Ghost King Meets Batman

We're off to Save Death!

[Edited July 26, 2022]

[This chapter is dedicated to MonkeyGirl516 without whom I would have probably abandoned this concept.]

[Artwork by Ayesha_Hafidz please comment and let them know what you think!]

That night Nico stayed in the barracks with the fifth cohort but he didn't sleep. Instead, he laid awake in his borrowed bunk and listened to everyone around him breathe. It was surreal. The son of Hades wasn't used to the proximity to this many beings who breathed. Even in the manor, their rooms were fairly spread out through the house and you couldn't really hear what was going on inside. Here there were no walls to keep the sounds out.

From his position, Nico could clearly see Percy who slept in the bunk next to him. His face kept contorting so Nico knew he was dreaming. This was reminiscent of the last time Percy had been in Gotham, Nico's first and last true slumber party. As they had been getting ready for bed, Percy had clearly been trying to get him alone long enough to question him, so Nico had made sure that he wasn't alone for a second. He wished he could have sat and caught Percy up on everything, but the more he said, the more danger Percy would be in. For now, he had to be kept at an arm's length.

Just when Nico was about to close his eyes, an Iris message popped up in front of his face and he almost screamed. It was Annabeth and she clearly had some news for him. News that he did not want the Romans overhearing.

"Nico!" She started but the demigod shushed her.

"Call back in a minute." He whispered, wiping his hand through the message. He looked around and was pleased to see that no one had stirred. He hoped that if anyone was awake that they just assumed that it was a phone call or something. He didn't want to have to explain what an Iris Message was. The last thing they needed is for a curious Roman asking to be connected to Jason Grace and discover Camp Halfblood. That is what Bruce would consider a security breach. he needed a place where he wouldn't be disturbed-- he had to get to his father's temple.

Nico took one last look at Percy's sleeping form, feeling guilty that he couldn't just tell Annabeth where he was or even wake him and show him the message. They were feet apart but didn't know the other was there. Nico shadow traveled to the temple and moved behind it in order to block himself from the view of the camp. A short while later Annabeth's face popped back up. He expected her to ask about why he cut her off but she was too excited.

"We got a lead!" She said as he opened his mouth to apologize.

"What?"

"On Percy! He popped up in California. Tyson is on his way there now. Leo's finishing up the Argo any day now and we will be on our way to meet him!" Nico blinked a few times as he processed this. The ambassador of Pluto cursed mentally. This just got complicated.

"Really? That's great! I told you we'd find him. Any idea why he's there?" Annabeth shook her head.

"No, I was hoping you'd have some idea." Nico pretended to consider the question for a few long moments before he slowly shook his head, feeling bad for lying to her.

" I don't know much about what is happening in California. As you know, it isn't really safe for us out there."

"I know. And I know that it is a lot to ask, but I was wondering if you could go check?" Annabeth seemed at least a little apologetic for asking him to dive headfirst into the monster-infested state by himself, but her need to find Percy outweighed her concern. Nico sighed, knowing that he'd have to let her down.

"I can't Annabeth, my father has me trying to keep the Underworld in order. Something is really wrong down here." He told her. It was true that the Underworld was probably in chaos, though Nico definitely wasn't there.