Author: TippierCoffee

Disclaimer: I do not own — nor do I claim the rights to — the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.


Warmth.

Will had been tossing and turning that entire night, and during the day his mind had been buzzing and his stomach had been soaring. He felt like humming or singing, but stopped himself. His step mum and -sisters already looked odd at him since he carried a massive smile he couldn't seem to tone down. He served them with gust and a skip to his step.

Sure, he was sad he had to bolt away from the Crown Prince as fast as he did, but he couldn't wait to go back. And still, there was a ball of nervousness growing in his chest, making him tremble beneath his skin. His mind kept circling, and he found himself wondering if the Crown Prince would be mad at him for running off so suddenly. He hoped not.

Crown Prince Nico had been so kind and polite. He made Will smile and feel worthy of friends. Were he and Crown Prince Nico friends? Will hoped so. All night he had felt so happy and content in the Crown Prince's presence. The Crown Prince was also quite pretty.

Will blushed and almost fumbled with Lilith's expensive China. She didn't say anything about it though, so she must not have noticed, which was a relief. Honestly, Will didn't want to be reprimanded today. Not when their words finally meant nothing to him, because all he could think about was Crown Prince Nico's crisp voice, and his hand gestures as he spoke excitedly about the history of the castle.

"You seem awfully chipper today," Lilith said, bitterness clear in her voice.

Will kind of enjoyed it, and for a moment he felt like bragging about meeting and talking to -the Crown Prince, but he bit his tongue. He wasn't going to ruin the fairy's nice gift when she'd done so much for it, and risked her secrecy for him. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't stop the smirk shaping on his lips.

"I'm just happy today," he stated simply, his grin growing.

"I do not like that expression you're showing," Lilith scowled. "No one allowed you to grin like that. Like you are better than us."

"I know I'm not better than you," Will smiled, then he all but skipped to the kitchen for the tray of cookies.

He'd prepared this late-night snack for the three of them before the second night of the ball. He made sure to do everything as fast as possible, but still be up to their standards. There was no reason they should stay here longer than absolutely necessary. The faster they left, the faster he could leave, and the faster he could apologise to the Crown Prince for his hasty exit, and the faster he could hear him talking again. About everything he pleased, as long as he kept talking, and kept Will company.

"Are you talking down to me?" Lily growled. It was low and threatening, like a monster waking up from hibernation and warning the animals outside to stay away.

"No?" Will looked at her puzzled. "I would never do that."

He put the cookie tray onto the table and went back to wash the China at once.

"You are giving me an attitude," she said coldly, the chair scraping against the floor.

Will turned and looked at her. She seemed so tall compared to him, even though he was almost as tall as her now. Her eyes were cold and steely, and her nostrils flared. She beat her nails against the table, like she was waiting for something, and then she stepped closer to him, her mouth twitching in its constant scowl.

"My Lady?" Will questioned, making himself smaller.

She stepped up to him, into his space. All the happiness inside him deflated at once, replaced by coldness. His heart jumped to his throat, constricting to beat any rhythm at all, so instead it settled with vibrating. The vibrations sent a hum of unpleasant electricity through his veins, and made his blood feel so warm it eventually froze him.

She stepped so close he had to press himself against the kitchen counter, and then she stepped close enough to have her body press against his, if only softly.

The room started spinning, and bile built in Will's throat, blocking his already struggling heart even more. He was stiff, his nerves on edge. At any point now, they would snap and overflow him with sensory input so severe he'd probably fall over from it.

Lilith reached up to the shelf behind Will, which meant he practically had her boobs in his face, and he wanted to push away at that moment and run into the bathroom, so he could at least dry-heave. He couldn't breathe anymore. He just stood completely still, useless against this icy force. When she leaned back she held the jar with lentils in her hands. It was a ceramic jar painted in earthy brown hues. Will had always liked it.

She stepped away from him, giving his brain room to catch up, and his breath came in small sessions. Ragged and uneven. His legs started trembling. Lilith's steely expression didn't change as she took the lid of the jar, and in one swift move, she poured all the lentils onto the kitchen floor just as their coacher knocked the door.

"This room is clean when we come back home, Will."

Will couldn't catch up to his thoughts, or his pounding heart, or his shallow breath. Still, he gave a nod, the room becoming blurry from his tears.

"Good." Lilith snapped her fingers, and Summer and Autumn followed her out, snickering behind their hands and casting gleeful glances Will's way.

When the door closed behind them, the sound seemed to echo in Will's head, and he fell to his knees, hyperventilating and crying. Then, he threw up.


His fairy came almost immediately.

"Poorest child," she cooed, putting her tiny hand on his shoulder. "You should not have to suffer so. Allow me to clean the lentils, while you clean yourself and get ready."

Will looked at her with tear streaked eyes, and a trembling lower lip. "A-are you su-ure?"

"Of course I am," she soothed, making a wiping motion with her hand in the air, and Will felt as though a warm, soft hand stroked his head, not unlike how a loving parents would do it.

"Go shower," the fairy smiled, her black eyes shimmering in the lights. "I will take care of things down here."

Will got up and reached his hands out, cupping the little fairy in a kind of embrace. "Thank you, my fairy."

His lips trembled when he smiled, and his breath smelled horrible, but he gave her a gentle squeeze, and ran to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.


Though the ground was still vast and luxurious, Will didn't stop to admire it this time. He ran across the pale Lover's bridge, and took a detour around the hedge maze. The castle's tower stood in the background, casting its lights into the night. It seemed even taller today, but maybe that was because he didn't have Crown Prince Nico by his side to entertain him, and distract him by pointing at the windows, and the brick walls, and the doors, and the flowers.

The guards by the front door stood at attention when he stepped up to them, their eyes shifting towards the main entrance as if silently questioning how Will got there. He didn't blame them. He was probably the only person attending who entered through the graveyard and gardens.

"Invitation, please?" one of them raised his eyebrow, his golden armour gleaming in the night.

Will pulled the invitation out of a pocket sown into the dress. It was so discreet, even he couldn't see it, so he fumbled a bit looking for it, probably making the guards look at each other with a kind of what a weirdo look. He fished out the paper with delicate hands. It was sturdy still, folded once at the middle. The guards huddled together, one reading over the shoulder of the other, then the one holding the letter gave a nod and handed the letter back to Will. They stepped apart from each other, and opened the double doors.

"Have a pleasant night, Miss," the other guard said.

Will almost thanked him, but closed his mouth last second, gave a smile, and gave a quick curtsy. Once inside the familiar front hall, he took the route Crown Prince Nico showed him yesterday, all the way down the west wing. The chandeliers shone bright in the ceiling, and the red carpet below him looked almost like a field of rose petals. It didn't take much imagination for Will to picture a bright blue sky around him with chirping birds. He smiled at the thought, almost forgetting to turn right by the wing leading to the ball room.

The hum of music seemed to reverberate inside the walls. It was waltz again. An upbeat one that reminded him of Waltz of the Flowers, but it was still quite different from that one. When he got closer to the door, the difference became much clearer. Flute play and little chimes in-between. It gave the melody a fairytale-esque identity. Will could easily imagine his little fairy dancing to something like this, with all the other fairies of the Starland Realm. Her hair would be floating around her and creating spirally figures in the air, as her wings would flutter at a fast pace.

The guards by the ballroom doors opened for him without a sound. They glanced at him, sure, but other than that, they stood perfectly still at attention.

If possible, the ballroom seemed even more vibrant and alive today. People scurried between each other, laughing and talking. A few stood by the tables and ate and drank. The mood was lively, pleasant, and welcoming. Will wanted to converse with everyone in here, or run around in joy, break out in song, or cheer at the top of his voice. Instead, he settled with gliding in and taking a little finger food, enjoying it thoroughly. It tasted heavenly, like nothing he had ever had or made. Or maybe he had made something like this, but missed the taste because he got the left-over, cold scraps. He also drank some of the fresh water, sitting in pitchers, shimmering hypnotically in the chandelier lights. It was so wonderful and mesmerising, Will forgot himself for a moment, then someone tapped his shoulder, and he looked back.

There stood Crown Prince Nico, a somewhat shy look on his face, his shoulders tense. There was the ghost of a smile at the corner of his lips though, so it seemed he wasn't too mad at Will for bolting the way he did yesterday, although he was most certainly hurt. It was visible in the way his chest seemed constricted when he breath, and the way his eyes couldn't quite meet Will's, and the aforementioned tenseness of his shoulders.

He wore a dark, almost black, chrome suit today, with a bronze vest atop. His hair was nowhere near as messy as yesterday, but it still looked fluffy and unmanageable and soft. His crown seemed polished, and Will noticed it had little designs carved into it. Swirls and spades with sharp edges.

"I was worried you wouldn't return," Crown Prince Nico said, his voice soft.

Will looked down and shuffled a little, his ears probably turning red with embarrassment as they had a tendency to do. He bowed his head in apology, hyper aware of the eyes on them; or, on the Crown Prince, at least.

Crown Prince Nico took his hand. "Come," he said, his tenseness gone, his smile more genuine.

He tugged Will towards the thrones at the raised platform. The King and Queen both sat there, stoic and intimidating. Will bowed when he came into their line of sight, trying not to catch their eyes. He was worried they might berate him or scold him for running away. What if they would punish him, and this was all a ruse?

Will's heart beat so fat, it seemed to jump into his throat, and he struggled to breathe, although his survival instinct immediately told his body to hide it. The result was he became quite stiff, almost like a stick-man, and probably just as easily breakable.

"How good to see you back," the Queen said pleasantly. Her voice smiled. For some reason, her voice reminded Will of his mother's, or maybe he just wanted his mother's voice to sound like the Queen's.

Will bowed deeper still and stood a little straighter, crossing one arm over to the other and holding onto it. He gave an unsure smile to the Queen, her green eyes bright and loving. He felt like crying when he saw them. Something that tender had not come his way for a long time, and he didn't deserve it from the stepmother of the Crown Prince whom he ran from the night before. He didn't deserve it from anybody, really.

The King, on the other hand, Will couldn't quite read. His eyes weren't exactly cold, or expressionless, but they were guarded. All of him seemed to be. He sat straight-backed, with his head raised, clearly knowing how high a position he possessed. His lips were straight, not a sign of a smile to be formed, but not exactly a scowl either.

"Hazel left a drawing pad and a pencil for you, just in case," Crown Prince Nico said, pointing to the smaller throne next to Queen Persephone's.

The drawing pad was worn thin, pages upon pages torn out. Will suspected those pages were full of Princess Hazel's drawings. What was left were about a hundred and fifty blank pages, if that. The pen was rather nice, too. A gel pen, like the ones Will had seen in the stores, and the ones Summer and Autumn had too many of, since they never used them. He picked up the pad and pen, smiling brightly at Crown Prince Nico.

"Would you like to come with me somewhere more private?" Crown Prince Nico suggested. "There's a wonderful gazebo outside I'd like to show you; if you don't mind."

Will had never seen a gazebo in person before. He'd hear of them though. Nice, dome-shaped, wooden structures, usually painted white. Summer and Autumn said they had roses winding around them, but Will wasn't sure if that was true. Had they seen gazebos up front? Will shrugged the thought aside, and nodded in affirmation, a big smile plastered on his lips. He was glad the Crown Prince wasn't too upset with him. That would have been quite upsetting.

Crown Prince Nico reached out his hand, and Will carefully put the pen in one of his dress pockets, so he could hold Crown Prince Nico's hand. They walked outside like that.


Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.

~*~TippierCoffee~*~