Ghost King Meets Batman

The Great Escape

[Edited July 3. 2023]

"Who, Nico?" the boy in question fell silent. He certainly couldn't tell them that the god of the underworld was the only one who could allow him to tell them his secret. He also couldn't tell them that said Greek god was his father, which is why he was the one he made the oath with. That wasn't an option. So, he couldn't tell the truth. At least, not all of it. Though Nico was getting tired of having to lie for the gods. He wanted to have just one thing in his life that wasn't complicated-- that wasn't shrouded in mystery or lies. He wanted to tell the truth.

"It doesn't matter. There are only two ways that I can tell you. If they let me or if you guess. They aren't going to let me, so you better guess." He said before leaving the room, unwilling to continue being interrogated. Nico didn't hear them follow him so he assumed that they were still in the gym discussing this new information. Let them talk. They probably didn't want him around right then anyway. He had probably just lost all their trust-- something that could have easily been avoided if he had better impulse control. He'd been told that it was a symptom of ADHD, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.

The son of Hades just really wanted to talk to Percy or Annabeth, or someone who he didn't have to lie to. He didn't have to make sure he didn't say something wrong to them. He didn't have to hide anything life-altering from them. They may still not be close with him, but at least they trusted him to some extent. He and Percy had been working on their relationship a little bit. and they were a lot better now. Percy understood why had done what he did at the doors of Orpheus. There was still tension, but the son of Poseidon had mostly forgiven him now. Percy wasn't really one for holding grudges.

While he was waiting for the others to go back to their normal activities, he visited the kitchen to grab a protein bar as a snack. He ate it at the counter, letting his mind wander onto all the different types of things he should ask Bruce to teach him. If Bruce still wanted anything to do with him after today, that is. For one, he was interested in learning other languages and brushing up on his Italian. He had never regretted learning Greek or Latin and doubted he would ever regret learning more languages. 

Maybe he could also have him teach him how to use a grappling hook, though Nico wasn't sure if he would ever be able to quite get the hang of that. He was never really comfortable with his feet off the ground There were other skills he wanted to learn too, like how to use a gun or throw knives. His younger self would have been bouncing off the walls at the idea of learning how to throw knives. It may not be particularly useful, but it would be fun to learn.

Having finished the snack, Nico threw the wrapper away and started making his way back up to his room. The demigod was so lost in thought that he rammed his shoulder into a wall while turning a corner. He stumbled back a few paces and glared at it.

"Why are you in my way stupid barrier!?" he hissed at it, he had always wanted to say that. It wasn't as satisfying out loud as it had been in his head. He heard a chuckle behind him and he turned around to see Dick standing there. Turns out that Alfred wasn't the only one who could appear suddenly. Nico took comfort in the fact that he didn't seem to be angry with him. Maybe he hadn't totally ruined things with the Waynes just yet. Or maybe Dick just didn't hold grudges.

"What did the 'stupid barrier' ever do to you?" He wanted to know.

"It existed. What do you want?" Nico shot back. Dick shrugged and pushed off the wall.

"I want to know what is bugging you, mostly." Nico eyed him. Why was he interested? Hadn't Bruce warned them to be cautious around him? Why would he care about whether or not anything was going on with him? Dick seemed to be genuinely curious so Nico decided to humor him.