For we once so loved the world by HowlingDarkness95
Chapter 16
When Percy next opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the ceiling of his own bedroom in the Avengers Tower. He blinked a few times, before the image and the location registered in his mind. He sat up slowly, his mind running through everything that had happened after he awoke from the spell Hecate had cast on him.
"Percy," Poseidon said, drawing the boy's attention to him, "You need to bring Loki to us, without him knowing the reason why."
Percy blinked at him, confused, "How am I supposed to do that? He's not exactly your average god you know."
Athena frowned, "That is why you are supposed to think of a way to get him here." She sniffed disdainfully, "We cannot be doing the entire work boy."
Percy scowled, "It's not that, I mean, why do I even need to get him here without him knowing? And how am I even supposed to do that? He's crazily smart, he'd find out in a heartbeat."
The goddess of wisdom sighed exasperatedly, "You have to bring him here without knowing the reason why, not without him knowing. There is a difference."
Percy gave her a deadpan stare, "No, there really isn't much of a difference, I mean, I'm supposed to get him here without knowing why, but the problem is that he'll probably know before I even get him within a mile of the Empire State Building."
Athena narrowed her eyes, "You have been assigned a job, you should do well to fulfill it. A second chance has been given to you, one that no other has been given the privilege of, it is a simple task, get Loki here but do not let him know what we plan on doing. I would have thought that being in that accursed mortal agency for three years would have given you a measure of the term subtlety."
Percy glared back at the goddess, "Yes well as I have said, in case you missed it the first time, Loki is nothing like SHIELD's normal targets, who are, if I may remind you, human. He's a freaking god, that's like asking me to bring one of you to Asgard without letting you know why you are there or what the Allfather planned to do with you."
Athena's eyes widened, "Why you - "
Zeus shouted, "Enough!" interrupting the growing argument as his master bolt shooting out bolts of lightning for good measure. He frowned at the two of them, before gesturing to Apollo to recite the prophecy.
"The world on his shoulders,
the hero shall falter and fall.
Existence in smoulder,
until he rises once more.
The trickster and ocean
shall overcome all odds.
The reign of the titan
fall by flames in due course."
Percy refused to show any emotion at the words that had just come out of Apollo's mouth. He glanced up at the king of the gods, "So essentially I need to bring him here because he is a part of the prophecy?"
Zeus nodded, ignoring Percy's mumbled 'You couldn't have told me that right from the start?' and said, "He plays an important role, or so we think, and we cannot afford for his loyalties to be divided."
Percy stumbled back in shock, "Wait what? You want to force him to claim loyalty to Olympus?" he hissed.
"No!" Hermes shouted, practically leaping forward "Nothing like that. His mind is not his own, not fully anyway. We cannot have him be in contact with the enemy, even if he does not know it."
Percy looked at him in shock, "You mean...?"
Hermes nodded, his face uncharacteristically serious, "Yes, a portion of his mind is still influenced by the chitauri and their master, hence why he seems to act somewhat bipolar."
Zeus cleared his throat, turning the attention back to him, "Bring the trickster to Olympus Percy Jackson that is your task. We cannot afford for him to deliver any knowledge to the enemy, however unknowingly."
Percy shook himself out of his flashbacks, frowning slightly when he realized that JARVIS had not said anything since he appeared in his bed. Pausing in his movements to wash up, he narrowed his eyes and called softly, "JARVIS?"
Silence.
Percy pressed his lips together, a hand creeping inside his jacket to grip his gun, the cool metal pressed against his flesh. He opened his room door quietly, peeking out. When no sound reached his ears, he opened the door wider, stepping out into the hallway. He held the gun in front of him, one hand around the trigger, the other supporting it from below. He turned left and right, inching his way towards Loki's room, keeping the wall at his back all the while. He hoped the god was alright, even though he knew that the god was more likely to kill anyone who intruded rather than sit back and take the abuse.
Percy twisted the doorknob, sparing a second to feel surprise before he opened the door. The room was still as messy and chaotic as it was yesterday- had he really been on Olympus for a whole day?- but there was no sign of the trickster god. He carefully made his way to the bathroom, which was equally devoid of one god of mischief.
Percy quickly went out of the room, his gun lowering slightly. He didn't particularly like using a gun, because his aim was still slightly off, but he didn't think that a sword was practical in this situation. Especially if his suspicions were correct. Apollo and Artemis had blessed him though, so his aim should have improved slightly, even if it was a miniscule change. He reached the common area of his level, and encountered no other. Frowning, he closed his eyes and extended his senses, heightened by the blessing he received from the gods and from the unlocking of his powers.
He stretched out his senses to his entire floor, confirming that there was no one on his level. He then turned his senses to the levels above, the action familiar even though it had been three years since he last used his powers in such a way. He 'felt' with his powers and stumbled across several beings on the top most floor, seemingly wandering around aimlessly. His eyes snapped open, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
By now he knew that the avengers were not in the tower, and he didn't know if those people had anything to do with their absence, or if they had gone on some avenger-only mission, since Loki was missing, and the whole point of the god's presence was to help the avengers. Percy sighed, he'd only been in his room for one day. One day. And everything had just gone to hell. Percy allowed a sadistic smirk stretch across his face as he tilted his head towards the ceiling, sensing the people moving around upstairs. He would have his answers soon anyway.
Thor felt like he was swimming in mud. His head was pounding as though he had had too much mead the night before, and his mouth felt as dry as the desert he had met his Lady Jane in. He felt...heavy, for a lack of better description. He groaned, bringing a hand to his head, or rather, attempting to. His entire body felt heavy, and he forced open his eyes, calling out to Mjolnir with his essence. He felt her comforting presence beside him as he wrenched his eyes open. Only to shut them a millisecond later when blinding light assaulted his eyes.
The thunder god hissed in pain, and a moment later, he felt the lights dim.
"- apologise for not dimming the light earlier Mister Odinson, I had not expected you to wake. I shall inform sir and Doctor Banner now."
Thor blinked, slightly dazed, he heard the voice but didn't acknowledge it. He moved his hand experimentally, the numbness abating as he became more alert. He flexed his hand experimentally, wincing slightly as he hefted himself into a sitting position. The door to the room he was in slammed open as one hyper genius rushed in, a big smile on his face. "Point Break! Thought I'd have to change your name to sleeping beauty with the amount of time you spent sleeping!"
Thor just stared at him, furrowing his brows, "I do not understand the references. I am a male, on Asgard, males are not usually called beauties-"
Tony waved him off, "Forget it, it's a mortal thing."
Bruce just sighed and shooed Tony out, who pouted at being chased away. Thor sat silently as Bruce checked over him, "Any discomforts?"
Thor shook his head, "There was a slight numbness before, but now that I am awake I believe it is a mere side effect of being unconscious."
Bruce nodded absently, and Thor pressed, "What happened?"
The doctor looked up at him, "You don't remember?"
Thor shook his head, "It is muddled, I cannot seem to remember the events at the base clearly." He paused, "We were at a base yes?"
Bruce nodded, scribbling down something on his Starkpadd. He pushed his glasses up, "Well, that is expected after all... for us humans at least. Temporary amnesia after a period of unconsciousness is perfectly normal, especially if you were knocked out like we suspected you were. I'm not sure about Asgardians, but sometimes if the blow to the head is strong enough, memories are lost. It'll come back eventually though." He said, grinning at Thor's suddenly alarmed look.
"How long have I been unconscious?"
Bruce blinked, "Uh, the attack was yesterday morning, so you've been out for about...slightly more than twenty-four hours. ou should get some more sleep though, you need the rest to recover fully."
Thor frowned, he looked down thoughtfully, he had a stronger physique than the mortals, to be able to render him unconscious, and for so long, it had to be someone powerful. Perhaps an individual with seidr?
He blinked, "Wait, where is my brother?"
Bruce, who was headed for the door, and Tony, who had just walked back in, both looked at him in surprise. "Eh," Tony said, shrugging, "Not sure, we brought him to one of my rooms in this house, got far too many, no idea why I made so many rooms for anyway. Its not like I even use it..."
Bruce coughed discreetly, "Right! Anyway, we took him to one of the rooms and left him there. Haven't seen him since yesterday and JARVIS never reported anything so he's most probably still sleeping."
Thor frowned, "Why is my brother unconscious? Was he injured?"
Tony looked at him weirdly, "Right, I forgot that you were unconscious. Your brother saved your life. Vanished into the base and came out with you right before the thing collapsed."
Thor froze, his eyes widening in shock, Tony would have said more, but he was cut off by JARVIS.
"Sir, Mister Jackson is attempting to get in touch."
Tony looked up for a moment, then he jumped and whooped in delight, "Hell yeah! Finally, thought the kid would never have made contact!" he dashed out of the room so quickly that it left the remaining two occupants stunned.
"Well," Bruce said, smiling slightly, "It's good to have you back, just rest for now, we still don't know what spell took you out, if it was even one, and what effects it has." He walked to the door, "I better go see what's going on, we'll inform you later."
Thor nodded, watching as the other man quickly left the room. He looked down, feeling both shock and guilty. Shock because Loki had apparently saved his life at the risk of his own, guilt because despite what Thor had claimed about Loki being his brother and the likes of it, he had given up hope on the younger prince. He felt ashamed for feeling surprised that Loki had saved his life, though he tried to convince himself that it was expected. After all, he told me numerous times that he hated me. It would be no surprise if he had left me for dead.
Still, Thor couldn't shake off the gnawing feeling in his gut. His mother's voice from so long ago echoed in his head-trust me when I say that your brother does not hate you- he frowned, fisting the sheets. There was no reason for Loki to act so secretly, if he had issues or problems he could always tell him! Hiding in the shadows like that, it would only make him look suspicious.
Thor growled in frustration, his brother had a bad habit of keeping secrets, and Thor hated it. But, an insidious voice whispered in his mind, if he had told you, would you have believed it?
Thor shook his head, he would have believed his brother. Right?
Percy closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling a tugging sensation in his gut. With the return of his powers, he had more stamina to do this than when his powers were still kept under lock and key. He breathed and with a softswoosh, disappeared into mist, much like how his father appeared and disappeared. He reappeared in the kitchen, behind the counter. Crouching quickly, he held his breath, listening for any signs of being found. When he was satisfied that he hadn't been caught, he peered round the counter.
Almost immediately he cursed in every language he knew. Silently, of course. He had sensed several human presence, but there were far more than that. He scowled, analyzing the chitauri present. They were standing in a rough circle around the group of humans. He narrowed his eyes and counted.
Seven chitauri and six humans, he thought, there shouldn't be such a big group in this place. Especially not since the avengers aren't here...
"-can you find him?" came a low voice from the assorted group.
Percy cocked his head and listened, clicking the safety off from his gun.
"No sir, he's not in this tower, we searched, and we can't operate the machine either, it shut down on its own after we tried hacking it. The search from the base hasn't given any results either-argh!" the boy was cut off as the other grabbed the front of his shirt and hoisted him off the ground. He growled, "If he isn't here, or anywhere in the world, then where the hell is he?" he roared. "Space?" the other man just trembled in fear.
Percy smirked, how about right above the Empire State Building assholes?
The man gave a disgusted snort at his underling and threw him to the ground. He turned to the others, who all stood around, shifting uncertainly. "Well?" he demanded, "What are you all waiting for? Find me Percy Jackson now!"
Percy grinned, and that, is my cue. In a fluid movement, he stood up from behind the counter and fired off in quick succession. Four of the humans dropped to the ground, while the leader had reacted quickly and whipped out his own weapon and fired back. The remaining boy was huddled on the ground, ironically having his life saved by the man who had thrown him to the ground earlier.
Percy ducked again, this time dodging both gunfire and plasma blasts. His eyes flashed and the sprinkler system came to life, something that Tony had insisted he didn't need because DUM-E was his fire extinguisher but which Pepper had insisted on installing for 'in case' situations. Percy was glad of that now, even if the situation she had in mind was probably nothing like what was happening now. In any case, it was more like the water just started bursting from the ceiling instead of the sprinkler system well, sprinkling water all over the room. The aliens and the men were all shocked, with the leader cursing and slipping slightly on the now soaked floor.
Taking advantage of this distraction, he vaulted over the counter, ducking into a roll immediately as the chitauri fired a sloppy blast in his general direction. He rolled to a kneeling position and shot the chitauri nearest to him between the eyes. The alien dropped to the floor and Percy kicked off and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the shot that was aimed at his heart. He spared a glance at the boy on the floor, who seemed to be fumbling for his weapon and froze him to the floor.
The leader of the human group snarled and leapt forward, his gun still trained on Percy. If he wasn't used to fighting in wet conditions, Percy would have been slipping all over the place like an amateur. Instead, he did a baseball slide and slipped between the legs of a chitauri, firing up into its face as he slid past. He twisted and kicked upwards, slamming his leg into another chitauri's hand, causing it to drop his weapon. His other leg bent so that he was half kneeling on the ground and he brought his gun round into the alien's face and fired point blank.
He twisted and ducked, hissing as a bullet tore past him, grazing his shoulder as he avoided it. He stood, half crouched, as the human leader and the remaining four chitauri converged on him. Scowling, Percy twisted his left foot, causing ice to cover the legs of the chitauri, they chattered in surprise, and fired into the ice that covered their legs. In that second of distraction, he disappeared and appeared behind the man, bringing his gun down hard on the man's head, watching dispassionately as he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around him.
He shifted his head to the right, feeling the heat of the blast as it sailed past him. He heard the shattering of glass behind him and winced inwardly, sorry Tony... He threw himself to the side as a chitauri leapt at him, the sharp end of its weapon aimed at his heart. The other three covered it by firing continuously at him, causing him to duck and weave through the attacks with no chance to retaliate. He twitched a hand, and a wave of water slammed into the three chitauri, giving him a chance attack. He ran at the chitauri that was attacking him, eying its look of surprise at his boldness. He smirked and disappeared, appearing right in front of it. He grinned, his left hand shooting out and grabbing the weapon, his right pulling the trigger, firing twice into the chitauri's face.
He yanked its weapon out and threw it like a javelin, cursing as he was slammed backwards by a powerful force. Winded, he rolled to the side, knowing that staying still meant certain death, even if his ribs were groaning in protest at the movement. He pressed a hand to the ground, ice shards growing and impaling the two chitauri that were unable to move fast enough. The last chitauri dodged quickly and managed to avoid getting impaled. It ran right into one of Percy's bullets as it did so, and crumpled to the ground, a hole in its skull.
Percy stood up slowly, breathing heavily. He winced a little when he breathed in a little too hard. That blast would have punched through him had he not hastily summoned a thin layer of ice to cushion the blow. Then again, he thought, grimacing, that might have bruised a few ribs.
He surveyed the entire area, which had been destroyed, again, making sure that all the chitauri and the men were dead. He heard a soft whimpering, and he turned to the boy he had frozen to the ground, moving silently towards him. He waved a hand, ice forming over the entire ceiling, stopping all water from falling. The ground was soaking wet and he looked at the boy, who stared back at him, frightened out of his wits.
He unfroze the man and waited, watching closely as the man slowly sat up, afraid of moving too much. He looked at Percy with wide eyes, who asked softly, "What is your name?"
The boy stared at him unblinkingly for a few more seconds, then said hesitantly, "M-M-Matthias s-sir."
Percy gave him a look, in the past, he would have given the boy a warm smile, but he wasn't that naive boy any longer, he knew better than to trust the boy in front of him, no matter how young and scared he might look. He just gave a neutral stare, albeit softening his gaze slightly as he crouched down, remaining several feet away.
"I'm going to ask some questions." He said, looking straight into the other's eyes, "And you're going to answer them. I won't resort to torture," he continued when he saw the slightly panicked look, "I'm not so heartless. I just want some information Matthias, is that okay?"
The man, Matthias just nodded slowly.
Percy took that as his sign to continue, "Right, who are you with? And why are you looking for me?"
Matthias just gulped and licked his lips slightly, "I-I'm with SHIELD actually," he whispered, looking down, "As in, I work for them, but in a way I work with Mr Stark as well, one of the security guards in this building."
"Is that how they got in?"
"I-I'm sorry!" the boy cried out, "Th-they threatened m-me, and my family. They said that they'd kill them if I didn't help them!"
Percy leaned back, glancing sympathetically at the boy in front of him. Well, they were almost the same age, but Percy had seen too much to even consider himself a boy anymore.
The boy shifted on the ground, continuing, "Th-they killed them anyway." He whispered, "They promised but they killed them anyway. I, I didn't know what to do, but they forced me to do it, I swear I'm sorry!"
Percy didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the boy. Matthias swallowed nervously and said, "I-I'm not sure why they were looking for you, only that they need you for something or the other."
Percy inhaled sharply, frowning, he was familiar with being hunted, it was practically how he lived since he was born, but those that hunted him were usually monsters or gods or titans or even primordials, they weren't usually humans and aliens. He turned back to the boy, "Tell me Matthias, is SHIELD compromised?"
The boy nodded silently, "Most of them were killed in the initial attack, while the chitauri took up their forms. Some of the others gave in and agreed to work with them." He hesitated slightly, and then peered up at Percy, "I don't know where they took the director."
Percy scowled, annoyance flashing through him. Now he didn't know whether or not the director was alive - how did the boy even know that he was going to ask that anyway? A nagging feeling told him that Fury may very well have been killed by the aliens. He hissed under his breath, startling the other boy. He glanced at him apologetically, "How old are you?" Matthias licked his lips and replied, "Almost nineteen sir."
Percy nodded, as I thought, he's just a few years younger than I am. He tilted his head slightly, "Stay here, I'm going to contact the avengers."
He was startled when the other leapt forward and grabbed his arm, a dagger materializing in his other hand on instinct. Matthias froze, looking at the dagger at his throat warily, he gulped, "I-I-I'm sorry. I j-just wanted to say that I-I don't think that contacting the avengers is a good idea."
Percy moved the dagger away by a few centimeters staring at the boy suspiciously, "Why not?"
"B-Because I'm supposed to be working against th-them remember? What if they think I'm a spy?"
Percy tilted his head, choosing his words carefully, "I'm sure that that is not the case. But I have to contact them. That's not up for negotiation. We'll settle the other loopholes later."
The boy nodded meekly and let go. Percy eyed him critically and stood up, turning to find a Starkpad that he could use to 'wake' JARVIS up. He walked to the kitchen, leaving the boy there, supposedly unsupervised. Which wasn't through, because Percy had tagged him with his senses. As far as he knew, the boy was either a really a good actor, or he truly was afraid, and as he wasn't the god of truths, nor the god of lies, he couldn't tell. Once out of sight, he disappeared and appeared on Steve's level, silently apologizing to the other for rummaging through his room. He knew that Steve had a Starkpad somewhere, though he almost never used it.
Once he found it, he immediately unlocked it, rifling through the programs, wondering silently how he could contact JARVIS. In the end, he found an interface that allowed him to order JARVIS manually. Blinking in surprise at his luck, he thanked Tony for creating this interface, which was primarily for Thor and Steve, who were unused to the technology that was JARVIS and uncomfortable with speaking to air that they found it easier to just type their requests, though Thor tended to punch through the pad.
He grinned, typing silently on the pad, waiting for a moment before an almost unnoticeable hum filled the air. "JARVIS?" he questioned, hoping that the AI was awake.
A short pause then- "Mister Jackson."
Percy grinned, putting down the pad on Steve's bed. "Hey JARV, how're you feeling?"
"I feel perfectly fine Mister Jackson. Thank you for asking. What may I help you with?" Came the reply.
"Right," Percy said, his voice serious, "Can you connect me to Tony? He's the one that has the suit that can connect with you. And," he paused, "Keep this on this level, I don't want Matthias, the other guy upstairs, to know."
"No problem."
Percy waited for a moment before Tony's excited voice sounded, making Percy roll his eyes. "Hello Stark." He said, cutting into Tony's senseless babble. It was a comical sight to behold as the avengers minus Thor all scrambled to fit into the screen, each screaming their 'Hello'. Well, Natasha didn't scream, she just nudged her way in and said hello. He raised an eyebrow at their antics and sighed, crossing his arms, waiting for them to settle down. Eventually, Steve emerged on the screen, with the rest scattered about him.
"Percy," Steve said, relief evident in his voice, "Did anything happen to you?"
Percy blinked, cocking his head to one side, "Why? Did something happen to you guys?"
Steve sighed, "We got into a bit of trouble when we went to answer a distress call."
Percy narrowed his eyes, "Does this have anything to do with SHIELD?"
The avengers all looked at him in shock, "How-?" Steve stuttered.
Sighing, Percy looked upwards, a frown tugging at his lips, "Because I've just been attacked by SHIELD personnel and chitauri alike, and I've received news that SHIELD has been compromised."
"Shit." Tony cursed, "What happened to them? And where did they attack you?"
"Ah," Percy winced, rubbing a hand behind his head, "About that, I'm sorry Tony, uh, you probably need to redecorate. Again."
Tony blinked for a moment then groaned, "Not again." He grumbled.
He was pushed aside by Natasha, who looked at him sternly, "We were attacked on the quinjet, and the base we received the distress call from was a trap for us. What happened to you?"
Percy frowned, and began telling them about how he felt that someone was watching his every move when he was on the Helicarrier and how when he escaped and came back he found a group of chitauri and humans in the living room. He decided to omit the part about him detouring for a visit to Olympus, the avengers didn't need to know about that just yet. When he finished, they all stood in contemplative silence.
"You mentioned this Matthias, is he trustworthy?" Natasha said.
Percy frowned, "No." he said bluntly, "He looks like he's afraid, and I believe that he is afraid, but I don't know how much of it is an act and how much of it is not. I'm not a good judge when it comes to these kind of stuff." He replied honestly.
Natasha nodded and looked at Steve, who looked back at her. The avengers exchanged a glance before Steve turned back to him, "Right, just bring him here then, we'll keep an eye on him. If he is a spy... I don't want him running around outside."
"Tch." Clint snorted, crossing his arms over his chest, glaring, "As if taking care of one asshole isn't bad enough."
Percy scowled at him, "Speaking of, where's Loki?"
Bruce answered this time, "He's in his room, he kind of exerted himself trying to get us out of this mess."
Percy frowned in concern, "What happened?"
"Well..."
"Its too long to say now, you should get here as fast as possible." Steve said.
Percy raised an eyebrow, "How, exactly am I supposed to get to wherever you are?"
Tony cursed, "Fuck. I forgot, we're in Malibu, I have a house here. And for how to get here..." he turned to the other avengers, who looked as lost for ideas as him.
"We can't just take the quinjet over." Natasha murmured.
"Neither a private plane, SHIELD monitors those." Clint said.
"Thor's out of the question, he needs to rest." Bruce interjected.
Tony shrugged, "The suit can't carry two people and SHIELD recognizes it anyway."
"Mortals, so useless. I'll fetch him." A voice piped up from behind them.
Almost collectively, the five avengers whirled around to face the newcomer. Percy blinked, slightly shocked at the god's appearance. From the short time he knew the other, he recognized that the other preferred to look as immaculate as possible. To see him so haggard and disheveled now... Percy was shocked indeed.
"Are you sure you should be going anywhere looking like that?" Percy asked.
A glare was his only response.
"Fine," he said, shrugging carelessly, "It's up to you. But I have another person with me. Can you transport the both of us?"
Loki scowled, "What do you take me for, a weakling?"
"Well," Percy said, smirking, "You did collapse didn't you?"
If looks could kill, Percy would have shriveled up by now, but he was used to beings of power glaring at him for one reason or the other, so he just grinned cheekily at the god of mischief.
"That was a situation with extenuating circumstances." Loki said stiffly, "It will not happen again."
Percy just continued grinning, "Well, I don't know, I don't feel like being left behind mid-teleportation."
However he did it, Loki's glare intensified, "If you keep that up," he hissed, "I will leave you behind mid-teleportation, as you call it."
The avengers just stared, transfixed at the banter between the two of them.
"Woah wait." Tony said, cutting between the two of them, "Who said anything about you going Reindeer Games?"
Loki just turned a disdainful glance on him, "You have no other options to fetch them over. Obviously, I am the only one you can rely on. Again."
He just smirked at them and disappeared, appearing behind Percy, who just sighed, looked apologetically at the avengers and cut the connection.
He turned to give a disapproving glance at Loki, who just looked at his nails as if they were the most important thing in the world. "You could have just told them."
"Where is the fun in that?"
Percy scowled, "Look, I know you don't just spontaneously do things for a reason, let alone offer to do something that could be seen as an errand. Why the Hades did you offer to pick me up?"
Loki smirked, "Well then, you are an observant one aren't you, Perseus?" he purred, leaning in.
Percy just crossed his arm and glared at the god, raising an eyebrow.
Loki just sighed, "Not fun at all." He looked at the boy, "You feel different. More powerful, and I want to know why."
Percy didn't give away anything, but inwardly he was panicking, he'd just come back from Olympus a bare hour ago, and already Loki, who had taken a look at him for less than five minutes, through a computer screen, could tell that he was different.
"Different?" Percy snorted, "I'm still the same. Maybe your senses are muddled. You sure you should be up and walking about?" He said, turning away from the god.
He was shocked when he was yanked backwards, the god holding his arm in a tight grip. "You cannot lie to the god of lies Perseus. How many times must I say that?"
Percy glared at him, "What do you want?" he said lowly.
"I want you to tell me why." Loki smirked, "If not... I shall leave you behind mid-teleportation."
Percy glared at him. He didn't want people to know so quickly, but on the other hand... He did have permission from above to tell when it was necessary.
"I'll tell you in Malibu. No, that's not up for negotiation."
Loki just stared into his eyes, determining if he was going to back out. The god leaned back, releasing his arm, "That wasn't so hard was it? You truly are interesting Perseus." He said, walking down the hallway.
Percy just rubbed the area where the god had grabbed his arm, he glared at the floor, cursing Hermes' name. He remembered what the god had told him just before he left Olympus.
"Percy wait!"
Percy turned, and saw a certain jogger running towards him. He tilted his head to one side, not really wanting to talk to this particular god.
"Percy," Hermes said, wincing slightly at Percy's expression, his blue eyes boring into Percy's, "I know you've done so much already. But, if its possible, please, can you talk to Loki?"
Percy blinked, "I'm already going to have to talk to him isn't it?"
"No, not like that." Hermes said, licking his lips, "Talk to him, as a friend. Please. He, he deserves a second chance. The attack on New York was never his fault. And, he was never like this in the past."
Percy just stared at him, "You want me to talk to him, like how I talked to Luke?"
Hermes winced again at the mention of his dead son, but nodded, "He was my friend Percy," the god said quietly, "He's changed, but I believe that he's still in there somewhere."
Percy looked at the god and nodded, watching mutely as a relieved smile emerged on the god's face.
"Thank you."
Percy shook away the memory, wondering if Loki felt like he did, like there was something confusing yet interesting about the other. He followed the god down the hallway.
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