Light and Darkness

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I love all of my readers!

Chapter Eight: Valentine's Day

Nico laid in his bunk, woken up from a deep sleep. He turned on his side, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light in his cabin. Across from him, the alarm clock glowed brightly, giving the room an almost greyish hue. 6:38 AM, it read. Underneath the time, the date was Febuary 14.

Valentine's Day. One of Nico's least favorite days of the year.

Nico sighed, rolling over onto his back. A scowl crept its way over Nico's face despite his best efforts to keep it neutral. The son of Hades had never been a fan of the holiday centered around love. Then again, he never had really had a reason to celebrate it before. At least not until he met Will.

Ever since he started dating the son of Apollo Nico's perspective had changed. Now he had a reason to look forward to the love holiday. His boyfriend had been dropping subtle hints that he had special plans for today.

Nico yawned and got out of bed. He had changed the coffin-like interior a few months ago, making the room seem warmer. The son of Hades never liked getting up early in the morning

Stretching, he walked into the bathroom. Nico washed his face with a cloth and examined himself in the mirror. He smiled slightly when he noticed that small scraps of weight had returned since the end of the war. His black hair stuck up on one side, but that was only because he had just woken up. He shivered, the cold washing over his bare chest. Nico walked out of the bathroom, and over to his closet. He pulled on a black sweater and deep blue jeans — colors he had always been most comfortable in. He pulled on a pair of black boots and laced them up. Nico finished off his look with the skull necklace Will got him, and his skull ring.

Nico went over to the window and looked out. A fresh layer of snow coated the landscape. At 6:45 in the morning, hardly anyone was awake yet. The children of Apollo were some those few. They wandered from cabin to cabin, plowing. Nico stood up on his tippy-toes wanting to see Will, but he was no where in sight.

Nico left his cabin in search of the son of Apollo, making sure to shut the door behind him. He walked over the group of Will's siblings, straining to catch a glimpse of his boyfriend.

"Have any of you guys seen Will?" Nico asked. A couple people shook their heads, but otherwise there wasn't much of a response. Nico sighed and made his way into the Apollo cabin. Nothing. Will wasn't there either.

Nico searched for his boyfriend for the next few hours, but no luck. Wherever Will was, he obviously didn't want Nico or anybody else to find him.

"Hey Death Boy," a familiar voice came from behind Nico, making him jump about ten feet in the air. He spun around to face his boyfriend. "I've been looking for you."

"I've been looking for you too," Nico said. "Where have you been?"

"Just come with me and I'll show you," Will motioned for Nico to follow him. They walked out past the strawberry fields to the beach. A blanket was set up on the sand, candlelight flickering off the water. Will opened the picnic basket resting in the middle, and laid out the food inside.

"Will I love it," Nico sat down next to the son of Apollo on the blanket. The two just enjoyed spending the rest of the day together on the beach, not noticing anybody else that went by.

"Love you Nico," Will leaned over and kissed his boyfriend gently on the lips. The sun was just starting to set, lighting the sky with multiple colors. They walked along the beach, hand in hand.

"Will," Nico said as the stars began to come out. "The patrol harpies will be starting their watch soon. We'd better get back to our cabins."

"Okay," Will responded. He escorted his boyfriend back to his cabin. They kissed goodnight and the son of Apollo slipped back to his own cabin. Nico went inside, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against the back of the door, counting the minutes until he could see Will again.

A/N: Sorry this story is late. I don't have internet at home so I haven't had the time to update. I apologize, and I hope my readers can forgive me.

I would like some ideas on where to go next with this fanfic. I feel like the story is losing its momentum. Good or bad, I don't care. I won't be able to begin a new chapter until I get some feedback. Ten or more reviews would be sufficient. So… please review. Solangelo forever! Love you guys!

~ ValkyrieDefender