Demigods Assemble (PJO/MCU)

Chapter 20

Tony

It was clear from the moment Sally Jackson opened her door that she hadn't expected anyone besides Percy and Annabeth. To her credit, she didn't linger on Tony, Peter, or Steve very long, and instead pulled her son in for a hug. The woman had bright blue eyes, long brown hair with streaks of gray that somehow didn't make her look old, and was dressed simply in jeans and a light blue blouse.

"Thank the gods you're okay." She sighed into Percy's shoulder.

Percy hugged her back, looking content. "Me too, Mom. Sorry for disappearing like that."

"I'm just glad Annabeth called me yesterday so I wasn't worrying all night," Sally said, bringing Annabeth into the hug. When they separated, the novelist studied Tony, Peter, and Steve. "Who are your friends?"

Percy pointed at the three of them in turn. "Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Steve Rogers. They're all Avengers."

"It sounds like a lot happened yesterday," Sally said with a pointed look at her son.

Percy winced. "Yeah, um, why don't we go inside? We'll tell you everything."

They gathered in the living room where Sally took the armchair and Tony, Steve, and Peter squished together on the couch. Percy and Annabeth each sat on one of the armrests, and the five of them enjoyed a plate of blue cookies Sally had put out.

"You always seem to know when I'm gonna be back and you always have cookies ready," Percy said, smiling around a cookie.

Sally beamed at him. "I know my boy."

"Why are they blue?" Peter wondered. Tony had been curious about the same thing, but Steve was looking embarrassed, as though he had assumed this was some 21st-century thing he didn't know about yet.

Percy and Sally shared a laugh, and then Sally answered, "My first husband and I had a disagreement about blue food once, so now I try to make everything blue. And it's Percy's favorite color."

"Oh, I didn't know we had visitors," a new voice said, drawing Tony's attention to the doorway.

A thirty-something man with salt-and-pepper hair wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a brown jacket stood there holding a small wriggling bundle in his arms. When a pair of flailing fat fists became visible, Tony concluded that this must be Paul Blofis, the step-father, and Estelle Blofis, the half-sister.

"Hey Paul," Percy greeted, confirming Tony's belief. "Sorry for not coming home yesterday, we got caught up in something. This is Tony, Peter, and Steve, they're Avengers."

"So, I guess they're no longer investigating you?" Paul chuckled, coming forward and kissing Sally on the top of her head. He passed the baby off to her, and she cooed at the child.

"No," Annabeth said. "A lot happened yesterday. When we went to Central Park, the Chimaera attacked us." Sally gasped, but Annabeth continued before she could say anything. "It was fine, we took care of it, and we learned that Echidna is working with Phorcys and Keto. But Tony and Peter were watching us and wanted answers, so we went back to their facility and explained everything to them. We know all about who they are now, and they know who we are. We found out that Echidna, Phorcys, and Keto are working with HYDRA, a secret mortal organization that these Avengers have dealt with before. So, we're working together. We spent the night at their compound and trained together earlier today to get a feel for everyone's abilities. But Percy had another dream."

Percy sighed, looking a little guilty as Sally stared at him in horror. "It was Echidna, Phorcys, and Keto again. We know that they're going to attack in a week, and they think they'll win if the fight happens beneath Mount Olympus."