From Camp Half-Blood to Gotham (Nico x Batfam)

Growing Pains (27)

Bright light flashed in Nico's eyes, blinding him, and hindering his dodging ability. A powerful fist shot out and grabbed him, raising him high into the air. Nico coughed as his ribs were crushed, his armor cracking, the splintered edges stabbing into his chest.

"I have control over everyone you love. There Is no fighting against me."

Nico fought. Struggling as the hand closed tighter and tighter around him.

Nico yanked his hand out of the hand and whipped it through the air. Boney hands erupted out of the Earth, clawing hopelessly at his attacker.

Nico woke with a start as his knee collided with something.

Something that crunched.

Nico's eyes shot open, and he scrambled backward, only for his palm to land on something equally brittle.

Nico leaped to his feet and several shards of white fell to the floor. Nico looked around at the ground in horror. Bones were everywhere, little bones, big bones, animal bones... human bones.

"Hazel!" Nico cried out, cringing slightly at how crackly his voice was. "Hazel!"

Hazel groaned slightly as she shifted, sat up, and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Nico through bleary eyes, still sleepy. That was until she looked down.

"Nico!" Hazel shouted, leaping out of the bed, and landing in the one bare spot on the floor in the entire room. "You- bones!"

"I didn't summon them!" Nico replied nervously. Then he realized how dumb that sounded. "I don't remember summoning them."

"What?" Hazel asked cautiously pushing aside a pile of bones and walking towards Nico.

"Well, I slept in here last night because I wanted to see if you were okay. Then I woke up, and suddenly there were bones all around me." Nico said, anxiously running a hand through his hair. Hazel just pursed her lips, studying the pieces of calcium like they were exhibits in a boring museum.

"Do you feel tired?" Hazel asked, looking up at Nico, her eyebrows creased in concern.

"No," Nico said, shaking his head. "In fact, I don't think I've ever been more energized." Hazel looked at him.

Simultaneously they both looked down at Nico's abdomen. Nico grabbed the edge of his shirt and lifted it. The shadows were still shifting under his skin, as dark as ever.

"I can feel them," Nico whispered. They were calling to him as if they wanted to tell him what to do.

No, like they wanted to give him advice.

"What are they saying?" Hazel asked, moving another pile of bones aside. Nico didn't answer.

He didn't want to.

Nico just raised his hand, focusing on the bones and willing them to sink back to wherever they came from. They went easy. To easy.

"I haven't been able to do that for a while now," Nico mumbled, staring at the holes in the wooden floor. "I couldn't even get a bone a few weeks ago."

"You're stronger now," Hazel mumbled, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe even stronger than when you were younger."

Nico hated the fact that she was probably right.

"I think I need to talk to father," Nico said, sinking his teeth into his lips, his fingers twisting his ring around and around.

"I'm going with you," Hazel said firmly.

"No," Nico said, equally as stubborn. "I'm not dragging you into this. You could get hurt."

"I'm perfectly fine with making decisions for myself." Hazel snapped. Nico scowled.