Chapter Text
Percy did not like the new status of the world, or rather, the fact that the press had discovered that Persephone Jackson Wayne was alive was a problem, seeing how two people had snuck in pretending to be support staff to get pictures and ask questions. Thankfully Bruce and Dick were already known to be over protective people and after a threat of lawyers and someone getting tossed out by one of Dick’s coworkers that decided to pay a visit in support of him, she was left alone, at least in the hospital room.
After two days of tests and observation she was ready to go. Already dressed and everything, Alfred even brought Miss O’Leary and got her a little vest to show she was a service animal that the hellhound made a point of puffing out her chest to show off. Percy thought it was hilarious seeing how she had literally rode the hell hound into battle, you’d think that would be her proudest moment.
It was just her and Miss O’Leary when the visitors that Percy was really dreading made their entrance, they knocked politely on the door, announcing themselves before stepping inside.
“Gotham Police, came to ask some questions,” in stepped Commissioner Gorden, and another man that Percy didn’t immediately know, he was broad shouldered, and had a big gut too, they both smelled strongly of smoke, but she didn’t much mind, not when she was still having to wear the stupid mask.
“Gorden,” the last name slipped out, Percy knowing him through his daughter, for when Barbara and Dick had been dating.
“Hello Miss Wayne, it is good to see you again, though I wish it was under better circumstances, this is one of my detectives, Harvey Bulldock,” Gordon introduced the man, the fact that he was just barely keeping from glaring had Percy watching him carefully, she patted the side of the bed, and Miss O’Leary jumped right up, pressing up against Percy’s right leg. To most it might look like she was just doing her job for pressure therapy or getting out of the way of the officers, but really, Percy didn’t trust this officer, and wanted the only weapon she had, pointed right at him. If he was mortal, than there was nothing Riptide could do.
“Hello, Detective, how can I help you both tonight, Bruce and Dick are away getting things ready for me to go home.” She gestured to the chairs on her right, closest to the door leaving the hospital room.
“If you would like we could wait, you are still under age and I know better than to risk Bruce’s lawyers.”
“Aw come on Commish,” Harvey bucked under the leadership and open hand of friendship. “We got questions that need ans’er’n, like what the fuck you were doin on that road at 1 in the fuck’n mornin’, better yet where you been why pop up now, and why three men are dead?” He snarked, and while technically the questions were more of a demand to Gorden to ask her, it was just as much directed at her.
“Three,” Percy caught onto that, she was more than happy to talk about what happened with the assailants, after all it just meant she didn’t need to handle it. “Red helmet guy only killed two, or at least I think he did. I don’t know much about guns.” Percy looked over to Gorden, trusting him far more than the Harvey guy.
“Are you sure you are willing to talk about this, right now you are a suspect, even if we don’t have enough evidence to prove anything,” He shot a glare at the other man who only gave him a smirk at getting answers.
“Yes, what you need to read me my rights or something?” She questioned him, which got the process started of Gorden telling her her rights and that she could ask for a lawyer or to stop the interview at any time, and she could ask to stop talking until her guardian arrived. Harvey gave her shit as she struggled to read the paperwork, which was the last bad mark before he was sent out to guard the door.
“He’s a ray of sunshine, he like that with everyone or I'm just special, Lewy,” Percy huffed as the door closed, using the nickname she had given him years ago when she had struggled to read a seating chart and mixed up his name and rank.
“He’s just ornery when it comes to those he sees as problems, or at least more so than normal,” Jim sighed, his phone sitting on the small hospital table recording their conversation. “Let’s go ahead and get this done, yeah? So where happened that night, can you tell me about how this all came to happen?”
“I, I came back to Gotham about four days ago, I wanted to see everyone, after I spent so long away,” Percy started.
“Will you tell me where you have been these last few years,” Gordon asked softly, interrupting the story for likely desired context.
“Not really, not because I don’t want to, but because I didn’t stop moving, I was all over the place. After the bombing on my school I just… I had just lost Jason a year before to a bombing, and the manor was just so, cold and empty without him, I ran off. I had a few friends, and you I was on the streets for months before Bruce took me in. I handled it. I just decided to come back cause I realized how I was wasting all that time.” Giving Gordon the cover story, he nodded his head and made a motion for Percy to continue.
“I woke up at the manor after I had got some rest after reuniting with Bruce, Alfred, and Dick, and when I had woken up, I wanted to go see mom, but it was in the middle of the night and I didn’t want to trouble them. So I just,”
“Went for a walk,” Gordon finished, getting a nod from her.
“Went for a walk, I noticed I was being followed and tried to lose them,” She explained, she explained the encounter, what had happened, saying she used a pipe that had been apparently found on the scene, which was help she had not been expecting. “They guy wearing the red helmet only shot 2, I know nothing about the third, only that I knocked him out in a surprise move.”
“Well,” Gordon reviewed his note pad and nodded his head. “It’s what we could make out on the camera. You did talk to him though, what did-” There was a commotion at the door, and yelling, Gordon sighed and Percy shook her head amused, as the both of them made out Dick’s and Harvey’s yelling just outside the door.
“Why don’t you go stop them from biting each other’s heads off and we can finish this so I can go back home?” Percy asked, so glad she was no longer responsible for straightening out idiots who answered to her. He sighed and got up, setting down the notepad.
“I’ll do that, excuse me for a moment.” It was rather amusing to see the two police officers having handfuls of the other’s shirt, looking ready to throw each other freeze under Gordon’s glare as he shouted at them both to ‘stop their nonsense at once’. The command accompanied by the look of a disappointed father that only a true dad could master.
“Grayson, inside, Harvey go to the car,” Gordon demanded before turning back in.
“But-”
“The kid is an eye witness and victim of a crime, so what if she is the runaway Wayne, that is nothing to be done seeing how she came home and Mr. Wayne is not pressing charges, right?” He looked back at Grayson.
“No’p’e,” He popped the p looking far too happy to hear the dressing down the other cop was receiving.
“Now out, you’ve upset the victim and the family, we will talk about this later,” the heavy set cop grumbled and reluctantly left, but only after shoulder checking Dick as he went.
“I don’t like him,” Percy decided as Dick and Gordon came back into the room.
“And I don’t like the fact that police were interviewing you without a guardian present,” Dick sent Gordon a glare as he moved to sit down on the opposite side of the police commissioner.
“I said I was good with it Dick, they just want to know what happened that night,” Percy soothed, and Gordon nodded his head.
“We went over all her rights, both on paper and verbally, she waved her right to a lawyer and she was warned we could stop several times,” Gordon assured him, getting an unbelieving ‘uhuh’.
“So, back on point, you talked with the Red Hood, correct,” Gordon asked, getting back to the point of the conversation, and Percy could see the shift from Dick to Nightwing with how his eyes shifted to steal, and his hands formed into fists. Deciding that would not be the best rode for the man, Percy reached out and grasped his sleeve between her thumb and pointer finger.
“Yes, a little bit, it wasn’t a lot, and my attack was hitting full force, so it’s kind of fuzzy.” She admitted as she looked back to Gordon, keeping the fragile contact with Dick as she answered.
“Can you tell me what you talked about?”
“It wasn’t really much, I swung the pipe at him because well, I didn’t think he was all that friendly,” That got Dick taking her hand, yeah he didn’t like the fact she tried to fight the villain. “He just said I had nothing to worry about, said I wasn’t a bat, after that it was just steps on how to breathe easier. His voice was all fuzzy too.”
“And you sure it was a man?” Gordon asked, getting a nod.
“It was in the shoulders, he’s got a wide build, stance too,” This got another nod, as he scratched details out on the notepad.
“Alright, that is all the questions I have for you today.” Gordon moved to stand, collecting his phone and put away his notes. “I am glad you are back Miss Percy, Babs sure has missed you, but um, I’ve got to warn you, things have…. Happened. I won’t explain it here but, don’t be surprised when you do see her.” There was a sad look shared between the two men, and Percy knew she was missing something, making a note that she most definitely needed to see her some time soon. With that Dick and Godon walked out and Percy pretended not to listen to the two talk and Dick very quietly demanded a copy of the tape. She knew she was in for more when she went home, she wondered if she was going to be delivered right to the cave.
Delivered straight to the cave after being discharged she was not, but it was a near thing. She was escorted out the front doors, with Dick’s arm tight around her, and Miss O’Leary plastered against her side as they walked through the press as they shouted questions, demanding to know where she had been all these years, asking what happened. And even more demanding the photos, cameras pressed in close, flashing and clicking enough that she wanted to shatter them all.
After getting into the limo with Dick and Alfred driving, she slouched heavily into his side, the two inhalers she needed shoved into her pockets, but she knew she didn’t need them right now as they were soaked from the rain. Letting her breathe easy, though she leaned into Richard’s side, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, the man refused to let go.
“You left the pipe,” she said softly, not accusing, knowing her brother was nightwing made it all the more easier to put the pieces together. “Technically planting evidence you know.” She knew why he did it, to protect her, and it was safer to plant an unused stick than it was a gun shot.
“I did, but I couldn’t find the weapon you used, and well, questions, from everywhere Perce.” He reached up, running his fingers through his sleepy sibling’s hair. She rotated the body of her ring a little around her finger, understanding now why Nico fidgeted with his ring so much now. She sighed, she'd need to explain things eventually, and there was nothing wrong with a trickle of information, right?
So she pulled the ring from her finger and holding it away from her body she twisted the stone and it transformed into a bowstaff. Looking back Dick looked pleasantly surprised though not put off. He reached out and she let him have it.
“It was a gift from…. A really good friend,” Percy informed him as Dick carefully tested the weapon, the give and the strength, the weight of it too.
“Going to tell me who?” He asked carefully, before offering it back, saying nothing as she twisted the part she needed to in order to make it into a ring again.
“Soon,” She answered him, knowing she couldn’t hold back their questions forever, but she just needed a little longer. Maybe, her return to Gotham hadn’t been all that calm for a normal person, but than again, it was rather calm for a demigod like her.