Nico's POV

"Hey ladies and gents, before all else, Nico and I have got a story to tell." That was all it took for me to know it was time. Judging by the stunned looks he received from his siblings, Will hadn't notified them that we were going to hijack the campfire gathering.

I stood and made my way to his side, avoiding my fellow campers' gazes. Sparing a peek, I saw that the majority of them were watching with undisguised curiosity. My friends were all silent, waiting for one of us to speak.

"Should I start, or do you want to?" I whispered to him, angling my face so that the onlookers couldn't read my lips. In response, he pressed the mic into my hand. A tiny smile lit up his face, but behind his eyes I could see a flicker of worry. It was time to be brave.

"Ladies first." He finally breathed, and I sent a soft glare his way.

"Um, hi, guys. Just so you know, I don't have a script or anything, so I don't know what strange tangent I'm going to go off on in eventuality." I paused to collect my thoughts. "For a long time, I was angry and scared and alone. I didn't know what to do, so I pushed anyone who tried to help me away. On the outside, I began to improve, but it was a slippery slope. The happier I pretended to be, the unhappier I felt. But I grew up. I did what I had to do and let go of my childish notions. When I was captured and held prisoner by Otis and Ephialtes, the crew of the Argo II saved me. I internalized all of my problems and tried to function normally, but I was alienating you guys in the process. I'm sorry." I addressed my friends, who were clumped together in the middle of the crowd.

"You weren't that bad, dude. You were one of us then, just like you are now." Jason called back. I nodded gratefully and continued.

"Some stuff went down as we approached the House of Hades, and I shut down just as I began to consider opening up. After that whole ordeal, it was time to bring the Athena Parthenos to camp. I won't bore you with the details… you already know what happened. Reyna became like a sister to me. Without her and Coach Hedge, I'd be dead for sure. And then I met Will. I mean, I already knew about him but I'd never really spoken to him personally…"

"I'll take it from here," Will murmured to me. "I was always pretty open about my feelings, for the most part, even if no one really paid attention or cared. That's why Nico fascinated me from the beginning. Someone who kept such a large part of themselves locked away, imprisoned within a mask of impassiveness. I wanted to understand him… to help him. And things began to happen." I snorted at that.

"Totally not a vague understatement."

"Shut up."

"No." I smirked challengingly. A few people snickered.

"Fine, whatever. Things happened. We were… friends, in a way. Things got messy at times, but we persisted. It was hard, keeping the secret." This caught everyone's attention, even those who weren't paying attention and whispering to their friends.

It became evident to me that even now, Will was still beating around the bush. I interjected. "We all know that secrets don't keep. So we decided to let you guys in on it."

Everyone was silent for a moment, waiting. And Will turned to me. Knowing what we were going to do, I pulled him into my personal bubble and we leaned into each other as if it was what we'd been meant for. Our lips met. The tension in his shoulders vanished, and he held me to him with one arm while cupping my face with the other hand. His eyes were an inch from mine, vast vulnerable pools of blue, waiting to be judged. It suddenly occurred to me that I should shut mine, so I did. We both heard the collective gasp of the onlookers, but held on for a short moment longer anyways. When we broke apart, the first thing I heard was slow applause. While everyone else was still frozen in disbelief, Leo had stood up and was clapping all by himself, a huge grin on his face. Callie sat beside him, smiling encouragingly. Reyna blinked dumbly for a moment, looking between Will and I. Then, a slow smile spread across her face as well.

"It was about time!" She proclaimed, giving me a hug. That seemed to break the spell. Shouts of congratulations and murmurs of shock were heard from throughout the camp, and a small handful of people looked angry or disgusted. I ignored them. Percy and Jason both looked both blindsided and happy for us, and Annabeth and Piper had the "I Knew It" look on their faces. Frank looked very confused by the quick and unexpected turn of events, but he managed a little grin, too. Chiron looked conflicted, probably realizing that his relationship policies were long overdue to be adjusted. Leo was still clapping, laughter lighting his eyes and sending tiny sparks flying from his fingertips like fireworks. And then I saw Hazel. Her eyebrows were creeping up to her hairline, and her hand fluttered near her mouth for a moment before she stomped up to me, golden eyes blazing.

She turned to Will first. "Thanks for being there for my brother," She said warmly, then moved on to me and demanded,"How long have you been dating without telling me?"

Will and I exchanged a look. "Anyone want to make a few bets before we give you the answer?" I asked weakly. A few Aphrodite girls actually started whispering to each other.

"I bet five drachmas that it was their first kiss," Drew told Lacy loudly. The other girl pretended to look unsure but rolled her eyes when the former head counselor looked away.

I looked at Will. He was trying so hard not to laugh. "Actually, it's been about a year."

"What?" Hazel looked like she was preparing to go on a tirade. "You're my brother. You need to tell me these things. You know I wouldn't judge you or…"

I coughed. The cough sounded suspiciously like 'Personal Business'.

"Well, I'm tired. Goodnight!" Will ducked away from the rest of our well-wishers and was out of there before you could say "What the Hades?"

"Wow, what a coinkydink, so am I! Night!" I made a peace sign and shadow traveled back to my cabin before realizing that it was Hazel's cabin too. Σκατά.

Will's POV

My brothers and sisters didn't address me any differently after it all. They minded their own business, and I appreciated it immensely. The next morning, after breakfast, I took Nico by the hand and dragged him to the lake. We were going to have a beach party, and he was going to like it. Nothing had changed between us. It seemed like we never should've been so afraid to show what we were to each other. But back to the matter at hand. The party.

Percy, of course, was excessively excited. "Time to face me when I'm in my element—literally." He challenged Jason.

"And what happens when I charge the water with electricity?" The son of Jupiter shot back.

"Your girlfriend, who is also partying in the lake, kills you." Piper yelled from the water's edge. Annabeth smirked, as though Team Mature Female had won. Percy and Jason decided to have a staring contest.

"Are you guys arguing about who would theoretically kill who?" My boyfriend asked, walking up behind them.

"Yes. Nico, please tell them how stupid they're being." Hazel sighed, leaning on Frank, who looked like he was struggling to stay neutral.

"Don't be idiots, guys. There is nothing but shadows under the water." Nico grinned widely, revealing nearly all of his teeth.

"Of course. We believe you. No need to prove it or anything. I'm going to go change into my swim trunks now." Percy nervously laughed as he headed back to his cabin, Jason at his heels.

"Thanks, Neeks." Calypso sighed. Leo simply sulked, knowing that fire couldn't compete with a lake full of water in this scenario. They were all sprawling on a picnic blanket, gazing at the rippling waters.

"Yeah, Angel, you showed them who's boss." I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around him. He started screaming bloody murder and I lifted him up, bridal style, before holding him over the water as if I were to drop him in.

"Don't!" He warned, struggling fiercely until I had to put him back down.

"Nico! I never expected you to think so little of me!" I gasped, pretending to sound outraged. "Now go change so that I can do it without getting your clothes wet."

"I fucking dare you, and we'll see what happens." Looking more dangerous than ever, he strode away. Once he was gone, I pulled off my t-shirt and jeans, revealing my swimwear underneath. The girls had been smart enough to already put on their bikinis before walking all the way over here. Calypso had gotten Leo to wear bright red trunks. He was still silently sulking.

"I'm going to start complaining about how long they took when they come back." I explained, hiding my outerwear in a nearby tree.

"Excuse me?" Nico voice came from behind me. Crap, I forgot that he shadow traveled frequently now. It was the first time I'd seen him shirtless in the light of day. His build seemed slight compared to the average male camper, but lean muscles rippled below his skin. He saw me gawking at him and retaliated by openly staring at me with his mouth agape, widening his eyes comically.

"There's kids here!" Leo shouted at us, tackling Hazel to cover her eyes. She squeaked indignantly and pushed him away. Percy and Jason approached, watching us warily.

"I'm older than you, technically!" She complained.

"Helden sterb nicht." Nico responded dryly, cocking an eyebrow at her but lowkey throwing shade at the son of Hephaestus.

"What?" Hazel interjected.

Even Frank couldn't suppress a smile. "Overwatch, right? Didn't know you also swung by Bunker 9 every once and a while to borrow Valdez's laptop."

"What? How the fuck did you guys even guess my password?" Leo demanded indignantly. Calypso pressed a finger to her lips from behind him, the look in her eyes making her message clear. Snitches get stitches.

Nico tugged his lips into an asymmetrical smirk in response, even going so far as to snicker at Hazel's puzzled sigh.

"Tu Nutrientibus." She responded, rolling her eyes. Reyna had left the previous night, but Jason and Frank were still there to giggle. Ever-traitorous Romans. "Besides, you're from my general era too, aren't you?" I noticed Nico lower his eyes, a characteristic of when he was uncomfortable. Hazel noticed and her smile faded. "Never mind. You don't need to say anything. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"I don't remember much from that time period. I mean, I knew what it was like, but I don't remember any of the specifics. When my mom was killed, Bianca's and my memories were wiped. We lived in the Lotus Casino and a few decades passed for us in the course of maybe a month. So, in a way, I have no real childhood that I can remember well." Everyone fell silent, trying not to look at Nico with pitying eyes. He turned pink, and I placed a hand on his shoulder. When he shifted away, it hurt, but I understood that he needed to stand strong on his own two feet.

"What happened to your mom?" Jason asked softly, and I realized how little detail most of the others knew of Nico's past.

"Don't go there, man." Percy sounded a bit anxious now. He had been one of the people that had first taken Nico to Camp Half Blood. He must've known what I knew.

"Ask your sister. She'd know." Nico said, a hint of ice entering his voice.

"Thalia?" Jason sounded puzzled at why everyone was staring at him with wide eyes. The rest of us could tell that the subject needed to be dropped like a hot potato.

"Yeah. Surprised that I know her so well?" Nico continued to watch him with an increasingly frosty air.

I leaned close to him and murmured as soothingly as possible into his right ear. "He just wants to understand. He doesn't mean to be pushy."

Nico edged away from me once more, refusing to even look me in the eye. I was beginning to feel as though something was terribly wrong.

"Look, dude, I'll back off if you say the word. But why the sudden aggression? It's like I personally wronged you." Jason spoke with a careful gentleness, unaware of the fact that Nico was tenser than a cat in a dog pound.

"It was Zeus that did it. The Greek version of your dear old dad."

It took a moment for Jason to find his voice. "I'm sorry, Nico. Why did he kill her?"

Nico's expression seemed to turn darker. He said nothing. His shadow was starting to expand, causing the grass around him to wither. "It almost makes you wonder why we don't condemn the wrongs of the gods. Fear is powerful. Invisible bonds that tie your wrists and keep your mouth shut." He finally muttered, a new crazed light entering his eyes.

"Please, Neeks. You don't need to lash out and risk angering the gods. You aren't thinking straight." I whispered to him, taking his hand with a new resolve and holding it tight.

"Let me go," He begged, anguish clouding his face. And I did. I had to. He vanished into the shadows.

"We know you meant well, but sometimes you can't coax an answer out of someone, no matter how persistent you are." Piper told her boyfriend. Jason looked genuinely upset.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push him so hard. I just thought that it would offer him some semblance of closure."

"Only Nico can choose when to find solace." Percy glanced at me and smiled weakly at his unintentionally clever pun.

"I'll explain."

"Are you sure that he'd be okay with—?" Annabeth began doubtfully.

"I'm certain. Nico's mother was a woman named Maria di Angelo. She was staying in a hotel or something with Nico and Bianca. They were young children. Hades was worried about Zeus's wrath, knowing that he shouldn't have had demigod offspring. He had tried to convince her to join him in the Underworld, where he could protect them better, but she was opposed to raising her family there. While Hades and the kids were outside, Zeus zapped the building. Hades was able to save his children, but not his wife, who was killed. Nico and Bianca, who effectively became orphans that day, were left in the Lotus Hotel for several decades. Zeus, like the hypocrite he is, doesn't exactly seem provoked to combust his own children due to their existence." I recited in monotone.

Jason blanched, shocked at the actions of the king of the gods. Everyone else was frozen in varying degrees of shock, except for Percy, who just looked regretful. He had known this for some time now. No lightning or storm clouds plagued the sky. That meant that Zeus was either not listening, or admitted to himself that there was at least some truth to my words.

"Someone needs to go find him." Jason managed quietly, and all eyes turned to me.

"I'll make sure he's okay." I promised solemnly, turning to face the rows of cabins off to the left of the lake. The air held an ominous stillness to it, like the world was holding its breath. Then we saw it. Black smoke, creeping across the ground and permeating the camp, spreading like wildfire.

I broke into a flat out run, sprinting towards the Hades cabin and hoping the situation wasn't as dire as it appeared to be. Dark tendrils of shadow coiled around my legs, slowing me down considerably, but I pressed forward until I was close enough to throw open his doors.

"Nico!"

A/N: Shit… sorry, that took way too long. A lot of tough stuff to deal with happened in my life, stuff that's sort of personal, so forgive me if I don't elaborate. I was in a pretty bad way for a couple of weeks, but I'm doing better now. I'm in the LA area right now, visiting family, so on Friday when flying back to the east coast I'll try to continue the editing grind. Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season, no matter what specific holiday(s) you celebrate (or lack of). If you're still here waiting for my slow ass to post new chapters, thanks. It means a ton to me. Anywho, don't hesitate to comment or PM if you have anything to say, and as always… stay awesome ;)