Chapter Text
It was raining in Gotham `What a surprise´ thought Percy. Honestly Percy still wasn´t really convinced on what he was doing here but Annabeth insisted that there was a good surprise for him at “home”. `Yeah, home what a funny Word when I haven´t been back since the kidnapping and it is not as if I was welcome already. Stupid wars ruining everything and even stupider Jason for running away and dying´.
Let’s recap a little bit: Perseus Jackson-Wayne, or as most people know him Percy Jackson, is returning home after the whole issue with Gaea but to be honest he had been running away and hiding things since that awful summer when everything started after Mrs. Dodds attacked him. To be honest he thinks that it would have been better if he decided to not return and stay as a year-round camper after his first summer but at that time, he was naive and thought he still had Jason waiting for his return home.
He came home and color him surprise he found that not only had he lost his brother but also there was a stranger in place of Bruce. He reminded him of Smelly Gabe with all his drinking but at least he didn’t hit him or gamble or take his money or torment his mom. Well that last thing was quite difficult as there was not a mom in the picture since that horrible day, but let’s not get into that.
Well after returning home that awful summer he got sent to another boarding school in New York, which honestly was a good thing since been home meant been with a drunk and grieving Bruce. Then when he was going home for the summer accompanied by his new friend Tyson, in hopes of getting him either into the family or with a good family, the whole Grover incident happened, and he didn’t call home until Thalia came back to life.
After the Thalia incident Percy thought quite a lot about why Thalia was alive now and not Jason, his rock, his brother. He was tempted to take the Golden Fleece but since it was guarded, he decided not to even try it. Finally, he returned home, for it to be once again changed.
Bruce was okay-ish and Percy was happy about that, but he had a problem with Tim Drake. Their neighbor and ex-classmate, that apparently was now living with them or somehow always at the manor. Another thing that hurt was that neither Bruce nor Alfred nor Dick were waiting for him on the train station despite having called ahead so someone could come pick him up. It seems that Dick wasn’t in town-nothing new- and that Bruce and Alfred were tending to Tim since he was sick.
After that incident his family kept on forgetting him and in the end when chritmas came around and with it the quest to get the Di Angelos and to save Annabeth from her kidnappers no one noticed he only came back the 25th and was happy to once again leave for school.
This trend continued over the years until the final battle with Kronos came around and he said his goodbyes just in case. By that time everyone was centered in the new child Damian and didn’t even notice how serious his goodbyes had been. But surprisingly, Percy made it to his 16th birthday without dying, got himself an amazing girlfriend and a dad that seemed to care in his own weird way, he also made up with the immortal side of the family which was probably the best thing that could have possibly happened since he now has another rock in his life, Triton.
He didn’t even bother coming home, deciding to live during the year in Atlantis and visit Annabeth as much as possible. Down in Atlantis he met Arthur and Kaldur and received their apologies for the loss during the war.
Everything looked good for once in his life and then Hera decided to meddle and ruin it. After that horrible time, which Percy doesn’t want to touch in this lifetime or in the next three, Percy returned home, to Atlantis, only to learn that his mortal “family” was contacted during his disappearance and was looking for him now. He went to camp to end the summer but at the insistence of Annabeth he went back to Gotham, leading to this exact moment.
Percy stood in front of the Manor, all tall and intimidating, asking himself if this was a good idea but before he could run away to the harbor to swim back home someone came out. It was dark but he would recognize that man everywhere, it was Dick, or as he was going to call him Richard.
“Hey, what are you doing out here on the rain? If you came to sell anything sorry to tell you we aren’t interest- “Richard shut up when he noticed who exactly was standing at the other side of the gates.
“Hey Richard”
“Hey Richard?! Is that all you are going to say after having us receive some guests looking for you and learning that you are missing? What the hell Percy!” Richard looked offended and quickly made Percy enter the Manor, graving his arm just in case he decided to run away.
They entered the mansion and were hit with warmth and sounds of shouting coming from what, if Percy remembered correctly, the family room.
“Today is family night so everyone is in there and will be extremely happy to see you but expect some light questioning since everyone has their questions.” Warned Richard and without a moment to prepare himself Percy was pushed into the room.
All the sound stopped and a big man with a white stripe of hair shouted from the couch without looking up to see who entered
“Dickwing did you learn to teleport or how did you go into town for snacks so fast?”
“Well… you should really look up for a moment bro.”
“What for? “He finally looked up and said:
“Percy?!”
Percy startled to be recognized by this man who he doesn’t know answers “Yea in the flesh, who are you?”
“It’s me little ocean, I’m Jason.” He said while quickly standing up to go and hug his brother, only for him to be taken down by what looked like some judo technique and put on a choke hold on the floor.
“You aren’t Jason, there are only two Jasons that I know, one is blonde and in San Francisco and the other one is 6 feet under. So let me ask again, who are you?”
“Percy-”
“Shut up Richard! This is between the impostor and me!”
“Percy it is really me, remember that time I helped you take some fish from the aquarium because you told me they said they didn’t like the food that they got there and then we drove to the harbor to free them there?” said Jason between coughs.
“Is it really you? Are you really back? This isn’t a cruel joke?”
“No, Percy I am here”. Percy let go of him to quickly be engulfed in a crushing hug from his brother who he thought would never get the chance to see again.
The moment was ruined by someone clearing their throats. “Who is the imposter father? Should I capture him for the appropriate interrogation?”
“No Damian, that’s your brother Percy, you have actually met him before.”
“B, shouldn’t we be making sure he is who he says he is?” Asks Tim only to receive a clear answer from Jason.
“Shut up Replacement, he is Percy and that’s it!”
“But Jason, he could be lying!”
“Shut up!”.
After a few more moments, Percy finally calmed down and analyzed the room and the people in it. There was a blonde girl next to her Barbara and an Asian girl. Then there was Damian who had moved to stand next to Bruce and Richard and Tim. Finally, there was a boy sitting next to Alfred who looked so lost.
“Okay guys, so someone wants to tell me why I didn’t know that Jason was alive?”
“Percy, trust me you don’t want to know it isn’t a happy tale”
“I don’t care, how the hell is he here right now and how recent is it?”
Jason looked sad and in a small voice he admitted to only having been dead for 6 months and that the rest of the time he was alive. That was received with Percy standing up and saying,
“Well seeing as obviously you guys were hiding it from me, I’m leaving, now you guys know I’m alive and can stop worrying.”
“Wait Percy, I can explain” exclaimed Jason afraid that he was going to lose his brother again.
“You have exactly 10 minutes before I call my cousin friend to come pick me up and take me home.”
“Well, it started with…”