Gotham and the Ghost King(UNDER EDITING)

The Broken Mind

Years later, I was cast out of camp after the latest war. Nobody wanted a Son of Hades around. Years since my sister had been buried by yours truly. Above all that had recently happened, he had truly been through hell these last few years. He was fifteen for the gods sake and as he sat their and reviewed his life, he was horrified. He couldn't remember most of his childhood, he had bits and pieces but that was it.

He couldn't remember his dead mother, he couldn't remember the time where his father had loved him, he couldn't remember his first friends or crush. And that fact killed him, his happy memories had literally been erased. It was a terrifying feeling. After that he had been in a school where he was constantly bullied. Hell those kids had dunked his head in the bathtub so many times...

Then there was the whole fiasco with Percy and the others, then his sister abandoned him and then died. He had been devastated. Then he got stuck in the labrinth where he had been hunted by monsters every waking hour. Lead by a ghost he had considered someone he cared for, only for that same ghost to betray him. After that he went and did missions for his dad, and when he wasn't doing that...

He shuddered to think about the time he spent with his foster family.

After that he had literally been through a war, right in the very heart of it, where he could feel everyone's deaths. The next few years were just as bad. He remembered going days without food, just wandering city streets where he was often beat up. He had met his sister too. After that he had spent a full month in Tartarus and then he was trapped in that stupid jar.

Then he had shadow traveled the Athena Parthenos across the world, then he fought another war...His sister died, Hazel had died and everyone blamed him for it. So he left and now, now he was back in another abusive foster home. At least it wasn't as bad as the last one. He took online school and it turned out he was really smart. He was already a junior in high school.

Right now, well he was was getting the mail for his dear family. He checked over the envelopes and was shell shocked when he found one with his name on it. Attached to it was a package with what felt like clothing in it. Hiding the package and envelope in my hoodie, I returned back to my shitty home. As I entered I left the letters and bills in the care of my foster father.

I snuck to my room and opened the envelope, surprised to find a scholarship to Gotham Academy. In the package was the uniform. I smiled and decided to go there next fall, which was in a week. Ugh, a week spent with my oh so loving father, just my luck.

~One Week Later~

One week later I got up hours before I was supposed to be at my new school, and dressed in my uniform. I did all the basics that a morning like this required...except eat breakfast. Ungrateful brats weren't allowed any food. I walked to school and arrived five minutes before the bell would ring. I picked up my schedule and managed to make it to first period a couple of seconds before the bell would ring.

Over the week I had scrounged up any salvageable school supplies that the school didn't provide. And a ratty old bag that held it all...the school bag was so expensive. Overall I looked like a homeless person who tried to look rich and failed. So I wasn't surprised about all the glares I was being given by the majority of the school. But besides that class was good, I understood everything well but it would probably take hours to do all of my homework. Dyslexia and ADHD and everything.

I probably wouldn't get any sleep tonight either. Oh well, not like I needed to sleep. Because of my half god side, I could go without food and water and sleep for longer periods of time. So if I slept some on the weekends that I had free, and ate lunch here throughout the year...I would survive. Barely, but I would. So as I sat down for lunch, with my tray provided by the school, I managed to grab the apple and milk before some idiot jock knocked my tray on the floor.

Then he stole my apple and milk. Maybe I wouldn't eat lunch here, maybe I should just stick to dumpster diving. Said idiot jock grabbed me by my bruised arm courtesy of my foster father, also digging his fingers into my self inflicted cuts. He flung me onto the floor and told my snootily to move. Knowing by now not to antagonize people, I simply stood up and moved to another empty table.

Most of the cafeteria was laughing at me. Just great, this is exactly what I needed. Suddenly two more kids sat down across from me, staring at me, I decided I'd just go hungry in the corner. So I stood up before the black-haired blue eyed kid motioned for me to sit down. He grinned as I reluctantly complied.

"Hey! My name is Dick and this is Barbara. We saw what happened, sorry about that asshole by the way. We would have stepped in but you handled the situation without causing a fight. But why didn't you fight back?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Didn't want to get beat up." A lie, I could've creamed that guy even in such a weak state. But I didn't cause I felt like I deserved it. Dick and Barbara nodded.

"Want to hang with us after school? We're going to Dick's house." Barbara invited me. I stared at them with wide eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait. You want ME to hang out with YOU?" I asked in complete amazement. Nobody had ever been my friend before, my sisters included. My sisters had loved me sure, but they never spent any time with me either. They nodded confusedly.

"Yeah, why, you've had friends before right? So you must know that friends hang out with each other! So what about it, friends?" Dick chattered excitedly. My brain was still rebooting.

"Friends? You're willing to be my friend? Nobody has ever wanted to be my friend! I've never had a friend before!" I said in one breath, waiting for them to say they were joking and that I was a loser.

"You've never had a friend before!? How old are you!?"

"15?" I answered, confused.

"You're kidding, right? But you seem like an awesome guy! Why would nobody want to be friends with you in your fifteen years of life?" Barbara asked. My mood soured almost immediately.

"Because apparently, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My father is not the most liked person in my family." I grumbled quietly. They looked appalled.

"You've never had a friend because of who your father is? That's ridiculous!" Dick said angrily.

"Yeah, I guess it is?"

"What about your mother and any siblings you got to hang with?

"I can't remember much of my mother, and both my sisters never hung out with me because they were busy, at least until they both died..." I whispered morosely. I still had loved my sisters even if they didn't have time for me. I missed them...

"Sorry doesn't ever cut it does it?" Dick asked quietly. He probably had lost someone too then.

"Yeah...anyway, I'll hang out with you guys. But you'll have to drive me there." I said. They nodded and looked up as the bell rung loudly. We parted ways and I did the rest of school without a problem. Eventually the three of us met up outside school and waited for Dick's butler. A sleek black limo pulled up to us as the window rolled down.

"Master Dick, Mistress Barbara, who is this young man?"

"Hey Al, this is Nico di Angelo. I already informed Bruce that he was coming over via text messages." Al nodded and turned his gaze to me.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Master Nico, please get in and I will take you all to Wayne Manor for your play date." He said formally. Dick spluttered a bit before proclaiming loudly that it wasn't a "play date". I chuckled but nobody heard me. We all got into the limo and quickly drove to Wayne Manor.

"Here it is!" Dick said, showing me a manor that was about the size of my dad's castle. However it looked much more expensive,I gawked. Currently I lived in the broom closet with a ratty old mattress. This was a HUGE step up from any place I had ever lived in. Hell I used to sleep in a box! This was ridiculous!

"Cool...?" I said dazedly. They laughed and dragged me to Dick's bedroom. We spent hours watching movies(which I had never watched before) and eating popcorn(which was an improvement compared to garbage). Overall I enjoyed myself and became fast friends with Dick and Barbara.

But soon I had to go home to my lovely foster father.