Okay, people. So this is my first ever fanfiction, and I'm just learning how to work this thing on a computer, even though I've been on for a little over a year now. So if you have some helpful tips or whatever, that would be great. Anyway, this story is set just after the Second Big War with the Seven. For the Avengers, it's set after the movie, and before Iron Man 3. The way I wrote it is that you know about Tony's nervous breakdowns.

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

Chapter One

It was never a good thing to be summoned by the gods.

Even me, the supposed "Hero of Olympus," the guy who "isn't afraid of anything, really" thought that it was very, very not good. In fact, the second Chiron told me about the meeting, I knew for certain that this was going to be a very serious meeting in which they kinda-sorta tried to get in my business.

I know what you're thinking: gods? Actually involved in their kids' lives? Since when? And yeah, I know, it came as a shock to all of us. I guess they all unanimously decided that they were done trying to stay completely out of their kids' lives after the war. You know, since staying away from their kids didn't really help anything in the end. I think they actually wanted to try to get closer to their kids, and since we were willing to meet them halfway, it turned out to be a pretty good arrangement.

Occasionally, we would get a visit from a god. Usually it was your parent, but sometimes if you were as connected like I was to all of the gods, you could get a visit from one of them, too.

In the first few weeks after the war was over, the gods gave their kids some space. They let us try and heal our wounds a little. We still had to work out the peace agreement between the two camps—something that was very boring and took forever. It took even longer than it was supposed to because of all the barriers we had to go through. For example, the whole we-blew-your-camp-up-but-it-was-an-accident-because-Leo-was-possessed thing took some time. I think a few of the Romans still haven't forgiven us for that.

After we got done with the negotiations, the gods started visiting us. They asked how we were, if we were okay, did we need help with anything, etc. At first, the talks were really awkward. But gradually, we got to know them better, and learn how to talk to them and stuff like that, and vice versa.

The gods tried to pay a little more attention to the Seven and a few other two-time war veterans. What was left of us, anyway. There really weren't that many two-timers that survived this war plus the one before that, and the ones that did were only half as lively as they used to be. We usually kept to ourselves, and we didn't say much anymore. The Stolls didn't prank very much, and Clarisse didn't try dunking the newbies' heads in the toilet. I knew only time could make us better, and I think the gods knew that, too. They didn't usually talk to us about the war, just asked if we were okay, and talked about things that happened to us on a day-to-day basis.

Whenever my dad or Apollo or Hermes or whoever it was asked me if I was okay, I always said yes. Even though I most definitely wasn't. I was like the anchor of Camp Half-Blood, and if word got around that I wasn't okay, a lot of people might collapse down with me. I was seen as the strongest demigod at both camps, so I had to act that way around everyone. I think my facade had been slipping lately, though. That's the reason I think the gods were having this meeting with me. They knew I needed help, probably.

I walked into the Empire State building, looking around to get a good look at the place. It had been a long time since I had been here. I walked up to the front desk where the same guy from last time was there. The guy who had always been there—even since the first trip up the elevator when I was twelve. The Percy back then seemed like he was a completely different person than the person I was today, the person I had become. I walked up to him, and he handed me the key card wordlessly.

"Thanks," I told him. He nodded at me in acknowledgement and then went back to his fantasy book.

I made my way over to the elevator and inserted the card into the slot. As I waited to get to the 600th floor, I tried to calm my anxiety. I tuned in to what music was playing and smiled softly. Still the same, terrible music as usual. At least that hadn't changed.

I heard the elevator ding and walked out. I started on the way to the throne room, my eyes taking in the beautiful designs. I recognized a few them from the papers Annabeth had showed me one day. I tried to remember how her eyes lit up when she talked about them. Her eyes didn't usually light up that way anymore.

I almost ran into the throne room door because I was so preoccupied with my thoughts. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Here we go, I thought. I gently pushed the door open and walked in the room. All twelve Olympians were there, along with Hestia and Hades. They were both included more often nowadays. Hades could come to Olympus almost anytime he wanted. He looked much happier, and Hestia's hearth burned a little brighter.

I passed my eyes over all of them, focusing on them instead of the rest of the room, trying not to be overwhelmed. They all looked the same as they always did, really, with the exception of a few worry lines around their eyes. My dad's eyes still twinkled at me as if we were sharing a private joke. I smiled briefly at him and then turned to my uncle.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Zeus?" I asked cautiously. I didn't bother bowing to any of them because we were past that stage. I hadn't been in this room since the end of the War, and I wasn't that excited to be in it again, even if it was covered in beautiful designs that I knew could only be designed by Annabeth. I felt the faint traces of a flashback coming upon me and quickly shoved away my thoughts. I tried to concentrate on what was happening right now.

"Yes. We all wanted to speak to you on what has been happening as of late," Zeus and the other gods had what seemed to be their x-ray eyes on. It felt like they were dissecting me and trying to see how I ticked. It was creepy, and I hurried to fill the awkward silence that was filling the air. Well, awkward for just me.

"What do you mean?" I had a bad feeling about this meeting I was having with gods. I knew nothing good was going to come from this conversation. They had mostly left me alone after the War, giving me the space I didn't realize I needed. I sometimes had a few short visits from a few of them, but other than that, nothing worth noting.

"Percy," Apollo said almost tentatively. "Are you...okay?" Me and Apollo had gotten a little closer over the weeks when he visited with me—sometimes with my dad, sometimes with Hermes or sister Artemis, and other times by himself. "I mean," he hurried to explain himself when he saw my confused face, "you look tired. You haven't been getting enough sleep." The other gods looked like they agreed with him. I looked over at my dad, who had a concerned look on his face.

I answered Apollo's question still looking at Poseidon. "I guess it's a little hard to sleep with the nightmares." I shoved my hands in my pocket.

I saw a hint of something flash in my dad's eyes. Sadness that I had to deal with this maybe? I was only eighteen, after all. That was pretty young to the gods, I guess. I was no more than a baby in their years.

"How often do they occur, Percy?" Artemis inquired.

"Well, uh, I don't really see how this matters but at least once a night." I knew I was going to regret bringing up the whole nightmares thing. I should've just kept that to myself. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I mentally berated myself. Next time, say that life at camp is tiring. Or you've had to deal with a lot of things lately. Of course I was talking to the god of truth, so it wouldn't do much good.

"What do you mean at least once a night, Perseus?" my father asked softly, eyebrows furrowed in what could only be fatherly worry. I knew he was serious when he used my full name.

I swallowed. Busted.

"Well, uh . . ."

My dad turned to Zeus. "I told you it was bad."

Zeus rolled his eyes. "Don't start with that. None of us knew how bad it was. Besides, this is the whole reason that we're having this meeting."

"Well, maybe if you had listened to me, this meeting would have happened sooner and—"

"Uh, excuse me? Standing right here. What exactly are we talking about?" Zeus and Poseidon swiveled their heads toward me as if just remembering I was there. They contemplated me for a minute before nodding their heads, like they had decided on something for sure.

"Percy, you're lost," Hestia said simply, "and you need to find yourself." I stared blankly at her for a moment.

Hermes leaned forward a little in throne. "Percy, do you even know why you're here right now?"

"Lord Zeus said it was because he wanted to discuss 'what was happening as of late,'" I said, putting air quotes around those words. A few of the gods' and goddess' eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Well, he was lying," Apollo said. He quickly started backtracking at the glare he received from Zeus. "Wrong choice of words. It's more like . . . not telling the whole truth."

"You realize that this still doesn't make any sense right now, right?" I asked with an eyebrow half-raised.

"Basically what Father is trying to say is that we need your help, other people need your help, and you need our help and theirs," Dionysus explained unhelpfully while examining his nails. "Clear?"

"Yeah. About as clear as mud. What the heck does that mean?" I looked at my dad for answers.

"Percy, a group of people need your help, but they don't know it yet. You need their help, and you don't know it yet. You're both in the same boat," Dad said.

I stared at him in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Percy," Artemis said gently. "This will be good for you, even if you can't see it right now."

"How?" I asked a little desperately. "How in the world can some people I've never even met before help me? That's impossible. No one can help me, and I can't help them. I can barely even get myself through a day without having a nervous breakdown or a flashback. And even then it's sometimes hit and miss."

Hestia looked at me seriously. "You're just going to have to trust us, Percy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Trust you?" I looked around at all of them. "You do realize that trust has to be earned, right? I mean, we don't have the best history if you look back on it."

Zeus sighed. "Look, Percy. I know we gods haven't given you or any other demigod any reason to trust us, but we need you to trust us this one time. It will help you, I can promise you that."

"Okay, fine," I relented. "Say I do decide to trust you. What am I going to do to help those people?"

Dad smiled faintly. "Believe it or not, Percy, those people have a lot of the same problems as you do."

I huffed a breath, but I was smiling a little. "Is that just a nice way of saying that they're as screwed up as I am?"

"Yes," Dionysus muttered under his breath.

I rolled my eyes, but then paused as another thought came to mind. "Wait a minute. If I'm going to help them, then they're going to have to know who I really am. They're going to have a hard time believing that."

The god chuckled to themselves. "Oh, somehow I don't think they'll have that hard of a time believing you," Hades said dryly.

"Besides the kid's going to be living with them, so they'll get used to it pretty quick, anyway, if they do have any problems," Zeus said to my dad, who just shrugged.

"What? Living with them? They all live together? Who exactly am I helping out?" I asked in confusion.

"I told you he was going to do it," Aphrodite said to Hephaestus. "I never said he wasn't going to say yes," he countered. I followed their small argument like a tennis match, trying to glean any kind of information I could since the gods were being their typical evasive and mysterious selves.

"Well, to you mortals," Athena said, finally taking mercy on me, "they're known as the Avengers."

Aaanndd that's the end of Chapter One. I should have Chapter Two out pretty soon. Until then, drop me a review and tell me how you like it, or what I could improve. Thanks!