"Percy! Percy where are you?!" The heroes ran through Stark tower trying to find the tortured God. "Percy?!"

Voices. Quiet. Voices. SCREAMS!

Percy clawed at his head. Locking his scarred fingers into his hair and pulling. Desperately trying to dispel the images. Destroy them. Get rid of them.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone!

Hands touching him. Burning. Snapping. Breaking. Scarring. The shadows were closing in on him. Trapping him.

He flinched violently.

"No. Nonononononononono!"

The hands left.

Emptiness.

Alone.

Confined.

Chained.

No-one.

Dead.

"Stop." His voice was rough, pleading, breaking. Echoing and shimmering. Freezing and shattering. "L-Leave her alone! Don't!" His words were disjointed. He had to stop them. "Please I-just don't kill her. Please. Stop!"

He felt the hands claws again. Pulling at him. Tearing. He lashed out. Catching something soft fleshy. Pulling it around. Trapping the person monster.

"Percy." The shadows surrounding him backed up. The tearing, snatching, cracking voices softening. "Percy, we wont hurt you. There's no-one else here. Just us and you. We're a team. We trust you, you trust us. Let Steve go. Percy. Just relax. We're here. No-one's trying to hurt you. Steve didn't mean to touch you. Just relax Percy."

It was a woman's voice, shinning through the shadows and burning and pain.

Annabeth's voice.

Wait.

No.

Not her voice.

Someone's voice. Red hair. Rachel?

No. Natasha.

Assassin.

Killer.

Friend. Trust. Natasha was here. Helping. Soothing. Water washed away the burning. Natasha was here.

Here.

Where was here?

Percy looked up. Figures. Shadows. No. Friends. Red. Brown. Black. Black. Blond.

He could've sworn someone was screaming. Pleading. Begging.

"Percy." The voice again.

Soothing. Getting rid of the chains.

Restraints.

Restrained?
Something ruff was rubbing against his arms.

In his arms.

What?

He was holding something.

Someone?

He threw them. Releasing them.

Jerking back.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I-" He could still feel the rough uniform on his arms. The burning was back.

"We know, Percy. It's OK."

Soothing. Stopping the fire.

"I didn't-I don't want-can't-I don't want-no-no more pain. Monsters." His hands went to his head again.

"Percy, it's OK. You're fine and Steve's fine. No-one's hurt. The monsters aren't here Percy."
The shadows people backed up again.

"We're giving you space Percy. No-one's going to touch you. No-one's restraining you and no-one's getting hurt. It's OK, Percy."

"D-dead. All-all d-d-dead." He breathed in raggedly.

There was a sigh. It sounded sad.

"I know Percy. Believe me, I know. But there's no battlefield here. The war's over, soldier, you can stand down. I promise Percy, you can relax. We've got you."

The water came back, soothing the burning, washing away the chains. Then it was running down his face, sparkling in the light.

It was the team around him. Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Tony, Thor, Steve-

Steve! Percy's eyes widened.
"Oh Gods. I-I'm sorry. I-"
"Don't worry Percy." The Captain smiled that all-American smile.

"I didn't..."
"I know Percy." He held out his hand to help the young God up, he'd slid back down to the floor as the memories assaulted him. "Can you tell me where you are? Do you remember what happened?"

"I-" Percy sighed, pulling a hand down his scarred face. "We were fighting, a routine hit-and-retreat and something went wrong; they had more than we expected and we were overwhelmed and I dealt with it. Nothing weird-not even challenging. Just a routine clean up." The young soldier didn't even notice Stark's incredulous look. "So I sent a wave, but then it changed and it was the battlefield-burning and-and pain and-" He started to slip again.

"Percy! Percy it's OK, stay with me." Steve held his arms carefully, keeping him grounded. "So where are you now?"  Percy locked eyes with him. Murky green with clear blue.

"I ran. Somewhere safe." Natasha smiled in the background, glad that even unconsciously he deemed them and their home safe. "I-" He glanced up again, as if making sure. "I'm at the tower. With the team." He nodded, slowly becoming more sure of himself; more grounded. "I'm sorry." He bit his lip.

Steve smiled. Natasha walked back over.

"It's alright Percy. You're back and we've got you." The team, including Percy, smiled.

"Come on Percy. Let's get you to bed." Percy nodded tiredly.

"I'm sorry, it just changed so quickly and you were all going down and....I can't lose you too....I can't lose my friends again."

Steve and the team smiled at him as they guided him to his room and lowered him onto the bed.
"Sweet dreams Percy. We'll be right here when you wake up."

For the first time in months, Percy slept well and sweet dreams greeted him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well shit." Stark changed the channel on the TV, shoving Clint's feet off the arm of the couch to sit down.

"The Hell!?"

"Just watch, Katnis." The Avengers did as the reporter spoke and they paled, swearing as they did.

"These photos are of the mysterious seventh Avenger, never before seen, he doesn't even have a name. These pictures are of the Avengers' latest battle, we have no clear photos of this mysterious soldier's face, but we do have footage of him single-handedly fighting off half a dozen doom bots then summoning a giant wave of water to take out the reinforcements. After doing so, he seems to have lost control; decimating the remaining bots then running from the scene crying. This raises questions: is this hydro kinetic a hero or a danger? And when were the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' planning to tell us about him? Stay tuned for more on the so called heroes of America."

"Well shit."
"Exactly what I said Barton." The heroes were troubled. "I'm used to out reputation being battered, but Percy doesn't deserve this and the vultures aren't gonna stop until we tell them something!"

Steve sighed, annoyed.

"Why can't they just leave him alone?!"

"We're going to have to tell them something or they'll never let this go." Natasha wasn't happy.

"Then tell them." They flinched, none of the heroes had noticed Percy until he spoke. "Not the full truth obviously, demigods have lived and died to protect this secret, believe me, I can feel all of them. But we could tell them part of the truth, that I'm helping you; that I'm an..." He swallowed, "an Avenger."

The team looked up, shocked. Then they smiled.

"Yeah, let's tell them." Stark raised a glass, "To the seventh Avenger!"

They laughed as the glasses clinked, the TV buzzing quietly in the background, completely forgotten.