Verse at beginning: A Thousand Years by Christina Perry

Verse at end: Defying Gravity from Wicked

Poem in body of text: Truly You - Original poem by me.

Heart beats fast

Colours and promises

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone,

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

The aftermath of the battle was horrific, but Camp Half Blood had begun the slow healing process. Nico Di Angelo buried his face further into the uncomfortable infirmary pillow, trying to block out Mercy's agonised whimpers from the bed adjacent to his.

The daughter of Thanatos had fought viciously against the attacking monsters and Roman legions but had been caught by a marauding Cyclops. The giant had attempted to rip her wings from her body before Clarisse La Rue had managed to decapitate it.

Even now, a week after the battle she was still in immense pain, and it was all Nico could do to listen to her agony.

He started at the sound of a soft murmur, soothing the dark girl and encouraging her to drink some nectar. The son of Apollo was on night duty and Nico had not been hoping for his rounds to take him past his bed. And of course he had not hoped for him to brush his hand over his forehead when he thought he was sleeping, as he had the night before.

His form was still unsubstantial in the moonlight that poured in through the farmhouse windows, as if the shadows were trying to creep past the silver light, to swallow him whole and extinguish the light inside him that had so recently been kindled.

The only when he heard Mercy's whimpers subside did Nico realise that he had been caught.

'You should be asleep.' Will Solace's voice was disapproving, but there was no fire behind the rebuke.

'Yeah, well. I'm a child of the Underworld-'

'Don't give me that bull, Di Angelo.' There was gleam in Will's eyes. 'You're supposed to be resting. Doctor's orders.'

'You're a combat medic, not a doctor.' Nico replied, smirking. But his smug grin faltered as Will sat down on the bed, far too close to be friendly, but just far enough away that they weren't touching. Adrenaline raced through his body, setting his heart pounding and resurrecting the undead butterflies that seemed to inhabit his stomach whenever Will was near.

Round and round the madness spins up –

Back the way we came.

It takes a braver soul than I

To play the Devil's game.

Nico could feel the heat radiating from Will hand as it rested mere inches from his. His own fingers twitched involuntarily and he gritted his teeth and curled his hand into a fist.

'Those werewolf scratches on your arms still look nasty.' The son of Apollo's brow was knitted in concentration as he inspected Nico's wounds. The gashes were still raw and inflamed but were beginning to heal, becoming whole again.

He still slipped in and out of focus sometimes, and the nightmares still plagued him, but with each passing day in the sunlight, in the company of the other campers, Nico Di Angelo was rebuilding himself. Some scars would never heal, he knew, but he was coming to terms with himself, learning to banish the darker parts of his mind and nourish the lighter, innocent parts. Pieces of himself that he had not realised had survived the last few years until recently.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand brush his cheek, tracing the curve of a particularly nasty cut from a cynocephali blade.

'So you and Percy Jackson…' Will breathed, as if Nico was a skittish horse that would bolt at the slightest provocation. As it was, he already wanted to bury himself under the covers and hide.

'What of it?' Nico's voice came out sharper than he had intended. Harsh enough that Will pulled back and he found himself instantly missing the older demigod's proximity. He felt his old walls of shame and pain begin to slam down and caught them, determined to never again become the creature of rage and darkness he had been. 'I'm sorry.' His voice faltered. 'I used to have a crush on him I guess. Yeah, I'm….gay.'

It was the first time he had said it out loud. Gay. The word didn't scare him anymore, he had learned it didn't have to. It was part of who he was and he would no longer be ashamed of it. Reyna had given him the strength to believe himself, to hold him up until he was strong enough to reveal that part of himself on his own.

'So am I.' Will shrugged. 'Well I guess not exactly. I'm bisexual, I like both.' He winked, and suddenly the situation was inexplicably funny. A snort of laughter escaped Nico as he took in the strangeness of the situation.

Of all of the people in his life, it was gangly, sweet, Will Solace who had finally prompted him to reveal his biggest secret.

Of dolls and dancers lost in love,

It hurts because it's true.

It is better to bring chaos

Than to let it have its way with you.

It was if a hundred pounds of armour had been lifted from him. Nico felt so light that it was as if only thing that kept him tethered to the bed was the solid weigh of Will's hand on his wrist.

The sharp sting of his injuries brought him back down and he hissed. The painkillers he had been given must be wearing off.

'Here, have some of this.' The son of Apollo broke off a piece of ambrosia from inside his medical pack. He lifted the godly food towards Nico but when the dark boy moved to take it, he pulled his hand back slightly. 'Ah ah.'

Nico felt his face heat up as he opened his mouth to allow Will to feed him the ambrosia. The blond boy's fingers grazed his lower lip slightly as he pulled away and something low in his belly tightened with anticipation.

The ambrosia melted on his tongue, tasting sharper than he remembered. It was a moment before he realised that he no longer tasted the gelato from his childhood, but the strawberries that Will had brought to him yesterday, picked straight from the field.

'You probably shouldn't have anymore.' Will's voice was a murmur, clouding Nico's thoughts with desire and things he really shouldn't be thinking about.

To his right, someone whimpered in their sleep, from a nightmare or pain he didn't know. Will turned his head towards the noise but settled back once they had quietened.

'I should go check on the others.' But his tone suggested that he would rather stay.

'Yeah.' Nico caught himself before he could bite his lower lip as his gaze traced the curve of Will's spine, the way his hair flopped over his eyes. He could feel a blush creep up his neck for the second time in as many minutes. Will's gaze caught his and suddenly his own coffee-dark eyes clashed with the other boy's sky-blue ones.

Uncomfortable under the scrutiny, he glanced away, but Will Solace's smirk told him that he had seen his desire, his momentary lust. He savoured the way he had glanced at him, appreciatively, like he was worth looking at. Like he wasn't terrifying or revolting or intimidating. But with want.

When caution's gone and madness reigns,

The thunderstorms weep gold.

And the only way to find yourself,

Is to forget what you've been told.

Will cleared his throat, startling him out of his daze.

Puberty. Nico thought with disgust as he attempted, unsuccessfully, to get his traitorous hormones under control.

'I should go.' Will restated, pushing himself slowly off of the bed. 'I'll come and see you tomorrow though?'

The last statement was a question, as if he was waiting for Nico's approval. Momentarily lost for words, the son of Hades nodded shakily.

'I'll see you tomorrow.' His voice was hoarse and lower than he had ever heard it. With a final smile and wink, Will disappeared around the curtain, towards Mercy Morana who had begun to cry out in her sleep once more.

Nico waited until the count of five before he collapsed back onto the pillows with a groan, a stupid grin spread across his face. As well as making him feel some decidedly inappropriate things, being with the son of Apollo made him ridiculously happy. Happier than he had been since Bianca passed away, since this whole Greek god mess started four years ago.

His heart was still racing ten minutes later, when Nico realised that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep that night. Five minutes after that, he decided that he would not be able to drag his mind away from Will Solace either. So it was with desire in his belly and a grin on his face that Nico began to mend his broken heart, every stitch sewn with sunlight and laughter. It wasn't just memories of Will that he used, although he was still in his thoughts, but his memories of shopping in the Buford Zippy Mart with Coach Hedge and his victory at the final battle. It was sharing strength with Reyna and finally coming clean to Percy. Teasing Frank and holding Hazel close. His first glimpse of baby Chuck and finally getting to redecorate Cabin 13.

It was a son of light that had mended the son of the Underworld, and Nico Di Angelo knew, for whatever reason, that there would be many more happy memories to be made as he grew up. He was still young, and while he had already experienced hatred and loss and pain and loneliness, he knew that some things were inevitable in life. He had also experienced love and lust and happiness and there would be plenty more years to learn more about the lighter side of himself.

And for the first time, in what seemed like forever, he was happy, and it was bliss.

As someone told me lately:

"Everyone deserves the chance to fly!"

And if I'm flying solo

At least I'm flying free

To those who'd ground me

Take a message back from me

Tell them how I am

Defying gravity