Olympian Endgame [Percy Jackson/Avengers Crossover]

Chapter 2 - School

Aunt May had forced Peter to go to school by the end of the third week. He had tried to argue, but getting into a fight with his Aunt in front of over one hundred witnesses was never a good idea.

She had found the glasses.

He had been bored, lying on the sleeping bag that worked as his bed and couch, when May sat next to him and brought up the dreaded subject.

"He wouldn't want this for you, Pete."

Peter shot up. That was when he saw the sleek black case in her hands. He tried to snatch it back, but May was faster. What was the point of spider powers if you couldn't even keep secrets from your Aunt?

"Give it back," he said, swiping for it again.

"You can't hide him at the bottom of your bag, anymore, Pete." Her eyes were soft. Peter knew that look. He knew what was coming, but that didn't stop him from wincing when she said it. "I know this is hard, but you can't let yourself fall into this again."

"I'm not falling into anything," he insisted. "Just— please." He stopped trying to take the case.

"It took you three months, Peter," Aunt May said. "I know you need to grieve, but avoiding it and avoiding your friends is not going to make you feel better. The world is grieving his loss as well. You don't have to go through this alone."

But he did, because the world didn't know Mr Stark like Peter had. They only saw him as a hero, a saviour, an avenger. Peter saw him as all of those things, and more. And if getting over it meant stuffing anything that reminded him of Mr Stark into the bottom of his bag, then so be it.

"I just think you should talk to Ned," May said.

He couldn't. This wasn't like what it was with Uncle Ben. He wasn't going to fall into the depressive state he had been in after Ben had died. He was better than that. He knew better than that. But he needed more time. More time to heal, to forget, to come to terms with the fact that Mr Stark wasn't a phone call away anymore.

Peter made a grab for the glasses again, and May let him. She stood up, ruffled his hair, and then left. The next day, she sent him off to school with no room for 'ifs' or 'buts'. She was completely convinced that it was going to be like the time after Ben's death, and Peter couldn't explain otherwise.

So that's how he found himself at school. Ned was there. The moment he saw Peter, he'd rushed over and given him a hug. Peter could have burst into tears then and there. Instead, he hugged back, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

"You sure you're okay to be here," Ned asked as he pulled away. Peter nodded. He wasn't, but he couldn't go anywhere else. May would kill him if he wagged - and he couldn't even use the Spiderman excuse, she'd see right through it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Peter went to shake his head, but remembered what May had said.

"I went to space," he managed.

"Dude!" Ned exclaimed. "Did you meet any aliens?"

"Yeah," Peter smiled. He'd missed this. He explained the encounter with Peter Quill, Drax and Mantis, and the time on the space ship. He didn't mention Mr Stark, but he was able to talk about Doctor Strange. It was nice; talking. Ned absorbed it all, asking questions in a low whisper.

"What did the aliens look like?"

"What was the planet called?"

"Mantis - she could actually sense emotion? That's so cool. I wonder what other aliens can do - do you think there are ones who can read your minds? Do you think there are any who look like Jar Jar Binks?"

"Maybe," Peter laughed, feeling infinitely better. The bell rung as they took their seats. Two new kids sat in front of them. Peter swept a glance over the room. A lot of new kids sat in the class. The teacher began, taking the roll, and Peter sat back, feeling more alive than he had in a long time. Sure, the ache was still fresh and present. But maybe May was right. Maybe talking to Ned had been a good idea.

The teacher allowed them time to talk before the first bell. Peter collected his things, and the kid who sat in front of him turned around.

"I thought it was you!" The boy exclaimed.

"Hi." It was the boy from a few days earlier - Pedro... not Peter...

"I'm Percy Jackson," he said, drumming his fingers on the back of his chair. "Sorry again about running into you."

"It's fine," Peter said.

"I'm Ned," Ned said. "This is Peter."

"Nice to properly meet you," Percy said, his cheeks crumpling in a smile. "This is my girlfriend, Annabeth." He tapped the girl sitting next to him on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled. She was the same girl from the day before, the one with the stormy grey eyes. Peter's spider senses were going nuts around these two - he hadn't noticed it before, but there was a tingle in the back of his neck, sensing something dangerous about the two new kids.

"Where are you from?" Peter asked.

"Long Island," Annabeth replied. "We were blipped and lost the house, so now we're staying with a friend."

"You lived together?" Ned asked.

"Yeah," Percy shrugged. "Family drama."

"We also lost our homes," Peter said, gesturing between him and Ned. "My Aunt May is trying to work with the Salvation Army at the moment to try and fix it - a lot of people have been displaced."

"I'm surprised there isn't more riots, honestly," Annabeth said. "I would have thought the world would be more angry about losing their homes to total strangers."

"Give it time," Ned shrugged. Peter started drumming his fingers against the table, mimicking Percy.

"You want to sit with us at lunch?" Percy asked as the bell went. Peter looked at Ned for permission. He shrugged.

"Sure," Peter said warily. "Why not?"

"Great!" Percy said, getting out of his chair. "See you then."