Demigod in Gotham

64) Stripping, Cursing, and Running

A/N: tis short

-Dick POV-

Training was going like usual. The team was split between sparring and using equipment, Nico with the latter group because of his probation, when he heard a buzzing sound.

"How come he gets his phone during training while I have to leave mine in my room?" Garf said, slightly annoyed.

Dick nodded at Nico and the boy walked to the corner of the room, speaking in Ancient Greek to whoever was on the other end of the phone. Nightwing looked at Garf with a small smile. "It's part of his deal with Bats. He helps out with the team, but there are specific stipulations. One of those is that he is allowed to keep his phone on him for emergencies-"

"Son of a bitch!" Nico exclaimed as he hung up the phone, speed walking back to Dick.

"Ghost King, everything alright?" Dick saw that most of the team's attention was now on them, most likely because of the constant flow of muttered curse words coming out of Nico.

Nico was busing himself with taking off his cloak and removing the chest plate of his body armor. "Emergency with my other mission. The timeline moved up so I need to be there now."

Dick instantly thought of the 3 demigods Nico was protecting and got nervous. "What kind of emergency? Is this informational emergency or physical?"

Nico tossed his chest plate onto the heap that was his cloak, removing his utility belt as he reached a hand into the shadows. "Physical and very urgent so I have to leave now."

Dick watched as he pulled out a pair of cargo pants and his sword from the shadows, pulled the pants on over his costume, and quickly removed his gloves. Dick had to admit that other than the mask, he looked pretty normal. "You're still on medical probation, do you need backup?"

Nico laughed slightly. "I keep telling Bats, I heal fast. I'll be fine. I might be off the grid for a few days though, so don't worry if I Ghost."

With that he sunk into the shadows leaving the room close to silent.

"Did he just make a pun?"

Dick ran a hand down his face. "Yes, I believe he did. Now, everyone get back to work."

Artemis came over while Dick was picking up Nico's abandoned uniform. "You okay Dick? You seem worried."

Dick sighed at he stood up. "It's nothing."

"Bullshit. I can tell you batboys like him a good amount, so just spill."

"It's fine. I just wish he wouldn't disregard his own safety. He just rushes into a fight with no hesitation— which is great in some ways, but he constantly ends up injured."

Artemis nodded, sitting on one of the benches to their right. "Isn't that the deal though? You become a hero— or vigilante— and you put yourself second. The good of others comes first."

Dick sat next to her after he finished folding the cloak, staring down at it for a long second. "I know but... he shouldn't put himself second. I know that I can't talk about his civilian ID, but he's just a kid-"

"You were way younger than him when you started. Plus, didn't he say that he's older than you?" Artemis seemed to have softened up to the kid after the whole stabbing incident.

Dick watched the team as they worked for a long second. Nico was 14. He's a year older than Dick was when he and the others founded the team. He wasn't that young for protege standard. "But he's been through so much more than me. He has given up so much for the sake of others and he didn't even have a choice. Now, he's choosing to do it, but I can't understand why."

Artemis smirked for a second as she stared at the former boy wonder. "You sound like my mom. She doesn't understand why I keep taking these risks with my life. She once said that my father took away my childhood, so why should I give up my life?" She was silent for a long moment. For a second Dick thought she was just done talking, but then she put a hand on his arm. "You said that everything he went through before wasn't his choice— that he lost a lot in order to save others, but it wasn't his decision to be in those situations. He didn't have a choice back then. Now he does. I can't really speak for him, I've only recently started to not dislike him, but my guess is that this is how he's coping. It's hard to leave the hero life behind, so he's being a hero on his own terms this time."

Dick chuckled as he looked at one of his oldest friends. "He would scoff and tell you that he's not a hero if he were here, but I think you're probably right. I just wish he could live a normal life."

Artemis smiled. "I think we both know the whole 'vigilante, not hero' thing is an act. He's a hero. Vigilantes don't take knives for others without hesitation, especially after they've already been stabbed. As for leaving it behind, I don't think he could. Again, I don't know him that well, but I think that he's convinced himself that he needs it. Maybe one day he'll be able to put the mask away, but right now, I think he'd saw off an arm in order to keep going. He's a born fighter."

Dick gave her a sad smile. "You have no idea how true that is."

A/N: this one was only like 1k words, but I didn't like the vibe of it when I combined it with the next chapter so you're just gonna have to wait.

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