The Third Degree

[Edited April 18, 2023]

It was a long time later when someone interrupted his sulking. That someone happened to be Bruce-- who he still wasn't all that excited to see. 

The older man knocked twice on his door before poking his head inside. Nico didn't look over where he was curled up on the bed, his back facing the door. Bruce stepped inside since it was clear that he wasn't asleep. He wasn't even under the blankets. Nico wouldn't look at him, still hurt by the tone Bruce had taken with him earlier.

He just needed to be alone for a little while. Was that too much to ask for?

"Nico, I'm sorry if I came across too harshly earlier. I'm just frustrated. There are too many unknowns when it comes to you." Nico felt the bed dip behind him and he knew Bruce had perched himself on the edge. He could feel the man's gaze flit across him. Nico swallowed hard, feeling his heart sink into his chest.

 What was he saying? Was he going to say that there were just too many unknowns for him to let Nico stay? That he was too much of a liability? That he was a security risk and he didn't trust him? Was Bruce going to ship him off somewhere else? To another foster home or something? An orphanage? Put him back out on the streets? Nico didn't know how this system worked.

"Nico? Talk to me. I can't help if I don't know what you're thinking," Bruce gently rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. His grip was loose with uncertainty.

"Are you kicking me out?" Nico asked at last. His voice was more emotional than he was expecting and he felt heat rise in his cheeks. This was not how he was trying to come across.

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all. Nico, I'm not going to send you away, ok? Can you look at me?" Bruce gently tugged at the boy's shoulder, encouraging him to roll over to face him. Nico allowed the adjustment. He still didn't trust himself to meet Bruce's eyes so he stared at the duvet instead.

"I'm not sending you away," Bruce repeated lightly. Nico considered this for a few tense moments before he pulled himself into a sitting position. He got comfortable, hugging his knees to his chest and wiping away a stray tear he hadn't meant to shed.

"Promise?" Nico hated how fragile his voice sounded. He hated that he didn't think he could handle the idea that Bruce would want to get rid of him. Bruce scooted closer to the boy on the bed, wrapping a strong arm around his shoulders, and pulling him tightly against his side.

"I promise I'm never going to send you away. You're stuck with us," Bruce joked lightly. Nico chuckled despite himself.

"You're sure you still want me?" Nico wiped away more tears and Bruce handed him a tissue from his nightstand to blow his nose.

"You're sure you still want to stay?" Bruce countered. Nico nodded and the oldest Wayne rubbed his shoulders comfortingly.

"Then welcome home. My offer to make you part of this family officially still stands. Whenever you're ready," Bruce reminded him, gently.

"After you learn my secret," Nico replied softly. He wouldn't feel right accepting their offer without being sure that they knew what they were getting into.

"I'll ask you again when that happens. Sound good?" Nico nodded again and accepted another tissue. He was feeling a lot better about his status in this family than he had before. Was this what unconditional acceptance felt like? He wasn't sure he would go so far as to call it love, but it felt close. It felt right.

 "I know you're not allowed to tell us any more, but I wanted to know... if we guess, can you tell us if we're right or wrong?" the demigod shrugged. He supposed that he would be able to. He wasn't telling them and at that point, it would become common knowledge which would mean that he is no longer bound by those rules.

"Probably." Bruce eyed him for a moment before apparently deciding not to comment.

"So, we've all had a long discussion, and here's what we know: your father was neglectful, your mother is dead, your sister died under suspicious circumstances after you ran away from your old school, you know Pamela,  you have nearly died several times, you held a grudge against Diana over what happened to your sister, Percy who is your friend from camp has gotten expelled almost every year and was the subject of several manhunts, you're not afraid of death, and you're polytheistic. Am I missing anything? Oh yeah, and you can probably teleport." Bruce sounded somewhat accusatory as he listed off these things, and Nico choked when he mentioned teleportation.

"Teleportation?" He tried to sound surprised.

"Yes, Dick reported that you were in the hallway one moment and gone the next. Oh, that reminds me of one more thing, your body seems to have problems creating or regulating it's temperature." Nico didn't respond.

"So, your guess?"

"Are you a Metahuman?"

"No? Wait, what's a metahuman?" Nico asked in total confusion. Bruce explained the concept to him and Nico found it almost laughable. He wasn't some experiment gone wrong. He was closer to a mutant but that still wasn't even close. He was confined to the terms that he was familiar with. Nico doubted that gods or mythology was even on his radar at the moment. He needed a little extra push and Nico didn't mind providing it.

"No, you have all the clues you need, though. Do some digging, and I bet you can piece it together. My religion is more important than you think."

"I'll keep digging, then." Bruce nodded. Nico then ended the conversation by walking into his bathroom to take a hot shower.

++Bruce++

With the last push from Nico, Bruce went to the Batcave to research polytheistic religions. Considering Nico knew Diana (who was Greek), it wasn't all that hard to find the most probable one. Nico had something to do with Greece, perhaps even its mythology. It was improbable that Nico was a god or a monster, so that didn't leave many more options. He could have been a Satyr, which was unlikely since he didn't have horns or a green thumb. He could be a cursed soul or several other humanoids but they didn't seem quite right either. Nico was far too solid for that. The last thing that seemed the most likely was that he might be a demigod.

If he were a demigod, it would completely explain his polytheistic ways, how he knew Diana, and his parental issues. Apparently, Demigods were hunted and killed by monsters so that would explain his sister's mysterious death, the mysterious summer camp (that Percy also attended), his multiple near-death experiences, and his knowledge of sword fighting. Bruce found an article on the deep web written by one man named Rick Riordan on modern-day demigods. First was a description of tell-tale signs of demigods. They were: ADHD, Dyslexia, and disciplinary issues. All of which seemed to apply to Nico.

Bruce was quite shocked to see a complete series about Nico's best friend Percy Jackson on the site (also written by Rick Riordan) and was even more surprised as he began reading. The book explained how Percy was raised in a poor environment with a loving mother and an alcoholic stepfather. As he read, he was informed of monsters, of gods, of quests, and prophecies. Granted, Bruce didn't read the entire book, but what he did read gave him an idea of the hardships of a demigod's life, and he realized that Nico was lucky to be alive. Perhaps Nico did know how to take care of himself.

It was impossible to deny now. All of the timelines matched up. Percy's story matched up to real-life events at the times that Riordan had said. Bruce had even met Percy and the resemblance between that Percy and the Percy that had been at the manor was uncanny. There was no way that they weren't the same Percy. That meant that there was no way that Nico wasn't a demigod or a mortal that could see through the mist. If the teleportation theory was holding true, though that made it clear that Nico was a demigod-- and probably a powerful one at that. He'd run the theory by Nico at dinner tonight.

++Nico++

Nico reluctantly joined the others for dinner when the time came. As they all ate, Bruce was acting kind of smug so he guessed that meant that the older man had figured out his secret. It was about time. Hopefully, he was right this time or this was going to be embarrassing for them all. Nico ate as though he suspected nothing and waited for Bruce to bring the subject up. Finally, after dessert, Bruce brought it up.

"Alright, I have done a little digging," Nico couldn't help but smirk at the wording, "and I am ready to guess as to what your secret is." the demigod made the go-on gesture. All of the Batboys watched either Bruce or Nico like they didn't want to miss a single piece of the action.

"You're a Demigod, " Bruce announced with certainty. Immediately the boys were saying how that was impossible and making other noises of disbelief. Nico, on the other hand, said nothing. Bruce raised a hand for silence, "So, Nico, am I right?" He looked at the other boy's skeptical faces and knew that this was about to be a fun explanation. Hopefully, they wouldn't end up sending him to an asylum for this.

"I'm Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades, the god of the Underworld," He said in a slightly tired voice. After his proclamation, there was silence. No one seemed to really know what to make of that. Nico's heart sank. They didn't believe him. They were going to say that he was making it up or something. That's the last thing he needed right now.

"You're being serious?" Damian eyed the older boy skeptically. Nico nodded.

"I read part of that book about Percy. It seems like monsters follow demigods around." Bruce said, implying that he, too, was potential prey.

"What book?" Bruce explained how he'd found a series online that detailed much of Percy's life, including when he'd met Nico and Bianca. Nico was less than pleased that his dirty laundry was out there for anyone with a wifi connection to see, but there wasn't much he could do about it now.

"Is it true what the books say about monsters hunting down the children of the gods to eat them? Bruce asked.

"Yes, though I promise I wouldn't have stayed here unless I could find a way not to endanger you all. Gotham is protected from the monsters by Dionysus, the god of wine-- among other things. Because this place already has enough problems of its own, he decided to shield it. No monsters can enter the city limits, but they can be spawned here," He explained as best he could. He was in no way an expert on monsters or the way that they worked. Bruce nodded as if the explanation satisfied him.

"And if you couldn't have found a way to protect us?" Jason asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I would have disappeared a long time ago."

"We would have found you eventually," Damian said matter-of-factly.

"I highly doubt that. Yes, you are all competent detectives, but I know how to keep myself hidden," he smirked to himself, thinking about how they'd never find him in the Underworld.

"Nico, your sister, was killed by a monster, wasn't she?" Bruce asked gently. He automatically felt uncomfortable.

"Not exactly. She died saving the members of her quest from the giant automaton named Talos. I told you that she was crushed by construction equipment because that's about the closest thing mortals have to Talos." Nico explained.

"Talos?" Damian questioned.

"Long story."

"Why don't either of you appear in the system before your term at the military academy?" Bruce inquired. Nico chuckled humorlessly. He had been hoping to avoid this line of questioning for a long time yet. This was going to be more explaining than he had the energy for.

"We do-- you're just not looking back far enough."

"How far back is far enough?" Dick questioned, frowning.

"1930s roughly. I don't remember the exact date."

"That's impossible," Tim chimed in, "that would make you about 90 years old."

"Clearly, you are lying." Damian crossed his arms accusingly. Nico wasn't offended and chose to ignore the comment.

"Roughly 90 years old," he agreed.

"How did you not age? Are you immortal?" Nico hummed in amusement. That was an interesting question. He hadn't thought that that might be how people perceive him. Though he supposed that it made sense. Even before Thalia was officially immortal he had seen her as an immortal because of her time spent as a tree. Even knowing how old she would have been hadn't mattered. To him, she would always be ageless.

"Ha! Not even the immortals aren't completely immortal, but no, I'm not immortal."

"What do you mean immortals aren't immortal?" Tim asked skeptically at the same time Dick asked,

"If you aren't immortal, why did you stop aging?"

"There is this place in Los Vegas called the Lotus Casino and Hotel. Once you sign in, time basically stops. I was in there about 80 years, but it only felt like a few months had passed inside." Nico explained.

"Like a real-life Hotel California." Jason mused. He'd finally come back after Percy had left.

"A what?"

"Nevermind."

"So that's what you meant when you said you met back up with Bianca in Los Vegas." Tim pieced it together. Nico nodded in agreement.

"Why were you there in the first place?" Jason frowned. Nico explained the true story about what had happened to the di Angelo siblings on the night of the fire. How his mother died and the events that lead up to his and Bianca's incarceration. They remained silent through his explanation which was disconcerting. It was a lot to get off his chest. A lot that he hadn't really told anyone else. Not even Percy knew the full story. For some reason, he felt like he could tell them.

"Hades didn't want me to know any of this, and he reacted badly when I found out." He continued once they didn't say anything when he finished the story. He went on to explain how Hades had wiped their memories and stuck them in the casino.

"80 years later, Alecto the fury came and got us out disguised as a lawyer. She enrolled us in the military academy." After that, He explained to them how he was captured by Dr. Thorn and how Percy and the Hunters of Artemis saved them. That was where he stopped because he didn't want to get back into the broken promise and Bianca's death.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Dick started, "But I thought Athena and Artemis were maiden goddesses. How could they have children?"

"They are. Athena was born from Zeus's skull, and her children are born from her thoughts. Artemis doesn't have any children." I explained.

"What about the Hunters of Artemis?" Dick asked.

"Oh! They're not related to Artemis. Bianca became a Hunter, that was the girl gang I mentioned. The Hunters of Artemis is an all-female group that worships Artemis and goes around hunting monsters with the goddess. I can't say I'm a fan because my sister abandoned me for them, and they got her killed on her first quest ever. To be a Hunter, you have to swear off having any relationship with boys. In exchange for the oath, they are made partially immortal. The Hunters cannot die unless killed in combat."

"Sounds nice." Dick nodded appreciatively.

"Yes, Artemis's oldest huntress is over 3,000 years old. Her name is Phoebe. There used to be a girl named Zoë Nightshade. She was one of the Hesperides guarding the tree of golden apples. She was much older than Phoebe. She was placed among the stars when she died."

"The golden apples of Heracles?" Damian asked.

"The same myth, yes. I'd rather not talk about that story, though. He was a real jerk to Zoë. He was the entire reason she joined the hunt." Damian nodded, satisfied.

"That old lady from bargain mart. She was a monster, wasn't she?" Dick asked.

Nico couldn't help but look at him in surprise, "You could see her?"

"Yeah, she wore florals. Why?" the demigod chuckled.

"Yes, she was a monster. You only saw what the mist allowed you to see. She's actually a Dracnae. A snake woman. I tricked her into thinking we were on the same side. She still thought the war was going on. She's making Hade's posters now, I think."

"What war?" Jason asked skeptically.

"The war that caused Manhattan to become a dead zone for a day and destroyed a good part of the city. The Second Titan War. Percy led us to victory against Kronos, who was possessing Luke, a son of Hermes. The mist covered up the craziest things, but people still saw the automatons duking it out in the street afterward." Nico smirked, remembering Annabeth showing me a headline in a newspaper.

"You fought in a war?" Tim asked incredulously. The son of Hades nodded seriously, and the subject was abruptly changed.

"What is the mist anyway?" Bruce asked.

"It is a magical veil that keeps mortals from seeing all the supernatural happenings around them. Though, the mist doesn't work on everyone." By this time, he was getting rather tired of explaining himself.

"Ok, ok enough questions for today. We need to adjust and process what we have heard. We can ask more questions later. It's about time that we all go to the living room and watch a movie as a family," Bruce suggested. 

"You want to watch a movie?" Dick frowned.

"Why not? We could all use something to take out minds off of the day that we've all had." 

That was how Nico was dragged into a Star Wars movie marathon. As they watched the movies, Nico realized that a lot of the tension had been lifted through his revelation. They knew that he wasn't lying to them because he had some sort of malicious intent or something. They could trust him again and once again Nico felt comfortable in their presence. He was glad that they were able to work it all out so simply. He didn't want to have to move on again, he was finally starting to get comfortable.

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