Chapter Text
Cleaning up after the war took longer than they expected. After some time of going back and forth between camps and working with Jason, Frank, and Rayna, the Romans and Greeks were finally at peace (mostly), and now Percy can finally go home to his mom and stepdad. After disappering for 10 months..
gods he misses them, he misses Poul stupid joukes, moms cookies, her voice, her listening to everything that happened that summer, there family dinners with Anabeth and... yeah he couldnt wait to see them.
The moment he stepped off the bus, he knew something was wrong. Call him crazy but his "demigod instinct" was telling him 'danger' and its rarly wrong ok.So with that said the black-haired boy ran through the street, only to find it full of paniced people, police and of course his house in flames. Percy ran into the building without a second thought, throwing to the ground officers who tried to stop him, desperately searching for his mother.
Black smoke immediately got through his nose making it hard to breathe, tearing apart his lungs. Flames danced dangerously around him burning his beard skin and the weakening ceiling, which threatened to collapse onto his head at any moment.
It was dark, and way too hot. He smelled sulfur and burned plastic. His eyes hurted like something stubed them, his musckles still hurted from previous fights his lungs were strugeling after..
Tartarus.
The same feeling of being burned from the inside, the smell, his back in there, back in hell. Anabeth! He has to find Anabeth. Were is..
Percy was never particularly afraid of fire, he was the son of Poseidon after all, and he could make a pipe burst and use the water to put the fire out. He finally gets Frank, gets Leo, this is horrible..fire is horrible!
At this moment, his heart was hitting his ribs like it was about to jump out. Percy heard the blood running through his ears, and maybe someone screaming behind him, but he wasn't sure, it could be the screams of his fallen comrades and enemies for all he knew.
Percy knew he had to move, he had to find his mom,Paul, Anabeth, he had to do something about the fire, he had to do SOMETHING!
But he couldn't, couldn't move his legs, couldn't feel the water.
Fear.
He was scared, that wouldn't be the first of course, but for the first time, he just stood there, frozen, waiting for death to take him. If death could just take him, take him to Hades, through the Styx, to Elysium as he deserves.
Because he deserves, right? Or is he covered in blood, blood of his friends, Bianca, Zoë, Beckendorf, Silena, Castor, Lee, He killed them, it was his fault they're dead. He could have done something to save them, anything. But they're gone, and he is alive, he
ALWAYS gets out ALIVE. So why can't they?
His head starts to hurt as the screams get louder, and then clear as day he can hear Luke laughing at him, his golden eyes shining in the dark of his mind.
{I told you so} he says with a grin {You are nothing, just a tool in their hands, a machine, a toy they'll throw out once they get bored with. You are an idiot Percy Jackson, working your ass off for them, fighting, killing, and what have they ever done for you? Even your father, who promised to be better, said his proud~ HaHaHa
And where is he now~ watching from his throne as his dear bastard dies on his knees. You should have just joined me back then, we could have had everything. But no~ you decided to go and save the man who stayed silent when you needed him, who let your mother die twice! }
Percy couldn't take it any longer, he didn't even notice he was on the floor holding on to the necklaces on his neck like it's the only things keeping him alive. Tears rolled down his cheeks onto the ground as he choked trying to catch a breath. Seems like carma has finally started to catch up to him.
Someone was screaming, this time louder, closer...
It was him, he is screaming. Why is he screaming?
The ground shook under him as he screamed.
An earthquake? Have I caused this?
Next was darkness. Not the comforting one you can relax in after a hard day. But the suffocating kind, the heavy darkness that falls on you as if it were the sky.
Then came the pain, which felt like being stabbed repeatedly with rusty knives all over the body.
He couldnt see anything now, but he heard water as it dripped onto his nose.
And then nothing.
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Percy had a nightmare, it wasn't uncommon for a demigod, it was almost expected to be honest.
It was his last day at the Yancy Academy, finding out he was half-blood, the minotaur, mom was dying...
the camp. Back then all that seemed to be the end of the world, now I wish I could come back to those days.
Where it was easyer.
-------------------------
Slowly as he opened his eyes the world around him started to clear up. First, hit him with the bright light as he shot his eyes back up. Then were the noise, people walking, whispering under their breaths, moving objects, something was bipping.
He tried again looking around. He was in a hospital. Nurse's were too busy running between patients, to notice his awake. But someone else did.
A tall man probably in his late 20', with black hair and sky blue eyes was looking directly at him from the other side of the room, talking to someone who was probably a doctor.
A monster. That was his first thought. From Percy's experience, no actual human looks at you like that.
His hand automatically went to his pocket, only to realise there were none. He wasn't in his usual clowning, but in some hospital pajamas.
There were three things on his mind, 1. Who makes pans without pockets!? 2. The pen is back in his pocket like always, but he has no idea where his clothes are 3. He has to get out of here. FAST.
With that said, using the moment when the man is distracted talking to the doctor, Percy quickly pulled out the IV from his hand leaving a tiny stream of blood behind, took off the air mask, and put his feet on the cold floor.
He stood up way too fast and had to grab onto another patient's bed not to fall over, making enough noise to catch the attention of the nurses. One of them tried to put him back to bed but he pushed her over, which he felt a bit bad for, but there's no time for that. With no moment of hesitation, he sprinted to the exit. Percy snapped his head back as he felt strong arms wrap around him. He shouted and kicked the air, at some point his arm got loose, and he threw it back at the man's face. He heard a loud crack, hopefully the mans nouse was broken, but the hold didn't loosen. He felt a needle being poked into his other arm, but didn't stop wriggling. They fought for a couple more minutes until Percy started coughing and his vision became blurry as he slowly passed out.
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September 2nd
Dick was in the manor when his phone rang. He was about to hang up but something in his guts told him it wasn't the telemarketers. So he picked up, expecting... he doesn't know what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.
"Hello"
"Good evening, this is Officer Martínez from the police department in New York City. I'm looking for Richard Grayson-Wayne. "
Dear Lord. What. Did. They. Do. Why did they have to go and do shit while B is off-world with the JL?
Although logically speaking, Tim, Duke, and Damian are currently in school, Jason is still in crime alley last he checked Cass is an angel. And if it's not about them, what's it about?
"This is him, how can I help you officer?"
"Four days ago we brought a teenage boy to a local hospital, after an accident when one of the apartment blocks burned down. The boy was the only survivor from his flat, we believe his mother and stepfather were inside as well and didn't make it. The hospital couldn't find any other relatives in his files, we discovered that the closest relative is Mr. Wayne, and since we couldn't contact him we called you as his eldest son, instead. The boy's name is Percy Jackson, and he needs a family member to pick him up, otherwise he will be placed in the foster care system. So I'm calling to ask if-
"Which hospital, I'll be there as soon as I can"
--------------------
The whole ride to New York Dick was on the phone with Barbara and Tim( who was hiding in the bathroom during PE, to help find things on Percy )
What they found was... concerning at best.
The boy was in fact Bruce's relative from his mother's side, Sally Jackson was apparently some cousin who didn't keep the name. Her parents died in a plane crash and she moved to New York, a few months later Percy was born. The father was never in the picture but Sally married some Gabe, who died for un known reason when Percy was 12, last year she got married again to Paul Blofis... and now they're both gone. Leaving Percy alone.
Percy Jackson, age 17, birthday August 18th, was expelled from every school he attended since kindergarten. Has no social media or a phone number even an email ! He also took part in some rather questnable events including being accused of national terrorism by his mom's first husband after he "kidnapped her" and "caused an explosion" of the Gateway Arch.
Which is ridiculous since he was only 12 when that supposedly happened. And what kind of man even accuses a child of something like THAT!? He was obviously just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is not a terrorist, just a very unlucky kid.
And now of course comes the fact, that Percy got kidnapped, for over 7 months. He just got back home and now that...
Yeah..unlucky might not be enough.
--------------------
Over two hours later, and he's sitting in an uncomfortable chair, with a broken nose, in a private room he asked to move them to.
Percy was still sleeping on the bed next to him, after the nurse had given him medication to calm him down.
Dick sighed and put out his phone to text the group chat.
MamaBird:
" I'm at the hospital right now "
JBird:
"👍"
Cass:
"❤️"
Timbers:
"Cool u told him yet? "
Steff:
"How is he 💜💜💜"
Duke:
"Wait does B know? "
DemonBrat:
"Of course not, father is off-world and we have no contact with him until he comes back."
Duke:
"Oh, right"
DemonBrat:
" I still do not understand why we have to bother with that Jackson. He's going to only cause trouble. "
Timbers:
"Could say the same about u 😑"
DemonBrat:
"I am blood!"
Timbers:
"So is he? 🙄"
MamaBird:
"🛑 Stop"
Steff:
"Answer the question !!!!!!"
MamaBird:
"..."
Jbird:
"Dickhead? "
MamaBird:
" Well, he woke up at the same time I got there. And I think he kind of panicked cause he tried to run out. And then I caught him and... he broke my nose."
Timbers:
"..."
Duke:
"🫥"
Steff:
"💀"
Babs:
"I saw it on the cameras, it was hilarious, "
Jbird:
"🤣🤣🤣"
MamaBird:
"Not funny, he looked really scared!!"
Cass:
"😢"
Jbird:
" Of YOU? No way~"
Timbers:
"😂"
-----------------------
Dick put down his phone and looked at the kid. Really looked at him.
Percy is tall, and his posture is similar to Tim's. He has black, messy hair that reaches to his shoulders and too-long bangs with a white string of hair... like Jason's.
Could he...he was gone for 7 months... He'll ask Tim to look into it later.
Percy is also terribly pale and skinny,
like he hasn't eaten regular meals for a while. He is covered is scares too, at least the part of his body visible from under the blanket. Straight lines with sharp edges that were once deep cuts from a knife or an animal? Too chaotic to be self-harm, was he getting into fights?
Or..
There was something about the way he looked when he woke up before. The panic in his eyes. Is he afraid of the hospital or doctors? But the hospital had barely any medical history from after he was 6. They could not have the money or were hiding something.
Abuse? I doubt it's the mother( but who knows) maybe the first husband. He did call his step-son a terrorist so-
His train of thought was interrupted by a movement next to him. By the time he looked over, Percy was already staring him down. And God, if looks could kill, Dick would be dead 5 times by now.
Look, Dick knows that he is much bigger and could easily win against Percy( not that he wants to), but there is something about those big, blue eyes and the way they scan him, that tells him that the boy might be more dangerous than he seems.
________________________
The second time Percy woke up he was in a diffrent room. It had white walls covered with posters of...
man in tight, colorful clothes and... was that a man-bat , and a white guy in an apsolutly hideous green leggins and orange shirt with scales and a trident.. next to him stood a black hair women dressed like a greek goddess.
Justice league, was that some group of greek mithology fans with questionable taste in clothes?
There was only one bed in the room and no nurse's, it was only him and the man from before. He was on his phone, looking like he had aged 10 years in the past.. how long was he unconscious? The door were on the other side of the room next to the man, but there was a window close to the bed, he noticed it was already dark outside. He wondered if he could jup out from here, technically he jumped from bigger hights before and he was fine.
He looked back at the man next to him. If he was a monster then why was Percy still elive? Unless its not a monster...but in that case who is that and what does he want.
The man must have felt him staring because he put down his phone and looked over at him. They looked at enother in silence, Percy maked shure his eyes were sharp for the man to know he's not to mess with, like Lupa taught him. Guessing from his face it worked. Percy held back a grin, and asked instead.
"Who are you"It came out more of an angry wisper than he intended. His throat was dry and hurted like sandpaper.
The man stand up on what Percy had flinched and his hand moved to his not existing pocket.
"Im just going to get some water" said the man putting his hands up like he was caught stealing. As he said, the man slowely turned around to the small table and took one bottle from it. Then again slowely came back to his seat handing him the water.
Percy looked at the bottle in his hands, it was closed, and looked normal, he smelled the water looked at the man for any sines it was not safe to drink, but he didnt find any. He took one sip not break the eye contact.
It was like Heaven for his throat, he didnt care if it was poisoned, percy drink the whole thing at once. He's going to deal with the consequences later. He can almost see his moms worried look on her face...mom, fire, the house was on FIRE!
"Where is my mom" he screamed, the throat still hurt, but right now he didnt care. Percy looked at the man expecting him to have the anser. The man licked his lips and looked down at his hands. No...No.No!NO!NO- Not again, no..not mom,not Paul. He clenched his hands into fists to prevent them from shaking and gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt and closed his eyes.
He counted to 4 breath in, counted again breath out, and again.
He looked back at the man who opened his mouthe to say something.
" Don't. Don't say 'im sorry' or 'its gonna be okey' I dont wanna hear it." The man closed his mouthe, then opened Opened it again
" No, its not okey, and it is not going to be for a while, but your strong"
"How can you say that. You dont know me" Percy was still screaming, but his voice came out shaking and wet, he felt fears forming in his eyes as he looked up to stop them from falling.
"I can see it in your eyes"
He laughed bitterly and looked back at the man.
They sat in silence while Percy processed everything. He was wery glad that the man happened not to be a monster. He dosn't think he would be able to take it now.
"So who are you" Percy broke the silence after what it felt like hours.
"I'm Dick- he started but stopped under Percy's confused stare.
"-Its a nickname, my name is Richard, but i go by Dick.. like a bird-
"Okey..