A/N: New story! This is a Percy Jackson and Avengers crossover. I like this kind of story since they are both kind of centered around New York City, so they are easy to incorporate. Let's talk business; I'm trying to come up with a pairing for Percy. I'm thinking Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) at the moment, but that can change. I just really don't like the whole Vision/Wanda thing so I'm going to destroy it. If you have ideas let me know.

I'm sorry I haven't updated Twins of Rome in forever. Maybe this will make up for it? No? Okay.

This is set post-Civil War and post-Heroes of Olympus. Anyway, please enjoy!

NOTE: MAJOR CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Chapter One

-X-

New York City

One Year Ago

"First, I'd like to congratulate you and thank you for your service," Zeus announced, "and I think I speak for all the gods when I say that you showed true valor yesterday."

Perseus Jackson was barely even listening. The demigods from Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood alike stood in the center of the Olympian throne room, listening to Zeus's monologue about the victory over Gaea at the base of Mt. Olympus. Percy was staring at Zeus as he spoke, but there was a lost look in his eyes—one that made it clear he wasn't really seeing what was in front of him.

He looked wiry and pale from his time in Tartarus, almost making him appear to be sickly. Dark bags hung underneath his eyes from many sleepless nights, and his body ached from the strain of warfare. His hair was disheveled—longer and messier than he preferred it to be. His hands shook softly from exhaustion, and he could even feel himself swaying a little as he stood.

His physical state wasn't near as bad as his mental one. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Annabeth lying on the earth, her aimless gaze cast off into the bright blue sky. He saw the blood pooling around her neck, and the horribly cruel smile on Gaea's face as she grasped Annabeth's sword, slick with the blood of its owner.

He felt numb; it felt surreal. Annabeth—the love of his life and the girl who walked through hell with him was gone for good. But Percy was still here, and maybe that was what made it hurt so much—the fact that he wasn't with her.

Thalia didn't make it either. Not many hunters did once Artemis was subdued. Without her over-watching protection, they didn't last too long. The daughter of Zeus was like a sister to him, and the sting of her death hurt just as bad as Annabeth's.

War was hell. Percy wasn't sure if he truly understood that until after the Giant war. He realized how easy they all got off during the Titan war—he lost friends, sure, but he didn't lose someone so close to him. The pain was unimaginable. It hurt so terribly that he couldn't even cry. It was like shock had prevented him from truly feeling any emotion, even though he knew he should be.

They'd lost so many people. The same empty stares surrounded Percy—he was not the only one to lose someone important. Travis stood nearby, supported gently by Katie. His eyes were puffy and red, a result from mourning his brother's death. Clarisse's absence was painful for the Ares cabin. Percy didn't think he'd seen Will Solace since the beginning of the battle.

Percy forced himself to look away. He didn't want to know who all had died.

The gods had given them a night to rest before they addressed the demigods as a whole, but Percy hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. They'd whisked them to Olympus shortly after the battle, allowing them to sleep in some of the extra bedrooms in the massive Olympian palace. Percy had lain down, but all he'd been able to do was stare blankly at the ceiling for hours on end, only remembering to eat and drink when reminded by Apollo, who was dealing with the wounded alongside his son Asclepius.

Ten hours.

That was how long it had been since Percy had held Annabeth's body in his arms. That was how long it had been since he and the demigods with enough strength left in them had rallied to swarm Gaea after brutally taking down Porphyrion. He remembered the fear in Gaea's eyes as the horde of demigods stabbed, sliced, and brutalized her before she was put out of her misery by the master bolt itself.

The gods clapped for the demigods after Zeus's opening statement, but Percy's face remained an emotionless mask. He vaguely noticed that Poseidon's eyes were on him, but he did not make eye contact with his father.

"Would the heroes of Olympus please step forward to receive their rewards for protecting the world as we know it?" Zeus asked.

There were soft footsteps as Jason and Piper shuffled forward from the back of the crowd. Piper was battered, and Jason had a nasty cut across his face. Hazel inched forward, looking at her feet. Frank hadn't made it. Leo had appeared back at Olympus alongside Calypso, who watched as the son of Hephaestus moved beside Hazel.

Several moments passed.

"Percy?" It was Apollo who had called his name.

Percy blinked out of his trance, silently moving next to Jason. Zeus nodded, clearly pleased, before straightening in his chair.

"We offer you all the gift of godhood. This is a huge reward that took a lot of time for every god to agree with, but we believe that you all would be worthy recipients. So, will you all accept?"

No one answered. Zeus looked confused. He opened his mouth, but Percy spoke before he could.

"No." His voice was hoarse, but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear. The throne room was quiet as he turned and waded through the group of demigods, heading for the doors. The half bloods made a path for him, some nodding in respect or putting a hand on his shoulder as he passed. He wanted to smile—to tell them that he was proud to have fought by them, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything besides putting one foot down and then the other on a slow journey out of the throne room.

-X-

New York City

Present Day

The punching bag swayed as Percy's taped fists pummeled it. The small boxing gym in Manhattan was filled with the smacking sounds of his knuckles connecting with leather.

Percy looked better than he had immediately after the war. The sweat-stained sleeveless shirt he wore allowed his arms to be visible, which had filled back out after long months of training and gaining back nutrients he had gone without in Tartarus. He had cut his hair down shorter than he was used to, allowing his bangs to fall only as low as the middle of his forehead. His tan had returned as well (not even an extended stay in the underworld could squash the genetic disposition that he had inherited from his father), leaving him looking a lot healthier than he used to look.

Zeus hadn't taken it well that he had turned down godhood a second time. Granted, the others had declined as well, but Percy knew that the god of the sky had a bit of a personal grudge dating back to the time he thought the son of Poseidon had stolen his master bolt and for simply being born during the Big Three's oaths. After some convincing, Zeus asked them for what they wanted, since they clearly weren't interested in godhood.

Percy's wish?

He told them to leave him alone. He didn't want to be a part of that world anymore. He was finished.

And Zeus complied.

It had been almost a year since then, and he hadn't talked to anyone from camp or on Olympus. Percy was thinking about visiting Nico at some point, but he wasn't nearly as motivated to do it as he knew he should have been.

He wasn't at Annabeth's funeral. She was buried in New York City, but he couldn't muster the courage to face her family. He couldn't explain why he wasn't there to protect her. He paid his respects quietly and alone, several blocks away at his mother's apartment. Thalia was burned on a funeral pyre like the rest of those who didn't make it, but Percy couldn't bear to see that either.

Percy hadn't changed much since the beginning of his seclusion, but one thing had definitely become different; he had become very interested in mortal affairs. He had never really paid close attention to what was going on in the world during the wars, but now that he was finished he decided it wouldn't hurt to become a little more educated on his own country.

He was particularly interested in the Avengers. When he was put to sleep for eight months, aliens of some sort invaded New York City. Then, while he and Annabeth were in the depths of Tartarus, a place called Sokovia got leveled and was nearly used as a meteorite to obliterate the Earth. Percy didn't really come to know this until he got back to New York City to find it still in shambles. His mother told him all about it, explaining who the Avengers were and the kinds of things they did.

No, Percy wasn't completely shocked when he learned Thor and the Norse gods were still active. After learning that the Romans existed, it didn't seem too farfetched to Percy for other pantheons to still be around as well. Percy was certain that the Greeks had already contacted Thor, because the son of Poseidon knew that Zeus would grow paranoid if a Norse god started screwing around in Midgard.

He was impressed, really. The Avengers, minus Thor, were mortals who were able to make a difference. Percy hadn't really considered the kind of impact he would have made had he never gotten his control of water, and the fact that these men and women—despite some of them having helpful mutations or skills—were able to do the same thing Percy did—thanks to godly heritage—admittedly impressed him.

The recent news explained that there was a manhunt going on for Captain America and his band of friends, who had refused to sign the Sokovian Accords. He watched an interview with the secretary of state, Thaddeus Ross, who told citizens of any country to come forward if they knew something about their whereabouts.

Percy couldn't imagine the types of oversight the government would try to put on demigods.

The thought was shaken out of his head with the soft chime of the bell above the gym door. It was six in the morning; none of the other gym regulars came this early, so Percy was mildly surprised.

The son of Poseidon had begun coming to the gym almost a month after the war had ended. At first, it was mostly to regain his body weight and to shed away that sickly glow that followed him around for some time after coming out of Tartarus. He couldn't forget the things that happened there, but he could certainly rid the physical remnants. And he had done so by boxing and training with other mortals who were mostly just interested in building their muscles even bigger than they already were.

Percy began participating in friendly boxing matches with the others about two months after his first arrival. He lost his first couple horribly—his opponents were larger and more experienced than he was, even with Percy's natural inclination towards combat. Percy had trained for years how to use a sword, but never before had he delved in brutal, hand-to-hand combat with men that had muscles three times the size of his own.

He caught on quickly however, and figured out that his lean body provided an advantage in the form of agility. Percy was so much quicker than most of the others that it was almost comical. They would throw monumental punches, but they would be so easy to prepare for and to see coming that he could simply duck or sidestep without getting hurt in the slightest.

After six or seven months, Percy had become such a good boxer that the gym had hired him as a trainer. He helped newcomers to the gym learn how to defend themselves, whether it was for use inside the ring or protection out in the city. It didn't matter him why they took his classes: only that he taught them well enough to protect either their own body or the loved ones'.

That was something Percy had failed to do himself.

Percy placed his hands on either side of the bag to stop it from swinging as he turned his head to the door. The neutral expression that had adorned his face morphed to one of mild irritation.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as turned away, scooping up a towel from a nearby chair.

"When are you coming home, Percy?" The voice was quiet.

Percy turned to take in the visitor's appearance fully for the first time. Travis Stoll stood tall in front of the glass doors of the gym, his bright blue eyes looking considerably darker than they used too. His mischievous grin had been replaced by a grim line and a stony expression, which told Percy that the son of Hermes no longer wore his heart on his sleeve. His hands, once twitchy and active, were now still and firmly planted in the pockets of his jeans. The Camp-Half Blood shirt he wore was faded and almost looked too small for him. The beaded necklace around Travis's neck bore one more bead than Percy's, which was locked inside a drawer inside his Manhattan apartment.

"I'm not," Percy answered. "You heard my request, Travis. How did you even find me?"

"Your mom," Travis answered absentmindedly, his eyes sweeping the gym. "Is this where you spend your time now?"

"I work here," Percy told him, not surprised that his mom had told Travis where he was. She was worried about him and his state of mind after Annabeth and Thalia's deaths, and probably thought finally talking to someone from camp would help him.

Travis looked back at him. "I got your old job."

"Sword fighting instructor?" Percy asked incredulously.

Travis nodded. "A lot's changed since you've been gone. I was just wondering how much longer you're going to act like a child."

Percy was taken aback by the sudden aggression. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The son of Hermes laughed, but it sounded humorless. "I mean that I don't think it's fair that you get to run away from your demons while the rest of us deal with them head on. I know you loved Annabeth, but you didn't even come to her funeral, man."

Percy's hands clenched and his nostrils flared. "Think carefully about whatever you say next, Travis."

"I lost someone too!" Travis screamed, losing his calm expression. "Connor was my brother! But you don't see me running away from everyone! You don't get to do this!"

Fury boiled in Percy's stomach. "Is that why you came here, Travis? Did you just want scream at me and blame everything on me? Does that make you feel better?"

"I came here to see if the Percy I knew is still here but it looks like he died along with Annabeth!" Travis yelled, his hands sliding out of his pockets.

Percy didn't think as he leapt at Travis. His first punch landed against his jaw, sending the son of Hermes stumbling backwards. Travis was quick, however, and ducked under the second punch before running forward and tackling Percy in the stomach, driving him back several steps before slamming the son of Poseidon's back onto the floor of the gym. Travis hit Percy in the nose, and a resounding crack filled the air of the gym.

Percy rolled with all his strength, pinning Travis to the floor. He punched downward, but Travis moved his head and pushed Percy off of him. Travis stood and tried to hit Percy, but the son of Poseidon leaned away from it and swung his leg into Travis's side.

He gasped for breath and stepped back, unprepared for Percy's wild tackle that send them both crashing into a display table that held a bunch of fliers and information about gym membership. The table flipped, sending them both crashing down onto the other side of it with groans of pain.

Percy stood, blood pouring from his nose. His face ached from Travis's punches, but he barely felt the pain. As Travis rolled and slowly rose, holding his side, Percy pointed to the door.

"Get . . . out!" Percy yelled, his voice throaty and raspy.

Travis glared at him. "Gladly."

He pushed open the doors in a rage, but stopped and turned around.

"We aren't finished, Perce."

Then, the son of Hermes disappeared into the frosty morning in New York City.

-X-

A/N: And that's it! Chapter one is complete, and we now have a pretty much full background of what Percy has been up to since the war ended. Travis is angry, and is going to be a major character since I really liked him in Connor. Shame his brother had to die, but Travis is going to make an awesome hero now with that driving him.

Next chapter will focus on the Avengers. I'll probably start with Cap's team, who are holed up with T'Challa in Wakanda. Bucky has been frozen until they can get out all the Hydra brainwashing stuff, which leaves Cap, Black Panther, Wanda, Sam, Antman, and Clint all stuck waiting it out. Or maybe they'll go on a little adventuring. Who knows?

Tony is still in NYC with Rhodes, Vision, Natasha, and Spiderman.

Pleas leave reviews! Sorry again for not updating my other stories for so long. Let me know what ya'll think of the pairing.