i help the team carry the groceries and batman's stuff out of the bioship and set it on the ground. i look over to see zatanna and artemis come in, mid-conversation
"i just wish zatara would give me a little space," zee says. as if on cue, batman, zatara, and red tornado disappear. zatanna runs over to where her dad was and drops to the ground. my heart tightens in my chest.
i try contacting chiron, but get no answer. i try annabeth's dad, annabeth's stepmom, and the camp landline itself, but to no avail. it's like every adult just disappeared.
well, as it would turn out, they did. we quickly set up a local refugee center in the high school gym. robin tries reaching the hall and the batcave, but he gets no answer. we both check the computer and find that all the adults have gone missing.
i go with conner to get the rest of the kids to the refugee center. as he checks the roads, i check the harbor for any boats. luckily, it's night, so there aren't many.
we walk to the school. i laugh at conner and the little girl on his head.
we drop them off, and i zeta back to the cave. i give zee a small pep talk until she's up to doing her father's spell to locate the cause of this debacle.
finally, we zone in on the cause. roanoke island. suddenly, I hear billy batson say, "it works!"
everyone turns to him. "how did you get here?" i ask. he explains how there are two worlds right now; one without adults, and one without kids. i look at annabeth. I can almost see her thinking about how this can be possible, until she comes to the same conclusion; klarion.
evidently, witches like him are easy to find. we sneak up behind klarion; artemis and robin strike first, but he counterattacks. i uncap riptide and lunge at him. he tries to deflect, but i manage to slice his ankle. annabeth runs in with her dagger, and she gets just below his knee. klarion puts up a force field around himself.
we try to break it, but with no success. artemis shoots for the cat, and witch boy turns her arrow into a ball of yarn. teekl grows until he's the size of the nemean lion.
now this, i can handle.
i swipe at the cat's mouth and cut his tongue. he hisses and retracts, clutching his mouth in his paws. i draw water from the earth below me and shoot at the cat, but klarion hits us with energy, electrocuting me and sending me flying into a nearby cliffside. i fall to the ground, powerless as zee lifts the helmet of fate onto her head.
i watch helplessly as she fends off the witch. the last thing i see before I black out is annabeth crawling over to me, concern written on her face.
when I come to, i see the justice league and the team talking with one another, chatter ceasing as zatara becomes dr fate forever.
i try to comfort zatanna, but my words fall flat. I can't help but feel bitter about her still being able to see her dad. Sure, I can see Poseidon, but he's always too busy.
~~
it's easy to run behind schedule when you're always saving the world.
slip into my seat right as the bell rings. classes fly by about as fast as i can read war and peace in english. by the time lunch rolls around, i'm bored out of my mind.
if the first periods are bad, the last four periods are like playing poker with gabe.
when we walk out of the doors dick turns to me. "hey, percy. today i'm--i mean, would--if tonight--do you want to--"
"spit it out, dude."
he takes a deep breath and restarts. "do you want to go for pizza tonight? like, just you and me?"
like, a date? i smile. "yeah, i'd love that." after arranging a time and place, i meet up with annabeth and tell her the news, to which she squeals and makes me promise to shop with her for the date.
as per usual, we hit the gotham mall before dick is set to pick me up at 8. in an effort to be more involved and actually make friends for a change, we had revealed our identities to the girls on the team. upon annabeth's suggestion, we round up mgann, artemis, and zatanna to aid in the efforts of feminizing percy jackson.
after much back-and-forth, or rather annabeth telling me what to buy and me buying it, we finally step into the fresh, dank gotham air, not a single bagless arm in sight. back at our apartment, i change into the outfit--brown jeans, a cute green tanktop, and a brown cardigan. the true shaggy fit.
the girls finish up my makeup and hair just as the doorbell rings at 8 sharp. "your boy's nothing if not punctual," artemis quips. she peeks out the window, confusion clouding her face. "your date is dick grayson? doesn't he go to school with us?"
"yeah, he's in my grade. i guess you guys haven't met yet?"
"if i'd met the son of one of the richest men on the planet, i'm sure i'd remember."
exchanging knowing glances with annabeth, i bid the girls farewell and grab my purse. i swing the door open as dick's raised fist is about to knock a third time.
"woah. you're-you look great," he marvels.
i giggle, mentally kicking myself for getting flustered so easily. what am i, ten? "thanks, you're not too bad yourself. so, what did you have planned for us this evening?"
turns out, dick can plan a hell of a date. our first stop is dinner--gotham's famous pizza. not too bad, but nothing like new york pizza. i keep that bit to myself. he follows it up with the works--ice cream, then the city fair, which just so happens to be in town.
before i know it, two hours have passed and i am exhausted. like, sparring-with-annabeth exhausted. my head aches in the most comfortable way, weary from the flashing neon carnival lights and blaring attraction sound effects. before i can even process the night, we're back on my doorstep.
"pretty good first date, dickhead."
he chuckles. "thanks. i've been wanting to take you out for a while now, pretty much since i met you. thanks for giving me a chance."
i bite back a cheesy smile, his confession warming my heart and my face. at a loss for words, i lean in and plant a chaste kiss on his lips before unlocking my front door. "see you around."
through the peephole, i watch dick process my kiss in real time. his hand hovers over his lip for a second before he snaps out of it, his starstruck expression replaced by a face-splitting smile. my expression mimics his as i lock my door, watching his form disappear as he walks into the night. i giggle to no one in particular, unable to contain the giddiness in my chest.
"annabeth, i'm so in!"
