AN: Very short chapter, but it will make more sense with the chapter break.

Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Will's POV

He lightly played with Nico's hair, not really paying attention to the show he was watching on the tv across the room. After Nico had fallen asleep, he had found a remote in reach and started watching random tv shows. It was a mindless activity, but it distracted him from the turmoil his mind was in.

Nico had already slept for hours. Will felt exhausted as well, but he couldn't get his mind to relax enough to sleep. He was concerned about Cecil. He was also plagued with the constant worry about Nico and his mental state and where he would run off to next. And he didn't even want to think about school or moving to New York. He just wanted to forget everything.

Nico waking up disturbed Will from his thoughts. Nico nuzzled into Will's chest, causing the latter to look down at his boyfriend. Nico's eyes blinked open. He searched around for a bit before his eyes flicked up. Traces of a smile appeared as Nico rolled over and off Will's chest.

"Good morning," Will murmured, brushing the hair out of Nico's face.

"Did I sleep on you this whole time?" Nico asked, eyes bleary.

"I didn't mind. No nightmares?"

Nico shook his head as he sat up. "Did you sleep?"

"I wasn't tired. I just watched some shows." Nico's eyes fluttered to the tv as Will answered. He smirked.

"Catching up on Grey's Anatomy?"

Will shrugged. "It's a good show. How did you know about it?"

"It's a really popular hospital drama. I've seen billboards and ads for it the few times I have watched tv." Nico replied.

He yawned, stretching out his arms. Will moved as well, his body stiff from being in the same position for too long. He cracked his neck and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up. Nico watched him, still sprawling across the bed.

"I don't know about you, but I am starving," Nico informed.

As he spoke, the doors swung open. "Then it is a good thing I came in to bring you to dinner!"

Nico looked suspiciously at his father. "That was oddly perfect timing. Have you been listening at the door?"

"I haven't. I told Jules-Albert to tell me when you woke up. We've been waiting for you to awaken for hours." Hades explained.

Nico scowled as he got up from the bed. "You could have woken me."

Hades looked pointedly at Will. "I don't think your doctor would have let me do that." He clapped his hands. "At any rate, I expect you in the dining room in five minutes' time. Even gods get impatient. And I'm curious to learn more about you, son of Apollo."

"We will be out soon, Lord Hades." Will inclined his head towards the god of the Underworld.

Hades took his leave and shut the doors after himself. Will and Nico didn't move for a moment. Then, Will grabbed his bag and headed for the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked.

Will held up his bag. "I'm about to have dinner with two gods; I'm going to dress up."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You really don't have to do that. He's not that intimidating."

"Did he not, on multiple occasions, threaten you? Didn't he deceive you when you brought Percy down here?" Will opened his bag and started pulling clothes out. He put these on the counter.

Nico shrugged. "He's lightened up a lot since then."

"Still, I don't want to make a bad impression on him," Will explained as he pulled his shirt off.

"With a body like that, I don't think you can."

"Well, your dad is not going to be seeing my body," Will stopped after he said this. He looked in shock at Nico. "Hang on, are you hitting on me?"

"What? I thought it was a nice compliment."

"You don't do that though. You hate compliments. Your job is to pretend like you hate me." Will pulled off his shorts and pulled on a pair of black slacks.

"That's right, I forgot, I'm sorry. You look like crap." Nico said sarcastically. "How did you know to pack nice clothes?"

"Maybe I just always have a pair of nice clothes in case I have impromptu dinners with the gods," Will answered. He pulled a belt through his pants after tucking his white shirt in.

Nico rolled his eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen you in anything except a t-shirt or scrubs."

He started combing his hair. "Like what you see?"

"I might, but I'm not supposed to compliment, so I guess I will have to say no."

Will put his comb down. He pecked Nico on the cheek. "There's my Death Boy."

Nico shoved Will away. "Don't call me that. Now c'mon, we got to go to dinner."

"Aren't you going to change?" Will asked.

Nico hit his forehead. "Right! I forgot! I have to dress up for dinner in my own home." He quickly pulled off his t-shirt and pulled onto another black shirt. He clapped his hand onto Will's shoulder. "Thanks for reminding me. I almost embarrassed myself."

"You are being a brat," Will pushed open Nico's double doors.

Jules-Albert was outside, waiting to lead them to dinner. He bowed to them and started walking. Will looked at Nico but followed without complaint. He looked to the back of Jules-Albert's skull. His chauffeur hat was torn in places, the original black fading to grey. Will looked more closely and noticed a worm rooting around in his hat. He grimaced as he looked at his surroundings.

He surveyed the palace walls, but there wasn't much in the department of interior design. The walls were black, complemented by the black and dark red marble floors. Eerie red candlesticks were held in place by candleholders on the wall every few feet, providing light in the dim hallway. The wax dripping from them looked like blood. There were spiderwebs dangling from them. Will felt a shiver go down his spine and focused on the path in front of him.

"So, I take it you don't approve of my father's palace?" Nico asked.

Will smiled sheepishly. "I mean, it's kind of creepy. The candles and spiderwebs. It's like something out of a horror movie."

"It's my dad likes the creep factor," Nico informed. "But, usually it's not this... messy. My father is still hiring his cleaning crew. After we lost Bob-" Nico trailed off, as he usually did when remembering something sad. "Anyway, the hallways and ballrooms aren't usually this bad. The torture room and dungeons on the other hand..."

The breath was sucked out of Will. "Torture room?"

Nico winked at Will, so Will didn't know if he was kidding or not. They had arrived at the dining room doors. Jules-Albert pushed open the doors. A large, black marble dining table was revealed. The table was laden with plates and silverware but lacked food. There were stacks of ambrosia and goblets of nectar, but Will and Nico would not be able to touch these, for fear of spontaneously combusting. He might have to request a doggy bag of the ambrosia to replenish his supply at Camp.

At either end of the table, Hades and Persephone lounged in their respective chairs. 'Chairs' was a humbling term. The chairs were more like smaller scales of the thrones that resided in the throne room. Two smaller chairs were on each side, facing each other. For Will and Nico. Straight across from the entrance, a green fire burned in the fireplace, bathing the room in light. Greek fire. Deadly, but apparently used to warm godly palaces! The green from the fire created shifting shadows and did not give either of the gods sitting a very healthy complexion.

Hades looked up as the two boys entered. He stood, spreading his arms wide. "Welcome, demigods."

Will inclined his head respectfully.

Nico pointed a finger gun. "Sup?"

"At least one of them has nice manners," Persephone sniffed disdainfully. "And he can clean up nicely as well."

"Thank you," Will replied, looking out of the corner of his eye to see Nico's reaction. He looked as if he had swallowed something sour. At that moment, Will's stomach decided to rumble.

"And where are your manners, Nicolas, making your guest wait for dinner?" Persephone admonished.

"My name is Nico, not Nicolas and it has never been Nicolas," Nico said through gritted teeth. "You could have eaten without us, no one was stopping you."

"Enough, both of you," Hades warned. "I will not tolerate this bickering in my palace. Nico, learn to respect your stepmother-"

"Respect is earned-"

Hades ignored Nico's intrusion. "-Persephone, don't blame the boy for my mistakes."

"Glad to know my mother was a mistake," Nico said sarcastically. "Why don't we summoned her from the Underworld and get the whole happy family together?"

Hades' eyes flashed as he glared at his son. Nico stared back for a moment. The two fought a silent battle before Nico broke the eye contact off.

"Now, if all the fighting is done, please, join us for dinner." Hades requested. Nico and Persephone shared one last death glare before Nico grudgingly sat. Will took his seat as well. "Thank you, now we can begin."

Will looked down at his plates. He assumed it was similar to Camp Half-Blood. He thought about what he wanted. Grilled chicken and asparagus appeared on his plate. He glanced up at Nico. He was already digging into some sort of pasta. Will took that as a cue to begin eating.

He made it about halfway through before he realized that the two gods at the end were not eating, but merely observing Nico and Will. Will couldn't figure out why. Maybe they had already eaten. Or maybe they relied on sacrifices from Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter. Will put his utensils down for a moment.

Hades considered Will. "Well, Mr. Solace, you have been a guest in my residence before, when I requested your presence last December-"

Persephone interrupted. "What do you think of the palace? The decor? The amenities?"

"I- I think that it's really nice-" Will stammered out, the question catching him off guard. And to think he had been complaining to Will about the creep factor ten minutes ago.

"See? Even he thinks that the palace is a mess!" Persephone's eyes were flashing at Hades. "I have told you that it is time to hire a new cleaning crew!"

"There hasn't been time," Hades excused.

"These past couple of weeks, we've had nothing of time with the disappearance of-"

"Alright, alright!" Hades closed his eyes, pausing for a beat, admitting defeat to his wife. "We can talk about this when we do not have guests." He turned his attention back to Will. "Now, as I was saying. I've met you a fair few times, but I don't know much about you. The only thing I really know about you is your devotion to my son-"

"Father, what's your angle here?" Nico asked, mouth bursting. Will gave him a look and he swallowed before continuing, waving his fork in the direction of his father. "You don't actually care about our mortal lives."

Hades looked up to the heavens. "Why does everything I do in this palace get questioned?"

"It's okay, Lord Hades." Will interceded before another fight broke out. "I am in my sophomore year of high school. I've started my college search, but it just depends on what life at Camp looks like the next couple of years. If I did attend college, I would want to pursue something in medicine."

"Your healing powers would greatly benefit that career path." Hades nodded approvingly.

"Yes, I do use my healing powers, but I would also like to be experienced in the mortal approach to medicine. The basics of surgery and all that kind of stuff." Will explained. He was on the fence about college. His mother didn't make enough money to support any medical school he would want to go to.

"What about outside of school?" Hades asked. "How is your family?"

The question caused a lump to form in Will's throat. Nico froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. He looked up at Will.

"My mother, she lives in Texas," Will didn't dare say more.

His mother had relapsed, and Will hadn't spoken to her since finding out. He didn't know if she had gone back to rehab or was still using. He didn't want to think about it. He looked back up at Hades, who was staring at him intently. Will had a sinking suspicion that Hades had been able to read all that information.

But he didn't say anything about it. "And what other interests do you have?"

"I like musical theatre, even though I'm a lousy singer."

"That explains why Nico requested the Broadway tickets," Hades interjected.

Will looked at Nico. "You never explained how you got your hands on tickets."

"While I'm no god of theatre, like Dionysus, I do have some influence on Broadway. The show Hadestown has my name in it after all. You didn't hear it from me, but the musical might be getting a revamp in a couple of years. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if I saw some other musicals featuring me in a couple of years."

"You bribed Broadway?" Nico asked.

"And you got tickets out of it, so don't complain." Hades retorted. He looked back at Will. "You like music and healing. Do you have any interests outside your skillset?"

Will thought about this for a moment. "I help my mother tend to her garden…"

Persephone spoke up. "Now that is a hobby that I support. Do you know much about gardening?"

Will felt himself get nervous. This was the goddess of springtime; he didn't want to embarrass himself. "A- a fair amount, but I usually just watched and pulled weeds when needed."

"You can take him on a tour of your gardens, Persephone, when he has finished dinner," Hades suggested. "Nico and I have to have a discussion while you are visiting the garden."

Nico shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes found Will's. Will tried to send him a reassuring smile back, but he didn't know if the message came across. He realized Persephone was talking.

"-yes, my mother got me started on gardening, but it is truly my passion! I absolutely love it."

"Yes, I would love to see your garden, your Ladyship." Persephone beamed.

AN: So I know that Hadestown didn't come on Broadway until 2019, but it had multiple adaptations dating back to 2006 so that's what I'm referring too. I also hinted at The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical because I saw it and it was AMAZING!