The Boy Born From the Sea

File: Not So Bad After All

"I really don't like you," Percy said for the fifteenth time in five minutes.

Clint just rolled his eyes, "Are you really nineteen? 'Cause I'm starting to think that you're five."

"I'm two, thank you very much," Percy retorted without much bite. He was starting to get tired.

"Right," Clint snorted. "My mistake."

"Mmhm. Don't make it again."

It may have just been Clint but he felt that Percy's voice was getting weaker as the time went on. "Damn," He cursed. "We really need to get out of here."

"Trust me-" Percy broke off into a serious of coughs and he wheezed the last part of his sentence through," -Birdbrain, I want...to get out of here...too."

"You need a hospital. You look like a lobster!"

"That's the worst one yet, Barton. What I want to do is get these damn rocks off my legs!"

Clint sat up and looked at the nineteen year old, "I don't think I want to lay here anymore."

"Good, you were taking up all the oxygen, you oxygen thief," Percy turned his upper half so it looked like he was laying on his side facing the archer. "Barton..." His voice turned uncharacteristically soft, "Don't leave me... I don't want to be alone..."

Barton looked at his friend with knowing eyes, "I won't, Jackson. I got your back."

"Good..." Percy coughed again. "Though, currently, the floor has my back so you'll have to make due with what you got."

Barton barked a laugh, looking around, "Jackson, I think I hear Steve."

"Go check."

"You sure...?"

Percy gave him a small smile, his pained filled sea-green eyes shining. He nodded his head lightly before leaning it back on the concrete floor, "I'm sure." He looked back over at the gray eyes filled with hidden worry, "I'll be fine, Clint. I don't plan on dying just yet."

Even so, Clint felt a sense of dread at the demigod's words. Maybe, it was the way he called him Clint instead of Birdbrain or Feather Face or whatever kind of nickname he and Stark had came up with. Brushing it aside, the sense of dread would still be there even if he didn't do anything. "I'll be right back, Percy. I promise."

"I'll hold you to it."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Stark, do you see anything?" Steve asked as the armored hero flew over him.

"Nothing, Cap. I'll keep searching," Tony, however, couldn't hide the anxiety in his voice. Both of his best friends were buried under buildings because of a stupid cheese monster that the Avengers couldn't even handle correctly. Oh, the matter was handled... The cheese monster ended up getting a fist full of missiles (from Iron Man), bullets (from Widow), a shield (from Cap), fists (from the Hulk), and one godly hammer (from Thor). To say the superheroes were pissed would be an understatement. It wasn't a secret that they were fond of Percy and Clint and heir tendencies to fight every time they saw each other (except for when they had cookies. That was a temporary truce).

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Wave a white flag."

"Percy-"

"Or your suit."

"Perc-"

"Your underwear?"

"SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND!" Clint calmed when the demigod did. "Thank you. There's a way out but we'd have to crawl."

"In case you haven't noticed, Sweet Pea, I'm not exactly in the position to do that."

Clint shuddered, "You've been hanging around Stark too way too much but whatever. I'm saying that I could crawl through and get someone down here-"

"No." Percy snapped. "It's too dangerous. The whole structure is unstable and could collapse at any minute. I'm not sending you out there."

"Funny, you see, I wasn't really asking your opinion. I'm going." Before Percy could say anything, Clint crawled away.

"Dammit, Barton!" Percy tugged on his legs, ignoring the pain as it pulled on his wounds, threatening to tear his legs off. He stopped, slamming his fist on the rock. "Come on, Jackson! Think!" The area shook and his brain worked a mile a minute. "Water," He looked around him. "Water. I need water." He closed his eyes, sweeping his senses out for any sign of water. His eyes snapped open, "Bingo."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"The whole place looks like it's about to come down!" Widow shouted from her view point.

"Dammit!" Tony cursed, for once, not being scolded by Steve. All Tony wanted to do was scream and shout and pray to a god he didn't even believe in that his friends would make it out alright.

"Friends, look!" Thor pointed with his hammer at a large pile of rubble. Up close, there was a stream of water waving around, looking like it was doing a belly dance.

Tony let out a half laugh, half sob, "It's them!" He shouted. "It's them!"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Clint was almost to the hole he had spotted when the whole area shook. "Shit!" Rubble fell in front of him, nearly taking off his head. He backed up as quickly as possible but it wasn't fast enough. Suddenly, when he was about to be crushed, something cool wrapped around his waist, tugging him harshly backwards.

"Wah!" He was, quite suddenly, dropped next to Percy who was panting harshly. "What...?"

"I told you..." Percy wheezed. "...that it was... unstable..." He took a deep breath which caused him to go into a coughing fit, each one harsher than the last. "I can... signal them... but then... it's all up to you..." He looked Clint in the eyes, "Don't let me down... I'm trusting you...with... my life..."

Clint blinked. 'Why do I feel like there was an 'ish' at the end of that sentence?' "Alright."

"Good," Percy closed his eyes (Clint noticed how his complexion was paler than usual) and his finger twitched. A stream of water rose shakily before squeezing through the cracks of the rocks. It suddenly dropped when they heard Tony shout. "That's... all... I can do..."

Clint watched helplessly as his friends passed out and looked up. "You know, Percy?" A smile tugged on his lips. "You're not so bad after all..."