CHAPTER SUMMARY

The party, part two.

BEGINNING NOTES

Word Count: 2960
Content Warning: Mild Violence

This is an evening post 'cause I'm in Pittsburg for my brother's graduation. Go Carnegie Mellon University Class of 2019!

Shoutout to anyone who gets the reference in the title.

And all the characters are owned by Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

I'm going to take over for a bit.

Yeah, sure, go ahead, Nico.

So, last time you saw me, Bianca threatened to drag me down to the party. I did not want to go, like, at all. I hate people most of the time; I wasn't in the mood to talk-I'm usually not-and the last thing I needed was to see Percy with Annabeth or Will with Bianca. It's way easier to bury your feelings when you aren't put in a situation where you have to feel them. I know Bianca thought she was trying to help, but I knew I was going to have a lousy time.

And boy was I right.

I didn't need my big sister embarrassing me, so I got dressed and forced myself to go downstairs. I decided I'd find Bianca so I could prove I came to the party, stay five minutes, then sneak back upstairs and try to ignore everything. I should've known that was wishful thinking. I would never be so lucky.

I found her talking to Will. I stopped in my tracks. I didn't need to see this, I didn't want to see this, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. I couldn't hear what they were saying over the music, but they were both smiling a lot. They seemed really comfortable with each other. I hated it, and I hated myself for hating it. This was Bianca, my sister, the person who practically raised me. She'd never hurt me in my life, never put herself first. Why did I want to take away someone who made her so happy?

She gave him something, but I couldn't see what. My heart sank; she never gave gifts unless she was super close to the person. And then she kissed him.

On the cheek!

I know that. But it still hurt beyond belief. Like she said before, it's an Italian thing, but when I already thought they were going to get together... this felt like my proof. She'd kissed him. She'd kissed him. And he had this nervous, awkward smile that was so adorable I wanted to scream. I backed away, desperate not to cry. I hadn't hurt this bad since I found out Percy already had a girlfriend. No, this hurt even worse than that.

I bumped into someone. He shoved me back and said, "Watch where you're going, creep!"

It was Bryce Lawrence, the meanest kid on the football team. I hated that guy. He was a bully, a loser. The year before, he'd asked Bianca out, and when she said no, he started harassing her, spreading rumors about her, calling her a slut and a whore, all that douchebaggery... until I told Percy and Jason, and they punched his lights out.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I growled. "Get the fuck out of my house!"

Bryce laughed. "Yeah, right. What are you going to do about it? Go hide behind your friends, loser."

I clenched my fist. "You wanna go? I can take you in a fight, easy."

You're five foot nothing with spaghetti arms.

Shut up.

I don't remember exactly what happened next. He cussed at me, I yelled back, and soon the crowd had formed a circle around us, chanting "Fight!" Soon my jacket was on the floor. And my fist made contact with his face.

Papà had forced Bianca and me to take some self-defense classes in middle school. I remembered enough to know that you always go for the temple. Bryce staggered backward, and I punched him in the stomach and kneed him in the crotch. I punched him in the cheek, the mouth, wherever I thought would hurt the most. I may be small, but I'm quick. For a while, Bryce couldn't get a hit in.

Then, I heard Hazel shout my name. I turned on instinct, just for a second, but that second was enough for Bryce to punch me in the back of my neck. It hurt. I stumbled. He kicked the back of my knees, and I fell to the ground. He walked to my front, grabbed me by my shirt, and said, "You're going to pay, you son of a bitch." And he went to town.

It only ended when Hazel and Reyna pulled Bryce off of me. Reyna threw him on the ground and kicked him in the nose and yelled at him to get lost. Terrified and in pain, Bryce scrambled up and ran out the door.

"He's going to come after us again," Hazel said. "There's no way he's letting this go." She sounded pretty scared, but I was too angry to care.

"How could you be so stupid?" Reyna demanded. "He's twice your size!"

I spit out some blood. "I was doing just fine before Hazel distracted me!" I yelled. "Just- just leave me alone!"

I pushed my way into the crowd before Hazel could stop me. She called out my name, but I didn't look back. I ran up the stairs with the full intention of going back to my room and drowning in vodka. But I heard someone stomping up the stairs after me.

"Get off my fucking back, Hazel," I spat.

"I'm not." It was Will.

I turned. I couldn't help it. And I hated myself for it. I kept thinking, don't talk to him, you'll make things worse for yourself, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't help it.

"Let me clean you up," Will said. "My brother Michael used to be an army doc. He taught me a few tricks." He smiled, trying to reassure me, and my heart stopped. It should be against the law for someone to be so perfect.

I tried to tell him to get lost, but all I could say was "Umm..." I must've sounded like an idiot. Will scrunched his eyebrows the way he does when he's concerned. He asked if I had a concussion. I told myself to run and lock the door, but my feet wouldn't budge. Say something, anything, I thought. I could've said a simple "no," maybe "leave me alone," but instead I went with, "You don't want to see my room; it's a mess."

Will laughed, and my heart went from not beating at all to beating double time. "You've got enough guest rooms," he told me, "So, pick one."

Again, I should've run out of there, but instead, I heard myself say, "Okay."

I'm gonna regret that "okay" for the rest of my life.

Nico, he's literally your boyfriend. Why would you regret this now?

We would've gotten together eventually; you made sure we saw each other all the time. This is why I regret it:

Will did that thing where he slung my arm around his shoulders to help me walk. I kept saying that I was okay, I could walk on my own, but he was too stubborn to listen. I directed him to the nearest guest room-luckily, no couples were making out in it. Will walked me to the bed. He ran to the master bathroom to grab first-aid stuff, leaving me alone for a bit. I spent the entire time calming myself down. I saw that kiss every time I closed my eyes.

Will came back. He locked the door behind him. "So we don't get interrupted," he said. For half a second, I indulged myself. I pictured a different situation, where Will was saying that to me for a different reason, a romantic reason.

That was the moment I knew I was fucked.

Will asked to take a look at me. For once in my life, I didn't argue. He inspected my face, asked me to open my mouth, stuff like that. "I don't think anything's broken," he told me. "I don't think you'll have to go to a doctor."

I was definitely relieved. If Papà found out I'd gotten into a fight... it wouldn't be pretty.

"Can you take your shirt off?" Will asked. "I want to make sure you aren't bleeding."

My face got hot. I should've sent him packing, but my stupid mouth wouldn't let me say it. I did it without a word.

Will took out an alcohol wipe and started to clean my wounds. Then, he tossed the wipe and took out a wet washcloth. He dabbed at my wounds; he was so gentle I didn't feel a thing. It felt... I guess there's no other word for it but intimate. It felt so right. But it couldn't feel right. I wasn't out to anyone, and this was a straight guy, my sister's crush.

But I couldn't get myself to push him away.

He wrapped gauze around my chest wounds. "Why'd you do that?" Will asked. He didn't sound like he was accusing me, he sounded more... like he actually cared about me, not the scary emo kid or Bianca's little brother. Bianca was the only other person who'd ever spoken to me like that. It felt good. I hated that.

If you haven't noticed, though, I had no control over what I did around him. To anyone but Bianca, I would've been out the door in a second. I told myself to leave, I remembered my promise that I wouldn't talk to him anymore until whatever I was feeling went away. Get out, just go, it isn't rocket science, I thought, but my feet wouldn't move.

I had to say something, or he'd get mad at me. I didn't think I could take that. But what was I going to say? "I saw you with Bianca and started feeling things because I keep thinking about you, oh, by the way, I'm gay?" He'd run out the door. He'd tell people. How could Bianca ever look at me again? How could Percy?

I didn't want to lie to him, though. So I said, "You're new. You don't get it. Bryce is a creep."

"But he's twice your size," Will pointed out.

"I've heard," I snapped. "Look, I haven't had a good week. I just lost it, okay?"

Will finished with the gauze. He rummaged around for some band-aids for my face as he talked. "Bianca told me your dad's getting remarried. That... sucks."

"Papà doesn't care," I said. "Couldn't he at least wait until I'm gone before he betrays Mamma's memory?"

"I don't think that would make it any better. You'd still have to see her when you get back from college," Will pointed out.

I laughed bitterly. "Could you imagine me in college? I'm barely passing."

"Then what are you going to do?" Will asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "One thing's for sure, though: once I leave, I'm never coming back."

"He'd track you down eventually," Will pointed out.

I rolled my eyes. "He wouldn't care. Hell, I don't know if he would notice, he spends so much time at the office. Persephone proves that he doesn't care about anyone but himself." Will pulled out the bandages. I watched him rummage through the box to find the right sizes. "Bianca's my family," I continued. "She's the one who raised me, she's the one who loves me. I don't need anyone but her."

We didn't talk while Will put the bandages on me. That was, again, the worst thing that could've happened, because it meant I had time to think. My own words echoed in my brain. I knew what I had to do, even if it killed me. All her life, Bianca had taken care of me. I had to put her first.

After he was done with the band-aids, he said, "You're good," and started to clean everything up. I took a deep breath. This was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.

"Will?" I said. "You should go for it with Bianca."

His back was to me, so I didn't see his reaction. "Go for what?" Will asked.

"Ask her out," I said. Every word stabbed me. I took another deep breath. I had to do this. "You make her really happy. I think you'd be a good couple. You guys get along great; I've never seen her open up like that to a stranger so fast." And it's obvious she likes you, I thought, but I couldn't bring myself to say that.

"You think?" Will said. He was still crouched over the first-aid kit with his back to me, but he turned his head. He had this sort of half grin on his face. "Thanks. I'll find her when I'm done here."

And my heart broke in two. "You do that," I forced myself to say. "I'm going to, um, rest a bit. Tell Bianca I'll be down at one to force people out and help her clean up."

"Sure," Will said. "See you, death boy."

"Death boy?" I asked.

Will laughed. "I saw your contact on Bianca's phone. 'The Ghost King' kinda sounds weird when you say it out loud. I like 'death boy' better."

"I'm Nico," I protested. "Don't call me 'death boy.' "

"Aight, death boy." Will smirked and headed out of the room.

TL;DR, that night wasn't the best for me. I spent the next hour in my room with a cigarette, chanting don't cry in my head.

I need a break. I'm gonna grab some water. Be right back.

Sure. I'll finish off the night.

So, Zoë, Phoebe, Naomi, Celyn, and I were in my room, freaking out over what we just heard. Thalia was pregnant. Pregnant.

"I can't believe it," Naomi said over and over again.

"I can," Zoë scoffed. "That's what happens when you trust a guy. He ruins your life."

"I don't think a baby will ruin her life," Celyn said.

"She's dirt poor, living on her own in the projects, and the baby daddy is in and out of jail; now she's going to have to see him for the rest of her life," Zoë replied. "I think that's enough to ruin it."

"Wait..." Phoebe said. "She won't be able to shoot in the spring. What about Jupiter's?"

Every year, Coach Artemis took two senior varsity members to San Francisco to represent the school at Camp Jupiter's Shootout, a month-long national archery tournament. It was a huge deal. There were tons of recruiters there for colleges, trainers, even the Olympics. Last spring, when we had tryouts, Zoë and Thalia won the spots. But Thalia would be nine months pregnant in May. There was no way she could go now.

"You came in third, Bianca," Zoë said.

"I can't go," I protested. "You think I could leave Nico alone for a month?" Or Papà, I thought, but I couldn't say that. He had an image to protect.

"We'll think of something," Celyn said. "Coach Artemis will come up with a plan."

"You do realize we can't tell her," I said. "Thalia can't know we know. She'd be furious. I don't want her to stop being friends with us when she's going to need us the most." And, on a personal level, I didn't want to lose my best friend. I continued, "Look, guys, it's not worth it to sit here and freak out. What's done is done. We just have to be there for Thalia, support her, because we all know Luke and he's not going to be her rock. There's nothing else we can do right now."

They agreed with me. We headed into the kitchen to grab some much-needed food. Will found me a few minutes later.

"Hey, Bianca, can I talk to you?" he asked. My friends raised their eyebrows.

"Sure," I said. "I'll be right back, guys." He took me to an empty room and shut the door. "This is about Nico, right?" Will nodded. "Great! Did you get him to talk to Hazel?"

He told me about the fight, Hazel and Reyna, and what Nico said when Will was tending to his wounds.

"This isn't how I wanted the night to go, but I'm not surprised," I said. "I'm glad he opened up to you; you're doing a great job."

Will rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. "He's also trying to set us up."

I laughed. "That's sweet of him."

"I think we should do it."

My face fell. As gently as I could, I said, "Will, I'm sorry, but you know how busy I am. I don't have time for a relationship right now."

"I know that," Will promised, "But Nico doesn't."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If I keep randomly popping up, he's going to catch on," Will said, "But if I'm your boyfriend, I've got a reason to go home with you every day. And he's got a reason to be nice to me-he's protective of you, and he'll want to make sure I'm a nice guy and treating you well. It's the perfect excuse."

"Just to clarify, you want us to fake date?" I questioned. Will nodded. I thought for a moment. I know how stupid this sounds now, but, at the time, it actually seemed like a good idea. I swear I'm not crazy! It just... you weren't there, okay?!

"Ground rules," I said, "I am Bianca, no pet names. You can kiss my cheek and hold my hand when you have to, but put your hands on my body, and I'll kick you where the sun don't shine."

"Done," Will said. "Also... no parents. And I can't take you to my house." I wanted to ask why, but he hadn't questioned my demands, so it felt rude to say anything. He held out his hand and said, "Do you have a deal?"

I took it. "Deal." We shook.

I warned you Will and I didn't make anything better for Nico.

END NOTES

This week's beta commentary:
STORY: Persephone proves that he [Hades] doesn't care about anyone but himself.
MELODY: (this is formatted like it is in the comment)
NICO: Hades doesn't care about me or anyone but himself.
HADES (last time we saw him): "Do you know how afraid I am? Do you know how much I love you? ... I can't go on without you. ... Bianca, you and Nico, your happiness, it means more to me than anything in this world."
EVERYONE: USE YOUR WORDS FUCKING TALK TO EACH OTHER GAH
JOJO: such accurate characterization

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

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

COMMENTS

Fenikkusu94

Gotta love the drama. I ship Thaluke so hard. but not so much in this fanfic.

Drama is everything in my fics. I'm on the same boat with Thaluke, but he definitely isn't the best in this fic.

Junebug

Junebug:Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Solangelo! This is one of my favorite fics, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep writing this!

Nico di Angelo, so help me, if you don't stop drinking/smoking, I will come over there and beat the tar outta you!

*Nico appears*

N: Juuuuune...

Me: Is it my fault if I want to take care of my little brother? (yep I'm a Hades kid)

N: June!

Me: :)

Thank you so much! I'm of course going to finish it, it's already written :) (I like your little play!)

The Goode Ravenclaw

"I'm a sarcastic little ***and I'm proud" Nico, you are such a mood

I am really curious about all the other nicknames. and oh ***Thalia is pregnant! damn. I can't wait until the party.

and I'm sorry for not commenting for the last chapter, I couldn't find the time and then forgot

Nico is life haha. I hope the party was everything you thought it would be! And don't worry, I love when you comment but never feel pressured to.

ZiaRashid12

Percy trying to get Piper and Jason together gives me life! It's so cute! Also, I'm glad to hear that this fan fiction won't be as dark as your other ones (I love them though).

The Jason subplot was definitely super fun to write. Yeah, I needed something lighter after those super dark fics. I feast on your tears, but that kind of angst takes a toll on me too.