The Avenger's Assistant - A Percy Jackson Crossover

A New Day

Percy sat alone in his room holding a small, blue frosted cupcake with a single candle. It was casting eerie shadows on his face, as it was the only light source in the pitch back. He glanced at the alarm clock on the adjacent table, watching as the numbers changed from 11:59 to 12:00. He sighed.

"Make a wish." Percy mumbled to himself before blowing out the minute flame of the candle.

This would be his first birthday alone since he was 12. He plucked the candle from the dessert so the wax wouldn't drip onto the icing, even though he had no intention of eating it. The brand new adult sat the cupcake down delicately, just incase he decided to eat it at some point, though it was highly unlikely. He hadn't had much of an appetite lately.

Percy thought it would be best to try to get some rest so he could convince his mother he was okay for his 18th birthday. She had been more excited about it than he had. Gods, she was probably the only reason he chose to keep breathing. Especially after the last year he'd had, but he wasn't about to rehash those events; The nightmares did that for him. Percy waved the thoughts from his mind, instead choosing to lose himself in the dream of what he had wished for. As a child, his mother always told him that if you revealed your wish, then it wouldn't come true. Who did he even have to tell now?

His wish was for everything to go back to normal, or as normal as his life could get as a demigod. He yearned to be back in those precious moments he had with Annabeth back when the Titans were newly defeated and Hera wasn't even on the horizon-- back when the romans were a myth and Gaia was asleep. Percy realized his "happy" thoughts still made him sad, and for obvious reason. All his "happy" died with Annabeth. Still, he indulged himself in his fantasies as a birthday gift to himself. Before he knew it, sunshine streamed through the window, signaling the dawn of a new day. Well the same day, but a fresh start. He hadn't slept though, choosing not to ruin his wishes with nightmares.

Suddenly, he heard a heard a knock on his door. He hurriedly rolled over and shut his eyes, slowing his breathing to make it seem like he had slept.

"Wakey wakey, birthday boy!" His mother nudged his shoulder gently.

Eventually, Percy complied, opening his eyes to see his mom standing proudly with a plate of dyed cookies, Paul next to her with his arm around her shoulder. She donned a massive smile, blue frosting smeared across her face from frosting the rest of the cupcakes. Sally yanked Percy out of his covers and ushered him into the living room where a pristinely wrapped present sat on the coffee table. It was oddly big, and he noticed there were several small hole carved into the cardboard. It took him a minute to register what it was but his suspicions were confirmed when it barked.

"Woah, woah, woah. Mom, that's not what I think that is, right?" Percy slid across the floor in his socks to where the box was. "Guys, I can't even take care of myself. I'm not sure I'm capable to support anyone else."

"Oh! Just open it already!" Paul threw his hands up and grinned.

Percy tore the paper away and opened the cardboard flaps to the sight of a bounding puppy the size of a panda bear pillow pet. He was the color of lightly buttered popcorn, and his tongue didn't want to stay in his mouth. it was a baby Labrador. The animal leapt from its confinement, right into Percy's arms. His heart immediately melted as the pup burrowed into his arms.

"Where were you hiding this little guy?" Percy asked, petting the animal's soft fur.

"That nice lady, Mrs. Trotter, who lives in the two doors down, let him stay with her until this morning." Sally explained.

"I'm going to name you Luke." Percy cooed at his new friend.

"That's a good choice" Sally assured.

"I don't think he's allowed to be here? We're gonna have to move to somewhere they allow pets." Percy said while absentmindedly scratching behind the lab's ear.

Sally and Paul exchanged meaningful looks, motioning Percy to sit down on the couch. He sat in a chair across from them, beginning to get worried. The puppy scurried off to explore the rest of the apartment.

"What's wrong?" The Half-Blood asked.

"Well, Perce, I--" Sally grasped Pauls hand, "we've noticed you've been a little bit distant lately. We know you've gone through a lot, but we're concerned that you being cooped up in your room all day can't be good for you."

"Yeah, and we can't take care of you forever. We were hoping that this birthday might encourage you to get out there and live your own life. And your main argument is always that you don't want to be alone. Now you don't have to be." Paul finished.

"Are you kicking me out?" Percy whispered.

"No! No, no, no, nothing like that." His mother frantically waved her hands to make her point. "Just encouraging you to make something of the life you have left. Live the life your friends couldn't. You've been blessed with the time they don't have."

"Do you really want the rest of your time to be spent cooped up in your room, restless?" His step-dad pried.

"I guess not, but I wouldn't even know where to start. Would I even be able to function with normal people?" Percy sunk his head so he wouldn't have to face his parents.

Paul tossed a packet of paper to Percy. He scanned the cover page, which described the job's requirements and terms of service. He couldn't believe his eyes! The billionaire inventor super hero, Tony Stark, was hiring. He was a freaking Avenger! He had a hard time believing that Tony Stark couldn't find someone to fill an assistant position. His questions were soon answered when he read the conditions.

"Applicant must have basic to advanced combat skills in order to protect residents of the Stark Tower and Co.. Applicant must not have any fears or phobias of stressful or dangerous situations. Any injury or damage to said applicant will not be payed for by Stark Industries. Applicant must sign a waver upon entry."

Percy scoffed. Those conditions were practically the conditions to survive as a demigod. His gaze shifted to where his mom sat across from him, a bittersweet smile appearing on her face as she saw her only son grow up in front of her. He just couldn't disappoint her, he couldn't stand to let another person down.

"How do I apply?"

His mother burst into a fit of emotions. She was beaming with joy, and yet tears fell frothier cheek. The puppy, Luke, must've heard the commotion, because he ran to the group. Percy pulled his mom and Paul into a group hug, forgetting the last few moths for the first time since the War. this was a new day, and he was going to reinvent himself. If not for himself or for his mother, then for his friends, and most of all, for Annabeth, who never got to live out her dreams. It was a new day for both of them.

Authors Note--- Dang. That took me longer than I thought it would. I rattled off 1258 words though. I'm gonna try to keep each chapter to at least 1000 words each for consistency and also because I need the writing practice. I'm also going to try to do at least one or more of very two or three weeks. This one was a little rough but it'll get better once the plot develops a little more. Please tell me if there's any suggestions you have! (if anybody even reads this hehe). I'm gonna try to write as many of these before school starts again because I won't have any time then. Bye!