[Edited: April 15, 2023. I hope you all enjoy it!]

That night, he lay in his new bed staring at the white ceiling, unable to sleep. He wasn't sure if it was because he was still processing being taken in by Gotham's very own Bruce Wayne or because he had this nagging feeling in his gut. Whichever it was, it was causing him great frustration. 

The room he had been given was nice. Too nice. It was fancier than anywhere he could remember staying before. The fixtures looked expensive-- antique. He was almost afraid to touch anything lest he was to damage it. There was so much furniture that he thought he wouldn't ever find a use for half of it. Two bookshelves that he couldn't imagine ever filling. The cushioned windowsill was nice, though, and he rather liked the fact that he had his own bathroom.

According to Alfred, it was a typical guest room, nothing special. He could change the paint and bedding to whatever colors he wanted once he was settled in. They'd also see about getting him a new wardrobe to replace the one he'd left at the camp, though he had insisted that it wasn't necessary. Accepting their gifts felt too much like giving in to this new way of living and he wasn't quite sure he was ready for all that. He'd only come here to get a warm bed, food, and a roof over his head. 

Though he was worried they were going to try and make him wear clothes he didn't like, Nico didn't think it was the impending shopping trip that was keeping him awake. 

 No, Nico had a feeling that something big was about to happen. Something that he would be needed for. He couldn't explain how he knew that, he just did. Is this how Percy felt all the time? Always knowing that he was doomed to be a part of a prophecy? Of course, Nico didn't know that he was about to be involved in some big prophecy, but he wouldn't put anything past the fates. He had a feeling they were don't with him yet.

After hours of counting swords and shields in his head and reciting Mythomagic stats, sleep finally overtook the son of Hades. Surprisingly, he could still remember most of the verbiage on the cards he used to own, though he would never admit it to anyone else if they asked. Nico had picked up the card game shortly after he entered the casino. The ideas of gods and monsters had always called to him-- even back then. It was a sick irony now that he could look back on it. He really should have known, even back then, that something was wrong.

When he finally did fall asleep, he was pulled deep into a demigod dream. In the dream Nico was running through the Underworld, searching for something. He felt like he desperately needed to find it, whatever it is. It was as if someone's life depended on it, which was very well possible. Nico felt both anguish and hope, an odd combination. As he ran, he recognized the path leading to Elysium. It occurred to him that he was probably searching for Bianca, his dead sister. The disembodied feelings became more real with this realization and he raced through the beautiful fields, searching for her. Nico searched for a long time but he couldn't find her, he couldn't even sense her soul nearby. He could barely push down his disappointment.

Nico left the Isle of the Blessed feeling depressed. He let his feet guide him through the familiar fields of asphodel. As he walked, he bumped into a particularly bright spirit. Nico stumbled back a couple of steps and looked toward where the soul had been but the scene changed before he could catch a glimpse of the spirit's face. Their familiar presence faded as he found himself somewhere else.

This time, Nico was in his family's old hotel, sitting on the hardwood floor, trying to teach Bianca how to draw a cat, one of the cats that lived in the alley behind the hotel. At first, everything was fine, his mother chatted with Hades, the fireplace glowed warmly, and the rain outside had lightened to a slight drizzle. It was perfect. Though, when anything gets to be as perfect as that moment had been, things could only go downhill, and they did. The tone of voice his parents were using in their discussion had changed. Father got up off the couch and started speaking to Maria in English, a language that the siblings didn't really understand very well. Hades was pacing and seemed agitated.

In the middle of the discussion, Hades lunged toward Maria and yelled, "NO!" Then there was only fire. Nico woke up with a pathetic yelp, cutting off just as soon as he opened his eyes. He breathed heavily, trying to calm down. He could still feel the flames-- even in his waking state. Nico finally got his breathing under and he surveyed the room as a force of habit, looking for the exits and for anything unfamiliar. Nothing seemed to be amiss, though the room was still unfamiliar to him. Even with the curtains open, the room was almost pitch black. It would have been nice if he was more familiar with where everything was.

He rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed, considering what the dream could have possibly meant. Who was the unidentified spirit? Why was he searching for Bianca? Why did it feel like it was so important that he find her? Nico was abruptly cut off from his musings by the sounds of the doorknob turning and tumblers clicking. He must have woken someone up. Oh, Fiddlesticks.

++Dick Grayson++

Bruce and the boys had just come back from patrol and were going into their rooms for the night when Dick heard a muffled shout coming from Nico's room. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had been right outside the door and it was an otherwise quiet night. It was soft and cut off almost immediately. If he had been anywhere else in the hallway, he might not have picked up on it. But he had heard it so he decided to check in and make sure the new kid was alright. 

Dick could remember what it was like to wake up in the manor alone when he was still little. The nightmares about his parent's murder thrust him back into consciousness kicking and screaming. He didn't want Nico to feel as alone as he had then. Dick quietly opened his new brother's door. 

He found Nico sitting on the edge of his bed with his arms on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Hey, are you alright?" Richard expected Nico to be startled but he simply glanced up. There was a moment when Nico seemed to open his mouth to speak but it was hard to tell in the dark. For a few long moments, nothing came out of the younger boy's mouth.

As Nico gathered his thoughts, Dick stepped into the room, closing the door so he could lean against the door. He recognized this scene. They'd each been in this position at least once. None of them really had the best backgrounds. Sometimes he would still find himself sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for everything to feel alright again.

"I'm fine." Nico lied. If he were anyone else, Dick might've believed him.

"I heard you shout," Richard countered.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Nico said truthfully. Without either of the boys noticing, the shadows in the room were shifting as if responding to Nico's duress.

"Now that I believe," the older boy hesitated, "You know that you can trust me, right?" Dick said, crossing his arms. Nico seemed unimpressed. Dick pursed his lips, though couldn't exactly blame him. They didn't really know each other and he had no reason to trust them. The older boy moved further into the room and leaned on the back of the sofa, facing the bed.

"It was just a nightmare." That was only partially the truth. Somehow nightmares with scenes of the future or the past were somehow worse. Seeing that they were getting somewhere, Nightwing moved to sit on the couch.

"Was it about your family?" Nico didn't answer, he didn't need to. His silence was answer enough.

"I still get nightmares about my parent's death," Dick said. He thought that if he could establish a common ground with this secretive boy, he might have a chance at him opening up more. Plus it always felt good to tell people about his family, as if they would never be forgotten.

"How did they die?" To Dick's surprise, Nico actually seemed interested in the conversation. Dick went on to explain how his parents died and how Batman had caught the man responsible and locked him up. Nico was a very good listener and waited until the end to comment.

" Batman eh?" Nico scoffed, kind of in a disbelieving way.

" Yeah. You know, the guy who cleans up the city in a suit and has bat ears?" Dick said, using his fingers to imitate the ears on Bruce's cowl. Nico chuckled, he seemed to be relaxing some now that they were chatting, which Dick saw as a good sign. He was willing to get to know them, at least.

"Yeah, I've met him."

"You did?" Dick tried to sound surprised, but he didn't think he really managed it.

" Yeah, last night. He kept me from getting mugged." Nico didn't mention their conversation. Dick got the underlying message and didn't press him.

"Ahhh, you were lucky then," dick smiled knowingly. Nico made a face that could only be described as a grimace.

"I guess I was." 

"You don't think so?" Dick raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I don't really believe in luck. Or coincidence." 

"So what do you believe in? Zodiacs? Karma? Reincarnation?" The last one was a joke, but Nico didn't laugh.

"Fate, destiny, probability. And yes, I believe in reincarnation." Nico didn't seem to think that this was anything out of the ordinary. Dick tried to reconcile the image of Nico he had been building with this new information and found that it didn't quite track. Clearly, di Angelo had hidden depths.

"Honestly? You don't strike me as the type." Nico glanced his way, probably trying to see if Dick was making fun of him. He wasn't. Nico honestly didn't strike him as the sort of person to believe in destiny. In fact, he would have guessed that the idea of a divine plan would have irked the younger boy.

"Oh really? How do I strike you?" Nico stretched and popped some of the bones in his back.

"I dunno? The opposite of that? Nihilistic?" Richard didn't know how to describe it. He hadn't put enough thought into it to put it into words.

"It was the outfit, wasn't it?" Nico said it in such a monotone voice that it took Dick a few moments to realize that he was making a joke. By then it was too late to laugh.

"Probably," Dick agreed. "Can I ask... what made you believe in reincarnation?" Nico didn't reply for so long that Dick almost called to him, thinking that maybe he had fallen asleep against the bedpost.

"I guess I have to." He said at last. This was not the answer Dick was expecting.

"What do you mean? Like, your religion?" Nico hadn't struck Dick as the religious type either.

"Not, exactly. I guess I have to believe that there is a chance that my sister got to live a full life out there somewhere. She died in an apartment fire when we were kids." 

"I guess it would be comforting to think that they weren't truly dead." Dick agreed lightly. This was new territory. He didn't want to say the wrong thing. Nico nodded along. The boys lapsed into a comfortable silence, each considering the idea of their lost loved ones being out in the world, living new lives.

"You sound like you're feeling a bit better. Do you think you can go back to sleep now?" Dick asked after a while, standing.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Alright, let me know if you need anything." Dick made his way to the door.

"Dick?" The older boy paused at the door, "Thanks."

"Anytime." The older boy left, closing the door gently behind him. He retired to his own room for the night. 

++++

The next morning, all the boys came down for breakfast except Nico. Breakfast was held in the informal dining room, attached to the open-concept kitchen. The room was spacious enough for a full-sized kitchen along with a table long enough to fit the entire family.

"Should I go wake, Master Nico?" Alfred asked Bruce as he filled up his coffee cup. Bruce was about to answer when Richard cut in.

" Nah," Dick interrupted, "he didn't sleep well last night."

"How would you know, Grayson?" Damian asked incredulously. Leave it to Dami to suggest that Dick was a stalker.

"I sat up and talked to him for a while last night. We were up kind of late." Dick respected the younger boy's privacy enough to not go into detail about what they talked about and the others didn't ask. He knew they were curious, though. 

"Any ideas about what to do today? Like what should we do with Nico?" Tim asked. The boys shook their heads and Damian sat silently, picking at his breakfast.

"Any ideas Dami?" Richard inquired, mainly trying to get his attention but also caring about his input.

"No. Father, are we going to tell him?" Bruce looked at each of his sons as their gazes turned to him. He set down his coffee before responding.

"Let's see if he can figure it out by himself. There is something different about him. I can't quite put my finger on it." Bruce sat back in his chair and intertwined his fingers. The others shared looks, expressions ranging from amusement to annoyance. The rest of them, excluding Damian, had found it out on their own, Nico should have to as well. It was basically a rite of passage at this point.

After breakfast, Dick had been the one elected to go wake Nico up. His brothers tagged along just to see Nico's reaction. They were hoping for some free entertainment, preferably at Dick's expense. Dick slowly crept into the newbie's bedroom, to find that Nico was lying peacefully on his side, facing away from them. Dick left the door open so his other brothers could watch. Dick glanced back at the door, where his siblings shooed him on. Richard sighed and made his way quietly up to the bed.

He took a deep breath before grabbing Nico's shoulder firmly. Nico shot upright in the bed, obviously disoriented.

"Wha--?" His mouth fell open. his eyes were wide but unfocused. His hair was wild.

"Woah! Nico calm down! Everything's ok." Dick tried to get through to him. Nico's eyes stopped moving erratically and settled on Richard. He sized up the situation immediately and relaxed if only a little bit.

"Oh. Hey. What are you all doing here?"

"We came to wake you up. You missed breakfast but Alfred can still get you something." Dick replied.

"Ok. I guess I was tired." Nico ran a hand through his hair, avoiding eye contact with them.

"Well, you had a busy day yesterday." Dick made an excuse for him. Nico just nodded.

"How'd you sleep?" Tim asked, trying to bay the new boy onto the subject of the nightmare.

"Well enough," Nico said simply.

"Are you feeling ok? You're looking kind of rough," Dick frowned, perching on the edge of his bed. Nico was amazed at how comfortable the older boy was even though they'd only known each other for a day.

"I'm ok," Nico assured him, knowing full well that his appearance was sickly at the best of times. 

"Are you sure? You weren't out on the streets all night were you?" 

"I mean, yeah, but I'm ok," Nico shrugged uncomfortably.

"Well, just let Alfred know if you start feeling ill. You could have come down with something out in the cold all night. You said you slept ok?" The oldest Wayne boy changed the subject.

"Yeah."

"Good. A growing boy needs his sleep," Jason said in a tone that was anything but serious, "how old are you again?" It was another baited question. They all knew how old he was.

"15, why?" Jason shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just wondering. You're one year older than Tim. When's your birthday?" It was an innocent question but Nico tensed and his eyes grew guarded. Immediately they knew that Nico was hiding more than they had originally thought. What possible harm could there be in telling them his birthday?

"Nico? Do you not know your birthday?" It was Richard who asked the question. It hadn't even occurred to the other three that he might not know what his birthday was. They were thinking more along the lines of secret identity or something else more elaborate. Dealing with people with powers tended to make their suspicions blow way out of proportion.

Nico didn't respond. He shuffled uncomfortably-- obviously unsure of how to respond. These actions in themselves gave them the answers they needed. The boys shared pained looks. They couldn't imagine not knowing their own birthday. It did beg the question of just how long he had been on his own. Did he really not have anyone in his life who could remind him?

"Where did you live before this? Didn't you live with anyone else?"

"Well I stay at a summer camp sometimes over the summers but I don't really have a place to stay otherwise. I never really stayed anywhere long enough to get to know anyone." Nico shrugged. It was mostly true, after all. He couldn't very well tell them that he spent most of his time in the Underworld. Plus there was the fact that Nico wasn't sure if Hades even remembered his birthday.

"I'm sorry..." Jason trailed off awkwardly. Just because he knew what Nico had gone through, didn't mean he knew how to comfort him. It was true that Nico didn't know what day he was actually born. Bianca only knew the year: 1928. So Nico kind of adopted Halloween as his birthday, partly as a joke and partly because it was memorable.

" It's not your fault," Nico said curtly, "I chose October 31st as my birthday."

"Halloween," Tim observed.

"Yeah."

"Any particular reason?" Nico sighed and moved to the closet where there were a couple of spare sets of clothes. He grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and a black long-sleeved shirt. They were both pretty big but they were the only black clothes he had. Plus they looked warm and clean. They would do for now at least.

"None that I would care to discuss. Let's just say that someone that I used to be close to gave me the idea." Nico left them all standing there as he went into his connected bathroom and shut the door with finality. The bat brothers looked at each other and then left the room. They were no closer to learning anything important about Nico than they were before. Without any further discussion, they adjourned to the library downstairs. It was basically a study for the entire family. They scattered on the couches in the center of the room. There was a lot to talk about regarding their newest housemate.

"Does anyone else think that it is a little strange that he has a defense mechanism for when he is sleeping? I don't think that that is a normal response for people who have lived on the streets. When it comes to fight or flight, they typically choose flight." Jason stated matter-of-factly. He should know, having come from the streets himself.

"Yeah, I find that most curious as well. I also can't believe that he learned sword fighting at a summer camp." Damian agreed.

"Well, you were trained by assassins so is it really too big of a stretch?" Tim asked.

"I'm sure this isn't the same."

"Come on guys, knock it off. I think that, once he learns the secret he will come around. We can't expect to know everything about him on the second day." Richard reasoned, "I say we drop really subtle hints and while he figures it out, we test his abilities until then."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Damian asked, crossing his arms. Dick smiled almost evilly, making Damian sorry he asked.

" One, two, three, four... I declare... A PRANK WAR!" They exchanged smiles.

" Deal! What are the rules?" Jason asked.

" Nothing that could cause serious injury, every man for himself, and none of that bathroom stuff like the hair dye in the shampoo, and we'll wait until Nico gets some new clothes." Richard listed. There were protests when he added the second rule but Dick was adamant. Then he thought of something, "Oh, and try not to do anything too humiliating to Nico, I'm not sure how well he would take it."

"Got it!" Tim said. The others nodded, however reluctantly. "Hey, you think we should send at least one of us out with Nico to make sure he gets something other than black?"

"It couldn't hurt." said Dick with a shrug, "I wouldn't mind going with him."

"Ok, Alfred was talking about taking him this evening I think. Try to imagine him in a tux!" Jason said chuckling. That made the others chuckle too, none of them could imagine Nico in a tuxedo.

"Be nice, Jay." Dick chastised without any real fire in his words.

"What did I do?" 

"What do we do until then? I don't think it would be too fair for us to get such a head start for making plans." Tim said reasonably. Dick nodded appreciatively. He'd brought up a fair point.

"Well, we can show him our other hobbies," Dick suggested. 

"I can show him the computer I'm building!" Tim said happily.

"I could show him the gymnastics equipment and the trapeze."

"I would not mind showing him my collection of katanas."

"Yeah, maybe he'd enjoy Xbox," Jason said, surprisingly interested. Usually, he wasn't into the whole getting-to-know-you thing. Maybe it was curiosity and maybe it was boredom. Either way, Dick wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Richard smiled, "Let's do it. Tim, you go first. He doesn't seem to be the type that would be very big into computers so that might take the least amount of time." Tim nodded agreeably, "Jason, why don't you go next, you two can play until lunch if he wants then we can show him the rest afterward." For once everyone agreed on something. What Dick was saying made sense, and they were all curious about Nico.

Tim left with Jason, presumably to go find Nico. Damian left to go shower. Dick grabbed a book on software from one of the shelves and picked up where he left off. He wanted to finish this article before he started his chores for the week, to clean all the windows on the third and fourth floors, and clean his room. They may have a butler but they still all had chores that they had to do. It wouldn't be fair to leave the entire house to Alfred.

++Nico++

As Nico stepped into his bathroom, he mentally kicked himself. Why did he have to be so dramatic? He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before stripping and getting into the warm shower. Nico had to have it just warm and not hot so that he wouldn't freeze when he got out. He was cold enough as it was since his body had a hard time generating much heat in the first place.

As he got cleaned off, he tried not to look at his scars. There weren't too many by demigod standards, but there were way too many in the eyes of any mortal. The scars that he did have were more prominent than most demigods too. It was like his skin contrasted with the lines, making them stand out. Nico absently prayed that the Wayne family would never find out about them because they would take more than a little explaining.

He finished up quickly, drying off and slipping on the change of clothes he had grabbed. They were small, but they still hung off his skeletal frame. Nico had to roll the waistband of the sweatpants several times to make them fit right. As he brushed his teeth with the provided supplies, he was careful not to look at himself in the mirror, knowing full well that he was nothing much to look at.

He dried his hair as much as he could before heading back out into his room. Luckily, the others were no longer there. He decided that he liked them for the most part (he got along with them better than he ever had with anyone else). Nico also knew that he would often need time to escape and be alone, that was just his inner introvert speaking.

The night before, Bruce had agreed to take him to camp to get the rest of his things and to assure his camp director that he was alright. Nico wasn't surprised that no one had Iris messaged him yet, though he did feel sort of offended. He had told Bruce that he should wait for him by the Delphi strawberries stand and that camp was just over the next ridge. He also told the older man that he would rather go in alone, claiming that it was in order not to draw too much attention to himself. Nico doubted that the others would know much about Bruce Wayne, but there weren't adults there often. Also, Bruce probably wouldn't approve of the camp itself either. That isn't if he was even allowed in.

Nico took a deep breath at his door, preparing himself for the social interaction. He slowly pulled it open and moved into the hall. He traveled quietly down the halls and to the stairs. Nico eased down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Alfred was nowhere to be seen but Damian was there doing the dishes. For some reason, that surprised him Damian seemed like the kind that would be against chores. It seemed to fit into his sanctimonious personality. Perhaps it was more a credit to Bruce's parenting, he could get Damian to do chores. It was impressive nonetheless.

Because Damian did not acknowledge his presence, Nico assumed that he hadn't heard him enter. He decided to make his presence known, "So, where are..."

Nico was cut off by Damian throwing the plate he had in his hands like a frisbee. It was only due to his demigod reflexes that he was able to catch the plate before it hit him in the gut. Nico's hands hurt from the impact and he was surprised to see how accurately Damian had thrown it. The demigod was really lucky to have caught it. It would have hit him right in the ribs. He hoped that the display had seemed cooler than it was because he doubted that he could do that again. Not that he would want to, his heart was now racing and his breath was unsteady. Damian was staring at him as though he had just spilled his guts about his lineage.

"So, as I was saying, where are the others?" Nico asked, setting the plate down gently on the counter. The son of Hades hoped that, if he ignored the event, he could avoid questioning. he should have known that Damian wouldn't let it drop so easily.

"How... how did you do that?" Damian frowned. A wave of anxiety crashed over Nico but he managed to reel it in before he replied.

"It was luck..." He chuckled as though he couldn't believe what had just transpired either, "I doubt I could do it again if I tried." Damian glared, squinting suspiciously.

"Well, I think that Drake wanted to show you his computers. Kind of a getting-to-know-you activity and all that." Damian grabbed the plate that he had thrown off the counter and put it back in the dishwater.

"Uh ok, where is he?" Nico asked, glad to avoid further questioning.

" Check his room, you recall where that was, correct?" Damian said without turning. He sighed internally and left the room. Was Damian always going to be so unapproachable?