Chapter Text
[The story is from Nico's point of view with some awkward accidental switches in there because I suck]
Nico felt like an idiot. He left Camp Half-Blood using his preferred method-- shadow travel. His intended destination had been his room at his father’s palace in the Underworld, and this definitely wasn’t it unless Hades had done some major redecorating since he had visited last. This seemed to be the surface world still since it was loud and awake-- the very thing he was trying to escape. He just wanted to be alone. Was that too much to ask?
He couldn't tell where he was by his surroundings-- it looked just like any other city to him. Granted, he hadn’t been to very many cities that he actually had time to pay attention to the scenery. He was sure that most cities didn’t feel this… sinister, though. There was something very dark about this city, and he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. As he stood, surveying the filth and the haze of the pollution-filled sky, it hit him. This city reeked of death.
Nico walked out of the alley he had landed in and spotted a cemetery across the street. It seemed that the fates didn’t completely hate him after all. He knew he'd be able to protect himself surrounded by the dead. The cemetery was his best bet. As much as he wanted to spend time being angry with himself over his inability to do anything the simple way, he had to protect himself first. He pushed his self-loathing off for the time being and made his way across the street.
No one even spared him a glance as he climbed over the fence. He skillfully hauled himself over the barrier and dropped to the ground on the other side with a soft thump. Nico looked around to see if there was a guard or something around before moving further into the cemetery. He didn't want to deal with the law at the moment if he didn't have to-- after all. Based on the condition these graves were in, there hadn't been proper management for a long time. It was disappointing to Nico because he knew better than almost anyone else that there were still souls attached to those graves.
He kicked a pinecone with a shoe telling himself that this was all his fault because he had tried to take a leave of absence. He had just wanted to get away for a little while because the summer campers were starting to move back in and things were getting crowded. The extra people brought extra rumors, and the stares got worse. Their gazes felt like they wanted to dissect him. There were also the whispers that they thought he couldn’t hear. The feeling of being on the outside looking in, even in conversations that he was actively involved in.
They had been interested in him once, but the amazement of the Titan War was long gone, and everyone slowly forgot how he helped save the day. Nico hadn't expected to be worshipped, but he also hadn't expected for them to go back to avoiding him entirely, either. In retrospect, he should have known that nothing had fundamentally changed about his status among them. He was not guaranteed their respect, only their tolerance. It sucked, but that's the way of the world.
He guessed they remembered how he could reanimate corpses and speak to the dead. Powers that were taboo in hundreds of cultures all across history. He couldn't really blame them for wanting to keep their distance. It was human nature to avoid death, after all. Maybe he should be concerned for the people who had stuck around. The only ones that stayed were the ones who had powers that rivaled his own-- deadly and awe-inspiring powers. Like Percy with his ability to create his own personal hurricanes or earthquakes or Thalia who could summon lightning at will.
The rejection was a hard pill to swallow so he had decided that it was better to be alone. After all, he had done well for himself for the most part. Minos doesn't count. Nico had been young and impressionable. He'd done everything for him, unknowingly helping him with his scheme to exchange a soul for a soul and finally get revenge on Daedalus. The only things Nico had gotten from Minos were trust issues and a greater knowledge of his abilities. It hadn’t all been for nothing, at least.
As he walked through the unkempt cemetery, he felt strangely drained. He didn't know how far he had traveled, but it had really taken a lot out of him. It felt as though each limb weighed twice as much as it normally did, so it took twice the effort to do anything. He'd have to find somewhere safe to rest for a while before he tried to shadow travel again. He had no idea how many jumps he could make in a row before it was too much, and he wasn't eager to find out.
The son of Hades took out a square of ambrosia and bit off the corner. It tasted like his mother's homemade apple pie-- a little taste of home. It was his favorite comfort food when he was a child, though Maria had always saved it for special occasions. However, his mother had seemed to find most occasions special; she was funny that way. Nico remembered how much she celebrated life every day. She treated every day like a gift and vowed not to waste it. Somedays missing her almost killed him.
As he looked at the writings on the gravestones, a flash of fear went through him. He stumbled up to the nearest grave and tried to decipher the inscriptions. His exhaustion and his dyslexia made it almost impossible to read what was on the stones. Luckily, the inscription at least seemed to be in English. That was a huge relief. He had no desire to find himself back in China anytime soon. The culture shock was real.
"Ok, so not China." He muttered under his breath. He settled down in front of the grave. He put his head on his knees to try to suppress the incoming headache from the failed shadow jump. Nico took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. He went through the survival checklist of what he had to work with. It wasn’t much. He hadn't taken much from camp-- not having much in the first place. He had never stayed anywhere long enough to have the chance to be materialistic.
He didn't know where he was and had nowhere to stay for the night. He also didn't have money to pay for a hotel or to send an Iris Message-- not that he would have either way. He wasn't old enough to rent a room and there was no one he wanted to IM. Spending the night in the cemetery didn't sound all that appealing, but he figured that he'd have to make do. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. He'd look around in the morning and see where he was and whether or not he could shadow travel home. It was late afternoon as it was. He was in for a long night.
He didn't really know how long he just sat there in that position, but eventually, the silence and the heat of the day made it hard for him to stay awake. In an effort to not fall asleep, he moved back into the shadows of the building that he now realized was an ancient mausoleum. He was going to try to figure out where he was, but he drifted off, feeling safe being in the center of his element. Someone would be crazy to attack the Ghost King in a cemetery.
Late that night, he was awoken by the sounds of receding footsteps, whispering, and shovels cutting through dirt. For some reason, he felt an indescribable amount of rage. The rage helped to wake him up and, when I was able to think properly, he could recognize that these emotions were not his own. However, that left him to wonder whose feelings they were. The idea of sharing feelings with another person had always freaked him out. It sounded annoying and confusing-- a design flaw.
After a couple more minutes of trying to find the source of the signals with his deathly powers, he could tell that the feelings were from a spirit whose grave had just been disturbed. The woman, Mavery Johnson, was giving the people who stood by her grave an ear full. Not that they could hear her. Mavery was going on and on about how the men were going to go to hell in a handbasket and that their parents should've tanned their hides more often when they were kids. Her screeching voice was enough to make Nico want to gouge out his eardrums. The son of Hades decided to make it his personal goal to somehow get her to shut up.
Before Nico could make a move towards the grave robbers (mainly to make Mrs. Johnson shut up), a dark and foreboding voice called out to them. He nearly laughed, I didn't have access to tv, but even I knew that this was a really cliche scene from a spy movie of some sort. If this man knew he was being cliche, it didn't reflect in his voice.
"Haven't you ever heard of letting the dead rest in peace?" The man said in a not-so-questioning tone. His voice was deep, almost gravelly, though it didn't sound like a smoker's. More like a smooth rumbling sound. From his place by the mausoleum, he couldn't see the speaker. Nico took the risk of moving into a standing position, finding it difficult as his muscles were stiff from disuse and the cold night on the ground. It hadn't been his intention to fall asleep, but hey... with great power comes the need to take a nap.
By the time he'd gotten to my feet, the braver of the two robbers had started to speak, "...man I-I don't think they will miss it none." He said shakily. As he was shifting, he had missed the first part of the first word, but Nico figured it didn't matter too much. As the robber spoke, the souls of Mrs. Mavery called him every curse word she knew. She called him a sissy, a no-good thief, a coward, and a couple of other things that would make all the modern-day teenagers laugh hysterically. Though he was no modern teenager, and in his opinion, she had given it right to 'em. It was unfortunate that they would never know.
"Drop the loot and fill up that hole or go to jail. Your choice." The foreboding voice responded, unimpressed. Really, an ultimatum? Not even an interesting one at that. Whoever this guy was, he didn't seem overly scary to him, just some dude in the shadows. However, some dude in the shadows could move mountains if no one called his bluff. Nico spoke from experience.
"Right away!" The first thief said again. The next thing he heard was shovels working furiously to replace the disturbed soil. I felt the soul of Mrs. Mavery thanking someone she called The Caped Crusader before her spirit returned its consciousness back to the underworld. Nico couldn't help but wonder who would call themselves a Caped Crusader. It sounded a little lame to him. The demigod hadn't heard the Caped Crusader leave, but he could hear the two men talking in hushed tones, so he assumed that he had gone. Too bad, Nico had been interested in maybe catching a glimpse of this mystery dude. He briefly wondered if the mystery man actually did wear a cape. Then his mind went off on its own little tangent about how annoying it must be to wear a cape.
Nico backed himself further back from the robbers so that they didn't stumble across him as they left. By this time, he was thoroughly frozen and he wanted to warm up. Nico still hadn't the slightest clue of where he was, and he knew he would have to go into the death-soaked city to find answers. The son of Hades, with his great judgment, decided to take a walk through town. Had he known just where he had landed, he would've reconsidered.
Nico snuck his way around the grave robbers towards the edge of the cemetery, looking for the way out. He pulled my aviator's jacket close to his body and shivered to preserve what little warmth he had. He was hardly ever warm-- even in summer. It was almost as if his body didn't produce heat. When people felt his cold skin, they usually figured that he didn't feel the cold. It was actually just the opposite.The Apollo campers told me that it was because I didn't eat enough, but Nico wasn't too sure. He could put away several happy meals in one sitting then go a week with nothing. When one fended for themselves, you ate when you could, and as a demigod, he knew not to eat too much in case of a battle.
He trudged, shivering, to the front gate where he quickly hauled himself over the fence, landing virtually silently-- call it a super power. Choosing a direction at random, he continued his exploration of the city, finding it odd how little foot-traffic there was, even at this hour. Nico traveled down several separate streets, changing directions on a whim. As he walked, he began to get the feeling that someone was watching him. Nico's demigod training kicked in, and his senses went on overdrive. He couldn't hear anything or sense another person nearby, but he had been through enough scrapes to trust his instincts. Being a demigod child of a powerful god, Nico naturally assumed that it was a monster of some sort.
He quickened his pace and kept his hands in his pockets, where he kept his backup weapon, a 6-inch silver dagger, disguised as a tourist minted coin with the Roman colosseum engraved on the front. If anyone were to see it, they would merely think that he'd been to Italy. He held the coin firmly in his palm, waiting for something to jump out at him at any moment. A sword wouldn't be of much use in such close quarters anyway. He passed a shop on the corner that read Downtown Gotham Post in big, bold letters. That's when he got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was stranded in the worst city in America, with someone stalking him. With his luck, it could be Scarecrow or even the Joker. He just hoped that it wasn't the Riddler-- he would be dead before he could figure out the answer to anything he asked.
Nico clung closer to the buildings, hoping that the shadows would help to hide him. He kept moving-- not really knowing what else to do. Every once in a while, he would stop to pull his coat around himself or to sneeze. He vaguely hoped that he wasn't coming down with something. The last thing he needed was to get a cold that drained his energy and made him vulnerable. Plus he'd never hear the end of it from Demeter who would insist that he needed to eat more grains or something like that.
He walked another block. There was one of Gotham's banks at the end of this street, right across from a run-down drug/convenience store. Right before he even reached the end of the street, the alarms in the bank went off, and a group of 3 dudes wearing a lot of face makeup ran out into the street. This night was certainly turning out to be entertaining if nothing else.
It only took him one glance to know that these were some of the Joker's lackeys. Nico started to back into the small space between the bank and the apartment complex, but as fate would have it-- he stepped on a beer can with a loud crunch. He looked sharply towards the Joker's goons to see if they had heard it. Unfortunately, they had and were starting to walk towards him slowly, in a threatening manner. They were all tall, 2 of the 3 were beefy, and the third was slim, but he looked odd, with a lot of muscle in his shoulders and virtually none in his legs. He made for an odd sight, though he didn't stay to ponder it for long.
He wasn't about to stay and try for a diplomatic solution-- the demigod turned and ran back the way he came just as fast as he could. Could he beat these guys? Sure! You know, if he had a sword that worked on mortals and he hadn't recently made a failed shadow jump. He cursed himself as he ran through the quiet streets of Gotham City. So fighting wasn't an option so he would just have to hope that he could outrun them. Fat chance.
Nico took turn after turn at top speed, the thugs slowly falling further and further behind. he prayed silently to every god and goddess He could think of to help me escape. He must've offended someone because the next corner he took led me to a dead end. he pivoted on my heels to go the other way, but the thugs hadn't been as far back as he had thought and had blocked his escape. Nico backed up until his back had nearly hit the wall. He wasn't a match for 3 beefy goons with weapons, he was about to get mugged, and he knew it. The thought made him really angry, he had survived so much in the past year, and now he was going to be beaten and/or killed by a bunch of mortals. The shadows swelled around him so subtly that he almost didn't notice. Almost.
Nico gritted his teeth as he sized up the men in front of him. He was gonna die for sure. He shivered mostly from the cold and excess adrenaline. Nico was scared, though he would never admit it. People were sometimes the worst monsters of all.
"So kid, what is a little boy like you doing out alone in Gotham? Don't you know that it isn't safe?" Said...Charlie. For some reason, the thug seemed like a Charlie.
"No one mentioned it." He deadpanned. The only response he got was a cold sneer.
"Well, consider this a free lesson in Gotham street smarts." The next guy... maybe a Kevin said. He and the other two guys started to move closer. Nico braced myself against the wall-- this was the end. Hopefully they would send him to his father quickly. He wasn't sure if he was quite ready for that lecture, though. The thugs pressed in suffocatingly close. Nico was unprepared when the first blow came to his side. The thug's meaty paw caught him in his solar plexus. He collapsed onto all fours with a groan. He clutched his ribs, trying to protect them. He waited for another hit, but instead of a blow, like he was expecting, he heard one of the thugs grunt and fall to the ground.
Nico peeked over to see that it was the unnamed thug that fell. Both Charlie and Kevin were looking towards the rooftop behind him in fear. Nico took that chance to duck into the corner behind some crates. Just as he had, a bright light shone in Kevin and Charlie's faces. It momentarily blinded them and made his corner seem even darker by comparison. Nico pressed his back against the wall to wait and see what would happen. A tall, dark figure leaped off the roof and kicked Charlie in the side of the head. Charlie stumbled and fell, hitting his head hard on the ground as he went down. Instinctively, Nico knew that the man wasn't dead, nor was he in any danger of dying.
Kevin ran at the man in a cape with a small pocket knife out. The man with the deformed ears knocked the blade out of Kevin's hands then elbowed him in the side of the head, effectively knocking him out. It didn't even seem like it had taken too much effort on his part. He gave the oddly attired man a once-over, then decided that this was probably the Caped Crusader that Mavery Johnson was talking about. So, this is the Batman, then?
"Who are you?" Batman asked, turning to look at the demigod-- who was still crouched in the corner. He slowly stood up from his position and pressed his back against the wall. He was in unfamiliar territory. All of his instincts were shouting at him that he was still in danger and that this man in front of him was still a possible threat. Nico tended to trust his instincts. Though trusting his instincts didn't make him smart and he ended up mouthing off.
"I don't have to tell you," he said defensively. Batman didn't seem to like that response and took-- what he interpreted to be-- threatening step forward. Nico pressed himself further into the wall. It wasn't out of fear but more out of wariness that he wanted to distance himself from this man. He wasn't a match for this guy if he decided to strike. Plus, Nico had no way out other than past him. As it was, he appeared to be at his mercy.
"Where are your parents?" The person in front of him moved on as though he hadn't spoken. Nico didn't reply for a few moments, pondering on what to say. What would get him out of here the fastest? Unfortunately, he had no clue.
"It doesn't matter." He finally said angrily. Batman seemed surprised at his hostility.
"It does matter-- if you don't have any," Batman replied unemotionally. He got right to the point, which didn't quite track with the theatricality that Nico had come to expect. The bluntness of the statement caught him off guard, and I found himself responding emotionally.
"That isn't any of your business, now is it?" He asked heatedly. Nico didn't see how this was any of his business. Why did he get involved with all the crime and stuff on the streets? What was the story behind the Batman?
"Gotham is my city-- that makes it my business." The thought made Nico want to laugh-- the man thought he owned the entire city. Was this true hubris?
"Just leave me alone, alright? I have everything taken care of." Nico said, moving to leave the alley. his plan was to make it as far as he could before the man tried to stop him then either try to make a run for it or continue negotiating the man's curiosity. He'd do whatever it took to stay out of the system.
"Yes, you proved that quite well a couple of minutes ago." Batman retorted. That made Nico angry-- this man in a bat suit had no right to criticize him since he had no idea how well he could actually take care of myself when he was fully operational. Instead of retorting-- he stiffened. Batman waited silently for a response, but Nico just resumed his course. Nico edged around Batman and then walked swiftly in the opposite direction of the vigilante, trying to put as much distance between them as he could. Surprisingly Batman didn't even try to stop him. It seemed that he wasn't as trapped as he had thought.
Nico walked for maybe an hour longer before someone else decided to interrupt my peaceful and freezing walk. He got lost in my own thoughts and accidentally started into the street, without realizing that a car was already headed his way. Luckily the driver was able to slam on the brakes in time not to crush him. He stumbled back onto the sidewalk. What was with the near-death experiences tonight? Were the fates trying to tell him something? Surely there were easier ways than this?
When the vehicle came to a stop, Nico leaned against a lamp post for support, trying to figure out how to breathe again. The car parallel parked right in front of him, and he braced himself to run if need be. This was still Gotham-- danger came in all forms. His misgivings weren't soothed in the slightest as a man got out of the driver's side. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and blue eyes. Nico recognized him from a newspaper he would see every once in a while. The man that nearly ran him over was none other than Bruce Wayne, the billionaire. Perfect. The last thing he needed is to be in some news article as the almost victim of a car accident.
"Hey kid, you ok? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He said he sounded genuinely concerned, "Hey, you don't look too good."
"I'm fine," he replied warily, watching the man curiously. Nico never looked very good-- he knew that. People often reminded him that he happened to resemble a fresh corpse.
" Where are you headed? I could drop you off? It's the least I could do." He said.
" Uh, no it's ok." Nico backed away uncomfortably. He wasn't born yesterday-- this could very easily be a new scam or kidnapping ploy. He didn't trust billionaires when he didn't know where they got their money. And sometimes not even then. Wayne had Wayne Enterprises, of course, but what did WE even do? Nico didn't really know much about Gotham but every once in a while a crazy Bruce Wayne story would get passed around camp-- usually by the Aphrodite cabin. They all seemed to be placing bets on who he would end up dating next. That didn't sit well with Nico.
"Really? Where are your parents?" He asked, looking around as though searching for his guardian.
" I think they went to the drugstore-- they should be home in a little bit. I live just down the street." Nico lied easily. Mr. Wayne looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He gave him a judgemental once-over and Nico could just feel that this man wasn't buying it.
" You're not with your parents, are you?" He asked with sympathy in his eyes. Nico didn't reply-- knowing that he had been caught. Bruce took his silence as an answer.
"Are they..." he trailed off. Nico looked away, knowing he meant dead. He steeled himself before glancing back at the billionaire. He eyed the older man with suspicion. What is his play? He had been in the game long enough to know that there always was one. Was there somewhere he was going with this or did he just get his kicks out of bullying orphans?
"My condolences. Here, why don't you come and live with me? I have more money than I need and too much space. I also promise to try and stay out of your hair for the most part. It just wouldn't be right for me to leave you out here on your own." Bruce said, making hand gestures that you would often see business people make. Nico was about to refuse when Mr. Wayne struck home.
"Come on, it's not like you have somewhere else to go." It was true. The people at camp didn't want him and he was getting tired of not knowing where he would sleep next to or where he would get his next meal. Nico was just tired of the energy it took to live in this world.
Nico stood there staring at Mr. Wayne for at least a minute, just trying to come up with a reason to say no. Well, beyond the fact that he didn't know him. He couldn't come up with anything and that surprised him. He thought through the pros and cons, a place to sleep, not as much privacy, food to eat, less freedom to go places on a whim, always knowing that he would have a place that he can go where people will at least accept him, or go to the place full of people like him where no one truly accepted him. He made up his mind. He wanted a fresh start.
"Ok, on one condition," He said warningly.
"Name it," Bruce assured him.
"There is this summer camp that I go to every summer, I would still like to attend," Nico said apprehensively.
"That can be arranged."
{This was first posted in 2017, go easy on it.}