Catch Me If I Fall (PJO/Avengers Crossover)

80

"You could not live with your own failure," Thanos told Steve, Tony and Thor. He hadn't spotted Percy, who immediately had hid behind a pile of rocks, trying to regulate his breathing. At the sound of the Mad Titan's voice, sweat began to drench his neck and tears began to form in his eyes. How had he survived? Unless... had he found a way to travel time, too? "And where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."

Why couldn't Thanos have just stayed gone? Why did he haunt him still, after all these years? It had been a decade since their first meeting. Percy had been a mere child when they'd met and, until now, Thanos had seemed like the stuff of nightmares. 

Recently, when Percy thought of him, he had been a distant memory; horror stories he might tell his children someday. But, now, that Thanos was back, speaking, only a few feet away, it was almost like no time had passed at all. Percy found that he was paralysed with fear. 

"Yep," Tony agreed. "We're all kinds of stubborn." 

"I'm thankful. Because now, I know what I must do," Thanos replied. His voice made Percy want to vomit with terror. "I will shred this universe down to its last atom," but, then again, Percy had helped kill him once. Why couldn't he do it again? "And then– With the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, but knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given." The sound of lightning from Thor was the last straw for Percy in terms of his fear. Get it together. He wasn't alone anymore, he wasn't a little boy. He was with the men that showed him how to be a man himself. He was stronger now- stronger than Thanos, stronger than Tartarus, stronger than Kronos, heck, stronger than Gabe. "A grateful universe."

"Born out of blood," Steve seethed.

"They'll never know it. You won't be alive to tell them-"

Percy uncapped Riptide, which had found it's way back to his pocket after being removed before he snapped his fingers. He raised it, screaming as he ran towards Thanos with sheer fury and full intent to brutally murder the Titan before him. He didn't have the stones. He didn't have the power. But Percy had had the stones a second before. He had had the power, and the remnants of it were still coursing through his veins. 

"Perseus Jackson," Thanos replied calmly, unsheathing his own weapons. he was calm, almost unsurprised to see him here. "Have you come back to finish what we started?" 

"Shut. Up," Percy's tears were streaming down his cheeks now, and he spoke and moved between sobs. Everything ached, but his adrenaline and the power from the stones kept him from recoiling away. His three fellow Avengers went for Thanos as well, assisting Percy in his attack. 

"Kid, I told you to stay back-" Tony looked at him after throwing  a blast at Thanos, which he blocked. 

"I wish I did," Percy reassured him, blocking a blow.

"Get back and stand with Cap. Me and Thor are about to do the thing," he warned, and Percy did as he was told. "Okay, Thor, hit me!" 

Tony stood with his limbs spread out to absorb the energy from Thor's lightning, which was then shot by Tony towards Thanos, who deflected the attack with his blades. Thor, angered, took Stormbreaker and used it to launch Mjolnir towards the Titan, who grabbed Tony to act as a human shield and was quickly disposed to the ground. Percy rushed to him, despite the fact he was crackling with electricity. They were beginning to be overtaken by Thanos, by the looks of how Thor and Steve were being beat up.