::: Hey everyone. ShinxLover99 here. How are all my Pokemon doing? Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON OR POKeMON... I just don't know what to call you guys that are reading this. Have an idea as to what I should call you guys, let me know... I have a response to the latest review, How do you know it's Will? It could be an OC of mine... Jk, everyone knows, but it was all I could think of Mr. D calling him. And thanks, but I wouldn't call it poetic... anyways, here's the first party. Hope you enjoy chapter 4. Pun intended. :::

Oh, and no flaming me because of Will and Clarisse's history, that gets defined better later on, and I couldn't think of a better person to choose because, well... You'll find out later. :::

-Friday, August 22nd-

Nico was standing in front of a full-length mirror set up in his and Percy's dorm room. He was already ready for the party, as ready as he could be, but Percy was still in his day-clothes playing Pokemon on his DS. It's early still, he supposes. Eight o' clock is early for college kids right? Percy looked like he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon, so there must be plenty of time before they were expected. He was already dressed though. It was nerves. Or anticipation. Or anxiety. Maybe a cocktail of all three.

Were college parties really like they were in the movies? Or was that a gross exaggeration? Or were they mellowed down? He has gone drinking before. Of course he has, he's a teenager. He smokes cigarettes every once in a while when the urge occurs, even though he wasn't fond of the taste, and even lit up a joint before when he was still with Alex. He wasn't a blushing virgin. He sure as hell wasn't as innocent as Bianca thought he was. But a college party? He wasn't sure what to expect.

There was probably going to be alcohol. He would be disappointed at the low standard of college life if there wasn't. Would people be dancing or standing there awkwardly? Either way he would be the wall-flower, as unflattering a term as that is. Nobody there would want to dance with him and he can't think of anyone he would particularly like to dance with... well, then again, honesty wasn't always one of his best attributes.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Percy yelling at his DS. "FUCK YOU, IRIS!" Nico glanced at him over his shoulder and saw that he was throwing the device on the bed and pulling clothes out of his closet randomly. He decided to try to appease some of his worries.

He cleared his throat. "So, your friend, Wally, how do you know him?" Percy stuck his head out of the closet and pinched his brows in confusion. "Who?"

Was he being deliberately obtuse or was he that forgetful? "Your friend, Wally Shoelace, the one that said I should come to the party?"

Percy looked confused for a couple more minutes before he snorted out a laugh and started rifling through his clothes again. "Oh, you're talking about what Mr. D said. Nah man, his name is Will. Will Solace. He's the one I've been talking about. Mr. D refuses to get his name right. I think it's a Napoleon complex thing, ya know?"

Will. Will Solace. Nico tasted the name, getting used to the way it rolled off his tongue. Will fit him. Much better than Wally did.

"Ah. Right. How do you know him? He's an upper classman, right?"

"Yeah. He and Clarisse are both Seniors, but I met them at Camp. Uh, that's Camp Half-Blood, a sort of combat and survival training... thing that's in the summer. A bunch of us go there actually. Mr. D is the director, some sort of punishment for something he did that no one really knows about, and Professor Chiron is sort of like the manager I guess. He basically runs everything because Mr. D... well, doesn't."

"Hm."

"Yup. Don't let the tattoos and clothing throw you off, Will's a good guy. I think you'll like him. He s not a snob like the other popular people at school, and everyone at camp loves him, especially the kids. He teaches sword fighting. He's great with them, but he's like that with everyone, and everyone wants him because of it."

"Wants him?" Nico furrowed his brows and turned back to the mirror, hoping his blush wasn't as obvious as it felt. It was.

"Mm. He's quite popular, if you know what I mean."

"You mean he's the campus bicycle?"

"Hah! No, that honor belongs to Clarisse and Piper. More Clarisse than Piper since Pipes has Annabeth now. But Clarisse doesn't know whether or not she hates men or loves them, so she likes to shop around. She and Will have been together since they were like 12, but they see other people. They're more like best friends than anything though. No, I would say Will is more like the campus motorcycle. Everyone wants him -and I mean everyone, guys and girls and even some teachers I know about -but only a lucky few get to have him."

Nico processed this new information. He didn't know who Piper was, but Clarisse... he wishes any guy luck with her, she seems like a handful. Will must be strong for being with her that long. They have known each other for quite a long time that's a lot to compete with.

Did he just say compete? He wasn't trying to compete with her, or anyone for that matter. He was definitely not going to try to get in between her and Will; she was not an enemy he wished to have. Besides, he doesn't need a relationship right now. He came to New York for school, to start a new chapter in his life. It is out of the question.

It is the only question.

And Nico wasn't even going to fool himself into thinking he wasn't going to try his damnedest to win this game. Win Will. Stupid of him? Yes. But then again, he was known to make stupid decisions once or twice in his life.

Percy disappeared to the restrooms and left Nico to turn back to the mirror, assessing his appearance one more time. His battle armor.

He had on his second favorite pair of black skinny jeans -tight, gathered slightly at the ankles, and clung to his ass like it was designed to show off one of his best attributes -in his opinion -and a thick blue belt. He wore a black t-shirt with a gray-scale skull pile on it that he has had since his freshman year of high school. It was well-worn with the edges frayed but he kept the color fresh by dying it every six months. Bianca bought it for him, the cheap thing, but it was his good-luck shirt ever since, as silly as the sentiment was.

Being as old as it was had its advantages, though. The end of it just barely brushed the top of his belt, but when he raised his arms or hunched his shoulders close to his ears, a thin strip of skin on his lower abdomen showed. He hoped it looked enticing and not ridiculous. He still wore his old pair of converse as well, not willing to part them.

Hell, he even styled his hair. By styled, he meant he ran a comb through it again instead of leaving it where it laid from that morning's brushing like he usually did.

The residue of his blush from earlier was still evident high on his cheeks, but the rest of his face was as gaunt as always. His skin was pale and unmarred except for the blush, but that was fading now, leaving only skin almost as white as paper to stretch over his bones. Bianca always told him his eyes were one of his most striking features. They were wide and surrounded by dark, thick lashes that were longer than he thought they should be for a boy. From a distance, his eyes might as well be black with as dark as they are, but up close, they are a rich, dark brown. He had a small upturned nose despite his Italian heritage and thin pink lips that alternated between being turned down into a frown or being quirked up into a smirk.

He was skinny. Too skinny really, he almost never remembered to eat. Maybe if he did, his face would fill out and lose some of its skeletal appearance. The bruises under his eyes were less pronounced than they usually were because he had been sleeping surprisingly well. He didn't look half bad, if he did say so himself.

Percy came back into the room and pulled his sunglasses onto his head. "You ready?"

Nico nodded once to his reflection and then again to Percy, putting a brave smile on his face and following him out to the student parking lot.

They pulled up to a big house that he assumed was where the party was taking place. He says that because there were people ambling in and out of the open doors of the house with drinks in their hands and he can hear the blaring music all the way from where they parked across the street.

He followed Percy inside but as soon as they stepped through the door he bounced away with a shout to enjoy himself. He saw a boy wearing a navy blue tux run up to him with a shout and throw himself into his arms. He laughed and spun him out of his view. 'That must be Jason,' he thought.

Nico looked around and observed his surroundings. There were so many people here that though plenty of them were dancing, to a song that sounded a lot like S3RL's 'Press Play Walk Away' over the constant shouting and laughter of the young adults, they might as well have been standing still with as much-or rather little-space between bodies. Nico could be standing in the middle of the mob and still be the unnoticed wallflower.

He took comfort in that and walked through what was presumably the living room, wondering how long he had to stay without being considered rude for leaving too early. He skirted around the bulk of the dancing mass in the center but every now and then he had to plaster himself to the wall to avoid an absent grind or well-placed elbow to the face. Making it to the kitchen, Nico saw it was notably less crowded and decided to hide out there for a bit.

There were those plastic red cups, the classic 'Greek life' ones you see in the movies, and a dozen different bottles of liquor and packs of beer littering the counter tops. Nico picked up one of the cups and sniffed at it. It smelled like... rubbing alcohol? Nico pulled away and put on his best bitch-face. If he had any sanity he would pour this down the sink and not even think about pickling his liver with this venomous substance. Unfortunately, he realized a long time ago that there was no fun in being sane and insanity is undoubtedly more thrilling. Nico gasped in a quick breath and downed the clear liquid in a long swallow, followed close by another. The sting brought tears to his eyes but the heat in his belly was slowly spreading to his chest and that was too good to pass up.

A glance around found him honing in on what he assumed was the dining room, where a group of five guys were playing cards and drinking, girls touching their shoulders and laughing amicably to each other over their heads. Facing towards him was Wally -No, Will -but he hasn t seemed to notice him yet.

And Jesus, did that boy ever look anything but unbelievably fucking delicious? Nico seriously doubted it. He changed as well. He was wearing an summer sky blue t-shirt that clung to his broad chest enticingly and that same beaded necklace hanging from his throat. He put down his cards and had a winning hand apparently because he stood up and danced in a circle, giving Nico a nice view of his ass in those dark wash jeans, this time adorned with a chain belt that loops down mid-thigh on one side. If this was Christmas come early, then there was nothing Nico wanted to do more than to tear into that beautifully wrapped present with his teeth and...

...and was that really something he was thinking about right now?

It looked like he was winning quite massively, but every now and then he would lose a hand. Nico stared at him while he played and quickly observed that every time he had a good hand, his left eyebrow would twitch minutely. He was losing some of the hands on purpose then. A hustler, hm? Interesting.

Nico shook his head and was about to turn to leave when he heard his name being called from the direction he really hoped it wasn't coming from. Of course it was though, he would recognize that voice anywhere, even though he had only heard it a grand total of two times. Deep and commanding but boyish and playful at the same time. It sounded like it had the potential to make enumerable amounts of tones and lilts and gasps and moans and...

...and this was really not helping.

"Nico!" the voice called again from behind him. He took a deep breath and faced the boy at the table. Will was grinning at him from behind a short stack of money and chips, obviously pleased with himself, while the other guys he was playing with had stood up from the table. One glared daggers at him, which Will returned with a jovial smile, and stomped away; towing a girl behind him, but not before she blew a kiss to Will over her shoulder. He caught it in his fist and held it to his heart, the charming bastard. Two of the other guys bumped fists with him and pulled their own girls away and the last guy grabbed Will firmly by the chin and pressed a hard kiss to his lips, Will biting his lip a little when he pulled away with a wink. Oh my goodness, and didn't that set his stomach on fire with lust and jealousy.

Nico was still staring hungrily at Will s lips when he caught his eyes with a knowing smirk and beckoned him over. Nico glanced around frantically until he set his eyes on a bottle of Jack Daniels. Ah, good old whiskey, liquid courage as his dad would say. He grabbed at the half-empty bottle and swallowed a quick sip. The pleasant warmth spread automatically down his throat to the pit of his stomach and pooled in his groin. He could taste the courage. Or maybe that was the butterfly s threatening to fly out of his throat.

Will watched him with shark eyes from his seat at the table. The intensity of his stare sent shivers down Nico s spine. Instead of taking the seat that Will was patting right next to him, he sat across the table and picked up the deck, shuffling it meticulously. Will raised an eyebrow at him and Nico licked his lips slowly. "I know you were throwing some of your hands."

Willl arched his other eyebrow to match the one already raised into his hairline. "Oh, really? And how do you figure that?"

"Your eyebrow twitches when you have a good hand, and yet you folded or played a bad hand every third go."

"Maybe my eyebrow just twitches of its own accord, Mr. Know-it-all."

"No."

"No?"

"No." Nico let a slow smile spread over his face when Will eyed him appreciatively.

"I like you."

Nico flushed at the praise but kept his eyes trained on Will s. "I know."

Will smirked and plucked the cards from Nico s hands, shuffling them in fancy patterns, never breaking eye contact. "Well, how about you test my playing powers?"

Nico looked at the deck in his hand and smiled. "I'm underage. Gambling is illegal."

Will smirked and leaned across the table until he was inches from Nico's face, staring at his lips while he spoke. "You're already drinking," he whispered, "what's adding gambling to that list?" Nico swallowed and eyed him with dark eyes. Before he could speak, hes pulled away and continued. "Besides, we'll play for drinks, not money." He smiled a feral grin and Nico could feel it all the way down his spine. "So... call the game?"

Nico let out a slow breath and tried for a smile. "5 Card Draw?"

Will nodded and passed out 5 cards to each of them, setting the deck aside. Nico eyed his cards thoughtfully. He had two threes, a five, a queen, and ten, all different suits.

He had mostly low cards, so either Will has the higher cards and he will acquire more low cards on his draw, or Will has more low cards and he will get high cards next. It was a tossup really. He grabbed the queen and the five to replace and Will gave him two from the deck as replacements, himself grabbing three. Nico looked at his new cards and frowned minutely, just giving the indication that he was trying to hide his displeasure.

Will looked up at him and smirked at his frown, letting him know that he didn t hide it well enough. He was confident now, smiling openly and regarding Nico with patience. He was positive the game was his. He was just where Nico wanted him.

Nico looked down at his cards once more and picked his best hand; two threes and two tens, king high. Not a bad hand for 5 Card Draw.

Will quirked an eyebrow at him and nodded, so Nico laid his cards down, saying "Two pair, King high." His eyebrow twitched again, but this time it was accompanied by a slight tightening around his eyes. Nico had him. Will put his cards down, saying "Two pair, Queen high."

Nico whistled and nodded towards his cup. Will threw his head back and gulped it down in a practiced motion. When he put the cup back down on the table, he filled two cups, one for each of them. Nico grabbed the deck and looked at his with hooded eyes. "Well...Will, call the game?"

The pair played for a good hour and, Nico winning most but Will keeping up with him well. It was a shame Will didn t realize Nico was trying to booze him up to get him nice and pliant and amicable. Nico won out at the end when they finally called it quits for the sake of their livers . Though he was feeling the effects of the alcohol pretty severely from not drinking too often, Will seemed to be only slightly tipsy, more acclimated to drinking regularly.

They stand up and Will slings an arm over his shoulders. "You are a worthy opponent, my friend."

Nico flushed and reveled in the warmth of Will at his side. His hand was resting on his opposite shoulder and rubbing small circles on the sleeve of his shirt, dipping under the fabric every other brush. The crook of his elbow was resting against the back of his neck and Will was leaning in to breath hotly in his ear. "Well, Nico, you are quite the little boy."

Nico scowled at him but it was hard to stay sullen with Will so close to his face. "There is nothing little about me."

That feral smile was back and Nico shivered at the intensity of it. "Oh, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

Yes."

Will leaned a little closer and nipped at the top curve of Nico s ear. "Mm. We'll have to see about that, won't we?"

Nico felt Will's hand slide across his lower back and the fingertips begin to dip into his waistband, but before he could go any further, Percy rounded the corner with the same boy from earlier hanging on his hip and spotted them. Percy came right over and hit Will playfully on the arm that wasn't slung over Nico's shoulders. Surprisingly, Will didn't pull away when Percy came over. In fact, to Nico's shock, he pulled him a little tighter to his side and rested the hand that was playing with his waistband boldly on Nico's hip, a gesture that was both protective and possessive at the same time, a heady combination.

It was only when Clarisse came over, his sister and a few other people he didn't recognize trailing behind her, did Percy release him, a fact for which he was both disappointed and grateful for.

Clarisse eyed him coolly, something about her gaze infinitely calculating and unsettling, but once again, her gaze was not completely unfriendly. Will strutted over to her and pulled her into a big hug, pulling away to place a hand on her hip, one of her hands resting on top of his, the other wrapping around his waist. Nico tried to keep the venom from his glare, but Hazel was raising an eyebrow at him and smirking, so maybe his efforts were a little on the thin side.

Percy tapped him on the arm to get his attention. "So, Nico. This is my boy, Jason. You remember me talking about him, right?"

The boy, Jason, gave him a small smile which he returned tentively. He seemed nice and Percy was staring at them. He continued, pointing at different members of the group.

"You know Will already, and I hear you already met Clarisse. This is Piper,"-native American looking girl with feathers in her hair-"her girlfriend Annabeth,"-tall, blond, by the looks of it mischevious, and grey, calculating eyes-"Leo,"-Spanish, impish, and quirky-"Frank,"-Asian, big, and nervous looking-"his girlfriend Hazel" -half-sister- "Juniper" -tall, elagant, and willowy- "and her boyfriend Grover." -short, curly hair, and talkitive.

Hazel came up to him then, giving him a quick hug before addressing the group. "Guys, this is Nico. My half-brother I told you about?"

The others nodded and gave him a mix of hellos, but Frank stuck his hand out to him. "Nice to meet you in person Nico, Hazel talks a lot about you."

Nico shuffled his feet uncomfortably but took the hand anyway. He didn't have small hands by any means, but they were still swallowed whole by Frank s huge meat claws. The guy sure was brawny, and Hazel was so small, he didn t know how he managed to fit his... changing the subject now.

"Hey, Frank. You too."

Leo came up to him next, slinging his arm over his shoulders in a poor comparison to the way Will did before. The guy was bouncing with energy; he could feel his body just quivering with it. "So Nico, my man. You wouldn't happen to be interested in becoming a willing participant in some non-life threatening experiments and procedures, would you? It is completely risk-free, just testing some new equipment and devices I have designed. I would test them myself, but I am not an unbiased third party, you see? You just need to sign some paperwork, agreeing that it is not my responsibility if you catch fire, come to harm from dangerous chemicals, acquire some work-related accidents that cause your body or mind harm, potential death or-"

"Dude!" Will interrupted him by shoving his shoulder good-naturedly. "Give the guy a break, would ya? Go find some other poor, unsuspecting sop to put at risk."

Leo grinned wickedly and raised his hands in false surrender. The blond, Annabeth, ruffled Leo's hair and talked over his head. "Sorry, Nico. Usually his girl, Calypso, is here to rein him in but she's not here tonight. He's harmless, but he gets more annoying the longer you know him."

That earned him an indignant huff from the accused and some quip that he missed because everyone seemed to evolve into their own conversations jus then. Nico stood there awkwardly, half listening to what everyone was saying, but mostly trying to look at Will without being too obvious. He was talking with Clarisse and her hand was moving in slow circles just above his hip. His shirt was riding up where her palm was resting and he had never been jealous of a hand as much as he was then.

He was pulled out of his reverie when he noticed Will s voice was louder than everyone else's, effectively grabbing their attention. "So, everyone." He reached up and to his upper lip and stroked it and made some sort of rubbing motion with his thumb and index finger... oh gods, did he just twirl his imaginary mustache? That shouldn't be the cutest thing he has ever saw in his life, but... it was pretty fucking adorable.

"What do you say? Black Eros or Titan's Club?"

Clarisse was the first to speak, looking Nico directly in the eye with that gleam in it that he was secretly calling the 'definitely-up-to-something' look. "We haven't been to Eros in a while, not since last term let out."

Will smirked and bowed. "The lady has spoken, are there any objections?"

No one spoke.

"Great!" He exclaimed. "Black Eros it is."

Annabeth clasped hands with Will and pulled Piper along behind her. I'm afraid we're out this time, man. We have other things to do.

She sent a wink towards everyone and Nico blushed, fairly confident he knew exactly what she was hinting at. Piper didn't even seem remotely embarrassed about how blatantly obvious she was being, or anyone besides him for that matter. If anything, they seemed pleased. He was really going to have to get used to this group's dynamics. Assuming he was going to be around long enough to need to.

Seeing his opportune moment when everyone was watching the retreating couple, Nico started to ease his way back from the group. Before he could very far though, Clarisse grinned and elbowed Will in the ribs, catching his attention. He followed her eyes and called after Nico when he was just about to escape around the corner.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, Neeks? The party is just starting."

Nico wished that his cheeks would stop burning; it was harder to hide his emotions and thoughts when his damn body kept getting in the way. "Um, hm?" Smooth Nico, real smooth.

Will laughed and dropped his arm from Clarisse's shoulder, striding up to him and patting him on the back before resting his hand at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. "You're going too. Now come on, the party awaits."

"Um," Nico tried again, "I'm just 18, I don't I'll be allowed in, but thanks anyway."

Will squeezed his shoulder and started to lead him towards the front of the house. Judging from the footsteps he heard behind them, the others were following. It looks like Nico would be attending his first college party and club on the same night. "Nonsense. You're with me."

With a wink, he was led outside and they stopped in front of a summer sky blue, almost as intense as Will's eyes, 1969 Dodge Charger. He whistled and ran his hands along its hood, looking at the paint job reverently. "Is this your charger? 2 barrel or 4 barrel?"

Will raised his eyebrows at him but patted the hood and smirked at him, obviously proud. "4 barrel. I just got her new paint job done last year and wax her every 3 months. I put a 440 fuel injected engine in and am currently working on putting in a supercharger."

"If you're planning on racing it, I'd put in a turbo instead. Even though a supercharger has less lag, a turbo has more overall power. If you really want to be efficient, I'd go for a twin turbo. Now that's sexy."

Nico looked up and caught the other's eyes and held, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. 'He knows cars.'

Will looked like he wanted to say something more, but Clarisse came up and hugged him forcibly from behind. "Alright boys, let's not have an orgasm over a car here. Come on, clubbing time."

Nico realized then how close he was leaning toward the other boy and stepped back hastily, once again feeling the blood rush to his face. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his sister standing with the door to her white Honda Civic open and Leo and Frank already inside. He started to walk towards her but she held up her hand and yelled at him to stop. "Sorry, Nico. Juniper is gonna ride with us, we're gonna have some girl talk on the way over there. You can ride with Will."

He looked over at Percy, but apparently he was leaving his car here for now, because he was already in the back of the charger. Clarisse winked at him before she climbed in the front passenger seat, leaving only him and Will standing there like idiots. Well, he felt like an idiot, Will was grinning at him like he would wait there all night for him to decide what he was going to do.

Resigned to his fate, he slid into the seat behind Clarisse and looked pointedly out the window, all but ignoring when Will started the engine and peeled out onto the street.

-CAR SWITCH-

Hazel waited until the charger was moving before she turned to Frank and smiled at him sweetly. "Frank? You wanna move to the back and switch places with Juniper?"

"What? Hazel? You're kicking me to the back?" He glanced back at Leo to see that he was fiddling with some sort of device, but he lowered his voice anyway and leaned in close. "With Leo?"

Hazel smacked him upside the head, a small 'ow' escaping Frank, and gave him a disapproving look. "Be nice. You'll be fine." She grinned at Juniper and nodded at her to get out.

Frank, with no small amount of hesitancy, withdrew from the car and traded places with Juniper. The tall girl hoped in excitably and turned up the music in the back of the car so they could talk without too much interference from the boys. Hazel checked on the boys once more, Frank had his head buried in his hands and Leo was still fiddling with the device and a screwdriver but he was talking animatedly to Frank now, much to the other boy's sorrow.

"So," she started, "What do you think about Nico?"

Juniper smiled at her and turned the back stereo up just that bit more before replying. "He seems nice Hazel. He's your half-brother right?"

"Yup. He lived with our dad and my half-sister Bianca in L.A. It's going to be great seeing him more often. What else do you think about him?"

"What do you mean, 'what else do I think about him?' He's short I guess, but I kind of like that. You know Grover is short, not that he's short short, but he is rather short for a guy at his age, don't you think? But like I said, I don't mind that, it makes me feel tall. Speaking of tall, I bought these new shoes that-"

Hazel sighed and looked at her with an amused pinch between her brows. She knew that Juniper was doing her babble on purpose to mess with her, unlike Percy who does his babble-mode unconsciously.

Juniper laughed and relented. "Oh, you mean what do I think about him? Him and Will?"

Hazel rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty obvious that he likes him. The boy has never been as good at hiding his feelings as he thinks he is."

"Will seems to like him."

Hazel eyed her while pulling the car into the street, heading toward the club. "That's what worries me."

"You think that he's going to hurt him?"

She sighed. "Yes. Don't get me wrong, I love Will, but I love my brother more. I don't know if he can handle all of Will. Maybe I'm underestimating him, but I don't want to see him get hurt."

"We all know Will. Yes, he does see a lot of people, but did you see the way he looked at him tonight? I think we should just let it play out for a while. See where it goes? I don't know."

Hazel pulled up to a stop light and came to a halt, turning to face Juniper fully. "Maybe you're right. But if he hurts him, or I even think that he is coming close to hurting him, I am going to get real nosy. Is that bad?"

Juniper laughed and patted her on the shoulder, letting her know the light changed. "No, any sis would do the same. I will even help with the revenge."

Reassured, Hazel finally let herself relax and cleared her mind to enjoy herself tonight.

-CAR SWITCH... again-

Nico turned around in the backseat until he couldn t see his sister's car anymore. When he faced the front again, he caught Will's eyes on him in the rearview mirror. The streetlamps cast shadows over his face and made his eyes shine with every passing. They were so blue; surely something so beautiful was not natural.

Clarisse cleared her throat and looked at him over her shoulder, her black hair falling in her face. She really was beautiful, Nico realized. If he liked girls, he was sure that he would find her very attractive. But it was her boyfriend that did it for him. And he really did it for him.

Alex was one of the only serious relationships he had been in. Before him, he dated a girl that he never truly liked enough to be more than friends and she was only dating him, he found out later, as her beard. He wouldn't have minded, but the lying had hurt and he didn't know how he felt before then.

He dated another boy his freshman year in high school, but that had been a two-week joke; he didn't even remember the boys' name. When he met Alex later on in his freshman year, it was like seeing the light of the future. He was sweet and caring and the most exciting thing to have happened to him in his young life at the time. He considered him his first sincere kiss, the first to show him what he thought love was, and his first.

He remembered how nervous he was laying down in his bed at Alex's dad's place, his father gone for the weekend for some kind of conference. Alex was hovering over him on all fours, both of them puffy lipped and panting with exertion. He had touched his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips. "Are you ready?" Nico nodded and closed his eyes. Quickly, without any other foreplay, Alex stretched him open almost perfunctorily and slammed home. Nico had cried out in pain and pleasure. He felt tears cloud his vision so he closed his eyes. Alex had come quickly, emptying himself into the condom, then quickly withdrew, tossed it, and fell fast asleep. He didn't even notice that Nico hadn't come and that he was flagging.

From then on, they never had penetrative sex, just sticking to oral and hand jobs. Alex had quickly tired of him after that and that had led him to... well, the other reason he was so willing to leave home was because of what that jackass did.

"So," Clarisse started, "what are you here to study Nico?"

"Um, creative writing and Romanic Languages."

Clarisse looked at him a little longer as if trying to see if he was joking, but she just nodded and turned back around. Will, on the other hand, was staring at him in the rearview mirror with his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. Nico stared back and frowned at him. He was about to ask him what the look was for when Clarisse gasped and grabbed for the wheel, saving them from going off the side of the road.

"Jeez, Sun Note! Keep your eyes on the road."

He apologized and focused on the task at hand again. Nico had a small smile on his face, quietly pleased that he caused him to become so distracted. He made sure to hide it fast though, because he was still sending him glances from the front seat.

They pulled onto a side street and Nico could see the luminescent blue sign that said "Black Eros". The sign had a cupid shooting an arrow into the 'o' and a black backdrop. There was a line reaching all the way to the end of the street and a bouncer that looked like he wrestled for a living at the door. He let a couple in and Nico could see flashing blue and purple lights coming from inside. He could feel the bass of the music pumping into the car.

Will parked on the opposite side of the street in a handicapped parking place. When Nico raised an eyebrow at him in question, he winked and pulled a handicapped permit to hang on the mirror. It read "Chiron Kronos". He decided not to ask. They didn't have to wait long when Hazel's Civic pulled in beside them, also in a handicapped parking place.

Nico got out of the car and met his sister at her door. "So, whose permit is yours?"

She locked the door and checked her hair in the side view mirror. "Professor Chiron's."

"Don't you think it s a little suspicious if both our cars have his permit?"

She sighed and looked at him with her 'I'm-your-big-sister-trust-me-eyes.' "Nico, no one is going to look that close when they see it hanging on the mirror. Don't worry so much. Relax, have some fun tonight."

He shook his head but decided to drop it. They all headed to the club, and strangely, right toward the doors, skipping the long line of people waiting to get in. Will slowed down until he was walking beside Nico, bumping his shoulder amicably. "Stick close to me for a few minutes until I get you in. Don't worry so much, Death Boy, I'll get you in no problem."

Nico started the protest the name calling but Will plowed on like he knew Nico was about to tell him off. "Once we're inside you can wander off to wherever you like." Patting him on the back, he added a flirtatious wink directed at his lips, "Feel free to stick as close to me as you like inside as well."

Nico blushed crimson and tried to look taller and more confident once they reached the bouncer. Will and the burly man bumped fists and hugged it out, the others nodding and saying hello to him as they went in the door. Instead of following them like he wanted to, he stayed next to Will like he told him to. It was a good thing, because the next person in line tried to tag along in the group unnoticed but the bouncer saw them and clapped the person on the back, harshly throwing him out of the line and telling him to get lost. He was a strange looking man with large glasses and a shirt that had a ton of eyeballs all over it. Nico wasn't sure if he found it interesting or disturbing.

With his attention back on Will, his scowl melted into a smile. "Will! You haven't been around lately."

Will laughed and clapped his arm. "Argus, I know, I know. I'll be around more probably, college just started up. Doors are going to be busy I bet."

Argus coughed out a roaring laugh. "Yes, tonight we are quite full but soon business will be booming." He nodded his head toward Nico. "Who's this then?"

Nico shifted uncomfortably and hesitantly met his eyes, but Will answered for him.

"This is Nico. He's new in town so I'm showing him the good parts of New York."

Argus looked at him with eyes that said he knew what was really going on here, but Nico just frowned in confusion. He didn't even know what was going on here. "Alright," he said, opening the door and gesturing them to come inside. "Have fun tonight. Rachel is in the back tonight, says she has something for you."

Will guided Nico in front of him and they came into a long hall filled with pulsing lights coming from where the room he assumed was when the hall cut to the left. There was loud music playing, some sort of techno-indie-pop mix that had an easy rhythm for dancing.

When they turned the corner, the hall opened up into a large space. The light was brighter here but darker at the same time. People filled the place; dancing on the floor, making out on couches and roped off areas in corners, walking around drinking. Most of the occupants were young but he had the feeling he was one of the youngest.

As soon as they stepped fully into the room, Will whisper-yelled in his ear that he had to go see somebody and that he would be back soon. He watched helplessly while he dissolved into the crowd and looked nervously around him. He really didn't want to draw attention to himself but he wasn't exactly in the mood for socializing either.

Instead of standing out by walking the outskirts of the small mob gathered on what he assumed was the dance floor, he chose to walk through the dancers, still avoiding the center. He was wading through an endless sea of people. At least that's what it felt like. He couldn't see anything except hands in the air and the hair of the nearest person whipping in front of him. He was nudged and bumped against, grinded and groped, and even felt a well placed smack to his ass.

He must have been close to the edge because the people were starting to thin out again. He came to an abrupt halt when a figure swooped in front of him, giving him just enough time to skid to a stop but still managing to bump his nose into the person's chest.

When he looked up, following that bulky chest to broad shoulders, a muscular neck, and finally a smirking twist of lips, he saw an unfamiliar face with a very familiar gleam in his eyes. Almost as if he took Nico's accidental brush as consent, he wound a meaty arm around his waist and pulled him tight against his body. Nico stiffened but the man didn't notice, just continues swaying with the music and grinding against the uncomfortable boy, which made Nico realize the guy had a boner. He tried pushing him away and yelling at him over the music but he couldn't hear him and interpreted his fighting as trying to pull him even closer.

Nico was starting to panic. A full blown, hyperventilating, snot-crying, paper bag and all, panic attack. He couldn't see any of his friends, hell, he could barely see around gigantor's tank of a chest to the rest of the club. The music seemed too loud, the lights were flashing too bright, it was too hot in there, why were they blowing air straight from the pits of Tartarus into this stupid club? He couldn't breathe, oh gods, he couldn't breathe, where did all the oxygen go? Was it converted into poison, or was that just his sandpaper throat begging for a drink talking?

He hadn't had a panic attack since the day Alex broke up with him in front of all those people, running off to cower behind the bleachers until Bianca found him and took him home. That was the last day that Nico cried; he cried so hard that he was sure that the reason why he never cries anymore was because he cried enough tears for a life time that day. He was simply run dry.

He felt like crying now. He could feel the angry tears gathering behind his eyes, burning like acid and struggling to be given permission to fall freely, but he would not let them. No, he refused.

Calming his breathing, he relaxed his body completely and put all the tension in his shoulders, ready to put his years of training to good use. Before he could so much as twitch his arm to maneuver his way out of the strong grip, they dropped of their own accord. Confused, he looked up at the man who was so unwilling to let him go mere seconds ago, but he was staring out above his head at something behind him.

Turning his head, he came face-to-face with another chest, this one slimmer with lithe, muscular bare arms attached to them. Nico blushed when he realized that Will had come to his rescue.

Mustering the courage to look at those gorgeous summer-day-blue eyes, he mumbled over the music, "I got this, Will." The older boy just sent him a withering glance filled with amusement, and turned back to the giant that captured him a minute ago. His face did a complete three-sixty when he looked back at the man; his eyes turned stormy with anger and his face hardened as stone, his voice gruff with impatience.

"Don't you have something to be doing right now, Cody?" He hadn't raised his voice but the man could hear him perfectly well over the music. Even if he couldn't hear him, Nico was pretty sure that he would get the message just from the intensity of his glare that contained the wrath of the Zeus in it. God, that gaze, that was... hot, if he was honest.

To Nico's surprise, the man gave a sharp nod, and shrunk a little under the glare. "Yes, sorry, Mr. Solace." He didn't even spare Nico a second glance before he was scampering off with his tail tucked between his legs. Will was still staring off at the man, but he quickly turned his eyes toward the smaller boy when a hand was waved in front of his face.

His grimace was replaced with a sly smile, and he took Nico's hand in his own, threading their fingers together. "Come on, want to get a drink?"

Nico blushed but nodded hesitantly. Will just smirked and tugged him along through the crowd. They went up onto a rise of sorts where the bar was located. He pulled him right up and sat him on the stall, waving the bartender over, an impish young man with twinkling eyes that begged you not to leave your possessions unwatched with him around.

The man was cleaning a glass out when he spotted them. "Will," they reached out and pulled each other into a half-hug across the counter, "What's up, man?"

"Hey, man. This is Nico," a gesture toward him that caused him to nod slightly uncomfortable, "he's new here."

The bartender held his hand out and Nico bumped his fist half-heartedly. "Hey, name's Conner. Welcome to B.E.'s, Nico." He gave him another nod and looked at Will, hoping for him to take the lead.

He opened his mouth, but a hand on his shoulder distracted him. Clarisse, with her beautiful curls and sparkling eyes, was looking between him and Will with a smirk. Nico tried to keep the glare from surfacing, but she seemed to catch it anyway. Raising her eyebrow, she looked back at Will and put on a charming smile. "Dance with me?"

Will stood and wrapped his arm around her waist, shaking hands with Conner and smiling at Nico. "Be back later, man. Have a drink on me." They walked away with Clarisse already swaying her hips to the music and leading Will further in the crowd.

He turned back toward the bar when he heard Conner ask, "What can I get for you, Nico?" Barely thinking about it, he blurted "Scotch on the rocks." The man shook his head and got a glass out from under the counter. "Cool, cool. Like it hard, do you?"

Nico flushed crimson and looked at the blonde with disbelief. When he noticed the kid staring at him with red ears he burst into laughter and had to wipe some tears out of his eyes. "Ah, I didn t mean it like that. Happy coincidence, I swear! I was talking about your drink." Nico nodded his head uncertainly but decided not to comment.

Nico stared back out over the dancers and unconsciously searched for beautiful blonde hair and summer-blue eyes. He snorted. Okay, so maybe his searching was not completely 'unconscious'. Who was he kidding? He wasn't even being subtle about picking the crowd of dancers apart to find that boy, that man.

The group parted a little bit and then there they were. He saw red and green, and not because of the changing lights; and definitely not a pleasant red and green, more like a maddening tinge of anger and a queasy green wove of jealousy.

Clarrise had her back to him, so at least he didn't have to look at her stupid perfect face. She was facing Will with her arms wound around his neck and her face pressed into his shoulder. She was pressed flat against his body, one leg in between his so she was almost sitting on his hip. He had one arm around her upper back and the other one rubbing circles on her lower back. They were moving with the music. More like dry-humping, Nico thought.

Slowly, he raised his eyes and met those sapphires straight on, staring at him over the Clarrise's head. Nico felt his cheeks heat and his mouth fall open a little, completely dry. Without breaking eye contact, the moved his hand lower and placed it in the back pocket of her jeans. He was whispering something in her ear, but he was watching Nico like he was daring the younger boy to break eye contact.

When he placed a kiss on her neck and gave him a slow smile, Nico turned away as fast as possible, not sure that he could take ogling at the couple any longer without either stomping over there and ripping the bitch off of him and attaching himself in her place or acquiring a rather awkward problem that he so did not want to deal with in public at the moment, not with his second tightest jeans on.

Gulping he watched Conner place his drink in front of him and looked at him pleadingly. "Can I get a shot of vodka with that?" the bartender looked at him with something akin to sympathy, Nico did not want to analyze that, and said, "Sure kid." He poured the shot quickly and Nico chugged it as soon as it was in his hand, taking his scotch at the same pace after it. The tastes didn't complement each other that well, but then again it was just what he needed.

"Hey, Nico! How do you like it? It's different than what you're used to, but fun, huh?" Hazel was sitting next to him with Frank's arm over her shoulder. She looked happy with him but it would be hard for him to think of anyone worthy of her. Even though she was only his half-sister, he loved her just as much as Bia and wanted her to be happy. If the giant Canadian-Chinese teddy bear made her happy, then that was that. He would still have to have the talk with him later now that he finally met him in person.

"Haze. Yeah, it's good to be out. I hope you guys don't party like this all the damn time, though. I'm not going to find time to get anything done, if so." She peeled off into laughter and gave him a tight hug. "Of course we do. We're college kids, have some fun!"

He still looked at her skeptically and ran his finger around the rim of his empty glass. She narrowed her eyes at him and gave him her motherly look, even though he was sure she was halfway drunk. "Don't give me that look. I'll give you some pointers on how to balance everything out." Her grin turned mischievous when she glanced over his shoulder. "And I'm sure Will will love to help you out with that, too."

Snorting, he rolled his eyes at her and followed her eyes behind him. Will was flouncing his way towards them with Clarisse. He sighed, "I fear he's either going to be my panacea or the cause of my demise in my ephemeral life." His sister was laughing at something Frank said, so apparently he didn't hear him. That was good; she really didn't need to hear him getting all soppy and poetic.

They reached the bar and he sat down next to Nico, Clarisse in his lap. Nico tried to avoid eye contact but he was pulled almost like a magnet to meet those beautiful eyes. He had on that dopey smile that screamed 'love me, I'm cute like a puppy dog' and it was hard to resist. It really was. Even though he could feel his face heating even more in the already impossibly hot club and his heart take off at a million miles an hour, he couldn't look away from those mesmerizing orbs. He was trapped and he really didn't see himself getting out of it anytime soon. Not that he wanted to, but everyone else was staring at him and it was getting a little uncomfortable because he completely forgot they were there and where they were and that he still had that bitch on his lap but he should be that bitch on his lap... wait, no. Where had that come from? Di immortales!

He coughed and just managed not to pull on the collar of his shirt nervously and instead raised it and called out to Conner, "Another shot, please, Conner." He was proud that his voice only cracked once and it didn't come out hoarse or suspiciously thick. Sneaking a glance at Will made him realize that maybe he didn't cover it up as well as he thought.

He winked at the boy and then at the bartender. "Sorry Travis, he's new here. Make that 5 shots!" Nico looked at him confused, but Will jammed his thumb further down the bar where another blond with the same sneaking gleam in the eyes was pouring a green-haired girl's drink. "That's Conner and Travis Stoll. Brothers." Nico rolled his eyes, embarrassed, but tried to cover it up with a derisive snort. "Obviously."

An obnoxious whoop from his left by Frank and Hazel caused everyone to turn and look at Leo pulling up a chair to drape his arms around Frank and Hazel, Grover pulling a blushing Juniper into his lap. "Nope, make that 8 shots!"

Will turned back to Conner, er, Travis, and sung, "8 shots it is!" accompanied by a chorus of whooping from the group of friends. Excluding Nico, who sat trying to look like he didn't know any of them while at the same time pretending these people could actually like him.

The shots were placed in front of them and they all scooped them up and held them in the air. Will raised his voice and called everyone to attention. "Mm mm hm!" he cleared his throat, "Ladies,"- a nod at Clarisse, Hazel, and Juniper, "Gents," a nod at Frank, Leo, Percy, Jason, and Grover, "Pretty Lady," a wink at Nico and a punch in the shoulder from the blushing younger boy, "a toast to starting this year off right and, making new memories, kicking some ass, and meeting and getting to know new people." At the last part, he stared into Nico's dark eyes with hooded lids and a knowing smirk. Everyone cheered and even Nico gave a small smile, letting some of his inhibitions be taken away with the alcohol and winking right back at a pleasantly surprised Will.

Everyone slammed their glasses down on the table and grinned at each other. The music was slinky and the air was smoky, giving the club an exotic and dangerous vibe to it. Nico could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins and he knew for a fact that he should not eat the delicious brownies people tried to get him to eat but he thought the point was mute because he was pretty sure that Bianca would kill him and Hazel if she knew where he was and that there was a definite smell of pot wafting through the room. The rational thing to do was probably get out of there before it became too much, but Nico was doing that thing again. That thing where he did stupid stuff even though he knew it was stupid because it was a better option than going to be alone in a new place where wasn't even comfortable at yet.

So call him a dumbass, but when Will looked at the group of college kids with raised eyebrows and a Cheshire Cat grin and said, "Jell-O shots, anyone?" He did his little happy dance on the inside and said to hell with being lonely tonight and cheered with everyone else.

Will drummed his hands on the counter until the other bartended, Conner, the one with the bright yellow shirt, came over and twisted him a smile like he was a little brother that he indulges. "Can we get a couple Jell-O shots, my fine sir?" He rolled his eyes and put two shot glasses filled with Cherry Jell-O and vodka in front of him. "Lemme know when you want more."

Nico had never done Jell-O shots before, but he had seen them done on MTV. What was that spring break show called? Anyway, that show was uncomfortable to watch.

Will waggled his eyebrows at Clarisse and patted her bottom where she sat on his lap. "Well, what do you say?" She grinned and glanced over at Nico, her smoldering look nullified by the calculating narrowing of her eyes. Her lip twitched into a smile at him and he tilted his head to the side, all of a sudden uneasy. She widened her eyes when she looked back at Will, innocently blinking her eyes and puffing out her chest.

Instead of answering, she leaned over and gave him a sloppy kiss and hoped up on the counter. She had a denim jacket on, so she pushed it down her shoulders until there was a nice amount of cleavage popping out of her tank top, even more pronounced with her trying to push her elbows together to squish them up. Nico rolled his eyes at that. He would never understand girls.

Picking up one of the Jell-O shots, he grinned at her cheekily and nosed in between her breasts before placing the shot glass down far enough for it to be stable. He then winked at Nico and dove back down and shoved his tongue into the glass, stilling for a few seconds before coming back up with the cup between his teeth, throwing his head back and draining it.

Nico watched with jealousy when Will had his head in between her breasts and hungrily when he exposed his long neck to swallow the Jell-O, his Adams apple bobbing enticingly with the movement. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned when her was done, depositing the empty glass beside Clarisse on the table.

He stood between her legs and faced the rest of the group. "Who's next?" Before anyone could speak up or Nico to hide behind his sister, Clarisse slung her arm over Will's shoulder and exclaimed loudly, "What about Nico? It looks like he needs to loosen up." Oh, gods. That was what that look had been about. Does she think that he likes her? No, he glares at her too often. She keeps looking back and forth at him and Will though... so... does she know he likes him? Does she mind? Is he trying to make him jealous, him or Will, or both? He doesn't really know if he's into that. She crinkled her eyes at him and winks, causing him to retch slightly. Nope, he's most definitely not into that.

Will, along with everyone else, seemed oblivious unfortunately. He looked at Nico with the brightest smile and even though he knew what was coming and he was absolutely going to say not only no, but hell no, when he opened his mouth and said "Well, what do you say Neeks?" and pouted his lower lip, and he hated that nickname so much, but it didn't seem so bad when he said it, but he still melted right with that warm smile into a puddle of heat and feels and blurted, "Of course." Shit. That wasn't supposed to happen, why was he always doing stupid stuff like that when it involved that Greek god? And he just called him a Greek god. Awesome. That wasn't weird at all.

Will looked at him and smirked, placing the cup of Jell-O between her breasts.

Nico hesitated, eyeing a smirking Clarisse suspiciously, but Will leaned over and pressed his lips to his ear. "Come on, go ahead. They don't bite." He huffed at the teasing tone but let out an embarrassing moan when he followed his comment with a gentle bite to his earlobe. To hide from seeing the others faces in case they heard, he swooped hesitantly down to the Clarisse's cleavage and tried to make as little contact with her boobs as possible while at the same time still getting a good grip on the cup with his teeth.

When he was sure the cup wouldn't fall, he gulped it down while leaning his head back to rest on Will's shoulder. He felt a kiss planted on the side of his neck while swallowing, blushing all the way down to his chest. Leaning back up, he smiled shyly while the others clapped at him and handed the empty glass to Conner-Travis-whichever it was.

Will was still standing behind him, his front pressed to his back, and Nico almost sighed in disappointment -er, relief -when he pulled away to stand in front of him. Was he just imagining it, or was Will giving him bedroom eyes? No... Percy hasn't been all that subtle about flirting with him. Those were without a doubt bedroom eyes, and if they weren't the sexiest thing that he had ever seen, then Nico was a disgrace to his Italian heritage, and my God, let one flag, one hope gather us all!

Putting on an exaggerated sigh, he put his hands on his hips and shook his head in mock disappointment. "This isn t bold enough to break you out of your shell. This calls for drastic measures. Yo, Connie, Travy, body shots over here." The twins gave him a bow and looked at each other and said, "Tequila!"

Nico watched in horror as Will helped Clarisse down from the bar and took her place, pulling his shirt off over his head. Oh. Mm, well, there's that. Nico lied, there was one thing sexier than Will Solace giving him bedroom eyes, and that was a shirtless Will Solace giving him bedroom eyes. Then he turned and laid on his side, his head toward Nico, giving him a predatory smile.

The bartender with the red shirt, Travis, put a bottle of Tequila next to Percy's head. He was holding a salt shaker in one hand and a lime slice in the other. "Ready, Perce?" Percy smirked at him and gestured to his stomach. Travis grinned and licked a spot over Percy's ribs between his stomach and chest, pouring salt on the wet spot. Nico could see his stomach suck in a little at the sensation, causing his abs to be even more pronounced. Mm. There was nothing Nico wanted to do more than run his hands up and down his sides, feeling every curve and crevice and dip, and then trace that same path with his lips and tongue. Unfortunately, Nico is not nearly drunk enough to do that in public, with his new friends and Hazel watching, his poor innocent sister. At least, she hoped she was innocent. Ew. He did not want to think about that.

Travis poured some tequila into the older boys belly button, just to where it was barely over flowing, and then moved up to smash a sloppy kiss on Percy's lips, more tongue than lips, and then placed the lime in his mouth, the side you bite sticking out. Nico felt that jealous tug in his stomach again. Travis put the rest of the tequila still in the cup under Percy's bellybutton, lightly brushing the start of his jeans.

Clarisse pushed him forward slightly and Will leveled him a challenging stare. Usually an issuance of a challenge was more than enough to get Nico to agree to anything, but he was still hesitant. He had never done anything like this before. I mean, yeah, he just did a Jell-O shot from Clarisse's boobs, but a) boobs aren't really his thing anyway, b) he didn't actually have to make too much contact with her, and most importantly, c) this was Will he was going to have his mouth all over. That made him excited and nervous at the same time.

Travis saw his hesitation and stepped in before it could get any more awkward. "Never done one before? That's cool. You just lick the salt off, drink the tequila, and then suck on the lime wedge. Easy Peasy." A near identical blond head popped up next to his brother's and he dittoed. "Lemon squeasy."

Will rolled his eyes and took the lime out of his mouth, "You guys are such nerds." Then to Nico, "Well, princess, are you gonna man up or do I need to have someone else get all of this elixir off of me?" Nico huffed at the name, but his eyes were teasing and he nodded back down at Will. "Shut up and lay back down where you belong." Surprised, Will's eyebrows rose into his hairline and he gave Nico that happy-go-lucky grin. "Feisty wench, aren't you? Daddy like."

Nico felt his cheeks burst into flames but he kept his poker face on, even though he was sure it was smoking behind his mask. Leaning down slightly, he whispered, "We'll see what Daddy likes." Then he shoved the lime back into his mouth before he could answer, but his eyes widened to a near comical size and he could hear a low purr resonate in his chest. Well, Nico like too. Erm... he can't believe he just said that.

Almost as if in a haze, he decided that he was drunk enough to do this. He leaned over until his nose was barely touching the skin above where the salt was on his ribs, breathing cool air over the saliva slicked skin, watching as the stomach heaved slightly. Then he slowly licked a long, sour stripe over the taut skin of Will's stomach and dipped his tongue into the tequila in his belly button. He closed his lips around the gap and slurped, running his tongue in a teasing circle inside it, feeling coarse hair tickle his chin.

He let it go with a pop, following some of the escaped liquor down his side. He realized that his hand was resting on his opposite hip, the bone jutting into his palm, and he took the cup between his teeth and drained it. He gave his hipbone a quick squeeze before moving up to look Will straight in the eyes. His eyes were dilated and hooded, much like he assumed his looked like, the blue darkening into something sparking with intent. He paused only for a second before wrapping his lips around the wedge in the other boy's mouth and sucking hard on it, all the while putting the full force of his brooding dark orbs onto him.

When he gripped the wedge with his teeth and tried to pull it away, he felt Will's own teeth tug on it playfully, before letting go and blowing a kiss at his retreating form. A little bit of the juice was dribbling down his chin enticingly. Nico let the lime drop into his hand put it in one of the empty glasses still sitting on the counter.

"That was hot!" Both of the boys looked up at the Stoll brothers with smiles, Will's all easy-going confidence and Nico's forced and a little uncomfortable with the attention. He harrumphed and slurred, "S' not funny." Maybe the alcohol was getting to him more than he would like to admit because now he couldn't stop smiling and blushing at Percy.

Clarisse hoped onto counter with him and laid down the other way, their legs mingling together. "Come on boys, more Jell-O shots over here!" Four shots of Jell-O were placed by the college kids and then the Stolls' were gone, off to help other customers.

Will took one of the shots and stuck his fingers in, dredging up some of the Jell-O while Clarisse finished pulling the tank top up to above her breasts. Percy sprinkled some of the Jell-O from her belly button up to between her breasts by the cups of her bra. He was on his knees on the bar, leaning over her and then he was eating the Jell-O off of her. Nico watched mesmerized, half way between jealousy that he wasn't in her position and arousal from watching Will's pink tongue dart out to lick her skin. He settled with arousal and accepted the shiver that ran down his spine, but it quickly turned to jealousy again when he reached her boobs and suckled where the Jell-O was lying, leaving wet marks along the way.

She giggled and it was all he could do not to pull her perfect hair out when he kissed her after he was done. It was a rather chaste kiss, both of their mouths were closed, but that hardly mattered. That was the third person he saw kissing Percy tonight and he was determined to be the next and the last.

So when Travis came back over and asked, "Who's up?" and Percy waggled his eyebrows at him, Nico was all game. Especially when his sister started to put more Jell-O on Clarisse, and that was definitely something he was not going to witness. One of the Stoll's grabbed another cup of Jell-O and started to place it all over Will's abdomen, noticing Nico watch his every mood. So he smirked and decided to make it interesting.

The bartender patted Will's thigh and the two's eyes met, a silent conversation that ended in a nod and smirk from Will. Nico didn t catch the moment because he was too wrapped up in staring at the others boy's lean six-pack, a fact that Will didn't miss. Travis unbuttoned and unzipped Will's jeans and tugged them down a little, revealing more dark hair and a nice 'v' leading down to his pelvis. That caused Nico to blush so hard that Will thought his face was going to start watering from the heat. Travis pulled down his blue boxers until his hip bones were clearly defined and then proceeded to pretend he had no idea why the broody young man was blushing like a school boy.

Nico had to do a double take at Will's pelvis for a multitude of reasons. 1) Oh my gods, that guy unbuttoned his pants, 2) Oh my gods, he pulled his underwear down some, 3) Oh my gods, I'm looking at Will Solace's underwear, 4) that 'v' line did things to him, 5) those hipbones made him want to bite into them and leave nice purple identical bruises on the bones, and 6) did his eyes deceive him or were those High School Musical boxers?

He raised one of his eyebrows and looked at Will quizzically. Are you wearing... High School Musical boxers? He expected the older boy to be embarrassed or contrite but he just laughed and wiggled his hips a bit a winked. Damn straight. You should see my Sunny D ones. Nico had to look away quickly before his smile threatened to spill over.

Travis clapped his hands and walked away, so Nico looked back down at Will's body. The bartender had placed Jell-O as far down his abdomen as he could and still be on skin and then trailing all the way up his stomach and chest, in his belly button and in the hollow of his throat. Nico licked his lips hungrily; Will looked delicious.

Will scoffed and Nico looked down at him. "You're awfully cocky for being covered in Jell-O and without the upper hand here, Will." He meant to sound confident but he couldn't keep his eyes away from his naked chest, so his point was probably shaky. Those eyes were bright with humor. "Mm. And you are about to lick it off of me, I think I am the one coming out on top."

He quirked his brow at that, "On top, huh?" Did he really just say that? Okay, he was probably drunker than he was telling himself. When did he become so bold? Probably sometime after his third beer, that scotch, and those vodka shots. Will for his part only looked mildly surprised anymore, just biting his lower lip and pulling him closer by the shirt collar. "I'm sure I'd love for you to be on top, Death Boy, but I don't know if you can take control like that."

That made him narrow his eyes, accepting the challenge with a playful snarl. Not to be one upped, Nico balanced himself on the stool and heaved himself over the bar top, straddling Will s lower legs. He sat down until his weight rested on the others boy s shins and placed his hand on either side of his waist. "Control? I rather like being... wild." Will shivered with hooded eyes and he knew that he had him.

Nico bent over and started tonguing the flesh on his lower abdomen. His hair was coarse and ruff on his tongue, his skin salty, the perfect juxtaposition with the smooth sweetness of the Jell-O. He sucked the last of the Jell-O clinging to his boxers, half sucking flesh into his mouth and half wetting the boxers' fabric. He then moved slowly up his stomach, opening his mouth wide and sucking as much flesh into his mouth as he could, as hard as he could, intermediated with soft kisses, licks, and gentle bites. When he reached his belly button, he decided he liked this part of Will rather a lot, and then ran the tip of his tongue up to his chest, sucking and swallowing the alcoholic sweet as slow and sloppily as he could.

He could feel Will breathing roughly under his mouth, chest heaving and mouth letting out little pants. The last bit of Jell-O was gathered at the hollow of his throat, so Nico licked at it smoothly, scooping up as much as he could, until he latched onto the soft skin of his jugular and suckled until the all the sweetness was gone and only the salty tang of sweet mixed with his own saliva remained. He kept a little in his mouth and licked a long line from the base of his throat, over his bobbing Adams apple, until he reached the spot where it connected with his jaw.

Nico was leaning over Will on all fours now, forearms on either side of his head and knees clasped tightly against his hips, his hair falling into his face and dusting over Will's forehead. He was only an inch away from him, their noses touching, and Will tilted his chin slightly up to get Nico to go for it. He stared into those roiling blue eyes for only a moment before he slipped his eyes shut slowly and lowered his open mouth onto Will's, dropping that small piece of Jell-O in and immediately following it with his tongue.

His lips were so soft and warm; kissing him was hot and wet, and he tasted of sea salt and candy apples. Will's tongue curled around Nico's possessively, pulling it into his mouth and sucking on it. Nico was trying to break apart but he just couldn't find the strength to tear his lips from the sweet haven he found. He managed to reclaim his tongue but he couldn't help looking at the other boy with hooded eyes and swooping down for one, two, three loud and open mouthed kisses as he tried to chase the fading taste, dipping his tongue to where it barely delved in between the other boy's lips, feeling him return the favor.

He finally pulled away, if just where their lips were barely whispering against each other when they spoke. "My turn, Death Boy." Will bit the corner of his mouth gently and that was when he noticed Will's hands were resting on his hips and as he was too sloshed to blush anymore, his blood deciding it had much better parts to rush to instead.

Noticing that he was paralyzed, Will smirked and smacked the side of his hip once before wrapping his arms around his waist and flipping them until they switched places, Nico lying on the bar with wide eyes and Will resting his weight on the younger boy's thighs.

Stuttering, Nico tried to get up. "W-what are you doing, W-Will?" He took advantage of the dark eyed boy s position to grab his shirt by the hem and pull it upwards. It caught on his head and elbows because even though he wasn t resisting, he wasn t cooperating either. Will rolled his eyes and yanked it the rest of the way off, leaving the other boy bare-chested.

Nico felt exposed lying there in that club without his shirt on, but when he tried to cover himself and reach for his shirt, Will grabbed him by the wrists and pulled them above his head. The counter was cool under his bare skin and Will was a space heater above him. The lights were flashing purple and green now, the music a sensual rhythm, and he could feel the vibrations of people slamming their drinks down further down the counter. It was making him dizzy.

Will was oblivious to his racing thoughts, just staring down at the beautiful creature underneath him. He was pale and creamy, with perfect alabaster skin. He had a thin patch of dark hair leading down from his belly button and freckles over his chest and shoulders. His stomach and chest were lightly toned, as were his arms, and Will could just imagine laying his head on his warm chest and dozing while listening to his heartbeat. Not that he would ever admit that, he had a rep to maintain.

Smirking, he spread his hand over the middle of his stomach laughed when it caved in. "You're hands are cold!" Nico tried his best to glare at the boy leaning over him but he found it harder and harder not to smile at him. His mood was infectious.

"I told you, Death Boy. It s my turn." He sat back on his heels and grabbed for the last cup of Jell-O. "Oh, and about the cold? This is going to be cold too, sunshine."

Nico gasped a little when a glob of the Jell-O hit his stomach, but snapped his mouth closed upon seeing the other boy sniggering at him. Will dropped Jell-O up and down his abdomen and throat. Nico just about jumped out of his skin when he dragged a Jell-O covered finger across his chest and circle one of his nipples. When he tried to buck Will off of him, he ended up flopping back down when his hips ground against the older boy s thigh, the sensation causing him to hit his head on the bar top and bare his neck.

Chuckling, Will leaned down and whispered in his ear. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Before he could ask which part he was talking about, he sat back up and reached for the button on his jeans. Nico s face twisted with apprehension and he reached down to grasp his wrist. "Will." When the older boy met his eyes, he tried to be firm. "No."

Luckily, he seemed to understand his predicament and just gave him a short nod before his cocky grin was back. "Mm. You seem to have a problem here, Mr. Di Angelo. Don t worry; I ll take real good care of you, doctor's orders."

Nico watched mesmerized as that that dark head dipped down until he felt something wet swipe over the skin by his belly button. Shivering, he tried to keep his eyes open as Will greedily sucked the Jell-O off of his skin. He could feel him scraping his teeth gently against his ribs and watched as he moved upwards to his chest. That talented tongue did a detour to swipe the Jell-O off of his nipple, the cool air making it stand at attention when he moved on to his neck. When all the Jell-O was gone, Will claimed the spot where his neck met his shoulder and marked it as his own by sinking his teeth in and sucking, rubbing his tongue over the tender flesh.

Nico couldn t help but to close his eyes at that and let his head fall back with a groan. He could have stayed like that all night, but someone yelled "Get a room!" and then Will was withdrawing with a sweet kiss to his cheek. "Delicious, just like I thought."

If he could blush anymore, he was sure that everyone would know how affected he really was. He worried for a split second that everyone would know anyway when Will hopped off the counter but he was thankful that he was too drunk to keep it up without a warm body directly against his. Then again, he wasn t sure if he was too thankful for it after all, not with Will looking the way he was, apparently perfectly content to be fine without his shirt and shove it in his back pocket.

He was about to shrug his shirt back on when it was yanked out of his hands and shoved forcibly into his back pocket. Nico grabbed for his belt to salvage him the embarrassment of them falling. They might be skinny jeans but that doesn t mean they don t slide.

Glaring at Will, he didn t bother fighting him. "Why?" That infuriating sexy man just winked and held his hand out, bowing slightly like a real Disney Prince or something. "Dance with me?"

He could feel his lips twitching, threatening to curl into a smile. Unfortunately, so did someone else. Clarisse strode over to them and wrapped a possessive arm around Will's waist. "Dancing! Let s go." She yelled at the others and they all high fived and came to swoop them away to the dance floor.

Nico found himself being carted into the middle of a dance floor filled with sweating bodies and flying hormones. He was loathe to admit it, but he loved this. He loved that the music was so loud that his body was vibrating with it. He loved how the adrenaline and alcohol that thrummed through his veins was a tangible thing. He loved that there was so many people here that he didn't know and that he would probably never see again. It was a powerful feeling, it made him feel invincible.

But that didn't mean that he was going to let it show that he was actually enjoying himself. So he was standing there, dancing half-heartedly to the beat of the music, with a stranger at his back and Will in front of him dancing with Clarisse, barely having room to breathe. He didn't recognize the song, but it sounded like something Bianca would like.

He was busy trying to avoid looking at Will so he wouldn't have to see Clarisse all over him, but he still couldn't help staring at his back. He had broad shoulders and his shoulder blades stuck out enticingly. Nico wanted to know what it would feel like beneath his hands. He raised his head up a little and noticed that Clarisse's warrior eyes were staring at him. She smiled at him mischievously -almost maniacally? -and then turned around to dance with Juniper, grabbing her hand and twirling her in a circle.

Will swiveled around to face him and pulled him to his chest by his waist. Their bare chests moving against each other was probably one of the greatest feelings in the world, Nico decided. That didn't mean that he was going to give in that easily, not when he was just dancing with Clarisse. Oh, no, that bastard was going to have to work for it.

Somebody really should have told his treacherous body because the next thing he knew, his arms had lifted themselves and were slung carelessly around his shoulders, their bodies pressed together from their chests down to their thighs. Nico couldn't decide if he wanted to pull him closer or push him further away, but the alcohol riddled part of his brain was making the decisions tonight, so that meant that he did the last thing he should have done. He started dancing.

Dancing with Will Solace was invigorating and exciting and thrilling and better than anything he had experienced in a long ass time. They were smiling at each other with identical goofy smiles on their faces and gyrating their hips together in the only semblance of a dance they could be doing in the tight space they were allotted.

When the song was finally over, Nico lowered his arms and tried to take a step back but Will just bundled him tighter and whispered in his ear, "I'm not done with you yet."

He tugged Nico by his belt loops and then grasped his hand to lead him through the dancers who picked back up their furious moving. Will dragged him until he was almost at the front of the crowd, where a bunch of dancers were banging on drums and shaking tambourines, paint flying off the instruments and hitting everyone in range.

Nico had just enough to time to be thankful he wasn't wearing his favorite pair of jeans before Will pulled him by the waist and they were splattered by a multitude of different colored body paint. Will was painted in blue and orange and purple and yellow and Nico was sure that that was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He could feel the paint dripping off his own body and the moment was so unreal that he couldn't help but laugh.

He threw his head back and let out a truly genuine laugh. He felt arms wrap around his waist and he grinned at Will, who was leaning over him and chuckling quietly. Nico smacked him lightly in the chest and playfully smeared some of the paint on his body. Will laughed and did the same back to him, ruffling his hair affectionately.

Nico rested his forehead on the boy s chest, trying to hide his smile. Will was having none of it though. He grabbed his chin tenderly and encouraged him to look into his eyes. Endless brown s met the full force of the infinite summer sky and Nico felt like he was looking straight into his soul.

Will lowered his mouth until their lips met in a chaste kiss, both of them smiling and chuckling and overjoyed to be in each other's arms. People were still dancing and banging on the drums around them, flinging paint every which way, but everything drowned out until the only thing that was left was the feel of the other boy's warm flesh against his own and the gentle movement of their mouths sliding together.

Nico was positive that nothing had ever felt more natural in his whole life.

::: OK... I did my best with a some light fluff in this chapter... How did I do? Please review... thanks! :::