Everyone was standing next to a tree at Camp Half-Blood, enjoying the summer air. Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Piper, Jason, Nico, and Leo, who had triumphantly and unexpectedly returned from the dead, complete with an ageless girlfriend from mythology. Standard.

Nico's wounds had healed, thanks to several days in the infirmary upon the insistence of Will Solace, whose attentions toward Nico had over-spilled into everyday life. Nico was now a regular at the Apollo cabin lunches, who all looked forwards to his presence (mainly because the constant bickering between Nico and Will served as good mealtime entertainment).

Back in the present, Leo was telling the tale of the final battle, complete with actions that very nearly decapitated Frank at one point.

'Will's coming over,' said Jason, before giving Nico a discrete wink that only he could see. Nico just lowered his eyes.

Will Solace walked over to the group, grinning broadly, his shaggy blonde hair glinting in the sunlight.

'Hi guys,' said Will. 'How's it going?'

'Good thanks. How are you buddy?' asked Percy.

'Not bad. Just thought I'd pop over to invite you to my birthday party in Apollo cabin tomorrow night. Everybody is invited. Even scary underworld people, who actually have a forehead if you look for it,' he said, lifting up Nico's fringe.

'Oh go away Will,' said Nico, pulling away from him, but letting a shadow of a smile cross his face.

Everyone else was grinning at this exchange. 'We'll be there,' said Piper, laughing.

'Great stuff,' said Will, wrapping an arm around Nico's shoulders, who made no move to shrug him off.

'And also there is a dress code I'm afraid,' continued Will, addressing the group. 'No all-black outfits. Anybody arriving in an all-black outfit will be forced to wear copious amounts of tie-dye.'

Everyone laughed, and Nico looked away, though everyone could see his shoulders shaking with restrained laughter.

'Got that Nico?' asked Will, squeezing him closer.

'Yep,' said Nico, now unable to hide his smile. 'I'll have to go shopping, but yep.'

The rest of the group were now looking at each other and then back at Will and Nico. It was strange to see Nico smiling and laughing, but Will appeared to have an ability to draw it out from the son of Hades.

'Alright, see you around guys,' said Will, beginning to walk away. 'Oh and Nico, lunch with the Apollo cabin tomorrow. Don't disappoint us.'

At Will's birthday the next day, Nico was wearing a dark-blue and black-chequered shirt, with his normal black jeans and black basketball trainers. He smoothed down his shirt and knocked on the door. Will answered and gleefully led him inside. It seemed that Will's popularity meant that the majority of Camp Half-Blood was squished into his tiny cabin. Demigods hung from the bunk-beds and squatted on the floor, looking uncomfortable but happy.

Will lead Nico directly under the light, and examined his clothes.

'Not all black,' said Nico, proudly pointing at the dark-blue squares on his shirt.

'No,' said Will carefully. 'But still pretty… dark. I expected a little more colour.'

'It does have colour,' complained Nico. 'I bought it cos it was a bit more colourful.'

Will stared at him awhile, mouth hanging open. Upon realising that Nico was completely serious, he patted him slowly on the arm, and said sarcastically, 'Good job Nico.'

'Oh leave off Will,' scowled Nico. 'I can wear what the hell I want. Just because I'm not like you and go walking around like someone's let off a bomb in an art shop-'

'Hate to interrupt the banter,' said Jason. 'But I think the cake's arrived.'

Will's cake caused much hilarity, as every time he blew out the candles, Leo would summon flames to relight them again. He did this so many times that by the end everyone was doubled over in hysterics, and even Nico found a few chuckles bubbling through his lips.

It had been a good night indeed.

xxxxxxx

The next day, consternation and much excitement rippled through the camp. Reyna had visited in person to make the announcement.

'For the first time in history, and in a bid to replicate the outside world, there will be a joint-camp Prom,' she said.

Most of the girls squealed in excitement, whilst the boys rustled and murmured. The rest of the day was spent talking about dates, dresses and colours of ties. But the news had not caused any excitement in Nico. He imagined the lines of boys with girls on their arms. He felt so sick in the knowledge that the way he felt was so alien, so outside the whole male, female, boy, girl rhythm of a Prom. He had felt so nauseous after the announcement that had to go back to his cabin for a lie down.

There was no way he could go, not even as a singleton. It would cause too much anxiety. Stir up too many feelings. He fell asleep on his black-duveted bed and had a dream.

In the dream, he was hand in hand with Will Solace, walking down a red carpet to prom. Butterflies fluttered violently in his stomach, whilst the son of Apollo beamed down at him with a smile as bright as the sun itself.

xxxxxxxxx

The next day, Nico and the gang were lying next to the lake, basking in the sunlight. Well the others were. Nico was not natural in the sunlight. For a native Italian, his skin lacked a certain amount of olive-ness, regardless of how long he spent outside. Reyna had joined them, and like Nico, she preferred to sit in the shade, looking out over the lake. As he chatted to Reyna, Nico suddenly realised that everyone was here. All of his friends. All the people who had shown him such kindness, and tolerance. Even though Nico had pushed them away countless times, they had not given up on him.

They deserved an explanation. He did not know where this courage was coming from, but it filled his heart, and reached his mouth until he heard himself saying, 'Guys, can you all come over here for a second. I've got something to talk to you about.'

His friends raised their heads one by one in confusion. Nico nodded, and ushered them over. They lazily pulled themselves up, giving Frank a kick, who had fallen asleep.

They formed a ring around Nico on the grass, all faces staring at him with a mixture of confusion and anticipation. Nico found his breathing become shallow, and his courage deserting him. He hated attention on him, and above all, he hated talking about his feelings.

Too late now.

Jason gave him a slight nod, and that gave Nico a momentary burst of confidence, but his voice still shook as he began speaking.

'Erm, well firstly, I just wanted to apologise really. To apologise for all the times that you felt I pushed you away or was unfriendly. I just really want you to know that it wasn't anything personal. I was messed up for many years. I've always felt on the outside, and just assumed that people won't like me. So to avoid other people pushing me away, I pushed myself away first. And… the reason that I felt I don't belong is for three reasons.'

He paused to swallow. His mouth was parched, and the gazes of his friends had become more concentrated on him now they knew he was talking about something serious. Nico internally shook his head. Why the hell is this so hard?

'The first reason is the fact that, you know, my Dad is the god of the underworld, and is responsible for dead people, and well… that's a bit unnerving. Obviously.'

His friends were now looking at each other as Nico's awkwardness became more apparent.

'Secondly,' continued Nico. 'I'm from a different time, and I don't understand a lot of things. Especially computers. Jason can vouch for that.'

'Oh gods, yes,' said Jason, remembering the knocks on his cabin from Nico, who insisted that he had lost the internet.

Nico continued. 'And the third thing…is that I'm gay.'

He didn't see his friends' response, as he head was bent, but a deafening silence seemed to have fallen. Nico decided to fill it by continuing talking.

'I know now that this isn't such a big deal in this day and age. But you have to remember that I'm from the 1930s,' explained Nico. 'Being gay back then meant a lifetime of misery. Either you suppressed it and were miserable, or you expressed it and were outcast and were then miserable. I suppose I've just carried these feelings of shame and fear into this century too, and it's taken me a while to shake them off. Sorry.'

His head was still bent, but he felt fingers lifting his chin. He looked up to see Hazel gazing at him. 'Nico, that was really brave.'

Nico looked around the circle at his friends, who were all looking at him, not with disgust, but with compassion. They all made noises of agreement.

'We're right behind you,' said Frank, giving him a slap on the back that jarred Nico's spine.

'Thanks Frank,' said Nico, slightly winded.

Piper was looking at him with a teasing smirk creeping across her face. 'With this new knowledge in mind… What's going on between you and Will Solace?'

Nico really didn't mean to smile like a love-struck boy. But he couldn't help it. At the mention of Will's name, he felt a huge pull at the corners of his mouth that he could not stop.

His friends oohed and aahed, with an exclamation of 'Wha-hey!' from Leo.

'Calm down guys,' said Nico. 'Will and I are just friends. I mean, I don't even know if he's gay.'

'But you hope he is, right?' said Reyna, winking.

'Well duh,' laughed Nico.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in contentment, joking and lazing on the grass. Nico joined in, feeling lighter than the air itself.

xxxxxxxxx

It was after dinner, and Nico and his friends were all sat at the Hades cabin. Will Solace wandered over to their table, and said exuberantly, 'Hello everyone. Mind if I squeeze in next to Nico here?'

Hazel shuffled over to make room, and Nico's mouth flickered with a faint smile.

Will's eyes landed on Calypso. 'You must be Leo's lovely lady. Nice to meet you, princess.'

'Nice to meet you too,' said Calypso, eyes sparkling with a smile.

'I'm thinking we should go in a matching couples costume to the prom,' said Leo, nodding enthusiastically whilst Calypso shot him daggers. 'You know like Frodo and Sam or something? Elliot and E.T? Or maybe just two crazy mechanics, though we won't really need a costume for that one.'

Laughter rippled around the table, and Calypso threw a grape at Leo.

'So many couples,' said Will, shaking his head. His eyes landed on Nico, and he prodded his arm. 'Who are you going with?'

Nico rubbed his arm. 'Nobody. You? Bet you've got girls battering down the doors.'

Will shrugged. 'Yeah… it's a hard life. But no. I don't have a date. Don't really enjoy that kind of thing.' He laughed, 'Hey, maybe me and you will just end up going together.'

Nico's stared at Will and took the biggest risk he had taken in his life. Bigger than any quest he had gone on, bigger than any monster had had faced.

'I wouldn't mind that,' said Nico, completely seriously. Everyone held their breath.

Will's smile fell away from his face, and he looked back at Nico. 'You… you wouldn't?'

Nico continued to gaze at Will. 'No, I wouldn't.'

Will swallowed, looking utterly dumb-struck and Nico started to wonder if he had said the right thing. But then, suddenly, a huge smile split Will's face. 'Awesome!' he said, like he had peaked a particularly difficult wave. 'It's a date then.'

'Yep,' said Nico, feeling warm and elated.

Will continued to stare at Nico in delighted disbelief. Then he rubbed his hair shyly. 'Wow, this is cool. I've been wondering, you know, how to ask you to prom for ages.'

Without warning, Will grabbed Nico's hand and planted a sloppy kiss on it. 'You have made me a very happy man, my Italian Stallion.'

'You're half right,' said Leo. 'He's definitely Italian.'

'Will,' called someone from Apollo cabin.

'I have to go,' said Will. 'But see you guys around.'

He wandered away, a stupid grin on his face.

Nico looked around at his friends, who all had stupid grins plastered across all of their own faces. 'Well,' said the son of Hades. 'That was easier than I thought it would be.'

'Oh Nico,' said Will, who had run back up to the table. 'By the way, about the suit you're going to wear. Better to at least have a colourful tie to accent-'

'Shut up Will!'