CHAPTER SUMMARY

Bianca arranges for Nico and Will to meet.

BEGINNING NOTES

Word Count: 3324
Content Warning: Drug References

This is a kind of serious chapter, so I apologize in advance if it isn't as funny as usual.

I'm also sorry it went over my usual 3K word limit, but I couldn't condense it anymore without cutting important stuff out. I've had much longer chapters in my other fics, though, so I don't think this is the end of the world.

And all the characters are owned by Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

After Mr. D's class ended, my day got a lot normaler. Normaler? More normal? Whatever.

Point is, there were no super hot new guys I paid to be my brother's secret therapist. I was definitely proud of myself for coming up with that plan. I knew in my heart of hearts that Will was just what Nico needed to get through Papà's marriage to Persephone, and, eventually, me moving away to college. He'd finally have someone to talk to.

By second period, I had come up with my super solid five-point plan:

Introduce Nico to Will.

Stage a few "chance meetings" until...

Will's visits are a regular thing Nico doesn't question.

Get updates from Will in Bio, where Nico can't overhear.

Know exactly how to help him before Nico's too far gone to save.

Step #1 would either be the easiest or the hardest on the list. See, Percy and I went back to my place every day because his swim practice and my archery practice got out at the exact same time. Percy would spend the afternoon at our place, then Sally took him home after she finished making us dinner.

Nico didn't do anything after school, but he hated being at home when I wasn't. Half the time he had detention anyway for talking back to a teacher, smoking on campus, something like that, so he got out around the same time as the sports kids. On the days he didn't, he spent those two hours alone somewhere, doing graffiti, drinking, smoking... aka all the things I didn't like. But he always showed up at the front door at 5:30 to meet Percy and me. It was the only thing I could guarantee.

After third period gym with Coach Hedge, I had free for the long block. So I texted our chauffeur, Jules-Albert, asking if he'd taken Nico anywhere. Of course, the answer was no. That meant step #1 would be significantly harder because there was no way Nico was still at home. He had a few usual haunts, but it would take longer than an hour and a half to search them all. Still, I had to get him to school, not just because it was important, but also so that I could introduce him to Will. I was sure he'd meet me at home after practice-I mean, he knew what time I got back to the house-but there'd be questions if this random kid appeared at our front step with no explanation. If Nico thought he was my friend, there went any chance of him considering him his friend. No, it had to be at school. And it had to be today, before Persephone and Hazel showed up and Nico isolated himself completely.

I opened Nico's texts for the first time. There were half a dozen, all various excuses why he didn't go to school and begging me to talk to him. That's what always happened when I gave him the silent treatment. He clung to me because he needed me. When someone's your world, you can't take silence for long.

I called him. It didn't take more than two rings for Nico to pick up. "I'm mad at you," I said.

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry, B, but I didn't feel well and-"

I cut him off. "You and I both know that's code for 'hungover.' It's your fault, which means you have to face the consequences. School's your job."

"But it sucks," he complained.

"Sometimes you've got to tough it up," I told him. "Where are you? I'll pick you up, I have free." There was silence on the other end. "Nico," I pressed, "do you want me to hang up this phone?"

"No," he grumbled.

"Good," I said." Now tell me where you are, please."

There were another few seconds of static, then he said, "the alley."

I took a quick glance around the hallway. There were still kids coming and going. So, I switched to Italian and hissed, "You're smoking pot again?! I know that's where you meet Alabaster Torrington."

"C. Torrington," he reminded me, "don't forget the C."

Alabaster was his dealer, for lack of a better word. Or maybe it isn't, because I wouldn't put it past him to give Nico other drugs. He was my age, but he'd dropped out of school halfway through sophomore year to run with the Titans, the gang that had taken over most of the slums. Thalia and Leo told me about them all the time. They dealt drugs, robbed banks, gun ran, and got into shootouts with the police and rival gangs. If I were Thalia, Luke, or Leo, I'd fear for my life every single day, living in the middle of their territory.

"Stay there," I said. "I'm coming to get you."

The alley where Nico met Alabaster was on the edge of the Titan's territory. It was far enough from the heart of the slums that it wasn't as dangerous as it could be, but I still low-key feared for my life any time I had to meet Nico there. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself, so I grabbed an Über instead of using Jules-Albert and his super-obvious limo.

When I got to the alley, the entire place smelled like pot. I told the Über driver to wait, climbed out, shouted, "Inside, now!" and watched Nico get into the car.

We rode back to campus in silence. I saw guilt in Nico's eyes. I couldn't understand it; why would he keep doing this if he always felt guilty? Was it an act so I'd be more lenient when I caught him? Was he addicted? Was it even possible to get addicted to marijuana? What about the guilt he felt when I caught him stealing or vandalizing or cussing out a teacher? You couldn't get addicted to that!

I told the driver to drop us off at the woods on the roadside across from the school. We walked through the trees until I was satisfied that no one could see or hear us. I held my hand out to Nico. He pulled his baggie of pot leaves out of his pocket and gave it to me. I spilled out the contents and ground the leaves into the dirt.

"What's our rule?" I demanded.

Nico got a sudden interest in his sneakers. He mumbled, "No getting high on weekdays."

"I'd rather you do pot than smoke, but this is ridiculous," I told him. "You can't skip school to get high. You can't go to school stoned. You shouldn't be risking your life with Alabaster to get this. And this is the second, no, third week in a row where you've smoked pot every day. If you don't get your shit together, I'm not going to let you do this at all."

"You're not the boss of me," Nico muttered.

I sighed and replied, "But you know I'm right." I squeezed his hand. "I care about you. I want you to be safe." He still didn't look up at me. "Are you high right now?" I asked. He made a "mmm" sound and motioned so-so with his hand. "Good enough," I said. "Let's get back to school, okay?" He shrugged.

He kept his eyes on his feet all the way back to school. I knew why. He only hid from me when he was about to cry.

In silence, we climbed the stone steps to the front door of Half-Blood High. I walked him to his class, pulled him into a hug that he didn't return, begged him to try for me, and watched him step through the door.

The rest of the day, I checked in with Nico whenever I could sneak a text on my phone. He didn't always respond, but I knew that hearing my voice would be enough to keep him going when he was in such a bad place.

You can't say 'hearing my voice' and 'texting.' They're mutually exclusive.

It's a figure of speech.

One that makes no sense in this context.

You're just saying this so you sound smart by saying "mutually exclusive."

Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. They're not mutually exclusive.

Fine then, Mr. Grammar Police, you want to take over?

I can't believe you passed up the opportunity to make an "Officer Grammar" joke...

Dammit! Can we rerecord-

I told you, one take. It's your fault for saving this for the last minute.

Damn.

I got through school fine. I felt pretty shitty, being half-high and chewed out by my sister, but I'd promised her I'd get through the afternoon and I was determined to do it. I didn't take that much seriously back then, but Bianca was my exception. I loved her, and when I made a promise, I kept it.

The pot wore off pretty quickly. I'd barely lit up before Bianca called, and I didn't have the stomach to smoke anything after I knew she was on her way. You want to know if I was doing anything hardcore? Yeah, not gonna reveal that shit before the statute of limitations is up. If I get locked up, it's going to be for something more impressive than doing ecstasy, heroin, or whatever.

And no, that's not a confession either.

You're technically revealing you broke the law by underage drinking, smoking, and doing pot in a state where it's still illegal.

Yeah, but they don't throw you in jail for that.

Whether or not I was doing any of that other shit, back then, I needed something extra to face the world. What I had? Depression doesn't cut it. It was like the universe or god or whatever was against me and every goddamn day I had to be stronger than Hercules to get out of bed. No one liked me or believed in me. The only exception-the only thing that kept me going-was Bianca. I was terrified one day she'd wake up and realize I was a loser too... but she never did.

And I never will.

That didn't stop me from worrying about it. And that wasn't the only thought in my head that I couldn't control. There were so many demons whispering in my ear that I listened. I gave up.

Walking home with Percy and Bianca was both the best and worst part of my day. I dreaded it the entire day, but as it got closer my heart would pound with excitement. Why? Simple. I had a massive crush on Percy Jackson.

"But isn't he straight?" you ask.

And I answer: exactly.

I wasn't out to anyone, not even Bianca. I was ashamed, terrified, I felt like something was wrong with me. While Papà made sure we got our privacy, the press was usually sniffing around, and I could only imagine the headlines about Hades di Angelo's queer son. He would disown me for all the bad press, and the kids in school would beat me to a pulp. I would've given anything to stop feeling that way, to stop dreaming about Percy dumping Annabeth and saying he'd never loved her or anyone but me. I'd catch myself staring at him and get this rock in my stomach, this pain that wouldn't go away no matter what I did.

Even Bianca would say that Percy was the only one that could make me smile. I hoped she'd never find out why.

I got detention for being so late to class-no good deed goes unpunished-so I sat staring at nothing for two hours until they let me go. At 5:30 on the dot I was outside the building. I fixed my hair and clothes like I always did-had I even brushed my hair this morning? Probably not.-And then I smelled my breath on the off-chance Percy'd declare his love for me and kiss me. Like that was ever gonna happen.

I finally saw him in the distance. I told myself to be cool. My arms suddenly felt awkward hanging at my side-who invented arms, anyway?

That's when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I jumped. "Ow!" they said. "You socked me in the nose!"

I turned, ready to deliver an A+ comeback about invading my personal space, but when I saw his face, the words caught in my throat. He had the blondest hair I'd ever seen, the tannest skin, the bluest eyes, the whitest smile. He looked like an actor or model. Those eyes... I couldn't stop staring at those eyes. I had a sudden urge to run my hand through his hair.

That's so stupid, I told myself. I don't even know him.

"What?" the hot boy asked.

"Shit! Did I say that out loud?" I asked. I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

The boy cocked his head to the side, thinking. "Well, I heard words come out of your mouth, so you must've said that out loud, but, since I couldn't hear what those words were, I'm ready to pretend that no words were said."

I stared at him blankly. "Umm... thanks?" I managed.

The boy grinned at me. "No problemo."

"Never say that again," I deadpanned.

The boy laughed. "Yeah, I sound like a dork. I'm not, I promise."

I heard Percy shout my name. I waved at him; my heart started to pound in my chest. "I gotta go," I said.

"Wait!" the boy cried, desperate enough that it stopped me in my tracks. I was dumbfounded. Why would he want to talk to me?

Would you cut the 'the boy' crap, Nico? They know it's Will.

Fiiiine. Will it is.

Before I could say anything, Bianca came running up to me, breathless. "Nico!" she cried. "Sorry I'm late, practice ran over."

I raised my eyebrows. "You're not late," I said. "It's like five minutes past 5:30."

She just smiled at me through her panting. She waved to Percy, which turned his walk across the lawn into a jog. I did my best not to stare. I failed.

"Will?" Bianca asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"You know him?" I asked.

"Lab partner," Will explained. "Funny seeing you here, Bianca!" I couldn't help but smile a little when he said that. It was so awkward it became cool again. But I quickly wiped it off my face. Why was I smiling over some stupid stranger?

"What's up?" Bianca asked.

"I'm..." he glanced at me nervously, but it was so quick that I assumed I'd seen things. "I'm, uh, stranded. Here. Um... my dad's holed up at work, and..." his voice trailed off.

"I'm here!" Percy announced. "What's up?" Bianca introduced Will and explained the situation. "We can drop you off?" Percy offered.

"Yeah!" I agreed readily, eager to catch Percy's attention. "Where do you live?"

"It's too far from here," Will protested.

"Then come home with us!" Bianca offered. "Your dad can pick you up at our place."

It was a little weird to me that Bianca jumped to that so quickly, but she was such a caring person, and if she wasn't tripping over her words she had to know him well enough to know that he wasn't a serial killer. So, I went along with it.

Jules-Albert picked us up a few minutes later. Will's eyes widened when he saw the stretch limo. He literally gasped when he went inside. "Is that velvet?" he asked, running a hand over the seats.

"I know, dude, I know," Percy said, patting Will on the back. "I felt like that the first time, too. You never get used to it."

"Help yourself to anything," Bianca said. "Water?" She held a water bottle out to him. Will chugged it in seconds flat.

At first I tried to talk a little-mostly for Bianca's sake, she hated it when I was antisocial-but something sapped the life out of me again. And, for once in my life, it wasn't Percy. I don't believe in love at first sight, but from the moment I saw Will, I liked him. Our conversation hadn't been much, but it had been the best moment of my day. There was something to that smile that lit up my world. Deep down, I wanted to get lost in those eyes and never be found again.

The problem? I'd seen the way Bianca's eyes were lighting up when he spoke to her. I'd seen the way Will was constantly fidgeting and grinning at her. He hadn't taken his eyes off her once during the entire ride. I knew this was why Bianca was so eager to invite him over. If they weren't dating already, they would be soon.

I'd fallen for another straight and taken guy... this time, taken by my own sister.

Jules-Albert parked the limo and opened the door for us. Will's shoulder brushed against mine as we shuffled out of the car. I pretended not to notice the tiny spark at the point of contact. There was no way he felt it too.

The moment I climbed out of the limo I wanted to crawl back in. Because in front of me was a moving truck. A few men carried boxes into our mansion, directed by a familiar face. Jet black hair pulled into a ponytail, brown skin even darker than normal from being baked in the sun. Her usual dirty jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt, sneakers, and gloves were replaced with a white sundress and flip-flops.

She turned when Jules-Albert slammed the door closed. She smiled and waved as she walked over to us, but, to me, it looked like the snarl of a she-wolf. "It's wonderful to see you guys! How was school?" she chirped. "Don't worry, my mother isn't here. Hazel's already inside if you want to say hi."

Will held his hand out to her. "Will Solace. I'm new. What's your name?"

She laughed. "Aren't you cute! You don't have to be so formal. I'm Persephone Levesque, Bianca and Nico's soon-to-be stepmother."

My vision went red. I can't tell you all the things I wanted to say to her... but Percy, Bianca, and Will were all standing right there. I didn't want Bianca to be disappointed with me, and I sure as fuck wanted to make a good impression on Percy and Will. So I bit my tongue and stomped away.

I passed through the kitchen on my way to my room. Hazel sat at the breakfast bar munching on some cheese and crackers. She tried to say hi, but I just rolled my eyes at her and pushed through without a word.

It wasn't until I got to the stairs that I started to run. Why was our house so big? There were too many hallways from the kitchen to my room.

I slammed the door shut and blasted the first song that showed up on my phone. I grabbed the first thing I saw-an empty bottle of vodka-screamed, and threw it at the wall. It shattered into pieces.

I opened a new bottle and chugged it until my insides felt like they were on fire. I grabbed the only picture I had of Papà off my nightstand: him and me with Bianca the day she woke up from the coma. "How could you do this to me?!" I shouted. I punched the glass frame until it broke and ripped him out of the photo. I pulled out my cigarette lighter. One little click and my father burned to ashes.

Nico! You could've set the house on fire! Are you kidding me?

...

*A deep breath*

I watched the flames gobble the photo as my mind drifted back to a different fire, the one on the plane that took Mamma away.

Bianca was happy. Papà had moved on. New singers had become the face of D.O.A. Recording Studios. Was I the only one who still remembered Maria di Angelo?

END NOTES

Persephone's meant to be Persian, Arab, something in that general area.

If you've read my other fics, you know why Nico's dealer was Alabaster and not one of the other bad guys. And if you don't know who Alabaster is, he's a son of Hecate who served in Kronos's army. He's in a short story called "the Son of Magic" in the Demigod Diaries.

This week's beta commentary:
STORY: [Nico] spent those two hours alone somewhere, doing graffiti, drinking, smoking... aka all the things I didn't like.
JOJO: lmao i love how clueless B sounds about what the 'troubled kids' get up to
MELODY: Yeah, she's not the one who sounds clueless. I'm a goody-two-shoes who's never even seen underage drinking before. HELP MEEEEE
JOJO: hahaha that's perfect for her though

Credits:
Author: Melody Rose (Tumblr melody0rose)
Beta Readers: Jojo (Archive of Our Own bannedfrompencils), Luna Rain (Tumblr peppermintlove1)

Please comment so I know what you think! See you next week!

COMMENTS

AlchemyWriter

Wooo! Solangelo!

And, as you can see, more to come!

Fenikkusu94

I'm a little late on reading this. But this was pure poetry. I loved it. I cant wait for cinnamamon roll Nico. TeeHee.

Aw, thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you liked it! And you'll get plenty of Nico in the story to come, trust me.

The Goode Ravenclaw

Jason is so cute when he's flustered about Piper! I love them and they are so underrated! I have only had Will for one chapter, but I will kill everyone and then myself if something happens to him. (good job if you get that reference). Let me just say that I am like 98% sure that in this fic, Bianca would be a Slytherin. I can't wait for the next chapter of this and/or Ghosts of the Millenia (I think I spent that wrong) I live it so much!

I know, right?! I love Jason/Piper so so so much. Lol, I'm glad to see I did Will justice. I did not get that reference, unfortunately. I think Bianca would be a Slytherin too, just like Nico. (Also I fixed the formatting issue you found last chapter)