A/N: This is very late, but it's better late than never. I've written this entire thing in the span of twelve hours. And, not only that, but I've ended the story. All of them. I hope you enjoy. Caution: this chapter contains hints at some not so nice methods of persuasion. (But I didn't describe it, don't worry.)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers or Percy Jackson.

Chapter Nine

"I just don't understand where this Coeus guy came from," Percy said, waving a hand around a little more cautiously than he usually would. He really didn't want to pop open those stitches again. "I've never even heard of him."

Natasha kicked her feet up on Percy's bed. "Neither have we until he started wanting to take over the world," she pointed out.

Percy thought through the story they had told him so far. About the nightmares, about the fixing the nightmares (Percy still had a very hard time believing they were mostly gone, but he certainly wasn't going to complain), and about coming to the tower to help defeat this super-genius, powerful titan. All of it seemed so far-fetched and unbelievable. "So how did we get rid of him since he obviously didn't succeed in becoming ruler of the world?"

"First of all, it wasn't really a 'we'" Clint said. He was crunching on a bag of nuts on the other side of the bed the team had all but forced Percy in. "More like just 'you.'"

"You've got to be joking," Percy said.

"It was the stupidest plan I've ever heard of in my life," Steve chimed in.

"Okay, that sounds more realistic."

"And that's probably why it worked," Tony said. "Because no person on Earth would be dumb enough to try and outsmart a genius titan."

"And yet, outsmart him you did," Thor grinned.

"Alright," Percy relented. "Now you've got me interested in what happened. Spit it out."

And the team told him that and so much more. By the time they were done, Percy's stomach was growling, and his head was spinning with so many stories.

Almost as if he had read Percy's mind, Bruce came through the door with a steaming bowl of soup. Percy hadn't noticed when he had slipped out. It must've been when Tony was telling him about that time Percy was cradled gently in the Hulk's arms and the entire news was almost plastered with a picture of his face. Percy wondered if that story embarrassed Bruce or him more. Percy was betting on Bruce since he had left the room for it.

Percy thanked Bruce for the soup. He sat up some more, dodging the hands that tried to shove him back down onto the pillow.

"So anything else worthwhile knowing?" Percy asked.

"Funny you should ask," Steve said with a twinkle in his eye.

The next hour or so Percy spent laughing so hard that he was sure his stitches would burst. But he thought maybe, it would be worth it. The team—no, his friends, made him feel warm, like he had just had a cup of his mom's hot chocolate on a cold night. He felt so warm. He smiled sleepily.

Clint shook his head, amused. He leaned over and scooted Percy down on his pillows. Natasha pulled the blanket more snugly up to his chin. Percy's eyes fell closed, and someone brushed his hair back from his forehead. It sort of reminded Percy from right when he woke up after the whole thing with Exacter. He wondered if it was the same person as last time.

"Goodnight," he said, or tried to say. It ended up sounding more like "g'nigh."

"Night, Percy."

The world disappeared as Percy was blanketed with a comforting darkness.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy did not wake up comfortable, but he did wake up in darkness.

He couldn't feel his hands or his feet, but he was guessing that was because of the tight bonds tying him to the chair he was currently strapped to. His body ached, and he had a huge crick in his neck from where it had lolled against his chest while he was out. Percy wasn't sure where he was or why he was there, but he was guessing it wasn't to do with SHIELD.

He squinted around his room and could just barely make out a door across the room. Percy heard footsteps distantly down the hall. They paused, and Percy saw a light come on in the hall from the slip of space under the door. Percy's heart thudded in his chest and the footsteps came closer and closer. The door swung open, and Percy got a good look at what he assumed was his captor.

It was a woman, first of all. And she had a sadistic grin on her face and slightly crazed eyes. She stalked forward towards him, closer, closer. Her hand snatched Percy's face and yanked it up to face her directly. "Hello, darling," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Long time, no see." She roughly threw her hand off him, snapping Percy's head to the side in the process.

"Who are you?" Percy asked, his voice rougher than he would've liked.

The woman, for some reason, threw back her head and howled with laughter. Percy thought she must've been a little unhinged or well on her way to getting there. "Oh, I've forgotten. You don't remember what I look like." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still giggling. "I'm the Exacter, you idiot. And I'm here to finish the job I started."

Percy opened his mouth and then closed it again. It couldn't be this lady. SHIELD had taken this woman into custody. Right?

The woman walked back towards the door and flipped on the light switch. Percy flinched slightly as the bright light brought on a headache he didn't even know he had. When he could, he looked around the room.

There was, strangely enough, a television on the wall in front of him. Strange tools were on a cart near him that looked like they could be used in construction. The other walls were bare, if not grimy. The woman picked up a remote from the cart with the tools and switched on the TV. And there, on the screen, were the Avengers. "Smile," the woman purred. "You're on camera."

"Percy!" Tony exclaimed. "Are you okay?" The entire team looked like they wanted to burst through the screen.

"I've been a little better," Percy said, shooting a glance towards the woman who had started this whole mess. "My company is sort of lacking." He began to try and reach for water, feeling around to see if there were any pipes.

"That mouth is going to get you in trouble," the Exacter warned.

"I never did know when to shut up," Percy agreed, not entirely paying attention to what she was saying. It was strange; he couldn't feel any water. And his headache almost seemed to be getting worse. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" the woman repeated, mockingly thoughtful. "Well, let's see. I want to see the Avengers crumble in burn, and I want you to die a horrible, painful death."

"So not much then," Percy said dryly. His eyes began to water from the headache, but he kept pushing. Why couldn't he feel any water? There was no way this building had none. And even if it didn't, there was some around. There was always some around. He sucked in a breath as a particularly painful throb pounded into his head.

"I wouldn't try that anymore," the Exacter told him, smiling mischievously. "I wouldn't want you to strain yourself trying to reach something you can't right now."

Percy stopped reaching for the water. He wasn't getting anywhere with it, anyway. "What did you do to me?" he demanded.

"You see," she continued, ignoring Percy, "I was cheated. The Avengers were supposed to die, and you weren't supposed to remember. My plan was flawless."

"Except it wasn't," Percy heard from the screen. He pulled his eyes away from the lady and looked at the team. Tony had spoken. "You failed, and we won," Tony said. "The crazy lady lost everything, and good prevailed, etcetera."

"If you won, then why am I standing here with one of your own?" She smiled when there was no answer. "Got you there, didn't I? This isn't over. This isn't over until I say it's over."

Gods, how Percy wanted this all to be over.

The Exacter went on, her voice slightly higher than it was. "Did you seriously think," she said, "that I would just go away and let you all live on? That with a little faith, trust, and pixie dust you would get your happy ending?" She shook her head vehemently. "No!" she screamed. "This isn't over until I—say—so."

"You're completely insane," Percy said. When he saw her eyes seem to glow with rage, he realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to call her that while he was tied down.

She strode over to him and viciously grabbed his hair, yanking his head backwards. "I might be insane," she snarled. "But I'm still going to win, and you're still going to die in this hellhole here. And I'm going to have so much fun." And with that, she drove her fist right into Percy's stomach, precisely where his stitches were.

Percy's eyes actually rolled back in his head from the pain, and he felt tears begin to slide down in cheeks. He gasped for air, which only made the pull from the stitches worst. He groaned and hunched over a little. He could taste blood in his mouth, and he sincerely hoped it was only because he had bitten his lip.

He heard the sound of a knife being slid out of its sheath.

"And now," the Exacter said, "Percy's going to tell me whatever weaknesses the Avengers and SHIELD has or else I'm going to—" she cut herself off. "Well, let's leave that up to our imagination, shall we?" She came back to where Percy was seated and flipped the knife a few time in the air.

"What's it going to be, Percy?" she asked, bringing the knife closer and closer to his face. Percy leaned back farther and farther, just about tipping over his chair before the woman slammed it back down with her foot. "The easy way or the fun way?"

Percy distantly heard the team's protests. His eyes were crossed trying to look at the knife. When he couldn't see it well anymore, he closed his eyes. No one ever said you had to look a nightmare in the face.

He felt the knife knick right along the edge of his collarbone before the Exacter stepped a few paces away and let out a huge breath, opening his eyes. The Exacter looked vaguely disappointed. "I really thought you would cave," she said, patting his heaving chest.

Percy was glad his hands were tied behind his back so she couldn't see how bad he was shaking.

"Of course I wasn't going to slash you to death," the Exacter said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Too messy. It's more for the artistic people, which I've never been. I can't even draw a good stick person. Besides, I prefer cleaner methods." Percy eyed the cart anxiously.

The Exacter smiled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was very, very tired. And that horrible lady was coming back with that stupid shocker. His body ached all over, and not just from the shocker.

"Gods, aren't you bored yet?" he asked, his words not very clear.

"Not with a captive audience," she shot back cheerfully, glancing over at the team still on the screen. Percy thought they must have had to make a deal to stay on the screen so she didn't kill him or something.

"Your show is played," he groaned, shifting in his chair. He wished he could have his shoes back. This floor was disgusting. Percy felt like he was going to get a disease just from looking at it.

"Round—What is this again? Time flies when you're having fun, and I've lost track," the Exacter said. Percy wondered if he could knock himself out on the back of his chair so he could rest for a bit and shut her up. Probably not.

Percy spent the next twenty-four minutes (he knew because he was counting) in the same haze he had spent the other "rounds" in. And suddenly, he had an idea.

"Alright, I'll tell you!" he yelled. "I'll tell you!"

"Tell me what?" she asked, suspiciously.

Percy reached for the water and anything else. He would get to it this time. Period. "I'm sorry, guys," Percy said, trying to convey with his eyes that he was acting. "I'm really sorry, but I can't take it anymore." Percy made his voice crack on the last word. "I've got to tell her your secret, Natasha." He ducked his head like the shame was killing him. Really, it was just the headache.

"Ha!" the hag crowed. "I knew I would break you! Tell me, tell me," she came up to him closer, forcing his head back up. "Tell me the secret."

Percy felt a tear slide down his cheek as he panted. He hoped he wasn't laying this all on too thick, but it looked like the lady was eating it up. "Natasha, I'm so s-s-sorry," he sobbed out. "I know you trusted me with this, but I need to tell her something. I've got to m-make it sto-ho-hop." Natasha looked just the right amount of devastated.

"TELL ME NOW!" the Exacter shrieked.

"Natasha's favorite color!" Percy wailed. "Everyone thinks it's red! But she's actually torn between lilac and black!" Percy reached and reached and—there. Gotcha, Percy thought.

"You IDIOT," the woman screamed, slapping Percy. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS."

"Not if I get out first," Percy grinned, hoping he didn't lose that loose tooth in the back of his mouth. "Faith, trust, and pixie dust go a long way, lady. It's time to fly."

With that, Percy let loose. And the darkness greeted him like an old friend.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'm very sorry, team," Fury said, his face drawn. "Nobody wanted this to happen. We tried our best, but it wasn't good enough."

"We'll manage," Steve said, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Thank you for your concern."

The team shuffled out of the room quietly. "I don't know what we're going to do," Clint said, breaking the silence. Tony shrugged, and that was all the answer anyone needed.

They went back to the guest waiting room.

"Took you long enough," Percy grinned from where he was sitting, his feet propped up on the coffee table. "I'm starving."

Thor smacked Percy gently on the back (well, gently for Thor). "I, too, could eat an elephant."

"That's a new one, buddy," Percy said brightly, rubbing his shoulder where Thor had hit him. "Usually it's a horse, but I think like yours better. So I'm guessing you guys still don't know where she is for sure?" He got out of his chair slowly. Steve knew he was still sore.

The team looks at each other and decides in that moment not to tell Percy what actually happened. "Nope," Natasha said. "Still didn't find her. But I just have this weird gut feeling she won't bother us anymore." They had made sure of that.

Steve ruffled Percy's hair. "I'm feeling some ice cream, right now."

"I bet I can order for all of you now," Percy said, grinning.

"I call unfair advantage," Tony announced. "Of course you're going to remember everyone's orders now."

"Even if I didn't remember, I would still know because you all get the same thing every time," Percy pointed out.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Just for that, I'm going to pick something different."

Percy began to lead the way out of the building. "Oh, come on," he complained.

"Life is tough, young grasshopper," Clint said. "And so is remembering all of our ice cream flavors." They all bickered the rest of the way out of the building. Steve smiled.

Life was tough. Bad things happened, and it didn't seem like there would be a way out. But sometimes, things worked out in your favor and everything was okay for a little while.

Yes, life was tough, but in this moment, life was also good for the Avengers.

A/N: And this marks the end of Recordatio and the entire Finding Yourself verse. Life is good, and I think that's how I'm going to leave it. Thank you for all your support through the years for those who've stuck with me for a while now, and for those more recent reviewers, thank you very much for kicking my tail back into work. Even though I might not write here again, I've grown a lot since I've started writing. Thank you all for that. Let me know what you all thought. And for the last time, goodbye!