His eyes ached sorely, it was that one ache that presses against the back of your sockets. He stared at the screen blankly, the white light making his features almost glow in the darkness of his office. His eyes closed for only a second, blocking out the ache caused by the computer screen he had been staring at for hours.

It seemed like the world was out to get him, the worst villains in Gotham wanting to hear their names screamed by the innocent. The man sitting in front of the computer screen had not slept in 42 hours and it had been catching up to him. His eyes drooped again before he decided that maybe he didn't need to read every file, today anyway.

The man wore a dark expression as he remembered what has driven him to become this. The figure that stared at him back through the computer screen was not what he wanted to become when he was young, yet it was everything he had always yearned for. Somehow he managed to become what he had always wanted, but what he had always feared he would become.

He had become reserved, withdrawn, intemperate and at the same time he became powerful. The man reflected of the computer screen was the ceo of one of the most richest companies in the world. The man that had circles etched deep beneath his eyes was a publicised billionaire with more money than he knew what to do with.

That was all he was to anyone, a billionaire playboy. Of course he could care less about what people thought about him, but it darkened his thoughts to know that so many of the media's voices were right.

He wanted to do justice to those who had made him suffer for so long, so he did. He wanted to keep the streets of Gotham safe, he didn't want anyone to suffer the way he had.

The man that stared back at him was not who he wanted to be, he wasn't him. He was split between two people, two identities, one of his past and one of his creation. He didn't want to be the man who sat at a desk for the rest of his days.

No.

He had three identities, one the the knight of Shadows, one the billionaire built by the media, and the man when at the end of the day sleeps alone in the middle of a large manor. He didn't want any of these identities, but he was all of them. They were him.

He slammed the dreaded piece of technology shut bathing the room in darkness. The man rubbed his temples letting the exhaustion flow over him. Who did he want to be?

Whatever it was, it was none of what he had.

He could have whatever he wanted, yet it was nothing he could buy. He felt empty, void of his emotions, if he was being honest it scared him. Nothing could ever scare him, he had built walls for his mind, wall that were fortified and defended, but here was that feeling once more. It didn't scare him per say, he was more unsettled and ashamed. He let himself become austere, he had let himself become the man with no emotion, how could he be proud of himself for that?

The man stared blankly into the darkness, never letting his emotions show through his expression, no one needed to know what he was feeling. No one needed to know how much he missed his younger self, he had changed too much. His younger self was almost vibrant, he had a light shining through the darkness, the man that he saw in his reflection had been solitary for too long, not much remained of the young hopeful boy.

All of these identities, they were him, what he always wanted to be but what he had always feared he'd become.

He sat back into his chair and checked his watch, it was time to leave but he was never home on time anyway. The man reopened his computer and stared at the screen like he had before, trying not to think about his past. His past was behind him now.

His future was something he could always hope for but he couldn't linger on the past mistakes and moments that made him like this. All of the people he left behind, all of the lies he had told to her, he wouldn't be having a problem with his choices if it wasn't for her. She was on his computer screen.

She still had the untamed blond hair that was naturally highlighted in multiple places making it look different shades all over. Her features were smooth and tan, she didn't wear an ounce of makeup except for on her eyes and it brought out the color of her irises. That was the tell tale sign it was her, the color of her eyes, they sparkled with multiple colors if grey and they held a storm in them that made her look fierce.

The image was of her looking to the right, her face bathed in shadows and the background a deep grey. On top of the news article picture was a headline, a sight that almost made him smile. 'CEO Of Acropolis Architectural Firm'.

It was her that he had left in his past, everyone else in what he had called him home for almost 4 years had ignored him and made him feel alone, by himself in silence to deal with his parents death. She was there though, she was as equally as lost as he was.

He could still remember her fierce eyes from when they first talked.

---FLASHBACK---

He was staring at to the roof of the Athena cabin when he heard it.

He couldn't sleep, it evaded him like it knew what sleep held. Sleep held nightmares, sleep held a distraction for the discontent that resided in his bones but with it, it brought nightmares, sometimes memories.

So there he was staring at at the roof trying desperately to become tired but his mind was running to fast, he couldn't stop thinking. With his face bathed in shadows he closed his eyes him hope that his mind would follow but it was useless.

He slammed his head onto the mattress and shifted his body to were he was laying on his but found that he couldn't get comfortable in any position he was in. He continued to stare at the ceiling trying to calm his mind when he heard a noise.

It made all of his rampaging thoughts come to a halt. The sound was a sharp intake of breath like someone was trying to stop crying. The sound was followed by several sniffles and he found that the sounds came from directly below him.

He silently twisted his body so that he was laying on his stomach and peered over the edge, his black hair falling in strands into his face. What he saw made his heart clench, his new sister was curled into a small ball facing to the wall with tear stained cheeks. She had curly blond hair that was pulled into a bun and the large grey comforter was pulled around her shaking form.

He found himself jumping down from his bunk and looming over the small girl not knowing what to do. After a moment of biting his lip and trying to think about how in the hell he was going to help her he reached over and rubbed her shoulders.

Her immediate reaction was jolting up and staring at him startled. He mentally slapped himself in the face for being so stupid and stuttered out a sorry.

"Are you ok?" He questioned quietly observing how her face dropped and eyes lost her gleam. Her mouth form into a frown and she closed her eyes wiping them, trying to look like she wasn't just crying.

"Yes." He stared at her for a moment before looking around at all their sleeping cabin mates biting his lip. An idea popped into his mind and he stood up abruptly and return a soft gaze to the curious child.

"Come with me." He reached into his drawer and pulled out a black hoodie and a thin blanket. He cocked his head to the door and the girl still had  apprehensive features but scrambled off of the bottom bunk. After pulling on the hoodie he quietly open the door to the silver cabin and tiptoed out, the child on his heals.

"Where are we going?" She questioned  and he looked back to her with a mysterious gaze. He circled around to the back of the cabin and stood in front of where a great oak tree was grounded.

With one last glance to the girl he ran at the tree full speed using his momentum to push up the bark about five feet and grabbing onto one of its thinner branches. He swung, still hanging by his hands, onto the neighboring branch that elevated and hung over the cabin.

Looking down to the child he bent over and held his hand down to where he could pull her up. When he motioned for her to grab it she looked at him like he was crazy. After a moment of stillness she looked around her surroundings and swallowed the lump on her throat, walking over and grabbing the outstretched appendage.

Soon they were both climbing their way up the branch, dropping down silently on top of the silver cabin. He sat down at the edge of the cabin and she plopped down next to him her features more relaxed than before, but she still looked like she had just watched someone die, he knew that looked well.

"What was it about?" He asked looking to the stars that shone brightly in the light less camp. Her gaze fell onto his face as she tried to form words and out of his peripheral vision he perceived tears forming.

"What was what about?" She shot back almost defensively, wiping her eyes again. He just kept his gaze on the lightening horizon.

"The dream." Came the reply from his lips and she looked down looking like she was trying to swallow a golf ball. A shiver racked her small form as a gust of wind blew over them, her thin orange shirt not doing anything to keep the cold away and he unwrapped the blanket from around his shoulders, finally handing it to her. She gazed into his adept eyes and a tear slipped over her face grabbing the thin blanket and positioning it over her form.

"Thalia, " She said after a moment gazing in the same direction as him and he turned his head looking at her curiously, "My dream, it was about Thalia," she elaborated meeting his gaze.

"The daughter of Zeus?" He questioned and she nodded closing her eyes tight. He placed an arm around her she took a shaky breath before continuing.

"She was like my sister." She looked back to the horizon was starting to gain hues of red. "She sacrificed herself on the hill so we could make it into camp." Her voice was strained but strong and she held a look of anguish in her shattered eyes, stormy eyes, eyes full of intelligence and wisdom.

"Bruce." He stated stretching out a hand for the girl the shake. Her tear stained cheeks gained an orange highlight as the first rays of light spilled over the horizon. With sparkling stormy eyes she took his hand and shook it, a small smile stretching over her face.

"Annabeth." She leaned into his side as they both watched the rising sun bathed the valley below in golden light. 

---FLASHBACKOVER---

He stretched a hand over his chin as he stared at the image a moment longer, wondering. She was so lost when they met, they both were, they didn't know that life could get worse. When he had left her he didn't intend to leave her forever. He thought that maybe life would give him breathing room, but here he was 15 years since he had last saw her and life hadn't let up on its relentless storm.

This one girl, woman now, made him question all his choices. His choice to run from the life that he could have chosen, the life that he was offered. He had a choice between her and his dreams, now that he looks back on it his dreams had made him into something he didn't want to become. If he had a second chance, he would have chosen her.

It was in the past, the past was over, he couldn't go back on his choice now.
He had intended for that last greeting to not be the end, he had intended to become something that he could be proud of, he had intended to leave a life behind but take a piece with him to hold. He had many intentions, he had several opportunities to go down a road that he wanted, but he took too many wrong turns. He was lost.

He rubbed his eyes and checked the time on his watch. 8:37. Sighing he stood up from his desk, legs sore from sitting hours on end. Taking once glance at the picture he shut the laptop and shoved it into his bag.

Shadows danced along the halls as lights were turned out from offices and people started to end their days. The walls were white and most of the offices of the Wayne Tech building were glass so everything looked sleek and technological but it was missing something. He couldn't quite grasp what it was, but it was missing a feeling to it. It seemed like the design was dull, as if the mood of everyone in the facility affected to look.

He shook the thought out of his head as he entered his evaluator. He had built the tallest building in Gotham so it was a while before it finally stopped at ground level. The piece of machinery dinged and he stepped out into the lobby where florescent light shone brightly.

He had no idea why he was questioning his life choices now, he had become successful, feared. He wasn't lost, he was improvising. At this point in his life what could he do to better himself? Why on earth was he thinking about bettering himself?

He rubbed his forehead as he entered his car, a sleek black limo reinforced with titanium alloy. The image had stirred a piece of hope still inside him, for some reason he was drawn to the fact that she was happy. He didn't follow any events from the world of Gods and Goddesses, but he had a feeling that her life was more dangerous than most.

He didn't know what sort of things she went through, but he wanted to know, the woman would be one of the only ones whom he still cared for.

A ring sounded out through the vehicle, jolting him out of his thoughts. He swiped the answer button on the screen to the call, which was from Alfred.

"Hello," he called out, his voice impassive.

"Master Bruce, there is a woman that has shown up asking for you," the British accent was clear and sturdy, he was not nervous. He was suspicious despite the fact, he didn't need another assassin trying to kill him. Why would there be a woman waiting for him?

"Alright Alfred, I am driving as we speak." He got the driver to speed up the car and we plummeted through Gotham. He was always cautious with potential threats, but Alfred didn't seem to be worried. So why did he have a feeling in his gut that something was about to happen?

It was a twist in the middle of his abdomen, a feeling of unsettlement and angst. It wasn't necessarily worry or if you could go as far as to say fear, but it made him want to drive faster and confront the problem.

"Alright Master Bruce, I will keep her occupied till you arrive." With that the man's old friend hung up the phone and he found himself staring out the window.

Sighing he released a deep breath and rolled his head back into the black leather. After his parents death he had become suspicious of everything, everyone. People never liked him because he was always guarded, reclusive. People didn't find his company enjoyable because his curiosity knew no bounds, he had to know everything about everyone by any means necessary.

He could still hear the hateful words that were spat at him as he was rejected, discarded by the people he thought could be his new family. This only made his walls higher, his features less interactive, he wouldn't let any words or events touch him.

The only person he let in was her, she was the only one who cared about him. She knew the rejection he went through, even though she didn't fully understand what it was like she gave him wise words and told him that there was nothing to change about himself.

She was the only one who saw his emotions, when he left, it seemed that he had a permanent scowl etched into his face. She would always brighten his mood, though even back then he hardly ever laughed, she would always accept his urge to know all and she defended him when people didn't. He remembered her furious eyes as she defended her knew brother, the words of hate didn't penetrate his walls, but it made his sister's blood boil.

This one woman made him question all the paths he followed in an endless and relentless maze of lies and events. She had made him feel flippant, airy, she brought him out of his wall when he had spent time with her, to where he didn't have to shield himself from the world.

She sped through this maze with ease, sprinted through the fields of thought and ran her hands down the walls of regrets. Her somehow warm calculating eyes seemed to brighten his mood, now the fire was out, he was missing his hearth. He was lost in the maze.

This one girl, woman, sister, made him want to redo what he had chosen in the past. But the past was never coming back, he was daydreaming of times when he was insecure and made naive choices.

He jolted back to reality as the limo pulled into his driveway, daydreaming would do nothing but get him killed. He shook his head as if he wanted for the thoughts to stop, he could let his cold heart feel the longing of his past.

Opening the door, he stepped out into the slightly chilly air and readjusted his suit jacket. He gracefully drifted up the steps of a cold manor. To him the manor was not as homey as it should have been, it reminded him to much of his lost life, his lost parents. The manor was lite with warm light as he entered, but everything was cold now to him.

He needed to confront the stranger that was brought into his house, he wasn't lead with any described so he didn't have the slightest idea of who it could be, anyone who wanted to talk scheduled a meeting. It could have been anyone, he doubted that it was a spy or assassin, they wouldn't usually confront their target, they would just watch from the shadows and wait to make their move.

All his thoughts stopped as he opened the door of his living room, lite with warmth by a burning fireplace. There was voices, one of with a recognised british accent, but the other he couldn't identify.

The voices went quiet as he pushed to door all the way through and he looked at the scene in front of him with unconstrained shock.

It was her.

Her grey call eyes looked to me like so many years ago, her face bathed in the golden glow of the fireplace.

Maybe he was lost, but how can you be lost when you don't know where your going?

All he knew was that he didn't want to be lost anymore.

It was time to go home