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marauderundercover · 3 months

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i didn't choose this town (you're on your own kid, ch. 1)

Look. He didn’t ask to be stuck in some scummy city in New Jersey of all places. If it was up to him, he’d still be in his mom’s apartment in New York, in the only home he’d ever known. But that was over. And he could never go back. Smelly Gabe would never let him back, not now that his mom was gone. And he definitely wasn’t gonna go back into foster care. Both of the houses he’d been in since getting to Gotham had been pretty bad. Like cigarette burns on his clothes and no dinner during the weekend bad. But that was fine. Percy was a New Yorker, and more importantly, he was a Jackson. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, it was New Jersey. He wasn’t going to let it best him.

---

Percy glares at the dog sized rat in front of him.

“Look, man, back off. This is my food.” He says, frowning at the animal. It hisses at him. Honest to god, the rat hisses at him. Percy jumps back, holding the sandwich higher up. Can rats jump that high? He glances at the fire escape ladder, noting how far off the ground it was. Sticking the sandwich in his mouth, he sprints over to it and jumps, just barely pulling himself up before the rat leaps and bites at where his ankles had been moments before. Grinning, Percy takes the sandwich out of his mouth and nods down at the rat. “Later, asshole!” He calls before scurrying up the ladder and flopping onto the roof. Letting out a huff, he stands and saunters over to the opposite edge and sits.

Letting his legs dangle off the roof, Percy takes a small bite of his sandwich as he glances out over the city. It was no New York, but it was his home now. He’d probably never make it back to New York, not until he was old enough to live by himself. Too many people would ask questions in New York, if they saw him wandering the streets. No one in Gotham cared though. Made it easy enough to do what he wants. Also made it a little lonely, but Percy was getting used to it. Just as he’s shoving the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth, there’s a big thud behind him. He whirls around, gripping onto the ledge for stability. He wasn’t really in the mood to fall off a roof. Tilting his head at the man, he turns around completely and plants his legs back onto the roof. All else failed, he’d make a run for the fire escape.

“This your roof or something?” He asks, trying to sound tougher than he felt. The man was…intimidating. He was way taller than Percy, with a red helmet and visible weapons and Percy felt uneasy. A staticy snort escapes the man, making Percy’s hand twitch.

“You’re in Crime Alley, kid. All of these roofs are mine.” He says, his stance loose.

“Crime Alley? Who named it that?” Percy asks, frowning. It seemed like a way to just invite trouble. The man’s head tilts to the side, and Percy has the feeling that the man is studying him for some reason. And whatever he’s trying to find, he doesn’t.

“You’re not from around here, are you kid?” Percy stays quiet. “You visiting Gotham with your parents or something?” The man adds, and Percy grits his teeth. He couldn’t answer. Couldn’t risk getting pulled back into the Gotham Foster System. Not again.

“Y’know, I’m really not supposed to be talking to strangers. So, uh, thanks for letting me know that this is your roof, but I’ll just be headed out now.” He says, starting to move in a big arc around the man, towards the fire escape. The man clears his throat, or that’s what Percy thinks he does, and Percy pauses.

“Look, I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything. But if you are new and you are sticking around, you gotta know that this area isn’t safe at night. Try and hole up somewhere if you can.” He says. Percy nods. Obviously this place wasn’t safe. Between the rat from earlier and the dodgy guys he’d avoided trying to get the sandwich, he knew that. But he guessed it was pretty nice of the guy to tell him.

“Totally. Uh, thanks Mr…” Percy raises an eyebrow expectantly.

“Red Hood.”

---

Percy shivers, wrapping his arms around himself. He really needed to find a coat. Or even a heavier jacket. He’d been running around Gotham (mostly Crime Alley) for a little over a month. Honestly, he was pretty proud of himself. Gabe had always said that Percy was a wimp, but he’d been surviving on his own in one of the most dangerous cities in the US. He didn’t really wanna see the man ever again, but he also kinda wanted to rub it in his face. Well, if he could find a way to keep warm that is. He’d been living in an abandoned fire station, but he still didn’t have enough blankets or anything to get through actual winter. He’d probably have to try and pickpocket some more. He didn’t really like doing it, but he was small and people tended to not notice him. And he never tried anything with the people in Crime Alley. He knew better than that.

“Little cold to be hanging on rooftops.” Red Hood says, his boots thudding with every step as he walks towards Percy. He’d discovered early on that the man could be silent when he walked. But after Percy had almost fallen off a roof twice, the man had taken to making noise when he saw him. Percy shrugs.

“Not like I’ve got anything better to do.” He says. The man tosses something at him and Percy reacts immediately, snatching it out of the air before frowning. “What’s this?” He asks. The man shrugs.

“Just a hoodie and some more socks.” Hood says.

“You said-”

“I agreed not to give you food, kid. Never made any promises about clothes.” Hood says, and Percy can practically hear the smirk in the man’s voice. Percy’s stomach churns uncomfortably. It’s not that he didn’t want to accept the hoodie. He did. But he also hated the idea of owing someone anything. Nothing in the world was free, no matter what anyone told you. Percy’s grip on the plastic bag tightens as he tries to figure out a way to decline the clothes that won’t seem too ungrateful. “If it makes you feel better, I didn’t go out and buy them.” Hood says.

“What?” Percy asks, the mental image of Hood grabbing someone’s clothes off a laundry line popping into his head for some reason.

“The socks were a donation I picked up from one of the shelters I check in at.”

“Oh.” Percy says, some of the weight of debt lifting off his shoulders. Hood nods.

“Yeah, and the uh, the hoodie is a hand me down. Hope you don’t mind.” He adds. Percy’s eyes widen.

“It’s yours?” He asks, the worry shooting through him once again. Hood shakes his head.

“No, not anymore. There’s no way it’d fit me now. But it’s getting colder, and you need something. It was that or throw it out.” Hood says. Percy falters again for a moment before tugging the hoodie out of the bag. It was thicker than he’d expected, and the faded Wonder Woman symbol on the front made him smile a bit. He’d used to be a big fan of heroes. Back before his mom died. Pushing down the wave of grief, he lets his resolve falter and tugs the hoodie on, making sure to keep the hood on to warm his ears. It helps immediately, and he glances over at Red Hood, relieved for the first time that he couldn’t see the man’s face. He’d definitely caved way too quick, but it saved him from another cold night, so it was mostly worth it.

“Thank you.” Percy says, pulling the ends of the sleeves up so that his hands would poke out. Hood nods.

“‘Course. You know how to find me if you need anything, right?” He asks, and Percy nods. He’d learned pretty quickly after their first meeting that Red Hood cared about keeping kids safe. ‘Specially kids like Percy who were on their own. “Good. Look after yourself, okay kid?”

“Always do.” Percy says cheerily, saluting the man before turning and scurrying down the fire escape. Time to head home.

---

Percy was screwed. He’d managed to make himself comfortable in the City of Crime, and had let his guard slip. And now he was gonna pay for that mistake. Somehow, he hadn’t managed to see any major bad guy attacks in the almost three months he’d been in Gotham. He should’ve known that couldn’t last. Darting into the first warehouse he sees, Percy runs to a corner and tries to calm his frantic heartbeat. His vision already looked weird on the sides, and he really wished he would’ve found a mask or something sooner like Red Hood had told him ages ago. But he hadn’t, and some dude with a freaking sack on his head had sprayed some crap in his face.

“Well, look at what we have here. Genius boy came crawling back.” Gabe grunts, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Percy’s eyes widen and he tries to scramble back even more.

“I, no. I didn’t- how did you-”

“Can’t even talk right, can you? Must be why your mom left you with me.” Gabe taunts, pointing his cigarette at Percy. He could feel the phantom pains of the burns on his arm, as well as the not so phantom tears rolling down his face.

“My mom didn’t wanna leave me.” He says, his voice shaking. His mom didn’t choose to die, she never would have left him. Right? Gabe snorts.

“Yeah, sure, kid. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He says, and Percy can’t help the flinch as the man steps closer to him. He’d never liked Gabe. Ever. But he’d never told his mom that, never thought there’d be a day where he was left alone with the man. And now-

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Percy says, his voice sounding much stronger than he felt. Gabe smirks.

“You don’t have a choice, brain boy. You’re stuck with me. I’m all the family you’ve got.” The man steps forward so that he’s toe to toe with Percy, and the stench immediately invades his senses. Before he can protest, Gabe’s hand shoots out and grabs Percy’s wrist. He immediately pulls back, trying desperately to tug himself away. He didn’t want to go back with Gabe. He couldn’t go back there. Not without his mom.

“Please, no! Let me go! I don’t wanna go, please!” Percy pleads, his breathing getting faster as he tries to get free. A sharp pain in his neck makes him gasp before the world around him goes black.

---

A constant beeping wakes Percy up, and he immediately begins to panic. The walls were a sterile white, and he recognized the universal layout of a hospital room. He couldn’t be here. He really couldn’t be here. His eyes dart around the room, trying to take in everything he might need to know before trying to make a break for it. He frowns at the man slumped in a chair across the room. He didn’t look like the usual DFC worker. The guy was in regular jeans and a sweatshirt, his dark hair much messier than the usual business-like people that Percy had talked to back when his mom first died. But if he wasn’t part of DFC, then who was he? Before he can even attempt to get himself out of the bed, a woman in scrubs walks in, smiling softly at him.

“Look who’s up! How’re you feeling sweetheart?” She asks quietly. It didn’t really matter though, because the second she started talking the guy on the chair jumped up and started blinking rapidly. The nurse raises an eyebrow. “Alright there, Mr. Grayson?” She adds. The man nods, rolling his shoulders before dropping back down into the chair, giving Percy a small smile. Percy’s eyebrows furrow as he turns back to the nurse.

“Sorry, why am I here?” He asks, frowning.

“You were dosed with fear toxin. Nightwing administered the antidote, then passed you off to Mr. Grayson.” She explains. Percy raises an eyebrow. Nightwing, the vigilante, passed him off to some random guy?

“I’m a police officer in Blüdhaven.” The man in the chair speaks up. “I’ve worked with the bats a few times, so it’s not like Nightwing was just passing you off to the first person he saw.” Percy nods slowly.

“Right.” He says. The nurse finishes checking his vitals before giving him another smile.

“I know you must be missing your parents terribly. Do you know their numbers? We could try and call them for you.” She offers, and Percy feels the color drain from his face. This was not good. He was definitely going to end up back in the system. Or worse. With Gabe.

“They uh, don’t have cellphones and our voicemail is usually full. It’d probably be better to call later.” Percy blurts out, trying to ignore the way Mr. Grayson was intently staring at him. The nurse frowns.

“Are you sure, honey? I’m sure they’re worried sick-”

“They both work really weird shifts, so uh, they probably didn’t realize I was even out. But we can definitely call them later.” Percy says. The nurse’s frown doesn’t fade, but she eventually nods before walking out of the room. Percy lets his shoulders slump as he lets out a breath. One worried adult down, one to go.

“Are you afraid of how your parents are going to react?” Mr. Grayson asks, his voice softer than it had been earlier. Percy blinks at the man.

“Huh?” He says, intelligently.

“Your parents, bud. Are you- are you afraid of what they’re going to do when they find out what happened?” Mr. Grayson asks, a concerned look on his face and-oh. Oh. Percy shakes his head rapidly.

“No, they really are just hard to get a hold of.” Percy says. Mr. Grayson opens his mouth, probably to question him more, but Percy cuts him off. “Could you- do you know if I’m allowed to have food? I’m kinda hungry.” He says. It was the only thing he could think of that would get the man to actually leave the room. The man’s face softens immediately.

“I can go ask for you. Anything specific sound good?” He asks. Percy swallows, feeling a little bad for the disappearing act he’s about to pull.

“A burger?” He asks, and the man smiles.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He promises before leaving the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Percy swings his legs off the bed, trying hard to push down the nausea swirling in his stomach. He’d lucked out that they didn’t have him plugged into anything besides an IV. It hurt, but it wasn’t a big deal to pull that out himself. Glancing around the room, he spots his shoes and his Wonder Woman hoodie that Red Hood gave him. Slipping both on, he takes a deep breath before stepping towards the door. Hopefully, they didn’t have much on him. He really didn’t need people actually looking for him. Cracking the door open, Percy glances out of his room. He could see Mr. Grayson at the desk right across from his room talking to the nurses, and to the right, a door with a huge exit sign above it. Shaking out his hands, Percy takes one moment to ground himself before he moves silently towards the door. He’d gotten good at sneaking around, since he’d been living in Crime Alley. It was easier that way. Fewer ways to get hurt. Miraculously, he manages to slip out of the door and into a lobby without Mr. Grayson or his nurse spotting him.

“Young man, watch where you’re going.” An older nurse huffs as Percy almost runs into her. His cheeks flush red.

“Sorry.” He mutters, continuing past her and out the doors at the other end of the lobby. He takes in a deep breath of the (not so fresh) Gotham air, his shoulders finally relaxing. But he didn’t stop moving. He couldn’t. Not until he made it back to the safety of Crime Alley, the place he’d definitely started to think of as home.

---

That night, Percy climbs onto the roof of the abandoned fire station and stares at the sky. He was sure there were stars up there. He’d heard about them in school all the time, but he’d never lived anywhere where he could actually see them. He wasn’t sure if he’d like them, if he was being honest. So used to the lights of cities and the noise that came with it, he wasn’t exactly eager to ever go somewhere without all of that. A thud brings him out of his thoughts, but he doesn’t turn to look.

“Hey, Hood.” He says, tucking his knees close to his chest. He was definitely in for a lecture from the guy.

“You okay, kid?” Hood asks instead of launching into the lecture that Percy had expected. Hmm. But maybe that was expecting too much. After all, Hood had a million street kids he looked out for. He didn’t have the time to know what happened to each of them, or care enough to lecture them for making dumb choices.

“Yep.” Percy says simply. Hood hums, the noise coming out more static than anything. Percy glances at him and raises an eyebrow.

“So you didn’t get dosed with fear toxin yesterday?” Hood asks, and Percy’s eyes widen. He did know.

“Who told you that?” Percy asks, before shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’m fine.” Hood snorts, dropping onto the roof beside him and dropping a bag of fast food between them.

“Sure you are.” He says, before tugging his helmet off. Percy inhales sharply and turns before he sees the man’s face.

“Dude, what-”

“I still have a mask on, kid.” Hood chuckles, and Percy blinks at the lack of static in the man’s voice. Slowly, he turns and relaxes at the domino still in place on the man’s face.

“Scared the shit outta me.” Percy grumbles.

“Language.” Hood says, then frowns. “Ignore me. Can’t believe I said that.” Percy snorts, then glances at the bag of food between them. “Go ahead, kid. I’ve got enough burgers and fries for the both of us. Guy at Batburger gave me extra for saving his cat last week.” Hood adds. Percy frowns, but tentatively reaches for the food. He didn’t have the energy to try and scrounge for food today, not after everything that happened yesterday with the fear toxin crap.

“Thanks, Hood.” Percy says quietly before taking a huge bite of the burger. It was still warm.

“No problem, kid.” Hood says. And Percy glances at him, decides to trust the guy just a little more.

“Percy. My name’s Percy.”

---

Enjoying this fic? Head over to AO3. I'll add updates here as I remember.

#percy jackon and the olympians #batman #crossover #jason todd #dick grayson #percy jackson #kid percy jackson #ao3 #red hood is a worried mother hen but tries not to let it show #smelly gabe sucks but what's new #percy doesn't know he's a demigod #this will obviously cause problems #hurt/comfort #sally jackson is dead oops #i'm sorry sally

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audhd-nightwing · 5 months

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percy jackson ep3 live reaction

yesss the attic it looks perfect

the voice crack on “hi” i’m cackling

“oh geez” HES SO PERCY

annabeth immediately i love him.

percy’s gf requirements: has to be willing to push him down a flight of stairs without hesitation

let percy understand the horses PLEASE

“i chose you” i thought it was gonna be like ‘because you’re my best friend’ but nah he is just suspicious of grover dang. “i trust you” DAMN HE REALLY LYING HUH. poor grover totally believes him too. good thing he earns his trust back eventually and remains his best friend forever

“i’m gonna pack the best snacks” HE IS THE BEST KIND OF FRIEND

why tf are there lobster traps in the cabin. WHERE IS HIS BED???

“i think they’re canadian maybe? or from chuck e. cheese i dunno” he’s literally my favorite person ever

“these are… interesting”

thalia’s tree :(

when do they tell percy that grover was thalias protector 🤔

“the most powerful being in the universe’s best idea to save his daughter’s life… was to turn her into a tree?” YEAH FR GET HIS ASS PERCY

bro really does not know how to read the room 💀 “she met a pinecone’s fate” dude she is talking about her dead friend/sister-figure. grover’s literally like “wtf man”

how tf did they get a taxi from long island to the city bro

“i’m sorry to hear that” UR THE BEST ANNABETH

why is grover singing… THEATRE KID ENERGY

“our voting system’s broken” hgjfhdhd

BIG OOF ????

the autism makes decisions so hard very real

NOT THE TOSTITOS /j

“they smell fear” “that’s bees” EXCUSE ME? BEES WHAT NOW??

damn dodds that’s brutal

“perhaps the most formidable demigod child alive” i adore how they make 12 y/o annabeth so fucking powerful. like i really really love that they do that cuz ppl always talk about how powerful percy is but not how powerful annabeth is

defeated by shitty evacuation skills smh

…we’re lost in the woods, somewhere in new jersey

“i didn’t even know they had forests in new jersey” king. what.

ahhh i wish they just made them 13 i really cannot see them as 12 year olds

ope it is revealed. GROVER STOP TRYING TO REDIRECT THE CONVERSATION ITS NOT WORKING

annabeth IMMEDIATELY knows it’s medusa lol

thinking abt how sally used medusa’s story to teach lil percy that appearances aren’t everything and “not everything that looks like a monster is a monster”. very interested to see what they do with her in this version of pjo

“and i definitely trust my mom” percy is such a momma’s boy i love it

i hope they don’t make her evil pls pls pls. SHES NOT EVIL SHES AN SA VICTIM. “a survivor” :(

“the gift the gods gave me is i cannot be bullied anymore” yes 🙌

girl really said “it’s not a gift it’s a curse” as if she was there 💀 ilysm but clearly the story you’ve heard isn’t what really happened

“so did i” :( she was a worshipper of athena

“i wasn’t like you, i was you”

ANNABETH “that isn’t what happened” GIRL YOU WERENT THERREEEEE

you tell them medusa !! her and percy get matching “i hate poseidon” shirts

team #trust issues

oop. yeah fuck poseidon.

okay yeah i really like this characterization of her. like a good person with a skewed moral compass. or at least good intentions but not great actions

leetle snakes hiss hiss

annabeth watching percy defeat alecto… she literally has heart eyes hehe

THEY BETTER SHIP HER HEAD TO OLYMPUS I SWEAR

you tell them grover!!!!!!

oh he really did choose grover because he trusted him aw :,)

YES SHIP THE HEAD

“i am impertinent” ily

the song 💀 this is why they are besties

LIN MANUEL MIRANDA? *lip bite*

#percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson show #pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #pjo show #aunty em #annabeth chase #grover underwood

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