Percy slipped on her suit, running her hands down her abdomen to ensure the fabric clung tightly to her skin. She donned her gloves, pulling them up her forearms, and strapped her sword firmly against her back. After quickly glancing in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, Percy took a deep breath and opened the door, emerging on the other side.

She flicked her right wrist, flipping the knife in the air expertly before letting it disappear back into her glove. She grinned down at her little sister, who stared back at her, small jaw opened wide in awe.

Estelle rushed forward without hesitation, pulling Percy down to a crouch.

"Woah," she breathed, reaching out and tracing the outline of Percy's mask with her fingers.

Percy let her sister explore the intricacies of her suit, pointing out all its secrets and hidden compartments.

It had been four days since Percy rescued Nightwing from Island and the hero had yet to be seen in Bludhaven. A part of her was glad he was taking the time off to recover, wherever he was, but another part of her couldn't help but worry about his condition.

Not to mention, between everything that had happened, Nightwing hadn't had the time to update her on how Kai, the boy they rescued from Blockbuster, was doing. During the last few days, her thoughts swirled around them both, but right now, she tried to push the concern out of her mind and focus on spending time with her sister.

Her mom and Paul had asked her to watch Estelle for a day so they could go on a weekend trip, and Percy had been more than willing. Babysitting always felt like less of a chore, and more of an honor, and this time, it came with the added bonus of her sister gushing over her superhero suit.

"Have you met Kid Flash yet?" Estelle demanded.

"Uh, no," Percy laughed at her sister's one-track mind, "But I'm pretty good friends with Nightwing."

Estelle pulled her hands back from Percy's suit, crossing them over her chest.

"That's boring," she huffed, blowing strands of hair away from her face, "He doesn't even have superpowers."

Percy leaned back in her crouch, settling on the ground. She extended her legs, pulling Estelle towards her, and trapping her between her calves.

"You don't need to have powers to be a badass," Percy reminded her, hands coming up to squeeze her cheeks.

The statement was generally true and a good thing for Estelle to keep in mind, but it wasn't the only reason Percy felt the need to defend the other hero.

"Also, don't tell mom I said that," Percy added, as an afterthought.

It was a fairly tame curse, but still.

"Said what?" Estelle blinked, innocently.

Percy laughed and encircled her arms around her sister. Estelle hugged her back for a few seconds before her child-like attention spanned kicked in and she wiggled impatiently in Percy's grip.

"Can we go to the park?" she pleaded.

Percy glanced out the window, to where the sun was shining. Deciding that they had been cooped up inside for too long, wasting a perfectly good day, she stood up.

"Good idea, seastar," she said, and Estelle grinned brightly, "Let me just change first."

LINEBREAK

"Come on, Bruce," Dick groaned.

The older man barely looked up from his desk, rifling through the documents before him.

"We've already discussed this, chum," Bruce reminded.

"I'm basically fully recovered," Dick retorted.

He wasn't stretching the truth. His ribs only slightly hurt and light makeup would be able to cover what remained of his bruises. Besides, Dick was a grown man, and Bruce had no right to keep him here.

"I said no."

Dick ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. In any other case, he would've enjoyed the pseudo-coddling. Bruce's indirect way of showing affection was triggered whenever one of his children got hurt, and normally, Dick would be more than happy to reside in the manor for a few days, feasting on Alfred's cooking and following his siblings around. But recently, he'd gained another reason for staying in Bludhaven, a reason other than his job as a police officer.

"If I don't get back to Bludhaven, I'll probably get fired," Dick tried instead, "I've already missed so many days of work as is."

That, at least, got Bruce to pick his head up. Dick tried not to fidget as the man critically examined him head to toe.

"Fine," he relented, and before Dick could celebrate the victory, he continued, "Dick Grayson can go back to Bludhaven."

Dick frowned at the wording.

"But Nightwing has to stay in the manor."

"Are you serious?" he demanded, dropping his jaw, "How is that fair?"

Bruce raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed.

"You can make your own decisions when you stop getting yourself kidnapped," he said, dryly, and turned back to his work.

Sensing that the man was not going to change his mind, Dick groaned again.

"I'm too old to be grounded," he muttered to himself and stalked out of the office.

After packing his belongings—Bruce had Alfred oversee the process so he couldn't sneak the Nightwing suit into his bag—Dick zeta'd back to Bludhaven and arrived at the police station just in time for his afternoon shift.

"Grayson," Amy Rohrbach greeted, catching him in the front door, "You look awfully chipper for someone recovering from an illness."

The slight smile on her face was anything but amused. Dick winced, remembering the excuse he gave for missing work, and regretted being a little too thorough with the makeup. He should've, at least, left his cheeks a little sallow.

"The wonders of concealer," he shrugged, not even having to lie.

Amy hummed in mock agreement.

"You can make it up with meter duty," she said, thrusting a small booklet into his chest and walking away without a response.

Dick squeezed the ticket book in his grip and resisted the urge to thump his head against a wall. Fed up and feeling like he should've just stayed at the manor, he turned and grudgingly walked back out to his patrol car.

LINEBREAK

Percy closed her eyes for a moment, turning her face upwards and basking in the sun. The weather really was beautiful today, with blue skies, fluffy clouds, and a light breeze, even if it was a little too warm. She leaned back and dug her fingers dug into their soft picnic blanket, enjoying the sound of birds chirping. Estelle's giggle broke her out of her reverie.

Her sister was letting a small inchworm crawl up her calf, placing a finger near it to move it onto her hand. Percy watched on, amused, as Estelle played with it a little longer before setting him gently back down in the grass.

Seeing as her sister's hands were now free, Percy reached into the basket and pulled out the cucumber sandwiches she had packed, unwrapping one and handing it over. The crusts were cut off just the way her mom had always done for her. Estelle eagerly accepted it, not hesitating to bite into the sandwich. Percy smiled to herself, seeing the parallels between their picnic and the one she had with her mom years ago.

Estelle scarfed down the food at a speed reminiscent of her favorite speedster and started to unzip her backpack while still chewing the last bite. Just as she swallowed, her hand emerged, clutching onto a familiar deck of cards.

"Let's play!" Estelle announced, waving her hand around.

"Where did you even get those?" Percy groaned, setting her sandwich down.

Estelle brought the deck down to her lap, sliding open the top flap.

"Nico," she revealed, shyly, "Early birthday present."

Percy did not plan to play mythomagic today, or any day, really, but she didn't have the heart to say no to Estelle. She sighed, dusting her fingers on the picnic blanket to keep from dirtying the cards.

"It's fun," Estelle insisted, "And good for, um, research purposes."

Percy hid a smile as her sister stumbled over the last two words.

"Did you learn that from Annie?"

"Yup," Estelle claimed, happily, dealing the cards out to each of them.

Percy picked up her set, fanned them out, and peeked her eyes over the top.

"Stop hanging out with my friends," she told Estelle in mock seriousness.

Her sister giggled at the display and placed her first card down on the blanket.

"Manticore," she announced, "Three thousand attack power."

Percy examined the picture of the monster with disgust, scrunching her nose. She looked back at the cards in her hand, plucking one out at random, and set it down beside Estelle's.

"Midas," Percy said, reading off the card, "Unlimited defense power?"

Estelle shook her head resolutely.

"Nuh uh, only for close attacks. Manticore throws spikes, so Midas loses. I win!"

Percy, try as she might, could not understand this game. So many demigods she knew played it, but she could never quite get the rules, and she didn't know enough about the game's version of the monsters and mythological figures. She opened her mouth to ask her sister exactly how her card was a guaranteed win, but suddenly, she heard a meow from nearby.

She paused and tilted her head. There it was again. This time, Estelle also heard the soft cry and gasped.

"Is that a kitty?" Estelle asked, craning her neck to try to see into the bushes the sound originated from.

Bludhaven's central park was littered with bushes, trees, and hedges, and, to outsiders, walking around felt like navigating a maze. Percy followed her sister's gaze but was unable to spot the animal.

"I wanna go see," Estelle declared, standing up and setting her cards face down behind her.

Percy shifted to get up as well, but Estelle shook her head.

"You gotta guard the cards," she insisted, "And no cheating."

Percy didn't have the first clue about the game's rules, much less how to cheat them, but she nodded and settled back down. She watched as Estelle slowly approached the bush, hands outstretched, cooing to the hidden cat.

Tearing her gaze away for a moment, Percy reached into her pocket for her phone and quickly typed out a message.

To Death Breath: mythomagic ?? r u serious ??

From Death Breath: will said i should give her something educational

To Death Breath: ur the worst this game makes no sense

From Death Breath: she's kicking your ass, isn't she?

Percy snorted, not bothering to respond to the last text, knowing that her silence would be answer enough. She looked back up from her phone, only to find that she couldn't see Estelle anymore.

"Seastar?" Percy called out, frowning, "You there?"

When there was no response, Percy stood up and approached the bush herself.

"Estelle? Where'd you go?" she said loudly, peeking her head behind.

There was still no answer, and Percy scanned the sections of the park she could see from her current location, but there was no glimpse of her sister's bright pink shirt.

"Shit," she swore, running back to the blanket and quickly packing everything inside.

She gathered up the mythomagic cards and dumped them haphazardly at the bottom of Estelle's backpack, swinging it over her shoulder. She didn't even bother to fold the blanket, just bunched it up and shoved it into the picnic basket.

Estelle couldn't have gotten far, but the park was huge and Bludhaven wasn't the safest place for a child to roam around by themselves, even in the daytime. Percy rushed towards the way Estelle had gone looking for the cat, frantically calling out her sister's name.

LINEBREAK

Dick shifted his elbows out and away from his side, trying to create space around his body for the breeze to blow through. Having to spend time outside walking around under the sun in his full-sleeved uniform had to be illegal. He could feel a bead of sweat trickle down his back, and he scowled to himself, as he wrote up another ticket for the car that had failed to insert enough quarters into the meter.

Parking meter duty was every cop's worst nightmare. No one willingly signed up for the job, but it had to get done, so it was usually thrust upon officers as an informal punishment. Dick tore the ticket out from the booklet's seams and slid it under the windshield wiper. Unfortunately, not every day of his job was exciting and eventful.

He walked down the row of vehicles, checking the lights on the meters for ones blinking red instead of green. From between two cars, his eyes caught a flash of something bright pink and he paused, taking a step backward.

A small girl was crouched down on her hands and knees near the back tires, sticking her little head as far under the car as it would go.

"Hello," Dick greeted, softly, so she didn't startle and hit her head.

When the girl emerged from under the car, Dick felt a little relieved, but he frowned at the imprint of gravel on her knees when she stood up.

"Hi?" she responded, cautiously.

Curious and clear blue eyes blinked up at him. The girl reached down and brushed the loose pebbles off her legs. Dick glanced around the parking lot, but he didn't see any other people around.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" he asked, careful to not get too close in case she was nervous around strangers.

Her body language didn't read skittish, but the girl scrunched her nose adorably.

"Looking for my cat," she informed him and bent down again to look under the opposite car.

"Hey, hold on," Dick scrambled to stop her from scraping her legs, "Where are your parents? Let me take you to them, I'm sure they're looking for you."

The girl tilted her head like she was deep in thought.

"Only if you help me find my cat after."

Dick raised his eyebrows at the conviction in her voice. She stared him down, unrelenting, and finally, he nodded. Anything was better than meter duty, he supposed.

"Alright, I'll help. I'm Dick," he introduced, leaning down and holding out a hand to shake, "What's your name?"

"Estelle," the girl replied, and placed her hand in his palm.

Dick tried not to coo at how tiny she was.

"That's a pretty name, Estelle," Dick grinned when she looked down shyly, "Do you have a phone number of a family member I can call?"

The girl rocked back and forth on her heels and nodded, waiting for Dick to pull out his phone before answering.

"My big sister," Estelle confirmed, rattling off a number she had clearly practiced memorizing.

He punched in the digits and hit the green button. The phone only rang once before the person on the other end picked up the call.

"Hello, this is Officer Grayson," he started, keeping his eyes trained on Estelle so she didn't run off again.

"Dick?" a female voice sounded from the speaker.

He blinked, taking a second to catalog the voice. He knew that surprised tone, having heard it say the exact same thing before, not too long ago, at the scene of an almost mugging.

"Percy?" he responded, just as incredulous.

He stared down at Estelle, finally seeing the resemblance. At first glance they looked almost nothing alike, having different colored hair and eyes, but now he realized that they had almost the exact same smile.

"How did you get this number?" she demanded, sounding somewhat out of breath, and agitated.

"I found Estelle," he replied quickly, knowing that her sister's absence was probably the source of her panic, "We're in the parking lot on the south side of the park."

Dick could practically hear the tension leave Percy over the phone.

"Thank god," she breathed, "I'll be there in a minute."

She ended the call right after, leaving Dick at the mercy of Estelle's narrowed eyes.

"How do you know my sister?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice.

"We're... friends," he explained lamely.

"I don't know you," Estelle accused, "I know all of her friends."

Dick floundered on how to reply to that. He and Percy were acquaintances at best, but he wasn't sure if the girl would know what that meant, so he had tried to keep it simple. Unfortunately, it seemed like that had backfired, leaving Estelle tapping her foot, waiting for an answer he didn't have.

LINEBREAK

Percy didn't fully relax until she reached the south parking lot and Estelle's bright pink shirt entered her field of vision. Her sister had her arms crossed, staring up at a man in a police uniform.

"Estelle!"

Her sister looked past Dick, expression changing to guilt when she caught sight of Percy running over to her.

"Where have you been?" she scolded, examining Estelle for injuries.

She frowned at the crinkled red skin on her sister's legs.

"I found her crawling under the cars," Dick chuckled from beside them.

"I was looking for the cat," Estelle pouted, "Mom says they go under cars when it's hot."

Percy ruffled Estelle's hair, concern melting away.

"You should've said something, you know it's not safe to roam around by yourself."

It wasn't just strangers Percy was worried about, although that was a valid concern to have, especially in Bludhaven. She was talking about the monsters that still occasionally popped up. After the wars, the attacks had definitely lessened in number, monsters taking longer than usual to reform, but that didn't mean demigods were always safe. In fact, just a few days ago, Percy had run into a pack of stray hellhounds near the docks she liked to frequent. She got lucky that she found them during Nightwing's absence and didn't have to explain whatever mist-fueled illusion he might've seen.

Estelle must've realized the true implication behind Percy's words because she nodded and adopted a more serious expression.

"Sorry, Percy," her sister apologized, chewing her lip, "I'll be more careful."

Percy looked over to Dick, who was standing with his hands in his pockets and observing them with a smile. The sun gleamed off his metal badge and brightened the blue of his eyes.

"Thanks for finding her," she said, genuinely grateful.

"It was no problem, I'm glad I did," he replied, instantly.

Maybe him showing up everywhere wasn't the worst coincidence that could happen. There were only a few people in Bludhaven that Percy would trust around her sister, but after seeing the way Dick glanced at Estelle softly, she considered adding another name to the list.

Percy slid the backpack off and handed it back to Estelle who looped it over her shoulders.

"Alright, time to go," Percy urged, planning to head straight home, if only so that she didn't have to play any more mythomagic.

"We can't, he promised to help me find my cat," Estelle insisted.

"It's not your cat," Percy said, dryly.

"Wait, it's not?" Dick cut in, looking confused.

"No," Estelle admitted, "But it will be."

Percy wanted to laugh at the way Dick's face contorted into mock betrayal.

"I'll help you," she offered, swallowing her amusement, "I'm sure Dick is busy."

"You have to keep your promise," Estelle demanded, and Percy had to smother another smile at the very serious stare she was giving Dick.

He glanced over at Percy helplessly, and she shrugged in response. She wouldn't mind the extra help, but she wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to.

"A promise is a promise," he said, slowly, "Where should we start?"

LINEBREAK

Percy strolled alongside Dick, occasionally gazing left and right to keep an eye out for the cat Estelle had claimed. Percy apparently had never even seen the cat herself, but her sister informed them that it was small, with a solid brown coat and yellow-green eyes. The search was quiet at first and consisted mostly of them keeping an eye on Estelle as the girl darted from bush to bush, and stopping her when she tried to climb into them to get a better look.

At this point, Dick took his current situation with Percy in stride, choosing not to question the, yet another, convenient meeting. It was weirdly casual, the way they walked beside each other in comfortable silence. At least here, the park's trees shielded them from the worst of the sun, but even that didn't stop Dick from feeling vaguely clammy.

"Don't you have more important work to do?" Percy teased suddenly, lightly bumping her shoulder with his as they walked.

Dick shouldn't have been as surprised at the physical contact as he was, but Percy didn't seem to have noticed her own actions, so he figured it didn't mean anything.

"I got stuck with parking meter duty," he replied, mentally wincing at how lame it sounded, and moved to try to salvage it, "It's not my usual responsibility, but I might've pissed off my supervisor."

"You have authority issues too?" Percy snorted, "What'd you do?"

"Well, sort of," Dick corrected, before admitting sheepishly, "Actually, I was...unnecessarily reckless with my safety."

Percy huffed in exasperation, as she peered into a nearby bush.

"Sounds like someone else I know."

Dick laughed, her attitude reminding him of how his rescuer last week had told him he needed to make better life decisions.

"My partner was mad at me too," he smirked, figuring from Percy's tone that she had felt the same way about whoever she was thinking about.

"So that's why they saddled you with this job, as punishment?"

Dick hummed in acknowledgment, but he didn't correct her on who he was really talking about.

"Sounds like you deserved it then," Percy remarked, but she was smiling.

"And what about your authority issues, huh? Don't think I missed the 'too'," Dick shot back, genuinely curious about what she could've meant.

"I got kicked out of almost every school I attended. My running streak for a while was six schools in six years," she revealed, her tone hardly embarrassed about the fact, "It's a miracle I made it through college."

Dick's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he looked over to study Percy in a new light. The woman was still scanning the park, looking intently for her little sister's future kitten. He believed her, but he had a hard time understanding why she was expelled so many times.

"Seriously? You don't seem like much of a troublemaker," he frowned.

Percy paused in her stride and turned to look at him, grin sharpening into something almost wolfish. The transformation in her expression was unexpected but looked completely natural on her face. Dick suddenly had no trouble accepting her claim.

"You sure about that?" she challenged.

He felt his breath catch in his throat. Her face was much closer than he had expected when he met her gaze. He had known her eyes were green, but up close the colors swirled unnaturally.

Estelle shouted their names from nearby, breaking the spell.

"Look what I found," she exclaimed, pointing at the bottom of a thick hedge.

Percy broke eye contact first and strode over to where Estelle was crouching. The airflow in his throat returned to normal and Dick followed, shaking his head. Entangled in the coarse branches of the hedge was a small tuft of brown fur that Estelle plucked out under their gaze. She brought it closer to their faces.

"It's the same color," she whispered, excited, "It was here."

"Maybe you should keep hanging out with Annabeth," Percy said, likely referencing something Dick didn't quite understand the meaning of, "Her genius is rubbing off on you."

Estelle beamed at the compliment.

LINEBREAK

They followed the clue in the hedge to a small path that forked off the main trail and this time, Percy insisted that Estelle walk between her and Dick, so she didn't get lost amongst the trees as they explored deeper into the park.

"That was really great detective work," Dick commented on Estelle's previous observation, sounding very much like a proud parent.

Percy watched as Estelle blushed, looking up at him with a small smile. Estelle wasn't a timid kid. She made friends with strangers easily and hardly got embarrassed, so the way she suddenly turned shy in front of Dick was especially amusing.

"I'm serious," he insisted, tapping a finger against the badge on his chest, "You could be a detective when you grow up. I'll even put in a good word with my boss, since you're so smart."

Estelle's cheeks reddened even further but she looked abnormally pleased. Percy's heart warmed at the interaction.

"No thanks," her sister said instead, shaking her head, "I'm gonna be Kid Flash."

Percy had no idea where the fixation on the speedster had come from or when it began, but she had a feeling that it was going to last a very long time. Children were weird like that, she had learned.

Dick paused in his step for a second to look down at Estelle.

"Now that's a good choice," he grinned, eyes glinting with something secretive.

"Thank you, I know," Estelle replied, looking unnecessarily smug as she stuck her tongue out at Percy.

Percy just groaned, and muttered, "Not this, again."

Dick looked between the two of them curiously.

"Percy's favorite superhero is Nightwing," Estelle revealed the source of their argument before Percy could wave it off.

Dick raised his eyebrows in surprise, and, even though her sister had said the hero's name in a derogatory tone, it looked like he was holding back a smile.

"Oh, really?"

Percy wasn't sure what was so funny. Dick had also asked her about Nightwing the day she went to the police station after the bank robbery, with the same weirdly amused tone. She had no idea what inside joke he had regarding her partner, but she wasn't sure she trusted the smirk on his face.

"You little brat," Percy playfully hissed at her baby sister, choosing not to respond to Dick, "The next time we go to the beach, I'm gonna let the sharks gobble you up."

Dick glanced at Percy, alarmed, but Estelle just giggled at the fake threat.

"They wouldn't, they're my friends," her sister chirped, and the man relaxed at her reaction.

As the trio continued walking along the path, Percy stretched her neck, feeling dampness at the base of her skull. The cool breeze had disappeared leaving them at the mercy of the humidity. She hoped they found the cat soon because the heat was starting to get unbearable. It looked like Dick was also having trouble enduring it, with the way he tugged the collar of his shirt away from his neck from time to time.

Percy had felt bad at first, at how Estelle had roped the man into helping them with her devious little eyes, but it seemed like Dick was actually enjoying himself, following them around the park. He was immersed in the search, and never once looked like he wanted to complain.

"What do you think this is, another clue?" Dick asked, false confusion coloring his voice.

Percy looked over to see him pointing to the dusty ground near the edge of the path. Estelle ran over immediately and gasped.

"Paw prints!" she exclaimed, "We can follow the trail!"

Estelle started to creep alongside the imprints in the dust, careful not to smudge them. Her sister looked incredibly proud of her deductive skills and Percy hung back a second, to catch Dick's eye.

'Nice one,' she mouthed at him, and he grinned back at her.

Estelle didn't have to walk far, because as soon as they emerged from another bundle of bushes, Percy caught sight of the cat they had been searching so hard for.

A large field lay before them, with a playground at the center, and another parking lot nearby. In a small sandpit, a few feet away from the enclosed square of woodchips, two young boys were crowding around a hissing creature. One was waving a toy shovel over the animal, laughing as it tried to fearfully retreat into an overturned bucket, and Estelle was running towards the sandpit, brandishing a large broken branch in her hand while yelling out some sort of war cry.

It took Percy a second to register the issue with what she was seeing, and she blanched, sprinting over to scoop up her little sister before she could do some serious damage. Thankfully, she stopped her before she reached the sandpit.

"Oh my gods, please don't do that again," Percy pleaded, snatching the stick away from Estelle's grip, "Mom will kill me if she thinks I'm teaching you how to fight."

"But you are," Estelle argued.

"Okay, true, but you need to use your words first," Percy chided, then lowered her voice, "They're not monsters, seastar."

Estelle frowned and crossed her arms.

"They were hurting my kitty."

"And that's very wrong of them," Percy agreed, and glanced over to the sandpit, "But look, Dick is talking to them right now."

Percy held her sister's hand and guided them over to catch the tail end of the man's speech, which seemed to consist of exactly what she had been telling Estelle.

"—very wrong. See how his tail is sticking up? He's not playing with you, he's scared. Next time, call an adult, okay?" Dick scolded, in a gentle voice.

The boys looked down at their shoes and muttered their apologies before scampering off. Percy gave her sister a knowing look and she too looked down in guilt for a moment. Then, Estelle crouched down near the bucket, peering inside to look at the quivering cat.

Percy and Dick stayed close behind, ready to pull Estelle away in case the cat lashed out.

"Come here, kitty," Estelle cooed, reaching out a hand but leaving it a foot away from the bucket.

They waited for almost a full minute, before, finally, the kitten slowly peeked his head out. His tail still stuck straight up, but as he sniffed Estelle's hand, it curled and relaxed. Finally, the cat forcefully nudged his nose against her sister's fingers, walking alongside her arm. He swiped his tail over her wrist, changed directions, and demanded to be pet again.

Estelle giggled and gave in to his request. When she sat down on the sand, the cat climbed over her legs, getting comfortable in her lap. As Estelle continued to stroke his back, a soft purring sound started to emanate from his chest, and she looked on in wonder.

Percy smiled, heart impossibly soft, and glanced over at Dick to see him wearing a matching grin.

LINEBREAK

Dick walked with them to the south parking lot, needing to return to that location anyway to pick up his patrol car. When they reached their destination, despite his shift being nearly over, he found himself feeling disappointed that the day was coming to an end.

"Heading back?" he asked, pausing on the sidewalk outside his car.

"Yeah, looks like we'll have to stop by the store to get some supplies," Percy hummed, glancing over at the kitten sleeping in Estelle's arms.

The little girl was holding tightly to her new companion, and Dick's lips tugged upwards at the way the cat's paws dangled over the side. Estelle shifted her grip and passed him on to Percy who carefully took the responsibility of carrying him, trying not to jostle him in his sleep.

Estelle held her arms out and Dick caught on to the signal immediately. He crouched down, and, sparing a glance to Percy to make sure it was alright, wrapped his arms around the little girl.

"Thank you for helping us," Estelle whispered, hugging him tightly.

Dick pulled away and ruffled her hair before standing up.

"It was very nice meeting you, Estelle," he replied, smiling softly at the girl.

He watched as Estelle gestured towards her sister to give her kitten back, her hand curling around to support his stomach. Then, he unlocked his car, climbed into the passenger seat, and rolled down his window.

"I'll see you around?" he asked, eyes locking with Percy.

The last time they had met, the woman had seemingly lacked any further interest in him, but today, Dick thought that they had shared a moment or two. He felt like he was just starting to get to know the real her and sue him if he had a little hope that she might actually agree to meet him again.

Percy's lips quirked upwards as she nodded and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye.

"I'll let you know the name Estelle picks out," she said.

Dick grinned brightly at the promise of another conversation.

"You have my number," he replied, before backing out of the parking spot.

In his rearview mirror, Percy smiled, leaning over to wipe some dirt off Estelle's cheek as her sister continued to wave enthusiastically until he was no longer in sight. Maybe meter duty wasn't so bad, Dick decided.

LINEBREAK

"Don't be mad," was the first thing she said when her mom opened the front door.

Percy stepped to the side, revealing Estelle snuggling her new pet in her arms. They had already bought a litterbox, dry and wet food cans, and several toys, all of which Percy was lugging around in the giant bag that currently rested near her feet. Estelle had also insisted on a collar with a clip-on bowtie, and Percy had watched the kitten continuously fall over all night, struggling with the new sensation, before finally getting used to it.

Her mom stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised.

"Estelle found him in the park," Percy confessed, quick to shift the blame.

"Thirty-six hours," Sally began, and Percy winced, "I left you alone with her for thirty-six hours."

The kitten yawned, a quiet chirp escaping his throat, and blinked blearily. His eyes remained tiny slits as Estelle shifted her hands to boop him on the nose, and he took the opportunity to lick her finger.

"Does he have a name?" Sally asked, sighing, and stepping to the side to allow her daughters to pass through and into the apartment.

"And does he need a vet?" Paul asked, appearing beside them, hands still engulfed in oven mitts.

Percy felt a surge of love for her parents.

"Not yet, and probably," she answered, setting the large bag of supplies down near the coat closet.

"Alright, I'll book an appointment," her mother conceded, "Percy, sweetie, help Paul with breakfast? Estelle and I will get the newest family member settled in, and then we'll join you."

Estelle grinned in triumph, and followed their mom down the hallway to her room, leaving Percy at the end of her stepdad's amused stare.

"Not my fault," Percy was quick to correct, "You try telling Estelle no."

Paul shook his head as they walked into the kitchen.

"It's too quiet around here since you've moved out. And the responsibility will be good for her," Paul reasoned.

The man used his gloved hand to grip the still-cooling tray and move it from the stove to the trivets on the dining table.

"Are you telling me you miss our monster slaying days?" Percy laughed, settling dishware down on the placemats, "Muffins?"

"Ah, it feels like only yesterday I picked up a sword," Paul joked back, "They're oatmeal raisin. And can you get the eggs?"

Percy brought the bowl over to the table, watching the steam rise after she uncovered it. Together, she and Paul distributed the food, scooping scrambled eggs and a breakfast muffin onto every plate. Her mom and Estelle joined just in time after they had finished laying out all the condiments.

Percy scarfed down her food, letting her sister recount their time in Bludhaven. Estelle spent at least a few minutes gushing about Percy's suit, which made Percy grin into her glass of orange juice. For the most part, though, she remained silent and allowed the conversation to unfold without her. She had pushed her superhero worries out of her mind as much as possible over the weekend, but with her sister bringing up the suit, she couldn't help but focus on those other concerns.

"Honey," her mom piped up, and it took Percy a second to realize she was being addressed, "Are you okay?"

Percy could've said that she was fine and moved on. Sally probably wouldn't have believed it, but she would've let it go, at least. However, she had never made it a habit of lying to her mom, even through all of her demigod adventures, and she wasn't about to start now.

"I'm worried about Nightwing," she confessed, "We've been working together on a case. I helped him out of some trouble a couple of days ago, and he's recovering, so he's probably fine, but I'm worried anyway because..."

Sally's eyes softened as she watched Percy struggle with finishing her thought. The woman placed her fork down, adopting an understanding look that gave Percy the courage to keep going.

"Because I like him," Percy muttered, looking down into her plate, but everyone at the table heard it.

Percy had known it for a while, having combed through her emotions after returning from California. The way she had reacted surpassed the boundaries of acquaintances, friends, and even just physical attraction. She had come to terms with the fact that she had romantic feelings for the other superhero the day after she rescued him, but it was the first time she was saying it aloud. She had yet to even tell Annabeth, the person who was usually the first witness to all of her thoughts and life-changing realizations.

Percy looked up to see Paul close his eyes in exasperation.

"No part of our lives will ever be ordinary," he sighed, mostly to himself, "My daughter's in love with a superhero."

Percy blushed brightly, sipping her juice to get through the embarrassment.

"Never said I was 'in love'," she muttered, again, but this time no one acknowledged her correction.

Her mom, on the other hand, smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Oh, honey, that's so wonderful," she replied, shooting her husband a warning glance that lacked any real heat, "I just want to see you happy."

The red in Percy's cheeks deepened, and she didn't know which reaction to her statement was more embarrassing, her mom's or her stepdad's.

Before she could mumble a half-hearted, "Thanks, mom," into her food, Estelle finally spoke up, in her classic 'stay silent and observe until she has something to say' fashion.

"What about Dick?"

Percy coughed sharply, food catching in her throat. Her mom and Paul looked between the two of them, aghast, but Percy was too busy occupied with choking to death to be able to say anything. Paul's face was ashen as he opened his mouth soundlessly.

"You know," Estelle continued, chewing on her muffin, "From the park today."

Percy wanted to cry at the looks her parents were giving her, but thankfully a gulp of her drink dislodged the eggs enough for her to speak.

"His name is Richard," she corrected quickly, before taking another sip to soothe her throat.

Her parents finally relaxed in their seats, realizing that they didn't have to have a certain conversation earlier than necessary.

"Who's Richard, honey?" Sally asked, directing the question to Estelle because Percy was still recovering.

"Percy's friend, he's a police officer," Estelle chirped through a mouthful of food, "He helped me find my cat!" She swallowed before continuing, "He's really, really nice and his eyes are really, really blue."

Percy thought that the last description was wholly unnecessary, even if it was something that she had also noticed.

"That's your favorite color, right?" Estelle asked her, innocently.

Percy froze.

"A cop, huh," Paul mused, rubbing his stubble, "I think a nice, normal boy would be good for you."

"It's not like that. I don't like him like that, he's not—," Percy blanched, the words tumbling out of her too fast and then suddenly not at all.

The realization dawned on her as she tried to mentally explain to herself why her excuses had cut off so fast, the fact that she was even considering them to be 'excuses' being the first clue. Her brain took her back to her day at the park, and she reexamined all of her interactions with Dick. She hadn't spared much attention to him at first, but yesterday, she had gotten to know him, at least a little, and actually had fun exploring the park, talking to him, and watching him interact with Estelle. She remembered how much she had smiled around him, and laughed.

"I think Percy would be better off with a superhero," her mom said pointedly, looking at Paul, "To help keep her safe."

Paul snorted.

"From what Percy said, it seems like she's the one keeping him safe."

Sally shook her head, saying something else in Nightwing's favor, but Percy tuned the rest of the conversation out in favor of her new and rapidly building crisis.

Almost five years without feeling anything remotely romantic towards someone and suddenly, she had crushes on two separate people? Percy could admit with certainty that her feelings for Nightwing were definitely stronger, but she couldn't just ignore her feelings for Dick. She didn't even realize that she had them, but it seems like they snuck up on her, which was insane, she tried to argue with herself, because she barely knew the man. But that didn't change the way his smiling face refused to leave her mind, joining the space that used to only be occupied by Nightwing.

"Nuh uh, dad's right," she heard Estelle say insistently, "Nightwing's lame, but Dick would be a good brother."

Sally crossed her arms and chose to direct her opposition toward Paul instead of her young daughter.

"I think I would trust a superhero over a police officer," her mom frowned.

As her family continued to argue about who would be better for Percy, the girl in question covered her face, the conversation absolutely not helping her emotional struggle. Scratch what she had thought before, about whether her mom or stepdad's reaction was worse. Estelle definitely won the competition, she decided, wishing she could just melt into the ground.

AN:

Struggled with this chapter for two weeks before finally getting it to a place I liked T-T

Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed reading it and let me know what you thought! I love reading and rereading your comments!