chapter twenty-six

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ROBIN WAS JUST DRIFTING OFF when the alarms started blaring. He shot into a sitting position, his hand subconsciously going to his necklace. He threw the blanket off his body with his free hand, deciding to go check out what was making a disturbance. Pietro seemed to have the same idea, because as soon as Robin left his room, a blue blur shoved him against the wall. He grunted in annoyance and ran after the taller boy, grateful for his demigod speed. Though he was nowhere near as fast, at least it was something.

It felt like he went through every room until he finally arrived to where mostly everyone else was. He had his sword out, ready for battle. Pietro glanced over at him and snickered. Robin frowned. "What?"

"Your clothes look stupid," The speedster replied, as if not realizing they were in danger.

Robin glanced down at himself. He didn't see the problem. He was just wearing his Camp Jupiter t-shirt he stole from Jason, and his favourite pair of sweatpants. He was barefoot, because what monster wears socks to sleep? He glared at Pietro. "I look better than you ever have."

Thankfully for the other Avengers in the room, Steve interrupted. "Robin, don't you have a weapon?" He questioned, his shield with him.

Robin stared at him dead in the eyes and ripped off the charm from the chain around his neck, his sword appearing in his hand. "Happy?"

"I don't think a fishing rod will do you much good in a fight," Steve said, an eyebrow raised.

"I believe that's a sword, Captain," Vision commented.

Before anyone else could comment, Tony spoke up. "Alright well if we have time for this, we might as well suit up," He said.

Robin sighed and went back to his room, changing into some flexible jeans, and actually put some shoes on. He opted to keep his camp shirt on, because purple is a nice colour, and it matched his pink hair. Neither were a stealthy colour, yet somehow he was amazing at hiding with bright colours.

He returned to see everyone else ready to go. However he still didn't know what or who they were facing. He pushed pass Steve and Tony, going right in between them, when he could've easily gone around. He really just wanted to annoy them. He glanced at the screen, which showed the news. It was a live broadcast of the Jendak monsters attacking New York. Robin winced as he saw innocent people falling to them.

He walked out of the building, going to the city. He didn't care if the others followed. Luckily, they were close by and easy to spot, considering they were everywhere. He chopped and slashed at all of the ones he saw with his sword. They weren't very durable, despite their other upgrades. Although some managed to land some hits, which would most likely leaving him to have to patchy himself up, he beat them fairly quickly. He just had a few cuts here and there, and would probably be bruised up later.

Unbeknownst to the heroes, the leader of these monsters stood brooding on the top of a building. The cyborg seethed as the Avengers struck down his army. They were ruining all his plans! They would have to be the first to go, he decided. He refused to have his grand plan fail, not after all the hard work he took in planning it, not to mention the amount of time it took to build up his army.

He just wanted to do something good. It was for the Earth, for the environment! How did no one see it? It made him want to break something, maybe smash a plate against the floor, or an Avenger against a wall.

Having enough of watching his work wither away, he addressed the crowds below. Using his technology, he broadcasted his voice so that everyone could hear. He almost smiled, as he knew he was being recorded by the news cameras.

"Citizens of Earth!" He bellowed, spreading his arms out like Loki would do. "They call me Asteroid. I am here to help you, to save you. I only want what's best for you. I will bring back peace and security to Earth. No harm will come to the planet again! That is why I am here. I will help you, free you. I hope you will allow me to do so."

He was being sincere. Despite the Avengers busting their asses fighting for the people, they cheered for this man, who would only wipe them out. Asteroid, as he called himself, disappeared from view, calling off his army. He needed more, if he wanted to do this right. He had the entirety of Earth around his finger now. He just had to bid his time.

Robin glared at the man as he left. It was the same one from his dream. Why couldn't mortals understand that he was a villain? It was almost too obvious! A big, ominous speech? The monsters stopped as he spoke, as if they too, were listening? His disappearance? The fact that he didn't even do anything to help them? It struck a nerve with the demigod. In the crowd, he spotted a familiar face wearing a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. He jogged over, waving. His sword went back to being a charm on his necklace.

The Avengers, who had gathered together, stared at the boy. Where was he going? They all kept a close eye on him, not willing to let him escape.

They watched as he conversed with a pretty Native American girl who seemed around his age. They seemed to be having a good time, until the girl punched him. Hard. Square in the face. Pietro snorted at the sight. His sister, on the other hand, winced.

Robins stumbled back a step, his hand going to hold his throbbing nose. A red liquid leaked onto his fingers. He looked at his friend, a proud grin on his lips. "Damn, Pipes. You could almost get me on the floor with a punch like that."

Piper laughed. "I'll hit you harder next time, then."

He chuckled nervously, knowing she wasn't lying. "Oh, that's okay. You don't have too."

She glanced over his shoulder, noticing the Avengers staring intently at them. She gave his friend a warning look. "Have the Avengers always been that creepy?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Robin shrugged. "To me, yeah," He answered, then furrowed his eyebrows. "Why did everyone know about these guys before I did?"

"For someone who knows way too much about pop culture, you're a dumbass," She teased.

He smiled back and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, how I missed you," He said, dazed.

Piper threw his arm off. "I missed you too, idiot. But you should probably get back to your friends before they come arrest you," She said.

Robin sighed in disappointment. "It's sad because they would do that." He kissed her cheek. "I'll try to see you soon," He promised, and waved her goodbye as he returned to the Avengers.

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