Demigod in Gotham

33) All in a Day's Work for Ghost King

A/N: This one is a little short, but I didn't want to combine it with the next one. 

-Tim POV-

When Nico appeared, it was easy to see why the scientist screamed; he looked a bit terrifying. He was a mass of black, the cloak flowing as they walked down the hallway, and the only lightness was from the sharp whites of his domino mask and his pale skin. They had known he would appear out of Bruce's shadow, it was easier for him to focus on a person than a place if he had never been their before, but even then it was slightly scary. It was like the shadow had come to life.

They reached the room that the bodies were being stored in and entered, leaving the civilians in the hall. Nico approached each of the five bodies individually before stepping back. "They were all stabbed with the same knife that had some sort of poison on it."

"How could you tell so fast?" They had already discovered that, but Nico had managed to know just by looking at them.

"I can just tell sometimes," The boy said with a shrug. "Usually I would have to dig a grave and give an offering for this to work, but I'll have to make some adjustments since we're in the Arctic."

The boy reached his hand out and his sword materialized from the shadows. In a quick motion, he stabbed it into the concrete floor and a small crater appeared. He began chanting something in Ancient Greek as a dark fog began seeping out of the ground. The chanting continued until he switched to English as he thrust out his free hand over the rift.

"I command you return to me. Stand among the living, you souls without peace."

It was silent for a moment, the bats considering that it might not have worked, but then suddenly bodies were rising from the crater. Their bodies seemed to be made of the fog that had seeped from the ground.

"I grant you a tie to this world in the form of my power, speak and I shall provide."

Bruce hesitated for a moment, staring at Nico in either surprise or disbelief, but he refocused. "Did any of you see your attacker?"

The ghosts' mouths moved but the bats couldn't hear a thing. Nico cursed in Italian before saying, "because I had to change the ritual, they can only speak to me. Only one of them saw the attacker but they were wearing a mask." Nico paused for a moment as another ghost spoke. "One of them heard the assassin speak. It was a man, probably in his forties of fifties."

"What did the mask look like?"

Nico listened to the woman who saw the attacker for a moment. "The mask was half black, half orange, and he wore body armor."

Damian cursed quiet. "Deathstroke."

Bruce grunted at the name. "How did he get in?"

"One of them heard the air vent creak before he died. He said he was woken up by the sound but ignored it and then he was stabbed moments later."

Tim pulled up his holowatch and checked the schematics, confirming that it was possible. "Our notes said that Doctor Lynn was the tech expert of the team. Does she know if there was anything in the security system that Deathstroke wouldn't have been able to tamper with?"

Nico listened as a woman spoke, asking a few questions for clarification, before reporting to them. "Yes. She said that the back up generators in the small building to the north have hidden cameras that would show the only access vent Deathstroke could have reached. The building could also have a backup copy of the cameras, but she isn't sure about that part."

The three bats thought for a second before Batman grunted. "You can release them."

Nico nodded. "I release your souls and grant you passage with Charon. Rest and be at peace." The boy lowered his hand and the ghosts faded away as pulled his sword free after closing the crater. As he turned to face them, he stumbled for a moment before steadying himself against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Tim stepped forward to help Nico but the boy waved him off and took a piece of something out of his belt and ate it.

After a second he seemed to be okay and straightened out. "I'm fine. Doing summonings takes little power usually, but I had to let them feed on my energy since I didn't have the pit or offerings."

"You can head back now and rest, we'll finish up here on our own."

Nico looked like he was going to fight it, but instead just nodded and walked into the shadow on the wall and disappeared.

"Harsh B," Tim mumbled.

Batman looked at him. "He is a consultant. He consulted and now his job is done." The two stared at each other for a moment as understanding passed between them.

Bruce doesn't want people to connect them. He's hoping that if he can't keep Nico out of being a hero, he can at least stop people for targeting him for being a bat.

Tim nodded. "Understood." 

A/N: sorry this one was a little short, but the next one is longer I think. I'm getting close to being caught up to where I left off so I need to remember where I was going with the plot. 

Vote. Comment. Tell me where you think the plot is going (IDK).