Just Not Ready (A Female Percy Jackson/ Avengers Crossover)

XXII

Percy held her breath as her flight descended into JFK. For some reason it kept her calm while she processed the feeling of going down. Her therapist had suggested a trip back to New York might be best when she first mentioned a change of scenery.

Tommy was sad to see her go, but Percy didn't want to live the small life of that town. It wasn't her. It wasn't her home. May was excited for Percy to take the next step in her life, but the young mother was clearly heartbroken to say goodbye to her best friend so soon after childbirth. Neither of the two Virginians had much reason to worry though. They could handle themselves, Percy was confident, and she could do the same. The most comforting part of leaving was knowing her two best friends in Virginia would take care of each other and the new baby. Their sadness would subside and Percy could still visit whenever.

Four months ago when the Avengers tracked her down, it was a wake up call of sorts. Suddenly it was clear that Percy had a lot of things to work through. She began therapy with a very smart woman who helped her understand her fears were only festering and growing worse when she was avoiding her problems. And her biggest fear was returning home to resume the life she wished she held onto before enlisting.

So here she sat, in an airport Starbuck, considering her next move. Finally turning her phone back on, she checked the two contacts she texted before boarding to find only one response. He said he wanted to meet but he was busy until late tomorrow night. She agreed to meet at a convenient place for them both.

It was scary to think about walking out into the city. It would be cold, towards the end of autumn this time of year. So Percy ordered another coffee to warm her fingers when she walked into the streets. And as she stepped out, her eyes floated up to the low grey clouds that hung above the skyscrapers. No sun to blind her today.

Strange, the demigod thought as her feet began carrying her through the streets. A home could be so many different things, every home she'd lived in had been something different to her - a heaven, a hell, a haven. Her last had been a hiding spot, or a holding place. But her uncle's tower was always a beacon that drew her in like the ocean. Even if she hadn't remembered the way, her feet knew where to go. Despite the city feeling like a labyrinth after six years, every road led right back to her destination.

---

Tony didn't expect to find his niece when he came up from his lab for a snack. But he did.

She was asleep on the couch, just like he'd seen her do as a teenager, time and time again. For a moment, it felt like it did back then, six and a half years ago, when she was a carefree teen unburdened by her past. Tony wanted to go back, he realized as the feeling faded away. Back to the time when she came in after school and dropped onto the couch with no worries except boys and grades, even if it had all been a lie. At least everything was still in his hands, before it had spiralled into the mess it became. He didn't even want to know what they had done to her, but he needed her to tell him. Seeing her as a daughter, he knew he couldn't break her trust and look into her military files. But he still needed to know, because he cared about her and he yearned to understand her, to help her.

And he didn't know how to do that in the moment, so he grabbed her old favorite blanket from the bottom of the stack in the closet and laid it across her. Then he sat down by her feet and grabbed the remote. He played a movie in the background and began reading on his phone, forgetting about the snack he was heading for.

The other Avengers wouldn't be around for a while. Clint went home as quickly as possible after everything went down, eager to return to retirement. Wanda and Peter moved out, one for school and the other because she was incredibly mad at Tony, and she had good reason. The others had stepped in to work for the Avengers training program SHIELD had instituted. So it would just be Tony and Pepper alone, unless Percy wanted to stay, which he would always be happy with.