammates, Annabeth realized that their hotel wasn't very far from the monument, probably another reason Tony chose it.

"That looks refreshing," A man commented as Annabeth sipped on the straw of her iced tea. The man had dark down skin, was breathing heavily, and sitting next to a tree.

"It sure is, but I haven't even started yet," Annabeth laughed.

The man chuckled, sticking out his hand, "Sam Wilson, you?"

"Annabeth Chase," she raised an eyebrow, shaking his hand then nodding to his military sweatshirt, "You in the army?"

"Nah, I did two tours, but now I work in the VA," he said, regaining his breath a little.

Annabeth smiled a little, "Life's a little too peaceful, now, huh?" she offered him a hand so he could get up.

He grabbed her hand, getting up and then leaning on his knees, "What about you? Marines? You look like the tough sort,"

"I guess you could say special forces, my work is kind of important," Annabeth said, almost like she was telling a joke to herself.

"Oh, so that's how it is?"

"That's how it is,"

"Do you come here every day?" Annabeth asked,

The man shrugged, "I try to,"

"Well, I better get started, it was good meeting you, Sam," Annabeth threw out her now empty iced tea and waved to Sam as she started running around the pool.

As she ran, she couldn't shake the feeling that she would see Sam again soon, and that the circumstances would be less than pleasant.