Chapter 13: Dance of the Sugar Plum TitanNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextChapter Thirteen: Dance of the Sugar Plum Titan
Clint pressed his palms together. "So. Let me get this straight." He cleared his throat. "There's a prophecy—a cryptic poem that reveals the future—delivered by Rachel, here—" he gestured to Rachel, who bowed her head. "—and this prophecy states that Kate, some unnamed assassin, and I will go fight some Far Reaching One. Who is an unknown supernatural entity, has a dangerous Titan in her employ, and likely wants to take over the world."
Kate nodded. "Yup."
"And we have no idea who this Far Reaching One is. Or where she is. Or what other nasties may serve her. Or exactly what she wants."
"Yep."
Clint looked up. "Is being a demigod always like this?" He asked.
Kate shrugged. "Pretty much."
Leo chimed in, "Well, no, this quest is missing the time limit."
Percy nodded. "Yeah, he's right. Kate, Annabeth and my quests usually involved a ridiculously short time limit."
Clint pointed out, "Actually, I promised my daughter I'd be home by Christmas."
Everyone groaned.
"Really, man?" Will asked.
Nico shook his head. "Artificially-imposed time limit you can't get out of. That's even worse."
"So, you have three days to get this quest wrapped up." Rachel summarized.
Paul chuckled. "Man, I'm so glad I'm not a demigod."
Kate nodded vigorously. "Yeah, you lucked out."
Clint scratched his head. "And you guys fought in a war."
Kate, Annabeth, and Percy all exchanged glances.
Kate said, "Two."
Clint raised his eyebrows.
"Well, about ten years back, Titans used to be way more common. They were also, um, trying to overthrow Olympus and take over the world." She said.
Clint was speechless.
Percy sighed. "The Second Titan War." Everyone could hear the capitalization in his words. "It lasted from December 21st, 2012 to August 18th, 2016."
"Wow. And the second?"
Leo raised his hand. "That was the one that I died in. See, Dirt-Face wanted to do Dirt-Face stuff, but I rose up, kicked her butt, nobly sacrificed myself, and was universally hailed as the Bad Boy Supreme of all Bad Boys."
Nico muttered, "Sort of negates the nobility of the sacrifice if you say it was noble, Leo."
Clint looked utterly bemused. "What?"
Kate rubbed her temples. "Okay, Earth Goddess Gaea—who was actually evil—tried to destroy the gods forever and human civilization. Second Giant War commences, we kill the goddess in a big explosion which also kills Leo here, but then he's injected with a magical potion called the Physician's Cure, and comes back. Oh, and he also brought back Calypso, who is in love with him and vice versa. That war lasted from December 17th, 2016 to August 1st, 2017."
Clint blinked. "You know, at least Loki, Ultron, and Thanos were pretty simple. This is… beyond confusing. Also, Mother Earth… is evil?"
Leo snapped his fingers. "That's what I said!"
Will sighed. "So, yeah. That's the big secret. We're all demigods."
Clint asked, "Kate, who's your… godly parent?"
"Apollo. God of healing, music, poetry, and archery. And the sun." She said.
"Is that why you're so good at archery? Hey, am I a son of Apollo?" He asked.
Kate scowled. "My skills in archery are just that: mine. I trained, and practiced, and worked to get them to what they are now."
Annabeth explained, "Godly enhanced attributes only improve what's already there, the capacity for advancement. Kate—"
"Can speak for herself." She interrupted. "I didn't just get my skills handed to me on a silver platter. My dad only gave me the tools to make them what they are, not the skills themselves."
Clint aahed. "Oh. Sorry."
Kate's glare softened. "It's fine. I just… it feels like it cheapens my achievements, the idea that I didn't cultivate them myself. As for whether you're a child of Apollo…" Kate shook her head. "You're not. You couldn't see through the Mist, don't have other powers, etc."
Will said, "You're like Mozart."
Nico regarded him. "Mozart?"
"Yeah. You know, the Austrian pianist and composer—"
Nico rolled his eyes. "No shit, Solace. I know who Mozart is, I meant how is Hawkeye like him?"
Will chuckled. "Well, Clint, you're like Mozart because you're each exceptionally good at one of his spheres of control. And you're each just mortals. Er, no offense."
Clint pursed his lips. "None taken."
Kate sighed. "Look. I've restocked on nectar and ambrosia, and tended our injuries. Clint and I need to get moving. If we're going to figure out how to do this—"
Percy nodded. "Say no more, Kate. I get it. It's… wow, it's the solstice right now, the 21st, and Christmas is on the 25th, and Clint needs to be with his family by Christmas morning… so you've got three days, not counting today. Every second counts."
Kate smiled. "I'm glad you get it." She walked over, and hugged him. "See ya, Seaweed Brain." He hugged her back.
So, Kate got up and said her farewells to everyone. "It's been nice seeing all of you guys. Really."
Calypso smirked. "Farewell, Kate. I believe that I speak for everyone when I wish you good luck."
"So? How you doing?" Kate asked Clint. She was craning her neck, peering through the window, nervous and jumpy.
The two were in a car, as Kate drove them to the old apartment they were staying in.
Clint exhaled. "Mostly fine, I guess. How about you? You seem… paranoid?"
She turned. "Huh? Oh… well, it's something Percy said. It's the winter solstice."
"So?" He asked.
She shot him a look. "The winter solstice is the darkest day of the year. Hades is meeting with the gods on Olympus right now, actually—"
"Oh, yeah. Olympus. Where is that, anyway? Like, Greece, or—"
"No, it's the Empire State Building. Six-hundredth floor." She told him matter-of-factly.
He blinked. "Right… okay. Um… anyway, what's so bad about the winter solstice?"
She laughed humorlessly. "You mean, other than that it's the anniversary of the first quest I participated in that featured deaths? Well, it's the day monsters are strongest. Boldest. Darkest." She sighed, her knuckles going white on the steering wheel. "The battle on Manhattan Bridge? Monsters working as a cohesive unit to kill us? That lightning bolt? Very, very unusual. Even with whoever they're working for, they shouldn't have been so flagrant. It's because of the solstice, so until it's December 22nd, I will not be chill."
"Okay." He said.
Kate nodded. "That reminds me. Can you look in the pocket-thing of your car door? I left a present there for my friend. Her birthday's tomorrow."
Clint grabbed the book, and read out the title. "Anti-Aging Hacks: 200+ Ways to Feel—and Look—Younger?" He asked.
Kate snickered. "It's a gag gift. A little joke."
He frowned. "I don't get it."
She turned. "No? It's for Thalia. Ah, it ruins the joke to explain it."
Then, she pulled the car to the side of the road, deep in thought.
"Kate?" Clint asked. "What are you thinking?"
She bit her lip. "The Tracksuits are a normal gang, right? Other than working for/with whoever the Far Reaching One is."
"Yeah. Why have we stopped?"
She frowned. "If they're a normal gang, then they're funded like all normal gangs. They have a digital footprint, they have numerous operations, and so on and so forth. And my mom runs a security company, with a huge criminal database."
Clint still didn't get it. "So?"
"So… Bishop Security has files on the Tracksuits. We can find their files, and trace it to the Far Reaching One, figure out who Jack is. We just gotta sneak into my mom's penthouse." She said.
He cocked his head. "So… we just gotta sneak into the place run by the CEO of a massive security company, inhabited by an actual Titan?"
"Well, yeah."
Clint didn't exactly look wild about the idea.
"Well, look, I know all of my mom's passwords, and you're looking at someone who's fought Atlas, Hyperion, and Kronos, and a million and one monsters. If 'Jack' the Two-Bit Titan comes over, I can handle him." She said.
In truth, she was kinda sorta maybe exaggerating.
She nearly died battling Atlas and Kronos, and didn't deliver the final blows on either of them. Killing Hyperion had been the most difficult fight of her life, and left her with a permanent scar and a lasting weakness in her right arm. And Jack's parry of her surprise attack was some of the most skillful—if brief—swordplay she'd ever seen. If it came to a fight, it would require all that she had, and she wasn't super optimistic about her odds of survival.
But she didn't say any of this, of course. Team morale and all that jazz.
"Hmm…" Clint said, peering at the computer screen in the penthouse. "Why aren't you the one using this thing again?"
Kate huffed. "Because I'd be sending up a flare that every monster in the city could sense. Jack would know immediately where we are. Now, I know you're a boomer with technology—"
"I'm not that bad. I lived with Tony Stark, okay?" He glanced over the computer again. "Uh, how do you—?"
Kate groaned, and pointed. "There. Is that the hot guy who was with Maya?"
He ignored the comment. "Ah—there we go." He navigated through some menus. "Okay, what's this company, Sloan Limited? Maya's interpreter is an employee? Guy named Kazi. And Sloan Limited… that sounds familiar."
Kate didn't say anything.
Clint frowned. "Maybe there's something there. I've found Jack's file—what?" He stopped. "I've been locked out. Kate?"
He turned, to find Jack standing there, holding Kate in a headlock, the retractable celestial bronze and steel blade pressed against her throat.
Jack's voice was icy cold. "Step away from the console."
Clint did, hands raised.
Jack sneered viciously, pressing the blade closer into Kate's neck. "Soon, I will exact my revenge on you, foolish demigod, for brainwashing my father, on Zeus for striking me down to Tartarus with a lightning bolt, and for my brother, consigned to holding up the sky for eternity—"
"Jack! I'm home!" Eleanor called.
Immediately, Jack let Kate go, shoving her away, and retracting his blade, which vanished into his coat. He hissed to her, "Not a word."
Then, he turned to Eleanor, smiling brilliantly. "My love! It is so good to see you."
Kate swallowed a wave of nausea, rubbing her neck. "Um, hey, Mom. Meet my friend here, Clint."
She stepped aside, revealing Hawkeye.
Eleanor's eyes bugged out of her head. "What the hell is going on? And why is there an Avenger in my home?"
Clint smiled. "Hi."
Jack, ever the actor, stumbled back in pretended shock. "Oh, my God. You're… you're Hawkguy."
"Hawkeye." Clint corrected.
Kate cleared her throat. "Hawkeye and I are working on a que—um, a case, and we needed to use the bathroom. He did. So, we were by the house, we dropped in. No big deal."
"Working on a case together?" Eleanor's smile dimmed. "How terrific."
"He's my partner." Kate told her.
"We're not partners." Clint murmured.
Kate turned toward him. "Well, we're friends/partners."
"I wouldn't really describe us as friends." He said.
Kate scowled at him. She would get him for that.
Eleanor's cell phone chimed. "Someone used my laptop to sign onto my work account ten minutes ago. Any thoughts, Kate?"
She shifted her weight. "Ah, well. That's very odd. Um, probably because of Hawkeye. He's like that, you know. Nosy."
Clint blinked. "Very much not nosy."
Kate shrugged. "I think it's an early childhood thing. He's got to know what's going on with everyone, all the time."
"I do not—"
"—and he's pretty closed off. CHB-One, I call him. You'll never get anything outta him." Kate finished.
Eleanor cleared her throat. "Thank you, by the way, for saving the world."
Kate and Clint said at the same time, "Don't mention it."
Eleanor gave her a strange look, but continued, "I would like my daughter to start telling me the truth."
She sighed. "I logged into your account because I needed information on a que—case with people who are in danger."
"So, Kate is helping you with an Avengers-level threat?" She asked.
Clint tilted his head. "Well, not exactly."
"But you are working together?" She pressed.
Clint reluctantly nodded.
"Well, I guess I'm just gonna have to trust everyone at this table to do what's right." Eleanor said. "Can I see you out?"
Kate and Clint nodded, and Eleanor guided them to the exit, accompanied by Jack.
Once Kate was gone, Eleanor stopped Clint.
"Let me clarify. She is not a hero." She warned, fixing him with a cold glare.
Clint nodded. "Um, yeah. Of course not. Sure, she's pretty good at this, but—"
"Natasha Romanoff was also pretty damn good at it, wasn't she?" She asked.
Clint fell silent.
Eleanor's eyes were hard. "Being good isn't always enough to keep you alive. My Kate… she's a very private person, and she's been through some things. She won't tell me what, but a mother always knows. So, I am letting you know that I cannot lose Kate. I've lost people before. I'm sure that she has, too. And I know that you have."
Clint nodded. "I understand."
"So, you'll drop this… case?"
Clint remembered what Kate said about the inevitability of prophecies. "I can't do that. But I will make sure that Kate remains safe."
Slowly, he walked out of the room.
Eleanor pursed her lips.
Jack asked, "Shall I Iris Message our patron?"
Eleanor nodded slowly. "Yeah. We need to talk to her."
Notes:Chapter title derived from Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892.
Chapter 14: Party Time is Comin' to TownNotes:Lol. Last chapter, one commenter said they were not surprised Eleanor was in on it, and another said they were. And, one guy correctly deduced Jack's identity, which I'm impressed by. I thought I did pretty well, choosing an obscure Titan that isn't mentioned anywhere in canon. Excellent job, EGO_Sentai.
Glad to see I'm keeping you guys guessing—accurately and otherwise.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextChapter Fourteen: Party Time is Comin' to Town
"Let me guess, you're going to need another day." Laura said over the phone.
Clint sighed and nodded. "Yeah. This is… bigger and weirder than I was expecting. This kid I'm helping is stuck in the middle of it, so I can't leave until I know she's safe. And she's helping me too. Trust me, this is a real mess."
"It seems like it. You sound like you've been runnin' around all day. Are you tired?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm a little banged up, but nothing's broken." He said.
"Okay. Well, put your feet up. Ice them if you have to. Okay? I love you."
Clint cleared his throat. "I… I miss you. I'll see you soon. I promise."
He hung up, sitting in the old Jackson apartment, feeling miserable and alone.
His wife, his two sons, and his daughter, back after five years of hell. Christmastime was here, and where was he? In a completely different part of the country, caught up in a quest he didn't understand, in a mythological world he didn't understand.
He sighed, leaning back into the couch.
Then, his intercom buzzed. Confused, he walked over.
A voice said, "It's me. I come bearing pizza and holiday cheer. Let me in." It was Kate.
Clint grunted, and buzzed her in.
Kate giggled, and threaded her way around Pizza Dog as they walked into the building. She was holding several boxes of pizza, and some bags of cookies, candy and Christmas movies.
She knocked on the door to the old Jackson apartment, and Clint opened it. He sighed. "What's all this?"
"This? This is me saving the holidays."
"Is that right?" He asked sarcastically.
Kate waved her hand dismissively. "I'll get you home in time for the big day. Figured in the meantime, we could celebrate. It's movie marathon night, right? Check this out. I got dem movies."
She pulled out a copy of It's a Wonderful Life.
"That's very thoughtful of you," he said. "But aren't you unable to use technology?"
She winked. "Ah, but you see, these aren't just any old movies… check it!" She held up the movie again, showing that it was roughly comparable to a brick.
Clint found himself beginning to smile, despite himself. "No way."
"Yeah, way. Meet the device so archaic, so obsolete, that it doesn't count as technology that attracts monsters! I present to you…" she pulled out a black machine about the size and shape of a large book, and made a trumpeting noise with her mouth. "Dah-na-na-na-naaaaaaaa! The VCR."
Clint gasped dramatically, and laughed. "Dear God."
She plopped onto the couch, and thrust the device to him. "Well? Come now, we don't have all night! Start setting it up."
He said, "Look, it's very thoughtful of you, but can we put a pause on that and talk about Sword Boy for a minute?"
Her smile faded. "Okay."
"That was… an actual Titan?" He asked carefully.
She sighed. "Yeah."
Clint frowned. "I mean… my knowledge of Greek mythology is spotty at best, but… the Titans tried to overthrow Olympus once, right? The Titanomachy?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It lasted for ten years. The Second Titanomachy was three and a half years."
He nodded slowly. "Jack mentioned that… his brother is holding up the sky. That's—"
"Atlas." She confirmed. "The Titan of Endurance, the best fighter out of all of the Titans."
"So, which Titan was brainwashed?" He asked.
Kate looked up. "Bob. Of course! Di immortales! How did I not see it?"
Clint look baffled. "Bob… the Titan?"
Kate laughed. "Percy fought him next to the River Lethe, which erases memories. The Titan Iapetus was reborn as Bob. So… Jack's brother is Atlas, he was struck down by Zeus, and his father was Iapetus. Of course. Jack is the Titan of Violent Anger, Menoetius."
Clint leaned forward. "Who?"
"Menoetius. He's also Prometheus's brother. Of course! He was struck down with the Master Bolt during the Titanomachy. He died before he could have any major role in the war, which is why I hadn't heard of him before." she said.
Clint nodded as if he understood.
Kate shook her head. "Whatever. Let's focus on the here and now. We're just gonna have to come up with a plan to take down my mom's fiancé's secret Titan-ly evilness, while simultaneously having a heartwarming holiday celebration."
And so, they did. Kate put on some classic Christmas songs, dancing along and humming as she put up string lights around the old apartment. She set up the VCR, gave Pizza Dog some pizza, and also cooked some stuff.
She also did some very chillaxed, low-key strategizing with Clint. On a laminated calendar, she drew a stick figure of a man with an angry expression holding a gold and grey sword. "So, this is Menoetius."
Clint tilted his head. "Is it? It looks like a stick figure to me."
"Well, I'm plenty awesome, but sorry if I couldn't fit art school into my schedule of high school, Camp Half-Blood, the Argo II, and saving the world in deadly quests." She deadpanned. "Now, just accept that this stick figure is Menoetius/Jack, mmkay?"
"Sure." Clint replied. He bit his lip. "Why does Jack have four fingers on each hand?"
Kate scoffed, and threw up her hands. "Okay, Mr. Picasso, do you want to draw it?"
"No, it's fine."
"You sure? Because if you're so picky about it—"
Clint said, "Planning's not really my thing, okay? And are you sure that's dry erase?"
Kate paused, and rubbed her black rendition of Jack. It did not magically go away, much to her disappointment.
She coughed, taking down the calendar. "You probably didn't much care for this old thing anyway—"
He shrugged. "I mean, it was a gift from my only daughter."
Kate's mouth went dry. "Um… well… ask her for another?"
He stared at her.
Kate cleared her throat. Man, her throat was really itchy tonight. "Cool. Um, well, let's move on, shall we?"
One Die Hard showing later, Clint was shaking his head. "Look, I'm telling you, it's not a Christmas film."
Kate made a strangled noise. "Oh, come on! Did we just watch the same movie?! I mean, 'Let it Snow' plays at the end scene!"
He shook his head. "That's a film I'd watch any time of the year, July or March or whatever. If it were a Christmas film, I'd only watch it in December/late November."
Kate's voice was shrill. "'Now I have a machine gun, ho ho ho!' How is that not Christmassy?! And John McClane was literally at a Christmas party. The events of the film wouldn't have happened without Christmas. Die Hard is the greatest Christmas movie ever made."
He laughed. "Why do you care so much? I mean, you're literally the daughter of a pagan god. Why does Christmas matter to you?"
She shrugged. "And I'm also an atheist. What's your point?"
He looked utterly confused. "How can you of all people be an atheist? I mean, you've met gods."
She said, "I once hung out with some Norse demigods, one of whom was a very devout Muslim named Sam. She had an interesting perspective; these gods… aren't gods."
He crossed his arms. "Go on."
"I mean, is Thor a god, Clint? No, he's an alien. An extraordinarily long-lived and very powerful alien, sure, but an alien nonetheless. He's perfectly mortal. He's a flawed person, with goals, fears, and regrets. In a weird way, he's human. Granted, when he came to Earth and the public found out about him, his appearance and personality changed a ton, but that's neither here nor there." She rubbed her chin. "The Greek gods can die, Clint. I watched one, once."
He looked fascinated. "Which one?"
"Guess."
He frowned. "Um, I dunno. Something no longer super popular, I suppose. The god of hats? Colonialism?"
Kate smiled sadly. "Something less abstract. Something people still fight over today. In fact, I'm pretty sure, if you look at polls, it's the most divisive issue in America today."
He thought for a moment. "The god of guns? Abortions?" Then he looked up. "No. The god of the wilderness. Climate change."
She touched a finger to her nose. "There you go. Pan, the god of the wild." Her eyes were distant. "It's something I'll never forget, watching an immortal being… die."
Clint listened.
"My friend, Grover, spent his whole life searching for him. And when he finally did, it was time for Pan to fade. When everything a god stands for, their domain of control fades away, the god follows shortly after. So, yeah, gods can die, too." She said.
Kate leaned back. "And they are the furthest thing from perfect. They're about as flawed as you could imagine. So," she shrugged. "I don't think they're divine. Maybe they're aliens, maybe they're just really powerful creatures born on Earth, I don't know. But I don't think they're gods worthy of worship and stuff. I'll call them gods, though, for convenience's sake."
He nodded slowly. "That's deep."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Come on. I think the cookies I baked are finished."
"So, you make your own trick arrows?" She asked as she put ornaments on the tree.
Clint nodded. "Yep. Only ones in the world."
Kate shook her head. "No, Will has some. Sonic arrows, fart arrows."
He stared at her. "Fart arrows?"
"They're less juvenile then they sound." She defended. "They're like tear gas arrows. Stun a group of bad guys."
"Not juvenile… but they smell like farts." He said.
Kate snickered.
"Christ, what are you, nine?" He asked, but the corners of his mouth were pulling up, too.
She begun laughing. "What? Potty humor is immortal, my dear Hawkeye."
She giggled, and he started cracking up, too.
When they settled down, wiping their eyes, Kate sighed. "You know, I gotta ask. Why not get boomerang arrows?"
He blinked. "Why on Earth would I want boomerang arrows?" He put up a photo of his youngest son on the tree, smoothing out the crumples.
"Well, you run through your trick arrows so much, if you had boomerang arrows, they'd always come back." She pointed out.
"Yeah, exactly. They come back." He said slowly. "Why would I want arrows that come back?"
She scoffed. "Oh, come on. You're worried you'd be hit? You're like, an Avenger and shit. You could catch the arrows. You'd be like, 'Boomerang! You doalways come back!'"
"And splinter my hand?" He shook his head. "Catching arrows in mid-air is one of those things in movies that everyone assumes is impossible, but is possible, just insanely difficult."
"Oh. Like the opposite of splitting an arrow down the middle." she said.
He chuckled. "No, it's not impossible. The first arrow you release just has to be wood. So when you release the second one, it splits it up the middle."
"I call bullshit," she sang. "I've tried it."
"Oh, yeah? When?"
She frowned, thinking. "During the fight with the Skolopendra some years back."
"Skolo-what now? You're making that up." Clint accused.
"No, no. It was this giant sea-monster, 200 feet long. A mixture of a centipede, a shrimp, and a crayfish, blown up to disgustingly huge proportions." She said. "I accidentally fired a slow, regular wooden arrow at it—my fingers slipped—then shot a celestial bronze arrow dipped Greek fire, right into its eye."
He looked stunned. "Seriously? Did that kill it?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. It angered it, and made it roar, which gave Leo the opportunity to chuck a vial of Greek fire down its maw. Blew it up from inside." She said. "Anyway, on a whim, I made my second shot try to pierce the first. Instead it just bumped it. Didn't do anything special."
He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, because it worked for me just fine. Maybe you're cursed."
She smiled crookedly. "Oh, I already know I'm cursed. You can't live a life like mine without being cursed somehow."
He frowned. "Kate, that's not—"
"Anyway, what other cool tricks do you have up your sleeve?" She asked, cutting him off.
He didn't say anything, then decided to let it go. "Well, I can knock somebody unconscious with a coin, like, 20 feet away."
She laughed. "No, you can't."
"I'd use a quarter or a nickel. A dime's too light." He mused.
Kate leveled her gaze with his. "Prove it."
"What, knock you unconscious?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes. "No, I want you to hit something."
He shook his head. "It's not a party trick."
"Really? Cuz that's exactly what it sounds like, honestly." She said. "Like, you do it at a party, and your friends go 'Whoa!', and nobody ever thinks about it again. But frankly, I don't believe you can do it."
"That's fine. I don't need to show you."
She smiled. "Fine, live forever without me believing you. I'll just tell every stranger that I see that Hawkeye is full of bullshit."
He groaned. "You suck, you know that?"
"Yeah."
The little girl, Zulu Bailey shook her head on the black and white screen. " I'm not sleepy. I want to look at my flower."
Her father, George Bailey smiled. "I know, I know, but you just go to sleep, and then you can dream about it, and it'll be a whole garden."
Clint shook his head. "You have a nice snap. Make sure you get that curve. Just a little one. Right, you got it, right? Ring finger. Grip it tight."
Kate angled the coin, and flicked her wrist, launching the coin.
Zulu asked, " It will?" Her eyes were wide and innocent.
It flew through the air, head over tails, before smacking the power button of the old TV, which shut off.
George said, "Uh-h—"
The screen went dark.
Clint chuckled. "Not too shabby. You picked it up fast."
Kate grinned. "Daughter of Apollo, remember?"
They leaned back into the couch.
Kate sighed. "What was the best shot you ever took?"
"The one I didn't." He smiled softly.
She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
He pursed his lips. "It's… the time I met someone. I was sent to take her out. And when I got there, when it was time…" He lowered his head. "Um… I couldn't do it. I just had this feeling that she wanted out. Turns out, I was right."
"You mean Natasha."
Clint nodded. "She was the best there was." His voice was rough, his face somber. "When you do what I do for a living, it… It's just a game of managing loss, right? So…"
Softly, she asked, "You… lost your family in the Blip?"
He nodded. "Like half the world."
She swallowed. "…When I was 17, the Snap happened."
Clint looked up.
"I lost my family, too, Clint. But… not my biological one. My chosen one." She sighed heavily. "Everyone handled the Blip differently, but I… didn't. I didn't handle it. I went to some really awful places. I got depressed, anxious…"
Clint listened very carefully.
Her eyes were bleak. "Everything was… empty and colorless. I don't know if I really have the vocabulary to describe it. I started having night terrors every night, even waking ones. I forgot to eat, drink… I couldn't enjoy anything anymore. Even…"
Her voice went dry, and she cleared her throat. "I wanted to… I wanted to…" she couldn't say the words.
Clint nodded slowly. "I understand."
She looked down. "I know you do. You understand."
She wiped her eyes, her cheeks dusted with a dark red glow from the lights. "I never… tried, but… there were times I was alone in my apartment, sitting next to my celestial bronze dagger, where I couldn't stop thinking, couldn't pry my eyes from it."
A heavy silence weighed over them.
Clint waited before he spoke. "I continued doing what I was trained to do."
Kate also listened very carefully.
"My job was… hurting people. My job has always been to hurt people. I was a weapon. I was aimed by the right people at the right targets, so…"
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "It… it's you, isn't it? You're the Ronin."
He took a shuddering breath. "It's tied to me. Tied to my family. That's why I'm here. And I can't go home till I fix it."
Kate paused. "Maybe despite everything, the two of us have been through so much shit, we understand the other. Even though we've had such different problems."
Clint sighed. "Maybe. I… really appreciate what you did tonight. It means a lot. You know, you should get some rest. You got a big day tomorrow."
Kate nodded slowly. "Alright. Good night."
Notes:Chapter title derived from Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934.
Chapter 15: Walking in a LARPer's WonderlandNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextChapter Fifteen: Walking in a LARPer's Wonderland
"It's December 22nd, three days until Christmas and we've got your soundtrack for the holiday season. You're listening to New York's 107.6, light FM."
Kate turned over in her bed, groaning. Nothing irrationally enraged her like being woken by an extremely cheery, peppy voice. It made her long to find whoever was speaking and stab her in the neck with a sharp knife until she shut the Hades up and let Kate sleep.
Nevertheless, Kate forced herself to get up, take a shower, and walk out into the apartment.
Clint was standing there, exhausted, holding a cup of coffee. He gestured to the pot. "Some coffee."
"Oh, thank God." Kate breathed, and poured herself a mug. "Coffee generally doesn't work the same way for ADHD people as it does for others. It's a stimulant, so it mostly focuses and calms down people with ADHD. I love caffeine, man." She took a deep sip of her drink.
Clint grunted. "Fascinating. Okay, this morning, I'm gonna have a talk with our friend, Kazi. What I want you to do is track down the trick arrows from our friends, the LARPers."
She chuckled, thinking he was joking. At his serious expression, however, she stopped. "Wait, what?"
"My tracer arrow stopped moving, and it's over by an NYPD facility down by the bridge. And now the LARPers—they're mostly first responders—one's a cop. See if they can get access to that NYPD facility." He told her.
"LARPer friends." Kate repeated.
"Yeah, they're… colorful. You're gonna love 'em."
"Um, okay. I'll also reach out to Will, see if he can get us some sonic arrows and fart arrows." She said, putting on her jacket.
Clint said, "No no, it's fine, you don't need to get fart arrows—"
"I'll make sure they're the kind modeled after a meal at Taco Bell!" Kate called behind her. "Extra powerful."
"Really, you don't have to—"
She closed the door behind her, shutting out his words. She snickered quietly.
The Iris Message with Will completed, she set out for the LARPers.
"Thrust!" The blonde woman shouted.
She was like a fantasy version of a drill sergeant, ordering around a unit of leather-clad people wielding large, unrealistic weapons. They all lunged forward with war-hammers, wands, staffs, claymores, and battle-axes.
"Lightning Bolt!" a man yelled, making thunder noises with his mouth and shaking his wizard's staff.
The woman cried, "Retreat!"
In imperfect synchronicity, they all took three steps backwards.
"Formation. Stab!"
They ran around, forming a square, and all jabbed their weapons out.
"Ice Wall!" a woman bellowed, swiping her hand around.
"Superpower Doom!" Another screamed.
All of them were yelling out various powers, making absurd hand gestures or waving their weapons around.
Kate whistled. "Um, I don't mean to interrupt—"
Again, the woman shouted, "Retreat!" and they all took three steps back.
"Wow. You guys are…"
Another round of bellowing spells and superpowers.
"Dedicated." She murmured.
The blonde sergeant lady walked over to Kate. "Who are you?"
"Um, Kate Bishop. Hawkeye sent me here to fetch some trick arrows being held in an NYPD facility near Manhattan Bridge."
"I am Officer Wendy Conrad. Better known as Els-Bath of Deepdale. And I can probably help you out… if you make it worth my while."
Kate rose an eyebrow, uncertain of where this was going.
"I'm tired. Can you boss these guys around for a while?" She asked. "I wanna just relax for a bit. And I feel like you know your stuff."
Kate nodded. "Ah. I see." She stepped back, allowing Kate to take her place.
"Okay!" She called. "First thing—all of you have your armor on wrong. Literally every single one of you. Second thing—only about half of you are gripping the sword right. Today, I'm going to show you how to actually be heroes using fantasy weapons."
Kate cracked her knuckles. "Let's get started."
Kazi looked around, and got in his car.
Then, he leveled his gaze with the rearview mirror, only to see it meet the gaze of Clint Barton.
He started, and made to grab his gun, but Clint was faster, snatching it out of his grasp before he could.
Clint clicked his tongue. "Ah-ah. I just wanna talk."
Kazi scowled, but didn't make any further moves.
Clint continued, "I need to get out of the city. But before I go, I need to put this Ronin situation to bed. Look, I know you have Maya's ear, and you seem like you're a reasonably not-stupid guy."
Kazi chuckled. "If you're tryin' to flatter me, you are way off the mark."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I think you're a doormat. A clown. But you worked under William Lopez as a lieutenant for, what, four years? And now under Maya for a few more years. You know this operation better than anybody."
Kazi said, "If you think you're scaring me, you're dead wrong. I've seen shit you wouldn't believe. I know what our boss wants, and you don't. Hell, you don't even know who she is. So what do you know?"
"I know she doesn't like this attention, that's for sure. And I know that she doesn't like having subordinates who pursue their own agendas of revenge. And I know Maya's obsession, wanting to hunt Ronin down, is dangerous. Clouds her judgment, don't you think?"
Kazi rolled his eyes. "Subordinate? You're an idiot. What do you want?"
"I don't want anybody else to die. But Maya's need for vengeance is gonna get her killed." Clint said.
Kazi seemed to think about it for a moment, then quickly opened the glove compartment, only to find it empty.
Clint asked, "Looking for this?" He held up a small switchblade. Went Kazi leaned forward to grab something under the seat, Clint said, "The box cutter isn't there either."
"Look, are we done here?" Kazi snapped.
Clint stared at him before he spoke. "She's chasing a ghost. I think you know that. But I can't convince her of that. And I'm guessing you're the only one who can. This is the final warning. Just get it done."
Clint opened the door, and got out of the car, walking off.
Kazi called, "Hey, can I have my gun back?"
Clint laughed. "What do you think?"
Clint knocked on the door to the apartment Kate had called him to. Then, the woman herself opened the door, and smiled up at Clint.
Kate's long black hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, her bangs hanging free next to her face. Her blue eyes glittered, and she was wearing a purple t-shirt under some leather armor, bronze daggers in each hand. "Come in, come in!" She ushered him in, grinning like a loon.
Clint asked, "So, the arrows—"
A man walked out of the kitchen, large and short with a brown mustache. He wore a pink apron, some oven mitts, and a gentle smile. "Snickerdoodle, anyone? Still warm."
Kate, and a throng of other LARPers eagerly grabbed one, thanking the man.
Clint cleared his throat. "Kate, the arrows—"
She waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, the Fabled Quest to Fetch Some Trick Arrows was a success. Clint, you gotta try these cookies. Thomas here is an absolute genius."
The man looked bashful. "Well, I don't know about a genius—"
Kate shook her head. "No, no, man. Don't sell yourself short. We talked about this. You're amazing, man. You should totally open up that bakery you were talking about. You want to, and gods know you have the skill—"
"Kate!" Clint interrupted. "Where are the arrows?"
Kate replied, "Amelia there has them." She gestured, and returned to making Thomas blush and fail to take compliments.
Clint sighed, and turned towards Amelia. She was a young black woman with short, shoulder-length hair. She held up a bag of trick arrows.
"Oh, yes. Thank you so much. Appreciate it." he said, and went to take the bag with the arrows in them.
Instead, Amelia leaned away from him, keeping the bag out of his reach. "This is my bag."
Clint stopped. "Um, okay. You didn't bring your own bag?
She blinked. "No, I mean… My wife gave me this bag. It's embroidered. It says 'Bombshell.'" She told him.
"I… I can see that, that it's very important to you." Clint said slowly.
Kate called, "He'll get it back to you. Yeah, I'll make sure of it. He's a big dummy sometimes, but I'll make sure."
Clint scowled at Kate, and Amelia reluctantly handed him the bag.
Once they were back at the old Jackson apartment, Kate fished out a book from her jacket, and a thick golden coin.
Clint walked over. "What are you doing?"
"Sending my friend my gift." She replied, grabbing a pen and a piece of wrapping paper.
She gift wrapped the anti-aging book, put a bow on it, and wrote out:
Thalia Grace
Hunters of Artemis
Somewhere—Maybe They're Camping,
Please Find Her Hermes,
With best wishes,
KATE BISHOP
She set the drachma on the box, which slowly began to levitate into the air. It hovered for a moment, and then vanished with a 'pop!'
Clint asked, "So… you can have the god of messengers ship anything anywhere?"
"For the right price… yeah." Kate replied. "He and Amazon are in close competition, but I don't use Amazon. Don't wanna support those business practices, you know?"
He nodded. "Yeah. The piss bottles, and stopping unionization and all that."
"Well, I was thinking more the world-domination. And male subjugation, and being a front for the Amazon tribe, but that works too." She said casually.
Clint blinked. "I can't tell if you're joking or not."
Kate smirked. "Let's just say there's a reason Jeff Bezos is the face of Amazon."
Clint sighed. "Okay. Look, what was that prophecy again? It mentioned an assassin who knows, right?"
"Yeah. What's your point?" She asked.
"I'm thinking maybe we should try to find them. They're a part of the quest, right?"
Kate tilted her head. "Well, yeah, but I find that when someone's fated to be a part of a quest, and they aren't on it already, they usually find their way into the quest anyway."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Oh, yeah. Exactly ten years ago it was supposed me, Bianca, Zoe, Phoebe, and Thalia on the quest to rescue Artemis and Annabeth. But for some reason, Percy was meant to be the fifth quest-member. Phoebe was incapacitated before she could come along, and Percy snuck out of camp, and he became a part of the quest. He was a really good fighter." She said.
Clint paused. "What's your point?"
She blinked. "Um… damn ADHD! Make me go off on tangents and forget my point."
Clint prompted, "You were talking about people being fated to go on quests—"
Kate snapped her fingers. "Oh, right! Anyway, that stuff with Percy proved that even though he wasn't on the quest, he was supposed to be, and circumstances put him on it. That's what's gonna happen here. This assassin is meant to be here, so eventually, they'll find their way to us and join the quest."
"So… you're really just saying, 'do nothing?'" He asked.
She leaned back on the couch in front of the TV, propping her feet up and sighing in contentment. "Yup. Wanna watch Home Alone?"
He stared. "No."
Then, Kate yelped as the air beside her shimmered.
A rainbow appeared, and the image of Hazel Levesque manifested in the colors.
Kate clutched her heart. "Gods, that's terrifying. I hate receiving Iris Messages."
Hazel frowned. "Well, if you're going to be like that—"
Clint walked over. "Whoa. Is that a person? Like, inthe rainbow?"
Kate nodded, her heart pounding. "Yeah. Clint Barton, meet Hazel Levesque. Hazel, Clint Barton."
Her eyes widened. "Wait. Are you Hawkeye? The Avenger?"
"Um, yeah." Clint replied. "Good to meet you."
Hazel fanned her face. "Wow. Wow, wow, wow. An actual Avenger—" she stopped suddenly. "Hey, wait, how are you able to see this Iris Message? You're a mortal."
Kate interceded, "Will did his healing mojo on him, the way Magnus did on Amir, so now he can see through the Mist. He knows everything, by the way. Anyway, what's up, Hazel?"
"Nothing, except—" she frowned. "I got a demigod dream from a goddess. I couldn't make out her form—I think she was obscuring her identity—but she told me to tell you that you need to go a rooftop in the city."
Clint looked worried. "A random goddess told you that? A goddess… Kate, I think it's a dream from whoever this patron that everyone keeps mentioning is."
Hazel nodded. "I've spoken with Frank and Reyna about that. We've only seen one major unusual thing from the monsters; they're all moving east. Monster sightings around Camp Jupiter are as low as they've ever been. Recruitment into the legion is pretty high. We can only assume that they're headed to whatever the new threat in New York is."
Kate sighed. "Lovely. Do you know which rooftop our enemy in waiting would like to send us?"
Hazel pulled out a shockingly detailed charcoal drawing of a rooftop, with blurred figures of Kate and Clint. "I'm pretty good at drawing, and this is what I saw in my dream."
She tapped another figure, with a disturbing face, and glowing green eyes.
Kate leaned forward. "That's our enemy, isn't it? The patron?"
Hazel shrugged. "I have no idea."
Clint frowned. "I know that rooftop."
Hazel and Kate looked at him. He said, "I can get us there, Kate. But… it's so obviously a trap."
Kate sighed. She felt like she'd been doing that a lot, lately. "It doesn't matter. We need to check it out. Even if it is a trap—" she groaned. She couldn't believe she was about to say this— "it's the next step of our quest. We gotta go."
Hazel replied, "Well, good luck!" She swiped the connection away, and her image was gone.
Clint scratched his head. "So… we're going off to a random rooftop where a goddess, very likely our enemy, has set a trap, where we'll face a disturbing monster with green glowing eyes, who might also be that goddess."
"Yep." Kate said. "You ready to go?"
Clint sighed. "Unfortunately, I am. Let's get moving."
Notes:Chapter title derived from Walking in a Winter Wonderland, written by Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard in 1934.
Chapter 16: Dustup on the RooftopNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextChapter Sixteen: Dustup on the Rooftop
Clint and Kate stood on a high rooftop, opposite from the rooftop Hazel described to them.
Clint scanned his surroundings. "No lights, no movement."
Kate pouted, and sighed. "This is intensely, stunningly… boring. Why don't we just… go over there?"
Clint clicked his tongue. "Kate, that's dangerous. You always wanna prioritize a quick exit over a quick entrance so when things go sideways, and they usually do, you have an exit strategy. You also wanna be overly cautious. That's why I chose this spot. It's got good sightlines for all my exits. Entry should be easy. Think it should take me about three and a half minutes to get in. So, if you see anything out here, just give me a signal, Kate. All right?"
He turned, only to see that Kate was gone. "Kate?"
He heard the sound of a honking of a car in his ear, and peered down at the street, seeing Kate walk across the street, head held high.
Clint hissed, "Kate, what the hell are you doing? I told you you're supposed to be lookout."
"Yeah, but that was boring." She told him. "So, I'm going off to confront our enemy. Would you care to join me?"
He scoffed. "That's not fair, that your inability to act like a grown-up helps you get your way."
She laughed. "No, it's not. But it is what it is. So? You coming?"
He groaned, cursing impulsive demigods, but jogged down towards her. "I need you to use your grappling hook arrow to anchor yourself in. Propel down the side of the building to the window. If it's locked, break in quietly."
As he made his way to her, she continued advancing through the building.
Kate tilted her head. "Yeah, love all of that. Great plan, just a slight tweak though." She smiled at the old man opening the door. "Good evening, sir. Can I help you with your bags?"
"Oh, um, sure."
Clint stopped, eyes wide. "No, no, no. Don't… don't engage."
Kate murmured, clutching the brown paper groceries. "Got celery, a little Kashi. Good stuff." She opened the door with her leg, and walked in, the man following.
The pair got in the elevator, and Kate said, "Hey, can I tell you a secret?"
The old man looked a little confused, but nodded.
"I'm talking to an Avenger. He's in my ear."
The man raised his eyebrows.
Kate nodded. "I'm also the daughter of a god. Apollo. Greek mythology and stuff. It's all true. Cool, huh?" she said.
"Maybe you should stop talking." Clint hissed in her ear.
"Yeah, I'm a demigod-Avenger." She confided. "Pretty awesome."
The man coughed. "Uh, I'll just take those back." he carefully took the groceries from her arms.
"I can help you to the door, no problem." Kate suggested.
He shook his head vehemently. "No, that's all right. I got it from here."
"I mean, are you sure? It's really no problem."
The elevator dinged open, and the man was power walking away from her, trying not to run. Kate called, "All right, you take care now."
Clint sighed heavily, as she walked down the hallway, muttering. "How do you deal with this giant bow problem?" She asked. "Most of my quests are outside."
Clint emerged from a staircase next to the elevator, panting hard. He'd run all the way up. "I… have a collapsible one. And I'm absolutely exhausted."
She smiled. "What took you so long?"
He gave her a withering glare. "You're awful."
Kate grinned. "I know! Shall we go?"
He held up a finger for her to wait. He was bent down and holding his knees.
She mumbled, "Old man."
He replaced his index finger with different finger.
"Well, that's just rude." She muttered.
After a while, he stood up fully. "Okay. Let's go."
The two continued through the corridor, reaching the door to the roof.
The air was brittle and cold, the night clear and still. It was like the world was holding its breath, waiting for a pin to drop.
Kate looked around cautiously. "I don't… see anyone. Do you?"
Clint frowned. "No—"
And then a figure in all black with glowing green eyes careened out of nowhere, kicking him in the head.
Kate cursed, and Clint went sprawling with the figure.
She notched an arrow, and tried to fire it, but she couldn't get a clear shot. She cursed, threw down the bow, and drew her celestial bronze daggers, charging forward.
The figure ducked under her slashes, and tried to sweep her leg, but Kate dodged the blow and lunged forward, cutting a five inch gash into their arm.
Instantly, two things happened.
First, Kate realized that her opponent was wounded by the celestial bronze blade, and bled scarlet, which could only mean one thing.
She was fighting a fellow demigod.
Secondly, the figure's demeanor changed. They moved away from Kate, and turned towards her, clearly sizing her up. It was obvious they were startled that Kate had managed to land a hit.
Lovely. Kate thought. Now I'm a threat.
The figure with its freaky glowing green eyes leapt, hitting her with precise and disabling strikes. Kate found the wind knocked out of her, and her daggers tossed out of reach.
The figure fired a grappling hook at Kate's waist, and she was thrown clear, dangling over the edge, above the ground.
She yelped, and closed her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'm not dangling off the edge of a building, I'm not dangling of the edge of a building." She repeated to herself. Then—"Oh, shit!" she cried. "I'm dangling off the edge of a building! Clint, pull me up, or I swear to all the gods—"
Clint glanced down at her, and Kate looked up. "Clint! Pull me up!"
He was back, back on that hellish planet, looking down at her pleading face. The air was brittle and cold, and he hung on to the edge of the cliff, as she clutched his hand.
"Clint!" Kate pleaded. "Pull me up!"
"Let me go." She whispered.
He couldn't see anything through his tears. He shook his head. "No, please… no."
She smiled sadly. "It's okay…"
"Clint." Kate's voice was soft, wavering. "I don't know what you're going through right now, where you are, but please. Pull. Me. Up. I'm in a really dangerous spot right now. And I'm scared."
Then she kicked off of him, and she was falling, falling, falling—
"Get—get out of here." He managed. "Go."
Behind him, Kate saw the figure. They'd taken off their mask, revealing a short, breathtaking blonde woman with green eyes, light skin, and a cold expression… who sliced down one of Kate's own daggers to decapitate him.
Clint shifted out of the way, but the blade was still in motion. The woman's expression morphed to one of surprise as her borrowed dagger continued down… towards the rope which suspended Kate in the air.
Kate realized what was about to happen seconds before it did. Her eyes widened, and she was about to scream, No! but it was too late.
She severed the rope, and Kate began to fall.
It was her demigod training that saved her life.
A fifteen, twenty foot fall. Roughly a second to prepare for impact. She thought. Kate twisted her body, trying to land on her side, to minimize the damage.
And then she hit the concrete ground. She'd fallen for exactly 1.2 seconds.
The good news: she didn't snap her head open, nor break her neck.
That's… all the good news. She wasn't dead.
The bad news was made clear to her when she felt the cascading injuries hit all at once. Crack, crack, crack, crack. Four ribs were fractured. A sharp bolt made its way up her arm from her wrist, and she knew she'd sprained it. Then, a powerful screaming pain from her ankle immediately blinded her with agony, almost forcing her unconscious, and she managed to think, Broken ankle. Just great.
She tried to rise to her feet, which her ankle immediately punished her for. She gasped in pain, which her ribs immediately punished her for. Then, she tried to grab her dagger next to her, a comforting tic for her—like a security blanket—which her wrist immediately punished her for.
Finally, she tried to lie still and not feel pain.
Her ankle, her wrist, and her ribs all chose to punish her for that in a unanimous ruling.
Cursing Clint Barton with all the suffering in the world, she forced herself to rise, putting her weight on her left foot only. She grabbed a large branch that was thankfully in reach, and started moving towards the building to chew him out.
There was no need. Clint made his way down and through the doorway. Kate chucked her branch at him, which he dodged. She ignored the pain in her chest at the motion.
"What in the name of the gods was that!?" She bellowed. "Why didn't you pull me up? Styx, Clint, if I landed wrong, I could have died! I can't be your partner if you don't have my back!"
He scowled. "You're not my partner. Do you understand that? You never were. Someone has hired a Black Widow assassin. This has gotten veryreal, very quickly. So I'm doing this alone."
She rolled her eyes. "And we're dealing with goddesses and Titans! How does a Black Widow change things?"
"I don't expect you to understand. You don't understand the risk, don't understand the magnitude of this—"
"I chose to be here! I understand the risk, I understand all of that!" she spat. "I understand it better than you do!"
There was silence for a moment.
"We're done." He said shortly. "It's over. Go home."
Eyes stinging, Kate forced herself to turn and limp away.
She didn't cry until she was sure Clint couldn't see.
Notes:Chapter title derived from Up on the Rooftop, written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864.
Chapter 17: You're a Mean One, Miss BelovaNotes:I'm kinda running low on ideas for other stories to write. If you guys have ideas for fanfics in the Hawkeye or Percy Jackson fandoms, feel free to leave a comment. Also, a friendly reminder that constructive criticism is highly sought after, if you have anything on that front.
Anyway, I'm having a ball writing this! I hope you're enjoying. You guys warm my heart.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextChapter Seventeen: You're a Mean One, Miss Belova
"So?" Gwen asked. "Beats drilling in the legion?"
Yelena grunted. "Perhaps."
Yelena Belova was intent on the mission, not reminiscing about their shared past in Camp Jupiter.
Nevertheless, she subconsciously rubbed her light armor above the tattoo.
"You served ten years, right?" She asked.
Yelena wasn't mean—really.
...Okay, she did kill people for a living, fine.
Still, Yelena wasn't mean. But gods damn, Gwen's insufferable optimism clashed with Yelena's cynicism and dry sarcasm in a way that she found very, very annoying. And there were times—like now—that she couldn't shut the hell up.
"Yes, Gwendolyn, I served ten years in Camp Jupiter, like you." Yelena replied, resigned to the conversation. "But may we please focus on the task at hand? Ana may be home any minute."
Gwen nodded. "I got the Red Dust that will free her." She held up the vial. She tapped it with her finger. "What's even in it, anyway?"
"A magical substance." Yelena replied. "The counter-spell to magical subjugation."
She whistled. "Ah."
Then, she tensed as footsteps echoed down the halls. Yelena rushed a finger to her lips, and Gwen quieted.
Yelena crouched, ready to pounce, as Ana drew closer… and closer.
A flash of blonde hair jerked back as Ana suddenly realized she was not alone. She curled around the corner and tackled Yelena to the ground.
She grunted at the impact, and tried to force her off.
Gwen angled the Red Dust at her face, but was too overt. Ana realized what she was up to, and kicked her back, wrapping her hands around Yelena's neck, suffocating her slowly.
Yelena's face turned red, then purple. She slowly pointed her wrist up, towards Ana's ribs, and fired.
Bolts of red electricity arced through her body, paralyzing her with pain. The Black Widow's bite.
Yelena pried Ana's fingers off of her neck, and flipped her over, holding her hands and legs down. Yelena screamed, "Dust! Now!"
Gwen hurried over, and opened the vial of Red Dust on Ana's face, who promptly stopped struggling and started coughing.
Yelena told her, "The next bit is gonna be really scary, but we're here to help you."
Ana's coughing subsided, and she managed to choke out, "Look what you did to my rug."
Yelena dropped Ana's arms in surprise. "Huh?"
"Twenty thousand dollars down the drain. Thanks." Ana muttered.
"Excuse me?" Yelena asked, baffled.
"I don't think she was brainwashed." Gwen suggested.
"What? You thought I was some rich pervert's prisoner?"
Yelena paused. "Well, yeah, kind of." She'd never thought of it that way, but it was sort of true.
Once everyone was sat down, talking through their problems like grown adults, the picture became clearer.
Gwen leaned forward. "So… is this your house? How can you afford all of this?"
"By doing the thing we're all best at. Killing for money." She told her.
Gwen cleared her throat. "Um, I'm not a Black Widow. I'm just here for the ride. Helping out Yelena. Think of me as an intern. Or… a woman trying out new things. Dying made me take a long hard look at myself, leave camp, and I bumped into Yelena."
Ana grunted, and pushed past her confusion. "So, how many widows have you helped?"
Yelena nodded. "Many. Many."
"Yeah, it's hard work." Gwen agreed.
"It's hard finding them. It's… it's hard watching them wake. But it's so worth it. And when we've cleared up all of this mess, we will make good lives for ourselves." Yelena said.
Gwen cackled. "And then, you and Natasha will be reunited and go live your Sex and the City fantasy in New York."
Ana and Gwen laughed, and Yelena stood, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Excuse me."
"Sex and the City, we should watch it together." Gwen mused in the other room. "Aidan or Mr. Big, hmm?"
"I don't know," Ana said, "But Mr. Big is a dumb name. Sounds like a supervillain. Aidan—that's a cool name. You could name a kid after that, right?"
Gwen replied, "Yeah, but that kid would hate the origin of the name. I mean, how would they explain it? 'Hi, I'm Aidan, I'm named after a character from Sex and the City.' I mean, he didn't even win the love triangle; he's basically Jacob."
Yelena closed the bathroom door, her heart stuttering. She stared into her green eyes reflected back at her in the mirror.
She didn't know why she felt so anxious, so awful. Maybe there wasn't any real reason to it. But Yelena felt crummy, and hadn't the foggiest notion why—?
She cupped her hands in some water.
But then, something very strange happened.
Just as she moved her hands up to splash it on her face, her hands broke apart into countless motes of brown dust, and for a split second, Yelena felt incorporeal and nonexistent.
Then, just as quick as it had come, the sensation vanished. Her hands reassembled themselves, and she could have sworn that she saw brown dust come together to form her face in the mirror.
As she watched, her surroundings began to morph. White wallpaper and candelabras morphed into deep green walls and fluorescent bulbs.
Yelena backed away slowly, confused and scared. What the Hades was that?
She emerged from the bathroom, wary and nervous, her Black Widow's bite armed and ready. The house itself seemed to have changed, going from a white and pristine mansion to a multicolored home that was clearly well-lived in.
Then, a man with dark skin rounded the corner, and started. "Uh, who are you?"
"What's happening? What's going on?" Yelena demanded. "Who are you?"
Drawn by their conversation, an older woman appeared behind him, and gasped. She stared at Yelena like she was looking at a ghost. "Yelena? Oh, my God, you're back."
A little boy between the two looked up. "Who's that, Mommy?"
"It's okay, Aidan. She's an old friend." She said.
"I got married." The woman who introduced herself as Ana told her. She'd put on weight, and her skin had reddened, but… somehow it was still her. "We adopted three years ago, it's been amazing."
Yelena groaned and pressed her hands to her head.
"Gwen, who left my house in a much less dramatic fashion than you did that day, returned to a place in California called New Rome. I'm not familiar, but she said you've been there." Ana sighed. "You can stay here as long as you need. Trust me—"
"Okay, stop." Yelena said. "Ana, I was in there for five seconds, I come out and I've lost five years of my life. Please."
"I-I'm sorry, Yelena. I was just trying to help you." Ana stammered.
Yelena's gaze softened. "I know… thank you. But I need to find Natasha. Can you help me find Natasha? I need to tell her I'm okay."
Kate wordlessly limped into the elevator. She cradled her sprained wrist and tried not to inhale deeply, lest her ribs hurt more than they already did. Her face was peppered with cuts and bruises, and her eyes were still rimmed with red.
The elevator doors dinged open, and she limped to the door. She didn't care if Jack was inside, or any monsters, or the goddess, or really if anyone was inside. She opened it and walked in.
She needed her mother.
"Kate?" A voice echoed from her right.
As Kate turned to face her, Eleanor gasped as the light illuminated her wounds and cuts. "Oh, my God. Kate, are you okay?"
Kate's bottom lip trembled. "Y-you'll be glad to know that Clint's told me to stay away from the quest and stay away from him."
"Oh, honey." Elenor murmured.
And then she broke.
The pain of opening herself up to Clint and being rejected immediately after, the pain of losing her friends, the pain of losing her innocent childhood, and the pain of being traumatized by her past all flooded out of her, and twelve years of suppression came crashing down.
Kate's knees buckled, and Eleanor rushed to catch her just as she fell. Kate collapsed into her arms. Eleanor caressed her hair, whispering to her. "Oh. My baby girl."
Kate couldn't stop crying if she tried. Huge, shuddering sobs wracked her body, her tears soaking her mother's shirt. Her eyes were puffy and wet, as she released the well of pain she'd spent so long trying to bury. She was ugly-crying, baring her soul as Eleanor hugged her.
She had no idea how much time passed before she pulled away from her mother, sniffling. "Mom… I've been hiding my life from you. I need—I need to tell you everything."
And so she did. As her mother held her, she explained everything.
Her quests, her trauma, and everything about the world she lived in that she'd refused to tell her mother.
When she was done, she was shivering like a leaf in her mother's arms, expecting to be rejected for her lies, cast away for her cowardice.
Instead, by the end, Eleanor was crying, too. She lifted Kate's gaze, and said, "Honey. You've made me the proudest mother in the world. My little baby is a hero who's saved the world."
Another round of tears surged to Kate's blue eyes, and she started weeping in her mother's embrace once again.
Eleanor sat across from Kate, in her bedroom. Kate sniffled, and rubbed her nose. She was drinking some nectar, and swallowed some ambrosia. Eleanor held her cheek. "Listen, Kate. I know it hurts now, but trust me. Clint can handle this quest. At least you won't be living such a reckless life."
Kate shook her head. "You don't understand. I haveto be a part of this quest. It's in the prophecy. And… I never wanted to be reckless. I wanted to protect you."
Eleanor pursed her lips. "I know, hon. Recklessness was the unfortunate side effect."
Their eyes each settled to the bow on the wall, above the medals and certificates that she'd valued enough to display in her room.
Kate laughed brokenly. "Bet you regret buying me that first bow, don't you?"
"Sometimes." Eleanor admitted. When Kate looked affronted, she smirked. "Kidding. You were so cute with that tiny bow."
Kate sighed. "Gods, I thought I could do anything. I really thought I could be one of them."
Eleanor said, "Kate. You already are. But really, all we can do is keep moving forward, even on days when, honestly, it all just kind of feels like shit."
Kate laughed, and nodded. Then, she asked, "Do you ever worry about me not finding my path?"
"No." Eleanor replied. "I know exactly who you are. And I always have."
After a beat of silence, Kate said, "There's something else I need to tell you, Mom."
Eleanor waited.
"Jack… he isn't who he says he is. He's a Titan. Menoetius. He's dangerous. And he's also running a shell company called Sloan Limited for a gang." She told her.
Eleanor looked alarmed. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Eleanor frowned, thinking, then nodded. "Okay. I'll deal with it."
Kate raised her eyebrows. "How?"
She kissed Kate on the nose. "I'll figure it out. Now, look, go get your stuff from your apartment and come here, okay?"
Kate nodded slowly, and rose unsteadily. Her foot was healing quickly, thanks to the divine food, but it was still not great.
"Are you alright?" Eleanor asked.
"Fine. I've had worse." She said, which only made Eleanor look horrified. "Um, I mean, I'll be fine."
She left the penthouse, limping slightly.
She groaned, and sunk into the couch in her apartment. The place was still being fixed up, but was at least livable now, though it still smelled strongly of smoke and magic.
She flexed her left wrist, feeling only faint throbs of pain. The nectar and ambrosia was working overtime. Her wrist would be healed by the end of the day. Her ribs still felt achy and sharp, and her foot still added a limp to her gait, but those would be gone within a few days, hopefully.
Then, she froze as a voice called from the kitchen table, "Ket Beeshop!"
She turned, and saw the beautiful, short blonde woman with green eyes standing there.
Kate did the natural thing—she threw a celestial bronze dagger at the woman's face.
She calmly plucked it from the air, and smiled sweetly. "Hiiii!"
Notes:Chapter title derived from You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, written by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague in 1966.
Chapter 18: I'm Dreaming of Spicy Mac and CheeseNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextChapter Eighteen: I'm Dreaming of Spicy Mac and Cheese
She smiled brilliantly. "I made macaroni if you want some."
Kate paused. "I'm sorry, what?" There was no way she'd heard that correctly.
The assassin was as Kate remembered—blonde, short, hot, and green-eyed. She had a pale face with a strong jawline, though her green eyes twinkled, framed by long, expressive lashes and long blonde hair that tumbled down her shoulders. Though Kate hadn't noticed her thick Russian accent.
"Well, I was starving and you took forever. So, I wanted to make food." She said, like it were an everyday occurrence to have a dangerous assassin break in and cook you a meal.
"What do you want?" Kate asked cautiously.
She rolled her eyes. "So hostile! Relax, Kate Bishop. I just want to talk, okay? Are you really not hungry? That fight was so long. Monster fights are much more fast paced." She held up the mac and cheese and shook it around enticingly. "It's really tasty. Really tasty."
"I know what boxed mac and cheese tastes like." Kate replied, eyes locked on the assassin. "I know it's… delicious." Then, the rest of her words registered in Kate's mind. "Hold on! You mentioned monster fights! You're a half-blood?"
She ignored her, instead electing to rummage around in her drawers, muttering about… forks? Kate thought she was hearing things, until the woman whirled around, facing her. "You have one fork?"
She shrugged. "I'm one person."
She shook her head. "That's so weird. Kate, this is not cutlery. This is not cutlery."
Kate huffed, "Okay, wow, I didn't come here looking to get judged. And I am not gonna have dinner with you after you tried to kill me and then broke into my house."
She made an offended noise. "I did not try to kill you! A, I put you on a wire to remove an obstacle. B… well, admittedly, I did break something, but only because Barton—" she spat the name with venom, a crack in her façade, before she composed herself, "—got in my way." She looked at Kate. "Trust me, I would not try to kill a pretty face such as yours."
Kate blushed. Was she... flirting with Kate? No, she was definitely misreading things. "Um… thanks. Say, why did you attack Clint with my celestial bronze dagger? He's mortal."
She paused, then smacked her forehead. "Whoops! That slipped my mind, Kate Bishop. Anyway, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." She smiled earnestly. "I don't have any weapons on me." Then, she paused. "Okay, I take that back. I don't have any weapons currently in my hands."
Both she and Kate looked at the black cuff ringed with red power cells. She conceded, "That's a lie also."
Finally, she waved a hand dismissively, abandoning her attempt at disarming honesty. "Come on, take a fork. Eat. Eat."
When Kate hesitated, she fluttered her eyelashes in time with Kate's unsteady heart. "Please, my daddy says it's good for you."
Kate shifted. "Um, well, I could spare a moment. I suppose." She sat.
The assassin smiled. "Good. Now, you're probably thinking, 'What? This is crazy. I'm going to have dinner with the enemy? And she made some reallygood smelling macaroni…'" she flittered her eyes again, making puppy dog eyes at her, and Kate swallowed.
It wasn't fair that she could do that, wipe out her mind like that.
"But in all honesty, if I wanted to kill you—" the woman began.
"You would have already." Kate finished.
Instead of agreeing, she laughed. "Oh, no. I thought so, but your performance on that rooftop surprised me, Kate Bishop." She gestured to the long cut on her arm. "Not bad. If I wanted to kill you, the fight would still be raging right now. And who knows? Maybe you'd have won."
The woman pushed some mac and cheese towards her, and Kate dug in.
The assassin followed suit, the pair enjoying their meal in comfortable, if mildly confused (on Kate's part) silence.
After a while, Kate looked up. "There's some hot sauce in my cabinet behind you. Could you grab some?"
The woman laughed. "I like the way you think, Kate Bishop." She stood, grabbed some, and poured it on her own food, before offering it to Kate, who drizzled lines of red sauce over her yellow mac and cheese.
When Kate was finished, she leaned back, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "So… what do you want?"
The assassin shrugged. "Many things. Right now? To talk." She propped her chin up with her hand, elbow on the table. "Talk, to the legendary Kate Bishop, Hero of Olympus."
Kate turned red. "Oh. That. It's not a big deal. I mean, I'm not the only Hero of Olympus."
"True, but don't discount your own accomplishments, Kate Bishop." She told her. "You are right, by the way, that I am a demigod. Can you guess who my parent is?"
Another dizzying moment when she fluttered her long eyelashes. Gah. Focus, Kate.
Kate's heart stuttered. "Um, please stop doing that. Very distracting."
She laughed, and Kate continued, "As for your parentage, that's easy." She leaned forward. "You've got so many concealed weapons, you forget how many you have on your person. You fight like a demon, and you're blunt and brazen. You're a child of Ares."
The woman tittered. "So close, Kate Bishop. So, so close. Actually, I am child of Mars. Or did the large legion tattoo on my forearm escape your notice?"
Kate was surprised, and looked down at her arm. Sure enough, it was emblazoned with a pair of crossed spears, the letters SPQR, and ten black lines. "Oh. I didn't see it. Were you manipulating the Mist?"
Her green eyes darkened, and she spat, "I do not stoop to manipulation of the Mist. People's minds do not exist to be trifled with, to be rearranged, broken down, and built up again. I would never use the Mist on another person, under any circumstances."
Kate was surprised by her sudden intensity, and the assassin's gaze softened. "Apologies, Kate Bishop. But I have been on the receiving end of… the Mist controlling minds. No, I did not use the Mist to obstruct your vision of the tattoo." She smiled. "Perhaps you are simply unobservant… or distracted by something else."
Kate blushed. "Um—" she coughed, and pivoted. Maybe her far-fetched flirting theory had some merit. Maybe. "So, you served ten years in the legion?"
She smiled cryptically. "Yes, Kate Bishop. I escaped to Camp Jupiter in 1995, following an… an aerial mishap involving a plane. I served a decade, before I was kidnapped in Indiana and brought to… a very unpleasant place." She smiled, but it was more forced this time. "Let us just say, I was taught how to be a Black Widow unwillingly."
Kate frowned. It was a strange story, even by demigod standards. It was also obvious that she was holding some stuff back, but Kate understood why. The way she forced her smiles, the way her green eyes tightened when she talked about what happened, it was very familiar.
The assassin cleared her throat. "Anyway, you are very interesting to me, Kate Bishop. I met Jason Grace back when he'd just joined the legion, but he was very young. Trust me when I say that a toddler with electrical powers is even more of a nightmare than it sounds."
Kate laughed, and the woman smiled. "At any rate, it's my first time in New York. It's a business trip, so time is limited. But I want to see some things. I want to see, uh, the Chrysler Building, the new and improved Statue of Liberty, and the Rockefeller Center."
Kate chuckled.
Her smile dimmed. "What? It's not good?"
Kate's smile faded when she realized she was being serious. And the childish pout in her eyes didn't help things. "Oh. No, no, they're great. You gotta check them out, though I'm on the fence about the changed Statue of Liberty."
Her confident smile returned. "Exactly. See? I love American Christmases. The tree, the presents, the super-powered reindeer, Rudolph. Have you ever eaten reindeer?"
Kate blinked. "Cannot say I've had the pleasure, no."
"No, it is not a pleasure. No, it's, um, it's really tough. It's chewy. You have to braise it for a really long time. But, hey, Kate Bishop, you grew up here, right? You must have some recommendations for me." She peered up innocently at Kate.
Kate melted under her very distracting green eyes. "Yeah, I-I have. Let's see. The High Line. High Line is great. Um…" she swallowed, and licked her dry lips. "There's a Christmas market in Union Square. Um… yeah."
"I'll keep those in mind, Kate Bishop." She chuckled.
"Do you say my whole name to point out that you know it?" Kate asked.
"Yes." Her clear eyes stared into Kate's. "I know a lot about you. Mother, Eleanor. Lives on Park and 41st. Father, Apollo, very godly, very absent. And you recently walked into traffic to save a dog, which I'll admit is pretty cool, and you got a few points from me on that. Um… University GPA 3.8. Senior, majoring in—"
"Right, okay. We get it." She said. "Thank you. Um, are you in New York to talk to Clint? Is that why you're here?"
She laughed, "No. No, no, no." Then, her face hardened and her laugh ended.
"I'm here to kill him."
Her cold green eyes bored into Kate. "I have a question for you. Why do you risk your life for him, Clint Barton? How has everybody forgiven him for his past?"
"He-he saved the world." Kate said. She felt nervous, more nervous than she had in a very long time. The way the woman's face had changed was eerily reminiscent of the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds.
The assassin scowled harshly. "No, no, my sister, Natasha Romanoff, she saved the world. You, Kate Bishop, saved the world. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Jason Grace, Piper McLean… they saved the world. I admit, you are something of an idol of mine, Kate Bishop, but you are wrong. Clint Barton did not save the world—he nearly killed it. The way he killed my sister."
"Natasha and Clint were friends. Why are you after him?" Kate asked slowly.
The assassin shook her head. "You are so fond of him. It tells me you don't really know who he is."
"He came out here to help me." Kate pointed out.
"No. He came here to help his reputation. Do you know how many people he killed? The trail of blood that follows him, it could wrap around the entire world."
"Okay, wow, that was very Russian." Kate said.
Her green eyes narrowed. "I would stop those sorts of remarks, Kate Bishop. Russophobia is very unattractive on you."
Kate flushed. "Sorry. Um, he's still an Avenger."
"What does that word even mean? Huh? That it holds so much power. You call him a hero no matter what he does?" The woman demanded.
"It means that when you choose to spend your life trying to help people, there are going to be things that you lose." Kate said quietly. "When you face the kind of threats that he has—that we have—there's going to be collateral damage."
"My sister is gone because of him." Her voice broke. "She's gone. Is she collateral damage?"
Kate's gaze dropped. "No. No, she's not. She's a victim. I've lost people too."
The assassin bared her teeth. "She's a victim of Clint Barton. And you haven't lost a sister before, have you?"
Kate hesitated. "No, I haven't."
She assessed Kate for a moment, and stood. "It will not be difficult for me to complete this assignment."
Kate looked up. "Wait a minute, somebody hired you to kill him? Look, if someone out there that is telling you Clint is a bad guy, then maybe you should ask yourself what kind of person hired you. He is not perfect. Nobody's perfect. But he is good."
She pursed her lips. "However he convinced you about who he is or how many people think or call him a hero, truth is it doesn't matter. We are defined… by what we do. Not by nice words. Like it or not, there is no escaping this. So…" she sat down, and looked deep into Kate's blue eyes. "Where is he?"
"I don't know." Kate replied honestly.
She eyed her critically. "I believe you." Then, the assassin leaned back, and declared, "I shall accompany you."
Kate coughed. "Um, what?"
"I have no doubt you will inevitably cross paths with Clint Barton. And when you do, I will be there." She outstretched a hand. "My name is Yelena Belova. And I am the third member of your little quest."
Notes:Chapter title derived from I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin in 1941.