The Jacksons are Friends | DC & PJO

First Encounter

It was the middle of the night, and Nina had just returned home after a grueling day at school. Her body felt like a heavy bag of bricks as she collapsed onto her bed, too exhausted to even think about eating. The cacophony of Gotham's crime-ridden streets slowly faded into the background as she drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the piercing sound of breaking glass. Her senses, sharpened by her brother's constant training since childhood, snapped her awake. Startled, Nina jumped from her lying position to a sitting position on her bed. She sat there for a moment, dazed, trying to make sense of what was happening. Her mind struggled to keep up with her body's alertness.

As she cautiously got out of bed and approached the door, she peered through the keyhole, finding no one on the other side. Without any signs of intrusion, she opened the door. Walking along the wall around the room, she noticed a figure lying on the broken window, half inside, half on the fire escape. The upper half was inside the room, and the man was wearing a red helmet. The man with the red helmet was the first vigilante Nina encountered after months of living in Gotham. He was called The Red Helmet or Robin Hood. No, he doesn't look like a Robin. Robin Hood is green either way, the guy in Star City. Nina hoped the guy was a vigilante, not a random criminal on the run.

"Hello?" she called out loud enough to get his attention. She made him aware of another presence in the place, avoiding unnecessary attacks.

The figure suddenly stood up and pointed a gun at her. Being rational and clear-headed, Nina stopped and raised her hands to show her defenselessness and that she wouldn't attack him. In truth, she was skilled in close combat, trained by her dear brother, but she wouldn't reveal that to the unknown person or risk it with a fucking gun pointed at her face.

His breath caught as a realization dawned on him. Before he could get his question out, "...N-?" His entire body collapsed to the floor.

The girl's heart pounded in her chest as she cautiously approached him. Grabbing the chopsticks from the Chinese takeaway she had eaten that night, she nudged him to see if he would react. One, then two nudges later, no response.

Nina no longer had the gun pointed at her face. She bent down and slowly took the gun out of the masked stranger's hand. She was careful because she could feel his grip was firm, even though he was unconscious. It felt like she was back in the camp, helping the counselors put the campers back to bed after they had accidentally fallen asleep from exhaustion during training. Their grip on the shield was like their lifeline, and in a way, it was.

Once the gun was out of the stranger's hands, Nina put the safety on and threw it somewhere. Irresponsibly, yes, but also out of the intruder's reach.

She could see that he had been injured, judging by his blood-soaked clothes and cuts all over him, some major, some minor. The teenager's following thoughts were not rational, nor were they responsible, but she wanted to help. She had heard that masks help keep the city safe, in a way. So, as someone who lives in the city, she should provide some help. No, this was a want she had when her brother went on quests, random appreciation, and help from others. She might start providing for others since that didn't work out well with her brother. However, she did not have any medical training. She only knew one medic with a lot of knowledge.

Fishing out her phone, she decided to call Will Solace. He didn't pick up the first or second call. Plan B it was. She opened her phone, planning on calling her brother's cousin, Nico. After one call and four rings, the phone was picked up.

"What?" his grumpy voice was sounded through the phone.

"Give the phone to Will," Nina ordered.

"Seriously?"