Healing Heartbreak with the Batfam

A Friends Death

I stumble out of cabin 13, the walls that normally protect me feel suffocating as I sense Jason's death. It's hard to breathe as a lump of dread settles in my throat. I'm vaguely aware but nothing is clear as my eyesight blurs and my ears ring. My head pounds as pain explodes from my chest, despite the numbness that coats my body. Through the pain-filled numbness, I can feel the campers staring at me in shock and confusion; the Ghost King, the son of Hades, the fearsome Nico di Angelo looking so- so broken. I see Percy pushing through the gathering crowd to get to me but it didn't matter, nothing did. I have to run away, to hide, get out of here. He would have scolded me for even thinking of that and begged me not to go, but that doesn't matter anymore. I can hear Percy's voice asking me what's wrong, telling me to stop for a second, to wait, to talk this out with him, but I can't stop. My instincts scream at me to run, to get away, covering up Percy's meaningless words. I sink into the shadows, not caring where I went, and all that going through my mind is the words; Jason Grace is dead.

Surprisingly, Shadow Travel was clearing my mind. Well, not exactly clearing, but distracting me. Who could have known that the sensation of running 200 miles per hour and shadows screaming at me to join them would be distracting? Jason's death was still bouncing around in my mind but it wasn't controlling me anymore as I step out of the shadows.

I stumble and brace myself against a wall. What I see doesn't really surprise me, I'm in a dead-end alleyway that's covered in dirt and grime. A dumpster stands behind me and the night sky is filled with smog. While I think I'm still in America, based on how bad the fatigue that settled in my bones is. I have no idea where I am beyond that.

It takes me a second to realize that there's someone at the entrance of the alleyway who looks to be a mortal. He took a slow step towards me, with what's supposed to be a creepy grin plastered on his face.

"What's a little thing like you doing in these parts of Gotham?" He asks.

My eyes widen slightly in realization; Gotham. Wasn't Gotham the place where heroes protect people, Diana mentioned it before, didn't she? Distaste filled me when I thought of Diana, the relations she had to Jason, to Bianca. I glared at the thought of her.

"Don't look at me like that boy," the man snarls. "If you're not going to answer, give me all of your money before I make you."

The thought hit me like Zeus when he's mad at someone; this man was trying to mug me.

There was no if, this man was trying to threaten me. I laughed at the thought of this mortal successfully stealing from me. But it held no humor as if I could actually laugh when Jason was dead. So, the laugh sounded forced and hysterical.

The man's eyes narrowed, "Stop laughing and give me your money. Don't make me come over there, kid." His threatening voice might have made a normal kid my age tremble.

But that was not what I was paying attention to. My laughter had died down by now, did this man just call me a kid? I had been to hell and back, lost everything, and built my way back up, just for the only person who knew all of my secrets, who I actually trusted to die. And then this pathetic excuse for a man has the nerve to call me a kid.

I grit my teeth, "I am not a kid."

The man takes an unconscious step back in fear at my glare before he seems to realize that he's shying away from a fourteen-year-old. So he steps forward and sneers, "What are you going to do about it kid."

I take a deep breath, trying to find some self-control. I started to repeat a chant in my mind; don't snap his neck, don't snap his neck, don't snap his neck, don't snap his neck

I needed to distract myself

I was livid, and I knew it. My head is not as clear as I wish it could be, because it's clouded with grief and a soup of other emotions. But the sad truth is that my thoughts are still as sharp as a knife. There IS a reason why everyone says I'm a monster, I think bitterly. The only time I show my emotions is behind closed doors with Hazel, Reyna, and Percy. I only let myself show good emotions around him though. I leave as soon as possible when she's around. Annabeth Chase, I respect her, I really do, but I can't stand being around her or even thinking of her name. I hate that she and Percy are together, it constantly reminds me of what I can't have. Love.

Well, I distracted myself from snapping his neck, didn't I?

I walk forward, I just want to get out of this interaction by now. I was just done, done with dealing with anything that can walk or talk. Done with my emotions. I just wanted to process my grief in peace, is that too much to ask for!?

The man snarled, "Where do you think you're going without giving me my money kid!"

A sigh escaped my lips as I just continued to walk forward, the anger from him insisting on calling me kid had worn out by now, he's just an ignorant mortal who doesn't know what he's talking about. The man steps in front of me, effectively ruining his chances for a peaceful end to this confrontation. I roll my eyes, does this man think I'm going to give him my money if I had any money, to begin with? Even if I had any, did he really think I was going to give it to him?

He took a step forward and tried to slap me. I have to admit that I was surprised, I ducked about half a second later than I would have normally, but I still cleanly avoided his hand. My reflexes kicked in and a second later he was on the floor. I used the momentum from his 'slap'(if you even want to call whatever that was a slap), pushed his arm forward, and at the same time I kicked the back of his knee, causing it to buckle. With his momentum, he toppled over like the blocks in that one game, Jenga.

I step over the groaning man, "Thank you, for effectively wasting my time," I say, my tone serious.

I keep walking, not even bothering to look over my shoulder, I can still hear him groaning. I want to find somewhere private, where I can't be bothered or judged in my grief. The perfect place popped into my mind; A Cemetery.

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Hi! So I thought that since I adopted this fic from a creator here on Wattpad that I should write it here at the same time as on Ao3.

This is the first fic I've ever written but I found the experience really refreshing so I'll probably write it out till completion.

Also my update schedule will be REALLY random, basically anytime I feel like writing and finish the chapter I'm working on. Right now I'm just flooded with ideas so there will eventually be a big lag in updates, probably before the end of March.

Anyway I've talked enough, hope you enjoyed!

Dragonstar out!

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