My Uncle is Bruce Wayne

Chapter 5

A PERCY JACKSON/BATMAN ARKHAMVERSE CROSSOVER STORY

Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

After Hermes had left, Percy was escorted to his new bedroom by a bemused Bruce Wayne. The revelation that gods can easily come and go to his manor was an eye-opener for the famed Dark Knight. Usually, gods would not visit mortal homes, but Percy was, once again, an exception. His titles were a beacon to the gods that he was up for anything, especially for quests.

Damian and Dick had disappeared, but he knew they were around here somewhere. Dick had treated Hermes like a lost friend, and he huffed, realizing that Hermes had found another pranking partner. Hopefully, Dick was more mature than Apollo and Hermes, but he wasn't counting on his adopted cousin if he was to believe Bruce's words.

On the other hand, Damian treated the god of messengers as something akin to a mighty enemy. The boy was wary as Hermes roamed around the manor nonchalantly, his talking caduceus, ignorant of how it looked for the mortals.

"Ah, Master Percy," Alfred smiled at him, turning away from Estelle's new crib, courtesy of Hephaestus and Aphrodite. "The young miss has finally fallen asleep. Where did this crib come from?"

Percy scratched his head. "Uhh, from the gods. As payment."

"Payment for what?" Alfred raised his eyebrows, seemingly unfazed that the crib came from his immortal family. 

"That's a long story," Percy only said, wishing to move to another topic. "Anyways, thanks for placing Estelle in my room."

The British butler only smiles at Percy before leaving him to his devices, closing the doors behind him. Percy dumps his bags on the edge of the large bed. He spots Calypso's moonlace on the nearby windowsill, glowing silver as moonlight shines upon the plant.

He decided to look around his room. His uncle certainly spared no expense for the comfort of Percy and Estelle. He was still relieved that they had not decided to place Estelle in a separate room. He wasn't ready to leave his sister by herself.

The room was a typical room for a male teenager, but it was much larger than what he had in his previous apartment. He spotted a few Hermes Express packages laying around his room, and his curiosity caused him to open a few of them.

The first package he came across was from Athena and Hephaestus. He opened it and was evidently surprised by the contents inside the box. It was Daedalus's laptop. He thought Annabeth had lost it when they fell into... there.

He placed the laptop on the empty study table. He grabs the other gift; a smartphone. He was wary as demigods and technology don't go hand-in-hand. Modern technology acted as a beacon to monsters and thus, making him into a bigger target. Then, he notices a familiar symbol at the back of the phone; an Eta symbol.  He spies a note at the bottom of the package and quickly reads it. 

Perseus Jackson,

In this box, I gift you a reconstructed version of Daedalus's laptop. It was supposed to be a gift to my daughter. After her death, I think you should keep this.

Hephaestus's son, Leo Valdez, has created a monster-proof phone with the help of his father. Other demigods are currently receiving these phones, but the son of Hephaestus has created this phone especially for you.

Use these gifts wisely, Perseus Jackson. And, thank you for making my daughter's life something to live for.

Athena, goddess of wisdom, civilization, mathematics, strategy, defensive warfare, crafts, the arts, and skill.

Percy silently thanked the goddess and tried to remind himself to IM Leo to thank him for the phone. He didn't know what Leo had added to his phone, but he was thankful that Leo had given him something with Hephaestus's aid.

"Hey, knock knock," a male voice called out, and Percy turns to stare at the person. "You must be Percy. I'm Tim. Bruce's other adopted kid."

The son of Poseidon shakes Tim's hand. "Hey, dude."

"Anyways, nice stuff you got there!" he complimented, eyeing at the smartphone and laptop. "Where'd you get it?"

Percy shrugs. "My cousins sent it to me."

"Nice..." Tim claps Percy's back. "Expensive gifts. Anyway, dinner's ready."

He turns to look back at Estelle's crib, nervous leaving his sister alone in their shared bedroom. Tim noticed his look and shoved something to his hands.

"Here, it's a baby monitor. That way, you can watch her while you're eating," his blue-eyed cousin smiles. "I'll help you set it up."

They quickly set it up and left Estelle to dream in Morpheus's realm. As they entered the large dining room, Percy spots his uncle shoving his food quickly before standing up. Dick was nowhere to be seen while Damian was silently scowling at his seat, barely eating his portions.

"The city never sleeps," Tim sighs as he grabs a few slices of beef and shoving it in his mouth. "What happened this time?"

"The bank," Bruce growls. "Let's go."

Percy stood there, confused as the two men walked out of the dining room. "Where in Hades are they going?"

"Master Bruce and Master Tim are heading out to solve an issue," Alfred appears out of nowhere, a plate of food on his hands. "After that, they will be patrolling."

The British man handed him the plate, and Percy accepted it, sitting down next to Damian. "Why is Tim involved?"

"He's the current Robin," Damian answers instead, stabbing the piece of beef forcefully.

"Ahh, I forgot Batman has a partner."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "I think the apt title for that would be 'sidekick', Jackson."

"Where's Dick?" Percy asked.

Alfred hummed. "Master Dick has gone back to Bludhaven to go out for patrol as well."

"He's Nightwing?"

Damian smirked. "He was Father's first Boy Wonder. After Grayson got tired of being in Father's shadow, he left Gotham to start his own base of operations."

"Jason was the second one?" Percy guessed, and he could feel Alfred's grief hung clearly in the cold air.

"Master Todd succeeded Master Dick, but he was different. He was more impulsive, more reckless and angered easily," Alfred said sorrowly. "He was violent, but Master Bruce was determined to change the boy's attitude. He was getting through Master Jason, but then, the Joker happened."

"What happened to Father's second Boy Wonder?" Damian asked. "Father could never tell me about what truly happened."

"The Joker sent your father a tape consisted of the madman torturing the poor boy. The tape ends with the Joker killing Master Jason," Alfred whispered. "Master Bruce searched the abandoned wing. He only found ashes and blood. He was devastated."

Both Damian and Percy sat there in silence, letting the British butler leave the dining room, ignoring the lone tear slowly going down his cheek.

"I was never particularly good with emotions, Jackson," Damian confessed out of the blue, breaking the silence between us. "I was born to an emotionless mother and an absentee father. Of course, Father was blameless on his part in conceiving me. After all, he was drugged when my mother sought him out."

Percy stiffened. "You aren't saying what I think you're implying, Damian?"

"Father has never truly recovered from Todd's loss," the Bruce lookalike continued, ignoring Percy. "I thought he was becoming weaker as he continued ageing, but it seems I was wrong. I misunderstood his demeanour."

The son of Poseidon grabbed the boy's arm, forcing him to look into his sea-green eyes. But the son of the Dark Knight shrugged it off and left the dining room, leaving the son of Poseidon to his raging thoughts.

Author's Notes: Happy New Year! It's 2021, and hopefully, everyone will have a better year.