Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or anything related. I also do not own the lyrics to "The Archer," which belongs to Taylor Swift.
A/N: So this is my first Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus story! And though it is technically a songfic, the song itself is actually used as a plot point and the story can be enjoyed without it.
Also, please review!
Here it is:
Archer and Prey
"Bro, that's so messed up!" Jason comments at Leo's joke. Crude humor is nothing particularly new to the Latino, however his jokes have never caused anyone to gag before.
And that's what Piper is currently doing – gagging and trying not to vomit all over Camp Half-Blood.
"How do you even come up with these, Leo?" Annabeth asks, rubbing the back of her boyfriend's shoulders as even he looks as green as Hazel did on the Argo II.
"Hephaestus TV shows us some weird stuff as we sleep and my mind runs off with it. What can I say?" The fire-user says as he tinkers with hardware from his toolbelt.
"Well why did you have to tell us right before we eat?" Percy asks, appetite nearly ruined as they walk into the mess hall.
"Would you rather he have told that joke after we eat?" Piper speaks up, her gagging finally having come to a stop.
The look on the Percy's, Annbeth's, and Jason's faces give the answer.
As they walk into the Mess Hall, they immediately notice that the Hades table is currently empty. Since Nico has decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood (for the most part – he often takes vacations to Camp Jupiter to visit Hazel and Reyna), all of them have just been sitting at the Hades table to eat.
Chiron and Mr. D don't give them any trouble – these demigods have been through way too much for some of them having to sit alone at their tables to eat. And because of them not obeying the rule, naturally the other Cabins have done it too. So now, people just sit with whoever they want, wherever they want. Nico's boyfriend Will sits with them nearly every meal when he is not on duty at the infirmary.
Nico does tend to be more...punctual...these days. Though his friends believe it's more Will making him be present rather than Nico doing it of his own want. So Nico not being at the table – especially while Will is currently sitting at his own Cabin's table, the five demigods of prophecy already feel something is wrong.
"He didn't leave Camp again, did he? He didn't tell me anything..." Percy asks, confused and concerned. The other four also relay that they have heard nothing.
Nico had promised to tell his friends, Will, and Chiron if he ever needed to leave camp for any reason – jobs for Hades, to visit Hazel, to just get away for a while.
"Well Will's over there, let's just ask him." Annabeth suggests, because if anyone knows where Nico di Angelo would be, it would be his boyfriend.
When they get over to the Apollo table, they can see that Will doesn't look very happy. And then they ask about Nico's whereabouts, he just gets angry.
"I don't know where he went – and I really don't care! Unless he has a medical emergency I don't want to see him at all!" Will tells them and turns back to his food and pretends that his boyfriend's (are they still boyfriends? Did they break up?) best friends don't exist at all.
"What has that guy done now?" Jason asks, both concerned and annoyed. The two have had arguments before – all couples do – and he has had to play mediator more than once. But he has never seen Will this mad at Nico before.
Percy and Jason are the ones to go to the Hades cabin to see Nico. Besides his sister Hazel, Nico is closest to the other sons of the Big Three.
Piper (jokingly!) suggested she just charmspeak the boy into apologizing to Will so they can eat, but Percy and Jason said Leo and the two girls should just eat without them.
Leo didn't argue. His stomach is a bottomless pit and it's a wonder how he stays so scrawny.
Jason is the one who knocks on the door and receives no answer.
"He should be in there..." Percy says before Jason knocks again.
"Nico! If you're in there at least let us know you're at camp and that we don't need to send out a search party!" Percy shouts over Jason's knocking.
The ground immediately opens up in front of the door and out pops a single skeleton arm with a certain finger raised at the two of them before it drops back into the shadows.
"Oh, really? Is that how we're acting now? I'm not afraid to kick your-" The son of Poseidon is cut off.
"Percy! That's not helping!" Jason scolds him. "Nico, thank you at least telling us you're there. We noticed you weren't at lunch and we got worried about you. Now – don't get mad because Percy will do what he said – but we talked to Will," and Jason still has to avoid a skeleton arm that aimed a punch right at his shin, "and now we're concerned. Will you let us in and talk to us?" Jason requests of his cousin.
Since their little 'adventure' in Croatia, Jason cares about Nico like a dear friend. Nico risked his life and then admitted his most-kept secret just to save Jason's life. That moment, Jason knew the son of Hades is one of the most selfless people he knows and that he is honored to call Nico a friend.
After a few seconds, they hear the lock click on the door. Jason and Percy shrug and take this as a cue to enter the Hades Cabin.
Nico hates himself.
He is such an idiot.
Because once again – no surprise there! - he managed to completely screw up something good in his life.
His relationship with Will Solace – something he never even considered possible – was going amazingly until Nico screwed it all up.
He finally stopped crying. He cried for nearly two hours in his cabin before he calmed down, the sadness being replaced by hindsight and self-hatred. Now he's just laying in bed, making himself feel pain by skipping meals and laying in bed with his black aviator's jacket on in the summer-time heat.
And when Jason and Percy come to check on him, he has to cause himself even more pain by trying to make them go away (he was tempted to let Percy in on his threat to beat him up), but Jason is just too nice that he lets them in anyway.
Because Percy was somehow able to get Annabeth to fall for him...and Jason's girlfriend is the daughter of Aphrodite...so maybe they can somehow help Nico fix this mess.
"Hey, man. Thank you for letting us in." Jason says, but Nico doesn't respond to that. After all, at this moment, the other two guys aren't really welcome but if they might be able to help then Nico is willing to hear them out right now.
(And as much as he wishes he could force himself to be alone...he can't make himself do it.)
"Okay, you know I'm not the best at this kind of stuff. You don't have to tell us what happened if you don't want to, but maybe you would be willing to come to lunch with us?" Percy suggests, trying to just get Nico outside of the Cabin so he doesn't isolate himself further.
"No. I'm not hungry." The pale boy responds. But that's not entirely true – he hasn't eaten and he does feel some hunger, but the thought of actually eating right now makes him feel sick.
"Do you want to tell us what happened, then?" Jason prods carefully, but Nico just groans and after a few seconds he begins to tell the story.
Nico and Will are sitting by the lake, watching the naiads swim and play pranks on not only each other underwater but also the other campers who happen to be rowing canoes out. Of course, Nico has to make it more than just playful fun.
"We will rule the lake! None shall be able to roam on our waters and get way unscathed!" Nico says, acting 'in character' of the naiads.
It's the whole 'Underworld' thing he has going on. All about war and death and evilness. And his boyfriend Will just finds it totally adorable and is proud of that fact that he is the one able to see Nico act like this – that Nico trusts Will this much to be able to be playful.
But their relationship isn't perfect. No relationship is – and getting into this, Nico warned him he might be 'bad' at relationships.
But Will doesn't think that's true at all. Nico isn't bad at relationships,and he isn't a bad boyfriend. And Will understands that Nico has trouble opening up, sharing his feelings, and especially being open with others.
That's not to say that Nico ever hid their relationship from anyone – of course not. Nico may be shy and have some anxiety, but he has never been ashamed of Will. The only thing he's ever been ashamed of is perhaps himself...
But Will does understand, but even despite the understanding, he's still human. He does get frustrated sometimes when Nico won't hold his hand or hug him for more than a second if there's someone outside the Seven within seeing distance, when Nico still winces at the word 'boyfriend,' when Nico won't kiss him if there is anybody else around.
But Will and him have been together for quite a few months now, and Will wants to make a special request of Nico.
"Nico, can I ask you something?" Will asks. Normally he would just ask – that's something Nico just got used to from when Will 'doctors' him that Will doesn't even have to get permission to ask things anymore.
But with this? Yeah, he's asking just to give Nico some notice that it may be difficult.
"Will, you're sounding like you're about to give me a prognosis of only three more months to live. Of course you can!" Nico responds, trying to ease his boyfriend's tension (which, almost entirely, is Will being the one to ease Nico's tension).
"Trust me, it's not that bad. You really have about four months to live." Will says, and relaxes a little when Nico laughs.
Will has taken a liking to dark humor since he started going out with Nico. The boy is so morbidly funny that Will can't help but make the jokes too!
"But...I want you to meet my Mom. Will you have dinner with us next week?" Will requests, and Nico just sighs.
Will should have expected this.
"Oh, why not? You know my mother supports me and would support us!" Will asks him, because that sigh is almost always a 'no'.
"Just...why does everyone have to know?" Nico asked, and then his eyes widened. He realized how that must have sounded even though it isn't at all what he meant.
"Why do people have to know? Why shouldn't people know? Huh, Nico? Are you actually ashamed of me? You just want me to be a dirty little secret?" Will asks, emotions completely taking over and reacting...because what if Will was wrong this whole time about Nico?
"No, no! Will, that's not what I meant, please-" But the son of Hades is cut off.
"No, I don't want to hear it." Will says, voice cracking and forcing his tears back while still in Nico's view. He gets up and walks away, leaving Nico there to cry all alone and wishing he rephrase what he said.
"Ouch, that's rough." Percy says, causing Jason to promptly punch him in the arm. "Ouch!" Percy complains but shuts up when he sees Jason's glare.
Who knew that Jason could have such a scary glare?
"If that's not how you meant it, then how did you mean?" Jason asks turning back to Nico who rubs his eyes. No tears fall out, but they are threatening to.
"I just...it's hard for me to talk about these things. Even talking to you right now. It's not about telling people about our relationship or wanting to hide it. It's about people knowing my feelings in general. You remember, Jason." Nico explains, and Jason just hums in recognition.
Jason definitely knows. Nico hated sharing anything about what he was feeling. Happiness, sadness, anger, anxiety, relaxation, hope – while on the Argo II only Hazel was privy to Nico's emotions and Jason only got a glimpse of them after Croatia and Eros.
"I know I can't be open about a relationship and keep my feelings to myself...one is included in the other. I know that. But it's just what I feel. But I care about Will more than any discomfort I would feel." Nico adds, and the two other sons of the Big Three understand.
"I'm really sorry you're going through this. You don't deserve it." Percy says, trying to empathize with his friend.
"Yeah right..." Nico mutters, allowing himself to wallow in self-pity.
"I mean it! You've been through way too much and are way too good of a person to deserve any more unhappiness. You deserve to be happy with whoever you want to be with, and that person you want is Will." Percy says, and he says it so convincingly that Nico doesn't have the heart to argue.
"But what am I supposed to do? He won't talk to me!" Nico asks, just wishing he could have a chance just to explain himself.
"Then you're going to have to make him listen." Jason says. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands.
"I'm not going to have Piper charmspeak him into listening." Nico says, though the tone suggests the thought may have crossed his mind before...
"No!" Jason exclaims, resisting the urge to face-palm. "I mean somehow make it so he has to listen and can't just tune you out or anything. It may not work but it may be your only chance." The son of Jupiter is embarrassed at having to actually explain that...
"But how can I-" Nico cuts himself off and his eyes widen. "The campfire..." He mumbles and starts twirling his gray-skull ring as his mind processes a million thoughts a second.
"Do you have an idea?" Percy asks. Nico nods but doesn't say anything and continues to stare wide-eyed at his bed sheet. "Do you want our help?" He follows-up, to which Nico shakes his head. "Can we go eat lunch now?" He adds and Jason punches him again. "Ouch!"
"Okay, he's checked out. Let's go, dude. Nico, if you need us..." Jason trails off as he and Percy get up from the bed.
And when Nico tilts his head and a single skeleton hand comes up out of the ground with a 'thumbs-up' they accept that as much of a response they'll get out of their cousin for quite some time...
It's the nightly campfire where the Apollo cabin leads the songs. However, the flame on the campfire is weaker and duller than usual – and Nico knows he is the one who caused this. Just glancing at Will's sad face right now makes him want to just scream and apologize – but no, he has to do this.
When the song ends, Nico stands up and walks to the front of the camp fire before the Apollo children start the next song. Percy and Jason know that whatever Nico is about to do, he's been planning it for hours and they hope that Nico is successful. They just want him to be happy.
When Will's eyes land on Nico's own, the son of Hades can feel the heat behind him and lets himself feel the moment before starting.
Nico summons a few skeleton arms from the ground. They start to clap slowly and rhythmically, keeping beat and time. Nico takes a deep breath and begins.
Combat...I'm ready for combat.
I say I don't want that...
...But what if I do?
'Cause cruelty,
Wins in the movies.
I've got a hundred thrown out speeches,
I almost said to you.
At this point everyone in Camp Half-Blood is staring in awe at Nico. Not only is he singing, he is singing a love song, and he is serenading his boyfriend.
Nico doesn't care about anyone else except one person right now, and that person is staring at him wide-eyed but also seems to be smiling.
This just makes Nico sing louder and more passionatewhile in time with the skeleton beat-keeping hands.
Easy they come, easy they go
I jump from the train, I ride off alone
I never grew up, it's getting so old.
Help me hold on to you.
I've been the Archer, I've been the Prey.
Who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?
Nico chose to sing this song to Will because it really is them. This song is a metaphor for their relationship and for Nico's insecurities.
Dark side...
I search for your dark side.
But what if I'm all right, right, right...
...Right here?
And I cut off,
My nose just to spite my face.
And I hate my reflection,
For years and years.
For his entire life, Nico has sabotaged himself and everything good in his life. And he did it once again, and he realizes he needs to stop. He gets scared of the possibilities, and instead of trying to overcome that fear he just ruins whatever good so he doesn't have to face the other possibilities.
I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost.
The room is on fire, Invisible smoke.
And all of my heroes, Die all alone.
Help me hold on to you.
I've been the Archer, I've been the Prey.
Screaming, "Who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?"
Nico is suffocating on the inside. He has a lot of trauma and it still haunts him. Part of him still blames himself for Bianca's death (if he only hadn't cared about that Mythomagic game), he still isn't completely okay with being gay from the time as a child before the Lotus Hotel, and his time in Tartarus changed him even further.
But at the same time Nico is starting to breathe. For the first time in what seems to be his entire life, things are starting to change. He has a loving sister he is getting to know, amazing friends, and a caring boyfriend.
He's asking for a second chance and a hand to grasp onto as he tries to get a hold of his life.
'Cause they see right through,
They see right through.
They see right through,
Can you see right through me?
They see right through,
They see right through me.
I see right through me!
I see right through me!
Nico knows that he's dug himself into a hole quite a bit. He made it so he felt unwelcome at Camp Half-Blood. He made it so he felt unwelcome at Camp Jupiter. He pushed people away when they wanted to be his friend.
And everyone knows he did that to himself, too. It has all been one self-fulfilling prophecy (if only Rachel or Ella could have spoken that prophecy, Nico could have maybe fixed things sooner...) and Nico is determined to change it now by admitting it.
All the King's horses,
And all the King's men.
Couldn't put me
Together again.
'Cause all of my enemies,
Started out friends.
At this point many of the campers are crying – especially Piper's group. She and Drew are probably the only Aphrodite kids not crying.
Help me hold on to you.
I've been the Archer, I've been the Prey.
Who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
...You could stay...
Combat...I'm ready for combat...
Nico is asking Will for another chance, to be the one who stays with him and that Nico is ready to fight for this relationship and to not let it slip away due to his own arrogance and self-sabotage. The cycle ends here.
"Will Solace, I'm sorry. I wasn't being fair to you or our relationship, but I won't make that mistake again. Please – will you forgive me?" Nico asks a few seconds after his song ends.
Is it dramatic? Yes. Is it sudden? Yes.
But Will is the son if Apollo, so how else can Nico show Will he can relate to him if not by partaking in the things that Will feels deep in his bones?
The Apollo kids part for Will and pat him on the shoulder as he stands up and walks down the steps to meet Nico in front of the campfire. The colors are those of passion, love, excitement, fear, and hope as it burns hotter than it has all night.
Will can't believe what he just witnessed...that Nico would go so far out of his comfort zone to prove to the son of Apollo that he is committed to their relationship.
Their fight was...the worst they've ever had. And at worst, their 'fights' before were just bickering arguments. This was their first, real fight as a couple and it broke Will's heart to tell Nico to just leave him alone.
Will wasn't sure if they had broken up. He didn't want to break up. But his emotions were running so wild that he just couldn't think straight and needed Nico to just leave for a bit.
But the fact that Nico sang for him in front of the entire camp – and a song from his favorite artist...spoke louder than any speech that Nico could have prepared.
"Nico...if we're going with Taylor Swift lyrics...then I think that it's best if we both stay." Will says and pulls Nico into a hug and kisses him on the cheek. Nico hugs him back as tight as he can and returns the kiss with one on Will's cheek too.
Camp Half-Blood erupts into cheers. Piper now starts crying along with her siblings (except Drew, who just rolls her eyes and wants more drama). Jason and Percy are the loudest, happy for their cousin (though Jason is slightly annoyed by Piper's tears on his shirt now). Annabeth is trying to calm Percy down as his excitement is threatening the entire plumbing system at camp, but she couldn't be happier for the two boys. Leo is making mini cannons to explode in celebration (while Calypso covers her ears at being so close in proximity to the detonation).
Nico and Will move to sit with Nico's friends (as the counselors of the Athena, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite cabins all sit their cabins close to each other during the campfire so everyone can be together) and as they hold hands Nico sings with all of camp as the other Apollo children continue to lead the songs.
The campfire burns the tallest, brightest, and hottest it has in a very long time.
(And Nico meets Will's mother one week later and when she just hugs him and makes him feel welcome, he knows he must have received Apollo's and Hades' blessings to be so lucky to have Will Solace in his life.)
The End
A/N: So, this was my first Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus story and I am so in love with Riordan's universe. This is just one of the many ideas I have for this series and I plan on writing a lot more for it.
But yeah...I did the unthinkable and did a songfic, however I actually wrote a story around the song and used it as a plot point, so I think it's better than most songfics by default...
But I don't know, when I hear "The Archer" by Taylor Swift I always think of Solangelo now. Not just because of "archer" and "dark side" and stuff like that, but for the reasons I had actually written in the story too. I can actually imagine either Will or Nico singing this song to the other as an apology song, so I did it from Nico's side here.
Anyway, this was just a small Solangelo oneshot and I do actually have a separate fic series planned for PJO/HOO (think of my "To Be a Ninja" series for Naruto but on a much smaller scale) that I am excited to start writing.
But that's enough rambling. I hope you all enjoyed this oneshot! Stay tuned for more Percy Jackson stuff!
Also, don't forget to review!