Hey there! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed this... Your kind words make me so happy and just cannot tell you how much it means to me (I literally have a folder of emails titled "motivation" where I keep the review alerts). And thank you to those of you who keep reading this even though I have no idea what I'm doing sometimes!

Anyway, my college finals start next week, so I don't know when I will update again. Hopefully it'll be within the week, but I can't make any promises.

Oh, and in this chapter Will and Nico have been together for a while.

Disclaimer: All characters and places relating to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus series belong to Rick Riordan.


"Will Solace, can I have a word with you?"

Will and Nico had been about to leave the dining pavilion after breakfast when Chiron stopped them.

"Um sure, Chiron. What's up?"

Chiron appeared uncomfortable as he searched for the right words. "There's something I need to alert you of. As you know, Zeus' punishment for Apollo has remained a mystery to us, but the Oracle of Delphi and any foresight abilities of your siblings have not been working the past six months."

Will nodded uncertainly. "Yeah..."

"Well," Chiron continued, "the gods have informed me that Zeus is about to put forth the second stage of Apollo's punishment."

"Second stage-" Will's eyes widened as the realization clicked into place. "Oh no."

Chiron patted the son of the aforementioned god on the shoulder. "I just thought you should be aware before-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because at that moment a bright light began to shine over the Apollo table. Everyone nearby looked away (especially Jason, who did not want a repeat of what happened with Hera), and after the light faded, they turned to see Apollo himself standing on his own cabin's table, striking an outrageous modeling pose.

"He's early," Chiron muttered, leaving Will and Nico behind and racing towards the newly arrived god to greet him.

Apollo gazed excitedly down at the campers sitting at his table. "Look at my children! Kayla, Austin- Chiron!" He leapt off the table and landed in front of the centaur. "Did you guys know that I was actually his foster parent? I taught him everything he knows!"

Chiron attempted to not look embarrassed. "Lord Apollo, welcome to Camp Half-Blood. We look forward to having you as our new camp director."

At a table across the pavilion, Percy stood up. "Wait, so you mean Mr. D isn't our director anymore?" Chiron nodded, and Percy's face lit up with undeniable glee.

Nico glanced up at his boyfriend, who remained frozen where Chiron left him. His face was definitely not one of undeniable glee.

Will instead looked like he was going to vomit. "Fuck me," he whispered as he watched his father.

"If you insist."

"What did you just say?"

Nico's face reddened. "I said... well, schist."

Before Will could respond, Apollo strutted over to where they were standing, and Nico noticed that he appeared older in physical appearance than the last time they met.

"Will!" The god exclaimed, holding up his fist for Will to reluctantly bump with his own. "Isn't this going to be fun?! Me as your camp director! Don't worry, I won't be as boring as old Dionysus was. For the god with all the best festivals in his honor, he sure was a real snoozefest, amiright?"

A small squeaking noise was all Will managed to answer with, but that didn't faze his father.

"And to think, Zeus actually calls this a punishment! You have no idea how happy I am to be here. I've spent six months doing chores! It was horrible! There's only so many times you can sweep Olympus before you want to take the broom and shove it up your- Nico di Angelo!" The god finally realized who was standing next to Will. "Long time, no see, little man!"

Nico grimaced as Apollo ruffled his hair.

"Anyway, Chiron wants to go over some 'protocols' or something," Apollo mimed finger quotations in the air, "so I'll see you boys very soon! I look forward to spending some quality time with you, Will!"

And with that, the god sauntered away. Nico peeked up at Will and had to stifle a laugh when he saw that Will looked as if he was about to either pass out or cry... or a combination of both.


"I can't believe this is happening," Will said not even an hour later while lying face down on the rug in the Hades cabin.

Nico sat on the ground beside his boyfriend, propped up against his bed.

"You know, it really isn't that bad," he commented, amused by Will's humiliation.

"Explain."

"Well, at least he seems enthusiastic about being here."

Will lifted his head. "A little too enthusiastic."

Nico laughed. "Since when is someone too enthusiastic for Will Solace?"

The other boy just plopped his head back down on the floor in response.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Okay sure, he's slightly embarrassing," Will made strange noise at the word 'slightly', "but I'm pretty sure all the gods- you know what, I'm actually not going to finish that sentence."

"But Nico, it's easy for you to say when your father isn't camp director."

The son of Hades crossed his arms. "If my father was director, this camp would run smoothly and efficiently. Camp would be a piece of cake compared to the Underworld."

Will sighed. "This just isn't how I pictured meeting my father."

"I'm sure it isn't, but honestly, that whole exchange wasn't as bad as I expected it to be."

"It's only day one," Will replied into the rug.

"Look, Sunshine, he's here now, and all you can do is use this as an opportunity to get to know your father. Making the most of any situation is the Apollo way, right?"

Will slowly crawled towards Nico and plopped down beside him. "I suppose." The son of Apollo leaned his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Well, isn't this ironic?"

"Huh?"

"You're the one who's being optimistic. It's quite unlike you," Will teased.

Nico scrunched his nose. "Gods, I know. It's exhausting."

Will smacked his arm playfully. "But greatly appreciated," he said before kissing Nico.

"You know, you look a lot like your father," Nico pointed out when they broke apart.

"You noticed that too?" Will replied with wide eyes. "It was so strange, like looking at a somewhat older version of myself."

"Speaking of which, he also looks older." Will peered at his boyfriend questioningly. "The first time I met him," Nico continued, "his appearance matched that of a seventeen year old surfer dude. He could actually pass as twenty-one now."

Will considered that observation for a moment. "Maybe that's part of his punishment?"

"Good observation, son!"

The two boys jumped up to see the cabin door open, revealing Apollo in the doorway.

"Apollo, sir! How'd you get in here?" Nico asked.

Apollo glanced back at the door. "The door was unlocked. Anyway, yes, Zeus told me I have to look as if I can legally drink alcohol, which is lame because I'm three thousand years old. Who wants to look three thousand years old?!" He then added, "Oh, and Nico, don't call me 'sir'! That's so... old sounding."

The god sat in an armchair and peered around at the surroundings. Will and Nico glanced at each other before planting themselves down on the edge of Nico's bed.

"Why is everything so dark in here?" Apollo commented. Even though the Hades cabin had been redecorated since the Giant War and no longer looked like Count Dracula's lair, the décor still matched Nico's taste in black.

"Because I'm a son of Hades."

"That doesn't mean everything around you has to be super glum!" Apollo exclaimed. "Have you ever considered adding some yellow hyacinths around the cabin?"

Nico blinked. "Um, no, I hadn't considered it."

The god nodded slowly. "Well, you should. But I didn't come here to give you some interior decorating tips. I actually came here to- you know, some yellow curtains would really brighten this place up and-"

"Dad! You said you had a reason for coming here?" It was the first time Will spoke to his father, and the word 'dad' felt foreign on his tongue.

"Ah yes, back to my point." Apollo clapped his hands and leaned in earnestly towards the boys. "Now, you two have been dating for some time now, and as Will's father, I believe it is my duty to give you the talk."

The two boys' eyes widened.

"That, uh, that really isn't necessary," Will stammered.

"Oh nonsense!" Apollo said, cutting him off. "Listen, when two people care about each other, they begin to feel urges." Will placed his face in his hands. "And quite frankly, I am very disappointed that you haven't acted on these urges, Will!"

Will uncovered his face. "Huh?"

"Yes! Nico is still only wearing black, and I am surprised that you haven't encouraged him to add more color to his wardrobe!"

Nico stared at Apollo. "Wait, what?"

The god gestured to Nico. "This boy would look fabulous in green! So Will, my son, the next time you feel the urge to put your boyfriend in a green shirt, do not hesitate to shove it on his body!"

Will suddenly burst out laughing as Nico smiled in relief. "So the talk is just about my wardrobe choices?"

Apollo stood up. "Yes, I feel this was a conversation we all really needed to have." He glanced warily at his son. "Why, what did you think I was going to talk about?"

Will managed to control his laughter. "We just thought you were going to give us 'the birds and the bees' talk."

Apollo looked confused before pointing seriously at Nico. "You mean to tell me that Nico doesn't know what bird and bees are? Okay, so birds are these winged creatures with feathers-"

"No, Dad," Will interrupted him. "Nico knows what birds and bees are. It's nothing."

The god smiled. "Oh, then my work here is done! I'll see you boys around! Have fun." He winked at them before heading out the door.

As soon as Apollo was gone, Will slid to the floor and returned to his previous position of face down on the rug.

Nico chuckled. "Okay, so maybe 'slightly embarrassing' was a bit of an understatement."


A/N: So I know that the whole Apollo being the new camp director as punishment is done a lot, but I honestly believe that this would be Apollo's punishment. It just seems like the most probable outcome.