A.N. Just wanted to let you guys know, there's some brief descriptions of torture about halfway through this chapter, starting with the heading "Anacapa Island, 7:25 AM PST (UTC-7:00)". It's gone after the next line break, so feel free to skip it if it'll bother you!
Scanning the buildings around her for observers and finding none, Percy swung gently into her unlocked window. She pulled the curtains shut behind her and collapsed into her sofa.
The last week of her life had been the most bored she'd felt in a long while, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that the absence of a certain dark-haired superhero probably had something to do with it. Nightwing had told her that he had some out-of-town business to take care of and that he'd be back in two weeks at most and to not burn down the city while he was gone.
Percy had laughed and said that she'd try, but no promises. To which the other hero had replied, "Don't worry, I trust you with our city."
And hadn't that made Percy's stomach do funky things.
It hasn't been all that uneventful, at least. She'd stopped a few robberies, muggings, and drug deals, and in the process, had drawn the attention of the BHPD, who finally seemed to have caught on to the second vigilante running around the city. So far, they'd only heard about her from the criminals she'd turned in, but she figured it wouldn't be long before she met an officer or two.
In any case, though, she had only made it a week without Nightwing's company before she felt inconsolably bored. She spent her days at either Camp Half-blood or Jupiter or New Rome, training or trying to hang out with her friends, but it seemed like most of them were occupied, busy with jobs and other responsibilities.
Once again, Percy felt left out. Her outings as Perseus left her little time to juggle a full-time job but also too much time that she didn't know how to spend. She didn't know how other heroes did it, balance both parts of their lives without being consumed by one side or the other.
Percy chewed her lip and pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts. She longed for interaction but didn't want to come off as clingy to her friends. Her eyes swept over the a's, b's, and c's before she suddenly tapped her finger on the screen to stop the moving list. She only considered it for a second before making the decision.
hey cuz, you free for lunch tomorrow? haven't seen you in a while :)
Her phone buzzed with a reply almost immediately, and Percy grinned, letting go of her previous thoughts.
LINEBREAK
New York City, 12:00 PM EST (UTC-4:00)
Percy slumped back in the booth, sipping her water mindlessly as she stared out the window at the passerby. Being back in New York always relaxed her, the constant movement of the city soothing her nerves. Outside, civilians walked briskly past each other, talking on the phone or listening to music, paying attention only to themselves. Percy kicked her legs up on the opposite side and leaned her head against the glass, trailing her gaze over the skyline.
"Percy?"
A smooth voice interrupted her musings and Percy scrambled to sit up straight, snatching her legs off the bench.
Diana Prince's electric blue eyes danced with amusement and Percy shot her cousin a lopsided smile. The woman slid into the seat across from her as Percy greeted her and pushed the other glass of water toward her.
"You are lucky I was in the area," Diana smiled softly.
"UN summit, right?" Percy confirmed, tilting her head, "How's work?"
Diana hummed, turning her gaze towards her phone for a moment.
"Same as always, cousin, tiring but rewarding," she murmured vaguely, "How about you?"
Percy almost froze but managed to disguise it as a pause to think. She hadn't really prepared for Diana to ask about her work, forgetting completely that quitting her job was something she hadn't told everyone. Did she want Diana to know? She wasn't sure. On one hand, it probably wasn't something she should hide, but on the other hand, Diana would then ask her what she was doing with her time. Percy would have to come clean about her new alter ago to someone who would likely make a big deal out of it.
The pros and cons raced through her brain at lightning speed and Percy was scared she was taking suspiciously long to answer, but luckily, her mouth, as always, moved quicker than her mind.
"It's going well, made some breakthroughs recently," she found herself saying, "Got a new coworker too, they're pretty interesting."
A half-truth, she could work with that.
Diana looked up from her phone, training her full attention on Percy, who wondered if she had come off too evasive.
"New coworker, hmm," Diana said, a smirk tugging at her lips, "Are they cute?"
Percy blushed furiously, completely caught off guard. That's not what she expected Diana to say, and she had no idea how to respond. Unfortunately, her silence was answer enough for the other woman, who put the device down completely.
"It's not like that," Percy insisted.
Diana laughed lightly at her misfortune, definitely not believing her, and Percy slumped back in her seat.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Percy waited for Diana to flick through the menu. Percy had never been to this specific diner before, her cousin had suggested it, but she wasn't going to attempt to read the menu herself. Besides, she already knew what she wanted.
In front of her, Diana continued to scan the options, but it seemed like her mind was elsewhere, occasionally checking her phone and then going back to reread the menu.
"Is something wrong?" Percy asked her, frowning.
Diana's head snapped up, uncharacteristically stiff. She fidgeted a little in her seat and opened her mouth. But before she could speak, a shadow fell between them.
"Refill, miss?" their waiter asked.
Percy slid her empty glass over to the edge of the table with a "Yes, please," and a "Thanks."
"Are you ready to order?" the boy asked, shifting his feet.
"Three blueberry pancakes and orange juice, please," Percy requested.
"Four scrambled eggs, wheat toast, and a black coffee," Diana followed after her.
The young waiter wrote down their orders, and when Percy thanked him again with a smile, his cheeks turned pink.
She turned back to see Diana raising her eyebrows.
"What?"
Diana shook her head amusedly, and it seemed like her nerves had dissipated, so Percy let her previous question go unanswered. Instead, she engaged her cousin in a conversation about camp and fielded any inquiries about her new 'coworker'. There was absolutely no way she was telling Diana about Nightwing. Their food arrived quickly, and Percy dug in immediately. Diana ate just as fast, albeit more gracefully.
Their time together came to an end much too soon. When the waiter came back with a check, Percy thrust a few bills onto the tray with the receipt, but Diana snatched them away and placed her card in it instead. She tried to argue with her cousin, but unfortunately, the woman insisted on paying, and in the end, Percy lost.
She pouted, about to tell her that they should have at least split the bill, but when Diana looked at her phone, frowning again, Percy narrowed her eyes.
"Seriously, Di, what's wrong? That's the sixth time you've checked your phone," Percy accused.
Diana's forehead creased in distress, but finally, she sighed, shoulders falling.
"One of my associates went on a solo trip," she explained, glancing around and censoring her words even after finding no eavesdroppers, "They were supposed to check in every eight hours, but they missed the last one by three."
Percy chewed her lip in concern.
"Maybe it's just a fluke?" she suggested, hopefully.
"That's what we're hoping for. The protocol is to wait until the next check-in and only reach out if we still don't hear anything," Diana admitted, looking unhappy with the rules, "It is a very delicate...mission and we won't want to risk interfering."
"If there's anything I can do, just ask," Percy insisted.
She meant it. As much as she wanted to keep Perseus a secret for a little longer, she wouldn't just sit on the sidelines if someone's life was in danger.
Diana looked slightly more assured, but she shook her head.
"Thank you, Percy," she said, lowering her voice, "But I've known Nightwing since he was a boy, and he can handle himself. I just can't help but worry."
Percy's stomach dropped, and a wave roared behind her ears.
Diana didn't seem to notice. When the waiter came back with her credit card, she scribbled her signature onto the receipt, squeezed Percy's stiff hand in goodbye, and walked out of the diner, leaving Percy frozen in the booth behind her.
Percy felt panic building in her chest. Nightwing was missing. Nightwing who had been gone for a week, on a solomission, with no backup, had missed the last check-in to his team. And Percy had no idea where he was, what his mission was, and if he was in immediate danger or not.
She could feel her breath quicken as her thoughts started to spiral, considering all the worst possibilities. What if his cover was broken? What if he was caught? What if—
"Are you okay, miss?" the waiter's voice broke through.
He had come back to collect their dirty plates to find her staring at her empty glass of water, chest rising and falling a beat too fast.
His question snapped her back to reality, and she muttered an "I'm fine," before rushing out of the diner.
LINEBREAK
Bludhaven, 1:35 PM EST (UTC-4:00)
Percy paced back and forth in her living room, wearing down the wooden flooring. She hadn't been planning on doing anything unless Diana asked, but knowing it was Nightwing who was potentially missing changed things completely. And as unhappy as her cousin was about the protocol, she wouldn't go against it and give out information about Nightwing's location, which meant it was completely up to Percy to figure it out. She couldn't find it in herself to care about sabotaging his mission, not when her mind was coming up with all the worst possible scenarios that could happen over the next four and a half hours.
Now that she had calmed down slightly and was able to think with more of a level head, she realized that her original conclusion wasn't exactly true. She did actually have somewhat of a clue to his location.
One week ago, when he had told her he was leaving for some work, Percy had jokingly asked if he was just going on vacation but didn't want to seem like he was slacking off. "You got me," Nightwing had said, laughing, "California does have some islands I've always wanted to visit."
She had thought he was just playing along with her comment, but now she realized there may have been more to the statement. Percy walked over to the kitchen table and propped open her bronze laptop.
Pulling up a map of California, she studied the state, finding that it did have multiple offshore islands, largely clustered in the south, around Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Percy then pulled out her phone and scrolled through the list of camp portal locations, looking for one nearby. Santa Monica, beachfront city. Bingo.
She shut her laptop, and rushed to her room, grabbing the pieces of her suit, and stuffing them into a black backpack. She slung the bag over her shoulder, snatched Soteria off the floor of her closet, and left her apartment in a hurry. When she arrived at Brenda's Café, the woman barely blinked an eye at the sheathed weapon. She did, however, raise an eyebrow at Percy's distress.
"Sorry, no time to chat," Percy rushed her words, "Got an emergency."
Brenda nodded and turned back to her work, letting Percy run into the bathroom to use the portal. Leaving the door unlocked, Percy ran her fingers over the tile and murmured, "αποκαλύψτε, Santa Monica". The wall flashed green, and without hesitation, Percy stepped through the shimmery tiles.
LINEBREAK
Santa Monica Pier, 10:47 AM PST (UTC-7:00)
Percy reappeared at the back of another coffee shop, the portal spitting her out next to a dumpster. Ignoring the smell, she turned around the side of the building and walked briskly down the large pier.
Although it was only early spring, the pier was still a popular attraction. Children ran around her clutching cotton candy and screeching as their parents tried to rein them in. The enormous Ferris wheel loomed over her as she walked farther down, and Percy made a mental note to bring Estelle sometime.
A few mortals gave her weird looks, probably thinking that Soteria was a baseball bat, but no one bothered her as she made her way to a less crowded section. She ducked around one of the stands, looked behind her to make sure no one was watching, and vaulted herself over the railing and into the ocean below.
She hit the water with barely a splash, dissipating the bubbles around her to see more clearly. Adjusting her sword onto her back, she swirled the water around her and propelled her body farther out to sea.
After a few minutes, Percy slowed to a stop and reached her powers out to scan the water around her. She could tell she was floating between four islands, each not too far away from her, but going to all of them to check would take much too long. A school of fish swam past her, circling her body once they realized who she was.
My lady! My lady! Your highness! How nice to meet you!
Percy extended her arms out to try to quiet them.
"Please," she insisted, wincing, "It's Percy."
Percy, Percy, Percy, they chanted instead.
"Guys, wait, I need your help," Percy spoke over them.
Instantly, they fell quiet, listening intently.
"Have you heard anything weird about the islands closest to here?" she asked.
The school of fish broke into murmurs, their voices overlapping in her head. Finally, they decided on a spokesperson. Or spokesfish, Percy corrected.
We're not sure, my lady, one of them answered, but the land people swim around here all the time with weird things coming out of their heads.
Percy wondered what the Hades they were talking about before realization dawned on her. She cupped her hands in front of her eyes like binoculars and stuck the last three fingers of one hand straight up.
"Like this?" she asked.
The school of fish chattered in excitement, exclaiming yes, yes, yes.
Percy's face dropped in disappointment as she confirmed that they were just talking about snorkelers.
"Anything else?" she ventured, but all the fish shook their heads, and she sighed, "That's okay, thanks anyway."
She bid them goodbye and propelled her body north. The water turned a few degrees cooler as she swam farther up, stopping when she felt the presence of the second set of four islands arranged in a line parallel to the coast.
She asked a couple more fish for information, but most of them gave her the same answer as the first and after a while, Percy slumped her shoulders in exhaustion.
She wasn't physically tired, but the stress was getting to her. She hadn't really let herself think about anything since leaving the apartment, but now that she was struggling to find this island that Nightwing had gone to, the thoughts from the diner came back. She wondered if all this was for nothing, if he was even out here. She had gone with her gut, which had never failed her in the past, but there was a first time for everything, Percy thought miserably.
A gentle nudge from something rubbery broke her out from her thoughts, and she whirled around. Fortunately, it was just a great white, peering down at her with concerned eyes.
My lady, the shark nuzzled into her side.
Percy tried for a smile and murmured a hello, stroking the side of the mammal.
I heard you were looking for some information, the shark blinked, pulling back, I may have something of use.
Percy inhaled sharply and nodded for her to continue but refused to let her hope rise too much.
The place the land people call Anacapa always has boats come and go. I swam by one time and the ones on the boat are loud and mean, the shark shuddered, as if remembering something, They saw me and tried to hurt me with their weapons, but I got away.
"Fishing spears?" Percy frowned.
The shark wiggled her head in a no.
It made a weird sound when they aimed it at me.
"Like this?" Percy asked, miming firing a gun.
The shark shuddered again. Yes.
Percy knew there was no normal reason for people to be out on the ocean with guns. She thanked the shark, running a hand down her body once again, and swam towards Anacapa Island.
As she got closer, she glimpsed long wooden poles extending down from the surface and embedded into the sand below. Recognizing the structure as a dock, Percy swam up, keeping herself hiding behind a small motorboat, that lay in the water tied to the pier.
Heavy footsteps thudded across the dock, and Percy peered over the boat. Two figures in long red cloaks walked out to the edge. When they turned around to stride back, Percy caught a glimpse of their fully covered faces and large silver guns.
"Lanceheads," a gruff voice shouted from farther on land, "Observe the rise of Kali Yuga"
"Hail Naja-Naja," one of the figures responded immediately.
"And prepare the age of chaos," the other finished.
"Return to camp," the unseen voice ordered.
"Yes, Naga," the two figures intoned, and immediately made their way off the dock and disappeared into the trees.
What the Hades was going on here, Percy grumbled, thoroughly creeped out by cult-like behavior.
She sunk back down, deep into the water. Unzipping her bag, she quickly changed into her suit and pulled her mask over her face. After leaving the bag propped up against one of the wooden poles, she shot back up to the surface, climbing onto the empty dock and following the route the hooded figures had taken.
It was daytime, and sunlight easily filtered through the leaves, so Percy had to be extra careful to stay out of sight. She followed the sound of movement in front of her, ducking behind tree trunks until she finally reached the main part of the camp.
Small dark buildings, constructed in the spaces between the trees, littered the area, and the large canopy above them likely shielded them from a bird's eye view. Tens of figures in cloaks, identical to the two at the dock, milled about, weaving in and out of trees, entering and exiting the buildings. Some carried large wooden crates and others brandished their guns for patrol, always traveling in pairs.
Percy gritted her teeth, knowing that there was no way to check all the buildings without getting caught, especially in the daylight. She continued to examine her surroundings when she caught sight of another building, deeper in the forest. All of the hooded figures stayed away, walking in arcs around the entrance even if that meant lengthening the path to their destination.
Waiting until the coast was clear, Percy weaved through the outskirts of their camp until she was able to get closer. The outlier building was a deeper shade of grey than the others, the door more ornately decorated. Finally, Percy's gut told her she was in the right place.
She kept her eyes trained on the camp, and, during the split second all backs were turned, she slipped through the front door, knives in hand.
The room she entered was eerily empty for how big it was, and dark, illuminated only by a few candles lined up against the first wall. It took her eyes a second to adjust, but when they did, she noticed him at once.
It was Nightwing, hanging from the ceiling by his arms wrapped in enormous gleaming chains. Percy ran over immediately, flicking her knives away.
The hero was in a bad state, she noticed, her heart hammering. His suit was ripped open in multiple places, letting her see the shallow gashes in his skin. Some wounds looked fresh, while others had already slightly scabbed over. His head hung limply onto his chest.
Trembling, Percy placed her fingers on his neck, letting out a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse and the blood pumping through his heart. She dropped her hand immediately after, reaching up to tilt his chin towards her. His face was bruised to Hades, and he was bleeding, or had been, somewhere near his hairline.
"Oh gods," she whispered, "Nightwing, wake up."
When he didn't respond, she tapped his cheek lightly to try again.
"Please, wake up," she said desperately, a little louder.
After a moment too long, she felt the pressure leave her hand as the hero, finally, picked his head up.
LINEBREAK
Anacapa Island, 6:03 AM PST (UTC-7:00)
Dick turned his wrist to glance at his watch. Almost an hour until his check-in, he noted, packing up his belongings, instant meal supplies, and his makeshift tent. It was time to move.
He had officially been on this mission for a week now, and he was already miserable. Hours and hours of surveillance, with no one to keep him company but his own thoughts, and strict instructions not to engage. Dick just wanted to go home.
When the Justice League had originally informed him of the suspicious activity occurring on Anacapa Island, Dick had wanted nothing to do with it. He had other priorities, namely, Blockbuster, but then Bruce had metaphorically batted his eyes, saying they had no one else available that had the skills suitable for the job, and Dick had caved.
He really should have said no.
Turns out the island was home to the Cult of the Kobra, the beyond creepy band of worshippers of Kali-Yuga, a man they believed to be the snake god. Ignoring the fact that their 'god' was just some guy named Jeffrey in a robe, the cult was actually quite dangerous.
Dick and the rest of the original Young Justice team had gone up against them years ago when the cult had taken over Bane's Venom operation in Santa Prisca. They had driven them off in the end, and the cult remained inactive for a while, before resurfacing here, on Anacapa Island.
Dick grabbed a cult member's robe that he had snagged from an earlier excursion into the main camp, fastening it around his neck. He placed one of their gray facemasks over his domino, picked up his bag of supplies, and began trekking through the woods.
He had been living farther out into the forest, where he knew none of the cult members patrolled, but he changed locations every morning, just in case. Finally, after walking for almost twenty minutes, he settled his bag down in his new hideout, and trailed his hands over the Nightwing suit under the cloak, making sure everything was in place.
He had heard that there was meant to be a shipment soon today, and he planned to be there when it arrived. After a few days on the island, Nightwing had figured out that they were no longer making Kobra-Venom, the compound they had been manufacturing in Santa Prisca, the one that had turned Cadmus scientist Mark Desmond into the very first Blockbuster, but had instead been dabbling in smuggling alien technology. The problem was that Dick had no idea where it was coming from, or how often the shipments arrived. Hopefully, this morning's scouting would shed some light on his questions.
As he walked silently to the cult's main camp, Dick wished, not for the first time, that this mission had not been a solo one. Perseus would have been a fun partner to have here, he mused, as he stepped over the fallen branches, they seemed to work well together. It was weird, how he simultaneously knew so little about her, but could also tell what she was thinking without her saying a word.
Lost in his thoughts, he arrived at the docks quicker than he expected. Shifting the robe to fully hide his suit, he strode forward to the two cult members on the docks.
"Lancehead," he called out, looking towards the one on the right, "Naga wants us to switch, I'll be taking your place."
A few eavesdropping sessions had revealed the cult hierarchies to him. Lanceheads were the lower-level members, and the higher-level ones were called Nagas.
The Lancehead that Dick had spoken to gave a short nod, knowing better than to question an order from a superior, and handed him the gun. Dick nodded back, gripping the weapon gingerly, and the cult member headed back to camp.
Dick and the remaining Lancehead stood side by side, at the base of the dock, staring out to sea until the pinprick of a ship could be seen in the distance. After a few minutes, someone approached them from behind, and Dick's first instinct was to turn, but he suppressed it, seeing as the other Lancehead didn't move a muscle.
"Observe the rise of Kali Yuga," the man behind them spoke.
"Hail Naja-Naja," the Lancehead next to him answered.
"Hail Naja-Naja," Dick responded dutifully, grateful that the other man had gone first.
He focused his gaze back on the ship slowly approaching them, waiting for the Naga behind them to give them orders. A moment passed by before Dick noticed that he remained suspiciously silent and that the Lancehead had stiffened, and was now inching ever so slightly away from him.
Dick cursed viciously in his head, realizing that he had somehow messed up the call and response. He whirled around, dropping the gun to grab his hidden escrima sticks, but it was too late. A figure in red slammed something hard into the top of his skull, and he collapsed. As his vision blurred, he heard someone shout to cancel the shipment, and then, his consciousness slipped away.
LINEBREAK
Anacapa Island, 7:25 AM PST (UTC-7:00)
When Dick blearily opened his eyes, he remembered with a start what had happened. His wrists ached from where they were chained above him. He looked down at his body. The cult cloak had been stripped from him, leaving him in just his suit, but thankfully, he could still feel the mask attached to his skin. He swung his legs, trying to regain his footing, but his outstretched toes just barely skimmed the ground. Dick stopped, the momentum straining his wrists even more.
He looked around himself instead. The room was bare, and the wall with the front door was lined with small lit candles casting long eerie shadows on the ground. There was a small desk in the corner, covered in what looked like folders, but it was hard to tell in the dark.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and someone stepped inside. The new figure was tall, his red cloak more ornate than the generic cult members', with two yellow pieces of fabric that resembled fangs protruding from the hood. The cloak itself was more open, revealing a bare chest almost greyish in color. Piercing orange eyes peered at him from the shadows of his exposed face.
Dick recognized him immediately. Kobra, the snake king.
Someone slipped into the room behind the cult leader, in an outfit that let Dick identify him as a Naga. The cult member stood behind Kobra, silent and observing.
"Nightwing," Kobra stated, displeased, "You are trespassing."
"Well, when you do bad things, the JL comes knocking," Dick snarked back, "Did Santa Prisca teach you nothing, Jeff?"
"His name is Lord Naja-Naja," the Naga actually hissed.
"How on brand," Dick replied dryly.
Kobra stepped forward and gripped Dick's jaw painfully tight, yanking it forward.
"Disrespectful," he tutted, "You will learn the correct way to treat a god, boy."
Kobra released him, and Dick refused to give the man the satisfaction of knowing he had hurt him, so he ignored the urge to roll the pain out of his jaw.
The Naga emerged from Kobra's shadow and reached out to Dick's face. When he tried to dig his fingers into the side of his mask and tear it off, a current shot through the man's arm and he screamed and retreated.
Dick smirked.
"Wanna try that again?"
The Naga rubbed his arm, grimacing, and looked to his leader who nodded. Closing his hand into a fist, he slugged Dick across the face. His head snapped to the side and pain bloomed in his cheek, but Dick returned his face back to its original position without a sound.
"What is your name?" Kobra asked, hands clasped behind his back as he watched his underling strike Dick in the stomach.
When he stayed silent, the Naga reached into his cloak and produced a small switchblade. The man dragged the blade against his skin, from the inside of Dick's elbow to a few inches above his armpit. The impossibly sharp blade pierced his suit easily, the material and skin underneath splitting open. Dick gritted his teeth to ignore how much it hurt. The Naga was going deep enough that Dick saw a thin line of fresh blood emerge, but not deep enough to cause serious damage.
"How long have you been here?" Kobra changed subjects, watching Dick's face intently.
This time, when he didn't answer, the Naga carved a diagonal line into his chest.
Dick really should've said no. He had no idea how he was going to get out of his, but every time he tried to formulate a plan, the Naga sliced into another body part and the thought flew away, his brain prioritizing itself to get him through the torture.
He tried to mentally remove himself from the situation, ignoring all of Kobra's questions and pretending that he was anywhere but there. Between the cuts from the knife and the blows to his face and stomach, Dick lost track of time. His energy was waning, he could tell, his brain slowing. He could no longer form coherent thoughts, and his vision started to blur.
Through the haze, he saw Kobra reach a hand out to the Naga.
"We'll try again once he's awake," the leader instructed, leaning over to grip his chin once more, "It seems we'll need to be more radical in our methods."
Dick knew he should get away now, as soon as he could, because Kobra's torture would only get worse from here. His team would come, eventually, once they realized he missed his check-in, but by then, it might be too late. He tried to pick his head up, but his wrists trembled feebly in the chains, and every movement just hurt so much. Against his will, he slumped forward, unconscious once more.
LINEBREAK
Anacapa Island, 12:23 AM PST (UTC-7:00)
"Nightwing, please, wake up!"
The first thing Dick noticed was the pain. The original stinging had dulled to a throb, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.
The second thing he noticed was the voice urging him to wake, and the pressure on his shoulder. He didn't want to, didn't want to face another round of Kobra's torture, so he kept his eyes firmly shut, but after a second, he registered the actual words, and the distinctively female tone.
He forcefully peeled his eyelids open, blinking several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A familiar figure was standing in front of him, a firm hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him back and forth.
"Perseus?" he asked, throat raspy with disuse.
"Thank the gods," the other hero whispered.
She reached her hand up to cup his cheek. Even though her fingers pressed uncomfortably into his bruises, as soon as he felt the touch, Dick felt relief shudder through his body. He dropped his head the rest of the way into her palm.
"Fancy meeting you here," he quipped.
He felt her hand tense around his cheek before she dropped it. He probably could've been less carefree about the whole situation, but with the way she had been looking at him in horror, he wanted to let her know he wasn't on death's bed.
Perseus's face contorted into something a cross between relieved and pissed off, which made Dick laugh. Unfortunately, the laughter jostled his wounds and it immediately turned into a groan.
"You idiot," Perseus hissed, which almost made Dick laugh again, "It's not funny."
She reached up to undo his chains, but Dick saw the door start to creak open.
"Shit," he muttered, and Perseus whirled around, standing directly in front of him in a protective stance.
Kobra entered the building, alone this time, and when he caught sight of them, Perseus shielding Dick, his eyes flashed, but his expression barely changed. He slowly reached into his cloak, and when his hands emerged, a pair of twin blades, each over a foot long, rested in his grasp.
"I usually prefer to stay out of the violence," he mused, shifting his feet into a ready stance, "But even a god must occasionally stoop to conquer."
Dick was in no position to fight, he could already feel his body, weak and tired and hungry, catching up to his brain and he knew it was only a matter of time before he passed out again. But panic flashed through him at the thought of leaving Perseus to fight alone.
The other hero, however, had so such qualms and she snarled at Kobra.
"You're no god, you pathetic excuse for a mortal."
Leave it to Perseus to hit him where it hurt. Kobra's mouth downturned, irritated by the insult, and he lunged forward. In a single fluid motion, Perseus unsheathed the sword from her back and met his blades halfway, stopping him in his tracks, before pushing outward. Kobra recovered quickly and slashed at her again, but Perseus caught the knives against her sword each time, maneuvering herself around them.
As they continued to dance around each other, Dick couldn't tell if his brain was still messed up or if Perseus was really moving that fast. Kobra was methodical and deadly with his strikes, going in for the kill each time. He moved fluidly, like his namesake, lunging and retreating like a snake.
But Perseus fought like a hurricane, never stopping, or slowing. Each time Kobra tried to land a hit, Perseus was already there to defend it, like she knew exactly where he would strike, and every time Dick feared the man might catch her, she performed a new move to counter his.
The most unbelievable part, however, was when she switched from defense to offense. It happened in the blink of an eye. One minute she was pushing Kobra's knives away, and the next she was stepping into his space, swirling her sword across his limbs, leaving small cuts wherever she could. Kobra, Dick realized, was struggling to keep up with the hero, forced to direct all his energy into not getting struck by her sword.
Dick had already known she was an incredibly skilled fighter, but with a sword in her hand, Perseus looked unstoppable.
In his anger over falling behind, the man finally snapped and lunged toward her without thinking. Dick caught his mistake immediately, but Perseus seemed to already know it was going to happen because she preemptively slid forward and sliced a deep gash into his inner arm.
Kobra howled in pain and dropped the knife from his injured hand. Perseus took the opening to land a powerful spinning kick into the man's chest, sending him flying backward into the wall. His head thudded against the concrete and lolled forward.
Dick expected Perseus to try to finish him off, tie him up, or ensure that he was down, but instead, she turned to him immediately, swinging her sword above his arms to slash through the chains. She caught him as he fell, body slumping towards the ground. His eyes started to droop, instinctively knowing that he was out of danger and this time, he didn't try to fight it. His last thought, before he let sleep claim him, was how inhuman Perseus looked when she fought.
LINEBREAK
Anacapa Island, 12:42 PM PST (UTC-7:00)
"Wonderful timing," Percy muttered to the now unconscious hero in her arms.
She meant it to come out annoyed, but unsurprisingly, it was more relieved. She lay him gently on the ground and rushed over to the small table in the corner of the room. She had noticed it during her fight with the weird bald man who thought he was a god, and figured it contained some important information. Nightwing had been sent on this mission for a reason, so she grabbed the documents out of the folders to make sure the investigation wasn't completely botched. After folding them up and stuffing them inside her pockets, she ran back to the hero.
Percy leaned over and hooked her arms around his upper back and knees, lifting him up bridal style. Thankfully, he wasn't too heavy, and with her enhanced strength, carrying him was fairly easy.
She glanced backward, just to be sure that the snake man was still mostly unconscious, before nudging the front door open a crack with her knee. Using one eye, she watched the camp in front of her, waiting for the right moment when she was able to slip out unnoticed.
She navigated Nightwing and herself through the trees around the camp, keeping a far distance until she reached the docks. She gently propped the hero up against the trunk of a tree and peered around.
Unlike before, when there were two guards at the docks, there were now six of them, patrolling in pairs and each armed with a gun. Percy bit her lip, thinking. Then, she reached into Nightwing's utility belt, digging around in the multiple pockets, feeling guilty for crossing his boundaries, but knowing it was necessary.
Finally, she found what she was looking for, and, pulling out the little pin, she chucked the grenade as far as she could, away from her and into the woods. When the explosion went off with an enormous boom, all six of the guards ran towards the fire.
Percy grinned, scooping up Nightwing and making a run for the docks. It only took her a few seconds to reach the small emergency motorboat that she had hidden underneath and she stepped into it, laying Nightwing on the ground. She placed a lifejacket under his head and flicked her wrist, the anchor rope untying itself from the dock. Beside the boat, the water spat out her backpack, the fabric drying instantly as she plucked it out of the ocean and tossed it in front of her. She flicked her fingers again, and the boat roared to life, driving full speed away from Anacapa Island. Percy used her powers to calm the ripples left by the boat, leaving behind her nothing but smooth water and an island full of panicking cult members.
They rode the waves for only twenty minutes before the coast of California appeared on the horizon. As they got closer, Percy scanned the coast, rocky cliffs separated by pockets of sand. She narrowed in on a particularly small section of beige and navigated the boat to wash up on that shore.
A small white and tan building lay farther up on the sand. Percy took note of the lack of cars and movement in the windows, thanked the gods, and carried Nightwing inside the house, laying him down again in a bed. After dragging the curtains shut, she made her way into the kitchen, pulling open cabinets and drawers. She returned to the bedroom, with a first aid kit, a glass of water, and several stale granola bars.
Percy sat down carefully on the side of the bed, and placed her hand on Nightwing's chest, breathing a sigh of relief at the lack of internal bleeding and need for stitches. Overall, he seemed to be fine, his worst injuries being bruised ribs and shallow cuts on his body and forehead. But the torture had definitely taken a mental toll, Percy thought, as she opened up the kit.
She dipped a towel into the glass of water and dabbed it gently on the worst cut, the one on his chest, to clean the blood. Then, she applied a thin layer of antiseptic cream and bandaged the cut with the technique taught to her by the Apollo cabin.
As she continued to silently treat the rest of his wounds the same way, Percy tried to ignore the horrible pit in her stomach. She hated it, the fact that Nightwing was mortal. If he wasn't, she could have just shoved some ambrosia down his throat, and he wouldn't have been in as much pain. But he wasn't a demigod, so this was the best she could do for the hero, and still, it didn't feel like enough.
LINEBREAK
Ventura, 1:37 PM PST (UTC-7:00)
This time, Dick's eyes fluttered open easily.
The first thing he noticed was how comfortable he felt, softness engulfing his limbs and neck.
The second thing he noticed, was Perseus leaning over him, lips pursed in concentration as she dabbed away at his forehead with a warm cloth.
He immediately tried to sit up, hands coming to his sides, but pain flared in his stomach and Perseus pushed him back down into the mattress.
"You need to make better life decisions," she said, frowning, as she continued to clean the blood off his face.
Dick was so relieved, that he could only laugh, even though it made his ribs hurt again.
"I told you, it's not funny," she snapped, and he quieted at her tone.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, not sure what he was apologizing for. Going on the mission? Getting caught? Making her come get him?
"For worrying me," she said, sighing like she could read his confusion.
"Oh."
They fell back into silence. Perseus gently swept some of his hair off his forehead to clean the last of the blood, and Dick felt weirdly embarrassed and comforted by the action. He tried to look up and focus on the fan, but the constant spinning made him feel queasy.
"We're on a private beach, near Ventura," she revealed, after putting down the towel, "I hijacked some random vacation home."
Dick snorted at the self-satisfied look on Perseus's face, glad that the tension was finally leaving her.
"How'd we get here, and how'd you find me anyway?"
"After you passed out," Perseus looked at him pointedly and Dick had the decency to look sheepish, "I got us to the docks and drove us to shore on a boat."
"When you say you 'got us'..." Dick trailed off.
"I carried you, bridal style," Perseus confirmed.
Dick felt his cheeks warm at the image.
Ignoring his embarrassment, or maybe not noticing it, she continued, "You don't have any life-threatening injuries, and I took care of your milder ones."
Dick looked down at his chest, noticing for the first time that it had been expertly bandaged, along with the other cuts on his arms and legs. He wiggled his arm experimentally, happy to see that while it still throbbed, it was much more manageable than before.
"Thank you," he said quietly, "Really."
Perseus's ears turned pink, and she looked toward the ground. Dick almost sat up through the pain to hug her, but the other hero stood up at the last second to peer out the window through the curtains to make sure they were still safe.
When she returned to his side, she tilted her head at him.
"Is your identity still safe?"
Dick's fingers flew up to his mask on instinct.
"Oh, yeah," he replied, thinking back to how it had electrocuted his torturer, "They couldn't get through the defense mechanisms."
"Did you get that paranoia from the Batman?" Perseus asked, dryly.
Another bark of painful laughter escaped him.
"You don't know the half of it," he chuckled, and Perseus smiled in amusement with him.
She fell silent again but didn't move her gaze away from him, and Dick tried to figure out what she was thinking. He had so much he wanted to ask, like how she had learned to fight like that, how she had known he was in danger, why she had risked her life for him. And, for the first time, he wondered what color her eyes were, behind her mask.
Perseus cleared her throat, and Dick blinked away the moment.
"You should probably let someone know that you're here," she pointed out.
"Shit," Dick realized, checking the time.
He had missed the first check-in, labeling him as missing for almost seven hours. Bruce and Diana were going to absolutely murder him. He reached into his belt and pulled out his communicator to fire off a text to Diana.
Operation botched. I'm mildly injured, but safe and could use an extraction. :)
Dick followed the smiley face up with his exact coordinates.
"Someone from the JL is coming," he told Perseus, sinking into his pillow in defeat, "To get me out of here and lecture me on my failed mission."
Perseus laughed lightly at his misfortune, reaching into her suit.
"I wouldn't be so sure on that second part," she said, raising her eyebrows.
She tossed a bundle of folded papers onto his chest and Dick peeled them open, scanning their contents. They contained an entire log of Kobra's dealings, dates of purchases, client names, and account information. Naturally, much of it was in code, but Dick had full faith that someone in the League, namely Tim, could crack it. He looked up at Perseus, incredulous.
"When did you grab these?"
"You missed a lot when you were sleeping, bird brain," she teased, "Figured you could use the win."
"I was not sleeping," Dick spluttered, "I was injured."
Perseus laughed again, then tilted her head.
"I should probably get going," she revealed, gathering her belongings and picking up her sword from where it lay propped up against the bed.
Dick eyed it gratefully, pieces of the hero's fight with Kobra flashing through his mind. He couldn't help but be a little disappointed she was leaving.
"Why don't you want to meet them?" he asked, referring to the JL.
Perseus pursed her lips, then shrugged.
"I'm just not ready yet."
Dick could tell there was a little more to that explanation, but he nodded, understanding.
"Let me know when you're back in 'Haven," she said, before turning on her heel and closing the front door behind her.
Dick settled back into the bed, scrolling through his communicator to catch up on any league business he had missed. After a painfully long twenty minutes, he finally heard the sound of jet engines.
"Nightwing," Diana's voice called out cautiously.
"In here, Di!" Dick replied, letting the woman know it was safe.
Wonder Woman appeared in his doorway, in full costume, lasso wrapped ready around her wrists. After seeing him lounging comfortably in bed, she reattached the lasso to her hip.
"Are you okay?" she asked, worriedly, scanning him for unseen injuries.
"I blew my cover," Dick admitted, sheepishly, "But I managed to escape. I'm good now."
Diana looked at him pointedly, unhappy with the vague answer.
"I'll debrief later," he sighed, "Can you take me back to the manor?"
Dick knew that his family was probably pulling their hair out in worry and that Bruce preferred that he stay in Gotham while he was injured. It would be a while before they let him back in Bludhaven, he realized with a slump.
Diana had been staring at his chest with narrowed eyes, but she took that slump as a sign of exhaustion, and her eyes softened as she nodded.
"Alright, I'll call someone to clean this place up."
She walked over and wrapped an arm under his armpits to help him wobble over to the jet and collapse in one of the seats. Dick stared down at the beach as the jet gained altitude, wondering how Perseus would find her way back to Bludhaven. He still had an ever-growing list of questions for her, but for now, maybe he didn't need to know the answers.
Notes:
It's been a silent couple of weeks, and for that, I'm super sorry, but my brain's been a little empty recently ...
Here's some insight into how Percy was feeling in that last section of Dick's POV:
Annabeth to Percy, in PJO: this stupid girl is going to die before i date her
Percy to Nightwing, in this: this stupid boy is going to die before i date him
As always, I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter and if you liked it! Thank you so much for the comments on the previous chapter, I read through them all as motivation to write this one lol
p.s. please note that i did not make up the ridiculous kobra cult names like lancehead and naja-naja, it is unfortunately canon. and like i know the names technically are snake related, but they just sound dumb :(