Chapter Text
Past the blood and bruise
Past the curses and cries
Beyond the terror in the nightfall
Haunted by the look in my eyes
It was raining, something quite common in Gotham. Bruce and his children where on the top of the agreed building, he honestly didn't knew what to expect, asking for help wasn't something he usually did but this case required it.
"She's late." Said his son, Damian.
"Chilax, demon brat. There's been only two minutes." Answered Jason.
"There." Said Duke Thomas, well know by the people of Gotham as Signal. It was rare seen him on the night shift, but he wanted to be part of the conversation.
On the distance, a figure could be seen. Black hair, blue eyes and a suit red, blue with a gold crown adorning her head. Wonder Woman was flying straight at them.
"Where is the other one?" Said Robin "She was supposed to bring the help."
"Just wait, Robin." Said Nightwing "We'll see what she says."
Diana Prince landed in front of them, sword and lasso well placed on her hips and a smile on her face.
"Huh, I almost forgot the gotham's weather. Is he not here yet?"
"Who's he? Diana. You were supposed to bring your expert." Said the dark knight.
"I prayed for him, I thought he was already here."
"You prayed?" Said Red Hood said skeptically "You said you talked to him."
"No, I said I would get him."
"And where is he?"
"He's there." Said Orphan, in her tone of voice as low as ever.
Diana was waiting for something, rather someone other than who came to. His hair was pitch black, olive skin but pale, like he haven´t see the sunlight in a lot of time and the darkest eyes she ever seen, he was tall and slim, always wearing black. She only have seen that boy, man now, once in her life, and she didn't like him and she knew neither did he.
In one of the blackest corners was Nico di Angelo. The rain was pouring down his face, he was leaning and had a smirk on.
Diana gripped the hilt of her sword.
"You." She said.
"Me." Said the son of Hades.
"You weren't the one I asked for. I wanted Perseus."
"Well, I am the one you got."
There was tension in the air, the two demigod where just looking at each other. Until Nico rolled his eyes and disappeared into the shadows, but his voice could still be heard.
"I know you asked for my cousin, but he is tired of runnig erands, so when he said fuck off, dear Hestia turn to me."
He appeared again, only on the opposite side.
"And, well, I owed her a favor, so I couldn't say no, even If I wanted to."
The shadows shallow him again.
"And trust me, when she told me it was you, I wanted to leave this to someone else."
"Who is he, Diana?" Asked Batman.
"His name is Nico di Angelo, better called The ghost king. He is a child of the underworld."
"Oh, you flatter me."
He said emergin from behind of Red Robin who jumped a little for the surprise, Nico just smiled at him.
"You make me sound like some villain or monster."
"Are you not?"
He just keept smiling.
"You asked for a hero, I am the one you got, deal with it. Or, please get rid of me, tell Hestia you don't want me because believe me, I would rather anything than work with you, every single demigod in the world would."
Diana inhaled, weighing her options before clenching her jaw and resigning.
The hand on her weapon fell.
"Fine." She said.
"Good. Now, tell me what is wrong."
That's when Bruce stepped forward.
"We notice a great activity of monsters around the city."
"It's Gotham, monsters like here, the environment helps them to camouflage, that's why there's no demigods in Gotham."
"Yeah, we know that." Said Tim "But in the last three months we notice a more activity, they appeared to follow something."
"Or someone." Said Jason.
"We haven't been able to follow the trail, it's like something is blocking our sight."
"The mist." He turned to the daughter of Zeus "That's something you could have done."
She deflected his gaze and his smile grew bigger.
"No shit, you don't know how. Oh gods, this is gold." He laugh.
"You know how to help or not." Said Duke.
He turned and face him, he looked above him.
"D.T" he started to look around "D.W, D.G, J.T, T.D, C.C, B.W. Wow, a lots and a lots."
"What? What was that? That wasn't what we asked you." Said Red Hood.
"He said our initials. Why?" Said the Batman
"I know a lot of things, your identities are something you cannot hide from me. And it surprise me that you cannot see through the mist, that tells me that is stronger for some reason."
He rubbed his hands together and then put them palms up. He closed his eyes and then snapped his fingers.
"Va bene, è giusto." He said.
"Was that all?"
Nico nodded.
"She could've done it, if she knew how."
Diana turn away embarassed.
"Ok, if that was all..." said Nightwing but Nico interrupted.
"I need to see your evidence."
"No." Said Diana "I only needed help with the mist, we are fine from now on."
"You don't know how to control the mist, you don't know how the monsters act and hunt like demigods do."
"I am a demigod."
"Yeah, but you don't know anything about them. You have never been chase by those creatures you don't know how they think, and am not gonna have a bunch of mortals running after those things without proper info and weapons. You just have one sword, you were going to kill them all by yourself?"
She didn't say anything, that make him smile.
"How haughty of you."
"We are not gonna kill them." Said Batman.
"You don't have a choice. Listen, I can explain you everything but I really don't wanna catch a cold with this rain. Just tell me the coordinates. Just so you know, every minute Diana and I are here we are attracting more monsters."
It was like a staring contest, not a lot of people could tell they stared directly at The Batman and won.
"Fine." Spat the superhero "You'll go with Signal, he'll fly you there."
"I will?" "No." Said both at the same time.
"The children of Hades can't fly." Said Diana
"Not without a permit before, but we don't have time for that."
Tim, tired of the situation that his father put them in said the coordinates to the demigod.
Nico smiled, that smiled reminded Jason of the Cheshire cat.
"I'll see you there." He disappeared into the shadows.
"We must go, he could be already there." Said Diana
"You don't trust in him." Said Cass
Diana stopped her tracks.
"The children of the underworld cannot be trusted. They only care about what they want. Just like their father. Nico...I don't know him well, I just saw him once, but I can only trust in Hestia's judment."
"I hope you are right." Said Batman before jump.
Nico arrived to a cave, a very modern cave. There was a big screen, it showed a lots of files, footage and videos of the monsters, he decided to wait to the vigilantes to arrive and explain everything.
He realized he wasn't alone. Thanks to a fake cough.
"Mister di Angelo, I presume."
"Yeah, a plesure." He extended his hand and the butler shook it.
"Would you like some tea while you wait?"
"That would be lovely, thank you."
The oldman gave him the cup and both of them sat in a comfortable silence until Nico decided to break it.
"So, Mister Pennyworth, how is working for a superhero?"
Alfred didn't flinch when the man say his last name, Bruce have already told him that he somehow knew their identities.
"I will put him in just one word, exhausting."
Nico let out a little laugh.
"Yeah, I imagine it must be. What I don't understand is...why a father would let his children follow this type of life?"
"All of the children, even Master Bruce, experienced traumatic events in their lives that forced them to seek justice for themselves. We knew that if we didn't let them, we didn't teach them..."
"But even with all the training, you lost. The case of Jason Todd was a big disaster on the underworld. And it was not just him."
"Those, Mister di Angelo, are my biggest regrets."
Nico lower his head and took a sip of his tea.
"If you don't mind me asking a question, Mister di Angelo."
"Not at all."
"You seem to despise Miss Diana very much. Why?"
Nico drank the last of his tea and look up.
"You can ask her that."
That's when the others arrived.