Back in Malibu, the avengers all milled around, each doing their respective jobs whilst trying not to think about the implications of having SHIELD be taken over by the chitauri. Loki on the other hand, was lying around on his bed, unwilling to mix with the rest of the mortals now that Percy was gone, and trying to sort out the tangle of emotions that had come with every interaction he had with said hero of this realm. He didn't believe that the avengers deserved the title 'hero', not when all they had ever done was fight off a hoard of mindless aliens. Not when the gods had helped them to restrict the area of damage. Not when he himself had ensured that there were loopholes to be exploited. Not when they had done so little of the actual work.

His thoughts flitted back to the source of all his conflicting emotions, Percy Jackson. It seemed that everything revolved around him. He knew of course, of the tales that were told on Asgard about him. His feats of accomplishments when he was not even of age yet. But he also knew the truth of his deeds, that he did it for his friends, and not because of glory, like how the Asgardians had portrayed him to be. Loki could count on one hand the number of times that they had met and had a serious conversation, but he couldn't understand why he was so inexplicably drawn to the other's presence, and if it was any indication, the way the other was drawn towards him as well.

He honestly hadn't known about the boy's past – and so what if he had? He didn't have any right to judge – but he was surprised, to say the least. To find out that he was not who he thought he was either...

Loki felt that his world had been ripped away from him again. For a long time – how many centuries did he spend in the void? – he had labored under the impression that he was born to be like this. To be a villain. That he was taken from Jotunheim for the sole purpose of raising Thor to a god-like status, for Odin to show the stark comparison between the two brothers, raising the golden one on a pedestal while casting the darker prince into the shadows, forgotten and used. He had convinced himself that he was nothing more than a monster, unworthy of any good.

Until Percy Jackson had told him about his past.

Loki didn't understand. He didn't understand how the boy could have done so much for the gods, sacrificed friends and innocence and morality for them and still not turn against them when he exposed their secret. He didn't understand how the boy could live with knowing that he had been used by the very people he fought so hard to protect, live with knowing that his entire life was a lie, a lie fabricated by the gods who cursed and shunned him, live with the knowledge that he was their puppet and still continue living.

When he had gripped the Casket and felt the ice creep up his hands and transform his body, he was sent into a rage that burned beneath his breast, smoldering and encasing his mind in madness. He didn't understand how Percy could experience all that and still be willing to help the gods who had done the same to him, he himself certainly didn't want anything to do with Odin.

Was that the difference between them? The reason why Loki was heralded as a monster and Percy as a hero? Because he had the ability to forgive them while Loki clung on to his grudges like a desperate man?

He thought of his brother, how Thor had pleaded with him constantly to cease his madness and what did he do? He stabbed his brother in the gut.

Loki clamped his hands over his head, hunching in on himself. For once in his life, he didn't know what to do. He didn't know how a single person could shake his world so drastically. He was Loki, the person who always had a plan for every situation. He was Loki, the man who fell into the Void and emerged stronger. He was a god, who had been beaten down by mere mortals. He was Loki, a prince, a sorcerer, a liar, a king, a traitor, a monster, a slave, a prisoner.

He was Loki – but who was Loki?

Lunch the next day was a quiet affair. After much quarrel, they had ended up ordering Chinese take-out, despite Tony's attempt to order pizza which Natasha shot down saying that they were not having pizza for lunch thank you very much. With the knowledge of an impending war – even if it was only guerilla warfare – hanging above their heads and the fact that they had to split their jobs up to cover more ground, none of them were in the mood to really make small talk. Three years from their first success and the avengers were already facing their next big threat, which turned out to be even more of a threat than they thought. Loki was absent from the table, though that wasn't really a concern for any of the avengers. Apart from Percy and Thor and maybe Steve, the other avengers didn't really care much about the other god. They accepted that he was going to be there, but while most of the hostility against him had died down, it didn't mean that they were going to start being chummy with him either.

Clint still hated him, Natasha was neutral, even if she could see the benefits of having the god's ability in their fights. Tony was embarrassed that he owed the god one now, while Steve was trying to reconcile the whole team together. None of them could understand how Percy could hold a civil conversation with Loki, not even Thor, because the last time Thor had tried that, the both of them ended up in a shouting match.

None of them were expecting any guests – of any sort – so it came as a surprise when JARVIS suddenly announced that they had a guest, and a second later, a very much alive Phil Coulson walked in.

Having scrambled for their weapons after JARVIS' announcement, they were wholly unprepared for the sight of a dead man standing in the doorway smiling at them. Coulson took in their shocked looks and smiled genially at them. He peered around their frozen bodies and spied the food on the table, "Oh, chinese take-out, seems like you knew I was coming!"

Tony stared, his thoughts having come to a screeching halt when he saw Agent standing in front of him. "What – how?"

Clint and Natasha tightened their grips on their weapons, pointing it at their former handler, "Who are you?" Natasha growled, her even composure shaken thoroughly. Clint stood behind her, a silent pillar of support.

Phil looked them in the eye, his posture casual and seemingly defenseless, "You know who I am."

"No we don't." Clint said, glaring at him.

"What the hell?" Tony cut in, "You're dead, you're supposed to be lying in some random plot of land six feet under – why the fuck are you here?"

Phil blinked, "Wow, it seems as though I'm not as welcome as I thought I was. And here I thought I could walk in and we could all get started quickly."

"Get started with what?" Steve asked, his soldier mask falling into place.

Phil looked at them, "I'm sure you know, as I do, that SHIELD is compromised, and I'm sure that you are working to rectify that. As a level eight agent, I do have access to more information than you lot do."

The avengers all looked at each other hesitantly, on one hand, this man seemed like their comrade, the one they rallied against Loki for, on the other, they now knew of the chitauri's shape-shifting trick.

"What are you mortals standing around for – you."

It was comical how they all whipped around as one, staring at the god behind them who was staring at Phil Coulson like he had seen a ghost.

Loki blinked, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, "What –" he croaked, his throat dry, "What – how are you – this is not possible."

Tony let out a relieved laugh, startling everyone in the room, "Well at least we know we aren't going crazy if Reindeer Games here can see him."

Loki scowled at the nickname and pinned the man with a glare, "How are you alive?"

Phil smiled, "Well, to assure you, I was actually clinically dead for forty seconds."

"Eight actually." A new voice cut in, "You exaggerate the timing every time you see someone new."

Again, their heads all whipped to the door, Bruce wondering vaguely how they weren't getting whiplash from the way they were whipping their heads back and forth. Percy stood in the doorway, the hum of the engine escaping their attention when they were distracted so thoroughly by the appearance of their dead comrade.

"Wait, you knew he was alive?" Tony demanded angrily, staring accusingly at Percy.

Percy shrugged, unbothered, "You didn't know?"

"No we didn't." Natasha said lowly, her stance wavering slightly, "Would someone explain something?"

Percy blinked, and then narrowed his eyes, "I thought Fury told you guys. I'm sorry; I didn't know that you didn't know. He's my handler."

"No, Fury didn't even say anything other than that he was dead." Clint spat.

Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "We really really need to improve our communications." he said, giving Thor and Loki a pointed look, "There's been too many assumptions flying around lately."

Phil smiled again, "So is that all cleared up now? Because it seems to me that you have some things you didn't tell Fury either." He said, nodding at Loki, who remained where he was, tensed in anticipation.

Steve sighed again, signalling for his team to stand down, "Come on, we need to bring you up to date. Then we can discuss the information that we've found."

Percy nodded and waved for Matthias to join them, handing the drive over to Tony as he slipped into an empty seat. After a moment of hesitation, Loki sighed and sank into the seat beside Percy, glaring at everyone at the table.

With Phil joining their ragtag group of heroes and gods and demi-gods, the team's moral boosted tremendously. Tony and Bruce worked harder than ever to locate the gem and upgrade the weapons simultaneously in the months after Phil joined them. Tony had created a new suit for Steve, bullet proof and slightly fire-proof and less colored, so he wasn't as obvious in a fight with the red, blue and white acting as a beacon to his position. Tony also got Clint to test out the new arrows that he'd created, Clint firing off each arrow with glee, with Percy conjuring up ice targets for him to practice on since the Malibu mansion wasn't fitted with an archery range like the tower was. The smoke arrows worked perfectly, a little too perfect, if the resulting coughing and stumbling around were any indication, but at least they had gotten it to work. Tony had requested Bruce's input for that one, trying to figure out how to fit in the chemicals that would produce enough effervescence on impact into a tiny arrowhead. He tested the electrical arrowhead together with the wrist gadget that Natasha used, seeing as how he got his inspiration from her device anyway. Tony wanted Clint to have a tracking arrow, which he figured that he could fit a normal bug into the arrowhead but allow the arrowhead to detach after impact. He hadn't had the time to test that one out though, because no one was going to allow themselves to be shot willingly and Percy had shot down the idea immediately when Clint mentioned using Loki as a target.

Surprisingly, Loki had pitched in and offered his help several times, usually when Percy was on his own personal mission. They had found out that the chitauri, and whatever allies they had had stolen several files from SHIELD, and they had also obtained their own analysis of the readings given off by the gem they were tracking.

What the avengers could not figure out was how they kept managing to lose the gem. From what happened in New York, Alaska and again in Stark Tower, it seemed as though the chitauri had a homing device that led them straight to the gem's location, although not the exact area since they didn't appear in the Alaskan lab or in Tony's lab. They tried to put this off as sheer luck and that maybe the gem was moving itself around, but Percy shared a look with Loki and in the night, they shared their discussions on the sea bed. A weird place to do so, but it guaranteed that none of the avengers would find them.

"You seem to have an idea of what is causing this anomaly."

Percy looked at him amusedly, "You're asking me? What happened to your genius intellect?"

Loki scoffed, "I have already formulated my own theories, I merely wanted to see if perhaps you were intelligent enough to think along the same lines."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Please, how do I know you're not faking your genius then?"

Loki just gave him an indignant glare. Percy laughed, but sobered up almost immediately, "I don't know, I mean, the thing about the gem moving on its own is a plausible theory, since we know that it's possible for them to act in self defense."

Loki nodded, "The Aether." He studiously ignored the way Percy gripped his wrist right where the gem had practically infused itself into his skin, saying, "But that was a default defense mechanism, there should never have been any – preference – on the gem's part, it should have repelled everything, but that can be attributed to the nature of the gem, being the Power Gem, it could be attracted to you for the power you wield. But this, this would require partial sentience on the gem's part, in order to be able to relocate as it does, when it does."

Percy frowned, rubbing his wrist and crossing his legs, "There's no such case of such behavior from any gem that's been recorded before?"

Loki shook his head, "There are barely any records of the gems in the first place, let alone any encounters with one. Only two beings would have had sufficient experience with them. One is the Mad Titan, the other is Odin."

Percy sighed, knocking his head on Loki's shoulder, "And one is our enemy and the other is way out of reach." He sighed, "Can't our lives ever be simple? Like say, have a book appear right in front of us with all the information we need on the Infinity Gems and all?"

Loki's lips twitched, "That would be cheating, as you mortals might say." He stiffened almost immediately after the words left his mouth. For his entire prowess with the spoken word, he still let slip a comment that could have – would have – been viewed as an insult.

But his fears were unfounded as Percy grinned good-naturedly, "It's not cheating if it was presented to us." He turned up and looked at the god, "You don't have to restrain yourself from calling me a mortal you know, I'm not going to suddenly erupt in a fit of anger and create a tsunami just because you were joking."

Loki pressed his lips in a tight line, it sounded exactly like what he would do had someone called him a Jotun, jesting or otherwise. He let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding in, "I do not know how you do it."

Percy blinked and sat up, Loki silently mourning the loss of the weight on his shoulder, "Do what?"

"Keep up the pretense that calling you a mortal does not affect you."

Percy stared at him for a moment then threw his head back and laughed, and as if sensing his growing ire, he quickly said, "Oh gods, please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not laughing at you or anything but –" he looked at Loki with an honest expression, "It really doesn't affect me."

Loki narrowed his eyes, "You cannot be serious, you cannot tell me that anyone calling you a mortal would not make you annoyed, angry or frustrated at the insult. You cannot tell me that it does not grate your very being at being called something that is looked down upon –"

"Who are we talking about now Loki?" Percy cut in softly.

Loki immediately stopped his tirade, caught between anger and mortification at having blurted out his innermost thoughts – again – to his what, friend? Enemy? Ally?

Percy sighed softly and scooted closer to him, placing a hesitant hand on his knee, the warmth seeping through to his naturally cool skin. "Loki look, I really am not affected by it. Really." At Loki's skeptical look, he grinned and continued, "Really! You're the god of lies, tell me if I'm lying now."

At the prevailing silence, he continued, the grin dripping off his face, "Look, I won't deny that I was angry at the start. Furious even. When I heard that conversation, I couldn't believe my ears, and I couldn't believe that my father, the man who claimed to be proud of me could say straight to my face that he lied about my entire existence." He exhaled softly, "Neither could I believe the same of my mother."

He looked away for a moment, "I don't know why, but it was easier to believe that my mum truly loved me than that my dad felt the same," he gave a rueful smile, "Probably because my mum showed me how much she loved me through her actions, she was willing to marry the asshole of assholes to protect me, even when I wasn't her child by blood, whereas my dad called me a mistake the first time we met*."

Loki was stunned into silence – again – at the revelation. He had of course heard of Poseidon before, meeting him once or twice when he met up with Apollo and Hermes, but he had never had a real conversation with the elder god. Even so, he didn't think that the elder god was capable of such cruelty to his only son – in the century.

"Why would he say that?"

Percy smiled, "He didn't know how to express his thoughts at the time, and well, I couldn't help but remember Luke – you know about Luke right? – and how bitter he seemed when he was talking about the gods."

He sighed, "I was tempted to join Luke, gods knows how close I came to going with him, but that's not the point, the point is that, I was upset, very much so, and I took it out on the people and monsters I hunted, the people who the gods asked me to hunt. I was angry, and upset but every time I went on a mission that the gods assigned me on, I saw the demigod children, I saw how their parents or guardians treated them, how they abused them physically and emotionally and I just thought, I'm really lucky, compared to all of these children. I had a mother who loved me, and a father who cared about me enough to talk to me, even when gods aren't supposed to interact with their children. They didn't have that, all they had were people who hated them and wanted to do nothing but hurt them." He paused, thinking of how to continue, "It was after several of these missions that I finally accepted the fact that I was not a demigod. Not in the true sense anyway. And it took several more for me to accept that it I was fine with the way I was."

He looked over at the god, "I spent months agonizing over that fact, but each time I comforted those children, I began to accept it. I had friends, I had people I loved, I didn't need to complain about it, I didn't have the right to, not when so many others have suffered so much more than I did."

Loki was confused, he didn't understand how one person could be that forgiving, "But they used you. They took your life away from you and created you for the sole purpose of winning their war for them. You were nothing more than a means to an end!" He shouted, standing up, hands clenching into fists.

Percy shook his head and stood up slowly, "Of course, if I thought about it that way, I'd remain angry, I would be harping on the fact that they treated me like a tool to be used but that's just it isn't it?" At the god's confused look, he elaborated, "I'm sorry to say this but that's how gods work don't they? As you said, us mortals have fleeting lives, what is a century for us is barely a blink of an eye for you. All along, the gods have been treating us like tools, demigods fight their battle because they need us, not because they want us. That's changed in the last few years yeah, but they have had millennia of creating this habit. It's impossible to break it overnight. You know about the Trojan War don't you?"

Loki blinked, surprised at the sudden question, nodding mutely.

"Yeah well, that's the perfect example of the gods using mortals isn't it? Taking sides, manipulating the war to suit their wishes." Percy looked at him, "They didn't care about the thousands of lives lost, they only cared to make their side the winning side. Doesn't matter how many people die in the process no, just as long as they win. And all for what? To save their face? To show that they were smart for taking a particular side in the war?"

Percy hummed, stuffing his hands into his pocket, "It's like a glorified football game to them. Watch the match, place your bets and hope that your team wins. If it does, you get that sense of satisfaction of winning the bet and you get smug and shove it in the other gods' faces. If not," he shrugged, "it's no big deal is it, just a bet anyway."

He licked his lips, "My point is, that's the Modus operandi of the gods, it's how they operate, they've been like that for millennia, it's nothing personal. If I think about it too much, like focusing on how they used me to further their own goals and preserve their own lives, I'll just get sucked into the cycle of hate. And that never ends."

At some point in their conversation, they had begun strolling along the sea bed, and Percy stopped and turned to face Loki, "My point is that there are different perspectives. You can choose to look at it negatively and let it affect your head, or you can choose to focus on the good things and appreciate what you have."

Loki hissed, turning away, "Different perspectives? For you maybe, but what other perspective is there in my situation other than me being a monster?"

"No one is ever a monster Loki –"

Loki whirled around and glared at him, "You say that as if it was so easy, you say that as if you know what being a monster entails. You are a hero, heralded by the masses not only on Midgard but on Asgard as well. You do not understand what it means to BE a monster!" he snarled.

Percy just looked at him and said simply, "Then help me understand."

Loki reeled back in shock, no one had ever offered to listen to him before, they all assumed that it was his true nature revealing itself. He narrowed his eyes and sneered, so be it, let him know and then he'll turn away, he thought, like all the others before him. "In Asgard, there are tales that are told to the young ones, stories of monsters hiding under their bed and grabbing them if they do not behave. As warriors of the golden realm, such stories then evolve to battle tales, stories which men tell over and over again to proclaim their glory. They speak of monsters, huge, giant monsters that could crush you easily in their palm. They regaled tales of how these monsters sought to claim other lands and how Asgard's warriors stopped their nefarious plots. These monsters are the Jotuns, the ice giants. They are Asgard's one true enemy. They are barbaric, violent and bloodthirsty."

Loki bared his teeth and stepped closer to the demigod, looming over him menacingly, "Imagine what happened when I found out that I was one of them. To know all my life that I've been ridiculed, mocked, rejected and spurned by everyone and then find out that I am the monster that mothers tell their children about. That I am the monster that the warriors vanquish in the name of glory and honor. That I am one of those cruel creatures and that I was living a lie."

Percy straightened, but didn't move from where he was standing, didn't say a word when Loki stood over him, his face impassive. Loki grinned, a feral parody of a smile, his visage switching from pale skin and green eyes to a deep blue skin and demonic red eyes and said, "I am the monster that Odin tried to keep and tame but failed."

At his transformation, Percy finally reacted, stumbling back in shock as his eyes widened. Loki grinned, his fangs gleaming in the pale light that filtered through the sea. Finally, he thought, a proper reaction. Now, he will reveal his true motives, he cannot be the hypocrite he is any more, not when he's finally faced with the truth. A part of Loki screamed in pain though, at the thought of Percy running away and rejecting him like everyone else.

" – first time I've ever seen you change willingly."

What?

Loki refocused and looked at Percy, who had recovered from his initial shock and was staring at him in thinly veiled curiosity. Loki felt his grin slip off his face, what – how – this was not supposed to happen! He was supposed to scream and hurl insults at me and leave! That was what everyone else did!

"What –?"

Percy cocked his head to one side, giving him an appraising look, "I mean, this obviously isn't the first time I've seen you in this form but the first time you kind of freaked out and had a mental breakdown or whatever and I didn't really get to get a good look at you. But now hmm..." He trailed off thoughtfully, while Loki continued staring at him in shock, "Not bad. The look suits you."

Jolted out of his reverie, Loki snarled and grabbed Percy by the neck, shoving him to the ground, "You dare to mock me?"

Percy gasped and grabbed his arm, kicking the god off of him, rubbing his neck, "Why do you always have to go for the neck when you get into one of your hissy fits?"

Loki hissed, "I do not get into hissy fits."

"Then what the hell was that?" Percy said sarcastically, gesturing to the whole jumping on him event. Percy slumped, "Look, I'm not kidding, you look fine, perfectly fine to me –" he held up a hand to stall any oncoming protests, " – but actions speak more than words and all that crap, so come on."

Loki blinked, this was not what he had expected at all, "What?"

Percy ran a hand through his hair impatiently, "Can you get us to Alaska or something? Cause that's a little too far from Malibu for me to go. Takes up too much energy to travel all the way there."

Loki felt as though all of his thoughts had been scrambled and fried, he'd meant to say something scathing, but what came out was – "I cannot teleport to a place which I have never been to."

Percy blinked. "Oh. Well, that's a problem then. I can't take us there but you can but you've never been there before... Would it help if I had a picture? Cause I don't actually have one, it's just that maybe –"

"You have been there before correct?" Loki cut in.

"Well yeah, I was stationed there. Why?"

Loki sighed, "Why do you want to go to Alaska?"

Percy shrugged, "There's something I want to show you. Something important." He insisted at the god's skeptical look. He stared straight into the other's eyes, "Please."

Loki stepped closer, shifting back to his Asgardian form as he did so. He placed his hands on either side of Percy's head, asking hesitantly, "Do you trust me?"

Percy looked into his eyes, sensing that he wasn't just asking because of what he was about to do. He nodded, "Yes I do."

Loki gave him a wan smile, foolish demigod, he thought, "Close your eyes and picture Alaska, I'm taking us there based on your memory."

Percy did as he was told and pictured the foot of the base in Alaska, it was a better spot than the cave where Alcyoneus had made his home.

He felt a gentle pressure in his head, and then a tugging sensation in his navel and the ocean disappeared from around him. Percy opened his eyes and saw a stretch of ice before him. He felt the god turn and grinned when he gaped at the destroyed base.

He sidled up to the god's side, "Enjoying the view?"

"You did this?" Loki asked incredulously.

"Well yeah. It was crawling with chitauri anyway. But that's not what I wanted to show you, come on!"

Loki allowed himself to be pulled away by the demigod until they reached the town. "What did you drag me all the way here for –" he stopped short, gaping at the sight before him.

Percy grinned, bowing at the waist, "Welcome, to Alaska." He pointed at the closest giant, "That, is what we call a Hyperborean giant. Also known as, a frost giant."

Loki stared and stared and stared.

He couldn't believe his eyes, the giants were – they were clearly frost giants, their blue skin and the way the frost spread out from wherever they touched – but they were just sitting around, not destroying or killing anything. No, they existed here, with the humans and they didn't harm them.

It was incomprehensible.

Percy smiled, "The mortals don't actually see them, cause of the Mist, but the giants don't cause any trouble either. They play around with the lamp posts and everything but they don't harm the humans."

"But –" Loki scrambled for something to say, "This is different, it is not the same as Jotuns!"

Percy nodded, "Yeah, they're similar, but not the same, but they're considered monsters. Things we kill. They fought against us in the Second Titan War, but yet here they are, sitting amongst mortals and not raising a finger against them."

He looked at the god, "They can be cruel, vicious and violent, yes. That was proven in the war. But they can also be harmless, friendly and peaceful. That's what you see here." He waved a hand at the scene in front of them.

"As I said, perspective."

Loki remained silent.

"You don't have to say anything now, just think about it. You can let what others think of you decide what you are, or you can choose to be who you want to be."

He was still confused beyond measure, but he uttered the two words anyway, "Thank you." And it felt like those were the right words to say.
He felt the weight in his heart lighten a little at the beaming smile Percy sent him.

After that little excursion to Alaska, Percy and Loki just grew closer, two kindred spirits seeking solace with each other's presence. Loki became more tolerant of the avengers and the mortals, being able to have civil talks with them – somewhat, he still refrained from interacting with the two assassins and his brother – which was a bit unsettling whenever Phil Coulson decided to appear around the corner and engage the god in small talk. After all, it wasn't everyday that the god came face to face with a person he could have sworn he killed.

Percy on the other hand, became more like his old self. He smiled more and cracked jokes more easily. The avengers could see the obvious difference and they wondered if it had something to do with the resident god of lies.

It had been several months since Phil Coulson had joined them and today was the day that Percy and Matthias would head out to the base that Loki and Clint had gone to when he'd invaded the first time. They'd spent time going through the information that Percy brought back from the bases he ransacked, and traced the trail back to that base. It surprised them at first, because SHIELD had done a sweep of that place after the whole New York incident and wiped it clear of everything, leaving the place bare. But in retrospect, it was probably the last place that SHIELD would suspect.

Percy and Matthias were meant to head there today, the information gathered suggesting that there was a high chance that the director was kept there.

"We should have gone to check there first." Clint grumbled, walking into Percy's room as he got ready.

Percy shook his head, "Human error, we all assumed that it was abandoned, hence why it was probably the best hiding place for them."

"Since when did you get so smart kid?"

Percy grinned, loading his gun, "Oh I've always been smart, maybe you just couldn't see it."

Clint snorted, crossing his arms, "Yeah right, I have the best eyesight remember?"

"Yeah and if you keep staring at the computer screen the way you do, that eyesight will be gone in no time."

Clint rolled his eyes, "I don't stare at the computer screen..." he grumbled good-naturedly. Clint sighed, "Look kid," he shifted uncomfortably, not doing well with the whole feeling thing, "Just – just be careful alright?"

"Wow, did something happen? Because I could have sworn that that was concern right there Hawkeye." Percy said, a devious grin splitting his face.

"I swear," Clint grumbled, "You've been spending too much time with Loki. He's a bad influence."

"He's not that bad actually, once you get over the whole homicidal thing."

Clint shook his head, "Just, be careful, it's a feeling."

Percy nodded, "I will."

Any further conversation was halted when Loki walked into the room, the tension between the archer and the god rising. Clint narrowed his eyes and with a short jerk of his head at Percy and a muttered 'Good luck', he shouldered past the god.

Percy gave a warning glance at Loki who scowled and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Percy raised an eyebrow, picking up his sword and placing his gun in the back of his pants."Anything the matter?"

Loki sighed and ran a hand through his jet black hair, a habit he picked up from the boy opposite him. He stepped closer to the demigod, "Be careful, please." He murmured, the feeling of dread intensifying in his stomach.

Percy gave him a bemused glance, but his eyes revealed his seriousness, "You're the second person to say that today, is everything alright?"

Loki sighed, the unease in his gut increasing at the boys words, "Fine, but I have a bad feeling about this..."

It was Percy's turn to sigh now, "Look, we can't do anything about it, you guys have your own mission and I have mine."

"I could go with you."

"And if the avengers need you?" Percy countered, "What then?"

Loki sighed, but what he wanted to say at that moment was drowned out by the alarm blaring through the house. Both of them shared a look and sprinted up to the living room, Percy grabbing his sword as well as they emerged on the common area. The avengers had all gathered, and Tony came rushing from the lab, his hair sticking up in all places, "Guys! We have a code red! Amora and Doom are launching an attack on New York!"

Loki stepped forward, "Amora, are you sure?"

Tony swallowed, "No sign of her, but Skurge is there, he's her sidekick isn't he?"

Loki frowned, "I will deal with Amora if she is there. Thor can handle Skurge easily." He said, his brother nodding earnestly.

"We also need your help with the doombots. Doom hardly ever shows his face in the real fight, but these are the magically enhanced ones so we need you to take down their shields so we can blast them to pieces. Though if you see the real Doom you can probably blast him as well."

Loki nodded, thrilled by the prospect of stepping into battle once more. Steve took up the conversation, stepping into his role easily, "Right, avengers, suit up, I'll brief you more when we get there and when I have a good look at the situation, but for now, Loki, you remain out primary defense and offense against Amora, if she's there. Thor, take care of Skurge, Bruce, if you can, help Thor, that guy's a cockroach. The rest of you, we'll have to split up when we get there to cover more ground. Loki," he said turning to the god, "Can you work against the illusions and spells if there are any?" Steve waited for Loki's assent before continuing, staring straight at Percy, "Percy, you and Matthias still head to the base and find us everything they've got. Business as usual. Contact us once you're done, we'll see about getting your help."

Percy nodded as Steve barked out a "Suit up!" , the avengers scrambling for their weapons and suits and turned to head to the car when Loki gripped his arm and yanked him backwards.

"What –"

He was cut off when the god crushed his lips to his own, shock coursing through him. After several seconds of shock, he relaxed and leaned into the kiss. All too soon, Loki broke away from him, his green eyes nearly black with worry and tension.

"What – what was that?" Percy whispered, mind still reeling.

Loki gripped the back of his neck tightly, his eyes boring into Percy's, "Be safe, please."

Percy nodded mutely, and then the god was gone, vanishing into thin air. Percy stared in shock at the empty space for a moment before Matthias' voice snapped him out of his daze. He shook his head violently and stalked to the car, pushing away all unrelated thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on the mission on hand. Matthias, sensing the tension in his partner, didn't say anything but followed him into the car like he did all the other times before. Leaving the mansion and its occupants behind, Percy stepped on the gas pedal, the car shooting forward, bringing them closer to the location of their mission.

They stopped outside an unassuming train station, one that had shut down many decades ago. Moving with caution, the two SHIELD agents carefully crept closer to the abandoned train station, aware that they were probably being followed and tracked. Percy had attached his sword to his belt, keeping one hand on the hilt and both eyes on his surroundings, his senses stretching out as usual.

If this was the place that the director was said to be held, then security was bound to be high and he wasn't willing to take any chances. Matthias drifted along behind him, his hand gripping his gun tightly as he scanned the surroundings.

Their footsteps echoed loudly in the station, the years of dust that should have accumulated on the ground from the decades of disuse were missing. Surveying the area, Percy signaled for Matthias to head to the left of the station while he headed for the right, looking for the entrance to the underground section.

Clint didn't remember much of how they'd gotten here, something to do with the mind whammy Loki put on him, though he knew where to find people for this kind of place back then, and apparently, Loki was suffering from the same ailment. He remembered roughly that it was in some corner of the station but his mind had been muddled at that point of time.

It had taken a lot of cajoling on Percy's part to convince Loki to even tell him about his memory loss.

Percy headed into one of the darker corners, the musty smell lingering in the air. He tread lightly, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter. He stepped past the ticket counter, searching for any signs of a break in the dust lining the wall, indicating the presence of a hidden door. A bare second later, a sharp whistle cut through the air, making him jump and whirl around, sliding his sword out several inches.

Calming his rapidly beating heart, he quickly made his way over in the direction that Matthias had disappeared to. When he stepped into the darkness, Matthias waved him over, pointing to where a vending machine stood. The boy beckoned him closer, peering behind the machine, "Look, there's a breeze, its minuscule but it's there, can you see it? I nearly missed it if not for the fact that I tripped over the wire."

Percy raised his eyebrow and Matthias smiled sheepishly. The demigod shook his head, he would never understand how the other boy had become an agent, especially a field agent, what with his clumsiness.

"Help me move this." He said instead, releasing his grip on his sword and bracing his shoulder against the side of the machine. Matthias leaned over and gripped the corner and both boys pushed, the vending machine dragging across the floor, the loud grating noise piercing in the dead silence of the abandoned place. Giving one last push, Percy moved the machine away from the wall, revealing a steel door. Looking at Matthias, he took a deep breath, clamping down on the sudden nausea that rose in his chest. He had to find the director, and he had to stop the chitauri. The avengers and Loki were fighting out there, the least he could do was fulfill his part in this whole mess. Percy pushed the steel door open and they both descended into the darkness.

Percy crept along the deserted hallway, illuminated by the occasional gas lamp hanging from the ceiling. He couldn't deny that he felt uneasy, this whole break-in thing was too easy. Location aside, it shouldn't have taken this little time to break into the base, and there shouldn't have been so little resistance. All evidence pointed to the suggestion that this base was one of, if not the main base. It shouldn't have been protected by a simple steel door covered by a vending machine that was glaringly obvious.

Everyone knew that no food or drinks were allowed on trains, and vending machines were hardly present in stations.

Unbidden, a seemingly random memory drifted to the forefront of his mind, he knelt behind the counter, listening intently, "No sir, he's not in this tower, we searched, and we can't operate the machine either. The search from the base hasn't given any results either-argh!" the boy was cut off as the other grabbed the front of his shirt and hoisted him off the ground. He growled, "If he isn't here, or anywhere in the world, then where the hell is he?" he roared. "Space?" the other man just trembled in fear.

The leader gave a disgusted snort at his underling and threw him to the ground. He turned to the others, who all stood around, shifting uncertainly. "Well?" he demanded, "What are you all waiting for? Find me Percy Jackson now!"

The thought that this was a trap had occurred to him, but the thought that this was a trap meant for him sprung into his head a second before his instincts threw him to the side.

He wasn't fast enough as something caught his side and opened a gash in it and he gasped as burning pain spread out from his side, his honed senses telling him to draw his sword.

He brought the silver blade up just in time to block a blow that sent him careening backwards. His breath hitched when he slammed into a wall, ducking into a roll that sent his side flaring up in pain as he did so. He gritted his teeth and stood up slowly, glaring at his attacker as he gripped his side tightly, feeling the warm blood coat his hands.

"You." He growled.

"Me." Matthias grinned, his bluish-brown eyes flickering with cruelty.

Percy hissed, "What the hell are you doing?"

The other boy smiled, waving his hand at him, "What do you think I'm doing?"

Percy clenched his teeth, "Why?"

The other boy laughed mockingly, "Are you serious? You didn't think that I was really on your side did you? And why not? It's not like I lied you know, my family is dead, but not because the chitauri killed them, but because SHIELD killed them."

"So you decided to join the chitauri instead? Because SHIELD killed your family? What about the other humans who are dead? The ones who didn't have anything to do with SHIELD? The ones the chitauri killed in cold blood? They didn't deserve any of this!" Percy snarled.

Matthias scoffed, "Humans? What do I care about them? They can burn in hell for all I care. They're inferior to us, to our type. They deserve to die like sheep. Like the cattle they make us out to be."

Percy felt dread pool in his stomach, "You're a mutant." He said; his voice even.

A smile stretched across the other's face, so different from the ones that he had given in the months that he'd stayed with them. "Ding! Ding! Ding! And we have a winner! What gave it away?" He laughed, spreading his arms out, "I don't get why you help them, you belong with us. With the mutants."

Percy sneered, "Is that what they promised you? Sanctuary for the mutants if you cooperated?"

Matthias hissed, "At least I did my part for my kind. What did you do for us? Hide behind the government and help them kill off mutants while you protected yourself?"

"You're foolish if you think that the chitauri and Thanos care about mutants. All they care about is destruction and death."

Matthias snarled and stepped forward threateningly, but his eyes glazed over for a moment, his head cocking to one side as though he was listening to someone. In a second, he blinked and the glazed look was gone, "Enough games. Too bad we can't recruit you. If we could, the avengers would be dead by now."

Percy ducked just in time for a whip to embed itself into the wall behind him. No, not a whip, he stared at the pointed end, the pale limb stretching from where Matthias' arm should have been. Percy cursed and ran down the hallway, skidding around corners as he heard the agent chase after him.

He needed to find an open space as soon as possible, fighting in confined quarters wasn't good with a mutant who could change his arms into whips. He ducked as the wall behind him cracked and risked a glance behind him.

Screw that, I can't fight close combat with a mutant who can change his arms into any kind of weapon of any length.

He spied an entrance in front and leapt forward and rolled to a stand in the wide space he'd run into, holding his sword out in front of him. Using the few seconds that he'd put between him and his hunter, he concentrated and froze a thin layer of ice over his jagged wound, hissing as he did so. It was crude, but it would prevent further blood loss, he didn't need to deal with shock on top of the wound and a fight with a mutant. He'd never fought one-to-one with a mutant before. Demigods didn't count, certainly, Thalia and Nico were way above mutant standard. But that only meant that he was at a disadvantage. He didn't know what Matthias was capable of and he was used to fighting elementals, not people who could warp their arms.

Matthias rounded the corner and stepped into the space, the dim lighting casting eerie shadows on his face. He bared his teeth in a snarl and lunged, his arms changing into organic blades as he swiped at Percy. Percy blocked and lashed out, delivering a powerful kick to the mutant's chest, sending him flying backwards. He twisted and ducked as the boy's other arm – whip, damn it – flew above his head, jagged spines now lining the limb. Matthias charged at him again and Percy jumped out of the way, slashing at his side as he did so. The mutant was fast however, and had the advantage of changing his weapons and switched to a backhanded attack, his arm transforming into a scythe as he did so. Percy cursed and leapt backwards, his sword the only thing between the other's arm and his body preventing him from getting skewered.

In the rush, he forgot about Matthias' other arm and was taken aback when it slammed into the side of his head, knocking the sense out of him. Those precious few seconds of stumbling from the blow were enough and the mutant wrapped his whip like arm around his neck and slammed him against the wall, the arm constricting around his throat.

Percy felt his sword clatter to the ground as he gripped the appendage with both hands. Black spots danced in his vision as he gasped for oxygen, but he was Percy Jackson, and he didn't give up.

He focused on the limb beneath him, the blood pumping beneath the skin and pushed his power into it. Distantly, he heard Matthias scream in pain as the limb burned beneath his hands, the blood boiling within the vessels, the whip retracting, dropping him to the ground.

Dazed, Percy gulped for air, trying to get up only for a force to strike him in his injured side, an agonized scream erupting from his throat. He blacked out for awhile, but when he came to, he found himself lying on his side, no longer alone with the mutant, a group of chitauri surrounding him, with Matthias in the front, nursing his wounded arm, glaring at him.

Percy rasped a laugh, spitting out a mouthful of blood, dragging himself upright, "Like that? It's a new trick."

The agent-slash-mutant glared at him, causing Percy's smile to grow. It was something he and Loki had practiced, that theoretically, since he could control water, he could control blood, which was made up of fifty-five percent of plasma and water made up ninety-two percent of said plasma. In essence, he could boil the blood or freeze it, but they hadn't had the chance to try it out since there wasn't a suitable test subject. Well, he could now tell Loki that it was successful.

There was a beat of silence then –

Percy rolled to the side as the chitauri started firing at him, using the burning in his side to clear his head as two foot-long ice blades manifested in his hands. He threw one, embedding it in the alien's head and ducked behind a pillar, the plasma blast scorching the cement. He twisted out of range as the mutant's whip like arm came at him, and within a split second, lunged forward and grabbed the limb and pulled.

Caught off guard, Matthias was yanked forward and at the same time, Percy kicked him in the chest, hearing the satisfying crunch of several ribs breaking. He threw the mutant at the group of chitauri and formed another dagger, meeting the chitauri's attack head on. He fought like a demon, slashing at anything that came within reach, cutting off the heads of the aliens, slitting their throats and plunging his daggers into their guts. Adrenaline pumped through him, and his ADHD kicked in, giving him the advantage of having heightened senses. He sensed the chitauri's attack before it hit and bent to avoid it, his dagger coming up to sink into the alien's throat. Following through with the movement, he twisted and ripped the shard out of the chitauri's throat savagely, slicing through another organic body. With Matthias out of commission, he only had the chitauri left to deal with.

Several burns and cuts littered his body from where the chitauri got in several lucky shots. He snarled and plunged the blade into the chest of one chitauri, and pushed, using it as a shield to ram the rest of aliens. Taking advantage of their momentary loss of balance, he drew water from the air and solidified the liquid into solid icicles, sending them at the group of chitauri. All at once, several aliens dropped dead, the shards of ice embedded in their head, gut or throat.

He retracted the ice, letting them hover around him, grotesque images of blood and gore, breathing heavily. He knew that he had used up a lot of energy, but he needed to get out of here. Even with the adrenaline in his veins, his wound was bothering him, as was the blood loss. He needed to tell the avengers – about what exactly? This was never designed for them – that it was a trap, Matthias was nothing more than a tool and they had all been thoroughly played by the chitauri.

He was about to make his move when a sharp pain lanced through his head, causing him to cry out in pain. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head at the mental assault. He tried to fight the pain, his instincts screaming at him to run, but he couldn't concentrate, the pain was everywhere and there was no running away from it, he couldn't focus enough to get away –

He felt a presence appear behind him and pushed himself to his feet, turning to meet his assailant but it was too slow –

His senses were muddled –

His arms felt like lead and he couldn't bring his weapon up –

The last thing he felt was a piercing pain when the cold metal slipped between his ribs as he looked up and saw only bright green eyes gleaming back maliciously.

He only had energy for one last thought before the world collapsed around him.

"Loki."