From Camp Half-Blood to Gotham (Nico x Batfam)

Home Sweet...more talking (38)

It had been a long conversation as Nico, along with Nightwing and Red Robin tried to convince the two hero teams that 'Son of Hades' is just a nickname for him, and he wasn't actually a demigod.

The talk had been so long in fact that Nico was very happy to be able to return to the Manor and get some rest.

There had been some protests over the bats leaving but there wasn't much to do with the Penguin still on an iffy mend and no new information from the bunker. So, they left via zeta-tube.

"You're starting to catch onto our diversion tactics." Bruce nodded in Nico's direction as he peeled his cowl off of his head.

"Thanks," Nico grumbled, tossing his domino mask back to Tim, who had his phone out. "I honestly don't know how you guys come up with some of these lies."

"It comes with a lot of practice. You'll get used to it." Dick patted Nico on the back and started towards the stairs, having already changed out of his suit.

"I'm not sure I want to get used to it," Nico mumbled, slipping out of his breastplate. His shirt was sticking to his skin in uncomfortable places, even if he felt like he hadn't gotten that sweaty.

"You guys are finally back!" Nico, along with the rest of the boys looks up at Jason, who was sliding down the pole. "I feel like I haven't seen you guys in weeks."

"Don't be dramatic. You know how our trips go." Dick clapped Jason on the back as he jogged over. "Where's Damian?"

"Still with Jon I think." Jason shrugged.

"Aw! Little Dami is playing with his friends." Dick cooed, clasping his hands in front of him and spinning like a Disney Princess. Nico rolled his eyes, trying to surpass a yawn.

"One hundred bucks that those two are getting into some kind of trouble." Tim grinned, finally setting his phone down.

"Make it two." Jason's hand shot into the air like he was bidding on an auction.

"Enough," Bruce warned, a slight smile on his lips. "Let the two boys have fun. If they are doing something they're not supposed to, we will deal with it accordingly."

"Aw! But betting is always more fun when it's on the lives of the people you care about." Jason whined, puffing his lips out in a fake pout. Nico was suddenly reminded of Leo, and he wasn't quite sure why.

"Everyone should shower, maybe get a few bites to eat, then it's off to bed." Bruce shook his head in amusement. There were a few groans, but everyone headed back up the stairs and into the Manor to do what they were told.

Nico made a beeline for the kitchen, intending to see if there was anything relatively high in sugar content for him to snack on. To his disappointment, there wasn't anything but fruits and vegetables. He sighed and closed the cabinets dejectedly.

He was about to turn and walk to his, looking forward to taking a long nap when Jason walked into the kitchen, a bag of chips in hand.

"You doing okay?" Jason asked, crunching down on a handful of delicious-looking chips.

"Fine, why?" Nico replied, staring longingly at the bag, his stomach rumbling.

"You look like you got a lot on your mind." Jason leaned against the countertop. Nico frowned. He didn't think he had been thinking of anything except food and sleep.

He shrugged, not really believing he looked like he was thinking about stuff until his brain started to think about all the stuff he should be thinking about.

There was the whole Penguin fiasco and now Superboy knew his name. Bruce was not going to be happy about that. He also had a prophecy to think about, one with even vaguer instructions than usual. The Titans were on the rise again and Nico didn't know what they wanted. Well, it was probably world domination and that added a whole new layer to things. He was working with heroes he knew basically nothing about. Which meant he didn't know either his enemies or his allies. He also had to deal with a broken suit and newly overpowered shadow abilities. He had already lost control over the dead, accidentally summoning thousands of bones, an incident Nico was not keen on repeating. He also had to worry about keeping his friends out of danger. Friends that actively wanted to jump into danger. Did school count as a worry? Nico wasn't really doing much there but he was worried about Bruce finding out that he wasn't the one doing any of his schoolwork. Oh, and he also had to worry about keeping two secret identities hidden. If him being a demigod gets revealed Nico was doomed, he couldn't disobey his father again and if his actual identity was revealed it would probably lead to the rest of the bat families' identities getting discovered. Nico didn't know what he would do if that happened.