Born of Water and Wealth (Percy Jackson and Young Justice)

Chapter 10: Meeting Speedy

Based Upon Episode 2 of Young Justice Season 1

Edited On: 5/15/2021

It was almost a routine, a very dangerous, deadly routine. I would always stop behind the Wayne Manor bushes just to watch the house from nine at night to two in the morning before heading back to my hotel to get some sleep.

No matter what I did that day, that always stayed the same. It lasted a week before the next time I went, a plate of cookies and milk was set innocently on a small table by the bushes.

I stared at the plate, then at the house, and after a small debate took a few cookies for home, and ate the rest with milk.

After that, I changed the schedule around and went to different spots in the yard. Always trying to stay hidden from the cameras and for the most part, it worked.

Of course, there was also the fact that they had hidden cameras, but when I was determined to stay hidden, I was pretty determined.

Tonight I wasn't at the manor though, I was watching as Dick and his friends take down some dude with the guy Speedy.

Well, actually his name is apparently Red Arrow now that he's gone solo away from Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen.

I couldn't say I could blame him for going solo or the name change, but the way he insulted my brother's team and brushed them aside.

Yeah, he didn't earn any favorable marks in my book.

So when he was walking away I silently jumped behind him, the cloth was over my mouth and nose only allowing my startling green eyes to appear.

Thankful for that was all it showed as my hair was securely hidden from view. As soon as I cleared my throat, Red Arrow whirled around with an arrow notched and ready to fire...until he saw me and my smallness.

I glared and stiffened up as he pretty much dismissed me, "You're a dick," I said blandly and saw him stiffen and could see his temper slowly start to show.

"What's it to you?" he snarled at me as I brushed it aside without much emotion needed.

"It matters to me when you insult my brother's team," I stated and stared at the surprise, then narrowed, untrusting eyes.

"Who's your brother?" he asked, reexamining now for threat level and who I might be related to.

"None of your concern," I said brushing that topic away slightly, "What I would like to know is whether you are aware of how rude you are being," I stated and walked toward him, ignoring how he suddenly got tense and his arrow re-notched.

"Please, none of that. I wish you no harm or the teams," I said and stuffed my hands in my pockets slightly.

"Who are you?" Red Arrow asked, looking slightly more relaxed as if he finally saw that I wasn't a threat to him or his friends, Wally and Dick.

"I don't really know," I said distractedly as I stared at the moon, for once allowing myself to acknowledge the feeling of being lost that had been gathering around me for some time.

But then I shook it off and stared at Red Arrow, "But does anyone really know who they are?" I questioned and saw him raise an eyebrow.

"How old are you, kid?" he asked, sitting down on the ledge of the building we were on, I soon followed his example and carefully slipped the cloth that hid my nose and mouth down.

"I'm technically ten," I said softly as I felt the cold hit my unveiled face, I froze for a second uncomfortable at the sudden scrutinizing I was getting from Red Arrow before he nodded slowly and stared off.

"What do you mean by technically?" he asked, his voice softer than before, now that he hasn't deemed me a threat.

"I'm a clone. Like Superboy," I said slowly and softly, but tense in preparation to bolt should Red Arrow become hostile at the new information.

But he just tilted his head toward me, never actually looking at me, and just hummed an affirmative tone.

It was a few personally tense seconds before Red Arrow commented, "So when you say brother..." he trailed off finally looking me in the eyes.

"I mean the blood of my clone's son. Aka, my brother and father," I said softly, for some reason I felt safe with Red and allowed myself to relax my shoulders.

We just watched the stars in silence as minutes ticked by, "How long have you really lived?" he asked softly, so softly I almost missed it.

Turning my head to look at him, I watched as he continued to look at the stars basking in their glory, "A year maybe? I'm not very certain of the day I have officially awoken, or the accidental awakening," I responded as I drew my knees to my chest.

"Accidental?" Red asked with a small hum.

"I shouldn't have awoken, but I did. They had to keep me sedated until they deemed I was allowed to wake up," I said softly hating the fact that I had to be sedated.

Because what they didn't know, I felt every second of being asleep. Trying to fight the drugs in my body to just wake up. I felt like I was going insane from nothing but darkness and the sometimes voices I would hear. But it was just me, and the information that continued to enter my brain.

"Doesn't sound fun," Red commented and I made an agreement noise.

"Percie," I said softly and drew a confused look from Red, "My name...I know you want to know it...I go by Percie. Don't have a last name though."

Red looked like he was debating with himself before he slowly took off his mask and held out his hand, "Roy. Roy Harper."

"Nice to meet you Roy, but I think I'll just call you Red," I told him, giving him a hesitant smile. I got back a soft smile and felt myself relax before looking at my watch.

"I gotta go," I said softly, "I'll hand you my phone number when I get a phone, which I've been meaning to for a bit," I said as I stood up.

"When that happens, I'll let you know where I'm crashing. You can crash there too," Red said softly as he inclined his head to me as he stared at the stars.

"Deal." I gave him a soft smile.

From that day forward, I made a sort of brother named Roy Harper aka Red Arrow. I didn't know he was also close, because all I really knew about him was that he was almost the older brother to Dick and I wanted to get to know him.

Roy was kind to me, the first person to really be kind to me other than my brother when we first met. He tried to help me when I had nightmares, but I learned to hide them, feeling guilty of always waking my new friend/brother.

He never asked about the scars on my back that we both knew were made by a whip, or how I liked cold showers.

He never pushed on how my family was, where I would disappear off to at night and return very early morning, what I do when he goes patrolling.

Just like I don't ask about his nightmares, what happened that made him drift away from Young Justice and the Justice League.

I never asked about his scars, how he would change a topic abruptly and I would let him, or how whenever he told me he disliked a certain food I wouldn't cook it.

It was an agreement that we both respected, and in return when I was near his patrolling area I crashed at his place instead of a motel.

I would normally be gone by the time he awoke, after cooking breakfast that was. I would disappear during the day and most likely crash at night.

We both never talked about the money I would bring, knowing that I had stolen it from people. I never talked about the whatever-the-hell-relationship-with-Cheshire he had.

It was that sort of agreement that made me return to his small place, feeling safer than I would outside the Wayne Manor.