Percy sat up, instantly wide awake, his eyes piercing through the darkness of his apartment room. Curtains were covering the few windows, tiny slivers of silvery moonlight escaping through the material. Even through the shadows in the small and darkened room, Percy could see better than most. But what had awoken him was the very faint sound of metal against metal. His eyes darted to the lock on the door, where he stayed until he saw the circular handle very slowly move, almost unnoticeably to the untrained eyes. Percy was out of bed and ready to fight within seconds. He felt wide awake, as if he hadn't been asleep less than a minute ago, wearing only the pants he slept in. His body was tense yet relaxed, coiled like a snake, ready to strike at any moment. He slowly walked towards the door, his bare feet making no sound on the old, wooden floor. Just earlier that week, when he had first moved in, he had memorized every spot on the floor that creaked when stepped on.

He moved to the side of the door frame, pressing his bare back against the wall, waiting for the intruder to come in. The handle stopped moving, and Percy could hear the very stealthy sounds of footsteps. But not stealthy enough. The door slowly swung inwards without a sound; they had obviously oiled the hinges. The first mistake they took was not being quiet enough. The second mistake was holding the gun-an MP5-aimed forward, so Percy could see the gun before the person walked through the door. His arm lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun and ripping it forward. The soldier was pulled forward and Percy slammed the butt of the weapon back again, cracking it against his chest. The momentum of the strike pushed the man backwards and to the ground, winding him as well.

"Open fire!" One of them barked. Percy dove to the side as bullets ripped through the thin wall he had just been standing at. Shredded wallpaper streamed through the air and over him as he ducked behind his bed. He dropped on his back and reached underneath the bed. He grabbed the AK-47 strapped to the underside, as well as the backpack containing everything he needed when on the run. Money, different identities and passports, weapons, extra ammo, untraceable cards, disposable phones. Basic stuff, really. He threw the backpack to the side, loading the gun with practised ease.

He noticed the shooting had stopped, and knew they were approaching. He peeked up from behind the bed, sending a short burst of fire at the doorway. He could hear them scuttling away, expecting him to fire again. He grabbed a short sleeved shirt, quickly slipping it over himself, before putting the backpack over his shoulders. By this time, the soldiers had become braver and were advancing once again. He swiftly slipped his feet into a pair of Vans, knowing this might be the last time in a while he'd be able to get some things. When on the run, you can't afford to grow attached to things.

"Perseus! Surrender now or we will shoot!" Someone called. Percy rolled his eyes, shrugging off his backpack and digging in it.

"All right, all right. You got me." He called back, bringing out a grenade and instead dropping the AK to the floor. "I'm surrendering. Totally surrendering." He held the bag strap with one hand and the grenade with the other. He brought it to his mouth and pulled the pin out with his teeth. "Incoming!" He called, the pin still between his teeth as he threw it outside the door, where it bounced towards the others. He spat it out and rushed towards the closest window.

"Grenade!" Someone yelled and he heard everyone dive for cover. Percy used this time to smash out the window with his elbow. The window shattered into dozens of tiny pieces, falling down onto the floor and down the side of the building.
As he cleared the jagged pieces of glass with his hand, not caring if he got cut in the process, one of the soldiers spoke out uncertainly as the grenade stayed the same,

"Is it a dud?" He heard a few approach it, before an explosion rocked the room. Even from the distance he was at, the force of it threw him against the window hard. A pained grunt escaped him, heat searing his back. Without looking back, he knew the place was on fire. He climbed through the window, crouching down on the window sill for a moment, before leaping off. When he had rented the place, he had been mindful that he would need multiple escape routes, so he had been sure to get one close to the next building over so he could escape over the rooftops. Which came in pretty handy for situations like now. He fell through the air, twisting so his body was almost vertical. As he landed, he bent his knees and rolled forward to lessen the impact. His ankles and feet still hurt from the impact, but the pain wasn't bad enough to hinder him. He took off running immediately, aware of the shouting going on somewhere behind him. He looked over his shoulders momentarily, taking everything in with one quick glance. He could see soldiers cluttered at the destroyed window, but they didn't seem to be able to get through-or even make the jump. He could see smoke rising up from the window, golden-red flames licking the inside of the dingy apartment. And he could see the face of his ex-neighbour Jessica Jones staring out from her apartment window, her expression twisted with both confusion and shock. He looked forward almost immediately again though, ignoring everything going on behind him. He came to a sudden stop though as a red and gold robot like suit landed in front of him with a whir of machinery.

Anthony Edward Stark. Alias: Ironman.

The hero lifted his arm, the palm of his metal suit crackling with the energy of the repulsor. "Stand down, Perseus." He ordered.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that. You know it just as much as I do." He answered, getting his breathing steady once again.

"If you surrender now, I can try and make a deal. You won't be killed." He tried to reason.

"And then what? Instead I'd be imprisoned for the rest of my life." He replied, bitterness finding its way into his words.

"Look, you're just a kid-"

"-who's in way over his head?" He finished for him, shaking his head. "I may be a teenager, but I'm not a kid. I've never had the privilege of being one." His eyes scanned over the other as they warily circled each other. A thought flickered into his mind, and, obeying his gut instinct, he went with it. "Does it hurt you?" He asked. He could almost feel Stark frowning at the question.

"Does what hurt?"

"The fact that you know you've become the government's lap dog." Percy shot back, trying to distract him. Tony stared at him, and if he hadn't been wearing his helmet, the other would've been able to see his fierce glare.

"I'm no one's bitch." He countered lowly.

"Oh but you are." His voice was softer now, almost silky as he spoke. "The men up at the top own you. Because you didn't trust your team and signed the contract." The hero visibly faltered in his footsteps.

"How did you-"

"Find out?" The teenager interrupted again. "It was impossible not to. The news were all over it." He tilted his head. "But honestly, how does it feel? Knowing that every time Thaddeus Ross sends you on any mission, it's only to make you feel important. To make you feel... Like you still have a choice. Even without your precious team." He could almost feel the regret, guilt, and anger coming from the older man. Even without seeing his face, he could tell that the comment had hit home.

"Who are you?" Tony only replied with, an obvious attempt to change the subject.

His question only made him clench his jaw though, eyes lighting up with vague annoyance. "You know who I am." Tony only shook his head, his palm drooping slightly to aim more at his legs. Percy took in this sign of weakness immediately, but chose not to do anything about it. Yet.

"No, who are you? I couldn't find anything about you besides your age and name. There are no files of you in SHIELD; I've searched. I know. There's nothing."

"I'm no one." He replied, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "I'm a ghost. I don't exist anymore."

The air fell silent between them for a while, a silent stand off between the two of them. A hero and a criminal. An adult and a teenager. Someone important, and no one at all. "We can work together."

This caused the him to scoff indignantly. "I'm a murderer, Stark. I've done things that would make you sick to your stomach." Was he only being merciful because of his age? Was that it?

"But people change."

"Like you?" This made Tony pause, his arm raising once again after a brief moment of hesitation.

"This is the last time I can offer you a choice." Tony got out. "Surrender now, or I will be forced to fight you."

"I'm sorry, Tony. I really am. But there's no going back now. It's kill or be killed, and I'm afraid if I'm gonna go down, I'm gonna go down fighting." He lunged forward before Tony could react, hitting his arm to the side as it went off, missing his head by inches. He brought his knee up, slamming it against the metal platings covering his stomach. The hero bent over at the force. Percy ignored the sudden spike of pain it sent through his leg and brought it up once again, bashing Tony in the face. The older man stumbled back at the sudden attack, Percy blurring forward once again and bringing his leg up in a high kick to his chest. Tony staggered back, unbalanced. He shot forward again, punching as hard as he could at his face. When Tony staggered, he swept his legs out from beneath him. He fell back with an audible thud, his head slamming against the ground. Percy gave him no time to recover, pinning his arms to the ground with his knees and giving him punch after punch, ignoring the steadily growing pain on his fists. By the time he had stopped, blood was smeared on the metal visor, his knuckles raw, bruised and bloodied. He was breathing heavily, Tony completely stunned. As Percy got up and stepped away, he groggily tried to push himself up again. The green eyed teenager slammed his foot onto his head, driving him to the ground once again, keeping his foot in place. The suit's eyes dimmed slightly from the force of it.

"Stay down." He ordered, feeling slightly regretful. He shook his hands, trying to ignore the ache punching the metal suit had caused. His knee and foot both hurt as well, but he easily pushed his pain aside, starting to run once again. He glanced back and saw Stark slowly staggering to his feet. He let out an annoyed sigh, picking up his pace. He vaulted over a wall, landing gracefully onto a metallic fire escape. The brightly painted metal creaked and groaned in protest at the sudden weight. He slid down the ladder, ignoring the heat the friction caused to his hands. He landed softly, feet barely making any noise on the concrete. He immediately raced out of the alley and into the street, which was, unlike day time, quiet and devoid of people. There was a sudden sound of a blast and Percy dodged just in time for the repulsor's blast to graze his leg. He cried out at the sudden pain, before gritting his teeth. He turned around just in time to see Tony land again, arm aimed at him. Percy's blood was still smeared on his helmet, but the hero took no notice of it. He let out another blast, but the other dove to the side as it went off for the second time. This time it missed him, but just by millimeters. Stark walked a few steps closer to the teenager, keeping his palm at him. Percy's eyes flashed dangerously.

"That. Hurt." He blurred forward with an uppercut punch. Tony's head snapped back and he was forced to take a step back from the impact. The hero responded with a punch, which Percy easily slipped away from and responded by grabbing the outstretched arm and attempting to break it between the joints. The suit, being made of most likely Nitinol, didn't break as easily as he had hoped it would, and Tony quickly used his other arm to punch at his jaw while the teenager was distracted. Percy rolled his head to the side as the punch hit in order to lessen the blow, although it still sent him reeling. He raised his arms to block the next few blows, which still jarred his arms heavily and sent shocks of pain throughout his arms. His head pounded and his vision blurred slightly at the vicious onslaught, his arms shaking slightly with every incredibly strong punch. If he had been anyone else, his arms probably would've been broken by now. He ducked away suddenly while there was a break between punches, creating some space between them again. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

Percy wiped a hand over his lip, which he knew had split, and his cheek stung. He knew he wouldn't be able to last too much longer, so he would have to end it quickly. He feinted with a punch, which Stark moved to block, before whirling around the other and slamming his foot into the small of his back. He stumbled forward and Percy used the momentum to slam him face first into a wall. Before he could recover, he used all of his strength to bash his face into the bricks again. Instead of Tony's helmet breaking, like he had hoped, the bricks started dislodging and cracking instead. Tony, now beginning to recuperate, tried to stop Percy by pushing away from the wall. Not letting him stop him, he rammed his face against the wall once more, this time hearing a satisfying crack of metal. Tony's grip slackened for a moment, the lights in his suit dying down slightly. Percy wasted no time, whirling him around and grabbing him by the shoulders. He spun around and turned away, holding on to him by his arm and pulling him closer, before flipping the other over his hip and slamming him into the ground. Hard. A classic judo flip. As Tony lay stunned on the gravel road, Percy pushed him over until he was on his stomach, his face now on the curb of the street. As the hero tried to lift himself up, Percy stomped his foot down on the back of his helmet, causing a loud crack to echo from it. His eyes dimmed to nothing and the metal suit went limp on the ground. Percy stepped back, breathing heavily and frowning at the fallen hero.

'I just curb stomped a superhero.' A humourless laugh escaped his mouth as he shook his head in disbelief. 'I need to get out of here. Now.' He turned and started jogging away from the older man, who lay still on the road. His mind was already scanning through the lists of places he could go to escape the agents and heroes that were forever after him. Perhaps Moscow? Hawaii? Australia?

The sound of a blast came suddenly and Percy stumbled forward with an agonised cry from the impact, waves of pain racing from his shoulder. He clutched at it, trying to push away the almost blinding pain the repulsor had caused. He glanced over his shoulder to see Tony standing with his palm faced outward at him, but this time his helmet was gone, revealing a bruised and bloodied face glaring furiously at him. He glared back at the older man, ignoring the pain and the probable gaping hole it had left in the muscles and tendons. He knew he wouldn't be able to use his arm much now, so his chances of winning another fight, as diminished as they were before, were gone now. So instead he bolted.

He ran down the street, aware of the sound of the metal suit flying after him. He ducked to the side as another blast came from his repulsors, missing Percy by centimeters. His shoes hit against the concrete rhythmically as he ran, his backpack hitting against his back in time with his feet, annoying him immensely. The street lights around him were casting shadows everywhere and the moon washed the dark streets with silver, clashing with the yellowness of the lamps. A few cars blared their horns in the far distance, yet they were nowhere near him. He noticed this all within a matter of seconds, time seeming to stand still as he ran without falter. He abruptly changed directions, taking a left at the street corner.

That's when he slammed into something. And the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, on top of something.

No. Not something.

Someone.

A girl, about his age, lay beneath him, her brown eyes wide and her long brunette hair sprawled around her head. Her mouth was slightly open in shock, and Percy was sure he looked exactly the same. They were both breathing heavily, staring unblinkingly at each other. His arms were around her, pressed against the cold ground, and holding his body up, slightly above hers. The sound of Stark's suit ripped him from his reverie and his head shot up to see him land, palm aimed at him unwaveringly. Not knowing what else to do, Percy felt an unintentional tug in his gut. As the repulsor went off, the two teenagers exploded into a burst of thick mist that blinded Tony for a moment.

And when he could see again, they were gone.