Ghost King Meets Batman

Explaining My World

[Edited April 25, 2023]

The next morning he woke up to find that the bats once again had trouble waking him from his shared dream. They, of course, wanted to know what he thought was making him sleep so deeply, like if he had some medical history that might explain it. Tim explained that conditions like insomnia or other sleep disorders were often comorbid with ADHD. That would mean that it would make sense for demigods to suffer from these conditions too. 

Nico didn't know much about any of that, being new to the whole concept of ADHD, but he knew that the dreams didn't help his sleep. Sometimes they just had trouble shutting their thoughts down. They knew that demigod dreams sometimes told the future but that was very different from being able to communicate through them. He didn't know how they would feel about that. And if he did tell them about it they may ask who he had been talking to and that would lead them straight to the Romans.

 "I can't really talk about it, but it's not a sleeping disorder kind of thing. I mean, a lot of demigods have insomnia and things like that, but that's not what this is," Nico assured them. He wouldn't be surprised if most demigods did have some form of sleep disorder. Hell, he probably had something that would count as a disordered circadian rhythm, but he didn't think that was the main problem in this situation. 

"Boys, can we have the room?" Bruce asked as he settled down on the edge of the bed. The other boys all filed out, shutting the door behind them. Nico took this pause in the conversation to pull himself into a comfortable sitting position, hoping that this wasn't going to be a conversation like the one when he had last run away onto the streets. 

"I thought we were done keeping secrets?" Bruce sighed, exasperated. Nico knew that he wasn't trying to make him feel guilty-- or he hoped he wasn't-- but he couldn't help but feel bad about it. It wasn't like he wanted to keep secrets from them. He had spent years lying and withholding parts of the truth, only to end up lonely. He didn't want to be that way anymore. He wanted to be able to rely on people and ask for help when he needed it. Today was not that day.

"I wish I could tell you about this but I just can't. Not yet, at least. There's just too much at stake right now and I can't take unnecessary risks," he tried to explain. He felt like his words had come off as condescending which wasn't the way he wanted this conversation to go. Nico sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He still didn't feel fully awake.

"What? What's at stake?"

"The existence of the United States as we know it?"

"You're not making much sense here," Bruce replied, unimpressed. "Work with me. What secret could you possibly be holding onto that could be that important? You're fifteen."

"Age isn't everything," Nico frowned. Bruce of all people should understand that. 

"I know, but most fifteen-year-olds, even the ones in the Young Justice, don't get their hands on intel like that. Especially not those with little to no field experience or League resources," the older man countered. 

"Well, most Leaguers or sidekicks don't have access to the Greek gods, dreams that tell the future, and spirits of the Underworld," the son of Hades shot back. 

"True," Bruce considered this for a moment. "That still doesn't tell me how this secret can change the course of an entire nation. 

"Well, this secret could cause World War 3." The son of Hades wanted to do anything else but discuss the restrictions involved in demigod life, but here he was.

"What kind of secret could cause that level of disaster?"

"You're telling me that Batman has never come across a secret like that?" Nico teased. The look Bruce gave him made him regret making the comment. His mouth went dry.