PERCY PoV

I'm standing on the deck. The deck of my ship. My ship, given to me for my seventeenth birthday. A ship that I should not have been able to summon.

I used power outside of my father's domain. Using the poison in the Pit, it wasn't that strange at the time. Now, it's kinda what-the-heck, but whatever. But something that was still  like... What would you call that? 'Legally'? Legally dead.

That was something I should not have been able to do. It's shouldn't be possible. Honestly? It kinda scares me. And Annabeth? She was scared of me when it was poison. How is she going to feel now?

Maybe I just found a loophole. Yeah. It was a ship. Maybe that's it and we're all overthinking it. Please let that be the case.

Well, there's only one way to find out, I guess. I fish (hehe, you catch that pun?) a drachma out of my pocket. There'd been a few in the captain's quarters. I feel my face flush when I remember Annabeth dragging me in.

You're calling Nico, I remind myself, hoping my face returns to it's normal coloration. I focus on making a mist. "Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Nico Di Angelo. Probably at one of the camps or the underworld."

Nico shows up, standing outside of the Infirmary. He can't quite see me, so I'm about to say 'hi' or smething when I realize he's watching someone. I look, and notice a certain son of Apollo is the focus of his attention.

"Oooh, who you lookin' at cuz?" I tease.

His pale complexion snaps to look at me, embarrassment shown first, and then anger. "Percy!"

"Hey, hey, chill." I make a 'calm down' gesture with my hands.

"Where have you been? What's going on?" He demands.

"Huh? Chiron didn't tell you?" I frown.

"Not really. You left to go see your mom, and then Chiron sent Annabeth because something happened, but he wouldn't tell us. He's been worried since. It's driving us all nuts. So explain." He growls the last bit.

"Um, yeah. I'll explain. Can you just shadow travel over here, though? I want to ask you something too." I ask nervously.

Nico glances at Will, and then turns back to me. "Where are you?"

"The Okeano Spiti." I say. He frowns a little bit, so I explain a little more. "It's a ship. We're still in the atlantic, not too far from you."

He nods. "Don't move."

The Iris Message fades, and I wait for Nico to show up. I feel a chill run down my spine, and turn around. Nico steps out from the shadow of the main mast.

"Explain." He commands.

We sit down next to the wheel at the helm. He looks at me expectantly.

"So..." I begin. "Quick version. Mom and Paul went missing. Police sent me to stay with my mortal uncle, who happens to be Tony Stark. He works with a secret government agency and thought that I might be a terrorist. Tony and his mortal coworker/friends supported me and Annabeth and were confronted by their boss, so now we're hiding." I say.

"I follow you. Why'd they support you two?" Nico asks.

"They found out about monsters. We hid the god stuff from them until after they saved our asses from serect government crap." I say.

"So they know now? Where are they?" Nico frowns.

"Below deck. Talking to their boss. They have a cover story. Annabeth's listening in." I tell him.

He nods. "Why'd you tell them?"

"Because I kinda controlled some water and summoned a ship."

He blinks at me. "You summoned a ship?" Is the monotone question.

I gesture at the Okeano Spiti. He nods. "Impressive."

"Neeks, that's why I called you."

"Don't call me that." He says, grumpily. "Why did you call me about a ship?"

"Because. After I summoned it, It took a lot out of me, and my dad showed up." I say.

"Poseidon showed up?" Nico interrupts.

"Yeah, he did. He healed me. Look, Nico. He said something..." I say nervously.

"What?" Nico's voice holds some worry.

"He said the Okeano Spiti was still in your father's domain."

I don't know if it's possible for Nico to look any more pale, but he did. "Are you sure?"

"I quote 'Sunk. Dead'."

He looks around. His eyes widen. "Yeah. It's still 'dead'. You just mask the dead bit..."

"Nico..." I trail off. "What does this mean?"

He looks at me. "I don't know, Perce. We'll figure it out."

"Do you... Do you think Hades would get mad if we asked him?" I question.

Nico thinks for a minute. "I don't know. We don't need to figure it out immediately. I'll dig around."

"Thank you, Nico." I say, breathing a sigh of relief. Then I remember our last Iris Message to Chiron. "Didn't Chiron say he was calling a councelor's meeting?"

"We're waiting for Piper, Jason, Frank and Reyna." Nico says.

"Reyna? And Frank?" I ask.

"Yeah. He wants to include the roman Praetors." Nico explains.

"Oh. Okay." I stand up, and offer him a hand. "Tell me what you guys talk about. I gotta check up on things."

He nods, and walks back to the mast before the shadows swallow him up and take him back to camp.

Nico is going to help me figure this out. It's actually more comforting than Annabeth trying to ignore it. I'm not doubting Annabeth. It's just probably hard for her. I think my power scares her sometimes. It scares me too.

I wonder if they're still talking. Is that Fury guy buying the story? Or are we screwed? Probably the latter. But hey, there's the possibilty that he buys it and we're still screwed. Yay.

The sun is starting to set. I sit down, and watch. I yawn. It's been a long day. I guess even godly healing has it's limits some times.

TONY PoV

That went well, all things considered. Thoroughly yelled at, check. Scolded like children, check. Successful? Check.

He bought the story, now we just have to hope it sticks. I think SHIELD will be looking for Sally and her husband. Knowing Fury, he'll immediately think Percy could be a security leak/threat. So getting him out of the Avenger's tower is in his best interest.

Lucky us. At least I'll have some good news to give to him. All I've done so far is let him down. Big shocker.

Annabeth is standing outside the doorway.

"Were you listening in?" Natasha inquires.

"Yep. Had to monitor what you were saying." The blonde replies.

Natasha nods, and heads back to her room. The eavesdropping is dismissed. Everyone else goes back to their rooms to sleep. I hesitate.

"What's on your mind?" Annabeth asks.

"I kinda wanted to talk with Percy." I admit.

She raises an eyebrow, but leads the way. We step onto the deck, and find him sleeping. She lets out a light laugh. "I guess the godly healing wore off."

I smile too. Suddenly she stiffens. "Is he snoring?" She whispers.

I listen. He doesn't look like he's snoring. "No..."

She kneels beside him. "Come on, Percy. Wake up." He doesn't budge. "Wake up, Seaweed Brain. If you're gonna sleep, you should go to bed."

He still doesn't move. "Crap." She says. "Percy. Come on, wake up!" She taps his face. Still no movement.

"What's wrong?" I think aloud.

"He might be having a nightmare. Pray I'm wrong. Pray that's it's just the after-effects of the godly healing." She mutters the last half to herself, but I still hear.

His breath catches. "Crap! Crap! Wake up!" She slaps him.

"Woah!" I voice.

"Come on! Wake up!" Annabeth shouts.

He flinches. His breathing shakes. "Hey, Percy, wake up." I join Annabeth.

Just as I'm stepping closer and kneeling on his other side, he gasps. It looks like he can't breathe. Then I hear a sickening pop, pop, pop, a brief   pause. Pop, pop. A longer pause. A snap, and Percy jerks.

"What's going on?" I nearly shout.

"We have to wake him up!"

"How?"

"I don't know! He hasn't had this kind when I'm awake!" She panics.

"Water?" I suggest.

She hesitates.

"I could shock him."

"With what?"

In response, I activate a prototype gauntlet that forms from my watch.

"I guess. Just do it." She says, hands in her hair.

I place my palm against Percy's chest, and shock him. His eyes snap open. He gasps for breath, his jaw open wide as if he felt like he'd never breathe again. 

"You okay?" I ask.

His breathing calms, and he clenches his jaws together. He lays flat against the floor, not moving except for his breathing. His fists are clenched at his sides, his knuckles white.

"What happened?" I try again.

Annabeth tries to help him sit up, but he makes a small gasp of pain, and her hands fly back to her shoulders.

"Annabeth?" Percy gasps after a minute.

"Yeah?"

"Can... Can you... Get... Bruce?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll get him. Stay with him." She directs the last sentence to me. I nod, and she leaves, running.

I want to ask him so many questions, but I don't know if he'd be able to repsond, or even want to.

I look back at him. "Hey, open your eyes. Don't fall asleep on us so soon."

"Ha." He opens them, and looks directly up, probably at the sails above.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I ask quietly.

"Prob...Ably."

"That's not the most comforting answer, you know."

"Srry." He slurs.

"You don't need to apologize."

Quiet.

"Percy?"

"Mm?"

"Can you... Will you explain to me, later?" I ask, nervous about his response.

"Mm."

I give a miniature light chuckle. "I'm not sure if that was a 'yes' or a 'no', but I'll hope it was a 'yes'."

He actually cracks the smallest of smiles for a second, before it falls, replaced by a grimace. 

Just then, Bruce and Annabeth tumble onto the deck. I step back, in favor of letting the people who know medical stuff take care him.

I stand, and watch Bruce. I realize something with a weight in my stomache. I want to be the one helping my nephew. All I did was wake him up from a nightmare. There's Annabeth, comforting him as Bruce fixes the ribs. I can't comfort him, either.

God! What use am I? Bruce could've woken him up! Percy doesn't need me.   And that thought hurts. All this time, I had a sister. If only I'd found her sooner, then we could've known each other. Then I could've known Percy.

That hurts more. I could've known him as he was growing up. I would have been 'Uncle' Tony. Not 'Tony'. I would have been there to help with homework. I would have looked for ways to circumvent the dyslexia. I would take him on vacations. I would have been there for him.

I might've been able to help with the demigod stuff. I could've at least tried to make his life better. But no. I didn't know. I stayed in my tower. I made things.

I could have had a family. If I had found Sally, I could have had a family. And I decide. I decide, as I look at Percy, face contorted in pain, that I will help him. This is my nephew.

I won't be a stranger. I don't want to be. I will do everything I can to help him. I'll find his mom. My sister.

Our family.