Chapter 3: The Curious Case of Perseus Jackson

I just want to let you know that I have permission from the author LostHeroGuide

go check out the story on

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11493775/1/Heroes-and-Ghosts

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Clint:

He only started to run once, which Clint guessed was good. It had been the middle of the night, and Clint had woken up to something downstairs. Immediately his thoughts went to Percy, and he reached under the bed for the backpack to make sure it was their.

It wasn't.

Clint had gotten up quickly and quietly, but didn't wake his wife. Instead, he went down the stairs by himself. He was surprised by what he saw. Expecting a cleaned out fridge and an open back door, instead he saw Percy going through his backpack and putting everything spread out on the table.

It was a strange assortment of things, some Clint hadn't ever seen. Percy had already put the food he'd stolen back in the fridge, along with some of his own food (read: half a twix). Clint and Laura had only glanced at his stuff.

A first aid kit, his laptop, (no identification on the logo had come up. Clint assumed it was custom made.) a tin of what looked like brownies, a canteen of something, a flashlight, extra clothes, diapers, a blanket, and a stack of pictures. There was one weird thing... A sphere of some sort... But based on size it was probably a toy. The last item was a toy. A wind up trireme probably used in the tub.

Percy just switched his gaze between his stuff (which looked like it wouldn't fit the backpack) and his little sister, who was still sleeping. Clint couldn't see Percy's face, but guessed it was indecisive. "What're hwe gonna do baeby girl?" He whispered, almost not speaking at all.

"Laura and Clint seem nice." He said, speaking to the baby. "And they have kids. Gud kids. And they're ready to take care of them." He started. "But you and hme, we're'nt meant to bhe here.

"I see the way Clint looks at hme, Hope. It's like... It's like he thinks I'm gonna kill his family." He chortled bitterly. "Maybe I hafv that coming. I gif him a look a lot like that. I mean, he's a superhero, baby gurl. I'm... I'm a teenager!" He said bitterly. "No powers, no family... Even our friends abandoned us, baeby gurl.

"It's juhst hue and hme. Mom and Paul wouldn't've hwanted hat. They luved hue so much. I... I cahn't lof you as mush as they did." He said, then began packing away his stuff. He never stopped looking at his sister. "And as dangerous as Hawkeye might bhe, I'm... I'm like toxic hwaste. Whether I want to or hnot, you might get hurt. Or Laura, Clint, Cooper. Hanyone."

He'd finished packing away his stuff, besides the laptop. As soon as he was done, he paused. He collapsed onto the couch, his head in his hands. "Urrrghhhh! Why is thish so hard?" He muttered. "I wish mom where here."

What happened next, Clint will never be able to explain. Maybe the computer had voice command enabled, and misheard Percy. Maybe it just had a morale-boosting setting. Whatever the reason, the top popped open and the screen flickered to life. From where Clint was, he couldn't see the screen, but he could hear it.

"Percy," it started. The voice was gentle, and yet firm. The woman speaking was caring of the kid, and it showed. Percy was drawn to the light suddenly coming from his laptop. He muttered something, and Clint only realized he'd said "subtitles" later.

"What they did, what your father did, is unforgivable. It was unfair and unjust. I don't know what got into them for them to think you would betray them." She began. Percy flinched, as if he'd been stung, but kept his eyes on the screen. "But, and as much as I hate to say it, if nobody stood beside you as it was being said... They weren't worth it, honey."

"They were my family, mom. Annabeth- she was my future." Clint heard the voice so clearly, he might've thought Percy was speaking right then, and not from the computer. His voice was much clearer, and Clint was once again struck by the thought that Percy had only recently lost his hearing.

From the recording, there was a sigh. "I understand that, Percy. The fact that even she didn't defend you scares me. But it also tells me...maybe she was against it as well. No one really can argue with Zeus, honey." There was another loud sigh.

"Mom, this life, Annabeth, Grover, Jason... They were everything to me. H-how do I just walk away from all of that? From all of them?" Past Percy asked. Clint could hear the sorrow and bitterness in his tone. He'd given up right then, and it was tangible in his voice.

"Percy, never think that you're walking away from them. Never say that they're walking away from you, either. We can't assume this was what they wanted for you.

"But what you do have to see is that the part of your life that had them in it is gone, and it might not come back." She said. Clint could hear a bit of playfulness in her next statement. "Besides, Tyson will bend heaven and earth before he gives up on getting to you." She said. Percy- the Percy in Clint's living room- chuckled slightly.

"You still have friends, Percy. You have a future ahead of you. A life with me and Paul and Hope... You haven't lost all of your family. We won't leave you." She said. After that, there was a long pause, as if she was debating what to say. Clint could hear traffic in the background. This must've been taken in a car.

"Besides, Annabeth is your best friend. Ten bucks says she at least talks to you again." She wagered. Someone- not Percy -snorted from inside the recording. A male voice joined in the banter. "I'm betting she calls you in ten minutes. If only to tell you she'll be moving in with her dad and disowning her mom." It said.

Percy- from the recording -laughed, and then a baby's giggles joined in. Hope, Clint assumed, was with them. "I bet she calls just to tell me I won't last ten minutes." He said. There was a chorus of laughter, and another silence. This one wasn't so awkward, but felt more relaxed.

"I just wish I'd never met them sometimes, mom. That that monster had never kidnapped you." He said bitterly.

"Sometimes I think the same thing." She said lightly. "If you'd been a normal teenager, and never met your father. But I was also relieved. You made so many friends. Fell in love. That's something I wouldn't trade for my freedom." She said.

"And yes, that part of your life is over. Maybe you'll see Annabeth again, and maybe Grover will somehow slip into your life. And odds are Tyson will break your neck with the hug he'll give you. My point is, Percy, that it's a long way down the road. You've gone a long way, and you have a long way to go. But you'll make it. You know why?

"Because you're strong. You have your father in you. And I like to think I gave you something." She said. "If you've actually been paying attention half of what Annabeth told you, you'll probably even get an A this semester."

"You're pushing it, mom." Percy said. Clint focused on the boy watching this conversation. He'd started to cry silently, and wasn't trying to wipe the tears away. Instead he let them roll down his face, and Clint swallowed down his own show of emotion.

"You'll get through it, Percy. I love you." She said.

With that, the audio cut out and Percy closed his computer. There was this feeling in the air around Clint. Like he was about to jump out of the Quinjet without a parachute. It exhilarated him, and made him want- for once- to actually give the kid who is threatening him a chance.

But that all depended on what Percy's next move was.

Clint was glad to see Percy unpack everything a few minutes before he went to bed again.

...

Fury had found the file on Perseus Jackson. That's all he would say over the phone, and even for Fury that was more than suspicious. He seemed agitated. Not regular Fury agitated, either. It was deluxe-extra-angry Fury today.

Nick, who had gone back into hiding after the Ultron disaster, was a careful man. As Tony once put it so well, 'his secrets have secrets' and it was true. He was always playing double angles, and never let anyone know until the very moment he wants them to.

So for him to come right out and say it both relieved and scared Clint.

"You're letting a fugitive stay in your house."

It was three days since Percy decided not to leave, and six since he first appeared. Clint had started treating him like his equal, and saw that Percy was a bright kid. He could help out around Homestead with the chores, and cutting wood seemed to come naturally to him.

And now Clint was reading through his file while Fury paced the room. It was a thick folder, if you were wondering. Bigger than most regular people had. But, after only a few pages, Clint realized how abnormal this kid really was.

According to the file, Perseus(?) Jackson was subject to a nationwide manhunt. Something that had baffled Clint at the time of how a twelve year old could evade police that long. In fact, if Clint remembered correctly, Fury had been paying attention to that as well. He claimed to be trying to save his mom from kidnappers, while being blackmailed. No investigation leading to the kidnapper's identity.

A list of schools he was kicked out of (Clint was impressed). A report on a gas explosion he was blamed for (another shorter, less concerning manhunt. Again, no charges). A list of medical problems (ADHD and dyslexia? Sheesh).

There was more, but Clint saw the big red stamp mark and brought it up then. "He was declared dead in a car accident two months ago along with his parents and sister. Bodies of the parents and kids were never found." He read aloud with an eyebrow raised. Fury rolled his hands.

"Keep reading. Your new roomie has the most interesting wrap sheet I've ever seen on a minor." He deadpanned. Clint did as he was told, but rolled his eyes.

Altercation in the Smithsonian. Shoot out in New Mexico and a (food) fight in Colorado. Disturbance on Alcatraz. "How does this kid not end up on the terrorist watch list? He blew up the St. Louis Arch." Clint stated matter of factly. Fury looked just as perplexed.

"That's what I've been asking myself. I payed attention to the first manhunt, but it just slipped my mind." He said. Clint raised his eyebrow again. Nothing just 'slipped' Fury's mind. "This kid had some minor problems when he was younger, but at twelve till his 'death' he just went off the deep end. School disappearances. He went missing for eight months. No accomplices besides one Grover Underwood and one Miss Annabeth Chase." He said.

Judging by his tone and the way he rubbed his face, Clint guessed the mystery was thickening. "Grover Underwood isn't registered anywhere, and Miss Chase dropped off the grid a long time ago. any family I could contact were unhelpful and knew nothing about how I could reach her." He said. "Mr. Jackson- as far as I'm concerned -is a potential terrorist." He finished.

Clint flipped through the file again, finding stranger and stranger pieces to the puzzle. Finally, he threw the file down on the desk. He let out a huff of air. Clint might not of known the kid, but he didn't really seem like a terrorist. If anything, he looked harmless, even clueless. But Clint worked against people who didn't match the file. He did what he had to.

"And what do you want to do with him?" Clint asked, getting straight to the point. "I can't let him go. The risk of Homestead being figured out... No. I can't keep him here forever, either." Clint said, weighing the options. He already guessed what Fury had in mind, but at the same time was reluctant to agree. Fury voiced his idea anyway.

"I can put him in a hole, Barton. Keep him locked away until we can manufacture something for him. Make him forget Homestead. His past. Stick him with a cover ID and let him loose." He suggested. Fury didn't point out the possible issues and problems they could face with this. Clint could do that himself.

If Percy were to remember, Homestead would be compromised. If he escapes, he's on the loose and would attract (another) manhunt, but with Fury at the reins. His sister couldn't stay with him. She'd most likely be put in the foster care system or be left in an orphanage.

And what if his past catches up with him, and he doesn't remember anything? Clint had read the file. He was mixed up with dangerous people. Was mixed up with dangerous people. The video indicated that the people had cut him loose.

Or...

"Do you have any details regarding the car accident?" Clint asked, going back to the file. Fury didn't question him, and helped search. When Clint found what he was looking for, it confirmed his suspicions. "The car was blown off the Brooklyn Bridge, into the river, but the tires weren't damaged?" He asked.

Fury nodded. "Popped. The tires and axles were snapped by the impact with the water." He said. Clint looked at the picture of the car out of the water. The bottom was crushed. The glass was smashed. Seats soaked, baby seat...

No baby seat. It wasn't there.

Clint began to piece a theory together in his mind. Something both crazy, and yet possible. Speaking as an Avenger, this actually wasn't the most outrageous thing a villainous mastermind had thought of, but the odds that a teenager coming up with it? No. But if he was being hunted by dangerous, villainous masterminds? Yes, this could be it.

"Director, how sure are you that this kid is actually a threat?" Clint asked carefully. Fury raised an eyebrow, then pointed to the file.

"The evidence speaks for itself, Agent. You should know by now that he has the potential to hurt people. He is a threat." Fury said with conviction, prodding the file for emphasis. Clint, however, was not convinced.

"I get that you think he's had training. I do too. The thing is... I don't see anything that says he ever hurt anyone.

"Look at the St. Louis Arch file. At first, witnesses stated that he caused the explosion, then jumped on his own. But-" Clint flipped to another witness file "-it says here that someone spoke to him right before he jumped, then disappeared right afterwards." He said.

Fury raised an eyebrow. "So we should trust a few traumatized tourists over a park ranger? Someone who knows how to keep a level head in these kinds of situations?" He asked. Clint saw his point, but argued anyway. Clint was convinced Percy was innocent.

"The cameras went offline two minutes before the explosion. Right after the elevator with his accomplices go down. Are you suggesting he had the foresight to plan that out by himself? A twelve year old terrorist sending his friends down an elevator?" Clint asked. Fury didn't bat an eye.

"The point of the matter is-"

"The point is that his mother was kidnaped, he was blamed for it, and he went across the country to prove his innocence. If that doesn't sound like a hero, I don't know what does." Clint said. "We have multiple sightings of a thug following these kids across the country, and then a gunfight on the beach that says he was set up. Now leave the kid alone." He said.

Fury was stone faced, and his knuckles were white from where he gripped the top of the chair. He was ticked, and it showed. "This kid is threatening you, Barton. He's holding all the cards, and this file shows me he isn't going to fold just because you want him to. If I don't help you now, we lose the game." He said.

Clint's voice was low when he spoke next. "No disrespect Director, but I think you just gave me an ace in the hole. If he twitches an eye at me, I can show him the file and force him into your hole.

"But until then, until I fill in the blanks of this kid, I don't want to get a teenager's life taken away off of an irregularity in his file." Clint stated, his shoulders set in determination. He grit his teeth for the last few sentences. "Thanks for the file, sir. I'll take it from here."

Fury wasn't gripping the chair anymore, but he held Clint's gaze for a bit too long. Clint knew Fury didn't like being in control. Heck, Fury only controlled everyone else. That was how he liked to play the game. But, suddenly, it seemed Clint was giving him orders.

"He's your responsibility. Jackson is a potential threat. Monitor him."