Author's Note:

Greetings and hello, my dear reader. In the excerpt (released in February) of the final Trials of Apollo book, The Tower of Nero, a prophecy was given with a line mentioning "The son of Hades". Rick confirmed that this is Nico (obviously) and that he and Will are playing a bigger part in the final book. This got me thinking. Our favorite boys have not been featured in a book since The Hidden Oracle, published way back in 2016. "All Too Well" follows the lives of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace leading up to tToN. According to Riordan Wiki, six months have passed from tHO to tToN, and two months from The Tyrant's Tomb to The Tower of Nero. This story takes place in those last two months at Camp Half-Blood.

As of July 2020, tToN is set to be released October 6th, 2020. Hopefully it will not be pushed back further due to COVID-19. Regardless, "All Too Well" will update every Monday, with the final chapter being posted October 5th. I will be on vacation and not have access to good WiFi the weeks of August 17th & 24th, so I will not be updating then.

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know your thoughts; constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you enjoy!

Sunlight streamed through the windows, fracturing in a dozen brilliant shards, painting the floor and single bed in Cabin 13 with a warm golden glow. Nico threw a pale arm over his eyes and rolled over. The dark sheets that were tangled around his legs and waist twisted tightly around his body. After several more moments of willing sleep to return to him, Nico admitted his defeat with a groan. He was awake now and would stay that way for the rest of the day.

Nico wiggled out of the sheets and rolled out of bed. He allowed another couple seconds for his eyes to adjust to the bright morning before trudging to the bathroom. He grabbed a clean pair of underwear, jeans and a Camp t-shirt on his way. He had slept in only his boxer shorts and Will's old gray hoodie. Nico pulled his clothes off and stepped into the shower, tipping his head back to let the warm water soak his face and hair. He shampooed his hair and washed his body, then shut the water off with a still-soapy hand. He quickly dried himself and tugged on the tight black jeans and bright orange t-shirt.

Nico blinked dismally at his reflection in the mirror. His messy dark hair was plastered wetly to his forehead and neck. His skin was pale ivory. His eyes were almost as black as long lashes that fringed them, and there were purple shadows beneath them, a remnant of the previous late night. Nico sighed and began to towel-dry his hair. He briefly considered getting back in bed. Not that he would be able to fall back asleep, but joining the other campers at the dining pavilion for breakfast was just about the last thing Nico di Angelo wanted to do. He stalled as long as he could: fidgeting with the belt at his waist, adjusting his Stygian iron sword; combing the tangles out of his hair and then messing it up again with a towel; putting Will's hoodie on and taking it off again, tossing it on the bathroom floor, walking away; running his long fingers through hair; double-knotting the laces of his combat boots; playing with his hair some more. When he ran out of distractions, Nico grudgingly stomped out the door of Cabin 13, slamming it behind him.

Despite the blinding sun, the morning was crisp and cool. It reminded Nico more of a Fall morning than a Spring one. It wasn't soggy and cloudy, the ground wasn't damp and muddy. The air was not even fragrant with the first blooms stimulated by the Demeter kids. No, it wasn't like any other morning in early Spring. The sky was cloudless and blue. The sun was brilliant even in mid-rise. The air felt cool, tasted clean. It was beautiful. Nico found it all rather insulting. The world shouldn't be allowed to be splendid, not when everything was so twisted, so wrong. Did it not understand the great loss that was being experienced by everyone at Camp Half-Blood? Or did it just not care? A songbird sang in the distance, a melodious cry that was taken up by its companions, creating a cacophony that was all very Springy. Fuck you, Persephone, Nico thought bitterly.

Like he assumed it would be, the dining pavilion was packed. Campers from all over the country were crowded into their assigned picnic tables. Nico recognized most of them, but there were also ones who he didn't think he'd ever seen. College-aged. Adults. Half-bloods who'd left Camp years ago. Some of them Nico didn't even think had fought in the Giant War. Maybe they had just come out of respect? Or maybe they'd fought in the Titan War. But if that was the case then they wouldn't have known . . .

Nico rolled his shoulders back. He disliked so many people in his presence at once. He preferred keeping his distance, lurking in the shadows. He would have stayed in his cabin all day, until everyone had cleared out. Except that he knew at least three people would be banging on his door, demanding Nico come out and say goodbye before they departed. It was best to make an appearance, get it over with. Then he could go back and wait it out. Besides, he'd skipped dinner the night before; he was hungry.

Although Nico was probably the very last camper to arrive at the pavilion, he drew no attention to himself. He was masterfully skilled at the art of inconspicuousness. He scanned the tables. There was technically a rule about where campers were supposed to sit for meals, but nobody seemed to be observing it that morning. Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace were both seated with the Athena kids, both of whom were more subdued than Nico had ever seen them. Percy was picking at a plate of blue pancakes with a fork in one hand, and his other hand was clasped tightly with Annabeth's. On Annabeth's other side was Thalia, who was staring off into empty space, a styrofoam cup of black coffee steaming untouched in front of her. Annabeth was glancing between her boyfriend and childhood friend with a worried expression. The sun caught her blonde hair in a way that made it look like liquid gold spilling down her back.

Nico's stomach twisted in discomfort the way it always did at the sight of the daughter of Zeus. Her short black hair and silver Hunters' clothing reminded him too much of his sister, Bianca. But it wasn't just that, not today. Nico had never been an empathetic person. He was "The Ghost King" after all. But the loss of a sibling . . . that was something few people had the misfortune of emphasizing with. Nico did. He knew exactly how Thalia was feeling, how she would always feel. He felt sick.

The only completely vacant tables were those of the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades. Zeus, out of respect. Poseidon and Hades because their only children were too obstinate to sit their butts where they were told. Nico glanced at the Apollo table, his usual residence. There were so many people. The thought of sitting with them all made Nico's stomach jerk so hard he thought for a moment that he was actually going to throw up.

Nico sat at the Hades table. He couldn't remember the last time he sat there. Well, no, he could. He had summoned a dozen or so skeletons. He'd done it on purpose so Chiron would let him sit with Will. Nico realized after Chiron had relented without any argument that all Nico had had to do was ask. Still, the ground opening under the picnic table and skeletons crawling out of the chasm and onto the pavilion lawn had been quite the spectacle. Nico enjoyed watching the Aphrodite kids run screaming and the Ares kids tripping over themselves in a melee of sharp objects and curses. Although Nico often kept a low-profile, he secretly enjoyed being extra as hell — if only for the shock factor it had on the other campers. Chiron was never rattled though. He had calmly asked Nico to send the skeletons back to the Underworld, please and thank you.

Now Chiron sat alone at the long table, which was absent of its usual satyrs and nymphs, as well as the Camp Head, Mr. D. The satyrs and nymphs had attended and served the long memorial service the night before and were now giving the grieving campers some space. No one had heard from Mr. D in months. Chiron looked a little lost, a lot lonely, Nico thought. He felt bad for the centaur. How many of his students had he buried? Thousands, mostly likely, Nico grimly concluded.

The Hades table, like every table, even the empty ones, had a feast displayed on the top. Platters of eggs, pancakes, bacon, and sausage loomed in front of him, but Nico had lost his appetite. He took only a styrofoam cup of coffee, hoping it would calm his churning insides. The coffee was scalding hot, steam billowing up in a continuous hazy cloud, stark in the cool morning air. As if the warmth in his hands was a reminder of the temperature, goosebumps broke out on Nico's bare arms. He shivered.

"You should have brought a jacket.''

Nico didn't look up.

"I know you have one.''

Nico stared straight ahead. The bench creaked as someone settled down beside him. Will leaned forward so that he was in Nico's line of sight. "Hey,'' Will waved a hand in front of his boyfriend's eyes. "Earth to Nico! Do you copy? Nico?"

Nico's gaze slid to meet Will's. "You're weird, you know that, right?"

Will sat back. "What're you doing here, Nico?"

Nico took a sip of his coffee. It was strong and black, surprisingly bitter. It burned Nico's tongue when he drank it, but he ignored the pain.

Will sighed. He ran a hand through his mop of blond hair, leaving it standing on end. He rubbed his eyes and sighed again, deeply, disappointed. It was all Nico could do to keep from visibly wincing. "Neeks . . .''

"Where were you this morning?'' Nico asked, more sharply than he intended.

Will frowned, blinking. His eyes widened suddenly. "Oh gods. That's what this is about, isn't it? Oh my gods, Nico, I'm so sorry!''

"It's fine,'' Nico mumbled, embarrassed by Will's dramatic reaction.

"Gods,'' Will said again, running his hands through his hair again. Nico wanted to tell him to stop, it was sexy, and it was distracting him from his brooding. "I'm sorry.''

"Already said that,'' gritted Nico.

"I can explain . . ." Will trailed off.

"Can you?" His voice wasn't angry. Nico wasn't angry. He did want an explanation though, and it didn't look like there was a valid one at the moment.

"I . . . I don't know.'' Will's blue eyes shone with distress. "I woke up in the middle of the night and . . . I don't know, Neeks. I just felt like I couldn't—I couldn't stay there, not any longer. Gods, I know I spend half my nights in your cabin, and I swear to you on the River Styx, I've never felt like that before! It's a bad excuse, I know, but I am sorry! So sorry . . ."

"Don't apologize,'' said Nico, somewhat stiffly. "You can sleep wherever you'd like.''

Will chewed his lip. "You're not mad?''

"Why would I be?'' Nico said coolly.

Hurt flashed across Will's features. It was gone almost as quickly as it came. Nico knew his clipped tones stung Will. Nico hated himself for hurting him, but self-loathing had never held Nico back.

Will chewed his lip, eyes glancing over the loaded picnic table top. They fell on the cup of coffee in front of Nico. "You should really eat something,'' he said gently.

"Lost my appetite.'' Nico took another scalding sip of coffee.

"Too bad.'' Will straightened. Forcing Nico to eat was his specialty. He grabbed a slice of toast and began to spread it with butter and strawberry jam. Then he handed it to Nico, who reluctantly accepted it, having learned long ago that refusing food from Will was pointless. Nico took a bite of the sweet, creamy bread. Will watched him chew.

"Seriously, fuck off,'' muttered Nico self-consciously.

"If you come sit with me, I promise I'll leave you alone,'' said Will.

Nico looked over his shoulder at the Apollo table. The kids sitting there were packed tightly as sardines; shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip. Oh, hell no.

Before Nico had time to protest, Will had him securely by the elbow and was hauling him towards his siblings. "Hey, Will!" Nico tried to squirm away, but Will's grip was firm and Nico was not very big.

"Make room for my boyfriend,'' Will told his sister Kayla. She raised her eyebrows at Nico's seething form, but scooted over as far as she could on the bench. Will pushed Nico down and swung his legs over beside him. There really was no room for this movement which resulted in Will accidentally kicking Austin in the ribs. Austin glared at him, but wiggled his butt to make more room for the two of them.

"There,'' Will said, slightly breathless. "Now we're all here.''

Nico got another cup of coffee.

"Huh-uh, no.'' Will began fixing Nico another slice of toast. "Coffee is not a meal substitute.''

"You said if I sat with you, you'd leave me alone,'' whined Nico.

"It was a metaphor.''

"Oh, you've gotta be—"

The low din of chatter in the pavilion suddenly fell silent, causing Nico to break off mid-sentence. Chiron had held up a hand wearily to the campers. No one felt like ignoring him. He began to speak; Nico was reminded of how old the centaur was. How much he had seen. How much he had lost. "Campers and alumni of Camp Half-Blood,'' Chiron addressed them. "I would like to thank you all for attending last night's memorial ceremony. I know it wasn't an easy thing to do.'' He paused, eyes flicking momentarily to where Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth sat. Chiron continued in a softer voice. "The loss of a friend, a brother, a comrade is a hard thing to overcome. I am so sorry it has to be endured, especially by ones so young as yourselves.

"Jason Grace was a hero, no term is more accurate. As you all have probably heard before, heroes don't often get happy endings. And pain and suffering are hardships demigods are all forced to bare'' Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Percy and Annabeth exchange an uncertain expression. Nico himself was mildly surprised; Chiron usually tried putting a positive spin on even the most dire of situations. This chilly spring morning though, he didn't seem to have it in him. Chiron's voice was rough when he spoke again. "But Jason . . . Jason was just a boy. He had the rest of his life ahead of him, a bright future full of endless possibilities. It isn't fair that future was cut short so abruptly. It's happened before, I know, and it will happen again. But it is vastly important we do not forget Jason's sacrifice. As we were told by our friends at Camp Jupiter, Jason died for the cause of the now mortal god Apollo, who resided with us only months ago. Jason died so others could live, and we mustn't ever forget that. The memorial was only one small way we could remember him, but I am grateful to each and every one of you for attending.'' Chiron cleared his throat. "Those of you who have traveled to be here, I am especially grateful for your show of support. Though it is hard for us to continue through such tragedy, life must go on. Camp activities will resume this afternoon. We ask that you who do not currently reside here please be gone by noon. We look forward to seeing you this summer.'' Chiron dipped his head, acknowledging the end of his speech.

There was a smattering of applause. Most of the half-bloods just looked forlorn. Nico heard Percy say, "Time to get going, Wise Girl,'' and he helped Annabeth to her feet. Thalia was leaning forward, elbow propped on the table top, three fingers pressed to her lips. Nico was not sure if it was a sign of respect or mourning of the Hunters of Artemis. Or maybe Thalia was trying to compose herself and gather the strength to stand. Nico had the sudden impulse to go to her. The campers had all offered their heartfelt condolences before last night's ceremony. Nico and Will did so too, of course, but Nico had had only a lame "I'm sorry for your loss'' to offer. He hadn't been sure what else to say. Now he knew.

"Hey, Neeks— Where're you going?'' Will called behind him as Nico abruptly took off towards the Athena table.

Thalia looked up as Nico came to a stop beside her. Her blue eyes were vibrant, and beautiful, and utterly hopeless. They were so much like Jason's, save the devoid of hope. Nico swallowed hard. "I understand,'' he said.

A slow, sad smile crossed Thalia's face. She took Nico's pale, thin hands in her own. "I know.''

Nico's tongue flicked over his chapped lips. Thalia let his hands go with a quick squeeze and got to her feet. She said something in a low voice to Annabeth, who nodded before throwing her arms around her friend and holding her tightly. When the girls finally drew apart, they were both furiously scrubbing at their eyes. Nico felt slightly abashed at the sight of two of the strongest people he knew showing such raw emotion, especially since neither of them had cried during the ceremony.

Percy and Thalia hugged, Percy murmuring something like, "Just give us a call, okay?" in her ear, and Thalia responding with a muffled, "Okay, Jackson.'' Then the daughter of Zeus pulled away, straightened her spine, and started towards the entrance of Camp, where several Hunters were waiting to take her home. Heads turned all over the pavilion, watching her go. Percy put an arm around Annabeth's shoulders. Nico shifted his weight from foot to foot. He felt like he had just intruded on an intimate moment, witnessing the farewell of three friends who'd been through so much together. Nico was glad Thalia had Percy and Annabeth in her life to help her through the loss of her little brother. He hoped she would call them.

As if the departure of Jason Grace's only living relative spurred a chain-reaction, almost immediately after Thalia was out of sight the campers rose and began saying their goodbyes. Nico saw Travis Stoll locked in a fierce embrace with his brother Connor, who had left Camp Half-Blood the year before. Travis's girlfriend Katie watched them nearby with a satisfied smirk. Travis and Katie were year-round campers. Travis often denied missing brother since Connor had left for college, but everyone immediately noticed how subdued he was without his partner-in-crime by his side.

Over at the Ares table, Clarissie La Rue was giving out fist and chest bumps to her brothers and sisters. She even affectionately smacked a couple of the younger kids on the helmet. Her boyfriend Chris Rodriguez stood near talking to Jake Mason. Nico saw Will talking to an older Camp alum Nico didn't recognize. The older boy placed a hand on Will's shoulder and said something that Nico didn't catch, but Will looked touched.

It was odd, Nico thought, that everyone was being so personal in their goodbyes. Maybe, he realized, the death of Jason, one who used to seem so untouchable, brought them to the conclusion that they might never see one they loved again. Most of the campers were returning in a few months for the summer. But Jason was supposed to return that summer too. Now he never would.

"Hey Nico!"

Nico was jolted out of his dark thoughts by Percy Jackson. Percy seemed to have materialized in front of him while Nico was distracted. "Oh, hey, Percy.''

The last time Nico had seen Percy was late January. Only three months passed but Percy already appeared older. He no longer had a boyish face, no longer had a roguish gleam in his sea-green eyes that had made thirteen-year-old Nico develop a lonely crush on him. Percy was now an adult. His shoulders broadened and his voice deepened. He still wore the same clothing — sneakers, jeans, orange Camp t-shirt, today with a Little Mermaid: The Broadway Musical hoodie pulled over. His hair still looked windswept, like he'd been jet-skiing all day. He looked sad though, something that was very distinctly un-Percy-like. The older boy managed a weak smile. "How you doing, man?"

Nico shrugged. "I'm fine.''

"Okay, cool. Good.'' Percy looked like he wanted to say more, but refrained. "You sure?"

Nico narrowed his eyes a little. "Yeah.'' Nope.

Percy didn't look convinced. That was the problem with people who had known you since you were a vulnerable, open-booked ten-year-old. They saw right through the mask. "Okay, cool,'' he said again. "I just know you . . . Well, you . . . I know you and Jason were close.''

Nico set his jaw. He pushed back the pain, down his throat, past his aching heart, into the deep pit of his stomach. It throbbed. Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded and shrugged his shoulders a bit, in a non-dismissive way. Jason . . . Jason was . . . Jason had . . .

"I really am sorry, Nico.''

Nico fought to regain his composure. "I'm sorry too. He was your friend as well.''

Percy smiled once more, this time more genuinely. "He was a good friend.''

"He was,'' Nico agreed, finally thinking of something to say. Something safe, that shouldn't hurt as much. He would make it into a sad joke. Yes, that was it. A sad joke. He forced a smile of his own. "You know, if it weren't for Jason I would probably still be in the closet.''

Percy breathed a soft laugh, and then his arms were around Nico. Nico stiffened at first (he had already been touched too much that day and it wasn't even noon) but willed himself to relax. Percy, knowing Nico's boundaries, respectfully let go after only a few seconds. He ruffled his hair affectionately. "Take care, buddy.''

"You too, Perce.''

Annabeth came up beside her boyfriend, automatically slipping her hand in his. She had been saying goodbye to her siblings. Her stormy eyes were tinged red. Bloodshot. "Hi there, Neeks.''

"Hi yourself.'' Nico liked Annabeth. She was always kind to him.

"The ceremony was beautiful. You did really well. Perfectly touching.'''

Chiron had put Nico in charge of the half-blood funeral services after the Giant War. Even though Jason had already been given a traditional Roman burial at Camp Jupiter, the Greek demigods wanted to commemorate their friend in their own way. Nico had willingly taken charge of that ceremony as well. "Thank you.'' Nico searched for more. "It was what Jason deserved.''

Annabeth looked close to tears again, so Nico quickly changed the subject. "Have you heard from Piper and Leo recently?"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look. "Yes,'' Annabeth said, carefully. "Piper just moved to Oklahoma with her dad. Leo and Calypso I'm not entirely sure about, but I think I heard they were staying somewhere in Indianapolis — Piper called it 'the Waystation' on the phone — with two ex-Hunters.''

"Is that why they didn't come last night?'' Nico asked tentatively.

Annabeth hesitated. "It . . . it's too soon. When I talked to Piper, she said they were still getting settled in their new home. She's been through a lot lately, and coming back to Camp . . ." A long pause. "Don't tell anyone, Nico, but Piper and Leo aren't planning to come back to Camp Half-Blood this summer.''

"That doesn't surprise me.''

Percy and Annabeth looked startled. "Really?'' said Percy. "Gods, I was stunned.''

Nico shook his head. "Too many memories, right? I mean, they arrived here for the first time with Jason. They stayed here together for months. Then after last summer's escapade, Piper and Jason came back. Together.''

"Yeah,'' said Annabeth, nodding empathetically. "Too many memories. And Piper just feels terrible, because she broke his heart and they drifted apart, and then—.'' She broke off suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, shit. I wasn't supposed to mention that! These emotions, gods, they are messing with my head . . . " She trailed off for the umpteenth time. She was right, Nico thought. Annabeth rarely lost her chill.

Percy stroked her hand with his thumb.

"I already knew,'' said Nico, because it seemed like the right thing. "About the breakup.''

"Who—?" Annabeth started, then: "Oh. Right.'' Jason.

Smartphones weren't technically allowed at Camp Half-Blood, but that rule was being ignored more and more often these days. Most people smuggled them into their cabins and kept them shut off the majority of the time, turning them on only to occasionally call their mortal parent. Nico's sister Hazel, who was a Praetorat Camp Jupiter, gave him one for Christmas so they could keep in more consistent contact than Iris messages. They now called for one scheduled hour every week. It was, admitted Nico, good to hear from her so often. Shortly after their second call, before Nico turned off his phone, a text bubble popped onto the screen. It read: Caller ID Unknown : hey nico it's Jason grace from camp. I got ur number from hazel. I haven't heard from u in a long time and I thogut maybe we could call sometime to chat. this is my number plz call :) Nico remembered staring at the message for a full thirty seconds before calling Hazel back and demanding why she had given his number to Jason Grace, for Hades' sake. "Because he asked for it!'' She had defended herself. "He cares about you a lot, Nico. Let him be your friend.'' So, after much consideration and weighing of odds, Nico had. He'd set up a second weekly call time. Jason and Nico had talked for one hour every week since Christmas. Until they hadn't.

The memory of the calls now caused Nico to swallow hard. Nico had been curt at first, as he often was. But Jason had immediately launched into everything he and Piper had been doing since the Fall. Nico heard all about living with Piper and her dad, school, extra curricular activities Jason was participating in, the LA weather forecast, training, the current status of the search for Leo, and all of Jason's thoughts and feelings. Nico remembered how surprised he had originally been at how easily open Jason was being with him. Most people wouldn't confide in the Son of Hades. But Jason had done so, and made Nico comfortable, so Nico shared his experiences as well. They mostly just chatted about funny mishaps at Camp and Jason's (apparently) hilarious transition into the mortal world. Sometimes though, they would get deeply personal. They would talk about their worst failures and greatest triumphs. The highs and lows. Jason still had done most of the talking, but Nico spoke up when he had something to say. The only other person Nico talked to likewise with was Will. He didn't get that personal with even Hazel. So when Piper had broken up with Jason, and Jason decided to transfer to a boys' boarding school, Nico had listened. That call he'd said very little because there wasn't much to say. But he was a good listener and he had listened well, which is what Jason had needed. Nico distinctly remembered at the end of that call, when Jason had finished and taken a shaky breath, the Son of Jupiter had simply said, "Thank you for listening" and Nico said, "Your welcome,'' and Jason hung up.

"Well, if you talk to Piper or Leo soon, give them my best,'' Nico said forcefully, agitation swelling in his stomach at the memories.

"Of course.'' Percy shook his hand. Nico was glad he didn't try to hug him again. Nico thought he probably would have thrown up all over Percy's Little Mermaid hoodie. Annabeth gave him a friendly high-five — it had kind of become a thing between them since Nico came out to her and Percy. Then a few short "goodbye''s were muttered and Percy and Annabeth headed out. Nico watched them go, hands stuffed in his pockets. He shivered once more, then turned and began walking back to his cabin.

Cabin 13 had never seemed so far away. As Nico trudged towards it, it seemed to be getting farther by the minute, not closer. The night was cold and clear. Nico felt chilled to the bone, like he would never be warm again. All around him campers walked in a mournfully slow gait towards their cabins. Nico did not think he was going to make it. His legs were shaking so badly he feared he would collapse before he reached the threshold. But he didn't. By all odds, Nico pushed into Cabin 13, immediately falling to the ground. The door swung shut with a click. He curled in on himself, drawing his knees to his chest, arms wrapped around his head. He couldn't draw a proper breath. He felt like he had when the twin Giants Otis and Ephialtes had captured him last summer and forced him into a bronze jar. Suffocated.

Then long, tan arms encased Nico's trembling body. Slowly, gently, Will pulled him onto his lap and held him until the sobbing gasps ceased. Nico buried his face in Will's shoulder and breathed, deeply, inhaling Will's warm scent. Nico wasn't sure how long they were slumped on the floor of the Hades cabin. Eventually, Will helped Nico to his feet, and, supporting his shaky legs, brought him to bed.

Will undressed Nico, but there was nothing sexual about it. Once out of the clothes he'd worn to the memorial, Nico lay stretched out on his bed, shivering in his boxers. Usually he slept in only those and a t-shirt. Tonight however, Will decided a light t-shirt would not suffice and had stripped the gray hoodie from his own body. Nico dimly wondered when Will had had time to change into pajama pants, a ratty shirt, and a hoodie. But as soon as Nico had Will's hoodie wrapped around his body and Will's body wrapped around his own, it mattered no more.

They cuddled under the blankets. Nico slept. Will stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, he loosened his grip on his boyfriend. He slipped out of bed, out of Cabin 13, out into the cold night air. The cleaning harpies gave him the evil eye, but didn't squawk to alert Chiron of the curfew violation. Even they cut the half-bloods some slack.

Will kept his head down.

Just before dawn, Nico woke. He was cold. He stretched an arm out, expecting to feel Will's familiar warm, comforting presence beside him.

But Will had gone.

Nico should have felt hurt and bewildered; Will had never left in the middle of the night before. And if there had been an emergency, the commotion would have awakened Nico as well. But Nico wasn't hurt. A little bewildered, maybe. Not hurt. He was too empty already to feel anything that acute. It would have to wait until morning,

Nico rolled over and went back to sleep.