Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Will and Nico were walking away from the training area side by side. Nico eyed the rising flames from the campfire. He didn't know he had been staring until Will asked, "Did you want to swing by?"

It was an easy question, but Nico knew there was more implied. Really, Will asked, "Are you ready to go public?"

Honestly, Nico didn't know. At this point, he didn't have a big reason not to come out. His friends all knew, and they didn't care. He wasn't scared of anyone 'bullying' him, either. Everyone knew he wouldn't hesitate to stomp them down into the pits of hell. Again, he had that feeling about his parents somehow hearing.

Nico grabbed Will's hand as he leaned heavily into the man's shoulder. He sighed, "My mother was raised strictly Catholic, and so was my father, but she was very religious." Now they stood at the fork between their cabin and the campfire. Will gazed patiently at Nico, which got on his nerves. "I never told them I'm gay."

Will seemed to understand the predicament. His brows pulled together as he turned directly towards him. Nico's eyes were right in line with his lips, and the height difference annoyed him now that he was forced to look up. Will lazily cupped his cheek, and he didn't shy away this time. "You're not concerned about the other campers…"

Nico felt silly as he spoke, but he couldn't help how he felt. "I know my parents are dead, I do, but…it still feels like they could hear. It's dumb."

Will shook his head. His eyes were dark, for once, and held Nico's feelings in their blue orbs. "Your parents loved you, Nico. They wouldn't stop loving you because of your private sexual interests. It doesn't change you or your family." Nico opened his mouth, but Will beat him to it. "And even if your mother didn't approve, it'd only be because she's worried for your soul."

He gulped. Nico didn't find his words 'world changing.' It was just nice to be reminded of that sometimes. It was nice to know somebody as pure and good as Will thought that way. Taking a shaky breath, Nico decided the best time to take a chance would be right now, with Will by his side.

He raised a suspicious brow. "So what? We walk in holding hands? Can we get much gayer?"

Will wiggles his eyebrows. "That's the point, Death Boy. Everyone is talking. They won't all go silent at once."

Nico reluctantly jerked his head in a nod. Will smiled and gave Nico a quick peck on the lips before stepping back. He wound their hands together and pulled them along the path to the bonfire. Everyone they knew was at the opposite end of the fire, and Nico was about to walk around, but Will decided on the direct route. He walked around the campfire, past large groups of people. Nico could practically feel their breath hitting him as they whispered about them and their hands. But when he looked up, he realized less than half had turned to look at them. Some called out to Will, waving. One even winked at the boys, to which Nico fell back to watching his feet.

Will chuckled happily, and Nico was relieved to see he bounced back from his mother's news quickly. He'd never seen Will so defeated and confused.

"People are whispering," Nico grumbled.

"Want me to kiss you? That will stop the whispers," Will snickered as they reached Jason. Nico rolled his eyes. He definitely didn't want everyone gasping and pointing.

"Aw, did you two make up?" Leo teased. Frank shoved him.

"You two good?" Frank asked. Will nodded cheerily as they sat a row above the three boys. Jason was texting furiously on his phone. Frank saw them looking. He turned around with a sigh. "It's Piper - not Percy."

The mention of Piper's name reminded Nico of his fight with Reyna. He wondered if they were okay or not. She was a little cold to him at the hospital, but it was better than what he'd been expecting. He didn't want to text her, so he made a mental not to not freak out about their tedious friendship until he spoke to her in person.

"Any progress?" Will asked. Nico frowned as Jason dropped the phone and began his story about how Piper was crying last night at 3 in the morning after Annabeth sent her a text to say that she needed her to send her some clothes. He almost gave a word-by-word playback of what she said when she called him. They talked all night long.

"Shouldn't we ask you two the same thing? Any progress dealing with your slut, Nico?" Jake sat down directly beside Nico as he clamped a hand on his shoulder. Nico instantly let go of Will's hand to shove Jake off the edge of the log. He grumbled as he stood up, wiping off the dirt he'd acquired on his pants.

"That was a little unnecessary," Jake huffed as he took his seat once again by Nico. "Don't worry - I didn't come here just to berate your two's little power walk. Leo!"

Leo turned around with a phone pressed to his ear. His whispered into it, "No, it's just Jake Mason...I'm not going to ask him to speak to you...I know he sounds feminine; he's gay...IF I AM NOT INTO GUYS AS WELL HE IS NOT COMPETITION."

Nico and Will burst into laughter. Jake rolled his eyes as redness crept into his cheeks. "I do not sound feminine."

"That's what you think," Will snorted. "And you wondered why Nico picked me over you?" To prove his point, Will let out a deep manly growl, and despite however stupid it sounded, Nico admitted it was somewhat attractive. Of course, Jake had a very deep voice as well. It was just fun to tease the kid.

"Sorry. Calypso isn't used to actually liking me. Controlling her jealousy is a learned behavior." Leo shrugged and faced Jake, slapping him on the knee.

"Why do you think it's okay to hit me?" He huffed. "I was in a full body suit only three months ago!" He paused as most of them laughed around him. "Anyways. Leo, I heard you're working on my dragon."

"Your dragon?"

"Yes, and I want in. After all, I found the blueprints."

"Yes. Then you almost got killed by the blueprints." Leo scoffed. "Besides, I redid all the wiring and added a new circuit. It's practically all mine."

"I don't need credit, but I need something to work on. That's easily the most interesting thing here," Jake said. Leo frowned.

"You almost died because of it. I don't want you messing up and hurting Festus."

"You named it?" Nico interjected. Maybe he wasn't the only crazy one here.

"Yes!"

"What if I could guarantee she'd be ready by the first - and biggest - tournament?" Jake grinned. Nico, thoroughly exhausted by this conversation, glanced at Will.

"You're staring." Nico mumbled.

With a frown, Will looked at Nico. "I like it when people smile. You should smile more often and then I'll stare are you." Jason cracked up and full-heartedly agreed with Will, bumping his fist with the other blonde's. It was a teasing and cheerful sight that Nico didn't expect to see from two of the few closer people in his life.

"Whatever."

Even with Jake's pouting attitude, Nico had to admit he had a good time at the bonfire. The conversation was light and avoided most of his touchy subjects. And, when Nico and Will were two of the last people around the dwindling fire, nobody laughed when they started making out. Until Chiron came and blew his horn in their faces. Then Jason and Leo, who had given away their spying positions, fell out of the cabin window laughing.

Nico wasn't even that embarrassed. It was sort of hot and definitely worth it.

. . .

Will was up, but he wasn't moving. They both slept in longer since they didn't have to make it to breakfast. However, Will didn't seem to be moving. Nico had to steal his blanket to get him to even show signs of life.

"Let's just skip it and have sex."

Nico dragged him out of bed. From the floor, Will flashed his pearly whites with that mischievous smirk in his eyes. Nico forced himself to keep his eyes focused above Will's head; if he looked anywhere near his chest or below, Nico would be tempted to take him up with the offer.

"No and no. Come on. You've got to show your dad what he's missed." Nico huffed as he threw his blanket across the room. Will showed his uncommon glare, which did nothing to affect the stern look on Nico's face. Will groaned and pushed himself to his feet.

"Fine."

Nico had to pick out Will's outfit for him. If he hadn't, they wouldn't have made it there before dinner. Nico had never seen Will so nervous before. He grabbed his hand to keep him from biting off every single nail. Will didn't even smile at Nico when he reminded him it was a bad habit.

They were standing outside the Grand Entrance Hall waiting on their cab when they passed Apollo. Will waved at him. He was getting in a cab of his own. Apollo glanced up, exposing the dark rings under his eyes. Nico frowned. Their teacher never looked so disheveled before. Will noticed as well. They walked towards him, but before they could reach the cab, Apollo slammed the door shut and the car sped off.

"That's odd," Nico mumbled. It only hurt Will's mood. With a sigh, Will leaned more of his weight into Nico. He adjusted his footing and kept Will leaning on him until the cab came. As they neared the restaurant, even Nico began to get worried. He could only imagine what thoughts were running through Will's mind. "Does your mom know – oh, yes, you told me."

Will continued biting his other hand and nodded. "She doesn't know about you specifically." Nico's eyes grew wide. "I mean, she knows of you as the friend I have a thing for. She doesn't know we're together."

"Uh…"

Will's eyes were moving around without warning. He could hardly keep the world straight. "He's a blonde, right? I have to get my hair from somewhere."

"What's your mom's name?"

"Naomi. If they kiss, I'm leaving."

"Do you – will she hate me?"

"If he tries to hug me, I'm leaving."

"Will."

"What if he's a homophobe?"

"Will!" Nico shouted at the same time that the cab jerked to a halt. Will seemed to come out of his trance. He got out of the cab with a sigh, facing Nico.

"Sorry. Yes?"

Nico clenched his hands, refusing to get angry. He knew it was a big deal to Will, but this was a big deal of his own. He was meeting Will's mother. He was meeting both of his parents actually. Shouldn't he have been prepped, even just for his mother?

"Is the lady jumping up and down at the table on the patio your mom?" Nico gestured to the front of the small, unique café. In front they had metal seats, and there was a tall, thin woman with surprisingly died blonde hair. Nico could see brown roots growing in. The woman was very beautiful and she flaunted it, exposing a bit more of her boobs and legs than she needed. Nico could see her thin ribs poking through her tight dress.

He was relieved to see that the fourth chair was empty, for now. At least he only had to meet one parent at a time. As soon as Will entered the miniature gate, Naomi came crashing into him, ripping the nervously smiling boy away from Nico. He could see she was trying to 'hold her baby boy in her arms,' but she was much too small to even appear to be holding Will. Instead, Will lifted her off the ground and nuzzled into her neck. As much as she had put him through, Nico felt the way Will loved his mother was something he chose to do. It wasn't easy for him, but he chose to forgive her without anything in return, and it was something profoundly mature and brave of an eighteen year old.

Naomi had tears in her eyes as she clasped Will's head in her hands, peppering his entire face aside from the mouth with kisses. This got Will smiling, and eventually laughing. "I missed you so much!" Naomi slapped him upside the head. "It wouldn't hurt to call every once in a while?" She stepped back and huffed with finality. Then her eyes wandered towards Nico. "Is this the gorgeous boy you've told me about?"

Nico's and Will's faces instantly lit up. "Uh, yes. Mom, this is my boyfriend, Nico di Angelo. Nico, this is-,"

"Boyfriend? Since when?" Naomi gasped, nearly jumping up and down again. Nico tried not to look to alarmed from Naomi or Will. Boyfriend. He said 'boyfriend.' It was the first time he'd used that, and Nico was surprise by how much he liked it. Naomi composed herself. "Sorry, sorry. Please, sit. I told your father to come in ten minutes. Now. Nico, tell me all about how you two came to be." They followed her to the table cautiously.

"W-,"

"No, Willie, I want to hear it from him," Naomi patted Will's hand, firmly ending his attempt at an explanation. Nico blinked in surprise. Not many people ever requested to hear something directly from him unless he was doing them a favor. He knitted his eyebrows and tried to find a good way of explaining.

"Okay. Well, we were friends for a while. I didn't know he's bi, and he didn't know I'm gay, and our idiot cabin mates didn't find it in themselves to enlighten us. Then, he dragged me to the dance two days ago-,"

"By climbing a tree and ruining my suit, mind you," Will interjected with a grin. It was a forced smile, Nico noted. He wasn't really here to introduce Nico to his mother; he was here to meet his father after eighteen years.

Nico continued while fighting back a smirk. Although, he didn't think Naomi would mind seeing Nico as the seemingly dark and dirty boy he came off to be. "Yes, well, then I found out he was bisexual, but everyone also found out I'm gay. I got a panic attack, and Will helped me through it. And that's that, I guess." Nico left out many details he didn't feel like sharing with his boyfriend's mother.

Will looked impishly between Nico and his mom. "He left out the part where he kissed me."

Naomi instantly grew a smile as Nico shot Will a death glare. "That's so adorable, boys! And Nico, don't be ashamed. Sex is a key part of a healthy life." He didn't think his or Will's faces could be any redder. She waved a hand flippantly. "Well, tell me more about yourself, Nico."

So for a good fifteen minutes Nico skirted around touchy subjects with Naomi. It was when they were nearing twenty minutes that Will voiced his complaints. "He's ten minutes late."

Naomi sighed and patted his hand again. "I know, Willie. He'll be here."

And when he came, he didn't just surprise them over his arrival.

. . .

Nico's first thought was 'Why was their anatomy teacher here?' Nico's second thought was 'I knew it.'

Apollo had a large rectangular gift in his hands, wrapped in blue paper with miniature suns all over it. He sat it down by the table and stood before Will. Everyone had risen out of their seats from either nervousness or shock.

Apollo stepped forward with a confidant smile, but Nico spotted a few beads of sweat beading on his forehead. "Hello, Will. It's nice to…stop lying to you."

Naomi was biting her nails, much like her son normally did. Instead, Will could only manage to stare. Slowly, his features turned calculating. When he didn't answer, Apollo turned to Nico.

"Ah, I don't recall making you."

Nico scowled. Apollo extended his hand and Nico shuffled closer to Will, nudging him. "I'm with Will."

"Isn't that great? They're dating!" Naomi squealed in excitement and made her way to cling onto Apollo's arm. "Will, sweetie, don't be rude."

Nico held back a growl. Instead of forcing Will to acknowledge Apollo's presence, Nico asked the age-old question. "So why didn't you tell him straight away? He shadowed you for an entire summer." He had trouble concealing the venom in his voice, so he didn't try very hard. Nico didn't realize how protective he felt over Will. This was just so wrong.

Apollo's smile fell. He glanced at Naomi, who began biting her nails again. "I know how attached Will gets to people. I didn't want him to appear and then disappear, like he did with me."

Nico heard sincerity in her voice, but he firmly disagreed with her. Will wasn't one to get attached too easily. He'd had numerous one-night-stands, if that said anything. Two of his previous partners and best friends died, and he somehow came out with a smile. "Shouldn't you have thought of that before you traipsed every guy in town through your house?"

Naomi wasn't so much offended as she was shocked – shocked that he knew about that. Then she looked at her hands and sat down quietly in the chair. She didn't say much after that for a while, and Nico realized he did come off a little harsh. He didn't feel bad about it though. It also snapped Will out of whatever daze he'd been in.

"You were worried I'd get attached to my own father." Will repeated, like the words didn't make sense to him. Nico's gut twisted. He had a feeling they wouldn't get to order food before they left. Will let out a harsh, berating laugh. He faced Apollo. "And you didn't think I'd get attached to the idea of a father at all? You didn't feel that stabbing in your heart every time you spoke to me, knowing you were lying straight to my face?"

"Will, you've got to understand-,"

"No, I can't seem to comprehend why. Were you scared? Was the great Apollo scared? Or were you still unsure if you wanted to be in my life after eighteen years of contemplating?" Will's fists were clenched and shaking dangerously. Nico wanted to grab his hand, but he knew it'd be of no use. The young blonde's eyes connected with the wrapped shape beside the table. "What is that? An offering? You can't buy me, Apollo."

Whether or not Apollo had considered every possible outcome, this surprised him. If Nico hadn't heard Will's worried thoughts for the past two days, it would have surprised him, too. Will had never been so angry before. Nico didn't know it was possible. It scared him. For Will to be so angry, he must be hurting. The idea of pain squeezing Will's heart and mind made Nico want to pull out his sword then and there, if he'd been carrying it.

"I – I know that. I just knew you've been needing a new bow, and now that your tournament is coming up…" Apollo shrugged and gently scooted the wrapped rectangular case holding his new bow towards the boys, who were practically facing off against Apollo alone at the moment. Will snarled and kicked it away.

"You can't suddenly assume a father's role. You're my teacher. You're my coach. Did you expect me to rejoice in knowing that my father has lied to my face for almost four years? Really? Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

Apollo, for once, was speechless. Will sneered. He looked at his mom with only slightly less anger. "And you're really going back to him? He'll just drop you on your butt with a big fat check in a few months for me to pick you up off the ground like last time. The only difference is that I won't be there anymore."

"Willie," Naomi had tears running down her cheeks. Will's scowl hardened as his eyes grew glossy. He grabbed Nico's hand and practically shoved him through the metal gate. "Willie, please! William…"

Nico and Will had stormed out of earshot, and they weren't intending to return.

A/N: So I'd like to thank everyone for staying with this for so long. It amazes me that it's such a large story; I intended it to be a four or five shot when I first thought about it. So here's a couple things. 1) I believe I wrote this part before I started reading trials of apollo and I didn't know much about Will's mom other than the name I looked up. 2) I would like to thank jelsamaleval for trying to be my beta. She couldn't bc she hasn't posted a story, but it made my day when she offered. If anyone else wants to beta for me on this or just one shots, let me know. 3) I am sick with who knows what right now and things kinda suck so for the third time in a row, I'm asking for pity reviews, lol.

Lastly, I need to know what you guys would prefer. The next chapter or the one after (idk for sure) has a little smuttyish scenes in it. Now normally, I just give an extensive warning. I don't go all the way descriptive, but I go a little more than T. But it's such a small part I like rating this story T. So would you rather me change the rating or give an extensive warning?

Btw, I've got another two shot in the works. It will be called 'Friendly Encounters.' Keep a look out.