Percy works with Tony Stark

15. Worst came to Worst

"Where's that brat," Tony said annoyed as he kicked his chair in frustration. He had a really good assistant, but lately he seemed more out of it, and spent a lot of time with Natasha. That confused him because he didn't strike Tony as the type to cheat, especially when his relationship seemed so healthy. He decided to go ask Natasha about it because he needed to ask Percy about something but need his whereabouts.

"Leave right now if you are just going to bother me," Nat said, not even looking up from cleaning her knives.

"It's about Percy, haven't you been spending a lot of time together?"

"He's your assistant, tell him to stop pestering me"

"About what?" That was weird to Tony. The kid was actually pretty polite, but you could tell he never really got interested or invested in things.

"Some kid I had to pick up for Fury. Claimed he was looking for him to talk about something"

"And you didn't ask?"

"Didn't care. And he wouldn't tell"

"I can't find him and I need him to do my work," Tony said bluntly.

"Too bad, he just ran out. With one of your cars too," she said.

Annoyed but with his answer, Tony stormed off. He could have tracked his car, but the kid deserved some privacy for once. Let him solve whatever was going on so when he got back Tony could overwork him.

He would realize only later what a huge mistake he just made.

~~

Percy still didn't know what to do. Annabeth wasn't responding or saying anything and they were both frozen in fear.

"What was Tartarus waiting for?" Percy thought. He could have killed them easily, but here he was just talking.

Tartarus or Luke glanced and smiled at their uncomfortableness. 

~~

"What do you want," I finally brought myself to say.

"Oh not much," Tartarus smiled.

"The Gods and their wars," he started to ramble, "always just dumping more and more of the monsters I so lovingly revive."

"But if you declare war on the Gods wouldn't that make it even worse?" Annabeth said. I looked over and she gave me a reassuring smile, seemingly regaining her thoughts.

"That is so much unnecessary trouble," he complained.

I felt like we were walking on landmines, ready to denote at any moment, but he was just conversing like a kid.

I cleared my throat. 

"So what do you want from us?"

"I'm not sure yet but I came to see who stopped the war with my wife"

Oh Gods not revenge. How are we going to get out of this.

"Interesting," he said as he stared at us, picking us apart with his eyes.

I noticed as the corners of his mouth pulled up into a smile. Something bad is definitely going to happen now. I tried to inch closer to Annabeth because we had sprung back into different directions, but then Tartarus told someone to restrain me.

I thought nobody else was here but then I felt something towards my right pop out of the shadows. I snapped my arms away from the person who tried to grab them and got a closer look. In my shock, he took the opportunity to pull my hands behind me.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed. But then she had no time to worry about me because Tartarus rushed at her.

"Luke let me go! You have to let me help her!" I cried in desperation. She was strong, she was parring the attacks, but nobody could last that long under the constant flurry of attacks he was dishing out.

I heard a laugh in my ear. "Nope, it's fully me this time," it said.

It was Kronos. And I believed him. He had Luke's body now after he reformed in Tartarus, but demigods weren't immortal. Luke was still dead.