Chapter Text
Percy looked over her duffle one last time before sighing, she still wasn't all that sure about the action she was taking, but she needed to get out of Camp Halfblood, and Camp Jupiter was out of the question when half the camp saw her as a minor goddess according to Hazel. As she stood there staring at the open duffle, hardly even half full with clothes, an album, a folder of papers, and the emergency stash of nectar and ambrosia that was standard for leaving campers, a weight pressed against her side. She looked down to see Miss O'Leary, smiling softly at the shrunken down dog. It had been a welcomed gift from Chiron, no, Mr. Brunner, she'd need to keep her story straight heading back to Gotham. It had been a welcomed gift fro Mr. Brunner, he and the satyrs had trained her to be her service animal so that she could be with her always in the mortal world.
Percy smiled down at her hellhound, reaching down to scratch behind her ear. “I'm okay, just nervous girl,” Percy whispered softly, it still felt wrong, being loud, noticed. She had yet to recover from Tartarus, the world too loud, too cold, she'd never complain about Gotham's polluted air again.
There was a knock at Percy's door, and her first instinct was to draw Riptide, but the trickle of water was a comfort, Miss O'Leary's weight against her leg a reminder. She was safe in her cabin far from the hell of Tartarus. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat at the instinctive cringe of being too loud. So instead she went to the door, and opened it, being greeted by the sight of Rachel. Who looked at Percy with concern. Back for a week and while her physical injuries were healed, she was pale, and thinner than ever before, clothes that once fit loose against her body.
“Hey, Rach, out of your cave?” Percy asked, a small smile playing at her lips, but it didn't meet her tired eyes.
“Yea, Perce, I wanted to get you these,” Rachel handed Percy a stack of newspapers, Daily Planet based on the loops on the top. Though the obvious things were the pictures, the Wayne family. Choosing not to read, Percy looked over the stacks, all front page, and the pictures told a story of their own. Parties and protend, though the one Rachel had put on the front, a picture of Bruce, Dick, and another kid, likely the current robin, he looked like the neighbor's kid Tim, he was older.
“So Bruce took in a new kid,” Percy wasn't all that surprised, the man had collected Percy a few months after Jason, and well, she might not be a child of Athena but she could recognize a pattern.
“I thought you might want to know what you would be walking into,” Rachel offered as Percy folded the papers back.
“Appreciate it, look, I might be…. Retiring but,” Percy struggled with the right words, but Rachel smiled, understanding her friend.
“I know, and hey, this isn't goodbye, I'll see you at a Christmas party, I'm sure.” The knowing look in Rachel's eye brought Percy comfort.
“Thank you,” she whispered softly, before opening her arms, hoping for a hug, and she was rewarded with a tight one. The two of them were clutching onto each other tightly.
“Take care of yourself, Perce,” Rachel whispered as Percy clung to the smaller teen.
“At worst, things don't work out and I accept Dad's offer to live in the ocean,” Percy and Poseidon had met for a short time as the end of the war was being celebrated. Her father offered her a home in Atlantis as a civilian, to live beside the other mortal beings that lived there. The offer had been tempting, but she wanted to see Gotham, at least once more.
“If anyone deserves some peace, Percy, it's you. I wish you luck.” She smiled, and with that they parted ways, and the lone demi-god daughter of Poseidon turned back into her cabin with the collected newspapers.
Percy took the fast way back to Gotham, shadow traveling always helpful, but terrifying, how Nico could do it so easily was something Percy would never understand. The thing was, she took the fast way to Gotham, but hesitated to go to the manner. She had Miss O'Leary bring her to the Wayne Enterprise building, but she hesitated. Would she even be wanted here? Bruce had sent her way, multiple times, to multiple boarding schools because she was trouble, and even by the rules could not be a vigilante with her bad grades and poor record. Though Percy was rather glad now that she had never become a vigilante, and some of the high societal lessons had come in handy a few times on her quests.
So after standing in a too big black hoodie and jeans outside the building long enough for security to notice she turned away. Miss O'Leary circled her to keep a buffer between her and other people. She wondered, for hours, stopping only to grab a hotdog from a food cart that she hardly ate, most going to her hellhound. She didn't know what she was going to do, what she even should do, wondering at random and keeping her head down.
She knew she should be more careful, afterall, Gotham was a city riddled with crime, she was approached a few times. Criminals looking for a quick score, but each of them running away as sharp eyes met theirs and the street seemed to rumble with Miss O'Leary's growl. None of them desperate enough to push their luck with the young woman that felt half crazed and half dead.
At least, not until Percy came into crime alley. She knew it was dangerous, so much crime happened here, drugs, rape, assault, murder, theft, yet she still came to the spot where Bruce had found her, half dead after her 10th birthday, shaking and clutching moldy bread she had stollen from the trash. Gods she must have looked so pathetic back then. Gabe had lost it, drunk and pissed after loosing all his money again in a game of poker he had lashed out, killing her mother and almost killing her. It had been one of the first things Bruce had done for her, put Gabe away forever.
“H-hey! You, you whore! Gimme your wallet!” Percy should scold herself, she let herself get distracted by memories. Looking back it was a young man, likely older than she was, but he looked to be little more than skin and bones, holding a knife that looked like it had been pulled out of the trash, the handle cracked and the blade looked to be on it's way out. Unlike the others that day, this man was desperate, the hunger in his eyes enough for Percy to see he was desperate.
“I don't have anything,” Percy informed the man, technically a lie, she had a wad of 20s and a lotus credit card, not counting her drachma which was useless in the mortal world
“I didn't fucking ask,” the man took one to many steps forward, entering Percy's range, and she didn't hesitate. “Give me your-” she copied one of the moves that Annabeth taught her back at camp, clamping a hand on the man's wrist and throwing him over her shoulder. She disarmed him, holding the man's wrist, stepping on his back as he whined in pain. Miss O'Leary snarling at the man ready to rip his throat out if not for Percy's hold on him.
“I'd be careful, next time you try to mug someone,” and with that, the girl delivered a swift kick to the man's head knocking him out. It was the thump behind her that frightened her, did this thug have back up, was it a monster. She turned around, and met the gaze of someone she wasn't entirely ready to see
Batman
She was nervous, he had seen that, of course he had, and she… she wasn't sure if she was ready for the rejection she was sure to face. He had been so upset after Jason's death, he had refused to listen to her as she tried to explain the events of her first quest. It had ended horribly, and a week later she vanished dodging flaming cannonballs and never came home.
“B,” came out of her but she didn't know what else to say, she had fought monsters, gods, demigods, titans, and giants, but her guardian, he still frightened her. Batman strode forward, Miss O'Leary growled, but stopped as Percy rested a hand on her muzzle. Not wanting the hellhound to attack, yet still flinching as Batman's hand came to the side of her face. The man hesitated, eyes narrowing, in suspicion or something else Percy didn't know, but the hand carefully took the side of her hood and pulled it back. Percy wanted to run, to jump into the polluted Gotham harbor and flee, but she had sworn to at least say goodbye to everyone before that, and that included Bruce.
“Percy,” came the soft tone of Bruce, and not the graveled dangerous edge of Batman. She looked up from the symbol on his chest, nervous, lost without being able to see his face. But the answer came as instead of scolding, she was hugged. It was soft at first, uncertain, but as Percy hugged him back, clutching at the cape and smelling the smoke, the pollution of Gotham, and scent of kevlar on him she found herself hugging him tightly and a sob breaking free.
She still felt cold, she still felt scared, and didn't know what to do, but she did know this, despite everything, Percy could break down here and Bruce would make sure she could at least walk out the other side.
The rest was a bit of a blur to Percy, herded into the newest model of batmobile with Miss O'Leary given a treat rather than be denied after being told she was a service dog. She felt so exhausted coming to the cave, and even though she was nervous to be back and underground, Miss O'Leary kept pressure on her side, and distracted the demi-god with demands for attention as Dr. Leslie Thompkins moved around her. She had been waiting with Alfred at the edge of the platform of the cave, the butler hugging her tight and whispering how he had missed her before promptly stealing her bag and promising to be back with snacks.
She didn't mind Dr. Leslie poking and proding, drawing blood, checking her condition, it was just like camp with the Apollo campers, without the blood drawal, though Percy knew why when she saw one of the blood vials being passed to Bruce. Likely to confirm her identity, the paranoid bastard.
“Alright, Miss Jackson,” Dr. Leslie spoke softly, “one question if you don't mind, what is she trained to help you with?” She looked pointedly at the dog. Percy hesitated for a moment before deciding the truth.
“Protection, bringing me home, I think Will said something about pressure therapy. She…. She helps,” Percy offered, hoping they wouldn't demand to send her away, or take her. She'd sent Miss O'Leary to Thea if she needed to but she'd rather not.
“I can tell,” Dr. Leslie offered a small smile, “could you lay back for me, I am going to place a mask over your face, it is a basic test, and while it's running I'm going to talk to Bats, alright?” She asked gently.
“Yea, I can do that,” Percy was a little hesitant to lay down, the cave a place she had been to once before, and even then things had changed. More stuff shoved into the space Percy deemed too small, though the waterfall was cool the sound of running water she could reach out and grab a comfort even as the mask was placed over her face and a monitor on her finger, being asked to breathe normally before she was left alone. Voices not loud enough to be heard over the waterfall. She still wasn't sure about this, nervous about it all but she was back. And she would try, though she was sure she'd likely end up leaving anyway. Just hopefully after a long nap.