Archive of Our Own

Nico would swear to the high heavens of Olympus itself that he hadn’t actually been avoiding making an appearance at Camp Half-Blood; he’d just been caught up with things like schoolwork, learning how to be a modern teenager, and whirlwind visits to see his father and the rest of godly side of the family. He honestly didn’t know how Percy had managed to find the time to visit Camp - even if it had only been once or twice a month - but he certainly understood his motivation.

He’d felt the same sort of motivation when Percy had come home after his first weekend away, sheer delight on his face when he recounted the way Annabeth’s face had lit up when he’d arrived. He’d felt a small pang of jealousy when he realised that he had nobody at Camp who would have that kind of reaction to a visit from him, before a small feeling of hope had reminded him that there was a possibility of a person waiting for him. He just needed to get over his own fears, his own doubts, and actually visit.

But, until now, he hadn’t.

Nico had wanted to, there was no doubt about that. He’d wanted to ever since Percy had arrived back after his first weekend away and had cornered Nico after dinner so he could ask, with humour dancing in his eyes, why he’d had to correct the assumptions of a very indignant Will Solace that Nico hadn’t actually made the Underworld his permanent residence. It was at that moment that Nico had realised that he’d never told the son of Apollo anything different, having assumed himself that he’d be moving down below after Percy’s birthday that Sally had insisted he attend. And when Sally had insisted that he stay permanently… Well, nobody with half a brain said no to Sally Jackson and Nico considered himself to be quite smart, thank you very much.

Percy had called him an idiot when he’d refused to come with him on one of the few weekends he’d had free, chickening out at the last moment when he realised that he’d be unable to escape having to actually talk to Will. The son of Poseidon had been operating under the impression that Nico had Iris-Messaged the other boy at least once , and Nico didn’t want to have to admit to that lie either. The fact that he had Percy Jackson teasing him over a boy was bad enough. He had just been lucky that Percy hadn’t spilled the secret to Leo and their resident expert-mechanic was too oblivious to notice that there was a secret.

But now here he was, dragging his feet as he followed Percy and Leo up and over the crest of Half-Blood Hill, nodding to Thalia’s tree and its resident guard-dragon as they passed. It was two days after Christmas - a Christmas that had been one Erebus of a day - and Sally had happily dropped them off just outside of the borders so they could spend New Year with the rest of their friends.

Nico couldn’t think of an excuse good enough to get him out of this visit. Not that he had particularly wanted to, not until his stomach had started writhing with that many tendrils of anxiety that morning that he felt as though he had just swallowed Medusa’s head. It was then that he had tried to come up with every excuse under the sun, though he had used none of them when Leo had eagerly dragged him to the car.

“Anyone would think that you didn’t want to come with how slow you’re walking, Neeks,” Percy teased, calling over his shoulder.

“Some of us clearly aren’t half giraffe,” Nico huffed, glaring at Percy’s long legs. One day, he swore, he was going to be taller than the son of Poseidon.

“Usually I’d say short-guy solidarity, my man, but even I’m managing to keep up with our resident overgrown Seaweed Patch,” Leo laughed at his excuse. “I thought you’d be happier about visiting? You haven’t seen anyone since summer.”

“Of course I’m happy about visiting!” Nico defended himself, wanting to kick himself for not waiting until he was safely hiding away in his Cabin to have a mental argument with himself. “I’ve been wanting to visit since school started but mortal teachers seem to be the Furies incarnate and like to watch you suffer under an immense workload.”

“Believe me, if you had a Fury as one of your teachers, you’d know,” Percy laughed. “Your teachers are perfectly normal.”

“Stop trying to change the subject, Nico,” Leo interjected. “Why don’t you want to be here?”

“All I want to know is what I did in a past life to deserve being stuck with the two of you in this one,” Nico groaned before answering. “I want to be here! I swear! I’m just nervous because I don’t exactly have the best reputation around these parts.”

“Buuuuullshittttt!” Leo sang. “If you wanted to come, you would have come a month ago when you had no deadlines and no homework. Instead, you vanished into the Underworld before Perce could even finish suggesting you tag along.”

“My dad wanted to see me!” Nico reminded him, though he knew he was fighting a losing battle. “You two are insufferable.”

“Someone sounds full of Christmas spirit!” Annabeth greeted as they drew level with the Big House, pecking her boyfriend on the lips as the son of Poseidon lit up at the sight of her. “Hi Nico, Leo.”

“Do I not get a hi as well?” Percy pouted, winding one arm around her waist. 

“You got a kiss,” Annabeth laughed. “Which is the standard greeting one would give their partner, but next time I’ll just say hello and not bother then.”

“Wait, what?” Percy frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m teasing you, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth gave him a fond smile before looking at the other two. “How was Christmas in the madhouse then? Perce said that the entire family was there?”

“Thankfully it wasn’t the entire family, I’d never be able to look at Christmas the same way if the Furies had shown up with my dad in matching jumpers.” Nico shuddered. “Seeing Thanatos in a light-up Rudolph sweater was bad enough.”

“We had an ugly sweater contest on Christmas Eve,” Annabeth laughed. “We all wore the worst ones we could find to the campfire and Chiron judged while wearing a horse blanket that had rainbow fairy lights draped over it.”

“Who won?” Percy asked, fascination in his eyes. The son of Poseidon had taken it as a challenge to find the ugliest personalised sweaters for them all to wear for their family Christmas card and Nico knew that the photo was going to be used as blackmail on his wedding day.

“Will did,” Annabeth informed them, Nico’s nervous stomach fluttering at the unexpected mention of the son of Apollo. “It was a gift from Apollo himself, apparently, and it genuinely was one of the most hideous things any of us have ever laid eyes on. And I’ve seen Percy when he’s been woken up before dawn.”

“Hey!” Percy protested.

“I’m joking!” Annabeth promised, laughing as she shook her head.

“You’re going to give me a complex,” Percy grumbled. “I bring you the gift of my presence, along with an actual present, and you’re just mean to me.”

“Well, if I’d known that there was a present on the line, I would have been nicer,” Annabeth teased. 

“Man down, we’ve lost him,” Leo huffed. “Let the lovebirds go and exchange gifts, Neeks, we’ll have to hold the fort.”

“We’ll be gone for an hour at most!” Percy rolled his eyes. “Go and see Jason, the pair of you. He was complaining about missing you both the last time I was here.”

“Come on then Nico, we know when we’re not wanted.” Leo grabbed his wrist and started to tow him towards the Cabins.

“I’ll come find you!” Percy called after them. “I promise!”

“He’s lying,” Leo informed him cheerfully. “We won’t see him until dinner. They’ll be too busy canoodling to bother with lunch.”

Nico let out a laugh, knowing that Leo was likely right. When it came to Annabeth, keeping track of time was not Percy’s strong suit. Not a lot of things were Percy’s strong suit when it came to Annabeth, a fact that Nico had thankfully come to find hilarious instead of resenting it.

“Where do you think we’ll find Jay?” Leo asked. “I probably should have asked Annabeth before we made our dramatic exit, and I don’t really want to have to turn around and ask now.”

“He’ll either be hiding in his Cabin or Thalia will be dragging him around with the rest of the Hunters,” Nico decided, recalling the fact that Jason had IMed him a few weeks ago, ecstatic about the fact he’d be spending Christmas with his sister until he realised what Christmas with his sister and the Hunters would entail. Nico had spent a lot of the call laughing at him. “If he’s not in Cabin One, we just need to follow the sound of Thalia’s laughter. We’ll find him eventually.”

When they found Jason, he was sitting at the base of the climbing wall with his arm at a wholly unnatural angle. Thalia was stood over him with a white face, clear panic in her eyes as she chewed at her lip nervously.

“Well, this looks like fun,” Leo drawled. “Sorry to break up this little circle of joy.”

“You’re awful,” Jason groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with the hand attached to his unbroken arm.

“Hi, Jason, nice to see you too!” Leo greeted sarcastically.

“What happened?” Nico asked, instantly crouching down beside Jason. He had to resist the urge to poke at the arm, knowing he’d do more harm than good.

“Hi, Nico.” Jason gave him a tight smile.

“This idiot decided to jump off the climbing wall and forgot that he can literally fly. ” Thalia glared at her little brother. “He broke his arm and he’s insisting that he can walk it off.”

“The only place he should be walking is to the infirmary,” Nico declared. His area of expertise when it came to bones usually came after the flesh they were encased in had rotted away, but even he could tell when something looked wrong.

“Are you volunteering to take him?” Thalia grinned. Her panic seemed to evaporate and a wicked grin covered her face. “Gee thanks, Neeks. That’s really kind of you. You know how much I hate needles.”

Nico gave her piercings a judgemental look, about to make a smart comment before realising where he’d apparently signed himself up to take Jason. “Wait, no!” He quickly protested, fumbling for an excuse. “I hate the infirmary! It’s full of… people!”

Unsurprisingly, his excuse hadn’t worked.

“Why are you nervous about going in, you’re not the one with a broken arm?” Jason huffed, stopping on the steps leading into the infirmary when he realised that Nico had stopped dead at the bottom of them.

“I had a sudden urge to sneeze, so I stopped,” Nico lied through his teeth. “It’s gone though, so let’s go in!”

In actual fact, he’d seen the doors and was instantly reminded of the last time he’d been walking towards them; it had been in the aftermath of the battle and Nico’d had a feeling that if he didn’t honour his promise to go and stay in the infirmary for at least a few days, Will Solace would track him down and make him stay in the infirmary for a week. He’d felt the same apprehension as he’d walked in then, but this time it was for totally different reasons.

Back then, he hadn’t quite figured out what it was about Will that made the butterflies in his stomach take flight. Now, he was fully aware of his feelings and he had those three days in the infirmary to thank for that.

“Dude, I’ve barely seen you for five minutes and you’re already acting weird,” Jason grumbled. “Percy promised me that I’d get a normal teenager when you finally graced me with your presence.”

“Well, your first mistake was expecting a normal teenager. Look around, Jason, none of us are and Percy isn’t exactly the best judge of normality on a good day. Despite that, I’m not acting weird!” Nico protested, wondering if he was going to be repeating the same sentiment the entire time he was in Camp. “Why is everyone saying that to me today?”

“Maybe because you are acting weird?” Jason laughed, rolling his eyes playfully. “Anyway, if anyone should be whining, it’s me. I’m the one with the broken arm.”

“You’re the reason why we’re just standing on the steps like a pair of idiots!” Nico pointed out.

“We wouldn’t be stood here if you weren’t acting like a weirdo,” Jason argued.

“Will you please just go into the damn infirmary?” Nico groaned. He wanted to get this over as soon as possible. He also wanted to believe that the Fates were smiling on him that day and it wouldn’t be Will working in the infirmary that day.

Jason finally pushed the door open with his good arm and entered, allowing Nico to slip in after him and nudge the door shut once again. They hovered in the entrance, looking for any signs of life in the empty room.

“Who’s supposed to be on duty today?” Nico asked, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible.

“Will?” Jason yelled as an answer.

“Oh no,” Nico whimpered underneath his breath.

“One second!” Will yelped, his voice slightly muffled. It was immediately followed by the sound of something crashing to the floor, Will swearing profusely, and another bang.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked, clear concern on his face.

Will popped out of the storage closet at the other end of the room, his hair sticking up at odd angles and his clothes slightly crumpled. “I was trying to find a new pack of bandages that Austin swore he’d put in that cupboard but-” He looked up from where he was trying to nudge medical supplies back into said cupboard with his foot and stopped when he saw who was stood in the doorway, jaw dropping slightly. “- Nico ?”

“Hi?” Nico gave an awkward wave. 

“You’re not in the Underworld?” Will blinked at him. “Wait, no I knew that. Percy told me. You’re not in the Underworld because you’re at Camp, obviously. When did you get to Camp?”

Nico blinked back, slightly stunned by the onslaught of words. He hadn’t expected Will’s response, having fully predicted that he’d be the one incapable of forming a full sentence. “Sally dropped us off like half an hour ago,” He managed to answer coherently.

Will ran a hand through his hair and gave Nico an awkward smile. “What brings you here less than an hour after arriving in Camp then? Are you hurt? I’d ask if you’re tired because Shadow Travelled but you literally just told me that Sally dropped you off.”

“Jason broke his arm,” Jason waved at Will with his unbroken limb. “Nico is fine, I just made him come with me because Thalia would have just started laughing at me when she got over her shock.”

 “Jason!” Will yelped. “Sorry! I was totally distracted then.”

“You don’t say,” Jason stated dryly. 

“What happened?” Will asked, crossing the room to get to them. He reached out but didn’t touch, hovering his hands over Jason’s arm like a concerned parent would hover over their child. 

“How did Thalia spin it?” Nico asked innocently, knowing that it was the type of thing that would get Jason into trouble with Will for being an idiot. Will had a fondness for calling people stupid when they did stupid things and, for once, Nico wanted to see that tirade directed at another person.

“Nico,” Jason warned through gritted teeth. It seemed he was fully aware of Will’s penchant for calling people out of dumbassery and he wanted to save his own skin.

Unfortunately for Jason, Nico had no qualms about throwing him to the wolves. The wolves being Will. “Thalia told me that he jumped off the top of the climbing wall and forgot he could fly,” He informed Will gleefully. “You know, like an idiot.”

“Traitor,” Jason hissed.

“You did what ?” Will’s jaw dropped slightly. “And here I was, thinking that Nico was the biggest idiot in the room.”

“Hey!” Nico protested the unexpected dig.

“You and I need to have words ,” Will warned him.

Nico winced. He’d hoped that Will would have taken longer to get over the surprise of him actually showing his face in Camp before he started asking the awkward questions that Percy had warned him about. Awkward questions that Percy thought he had already dealt with in the IM call that never actually took place.

Nico cursed himself.

“How about you set my arm and give me some ambrosia so I can then leave you two alone for whatever words the two of you need to have?” Jason suggested, a note of cautiousness in his voice. “Obviously there’s something the two of you need to talk about.”

“Yes, there is,” Will intoned, voice sugar sweet.

Nico eyed the nearest patch of shadow and wondered if he could dive into the Underworld without having to suffer Will’s wrath. He wasn’t sure just how much of the passive aggressiveness he could take.

“So,” Will started the minute the door closed behind Jason. Nico tore his eyes away from the door and turned his attention to Will, who was stood staring at him with folded arms and a thoroughly unimpressed look on his face. “How come I had to find out from Percy that you hadn’t gone off to live in the Underworld like you said you were?”

“I swear I was going to tell you,” Nico promised instantly, holding his hands up. “When I left Camp, I left believing that I was going to go and live with my dad.”

“Is that why you just disappeared without a goodbye?” Will raised an eyebrow. “Since you know what my exact thoughts about you going to live down there entailed. I spent three days explaining to you in vivid detail why I thought it was a terrible idea.”

Nico winced, probably for the thousandth time since he entered the infirmary. Will had a point. He bit his lip and considered what to say, whether it would be better to tell the truth or a twisted version that would calm Will down quicker.

“When I left, I didn’t want to say goodbye because I knew exactly how you felt about me going,” Nico admitted, deciding to go for the honest truth. “You surprised me, I didn’t think anyone outside of the Seven would have much of an opinion on whether I decided to stay or go. Erebus, I thought the majority of people would have been happy to see the back of me; my dad isn’t exactly known for winning any popularity contests on Olympus, and I never stuck around here long enough to let anyone convince me otherwise. I didn’t want to say goodbye to you because I thought that if one person would have managed to bully me into staying, it would have been you. And then I didn’t want you to get to know me properly and decide that you didn’t want to be friends with the weird guy who is better at socialising with skulls than he is with souls.”

“You’re a dumbass. You realise that, right?” Will raised an eyebrow. 

“What?” Nico cursed himself when his confused question exited his mouth as more of a squeak than an actual word.

“I forced you to stay in the infirmary for three days so I could get to know you!” Will pointed out. “And then you, being the absolute idiot that you are, decided that I couldn’t possibly like you - without actually consulting the most important person on the matter, me - and ran away with your shadow between your legs.”

“I did not run away!” Nico protested. “Percy dragged me to New York.”

“You do not get to blame Percy for this. Fuck Percy!” Will rolled his eyes before a horrified expression slipped over his face. “Wait, no, please don’t.”

“ What ?” He blinked at the other boy furiously, wondering if he’d tripped and fell on the walk down Half-Blood Hill and he’d hit his head at the bottom.

“That came out so wrong,” Will groaned, shaking his head. It made his curls bounce, which, in turn, made the butterflies in Nico’s stomach kick off again. “Anyway, you can’t blame Percy for this! He’s the poor idiot who had to tell me that you hadn’t gone to stay with your father like I thought you had.”

“He made me go to his birthday party!” Nico argued. “Everything about this is his fault. I wouldn’t have stayed above the surface if he hadn’t been born.”

Will stared at him for several long seconds before bursting into laughter. “So now you’re trying to blame Sally Jackson and Poseidon for your terrible people skills?”

“No!” Nico defended himself. “I’d never blame Sally for anything. And I can’t blame Uncle P for anything because he got me a really cool Christmas present. I’m just saying, if Percy wasn’t born, I wouldn’t have gone to New York. I would have gone straight to the Underworld.”

“If Percy was never born, who would have been the hero of the first prophecy?” Will asked. “Your dumb ass? We would have been screwed.”

“Gee thanks,” Nico responded sarcastically. “ Anyway, back to what I have been trying to say-”

“You were an idiot, you’re sorry, it won’t happen again?” Will cut him off, raising his eyebrows at him.

“ Well.. .” Nico raised his hand and pointed a finger at Will to emphasise his argument before realising he didn’t exactly have one. He curled his hand back into a fist and awkwardly lowered it again. “For argument’s sake, let’s say you have a point. I may have slightly been an idiot, yes. I am sorry, yes. And no, it won’t happen again. But! There’s a but!”

“Of course there’s a but,” Will sighed. “Tell me about your but, Nico.”

Nico blinked at him, his mind going elsewhere. “I’ve been told it's quite cute, actually. You keep calling it dumb, though.” He blurted out, unable to pass up the opportunity.

Will’s eyes widened before he groaned and started to laugh. “Why are you the worst ?” He shook his head and sighed. “You know what I meant.”

“Years of childhood trauma,” Nico deadpanned before laughing as well. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Again.”

“Gods above, Nico!” Will groaned. “You’re going to be the death of me, I swear.”

“My dad is the god of the dead , so it’s up to Thanatos what will be your actual cause of death,” Nico pointed out, taking every opportunity to poke fun that Will presented. “I sincerely hope that I won’t be your cause of death because that would be depressing. I’d hate to discuss that with my therapist.”

“You actually have a therapist?” Will’s eyes widened, a delighted grin passing over his face.

“Does one of the Furies wearing the face of Percy’s old pre-Algebra teacher count?” Nico asked. “She makes me call her Doctor Dodds. Percy is terrified of her, she showed up to take me for ice cream once and he answered the door and screamed. He murdered her one time and she’s never forgiven him for it.”

“What?” Will blinked at him. “I feel like there is too much to unpack in whatever the Tartarus you just told me so I’m going to pretend that you said yes, you’re seeing a very nice, normal therapist at school and not that .”

“Oh, that too!” Nico assured him. “She’s called Cynthia and I’m fairly certain she’s your dad in disguise but I prefer to ignore that fact.”

“I’m just going to pretend you stopped after telling me her name,” Will informed him. “You were apologising to me?”

Nico stared at him for a second before realising that they had gotten wildly off track. “Oh yes! You asked about my but.”

“I did.” Will nodded, looking like he was about to facepalm.

“I won’t lie to you, I’ve pretty much forgotten where I was going,” Nico confessed.

“So we can just settle this by saying you were an idiot, you’re sorry, and it won’t happen again?” Will asked, tone hopeful.

“Oh wait!” Nico gestured for him to stop. “I remember.”

“Brilliant,” Will deadpanned.

“I was an idiot, I am sorry, and it absolutely will not happen again,” Nico assured him. “But I was actually going to come back to Camp and tell you! I really was going to make sure you knew, but hashing out a custody agreement between Sally and my dad was actually a lot harder than you’d think. They’re both rather stubborn.”

Will winced. “I bet that was fun to witness.”

“Not really, it was actually quite-” Nico stopped mid-sentence and sighed. “That was sarcasm.”

“For someone who lives with Percy Jackson and Leo Valdez, you sure don’t have a great grip on the sarcasm thing,” Will informed him dryly. “Or, come to think of it, the talking thing.”

“I let them do all of the talking most of the time.” Nico shrugged. “But yeah, I was totally planning to come back to Camp and tell you but I got caught up mediating between my dad and Sally. Then I got distracted with consoling my dad after she wiped the floor with him and before I knew it, school was starting. And I’ve never exactly been to school before, apart from that one term at Westover before the Principal kidnapped Annabeth and your dad essentially helped Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Artemis kidnap me and Bia.”

“You know what, I should probably retract my statement about the talking thing,” Will mused. “You’ve probably talked to me more during this conversation than you did the entire first day you spent trying to get my attention when you were staying in here.”

“I was not trying to get your attention !” Nico defended himself.

“You complained about what colour the flames in the torches were,” Will teased, pointedly looking at said offending objects. “And do not even get me started on the complaints about the pillows!”

“Are you two planning to argue your way through lunch or are you going to join us?’ Percy’s voice made the pair of them jump, forcing their attention away from each other to find the son of Poseidon leaning in the doorway, an unimpressed look on his face.

“Percy!” Will greeted delightedly. “Hi!”

“I thought you’d still be swapping spit with Annabeth,” Nico deadpanned, his tone a total opposite to Will.

“You’re a little shit.” Percy rolled his eyes.

“What do you want?” Nico ignored him, raising his eyebrows. “We were in the middle of a very important conversation.”

“Sure seemed like it,” Percy mocked him, a grin widening on his face. “And I literally just told you why I was here. It’s lunchtime, did you not hear the shell?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Nico! Be nice!” Will huffed. “No, Percy, we didn’t hear the shell. Thank you for coming to tell us.”

“I’ve given up on telling him to be nice to me,” Percy sighed. “He bullies me more than Triton.”

“You make it so easy!” Nico reminded him cheerfully. “Anyway, why you? Like I said before, I thought you’d still be swapping spit with Annabeth.”

“I have not been ‘swapping spit’ with Annabeth!” Percy groaned. “We exchanged presents and came to find you like we said we would. We only found Leo, Thalia, and Jason and Jason told us you’d stayed here to be yelled at by Will after Thalia broke his arm.”

“Thalia broke his arm?” Will frowned. “He said he jumped off the climbing wall!”

“I think ‘fell’ was a more accurate term.” Percy shrugged. “I don’t know, ask them about it at lunch. You are coming, right?”

“Well duh.” Nico rolled his eyes. “What else are we going to do, starve?”

“I should have contested the results,” Percy muttered.

“What was that?” Nico frowned, suddenly confused.

“We drew straws over who had to come and help Will hide the body,” Percy informed him. “I lost.”

“Gee thanks, nice to know that you have such little faith in me.” Nico scowled at him.

“Come on, Death Boy, ” Will intervened. “Let’s follow the nice son of Poseidon and go to lunch.”

“There’s nothing nice about him,” Nico grumbled a token protest as Percy laughed. “Can we leave him here?”

They, unfortunately, did not leave Percy at the infirmary. And when they arrived at the pavilion, Nico realised that there was another issue at hand.

“I forgot that I’d have to sit by myself,” He made his complaint aloud, scowling at the Hades table with distaste. He wondered where he’d have to sit if he pulled one of his old tricks and ‘accidentally’ opened a chasm for the table to fall into.

“I do too!” Percy reminded him, false cheer in his voice as he tried to make the prospect sound better. “And so does Jason.”

“Thalia has been sitting with Jason,” Will informed them both.

“So does Jason, normally,” Percy corrected himself. “We can stare at each other from across the pavilion in solidarity.”

“How many brain cells do you two have? Collectively?” Will raised an eyebrow. “All three of us are sitting at Percy’s table.”

“Do you want Dionysus to turn one of us into a dolphin?” Percy whistled.

“It won’t be you, it’s your table.” Nico glared at him. “It’ll be me.”

“Stand still,” Will instructed, whipping a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Shit, anyone got a pen?”

“Ask and ye shall receive!” Percy lit up, whipping Riptide out of his pocket.

“Percy, Riptide is a sword,” Will spoke slowly, as if he was explaining something to a child. They both watched as Percy uncapped Riptide and the pen transformed into a sword, proving Will’s point. “I need a pen. ”

“This is a pen ,” Percy cackled, touching the cap to the handle of the sword. A second later and he was passing a gobsmacked Will said pen.

“I didn’t know that you could do that,” Will admitted. “Nico, stand still and turn around.”

“I can’t stand still and then turn around, that’s contradictory,” Nico pointed out, just to be pedantic.

“Do you want to be turned into a dolphin?” Will sighed. “Turn around and stand still. I need something to lean on.”

“Cynthia is never this mean to me,” Nico muttered as Will used his back as a desk, trying not to squirm as the feeling of Will writing made him feel as if something was crawling up his spine.

“Oh my gods, did you tell Will that you think our school therapist is his dad?” Percy groaned. “She’s perfectly normal!”

“You just want to believe that because she told you that you had a handsome face,” Nico retorted. “And you said it was less creepy to hear from a mortal therapist than an immortal sun god.”

“Sally must have the patience of a saint to deal with you two and Leo under one roof,” Will whistled, finishing whatever he was writing and handed Riptide back to Percy. He went through the motions of transforming it back into a capped pen, slipping it back into his pocket. “Let’s go sit down.”

“We’re totally going to get turned into dolphins,” Nico groaned, dragging his feet but following close behind Will. “Chiron is looking at us.”

“Chiron isn’t the one who can turn us into dolphins,” Will reminded him. “That’s Mr. D and do you see Mr. D? No, you don’t.”

“Where is Mr. D?” Percy asked, sitting down. Will slid onto the bench opposite.

Nico looked at the spot beside Percy and then the spot beside Will. He made the executive decision to slide in beside Will, knowing that he’d probably do something stupid like completely miss his mouth with his fork if he sat across from him. However, when he felt the warm line of Will’s thigh pressing against his, he knew that he’d made the wrong choice.

He was screwed.

“He’s been on Olympus since the Solstice and won’t be back until the 5th,” Will declared gleefully. Nico took a second to realise that he was answering the question that Percy had asked only seconds ago. The question that Nico had also wanted the answer to, but had completely forgotten that Percy had asked. “It’s been bliss. It’s also why Thalia and the rest of the Hunters are currently in permanent residence, Artemis gave her temporary custody and she decided to come and harass her brother for the holidays.”

“I was wondering why-”

“Boys,” Chiron sighed, having practically materialised at the table. “You know the rules. I know our treasured Lord Dionysus isn’t here to oversee at the moment, but the rules are still the rules.”

“Nico has a Doctor’s Note,” Will announced, passing the piece of paper that he had been scrawling on to Chiron.

Chiron looked at the piece of paper and let out a short laugh, looking back to Will. “Mr. Solace, this is a post-it note with a terrible haiku on it. If I’m not mistaken, it’s your father’s handwriting.”

“Nico’s Doctor’s Note is on the other side,” Will responded without missing a beat.

Chiron raised an eyebrow and turned it over. His eyebrows rose further as he read it. “Let me read this aloud to you, ‘Nico di Angelo is excused from sitting alone at mealtimes because it makes him sad and less in control of his powers. Please let him sit with his friends and Doctor at all times. Signed, Doctor William Solace .’ Is that so, Nico?”

Nico held Chiron’s stare, trying not to laugh as he nodded. “Oh, absolutely Chiron. Will would never joke about such a thing.” He painted a sweet smile on his face. “I’m a bit stressed at the moment; what with having to go to school properly for the first time in this century, learning how to be a normal teenager, and learning how to control my powers without using too much energy. I think if I was left alone with my thoughts at the Hades table, I’d lose control of those terrible infernal powers of mine and I don’t want to put anyone at risk.”

Chiron sighed. “You know what?”

“What?” Nico asked innocently.

“I think this’ll work out just fine,” Chiron assured him, a twinkle in his eye. “But the two of you are explaining this to Dionysus if you’re still having such issues come summer, Nico.”

“I’ll make sure to copy the note onto some official, headed paper by then,” Will promised, a similar sparkle in his eyes. “Since he’ll be visiting for weekends a lot more now, won’t you Nico ?”

He nudged their knees together and Nico forgot how to breathe for a second. “Yes!” He yelped. “I will!”

“Wonderful news,” Chiron smiled at them, turning to make an exit before turning back. “Oh, and Will?”

“Yes?” Will swiftly changed his expression of victory to one of mild curiosity. 

“Please ensure that the new note doesn’t come with any additional haikus from your father,” Chiron mused. “That one just about burnt my retinas.” He looked considerate for a moment. “Though I would appreciate it if you kept my distaste for Lord Apollo’s ‘poetry’ to yourself, I rather like having peace and quiet.”

“Peace and quiet?” Will frowned.

“I fear Lord Apollo would take to following me around Camp in order to recite his ‘best’ work.” Chiron shuddered as if he couldn’t think of anything worse. “I hear quite enough bullshit from Lord Dionysus.”

Chiron made his departure, leaving three open-mouthed demigods in his wake.

“What’s the plan now?” Nico asked as they finished clearing their plates, taking a sip of the hot chocolate he’d had. He’d tried to lie and say that it was coffee, a mocha at least, but Will had swiped it straight from him and had called him a liar when he’d tasted it, wiping a finger of whipped cream on Nico’s nose. He’d sat there, cross-eyed and shell-shocked, until he’d recovered his wits. And when he had, he’d wiped it off with his thumb and flicked it back at the son of Apollo who was equally as unimpressed as he had been.

“I think Thals wants a sword fight,” Percy responded. “She’s fed up of beating Jason all the time apparently.”

“Do you have to go back to the Infirmary?” Nico asked Will, fearing a positive response.

Will looked around the Pavillion, eyeing his siblings with a look of contemplation. “Give me a minute.”

He stood before either of them could respond, crossing over to where he should have been sitting and crouched so he could rest his head on his arms that he lay flat on the table, immediately starting to speak.

“So,” Percy forced his attention back to their table. He had a wicked gleam in his eyes, a playful smile on his lips. He sent a pointed look in Will’s direction before looking back at Nico with amusement written all over his face. “I might not be your type anymore, but Will seems to be.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nico denied, lifting his mug to his lips to try and hide the embarrassed look on his face.

“Huh, I’ve gone from being your type to you copying my type,” Percy mused. “Blonde hair and pretty eyes, amirite?”

“I will literally pay you to shut up,” Nico begged through gritted teeth. “Will you please shut up before he comes back? We do not have the same type. ”

“Same type of what?” Will asked from behind him and Nico felt his eyes widen in horror.

“Blood!” Percy responded immediately and Nico was glad that one of them had custody of the brain cell at that moment. “We were having a debate about blood type and Nico is adamant that we don’t have the same type, but he can’t even remember what his blood type is.”

“B Positive,” Will responded as he sat down, his knee knocking against Nico’s again as he slid into the spot he had vacated.

“What?” Nico stared at him, mind blank again.

“Your blood type, Death Boy,” Will laughed. “It’s B Positive. It’s the only positive thing about you and ‘B Positive’ is advice you fully need to take more often.”

Across the table, Percy was laughing so hard, you’d think Will had just told the funniest joke known to the gods.

“I want a new doctor,” Nico declared. “One that won’t bully me.”

“You can’t have a new doctor,” Will laughed.

“Who says?” Nico scowled.

“Me.” Will smirked. “As your doctor, I think it would be a terrible idea for you to get a new one. So, no. Doctor’s orders.”

“I want a new doctor,” Nico repeated.

“Well you can’t have one,” Will responded. “Not after I just bribed my way into an afternoon off so I can make sure you don’t ditch us for some spirits.”

“I wish I had some spirits right now,” Nico muttered darkly. “It would make spending time with Percy so much easier.”

“You’re never this mean to me at home.” Percy pouted. “And since when have you tried spirits?”

“I’m making a joke, Fish Food.” Nico rolled his eyes.

“I’m telling mom you called me Fish Food again,” Percy huffed. “You said you’d stop calling me Fish Food if I stopped calling you Bone Breath because Leo kept adding an ‘r’ to the end.”

“I hate you.” Nico glared at him for repeating Leo’s favourite unfortunate nickname. “You said you’d never repeat it again.”

“And technically, I didn’t,” Percy pointed out.

“Are they always like this?” Will asked, looking over Nico’s head.

He twisted to see Leo, Thalia, Jason, and Annabeth stood spectating with matching grins.

“One of our teachers at Goode asked Paul if he’d made a mistake when he said that they’d taken in two of Percy’s cousins instead of just the one when it was obvious that Percy and Nico were brothers,” Leo informed him gleefully.

“I can see why there was a mix-up,” Will laughed. 

“What’s the plan until dinner then?” Jason asked, smoothly interrupting before Nico could make any sort of comment. “Will, do you have to get back to the infirmary?”

“Well, like I was trying to tell these two before they started bickering; I’ve managed to wrangle the afternoon off, Austin is going to go sit in and give me a shout if he needs a hand at any point.” Will smiled brightly, literally the human embodiment of sunshine to Nico at that moment. “I think I now owe Austin a kidney and Kayla a lung for ruining their plans to annoy the shit out of Clarisse for the afternoon, but I figured it would be worth it.”

“I think they owe you for saving them from a very tragic fate,” Thalia declared. “She may be full of Christmas spirit, but I wouldn’t put it past her to still break bones.”

“Like you?” Jason asked innocently.

“You broke your own arm, don’t try and blame me,” Thalia didn’t miss a beat.

“How come you told me that you pushed him if you told Will and Nico he jumped?” Percy asked.

“Because he did fall.” Thalia shrugged. “Whether or not he fell because he was pushed or because he jumped… Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it? He was going to break his arm anyway.”

“I’m so glad we were reunited,” Jason informed her, tone sugar sweet.

“Ah, siblings,” Leo mused. “Gotta love them.”

“Come on Staples, I want to see if I can break your other arm before I try and make Percy cry.” Thalia grabbed the arm that hadn’t been broken that day and started to lead her brother off the pavilion.

“I'm debating whether or not I should have just stayed in the infirmary,” Will joked as they followed them, leaning in slightly to mutter it to Nico exclusively. “Instead of agreeing to hang out with the most notorious trouble magnets in Camp Half-Blood.”

“Well,” Nico declared gleefully, unable to hide his delight at the prospect of Will sticking around. “You’re stuck with us now.”

The only thing Nico had regretted about spending the last few days with Will was the fact that he hadn’t returned sooner. He’d made an effort to be as sociable as possible while they’d been in Camp, realising that getting to know the people he’d known on the periphery was a lot easier than having to start at a new school where he only knew three people; one of them being the teacher he was living with. And he’d gotten through an entire term at Goode without incident, managing to make mortal friends in the process. It was easier, knowing that he had done it once and could do it again.

He’d barely been in his Cabin, contradicting Percy’s worries that he was just going to hide in there until it was time for Sally to pick them up again. In fact, he’d pretty much slept in there and not much else. Despite the fact that being so social was exhausting, he was too wrapped up in the giddy excitement that coursed through his veins when he was with Will. The son of Apollo’s happiness was infectious, Nico’s face muscles practically aching with how much he’d smiled since arriving.

There was a gentle knock on the door, pulling him out of his thoughts and giving him a few seconds notice before the door cracked open.

“Nico?” Will asked cautiously. “Are you awake? The sun has been up for like an hour, so I figured you-”

“I’m up, you can come in,” Nico laughed.

The door opened the rest of the way and Will stepped in, looking around curiously. Nico realised with a jolt that Will hadn’t seen the inside of his Cabin since summer, when his attending Doctor had nipped in to grab a few bits for him. Now that he would be spending school holidays in Camp with Percy and Leo, Percy had insisted that they decorate.

“You’ve decorated!” Will stated exactly what Nico was thinking and suddenly he started overthinking. Were there too many pictures on the wall or too few? Were the throw cushions a stupid pattern, did the colours of his blankets clash? Oh gods, were the star shaped fairy lights that ran around the entire room along the ceiling line stupid?

“Yeah, I have,” Nico responded with a smile, trying to keep his internal panic exactly where it was. Internal. “We figured that since I wanted to spend more time here, we should decorate it a little more to feel like home.”

“Percy made you decorate, didn’t he?” Will raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Percy made me decorate,” Nico admitted with a huff. “But it was willingly done!”

“Wait.” Will tilted his head. “Did you just say that you want to spend more time here? Are you feeling alright? Are you actually going to grace us with your presence when the world isn’t ending?”

“I don’t think the world is ending right now, is it?” Nico huffed. “Where else did you think I was going to spend the summer?”

“Hmmm… I wonder?” Will feigned confusion. “Where on earth would you possibly go for the summer? Oh, wait, it wouldn’t be on earth would it? It would maybe be more under it.”

“Very funny.” Nico rolled his eyes when he realised where Will was referring to. “Unfortunately, I’ve become a fan of living company. Living company that doesn’t argue constantly. You’d think that summer would be safe because Persephone can be above the surface all she likes, but somehow it is worse because whenever she pops home to see my dad, Demeter inevitably turns up and complains about how it’s her turn. ”

“I always forget that family visits for you always involve more than one member of the Pantheon,” Will laughed.

“See, you laugh,” Nico huffed. “But you’ve never had to endure breakfast with Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Thanatos, and the Furies. All three of them! Alecto nearly stabbed Thanatos for the last waffle.”

“Alecto is the one who used to be Percy’s Algebra teacher, right?” Will raised an eyebrow. “And the one pretending to be your therapist, right?”

“That’s the one.” Nico nodded, smiling at him. “So yeah, you can imagine why I’d rather not spend an entire summer down there. Not when I’ve got a different option.”

“So you’ll be coming to Camp for summer then?” Will practically lit up. “The entire summer?”

“The entire thing,” Nico confirmed. 

“Will you be visiting between now and summer then?” Will asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone. “Any weekends, Easter?”

“Both of those things,” Nico promised. “I’m pretty used to the school thing now, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to balance the homework, visiting my dad, and coming here in the same way Percy does. Though, he doesn’t visit my dad. He visits his dad.”

“I won’t lie to you Nic, I kinda guessed that one,” Will laughed. Nico’s brain short circuited. Thankfully, Will continued to talk. “It’ll be nice to see you though. More often that is.”

“I’m really glad that I came,” Nico admitted. “I was nervous, the day we arrived. I didn’t even want to leave the house, let alone get out of the car when Sally dropped us off but I’m really glad I did.”

“I’m glad too.” Will smiled, his voice soft. “Anyway, this really was just supposed to be a quick drop by on my way to the infirmary. I’d say come with me and hangout like you did the other day when I was on shift, but I’ve got paperwork practically coming out of my ears and as Head Counsellor, I really need to get it done properly. Which means, to my greatest dismay, I can’t continue to educate you on why Grey’s Anatomy is so inaccurate while also being one of the greatest medical dramas to grace our TV screens.”

“You called it a plague on procedural medical dramas the other day?” Nico frowned.

“It can be both!” Will defended himself. “I really was about to make a point though, I swear. I’ve just forgotten what I was- Oh, wait! No! I swung by to double check that you’re definitely going to be attending the Campfire tonight, aren’t you? It’s a winter tradition, we have a Campfire on New Year instead of spending it on the beach on the 4th of July because of the difference in weather. Winter is cold, summer is hot, that sort of thing, right?”

“Will, of course I’m going to come,” Nico sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I know full well that you’d drag me along if I dared miss it, you mentioned it five times during dinner alone last night.”

“I’m just making sure you know that you have to come!” Will held his hands up. “It’s not my fault I’m excited about it. Can’t you at least pretend this is the first time I’ve asked about it and be more enthusiastic about your response?”

“I guess, technically this is the first time you’ve asked about it today, ” Nico pointed out, pretending to consider for a moment before smiling at Will and laughing. “I can’t wait to go to the Campfire tonight, I’m really excited about it!”

“You could be less sarcastic?” Will sighed, shaking his head. “Whatever, it’ll do. I’ll pretend that you said it with just the perfect amount of enthusiasm and try to rewrite my memory.”

“Look, I live with Percy.” Nico tilted his head and pulled an unimpressed face. “I blame all of my sarcastic tendencies on him.”

“I’m going to tell him you said that,” Will warned, though his tone was teasing and Nico knew he was joking. “And I really am going to have to run now.”

“I’ll see you at lunch?” Nico asked, unsure whether or not it would be another day where Will would have to stay in the infirmary over lunch and be reliant on one of his siblings to fetch him something to eat. Nico had stolen the job off Austin the other day when he realised he hadn’t seen Will all morning and had plucked up the courage to ask when he had also been absent from lunch. “Or will you have to stay in the infirmary again?”

“I can do lunch.” Will beamed, assuring him that he could make it. “See you then.”

He gave Nico a small wave before turning heel and starting out of the door. 

“Will?” Nico called impulsively, not wanting him to walk away just yet.

“Yes, Bones?” Will turned and raised an eyebrow.

“I really am looking forward to the Campfire tonight,” Nico admitted softly, knowing there was a stupid smile on his face. “Hopefully I’ll make it to midnight without falling asleep on you.”

“Was that so hard to admit in a non-sarcastic manner? And you’re not allowed to go to sleep on me tonight,” Will retorted, matching his smile. “I have plans , Nic.”

“I guess I’d best have a nap after lunch then,” Nico responded simply. “See you later.” 

He was happy to let him leave now.

Nico stared at the Campfire, slightly in awe of how high the flames were burning that night. They seemed to dance, golden and gleaming, as they painted those in the Amphitheatre with a rosy glow. He glanced at Will, watching his side-profile as Will searched the stands for their friends. The firelight was making Will’s hair flicker different shades of burnished gold, contrasting with the colours it usually shone in daylight.

“Are you coming or are you just going to stand there all night?” Will asked, making Nico realise that he had forgotten to move when Will had started to head towards where Percy and some of the others were gathered.

“Nope!” Nico hoped Will would attribute his flush to the heat of the fire. “I’m coming!”

Will laughed and continued up the steps, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Nico was following him. Thankfully, his brain had decided to work long enough for him to realise that he needed to use his legs, so he was only a few steps behind.

“Nice of you to join us!” Percy mocked as they joined Jason and Thalia; Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Leo sat on the row in front of them. Jason was leaning forward, pretty much draped over Piper like a scarf.

“You literally left the Pavilion two minutes before us,” Will pointed out. “And you didn’t have Nico to slow you down.”

“Hey!” Nico protested, nudging Will with his elbow.

“It’s true!” Will laughed. “You were just standing there with a vacant look on your face as you stared at me.”

“You say that like it’s not a common occurrence,” Leo snorted. Nico wondered what Leo would feel if he was to throw him directly into the campfire. He knew that his immunity would stop him from burning to a crisp, but it would at least cause some discomfort, right?

“I did not have a vacant look on my face,” Nico realised that he needed to actually defend himself, instead of hoping he could set Leo alight with his eyes.

“So you were staring at me?” Will raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, what?” Nico took a minute to process before realising his mistake. “No!”

“You were definitely staring at him, we could tell from up here,” Percy teased.

“I wasn’t staring at Will!” Nico protested. “I was staring past Will. At the fire! Because it’s… hot?”

It was, decidedly, the wrong thing to say. He knew that the second the words left his lips.

Forget Leo, he wanted to throw himself into the flames.

“Uh huh.” Thalia was smiling at him, a predatory gleam in her eyes. “So you weren’t staring at Will, you were staring at the fire because it’s hot ? Sure you didn’t get your words mixed up there, Death Breath?”

“I want the floor to swallow me whole,” Nico groaned. “Why am I friends with any of you?”

“Hey!” Will protested.

“You started this bullying ,” Nico huffed. “You aren’t off the hook, Sunshine.”

“Bullying is a very strong word, Neeks,” Percy teased. “It’s all affectionate ribbing, really.”

“You all suck,” Nico responded. “You all suck, lots.”

“Gee, I do love how creative your insults are, Death Breath” Thalia cackled. “I can tell you, without any shadow of a doubt, that I have never sucked in my entire life.”

Beside them, Jason made a peculiar noise; as if he was being strangled, his cheeks flushing too.

“Thals-”

“Campers!” Chiron boomed below, cutting off whatever Jason was about to say and thankfully putting an end to their friends’ bullying for at least five minutes. Or however long Chiron’s speech lasted. “Welcome to the annual celebration of-”

“There’s only a new year once a year, Chiron, it can’t be anything but an annual event!” Clarisse called from where she was sitting with Chris and a mix of their siblings.

“ Thank you Clarisse ,” Chiron intoned before continuing on. “Welcome to the Camp Half-Blood New Year’s Celebration, which, as the ever-delightful Miss La Rue pointed out for the rest of us, is held every year. One would, perhaps, say annually ?”

“I just don’t want you to sound like an idiot!” Clarisse’s laughter echoed around the amphitheatre.

“I’m sure.” Chiron managed to perfectly encapsulate an eye-roll in a sentence, even if his eyes didn’t twitch. His expression then softened and he looked around the gathered crowd of demigods, a proud expression on his face. “I just want to congratulate you all on getting through what has been quite a difficult year. It seems like we’ve had quite a few of those in recent memory, so here’s to hoping that the year to come is one of peace and tranquility for all. However unlikely it may be, we can still hope.”

“He says something along the lines of hoping for peace every year,” Will spoke softly, shuffling closer and leaning so that his head was practically resting on Nico’s shoulder in order for him to hear properly. Will moving closer had the added bonus of their bodies now touching from ankle to shoulder, providing Nico with a very attractive source of warmth. His internal complaints that they hadn’t sat closer to the fire died down, content now that he had his own personal space heater in the form of one of Apollo’s sons. “And every single year since Percy landed in Camp, he’s had to make a reference to the terrible year we’ve just had.”

“So you’re saying that Percy is our own personal bad luck charm?” Nico asked, just loud enough for said son of Poseidon to hear too. Percy turned around and glared at him until Annabeth gently hit his thigh and gestured to where Chiron had started speaking once more. Nico realised that he should probably start paying attention to the centaur as well, but he was too distracted by Will’s soft snickering to care. “Or should I say, Perce- sonal.”

“Please, for the love of the gods, shut up before I start cackling,” Will begged. “ My dad would make that joke, Nic. My dad!”

“Can we please forget I said anything then?” Nico asked, shuddering. “No offence, but I really don’t want to be compared to your dad.”

“Both of you, shut it,” Jason hissed before Will could respond.

Nico rolled his eyes and figured it would probably be for the best if they shut up and listened to Chiron.

After several hours of laughing, singing, and storytelling, Nico couldn’t help but feel like an idiot for not coming back to Camp sooner. He also couldn’t help the happiness that was coursing through his veins, extended proximity to Will making him feel like he had been injected with a shot of pure sunshine. As the night had progressed, he had found it increasingly difficult to tell where he ended and Will began; Will having wordlessly curled an arm around Nico’s waist at one point, pressing them even closer and not even bothering to address it - simply doing it while maintaining steady conversation with Annabeth. Athena’s daughter had winked at Nico when Will’s gaze had been pulled to Piper as she made a wholly different point in the conversation and Nico had just flushed under her gaze, wondering if he could convey ‘I don’t know what in my father’s name is going on but I’m happy’ with his eyes.

“Hey, Percy?” Will piped up, curiosity in his tone.

“Yeah?” Percy angled his body to look at them, having moved so that he was sat sideways on the bench in order to both look at Annabeth and the row behind easier.

“How come you never sing along to any of the songs?” Will asked. “I’ve only just noticed.”

Nico knew the answer and immediately started to laugh as Percy started to flush. 

“Oh man,” Leo laughed as well, shaking his head. 

“Can one of you please explain?” Percy asked, dragging a hand down his face. “It’s embarrassing. ”

“You know how Percy’s dad is the god of the sea, right?” Leo swooped in gleefully.

“No Leo, I had no idea of Percy’s relation to Poseidon,” Will stated dryly. “Is he really the son of the sea god?”

“Nico’s sarcasm is infectious, maybe you shouldn’t be so close?” Leo huffed, playfully rolling his eyes.

“I think I’m quite happy where I am,” Will responded lightly and Nico’s heart pretty much did a flip in his chest. “Do go on Leo, tell me what Percy’s unexpected relation to Poseidon means about his singing voice-” Will stopped for a moment, eyeing Percy with a careful look of consideration before a bright smile burst across his face like rays breaking across the horizon at dawn. “Wait! Don’t tell me!”

“Looks and brains, someone will be lucky.” Leo winked directly at Nico.

“Can you sing like a siren?” Will asked, having landed on the correct conclusion.

“Sort of?” Percy cringed slightly, obviously still embarrassed. “I can’t quite control it yet, so I prefer to stick to not singing.”

“Believe me, it doesn’t stop him from singing in the shower,” Nico snorted.

“Wait, who sings like a siren?” Austin yelled from a few rows down.

“He has bat-like hearing when it comes to the prospect of a good voice,” Will cackled. He looked to Percy for assurance, waiting until the son of Poseidon nodded before replying to his brother. “Percy can! He just can’t control it yet!”

There was instantly a cacophony of noise as the other members of the Apollo Cabin who were at Camp for the Christmas holiday migrated so they were closer to their group.

“Will you sing for us?” Kayla asked, eyes fixed on Percy. “None of us have heard a siren before.”

“Hey,” Will murmured softly, distracting him from the show in front of them. 

“What’s up?” Nico asked. “Wanted to quiz him without your siblings getting involved?”

“Actually, no. I’m pretty glad that they’re causing a distraction right now,” Will admitted. “I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk until they start setting off the fireworks? We’ve got some time and the beach is always really pretty at this time of night.”

Nico didn’t even need to stop and consider for a moment, the prospect of a moment alone with Will taking over his brain. “Yeah,” he nodded eagerly, “I’d like that.”

They had managed to slip out of the amphitheatre without catching too much attention, the few people that looked in their direction assuming that they had given up on waiting for midnight and were making an escape before it got too late for them to leave without looking like they were ducking out to go and make out as the fireworks signalled the New Year.

Not that Nico would be opposed to that plan, not in the slightest.

“I can’t believe we managed to escape without any of them catching on!” Will laughed as they walked towards the beach, their hands brushing against each other.

“I think Leo noticed, but I think he was more interested in the prospect of harassing Percy into singing for an audience.” Nico grinned, having seen Leo’s eyes on them as they’d stood up before the son of Hephaestus had decided that there was something more entertaining to catch his attention. 

He couldn’t help but be very aware of their hands, wanting nothing more than to have the bravery to slide his fingers through Will’s and hold them. There was a slight feeling of worry gnawing in his stomach though, one that was telling him that Will was going to speak contrary to his actions throughout his stay and tell Nico that he just wanted to be friends.

Instead of listening to those fears, he took a deep breath and did exactly what he wanted.

And, to his surprise, the world didn’t stop turning.

“I thought for sure that we were busted then,” Will responded to him, the only acknowledgement he gave to the fact that they were now holding hands was to give Nico’s a gentle squeeze. “I think he weighed up the pros and cons and realised that continuing to harass Percy would have a bigger reward.”

“Harassing Percy always has the bigger reward,” Nico laughed, speaking from experience. “He’s learned that one over the last few months.”

“So you’re glad you decided to stay with them?” Will asked as the ground beneath their feet changed from solid to sand. “Or do you regret not going down to the Underworld?”

Nico considered for a moment, despite already knowing the answer. He didn’t want to blurt it out and admit that Will had been right in summer so easily, he wanted to bask in Will’s curiosity for a few moments. “You were right,” He admitted, albeit a little begrudgingly.

“What was that?” Will asked, false innocence colouring his tone. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“You were right,” Nico repeated. “When you told me in summer that I would be stupid to go and live with my father, you were right. I’d still be stuck in the same rut I was in back then, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Quite literally as well, I don’t think I would be in Camp right now if I’d gone.”

“I, for one, am extremely glad you decided to stay,” Will informed him, a soft smile on his face. “Oh look, a picnic blanket!”

Nico turned his attention away from Will and therefore in the direction that he was pointing with his free hand. There was a picnic blanket spread out on the sand, a couple of blankets and cushions scattered on top of it. He turned back to Will, who had a sheepish smile on his face.

“I wonder who put that there?” Nico asked lightly. He let Will tug him over, following willingly.

“Here,” Will threw a blanket over their laps once they were sitting down, looking out over the sea. “I know you get cold easily, Death Breath.”

“How did you manage this?” Nico asked, leaning into Will’s warmth. “You were stuck in the infirmary all day, right?”

“Let’s just say that the list of things I owe Austin for has gotten longer,” Will laughed. “I fear the day he decides that he wants to cash in.”

“Did you ask him to distract Percy as well so you could steal me away?” Nico asked, mostly joking. Then he saw the look on Will’s face. “Zeus’ beard, you did!”

“Okay, so I may have already known about the singing thing?” Will admitted sheepishly. “And I knew it was the type of thing that Austin would fixate on if he heard us talking about it so I might have steered the conversation that way intentionally?”

“What did you even want to bring me to the beach for anyway?” Nico asked, realising that he hadn’t even questioned it yet. “Why have you done all of, well, this ?” He gestured to the blankets to emphasise, letting confusion leak into his tone.

Will flushed slightly, ducking his head so he wasn’t meeting Nico’s eyes. “Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

“Yes,” Nico responded after a moment of deliberation.

“Do you have a brain in that skull of yours or should I start calling you Skeleton Boy?” Will asked, gently flicking his forehead. “Or Numbskull?”

“Usually I’d argue otherwise, especially if Perce and Leo were around, but I’ll admit that you’ve lost me,” Nico admitted. “There’s supposed to be a brain in there, but it’s too busy running through all of the wrong answers to figure out the right one.”

“What would those wrong answers be?” Will asked. “And why would they be wrong?”

“They’re wrong because I know that they are,” Nico huffed. “As much as I hope otherwise, I know they’re wrong.”

“Alright, smartass,” Will rolled his eyes, “What do you want to hear?”

“I want to hear that you brought me out here because you like me,” Nico confessed softly, his words that quiet they were almost stolen by the breeze and carried off over the ocean. “Even though I know you don’t. Why would you?”

It was difficult for him to admit, but he knew he had to. Afterall, it was better to hear a rejection than it was to pine hopelessly over a boy he couldn’t have.

Again.

“You are, quite possibly, the biggest dumbass I have ever known,” Will let out a frustrated noise. “And I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Percy Jackson for years.”

“Huh?” Nico responded unintelligently.

“You seriously think that I don’t like you?” Will asked. His confused expression matched how Nico was feeling in that moment, not knowing how to handle the conversation now that it was going in a direction he wasn’t expecting. 

“Yes?” Nico responded, voice filled with uncertainty.

Will stared at him as if he was a hydra who’d just had a head cut off. “ Why ?”

“Because you don’t?” Nico continued, his voice rising in pitch as he became less and less confident in the answers he was giving. “I sort of got the vibe that you might’ve in summer but then I left and didn’t exactly speak to you until a few days ago. I figured you would have had the chance to think about what I did at the end of the war and that you would have decided you were better off without Hades’ son acting as your shadow.”

“Nico, what in Had- sorry, habit.” Will winced, looking apologetic as he corrected himself before frowning again. “Nico, what in Hera’s name are you talking about? What you did at the end of the war?”

“You know…” Nico bit his lip. “When I kind of let Octavian kill himself?”

Will blinked at him, looking like Nico had just slapped him with a wet fish. Which would be highly unrealistic, wet fish were Percy’s area of expertise. Nico would be more likely to slap Will with a wet bone or something. Not that he would slap Will with anything, let alone a bone that he’d just pulled out of a waterlogged grave.

“Nico, what the fuck are you talking about ?” Will asked, shaking his head as if to shake himself out of a stupor. “Hey, are you feeling alright?” He raised a hand and pressed the back of it against Nico’s forehead. “You don’t feel feverish, in fact, you feel cold.”

“I run cold,” Nico reminded him instinctively before batting his hand away. “I’m fine! I should be asking you if you feel alright.”

“I’m not the one being delusional right now,” Will informed him. “Maybe we should head to the infirmary so I can check your temperature with a thermometer.”

“How often do you hear the line ‘is that a thermometer in your pocket or are you happy to see me’ on average?” Nico blurted out before clapping a hand over his mouth. It was an internal thought that was never supposed to be external but his brain to mouth filter didn’t seem to be functioning at the moment. “Dionysus’ gym shorts, I did not mean to say that.”

Will, to his relief, started cackling.

“This is exactly why you don’t like me,” Nico groaned. “I can’t be trusted to say anything like a normal human being.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Will sighed, eyes filled with playful exasperation. “That’s exactly why I do like you, dumbass.”

“But I’m weird!” Nico protested. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo, do you ever see me without this stupid jacket?” He pulled his sleeve to emphasise his point, knowing that there was a smile spreading across his face. “It’s still three sizes too big for me, that’s weird right?”

Will was staring at him like he’d been slapped with a wet bone again. “Nico, are you quoting Riverdale right now? Riverdale ?!”

“In my defence, I didn’t know what else to say,” Nico laughed nervously. “And before you ask, I don’t watch it. Percy was watching the first season. ...I may have continued without him, but that’s besides the point.”

“You didn’t know what else to say ?” Will’s jaw dropped. “Maybe something about liking me back?”

“Oh!” Nico realised his error. “That part was supposed to be obvious. Was it not?”

“You are the biggest dumbass this side of Olympus,” Will groaned. “No, it wasn’t obvious!”

“I like you too! Like, like like,” Nico assured him. “That’s what all the cool kids say nowadays, right? Are you sure you like me though? Because, you didn’t answer when I reminded you that I kind of let Octavian kill himself and I don’t know whether or not you were ignoring that on purpose or if you were going to let me down easy by-”

“Nico,” Will cut him off. “ Shut up. ”

Suddenly Will’s hand was back on his face, though he wasn’t touching his forehead to check his temperature this time. No, this time Will was cupping his cheek; the son of Apollo’s hand was warm against his chilled skin, completely contrasting to the cool in the air around them. He used said hand to tilt Nico’s chin slightly upwards and ever so slightly to an angle. Nico was putty in his hold, not quite believing what was happening. That it actually was happening.

Will edged his body forwards before closing the distance between their faces until there was just a whisper between them, their eyes locked together. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, Numbskull,” Will breathed, his lips almost brushing Nico’s as he spoke.

And then they did.

Nico felt as if he had just touched a live wire, a jolt of warmth flooding through his core. He suddenly understood why people said that their first kiss felt like there were fireworks going off, his heart pounding and his ears ringing as he was deafened to all other sounds. His only focus was Will in that moment; the hand on his cheek and the other one that was a warm weight on the small of his back, urging him to press closer. He let his own hands roam, letting one of them slide up the back on Will’s neck to tangle in the curls that he had wanted to touch for far longer than he wanted to admit.

When they finally broke apart he kept his eyes on Will, completely transfixed. 

“Fireworks,” Will whispered softly.

“Yeah, me too,” Nico responded, hoping that Will couldn’t hear his heart beating in his chest like Nico thought he could.

“No, literally,” Will chuckled, pointing upwards.

Nico followed his gesture, letting out a soft noise of surprise at the sight of exploding showers of gold; the shimmering embers raining down above the sea.

“SHIT!” The distinct sound of the Stolls yelling echoed down the empty beach, just about audible over the sound of the sea.

“I think they lit them a few minutes too soon,” Will laughed, showing Nico that his hPhone was saying they still had two minutes until midnight.

“Oh, no.” Nico shook his head. “I think they lit them at precisely the right time.”

When the display on Will’s discarded phone turned to four zeros and the date changed from the 31st to the 1st, one year passing to the next, Nico couldn’t help but smile into the kiss he had initiated. He felt the same way as the fireworks that were flying above them, soaring on delight and feeling as if his heart was exploding in his chest.

He had survived one of the worst years of his life and he had high hopes for the next. He had a family who loved him, friends who adored him, and, hopefully, a boy that he would be calling his boyfriend as soon as possible.

The future looked bright. And not just because of the son of Apollo that was going to be in it.