He didn't care how adamant Bruce was about waiting until the end of his assigned recovery period. He technically only had two days left, but Dick was fine. He felt fine, he walked fine, he fought fine, and most importantly, he looked like he was fine. That bit was most important because when Bruce came calling, it was his first line of defense in proving he was field ready. He was itching to get back on patrol, but interestingly, it wasn't out of worry for the city.

He had kept up with Perseus's movements through the precinct arrests since Dick Grayson was allowed back to work and she had been busy, bringing in several muggers, some low-level corner drug dealers, a few robbers, and even a couple of suspected abusers. Maybe she had been too busy, now that he thought about it. If she was putting in the extra effort to make up for his absence, well, he could feel the slight guilt in his chest just waiting to manifest. Or maybe that was the pain left over from the scabbed-over slash wound. It was hard to tell.

Dick leaped over the rooftops, following a well-traveled path. He really did need to return to patrol, but there were still about forty-five minutes left before he was meant to begin, and he had something else to do first. The harbor glimmered into view faster than he remembered, and Dick snuck past the main trading ships to the familiar rickety outpost.

Normally when his presence was announced by the first step onto the creaky wooden panels, Perseus would turn her head back and watch him approach her at the end of the pier. This time, she jumped up immediately, dashing over to him with a large grin.

Dick smiled back, raising his hand in greeting. Before he could process it, she had darted in to give him a quick, tight hug that was over as soon as it had happened.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked, eyes roaming his suit, "Fully healed?"

"Good as new," Dick chirped, then pouted a little, "I would've been back earlier, but Batman benched me."

Dick watched as Perseus narrowed her gaze at him, then raised a finger and jabbed it gently into his chest. He winced as it pressed into sore skin.

"Liar," she snorted, but didn't argue any further.

Would Bruce perform the same test when assessing if he was fit to return? Dick hoped not.

Perseus turned and walked back down to the edge of the pier, and he followed in her shadow, already used to their small pre-patrol routine. Dick usually stood beside her, fighting the urge to lean on the flimsy support pole, but this time he took the seat next to her, dangling his feet over the edge. She spared him a short, surprised look before turning back to gaze at the water.

"I heard you've been busy," Dick hummed slightly, "And that the holding cells are getting awfully full."

Perseus's boots skimmed the water as she laughed.

"I was getting bored," she shrugged, then narrowed her eyes playfully, "Have you been stalking me from Gotham?"

"I've been here the last few days," Dick admitted, "But only as a civilian."

The confession made Perseus frown a little, and she turned to look at him.

"Next time slip me a note or something, I was—" she paused, twisting her lips slightly. She turned back to the water. "Worried."

That was definitely guilt that time, Dick mentally winced. He had gotten so caught up the last couple of days, he hadn't thought of letting her know he was doing better. He really should have, especially after she went through all that trouble of getting him out of Kobra's grasp and off that awful, creepy island. Something in his brain nagged at him, to remind him he still didn't really know how she had done it. He pushed it away.

"I will," he promised, and bumped his shoulder to hers in apology. Glancing down, he saw a small dark thing dart under the water. "How are the fish, any updates?"

The distraction made her perk up, or maybe it was the silent apology, but either way, Perseus straightened, and pointed a few inches to her left, where another tiny shadow swam, slowly this time, across their view.

"James has a new girlfriend, Lula, also a black sea bass. His mom doesn't approve because Lula's not so good at hunting and asks her boyfriend to bring her worms all day," she explained, then rested her chin in the palm of her hand and sent him a sharp grin, "James isn't really on speaking terms with his mom anymore."

Dick snickered, dragging his foot over the ripples, 'Lula' had made. "I don't know how you come up with this stuff," he said, then before he could think about it too hard, continued, "By the way, do you have another way I can reach you? Or am I going to have to come say hi to the happy fish couple every time?"

"Why? In case you need me to save you again?"

Dick just grinned back. "Maybe."

Perseus huffed, like she was laughing but was very much not amused. "Yeah, I—" She stopped, and a nervous grin overtook her previous expression. "Um. Only have a civilian phone. And I don't really keep it on me when I'm out."

Dick startled, whipping his head over to meet her eyes. "Are you saying you have no way of contacting anyone if you're in trouble?"

She shrugged. "I've been okay so far."

He just looked at her, utterly scandalized. Dick's instilled paranoia usually had him carrying several methods of communication on patrol at all times. What was Perseus thinking? Did she just go out into the city every night completely winging it?

Perseus returned his stare, confused, and fidgeted slightly as the seconds passed by. Finally. she threw her hands up.

"Fine," she groaned, "If it's such a big deal, I'll ask a friend to make me something. He's good at that tech stuff."

So, she did have someone on the outside, it seemed, that she knew well enough to request gadgets and wasn't seemingly worried about the consequences. Which meant that they probably knew who she was under that mask.

"Oh, is he?" Dick raised his eyebrows, trying to get some more information about her contact.

"Yep," she replied, drumming her nails on the wood, "He made my suit and my weapons. He's a godssend."

As Perseus tilted her head, and smiled to herself like referencing another joke he didn't understand, Dick involuntarily gritted his teeth. Was there an extra 's' in there or was he hearing things? Then he relaxed his jaw, realizing how weirdly tense he was, and shook it off.

"I got the all-clear to talk to Kai tomorrow morning," he announced, wincing at how abruptly it had come out.

He had spoken to Dinah just earlier that day, who relayed the message from Dr. Helding that the boy had regained consciousness and was being introduced to his new temporary living space and nurses.

"Wait really? He's awake?" Perseus exclaimed, taking her feet out of the water and moving to stand, "How is he?"

Dick bit back a laugh at the enthusiasm.

"He's not fully mobile," he clarified, "But he's doing okay, given the circumstances. They're still monitoring him pretty closely, but he's going to be fine."

Perseus let out a relieved sigh, and Dick felt the exhale in his bones. He understood the feeling all too well. He was so grateful they had been able to reach Kai when they did, but he couldn't help the glimmer of guilt that berated him for not being there years ago, helping Kai get off the streets and into an actual loving home after his parents had passed.

"And he's okay enough for you to ask a few questions?" she asked, double-checking.

Dick nodded. "Us," he corrected, before he could stop the word, "You helped find him, so it's only fair you get to come."

A bright grin unfolded on Perseus's face at that statement, shining under the quickly darkening sky. A quiet buzz pressed against Dick's wrist, and he held it up, showing her the time.

"Looks like we're on the clock," Perseus announced, slinging her sword over her shoulders, and held out a hand.

It's not like he needed it, but Dick took it anyways, letting her haul him off the pier. Under the rising moon, he and Perseus walked back towards the shipyard, and past the gate that surrounded it.

"Um," she broke the silence, from the other side, as she watched Dick scale the fence after her, "Am I allowed to go—wherever we're going tomorrow?"

"Nope." Dick jumped down, feet making virtually no sound as he landed softly beside her. "But I'll sneak you in."

Perseus laughed, delighted, then raced him to the Pryst building.

Bludhaven in the mornings was quiet. The cars drove slowly through the streets, braking early for pedestrians instead of the usual sharp stop followed by incessant honking. People walked briskly, as usual, but with less urgency than at night. The city was still in the process of waking up, opening its sleepy eyes.

But Percy was wide awake, and had been for much of the night, tossing and turning frustratedly. Over an hour before she would have usually gotten out of bed, she threw open the covers with a loud groan and stalked into the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror as she scrubbed her teeth furiously, she removed the brush from her mouth and pointed it at her reflection. Tired, droopy eyes blinked back.

"There's something seriously wrong with you," she mumbled around the foam. Percy spat the toothpaste into the sink, fixing herself with a proper glare, "Fatal flaw my ass."

Did she even know the meaning of the word loyalty anymore?

Percy had been minding her business, patrolling happily with Nightwing, taking care of a few thugs trying to break into an expensive watch store, and berating said thugs for targeting the one establishment that only took custom orders and kept nothing truly valuable in stock. One minute she was joking with the other hero about the incompetence of criminals these days, the next, he had mentioned calling it into the BHPD, and a set of unwelcome blue eyes had flashed across Percy's vision.

Liking two people was absurd. It went against everything she stood for. Being reminded of the pesky little soft spot that had formed for Dick Grayson had caused her mouth to sour so obviously, even Nightwing had picked up on the mood change. She had given him some flimsy excuse and had proceeded to bolt home to sleep off her feelings.

Like that had worked, she scowled. Now she just felt vaguely disappointed in herself.

And what's more, Percy was seeing one half of her ridiculous dilemma immediately after breakfast. She had planned to meet up with Nightwing to see Kai, and she couldn't bail on that. She wouldn't.

She could be professional, Percy assured herself, tucking her hair behind her ears. She took a deep breath, splashed her face with water, and washed away all signs of exhaustion.

"Late night?" Nightwing teased, the minute she stepped into the phone booth.

Percy spluttered, reaching up to pull down her sweater hood and revealing her mask.

"You can't even see my face," she muttered, taking a few seconds to scan her surroundings.

The phone booth he had told her to meet him at looked perfectly ordinary, one-way glass allowing her to see the street outside. Out there, it was a muted red color, but on the inside, a chipping layer of dark grey painted the walls. Nightwing was leaning against the one opposite her, only a few cramped feet away, in a black leather jacket with blue shoulder pads that reminded her of his suit. The domino was the only thing that remained from the original costume.

"It's your posture," he pointed out, with a slight smirk.

Percy instinctively straightened her spine. Nightwing's smirk widened, but she ignored it, gesturing to the ceiling.

"So how does this all work?"

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and pressed some small unseen button on the side of the phone box.

"JL security clearance Nightwing B01," he announced.

Percy watched a pale blue light shoot out from the ceiling, draping itself over his shoulders. A robotic voice confirmed the clearance and a panel of the wall beside the phone slid open.

"Guests not in the system still have to be announced," Nightwing explained, tapping away at the screen, "But I think I can get it to bypass that…"

She leaned in closer, fascinated at how fast the letters on the screen were scrolling down. She couldn't read any of them, and doubted she would've been able to understand even without the dyslexia, but it seemed Nightwing knew exactly what the code was doing. A small keyboard popped up, and Nightwing typed out a jumble of letters and maybe numbers, before finally stepping back with an 'aha'.

"First time teleporting?" he grinned at her, as the blue light scanned them once more, announcing Nightwing but staying quiet when it passed over her.

Percy blinked, but thankfully before she had to respond with some witty lie, her vision went white.

Whatever technology superheroes used to transport themselves around was strange. It only lasted a few seconds, from what Percy could tell, but it didn't feel like the adrenaline rush that was shadow travel. Going through a camp portal was like stepping through a door that had a separate entrance and exit, and it didn't feel like that either. It felt almost like she was being broken down into little, tiny pieces and then put back together again. It didn't hurt, but when her vision cleared, Percy clenched her hands into fists, staring down at them like she was making sure she was still whole.

"Definitely," she breathed answering Nightwing's previous question. Turns out, it was her first time doing whatever that was.

"You'll get used to it," he replied, stepping off the platform they had landed on.

He motioned for Percy to follow behind him. The building they had teleported to had low ceilings and sleek grey walls. The hallways were lined by scattered doors and remained mostly empty as Nightwing snuck her around like he already knew where to go. Suddenly, he stopped and motioned for Percy to wait behind a corner before turning around it.

"Nightwing," a relieved female voice reached her ears, "Come on, I'll show you where he is."

"Actually, can I have a few minutes alone with him? He might be more willing to talk to whoever got him out of the lab," Nightwing asked, softly.

Percy held her breath, but the other woman hummed and said "Sure," before her footsteps faded into the distance. She peeked her head around the corner, to see Nightwing giving her a thumbs up.

Kai Rivera was still in bed, folded under soft white covers. A thin tube ran from his arm to a bag of intravenous fluid that hung above the bed frame. He looked far less sickly than the last time Dick had seen him, his skin no longer terrifyingly pale, but instead a more natural light brown shade. His eyes were shut tight, even against the soft yellow light of the ceiling.

Exchanging a glance with Perseus, she shot him a look that was worried, relieved, and distressed, the jumble of emotions visible even from under her mask. Her lip curled with slight anger, but slowly, it smoothed out into a soft smile.

She approached the bed, laying a hand on the blanket near the boy's legs, but not touching.

"Kai?" she tried hesitantly.

The boy's eyes shot open, and for a split second Dick could see he was terrified, like he expected to be back in that waterfront lab, but then he saw them and relaxed slightly. Dick gave him a small wave.

"Do you remember us?" he nudged, taking a step closer, "We took down those bad guys and brought you here."

Kai stayed silent, but his eyes flicked between them, before nodding slowly.

"I'm Perseus," she offered, and then pointed at Dick, "And that's Nightwing. What's your name?"

The boy sunk his head further into the pillow and whispered his answer like he was afraid of talking.

Dick knew his tall stature could sometimes be intimidating, especially in a mask, so he gestured to the chair and asked if he could sit. This time, Kai didn't reply but he didn't protest either, so Dick lowered slowly into the seat, staying at a safe distance. He felt Perseus come to stand behind him, a hand settling on the back of the chair.

"I know this might be a little scary," he started, seeing the boy's eyes dart up and down between their faces, "But we were wondering if you could tell us anything about the people who took you."

Instantly, Kai's eyes filled with tears, and he shook his head furiously.

"I don't wanna go back. I don't—," he gasped, wiping his face, "You can't take me back."

"Hey, no, no one's taking you anywhere," Perseus interrupted, "You're safe here."

But it didn't help. Kai continued to fist his hands into the bedsheets as the tears rolled down his face. Dick resisted the urge to reach out to soothe him, not knowing how he would respond to touch.

"I don't wanna be out there anymore," he sniffled, "Please don't put me back."

Dick furrowed his brow, looking back at Perseus, confused. Out? Was Kai not talking about the Blockbuster lab? The other hero's mouth opened a little, as she understood, and stepped forward to gently grasp Kai's hand.

"You're not going back on the streets," she said firmly, "We won't let that happen."

Dick nodded to show she was absolutely right, catching on immediately. "We just want to find the man responsible for doing this, so you're not in danger anymore. And you're still a little sick, so we have to get you back in tip-top shape." Dick smiled, trying to get Kai to do the same, "Can you help us?"

The boy had stopped crying, but his red-rimmed eyes still looked nervous, and he hadn't let go of Perseus's hand.

"But what about after?" he asked quietly, chewing on his lip, "If you find the bad guy, I can't stay here anymore. This is just a hospital, right?"

Dick's heart broke. The kid was right, this was just a private league medical facility, and it didn't have the capabilities for long-term housing. The thought of dropping him off at an orphanage made Dick feel sick to his stomach, and so did the thought of making Kai false promises about where he would go. Bruce was always an option, he thought dryly, but he couldn't give Kai a definite answer without discussing it with the older man. He opened his mouth to try to explain as best he could, or at the very least ensure that he wouldn't be left to fend for himself, but Perseus beat him to it.

"I know someone you can stay with," she said, confidently. Dick looked at her sharply. They hadn't discussed this. But the words were already out, and Kai already heard them, eyes wide, so he couldn't stop her from continuing. "I have a friend, who owns a garage in Texas. Do you like the sun?" she asked, smiling, and Kai nodded hesitantly, "Well, it's always sunny there, and my friend, he throws barbecues every weekend, and all the neighborhood kids come to play and eat burgers. Does that sound like fun?"

Kai fiddled with the blanket, just a ghost of a smile on his face. "Does he fix cars?"

"He fixes everything, including cars," she answered, then laughed, wiggling her eyebrows, "Actually, he makes his own."

The smile finally broke free, before Kai noticed what he was doing and dropped his face once more. "Cool," he mumbled, shyly.

It took everything in Dick not to coo at the attempt to hide his enthusiasm, but another small part of him frowned. Perseus hadn't told him about this beforehand. How could she know for sure this friend of hers would take in the kid? What if they had just gotten his hopes up, only to crush them in the future if this plan didn't work out? Was this friend even trustworthy? How did he feel about metas? Because while the collar still around Kai's neck neutralized his powers while his body recovered, it was inhumane to keep it on long term, and Dick had no idea if this unknown friend was willing to take on that responsibility. What if, a small, ugly corner of his brain whispered, it was all just a ruse to get Kai to tell them what he knew about Blockbuster?

Dick slammed that thought down, hard, as fast as it had come up. He had spent too long finding a balance between a healthy amount of paranoia and Bruce's hyper-vigilant state for something like this to ruin it. It was his job to see the good in people before jumping to conclusions, and no one, especially Perseus who had only proved time and time again how much she cared about people, deserved that kind of judgment without just cause.

He just had to trust that she was making the right decision.

Dick took a deep breath and nodded along. "She's right. The doctors here will take good care of you while we defeat the bad guy. After that, we'll take you to go see Perseus's friend. I'm sure he would love for you to stay with him. How does that sound?"

They waited patiently as Kai thought through that decision, chewing on his lip for another minute. Finally, he looked back up. "Okay," he said quietly.

Something loosened in Dick's chest, and he saw Perseus give Kai's hand another squeeze before letting go. He thought he might have to bring up their previous question again, but the boy closed his eyes tightly and opened them, staring at the palms of his hands.

"I was trying to get food from a store, using my—my powers. I know I shouldn't steal, but it was just chips, and nobody was there and—"

"You were hungry," Dick said, firmly, "We're not mad."

Kai looked a little relieved. "When I came out in the alley, there was this guy, and I think he saw me use my powers, so he grabbed me, and I tried to get out, but that would hurt him really bad. I tried to run, but I think he hit my head."

"Do you remember what he looked like?" Perseus asked softly.

Kai shrugged as best as he could. "Short, creepy. I'm sorry, it was dark."

Perseus looked at Dick, and he could tell they were thinking the same thing. Not Blockbuster, but likely the guy the goon in the warehouse had told them about.

"That's okay," Dick assured, "Did he take you to the lab after that?"

Kai shook his head. "I woke up somewhere else first. The guy in the alley was talking to someone. I couldn't see him, but he called him boss. He said he found what the boss needed, and that I would be really useful." Kai's voice shook as he recounted that conversation.

"Did he say what for?" Perseus pressed, careful to not sound too demanding, but the boy shook his head.

"What about where you were?" Dick asked instead, "Any detail, no matter how small, might help."

"It was really big inside," Kai said, scrunching his face, "I was tied to a bed, so I could only see up, but there were these long metal things, with holes."

"Beams?" Dick furrowed his brow. "Across the ceiling?"

"Yeah."

"Were you in Bludhaven?" Perseus frowned.

"I was right outside the city, I think, before, but I wasn't awake when they took me. The creepy guy took some blood in that room, but then he put something in my arm, and when I woke up again, I was in the lab. I'm sorry," Kai mumbled, his eyes turning said again, "I don't really remember anything else."

Perseus immediately reached out her hand again, this time brushing the dark hair off of his forehead. Kai nearly leaned into the touch.

"It's okay," she whispered, "We're gonna find them, and we're gonna put them in jail, I promise. You did good, just focus on feeling better."

"Was it enough?"

Kai's voice was quiet again, scared, hopeful, and scared to hope.

Dick got up, setting his jaw, standing shoulder to shoulder with Perseus. She was tense too, though hiding it surprisingly well in front of Kai. When he spoke, he addressed them both with a sharp nod.

"We'll make it enough."

They didn't speak at all on the way out, or at the teleporter platform, or in the phone booth where they materialized again. Percy put her hood up to hide most of her mask, peeked outside for passersby, then slipped out with a muttered, "Come on," the first words spoken in a long, quiet while.

Nightwing followed her up the side of the nearest building, then across a few rooftops, until Percy finally came to an abrupt stop on a tall, secluded section of the city. She didn't have her suit, and felt the landings a little harsher than usual, but she ignored the buzzing in the soles of her feet for now and instead pulled her hood back down, letting her hair free in the breeze.

Up here in the sky, Nightwing dropped his metaphorical mask, shoulders slumping as he looked out into the city skyline.

"This is…" he shook his head, hand running frustratedly through his hair.

"Yeah."

Percy shoved her hands into her hoodie. She was so sick of kids being used for some stupid higher purpose. She'd seen enough of it in her lifetime, and when Kai had looked at her, wondering if he would even have somewhere to stay after all this, she had opened her mouth impulsively.

Leo would take him in a heartbeat, she knew that for a fact. But Nightwing did not, and she had noticed the look he gave her, immediately realizing where she had gone wrong. She wasn't the only one worried for the kid.

"I should have talked to you about it earlier, what I told Kai," she said quietly, breaking the silence once more, looking at the ground as she spoke, "He just looked—I had to promise him he wasn't going back to another orphanage."

"I get it," Nightwing sighed, then pursed his lips, "But he's a meta, and that makes it a whole different story. These kids, they're treated differently. I've seen it. Orphanages, foster parents, even actual parents, if they get scared of his powers, that feeling can easily turn into anger, or hatred. That's why it's so hard to promise genuine safety."

A lump formed in her throat. Without even knowing it, Nightwing had just described exactly what every demigod she knew had gone through at some point in their lives.

"My friend, he—" Percy clenched her jaw, "I can't tell you anything without asking him first, but he knows exactly what that's like. He would never treat Kai the way other people have treated him."

Nightwing observed her for only a second or two, before his shoulders unfurled.

"Okay."

"That's it?" Percy asked hesitantly, "You don't have any other questions?"

"You trust him, right?" She nodded decisively, and Nightwing sent her a half smile that made her stomach flip. "Then that's all I need for now."

She returned the expression, before the rest of the conversation with Kai caught up with her.

"We still need to find Blockbuster," she sighed, crossing her arms, "And we didn't really get that much to work with. Beams in the ceiling with holes?"

Nightwing scratched his head, looking back out at the skyline.

"Based on what I know about him, Blockbuster's not the type to stray from Bludhaven, so if that's his base, I bet it's within city borders," he mused, "But yeah, the ceiling thing I have no clue."

"Me neither," she replied, glum, "I'll ask for a second opinion, but in the meantime, I'll talk to my friend and let you know what he says about Kai." Percy paused for a moment. "Do the doctors know exactly what he can do?"

"They can't check without removing the collar, and they won't do that until he's better. But based on those guns, I'm guessing—"

"Something destructive," Percy finished, wryly, Nightwing huffing in response, "Then he and L—my friend will get along swimmingly."

Nightwing chuckled, then glanced down at his wrist, brows shooting up in alarm.

"Shit, I'm late for work," he cried, taking out a phone and typing out a quick message, before running to the edge of the roof. He turned around at the last minute, letting out a mock salute and a "See you later!" and dove headfirst off the side, like there was a pool waiting for him at the bottom.

A little while ago, Percy would have gasped and stuck her head over the railing to make sure he was okay, but this time, she just rolled her eyes at the dramatic exit.

Dick practically skidded into the station, tie hanging loosely, and collar not properly buttoned. The second he reached his desk, an arm fell into view, slamming a folder down on top of his unfinished reports.

"Good morning?" he tried.

Amy Rohrbach looked him up and down once, taking in his disheveled state, and curled her lip. "If I didn't know for a fact you were on the straight and narrow…" she trailed off, but Dick heard the threat of termination loud and clear.

"Good thing I am then," he replied, cheekily.

A muscle in her jaw ticked. "New assignment from Redhorn, you're working security," she said, ignoring his previous words, "Get comfortable with the details."

Deciding not to test his luck today, not that some days were better than others to piss off Rohrbach, Dick opened the file, flipping through the initial pages.

"You're on this too?" Dick frowned, reading the roster. It wasn't very long. Some of the names were newbies, and others were a few old-timers he somewhat got along with, which said a lot about what kind of company the police department was. There was nothing outright strange about the list, but a couple of the more unsavory cops that were usually found on these assignments were missing. "Who picked the line-up?"

"Redhorn," Rohrbach scowled instinctively.

Corrupt police chiefs had that sort of effect on officers who didn't follow in his footsteps, and sometimes also on officers that did. Dick followed suit, mouth turning down at the name.

"Also," she added, gesturing to the analog clock on his desk, "Your patrol shift started thirty-five minutes ago."

Dick grimaced, swiping his car keys and the assignment file, and headed back out, ignoring his police partner's reminder to stay out late to make up for the lost time.

Percy waited until Leo returned from putting out another fire in the workshop. Or maybe he was fueling it. The garage almost always felt like a sauna so there was really no way to tell.

"So," she started, watching Leo rifle through the cupboards in the small kitchen, "There's this kid—"

"I'll take him."

Percy blinked. Leo was still opening and closing cabinets like his life depended on it.

"You don't even know—"

"And I'll take him anyways," he interrupted again, "Seriously, where did I put it?"

"He's a meta," Percy added.

"Cool," Leo responded absently, moving down to throw open all the bottom cabinets, "Love those guys."

"So that's settled then? You'll take him in?" Percy confirmed.

"Yep, I will—" Leo paused in the process of pulling all the pots and pans out from under the oven. "Check with Caly," he amended, "and then take him."

Percy grinned, then settled back into the couch, watching the son of Hephaestus toss a cutting board and some empty takeout containers into the pile of kitchen supplies. He muttered something angrily in Spanish, then stuck his head into the now empty cabinet.

"Oh!" Percy sat up again, "Can you make me a phone I can use with my suit?"

She heard Leo say something in response, muffled by the wooden prison around his head, but she was pretty sure it was a yes. Suddenly, Leo exclaimed "Got it!", extracting his face from the cupboard and standing up. A tiny singular lug nut gleamed between his fingers.

Then, he looked at her and grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Why? So you can text your boyfriend?"

Percy reached for the nearest object, hand closing in on cool metal, and chucked the socket wrench at his head. Unfortunately, he ducked.

A.N. IM SO SORRY im back though :)

got some fluff and then some of that sweet sweet developing trust

buckle in for some real fun identity shit because I don't plan on any reveals for a little while hehe

I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know it was somewhat dialogue heavy, but some important convos needed to be had, and we'll be back to the action in the next one. Also, Percy's going through it a little with her two crushes, but do not fret, Dick's gonna get hit hard by the feelings train pretty soon. He's got them, he just needs a little push. Into a cement wall. To wiggle them loose.

on a side note: it's been a year since I wrote for this story, and I reread the previous chapters a ton of times to get back in the right tone, but if it feels crazy different, please please let me know so I can fix it.