Allow me to just say, my bias Jin really shines in this song! I'm so proud! And I miss him so much!
_________
Percy's POV
Percy stifled a yawn as the professor droned on with the lecture. It's late in the afternoon and everyone in class seemed to be having the jitters. The daughter of Poseidon tapped her pen against her doodled-filled notebook, staring mindlessly out the window at the setting sun, and heaved aside a breath. Thank the gods, this would all be over soon, one more year to go...
"Miss Jackson, are you still with us?" The sudden call out jolted Percy back from daydream land.
"Uh, yes! Yes, I am!" She said acting natural.
The professor raised an eyebrow as the rest of the class turn to watch on with interest. "Then would you mind repeating what I just said?" questioned the elderly man, crossing his arms.
Percy shifted in her seat. "Uh, um...you said..." She glanced around nervously, anything that could offer her some kind of clue. Oh gods, this is embarrassing! Someone, anyone, get her out of this!
Her prayers must have worked somehow because just before she was about to give up and confess that she had no idea what her professor was talking about, the bell rang. Oh what a melodic sound that is! Percy sprang up from her seat as the rest of the class began packing up their stuff. "Sorry, professor, I would love to stay and chat but oh look at the time, see you, bye!" And ran for the door with her backpack slung across her shoulder.
Checking the time, Percy didn't pause to change in her dorm but instead charge straight for the borders of New Rome. Along the road, she saw several of her Camp Jupiter friends hanging about the cafe, she didn't have time to stop and chat. After a while, she finally saw a white marble statue up ahead.
"Persephone Jackson! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Demanded the statue of Terminus, the protector of the borders of New Rome, turning his stone upper body around and shouting loudly as the daughter of Poseidon is still a long way off. "And don't you know going out near the curfew is against the rules?!"
"Hi, Terminus! Bye Terminus!" Shouted Percy, a little out of breath as she ran none stop past the statue god. "Sorry, can't stay to talk!"
"Get back here, Percy Jackson!" The statue shouted from behind. "Just because we smashed a giant's head together doesn't mean I'm going to let you off easy every time you break a rule!"
Percy ignored the shouts from behind as she approach the sea line. Ever since the war with Gaia, the Roman demigods have put a lot more effort into building better ships for the Legion. Though honestly, Percy still thinks that five more sad-looking fish boats are not so great of an improvement for the Legions. She didn't hesitate to run across the wooden dock, past the five sad boats, and dove straight into the water.
The coolness of the water felt nice on her skin, Percy willed herself to stay dry and let the water do its work, pushing her straight out into the open sea and heading in the direction of Bludhaven.
She was about five minutes into the journey when her phone rang. "Hello?" She asked, still traveling at 60 mph in the sea.
"...Why does your voice sound so strange?" Dick questioned.
Percy willed herself to stop. "It does?" She thought her voice sounded pretty clear in the water.
"Yeah, it's...actually, never mind," Dick changed his mind. "Are you done with your class? I hope you didn't forget that we have a dinner planned at the manor with the rest of the family."
"Of course, I didn't," Percy said. "I'm on my way home right now, a quick change and I'll be ready to go."
"Okay, great," Dick answered. "So where are you now?"
"In the middle of the ocean," Percy said simply, shooing away a curious 12 feet long Great White who had wandered a little too close. "Give me 10 more minutes and I should be home by then."
"Well, that explains why your voice sounded so weird," Dick muttered. "Alright, I'll wait for you."
"Love you," Percy said sweetly and hang up, then putting on a burst of speed, she sails through the water.
...
Dick's POV
Dick stared at his reflections in the mirror and straightened his white shirt collar as he waited for Percy to get out of the shower. The dinner is scheduled to start at 6, right now it's 4:59, they have plenty of time to get ready and zeta to the Manor.
"So how goes the investigation on the whereabouts of Brion's sister, Tara?" Percy's voice came from the shower.
"I spoke with Barbra today about a lead that she just found out this morning," Dick began, checking his hair in the mirror. "Since Jace confessed that Tara had undergone the meta-gene activation process, we suspect that she may have powers similar to Brion's on some level, maybe different types of geo-force, as Jace calls it."
"Okay? How is that relevant?"
"The lead Barbra informed me was a news report, about a man named Jaqqar Marlo who was found dead this morning. He was killed by a meta-human who dropped a massive rock on his head. Witnesses said that they saw Black Spider, the assassin from the League of Shadows, in the area where the incident occurred."
The shower turned off, and a moment later, Percy emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her naked body. "That doesn't sound like his style," She said, walking up next to him to pick up her trident necklace off the dressing table. "Care to help?" She asked, handing Dick the pendant.
"Never ask twice," the man answered with a smile. He moved aside the girl's raven hair and placed the pendant around her delicate neck, placing a kiss at the base of her neck when he was done. "And to answer your question, that does not sound like something Black Spider would do. So the possibility does exist that Brion's sister is now with the Shadows. They must be using a control device on her like the one Jeff found on Plasmus since I doubt a royal princess under any sort of circumstances would be willing to kill."
In the reflection of the mirror, Dick saw Percy raise an eyebrow. "Um, Babe, you do realize that I'm technically a royal princess too, right? My dad is Poseidon, the King of the Seas. And I kill on a regular daily bases..."
Dick blinked. "Well, but in you're case it's different since if you don't k-"
"Choose your next words carefully," Percy warned with a dangerous smile.
"I mean, you're the best, badass, royal princess out there and your skills in battle are amazing," Dick said immediately, circling his arms around Percy and giving her a cheeky grin.
"Hmm, that's a start..." Percy considered, turning her head to kiss Dick on the base of his jaw. "Alright, I'm gonna change. But keep telling about what Barbra said."
"Well, that's basically it," Dick answered, leaning against the dressing table, watching his fiancee retreat into their walk-in closet while lowkey debating if he should walk in after her. "I relay the lead to Brion and the rest at Connor and Megan's place just before you came home."
"Don't you think telling Brion about the League of Shadows and the possibility that his sister might be with them would be not-so-great of an idea?" Percy questioned.
"I'm sure he wouldn't be that reckless and irresponsible, right? I specifically asked him not to track them down until we are sure of this lead." Dick said, shrugging it off.
"If you say so,"
"Oh, and by the way, Megan returned last night after we left from her little off-world investigation on New Genesis."
"Oh yeah? How did that go?"
"Not great, from what Connor told me at least. She and the Team seemed to have run into a bit of a difficulty. And they brought back a new stray." Dick informed. "His name is Forage, a member of the bug species on New Genesis, he's been cast out of his home after assisting the Team, and with nowhere to go, Megan decided to take him back to Earth."
"Cool, looks like Brion and Halo have a new friend," Percy said, coming out of the closet. Upon seeing her, Dick whistled. The demigoddess choose to wear a navy lantern sleeve ruffle dress for tonight's family dinner, it was both a casual and formal type of wear, suitable for tonight's occasion. Her hair was up in a simple loose bun, held together by a simple silver hairpin with loose raven strands framing her pretty face. Percy leaned against the closet frame, adjusting her silver heels' strap.
"You look gorgeous," Dick complimented from the bottom of his heart. "And heels for tonight? Dang, now I'm starting to think if I should make our dates more formal and not just in Batman t-shirts and old tennis shoes."
Percy gave him a half-glare. "Don't you dare, Grayson! You would not believe the pep-talk I gave myself just to put my feet through this torture." From the pocket of her dress, she took out two pearl studs and placed them in her ears.
Dick walked up to her and snaked an arm around her waist. "You know, technically, you're also a Grayson now, soon to be one anyway."
"Techniquely," Percy clarified, looking up at him. "But not officially. I'm still a Jackson." She took up a black tie from the table top and tied it around Dick's neck, straightening his blazer and double-checking his attire from top to bottom before offering him a satisfied grin. "All good to go! Now come on, we don't want to keep the family waiting. You know Alfred's gonna give us the judgemental and disapproving look if we do."
"Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Dick chuckled as the two head out of their room and down to the basement to take the Zeta Tube to Wayne Manor. "This is going to be an amazing night..."
...
"Welcome to the Manor," Tim greeted them as the couple emerged from the Zeta Tube. The boy was dressed in formal wear with a red tie and black blazer. He had grown a lot over the last two years, taller and calmer, but still a coffee addict. "The others are fully expecting you to pull up in front of the Manor in a car as any regular couple would do."
"But we're no regular couple, are we?" Dick asked, ruffling Tim's grown-out hair. "You know better than to expect that from us."
"I know," Tim said, swatting Dick's hand away and hugging Percy. "They are waiting upstairs."
"So who's here?" Percy asked as the three of them made their way up the iron staircase of the Bat Cave.
"The entire family," Tim answered. "Bruce, Alfred, me, Steph, and Cass. We were thinking of asking Barbra to come but she already had plans tonight with her dad Commissioner Gordon."
Alfred was waiting for them when they emerged from the Bat Cave entrance and walked down the hallway to the Great Hall. The old butler greeted them with a nod and turn to give the two girls who were hogging the front door windows a cough of attention. "Young misses, I believe our company has arrived." Two heads, a raven and a blonde, immediately snapped back toward Dick and Percy.
"Percy!" Stephanie Brown cried, tackling Percy with a flying hug. Steph had only joined the family and the hero business less than two years, and already, she has become one of Percy's biggest fans, one that Dick would dare say rival Wondergirl. "Oh, I haven't seen you in so long!"
"I missed you too, Steph," Percy laughed and with one free hand she gave Cassandra Cain a side hug. "And how are you, Cass?"
Cassandra didn't speak, but a small smile is evident on her scar-filled face. The girl took Percy's hand and wrote a 'fine' on her palm. Cass had joined even more recently than Steph, Bruce took her under his wings a year ago, after the incident that left Barbra wheelchair-bound. Both girls came from tragic backgrounds: Steph's father was Clue Master, a third-rate villain in Gotham, and Steph has spent every day of her life fighting to differentiate herself from her dad. And Cass grew up under the League of Shadows, her mother was none other than Lady Shiva herself, it was safe to say the poor girl never had a normal childhood. Dick was glad that the two could have a safe place to call home at Wayne Manor, where people who had a tragic past could find comfort in each other.
"Percy, Dick, welcome home," Bruce greeted them, coming down from the stairs. "I hope you all are hungry. Alfred spends the entire morning tinkering in the kitchen."
"While sparing time to confiscate all of Tim's secret stash of coffee," Steph whispered to the couple as they made their way to the Dining Hall. Tim, hearing the whispering, turned to glare at Steph as Cass nodded in agreement from the side.
"I thought he already found all of his secret stashes," Dick whispered back.
Cass shook her head at him. Steph agreed with her. "Yeah, Tim got a new stash. Hid it in his room. Threw quite a tantrum when Alfred took his precious drink away." The boy in question was now burning red in the face.
"Shut up, Brown!" Tim hissed to the blonde who stuck out her tongue at him in return.
"Timmy, you really do have a problem..." Percy commented.
"No, I don't!"
...
Percy's POV
Alfred really knows what he's doing. The dinner served tonight was just heavenly. Percy would love to have more but she knew better than to stuff herself before the desserts came on.
"The beef was delicious, Alfred," Percy said truthfully. "Your best yet, I believe."
"Why thank you, Miss Persephone." the old butler said humbly, cutting up the veggies on his own plate.
"So, Percy and Dick, I would like to personally congratulate you on the engagement. You're both officially entering the next stage of life." Bruce said from the head of the table.
"Thanks, B." Dick said.
"So, what's the plan for the near future now that the engagement is done?" Tim asked, taking a sip of his orange juice (Alfred would not relent on the coffee ban, so he had to settle on the next best thing).
"Have you decided when the wedding is going to be?" questioned Steph. "Or where it's going to take place? Who are your bridesmaids?"
"Um, we haven't exactly had the time to plan that yet..." Percy said, sharing a look with Dick.
"Well, here's something I've been meaning to talk to you two about," Bruce said, putting down his napkin. "The Wayne Manor is hosting a Gala next week, and I want you two to come. It would be a great way to reintroduce you two (especially you, Percy) back into the public's eyes. And a great way to announce your engagement to the world."
Dick glanced at Percy before he opened his mouth. "That sounds great, Bruce, but we were thinking of keeping things lowkey. After all, the news of your two ex-wards getting married might be a little too weird for the public to accept."
Percy was full-on expecting Bruce to give up the idea, but instead, the billionaire laughed, not a smile or a smirk, but a laugh. "Please, Dick, this is like a Thursday news to Gotham. You think things like this have never happened before?"
"I swear you guys were in Gotham's top CP list," Steph said, taking a bite out of her beef. "Everyone ships you two together way before you guys were even a thing. How do you guys no know this after living in this city for so long and being under the spotlight as THE Gotham Prince and Princess?"
"I seriously had no idea about it..." Percy said, amazed. "I mean, I know about my alleged 'Princess of Gotham' title, but that was only one article, I didn't think it would be that serious..."
"There's a Gotham CP list?" questioned Dick, missing the point entirely.
"Oh yeah," Steph answered, "And there's also a Gotham top bachelor list too. And Bruce has been hogging the first place for over the last decade." From the head of the table, the man in question choked on his food and began coughing violently. Dick, who was seated to the man's right, reached out a hand and began patting the Top Bachelor on the back.
"And you know this how?" Tim asked with a raised eyebrow.
Steph waved a hand dismissively. "I followed the news a lot when I was little, it's like a pass time hobby of mine, to sniff out all the gossip of Gotham."
"Yeah, that's why you're called the 'Spoiler' alright..." Tim muttered into his cup, this time, it was Steph who shot him a glare.
"Shut up, Drake..."
These two are seriously giving Percy sibling vibes, even though she never really had any siblings, not even at Camp. Sure, Tyson was there for a few summers, but they never really had any sibling fights or any conflicts.
"Alright, enough you two," Bruce said, finally regaining his breath, he turned to the engaged couple. "So, would you two consider coming to the Gala?" He asked.
"It's up to you, Perse," Dick said, looking at her. "Is this something you're comfortable with?"
All attention turned to her. "Yeah. Yeah, I think it would be fine," She answered, reaching a hand under the table to grab Dick's. "I mean, announcing it at the Gala doesn't sound half bad. We're sharing our good news with the world." Dick squeezed her hand underneath the table and offered her a smile.
"I still can't believe you two are engaged," Bruce commented, looking at the pair. "It felt like just yesterday I met you two for the first time. Taking you into the family and watching you two grow and becoming who you are today."
"We would not be who we are today without your guidance," Dick offered. "You and Alfred took me in when my world fell apart in front of my eyes and guided me out of those dark times."
"And comforted the scared and confused me in that dark alley," Percy continued. "When I had just lost my mother and somehow transported myself to an entirely different city. You and Alfred had been our light in those dark times, even now you continue to bring comfort to us all."
Bruce smiled, "You say I'm your light, but in truth, you have also been our light. Your presence added life to this otherwise dead Manor and brought laughter back into its halls." Alfred nodded in agreement. Then Bruce stood and raised his glass. "A toast to family."
"A toast to family!" They all stood, raising their glasses to heaven.
"And We are not only celebrating this family," Bruce continued, "But also celebrating the one you two are about to start," He told Percy and Dick. "Take care of each other, and if you need help, know that this place would always welcome you back."
"And I would be delighted to offer up my serves in taking care of the future young masters or misses," Alfred said.
Percy blinked, not understanding. But Dick clearly got it as his cheeks heat up and he coughed awkwardly. "T-thanks, Alfred, w-we'll keep that in mind..." Everyone laughed.
Suddenly, there came a buzzing sound in Dick's pocket. "Oh, sorry," the man apologized, taking out his phone to check. Instantly, the carefree smile vanished from his face, replaced with a serious look. "Trouble alert, we gotta go."
"What is it?" Bruce asked, placing down his fork.
"Brion, Halo, and Forager are missing," Dick said, getting up and putting his phone away. "They took Sphere with them too. If I had to guess, Brion's heading to Infinity Island to look for Tara."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Tim asked, standing up.
"No, no," Percy said, gesturing for Tim to stay put. "We can handle it. Plus, we won't be alone. I'm thinking Artemis, Jeff, Megan, and Connor are all going?" She asked Dick.
"They were last seen at Megan and Connor's house, so it would make sense for them to go," Dick answered.
"Stay safe," Bruce said.
"We will."
Dick's POV
"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't be that reckless and irresponsible. I specifically asked him not to track them down until we are sure of this lead." Percy mocked, mimicking Dick's voice. "Well, guess what? He is that reckless and irresponsible!" The two of them raced down the Bat Cave stairs and to the display cases where Alfred had kept a few of their spare suits for them in the Cave.
"Okay, I admit, that was my bad, I should've never told them about it," Dick relents, quickly changing into his Nightwing outfit and placing his eskrima sticks behind his back.
"You should have never told them about the Shadows, and you should have never believed that everything will go according to plan," Percy states, putting on her mask and pulling her hood over her head. "I thought you knew better than that, after years of dating me."
"I know..." Dick said with a pout. "Ugh, I'm going to have a serious talk with Brion when we find them. He ruined a perfect night with the family! And we haven't even gotten to the desserts yet! You know how good Alfred's desserts are, they've won awards!"
"I know, I know," Percy said, typing in the coordinates into the Zeta Tube control panel. "I'm grumpy too. But I'm sure Alfred would save us some."
"We're stress eating when we get back," Dick muttered.
"Recognized, Nightwing B01, Tidal-Wing B02"
...
"I can't believe this," Connor said disgusted, picking up a half-eaten apple off the Bioship floor as they flew across the open sea towards Infinity Island. "They've only been living in here for five minutes are it's already a mess!"
"You're sure they went to Infinity Island?" Megan asked, piloting the ship.
"The one place we very specifically told them not to go? Yup," Nightwing grumbled.
"Well, what goes around comes around," Megan shrugged.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dick questioned with a straight face as Percy stifled a laugh from beside him.
"Uh, Cadmus ring any bells?" SB asked, raising an eyebrow.
Realization dawned on Dick and he groaned, leaning back against his seat and heaved a sigh. "Oh, man. I hate being the grown-up."
Unable to hold it back any longer, Percy burst out laughing. "Ohh, gods! This is definitely karma at its finest!" She wheezed. "Man, who'd ever thought we would one day be the ones to track down the misbehaving kids?"
"Now you know how we felt when we heard the news of you youngsters secretly investigating Cadmus," Jeff huffed.
"Batman grounded us for a week afterward from patrol," Percy said, wiping away a tear. "We were so bored out we broke 3 punching bags."
"You guys had 3 punching bags just laying around?" Artemis questioned with a weird look.
"10 actually," Dick clarified. "Believe it or not, we go through them pretty quickly."
As they talked, the Bioship slowly began to lose altitude. And when the clouds ahead of them cleared to reveal the much-dreaded island, all talk ceased. "Do we have a plan?" Jeff asked.
All eyes turned to Dick and he sighed, "This is really not how I want my night to go..."
...
The island was surprisingly quiet, Dick was full-on expecting the assassins to pop up the moment they landed on this god-forsaken place.
"Is there something wrong with the intel?" Percy questioned quietly as the squad moved silently through the forest, avoiding the clearings at all costs. "Cause if I remember specifically from Batman's files, this place should be swarming with Ra's army."
"You're not the only one who's confused..." Dick muttered to her, stopping dead behind a bush and staring out at the Middle Eastern-style fortress in front of them. "But at least we know we're in the right place," he noted at the distant clearing to the left of the building where the wreckage was seen. There were several collapsed structures, small fires burning here and there, and cracked and dented marks on the pavement.
"Do you think Ra's is expecting us?" Megan asked.
"I would think so," Dick states. "And if Batman's old record of this place still checks, I think I know where to look for our trouble teens..."
Percy's POV
Dick really knows what he's doing. Within minutes he had located where their teens were held and led the squad inside the fortress successfully without being detected. Then Dick disabled the security camera watching the place where Brion, Halo, Forager, and Sphere were held, and SB forced open the iron doors separating them from the teens.
Percy breathed out a sigh of relief once she realized that all of them are in still relatively good condition (though Brion was missing his shirt. They all looked like they were in a trans, and Percy soon discovered why.
"This is why you don't go unprepared," Dick grumbled as he and Percy run in to check on Brion. "Now, hold still." He found a control device planted at the base of the prince's neck and yanked it off. Instantly, Brion gasped and came to his senses.
Next to the trio, Halo was liberated by Artemis, the bug-like alien (whom Percy assumed was Forager) by Megan, and Connor broke the chains binding Sphere.
"There you go, girl," Connor said, patting Sphere as she hummed in gratitude.
"We need to hurry," Jeff said from the outside where he was keeping watch. "You gotta figure the Shadows are on their way."
"Then let's move!" urged Megan.
They were successful in escaping until they were out in the clearing. There, they found Sensei waiting for them with two of his minions, one of them looked like an assassin dressed in red from top to bottom, and the other one looks like a regular gon geared with apocalyptic tech.
"We just wanna leave," Dick said calmly to Sensei, holding out a hand to keep Connor from moving up.
"Your trespass must be punished!" Insisted Sensei.
"Wrong answer," Conor growled and moved, Dick following right behind with his escrima sticks out. Percy sighed heavily and unsheathed her sword.
Connor leaped up and smashed his fits against the pavement, the force send Sensei back as the red assassin ran passed him with his sword raised. Jeff tried to stop him with a blast of lightning but the assassin leaped out of the way and met swords with Dick.
The gon with the apocalyptic tech aimed his canon at Brion and Halo but Connor intervened by smashing his fists against the ground again, sending stones flying and blocking the gon's vision. Sensei came up next and tried for a sneak attack on Connor only to be stopped midair by Megan, levitating him 3 feet above Connor's head. And that's when Brion messed up by getting angry.
Because Megan was standing near Brion when the incident occurred, she got a full blast of heat from Brion as the lava engulfed his body. Instantly, her knees gave out and her powers failed her.
"Megan!" Connor cried, taking his eyes off Sensei to check on his fiancee.
"SB watch out!" Percy yelled, flinging her sword out to block Sensei's sword before it could land on Connor. Her sword grazed the Sensei's hand and made the man hiss in pain and his weapon clattered to the ground.
"Foolish girl!" the Sensei snarled, picking his fallen weapon up from the ground and charging at the defenseless heroine.
Percy dodged the first swing at her head, turned, and caught the blade before it could cut her again. She gritted her teeth and used her demigod strengths to push the blade back and kicked away Sensei as hard as she could, giving herself enough time to retrieve her sword.
The moment her fingers closed around the hilt of her weapon, Percy knew she was going to win this fight. Without even realizing what her body was doing, she turned and swung her sword, meeting Sensei's blade dead on. The old man looked surprised that Percy had intersected his attack, the girl only smirked. She isn't known as the best swordswoman for anything.
And just when she thought the fight was getting good, someone decided to end her fun. "Enough!" Said a calm and authoritative voice. All fight seized as a man stepped out from the shadows.
Dick's POV
Dick snarled the moment he saw Ra's al Ghul. But the man simply smiled in his direction. "Well, young man," began the Demon's Head. "Are you proud of this little debacle? I believe the detective will be quite disappointed..."
He wanted to end that man right there and there, but Percy (who somehow appeared by his side) grabbed his arm before he could even make a move.
"Ahh, and who's this lovely young lady?" asked Ra's, smiling in Percy's direction. "I don't believe I have seen you in public for quite some time...And your swordsmanship? I'm impressed. Makes me wonder how the detective could have taught you such an ancient and unique fighting technique...But I believe now is not the time for that. You are here to recover these children, I assume? Take them and go."
"Not without my sister, Tara Markov!" Brion demanded. "We know the League of Shadows has her!"
"Stay your tongue when addressing the Demon's Head," Sensei spat, raising his sword at the prince.
"It is fine, Sensei," Ra's said calmly as he turned to Brion. "Boy, the Shadows may indeed have your sister, but I am no longer head of the Shadows..."
What? Dick's eyes widened, he turned to Percy, silently asking if he had misheard. But the bewildered look on his fiancee's face told him that he had not misunderstood it.
"In fact, I'm no longer part of the Light," Ra's continued.
"HE LIES!" Brion yelled the temperature around him rose rapidly.
"Ra's al Ghul is many things, but a liar isn't one of them," Dick told Brion quickly. Unfortunately, he added silently in his heart.
"Would the Great One care to reveal who is running the Shadows now?" Asked Artemis sweetly.
Ra's chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice. "No, he would not."
"It's not my dad, is it?" questioned the blonde archer with a nervous chuckle.
"No."
"My sister?"
"Get out."
And so they did, with great pleasure. Bioship took off without a moment to hesitate. Dick could not wait to get back to the Manor. If he and Percy were lucky, Alfred may still have a few desserts saved for them.
"I apologize," Brion said, breaking the silence. "I know this mess was all my fault..."
"It happens," Connor shrugged, manning the ship so as to give Megan a brake. "Once upon a time, I had to rescue Robin, Tidal-Wing, Kid Flash, and Aqualad too."
"Who?" questioned Halo.
"Forager met Kid Flash," Forager said.
"That was a different Kid-" Dick began then sighed. "Never mind..." He glanced at Artemis, who purposefully looked away. Dick crossed his arms. "Let's make one thing clear. We are not happy. You stole Sphere, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered your lives. You will not be doing this again."
"I know I made mistakes," Brion pleaded. "Big mistakes! But please, I need your help. I'm not ready to walk away."
"Neither am I," Halo said, standing up.
"Forager rolls with Forager's hive," Forager declared.
"Forager, there's still a place for you on the Team," Megan suggests.
"Forager has chosen Halo and Brion as Forager's hive," the bug insisted. "Also, Bioship. Especially Bioship." He said, patting the walls of Bioship lovingly.
"I do not believe any of us would fit inside your team," Brion continued.
"But we can remain outside together," Halo said cheerfully.
"Wow, this really feels like deja vu," Percy commented with a smile, she looked at Dick, who was standing beside her. Her eyes were glinting in a 'do you dare' way behind her mask. Looking at her, Dick was suddenly brought back to the day they embarked on that Cadmus journey. Slowly, a smile came to his lips. He looked back at the trio in front of him, their eyes reflecting his thirteen-year-old self. Oh, how could he get mad at these kids even if they ruined a perfect night? To think he was in their shoes once.
"Now that's the commitment we were looking for," He said.
Immediately, the three brightened. "Does that mean-"
"Yup!" Dick declared. "We'll find a way to make it work. To make this work!"
"And just like that, you're leading another team..." mused Connor.
Instantly, Dick deflated and he groaned. "Please don't rub it in..." Percy patted his back in mock comfort.
"Cheer up, Team Leader," She said with a smirk. "It's nothing you haven't seen before."
"Be quiet Perse..."
...
When they returned to the Wayne Manor, they found everyone gone. The house was quiet save for the ticking of the clock blocking the entrance to the Bat Cave.
"Are they still out on patrol?" Percy asked, checking her watch. "It's nearly midnight."
"I believe Master Bruce had some urgent matters with Commissioner Gordon and won't be returning home for at least another hour." A voice said behind them which made the two birds jump.
"Guh, I forgot he was a ninja..." Percy whispered, a hand over her heart.
"Hey, Alfred..." Dick said weakly, his heart hammering as well.
The butler did not show any signs of emotion. "I trust your mission went well?"
"It's...been managed." Dick decided, unsure of what to say about it. "So, do you still have desserts set for us, Alfred?"
"He's been nagging about it all throughout the mission," Percy added. "Please say yes, 'cause I can't be dealing with this man for the rest of tonight if he doesn't get his desserts."
"Please, as if I would be willing to deal with you if you don't get your fair share of it as well," Dick fired back.
Alfred smiled. "Rest assured, there are desserts set out waiting for you. I had a feeling you would want them when you return and I had to fight off an eager Miss Stephanie before she could finish them off. Now come along."
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My family is planning on heading out of town next week so I'm not sure how I'll be able to write the next chapter since I won't be bringing my computer with me. I am honestly thinking of finishing season 3 before I go to college, if I can I'll try to squeeze in season 4 as well because by the time school starts up again I know for a fact I won't have the energy to write anymore. (At least maybe not for this book :)) Hope you like this chapter and I'll see you all in the next update.
I Purple You~