AN: Boom! Second one shot in like ten minutes! I'm spoiling you guys. This gem contains a tiny bit more mature content, hence the different rating. This is the first story of solangelo I wrote that had a tad more plot to it, the others were just me throwing up fluffyness galore, worry not though, plenty of fluff in here and I hope it's enjoyable :D. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
There were a lot of crazy things I could deal with. Reattaching severed limbs? Please, I can do that in my sleep. Delivering a satyr baby? Been there, done that, got the sweater. A three legged death race? Sure. Zombie chaperon? Okay... Meeting the ruler of the Underworld, and his Queen who once turned my boyfriend into a dandelion? Yeah not so much.
"Nicoooo!" I whined into my boyfriend's pillow. Giant Eagle down, compliments of his Roman half sister.
"You really think it would be smart to ignore my dad?" Nico asked, I could hear the ammusement in his voice. I looked up at him. "You ignore mine all the time." I pointed out and he scoffed then turned back to his dresser where he was packing a weekend dufflebag. "Your dad spouts poetry at the drop of a dust mote, I'd go crazy if I listened to all that. If I have to hear the story of him coaching Shakespear one more time..." I blew a strand of my blond hair irritably off my nose but it just fell right back. I pushed it back with my hand impatiently and sat up with my legs crossed.
"We can't even eat anything there! Well I can't. Why can't they just rent a hotel? He's the God of riches but he's too cheap to rent a $500 room?" Nico closed his dresser loudly and I flinched. I worried that I'd upset him but when he turned around he was still smiling like he was looking at a cute toddler trying to throw a tantrum.
"We'll go out for meals. Come on Will," He kneeled in front of the bed where I sat and gently took my hands. "It's just two days, we'll see the Stix, you can meet Charon and Cerberus. We can even take a tour of the Fields of Punishment!" Never before have I heard the words "Fields of Punishment" used in the same tone as one might say "Disneyland." I stared blankly at Nico and he snorted. His black hair covering his face momentarily.
When he looked back up at me his mouth was pulled into a softer smile. He was always smiling these days. I felt my own mouth involuntarily pull into a smile of its own. "Please come with me Will. I really want you to meet my dad." Nico said. His tone wasn't joking anymore, it was soft and pleading. His dark eyes burned into mine pleading along with his voice. His cold hands gave mine the lightest of squeezes. I felt like a balloon in my chest popped and I was suddenly breathless. I groaned and fell side ways back onto the pillow, my hands still firmly holding Nico's.
"That's so not fair! Nico you can't do that! You're not allowed to do that!" I complained. "That's not an answer." Nico smiled patiently as he shifted so that his head was by mine. "Fine! But you're paying for dinner, lunch, breakfast and snacks." Nico's smile brightened unfairly. "Of course! Great!" He exclaimed and then kissed me in his excitement, just a quick peck, then he jumped to his feet once more. "Just so you know I'm getting you back for this." I warned as he turned back to his dufflebag. Nico scoffed again.
"Your idea of getting me back is making me read medical journals out loud and then correcting me when I make mistakes." "Well this time'll be different then, expect the unexpected Nico!" I declared as I got to my feet. "Uh huh, sure." He said dissmisively as he folded a sweater and stuffed it into his bag. "Go pack Oscar Wilde, we're leaving after dinner." "What do I even pack for a trip to the underworld? Is it like cold? Or do the screams of the damned warm the place up a little?" I ducked in time for a can of deoderant to go sailing over my head and hit the wall over the bed with a metalic clang.
"I'm going, I'm going!" I held my hands up and moved to the door.
"Will!" Nico said before I could open the door. His tone had changed, there was worry now. I turned back to face him and frowned. He wasn't looking at me, he was looking at his feet, his hands were wringing a black t-shirt tightly, his knuckles turning whiter and whiter. Before I could do anything he spoke, his voice shaking. "Look I... I know its not the most... romantic of trips but, " He swallowed and looked up at me, his cheeks turning redder with every heartbeat. "but, it means a lot. To me." I felt like a total ass.
"Hey! Hey! It's okay really, I was just a bit nervous about meeting your dad. Forget what I said earlier, I was just being a brat. I'm excited to go with you, really excited." I smiled. As I spoke I walked back to him and took his hands again, the t-shirt fell to the floor forgotten. He leaned his head automatically against my chest though he had to bend his head a little. I was surprised to see how much he'd grown this past year, he wasn't as skinny either. Nico turned his head and smiled up at me. "Yeah you were being a bit of a brat." I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to verbalize your agreement you know."
He let go of my left hand and reached his hand up so that he could bring my face closer. Despite his usually cold body the one part of Nico that was always warm was his lips. His kiss was soft and unrushed and every bit as intoxicating a halucinogenic plant. "Pack a swim shorts." Nico whispered against my lips. I vaguely remember being led out of the cabin but when I could finally understand my surroundings I was standing outside in front of Nico's closed obsidian door blinking at the bright pinkish light of the setting sun.
"So not fair!" I breathed as I fought the urge to lean back against the door. I thought I heard a chuckle from inside before I took off running across the green to my own cabin.
"We could just take a bus, Los Angeles is pretty far to shadow travel. Besides the journey should be fun" I said as Nico checked the straps of my bag. "We're not going to Los Angeles." Nico said absently. I frowned. "But isn't-" "Child of Hades remember, I have an express pass straight down." He took hold of my arm and led me to the shadow of a large fringe tree. "You're just trying to stall again, Will we're going now." Nico said patiently. As we stepped into the shadows Nico closed his eyes the same time we heard another voice shout his name. We both turned to see Jason Grace jogging up to us. "Great, just in time." He said as he reached us, he held a small square page out to Nico. Nico frowned as he took it but then smiled when he saw what was on it. "Ah, I almost forgot. Thanks Jason." Nico said as he stuffed the note into his jacket pocket.
"What's that?" I asked suspiciously but Nico pointedly ignored me. "You didn't tell him?" Jason asked confused. "Tell me what?" Nico rolled his eyes. "See you around Grace." He reached up and pushed Jason's glasses against his face by the bridge. Then he took my hand and closed his eyes. The last I saw of Jason was him rubbing his nose and grumbling then the shadows closed around us. The familiar suffocating feeling surrounded me and I squeezed Nico's hand instinctively. He squeezed back reassuringly and then we were standing in a dimly lit hallway.
Large mahogany doors towered in front of us, the ceiling easily twenty feet high. Fire brazieres lit the walls at frequent intervals down the long hallway. Some dark portrates lined the walls. Many depicting horrible punishments. I even spotted a Bosch painting of hell and something told me it was the original. We stood on a long blood red carpet that had been rolled out what was probably the entire length of the hallway with pitch black tiles lined on either side of it. I tried not to think of the tiles as pits and looked instead at the large intimidating door.
"Do we knock?" I asked when I found my voice. It came out embarrasingly high pitched. "Nah, it's my house, we just walk in." Nico said and stepped forward. He loosened his grip on my hand but I held tighter. He looked at me surprised but then his face softened and he tightened his grip once more. "I'm here Will." He put only one hand on the door and pushed it open.
The doors opened slowly. Even when Nico let go of it, it still opened wider and wider as if invisible servants were opening it. The circular room inside was massive. The red carpet stretched right up to a silver dais where a black throne with red velvet cushioning sat. Next to it on the right a smaller throne made of what looked like flowers and twisting vines. Both were empty. I frowned. Torches lined both the walls and the dais but it didn't seem like there was anybody inside.
"Is this normal?" I whispered to Nico. "Very, there's probably a lot of work to do today, I told him we what time we were coming. Come on, I'll show you around." Nico pulled me along to the left of the thrones to an almost invisible arch. As soon as we stepped into the darkness of the arch we were suddenly in another dimly lit hallway. This one had less paintings of punishment and misery, instead there were expensive vases and suits of armour.
"There's nobody here." I said absently. It was true, I hadn't seen a single living or undead creature since coming here. "They're around." "What about your step-mother?" The thought of running into queen Persephone alone was not pleasant. "It's summer remember, she's on Mount Olympus with her mother. Thank the Gods for that, you think I'd bring you with her around?" Nico laughed. It felt like a huge headache had suddenly been alleviated.
"So where are we going?" I asked walking with a bit more bounce in my step. "My room, drop off our luggage. Then we go sight-seeing." I tried not to imagine the sights we'd be going to see. "How often to you come here that you have a room?" I asked, since the war with the Giants last year Nico hasn't really left the camp. "Oh I used to live here, you know... before I settled down." For some reason I tried imagining Nico walking down this long hallway in a black bathrobe carrying a glass of water in the middle of the night.
Suddenly he pulled me to the right through another dark arch I hadn't seen. "Here we are." Nico said smiling at the room. It too was circular with a domed ceiling but much smaller than the throne room. It was more brightly lit than the rest of the castle, the torches in this room seemed brighter. There wasn't much in the room though, a kingsized bed dominated most of the room. A small dressor stood against the wall on the left with a long mirror next to it. On the right stood an easel and an old fashioned record player on a small table.
"You paint?" I asked as my eyes were immediately drawn to the easel. Nico seemed to glare at the easel. "Not well, I tried it out once. It gets boring in the Underworld. I forgot to tell them to remove it. Come in, stop hovering in the doorway." He said as he dumped his bag on the bed. I looked behind me in surprise and saw that it was indeed an open doorway instead of an arch. The hallway innocently quiet beyond it.
I looked back to the room and Nico was studying a stack of old records. "I forgot about these." He said absently as he flipped through them. I unstrapped my bag and lowered it to the floor when I glanced at the mirror. Now that I was closer I saw that it didn't reflect the room like I thought. Instead it showed a grassy area with various cabins in the dark. A fire burning low in the hearth in the middle of the green. "You watched the camp?" Nico looked up at the mirror and blushed. "You could say I was sentimental." He said uncomfortably. He stopped flipping through the records. "How about we go outside?" He put his hands in his pockets. A sign that he didn't want to talk about the mirror.
We got to see Cerberus. Nico went right up to the monster (for lack of a better word) and pet all three of it's heads. He said that Cerberus was in a good mood but I still got the distinct feeling he would eat my hand if I tried petting him. His mouth coiled whenever he looked at me. The souls of the dead walked past me without so much as a glance. Some even walked right through me! I didn't like that, I felt cold in my chest when they did, a cold that lingured.
Next we took a romantic walk through the Fields of Asphodel. Nothing like walking past listless souls with no purpose to set the mood. Nico pointed out some of the souls he knew, those who had been here a while. He showed me where he found Hazel sitting while he was looking for Bianca. He looked sadly at the spot. I knew he really missed his sister, he regreted not being in time to bring her back. Instead she had chosen to be reborn, now he'd never meet her again.
"I'm fine, really." I smiled weakly. Nico pursed his lips. "It's not really that bad, and you get to see a lot of famous bad guys. Hitler's a riot." My stomach flipped uneasily. "I'm sure the Fields of Punishment would be.. um lovely, but... I'd rather not." I said bluntly. Surprisingly Nico's face didn't droop or look disappointed.
"Okay, how about we go back to the castle then? My dad should be back by now." Nico took my hand once more. I glanced up at the sky. There was no sun in the Underworld. The chill in my chest wouldn't go away. "How do you tell time here?" Nico considered the question before answering. "I'm not sure, I usually just know." He shrugged as we walked up the castle steps.
Before we reached the entrance what seemed like a cloud of black shadows condensed in front of us. A humanoid figure formed and then a tall man stood in front of us wearing what looked like a cloak of moving shadows. It looked like screaming faces were trying to push their way out of it. "Father!" Nico exclaimed. I looked at the man's face again. There was no doubt this was Nico's father. They had the same pale skin and pitch black hair, although Hades was a bit longer. His eyes were also black as he turned his scrutinizing gaze on me.
"Son." Was all he said. I figured that must have been his equivalent of a hug. "We were just on our way to see if you were back." Nico said, his words seemed a bit forced though, like he wasn't used to making small talk. "I have just returned, lots of new souls today." Hades replied. In all the time he hadn't taken his eyes off me. I probably should have said something but honestly I was too terrorfied.
"Does the boy speak?" I realized a second later that the question was directed at me. From the corner of my eye I saw Nico looking nervously at me. "Uh, yes sir- Mr Hades, um... sir." I managed to say. I felt like I'd offended him with that failure of a sentence, he'd probably put me in that horror clothes of his.
"What is your name boy?" Hades asked. His tone impatient. "Will! Will Solace sir!" I said. I thought I heard Nico laugh and then cough softly to hide it. I suddenly felt very conscious of the fact that I was still holding his hand but I didn't dare let it go.
"Solace... interesting, child of that upstart Apollo eh?" Hades said, I fought the urge to facepalm. My dad wasn't exactly the poster child of the Gods at the moment. "I promise to speak no poetry whilst here." I said raising my right hand. It was probably a hallucination but I thought I saw Hades crack a slight smile before he turned and entered the castle. I stood there revelling in the fact that I was still alive when I felt Nico squeeze my hand. "He likes you." He said then led me inside.
"Nico?" I whispered into the darkness. We were back in his room. After meeting Hades, Nico suggested we turn in for the night. Hades had disappeared by the time we entered the castle. I tried not to picture him prowling the halls like Dracula.
"Yeah?" He's voice came muffled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." "I wasn't sleeping, what's up?" His voice was clear again. Even though I couldn't see him I knew he was propped on his elbow. "Your dad seems a bit more... reserved than I thought he'd be." "What did you expect him to be like?"
"I don't know... more 'get away from my son you mortal'" Nico snickered. "Instead he seems a bit sad." I felt the blankets shift as Nico changed positions. "He's only dramatic when Persephone's around. He misses her. I wasn't lying though, he does seem to like you... He knows what I've been through, what you've done for me. He won't say it but he's grateful you're around." Nico had moved closer and took my hand once more under the blanket. I turned to face him. I couldn't see him at all but I could feel his breath on my face.
"He can't give me all the credit, I'm around for me too. I'm not as selfless as you may want to believe." "Neither am I." I felt his breath again before his lips were on mine. It was the warmest thing I've felt since coming to the Underworld. I heard a strange sound and then realized I'd sighed out loud. I pulled away in embarrassment. "Sorry, that was-" Nico didn't stop, he attacked my neck instead. His kisses melted the cold that had been in my chest since coming here. His hands gripped my pajamas tightly and he half climbed on top of me.
His lips found mine once again and I choked down another sigh. No way was I doing that twice in a row. His hands tangled in my hair. His breathing was getting heavier.
"Wait!" I said weakly. It took a while but he slowed down, he kissed me once more. A slow lingering kiss before he sat up on my stomach. His breathing was laboured. "Sorry." He said breathlessly. He fell back to the mattress but still clung to me, my own left arm around him.
"Will?" Nico asked, his voice husky now. "Yeah?" I was still breathing quite heavily. I turned my head to him wishing I could see his face. "I love you." A smile spread across my face. I kissed what was either his cheek or forehead before saying "I love you too."
I woke up to a dim light in the room. The torches around the room were lit once more, the flames making shadows dance across the walls. Nico was still attached to my side. He was frowning as he slept, his lips pursed with his lower lip jutting out. I touched his frowning forehead and the creases relaxed immediately. I extracted myself as best as I could without waking Nico. He mumbled a bit when I moved away, his hands reaching sleepily but I put a pillow in my place which he happily clung to. I smiled down at him. Nico had no idea how cute he was.
I looked at the mirror next to my side of the bed. The sun was just rising over the camp though no-one was up and about yet. I reached out my hand to the sunny patches in the mirror. I imagined how it would feel to have the sun on my skin again. Suddenly I felt clammy and cold.
"Son of Apollo." A voice from the door made me jump, I spun around quickly, narrowly avoided knocking the mirror over. "Hades!" I breathed remembering to keep my voice down.
Hades stood with his hands behind his back as he watched me with those black eyes. "Walk with me boy." Hades said and then briskly walked out of the room not even waiting to see if I followed. I glanced nervously to Nico but he was still fast asleep, with no other choice I slipped on my flip flops and ran after Hades.
I almost fell down when I ran out the door. Instead of the hallway I stood on a balcony overlooking the underworld. Hades stood with his hands planted on the railing looking over his realm. As usual I couldn't see the ceiling or sky or whatever it was called. It just looked like a dark abyss.
"The underworld does not suite you." Hades remarked when he glanced back at me. "How can you tell?" I asked walking up next to him. He still scared me but the encouragement Nico had given me last night seemed to have worked. "I am a God, boy." He said seriously and glared at me, then his gaze softened and he looked back at the view. "Also you look like death, and not in the good way. I frowned and Hades swept his hand lazily in my direction. A small square mirror appeared in front of my face, hovering there. I saw what he meant; my usually deeply tanned skin was a bit paler, sweat was collecting on my forehead, dark circles had formed under my eyes, even my hair hung limply around my face. I felt sicker just looking at myself, suddenly I felt weaker and tired, the cold feeling had returned in my chest, my head felt clouded. I felt like how I imagined having a cold would feel like. A really bad cold.
"You'll be fine once you reach the surface." Hades said, he was watching me examine myself. He waved his hand the mirror was gone. "I can send you there now if you'd like." He said, I frowned at him. "What about Nico?" I asked. My voice was begining to sound congested. "Oh he'll understand I'm sure. It wouldn't do for him to see you like that, he'd blame himself." He was right. But I shook my head, "I'll stay, this is nothing a little breakfast won't fix..." My voice died and Hades seemed to look at me triumphantly. "I can wait. I'm fine." I said firmly.
"Well said Will Solace. But you know it will only get worse the longer you're here. The underworld isn't meant for the living to inhabit, much less the child of the sun God, there is no sun here, therefore your father doesn't exist in this realm. Without the sun you'll get weaker and weaker until you join the rest of the souls. Nico will want to come back here, afterall I'm the only family he has left. And of course he'd want to bring you along, how long do you think you'll last until you become one of the dead?" Hades black gaze felt like it was pulling me into a black hole, a shiver went down my spine and I leaned back instinctively. Then I shook my head and clenched my fists tightly.
"I'll be fine." I said firmly and met Hades infernal stare with a defiant stare of my own. After what felt like forever Hades broke the staredown. "Breakfast will be served in the dining hall, I will not be joining you." Hades said but I thought I spied a small smirk. Then he disappeared in a puff of black smoke. I leaned against the railing of the balcony for a moment. It felt like my strength was dwindling with every passing second. I put my hands together and sang a hymn in ancient greek. I can't let him see me like this. Was all I thought as I sang. When I was done I stood up straighter. I felt a bit better, not one-hundered percent but some of the cloudiness in my head had faded. I walked back through the black arch and once again I was in Nico's bedroom, I turned around to look beyond the door but once again it innocently showed the hallway.
I looked at the mirror again, the sunlight was brighter now, some campers had emerged from their cabins. "Will?" Nico said sleepily as he sat up, he rubbed his eyes. "I'm here." I said walking to the bed. I wiped the remaining sweat off my forehead and sat down next to him. "Where were you?" He asked, he'd given up on rubbing his eyes and instead closed his eyes again and laid down on my lap. "I... took a walk, it really is a lovely castle." Nico snorted. "Yeah right." I smiled as I stroked his hair. "You hungry?" He asked after a moment, he turned his head so he was looking up at me, he was squinting against the light.
"A little, there's breakfast in the dining room." I said without thinking but Nico didn't question how I knew that. "Nah, we're going out, put on your swim shorts." He grinned and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Here we are." Nico said walking up to a wooden shack on the beach. We were in Los Angeles on Santa Monica State Beach. As soon as we got to the surface I felt better. The sun seemed to spread heat all through my body, my head cleared and I stopped feeling cold. We'd gotten breakfast at one of the many cafe's in the city and then Nico had led us to this surfboard shack.
"This was what Jason was checking for me." Nico smiled triumphantly at me. "You can surf?" His smile faltered only slightly, "No, but how hard can it be?" Nico said defensively.
Nico wiped out for the fifth time. "Your timing is only a bit off, watch the wave before you stand up." I said as he climbed back on his board. "Why do people even do this?" He said grumpily then his face softened and he looked up at me then smiled. "I'll get it this time." He brushed the stray hair that had escaped his hair tie back.
It warmed me a bit, he didn't really enjoy surfing but he was willing to endure it because he knew I loved it. "Hey, how about we take a break? Theres no decent waves now anyway." I said looking out at the sea. I politely ignored the flash of relief that quickly passed over Nico's face. "You sure?" He asked heasitantly and I nodded with a cheerful smile.
We returned to the shore and promptly collapsed where we'd left our clothes. The beach had really filled up while we surfed, families and friends splashed about, some other surfers were still trying to get a decent surf in before giving up. I heard a familiar jingle and signalled the ice-cream man.
When I got back Nico had put his t-shirt over his face, probably to hide from the harsh sunlight. "Here." I said offering him a vanilla cone, he sat up and took the cone with the grace of a four year old.
"It's so hot in LA." He complained when he'd finished the cone, he'd slipped his t-shirt back on and was sitting in the shade of the rented surfboard with his arms around his drawn up legs. "Did you plan this from the beginning?" I asked, I was sprawled in front of him with my head in my hands soaking up as much sun as possible. Nico looked away before he answered sullenly. "I thought the waves would be better here than at Long Island, it's been a while since you surfed." I resisted the urge to kiss him, Family beach, family beach. I chanted in my head. "I'm glad, really, it was fun." Nico looked back at me and smiled.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the city. Nico looked glad to be done with surfing. We found an arcade where we spent an hour killing zombies before moving on. We couldn't stay in one place too long. We tried on silly hats in a market near the beach, watched street performers do acrobatics, swallow swords and mime, Nico even bought a DS console at a second hand store and when it came to sunset we got dinner at the fanciest restaurant on the beach that would let in two teenagers wearing shorts and flip flops. McDonalds
"Your dad sure works a lot." I said over my fries. "He takes his job pretty seriously, in my opinion he has the most to do, theres always people dying, he has to make sure they're judged appropriately, think up new and exciting punishments, find and fix any holes people manage to make into the underworld. It's a full time job really." "Sounds like it, and here my dad just rides a red ferrari across the sky." "It's a pretty important job." Nico smiled as he turned the DS console sharply. "If you say so." I laughed. I picked up a few french fries and held them out to Nico, he seemed to see it from the corner of his eye because he leaned forward with his mouth open but his eyes remained glued to the console. An idea popped into my head as he leaned and I pulled the fries slowly away while he obliviously leaned forward. When he was close enough I planted a quick kiss on his forehead.
His reaction was funnier than I expected. He stiffened all over and his cheeks flushed an amazing shade of red. He leaned forward until his forehead was on my shoulder and his hair covered his face. "Will!" He whined into my shoulder. I snickered and looked around, not many people were watching, a few glanced in our direction but otherwise nobody cared. Nico hates public displays of affection, whenever we kiss in public he leans into my chest and refuses to come out until he's ready, a habit he'd developed immediately after confessing to me at a bonfire last year.
We sat like that in silence for a while, Nico's DS lay precariously abandoned on his lap. I offered him some fries which he refused and then ate them myself. Eventually, after I'd finished the fries Nico slowly leaned back and looked up at me carefully avoiding looking around the restaurant. His cheeks were still very pink but his jaw was stubbornly clenched.
He started scolding me out in Italian, I understood nothing so I just rested my head in my hands and stared at him with what was probably a goofy smile on my face. I loved when he got so flustered he slipped into his native language. "Wipe that stupid smile off your face before I make it permanent." "It's permanant anyway." I pointed out and he rolled his eyes.
"You're unbelievable." He said, his voice slightly husky. I smiled, "Believe it." and offered him his big Mac. He opened it irritatedly and savagely bit into it before picking up his DS and resuming his game.
"Your dad's still working? I thought I'd see more of him since you were so insistant about not pissing him off." I noted as we walked back into Nico's room. The mirror was dark but I could see the camp hearth lit, some campers were talking on the lawn before curfew. "Well, he wanted to speak to me mostly about some things, I... asked if you could tag along." He said embarrassed. I put my arms around his waist from behind and drew him into me. "Has he? Spoken to you I mean." I asked as we sat down on the bed. Nico still had the DS console in his hands but it had stopped working when we got to the Underworld.
"Yeah..." He breathed, his breath catching a little as I trailed my index finger up his chest and around his neck. "So Nico..." I lowered my voice as I spoke in his ear. "Hmm?" His eyes were closed as my fingers trailed up and down his chest and neck, his back had curled into me and he sat on my lap. The now useless DS console had slid to the floor. "What were your intentions bringing me here?" I asked in the same low voice as I nibbled lightly on his ear. I saw a faint smile spread on his lips before he turned to look at me with an innocent expression. He turned in my lap so that he was facing me and put his arms on either side of my neck and clasped his hands behind my head.
"Intentions?" He asked and I fought the urge to smile. I turned my head slightly and brushed his inner arm with my lips. "Yeah it just feels like.. you had ulterior motives.. bringing me to this.. dimmly lit room.. with only one bed.. and basically nonexistant adult supervision." I said as I kissed his arm with every pause. I looked back at Nico and nearly wheezed. His pupils were dialating and his eyes were narrowed in lust as he gazed at me. His lips slightly parted and his cheeks lightly flushed. I felt my heart almost stop, I honestly wouldn't have minded if it did.
"I don't have ulterior motives." He managed to get out, he talked like he was in a daze, his eyes darting to my lips and back to my eyes every few seconds. I smiled as I turned and kissed his arm again and again, working my way forward as my hands, which were still around his waist, pulled him closer until I reached his neck. He let out a small murmur when I kissed his neck and seemed to melt into me. My kisses trailed right up to the point of his chin, his hand flew to my cheek and tried to bring my lips up to meet his but I suddenly fell back with him on top of me and then quickly rolled us around so that we switched positions. He let out a startled cry and his eyes were wide. I smiled down at him, my hands on either side of his head. He opened his mouth to speak but I was on his neck once more before he could get a syllabyll out. When I raised my head again I saw his eyes were closed once more and there were a few red marks on his neck.
I trailed my finger along Nico's jaw and he opened his eyes looking straight up into my own. I could feel his heartbeat slowly speed up. The corners of my mouth turned up. My finger trailed to his chin which he lifted up expectantly but instead of leaning down like he wanted me to my finger went from his chin to his lips, lightly brushing it. His breathing sped up as well. I saw his hands shaking from the corner of my eyes, he wanted to reach up and pull me down but he resisted, he was taking this as a personal challenge, to see who would cave first.
My face was tantalizingly close now but I didn't kiss him. I saw the frustration in his eyes. They flickered across my face trying to read my thoughts then to my lips. A small gasp escaped his mouth as my finger trailed down his neck to his chest. His heart was really thumping away now. I pressed my palm flat on his stomach and then slid it around his waist, his t-shirt riding up a little and he arched his back.
Slowly I pulled him so that he was on top of me instead, his legs straddling my stomach, my hands were still around his waist. He had kept the same distance between us, his black hair hung like a curtain around his face tickling my ears. He was close enough that I could see how huge his pupils were as he looked at me.
He caved first. His mouth was still opened in a little "O" as he brushed my lips with his. His kiss was slow but he coaxed my own mouth open. I could feel his heart beating on my chest, my own matching his. My hands slid up his back and he took hold of my left hand without breaking the kiss. His fingers twined with mine against the mattress while his other hand pressed firmly against the pillows next to my head.
I sat up and his free hand moved to my shoulder and then my hair. His other hand let go of mine and instead went to my chest where he slid it up to join the other in my hair. "Nico." I breathed against his mouth. He stopped kissing me and instead put his forehead against mine. His hands went from my hair to the back of my neck. My eyes opened to see his dark ones staring at me.
"I don't like being teased Will." He whispered huskily. "Right." Was all I breathed before bringing my right hand up to cup his cheek and bring his lips to mine once more. Was it possible to be dizzy but at the same time have absolute clarity? That's what it felt like, I couldn't think clearly but my senses had been heightened so that I felt, smelled, heard, and tasted Nico. He gasped a little as my mouth left a trail of kisses around his neck. My hands travelled up his back into his hair pulling it lightly so that his head lifted up and I had exposed more of his neck.
"Will." He whispered my name breathlessly. His hands were now exploring my chest, going down and down until it slipped under the hem of my shirt and they went around to my back, his short finger nails digging lightly into my skin. His hands were slightly rough from sword-fighting. The higher his hands went the more my shirt lifted up and soon I vaguely processed that he lifted my shirt off of me but his lips met mine again so quickly that I forgot all about it and I was once again lost in the sensation of his hands roaming my upper body.
"Will." He murmured again as he pushed me down lightly once more by my shoulders. His hands going around my neck once more as his lips trailed down to my chest. He then planted his hands on my chest and hoisted himself upright. He looked down at me, his eyes half closed, his lips slightly parted and a little swollen. His eyes were still dilated, his pupil covered more than half of his dark brown iris.
He brought his hands to the hem of his own t-shirt and in one motion lifted it over his head. The first thing I saw were the three, parallel, white scars on each of his biceps. His torso was pale and defined. Even though we'd been in the sun for almost half the day he hadn't tanned a bit. He still didn't lean back down, he still stared at me like I was the only thing he'd ever wanted and ever would want.
I figured it was my move. Slowly I slid my hands once again to his waist. His skin was smooth under my hands and cold. I rolled us both over so that I was on top of him instead. His gaze didn't waver and his hair fanned out around him like a black halo. My hands trailed back from his waist to his stomach slowly and then up to his chest, then neck, then his shoulders, down his arms to his hands where I laced my fingers through his firmly.
"You're teasing a again." He breathed as he looked up at me annoyed. I smiled down at him and brought my lips down to his. The kiss was brief, too brief but I restrained myself and leaned back to look down at him again. He made a sound of protest and his eyes flew open to glare at me, I laughed softly and leaned down again with my whole body so that our chests were now touching. He tried to let go of my hands so that he could put his hands around my neck and keep me there but my grip was firm. He gave up on his hands and instead locked his legs around my waist. I laughed again against his lips which he responded to by lightly biting my lower lip.
He kissed me more urgently and tightened his grip on my hands. He sighed my name again and again until I thought I'd gone crazy. I let go of his hands and planted them firmly on his shoulders and pulled away from him just a few milimeters, our lips just brushing. He made an impatient sound in the back of his throat. "Slow down." I managed to say breathlessly with my eyes closed and my forehead resting against his. His hands that had been reaching towards me slowly lowered back onto the bed, his breathing slowing down as well but his heart still hammered away in his chest. I opened my eyes slowly to see him looking up at me apologetically. "I'll behave." He gave a small smile and bit his bottom lip. He bit it for a few seconds and then licked it and I leaned down once again, his mouth opened eagerly. He wasn't as rushed anymore though, he savoured the kiss as if it would be his last.
I woke up once again with Nico asleep in my arms. His eyes closed innocently and his breathing even. His arms were around my chest while his face was in my neck. There was no-way I could extract myself without waking him. I glanced around the room but luckily there was no sign of Hades this morning. Saved from that embarrassment I looked back down at Nico sleeping in my arms. I smiled as the memory of him confessing to me crossed my mind. After he blurted it out he'd looked at me with such wide eyes I'd thought they would pop out. He'd looked like a trapped animal, I was worried he'd take off running but he stayed, I'd be eternally grateful to whatever force made him stay.
Nico's eyes fluttered against my neck, his eyelashes tickling me a little. He got his eyes to open and looked up at me then gave me a sleepy smile that melted my heart. "Morning Sunshine." He whispered using the nickname I usually called him and my mouth pulled up into a smile of its own. "Morning Sunshine." I repeated kissing his forehead. He let go of me and I reluctantly let him get out of the bed while I sat up feeling like he took all the warmth with him.
"Woah, are you okay?" He asked, I opened my eyes to find him leaning over the bed in front of me. I managed a weak smile as my stomach churned uneasily. "I'm great... just hungry, breakfast time?" I managed to ask while sweat built up on my forehead.
"Will what's wrong?" Nico asked seriously, his eyes full of concern. I carresed his cheek. "Honestly I'm great-" "Will!" He said more forcefully, he knelt in front of me now on the bed, his hands on each of my cheeks forcing me to look him in the eye. His eyes boring intensly into mine. I sighed, "I just need some vitamin D, I'll be fine after breakfast. Hey let's even have a tour of the Fields of Punishment!" I said trying my best to use the same tone he had, though my voice still sounded tired.
Nico narrowed his eyes, his eyes darted to the mirror and then widened as he looked back at me. He sat back on his haunches. "I'm such an idiot!" He said and hit his forehead, I grabbed his hand before he could do it again. The look in his eyes as he looked at me broke my heart. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, you're a son of Apollo, of course bringing you to a place with no sunlight was the worst thing I could have-" "Nico!" I grabbed his face, this time forcing him to look into my eyes. "None of us knew! I didn't even know!" "But why didn't you say anything? We could have gone back! Gods, you're burning up!" Nico cried, tears had sprung up in his eyes. "I wanted to stay-" "You could have died!" He choked on the word. A tear spilled over his lids and touched my hand. "I won't die." I smiled, "So don't go thinking about unnecessary things, I just need to recharge once in a while, like a battery or a plant." "Plants die without sunlight." Nico pointed out thickly. "Depends on how tough the plant is." I smiled, "And I think I'm a pretty tough plant." He smiled in spite of himself. He pulled his head out of my hands. "Put on a shirt, we're leaving right now." He said as he rummaged through his luggage. "So we're not seeing the Fields of Punishment?" I asked and he glared at me. I held up my hands in surrender.
"Have to say I'm gonna miss this room though." I smirked noticing with some satisfaction that Nico's back had stiffened. Some red crept up his neck. He blushed way too easily. I walked up behind him tugging on the too big black tank top he had put on last night before he went to sleep. "If you like these I could just get you one." "Stop trying to change the subject." I pulled him into my arms and smiled down at his annoyed expression. I brushed my fingers lightly over the two marks I had left on his neck. He let out a sort of hiss as my fingers brushed over the sensitive skin. He pushed me away a little and his hands flew to his neck. His eyes looking at me shocked.
"Will!" Nico complained as he felt the raised skin on his neck. I laughed and pointed at his chest at another little red mark. "Another one right here." I pointed out. "Aw man!" He said feeling the third one. "How am I supposed to hide this?" He asked no-one. I answered anyway, "Not in my tank top." For which he glared at me. He hastely tugged off my tank top and threw it at me while I snickered and turned to get a t-shrt from his bag. Before he could get far I pulled him back by his wrist. "Will..." He whined softly, his eyes were pleading with me but he didn't resist as I pulled him back. My arms circled around his waist and I looked up at him to see him stubbornly averting his eyes with his mouth pulled into a straight line.
I rested my head on his cold chest, his heart sped up significantly. "Just a little bit." I murmured and closed my eyes feeling a little bit of warmth spread through my body. His hands relaxed on my shoulders and slowly he brought them to my hair which he stroked softly.
Then I felt cold again. Nico seemed to dissolve in my arms, his touch on my hair becoming smoke. Startled I opened my eyes to white fog. It was all around me, even the solid surface beneath my feet felt unstable as if it would disappear in a second.
"Nico!" I shouted but my voice was lost in the void, I turned frantically but saw nothing but smoke. After what seemed like an eternity I heard a faint sound. It came slowly at first, like it was a car honking in the distance but slowly coming closer. After a long time I could finally hear it clearly. "... warm," I recognized that voice! It was Nico. I turned my head frantically once more, looking for him. Suddenly the fog cleared and I was in the familiar infirmary of Camp Half Blood. My shoulders almost relaxed but it was cut short. In front of me was me. I stood leaning over a familiar figure in an infirmary cot. Outside the window the sun was long gone but the infirmary was bustling with patients and my siblings along with some other vollenteers.
But all my attention was on the pale boy in front of me. I remembered this night, Nico's first night in the infirmary after the Giant War ended. I hadn't realized how bad I looked during that time, my skin had turned pale and waxy and there were really dark circles under my eyes. But none of that mattered to me.
"You're really warm." I said with my hand on Nico's forehead. It felt weird hearing me speak, like I was speaking from the other end of a tunnel. "I'll bring you some antibiotics." I said as I started to get up but Nico grabbed my hand without opening his eyes. "It's fine, I just need to sleep." He mumbled, I grinded my teeth. "If you don't take medicine for that fever you'll just get weaker." I insisted but he wasn't really listening. "You're warm." He muttered softly and he squeezed my hand a little, just for a second then his hands started relaxing. He was falling asleep. "Human's are warm... when they're alive." He said as he fell asleep. I gazed down at him with wide eyes and then the memory faded. I was back in the fog. But I wasn't just floating anymore, it felt like a current was pulling me towards something.
"Son of Apollo. I warned you what would happen if you remained in my Domain." A familiar voice said and the fog cleared. I was in the throne room of Hades castle and for the first time since I've been here the throne was occupied. Hades had both pale, thin hands on the arm rests of his throne. His black robes swirling around him as usual. He regarded me with those black eyes like he was looking at a fly he was thinking of swatting.
"So.. I'm dead?" I asked, my own voice surprised me, it was calm despite the apparent circumstances. Hades didn't answer. A twing of pain went down my spine and I winced. "I..." I didn't know what to say. Honsetly speaking it was kind of a lame way to die, I always thought I'd die in battle or of old age, whichever came first but dying because of a lack of sunlight, I was basically a lame plant. I looked at my feet in shame.
"If Elysium awaited would you want to be reborn?" I shook my head, tears were suddenly in my eyes, I blinked them away. "I'll stay here. Right here. He'll come soon." I said looking to the gigantic black doors behind me expectantly. I half expected Nico to burst through but he didn't. "He won't come." Hades said lazily. "He will come!" I shouted surprising myself. My hands had clenched into fists and were shaking. "I know it." I said more softly and looked back to Hades. He sat unmoving. "My son knows the rules of death. When his sister died I refused to let him see her no matter how much he tried to summon her. The same with his mother. I will do the same with you if need be."
My eyes widened at his words. My knees gave out and I dropped to the floor. I looked up at the God in front of me as my eyes stung. "Please. Please just let me see him one more time." Hades eyes were cold when he spoke again. "My son has been banned from the Underworld. It is a place for the dead not the mortal. But as you request, I will let you see him." I looked up at Hades in surprise. Before I could say anything Hades lazily waved his hand and the throne room was gone, replaced once more by the white fog and I was being swept along by that strange current.
When the fog disappated I was back in Nico's room, I saw myself again. I looked worse than I thought I had. All the color had drained from my skin, even my hair looked washed out and limp. My breathing was shallow and I could see my veins through my sallow skin. I saw Nico looking down at me with a small worried frown as he stroked my hair. He stood in my arms in silence for five minutes before he spoke.
"Come on Will, we really need to go." He said tapping my shoulder then he stiffened. I saw what had alarmed him. I had stopped breathing. "Will?" His voice was trembling as he shook my arm insistantly. My arms let go of his waist and I collapsed onto the bed. "Will! Wake up, come on. Please?" Panic was creeping into his voice as he shook me more and more. He looked around the room frantically, his eyes passing right by me, and then cursed. He shook his head, put his arms around me and we were both gone into a shadow.
"I assume he's gone to the surface." Hades said. I wasn't even surprised to find him beside me. "Why couldn't he see me here?" I demanded as I whirled to face him. His face was inscrutable. Finally he said, "Because I hid you. It wouldn't do him good to see your soul." My chest felt like it was tightening. My cheeks suddenly hot with anger.
"Why are you torturing him like this?" I stabbed an accusing finger at Hades, he didn't even flinch. "You won't let him say goodbye to his sister or his mother or even me! Don't you think after all he's been through for you Gods that he at least deserves to be able to say goodbye?" Hades expression did not change at all but the room felt considerably colder. His eyes looked like black holes that were sucking me in. Perhaps I'd become part of his cloak.
"Goodbye Mr Solace, I do hope to not see you in my realm for a long time." I narrowed my eyes at Hades but once again white fog was dissolving the room around me. I saw Hades lips move but couldn't make out what he was saying. I was swept up in a warm current which I willingly followed and the fog turned black.
Is death supposed to be this warm?I thought in the blackness. Curiously the blackness turned to a bright orange. My eyes squinted automatically as I opened them and saw a bright orange light. My body felt like cold lead slowly being thawed. I heard a gasp and felt moisture on my shoulder and chest. A black shadow loomed over me. I blinked a couple of times and the shadow became Nico, eyes swollen and teary. A deep frown on his forehead. Trails of tears streamed down his cheeks and onto my neck. Despite the numbness in my arms I managed to reach up to touch his forehead which relaxed when my fingers touched the middle of the frown. Nico grabbed my outstreched hand and held it like a lifeline to his wet cheeks. Fresh tears spilling over his eyelids. He sobbed into my hand, his hair was a crows nest sticking up in all directions. He wore a backwards orange Camp Halfblood t-shirt. Is death supposed to be this beautiful? I wondered, because Nico looked like an angel, with the sun shining so brightly behind him making a little halo around his head.
"Take care of yourself, for my son." Hades voice whispered through my mind like a dream and my eyes widened. I sat up slowly looking at Nico as he watched me with teary eyes. I could feel his warm cheek on my hand. "Nico.." I whispered. I barely noticed the stinging in my eyes. Without another word he threw himself into me. His arms holding tightly onto my neck and I held on equally tightly to his waist, my face burying itself into his shoulder breathing in his scent as much as possible.
Nico sobbed into my shoulder, his hands clenched the black tank top I don't remember putting on tightly. I heard murmuring and guessed that we had drawn a crowd but I didn't care. I savored the warmth of both the sun and Nico, because Nico was warm, he'd been my sun in the Underworld. His sobbing had slowed down to the occasional hiccup. "I really thought I'd lost you." he said between hiccups.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Was all I could say. Over and over again I said it. Holding him tighter, as if he would dissolve in my arms like before. He didn't though. We stayed in that embrace for what felt like an eternity. Nico slowly pulled back to look at me. He sat on his haunches next to me. I was pleased to see that there was no-one around. We were back at camp halfblood. We were on the lawn in front of the infirmary. Several of my siblings I could see hovering around watching us along with other campers but I didn't care. I only had eyes for Nico's dark brown ones.
"I..." It was harder to say the words while looking in his eyes. The words "I'm sorry." were not enough for him to forgive me, what I'd put him through. He smiled and shook his head. Even though he was still crying his smile was wider than I'd ever seen. He put my hand to his flushed cheek once again as he smiled at me. "You're a tough plant." He managed to say, his voice thick and husky from crying. I wanted to put my head in my hands in shame but I didn't want to look away from his face again. Ever.
"Drink all of it." Nico insisted holding the glass out eagerly. He sat next to me in the infirmary holding out a glass of nasty smelling green liquid.
"Nectar is fine..." I grimaced but Nico shook his head. "Katie gave it to me, she said it would help you regain your strength, and no risk of burning up." Nico shook the glass at me and my stomach churned along with the contents of the glass. I looked up at Nico's shining eyes and gave in. Without breathing I downed the contents of the glass as fast as I could.
It tasted much worse than it smelled. Like rotted grass and sand. I fought the urge to gag and swallowed the last mouthful. I looked up weakly at Nico who smiled gratefully and held out a glass of orange juice. I drank that too glad that I could get the taste of the mysterious medicine out of my mouth.
Nico took my hand in his. His hands unconciously going to my pulse. "I'm sorry I scared you... I can't even imagine what it was like for you..." I trailed off and looked away. From the corner of my eye I saw him shake his head. "We can go in circles with the blame game, I'm just glad you're here." He kissed my hand that he held and blushed a little. I saw his eyes dart around but nobody was paying attention to us at all.
"I love you Nico." I said softly as I traced his fingers. His eyes focused on my face once more and I saw his chest swell. "I love you too Will." He said and stood up from the chair he sat on. His blush deepened as he came closer and put his hands on the cot. He leaned forward and my eyes widened as I realized what he was doing. He closed his eyes and his lips met mine and I melted with warmth.
His lips were like a slow fire licking the coals in a winter hearth. His hand found my rapidly burning cheek and he cupped it gently. Automatically my hands found his waist and I pulled him closer almost making him lose balance on the bed. Instead his other hand went to my shoulder to steady himself. His breath tasted like cinnamon strangely and orange juice. I opened my eyes a fraction and nearly made another embarrassing sound at the sight of Nico's expression. He didn't stop kissing me or open his eyes, instead his other hand cupped my other cheek and held me there. Not that I had any intention of escaping, I was just grateful for Nico's long hair that curtained our faces somewhat from the view of the infirmary. But I didn't care who watched. As far as we knew, we were in our own little bubble.
The kiss wasn't urgent at all, I didn't have to remind him to slow down, it was slow and deliberate like he wanted me to remember it for years. And I would. Not everyone was lucky enough to be kissed by an angel every day.
AN: Hope you guys enjoyed that ending, I cried after rereading it... and while writing it lol. Also um... I don't live in LA and I've never been there, I have no idea where anything is, I literally just googled beaches in LA and Santa Monica came up so I don't know if its a beach you can swim and surf at or what so please forgive me if any of that was incorrect, if its even a family beach, it could be a nudist beach for all I know (doubtful).
Ciao