Son Of None

Percy's Playing Catch-Up

Nothing happened for several days. Tantien Soter had indeed disappeared from camp, and many of the Nike kids were very upset about it. He was, apparently, a favorite sibling.

Jeannie seemed to be on edge at all times. Percy didn't really blame her, she clearly loved her older brother.

"How's Tony?" He walked into the infirmary. Will gave him a once over, as usual, checking to make sure he wasn't limping or anything.

"His pulse spiked for a few minutes today, but then went back to normal. We think he was having a nightmare."

"When?"

"This morning, I think it was around ten."

Percy grunted and nodded, walking over to the mechanic's bed. "The fever broke though, yeah?"

"Yep. Yesterday."

"Well, that's good. If you still want me to get Bruce in here- for purely medical reasons-" Will flushed and threw a roll of gauze at him, "I can get him in here. I've been thinking about bringing the Avengers in anyway, they'll be helpful if we're fighting a high-profile goddess because she won't know as much about them. Especially if I teach them some fighting."

"Whatever you need to do, Jackson. If you end up doing that and any of them can help me out with Mr. Stark, I'd be very grateful."

Percy grunted and looked at Tony again.

"He looks pale-"

Loki grunted in pain as the son of Ouranos flinched and punched him in the gut. "Okay... I deserve that...."

"I told you to stop using your magic around me like that." Percy complained. "I don't know why you're surprised."

"I told you too, for the record." Zoë shook her head as she walked up.

"Any luck?" Percy asked.

Her expression flashed with annoyance. "No. He's been infuriatingly hard to track. It's very clear that he's not working alone in this. I can tell he's heading West, for now."

Will was half-listening as he tended to Tony, and he suddenly looked up. "There were actually a few kids who left for Camp Jupiter the same day that Soter went AWOL. They were planning on doing some sort of cross-country trip instead of having the gods just transport them."

Zoë's eyes lit up. She always had been, and still was, a hunter and a tracker. She loved the thrill of chasing prey, finding trails and following them.

"If there's a group of people that are possibly on Tantien's side you'll need someone to go with you." Percy pointed out, seeing that look on her face.

"Well it won't be you." Zoë replied smoothly.

"I wasn't going to suggest myself, don't worry about that." Percy shot her an evil grin when she looked in his direction. "I was going to say that Loki should go along with you."

"Absolutely not!" Zoë interjected, eyes widening indignantly. "No way in Hades am I taking that exasperating- that maddening-"

"Handsome, clever," Loki interjected with a smirk.

"Irritating and pestilential." Zoë crossed her arms, glaring in his direction.

Someone made a faint noise of amusement and Percy glanced in that general direction.

"Pestilential," Tony muttered, his eyes opening just a little. "I'll have to remember that for the next time Rhodey or Steve won't leave me alone."

"Tony!" Percy went to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been thrown across a busy highway a couple times... which is, unfortunately, a feeling that I am fairly familiar with." Tony grunted and brought a hand up to rub his face, then hissed in pain and looked at the back of his palm.

"Am I in a hospital?"

Percy chuckled. "Sort of? Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. You're not allowed to talk about anything you see here, unless you one hundred percent know that the person you're talking to has been here too-"

"Total secrecy, got it. I do that with a lot of things... can someone get me some water?"

Will came over at that moment just then, holding a glass of water and some pills. "How are you feeling, Tony?"

The mortal man eyed him momentarily. "Aren't you a little young to be a doctor? Or a nurse?"

"Aren't you a little old to be wearing a Hello Kitty watch?" Will quipped in response. Tony grunted, grinning weakly. "I've got water, and you need to take these pills."

Deciding that Tony was in safe hands, Percy turned back to Loki and Zoë.

They were glaring at each other, but he had the feeling that an agreement had been reached.

"Zoë, if you want to catch up to those kids you two better get moving."