Demigod in Gotham

29) Publicly Lying to a Psycho

A/N: there is a good amount of untranslated Italian in this chapter, but I'm going to put the translations at the end cause they aren't immediately important to what's going on.

-Dick POV-

The second the wall blew, Dick was in motion. He needed to find his brothers. He found Tim first as the Joker and his goons poured into the room, guns at the ready. They tried to scan the crowd for the others, especially Nico, but it was nearly impossible in the chaos.

"Nico is with Bruce, they probably got out of the ballroom-" Tim was cut off by shots fired at the ceiling. People immediately stopped running and ducked down.

"Oh Brucie!" The Joker walked through the center of the room that was void of people before walking up to the stage and tapping the mic that Bruce had been at minutes before. "Would the owner of five little brats come to the front, your car is being towed."

The ballroom was silent except for the clown's cackle as he called out taunts. Just as Dick got his hopes up that Bruce and Nico had escaped, Bruce was thrown down in front of the stage by a henchman.

"There he is! The man of the hour!" The Joker pulled the mic stand down as he squatted on the edge of the stage, taunting the billionaire. "Now where is the newest of your broken boys."

Dick and Tim looked at each other in fear before immediately beginning to move through the crowd of crouched people in search for their brother. "Please have gotten away. Please have gotten away."

Dick's prayer was met with screams from across the room. They immediate turned to see one of the goons grabbing Nico while Rachel, Percy, and Will screamed at the team to let them go as they tried to get to the demigod.

Dick was about to run out to him when Nico looked their way and subtly shook his head. The look in his eyes was the same as it was the day they sparred and Dick was finally able to place it; it was the look of someone who knew how to survive. He changed his face to look scared the second he looked away from them, but the bat boys all understood. He had a plan.

As soon as he was thrown onto the stage next to Joker, Bruce tried to run for him. He was immediately knocked down by a guard and had a gun trained on him. Dick knew Bruce was cursing internally about not being able to protect Nico, but, until it got to worst case scenario, his hands were tied.

Nico righted himself as soon as he hit the stage and stood face to face with the clown that murdered their brother. It was almost a good thing that Joker was still new to Nico; he didn't know how afraid he should be. He kept his mask of fear on, but the brothers knew him well enough to spot the cracks in the facade and see the calculated intention behind every moment.

"Ooo a feisty one, most just stay down." The Joker stepped closer to Nico, the boy flinching back as he revealed the first part of his plan.

"Parli la mia lingua?!" He said as if he was terrified while subtly signing a J behind his back.

Immediately Jason began approaching the stage, hands in the air, while saying, "he doesn't speak English. He's from Venice, Italy."

"Jason resta e infastidirlo. Altri arrivano alla grotta." Nico said looking between the Joker and Jason, who was being held next to Bruce, a gun now to his back.

"He asked me what's happening. He doesn't know who you are." Jason said, most likely lying about true translation.

Damian appeared next to Dick and Tim and motioned for them to follow him. The Joker was cackling but they couldn't focus on it.

"Nostro fratello maggiore si veste come nostro padre. Spegnere le luci."

While Jason made up fake translations, Damian whispered "Dick, he wants you to be Batman."

"What is he planning?" The oldest whispered as they reached the secret exit.

~~~~~~~~~

-Bruce POV-

Bruce had no idea what Nico was planning. He didn't speak Italian, but he knew enough to know that Jason was pulling the translations out of his ass. The Joker hadn't stopped laughing since Jason said that Nico didn't know who he was and Bruce was getting worried.

"Listen, just let him go." Bruce knew it was useless, but he was helpless for the moment. He knew that worst case scenario, he and Jason could handle the goons that had them at gunpoint, but the Joker was a wild card. He could kill Nico any second for no reason at all, and the kid couldn't even talk back to the psycho because he was scheming with his brothers. "He doesn't know who you are so you aren't going to get anything you want from him."

The Joker finally calmed his laughter and looked to be debating Bruce's point. "You have a point Brucie. How can the kid understand when we aren't even speaking the same language?" The Joker seemed to ponder this for a second before snapping his fingers and grabbing Nico by the hair, a knife suddenly in the psycho's hands. "I know a language we can both speak! Pain!"

And then the lights cut out.

Immediately everyone was screaming in panic. There were sounds of a fight but Bruce couldn't see a thing until the lights came back on. And then he was staring at Batman, Robin, and a pile of goons.

"We freed your other three sons, but the Joker got away with the youngest. Red Robin and
Nightwing are in pursuit."  'Batman' finished talking and turned away from Bruce without a second glance, Robin on his tail. The man wanted nothing more than to follow them and ask Dick to explain, but he knew what they were doing. They needed proof that they were different people, that's why Dick came as Batman. Bruce had to play his part, so he removed the mask of billionaire Bruce Wayne and let them see what he was: a terrified father.

A/N: Dun Dun Duuuuun. Where did they go? What could have happened to them?!

Vote. Comment. Tell me I'm smart (I need to hear it, I start classes tomorrow)

Translations:

1) You speak my language?

2) Jason stays and annoys him. Others go to the cave

3) Our oldest brother dresses like our father. Turn the lights off.