The Family of a Hero

Gods WHY do They Have the Same Eyes...

Clint showed me to an empty guest bedroom where I would be staying for the next...well...until this quest was over. As I lied on my back, the fluffy comforter beneath me and hands tucked behind my head, I thought about everything that happened. And boy was there a lot. Guilt being tied to most of the thoughts that came to mind. I didn't want to get mortals involved. I didn't want to get my family involved, people I knew before I started my life as a demigod. Lying to them. I know it wasn't all lies and that it's better for everyone this way, but definitely wasn't all very truthful.

These thoughts weren't what stuck out to me the most. Instead it was the look Steve had in his eyes after our spar. When we said that we were old for demigods, that we might all die on this quest and we knew that. He looked at us like we were children. Which we are. A fact that many of us forgot quite often. The ache that still couldn't understand returned to my chest. Thinking about him made me feel something like content but it also like the ache just tightened.

My concentration on this subject, however, was interrupted by knocking on the bedroom door. My first thought went to a monster but most monsters don't knock. Rather rude now that I think about it. "Hey Percy, it's time for dinner." A voice, I recognize as Bruce, says.

I get up and open the door, "Hello Bruce," I say leaning against the door frame. My normal smirk playing my lips. "so what's for dinner?"

Bruce gives me a smile and motions for me to follow, "Probably pizza. " he says, "Unless Steve cooked." I raise my eyebrows slightly as an image of Steve in a cute grandma apron standing in the kitchen. I let a chuckle leave my lips.

"I would love to see that." I say before we arrive in the kitchen. Sadly, is there is no Steve in an apron. Instead, there's a tower of pizza boxes on the counter. Looking around the kitchen, which connects to the dinning room, I see all of the Avengers. Including Nick and a very well built blonde that I recognized as a god. Power rolled off of him in waves, but I didn't recognize it from any of the gods I had encountered.

The blonde's electric blue eyes held a glint of uneasiness. He asked cautiously, "Who is this?"

"This is Percy Jackson, he needs our help." Bruce replied for me, sending me a shy smile with it. This response only seemed to make the blonde think harder.

"What is it you need help with son of Jack?"

I answer before for myself this time, "A prophecy." The glint of uneasiness in his eyes turns into recognition.

"Then you are a demigod, a young hero?"

"Yeah sure. So then who are you? You're obviously a god." Everyone seems surprised. The spies simply masking it well, as per usual.

"He's Thor." Tony says in bragging disbelief. I don't really know what exactly he's bragging about though.

"Oh. Cool." I say walking over to the tower of pizza boxes, "Nice to meet you." I grab a slice of pizza.

"Then do you not know who any of us are?" Tony asks in astonishment. My only response being a nod.

"I know that Nattie, Clint, and Nick work for S.H.E.I.L.D but that's about it." I say, taking a bite of my pizza afterwards.

"I guess we'll just have to introduce ourselves then." Steve says smiling at me. I realize now why I get that aching feeling from Steve. He has the same look in his eyes as Luke did when I first came to camp. Reassuring. Comforting. Telling me about my heritage and how demigods have to fight to survive even though we're children. A fact gods and demigods alike tend to forget, but Luke never did. He knew this was unfair. He knew that children shouldn't have to fight for their lives to survive. He knew. And apparently so does Steve.

I force back the sting behind my eyes. I refocus on Steve's introduction after my second of recognition. "I'm Captain America from WWII." That takes me for a loop. Everyone smiles at my surprised face before I start dying of laughter.

"Oh my Gods that's great!" I'm pretty sure that they thought I was taking it as a joke. I wipe my eyes before speaking again, "I'm gonna have to tell Nico and Hazel that!"

"You mean that pale emo kid?" Tony asks confused.

"Yeah, he got trapped in time just before WWII, and Hazel was alive for most of it I'm pretty sure." Everyone looked at me surprised, curious, or a mix of both. "Alright keep going." I say making a flicking motion with my hand.

"I'm the billionaire Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man." Tony says proudly.

"Black Widow." Nattie says simply followed by Clint's answer of Hawkeye.

Last but not least is Bruce. Bruce hesitates for a minute, looking anywhere but me. "Uh-"

"It's alright." I interrupt, getting the message that he wasn't really comfortable sharing. Bruce looks at me surprised. I return his look with smile before getting up for another slice of pizza.

"Pardon me son of Jack." Thor says grabbing my attention.

"Y'know Percy is fine." I say, opening the pizza box.

"Percy then," Thor starts again, "may I know a title you may have been given? Or what patron you are from?" Thor seems to grow tense at this question.

"So there's more than you two?" Nick asks.

"Oh yeah," I reply, "There's Egyptian, Roman, obviously Norse and Greek. Probably some others that I haven't met too." I finish my slice of pizza. "And to answer your question Thor, I'm the son of Poseidon. Greek god of the sea." Thor just seems to stare harder at this.

"The only son of Poseidon I know of in this age is the defeater of Kronos in the 2nd Titan War."

I sigh, knowing where this conversation is going. "Yeah that's me." I reply sitting back down at the table with another slice of pizza I had grabbed.

"Wait a minute a war?" Steve asked, looking me in the eyes from across the table. His expression full of worry.

"Yeah. We mentioned it in our explanation." I say diverting my gaze away from everyone else.

"I have heard of you son of Poseidon. You lead the Greek demigods valiantly in both battles." Thor says with a bit admiration in his voice. That's what I think it is anyways.

"Thor," I try. Wanting to finish this quickly before it gets crazy, but when have the fates ever been on my side.

"Percy what does he mean in both battles?" Steve interrupts my attempt in a demanding tone. One that I do not appreciate might I add.

"There was a battle last year and one earlier this year." I take another bite of pizza.

"You've been through two wars and you're not even 18?" Steve's voice only seemed to get angrier as he talked.

"Steve I probably need to explain a few things of I'm going to be here for a while." I say, setting my slice of pizza down. My tone, no longer jokingly answering the questions but serious, attracts the attention of everyone at the table. "I never wanted to be a half-blood but the fates had other plans. There's no pretending it's not sad. The gods have problems that they just don't want to solve themselves so we have to do damage control. I know you don't like that idea, Hades, most of us don't like it but it's what we have to do. What we were born to do. Whether we like it or not. I can tell that you understand that so I would appreciate it if we stopped with these reactions. That goes for all of you." I say. Looking at everyone at the table. The room was quite for a long time, my ADHD making longer. Steve staring me in the face for most of that time.

"I'm sorry Percy," I feel my eyebrows raise at Steve's response, "I'll treat you as I would any of the Avengers but you will still be a child in my eyes." He finishes, never breaking eye contact. A scar seems to flash across his face., beginning at his jaw and going up to just above his eyebrow. Blinking the image out of my mind I look back to see a ghost's eyes looking back at me.

I drop my head onto the table sighing as it fails to clear my head of him. "Gods you look like him." I mumble out, but I can tell that Steve heard me, "Fine whatever." I say lightly. Effectively ending the conversation.

But not Steve's wondering glances.