The Fallen Hero (Percy Jackson x Avengers Crossover)

7: Don't Touch the Pillow Pet!

Percy's eyes watered as they stuck what looked like a foot-long Q-tip up his nose, and he sneezed violently once they pulled it out. 

One of the Hazmat people was filling out a sheet with his description. He glanced at Percy, "I need your name, age, height, and weight."

"Um...Percy Jackson...what day is it?"

"August 12th."

"Okay, so 17...I'm like, 5'11" maybe? And...175 ish pounds I think."

The agent nodded and scribbled it all down. "We'll get you an official check-up later, assuming your test comes back negative. Chances are you'll have doctors poking at you day and night, trying to figure out what makes you immune."

Percy blinked and yawned. "But I'm not immune,"

The man shuffled back quickly, "What do you mean? Are you saying you're sick right now?"

"No, I'm saying I already had it. I got over it."

It was hard to read the man's facial expressions from behind his Hazmat suit, but Percy figured his mouth was probably hanging open. For some reason that happened to people a lot when he talked.

The man scootched away from Percy and went to join his unit. 

Percy let his head tilt to the side and rest against the wall. He was too tired to go after him. He wanted nothing more than to slide to the floor, close his eyes, and sleep, but he didn't think he'd ever be able to force himself up again if he did. He touched his swollen eye gingerly, then ran a hand over his ribs. 

He must not have been out that long; he still felt like he had been run over by an automaton. 

No, don't think of that. 

Images of Bianca Di Angelo getting crushed by an automaton flashed through his mind. He could only imagine the pain he had put Nico through when he broke that promise. 

Suddenly someone was shaking his shoulder, and he was being pulled upright off the wall. 

"Either you were right, immune, or you beat the system, kid." A voice announced from one of the Hazmat suits. "Congratulations, you got a negative test and a free ride outa here."

Percy blinked his eyes heavily, trying to shake the fog covering his brain. He must have dozed off for a minute there. His heart sank at the man's words. 

A free ride outa here.

That was the last thing he needed. He should be locked up in here, away from civilization. He shouldn't be allowed to hurt anyone else. 

Two of the Hazmat men draped his arms over their shoulders to help him walk. Percy's ribs cried out in protest, but he managed to ignore the pain to some degree; he would have fallen on his face ten times by now without the assistance.  

When they stepped outside Percy froze. There was hot sunlight beating down on him, birds singing, green trees and grass and...it all seemed too good to be true. How long had it been since he had seen the sun? Only a couple of days, but it felt like an eternity. He wanted to just lie down and bask in it, soaking up all the sunlight he could, like a lizard or something. 

Unfortunately, then Hazmat men had other ideas. 

The next few minutes passed in a blur of people rushing about, large trucks driving up, ambulances, and noise. Percy had no idea what was going on. Someone helped him into the back of an ambulance and had him sit on the little bed-on-wheels inside. 

An EMT decked out in blue medical equipment--Percy liked him just for that--filled a syringe and turned to inject the boy, meaning to sedate him. 

But Percy was already asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around the panda pillow pet that had been sitting on the bed.