Starlight was nervous when she saw the state of Stormfront at the next Seven meeting.
Her face was battered and bruised, her arm in a sling and her left eye was swollen shut. Obviously she would heal fast enough, but she feared someone else's reaction.
Homelander turned to what was left of the seven smiling. Supersonic looking heavily confused by the situation. Being part of the seven was nothing like what he thought it was. Homelander especially, everyone looked afraid of him for some strange reason.
Homelander wordlessly pressed the button on a remote. Showing footage of Sage Grove center. Her blood ran frigid, but she relaxed once she noticed that the footage didn't show her or the boys.
Well at least only one of them.
She blinked owlishly at how easily Percy shrugged off getting tackled throught a solid concrete wall like it was nothing.
He then proceeded to beat the shit out of her. It got so crazy at one point she got a good look at the famous storm he summoned. Annie found it hard not to smile
She bit her lip. An hormonal teenager with so much power at his fingertips could spell disaster for everyone. Maybe he just needed some guidance? That kid was strong no doubt, but he was also straight up reckless.
"As you can see, this young man. This super terrorist has attacked our teammate for no reason. This won't stand." Homelander spoke too softly.
"So if I hadn't made it clear enough, this little shit needs to go. Tell as many supes as you can all the one's sponsored by Vought have to keep an eye out, we've got a few millions on his head already."
The rest of the meeting was spent talking about corporate subjects, the revenue of merchandise, but Starlight barely participated. Her profit went to charity anyway. Or at least she hoped it was.
She texted Hughie under the table, she could always tell she was texting her mother. She had to talk to her soon anyway. Meanwhile Homelander gazed out of the window. His soft smile looking genuine instead of the extremly convincing one's he usually gave.
She wasn't sure which one was worse.
BACK IN THE CIA HIDEOUT.
Percy was bored, watching old super hero films wasn't his ideal afternoon. Although he had to admit a few of them were good.
Lamplighter wanted to pull out triple X movies, but Percy shot him down quickly. Knowing full well that Carter was in the trees not far away in Falcon form.
"So this soldier boy is a super hero, who played himself in a movie?" Percy asked as he watched a movie suspiciously similar to Rambo 3.
"Yep." Hughie replied sounding as bored as Percy felt. His phone buzzed giving him something else to do. "Not sure if this is clever or just the most narcissistic shit i've ever seen." Percy muttered his eyes stuck on the stereotype filled movie.
"Oh that's my favorite part." Smiled Lamplighter speaking at the same time as the actor. "No god would have mercy." Spat the chained Soldier Boy, whom Percy found looked vaguely familiar.
Lamplighter took a long drag of his joint. "Oh this shit takes me back." Puffed Lamplighter. "You want some?" He asked Percy.
"He's seventeen." Hughie reminded reading the long texto.
"Who gives a fuck." Huffed Lamplighter going back to smocking.
"Welp i'm going out."
"Huh, not sure it's the greatest idea." Cringed Hughie.
"Why?" Percy demanded ready to explode from boredom. The smell of smoke and alcohol bringing forth many bad memories.
"Because Annie says there's a bounty on your head."
"Really? How much?" Percy wondered not sounding worried in the slightest. Hughie winced sheepishly replying.
"7.9 million dollars."
Lamplighter did a spit take. Sending droplets of beer everywhere.
"7.9 million dollars." Percy shot back not sure he had heard him correctly.
Hughie nodded.
"Well first off this face is worth at least 3 billion." Percy stated gesturing to his face.
"Second of all can I turn myself in? This would easily pay for my little sister's college."
"No I don't see how you could do that." Softly replied Hughie looking bewildered.
Percy snapped his fingers a little frustrated.
Well he could always force New Rome to pay for her education.
"Well what do you want me to do? Stay here and keep watch on a bum higher than a kite?"
"Hey!" Shot back the offended man sitting up flicking open his lighter. Hughie jumped out of the scrambling to safety.
Percy stared down Lamplighter for a solid ten seconds, his wolf stare aimed straight at him.
Suddenly remembering what the teen in front of him had done. He wisely shut his lighter and swallowed his pride. Not high enough to be that dumb.
"Listen I can't stay here and do nothing."
"And why not?" Hughie demanded throwing his arms up. "You just recovered from getting blinded and you look like you haven't slept in days. So you know what none of that sit down, you won't be useful to anyone if your tired!"
Percy huffed and sat down. Somewhat agreeing with Hughie. He had barely slept in the past few days. Missing Annabeth more and more as the days passed.
Deep in thought Percy pondered on many things. Most being meaningless except that he wondered how further the reaches of this multiverse went. How different were those worlds? Did he exist in them? How different are they? How different is he?
Naturally he also wondered what made Homelander this way. He wasn't feeling for his ennemy of course that's the last thing he should do, but no one is born evil right?
No one has a predetermined fate, that much he was sure of. There's three fates so there's always another way.
As much as Percy followed them, he never took prophecies that seriously. Even when he thought he was going to die.
There was no time to focus on it. So he did what he had to do. Just like how he was about to now. Not having an ominous prediction floating above his head did feel refreshing.
He leaned back into his seat with a sigh. This was a whole mess either way.
Percy didn't notice himself dozing off. For once he had a pleasent dream, he was sitting down at one of the many cafe's of New Rome. Sharing a coffee with Annabeth, she looked a little older not that he cared.
Two children with black and blonde hair scampered next to them. Percy looked back at Annabeth smiling, a wave of fire suddenly engulfing the entire city.
Percy looked around in horror at the charred skeleton. A dark caped figure with glowing red eyes floating above him a powerful aura surrounding his body
Percy gasped awake sweating.
"You okay?" Hughie asked standing next to him, a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine, just a nightmare." Percy answered rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?"
"A few hours, listen. As it turns out we have to do something."
Percy's eyes narrowed "and that is?"
"Annie got captured and she's kept prisoner in Vought Tower, the rest of the boys are occupied or nowhere to be found; and Butcher is probably being self destructive somewhere else. I need both of you."
"Well i'm not going anywhere." Chuckled Lamplighter.
Percy rose to his feet already more than prepared to go.
"If you ever planned on doing something decent and meaningful in your pathetic life now would be a good time." Percy shot back walking towards the exit, Hughie hot on his heels.
"Hey dude you can't go your still fucked up." Lamplighter called after Hughie. "Don't give a shit." He called back without looking back.
"Wait." Sighed the ex member of the seven. Percy and Hughie stopped simultaneously turning to the fire user.
"My codes probably still work." He said finally getting off his Lazy ass.
"It's decided then, let's go save your girlfriend." Percy smiled slapping Hughie in the shoulder.
The three practically strolled inside of Vought tower. Sadly Homelander wasn't there, but Percy knew he needed to be sure what or who was pulling the strings. His dream burned in his mind.
Who knows killing Homelander now might play directly into they're hands. Hopefully Carter could track them down fast enough.
"They moved my statue." Commented Lamplighter in a depressed tone.
"You try to set yourself on fire and i'll have it put out before you can blink." Percy spoke up knowing that look all too well.
Lamplighter nodded "sure thing. Over here." He nodded in the direction of a hallway.
Percy and Hughie followed Lamplighter's lead. The latter whispering "you sure he was gonna?"-- trailed off Hughie unsure on how to even aboard the subject.
"It's the only thing on his mind." Confirmed Percy suddenly stopping in front of a large metal door.
"Can you melt throught that?" Percy asked the pyrokinetic.
"Are you fucking kidding me that shit's supe proof!" Exclaimed Lamplighter.
"Why did you bring us here without a plan don't you have the codes?!"
"I used too, but these fucks replaced it with a fingerprint lock!"
"Oh for fuck sake." Groaned Percy. "Hey, is anyone there?" Starlight's voice came from the cell. "Get me out of here!" She demanded.
"Hey it's me Annie we're gonna get you out!"
"Hughie!" She exclaimed worriedly "get out of here it's dangerous!"
"I'm with him." Percy intercepted "do you have any idea who's prints we can use to open that damn door?"
"No sorry, don't worry about me you gotta help my mom, she's trapped somewhere."
"Okay you two find her i'll take care of the door."
Hughie tried to protest, but Percy sent him a look that said not now.
Begrugingly Hughie ran off with Lamplighter, the latter knowing what would happen if he tried to run.
Percy pulled out Riptide from his pocket and started hacking at the door. The celestial bronze tearing throught the metal like butter.
Once he sliced a hole big enough for his hands to fit in, he started bending the metal with some effort. Starlight quickly helping him by pushing the metal from her side.
Soon enough she could safely pass.
"Thanks, where's Hughie?"
"Finding your mom he's not alone so we need to scram."
Annie nodded, but she wasn't really reassured.
Percy ran ahead passing by the meeting room and the seven's statues. Only for a blur to knock him throught a wall into another room.
"Percy!" Yelled Starlight not seeing Black Noir sneak up on her before getting knocked throught a wall into the meeting room.
Percy groaned a little and rose to his feet. Locking eyes with Shockwave's orange tinted glasses.
"It doesn't have to be like that." Percy stated brushing dust off his shoulder.
Shockwave scoffed "what you think your hot shit cause you beat up a couple of nobodies? I'm Shockwave bitch! I could fuck you up no problem even if you weren't worth seven million, which might I add is way under my paygrade!" Arrogantly claimed the speedster spreading his arms. Rapidly going on the offensive.
Percy had to admit he was fast, as punches going well over mach 1 repeatedly slammed into his body at least one hundred times.
Percy took it, standing tall despite his head snapping to the side fast enough to snap a human neck.
He was suddenly brought back to the first time he deflected a bullet. All of his hypersensitive senses working in tandem to parry it. It was slow, because he was faster.
But he was a small child back then. He caught Shockwave's punch. He might have been faster than sound.
But Shockwave was still too slow.
Percy wasn't sure why he did what he did next. Not that he didn't have any reason too.
He crushed the man's hand. His fingers bent in various directions in a bloody mess. Percy then backhanded him hard enough to send him spinning on himself several time before hitting a wall.
"Am I up to your paygrade now?" Coldly asked the demigod delivering a mighty upercut to his chin. Knocking his head backwards hard enough to cave in the wall behind him.
Two jabs in the stomach to make him double over. Lastly one hard punch to the liver sending Shockwave sprawling to the ground.
Grabbing him by the front of his suit Percy kept punching over and over again. Blood spraying in his face as he practically knocked out each and every last tooth in the speedster's mouth.
Nothing else mattered. Shockwave being a mere victim to Percy's overwhelming rage. He was done with this stupid dimension and all of the people in it!
Why did it have to be his problem!?
"PERCY!"
The son of Poseidon's head snapped towards the scared Starlight and Queen Maeve. Percy suddenly realizing that his ennemy was now half dead.
He lazily dropped Shockwave and marched towards the two. More precisely Queen Maeve.
Only for Starlight to jump in between them. "Wait! She saved me!"
Percy stopped still glaring at Queen Maeve "let's just go." Added Annie trying to keep the damage to a minimum.
Percy didn't speak he only kept glaring at Maeve making sure she knew what would happen to her if she tried to stop them as Starlight tried to pull him along.
Thankfully no other supe or security came they're way.
Percy and Annie found Hughie Lamplighter and Annie's mother in an alleyway not so far away from the building.
Annie embraced her mother while Hughie asked Percy if he was okay.
"Not my blood." Was all the demigod replied.
"The hideout is closer than the CIA's we should go there." Hughie advised.
"With matchsticks?" Percy shot back with uncertainty.
"You got any other options?" Wondered Hughie.
"As a matter of fact I don't, if he tries anything I'll just kill him."
"Your not killing anyone." Annie practically ordered "so if the child killer tries to kill what do you want me to do, cuddle him?" Percy snapped.
"You don't need to kill him."
"I can just do it myself." Huffed Lamplighter as if he was in control of the situation in any way shape or form.
"No you won't you still gotta pay." Casually said Percy.
"You guys go alone, I need to clean this up." Percy explained in order to break up the group.
For a falcon circled the sky.
Once they were gone the falcon flew down and morphed into Carter Kane. "What's wrong?" Percy asked worriedly.
"Well while you snuck in the tower to free that lady I snuck around. And I found a pretty weird report." He replied almost shyly.
He handed Percy a file which he opened. Normally his Dyslexia made it hard to decipher in general, but he didn't need to read anything the picture made it beyond clear.
Annabeth's picture.
"Tell me everything." Nearly growled the son of Poseidon.
Carter suddenly remembering that his friend was dyslexic gave him a well deserved explanation.
"Apparently she's been here as long as you, but she got caught after she beat up a member of the Teenage Kix Apparently she landed half the team in the hospital before the gas took effect."
This information almost made Percy smile. "And now where is she?"
"She's held in a secret prison where supe victims go to be forgotten." Carter explained with a wince. As Percy went to lean his back against a wall. He regretfully added.
"On the other side of the country in Alaska."
Faster than any human could perceive Percy's fist slammed into the brick wall behind him. The entirety of the small building shook under his strength, the brick yielding into a web of visible cracks."
"How fast can you get me there?"
Carter shrugged "rules are different here Percy. If I could I'd make you a portal, but I don't see it being a viable option."
Percy rubbed his eyes his patience truly only holding by a thread. "Okay, I can probably get the boy's help and find her. They can probably get me an helicopter or something."
"You really think they'll help you? Hey guys my girlfriend is trapped in a secret prison in Alaska. Come one follow me on this extremely suspicious endeavor."
"First off what kind of fifteen year old unironically says endeavor. Second yeah that's all I can think of! I could definitely steal an helicopter, but I can't pilot one! That's usually Annabeth's job and now she's stuck gods knows where!"
"Okay okay calm down, we know she's alive. The report is recent so there's no way she could be dead she's too smart for that."
Percy had to agree it's not a prison for super heroes that was about to get the better of his girlfriend.
"Anything else?"
"No" Carter shrugged "except a report about a telekinetic who uses a viking sword."
Percy facepalmed "oh for fuck sakes, did they get Magnus too?"
Carter shrugged "I don't know, I actually found that in a recent article from Boston."
"Sounds about right." He sighed "so we get Annabeth and then her dumbass cousin."
"It's happening again." Grimmly stated the magician.
"I know." Quietly replied the son of Poseidon. "I know."
The two made they're way back to the hideout. Percy asking Carter to wait outside. Which he felt bad about doing. It was a cold night after all.
"Hey." Percy greeted climbing down the stairs. All of the boys were there including another woman, Lamplighter most likely brought back to his comfy prison. "Who's this?" He wondered gesturing at the disheveled and shaken woman.
"This is Becca, Butcher's allegedly deceased wife." Explained MM with as much tact as possible in such a situation.
"Holy shit what happened?" Percy exclaimed. For as far as he knew dead people couldn't come back to life in this universe.
"Give her some space the lot of ya." Grouched Butcher entering the room in a black rollneck sweater.
Percy moved to the side. Studying the completely new side of Butcher. He spoke softly, his hold on her hand equally soft.
"And me who thought he was a 'complete' dickhead." Percy muttered to himself.
"Yeah, it's hard to see people as anything else than what they're personal tragedies turned them into." MM whispered back.
Oh how much Percy knew that fact. It's how people often looked at Nico Di Angelo, but he wondered how many people saw 'him' that way?
How different would he be without the tragedy in his life. Percy wasn't about to call it needed far from it, but he couldn't deny how it partially shaped him into who he is now.
Butcher rose to his feat and turned to his team with a guilty look.
"I haven't been honest with you all. The reason I've been a bigger cunt than usual, is because I found out that Homelander had a baby. With Becka." He looked back to her and she nodded not meeting any gaze.
"Against her will."
Percy's fist clenched, as if he needed more reasons to kill this Man.
"And now he and Stormfront took him, his name's Ryan and we're getting him back."
"We're with you Butcher." Hughie spoke up first. Kimiko gave him a thumbs up. "Well it's not much crazier than anything i've done this weak." Chuckled MM "fuck it i'm in."
"Count me in too mon amie!" Fiercely exclaimed Frenchie.
Butcher turned his gaze to Percy, looking almost pleadingly at the teen.
Percy bit his lip, he already knew what he had to do. He wanted to help that kid he really did, but Annabeth needed his help. So he asked himself if she was there what would she say?
Probably something along the lines of, I can handle myself, but that kid needs help.
Maybe Butcher only saw him as a gun to be aimed at his ennemies at first like many other people. Hell even Annabeth did at first, but even if the reason that suddenly changed were purely personal, Percy didn't care. He could go the loyal, but ultimately selfish route, or he could do the right thing.
And nothing, not even fate itself ever stopped him from doing that.
The part I used on soldier boy's movie comes from the extended version of the scene on YouTube. There's a bunch of stuff meant to market the show as if the actual vought company was doing the marketing it's pretty cool.
Willpower feat.
The nearest demon lunged. Her claws extended like bony switchblades. Percy cut her in two, but as soon as she vaporized the sides of his chest flared with pain. He stumbled back, clamping his hand to his rib cage. His fingers came away wet and red.'Percy, you're bleeding!' Annabeth cried, which was kind of obvious to him at that point. 'Oh, gods, on both sides.'It was true. The left and right hems of his tattered shirt were sticky with blood, as if a javelin had run him through.Or an arrow ...
Queasiness almost knocked him over. Vengeance. A curse from the slain.He flashed back to an encounter in Texas two years ago – a fight with a monstrous rancher 'Geryon,' Percy said. 'This is how I killed him
The pain in his chest flared with every step. He weaved between the trees, leading Annabeth at a full sprint despite her blindness. Percy realized how much she trusted him to get her out of this.
As Percy blundered towards her, a demon pounced and sank its teeth into his thigh. Percy roared. He sliced the demon to dust, but immediately fell to his knees. His mouth burned worse than when he had swallowed the firewater of the Phlegethon. He doubled over, shuddering and retching, as a dozen fiery snakes seemed to work their way down his oesophagus.You have chosen, said the voice of the arai, the curse of Phineas ... an excellent painful death. Percy tried to speak. His tongue felt like it was being microwaved. He remembered the old blind king who had chased harpies through Portland with a weed whacker. Percy had challenged him to a contest, and the loser had drunk a deadly vial of gorgon's blood. Percy didn't remember the old blind man muttering a final curse, but as Phineas had dissolved and returned to the Underworld he probably hadn't wished Percy a long and happy life.
After Percy's victory then, Gaia had warned him: Do not press your luck. When your death comes, I promise it will be much more painful than gorgon's blood. Now he was in Tartarus, dying from gorgon's blood plus a dozen other agonizing curses, while he watched his girlfriend stumble around, helpless and blind and believing he'd abandoned her. He clutched his sword. His knuckles started to steam. White smoke curled off his forearms.I won't die like this, he thought.Not only because it was painful and insultingly lame, but because Annabeth needed him.
It took all his remaining effort, but he got to his feet. Steam rose from his whole body. His legs shook. His insides churned like a volcano. At least Percy could go out fighting. He raised Riptide.But, before he could strike, all the arai in front of him exploded into dust.
(Couldn't find the whole moment, but I feel like we overlook this section as a Fandom)
Point is Percy felt all of that and kept fighting. Name me one boys character who could?