Well I have one last update for 2018. Is it me or has this year gone on for forever? XD Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and have a fabulous last day of the year! Love y'all and I wish you a very happy new year!

Also, I have a little trouble with keeping everyone in character, so if anyone seems off, I'm sorry about it in advance. I try X'D

-

Percy's expression was almost unnaturally gentle and soft, his lashes dark against his tanned cheekbones and his chest rising and falling evenly with each deep breath he took. The exact picture of someone in a peaceful slumber.

He wasn't though.

He hadn't been the entire time, but so far no one had managed to realize.

His mind was racing with thoughts, as per usual. He could hear Wanda breathing slowly from the chair beside him. Now she was definitely sleeping. And had been for quite a long time. So had Sam, actually. He had been hearing small snores coming from the man's direction occasionally, and when he had looked earlier, he had seen him strung over two seats with his eyes closed and his mouth slightly agape. He wouldn't have been surprised if he started to drool.

He'd been faking his relaxed pose for just over an hour or so. It was difficult to tell time with his eyes closed after all, but he could estimate pretty well. After all, he did have practice. He had often had to sit and wait for targets and perfect opportunities to arrive in order to complete his missions the best way he could. Even if that meant remaining still for hours on end.

Maintaining his current position had been far too easy, and none of them even doubted him. He wasn't sure if that disappointed or relieved him. They had managed to lose Stark quickly enough after they had directed their course into his storm, allowing him to disband it again sooner than he had thought he would. That had been great, since he hadn't been sure he would be able to last much longer holding it up. He'd probably have passed out right there and then. Thankfully, that had not been the case. Things had calmed down after that, and everyone had settled down quickly enough.

He shifted in his seat and tilted his head further back against the headrest, an almost satisfied sigh-like breath escaping his slightly parted lips. There was no sound save for the gentle humming of the jet's purring engine beneath his feet and the soft living signs of the other passengers. The lights inside had dimmed until the cabin was bathed in comfortable shadows and only the barest hints of illumination were left present, as if they were twinkling stars in the sky.

Before he had started feigning sleep, he had noticed that the sun had already set a while ago in the area they were currently flying over. The outside world was dark and silent, the clouds their only companion in the quiet of the night. The sky shone with the deepest hues of blue and black, the only break in the constant darkness being the glimmering starshine above and the white clouds that drifted past like great ethereal beings.

Always moving, shifting, changing.

Never intruding.

Never disturbing.

Simply being.

Peaceful and benign.

Beautiful in an otherworldly, yet natural way.

The aircraft swayed from side to side slowly, the feeling reminding him of the soothing feeling of being in water, waves rippling and washing over him, his body rocking along gently. Going along with the flow without any complaint. Smoothly. Placidly.

A warmth spread through his chest at the comparison's rather pleasant familiarity. The vague thought put a serene smile onto his face, and in the back of his mind he was definitely glad that it must've looked like he was just dreaming. The entire atmosphere just felt like what he imagined being at your home was like. Subdued. Comfortable. Safe. He couldn't recall feeling this at ease in a long time.

The tranquility of the motions around him and the companionable silence slowly lulled his mind into an unwilling, yet not unwelcome state of complete bliss. His thoughts slowly became foggy and clouded over, giving way to the soothing peacefulness instead. And for once, he allowed himself to relax and let his guard down.

He didn't know how long had passed in his almost dream like state, but at some point he became aware of a hushed voice coming from the front of the aircraft. With an inaudible, almost mournful sigh, he pulled himself back into reality, forcing himself to come out of his much too phlegmatic state of mind and instead focus on what was going on around him. He felt weirdly tired, as if he had legitimately just waken up. He kept his eyes closed and his body as limp as it had been before however.

"What is he doing here?" He heard who he identified as Natasha murmur quietly. He could feel a pair of gazes burning through the side of his head, but he didn't move even an inch, making sure that his breathing remained at the same steady pace. So they were definitely talking about him. He could already feel his mind start to sharpen again, his tiredness washing away quickly and being replaced with his usual alertness. Relaxing time was over, and he knew it.

"Percy? He was with Wanda. Stark was there, I couldn't just... leave him." Steve. She was talking to Steve. His voice was low as well, matching hers in volume "You should have seen Tony, Nat. He looked like he got into a fight with someone twice his size."

'Twice his size. Yeah right.'

"You'd know something about that, wouldn't you?" Her voice took on a more teasing tone to it, one that Percy definitely wasn't familiar with. "But are you really surprised? You know him almost as well as I do."

"I suppose not." Steve let out a sharp exhale. They were both quiet again for a little while after that.

Natasha finally spoke up again after a few minutes of quiet, sounding almost thoughtful. "But what was he doing with Wanda?"

"I don't know. But however she met him, he must've done something pretty damn good. She trusts him. I don't know why or who he is, but she does. She's not willing to fight for just anyone. You and I both know that."

The aircraft jerked to the side very slightly with a gust of stronger wind, but he just allowed his head to roll to the side slightly along with the movement, maintaining his floppy and unassuming posture.

"There's something else to consider though." Steve said, voice still lowered in volume, as if not wanting to wake anyone up. Most likely because of him, in fact. "Tony was after him. Not Wanda, not me, but him. Tony was willing to let us walk as long as we allowed him to take him. Wanda was the only reason I told Sam to find him and get him to he jet."

"Are you sure that was a smart idea though?"

"Of course I'm not sure. But what else could I do? He was clearly in trouble. Besides, Wanda wouldn't have left without him. I could tell. She seems to have this weird loyalty to him."

"But bringing him to Wakanda? You know how T'Challa feels about... Unannounced guests. Especially ones you know little to nothing about."

"What should I have done then? We were only there to find Wanda, make sure she was all right, then head straight back to Wakanda. That's all. That was the plan. He was an unexpected complication that none of us accounted for. I did the only thing I could think of at the time. Besides, he looked like he could use the help."

"This might be more dangerous than you realise, Steve. He's-"

A particularly loud snore erupted from across the plane and silenced their conversation, and he could hear Sam move from where he was stretched over his two seats. He knew that the two ex-Avengers were looking around at each of them in turn, as if checking to see if they were still asleep. He could hear Wanda shifting slightly in her sleep next to him, but she didn't resurface for even a moment. The two of them were quiet for a while longer.

"We'll continue this later."

"Steve-"

"Later." His commanding tone seemed to work on her for now, since she didn't try to speak up again. "We're here anyway."

Now that it was brought to his attention, Percy noticed that the aircraft was descending. Taking a risk, he opened his eyes fractionally to peer out through his eyelashes. Thankfully it seemed as though Steve had returned to his seat, and Natasha was too focused on piloting the jet to notice. He cracked his eyes open a tiny bit more, looking out through the window. While it was still dark, he could see the outline of the thick cluster of trees. 'We're here? Where is here? All I see are trees.' He kept watching though, frowning slightly in confusion.

His breath hitched slightly when their surroundings suddenly changed as if they had gone through an invisible portal. Towers and buildings rose up gracefully from the ground, bright lights illuminating the highly advanced city. His eyes widened slightly as they moved around, taking in everything and anything that he saw. Mountains surrounded the city, like a valley, the luscious greens almost looking darker than the sky itself. The aircraft drifted down and between stretched out buildings. Despite it being obviously late at night, the area was still bustling with activity.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He jerked slightly, turning his head over his shoulder to see Wanda smiling at the view sleepily. When had she woken up? He only nodded in response though, bringing his eyes back to the front to continue watching. He could vaguely hear Steve start waking Sam up, but he couldn't bring himself to pay attention to their exchange. He could hear Sam grumbling tiredly while he was being woken up though. He quickly blinked a few times and raised a hand to rub at his eyes. He silently prayed that no one would look twice at him. Or at least that they would not notice that he was already clearly awake. He forced his mouth to stretch into a yawn for good measures.

"Welcome to Wakanda, Percy." He looked up, rather surprised to see Steve directing his words towards him, a warm smile on his mouth and a soft look in his eyes. He looked away again after barely a second of eye contact, feeling almost flustered. Why was he being so... So nice to him? First standing up for him against Tony, and then Natasha? He just didn't understand it. Why would anyone want to help him?

His fingers clenched into the armrests hard enough to make his joints ache as the Royal Flyer started descending quicker, the nose of the aircraft tilting downwards. He prised his clamped fingers off with some difficulty, forcing himself to relax again. 'Huh. I guess old habits die hard.'

He watched as the ground slowly moved up to greet them, and then suddenly the jet was coming to a grinding halt and touched the ground. He almost made a small noise of surprise at the extremely smooth landing. Even HYDRA's vehicles had never been comfortable like this aircraft had. Then again, they definitely didn't care about making anything pleasant for him. After all, he was just a weapon to be used, they didn't care about him. They never did.

He noticed Wanda unbuckling herself so he did as well, standing when she did. She gave him a reassuring smile that he tried to return but came out more of a grimace. The bay doors drifted open and Steve stepped outside, Natasha right next to him. He trailed after Wanda uncertainly, hearing Sam trudging after him with soft mumbles to no one but himself.

Sea green eyes flickered around slowly as he took everything in. Warm lights lit up the area around the jet and a few dark skinned women milled around the landing pad. Each of them wore similar traditional African garments of some kind and many held spears and other weapons in their hands. The way they held themselves and the way they stood was intimidating enough, not to mention the guarded expression each of them held. It was clear with only a quick glance that they were highly trained. The sheer intensity of their eyes seemed to see right through him, down to every last detail. It made him feel tiny and powerless.

His fingers twitched unconsciously. He felt like he needed to protect himself, but so far none of them seemed to pose a threat to him. A few did give him curious, if not wary, looks. But none spoke up, instead nodding silently in greeting to the others as they walked past. He stuck close to Wanda's side, feeling the cold sensation of dread curling in his stomach. He didn't belong here. Surrounded by potential enemies and no way of escape. The only thing he could think of was to use his powers, but he knew that it was still too soon. Conjuring up that storm had really taken it out of him and he knew it.

"You're later than I expected." He looked up at a rich, slightly amused voice. He stiffened slightly at the sight of a prominent figure he had only seen on TV. The King of Wakanda, in all his glory, stood before the group with a gentle smile and kind eyes.

Percy had to admit, T'Challa was... not at all what he had expected. He had seen a powerful leader, an intelligent man, an influential role model. A man with a perfected poker face. Grounded, logical, rational. Cold in his decision making and never doubting his choices. Someone people looked up to. Infallible. Mighty.

Who stood in front of him however, was a relaxed, idle and relatively unassuming guy wearing what looked almost like pajamas, as if he had just been roused out of bed.

He knew not to underestimate people though. That could lead to really bad situations.

He'd learnt that the hard way.

"We encountered a slight problem, but it was nothing we couldn't handle." Steve answered, giving him a slightly apologetic smile.

He tensed slightly as the king's gaze shifted towards him, his eyes questioning. "And who is this?"

Percy's stomach sank slightly. He really was in trouble. After all, he couldn't exactly give him a fake name, even if all of them had cover stories and proof behind them, because all of the ex-Avengers around him knew his real name. God, he was stupid. He would kick himself if he could. "Percy Jackson." He said, forcing a seemingly natural smile on his face as he extended a hand politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Percy. I'm T'Challa." He introduced himself politely and shook his hand, his grip surprisingly strong. Obviously blissfully unaware that he already knew who he was. He let go again and looked to Steve curiously.

"We found him with Wanda, he was in... a bit of trouble." He explained vaguely, giving him a certain look. One that Percy could identify and understand immediately. Wow. They really weren't subtle. T'Challa seemed to get it as well and nodded.

"Well, he can stay here as long as he pleases." His tone was welcoming, but Percy just couldn't bring himself to trust how... how easy this all was. It also didn't help that they were currently talking as if he wasn't there at all.

"Thank you." Was all he said however, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement.

He didn't really know how to address the King of Wakanda, or if he should do something respectful like kneel or bow. But the others were acting like he was just a normal guy, so that was what he would do as well. And by the looks of it, T'Challa didn't mind.

"It seems we have much to discuss. But, it's late and I'm sure you're all tired. We'll get you settled in and we can talk again in the morning." He turned on his heels and started walking, the others immediately following his lead and trailing after him. He remained at the tail end of the group, keeping his guard up but his posture relaxed, as if he was completely at ease. He flinched automatically as the guards lifted their arms and crossed them over their chests in unison, their spears glinting in the artificial light dangerously as they moved. T'Challa repeated the movement and they all dropped their arms again.

That didn't stop his heart from beating wildly and the blood rushing through his ears deafeningly though.

How the hell did they manage to make such a simple movement so intimidating? It might've been the women themselves who seemed so threatening. Then again, it could just be him who was far too paranoid. He forced his hands to unclench from their fists at his sides, casting a wary look among them slowly. His eyes caught on a pair of dark one that almost stopped him in his steps. The person who the eyes belonged to was a tall, proud women with a fierce gaze and a strong stance. She gave him a look of warning, as if she knew exactly who he was.

But that was impossible.

It had to be.

He ripped his eyes away, breaking their eye contact and quickly hurrying after the others again, feeling chills racing up and down his spine. He didn't like it here. He felt as if everywhere he turned, danger was lurking around the corner.

He let out a long exhale, trying to shake the uneasy feeling away. He was safe for now. No one knew who he really was. And even if they searched for him, he knew that nothing would come up. After all, he wasn't even born in this time. And even if he had been, HYDRA had been especially careful to remove every single thing about his previous life. Just in case. Then again... That could also mean that they would be more suspicious of him. After all, he was practically a ghost according to his records.

He glanced to the side to see Wanda slowing her pace to instead walk beside him. "You look a bit shaken up. How are you doing with all of... This?" She gestured around and he realized that she must've been talking about Wakanda.

"It's... A bit much." He admitted, lowering his voice slightly. He didn't really want anyone else listening in on them.

"It must be." She gave him a slightly pitying smile, one that he wanted to cringe at. If there was one thing he hated people doing, it was pitying him. "After all, who would expect to be whisked off to a secretive country with a group of on-the-run vigilantes?"

"Not me." He huffed out a soft laugh, shaking his head. "But... I'll manage. I've been in worse situations before." Now that was definitely true. He felt the need to shudder as his mind wandered back to one of the missions he had been on years ago. He'd never been back to Cairo after that week from hell. Even after his mind had been washed and he couldn't remember a thing, he had always felt the need to stay away from that particular place.

He wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse to be able to remember so many of his previous missions. Some nights he would wake in a cold sweat, new memories in his head and the faces of the people he has killed behind his eyes. Some days he would be doing the most mundane of things and orders of missions would flash through his mind. It helped him a great deal to know about the things he had done. After all, he wouldn't be left in the dark with them. But it also haunted him to no end. It wasn't his fault, he knew that. He had come to terms with the fact that he had been controlled throughout the years, forced to do the unthinkable. But it was still difficult not to acknowledge the torturous grief and guilt that plagued him from the dozens he had murdered. The torment he felt every time he looked in a mirror. It was hard not to blame himself, but he had been working on it for a long time. It was better than it had been, and that's a start.

"You can't just say that and not give an explanation, you know." She gave him an irritated look, but her eyes betrayed her amusement.

"Well..." He started off slowly, drawing the word out a bit. "Let's just say what happens in Cairo stays in Cairo."

"Cairo, huh? Well that's not intriguing at all." She rolled her eyes, tone dripping with friendly sarcasm.

"Hey, I said what I said." He shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. Barely audible footsteps from behind him caught his attention and he looked back over his shoulder to see the same woman he had seen before trailing after them. He looked forward again to avoid catching her eyes, lips tightening slightly. "Who are they?" He asked Wanda, nodding with his head towards a pair of women with spears walking past them, dressed in the same outfits as the other ones he had seen.

"The Dora Milaje. T'Challa's personal guard. The woman walking behind us is Okoye, their general." Wanda said. Percy hadn't realized that she had known Okoye was following them. She must be more perceptive than he had thought. Or maybe she just knew her well enough to know that this was something she did often. Either way, it wasn't that important for his mind to dwell on it for too long.

T'Challa led them into the royal palace, and he felt rather surprised to see that there weren't many guards around. It was late at night, but still. He had expected much more security. He looked around, not being able to help being a little in awe of the place. The architecture, the design, the technology, everything looked far more advanced and sophisticated than anything he had ever seen. But even his trained eyes couldn't see any security cameras or motion sensors. Nothing. So either the area was so well protected that they were confident enough not to have any security measures, or they were just hidden well enough that even he couldn't see them. He didn't know which one made him feel more perturbed.

"You will be staying here for the night, Percy." He startled at the sound of his name, looking up to see the group coming to a stop and T'Challa addressing him. "The others all have rooms along this hallway as well, so hopefully it will make you more comfortable here."

That was... surprisingly thoughtful.

'Or strategic.' A voice in his head doubted the thought. One that he agreed with immediately. This was more of a strategic move than one simply for his comfort. After all, if he turned out to be dangerous, there'd be a whole hallway of superheroes ready at any moment to take him down sleeping in the rooms next to his.

"Thank you again, for letting me stay here on such... Short notice." He gave him a disarming smile, shifting his expression to look both thankful and relieved. He was a good actor, and he knew it. So he wasn't very surprised to see T'Challa relax minutely and nod in response.

"Of course. Anything for a friend of Steve's." He clapped his hands together. "Well, goodnight to you all. As usual, if you need anything, you know where to find me." He turned and headed down the hallway, a chorus of 'goodnight's' and 'sleep well's' echoing after him. Percy watched as Okoye walked after him immediately, nodding to them all in lieu of a farewell.

"Well, today has been eventful. I'm sure we all need a good night's sleep." Steve spoke up once again.

"Agreed. I'll see you all in the morning." With that said, Natasha went her separate way to her room, footsteps as quiet as a summer night's breeze. Now that he took the chance to look around, he noticed with a start that they had lost Sam somewhere along the way. He must've been too distracted by his surroundings.

"Goodnight, you two." Steve smiled at them kindly, then followed Natasha's lead and left to go to his own room.

Wanda held her hand over her mouth as she yawned. Even though she had slept for quite a while on the jet, she was still visibly exhausted from not being able to sleep for very long the previous night.

"Go to bed, Wanda." Percy ordered her gently, the corners of his lips twitching upwards slightly. "You look like a zombie."

"Yeah yeah, I'm going." She rolled her eyes then patted his arm. "Goodnight, Percy. If you need anything, I'm just in the room opposite yours."

"All right great, thanks. Goodnight." He watched her walk to her door for a few seconds, before he turned and opened the door to his own room.

"You know..." He paused, hearing a slight tremor to her voice as she hesitantly spoke. He looked back at her, her back facing towards him and her hand resting lightly on the handle. "You..." She swallowed thickly, but didn't turn to look at him. "You remind me of someone I knew." His heart panged at the audible sorrow in her tone. But before he could say a word, she slipped into her room and shut the door behind her.

He shook his head after a few seconds of silence, trying his best to ignore the feeling of deep sadness that welled up inside of him at her confession. He didn't know exactly who she was talking about, but the grief he had heard had struck a cord inside him. He blinked a few times and entered his own room, closing the door quietly.

The room was large and spacious, with a large canopy bed, an old fashioned style wardrobe and a matching dresser, as well as a few fancy looking chairs and couches. A large TV took up most of a wall, the screen dark and dormant. The entire room was coloured with pale greys and deep purples and blacks. He went into the adjoining bathroom, a slightly amused huff escaping his lips. For a long time he had been living in run down apartments and houses, but over the past two or three days, everywhere he had been sleeping was somewhere far too luxurious for his tastes. He gently set his bag down onto the ground from where it had been hanging off of his shoulder, all but forgotten in the excitement.

He unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it onto the ground, looking over his shoulder as much as he could. He was extremely glad that his wound wasn't aching anymore, but he knew that it would still take quite some time to heal properly. He peeled the gauze off, eyebrows knitting together at the sight of it. Thankfully it wasn't infected, but the skin around it was still an irritated red colour and the wound itself still had a long way to go until it was better.

He sighed softly and stripped down, stepping into the overly large shower. There were far too many showerheads and handles than a shower should have. There was even a little alcove supposed to be used for a seating area.

"This is ridiculous." He muttered to himself, hovering his hand over one of the many taps. "Which one am I supposed to-" A gasp tore its way out of his stiff body at the sudden spray of bitterly cold water that came from every direction, soaking his body instantly and freezing him to his very core. The nozzles shot water out from a few different angles at the top, as well as at chest height along the walls, buffering his body and unbalancing him for a good few seconds. While he loved being in water-cold water especially-this had come far too suddenly for him to enjoy it properly. He quickly turned another one, sighing in relief when he felt the water slowly start to warm up. He quickly scrubbed himself down, not wanting to be in the admittedly pleasant shower for too long. He switched the water off and stepped out again, the shower mat soft and all too fluffy beneath his feet. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself, a shudder running through him. Even the material between his fingers and against his still wet skin felt magnificent and plush.

This was too much. All of it.

Hell, even the finest hotels he had stayed at had never been this lavish and extravagant before. He didn't know what to do with anything. He felt uncomfortable just standing there.

He looked over his shoulder once again, a relieved smile making its way onto his face at the sight. Within the few minutes in the shower, it had already started to look a bit better. The colour had gone down again and looked more natural, and the wound itself was a bit smaller. He got out some more gauze and stuck it into place over the injury with only a slight wince. Okay, so it still hurt to touch... Great. He got out his second last change of clothes, his lips pursing and a slightly disappointed frown settling onto his features. It was a pity that he had had to leave some of his things at his last apartment. He'd have to get some more clothes again somehow. And soon. He quickly got dressed, packing the rest of his things back in the bag and hanging the towel up again. He left the bathroom and dropped his bag on the bed.

A few sharp raps on the door caught his attention and he looked towards it, confusion flickering through him. Who would be-

More hard knocks. He stalked towards it slowly, his instincts kicking in and his feet shifting to keep his steps silent. He reached out a hand, brushing his slender fingers over the handle. He couldn't help but be wary. After all, it was what kept him alive for so long.

He turned the handle, but before he could open the door, it came slamming towards him. He lurched backwards clumsily, just missing being hit in the face. Thank god, that might've broken his nose if it had slammed into him. Now that was not something he would want again.

A second before he could recover, he felt a hand at his throat and in the next moment his back was pressed roughly against a grey wall and his oxygen was cut off.

He gasped, automatically grabbing at the arm choking him, panicked oceanic eyes darting down to see Natasha Romanoff looking up at him, her eyes sharp and her face guarded. He gripped her wrist, but didn't break free just yet. He needed to see what she was going to do more than he needed to breathe. At the moment, at least.

"I know who you really are, Percy Jackson. Or should I call you... Maelstrom?" His stomach sank into the ground at the sound of that name, and if he hadn't been struggling to breathe as it is, all the air would've left his chest. His grip on her arm tightened fractionally, his entire body locking up with unconcealed horror. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you?"

She knew.

Oh god she knew.

Of course she knew.

"I know who you are and I know what you are. What I don't know is why you were with Wanda. Why you were running from Tony." Her fierce green eyes bored into his own and flickered over his face slowly, picking every fibre of his being apart and studying him intensely. "So far you haven't been a threat to any of us, but don't think that means I trust you, because I don't. Not even a tiny bit." A cold fury that made a shiver run down his spine set her eyes alight with icy flames. "I won't do anything to you just yet. But mark my words, Maelstrom. The moment you do anything to make me doubt you, the moment you touch a single hair on my team's head, I will be coming for you." Her grip on his throat tightened further, forcing a strangled choke out of his mouth and black spots to dance across his vision. But still, he didn't fight back. "And I won't let you go this time."

Her fingers let go of his neck and he immediately took a greedy gulp of air, his hand letting go of her wrist to instead rub at his neck. He watched her with wide eyes as she stepped away from him, and despite being a good deal shorter than him and much more petite, looking far more dangerous than he had ever recalled her being. It terrified him, and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

She could tell everyone.

She could ruin everything.

She could tell everyone.

He didn't say a word as she walked backwards to the still open door, not turning her back to him for even a moment. "Just remember, Jackson. I'll be watching you." With that ominous warning, she closed the door with a loud thud, and her quiet footsteps faded away.

Percy let out a shaky exhale, allowing his legs to finally fall beneath him. He slid to the ground slowly, back still against the wall. He clutched at his neck, staring at the door with unseeing eyes, his mind echoing a constant mantra of,

She knows. She knows. She knows. She knows. She knows.

He squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his hands to grip at his still wet hair. He could feel panic build up inside of him like an uncontrollable tsunami. Unyielding. Petrifying. Unstoppable.

She knows.

She knows.

And she could destroy him.