•FIVE•

"The boy?"

Pausing her careful weapons inventory, Natasha didn't so much as look in the direction of the voice. She briefly contemplated what to do before mutely shaking her head, not trusting her voice at the moment. Technically, Fury was her boss; it wouldn't do to question him.

She could feel his sigh, even if she couldn't see him, and bit her lip to prevent a retort from slipping out. They were all high-strung after the afternoon's events.

"Did you at least plant the device?"

She nodded once, sharply, hoping he would take the hint and leave. She didn't want to have to face him, not now, not with all the doubt and guilt and confusion swirling inside her, ready to burst out at any given moment. Mentally steeling herself for the confrontation, surprise ignited inside her as, after lingering for a brief moment, his calculating eyes studying her, he left.

Exhaling shakily, she swept the weapons off her bed and into the chest she kept them in before sitting down and burying her face in her hands. The uneasy feeling still lingered in her chest, choking her throat up with guilt. She could still hear the muted sounds of the dishwasher running in the Jacksons' apartment; disgusted, she ripped the earpiece out and tossed it in a corner of the room, not caring at the moment if it would get broken or not, though she knew for sure she'd be in for a tongue-lashing if it did.

The moment Sally Jackson had picked up the phone, Natasha had known that the retrieval would not go smoothly. At best, Perseus would need strong convincing; at worst, he wouldn't show up at all. Still, she felt relief flooding her veins at the outcome. She didn't want to bring a kid into this mess, especially not now. Not now when they were dealing with supernatural beings, aliens from another planet, things that even she didn't know how to deal with. No, it was best that he had disappeared off the face of the planet.

Putting the boy out of her mind, she gathered up her courage, her face slipping into a neutral expression, and headed out.

Besides, she had more pressing matters to worry about.

Percy was bored.

He'd been confined to camp for all of a week, and already his ADHD was becoming unbearable, at least according to Annabeth, who was unlucky enough to have to put up with him the most. Currently, he was sprawled across her lap while she used his back as a table, trying to maintain her focus on ... whatever she was doing, and all the while Percy groaned and moaned and was generally being a nuisance.

"I give up!" Annabeth half-shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. Her prized laptop, given to her by her half-brother Daedalus, almost went tumbling to the floor as Percy jerked upright at her exclamation, only saved by her trained demigod reflexes. Hugging the laptop to her chest, she glared, exasperated, at her boyfriend. He turned doe-eyes on her, and her resistance crumbled, her chest deflating as she swallowed the angry words she was about to say.

"Come on, Percy," she half-pleaded, pushing him off her lap into an upright position. "I get that you're bored and you have nothing to do. But I'm trying to help you here! Just ... I don't know. Go spar with Clarisse, or teach some new campers sword-fighting, or go to the lake," she begged, at the end of her patience. She loved Percy, she really did, and she wouldn't hesitate to die for him, but sometimes she just needed some alone time.

Percy assumed the sad puppy-eyes, his sea-green eyes going impossibly wide and his lip quivering. A guilty feeling started to build up in Annabeth, but with immense willpower, she shook it off. She wasn't the one who should be feeling guilty here.

"I'm sorry, Annie," he wheedled. "I'm sorry I bothered you! It's just ..."

"I know," she said softly, cupping his cheek and placing a kiss on his lips. "You hate being confined. I do too. But this is for your own good. I can't ... I can't lose you again."

Percy wrapped his arms around her as tears streaked, unbidden, down her cheeks. "It's alright," he soothed, running his hands through her hair. "I'll never leave you. As long as we're together, remember? I promise I won't leave."

Tipping her head up, he brushed away her tears with his thumbs and smiled reassuringly at her, leaning in to kiss her. She tilted her head, giving him better access as the kiss quickly turned demanding and passionate, letting out a soft moan, her previous anger all but forgotten.

Percy could have stayed there making out with Annabeth all day, but soon enough she pushed him away (reluctantly, he could tell) and insisted that she had work to do, so he had better go bother someone else. He tried using his infamous puppy eyes on her, hoping she would change her mind, but she refused to look at him and shooed him away.

Wandering aimlessly around camp, occasionally stopping to chat to some of his friends, his feet soon took him to the stables. Next to the beach and the lake, the stables were his favourite place to spend his time, namely because of his ability to talk to horses and pegasi.

Amidst the awed chants of son of the sea! son of the sea! he made his way towards the last stall on the row, stopping to pet the other pegasi and greet them. A midnight black head poked out of the stall, whinnying joyfully when the pegasus spotted him.

Hey, boss! Blackjack greeted, putting his head out to nuzzle the demigod's hand. Percy laughed, stroking his mane. Did you bring donuts? His pegasus inquired eagerly, sniffing him, ears perking up. Percy laughed, producing an apple from behind his back. If horses could frown, Blackjack was certainly doing it right now.

"No complaints," Percy said teasingly, chortling at the look on his pegasus's face. "Apples are good for you. Donuts are not," he wagged a finger in Blackjack's face. Grudgingly, the pegasus accepted the apple.

"You want to stretch your wings, buddy?" he whispered, causing Blackjack to neigh in excitement. Percy smiled, opening the stable door, vaulting onto the pegasus's back and whooping as Blackjack took off at a gallop, one powerful beat of his wings lifting them up into the air, holding on tight as they soared higher and the cabins were reduced to the size of Legos below them. Smiling in contentment, he wrapped his arms around Blackjack's neck. Percy loved these stolen moments in the sky, content in the knowledge that he was safe from Zeus's wrath atop his trusty pegasus. It was the only way he could be in his uncle's domain without being shot down.

They swooped and dived as they passed the field where the other pegasi were grazing, Blackjack deciding to show off a little by performing a series of aerial tricks; a loop-the-loop that had Percy nearly falling off; a daring plunge, tucking in his wings and lifting off at the last second.

"Warn me next time you do that!" Percy yelled over the howling wind, breathless from the near fall.

Sorry, boss, Blackjack said in his head, not sounding sorry at all. Percy patted him fondly and steered him towards the open sea.