Hi guys! Here's the third chapter of Rebirth! :) There will be one more chapter for this story left.

But anyway, please enjoy this story!

Note: I just watched Now You See Me 1 & 2, and can anyone tell me some good NYSM fanfics? I really am in love with that fandom.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Marvel.

Tony flew out of the Tower, twisting in midair to avoid the barrage of projectiles aimed at him. The sinister curls of HYDRA's logo made Tony snort in amusement even as he glared at it. He hadn't forgotten Percy's rants and raves about how HYDRA's logo wasn't even a hydra but an octopus, and it just made it even harder for Tony to take them seriously now that he saw the giant octopus on the side of the aircraft. It was clearly something new – definitely not military – and looked like a miniature model of the ship that they'd fished Captain America out of. He wove around the aircraft, dodging fire whilst returning his own. He caught a glimpse of grey and silver streaking behind him, drawing some of the fire away from himself. Tony clamped down on the worry that rose up within him at the thought of Rhodey taking to the air so soon.

The two of them wove around the aircrafts – and where did HYDRA even get all these? – dodging in between blasts. Tony executed a complicated aerial maneuver and fired a repulsor at the engine of the craft. The craft spun uncontrollably and crashed into the side of the tower, shards of glass raining down on the street below. Tony didn't have the time to spare more than a stray thought for the civilians below before he launched back into battle.

He didn't know how, but Tony managed to hear Percy's warning cry and fell backwards, a blast of energy – different from the ones coming from the plane – missing him by a hairsbreadth. Tony would have given Percy a salute – but he was distracted by the fire of another aircraft. The genius hissed and barrel-rolled, avoiding the craft's fire. Tony turned to tell Percy to get into shelter before he got fried by the aerial assault.

His heart stopped.

Tony hovered in midair, watching, frozen, as a HYDRA agent opened fire on Percy, the kid stumbling backwards – and over the edge of the Tower.

"No," Tony whispered, fear wrapping its icy fingers around his heart, "No!" he screamed, diving downwards.

All he could see was Pepper – her fingers slipping from his as she fell into a fiery hell, Rhodey – his best friend's panicked voice, the grey and silver suit crashing into the ground, too far away for him to catch.

Tony pushed his suit harder, not again, he prayed, please, no, not again.

FRIDAY came online, and Tony could have sobbed in relief at her voice. "Reroute all energy to the thrusters Fry, now!"

His thrusters fired up, and Tony shot downwards – faster, faster, trying to reach Percy– the ground coming up to meet them both.

Rhodey allowed himself three seconds to revel in the joy of being airborne again before he slipped into what Tony dubbed as the 'Colonel Mode'. He covered Tony's back, taking some of the fire off his friend and soldier in arms, destroying one of the crafts himself.

As a soldier, he'd always had a good sense of surrounding – it was necessary, you couldn't concentrate on only one thing on the field. In war, everything was happening at the same time, you couldn't focus on one enemy and let another strike you down when you weren't looking.

It took Rhodey 0.3 seconds to realize Tony was gone.

It took him another 0.2 seconds to realize that his friend had dived downwards.

It took 0.7 seconds for Rhodey to realize that Tony was trying to catch someone, and another 0.1 seconds to realize who that someone was.

Rhodey dove after Tony, cutting off the HYDRA aircraft that had trained its weapons on his best friend, preventing them from shooting Tony out of the sky while he was distracted.

Colonel Rhodes was a soldier, he knew that casualties happened in wars (and fights) – he was a prime example of that fact. Rhodey just prayed, for Percy's and Tony's sake, that Tony was able to catch the kid.

He didn't know if there would be any pieces left of Tony to pick up if the kid hit the ground.

Tony pushed himself faster than he ever had before, his eyes wide in desperation.

"Reroute all energy to the thrusters Fry, now!"

"But boss –"

"Now Fry!" Tony snarled, his throat clogging up as he felt a power surge in his thrusters, pushing him downwards faster, faster –

He reached out an armored arm, curling it around Percy's waist. Tony flipped in midair, trying to get them up before they hit the ground, his suit compensating for the sudden change in direction. His momentum worked against him, and even with his thrusters firing at full power, all he could do was change their direction so that they slammed into the side of his tower and not the ground. Tony curled his body around the kid's, using his armor as a shield against shrapnel and glass. He cut the power the moment he felt them crash into the Tower, feeling his back break through concrete and plaster, flipping and rolling across the floor. The whole time, Tony hunched over Percy, hugging the teen to his chest in a mockery of a child hugging his favorite toy.

When they rolled to a stop, Tony dared to uncurl, carefully pushing Percy off him, allowing the other man to flop on the floor. His faceplate retracted and Tony glanced at Percy worriedly.

The demigod's eyes remained closed.

"Fry?" Tony asked, a tremor in his voice.

"Breathing is shallow and heartbeat is slow boss." FRIDAY intoned softly, "Preliminary scans show several second degree burns on his chest where he was hit. Medical help is on the way boss."

Tony squeezed his eyes shut, "Rhodey?"

It took several moments before his friend replied breathlessly, "Shit man, did you get him?"

Tony swallowed, "Barely. What's the status up there?"

Rhodey remained silent for several moments, the sound of repulsor whines and explosions all Tony could hear, "The HYDRA agents on the ground are either unconscious or dead, they're not attacking and not moving. I can handle the aircrafts, but it'll be better if you could give me a hand."

Tony let out a breath, he looked at Percy, his skin a pasty color. He didn't want to leave the kid alone, not when HYDRA might still be lurking around, but he couldn't leave Rhodey alone either.

"My sensors are still functional on this level boss, I can inform you when the medical personnel arrive and if there are any complications."

Tony worked his jaw, "Will you be able to detect them?"

FRIDAY paused, "I failed to identify the intruders due to a virus that was uploaded on my systems. I have managed to isolate and destroy it, as well as create resistance towards the virus, I will not be fooled a second time boss." The AI stated quietly.

Tony nodded and reluctantly, he stepped back, allowing his faceplate to fall over his face.

Darkness.

The wind rushing through his ears.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Hands grabbed at him, tearing him apart, their claws – nails – raking over his flesh, drawing deep gouges into his skin. A presence – Perseus Jackson, it said – grating laughter digging into his mind.

The hero, the voice whispered, harsh as a hurricane, like nails screeching on a chalkboard.

Falling. He was falling and there was no end.

Percy screamed.

He jolted to awareness, a pressure on his arm and restrains pulling him down – dragging him under – preventing him from escaping. He surged upwards, thrashing wildly – nononononono let me go, let me go – trying to leave.

Hands grabbed onto him – claws raking through his sides, his arms – voices blurring through his senses. Something (someone?) covered his mouth – he couldn't breathe, he was drowning –

He fell back into the darkness.

(Madness laughed as it dragged him down the abyss)

He lurched into the light (again), flinching as someone – who was it? – slid closer to him, a hand – cold, clammy? Warm, safe? – rested on his. A voice cut through the murkiness, "Percy, kid, you're safe", but he shook, his arms weak as he tried to lift it.

"You're safe kid, no one's going to harm you."

The voice sounded familiar, and he strained to remember, reaching out for a memory that slipped his grasp like water.

"Shh, that's it, settle down kid."

A name flittered in his mind: Tony.

He tested it on his tongue, but only a croak came out. The person pulled away – he shifted, the warmth needed to come back – and returned with blessed, cool balm. The liquid touched his lips and strength trickled back into him. With the ferocity of a tidal wave, his memories crashed back into him.

A whimper escaped his lips, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Take it easy kid, I'm probably hypocritical for saying this but you need to rest."

He trusted that voice, that warmth, and so he let the darkness swallow him again, the brightness of light stamped behind his eyelids.

Touch was the first sensation to come back.

He felt the smooth sheets beneath his fingers, the foam that seemed to cradle his head and the soft mattress that he lay on, and an oddly heavy weight on his left side.

Hearing came next, and his ears registered the slow but routine beep from the machine beside him, the soft hum of the machinery around him.

Percy twitched, blinking open tired eyes. He blinked a few more times before his vision cleared enough for him to register his surroundings. His gaze fell to his side, and his lips twitched when he realized what the weight had been.

"Tony." He croaked, or tried to, his voice hoarse with dehydration and disuse. He grimaced and tried again, "Tony."

Percy shifted slightly, hissing when pain lanced up his chest. The sound caused the genius to shoot upright, a hand clamping on his head at the sudden movement. Tony winced, "Ow, never trying that again. Fry, put that on the records."

The engineer blinked owlishly then leapt to his feet, "Holy crap kid you're awake! How're you feeling? Floaty? High? Are you really with me now?"

"Water." Percy coughed, and Tony scrambled for the pitcher by the bed when FRIDAY so kindly translated for the billionaire.

With more gentleness than one would expect a man like Tony Stark to be capable of, he slid a hand under Percy's neck, lifting him and supporting him while holding the cool glass to the kid's lips.

Percy could feel energy slipping back into him the moment the water touched his lips, and he forced himself to take slow sips, not the big gulps that he so desperately wanted. Eventually the whole glass was gone and he shook his head when Tony asked him if he wanted more.

"Should I just pour the whole thing on you? Will that help?" Tony joked half-heartedly, looking concernedly at Percy.

The demigod smirked tiredly, "You could do that, but I'm not explaining the wet sheets to the doctors and nurses. I don't have the energy to dry the sheets now." He said in response to Tony's questioning look.

"The ocean would be the best type of water for me to regain my energy, but I don't think the docs would allow me to do a skinny dip in the ocean."

Tony snorted, "They don't know what they're missing then." The genius sobered, "I can get you back to the Tower and dump you in the pool if you want." He offered, "I built it after you moved in, its only for you cause I told the contractors to make sure it had the consistency of sea water. It's nowhere near the real thing but…"

Percy blinked, "I – Tony – really?"

Tony nodded, his brown eyes softening when Percy grinned at him.

"I wouldn't mind that, I really hate hospitals." Percy huffed, leaning back into his pillow, "But I don't think I have the energy to even sit up let alone walk out of here. And no, you're not carrying me, we're not inducing another PR nightmare. The poor department has enough on their plates already."

Tony quirked a grin at that, but settled down in the chair he had pulled to Percy's bedside.

Percy looked at Tony, spotting the dark circles and the haunted look in the other man's eyes. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

Tony looked down, working his jaw silently, "You fell." He said simply, two words that had haunted him the past week when he had been waiting for Percy to wake up.

He looked up and met Percy's eyes, "You – Rhodey and I, we were taking care of HYDRA's aerial support, and you took care of the ones on the ground. They had some weapon to take out my suit and I didn't even see it – but you did, and you destroyed it, and everything happened so fast the next thing I knew you were falling over the side of the Tower."

That was a lie, he'd replayed the whole scene in his mind hundreds of times. The way the blast caught Percy in the chest, the force of it sending him barreling over the edge – BARF was as realistic as it could be. And every time – every time Tony would shut down the program the moment Percy went over the edge.

"You caught me though." Percy replied easily, his hand resting on Tony's limp one.

"I nearly didn't." he said harshly, "I should've noticed the weapon –"

"You had to deal with people shooting at you Tony, the blame doesn't fall on you, it doesn't fall on anyone. It was nobody's fault except HYDRA's."

Tony deflated, "Why is it that you're the one in the hospital but I'm the one being comforted?"

Percy cracked a smile, "That's cause you're a big baby."

The genius snorted, swatting his hand in response.

"Ugh," Percy hissed, sinking back into the foam, "I don't understand why I feel so tired when all I did was fall off a ledge."

Tony flinched slightly at the reminder, but shook away the image, "I think I might be able to help with that." He commented, sliding a StarkPad from the drawer by the bed. He tapped on the device several times, then turned the screen towards Percy, his eyes solemn.

The text changed into ancient Greek, which FRIDAY had translated for Percy to be able to read more comfortably. The demigod shot a confused look at Tony, then started reading the autopsy of the Hydra goons that had attacked the Tower. The more he read, the deeper the frown on his face became.

"I don't –"

"You said that the more power you use, the more tired you get right?"

Percy nodded mutely, staring at the report on the screen.

Tony leaned forward, concern evident on his face, "You probably over-exerted yourself, which, coupled with the injury you sustained and then the – well, you know, your body is probably burnt out with all the energy you used up."

Percy flicked dark emerald eyes to him, suspicion nagging at him, "Did you reach that conclusion by yourself?"

Tony grinned sheepishly, scratching his neck, "Well no not really, one of the docs who looked over you said as much. He was probably referring to the physical taxation of fighting numerous opponents plus the shock of well, falling several hundred feet, but I drew my own conclusions and figured that made sense in regards to your powers."

Comforted slightly, he relaxed minutely. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tony (on the contrary he trusted the man with his life), but that didn't mean that there weren't people out there who could and would use his friend to get to him.

Percy glanced down at the report again (shredded organs, dehydration) and said softly, bile rising up in his throat, "I've never done something like this before."

"Kid," Tony said lowly, "It's not your fault okay? You were knee deep in battle, anything could have happened." The genius hesitated momentarily then reached forward and curled a hand around Percy's neck, reassuring the ex-agent with the touch, "If anything, I'm glad that you did whatever you did because otherwise you'd be the one lying in the morgue."

Percy smiled blandly, "That would be a ton of paperwork."

Tony nodded his agreement, "Yes, and you know how much I hate paperwork. So be a good personal assistant and stay out of the morgue for me okay? Otherwise I'd have to invent a way to bring back the dead."

"Just so you can escape paperwork."

"Yes it's all in the name of paperwork."

Percy chuckled softly, wincing as the movement pulled the tender skin on his chest. He felt the lethargy hit him like a truck and his eyelids drooped.

"It's dangerous Tony." Percy swallowed, fingers clenching around the tablet.

"Listen to me kid," Tony said fervently, "We'll get through this. It's a new aspect of your power that's all. You'll learn how to control it and I'll make sure you don't accidentally kill anyone because you're stressed."

Percy gnawed at his lips, "You should go back to the Tower Tony." He whispered, blinking heavily.

Tony took the tablet from his hands and shook his head, "That promise goes both ways kid. I'm not leaving you." He said solemnly.

Percy felt the tension drain out of him completely and thinks he managed a 'Thanks' and a smile before sleep claimed him again.

The next morning, Tony was gone when he woke, the StarkPad on the table beside him. With some effort, Percy dragged the tablet to him, reading the autopsy report. Swallowing nervously, he asked, "FRIDAY?"

"Yes Percy?" Came the light, disembodied voice.

Percy licked his lips, and flicked his eyes to the tablet, "What's the name of the doctor that Tony was talking about last night?"

A beat of silence, then –

"He introduced himself as Doctor Light, but insisted that the boss refer to him as Fred."

So how was it? XD

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