Chapter Text
Bruce sat in the darkness of the cave, the cool breeze blowing across his back as the screen cast a soft blue glow over his seat. His eyes were in constant movement, scanning the information it displayed. The only break in the silence was the soft, echoing drip, drip, drip, of a stalactite. Bruce sat alone, completely still in the dark cave. The soft rustling of moving fabric broke the stillness as he shifted in his chair, a hand rising up to his right comm
“Activity by central avenue. Red Robin, you’re with me. Everyone else sticks to their routes until further notice.”
One of his kids let out a snort from the other end of the line, quickly followed by muffled giggling. “Aye-aye captain.”
A soft sigh escaped his lips, a mixture of fond exasperation perfected over the many years of raising his children. Knowing better than to give space for any further sarcastic commentary, he stood and made his way towards the cave's entrance.
Percy blinked once, then twice, then once again just to be sure. Either he was having one of the worst demigod dreams ever or there was a bat themed furry in an odd spandex-helmet combo staring him down from the shadowy corner of the alley he was standing in. Sure, he may not exactly know his current location, but even the strangest parts of New York didn’t usually house men the size of freight trains lurking about in animal suits. This was a whole new level of strange, even for him. His mind sorted through the possibilities. A monster? Doubtful. They tended to lack the subtlety required for the level of quiet stealth the thing in front of him was accomplishing. Mortal? He was tempted to cross that one off the list if only due to the circumstances they were meeting. What sane man dressed like that in the unholy hours of the night? In a city no less. Percy shook his head, forcing his brain back on track. The semantics of their meeting wasn’t his priority. The priority was finding out what the man was going to do about it.
As far as Percy was concerned, his body was just about at its limit. The chimera he’d chased had been way more difficult to catch than he had accounted for. It had taken him a good few hours, a dunk in the lake, several pairs of shoes, and a perfectly good street taco to finally corner it and take it down. As it was, he was exhausted, hungry, and covered in a not-so-fine layer of monster guts dust. He almost winced when he thought of the laundry he’d have to do once he made it back to camp. Hopefully the swim home would do most of the work for him seeing as he’d gone through 3 shirts already this week from various monster fights.
Percy stiffened, the hairs on the back of his neck raising. There was another one, on the rooftop behind him. Just fabulous. He loved company. Subconsciously, his fingers twitched down towards his pocket where Riptide was stowed away. Were they a threat? An ally? Just some mortals with weird hobbies?
Without warning, the shadowy man reached towards his utility belt, (a utility belt? Seriously?) snapping the demigods full attention back towards him. He could feel his gut tug towards the nearest water source: the rusted pipes running along the sides of the weathered brick buildings that loomed over them. Honestly, it was nothing short of a miracle there was any water in them at all. The entire city seemed on the verge of collapse, especially with the constant activities helping it along with its fair share of destruction, this figure clearly one of them. Percy shifted his stance slightly, feet poised to run at the slightest sign of aggression. Even he knew that a direct confrontation wasn’t always the best way to go about things. In his defence, his enemies tended to make that decision for him. Monsters weren’t known for their negotiation skills.
The shadowed man pulled the thing he had been reaching for out from the pouch on his belt to reveal a small, pointed object. If Percy didn’t know better, he would say it almost looked like some sort of blade that had been shaped into a vaguely bat-like symbol. Seriously, what was this dude's deal?
“Is that seriously a bat?” Oh shoot. He hadn't meant to say it out loud.
The figure froze. His masked face was unreadable, but Percy could swear the white lens covering his eyes narrowed slightly in response to his comment.
Still, the teen pushed onwards. “I hope I didn’t interrupt you or anything, I’m just passing through…” Percy trailed off. Where was this? He thought he may have crossed a state line or two but geography wasn’t his best subject. “Wherever it is that we are right now. Sorry, it’s been a long day. I should be able to be off pretty soon though, I just need to make a call or two and I can head out.” He flashed a quick grin at the man before beginning to shuffle towards the entrance of the alley, determined to escape before anyone or anything else could get involved.
Just as he turned toward the moonlight beaming through the exit, the mysterious figure from the rooftop dropped down from the sky, landing directly in his path. They appeared to be only slightly older than him, dressed in a costume even more bizarre than the shadowy man. A domino mask with milky white eyes covered the person's face, framed by his short black hair that just touched the top of his ears. A black cape was draped over his shoulders, covering a red and black outfit made from a strange, thin material with an odd bird symbol in the center of his chest. This figure also had a utility belt at his hips, although his was bright yellow. Percy stared, trying with all his might not to let his hopeless confusion show. Monsters he was prepared for. Weird, mutated beings with all manners of personalities and goop he could handle. This? Two seemingly mortal men dressed like heroes from a comic book? This was uncharted territory. Annabeth would have a field day with this, provided she wasn’t already aware of their existence.
Taking a deep breath, the demigod glanced back towards the first man. He’d since moved positions to be blocking the other end of the alley, effectively trapping him in. Sure, he’d faced worse in his time, but it was certainly an annoyance he couldn’t afford if he wanted to leave without any commotion.
Feigning casualness he didn’t feel, Percy tried again, “Well, I can’t really say it’s been a pleasure seeing as I haven’t met either of you, but I certainly will be sure to leave a glowing review for the spook factor. If that's all you needed from me then-”
The red figure cut him off. “Who are you?”
Tim eyed the kid suspiciously from his place on the rooftop, reconciling what he knew with the report he had been given before arriving at the scene. Messy black hair, dark eyes, a mediterranean complexion. He was wearing a neon orange shirt with some sort of logo on it that had since worn off, and a dark blue jacket that seemed to be barely holding together. Most strangely however, there was some strange type of grime that covered him from head to toe, particularly over his right arm. The vigilante’s gaze trailed across the tears in his jacket, studying the skin underneath it. There were thin scars barely noticeable to the naked eye that were littered across his skin, even up to his face and-
Tim inhaled sharply. His hair. His black hair had a grey streak that stood out in sharp contrast to the rest. He was sure that Bruce had noticed too, given the stony silence that felt less broody and more tense than he would have been otherwise. The vigilante released the breath slowly, contemplating. It could be anything really, from stress to a weird genetic mutation or trait the kid had gotten from his parents. But the rest of the details weren’t helping his case. The kid was practically screaming adoption bait with his hair and eyes, not to mention a slim hunger pang frame. All the traits together were certainly…particular to say the least. He did seem to lack the same haunting energy that lingered around Jason, which was a point in his favor. Tim couldn’t see his eyes from this angle, but Bruce hadn’t given any sign of alarm so it was likely a no on that front. Lazarus pit aside, the kid was definitely not just lost. When Bruce saw the commotion on the cameras, there had been something more than just the kid in the alley. Now, he stood alone with one hand tucked away in his pocket and another tense against his side.
The teens voice trailed up from the alley below, saying something about passing through and making calls before edging toward the end of the alley. Tim made eye contact with Bruce and was met with a short nod before dropping down and stopping the kid in his tracks.
“Who are you?”
To his surprise, the kid answered, “Percy. Who’s asking?”
The vigilante blinked. He really hadn’t expected a response, but he returned it in kind. “Red Robin.” Nodding his head towards where Bruce was now standing, he said, “Batman’s over there. What brings you here tonight Percy? It seems awfully late for someone your age to be out and about in Gotham City.”
The teens eyes widened slightly, betraying his surprise. “Hold on, back up. I’m in Gotham City?”
Percy didn’t even try to hide his shock. Sure, New Jersey wasn’t too far of a stretch from Long Island, but it was certainly farther than he had hoped. Most importantly, Gotham City? What god had he offended? Gotham was notoriously cursed, haunted by not only monsters of the mythological sort but more organic ones too. Mutated crocodiles, mad scientists, the works. Not only had he taken up an entire day to kill the chimera, but he’d landed himself in the ultimate cesspool of death by sheer dumb luck.
The costumed figure replied cautiously, as if worried he’d gone slightly insane. “Yeah kid, you’re in Gotham. Are you alright? We can help you find your way back if you need help but-”
BANG BANG
Loud, piercing gunshots rang out, shattering the deadly quiet with the chaos that they could hear breaking out across the street. Otherworldly snarls followed the very human sounds of terror, a loud crash spurring the strangers into action.
Just as he left, the red figure turned back and shouted, “Stay put! We’ll send someone over in a minute while we deal with this. Stay out of sight!” Without further ado, he pulled a grappling hook from one of the many pockets on his belt and swung out of sight.
Percy was left frozen in shock, unsure what he was supposed to do now. If it was a human making trouble, then he would be of very little help. The only weapon he had on him was Riptide, meaning he would be useless against a mortal. However, he definitely didn’t fancy the idea of waiting for another costumed weirdo to come and chat either. Just as he began to weigh his choices, an ear piercing roar snapped his head towards the battle ground.
Well, he thought. That isn’t the sound of any mortal I’ve heard before. With only a quiet groan of frustration at his lack of ability to simply stay out of things, he too ran forward into the thick of the battle.
Concrete gargoyle statues lay on the ground, shattered into pieces as a crowd of mortals tried desperately to scatter, dodging more flying debris raining down on them from the destruction being wrought. Police cars lined the street, although the police themselves didn’t seem to be doing much more than standing there and making sure no one was dead yet. In the center of it all was a giant hellhound, with glowing red eyes straight from Tartarus itself. Bigger than a tank, it swiped its enormous paws at the people running away, nose twitching as it searched this way and that. Percy nearly rolled his eyes at his stupidity. Of course he had managed to attract a hellhound not even 20 minutes after killing a chimera. Swiftly, he uncapped Riptide and charged, ignoring the yelling his sudden appearance garnered from law enforcement.
“HEY UGLY!”
The hounds head swiveled and its eyes locked onto the demigod as he rapidly closed in on the beast. Percy felt the familiar tug in his gut before the water he’d sensed earlier came bursting from the rusted pipes, blasting the monster in a pressurized stream. The hellhound went down with a yelp, stumbling back as the water pressed incessantly. Unfortunately for Percy, it seemed his luck had run out. The water sputtered to a soft drip within moments, the pipes having given all they had.
He cursed under his breath as the hound shook its head back and forth before once more centering its gaze on Percy. A growl sounded from deep within its chest as it bared its teeth at him before lunging forward, gaping maw wide open. Percy swung his sword just as it connected, successfully dislodging a few teeth and angering it even further. It lunged once more, clearly hoping to rip his head off, but he deftly dodged the attack and slid underneath its huge ribcage to slide Riptide neatly into its chest. His breath was ragged, hands shaking from exhaustion but he forced himself to keep on pushing until finally the hellhound let out a final threatening snarl and exploded into dust.
The demigod fell limply onto the ground, relieved. He was lucky it hadn’t been the brightest of the bunch, letting him get close enough to stab it before any casualties could occur. Carefully, Percy took stock of his body, checking for injuries. He’d bruised at least one rib, rolled his left ankle and had a nasty gash down his leg from the rock he had slid over when he killed the hound, but all things considered he felt pretty good about himself. Maybe he could convince Annabeth to design him a shirt that said “I survived Gotham City and all I needed was a new t-shirt and 3 stitches.” or something.
A shadow fell over him. He turned cautiously only to see the giant man from the alley standing behind him. Batman, right? He seemed unharmed, if a little dusty.
Percy grimaced in sympathy. “Sorry about your costume dude. That stuff sticks real bad.” Speaking from experience, it would need at least a few cycles in the wash and a good long soak to look normal again. Well, maybe less since it wasn’t as direct of a spray as Percy was used to. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t even realized the man had been standing so close. Just behind Batman stood the red figure, Red Robin. Both seemed a bit lost for words, but Percy chose to just roll with it. Who knew what they had seen happen. Maybe it looked like he’d just fought with a particularly opinionated tank with an appetite for teenagers.
He probably should have been more worried about the fact that he’d just used his powers to take down a hellhound in the middle of the street, but as he glanced around him he found that the police had finally evacuated the civilians, leaving only him, Batman, and Red Robin. Given they were swinging around at night dressed in capes, Percy figured this wasn’t the weirdest thing they’d ever seen. And if it was? That was certainly not a problem for present Percy. He felt reasonably certain the mist would have covered at least a good bit of the show, and he’d done what he had to do. There was no hesitating when lives were at stake.
Wincing, he slowly brought himself into a sitting position, taking shallow breaths to avoid aggravating his wounds. When he looked up, there was a gloved hand outstretched, ready to help him up. Batman looked at him with a blank stare, simply waiting. Percy hesitated a moment before taking it, nodding in thanks as he pulled himself up and began to dust himself off.
“You’re a meta.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. As if there was no other possible explanation for what had just occurred. The words themselves were spoken in a gravely tone, far deeper than seemed possible. Batman stared Percy down, eyes unblinking.
A meta? Was that some local term he was supposed to understand? He tried to just laugh it off, wiping his sword onto his now ripped jeans, but Red Robin cut in before he could think of a reply.
The caped teen pushed himself in front of the larger man, stance tense. “What exactly are you, kid?” Tim looked at the kid in front of him with a guarded expression. Him and B had tried everything they had and nothing had been able to touch the thing. Any attacks they threw at it just glided right through. It had looked like a giant dog on steroids but certainly hadn’t behaved like one. If he hadn't been able to see the damage being done to the city first hand, he may have thought it was just an illusion. Oracle had been on the comms, trying every trick in the book to find a way for them to subdue it to no avail. If even Batman couldn’t do it, then how had this ragged teenager taken it down within seconds of engaging it in battle?
Percy flashed them a crooked smile. “Just as human as you are.” He shifted his weight only to stumble slightly as they all looked down to see the giant gash running from his knee to his ankle, blood dripping down into his shoes. Tim struggled to stay calm as he froze slightly in panic. How was this kid standing there totally unfazed? How far did his meta powers go?
The vigilante reached into his belt, grabbing a small first aid kit before he spoke. “It looks like you need medical attention, Percy.”
The teen just shrugged him off, rummaging through his own pockets as he spoke. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I appreciate the thought though- ah ha! There it is!”
He held up a small ziplock baggie triumphantly, as if it held the answer to all of his problems. The vigilantes stood in silence as he proceeded to pull out the small crushed brownie it contained and pop it into his mouth, swallowing it quickly. Dusting the crumbs from his hands, he took a step experimentally, testing his injury. As he moved, his jeans shifted over the wound, hiding it from sight. From one breath to the next, the blood stopped. By the time Percy moved back to his original stance to reveal the wound, it was gone completely.
Tim’s voice came out an octave higher than it normally did. “Hey-”
Percy whistled a loud, harsh note.
FLAP FLAP-WHOOSH
The demigod turned around to face the two men, glossy black feathers floating in the air, a devilish grin replacing the crooked smile they had seen minutes before. “Hate to leave so soon, but I’ve got a date to get to.” Percy hoisted himself up onto a- was that a pegasus? - before giving a quick salute and disappearing altogether, lost in the Gotham night.
The comms crackled.
“Hey B, what the-”
Bruce cut them off. “Oracle. You caught all of that right?”
Barbra typed away furiously on her keyboard, clicking from one screen to another. She replied, “Short answer? No. Long answer? Sort of. It’s a bit complicated.”
She watched as the footage from the last hour replayed on her computer. From the kid running into the alley, chasing something, to his snarky goodbye in the midst of the debris. No matter what she did and where she looked, she couldn’t get a clear look at any of it. It was as if the cameras just couldn’t focus on what was going on.
Tim snorted. “Great. A water bending meta with magic healing brownies.” He kicked a rock by his foot.
The faint sound of a horse whinnying floated by them, carried by a stray breeze. Bruce simply bent over and picked up a feather, pocketing it. Looking up at the sky, he mused silently before continuing forward, with Tim close behind.
“Hey Boss!” Blackjack said excitedly. “ I found you all the way in New Jersey, and I even picked you up in Gotham! I think I deserve some donuts.”
Percy laughed. “Don’t worry Blackjack, we have time for a detour.”