Ghost King Meets Batman

Secondhand State of Mind

[Edited April 21, 2023]

Even after all the godly food he ate, Nico had to be helped to his room. The eidolon had left his joints sore and fragile, and he wasn't able to support his full weight very well on his own. He was utterly humiliated. His body was used to physical exertion, but this was on a whole other level. Nico wasn't sure exactly how much damage the spirit had caused, but it seemed like he was down for at least the next day or so.

With the godly foods, he healed faster than even most enhanced beings did, besides maybe the Flash. He would be right as rain by tomorrow evening at the latest. Normally that was more than fast enough for his needs, but the problem was that many of the heavy hitters weren't going to be home during that time. 

Alfred was going to England for a week to visit family, and Bruce had a last-minute business trip. They weren't going to be there to help him recover or to deal with any potential monster threats. With this being Gotham and Nico being a monster magnet, he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to protect himself should the need arise. He had dealt with far worse on his own before, but it was easier with help.

The boys weren't going to be completely alone, though. Diana volunteered to watch over them while the heads of the house were gone and since Nico was in poor physical shape. He wished the idea didn't bruise his ego as much as it did. He hated the vulnerability and having to put his safety in the hands of anyone but himself. It had always been one of his more fatal flaws.

While he had mostly made up with the Amazon and generally liked Diana, it was weird seeing her so often. He understood that she isn't really a part of Artemis, but he had a hard time with how human she acts. She was a lot less formal and condescending toward men than the other aspects of Artemis. Diana was also more motherly, empathetic, and compassionate. She was a  lot easier to get to know. He wasn't complaining; it was just weird.

Weird or not, the son of Hades was glad she would be there. He didn't want to admit it, but he was going to need some assistance. He was still sore and bruised from the restraints, and doing everyday tasks was a bit difficult. Mainly, he didn't want to make his brothers take care of him. He'd feel bad to push that on them. He knew they would if he needed them to, but it would be uncomfortable to accept help from them in this capacity.

Nico stared at the ceiling tiredly, trying to remember what had happened after the exorcism. After he had fallen a second time after trying to walk, Bruce picked him up and took him to his room because he couldn't walk very well. It was embarrassing, but probably for the best. When they had gotten back to the room, the demigod passed out from exhaustion almost as soon as he had been laid on the bed. He had hoped that he would at least catch a break that night, but that was not the case. As he slept, he dreamed.

Nico dreamt that Hazel was in a forest clearing, surrounded by wolves. They didn't seem to be especially hostile, even if one of them was as tall as Hazel herself. The daughter of Pluto-- to her credit-- didn't even seem fazed. She was even speaking to the biggest wolf. He couldn't tell what she was saying, but the wolf seemed to respond. Well, it didn't respond with words, but he got the distinct impression that it had replied in some way. For a group of infamous predators, they all seemed rather peaceful.

The main pack was spread out in the grass, sleeping on each other, grooming themselves and others, play-fighting, and generally relaxing. Some wolves were circling, probably on guard duty. It was like seeing the Hunters of Artemis as wolves. Maybe this was the Roman equivalent. Since Nico couldn't communicate in their language, he would have to settle on observing Hazel's body language. There was no discernable danger, and Hazel seemed relatively safe, so Nico let his mind wander from the odd scene and into a blissful and dreamless sleep.