When you look cucumberpatch up on Pinterest....

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: Relatively quickly?

: What did you expect?

: I expected some good music on Chiron's old CDs-no-Hades no-whatever you do, do not listen to these...ow my ears-

: *takes broom and sweeps him out the door*

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: OKAY WE GET IT....

Even before the slightly frightening teenage assassins strutted into his living room, Tony had a hard time keeping his cool.

It might have been the stress that had been lingering over him ever since he found out that he had a sister; or the look in his nephew's eyes as he shook upon the kitchen floor. But Tony couldn't take it. He wanted everything to go back to normal. Of course it hurt him to say that, he knew his nephew needed help, he shouldn't be wishing that he never existed in his life.

Achingly he realized that it was his fault that Fury had shot him in the first place; he let Fury interrogate the boy. It was partially his fault that the child now lay in a shaking sleep, his body racking with a shivering fever.

Percy had been unconscious for a full 4 days. His screams echoing in the silence that had taken over the tower. Steve was the first to officially diagnose Percy with PTSD. But without their big green Monster doctor they couldn't be sure.

Not like it wasn't obvious and all.

Tony had had his fair share of PTSD himself, and wasn't quite fond of it. He still remembered the unstable shakiness that overtook his system. The memories that clung to him; suffocating him until he was down to a breaking point. He remembered waking up in cold sweat, the pain still etched in his dreams.

But Percy was worse.

Much worse.

His screams were constant, hoarse and ugly like pencil scratches. Each breath was hollow and let loose with aching pain. Sometimes he'd choke out a name or a jumbled sentence; most of the names seemed to come straight from his file. The screams were the only sound that Tony had heard from the boys mouth since first meeting him, but he wished he had never heard them. They haunted him, and echoed in his mind as he tried to turn away. But he couldn't.

He spent hours staring at his nephews face, scrunched in pain. Often the child would choke on his own screams, writhing in his sheets, barely being able to breath. They had tried a rotating schedule of 24/7 watch, sitting beside his bed, their eyes waiting for some sign of awakening. But Tony would take up five shifts back to back, just staring at his nephew. They were barely able to drag him away, after his 6th hour. Sometimes they just left him there, too tired to try to move him away.

He sat there helplessly waiting as Percy screamed and twisted in the sheets. The avengers could never do much, only stop him from choking to death as he clawed at himself. They had already tried every possible method to wake him, but nothing seemed to work. It hurt Tony to see Percy this way. He barely knew the kid, but yet after seeing him like this, he felt strongly attached.

Of course, after the second day in slumber, Percy's screams had hollowed out into a hoarse whispers, and than to nothing but air. The silent screams were worse than the loud reverberating ones, his mouth opened and shut, but yet no sound came out. It was horrifying, but yet painful to watch.

It drove Tony insane.

But he still sat there, beside his nephews bed.

Not being able to do anything.

Not being able to help him.

And after Steve had dragged him out of Percy's room by his expensive pair of designer shoes. Tony sat, the same distant look filling his face, as Clint attempted to cook them dinner.

Attempted to cook them dinner.

"Laura usually makes it." He complained as Natasha ordered takeout.

Tony didn't say anything.

There was silence, as the Avengers waited around the counter.

Than the elavator dinged.

And the two teenagers that would soon be a much bigger part of his life than he had first expected strutted in.

Almost as if they were supposed to be there.

But they weren't supposed to be there.

The two of them, one girl and one boy, stepped cleanly from the elevator, ignoring the fact that they had just managed to waltz into one of the most secure places in the world.

Natasha, Clint, and Steve, jumped up from their chairs, their hands trailing to their weapons. But Tony sat still, studying the two kids from his seat at the counter.

The boy, looked almost deathly, his structure almost as bad as Percy's. His hollow eyes, and sickly pale skin, contrasting his dark hair and black clothing. He was younger than Percy, skinny, and short. But his eyes burned with anger and sadness. A look that would kill.

Not to mention the obsidian colored sword he held in his hand

That could probably kill too.

"Where IS HE-," The boys voice radiated anger. But the girl beside him clamped her hand over his mouth and stomped painfully on his foot.

She looked strangely familiar, around the same age as Percy. Her hair practically the color of Natasha's, but the girls hair was curly and frizzy. Her intense green eyes glinting with the same hatred as the boys. But it was reserved-practically hidden behind the obviously fake smile that plastered her face.

And she had a strong stomp.

The boy winced.

"Sorry about him, he's a bit tired he hasn't slept in like two weeks-." The girl was cut off by the boy's loud whisper.

"It would have been three but Will was being a jerk."

The girl stomped once again on his foot and continued like she wasn't interrupted.

"My names Rachel Dare-you and my dad worked together a while ago. This is Nico...just ignore him and he won't bite."

She was talking to him, Tony realized. And vaguely connected the dots, as the girl smiled at him. He had met her once or twice when he had visited her father to talk about new tech for his bulldozers. Of course he hadn't even thought twice about her until now.

Though that didn't explain why she was in his freaking tower.

"What the heck are you doing in my tower." He finally stood up, his voice weak from barely talking for the last few days.

"Haha, well about that..."

The boy stepped forward his eyes burning.

"You have our friend and we want him back."

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