"NICOOOOO!"

There was an obnoxiously loud shout at the door of the Hades' cabin and Nico was determined not to answer it. There was only one person in the world who would dare to make that much noise in front of the Ghost King, and that was Will Solace. And when Will came knocking on Nico's door, that usually meant either strange "doctor's orders" or pestering about joining in on the campfire songs- both of which Nico was rather opposed to doing.

"Nico I know you're in there!" Will called, rapping his knuckles on the door rapidly. "Get up NIco!" There was a charged pause. "I've got a surprise for you."

Nico groaned and threw the pillows off of his head and stumbled to the door. "It's only eight!" The pale boy was not a fan of early mornings.

The blonde's face lit up as the door opened, then turned a violent shade of red. "Uh- Ni- Nico- you're not- CLOTHES!" the Apollo demigod stammered and put his hands up. Nico looked down.

He wasn't wearing much, just his favorite boxers – black covered in white sailboats (left over from his days of crushing on Jackson.) His own face turned a little red, a harsh contrast to his ghostly skin. Nico slammed the door shut and stomped to his dresser, pulling on a black v-neck and ripped gray jeans. There was knocking on the door again and Will's voice.

"You dressed now?"

Nico grunted and shoved the door open. "What's your surprise?" He tried not to think about how Will look slightly disappointed at seeing him outfitted with clothing.

Will grinned widely, his white teeth sparkling in the sun. It almost blinded Nico, but at least he was smiling instead of that serious expression that made him far less attractive. Wait- what?

"I can't tell you right now. You need to close your eyes."

Nico glared at the boy. "We just went through a war and you expect me to close my eyes."

Will's smile didn't falter. "Well, yeah. If your eyes aren't closed, it wouldn't be a surprise. Besides, you've got me covering you. I promise nothing will attack you."

Nico grudgingly closed his eyes and Will tied a bandana over his eyes. The boy directed him through the campground and Nico felt when they reached the side off the Big House. It was quiet except for a soft shuffling.

Suddenly, there was a wet sensation on his cheek and Nico shrieked, jumping back, his hands coming up to defend his face. "You said nothing would attack me!"

The sound of the other boy laughing made him stop. "You think this is funny?" Nico growled.

"It's- it's – Oh my gods! They're puppies!" The Apollo boy gasped, struggling to remain upright. "Has a puppy never licked you before?"

Nico scowled and yanked his bandana off. There was a cardboard box tipped over onto its side beside the Big House and three tiny puppies spilled out of it. The fourth was in Will's arms, happily wagging its tail and slathering the boy's face in his saliva. One of the puppies on the ground bounded over to Nico's feet and started pawing at him. Nico gaped at it. Didn't it fear the sense of death around him? Didn't the dog feel any terror at the smell of bones and hell? Apparently not, as it continued whining and pawing at his pant leg.

"Pick her up," Will said, stroking the yellow pup on his shoulder. "She won't bite. That's Mouse- the sweetest one out of the bunch. This one here is Lion, the black one's Raven, and the white one is Bunny."

Nico gave "the look" to Will.

"What?" the boy asked, picking up Raven.

"They're all named after other animals." Nico said.

Will shrugged. "Doesn't make them any less than-" at this point his voice turned gushy and he cooed at the puppies- " adorable puppies." The dogs barked happily and licked him for that. "Now pick up the puppy, Nico. Doctor's orders."

NIco sighed and bent down to let it jump into his arms. Apparently dogs could not control how much they licked people, because this particular one was slathering him with its tongue.

"They were orphaned puppies at the local shelter. I brought them in because they were adorable." Will sounded so excited that it was hard for Nico not to smile along. "I thought we could train them and give them a family." Will grinned at di Angelo. "Isn't that a great plan?"

Nico rolled his eyes slightly, but had to admit that the puppies seemed healthy and fit; the right type to train. "Who's going to train them?"

Will looked at him with a laugh. "Us, of course!"

"You mean… Together?"

"Isn't that what 'us' means?"

"But-"

"C'mon, Nico, you can't honestly tell me that you don't want to watch these cute orphaned puppies grow up and become the best trained dogs ever?" Will pouted and the dogs seemed to mirror his actions. Nico groaned inwardly at how attractive Will looked- he was the only one in the world that could pull that look off without seeming like a dork; even though he was one.

"But still-"

At this, Will straightened up. "No buts." He said, "Doctor's orders."