Demigod in Gotham

5) Nico is a Closeted Street Urchin

When Nico got off the train with his bag, he saw that Percy was not wrong when he said Gotham was 'like an angrier, dirtier version of New York.' He had arrived mid-afternoon so he had a few hours before sunset, but even so, the vibe of the city did not instill confidence. He looked at his sPhone where he had pulled up his new address and quickly waved down a cab from the station.

When he got in, he told the man to take him to Park Row. He was immediately questioned about if he was sure, to which he gave a confused nod, but soon enough he was on his way. As they drove, Nico watched the buildings pass and the people who walked the streets. He immediately noticed the look they all seemed to share the deeper they got into the downtown area of Gotham. It had apparently used to be grand, but had turned into the crime filled streets the city was known for. The people all looked on edge at all times, like they were ready to fight or run at the drop of a hat. Most people would see this and immediately get nervous, or at least the normal people would, but he, for some reason, felt comforted by it. Most demigods were like that at all times and it usually set them apart, but here it seemed to be the usual way to get around. As they pulled up to the alley way he would be living off of, he handed the man his money, telling him to keep the change, and grabbed his duffel bag from the trunk.

The dark hair boy quickly entered the apartment building and climbed the creaky stairs until he reached the 4th floor and quickly put the key in the lock. He was expecting for the apartment to match the rest of the building and be smelly and broken down, however it wasn't that bad. The appliances were old but looked clean enough, the floors creaked but seemed sturdy. He crossed the apartment, tossing his bag by the door after locking it.

Nico walked to the small kitchen and saw a note on the counter top.

I know I have asked a lot of you in the past and have never been a good father, but I wanted to let you know that I am proud of you. I had some of my 'workers' come and fix up this apartment for you. I will try to keep my brothers from disturbing your new life. I hope this brings you happiness.

-H

Nico stared at the note for a moment, unaware that Hades could be that genuine. He smiled slightly and reaching into is bag to grab his medical tape, ripped off the piece, and taped the paper to his fridge. As Nico turned around to look at his new home, he couldn't help but let himself smile. He began unpacking everything he had with him, his other stuff like decorations would be mailed to him later that week, and got to work making it feel like home.

As a stipulation for being a DG, he had to have certain things in his apartment so that he would receive his allowance. Thankfully the satyrs who had been sent ahead of him had set up the guest room with a set of bunk beds and some supplies he might need if he takes in a demigod before they can move them. Though he had what he needed, a bed, small table, chairs, and some kitchen supplies, he knew he needed to get some more stuff. His goal was to get a couch or at least a comfy chair by the end of the week.

As Nico saw the sunset he had realized that he completely forgot to get groceries and though Sally had sent him off with a tupperware full of blue cookies, he wanted to save those for later. Nico quickly grabbed his jacket and messenger bag and headed out the door.

As he walked, he felt weirdly comforted by the way that everyone was walking. All of them had their hands in their pockets, heads down, and eyes darting at every sudden move or sound around them. Rayna had once told him that his general vibe gave off both street urchin and big city pickpocket, but he was beginning to think that he just acted like a Gothamite from the bad part of town. This probably would have been a bad thing in any other city, but it was surprisingly helpful because people seemed to not glance twice at him.

Soon enough he was at a local store and filling up his cart. He didn't notice the time passing or the fact that as soon as it hit 9 pm, the streets immediately became significantly emptier. As he wandered the 24hr market and checked out, he saw the concerned look the cashier gave him but ignored it as he placed his items in his bag.

The six blocks back to his apartment felt a lot longer in the empty streets than it did when they were bustling. He had seen some petty crooks and pickpockets littering the alleys but every time they began to approach him, they would back off as soon as they met his glare. He reached his street without trouble until he got to the door of the building... He left his keys on the counter.

He was about to hit the buzzers on the side of the door and then realized that the panel had been smashed and coated in multiple layers of spray paint. He debated just shadow traveling into his apartment but he remembered how Chiron warned him against using his powers when it wasn't an emergency, the mist wouldn't protect him from prying eyes. 

After letting out a defeated sign he turned from the door and walking into the Park Row Alley and began climbing the fire escape that connected to the window in his kitchen.

He was half way up when he heard a cry of pain and thud coming from the roof. He froze where he was, hearing more thuds and what sounded like metal bars hitting each other. Finally there was quiet for a few moments and he heard the muffled sound of a man speaking before one last hit.

Nico knew he should leave it alone. He knew that curiosity killed that cat. He was well aware that the demigod who went looking, went missing.

But... he was really curious and, in his defense, he was technically already missing sense he couldn't tell anyone his exact address for safety purposes.

Nico silently crept his way up the stairs until he peaked over the roof. He saw a hero he had come to recognize during his lessons as Nightwing, laying motionless on the ground and a strange fat man in a suit walking up behind him with a gun.

Once again, Nico knew not to intervene. It would only cause problems if he got caught. Or, if someone saw him, it could put him on some bad people's radars.

But... he'd been spending a lot of time with Percy and Jason after the war. Their heroism to the point of stupidity was apparently contagious because next thing he knew, Nico was silently cursing them both as he grabbed a pipe looking weapon that he assumed belonged to Nightwing. As the suit clad villain cocked his gun, Nico struck him across the back on his head and the man crumbled to the ground unconscious. 

Nico was planning on just leaving them both there but then Will's voice filled his head, reminding him that you never leave an injured person behind. So yet again, Nico was silently cursing another demigod as he used a zip tie he found in Nightwing's belt to trap the bad guy to the fire escape and then fireman carried the full grown man down a flight of stairs and through his window.

He would have put the man on the couch, but he didn't have one so he laid him on the floor, grabbed one of the mattresses off of the bunks, dragged it into the empty living room, put a towel over the sheets, and then re-placed the man on it. (He had to admit that the training that he complained to Will about was working, but he would never admit that to the boy). Nico, making sure to keep Nightwing's mask in place, started cleaning and wrapping the minor injuries he had and placing gauze over his more serious wounds. He checked his phone for the time, decided that if the man didn't wake up in an hour he would call an ambulance. 

A/N: As promised, a longer chapter. I like the idea of Nico just silently cursing out people. IDK why. Any-who, you should vote or whatever.