Three weeks passed. A month. One and a half.

No sound from Thanos. Not even a whisper.

The Asgardians grew restless from the suspense, milling about every day, their hands twitching non-stop on the pommel of their sword. Even the Avengers were not spared from the anxiety the tension in the air caused. After the first few days of waiting, they returned to the clearing they had been in before the attack happened, sparring with one another, burning off the energy that they had. In the day, if they weren't sparring, they were helping to clear the bodies of the chitauri off the ground. At night, they all retreated to the room that Percy was in, watching over him like silent sentinels.

Days after Clint had that late night talk with Loki on the roof, the healers chased them all out of Percy's room, having tripped over them one too many times when they came in to check on the demigod. They still went to visit him when they could, but every time, the healers reported that there was no change in him. That despite his healing progress, he still refused to talk.

Then, one day, when they were in the clearing, a healer ran up to them, asking breathlessly if they had seen Percy. When they all replied in the negative, the healer looked ready to faint by the way she paled drastically, until Steve suggested that they split up and search. It wasn't until Bruce stumbled to the room where Percy had trained with Frigga that he found the demigod. He called out to Percy, but the hero didn't seem to hear him, concentrating solely on fighting for after invisible foe.

"Percy?" The doctor asked hesitantly, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the vast room. The demigod didn't reply, still twirling his sword and alternating between defensive moves and offensive moves.

Bruce sighed softly and tried again, louder this time, "Percy?"

This time, the demigod paused mid-swing, but didn't turn around.

Bruce hesitated, silently wondering when the temperature in the room dropped. "Percy, its late, shouldn't you be resting?"

Percy straightened out of his stance and turned towards Bruce, who flinched at the deadened look in the younger boy's eyes, "I have been resting for too long," he rasped, his voice still hoarse from weeks of unused, "A war is coming, I don't have time to lie down."

"Percy," Bruce tried again, "Your wound is still healing, it wouldn't be a good idea to aggravate it –" he cut himself off at the angry snarl that erupted from the other person in the room. Hearing that, Bruce could admit that Percy was seeming a hell lot scarier now, even if he had the Hulk in him. He gulped nervously as boiling green eyes bore into his own, "Ah yes, the wound." Percy growled, "Better for me to start training to return the favor to the one who gave me this wound."

"Percy –"

The demigod cut him off with a wave of his hand, glaring daggers at the wall, "He betrayed us Bruce. Gave the Gauntlet to him like the obedient pet he is." The hero lifted a hand, gingerly touching the bandages that wrapped around his throat, "I will not forgive him." He hissed.

Bruce looked down, feeling sadness well up within him. He swallowed loudly and said, "Try not to stay up too late Percy. You still need your rest." And left the way he came.

Alone in the room once more, Percy allowed his mask to crack, revealing the pain and exhaustion that he had hidden from his friend as he slid to his knees. He bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block off the memories that surfaced. A low keening sound escaped his lips, and Percy pressed a palm against his face, trying to suppress the sound of his agony.

A few droplets splashed against the ground.

When the Avengers regrouped again, Bruce told them about his findings, shaking his head at their insistence on talking to Percy.

"Give him time guys, he needs it."

"We've been giving him lots of time Brucie, come on, isn't it better for him to talk to someone?" Tony pleaded, grabbing his fellow scientist by the shoulder.

Bruce shook his head, taking off his glasses and cleaning it, "You guys didn't see him," he said softly, "He's angry and upset, and it isn't like anything I've seen before." He hesitated slightly, "Even the other guy felt threatened by him."

They looked at each other in shock, Clint's guilt only making his chest grow heavier. He had wanted to tell someone about his encounter with Loki, but something had made him hold his tongue. Now, he wished that he had given the god more than just three bullets.

Bruce rubbed his eyes tiredly and said, "He's hurting guys, and I don't think forcing him to talk is going to get us anywhere else but killed. He's different now, more – ruthless I think."

Natasha pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to shoot something – or someone. As an assassin, she had been raised never to grow close to others, but like Clint, like Coulson, like all the other Avengers, she had felt herself getting attached to Percy when he had lived with them. She thought back to the interactions between Loki and Percy, how the two of them seemed to complete each other. She now wondered if she ever stood a chance against the God of Lies.

Across from her, Thor had no qualms in demonstrating his anger on a nearby pillar. The thunder god growled and flew off, leaving behind a huge dent in the stone pillar.

The following days passed in a similar manner.

Instead of forcing Percy to talk to them, Tony had somehow convinced the demigod to train together with them. They didn't bring up the elephant in the room, nor did they try to make Percy talk to them, something which the demigod was glad for, even if he didn't show it. It was then that they all witnessed first-hand the reason why Percy was called earth's greatest hero. The boy, without using the Aether, had power and skill to rival that of Thor, who – after being smacked into the ground one too many times by Percy – had decided to use Mjolnir against Percy, stating that 'if Perseus is allowed to use Anaklusmos, I should be allowed to use Mjolnir".

And that was that.

The demigod had just smirked and what followed was a battle of epic proportions.

Where Thor was strong and could crush Percy's skull easily, Percy was fast and nimble on his feet, able to dodge the thunder god's weapon with ease and delivering his own quick blows before retreating to a safe distance. The highlight however, was Percy delivering Thor a taste of his own medicine.

The thunder god roared and raised Mjolnir, storm clouds gathering overhead. Percy, who had seen what came after many times before, summoned a whirlpool of water to him, the liquid spreading out in front of him just as a huge bolt of lightning slammed into it. Not wasting any time, the demigod threw the water forward, wrapping it around the thunder god. The end result sent all the Avengers doubling over in laughter as Thor convulsed slightly as his attack was turned on him.

It made even Percy's lips twitch upwards.

They all pretended that they didn't see his reaction, choosing not to call out on him. Even Thor, the least tactful of the lot – rivaled only at times by Tony – knew better than to comment, choosing instead to hide his own smile even as he accepted Percy's outstretched hand and heaved himself up, the hair on his body standing up from the static of his own attack. The thunder god clapped a hand on the demigod's uninjured shoulder, booming loudly, "You are truly a great adversary in battle Perseus! Not many can take a hit from my lightning and survive."

"Oh he didn't just survive Thor," Natasha said, smiling slyly, "He used it against you." she nodded approvingly.

Percy let a smirk flicker on his face before it dropped away, stepping away from the blond god, "Anyone else wants to try?" he intoned softly.

Tony grinned and leapt up, "Hell yeah I ain't missing out on this one."

Clint snorted, smirking as he crossed his arms, "You sure about that? I don't think even your suit can stand an Asgardian's strength."

Tony cackled, rubbing his hands together as his suit attached itself to his body, enveloping him in stunning red and gold, "That's where you're wrong pretty boy, I've been upgrading ever since our last fight Thunderpants, you don't know what you're getting into."

Thor smirked, hearing the jest and challenge in his friend's tone. He hefted his hammer and pointed her at the genius, "Come Stark, show me how much your puny army has improved."

"Hah!" Tony laughed, "Bring on the lightshows Point Break." He said, his faceplate dropping over his face.

As was becoming his nightly routine, Clint found himself hauling himself up onto the roof, sitting on the edge, looking out across the skyline of Asgard. If they weren't in the middle of what seemed to be the cosmological war of all times, he could have appreciated the beauty of the realm. As it was now, the realm was marred by the ugly scars of war and battle, the tension amongst the people skyrocketing as the days dragged by. The longer they went without any invaders, the more restless they all grew. Being assassins, Natasha and Clint had been the best off out of all of them, having experienced the long waiting time before any action could be done. Even so, they too were feeling the strain of the wait.

No one said anything, but everyone had little hope that they would come out of this alive. The warriors of Asgard would fight – that was for sure, they would fight for their realm and their home. The Avengers would fight, because there was no other option for them. Surrendering and submitting was out of the question, they'd all rather die than submit to Thanos. And it didn't matter if they were fighting on Asgard or not. If they fought on Asgard and lost, it wouldn't matter if they had stayed on Earth because Thanos would destroy Earth too.

Clint sighed inaudibly, rubbing his face tiredly. The future was bleak, and he was a lone archer fighting in a war with aliens. Not for the first time, Clint wondered if this was a good idea. Fury had put him in the Avengers Initiative, that was true, but as with every battle, he questioned the director's decision. The rest of the team, they had their own strengths which made them formidable – or more than that in some cases – in battle. Him? He was just an archer – and even arrows could run out eventually. He was good at hand to hand combat, but Natasha was even better – and she was resourceful and had demonstrated her ability to take down even Thor. Clint fingered his bow, the cool metal familiar to his fingers, each groove, each scratch – he remembered where they all came from.

The archer tensed for a moment, his fingers stilling, before he groaned, his shoulders slumping. Without turning around, he said, "Oh my god, can you leave me alone?"

"It would be unwise to turn your back on me, Barton."

Clint rolled his eyes and stood, "Yeah, yeah, we already established that I don't give a damn about what you thi – holy shit!" he yelped, his eyes widening, "The hell happened to you?"

Half concealed in the shadows, Loki grimaced, a hand coming up to touch the fresh cut that ran along the side of his face, narrowly missing his eye by several millimeters. The rest of him didn't look much better, deep gashes decorating his torso along with claw marks on his arm, sides and legs. Clint frowned, his grip tightening on his bow, "What the hell happened to you?" he demanded.

Loki pressed his lips together and shook his head slightly, "Nothing of import. I need you to listen to me –"

"Nothing of import my ass. You look like someone ran you through a meat grinder."

Loki glared at the assassin, "Thank you for your astute observation, I did not realize exactly how bad I looked."

Clint scowled, "No need to get snappy, it's not every day I turn around to see your ground up face behind me is it?"

Loki sneered, "And why would you care? Perhaps a part of you still holds some modicum of loyalty toward me?" the god purred.

Clint snarled, stepping forward, "You know what? You're right! I don't care at all! I don't care if you dropped dead right now, I don't care if you decided to jump off the roof or stab yourself with a sword or something." The archer turned away, taking out a grappling hook arrow and nocking it. "Now leave me alone."

Just as he was about to fire his arrow, the god behind him said, "Wait."

Against his common sense, Clint released the tension on the bow and turned back around, seeing the god sag slightly, Loki sighed, looking at Clint tiredly, "I...apologize...for my tone." He bit out, looking like that few words alone had cost him half of his lifespan.

Clint looked at him, not saying a word.

After several moments of silence, Loki sighed, "I need your help Agent Barton, there are some things which I have set into motion."

"Like?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Like you said before, you truly think me stupid enough to tell you all the details of my plan?"

Clint huffed, "Yeah well if – and that is a very big if – I help you, I'm going to need more details than 'I set some things in motion'. What if those things you set in motion are going to get me and my team killed?"

Loki sighed, "And if I said that I have a plan to defeat Thanos?"

Clint straightened, his senses heightening as his eyes narrowed to slits, "You better not be joking." He growled, "What's your plan?"

"Are you willing to help me Barton?"

Clint scowled at the deflection, "Why me? Why'd you come to me? You know I hate you."

Loki smirked, for the first time that night, "Precisely."

Clint pressed his lips together, his mind racing as he analyzed the situation. Finally, he said, "Don't make me regret this."

Loki's smirk grew into a grin even as he suppressed the urge to flinch at Clint's choice of words. It reminded him far too much of Apollo and Hermes. The god straightened his back and looked at Clint, the archer slinging his bow across his back, his eyes dark and wary. "What do you need?"

The days dragged on, the tension in the city skyrocketing. Almost every hour, a new fight would break out amongst the warriors, but Odin did nothing to cull them, letting them vent their frustration on each other. It did not matter if they were injured or not, he only needed them to fight to their last breath for Asgard. The king stood on the balcony outside his own quarters, overlooking the whole realm. The horizon looked untouched, the sun shining brightly upon the city, its rays glittering off the rainbow bridge. Odin knew, however, that it was but the calm before the storm. Thanos was coming, and death would follow in his wake.

The king of Asgard sighed, his weariness tripling in the aftermath of the latest invasion. He should have known that Loki would betray them, should have prevented him from obtaining access to the scrolls. The snake had fooled them all with his pretty lies, veiled their eyes to his true motive while he played them like a fool.

"Whatever you are thinking husband, you are wrong."

Odin did not turn around, feeling his wife come up beside him, looking out across the lands. "If you think to change my mind about Loki's actions, do not waste your breath." He gripped the rail tighter, "I have wasted enough on the man I once called my son."

"So you would disown him? Your son?" Frigga demanded, turning her fierce gaze on the king.

Odin growled, "Loki is not my son. His actions have all but proved that."

"Actions which he would not have taken, had you explained everything to him at the start, like I told you to!" Frigga cried.

Odin turned to face her, his lone eye blazing with anger, "Do not put the blame on me woman, Loki chose to do what he did, and now, he has betrayed Asgard once more."

"You brought him back to Asgard Odin. You chose him." The queen said softly, "How can you shirk your responsibility now when he has made a mistake?"

"A mistake? A mistake?" Odin flung a hand out, gesturing to the whole of Asgard that stood outside his window, "Asgard is in danger, the Nine Realms are in danger all because Loki desired a throne. He gave the Gauntlet to the Mad Titan Frigga," Odin said, "Delivered it straight to his hands. Why can you not see his folly?"

Frigga straightened up, "Because I trust my son." She replied simply.

Odin snorted, "Look where your trust has gotten us. Asgard stands on the brink of destruction because you decided to trust the God of Lies."

Frigga smiled painfully, "And who gave him that title? Who made him into what he has become?"

Odin snapped his mouth shut. The queen, seeing her point driven home, turned and left the room, her tunic swishing along behind her.

Percy sat on the window sill of his room – an actual guest room, not the one which he shared with Loki. He looked down at the Aether, one of the universe's most powerful artifact and it sat on his wrist like a normal wristband. The red liquid swirled around his wrist, always moving even as it stayed in one shape. He touched the Aether lightly, a cold sensation on his fingertips. If it wasn't because of this one thing, he would never have been dragged into this – a war across the galaxy.

But then again, he wouldn't have made such excellent friends either. He wouldn't have reconciled with his father, with himself.

But most of all, he would never have loved again.

Percy closed his eyes against the ache in his chest, he had tried to justify Loki's actions, coming up with reason after reason after reason for why the god had done what he did, but the lies would never stick. He had been catatonic, upset, and downright furious. Now, he was drifting in limbo between all these emotions. He wanted to believe that what they had was real, that Loki hadn't lied to him, hadn't gone day in day out and uttered sweetened lies. The very thought of that struck deep into him, and he couldn't bear to think that way. But neither could he understand why the god had betrayed them – betrayed him.

The demigod looked out, even if Loki were to appear before him right now, and got down on his knees to apologize, he wasn't sure if he could forgive him. Percy had lost too much to continue losing more, and he had already experienced the pain that lies could bring twice over.

No more.

Percy pressed his lips together and frowned, hardening his heart and walling off any emotion that threatened to destabilize him. There was a war coming, he could not afford to be distracted by his internal turmoil, nor could he risk the lives of his friends and the people of Asgard to satisfy his own curiosity. Percy felt his resolve harden, pushing all errant thoughts to the back of his mind.

A long, drawn out horn sounded across Asgard, makng Percy sit upright, his heart thundering in his chest. He grabbed his sword and disappeared, appearing the next second in the Avengers' common room, startling them out of their reverie as they too wondered what the sound was. In the next moment, Thor slammed the door open, his face grim and serious as he uttered the three words that sent their hearts plummeting like stones.

"He is here."

Chiron banged the table, hollering at the top of his voice, "Silence!"

When the mutterings eventually quietened, he continued, "Heroes, the time for you to protect your home has come once more. I wish it was not the case, but if we do not fight, it is not only our pantheon which will be lost. The whole world will crumble and fall."

"Who are we fighting? It can't be Gaia right? I mean, she was just put to sleep so it can't be her waking up again right?" a camper voiced up, murmurs of agreement following his question.

Chiron shook his head, "This enemy is not from our pantheon, not even from our world. He exists in the Void, a place where only the foulest of creatures thrive. He is called the Mad Titan, and he has declared war on earth."

"Why should we fight? If it is not our problem, why not let the Avengers handle him?" another camper spoke, sneering the name as he said it, "Since they are such great heroes, why not let them save the world?"

This time, the sounds of agreement were much louder, everyone voicing their own opinions over others. Chiron sighed and stamped his hoof on the ground, "Enough!" he shouted, "Will you abandon your home because of such petty feelings? Will you risk the destruction of this planet because the Avengers get recognition and you did not?" he looked at the ashamed faces in front of him, the centaur's old heart aching at the sight of such young children being forced to fight for their lives.

"I do not ask much of you, merely to fight for your home. The Avengers are doing the same, but they are on another planet fighting where the Mad Titan will strike first." Chiron said grimly, "The military knows nothing of the impending war, and New York is in tatters from the previous attack. The gods have given permission for you demigods to fight."

"Even if it means revealing ourselves to them?" Conner Stoll asked, all traces of his mischievous nature wiped away.

Chiron nodded, "The ideal situation would be to not reveal ourselves, but if it is choosing between the gods and your safety, I hope you choose to save yourself first."

Katie spoke up next, "Will the gods themselves be fighting? The Romans?"

Chiron nodded, "I have already informed Lupa, and she will in turn, inform the camp of the upcoming battle. They will protect the West coast while we will take the Central. And yes, Katie, the gods will be fighting."

The murmurings rose even higher, all the demigods both excited and frightened by the prospect of the gods joining the battle. On the one hand, it would mean that their parents were not abandoning them, on the other, it was well known that the gods only interfered in battles where their opponents were almost unbeatable – and that scared them.

A bright flash of light interrupted their discussions, revealing a lithe figure cloaked in silver armor. Chiron bowed immediately, as did the demigods after they gawked at the newcomer.

Thalia, who had been standing in a corner quietly, stepped forward and bowed, "Milady, what brings you here?"

Artemis looked over the camp, turning to her lieutenant, gesturing for her to rise. The goddess looked at Chiron, saying simply, "They are coming, I suggest you get ready." She said coldly, giving them a few seconds headstart to close their eyes before she flashed away.

The whole camp fell silent.

Chiron stamped his hoof, "You heard Lady Artemis, put on your armor! We prepare for battle!" the centaur watched as the campers all filed away, turning to the daughter of Zeus, "Did Lady Artemis give you any instructions on where your Hunters are meant to be?"

Thalia frowned, "No, but we'll probably split up to accommodate the height advantage."

Chiron nodded, "Call the leaders, we'll have a short council while the campers get ready."

The black haired lieutenant nodded grimly and dashed off in search of the other cabin leaders.

Chiron rubbed his forehead tiredly and looked skywards, praying fervently that they could get through this war.