[Edited July 20, 2022]

The next morning, Nico woke up early from a strange dream he couldn't remember the details, but he knew that it had been about Hera and the quest. It had seemed important at the time but it was all fuzzy now. Still, it was disturbing and he knew that it would be pointless to try and fall asleep again, though he was still tired. He got up and went to his bathroom to shower and try to ground himself from the chaos of the last several days. It felt like he hadn't been able to slow down since Bruce left and his luck didn't show signs of improving.

Nico showered and changed into clean clothes-- it helped more than he thought he would. It was peaceful and comfortable in the manor and he considered for the millionth time just staying as he reluctantly packed another overnight bag for the mountain. When he was finished, he hauled his bag down to the kitchen to search for a granola bar. He packed a few more just in case he wanted to skip an awkward group breakfast or something and ate one for breakfast before heading down to the cave to grab his uniform.

He didn't think he'd need his uniform, but it couldn't hurt to bring it along just in case. The son of Hades sat on the training platform since he still had an hour or so before the people at the mountain would be expecting him and he was all packed. It was a habit of his to either run late or be ready hours in advance-- there was no in-between. Since he was ready, there was nothing left for him to do except sit and dread facing his brothers. They were going to strangle him and finish what Slade started. Eventually, the silence and stillness became too much for him to stand so he busied himself by drawing Deathstroke as he had appeared when he had been standing over him. Nico worked on it until he got a text from Dick.

He had his text-to-speech feature read it out.

"Hey, are you coming to the mountain? We've told the others that you've been invited back since now even Deathstroke seems to be after you." 

Nico pressed record, "Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I have everything packed. Again." He'd done so much packing recently that he wasn't sure he even had all his things anymore. He could have forgotten things in any number of places. Jason's safehouse, Camp Half-Blood, the Mountain, or even that weird building Deathstroke had dragged him to. He'd had a very eventful last few days.

Nico packed his sketchbook into his bag and headed over to the zeta beams. It took him a moment to remember how to operate the system but he soon figured it out. Bruce had made everything voice-activated so that he never had to read anything. It meant memorizing more codes than any of the other boys, but it was the most accessible option for him. 

"NA 1604" Nico spoke as he came up to the tubes.

"Destination?" A feminine voice asked pleasantly. It was the same voice that the Bat Computer used.

"Mount Justice Base."

"Confirmed."

 When he stepped through the beam, he found the entire team waiting for him on the other side. This time they were all abuzz; talking amongst themselves in hushed voices and glancing at him discreetly. Ghost waved awkwardly, not quite sure what to say. Most of them had seen him tied up by one of their most dangerous villains only hours earlier after all.

"Dude... you're friends with Poison Ivy? That's totally crash!" Mini flash II raced around him as he came down the steps; how the boy didn't trip was beyond him. Did he skip the steps entirely?

"Crash?" The son of Hades wrinkled his nose. Nico thought he had gotten caught up with the lingo of this age, but he had never heard anything like that before. The speedster said it like it was a compliment, but a crash was something you tried to avoid. It didn't make sense. He looked at the others for assistance, presumably, they would know what it meant.

"Don't worry Hermano, that's a good thing." The one named Blue Beetle said from where he stood among the group. Nico hummed in response since he wasn't sure what an appropriate response would have been. Instead, he decided to address what was said.

"Friend isn't the right word. I asked her for help and she came through. Now I owe her a favor." The demigod replied shortly. He didn't really want to get into his relationship with Ivy. He might say something that might compromise her or himself-- and subsequently the bat family. The less said about the woman, the better.

"What kind of favor?" Artemis piped up, narrowing her eyes at him. Nico didn't know how to interpret the look. Was she suspicious of him or angry with him? He could understand either reaction, but it didn't make it any easier for him to relax.

"I won't know until she cashes it in." Nico really had no idea what Ivy would ask of him if anything. She might forget about his debt to her and it would never come up again. That was wishful thinking.

"You got yourself into debt with a supervillain. Great going, genius." Artemis growled.

"I needed help quickly and I knew Poison Ivy was in the area. It was a calculated risk." Ghost returned, crossing his arms. He felt himself getting defensive. It was true that the setup wasn't ideal, but it was also true that he had survived only because he had made the decision to bring Ivy into his affairs. He also couldn't understand why Artemis would be so concerned with what kind of trouble he found himself in since she didn't even seem to like him. What did it matter to her who he associated with?

"How did you know she was in the area?" Kid Flash asked. Nico was starting to realize that he wasn't nearly as suspicious as his blonde counterpart. When he asked a question, it was usually because he was actually curious, not because he was going to try to use his answer against him. Nico appreciated that.

"I make it a point to keep tabs on prior clients," Nico replied vaguely. He briefly met Nightwing's gaze. The older boy gave him an approving glance at the lie. This would at least explain how he'd come to know Ivy.

"Ivy needed you to determine the cause of death?" Superboy frowned.

"No, she was more interested in some... sensitive information." Nico gave him a wicked smile, feeling pleased with the persona he was building for his alter ego. It made him feel important and knowledgeable, something he rarely felt as Nico di Angelo.

"So you're an information broker as well as a consultant?" Miss Martian clarified.

"Well, yeah. You didn't think that determining causes of death was the only thing I did, did you? That's only a small part of what I do."

"What kind of info did Poison Ivy want?" Artemis asked, her eyes narrow.

"I don't discuss client business." Nico gave her a smug look.

"But you did with Deathstroke." She pointed out.

"No, I didn't. He'd asked what kinds of clients I take and I mentioned Batman as one of my prior clients. I never mentioned the case, but he seemed to already know about it. Apparently, Sportsmaster was responsible for the hit, though not directly. At least that's what Deathstroke said." Ghost reported, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Why would he tell you that?" Superboy spoke up again.

"Probably to tell try and intimidate me. To say he's more in the know than I am." Ghost shrugged.

"And you mentioned Batman, that's why he brought up the case? So he knew we investigated the lab?" Tim clarified. He knew the answer of course, but this was for the benefit of the team.

"I think so."

"That's likely the only reason he let you live," Nightwing spoke up at last. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

"Are you ok, my friend?" Aqualad spoke for the first time. 

"I'm fine." Ghost waved away the Atlantean's question; he didn't want to talk about himself or his feelings. Next thing you know, they have a psychiatrist looking him over and suggesting things like 'group therapy'. They probably weren't too far from that as it was. T

"How did you contact Ivy?" Red Robin asked carefully, knowing that the demigod was already agitated. 

"I asked the trees to contact her. The trees speak to her." He explained. Murmurs broke out in the group and Nightwing silenced them. Turning his attention to his younger brother, he started to speak,

"How much does that information cost us?" Artemis crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nothing, I charge by demand. There's no demand for that information." Nico stretched, he was becoming stiff standing still for so long. They hadn't even let him sit down before they started asking him questions.

"So the more someone needs the info, the higher the price?" She clarified.

"Obviously?"

"That's horrible." Nico frowned at that. He had known that Artemis was the daughter of Sportsmaster, a mercenary. She may have renounced the family business, but surely this wasn't as bad as that. She had to know that nothing came without strings. 

"I didn't come here to be lectured from your imaginary moral high ground." Ghost returned hotly. "Are we done with this interrogation?" Artemis coughed but Nico elected to ignore her for the time being. He was sure that the archer wasn't always like this, her team wouldn't have bonded with her if she had been. Clearly there was something about him personally that just wasn't sitting right with her. Maybe it was his moral ambiguity or his willingness to take on villains as clients.

Seeing that no one else had anything to say, Nico started to make his way back to the room he had occupied only two days prior. Before he got very far Artemis called after him with a question that made him stop dead in his tracks.

"What do your parents think about this?" The son of Hades sighed and set his bag on the ground. he took a moment before he pivoted to face the archer.

"Let me just dig them up and ask them," He leveled her with a withering look.

"They're dead?" Her eyebrows inched towards her hairline.

"Yes," He gritted out.

"Artemis," Nightwing said warningly.

"Are you so eager to join them?"

"If you're trying to scare me, you won't. Death's a part of the job description. With Clients like mine, I know that safety isn't a guarantee. I made that choice and I will deal with the consequences just like the rest of you. I need you to stop treating me like a child and start seeing me as a peer." Nico countered.

"You are a child." Artemis crossed her arms. Nico locked eyes with Nightwing who subtly shook his head. He didn't want him to talk about how he was born in the 20s and literally wasn't a child. This was frustrating.

The demigod sighed, "Sure. Fine. But that still doesn't invalidate my point. Especially since I am not the youngest here."

"Though you are the most inexperienced."

"Also not true." Nico shook his head. She was certainly jumping to a lot of conclusions.

" I call bull."

"That's your prerogative." Nico waved away her remarks easily. If she wouldn't listen to the truth, that was her business.

"Nightwing!" Artemis turned to his older brother as if she expected him to back her up.

"I'm staying out of this," he raised his hands in surrender.

"Really helpful," she muttered, "If you think your parents would be proud of you, you're wrong." She directed the second part back to their consultant.

"You're probably right. Are yours proud of you?" Nico knew it was a low blow, but she had pushed him to it. He was sick of the questions, the hostility, and the invasion of privacy. Nico knew Artemis was the black sheep of her family. 

Artemis' face turned an ugly shade of red. "This isn't about me."

"I'll take that as a no. Pot calling the kettle black." Ghost picked his bag back up. Artemis, having lost this verbal skirmish, retreated into the gym. The rest of the gathered heroes looked uncomfortable. He had clearly struck a bigger nerve than he thought.

"That was pretty low." Kid Flash spoke up, "Her family is a touchy subject."

"I didn't know. I was simply turning her question back on her." Nico replied evenly.

"Did you have to bring her family into this?" Tim spoke up, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was clearly talking to himself but Nico responded anyway.

"She brought mine into it! It was only fair. Plus, I don't have room to judge her on her family, whoever they may be."

"What does that mean?" Kaldur frowned.

"My family is made up of very bad people. Murderers, thieves, rapists, child support evaders, incestual marriages, etc. My grandfather was a cannibal, my great-grandmother set one group of her children against the other so that they'd kill one another, twice. I could go on, but you get the gist, I think." He had greatly condensed his family's history. Even having left out quite a bit, it sounded horrible.

"So your family probably would be proud of you." Superboy sneered.

"My extended family, maybe. Though my father wasn't like that, usually, and my mother was a saint." None of them knew what to say to that so Nico simply grabbed his bag and made his way to his room. The teens started to move off to do their own thing. They were casting glances at him and muttering to each other as they walked away. Great.

Nightwing told him that he would use the same room as he had last time before he left to go do something or other. He didn't even stay to talk to him or make sure he was alright. Apparently, Nico hadn't just hit a nerve, he'd hit an artery. Of course, Nightwing and Red Robin were the only ones who knew that he was aware of who Artemis' family were. He'd taken knowledge he wasn't supposed to have and used it to win an argument, it was cheating and it was cruel. The proteges of Batman were not pleased.

When Nico reached his temporary room, he shut the door behind him and leaned his back against it. He felt like screaming. Instead, he sighed, laid back on the bed, and rested an arm over his eyes. He considered his brother's uncharacteristic silence. Well, the silence wasn't uncharacteristic, but the cold shoulder definitely was.

It had been the first time they had gotten a chance to talk since the Deathstroke and Nightwing didn't even ask if he had been injured. Sure, Nico had stepped over a line with Artemis, but he didn't think it was that big of a deal. Why did his brothers seem to overlook everything that Artemis had said to him that had been out of line? Instead of defending him or at the very least listening to him, they began ignoring him. 

The son of Hades could handle a lot of things, but the silent treatment wasn't one of them. He could handle people screaming at him and calling him horrible things-- at least then he could tell that people knew he existed. What really got to him was when people refused to acknowledge his presence. He'd been invisible for so long that, now that he knew what it was like to be seen, he didn't want things to go back to the way they were before.

Nico hated loneliness and, more than anything, he hated feeling non-existent. It was like what he imagined being a ghost would feel like. He could see and hear everyone else but no one could hear or see him. He might as well not even exist. That's why he believed Asphodel to be worse than the fields of punishment because at least in punishment someone knew who you were. Ghost sat up on the bed, knowing that he didn't want to just sit there, but he didn't feel like doing anything else either. Nico sat down at the desk and set his homework out on the tabletop. He opened his laptop to his audiobook and plugged in his earbuds. He hit play and listened as the pleasant voice read out the book to him. He was behind on his readings and he was going to miss the due date if he kept it up.

He stared at the ceiling, picturing the scene the narrator described in his mind's eye. He didn't know how long he listened. When he finally sat up, he became aware of someone watching him. He hit pause on the computer and took out his earbuds. He turned to look at the door and saw Nightwing just standing in the doorway.

"Yes?" Nico shut his laptop.

"Are you coming to lunch?" Dick's voice was formless and he couldn't get a read on what the older boy was thinking. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Nico could feel the back of his neck and his shoulders starting to tighten and his throat became dry with anxiety.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. I'm not anyone's favorite person right now." Dick didn't reply, but he didn't move from the door, either. Nico guessed that it was time for lunch. He felt his throat tighten and he forced himself to swallow, though it hurt to do so. He shoved his homework into his backpack and zipped it up. He didn't need anyone getting on it and seeing his name on the course registry.

Taking a deep breath, he walked past Nightwing out the door. He went to the kitchen where part of the team was already located. He hesitated at the doorway but Nightwing pushed him in. People looked his way and the conversation slowed to a stop. He glanced around at everybody, feeling the tension in the room build. No one was speaking to him anymore it seemed. It hurt more than he thought it would. He moved a little way into the kitchen before leaning on the counter, about as far away as he could get from them. It was more because he didn't want to bother them, than being afraid of them. He had caused enough trouble in the two short times that he had been here. Nico was going to try his best to not make them hate him any more than they already did.

They had apparently decided to ignore him because the conversation started up again but Nico didn't bother paying attention. It wasn't any of his business what they were talking about. He just focused on the sick feeling in his stomach. He was being given the silent treatment by the entire Young Justice. Who knows, maybe the Justice League was next.

Nightwing eyed him wearily. When he saw that the younger wasn't planning on grabbing food for himself, he sighed and grabbed the boy something out of the fridge. He then chucked a thing of yogurt at his face. The demigod barely managed to catch it before it hit him. Nightwing moved on like nothing much had happened and got him a spoon. Everyone in the room had gotten quiet again so Nico just silently ate the yogurt, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He was feeling very anxious with all of their eyes on him. Even when they had looked away, he couldn't help but feel the weight of their eyes. It felt like every move he made was being monitored which made him feel even worse.

He quietly threw the empty yogurt container away and was about to walk out of the kitchen when Nightwing blocked his exit. He didn't say anything, but his meaning was clear: he was not leaving this room right now. Nico backed up a couple of steps and went back to his position by the counter. He wanted to throw up. He felt bile rise in his throat and he had to swallow it down. No one was speaking to him. No one was looking at him and no one was acknowledging his existence. He felt invisible. His own brothers weren't even talking to him anymore.

Connor looked over at the consultant in confusion, he must have an elevated heartbeat or something. Superboy whispered something to M'gann who looked over at Ghost and shrugged. Nico just hoped that she would know enough to stay out of his head. He didn't want to traumatize her or expose Nightwing and Red Robin. He didn't think she would like a look at the fields of punishment much, but he didn't want her snooping into anything more vital either.

When everyone had finished eating and had filed out, then Nightwing let him leave. Nico went straight back to the room and found the door left ajar. He went inside and found nothing really out of place that he could see. He briefly entertained the idea that maybe it had drifted open, but he quickly dismissed that because he could remember hearing a click when Nightwing closed it. Someone had been inside. Ghost looked through his belongings and found that nothing was missing. And nothing obvious was out of place. So they had come in and what... just looked around? Who was in here? What were they looking for? He thought he had accounted for everyone at breakfast, but with so many of them, he could have lost count.

The son of Hades sat on his bed, feeling violated. They had probably gone through his stuff and violated his privacy. What were they hoping to find, anyway? Then a thought struck him. There were two important items that he hadn't seen when he had gone through his bag. His Hades figurine and his camp necklace. His heart rate sped up and he could feel the bile rise in the back of his throat. He snatched the bag back up from his bed.

"I swear to all the gods..." He trailed off as he searched through it. He couldn't find either of them. Out of all the oddities in his backpack, they manage to pick out the two most important items. Nico sat back on the bed, wondering what he should do. Why did they want those items? What drew the team to them? Nico wandered out to the living room where a majority of the team had gathered. Once again, their voice slowly stopped as they realized that he was there.

"Someone went into my room and took two items. I want them back." Nico said, sounding deadly calm. It wasn't intentional, but he had no intention of changing his tone either.

"No one took anything man, calm down." Said a large man called Mel... Mal? Whatever.

"Don't tell me that nothing is missing. I'm not an idiot. I wouldn't say anything unless I was sure. They're valuable and I want them back." He must have looked pretty intimidating because he pursed his lips and looked at the others for help.

"I wouldn't have thought you would have anything valuable?" Someone asked. Nico hadn't seen who spoke but he answered anyway.

"Sentimental value."

"I wouldn't have pegged you as the sentimental type either." Nico didn't bother dignifying that with a response.

"Someone probably got revenge." One girl... Kathryn? Kara? Something. Suggested.

"I never stole anything from anyone, He countered.

"What are you going on about now?" Connor came into the room. The demigod knew he had probably heard the whole thing, but he humored him anyway.

"Someone went into my room and took two items from me. I want them back. Now." Ghost was beyond furious, and he thought they could tell as he wasn't exactly trying to hide it. Nico hoped that the shadows weren't drawn to him as that would be the perfect thing to cap off a perfect morning.

"Ask Nightwing," the older boy shrugged.

"If you haven't noticed, he's not exactly speaking to me right now."

"I wonder why." Lagoon snapped. Nico bit back a retort that would have started a fight. Instead, he elected to ignore him.

"Fine, asking Nightwing then. I just want my stuff back guys," he said tiredly as he stalked out of the room. Nico walked into the gym where he found Nightwing and Kaldur'ahm training. He stood silently by the edge of the platform, waiting for them to finish. It was really close, up to the very end. Dick and Kaldur ended up in a stalemate, calling it a draw. Nightwing must have been really off his game. They both went and got drinks, ignoring him. When they came back by, they stopped in front of the consultant.

"What is it you need?" Kaldur questioned politely.

"Someone was in my room. They took two valuables. I just want them back." Nico said softly, he didn't like how it was Kaldur who had spoken to him first. If the items hadn't been this important, he would have just left it alone.

"What did they take?" This was Nightwing finally talking to him. He knew that Nico never had much, so he had never been a materialistic person. If his younger brother was bothering him over some items, he knew they had to be important.

"My figurine and my beaded necklace. They have significant sentimental value to me," He replied. Nightwing's features softened. He knew how much that figurine meant to Nico. It was the last thing he had of Bianca. The necklace reminded him of how many things he had survived and linked him back to the other demigods. They could have taken anything else and he would have been ok.

"Ok, we'll get them back. Do you have any idea who might have taken them?" Kaldur'ahm asked. Ghost shook his head, looking at his feet. He'd really rather not make a big deal out of this.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to cause any more problems. I just really need those." Nightwing nodded, he understood.

"We'll find them. I think it would be better if we looked for them without you." Nico didn't question it. As long as he got them back, he didn't care how it happened. The son of Hades went back to his room and absentmindedly started completing book report questions on the chapter he had just listened to. He had finished the first three questions when there came a knock at his door.

"Come in." he closed his notebook. Nightwing appeared in his doorway. He came over to the younger's desk, fiddling with one of the pockets of his utility belt. He finally got it open and set the two lost items on Nico's desk. Immediately the demigod grabbed the Hades figurine and looked it over, trying to see if anything was broken, it wasn't. Nothing seemed to be missing from the necklace either. What had they been planning on doing with it anyway?

"Thank you, Nightwing," Nico said, relieved. Dick gave him a small smile and clapped him on the shoulder.

"No problem. I know those are important to you." He left, closing the door behind him. Nico put the necklace on around his neck, no longer caring to keep it hidden. The easiest way to make sure it isn't lost or stolen is to keep it with you 100 percent of the time. He also slipped the figurine into the pocket of his jeans. He went back to his work, now at least feeling comfortable again. He still wasn't happy that his privacy had been invaded, but now that he had the items back, he was willing to let it drop. Nico finished the sheet with a few hours until they might call him to dinner.

The son of Hades didn't want to be around them, knowing that one of them had been in his room, but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to avoid causing a scene. Nico also didn't like eating around people that he wasn't comfortable. It was silly, but he just always felt like he was being watched. Instead of just lounging around his room for the next few hours, he decided to go to their gym space and maybe exercise a little bit. It wouldn't be very strenuous stuff, just enough to ease the tension in his body. Nico needed a distraction from the silent treatment.

He wasn't sure if Nightwing was still giving him the silent treatment or if it had ended when he gave him the figurine. He hoped that it had ended, because he wasn't sure he could handle another day of it. How long did silent treatments usually last? Bianca used to give him the silent treatment all the time, though it only lasted for about two minutes at a time. Luckily, there wasn't anyone in the gym and he had free reign of whatever machine or equipment he wanted to use. Nico surveyed the room, trying to decide what to do first. Nothing really caught his eye until he spotted a huge raised platform in the far corner of the room, with computers lining the walls next to it. He made his way through the assorted machines over to it, wanting to see what it was.

When he got there, he turned on the computers and hit a button at random. At first, Nico didn't notice what it had done until he looked around and saw a ninja standing on the platform. It looked so real that he instinctively got into a defensive stance. When it didn't move for a minute or two, he hit another button to see if anything changed. The next button he hit changed the ninja to a person who was dual-wielding escrima sticks. Nico continued hitting random buttons until he found one that displayed a holographic sword fighter. He stepped onto the platform, and the hologram began to move around, taking up a starting position. He guessed the next question is whether or not it can make contact.

[This is the same type of holographic fight simulator that they used in the good Teen Titans]

Nico took up a starting position across from it and waited to see what happened. He was expecting it to make him take the first move, but it lunged at the demigod and he barely managed to block the attack. After a few seconds, he managed to switch to the offensive, driving the swordsman back. Nico slashed at his head, but the warrior managed to deflect it downwards. He brought his swords down toward Nico's head but he managed to block. Nico pushed him back and managed to slice him across his abdomen. There was no fanfare, the match was just over. The hologram fizzled out and the demigod heard one coming up behind him.

He turned around to find another fighter, but this one was using a knife. Nico backed off the platform to see what that was all about. Apparently, he had selected the 'assorted medieval' option on accident. He fiddled through the options until he found the one labeled 'mob'. He figured now was as good a time as any to try other fighting styles in a real battlefield situation. This was a controlled environment and he wasn't too far away from medical assistance if he needed it. Why not experiment and see what he liked or wanted to learn more of? All of the other boys had their gimmicks and he wanted to see what specialized fighting felt like in a prolonged battle.

Maybe he could try dual-wielding-- he had always wanted to do that. He looked around the room until he found an assortment of weapons in a repurposed closet. There weren't any swords for Greek or Roman styles, but there were plenty of katanas. Nico grabbed two that were about the right length for him. Nico figured that he might as well try them out. What better time than when you were facing a hologram?

Nico went back over to the computers and started the program. A group of faceless soldier holograms appeared on the platform. He got up on the pad and jumped into battle as they came at him almost immediately. Since Nico hadn't had any experience with this style, he found him relying more on his instincts rather than trying to predict his enemy's movements. It was a less efficient way of doing things, but he needed a little while to adjust to using his two arms independently of one another. He was surprised to find that he enjoyed the challenge and after a while he found himself adapting to the style.

The son of Hades ducked a roundhouse kick that was aimed for his head while also managing to cut the back of his opponent's leg. Nico knocked a punch aside with the flat of his blade while stabbing the hologram in the gut. He sliced one person's neck with his blades crossed and slammed the ends of the swords into two other people's heads. This method opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it came to combat. Not only could he more easily use combo moves, but he could also block and counter more easily. He could certainly see the appeal that a more mobile form of combat would bring in battle.

Nico had to admit that he was starting to get attached to this way of fighting. It was most certainly not Greek or Roman, but it felt good. He kept going and going until the program announced that the system was going to shut down due to its overheating. It was probably a good thing because he hadn't been able to find a good time to escape and shut it off yet and was out of breath. It had been a while since he had been able to really let loose and lose himself to a battle. It was nice to be able to explore a new weapon and he would definitely see what Bruce had to say about him learning dual wielding when he got home.

Nico sat down heavily in the center of the circular platform, trying to catch his breath. He was feeling better than he had in several weeks; and more exhausted. Batman definitely needed one of these in the Batcave and he planned on asking about it when he got home. But right now, he needed a shower.

Nico was hot and sweaty so he got up to grab a water from the little mini-fridge in the corner of the room. The waters were the only things in it not marked 'KF'. He drank almost the entire bottle as he put the katanas away in storage. They had been surprisingly well balanced for his size and strength. He went back over to the edge of the platform and sat down. He hadn't realized that he had an audience until then because he tended to look at his feet when he walked. Someone coughed and Nico looked up and found a decent chunk of the team scattered around the room on different exercise machines watching him. Nico froze in place.

"You beat the record. By a lot." Wally informed him, sliding off the stationary bike he had perched on. Nico raised his eyebrows; he hadn't been aware that there was a record.

"Sorry?" Nico replied, not sure what the speedster wanted from him. Nico finished off the water bottle.

"Dude, don't be sorry. The last record was set by Nightwing years ago. It is way past time for someone to break it." The demigod shrugged; he hadn't meant to break any records.

"How did you learn to fight like that, my friend?" Kaldur'ahm asked from his place next to an elliptical. There was something different in his eyes that wasn't there before, something akin to suspicion.

"I've never learned to fight like that. I've never actually fought with two swords before." Nico replied truthfully, eyeing the Atlantean curiously.

"Come on, man," Wally said incredulously, "you can't seriously expect us to believe that?"

"I don't know what to tell you. I've always had to sword fight to stay alive, but I've never used katanas and I've never dual-wielded." He repeated. The son of Hades didn't know what to tell them other than the truth. Though we all know how that worked out earlier.

"Then how the hell did you manage to do that?" He asked, sounding suspicious.

"I just let my instincts take over. Once you get good at fighting, you can adjust to a lot of different styles of combat. A lot of the strategies stay the same, and a lot of them change. I figured that I might as well try it out in a place where I'm not really at risk of dying." he explained. A few of them nodded along to this, understanding.

"Well, I'm going to go shower." He said and leave before anyone can ask him any more questions. He vaguely wondered how they knew he was in there. Did they hear him? Were they stalking him? Were they all just coming in to train?

Nico went and took a slightly colder-than-usual shower so that he didn't smell bad and to cool off some. It had been a while since he had fought like that and it certainly gave him a workout. The challenges in the arena at camp were hard, but nothing like being out on the battlefields, up to your neck in enemies. Capture the flag was probably the closest they could get without casualties. He got out and dried off, towel drying his hair as best he could. Ghost changed into a clean set of clothes in time for Nightwing to get him for dinner. He guessed his older brother was still mad at him because he didn't say very much on the way to the kitchen. However, this was still better than the silent treatment.

They went to the kitchen again for dinner and he found that over half the team was gone. He guessed they all had other things to do in their free time. It made sense that they wouldn't all be there all the time. This time when he came into the room, everyone just ignored him. It was easier this way, but it just made him feel insignificant. Nico grabbed an apple off the counter and another bottle of water from the fridge and stood at his spot by the counter as he ate. It wasn't enough since he had just burned all of those calories in the arena, but he didn't want to take something someone else wanted and upset them. He'd eat granola bars later.

After everybody left, he went back to his room for the night, wondering where Artemis had gotten off to. She had probably gone home. It did make it hard to sleep that night, though. He just couldn't seem to fall asleep no matter what he did. Nico even attempted sleeping on the floor. Around 3 am he gave up and left his room. He didn't want to just wander the mountain, so he got dressed and headed to the room where the Telkhines attacked.

Nico hadn't expected to find anyone in there, especially not at this hour. He had closed the door behind him and already walked several yards into the room before he spotted Artemis watching him from the ledge by the water. He froze in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in here, I'll go now." Ghost said, starting to turn around.

"Wait! Ghost, I want to talk to you for a minute." She called out, not unkindly. She was watching him imploringly, her legs dangling in the water. He nodded, it was the least he could do.

"Look," The demigod started as he got close, "I'm sorry about what I said..." she cut him off.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You were right."

"I was... what?" Nico was so surprised that he wasn't sure that he had heard her correctly.

"You were right, about my parents." She continued, "They're both criminals and aren't necessarily proud of me. Well, my mother isn't a criminal anymore, but my dad and my older sister are." Nico nodded, unsurprised. People in Gotham often had unhappy beginnings. Yes, he had finally realized that she was the girl from the gala. She was one of the sponsored kids at Gotham Academy.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to have been so rude about it," Nico said lamely.

"Me too. I stopped being mad a couple of hours ago." She gave him a small smile.

"Do you want to start over?" He asked, pulling a move from Diana's book. Artemis gave him a grateful look.

Artemis shoved one hand out for him to shake, "I'm Artemis."

"They call me Ghost." He took her hand.

[I'm pretty satisfied with how this turned out. I've been seeing a lot of you add this story to your reading lists and it's super exciting to see! Also, a lot of you have very weird names for your reading lists. You guys know that the authors can see them, right? Or is that the appeal?]