"There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."

-J.R.R. Tolkien

"Heroes never get Happy Endings"

-00-

Tony sat behind his bar, admiring his reflection in the reflective mug he held as he waited for his coffee to finish brewing. His penthouse was unusually clean- likely Banner's doing-, barring the large board with a map of New York pinned onto it. Pins marking every kidnapping, missing persons, and monster sighting were placed precariously on the map: blue for kidnapping, red for missing, and green for monster attack.

Steve and Bruce had spent an entire day going through police reports and social media with the help of JARVIS, meticulously mapping out the city and then trying to identify potential next targets. From what Tony was told, Steve had a run in with their good ol' pal, aquaman.

While Steve had fun out in the field, Tony and Clint were performing an even more important task. Talking to Erik Selvig.

When the two had approached the good scientist about the possibility of a Greek world existing, he didn't even bat an eye. "Well, considering how true everything turned out to be involving the Norse, it'd only make sense for the Greek world to exist as well."

"Do you think they're possibly just different interpretations of Asgard?" Clint inquired, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door to Erik's lab.

"Unlikely, considering the vast difference in their mythos- and I've never heard Thor- or Jane for the matter- mention anything about Greeks. If the Greek world was the same as the Norse, we would've known by now." He fiddled with some device, jumping when it started to spark.

Tony sighed in boredom, taking the contraption from the scientist's hands and playing with it. "So the Greek world doesn't exist?" He said absently, flipping the metallic cube in his hands as it stopped short-circuiting. Erik stared at the device, surprised at Tony's ability to fix it, before straightening his glasses. Turning around, he pulled down a large book with Greek letter on the cover. Setting it next to the files containing pictures and evidence of Greek Monsters, Erik shook his head, blonde hair flying erratic as he did.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I've seen the news reports. People will believe what they want to. Want to know where I've seen this type of media distortion? When Thor first came to Earth. The only coverage on it deemed it a "Lighting strike" and then a "Failed Military Exercise". I'm seeing similar things, with headlines like "Zoo animals on the loose", except there were no military exercises and these certainly aren't zoo animals." He gestured to the CCTV stills of the man with the sword and the odd creatures around him. "Now I'm a scientist, and even with all the Asgard bolognabaloney I still do my best to hold true to what I know. However, I have been forced to accept that there are some things we weren't meant to know or understand. Magic is real. Gods? Real. So what I can tell you is this: There are higher powers than Humans out there, and if they don't want to be found, they won't. My guess? Yeah, the greek gods are real in some form, and I'm assuming that after all this time, if they're still in hiding, then they want to keep it that way. Whether it's through deception, trickery or magic. You won't find them unless they want you to."

Clint frowned, moving out of the doorway for the first time since they arrived. "Erik, these monsters are hurting people. We cannot- will not-sit by and allow them to run rampant. If the greek gods are real, then they'll just have to deal with us taking out these abominations."

Tony raised a hand, grinning childishly. "My turn! Now, while I agree wholeheartedly with sunshine here-"Clint sent a glare on cue, "- there's still the problem of the guy with the sword. Granted, he took us by surprise when we fought and so we weren't properly prepared, but he still would be a pain in the ass if he decided to stop being helpful."

Erik sighed, shrugging noncommittally. "To be honest, Mr. Stark, I'd just wait for Thor to return before engaging this man. He may have more information on this warrior and could have the tools to defeating him. But it's your choice- if he's killing the monsters that seem to elude you and SHIELD, then wouldn't it be better to let it go?"

Tony's face contorted into a pout, arms crossing. "He blew up my suit, Dr. Selvig. I'd like to at least get a rematch." Clint groaned, slapping his face. "Let it go Tony. He broke Nat's hand, so don't try to play the whole 'wounded pride' card. You'd have to get in line."

Turning to the good scientist, Hawkeye nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Erik. We'll be sure to keep in touch. Let us know if Thor returns." He gave Erik a firm handshake, before tugging Tony along. "Let's go crybaby. Banner is likely renovating your penthouse into a laboratory by now."

That meeting led him to returning home, where he found his tower almost spotless. Guess I have Bruce to thank for that.

The sound of his coffee boiling caught his attention, making him turn to his coffee machine. He robotically poured himself a mug of the caffeinated drink, careful not to accidently burn himself. The smell of his coffee itself was almost providing revitalization, as Tony felt his mind begin to dig itself out from its morning drowsiness.

Licking his lips, he took a small sip. Making a face, he grabbed a nearby sugar packet and dumped its contents in, swirling his dark drink with a spoon. As Tony's mind wandered once more, the soft thud of footsteps echoing down the eerily quiet hall made him snap back to attention.

Looking to his right, Tony watched a very disgruntled Bruce stumble into the kitchen. "Late Night?" He asked, sipping at his brew. Bruce mumbled something unintelligible, along the lines of "hermheima", before he proceeded to take over half the remaining coffee and pouring into a large mug, almost chugging it. "Easy there anger management- it's still hot." Banner gave him the finger, sighing as he sat his cup down. "The big guy doesn't let me get burned that easily." Bruce's dark green eyes were droopy as he lazily sprawled across a lounge chair.

"You look like shit." Tony wittily remarked, quirking an eyebrow at his antics. Bruce didn't even bother to send him a glare. "Staying up until 4 AM studying thousands of case reports does that to a guy."

As he finished speaking, Steve came up the stairs. He was decked out in grey sweats and an army shirt, sweat drenching his face and chest. "Don't tell me you're getting a late start Doctor Banner." He said casually, wiping a hand across his forehead. Bruce managed an incredulous face, gesturing lethargically. "You went to sleep after me. How the hell are you so chippy this morning? Did you run?"

"Ten miles, along with thirty minutes strength exercising." Bruce groaned, squeezing himself into the chair. "Yeah, sounds fun."

Clint walked down the hallway Bruce came from, hair looking like an explosion went off. "Why are you all up so early?" He yawned. Tony snorted, drinking his coffee while Bruce rubbed his eyes, removing sleep crust. "Is Natasha back yet?" He asked semi-enthusiastically. Clint eyed him with some suspicion, shaking his head. "No." He spoke, blue eyes flickering to Steve. "She'll be back soon. Now where's my damn coffee?" He looked inside the coffee pot, frowning. "Tony! I told you to save me some!"

"Our angry friend here took your share." Tony gestured to Bruce, who gave Clint a warning glare as the archer went to grab his cup. "Not today robin hood."

Clint narrowed his eyes, eyes promising death, as he went to make another batch. Steve grabbed some paper towels, nabbing at his face as he approached the operation board. "Since Nat won't be here, I'll just go ahead and explain what happened while you guys were away now that we're all together."

Bruce sat upright in his chair, attempting to look serious, while Tony and Clint stood next to each other across the penthouse, coffee mugs in hand.

"With Bruce, I was able to predict the next location our, ahem, hooded friend would appear in. He's been targeting neighborhoods and districts with a lot of strange monster sightings and many missing persons. Recently I was in the Upper East Side, near Harlem, when I found him."

"So you were the one causing all the ruckus I heard about on the news?" Clint interjected, drawing glances from the other three Avengers. "Well, technically. I was there for the ride pretty much."

"So did you find out his name?" Tony asked.

"No."

"Where he's from?"

"No."

"Where the monsters are from?"

"Nope." Steve said, innocent look on his face.

Tony's face was one of exasperation. "Then what did you do? Play rock paper scissors all night? Gossip about the Yankees?" Steve furrowed his eyebrows, irritation worming its way onto his face. "Let me finish and I'll tell you."

Tony simply gestured or Steve to continue, shooting Clint a glance.

"We raided a home together, and I fought…monsters with him." Steve finished hesitantly, unsure of how to describe what he saw.

"What kind? What were they?" Clint questioned this time, changing his demeanor to a more business like one. "I don't know." Steve admitted. He brushed some of his blonde hair to the side, sighing. "But I do know this. There's an entire world out there that we don't know of, that was clear. This….vigilante is not alone, but he needs help. He's a good guy, and I believe we should try to help as much as we can."

Tony's lips tugged downward, contorting his grizzled face into a frown. "One experience with this guy was enough to change your mind about trying to stop him?"

Steve ran a hand through his hair, broad shoulders shrugging. "I think he's dangerous. I saw that. But the things I witnessed, they were unforgettable."

"Did you forget that he smashed your head with a metal briefcase?" Tony quipped.

"Unlike you, I don't hold grudges." Steve retorted, and the two men began to glare at each other. Clint rolled his eyes, stepping between the two. "Alright girls you're both pretty. Now from what I hear it sounds like we all agree that this guy is trying to do good, right? So are we going to report this to Fury or what?"

"Absolutely not." Bruce finally spoke up after maintaining his silence. The others looked at him curiously, forcing him to continue. "The last thing we need is for SHIELD to be breathing down this guy's neck, especially if we want him to keep hunting the monsters. Besides, he hasn't killed anyone yet, so why alienate him from us further?"

"He's got a point." Steve said. Tony shook his head, while Clint seemed neutral. "That's not your call to make Rogers. We need to tell him- while I don't fully trust our one-eyed friend I don't think it's smart to let this guy roam around doing whatever he wants. SHIELD will find him sooner or later, so why not get what we can from them?"

"So you want to stop the swordsman now?" Steve demanded. Bruce sighed, taking a big swig out of his mug.

I'm going to need more coffee.

"No, but he should be monitored. I don't think letting a bunch of super-powered might-be demigods run rampant is a good idea!"

"Both of you, shut up. Now." Clint snapped, scowling. "It's far too early for this bullshit. We can talk about letting SHIELD know later. Now, are we helping this guy or not then?"

"Yes." Steve spoke emphatically. Bruce shrugged. "I'm not sure if letting him run around unchecked is smart. But helping him will in turn help us and we may glean better information on these monsters."

"So that's a yes from you?"

"Sure."

"Alright, that's 3-1 so we're helping him." Clint finished. Tony remained quiet, dark eyes devoid of emotions as he nodded stiffly. "I need to repair my suit. Excuse me." He stormed out, leaving the other three looking at each other.

"When does Nat get back? I need a drink."

-00-

"You want to tell me that we drove all this way for nothing?!" Reed groaned, raking a large hand through his stringy hair. Marcus rolled his eyes, arms crossed as he leaned out of the rental car. "No, we did not. The reports were very detailed- the monster should be here any minute now."

The demigod team had left for Delaware, where along Bethany was a string of "rabid dog" attacks. Marcus and Reed left ahead of the others, who were finishing another job and were a few hours behind.

The two male demigods had been waiting for two hours right near the boardwalk, and not a single monster had appeared. The sun dipped down below the horizon, the sky only being lit by the full moon. As Marcus dozed in the backseat, Reed sat on the hood of the SUV, wide awake.

Most pedestrians and beach goers had gone home now, with only a few kids moving amuck. Odds were that those still up and about didn't have good intentions.

As the demigod son of Ares stared of into the distance, a faint howl caught his attention. Frowning, he turned his head towards the other end of the beach. Distant shouts of surprise and then fear alerted him to the danger.

Jumping off the car, he banged on the door loudly, awakening the son of Athena. "Marcus we got something get your ass up!" Marcus started at the banging, face twisting into a glare before Reed's words finally registered. Slapping himself, Marcus grabbed his sword and dashed out of the car, sprinting to catch up with the large figure that was Reed. The son of Ares had immediately started running towards the commotion, the sounds of screaming and growling growing louder and louder as he got closer. The wind whipped at his hair, and for a second he thought he saw a man floating across the ocean, watching him.

"What the Hades?" Reed muttered, tearing his dark amber eyes from the water. Marcus caught up to him, striding beside him as the two raced to the monster. "It's too dark." Marcus panted. Reed's face twitched but he said nothing, and the two came to a stop right by the growling and yelling. On the beach a few kids were being backed towards the ocean by a massive hound, which Reed noted had pristine white fur- barring the maroon blood stains coating its face and chest regions.

"Get the kids out- I got him." Marcus snorted, looking like he wanted to argue. But then the massive beast lunged at the teens, missing by a hair. "Shit." Marcus was off in a flash, followed by Reed who then curved left towards the monster.

"Hey meatloaf! You little shite! How about you pick on someone your own size you overgrown dog!" Reed taunted. The hound turned, its blood red eyes luminescent in the darkness. Aw fuck.

With the wolf distracted, Marcus pulled the three teens back, sending them off. When the hound turned back, it growled in anger at seeing Marcus before him. "Not today Beethoven." Marcus spat, drawing his celestial bronze blade. The wolf cocked its head, looking at the sword curiously.

Reed, getting impatient, lunged forward. The hound spun with incredible speed and opened its maw, unleashing dozens of razor sharp teeth. It chomped down, tasting air as Reed redirected. However the sand slowed him, and the beast was able to claw his left arm.

Pain exploded in Reeds left side, blood pouring out of the claw marks. He cried out, stumbling towards the ocean.

As he fell back, Marcus approached the wolf warily. When the hound lunged at him, he rolled away, swiping up at it from below. His blade began to phase through the monster, before suddenly hardening and cutting the wolf as it exited its body.

"What the hell?"

Marcus didn't have time to think before the hound lunged once more, murder in its rather humanlike eyes. He slid to the side, but the hound wasn't fooled this time and two massive paws plunged into Marcus's stomach. "Ack!" Its claws dug deep into his gut, before they were ripped out. He collapsed, mind numbing with pain as he began to bleed out.

"Marcus!" Reed shouted, left arm limp as he stumbled over. Anger coated his face, amber eyes becoming slightly red.

"Υποβάλετε στο θυμό σας!" Reed growled, the words popping into his head. His good hand was outstretched in a claw gesture. The wolf's eyes glowed, before it began to bark angrily, attention on Reed. He picked up his sword, backing up as the wolf aggressively approached.

"Get on with it!" He yelled, adrenaline fueling him as the wolf lunged. Spinning away, he sliced its snout. Unlike Marcus's sword, the celestial bronze seemed to register the beast as a monster this time and gave it a good cut- deeming the monster important enough to hurt.

The wolf whimpered, backing off to recover. Reed stumbled over to Marcus, extracting a small cartridge of nectar in his pocket. He quickly emptied its contents into Marcus's mouth, turning just in time to see the monster approach once more.

"You still with me asshole?" Reed asked Marcus, standing over his limp form defensively. A weak groan signaled that he was still alive, encouraging the son of Ares.

In the distance he saw a group of four teens rushing towards them. Three girls and one boy. Guess the party is finally here. The wolf heard them too, turning its head to see the newcomers.

Growling in anger, its beady eyes refocused on Reed, and it leapt at him. Reed raised his sword, but a paw slapped his arm away. It went for his neck, jaw snapping.

Reed grabbed the wolf's neck area, struggling to hold it off. It's breath smelled of decay and death, with rotten saliva dripping onto his face. "I hope that's not from eating someone." Reed gasped out, trying to twist his face away from the disgusting breath.

"Reed!" he heard Joan yell out, and the son of Ares sighed when the Wolf diverted its attention to the newcomers. He heard a few panicked gasps, followed by a terrified "Marcus!"

The water, which had been gently lapping at the sand, began to collect. The wolf saw the unnatural occurrence, eyes widening. It jumped off Reed, but was too late- the tidal wave crashed into them. Reed gasped as cold water rushed through his clothes, holding his breath. An air bubble formed around him, protecting him and Marcus from the dark water. He managed to see the wolf struggling beneath the wave, being dragged out to the sea as the water tossed it about violently.

When he surfaced to see the rest of his team, Reed nodded to Marcus. "He's hurt, bad." Andromeda was already by his side before Reed finished, which would've normally earned her a witty comment. But they were all too worried about Marcus, even Reed.

"Oh for the love of Zeus, please stay with me!" Andromeda exclaimed, eyes watering as she cradled his head. "Xander! Do some healing spell or something." Xander frowned, muttering incarnations to himself as he tried to heal the demigod. Reed emptied his pockets, handing the last of his ambrosia to Joan, who was collecting all the medical supplies they had. She gave him a once over, worry filling her features. "You're hurt." She said, lightly touching his arm.

Reed jerked away, scowl on full display. "I'm fine. Just help him." He pointed to Marcus with his good hand, before limping off to the rental car. Joan frowned, but didn't follow. I'll talk to him later. She force fed Marcus the ambrosia they had, which combined with Xander's healing spells seemed to help save Marcus's life. The more serious wounds seemed to heal, but he was still bleeding badly. Xander coughed, sweat draping his forehead. "I've done all I can, but he still needs help."

Fiona stepped forward, placing a finger on Marcus's forehead. "He will rest peacefully, I guarantee it." No sooner than she finished had Marcus's breathing stabilized. Andromeda wiped her face, tears still threatening to overtake her. "We need to get him out of here right now!" She went to move him, but Joan stopped her. "He's too unstable, moving him can make it worse- let's wait for Reed."

Just then he pulled up in the rental car, flickering his lights. Driving carefully onto the beach, he stopped next to the group. "Help him in. I'll drive him to the van where we can hopefully put bandages on."

They gingerly helped the son of Athena, whose skin was turning pale from blood loss, into the car. Fiona and Xander elected to jog back, allowing Joan and Andromeda to drive with Reed.

The daughter of Poseidon sniffed quietly as she rubbed Marcus's forehead. While certainly worried, Joan did her best to hide it, instead talking to Reed. "What was that? The wolf didn't look like any monster or hellhound I've seen."

"It wasn't. When Marcus first struck it, his blade nearly passed cleanly through- I guess at the end it decided the dumb wolf was important enough to harm but it didn't help us by then." He said, wincing as his left arm bumped against the door. Joan frowned softly, resting a hand on his good shoulder. "You need medical attention too."

"I said I'm fine." Reed snapped back, eyes never straying. Joan grunted, scowling. "Well I'm sorry for worrying about your health."

"You don't need to pretend to worry about me."

"I'm not pretending, doofus." Joan retracted her hand, turning her attention to Andromeda. "He'll be ok, I promise you Andy." Andromeda sniffed once more, eyes glassy as she caressed Marcus's face. "I've never been so scared in my life." She choked out, squeezing a few tears out. She glared as she felt the traitorous droplets streak down her face, wiping them away.

Joan managed a smile at her action, placing a hand on hers. "He'll be ok."

"I need him to be."

-00-

"This is the largest mall in New York?"

"No, but it's one of the larger ones- and has every kind of store you can imagine- 346 stores are here."

Karen shook her head at Wills exclamation, giggling. Will had decided that they needed to go shopping to cheer her up, and since Nico wasn't a shopping kind of guy, Will went with her.

Karen was sporting a nice white blouse that seemed to accentuate her tan skin, combined with blue jeans and vans. Her long light brown-dark blonde hair was up in a ponytail. Will on the other hand was wearing a simple plain blue t-shirt and khakis.

"Oooh! Can I go here?" Karen asked, pointing to the large 'Pac Sun' sign, deep blue eyes lighting up. Grinning, Will nodded, following her into the store. "It feels so nice to feel…..normal." She spoke softly, nodding to the attendant who waved at her.

"Yeah, getting some peace and quiet is good every so often. I love Nico and all but the shit he brings into our lives can be rather stressful." Will chuckled, selecting a black shirt. Karen picked out some new shirts and pants, eyes widening at the price tags. "Don't worry, I got it covered." Will held up a shiny black and gold card, laying his shirt down at the cashier for them to check.

Karen shook her head, placing a hand on his arm. "Will you've already done enough for me, let me put some of these away and I'll just buy one." She went to grab a few, but Will got to them first, holding them down. "Nonsense!" He smiled widely. He quickly swiped his card, paying for all the clothing before them. "You needn't worry about these. Consider it my treat for being the greatest house guest ever."

His smile was infectious and soon Karen was sporting a pretty grin of her own. As they left the store, she noticed a few younger boys eyeing her, impressed looks adorning their faces. "Why are they staring at me?" She whispered to Will, as the duo made their way to the food court.

Wil just chuckled to himself, leading the way. "There's subway, let's eat there. I could use a foot long right now." He said, ignoring her question. Karen felt a few more pairs of eyes on her, and once they ordered she implored to Will once more. "Seriously Will I feel like people are staring at me! Is there something on my face?" They carried their sandwiches to a table, digging in enthusiastically. Karen asked him again why she was receiving looks, causing him to pause in his eating.

Will just sat there, amused expression displayed across his chiseled features. "Karen, they're staring at you because you're stunning." Her cheeks reddened immensely, earning her more chuckling from Will. "Gosh you're so cute!" He nearly giggled, waving a hand. "Don't walk around like that or more people might stare at you."

Karen stuttered, suddenly wanting to just slump into her chair and hide. "I-I, uh, thanks?" She said uncertainly, embarrassment and dare she say it, satisfaction rushing through her body. Tugging her headband off, she let her long locks loose and they fell lazily onto her back. Will gave her an appraising look as she did so. "I'm gay and even I find you very attractive Karen. Though, and no offense meant here, aren't all Empousa bred to be gorgeous?"

Karen bit her lip, sighing as she put her hairband down. "From the little that I was taught, yes. 'To seduce men every Empousa must be the most stunning woman he's ever seen!'" She mimicked her mother, drawing a hearty laugh from the son of Apollo. He smiled gently at her, tapping his chin.

"But there's something different about you. Maybe it's because you don't want to kill every man you meet?" They shared a laugh, and Karen once again couldn't help but feel at home, sitting across from a demigod she was bred to kill.

Feeling rather uncomfortable with that thought, she quieted down. Will left the table to get some napkins, returning to her downtrodden look. "Hey now, why the sad face?"

"It's just that," She began clearing her throat. Her lips felt dry as she contemplated voicing her thoughts. What the hell, why not?

"It's just that I was thinking of how I was born to kill people like you." She spoke quietly, ashamed of her upbringing. Will gave her a look, looking away from his food once more. "Oh honey," He said, "You're not a monster. You are so kind, smart, empathetic- you're not like the others."

She frowned, cheeks reddening from shame this time around. "And yet that's how I got here." She laughed bitterly. "I got kidnapped by one of the most ruthless demigods in history and used as a tool to hunt others of my kind. He treated me like a monster- maybe he's right." Sitting up suddenly, tears in her eyes, she went to leave. "I'm- I'm so sorry," She said hurriedly. "I tried to pretend to be normal, pretend to be human, but I'm not. I don't deserve this, I don't deserve you or your niceness. He was right, I deserve to go back to that stupid pit!"

Karen felt tears of shame streak down her face. She suddenly felt stupid, standing there next to a demigod, crying about being an Empousa. "I'm pathetic." She choked out. As she turned, Will grabbed her arm tightly. She was put off by the fire in his eyes as he practically dragged her out of the mall. I was right. And now he realizes it too.

Once away from public eye, he hissed to her, "Don't ever say those things again. You deserve to be happy, to live normally. Don't listen to anything Percy may have said, he's an asshole. You are one of the kindest and most incredible person I've ever met- don't let one man change that." Will said fiercely. Dropping his eyes to her hand, he reached out, grabbing it. "We're going back home. And you will stay with us for the foreseeable future because you deserve to be happy and safe."

Karen sniffed, words caught in her throat. Once they were in his car, she reached over and hugged him, uncaring of getting tears on his shirt. "Thank you." She whispered.

"It's no problem." Will responded genuinely. He gave her a rueful smile, looking at her hair. "I kinda had to get you out of there fast- you started to change forms." Karen reached up and for a split second she felt flames on her hand, before it turned back to her brown hair. "Thank gods for you Will Solace!"

"And thank you for being different." He said pleasantly. Sighing as he began to drive back, he spoke up. "He wasn't always like that you know."

"Pardon?"

"Percy. The demigod who, uh, kidnapped you?" he finished lamely. Karen shrugged, staring out the window. "He really was one of the purest ones out there. Great guy, happy, always smiling, loyal to a fault. He'd sacrifice the world to save his friends and family."

"What happened to that Percy?" Karen inquired with a snort. Will frowned, massaging her arm as he drove with one hand. "He was who he was- a great guy who only tries to help people. And in doing so he inadvertently caused the greatest tragedy of his life. His little sister and fiancée died right in front of him- and for all the power he had, he couldn't do a damn thing to save them."

Karen frowned, turning her face to Will. The son of Apollo's eyes grew misty as he told the tale. "I knew his wife to-be. She was the smartest girl I've ever met. They were perfect for each other, had their lives planned out- everything."

"That's sad." Karen said, and against her mind's wishes she felt a pang of empathy for Percy. "So he become…..angry?"

"He took their deaths hard. Something inside of him broke, and everything went downhill for him. Told me he could never see his parents again, too ashamed to look them in the eyes and say he got their daughter killed."

"And?"

"And he blames himself. The guilt drove him nearly insane which combined with his powers….it wasn't a god concoction. Percy already was developing a moody personality because of his father, but it was always very docile, passive. Once his love died, he went off a cliff- metaphorically." Will finished, sad smile on his face as he was lost in memories.

Karen stared at her reflection, putting herself in Percy's shoes. That's hard to go through, and then blaming yourself for their deaths?

"So hunting monsters was how he vented?" She was desperate to end the momentary silence that began to permeate between them.

"No. Initially he hunted for the monster responsible- an Empousa. But he didn't find her, which only served to drive him more and more angry. He became detached, started making a sport out of hunting and killing monsters. He decided that they'd never again dare take someone he loved from him. But part of the old Percy is still there. He and Nico wrote a codex, information on how to combat nearly every monster- Percy's way of making sure no one else suffered like he did."

"That's quite a sad story." Karen remarked as they pulled into Will's driveway. The doctor nodded, grabbing his things before turning the engine off. "It is. That's because Percy is a hero." He turned to look deeply into her eyes, face more serious than it's ever been.

"And if fate and history have taught me anything, heros never get a happy ending."