Merry Christmas!

If you don't celebrate, happy holidays anyways and I hope you can enjoy this time of year with loved ones.

This chapter'll be fun for you guys, I promise you that.

Be safe, I'll see you in the new year, and enjoy.

Polykin

verb.

To feel an instant kinship with a person or group due to similar experiences, characteristics, or beliefs.

White.

A semi-translucent, soft white. Hundreds of thousands of small dots of the color, gently falling from the night sky.

Percy stared straight up, allowing some of the dots to catch in his eyelashes. In wonder, he stuck out his tongue like a child and caught a couple in his taste buds.

After only allowing himself a couple more moments of wonder, Percy made himself more aware of his surroundings and began the walk toward his destination.

His breath turned to a mist in front of him before dissipating into the darkness. His old, roughed up Vans crunched against the light layer of snow that covered the sidewalks which boasted a decent amount of roaming people in the rather small city (well, small relative to New York City). Lights scattered throughout the city, illuminating the skyscrapers, citizens, and stores alike.

Percy smiled.

It had been awhile since he'd seen snow, too long. It had snowed a lot in New York, but between his time split between Camp Half-Blood with its climate-controlled safe zone and the blazing air of Camp Jupiter in San Francisco, he'd honestly missed the soft substance and everything that came with it.

Okay, so it was what usually came with the snow that he missed.

Last year was the first year he'd spent Christmas without his mother. Well, technically he missed one when Hera had kindly and graciously kidnapped him, but Percy didn't count that since he was fucking unconscious at the time.

To say the least, the holidays simply weren't the same without the one who he shared such jubilant and joyful memories with. He hadn't even had Annabeth to lean on for the holidays, which was even worse.

He was utterly alone. And this year, it was the same thing.

But for some reason, he didn't feel as down. Yes, there was a hovering fog of something prickly, uncomfortable, and downright depressing, but sometimes he couldn't help a smile from gracing his face.

Like now, for instance.

He reached his destination after a few minutes and entered the establishment in a hurry, eager to exit the cold in favor of the warm, cozy, and inviting environment within. Subconsiously smiling at the jingle of a silver bell signaling his entrance, he began to shuffle his feet against the rough carpet to rid his shoes of any moisture and surveyed the place with his eyes in search for a place to sit.

It was rather late in the night - almost midnight - and so the diner wasn't too crowded. If the old-fashioned diner had been more crowded, Percy might've been kinder to take a stool at the bar so that any groups could get a booth, but that thankfully wasn't the case and so he was able to slide into a cushy booth that was tucked away in the corner.

Smiling all the while, Percy ripped off his beanie and cast it onto the table, allowing the natural warmth of the diner to combat the freezing weather he had just come from. His cheeks were probably flushed red and his hair a bird's nest of black, but he couldn't help the content grin that pulled at the corner of his thin lips.

What wasn't there to smile about?

Here he was, in a diner in a random city in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by ignorant yet blissfully normal people infected by the cheer of the upcoming holidays. Through the clear window to his right, Percy could see snow still falling gracefully from the sky. Perhaps it was his imagination, but there wasn't a single face he could find that didn't have some sort of smile.

"What can I get for you, Jason?" Percy snapped his head towards the waitress, his grin surviving the surprise appearance of the woman with a notepad in her hand, ready to take his order. It amused him that the middle-aged brunette even bothered to take it out. She knew what he always ordered.

"The usual please, Natalie."

"Anything to drink?" Natalie asked, notepad still in hand, pencil refusing to move an inch across the paper.

"You know what, I'm feeling rather adventurous today," Percy's smile widened. "Put me down for a Coke."

"That's a lot of sugar so late at night, young man," Natalie responded, her lips twitching.

"I'll risk it." Natalie rolled her eyes at his response but nodded nonetheless. Waving goodbye and leaving with the promise of his food in a couple minutes, the waitress left a beaming Percy to continue the content action of watching people pass by the front of the diner.

To be honest, Percy wasn't sure why the diner wasn't more popular. It wasn't like it was in the center of the city's attention, but it wasn't at the very edge either. The old-fashioned, retro appeal to it made it even better. He was surprised there wasn't a jukebox to go with the slightly rusty metal stools, long wooden bar, cushioned booths of red, tiled flooring, and inviting neon signs.

Quality alcohol, nostalgic feels, and cheap food for every time of the day should've attracted more attention. It wasn't like the diner was void of any customers at all - in fact it was quite successful to Percy's knowledge - but he still felt like it deserved better. Perhaps that was why he visited the place any chance he could get. That and he was pretty poor and couldn't say no to cheap yet tasty food.

It really was a shame that the diner wasn't hiring. Percy would've loved to be immersed in the environment even more than he did.

"Thanks, Nat." Percy sent a smile to the waitress as she set down a glass filled to the brim with bubbling soda and floating ice cubes. He usually just had water, but as he'd told Natalie, he was in an exceedingly good mood tonight. He'd had a great day at work free of any spills or mistakes (which was practically a miracle), paid his landlord the sufficient amount of rent for the month, and experienced snow for the first time in who know's how long.

The only caveat was that the on-again-off-again stalker had stared at him all throughout the day, with Percy still unable to find the source. Still, he'd learned to stay on his guard yet all the while making sure not to put too much stock in the feeling. There was no use in being anxious at every hour of the day. All he could do was prepare himself.

But enough of that. He didn't feel eyes on the side of his head now, so there was no use dwelling on it. He should just enjoy the atmosphere of joyous chattering, soft snow outside the window, and cozy vibes while he could.

Slowly nursing his drink, Percy took to busying himself by immersing in the diner's occupants and environment. A few teenagers were laughing amongst themselves a few booths over, an older couple ate peacefully in a booth right next to them, the bartender was chatting happily with a couple of middle-aged men, and Natalie the waitress was taking the order of a lady that had just come in. There were more people, scattered throughout the diner and all with varying degrees of joy and fulfillment, which was a constant throughout everyone inside.

The bell rang, signaling the entrance of a new party.

Curiously, Percy allowed his gaze to linger on the single man that entered.

He couldn't see the bottom half of the man due to the booth's seating in front of him, but he could tell the man was big, with broad shoulders draped in a black coat. A dark beanie was donned on his head and sunglasses covered his eyes even though it might be just past midnight. If he had to bet, the man was in his late twenties or early thirties.

Percy couldn't help but stare at him for some odd reason, and although he couldn't see his eyes through the darkened lenses of the man's glasses, he knew a pair of orbs were staring right back at him.

The man was heading straight toward him, past all the stools on his right and the few empty booths to his left.

Percy'd been found.

That was the only explanation.

A god, perhaps? Percy didn't recognize any possible defining features, but then again the man wasn't showing much skin.

"This side taken?" The man asked once he was near, gesturing toward the slightly ripped, red leather seating. The man's voice was deep yet smooth, his posture calm yet powerful and seemingly prepared. Percy's jaw tensed and his arms flexed for a moment before he forced them to relax. His right foot began to tap rapidly against the tiles beneath.

Percy shook his head.

"Go for it."

For all intents and purposes, Percy should've been more cautious. But sue him, his curiosity and - for lack of a better term - recklessness had always been a constant in his personality. If it was a god, it probably wouldn't blow over well to ignore them or antagonize them (although he hadn't really cared about that in the past). And if it wasn't a deity… well he'd cross that bridge if he got there.

"One cheeseburger with no pickles or onions, and a side of fries." Natale bustled over with a large tray with admittedly mouth-watering food, setting it in front of Percy.

"Thank you, Natalie." Percy said, not moving his gaze away from the man (or god) in front of him.

"No prob- Oh!" Natalie paused, apparently just now noticing the extra occupant of the table. "I didn't know you'd have company today, Jason. Anything for you today, sir?"

"I'll have what he's having, ma'am." The man said, tearing his eyes away from the staring contest and sending the waitress a dazzling smile. Much to Percy's chagrin, Natalie blushed before nodding.

"Anything to drink?"

"Water's fine, thank you." Natalie nodded once more, her cheeks still flushed red from the attention of the man with an admittedly chiseled face a pearly-white smile. At this point, with the suave confidence and handsome features of the man, Percy was leaning towards saying an immortal was sitting across from him.

Once the waitress was sufficiently far away and had dashed into the kitchen, Percy cleared his throat.

"Alright, what do you want?" Percy asked impatiently. "Who are you?"

"Wouldn't that be telling." The man said, calmly setting both his beanie and glasses on the table before pushing them to the side next to Percy's own beanie. He ruffled his short hair with a hand and raised an eyebrow at him.

Percy blinked.

"I still don't know who you are." Percy said bluntly. The man frowned for a moment before he shrugged.

"Probably for the best," he said. "All you need to know is that I work with Diana on occasion."

Percy's eyes widened at that. Not what he expected.

"You look…" Percy frowned and bit his lip, giving the man a once-over. Nothing stuck out to him except for the large yet lean frame. One thing Percy could dissect from first glance, the man was ready for an attack. Despite his relaxed demeanor, his heck muscles were taught and his hands, while splayed across the table, contained numerous calluses and bruises along the knuckles. "Normal."

The man chuckled at that, "Compared to some of the others, I might as well be."

"What's your powers?" Percy asked curiously in an attempt to narrow down the identity of the man in front of him. Perhaps Diana had spoken of this person before.

"I'll leave that for you to find out." The man said mysteriously. "However, I'm not here to talk about me."

Percy frowned. He didn't know exactly what situation he was in, and that in itself was worrying. Not as worrying compared to a major god or even the government coming (well, was the Justice League technically part of the government? Percy had no idea), but worrying nonetheless.

And with such little information, Percy decided to do the same thing he's been doing since he arrived in this quaint little town. Stay on guard, relax as much as possible and not be overly paranoid.

Wait.

"Wait, have you been the guy stalking me the past couple weeks?"

The guy smirked.

Shit.

"I wasn't always here in person, but sometimes I didn't need to be." The man said. Percy shivered. Well, at least he'd finally found the culprit.

"You know-"

"Here's your burger and water, sir," Natalie bustled over, hurriedly placing the mans' food in front of him. She looked up at his now uncovered face for a moment, squeaked in surprise, and backed away quickly.

"The fuck was that?" Percy muttered to himself, watching as Natalie ran back into the kitchen. He looked back to the man, who only deemed his question with a shrug and that annoying smile.

"Where were we?" The man asked, taking a sip of his water and beginning to dig into his burger and fries. That reminded Percy, he was really hungry and he hadn't touched his own burger. Needless to say, he started to dig in, making sure to keep an eye on the mysterious man across from him.

"You were stalking me."

"Right, of course." The man nodded nonchalantly. "See, I've taken an interest in you because despite Diana trusting you, I don't trust anyone, especially a powerful unknown like you. Your government profile's practically empty, there's only a few recordings of your presence across the entire history of the internet, and on top of all that, I have no idea how powerful or potentially dangerous you are."

"You know you could've just asked me."

"No I couldn't." The man shook his head and tossed a fry into his mouth. "You could've blown up and hurt others as soon as you saw me as a threat. No, I had to study you from afar to make sure I could actually come talk to you safely."

"That's the conclusion you came to over the last few weeks of watching me 24/7?"

"Among other things." The man said nonchalantly. "I also gained a little insight into your powers, although I have no clue the extent of your hydrokinesis."

Honestly, Percy should've been less surprised about that. He'd practically flaunted his powers whenever he closed the cafe alone. But still, having this man he knew nothing about know what he could do didn't exactly make him comfortable.

"How do I know you actually work with Diana?" Percy asked, suspicion suddenly arising within him. He pointed a fry at the man threateningly. "You could actually be an enemy to Diana, and I'd never know."

"That's right. You'd never know," Percy stared at him unwaveringly. The man stared straight back, and Percy could admit that he didn't see a hint of fear, hesitation, or anxiety within the man. "You'll just have to trust me."

Percy bit his lip. He didn't exactly like this man, for obvious reasons. He knew nothing about him. And he'd stalked him for weeks.

But for some reason, Percy's gut was screaming that this man was trustworthy. At least, he was trustworthy in the sense that the man wasn't an immediate enemy to him.

"Fine. For now, I trust you."

"Good." The man stated simply. "Then you should know that I've been watching you over several weeks, and I don't think you're a threat to humanity, at least at the moment."

"Flattering, really."

"I do have a few questions, though."

"Do I get to say no?"

"If you'd like." The man cleared his throat. "What are you, how long have you been able to do these things, and what exactly have you gone through? I asked Diana, but she refused to share without your consent."

Percy chuckled, "You wouldn't believe me even if I wanted to tell you."

"I've seen things that no man should ever have to witness. It's made me a little open minded." The man said with a grin.

Now that intrigued Percy.

It intrigued him in that it caught him off guard and made him think back to a conversation he'd had with Diana a little while back.

Yet again, Percy stared into the man's eyes. This time, though, he did it with the intention of searching his very soul. Before, he'd been studying him off of face value. But now, he wanted to look into his eyes and study the deepest parts of the man in front of him. He'd learned over recent years that eyes could tell a lot about a person, and this man's case was no different.

There was something in his eyes that Percy'd observed in few others. It was something that Percy knew was present in his own.

There was a darkness present. A glassiness and hardness that was hard to describe but not difficult to find once he looked for it. It meant that this man had seen things, experienced things, witnessed things so terrible and so horrific that they held the burden others never deserved to lift. In an essence, they carried the burden so others didn't have to. For Percy, it was the culmination of Tartarus and the wars he'd been a part of. For other demigods he'd been acquainted with, it was something similar.

For this man…

Well, he had a hunch.

"You…" Percy interrupted a minute of silence to lean forward. "You're who Diana talked about."

"Yes?"

"You're the Batman."

The man blinked unflinchingly. He sighed, nodded, and smiled rather sadly.

"I suppose I am."

Percy leaned back into the cushion behind him and took a sip of his depleting Coke. If only it was blue, it would be a million times better.

"The horrors you've bared witness to in Gotham are a different type of tragedy." Percy said slowly. "I respect you, and yet I pity you. How you haven't lost your mind, I have no idea."

"Who says I haven't?" Batman asked, his face now an expressionless mask. Now… now Percy could see the mask instead of the man. He understood how this person could be the Batman, not just because of his figure but also because of his seemingly iron-clad willpower.

"Diana says you refuse to kill."

"If I kill one person, I kill the next. And then the next. I can't clean up the city by spreading the waste that lurks in its sewers, even if I get rid of a few rats."

Percy didn't know if that was a great analogy, but then again he never was the smartest one to ever exist. That's why he'd leaned on Annabeth.

"I guess I can respect that." Percy stated.

"And for that, I can respect you." The Batman smiled. "But not enough to not ask one last time if you'd deem me with an explanation on what exactly you are."

Percy smiled.

"Perhaps another time." Percy said. He looked over to the bar and saw that Natalie was attempting (and failing) to discreetly watch the conversation between the two. "You don't have to worry, by the way. I understand why you'd want to keep your identity a tight-lipped affair. Although, I still have no idea who you are. As a civilian, that is. "

"I don't want to sound as if I have an ego, but I have no clue how that's possible," the Batman smiled. "And I trust you. You, on the other hand, should worry."

Percy tilted his head at that.

"Diana's my friend, and since you've been gone I don't think I've seen her in a worse state. She doesn't have a clue what's going on and she's wracked with guilt over something she doesn't even know if she caused. If you don't explain why you ran, I'll direct her to you. And she won't be happy."

Percy bit his lip and sighed. He'd expected this. As soon as the man had explained his affiliation with Diana, he'd suspected his time living without anyone knowing where he resided was coming to an end.

And, he supposed he owed Diana an explanation, at the very least.

"Fine. Tell her to meet me at the cafe I work at. Just… give me a few days. I need to prepare myself, at least mentally."

"Sure," the Batman responded. He cleared his throat and made to stand up. "It's been a pleasure."

"Yeah, sure." Percy said, noting that he, as well as the other man, had finished his food and drink. It was probably almost one in the morning, and the diner now had scarce any customers inside. "No offense, but I hope we don't see each other again all that soon."

"None taken. I'll be telling Diana to meet with you once Christmas has passed."

"Perfect."

"Have a good one. Oh, and don't worry about paying for the food. I'll cover it." The man finished with a wave, moving to collect his beanie and glasses before heading towards the door. He stopped at the bar and from the looks of it said a quick word to Natalie, resulting in a blush. Percy couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Then, after the man slapped a few bills on the bar to the wide eyes of the waitress, he exited the diner without a second glance at Percy or anyone else.

Percy couldn't help but come away with the encounter with a little more respect for the Batman. Also, he came away dreading the coming week and praying to god Diana wouldn't sever one or more of his limbs.

Perhaps she'd limit herself to a finger or two.

Hope you liked this one.

I couldn't resist having the two meet at that classic diner location that appears so often in DC comics and cartoons. Hope you enjoyed that aspect of the chapter, and I'll try to get the next update out soon.

Happy holidays!