...

Interrogation plus Nico equals disaster.

    Naomasa Tsukauchi seemed to take a kinder approach of interacting with Nico. He had a pen in his right hand, a yellow pad of paper in the other, and gave the boy a relaxed, friendly smile, like they were friends. Nico shifted awkwardly in his seat. He wasn't sure how much he liked the change.

    "So," the man began, "This shouldn't take too long." The detective flashed a smile, and Nico got the feeling that he was only being this nice because Nico was a 'kid'. "If you answer honestly, then you can leave here and go home. Wouldn't you like that?" Apparently, he wasn't waiting for an answer because Naomasa immediately went into the interrogation right after. "First question. What's your full name?"

   
    Okay. Simple questions. He could do this. "Nico di Angelo," he answered, fidgeting with his handcuffs. Naomasa looked at Nico intently before lowering his gaze and scribbling something on his notepad. He looked up with a small smile and nod, and everyone in the room seemed to let out a collective breath of relief.  

   
He continued. "How old are you?" 

   
    Nico sighed. "I'm fourteen." A couple of hushed whispers arose as the heroes glanced to one another. That was understandable. Nico knew he didn't look like the average preteen, not with those dark half-circles under his eyes and those pale scars that littered his skin. 

   
    The detective glanced up, a small frown on his face. The murmurs stopped. "That's a lie," he said firmly, shaking his head. "Why don't you tell us the truth, kid?"

   
    Nico froze. He was fourteen. Well, physically. Telling them his age would just make everything that much more confusing. Okay, there had to be a way to bend the truth. He could wheedle his way out of this. Come on, think. What would...Annabeth do? All he had to do was twist his words. 

   
    Naomasa asked another question, eyebrows furrowed and voice losing some of its warmth. "What's your full date of birth?" 

   
    A soft, Greek curse slipped from his lips. The question was too direct to try and find a loophole. Nico glanced around at the heroes around him, all silently watching. He needed to gain their trust. To do that, he needed to be honest. He groaned, about to run a hand down his face in exasperation before those annoying handcuffs got in the way. "I was born on January 28th, 1932."

   
    In Nico's opinion, the heroes didn't look as surprised as he thought they would be. Most of them looked at him in curious shock, but none of them started blubbering nonsense as they tried to figure out how this kid in front of them wasn't a wrinkled, old man.

   
    When the detective across from him looked up with a raised eyebrow and muttered, "He's telling the truth," that's when the blanket of silence over them had broken. Different voices overlapped as question after question was shot his way. Nico made no effort to answer. In this chaos, they probably couldn't hear what he had to say anyways.  He would just have to wait it out. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long.

   
    All Might hit his bony hand against the table. It took three times before they all quieted down. It was almost funny how this frail, odd man was the one to calm them down. The other adults seemed to respect him. "Detective Tsukauchi is the one doing the questioning. Please, settle down and let the boy answer his questions."  His words seemed to have the desired effect, since the more unruly ones seemed to hesitantly calm down. All Might sighed, relaxing back into his chair. 

  
    The detective himself quickly scribbled something into his notepad, not looking up as he thanked the old symbol of peace. He stared at the notes in his hand before looking up, gesturing to Nico with his free one.  "Explain how you look like you're a kid when you were born many, many years ago. Is it a part of your quirk? Please be detailed."

   
    Nico glued his gaze to the table in front of him as he answered. He just wanted to get this over with as quick as possible. "I was put into a hotel. In that hotel, time passes very slowly. After I got out, the world around me was different and I was still a kid. My memories were erased, so I didn't know anything was wrong until later." He glanced up, hoping that was detailed enough as Naomasa stared at him, confusion written all over his face. As the detective opened his mouth to question him again, a soft rumble interrupted him. He shut his mouth as it grew bigger, the floor shaking beneath their feet. Empty chairs slid across the room, trinkets fell from the small shelf against the wall, and the table in front of them trembled. Alarmed shouts were heard as the lights started flickering, the building violently shaking. 

   
    Midnight grabbed his arm harshly, nails digging into his skin painfully. Nico tried to shake her off, but her grip only grew stronger as her eyes narrowed in anger. Her painted lips were moving, probably asking him if he did this, but he couldn't hear her voice over all the commotion.

   
     After what seemed like forever, although it couldn't have been more than a minute or two, everything stopped abruptly. The lights were back, the shaking stopped completely, and the voices stilled as everyone caught their breath. One second, Nico was convinced the building would collapse and everyone would be dead. The next, it was like nothing ever happened. As Nico looked around, gaze raking over the now messy room, he realized everyone was looking at him. Of course, they all suspected him of doing this.

   
    Before he could think of a reply, someway to prove his innocence, Midnight flinched violently next to him. Red nails cut his skin as she gasped, the small of her back hitting the table as she backed away from something. It was at that moment, taking another glance at everyone's faces, that Nico realized they were looking over his shoulder, not at him. Something was behind him. 

  
    The bad part about being stuck between a chair and a table, handcuffed, is that he couldn't see what or who was behind him. As Nico decided, screw it, he was not going to sit here and hope for the best, the words that the newcomer uttered stopped him in his tracks. 

   

   "I'd appreciate it if you kindly took your hands off my son."