Demon

John Constantine was sitting at a table having a smoke in between drinks. He'd been hearing about paranormal sightings in Illinois, and thanks to this country's lack of good public transportation, he was currently resting at a college town 4 hours from his destination.

"You shouldn't be smoking. It will make your lung cancer worse."

John turned his head to see a black-haired blue-eyed twenty something staring at with a vacant expression. There was something off about him, but being half drunk he couldn't quite pinpoint what.

"And what's it to you?" he asked completely unamused.

"You need to be alive for at least the next 6 years."

Was this some kind of prank? "Piss off."

"They'll die if you aren't there to save them," he said and then vanished into thin air.

John dropped his cigarette and stared at the vacant space the guy was in, completely gobsmacked. That was definitely paranormal. Maybe he had arrived to his destination after all.

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10 minutes later, a duo of friends walked out of that diner laughing and joking, and were quickly joined by a third coming from an alleyway.

"Did you get a good look at his face?" asked the one that came from the alley.

"It was priceless. I wish I got a picture," said Sam, chuckling.

"You know, I'm glad I'm not the one with ghost powers because if it was me I would've started laughing and ruined the whole prank."

"Eh, it was really close. I was holding my breath to not laugh until i reached the alley."

"What do you think the chances are that you'll see him again?" asked Sam.

"Like before I leave? Probably not." Danny had classes in the afternoon, and his university was a 4 hour drive from Tucker and Sam's. (They couldn't find a college that had great ecology, computer science, aerospace, and astronomy programs that accepted all of them.)

"I was thinking more like ever."

Tucker laughing "Years from now he goes grocery shopping and bam! There's Danny in the produce section!"

Danny shrugged "What? The deliverers of vague omens have to eat too. Oh! And by the way, did you stop smoking?"

Whenever I redesign Danny's ghost form in my aus and try to incorporate the trope of "ghosts containing features that symbolize the way they died" into the design, my mind always inevitably wanders to the full extent of injuries his corpse could have sustained.

And, inevitably, since I tend to lean towards "plausible realism", my mind always wanders to how graphic those injuries would be.

Whether its the electricity that kills him or the radiation/plasma of the portal itself, the end result is the same: Danny is hit with enough sheer energy to rip a hole through reality.

His corpse is going to be covered in severe, charred black burns. If we wanna follow the route of high voltage electrocution: hello exposed bone.

That's enough heat to fuse the fabric of his suit to his skin. To steal from a friend: his eyes are gonna pop like grapes. Melt right out of his head.

Melt everything else too!

Some socialite telling him that he can’t bring his kids to events, asking what his mother would have said and Bruce deadpans and goes, ‘I think she would have liked to have met her grandchildren. But of course, she never did’

His med school lecturers threatening to flunk him if he doesn’t hand in his essay on blood loss, only for Bruce to say ‘it’s just a touchy subject for me’ and the lecturer blue screening because shit

Some rogue tries to kidnap Bruce at some event, holding a gun to his head, just for Bruce to look at the rogue, almost tearfully and be like ‘i always knew I would end up like my dad’ and the rogue just panics because now they are in a room with a bunch of pissed off people because they’ve almost made the Princess Diana of Gotham cry.

Clark gets mad at him over something, yelling at him and of course Bruce is just no listening so Clark just snaps, Ma Kent’s favourite phrase of ‘who raised you???’ Only to completely fucking choke, pray for the ground to swallow him up because Bruce’s expression just slips a little (inside he’s hysterically laughing). Clark comes by again with a batch of cookies.

Batman was once scolding Robin for sneaking out in the middle of winter without proper clothing and Superman stood up to defend Robin.

Batman just fixed him with a look, squared his shoulders and said

“Clark Joseph Kent. Sit down.”

And SUPERMAN was SAT.

He's a short little thing, who glows and waves around a little sword. Sometimes he has a ship, sometimes he doesn't.

The kid keeps saying that it only fits that Bludhaven be his haunt, because it has "blud" in it and his name is "Youngblood".

Also he has declared Nightwing to be his nemesis.

Nightwing loves it; he gets to have at least one day a week that's just goofing off with a kid who can't be hurt by any of his regular villains. Their "fights" are more like play dates, if he's being honest, and Youngblood is a good kid.

Sometimes he's swinging from the sails of the kids ghost ship, dodging "ecto blasts", other times he's "teaming up" with Youngblood and "sword fights" another spectral Hero, called Phantom.

Generally, they all have a good time.

Until one day, he stumbles across some men in white suits actually managing to hurt the ghost child.

Its amazing how much can be hidden by a sunny smile - like plots for murder and retribution! :D

Also, @ghostthatstartedbecomingphysical brings up a good point:

Dick: "He says it's cuz you guys are getting old"

Like he puts on the Nightwing costume and feels like a kid again, let’s himself fly like he did as a kid, let’s himself be playful.

Or maybe in a self-deprecating way he only sees himself as playing at being a hero, pretending he’s big and strong when he’s really just a kid in a costume always following in Batman’s footsteps.

But! Perhaps the existence of Youngblood could have him loosening up a bit on the self depricating route or maybe encouraging him to bring some joy and childishness into his civillian life as well!

Jason: Its because Dick was the golden boy and now Bruce is vainly searching for someone he loves as much as him.

Tim: Maybe he was just using that decade as a trial run to see how a side kick adjusted to becoming a fully fledged vigilante? And once Dick proved the concept he went all in?

Jason: I get why the rule is important to you. I respect it but come on, there has to be some people that you consider killing.

Cass: No.

Jason: People who say shit like "as a" something or other to butt in on people's arguments?

Cass: No.

Jason: People who snap their fingers at wait staff.

Cass: It's rude but no, not even then.

Jason: Dick when he leaves the toilet seat up.

Cass:

Cass: No.

Jason: Now I know you're lying. Your bitch ass folded like sheet last night. I heard you screaming from the fucking Cave. And you want to tell me that I'm wrong?

Cass, with a shit eating grin: No. Killing is wrong.

percy is not an unreliable narrator, he just hates himself.

thats it. thats literally the only thing that makes him unreliable. youre calling him 'slow' or 'oblivious' because he didnt realize nico, annabeth, rachel etc. were in love with him? no he just didnt realize that anyone could loev him. because he sure didnt.

percy also always underplayed his own abilities, because he hates himself. he has shitty self esteem, of course hes going to mention only the basics, he thinks hes fucking sucks at everything.

Pa Kent: Good morning Alfred. Are you busy today? Ma and I are in Gotham for that fancy art gallery Clark is writing about. Did you have some time to meet us for lunch before the event?

Alfred: Oh, sorry, Pa, unfortunately, I have my hands full with the latest shenanigans of the children.

Pa: Oh? What happened?

Alfred: Master Dick, has discovered he is a father.

Pa shocked: Dick has kids?

Alfred: Yes, we believe they're from the same place as Mister Bart Allen.

Pa: Oh. That makes sense. How is Dick handling everything?

Alfred: Very well. He's ecstatic to be a father. It's his children who are....reluctant.

Pa: What do you mean?

Alfred: Hold on. Let me send you a picture of the children when Master Dick told them he was thier father.

Danny/Dan/Dani:

Pa: Well....they certainly resemble Dick. He looked the same when I asked him to help me birth a calf. How old are they?

Alfred: Master Dan is the oldest; he's twelve. Master Daniel is the middle one at ten, and Miss Danielle is the youngest at eight. They're sweet children, but they do not seem interested in being brought into the Waynes' home. They've negotiated with Master Bruce to get them rooms at the most expensive hotel in Gotham, in exchange for not running away. It took us months to even corner them.

Pa: Wow that sounds so stressful. I understand that your busy we could reschedule-

Ma taking the phone: Alfred, let Dick handle his kids. You deserve a day off. Join us for lunch, wine and dine at the art gallery with us and if the night goes well, let us get you naked between us.

Pa scandalized in the background: That's too forward!

Alfred: What time and where are we doing lunch?

Bruce sitting across from Alfred and overheard everything: Now Clark will know the pain of the butler dating one's parents. Let's see him laugh now. I hope he suffers.

Maddie: Your father and I knew that you were disappointed to miss out on the family reunion because of your husband's surgery, so we decided to skip it this year and come give you some support in caring for him!

Jack: As well as giving you a break. You must be under so much stress taking care of him and the kids!

Danny, having been lying about his marriage for the past two years to get out of family obligations: Wow... that's so sweet of you.

Maddie: I'm so excited to meet everyone! When you said you were moving to a new Earth, I knew communication through the Ghost Zone was going to be rough, but only being able to connect audio calls once every four months was much harder to endure than I thought it would be.

Jack: Not to mention traveling here. We had to do so many pit stops to fix up the Spectator Speeder and let me tell you, some of those floating rocks were hard to land on. Sometimes makes me wish we had your ghosts powers.

Danny: Yeah....you both went through so much effort. To vist me. In a different dimension.

Maddie: We three! Jazz is here too.

Danny: *gulps* The whole family is here.

Jack: Oh, don't make that face. The Fenton Reunion happens every four years. We'll see your aunts, uncles, and cousins next time. You're much more important to us, so no need for guilt.

Danny: I- right. Of course. Um, have you guys eaten? I can treat us to some dinner before we go back to my place. My, um, husband is at a doctor's appointment with my eldest while I did some work. I'm going on emergency family leave but I had to fill out the paperwork at the office today. Yup yup, thats why I'm here. At my workplace.

Maddie: You alright sweetie? You're sweating a lot.

Danny: I'm fine!

Jack: You work here? This office building is so nice. What does Wayne Enterprise do? I know you have a management position but I never really understood what department exactly.

Danny, who works in the mail room: Um, Wayne Enterprise does a little of everything. I'm in... communications.

Jack: But what exactly does communications do-

Danny: Excuse me for a bit. I have to let my husband know I'm going to be a little late.

Maddie: Oh! Don't tell the kids we're here. We want it to be a suprise. We brought gifts for all of them! Jazz is actually wrapping them up in the Speeder now!

Danny: Ha ha ha ha of course! Excuse me! *walking away pretending to be tapping a contact on his phone* shit shit shit. What do I do???

Damian appearing from the shadows: You told falsehoods.

Danny: Agh!

Damian: ....

Danny: Mr. Wayne Al Ghul! I-ugh- hello! I mean, good afternoon, sir. I ugh-

Damian: Silence

Danny: Yes sir.

Damian: I heard everything, and while I normally find lies distasteful, I find your parents endearing. It could benefit my family. I shall give you aid in your facade.

Danny: What?

Damain: My father recently had surgery on his right hip- a accident on our extreme skiing trip- and refuses to listen to our family doctor. He will not get the proper bed rest he's been ordered, but he would if you acted like his very upset husband with visting in-laws.

Danny: I- Mr. Wayne would never agree to that.

Damian: You seem to believe Father has a choice.

Danny: I-

Damian: I messaged Richard about the plan. He's gathering my siblings' support as we speak. When you arrive after dinner with your family, Father will have no time to deny anything. We shall trap him in social expectations. By the way, you are Timothy's safe queer adult who was there for him in the early years of his self-discovery journey and now he wants to help you. Its how we guilt trip father.

Danny: I can't lie to Bruce Wayne like that!

Damian: It's too late. Timothy already made a shirt of your face with the words "My Gay Yoda" on it. Your path has been chosen.

Danny: What-

Jack: Danny? Who's this?

Damian holding out his arms for a hug: Grandfather, I am Damian, Father's and Dad's youngest.

Jack: Damian! Its so nice to met you. Call me Gran-papa! *crushes him in a bear hug*

Damian in the most monotone voice ever: Gran-papa, I can not feel my arms.

Maddie: Aren't you just the cutest! Danny used to say the same thing at your age whenever his dad hugged him. I'm your Gran-mama, by the way! JAZZ COME MEET THE BABY!

Jason: “Just gotta wait until the Stockholm Syndrome kicks in!”

Danny: “Actually, that is a phony diagnosis created by a sexist psychiatrist who saw a hostage situation on TV and decided that the woman, in fight-flight-fawn mode, was in love with the man waving a gun at h-"

Jason: *raises eyebrow*

Danny, realizing: "Oh, you meant it as a joke… Ancients, I sounded like Jazz there.” *shudders*

Dick, exasperated: “Monkey see, monkey do, after all…”

Danny, eating a snack: "Actually, monkeys mimic behavior as a form of communication and survival, while the so-called Chameleon Effect is influenced by a desire to fit in and be liked by the people around us. It's also influenced by a part of the brain that certain- *pauses* *pushes snack away* And that was super fucking weird to bring up all of a sudden, sorry, what were we talking about?" *face screwed up in disgust*

Dick: *is just amused*

Damian, angry enough to turn red: "-I will eviscerate you so much that even your mother would be disgusted by your incompetent-"

Danny, off to the side and kinda zoned out: "Did you know that excess violence in teenagers, while typically attributed towards early childhood development by those around the teenager, is almost always caused by their current situation and a feeling of estrangement, lack of control, or- wow, yea, okay, I'm shutting up now, I just realized what I sounded like. Uegh."

Damian, suddenly calm: "You bring up a valid point, Daniel. Come, make your argument in front of father. Please."

Tim: "I'll sleep when I'm dead; for now, there's coffee."

Jason: "That shit stunts your growth, pipsqueak."

Danny: "That was actually debunked. What coffee does do is it blocks your adenosine receptors and enhances your dopamine signaling, increasing your mood and motivation as well as enhancing your memory, and then it also improves your attention and alertness. However, it also increases your anxiety and sleep disturbances, which can mess up your memory consolidation and brain recovery." *makes a disgusted face* *shudders* *takes a sip of an energy drink* "Anyways, ignoring all that nonsense that I'm definitely ignoring that I've accidentally memorized, sleeping when you're dead is also a myth. I would know." *chugs energy drink*

Perhaps Aphrodite took their friendship for granted. Perhaps she didn't truly realize how much it meant to her. Not until she burned that bridge beyond repair. When her vanity led her to offer Helen of Sparta to Paris. A woman who was kidnapped once before by Theseus. Who was one of the many demigods cherished by Lady Loyalty.

Stephanie: We have bad news Tim. You should sit down.

Tim: Oh shit did someone actually die?? Who was it this time?

Dick: Remember that civilian that we catch trailing after us every so often? The one who was involved in the Penguin incident awhile ago?

Tim: Oh. Clarissa O’Neal? What about her?

Damian: She was taken hostage by one of Black Masks henchmen. We didn’t make it in time to save her.

Tim: ? And that’s why you guys are so upset? C’mon guys lighten up, it’s movie night

Jason, getting visibly pissed: What the Fuck dude. A civilian we were close to fucking died because we didn’t make it in time

Dick: I know you didn’t like her much but show a bit of empathy Timmy. You usually take these situations seriously

Tim: I’ve been trying to kill her off for ages. Why would I be upset??

Steph: Tim you have 10 seconds to fix your attitude before i fix it for you

Jason: Since when do you take people’s lives so lightly? Dude you need to leave before I do something i regret.

Tim: I didn’t know you guys were so attached to her. I could revive her if you want, but honestly it’s more effort than it’s worth. And she was getting unwanted attention from the rogues so she had to go.

Damian: Revive?? Timothy what are you on about? And why are you saying that like you personally set up her demise?

Tim: Because I did? The planning for it took forever but I have to admit everything went a lot better than I was expecting.

Dick: TIM WHAT—

Jason: WHAT THE HELL—

Damian: MURDER? You?!

Steph, screaming over everyone else: WAIT SHUT UP

Steph: TIM NO YOU DID NOT

Steph: TIM DON’T TELL ME YOU DID IT AGAIN

Dick: Again?!? What are you talking about?!

Steph, laughing: Guys calm down. HE was Clarissa

Tim: You guys didn’t know??

Jason: HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT THE HISPANIC LOOKING WOMEN IN HER MID TWENTIES AND A CRIME ALLEY ACCENT WAS YOU

Dick: Tim i am THIS CLOSE to burning down your disguise room.

Damian: Timothy explain yourself

Tim: I had an undercover op that I needed a female field agent for a couple years ago to infiltrate penguins operations. Over time She became a bit too important and Black mask was threatening her. So I decided to kill her off. I got the info I needed already and it was becoming a bit of a drag keeping up appearances

Steph: You need to stop getting us emotionally invested in your aliases and then killing them off. This is the fourth time you did this to me. I’ll never forgive you for Alvin Draper, I still grieve him even though i know you’re alive!

Tim: YOU guys need to start recognizing me in disguise. Worlds greatest detectives MY ASS

Jason: DUDE YOU GAVE YOURSELF DOUBLE D’s WHY WOULD WE ASSUME THAT WAS YOU

Damian: My training in this area has been neglected. Timothy show me your disguise lair

Tim: Sure, after movie night. Let’s go

Dick: This is gonna bite us in the ass. Damian is already so good at impressions. We will never know if someone we are talking to is him or not

Tim: LMAO When i’m done with him? Yea everyone’s fucked

Steph: It’s gonna give Roger from American dad

Bruce from the corner: *Breathes a sigh of relief*

My core change would be: stop having her care about an idealized perfect family. She's been cheated on for millenia. 1 in 3 Olympians are bastards. Her father literally ate her. She's married to her brother for fuck's sake. Hera ain't no dummy, she knows her family is weird beyond belief.

Instead, have her primary motivation be keeping that weird-ass family together at all costs, because someone has to. She'll still punish her husband's bastards because stopping now would be admitting defeat (or worse, that she was wrong to do so in the first place) but it's strictly business. It doesn't even mess with the main plot beats, she'd still help out in BotL and she'd still be willing to kidnap Percy, but she'd probably be apologetic about it at least. But she immediately clocks Nico's dad and is like "Oh perfect! A way to get my eldest brother out of the underworld more often!"

And if you need her to have antagonism with Annabeth, you can have Hera encourage her to give up on Percy and have Annabeth take offense. From Annabeth's perspective, she already feels insecure with Rachel and feels like Hera is saying she isn't good enough. But Hera just doesn't want the risk of a bad Percabeth breakup triggering a war between Poseidon and Athena.