AN: I'm kind of at stalemate, because I don't really know what to write next... and on top of that, I'll have to come up with a poem Will wrote for Nico... this chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones. Enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.

Will

New Rome was beautiful. I was no child of Athena, but I recognized a wonderful piece of architecture when I saw one.

Nico and I had been sitting in a café near the senate building and drank hot chocolate. After our arrival, Nico had slept for a few hours because the shadow-traveling tired him, but he had withstood it better than I expected.

We would stay in one of the two praetor's houses, together with Reyna and Rachel. Tyson and Ella lived in the other one, because Frank had refused to live there, and instead insisted to stay in his cohort's barrack.

Nico was unusual happy that day. There was still darkness inside him, but I could tell it was decreasing. Maybe that was exactly what he needed: Time. Time without a war going on, time for himself, and (that thought send a warm feeling down my spine) time with me. And myself? I just enjoyed to walk through New Rome with Nico.

That night I remained awake until long past midnight. Nico was sleeping next to me, breathing regularly. He hadn't had nightmares for the past few nights. While I watched the moon, I thought about our future. I wasn't sure if Nico knew how much had changed since his birth. In a few years, we could move in together. Maybe even… marry? Be together until we would be old and grey. I knew that I wasn't taking it as slow as I should have, but I couldn't get the idea of me and Nico in a few years out of my head. Go to college together, as Annabeth and Percy did.

With that idea in my head, I eventually fell asleep.

Nico

I was no expert in human nature, but I could see that something was bothering Reyna. After breakfast, I took her aside and asked her about it.

"Reyna, you don't have to, but you can tell me everything." I said. We took a walk around the field of Mars and watched as the campers built new fortifications for the upcoming war games. She managed to show a weary smile. "It's nothing you could help me with." she said. I didn't give up. "So what's your problem?"

She shrugged in resignation and pointed to where Will, Tyson, Ella and Rachel were strolling around. "Rachel." I frowned in confusion. "Problem as in making trouble, or problem as in love interest?" I bluntly asked. She held up two fingers. Latter. I looked at her in astonishment. "Isn't she straight? I don't mean to discourage you, but she once dated Percy." Reyna shrugged again. "I'm supposed to be straight too. For a while, I thought that Jason was what I needed. Then I thought I'd find love in Percy. I don't know if you know, but in Charleston Aphrodite said to me that no demigod would heal my heart. And you can't deny that Rachel is no demigod."

I contemplated her words as we walked. She was right, Rachel was no demigod. And I wouldn't allow Reyna's heart to be broken, not after how familiar we had become. She was pretty much a big sister to me. When we met the other four, I let me and Will drop behind the rest and told him about my conversation with Reyna. I could trust him not to spread any gossip.

Will

After Nico had finished, we fell silent for a while. Until I came up with an idea.

"Watch some movies? Why would that help?" he asked incredulously. I rolled my eyes. "If Rachel likes Reyna too, they have an opportunity to hold hands or something like that. Or comfort each other, if the movie is scary." "And if not?" "If she doesn't, the four of us had a nice evening with movies and popcorn."

Nico went off to ask the rest if they wanted to watch some movies with us. Tyson and Ella refused to. I didn't hear every word, but I understood "movies are not good for harpies. Cinnamon is good for harpies. Tyson is good for Ella." Rachel and Reyna agreed.

—

In the end it was me who was squeezing Nico's hand in fear. Nico had picked a few extra scary movies (I had asked him if a son of Hades who liked horror movies wasn't a bit cliché), and I shrieked every five minutes.

As I cuddled with Nico, I saw that Reyna grabbed Rachel's hand. Rachel pretended not to notice it, but she couldn't hide the little smile on her face. I almost giggled. Maybe these two would actually get together.

It was three o'clock in the morning when the last movie's credits faded out. Nico yawned, and Reyna and Rachel were both asleep. They were holding hands, and Reyna's head rested on Rachel's shoulder. We snuck out of the room and fell into our bed, still in our clothes. I was asleep before one could count to ten.

Reyna

I slowly opened my eyes. Apparently, I had slept on the couch. As I fully woke up, I realized that I was holding Rachel's hand and that my head was rested on her shoulder. I usually never blushed, but this time I felt the blush creep into my face. I hastily pulled my hand away and stood up. While I collected the popcorn boxes lying around (of course Nico and Will didn't bother to pick up the garbage that they had left) I secretly glanced at Rachel.

She opened her eyes. As usually, she didn't bother with small-talk. "Like what you see?" she bluntly asked. I blushed so hard, I thought my head would burn, and dropped the box I held in my hands. "I, err, didn't mean to…" I stammered. And mentally slapped myself. A daughter of the war goddess who began to stammer on sight of a pretty girl? I straightened myself. Now or never. "Yes" I answered, surprised of myself.

Rachel smiled. "You're not that bad yourself." I'm sure, if it would have been possible to blush even more, I would have. "Thanks."

Rachel suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Reyna, I wondered if you would like to… go to New Rome with me? Just the two of us. Like…" My heart was racing when I completed her sentence. "Like a date?" She raised her head and looked into my eyes. "Yes. That's what I meant."

My heart skipped a beat. "I really like that idea."

Nico

I woke up around eleven o'clock. Goodbye, breakfast.

Will sat at the table and wrote something down. When I got up, he hastily hid the piece of paper behind his back. "Good morning, Sunshine. What are you writing?" Apparently he couldn't come up with an excuse. "A poem" he admitted. I rose my eyebrows. "Who are you, and what have you done to Will Solace?" I asked. "You were never interested in poetry." He tried to act angry. "My father is Apollo. He is the god of poetry." "Wanna show it to me?" I asked. He shook his head. "Not until it is finished."

I tried to pout, and my facial muscles hurt. For the last few years, I had barely smiled. "Aww, come on. Your poem can't be worse than the Haikus your father makes." He cracked a smile and changed the subject. "Now, since you missed breakfast you'll have to settle with some apples. And you will eat them." "Otherwise?" I shot back. Will grinned. "Otherwise I'll pout until you eat them." "That's not fair!" I protested. He smiled mischievously. "Everything's fair in war and love."

When I left the bathroom after I had brushed my teeth, Reyna and Rachel were leaving the living room. And they were holding hands. Holding hands. I had doubted Will's plan at first, but apparently it had worked. I stifled a smile.