Chapter 33: Detective Stark And Assistant Hogan

Hey guys! I'm back and I need your help.

So I was thinking of reading Marvel comics to try and find more ideas for this story, but there are so many storylines and arcs out there that I'm confused about where to start. So I would appreciate it if you guys have some recommendations for me. You can recommend all sorts of comics, but I would prefer if you recommend X-men comics for now. Especially stories, of the characters' origins such as how Jean got her powers or how the X men are formed, etc. I am a beginner in the Marvel world. I have watched all of the MCU and wanted to read the comics. You probably already know, but the Multiverse is present here which includes non-Marvel world. A Marvel story is not Marvel without the Multiverse and a Nasuverse story is not Nasuverse without different timelines and worlds. However, Marvel will be the main focus of this fanfiction.

Thanks and enjoy today's chapter.

Peace!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Sigh*

Sally Jackson released a sigh as she put her bag filled with books on the sofa before stretching her muscles. Ever since she had started taking classes to pursue her dreams as a writer, her life had turned for the better. For one, she could pursue her dream. But there was also a surprise for her, her meeting with Paul Blofis. Not Blowfish. It was hilarious how many people made that mistake, although she couldn't blame them. Even she made that mistake when she met the man! They had met when they both attended a seminar for rookie writers. He was a very handsome thirty-five-year-old man with salt and pepper hair. As soon as they began talking to each other, it was as if something sparked inside of her. As she and Paul attended the seminars, they continued to talk to each other. It soon turned into helping each other during off days. And so, the spark inside Sally grew bigger and bigger until she soon began to feel a familiar yet foreign feeling. The last time she had felt something was when she met the father of her son, Poseidon.

When she met Percy's father, it was like the man's mere presence had swept her off her feet. To this day, the charm the man, no, the god emitted was incredible, but it also woke her up. Since she was a child, she could see the hidden side of the world. The world is hidden by the Mist. It was also this very ability that attracted one of the strongest gods of the Greek Pantheon. Her time with the god was one of the greatest times she had and she will cherish it for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, as with all things in life, it had to end. She was a simple mortal while Poseidon was a god. She couldn't be with him even if he made her immortal or created a castle for her. And so, the man would soon get lost in the sea after giving her one last gift, Perseus Jackson otherwise known as Percy Jackson.

However, the feeling of attraction sprung from its hiding place and struck the woman once more in the presence of Paul Blofis. But he was no god. He was simply an ordinary English teacher who shared the same passion as her. It was like there was some sort of synergy between them. And so, slowly, but surely, that attraction grew into love and they began dating each other. After what happened with Gabe Ugliano, she didn't have any plan to date anyone, but life was full of surprises and this one is one that was welcomed.

Sally Jackson is a happy woman. She gets to live her dream, date someone amazing and care for an amazing son.

Looking at the time, she saw that Percy will soon be home as well as Paul.

'I better go make something for them. I'm sure they'll be really hungry.'

After changing her clothes, she went to the kitchen and began cooking and preparing for the arrival of her boys.

*Clack*

An hour later, the sound of the door opening was heard.

"Mom, I'm home!" Percy's voice was heard throughout the apartment.

Sally came out of the kitchen to see her son and smiled.

"Welcome back, honey. How was your day?"

"It was horrible." the boy replied with a weary expression.

"What, why?" the mother asked concerned.

"Because of all the exams, I have to study for!"

Sally sighed,

"I understand, Percy, but, it's your last year of middle school. You have to do your best."

"I know."

Sally smiled once more,

"Now why don't you go get changed. I'm just about to finish cooking.

"Alright. By the way, where's Paul? He's usually home right after me."

"He'll come soon. It's just the traffic is intense, right now."

"Oh, ok."

However, twenty minutes later, the door opened once more and a cheery male voice was heard,

"I'm home, guys!"

"Paul!/ Hey, Paul." Sally and Percy greeted him back.

Paul had recently moved in with the Jacksons when his relationship with Sally had taken another step.

"Hey, Percy! Hi Sally."

Paul gave the woman a quick kiss which the latter happily reciprocated.

"Sorry, I'm late. Traffic was hell today." the man said as he put his coat away.

"That's alright. The important thing is that you arrived safely." Sally replied.

Paul smiled,

"You're right."

He turned to Percy,

"What's up, champ? You look tired."

The teen simply replied with one word,

"Exams."

"Ah. The enemy of all students and teachers." Paul nodded understanding the boy's plight.

"Teachers, too?"

Paul gave him a wry smile,

"Who do you think has to correct every single copy of over a hundred students?"

"Oh."

Paul laughed,

"Well, it's not like I hate it. It's just the annoying aspect of being a teacher. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to use the bathroom."

"Alright, supper's ready and we're just waiting for you."

"Okay! I'll be quick." Paul said and quickly rushed to the bathroom.

Soon, the three were sitting at a dining table.

"Okayyy. Today, I made lasagna for supper."

Sally said as she brought a tray fresh out of the oven.

*Grumble*

The smell waft through the room inciting the stomach of the men in the house.

"It looks delicious, mom!"

"He's right. It looks and smells really appetizing, Sally."

"Oh, stop it, you guys," The woman waved her hand in denial.

"Let's eat."

Soon portions were given out and the trio began to eat.

"Delicious as always. My compliments to the chef." Paul cheekily said.

"Thanks, Paul."

Percy, however, groaned,

"Please don't flirt at the table."

Paul laughed and Sally smiled before apologizing,

"Sorry, honey"

They continued to eat the lasagna. As soon as they finished and washed the dishes, the doorbell buzzed.

*Bzzzzzzzzzzt*

the doorbell buzzed raising confusion in the household.

"Are we expecting someone?" asked Percy.

The adults looked at each other.

"No./not to my knowledge."

"Let me go see who it is," Paul said and got up from his seat.

He then went to the intercom and pressed the button to speak.

"Who is it?"

[Is this the Jackson Residence?] asked a male voice.

Paul raised an eyebrow and replied,

"Yes? Who's speaking?"

[Yes, my name is Happy Hogan and I would like to speak with a woman named Sally Jackson concerning her son, Perseus Jackson.]

"Okayyy? Just a second."

Paul returned to the kitchen and told Sally,

"Huh, Sally? There is a man named Happy Hogan who would like to speak to you about Percy."

Both Percy and Sally raised an eyebrow before looking at each other.

"Do you know why?"

"No, I figured it would be better if you talked to them personally."

"Alright. Let's see what this person wants."

Percy remained silent as he followed his mother to the intercom.

"Hello?"

[Hello. Am I to assume that you are Sally Jackson?]

"Yes. Who's speaking?"

[My name is Happy Hogan and, just like I said to the man, I would like to speak to you concerning your son... and his summer camp.]

As soon as the final word left Happy's mouth, the Jacksons suddenly tensed. An unknown man suddenly appeared at their apartment talking about the camp which only the supernatural know about. Percy slowly put his hand in his pocket where Riptide rested in its pen form. However, before Paul could notice anything, Sally quickly schooled her expression before replying to Happy.

"I... see. Mr. Hogan, was it? May I ask who sent you? We weren't notified in advance about your arrival."

[I assure you that we're very sorry that I couldn't notify you in advance. The reason is that it's because this is an emergency. May we come in and speak in person?]

To be honest, Sally wanted to turn them away. This interaction screamed suspicion. Unfortunately, Paul was here. If she did what she wanted, it would arouse suspicion from her boyfriend. Paul already knew that her son frequented a summer camp so she had no ground to turn them away. She was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. She a glance a Percy who gripped his pen in his pocket,

"Okay, let me buzz you in."

*Bzzzzzzzt*

Sally turned to Paul,

"Honey, I forgot to ask you to get some groceries on your way home. Is it okay to get some right now?" the woman asked her boyfriend.

"Huh, sure. What do you want me to get?"

Sally smiled. She wiped out a long list from her pocket. She was lucky that she had been preparing a shopping list before Paul came home.

"Here. While you do the groceries, I'll just finish up this business with Percy's camp."

Paul nodded. He figured that this camp stuff was private and since he's not Percy's guardian, he should not involve himself. He didn't know much about camps anyway since he's never been to one when he was young so he didn't know how they worked.

Although, he didn't know why it was private.

"Alright, call me if you need anything else."

Sally gave him a quick kiss,

"Thank you Paul and drive safe. The roads a slippery in these times."

"Okay. See you later, Sally. You too, Percy.

They both said bye before the man grabbed his coat and left the apartment. Sally felt bad for sending him away like this, but she got no choice.

"You know we're going to have to tell him someday, right?" asked Percy.

"I know."

"Hm."

Paul, who was exiting the apartment building, crossed two men going up the stairs. He gave them a brief nod before going to get groceries. Tony and his bodyguard memorized Paul's face for when they'll do a background check on him.

Happy and Tony arrived in front of the Jacksons' door. The bodyguard knocked on it.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Tony and Happy waited as the door opened revealing the matriarch of the Jackson family.

Tony's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. Even though she had a mature aura, it seems like her beauty remained with her.

'Damn!'

He felt entranced by her until he shook his head to snap back to reality.

"No, Tony. You're not here for that. You're here for Isaiah and find out whatever that camp is."

"You must be Mr. Hogan?" Sally asked the bodyguard with a stern expression.

"Yes, that's me."

Sally turned to Tony,

"And who might you be?"

However, Happy spoke for him,

"I believe it's better to speak inside, Ma'am."

However, Sally didn't budge.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hogan, but I cannot let someone that I don't know into my home, especially when you brought up camp. I'm sure your parents have taught you to never let strangers into your home without justification."

'What a fierce woman!' Tony thought.

Normally, people would easily recognize him, but with his disguise as well as a card covering his lower face, no one even glanced at him.

Happy was about to say something when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw his boss's right hand on his shoulder and his left reaching for the scarf and pulling it down. Tony then removed his sunglasses. As soon as his identity was revealed, Sally gasped in shock.

"Wha...? Tony Sta-" "Apapapa!"

Sally was about to say his name when Tony interrupted her.

"Please, don't say my name. I came here without anyone knowing so I would appreciate it if you didn't shout my name. May we come in?" he asked.

Sally looked at him before sighing.

"Do you guarantee that you are not here to cause any problems?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

Sally opened the door and let the men in before closing the door behind them. When Percy saw Tony, he couldn't help but exclaim,

"Holy Zeus! What on earth is Tony Stark doing in our apartment!?"

"Hey, kid. Are you Perseus Jackson?"

"I go by Percy." the boy's glare changed to awe at the famous inventor.

"Well, then Percy. I'm Tony Stark. Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist. And this is my bodyguard, Happy Hogan." Tony introduced Happy who simply nodded.

Before Tony could talk more, Sally asked a question.

"Would you men like something to drink. Juice? Water?"

"Just water is fine, Ma'am."

"I'll be right back," she said and went to the kitchen.

Percy guided the men to the living room where they say on the couch. Soon Sally brought back the drinks and sat beside Percy on another couch.

"So may I ask why the famous Tony Stark decided to come to our apartment?" asked Sally.

"Recently, I have discovered something shocking. Because of this discovery, I tried to find information about it. Unfortunately, there was almost none of it. Therefore, I tried looking through another avenue which lead me to more questions than answers."

Tony Stark bore his eyes into Percy Jackson who tightened his grip on his pen. He didn't know if the man in front of him was a supernatural or a simple mortal.

"I have a question for your son."

"Go ahead. But he doesn't have to answer if he doesn't want to."

Tony nodded and asked Percy,

"Two years ago, the media painted you as a terrorist because of the numerous events that happened that summer such as the explosion of St. Louis Arc. I tracked your movements and it all started when you visited a strawberry farm."

Percy and Sally tensed at the mention of the farm.

"Sounds familiar? I tried to find out what that farm was since up until that day there was no relationship between you and that farm and the fact that your history as a terrorist was easily brushed off with another story was a red flag in my book. There is also your history of getting kicked out of almost every school you've been to with your latest stunt being the Meriwether College Prep.

Tony leaned forward and brought his hands together,

"Two years past, and you frequented that farm every summer as well as last December."

The Jacksons were honestly shocked at the amount of information Tony had.

"That's a violation of our privacy!" Sally exclaimed however, Tony ignored her outburst.

"What I want to know is what that farm is. Or more specifically what kind of camp has the technology to create a barrier to essentially defend against attacks as well as make its content invisible while creating an illusion as well as gathering mutants for some weird cult."

Percy was speechless,

"Wha... Who... How do you know all that?"

"I have my ways. Now, will you answer me?"

With trembling hands, he brought his pen out and simply held it.

'How does he know all this? He doesn't know about Camp Halfblood. And he talked about mutants instead of demigods which means he doesn't know about the Greek world. Is he a clear-sighted mortal? But then he would have seen monsters throughout his life which implies that he's a normal human. If not, he would have said something. But how did he find out about the camp?' thought Percy.

The boy suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that it belonged to his mother. The boy took a deep breath and calmed down. Normally, he wouldn't have any problem talking about Camp, but now that they were at war with Kronos, he had to remain vigilant. It was known that the Titan of time would use normal mortals against them.

His mother then spoke,

"Why should we tell you? You came in here and basically strong-armed us to get some information. There is a limit to my patience and you are really close to crossing it. And I wouldn't care who you are, Mr. Stark. So tell us why you need that kind of information." the woman glared at the man.

Tony looked at the woman than at the son before turning back to the mother. To be honest, he didn't want to strong-arm them like this. He simply wanted to gauge their expression and their responses. So far, they had more back-bone than he thought. Plus there is also the fact that the boy is a mutant and the man had no way to protect himself which, in hindsight, should've been an obvious thing.

'I underestimated them. Did that camp teach them or is it just a natural thing for the Jacksons? No matter, I'm done.'

Tony leaned back and sighed before turning to Happy,

"Happy, give me the tablet please."

"Are you finally going to tell them, sir?"

"Yeah."

This confused the mother-son duo.

"What's going on?" asked Percy.

"Before I say anything, I want your guarantee that everything spoken in this room stays here." Tony suddenly said seriously.

"Percy and Sally looked at each other before the mother nodded,

"We won't say a word."

Tony turned to Percy,

"I won't say a single thing either."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't"

Happy gave Tony the tablet and the latter powered it on.

"Do you remember when I said that I have discovered something?"

"Yes?" replied."

Tony then brought out a photo of a child standing on the sidewalk in what seems like a residential area. The child looked like he was checking something out. Immediately, Percy and Sally recognized him. Seeing their expression, Tony confirmed that they at least knew him,

"Seeing your expression, it seems like you know who this is."

"That's Isaiah Sharpe. He's a friend of Percy's" Sally said before glaring at Tony once more, "What do you want with him?"

"Everything."

"What!"

"Okay, that sounded wrong. Let me rephrase that. He is the reason all this happened."

"Why? Why are you searching for Isaiah?" asked Percy.

Tony looked at Haply who nodded. The inventor took a deep breath and answered,

"Because he's my son."

"..."

"..."

Silence reigned in the apartment emphasizing the shock the Jacksons were feeling. When Percy found his voice back, he stuttered,

"W-W-What? I'm sorry, could your repeat that, sir? I think I heard you wrong."

"Isaiah Sharpe is my son,"

"Oh, so I'm not going crazy."

"Proof." Sally suddenly said.

"What?" asked Tony.

"I want proof. You can't just tell us that he's your son and make us believe you. That child has gone through enough already."

Tony nodded,

"You're right. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

Tony once more tapped on his tablet. He then told his story while showing some pictures of Isaiah's mother. After fifteen minutes, he finished his story.

"... I even have a DNA test for it. This is why, when I found out that not only my son was alive. But he was also a mutant, I tried everything to find him, but since he can open portals, he could be anywhere. It was only after tracking Percy's and Bianca do Angelo's that I found out about that camp."

"You tracked Bianca too?"

"I told you before. I'll use whatever resources I need to find my son. It is through her I found out about the camp."

"Then you won't need to go to the camp to find Isaiah."

Tony suddenly leaned forward,

"What?"

"Isaiah told me where to find him if I ever want to see him. Just one second." Percy said before going to his room and bringing back a pen and a notepad.

Percy wrote something on it before ripping the page off and handing it to Tony.

"177A Bleecker Street?"

Percy nodded,

"Yeah, that's where you'll find him."

"He lives there?"

To his surprise, Percy shook his head,

"Oh no, he lives in Nepal."

"Then how am I going to find him?"

"You'll find him."

Tony simply looked at the boy and the paper.

"Alright kid. Although, I'm coming back if it doesn't work through. What about the camp? What is it and how is Isaiah involved with it?"

Percy simply smirked,

"You can ask him when you see him. Although, I'm sure you would be preoccupied with something more important."

Tony nodded before getting up from the couch.

"Alright."

He looked at the duo and thanked them,

"Thank you for helping me. When I find Isaiah, you will be handsomely rewarded."

"You don't need to, Mr. Stark. If I can help reunite a family, I will be happy to help." Sally said.

"Nope. I'm not taking a no for an answer. I will reward you for this."

Tony and Happy walked up to the entrance when the billionaire turned around,

"Out of curiosity, are you a mutant Percy?"

"No, but I do have powers."

"What?"

However, Percy didn't answer and simply smirked.

"You're one cheeky brat, aren't you?"

"I aim to please, Mr. Stark."

"Heh."

With that, Tony and Happy left the apartment for their next clue.

As soon as the door closed, Percy and Sally let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Damn! If this were a story, this is one of those plot twists no one saw coming." Percy said.

"You're right, who would've known. Isaiah Sharpe, son of Tony Stark. That's quite incredible. Besides, why didn't you say anything about Isaiah being a sorcerer, Percy?"

"Do you think a man like Tony Stark would believe us? Imagine a man who only believes in science was told that something illogical as magic existed and his son is a part of it. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't believe us. Just like the camp, I'm pretty sure that he believes it is a cult for mutants to hide from society and worship non-existent gods or something."

"Oh, my son has become quite the thinker. Annabeth must be quite the influence."

"Come on, mom. It's not like I'm stupid. I think," the tern replied.

But are you not going to do anything about how he tried to force us to answer?" Percy asked.

"What can I do, Percy? I'm just a mother with the dream to become a writer while Tony Stark is Tony Stark. No explanation is needed here. Besides, in the end, he's a father who is searching for his long-lost son."

"He literally introduced himself as a genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist without cringing nor remorse." Percy deadpanned.

"No one has innate knowledge about parenting. We learn over the years, Percy. You'll also learn one day."

"Pffft! Me, kids? Naaaaah." Perry retorted.

Sally smirked,

"That's right. Before thinking about kids, you need to have a girl first. Do you have any choices in mind?"

For a split second, Percy's mind wandered to a certain blonde wise girl before vigorously shaking his head and trying to fight down a blush. Unfortunately, his mother caught on,

"Oh my. It seems like there is. Who is it? Annabeth? Thalia?"

"Mooooom!" Percy's whine rang in the apartment along with the mother's laughter.