Shards (A Percy Jackson and Avengers Crossover)

Loki Being Low-Key, and Percy being... Percy

IMPORTANT: The italicized bold near the end is directly from The Last Olympian when Percy swam in the Styx. It just worked so well there I decided to use it.

Loki prided himself on being smart, especially smarter than his brawns-over-brains adopted brother. And yet, here he was.

Fighting a losing battle against a crazy Greek primordial—of the Pit, no less—with an inept demigod-turned-god.

If someone had told him three months ago that he'd be doing this, he'd have laughed and said he'd never do something that stupid.

How the mighty had fallen.

A smirk played upon Tartarus' lips. He swung his weapon effortlessly, his huge stature making the giant broadsword look like a kid's toy. "Why are you doing this, Loki of Asgard?" Tartarus cocked his head, his smirk deepening. "Or should I say Jotunheim?"

Loki schooled his face into his usual impassive look. If there was one thing he was good at, it was lying—or bluffing, in this case.

"I was... incentivized."

"I doubt you couldn't have weaseled yourself out of this suicide mission." A raised eyebrow. "I thought you smarter than this."

So did I.

"So why are you really doing this? Perhaps you long to be a hero? To be adored instead of scorned. To be the golden child, like your brother."

Adopted.

Loki's teeth flashed. "You should not underestimate me. Or presume to know anything about me. Many have made that mistake. But few have lived to regret it."

Tartarus tilted his head back, howling his laughter. Loki kept his amused expression planted on his face. "Ah, little trickster. You amuse me. Both you and the godling do." Tartarus' eyes glinted. "But that will make killing the two of you all the more fun."

The deity's eyes drifted past Loki to where Percy stood, eyes closed in concentration. "Whatever little trick the two of you have concocted, you must know it won't work against me."

"Ah, well, I'm sure you enough about me to know I always have a plan B." A flash of teeth. Another bluff. "Or a plan C, in this case."

"Hmm. Then perhaps I should stop your stalling."

Loki stiffened, blocking Tartarus' sudden attack with double blades. He grunted under the weight but twisted and used the primordial's momentum to slide the blade away from him.

His clone appeared behind Tartarus. The clone's knife pinged off Tartarus' armor, and the immortal slashed through the copy. Loki used the chance to plunge his knife into a gap in his black armor. Tartarus growled. Loki jerked back, a line of pain slashing through his abdomen.

Tartarus spun. He lunged for Percy and swung. His sword bounced off the now-visible shimmering barrier around Percy.

Loki grinned, blood between his teeth. "Nice try." His eyes glinted with madness. "But you'll have to work a little harder than that."

Tartarus turned back with a growl and renewed his attack on Loki. Loki quickly lost ground. He was already past his limit, not to mention he was keeping the shield around Perseus up.

Loki was quickly nearing a burnout.

If he didn't get his head chopped off first, that was.

He ducked under another swing, swiping low. Agony exploded from a deep slash wound in his stomach. Loki faltered. A thin stripe of blood surfaced on his left arm when he barely dodged a swipe from the broadsword. He fell backwards. Tartarus surged forward.