Chapter Text
If someone had told Nico a few years ago that he would feel so happy, he would have called them crazy, happiness was not something he felt capable of feeling anymore. Yes, he remembered his days when he was young and he still lived in Italy with his mother and sister, at that moment he was still innocent and didn’t know about the reality of life. But after moving out to the USA, everything seemed to be going downhill.
First, his sister and him were taken out of their memories and put in the Lotus Hotel, and when they were finally out, his sister was abandoning him and then dead. This was only followed by a continuity of terrible years, in which Nico was surviving instead of living. When something was over, another thing was waiting for him in the next corner. If it wasn't a war, it was being rejected by demigods like him, and if not, another war and more rejection. After the ending of the Second Giant War, he just felt… empty.
This time, there were more people around him, even a new sister, but soon they seemed far away too. And then he was wandering around again and using his Shadow Powers to show up as far as he could, to feel as free as he was able to, running away again from his problems and not thinking about stopping. Until he met him.
Oh, him. The single thought of Will makes Nico’s face move to show a silly smile, one that his brains try to shut down and avoid, trying to maintain his nonchalant attitude that has taken so long to refine in the camp. But now he’s inside his own cabin, alone, and he can let his face move and his mind wander.
At first he didn’t even know what they were doing, meeting up at night in the forest and just talking or playing Mythomagic, but it had been nice. Being able to exist next to someone had never felt so easy, so liberating, and Nico was having the time of his life and the same time that he knew that it couldn’t last too long. Because good things don’t happen to Hades’ kids.
He didn’t know well when it turned into a crush, just that it was as natural as breathing. It didn’t feel like his one with Percy, suffocating and guilt-ridden, and that’s mostly why he didn’t realize it until it was too late.
And then everything went fine, five words that he never thought that he would be able to say. After realizing his crush, good things keep coming to him, first he made up with Jason and Hazel, then Will confessed to him but they were interrupted, he made up with Reyna and… he got a boyfriend.
Nico Di Angelo’s life hadn’t felt so light before that, his friends’ teasing didn’t matter at all when he could have Will in his arms, or kiss him when they were together almost every time that he wanted to. And this was mostly because they were secret, and as two boys they couldn’t just do whatever they wanted to do in public. Still, it was exhilarating.
At first, they decided to keep their relationship to themselves, as they wanted to adapt to their new dynamic before telling more people around them. This was mostly for Will, as when Nico went back to his cabin, Jason and Hazel were waiting for him and eager to be told everything that had happened, with all the details. For Will, this was more difficult, he wasn’t out yet for his family and friends, they only knew Nico as Will’s friend that they have never met.
Their first months together were a blissful time in which they continue to do what they did before, but involving kisses between playing Mythomagic or just talking about nothing and all at the same time. Nico started to spend more of his time in Will’s room than in his own cabin, even when it meant having to hide from Will’s family, who haven't met him yet—well, except for Jane. But it was for this same reason that, after three months together, they were caught.
It wasn’t a surprise at all, they had been too reckless, thinking that as there wasn't anyone at the house they could just forget to be careful. It was a rainy day, so after going out in the arcade, they biked there and went to Will’s room. As outside they have to be careful with how they acted with each other, being alone also entailed a freedom that they both enjoyed. At first, they just laid on the bed, Will reading a comic and Nico cuddled next to him, head on his shoulder and reading along. A little peck to distract Will, soon leading to a makeout session, both boys are too distracted with each other to realize that someone has arrived at the house.
It was then when the bedroom door opened and none other than Will’s step father stepped in, it was the surprised noise that he let out the one that finally made both of them realize that they had been caught. Will reacted quickly, throwing Nico from on top of him to the floor, where he fell with a pain noise. Soon, both boys were being stared at by Will’s parents, Nico had never felt so uncomfortable or exposed. At first, he felt scared, he knew that they didn’t know about Will being gay. But they both seemed more surprised than mad.
Luckily for him, even when Will’s parents wanted him to stay, the boy managed to convince them to let him leave. With the condition of having a proper dinner in which they can meet him, of course.
And because of all of this, Nico found himself at his cabin one hour and a half before the dinner, with some of his clothes scattered on his stupid coffin bed that he still hasn’t changed. He has been ready for a while now, the only thing left is to choose the outfit to take, and everything seems wrong for some reason. He paces around the room, sighing and taking another look at his clothes for one more time.
All of his sweatshirts and comfy clothes have been set aside. They’re nice to meet up with Will only, but he wants to give a good impression to the other boy’s parents. He has also set aside the more formal and greek/roman like clothes that his father gave him, those are a no if he want them not think that he’s some kind of lunatic. Once that’s done, there are only a few different black shirts and jeans left, because of course that now it looks like a problem to not have anything else to wear. He never thought he'd agree with Jason or Hazel, but he needs more clothes.
And speaking of the devil, his sister suddenly walks in, snapping him out of his panic and stopping him from rummaging through the closet for the umpteenth time, as if he were going to find something that he hadn’t seen before.
“Nico!” She says, her gaze drifting towards the clothes. “Hasn’t decided yet?”
He huffs, resting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. “This is impossible, I’m going to look ridiculous, then they’ll hate me and they’ll never let me see Will again.”
“Don’t be dramatic,” she says, rolling her eyes as she approaches him and takes a look too. “I understand that you want to look nice, but they're not going to give you a hard time just because you're not wearing something they like!”
“But they could!” He points out, and she shakes her head.
She takes her time before answering back, staring at the clothes. He can see the gears turning in her head, her furrowed brow and the way she bit his lip, as if she were plotting something. He should be scared, but he’s just hoping that she saves him from his problem right now.
“Just give me a few minutes,” she finally says, turning around and leaving the cabin as fast as she got in. He just stays there, waiting impatiently.
Finally, she comes back just a few minutes later, which for him feels like an eternity. In her hands, she has a black button-down shirt. He frowns, where the hell has she gotten that?
“Wher–” he starts talking, but she cuts him off as she puts the shirt in his hands and goes over to look at the jeans on the bed.
“It’s Jason’s,” she explains, grabbing a pair of normal black jeans.
He holds out his shirt to him and frowns. It looks his size, which doesn’t make sense at all because the other boy is older and bigger, his clothes should be ridiculously big on him.
“There is no way,” he says, making sure that it’s not some kind of optical illusion. “Jason is bigger.”
“Well, that one shirt shrunk after one of the Stolls' jokes when we stayed in camp a few months ago. I thought I'd check to see if Jason still had it in his cabin, and voilà!” She handed him one of his jeans, the least ripped ones that he has. “Put those two things, add your usual jacket and you’re perfect to go.”
He looks skeptical between the clothes as his sister. “Are you sure? Isn’t this maybe too much? Or maybe too less.”
“Nico, if you keep doubting, you’ll never go to the dinner, and that would only make you feel worse,” she says, sighing and stepping in front of him, holding both his hands and looking up at him. “Believe me, you would look good. And, if you want, we could ask Chiron to have during the days that I’m here a day out in the city to buy you new clothes. Some for this occasion, and some just to have more variety. What do you think?”
He nods, because of course that she’s right, and grabs the clothes to go to the bathroom and change himself. When he’s ready, he steps outside, and waits for the verdict.
“Wow, it’s perfect!” She says, clapping happily.
“I have to admit that it’s not bad,” he says, smiling at her. It’s been a while since he has dressed like this. In Italy, back in the 30s, his clothes were mostly formal and uncomfortable. Then, when he arrived at this new year, he had first his school uniform, and then the camp clothes. He hasn’t had time to dress nice between monster attacks and wars, and meeting with Will has always been pretty informal.
But now, he realizes that finally, he has the time to explore more a bit on his style. That he can put on a nice shirt, or that he can go shopping with Hazel to look for new clothes that can be whatever he wants. It makes him even smile more.
She smiles brightly too, maybe realizing his thoughts, or maybe just wanting to smile back and reassure him of what is still going to happen in less than an hour. She grabs his hands again and squeezes them, then puts on her tip toes to kiss his cheek, a touch that has become so familiar and comforting to Nico since he met his sister.
“Good look big brother,” she whispers, smiling again. “I’m so proud of you, I love you, Will loves you, and I’m sure that his parents will too.”
Warmth fills Nico’s chest with those words, it doesn’t matter how much the people around him repeats those words to him, every single time it will make him so special, cared. It’s a feeling that he has been years without having, and now it was coming all over. Filled with emotion, he opens his arms and steps closer to hug her, she hugs him back immediately.
When they part, after a few seconds, she kisses his cheek once more, and finally Nico steps back, taking a deep breath as he starts to cast a shadow to take him to Will’s house. With a last smile to Hazel, he steps in the shadows and shows up exactly where he wanted, next to one of the trees on the line that circles the house, far enough that he won’t be seen popping up out of thin air. Normally, he would just show up inside, but it wouldn’t be a good first (or more like second) impression to do that.
So this time, he takes the normal path walking towards the house, fidgeting nervously with his fingers. When he’s just in front of the door, he takes a deep breath and extends his hand to the door, knocking on it. He winces, the sound is heard too loud in the silence of the afternoon in a forest that is quite away from the city, but he can’t do anything now, just wait to be let in.
After a few seconds that feel like eternity, with his whole body vibrating from the nerves, the door opens and Joyce Byers’ smile greets him. She’s wearing a stained apron, maybe she was finishing up dinner.
“Oh honey, welcome!” She says, excited. The fact that she's the one opening the door makes him feel a little less nervous, and her smile is too sweet to not return it, though probably a bit awkwardly.
“Hello, Mrs Byers,” he says, trying to control his voice. “I'm on time, right? I wouldn’t want to interrump you.”
“No, no, I just finished dinner,” she says, quickly shaking her head and stepping in to let him in. “You’re just in time, come in.”
He does as she says, and when he has stepped into the entrance, Mrs Byers is already calling Will and telling him that he has arrived. This also makes the rest of the people in the house to come too to greet him. He stays there, still and trying to clean the sweat on his hand on his jeans, knowing that Will’s sister, brother and step father would come there too.
But the moment in which Will steps into the room and their eyes meet, it’s like a weight lifts from his shoulders. Will’s face lights up instantly, almost as he couldn’t believe that this moment was happening. He steps closer to him, smiling widely.
“Nico!” He says, and Nico takes a step forward too, meeting him in the middle in a hug. The familiar body pressed against him helps him to relax too, along with the feel of the fabric of one of Will’s typical flannels, and he would have even kissed him if it weren’t for the four members of his boyfriend's family watching them both intently.
Nico can see Jane's smile through Will's shoulder, and almost sense his mother’s smile, but he can see his step father frowning and his brother's curious smile, they are clearly more reluctant about him. But Nico can’t blame them, it’s also important for him to know that Will is happy. Then the man clears his throat, remembering the boys where they are, and they separate. Will gives him a reassurance smile, and Nico returns it nervously.
“Looking nice,” he whispers, and Nico can feel his cheeks heating up lightly, which just makes his smile wider.
“Well, dinner is going to be served,” Mrs Byers called everyone, interrupting the moment, and Will grabs his arm to lead him to the dinner table.
There, he sits next to Will, not caring what the other members of the family could think, and he joins their hands under the table, the other boy squeezes it. In front of Will, Jane sits smiling at them again, she seems really happy to see Nico there. But he glazes nervously at Will’s step father sitting presiding at the table just next to Nico, and his brother in front of him. Perfect, now he's completely surrounded by them.
Will gives him another squeeze, probably noticing the tense ambience, but before no one can say anything, Mrs Byers enters with the food. After serving it, she sits presiding over the table just in front of her husband and between Jane and Will. And it’s just then, when they start eating, that the conversation starts.
“It’s so nice that you've been able to come, honey,” Mrs says, she’s also excited to see him here, it makes him feel welcomed.
“Will has talked a lot about you since our parents found out,” Jane adds, smiling, and then she lets out a little groan of pain, probably after being kicked under the table by Will, who is muttering at her to stop talking.
“That’s true Will?” Nico asks, turning with a smirk to the boy, who blushes.
“Maybe,” he murmurs, looking away, flustered.
“So tell me, kid,” Will’s step father says, catching his attention. “Will told us that you’re from that small neighborhood they've built in the next town over, right? It's not in my jurisdiction, so I don't know much about the place.”
Nico nods, relieved that Will has invented a credible story for him, he has almost forgotten that this man was a police officer, and that at any moment he could have discovered their story if they had said that he lived in Hawkins.
“Any reason for coming here? Not many people want to move out to little towns like this,” he adds, wanting Nico to answer and probably talk a bit more.
“Just my father's job, he got a new one here and we needed to move out,” he invents as he talks, feeling as if everyone in the room can see through his lies.
“Must have been difficult,” Will’s brother, Jonathan, adds, joining the conversations and just making him more nervous.
“It’s fine,” he answers, taking his time to eat and swallow his food, and also think about his next answers. “I’ve been used to moving a lot my whole life, always a different town. That’s why I’m homeschooled.”
“Then that must have been lonely,” Jonathan says.
“It was,” he admits, thinking about his previous life. Maybe not moving from city to city with his family, but doing it alone with the only company of ghosts and death. “But now I’m better, I’ve some friends that I’m in contact with by mail, and, well, I’ve Will too.”
With those last words, Nico turns again to look at his boyfriend, who smiles back at him back, a glint in his eyes for the words. He squeezes his hand again, and he knows that if they were alone he would have kissed him. Oh, how he wanted to kiss him, even just a peck would be enough.
It also seems to be the right answer, because the others relax a bit with the questions, and soon the conversation just keeps flowing to more calm matters. They ask him a lot of questions, wanting to know him better, and Nico is relieved when he can answer the truth. Even if it’s for a good reason, he doesn’t like to lie to this family, who is trying too hard to open up to him.
But of course, things can’t continue to be as happy, when have demigod lives been?
They have finished eating, and Nico stands up from the table to go to the bathroom. It’s quick, and he mostly wants to cool off with a little water. But as he comes back to the table, he can see a glint out of the corner of his eye, panic raises through his throat. It's a message from Iris for him.
He hides as fast as he can in the kitchen, not wanting Will’s family to see it and freak out. Who knows what they could see through the mist? He doesn’t want to learn it. The person that shows up is Percy Jackson, and Nico almost yells at him, what is this timing? When he’s meeting his boyfriend’s parents for the first time?
But before none of them could say anything, Mrs Byers showed up on the door, some dishes on her hands that she was taking to the kitchen. Almost at the same time that Nico runs his hands through the message in the air, the woman let out a surprise noise and dropped everything she was holding onto the floor.
“I was– I wasn’t–” Nico tries to say, but no words manage to get out. And how could they when he doesn’t even know what the woman is seeing? Maybe she was just startled to see him there and he was just making an unnecessary situation.
But no, he can see the truth in her eyes, that she has seen him. And then, she lets out the words that he wasn’t expecting at all.
“You’re a demigod,” she says, and he freezes, what?
He genuinely can’t say nothing, his body is still, and his mind has gone blank. How does she know about that? How does she know what a demigod is? He just stays there, looking at her and hoping to be just dreaming, and definitely not in this situation.
“You’re a demigod!” She repeats, more sure this time, her eyes widened by the surprise. Nico’s lack of words seems to be an answer for her.
“Wait, no–” he tries to say, ready to let out another lie, another excuse. But then he realizes, if she knows what is a Iris message and a demigod, she has to know about the gods and about, well, about everything. He frowns, and stops talking, changing his next words. “How do you know?”
Now is her time to freeze, clearly also in a difficult situation, because she is in this secret too. Nico still can’t process it, the mother of his boyfriend knows about demigods. By Zeus, she could be one too!
And if the situation couldn’t be worse, the rest of the people of the house arrive quickly, even when it feels to Nico like hours have passed in this terrible moment of being discovered. Soon everyone is on the doorframe, they seem worried, probably having heard the dishes crashing into the floor.
“What is going on?” Will’s step father asks, looking between them both, but Nico doesn’t feel able to speak. A lump in his throat.
She then seems to realize the situation that they are in, and looks between the other people in the room. Then turn again to look at Nico.
“Does my son know?” She asks, and Nico just nods, what purpose there is in lying now?
“Do I know what?” Will asks, looking even more confused.
“God…” She says, burying her face in her hands and a frown on her face, she looks tired. “And I thought that this would never come out to the light. I was so wrong…”
“Joyce, what is going on?” Will’s step father repeats, stepping closer to her, one hand on her shoulder. “Is this about the lab? About the things of the last few years?”
Nico knows what he’s asking about, is this has to do with the Upside Down, but he can’t just say it out loud in front of him. So he decides to stay silent, this is not his issue to step into, this is between her and her family.
“No, no it’s not,” she answers back, shaking her head and looking back at Nico.
Will seems to start understanding as he looks between them both, because if it’s not the Upside Down stuff, what else would they be talking about? He pales, and turns to his mother.
“Mom, please tell me that it’s not what I think it is,” he says, almost whispering, his mother just looking at him sadly.
“If you’re thinking about another danger out there, then you might be right,” she says, sighing. “I know about the gods.”
The last sentence is almost a shock to Nico, is she really admitting it there? Her husband and children, except Will, look confused. While Will just seems shocked, it’s not an everyday experience that your mother confessed knowing about the existence of Greek gods after all.
“I thought that we weren’t religious?” Jane asks, turning to her father.
“And we’re not,” the man tells her.
“Wait, mom, you said gods? In plural?” Jonathan decides to speak up, clearly noticing that difference in words that meant much more that can be believed.
“You should sit down, this is not something easy to talk about,” she says, shaking her head.
“Joyce…” Will’s step father tries to say, but she stops him, shaking her head again.
“Just go and sit, wait for me, I’ve to clean this up,” she says as she lowers herself on the floor, starting to clean the mess that is there.
“Wait, let me help you,” Nico says, as technically is his fault too, or his bad luck fault. He gets closer and lower next to her.
“You’ve listened to her,” Will tells his family, and nods to the living room. “Wait there for us, I’ll promise that we’ll explain anything soon.
They take a few looks between them, clearly confused and not wanting to leave the conversation there, even for just a few minutes. But finally, Jonathan decides to do what his brother says and nods, soon his sister and step father follow him.
Will turns to Nico and his mother, lowering to help them too, and soon they’ve picked up all the broken dishes, his mother goes to pick a broom. And Will takes the opportunity to get closer to Nico, and finally get an answer for all his doubts.
“What has happened?” He whispers. “How does she know?”
“I don’t know how she knows about everything,” Nico admits, leaning closer to him. He also takes his hand, and Will squeezes it, reassuring him. “But... it was my fault. I received an Iris message and hid in the kitchen, but she just entered as I was trying to stop it.”
“What? That’s not your fault Nico!” Will says, frowning. “Who was it?”
“Percy,” he says, rolling his eyes, and Will lets out a laugh.
“How convenient,” Will adds, bumping his arm with his. “But it has been just an accident, please don’t blame yourself for this. And think that, if it didn’t happen, I probably would never have found out that my mother knows something about it.”
“Still, I feel bad, she looked so shocked,” he says, shaking his head. “But what if now that she discovers what I am, she doesn’t like me anymore for you?”
“What are you?” Will frowns, and Nico almost forgets that for Will, someone completely blind to all the demigods' prejudices, it’s probably not a big matter who is Nico’s father.
“A son of Hades, Will,” he tells him, and Will nods, understanding.
“It’s true,” he nods. “But I don’t think that it’ll matter. My mother has seen a lot, and she’s too kind to change her view of you when she already thinks good of you.”
“I hope so, I didn’t want to give your family a show like this,” Nico murmurs, lowering his head, feeling kind of bad about all of this.
“Hey,” Will says, his hand moving to lift his head, and, even after months, it still gives him butterflies in his stomach. “Don’t worry, please. Everything is fine, you’ve been amazing. And now we’re going to give an amazing explanation and we won’t have to lie anymore, okay?”
“Okay…” he murmurs, not feeling very confident yet. But then the other boy leans in, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, the first one of the day, and his words feel truer.
They stay like that for a few seconds, looking at each other, and Nico feels the pang of nerves fading away. Will opens his arms and he leans to him easily, finding comfort in his boyfriend.
“Guys,” Will’s mother says, and they both almost jump for the sudden call, even when they only have been hugging each other. She lets out a little smile, calming them down, her eyes fond as she looks at them. “Sorry, sorry. But I’ve finished cleaning, ready to talk to the others?”
Nico is surprised to see that it’s true, he was so focused on Will that they both didn’t notice that the floor was now clean. Has she been listening to them? Seeing how his son comforts him? And worst, listening about who his godly parent is? But if she has done that, she doesn’t let it show, walking out to the living room as Will nods, answering her question.
They both follow her, finding the other members of the family waiting for them and looking nervous. Jane is sitting on the couch, next to her brother, while Hopper is pacing around the room. But they stop doing what they are doing when the three enter the room, the ambience is tense.
“First of all, I want you to listen to me and not think that I’m crazy,” Mrs Byers starts, walking and sitting on the couch, next to her children. “I even have someone who can help me confirm what I'm about to say.”
She looks at Nico, and smiles at him, which he gives back, feeling a bit nervous. He has stayed standing up, Will next to him, their arms touching. It's as if he didn't want to leave him alone, or is afraid he'll run away. Given Nico’s story, that wouldn’t be such a far-fetched idea.
“I don’t understand,” Will’s step father says, looking at Mrs Byers, frowning. “Do you know this kid from before? And what does he have to do with anything?”
“Yeah mom,” Jonathan adds. “Why did you want to keep something a secret to us, and then a boy that we don’t know is making you tell us about it? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s not exactly him,” she says, her hands trembling slightly so she puts them on her legs and grabs the fabric tightly, her knuckles going white. “It was he is. And what I am too.”
“So it’s true,” Will whispers, loud in the silence of the moment. “You’re a demigod too.”
His three relatives turn to look at him in surprise, listening to the foreign word and trying to understand.
“What’s a demigod?” Jane asks, looking between her brother and father, but they don’t have an answer either.
“First I’ve to explain something else so you can understand,” Mrs Byers says, gaining their attention again. “But yes, honey, I’m a demigod too. I’ve always been, but I didn’t discover it until I was older, as it was never a problem to me. I wasn't very powerful.”
“But then, why didn’t you tell us?” Will says, raising his voice slightly, and Nico grabs his arm. He understands his boyfriend's mother, why would she tell them about the gods if it doesn't affect them at all?
“Tell us what?” Will’s brother says, looking around between them. “I remember you two that we don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“That the Greek gods exist, Jonathan,” she says, and the room goes silent.
Will’s step father turns slightly at her, astonished, his mouth slightly open. “Joyce, what do you mean with that? Is this some kind of jok-”
“What did I tell you?” She says, interrupting him. “Listen to me first. I know that it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. And maybe Nico can explain it better than me, because Nico is one too, and I'm inclined to think that he knows more than I do.”
This leads the three of them to turn their heads to follow her gaze and look at Nico, and he grabs Will’s arm harder. When he came here, he wasn’t expecting to do an explanation about the Greek gods, but now he feels kind of stuck. But he’s determined to help her, so he takes a deep breath, and starts an explanation, at least a similar one that the one that he had given as he arrived at Camp Half-blood.
He talks about the gods—what they are like and who they are. He explains the history of the center of Western civilization, which is now in the United States. But he also talks about the camps, about the demigods and their various gifts, and about the wars that have been fought. He explains perhaps a little too much, but no one interrupts him. Maybe out of curiosity, or surprise. Maybe they think he’s crazy and are waiting to send him to the nearest mental hospital...
But he’s confident about himself, because this woman knows about it too, and after all, these people have also been in their own war. One created by science and humans, but not for that less unbelievable.
When he finishes, his throat hurts a bit, and he just stays there. Still standing next to Will, having his body next to his calm him. And Mrs Byers smile does too. But then her husband clears his throat and the moment is broken, Nico is aware again where he is, what he has just told.
“So you two,” the man says, looking between Nico and his wife. “You’re saying that there are gods out there that are all powerful and can do whatever they want, but which are hidden from the majority of the population?”
They nod, and he lets out a little laugh.
“Well, it won't be the strangest thing we've ever come across…” he murmurs, shaking his head.
“Aren’t you weird out? Or thinking that we're crazy?” Nico asks, surprised with his reaction, even when he’s right.
“He’s right,” Jonathan says, nodding to his step father. “It’s not, well, easy to accept. But we all have seen too many things. But now I understand why you didn’t want to tell us, mom.”
He smiles at his mother, and she smiles back. Nico feels a bit more relaxed after all of this.
“Wait, does that mean that you two have powers too?” Jane asks, raising her head excited. She has looked mostly confused all the time, but power was something that she could relate to. And it must feel good to realize that there are weirder things in the world than you.
She first looks at her mother, who shakes her head.
“Sorry, sweety, but I don’t,” Mrs Byers says. “I'm a demigod who's a bit weak when it comes to my powers, they are barely there. I have premonitions and can see through the mist, but not much else.”
“The mist?” Jonathan asks, curious, wanting to learn about this other world that has been hidden to him.
“It’s like a magic that hides the monsters and things of the demigods from the mortals,” Nico explains, remembering Jane that he’s also there, and also a demigod.
“So that might be why I could see that monster and the sword…” Will murmurs to himself.
“Did you say ‘sword’?” The boy's step father asks, looking with a frown at Nico.
“It’s to defend myself from the monsters,” he explains, taking it out from its sheath. “But be careful, this one is a bit different from normal demigod swords. Those ones can’t hurt mortals, but this one metal is… different.”
He shows the sword, which glows faintly, the metal shining. Jonathan, Mrs Byers and Jane look at it with their mouths opened. But Will’s step father just squints his eyes, as if he finds it hard to look at it.
“Wait,” Mrs Byers says, realizing it, and with a slight movement of her hands it makes him gasp and his eyes wide open.
“What? How?” The man says, surprised, looking at her. “I can see the sword now.”
“Some of the little powers that I’ve is being able to slightly control the mist,” she explains, looking proud of herself.
“Hecate,” Nico says, looking at her. “Are you a daughter of Hecate?”
“You’ll be right,” she says, nodding. “And I’m not sure about you, but it might be from the Underworld, because that has to be stygian iron.”
“And you’re right, I’m a son of Hades,” he says, shyly, not ready for what the reaction could be.
But the woman just smiles at him, happy about him sharing the information with her. Maybe she doesn’t know about the stigma, or maybe she just doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter, because before she could say anything, Jane turns to Nico.
“And you? Do you have powers?” She asks him, and Nico nods.
“Yeah, but they’re a bit… well they can be a bit dangerous,” he tries to explain, feeling shy about having to explain it. “And also weird.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Will says suddenly, entering the conversation. “Yes, they can be different, but they are so cool!”
“They’re not cool,” Nico corrects him, turning to look at him. “It’s just creepy. I can use the shadows, and also I can summon ghosts or skeletons.”
“You can travel whatever you want, that’s cool,” Will repeats. “And the other things are interesting too, you just have to be careful about using them.”
“Wait, you can travel whatever you want?” Jane asks. “That’s cooler than mine!”
“I can travel wherever there is a shadow, but if it’s too far away or if I use it a lot, it can be tiring,” he explains.
“And you don’t really live in the next town over, right?” Will’s step father asks suddenly.
Nico nods, feeling caught. “I live in Camp Half-blood, in Long Island.”
“That’s…” Jonathan says, thinking. “New York? You come from New York each time that you are here? That’s quite long, isn’t it exhausting?”
“Sometimes, but well, it’s worth it,” Nico murmurs, glancing sideways at Will, who smiles at him.
“Well, guys, I think we've had enough of Nico for today,” Mrs Byers says, interrupting the conversation and standing up. “He probably wants to go home now and get some rest from all this, right?
Nico nods, it’s true. He has been ready for a normal “meeting the parents” dinner, not this. And he still has to shadow travel, and probably give Hazel an explanation of how it was.
Mrs Byers leads him to the door, leaving the rest of the family and their goodbyes behind; Will follows them as well. When they arrive there, she hugs him unexpectedly, but he returns it.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you, Nico,” she says as they part from the hug, giving him a smile. “Even when this has led to, well, some revelations.”
“It has been nice too, and I’m happy that you’re not holding it in secret anymore,” he says, knowing how it feels that the people around you know the truth. How it felt finally telling Will. “But I’m sorry about how it happened, I’ll have a talk with my friend about unexpected Iris messages…”
“It’s fine, it hasn’t been a problem,” she says, shaking her head. “And without you, who knows, maybe I would never tell anyone. But now, I’m going to let you two here. You'll probably want some time alone to say goodbye.”
She smiles again at him, and then at Will, then she leaves the entrance to go with her family, leaving the two boys alone. They stay looking at each other, slowly approaching, until Will starts speaking.
“It seems that we can’t even have a normal ‘meeting the parents’, right?” Will asks, half-joking, half-sad.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Nico says, quickly, approaching more. His hand resting on Will’s arm. But the other boy doesn’t lose his time and pulls him closer, until they are hugging. And wow, Nico hadn't realized how much he needed this time alone with him, free from worries.
“Let me stay like this, I’ve just missed having you with me all the time when we’re together,” Will murmurs, close to his ear. So he leans against him for almost a minute, letting Will’s arms hold him.
But eventually, they have to let go. Will’s gaze is soft on him, his hand still holding Nico’s sleeve.
“I guess next time you come over, we'll have to hide better, won't we?” Will jokes. But it’s true, he hasn’t thought yet what could mean that his boyfriend's parents know about him.
However, that leads to another though. Since the start of their relationship, even as friends, Nico has known that he had to keep his demigod side apart from Will. First, he couldn’t know about it, and when that was inevitable, he couldn’t really show it to him. But now? Now he knows that Will’s mother is a demigod, and that makes the boy a legacy.
Will can enter his demigod life. He can go to Camp Half-blood, or even enter Camp Jupiter. A sudden joy feels him, and he almost jumps close to him again in a hug.
“Hey, hey,” the other boy says, surprised, but still holding him. “What happens?”
“You’re a legacy Will!” He exclaims, excited. “Your mother is a demigod, so you can enter only demigod places.”
He pulls away from the embrace again to look him in the face. And in a few seconds, Will’s face changes from a mix of fondness and confusion, to a smile of happiness. This time, he’s the one that pulls him close again, his hands holding his cheeks as he kisses him. Not a peck like before, but a more deep and long kiss.
Still, they’ve to pull away in laughter, when their smiles are too wide to really kiss and they’re breathless due to this. He feels so happy in that moment, not wanting to go away to the loneliness of his cabin. A part of him wants to ask to stay, but with his family knowing? He doesn’t want to risk it after all the emotions of that day.
“Hey, I should probably be heading out…” Nico murmurs, breaking the comfortable silence that has formed between them. Will nods, understanding.
“Okay, but please come back soon,” he asks him, smiling at him. “We have to see when I can meet your family, you know?”
Nico nods, smiling back at him. ‘His family’, he likes the sound of it. He likes Will considering his family his chosen friends, not only his sister. And he likes the thoughts of the boy meeting them.
“Sure, tomorrow afternoon?” Nico asks.
“Perfect, but you’ll have to leave before my step father comes,” Will jokes. “Or he'll be complaining the whole time that we've got the door closed.”
“I’ll have it in mind,” Nico promises, leaning to kiss his cheek. “Bye!”
“Goodbye!” Will answers back, as Nico finally turns to the door.
And with one last look back at his boyfriend, he fades into the shadows of the porch. His mind is already thinking about their next meeting, because this day might have not been as he thought, but Will’s family has accepted him and his boyfriend is going to meet the people that he cares more for. What more could he ask for?