Percy fell into a routine, spending time at her job at Wayne Enterprises, her commitment to the team in exchange for her freedom, and spending time at the manor. True, it was simple, but it was exhausting. She constantly had to be on guard, watching what she said 24/7. She didn't have a single moment where she could just be herself and not have to watch every word she said.
So she was surprised when she finally got her first paycheck. Well, not so much as being paid but the amount. And she had no clue what to do with it.
"Um, Dick? Can I get some advice from you?" Percy asks, setting the check down on the table, looking at Dick who was eating some waffles.
"Sure, what is it?" He asks, looking over at the somewhat flustered-looking Percy.
"What do I do with my paycheck?" She asks, fiddling with her fingers.
"What do you mean?" Dick asks, confused.
"I, um, well I've never really had this much money before," She says, looking sheepish.
She never really had the time to learn anything about money and whenever they needed something on a quest, it was either provided or they flat out stole it. Sure, she might have the ability to use cash and know the basics, but she had never had such a large amount of money.
"Oh, do you have a bank account?" Dick asks and Percy shakes her head no, it was the reason why it took so long for her to get her paycheck in the first place.
"But what do I use it for? I live here, I eat your food, I use your car, and Bruce won't let me pay you back for everything you gave me after the fire. I literally have nothing to spend money on, what do I do with it?" Percy asks, voice a little lost.
"You save it then. Most people save a bit in one account while putting the main bit into an expense account to use. I don't suppose you have a debit or credit card?" Dick asks, afraid he already knows the answer.
"Never needed one," Percy says, frowning.
"It's fine, I'll get a friend to set you up with what you need. It wouldn't be the first time she's helped someone create an identity. Setting up accounts will be a breeze for them," Dick says smiling.
"And they can do it just like that? Isn't it more complicated?" Percy asks. She might not know what exactly she was doing, but that seemed just a tad too simple.
"We'll get you a banking app, that way you can control it from your phone," Dick says and Percy winces.
"I don't use my phone, it...um...makes me traceable," Percy fumbles.
"Is that why we can never get a hold of you?" Dick questions, pressing.
"Yeah, I keep it shut off for the most part. Can you work your way around that?" Percy says, making it clear she wouldn't be bending on her position with cell phones.
"Alright, we can make that work," Dick says, sighing. Percy did not seem to be a fan of modern technology and he wasn't about to shove her away by trying to force her to adapt to something she wasn't ready for.
**************************************
As Percy quickly learned, credit and debit cards must have counted as technology so they drew monsters to her like a moth to a flame. What made it complicated was when they attacked while she was Andy with the team.
"ANDY!!!" Artemis yells, doing her best to fend off the hellhound with a knife that glances off it harmlessly.
"I've got it!" Percy calls, flinging a spire of ice at the hellhound, dissolving it into gold dust.
She was currently dealing with Kelli who was attempting to claw her head off. With a slice of Riptide, she's sent back to Tartarus. Kelli was the last of the monsters and with her gone, the team was looking at her, horrified.
"You killed her! What the hell do you think you're doing? Have you learned nothing?!?!" Dick was screaming, face bright red with his anger.
"Richard-," His name coming from her lips stopped him in his tracks, staring at her- "I did not kill her. She wasn't a her in the first place. She was a magically created monster," Andy says, her voice cold. It was clear to the team that she didn't think highly of these monsters.
"How do you know? She looked just like a normal person to us," Megan asks, voice questioning.
"I've been dealing with things like her since I was twelve. Hades, I fought two wars against things like her. At this point, it's pretty easy to spot them. I'm sorry a drug you into it, I didn't think they would be able to track me here,"
Andy looks around at the now-destroyed commons room. She's shaking and even though she had taken down the monsters as if they were made out of paper, it looks as if she was about to break. Even though she put on a good show, the sight of those monsters had really shaken her up.
"I'm sorry Andy, I shouldn't have gone off on you like that," Dick says, seeming to apologize for much more than his outburst.
"You couldn't have known. Their magic makes it look like they're real, it makes them harder to fight. You did well, you just didn't have the right weapons. Go get cleaned up and get some rest, this can wait," Andy's voice is quiet as if she would rather be anywhere else but there.
Surprisingly, the team listens, all turning to go off to their own rooms. Dick watched them go and turned to Andy. She was left looking around the room, staring at the damage caused by the fight.
"You should go to, Dick. I'll clean up here,"
Looking at her, Dick saw someone who was used to picking up the pieces. Someone used to cleaning up the mess that is left in the wake of battle. He could see that she's been through it enough times that she had a routine at this point.
"I'll help you," He says, righting a turned chair. She only smiles and shakes her head.
"The team needs you right now. They just faced an enemy they had no ability to stop, even when they did their best, they couldn't make a single scratch on any of them. Artemis nearly had her head bitten off. Those kinds of traumas affect people. I can't be there for them, but you can. So you go to them and pick up those pieces while I pick up these,"
The smile she had on her face was so full of pain that it made Dick take a step back. The look in her eyes matched that of Percy's. They both seemed to be in so much pain and Dick didn't know how to help either of them. This only solidified his suspicion that they were one in the same.
Maybe cleaning up was Andy's way of coping, of wiping away the scars left behind. Maybe she thought that if the physical destruction is cleared away, the psychological damage would be healed. So he would let her do whatever she felt she needed to do. But it made him wonder. If Andy was always taking care of others, who was taking care of Andy?
****************
By the time the team was ready to return to the commons room, they found it spotless with the damaged furniture piled in one corner and Andy gone.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Hero
FanfictionAfter the wars, after all the people she lost, Percy was tired. She was done with the mythical world, all she wanted was peace. So she returned home to her mother's apartment. But she couldn't stand the looks she was given by her mother, the pitying...
