LIGHTNING ✔P.M. ₁

chapter twenty-four

TONY, DESPITE THE HELP FROM HIS AI, was struggling to read the graphs and books he took from Robin. They all seemed to be in different languages, and sentences mixed together some of those languages. He was getting a headache. He almost gave up and asked the boy what it meant, but then remembered who that boy was, and quickly stopped that thought from crossing his mind. He had to do this without the help of an annoyingly mysterious kid. He did some more research for another hour before finally giving up and going to sleep. Perhaps he could ask Thor for help in the morning.

Back in his room, Robin sent an Iris Message to Annabeth once again. She looked tired, and like she was about to go to sleep.

"Robin? What do you want?" The daughter of Athena asked, annoyed.

"Sorry, I'll be quick," He replied sheepishly. "Basically I had my own research going on to find out what these monsters are, but as you know, I'm stuck with Avengers, and they took all my stuff."

"Dumbass," She muttered, knowing that if it was her, she wouldn't have gotten caught.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, anyway, now I need to get it back."

"And you called me because...?"

"You're great at making plans."

She sighed. "Just... sneak into wherever they have it, and get back out," She simply said before swiping through the connection.

He pouted. That didn't help, he thought. He tried that last time, and then got that stuff taken away, again. He figured he should try it anyway. He asked Tony's AI if anyone was still awake, and fortunately, no one who would catch him was. He snuck down the halls, trying to remember where the lab was. He was almost positive that was where they were keeping his stuff. He was right. He quickly - and quietly - grabbed his stuff and dashed to his temporary room.

Robin stayed up the entire night flipping through his notes, trying to figure some sort of answer to these monsters. Soon enough the sun rose, and he found nothing. He slammed his head against the headboard of the bed, annoyed with himself. Since there wasn't a desk in the room, he had to resort to doing his research on the bed, which wasn't ideal. Reminded him of doing homework back in elementary school when he didn't want to bother his mom.

Almost a week went by without progress. No monster attacks, and definitely no discoveries. Sure, Tony was confused as to where all the stuff went, but he couldn't link Robin to taking it. That was thanks to the demigod hiding it in places they wouldn't be found around his room - inside the first aid kit, under the clothes he still has no idea who brought for him, etc. On the plus side, for the Avengers, at least, Robin was becoming more open. Well, at least with Wanda and Clint, and surprisingly, Pietro. The latter was mostly just because he kept by his sister. Robin could now roam free without a babysitter again, which he was ecstatic about.

Robin kept looking for some sort of clue every night, which meant he hadn't slept more than three hours total that entire week, which definitely wasn't healthy. Sam started to notice. That's why, before heading to bed that Saturday, he stopped by the boy's room to check up on him.

He knocked on the door, but didn't wait for a response as he walked in. Robin, who was halfway into closing his blinds, stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, hi," The demigod greeted tiredly. He couldn't muster up the energy to be cold towards the man.

Sam gently dragged the boy away from the window and to his bed, ignoring his halfhearted protests. "Come on, kid," He muttered.

"No," Robin replied softly, not even being able to muster up the strength to put up a fight. He let his body fall onto the bed.

"When was the last time you slept?" Sam asked.

"I don't know."

"Get some rest, Rob."

Robin sat up and shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no, no. I can't."

Sam tilted his head to the side questioningly. "Why not?"

"Nightmares," He simply said, avoiding eye contact.

Sam nodded understandingly. He knew how those went. He never realized that they were the reason he didn't like to sleep, though. He didn't know much about Robin's past, as he refused to talk about it, but now he realized it must be worse than he originally thought.

He put a hand on the boy's shoulder, pushing him back down. "Try to get some sleep, it'll do you good." After that, he left back to his own room, turning the lights off behind him.

Robin scowled at the ceiling. Normally he could get a few hours in before the nightmares got to him, but recently they had been getting worse. If Sam, whom he had lived with, started noticing, it meant the others wouldn't be far behind. Despite their chaotic behaviour, the Avengers were observant. They didn't know what topics to stay away from, though, and that might prove to be a problem. Sam learnt to avoid certain triggers, after a few incidents where things were thrown and words were said.

Against his will, Robin's eye became heavy and he was unable to keep them open. He passed out almost immediately. On the bright side, he didn't have any nightmares. But that didn't stop him from having a different dream, a dream he, like all demigods, hated having. It only showed danger.

In the dream, Robin found himself (spiritually) in a dark room. The monsters he spent months researching were there too. As was a man he had never seen before. The man had long, brown hair done up in a man bun, accompanying his olive coloured skin. Though you couldn't see much of that skin. Half of his body had been replaced by metallic parts, including the left side of his face. Robin shuttered. It really felt like he was in the room. The aura was cold. The man addressed the monsters.

"Jendaks!" He greeted the troops, his voice croaky. "The raid will soon begin!" He started pacing the floor as the monsters cheered. Robin had thought they were just mindless beasts, as they were whenever he encountered them in battle, but perhaps they had upgraded. "I know you have been warned by your brethren about some heroes," The man spat out the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "who have been interfering with our plans. Never fear, as I, your humble leader, have given you upgrades! You are stronger, faster, and smarter! No one will stop us!"

"No one will stop us!" The monsters repeated in perfect harmony.

"Not even the gods! Soon we will start a new era." The man looked right at where Robin was watching, sending shivers down his spine. "The humans will go out, just as the dinosaurs." He held out his hand, and a vine came soaring towards the son of Zeus. He woke up before it could hit him.