Nico was finally free of major war, no Kronos and no Gaea. Only thing left being monsters of a simpler time.
"Ahhh Nico Di Angelo, puny son of Hades. Welcome to your death!" Said a possessed and broken mortal with the voice of a wraith from Tartarus. This was his first mission after the war. A simple one offered by Thanatos, get rid of this wraith and earn some favors.
Instead of being simple for Nico it ended up being rather difficult.
Here he stood alone against 20 semi-wraiths and one full blown wraith. This is brilliant, thanks Thanatos. You owe me big time.
He gripped his Stygian sword tighter and lunged. His speed reaching superhuman levels due to his demigod physique. The sword arched downwards a trail of shadow behind it. The Wraith put out his own sword. The two weapons clashed in the middle and the force of the blow destroyed the entire room they were in and made cracks appear in the floor.
Jumping backwards Nico created shadow tentacles out of the floor to disperse the half-wraiths whilst he deal with the actual problem. "Shadows do nothing to me boy!" "Well good thing I have a sword then." Nico replied with a smirk.
They both clashed again in the middle, small shockwaves appearing each time the two forces of nature clashed. The most powerful son of Hades ever and the remnants of a renowned son of Zeus. Lightning crackled along the Wraith's sword and the air smelled ozone.
Thalia! Nico thought before ducking, just in time too as a lance of electricity flew above him destroying a chandelier. "You should have never left the underworld. The dead are supposed to stay dead." Nico stated catching his breath.
"My father promised me! He said that if I lived to 21 he would gift me immortality, to prove I was strong enough!" Its always uncle Z doing stupid things… "I never made it to 21! I died at 17. You know how old I am now!" The Wraith roared. "654! I can have immortality! I just need to get to Olympus, my father loves me! He promised!" Great a deranged lunatic son of Zeus.
Instead f answering Nico commanded the shadows to conceal him. "Surrender and you may stay in Asphodel." Nico spoke from everywhere. All the shadows speaking his voice. "NEVER!" "Fields of Punishment then." Nico sighed.
The other wraiths were already gone so he could fully exploit the shadows. He jumped in and out slashing at the Wraith form all angels, slowly diminishing its power.
"NOO!" A burst of electricity surged outwards in all directions ripping up the floors and shooting fragments all directions. Nico thinking quickly surrounded himself in a bubble of darkness swallowing anything thrown at it.
The Wraith being exhausted could not detect Nico's attack fast enough nor put up a good defense. Three slashes later and the Wraith was gone. "To the fields of punishment you go." Nico whispered to the Wraith one last time.
Time to get back. After 3 days I can finally see Will again. No. There is nothing going on between us I just lov- like him as a friend. Nothing more.
Nico dove into the shadows and emerged at Camp Half-Blood. His neutral face turned a shadeo f red when he saw Will running towards him. I never thought that. Never, not at all. He will hate me if I tell him. I can't.
"Infirmary now! Doctors orders." Will asserted. Nico started to argue but Will just picked him up and carried Nico into the infirmary. "Will put! Me! Down!" Nico shouted indignantly. Will just grinned and continued.
They got into the infirmary and Will found an empty room. "Drink this." He handed Nico some random concoction. "Eat this." Nico once again something weird. A green fudge thingy. "Then sleep, you shouldn't do much Underworld-ly stuff. You are draining yourself." Will said determined.
"But its fun!" Nico started to pout. Will sighed and laughed at Nico's facial expression. "Go to sleep, that's final."
101
Nico woke up to a very annoying son of Apollo smiling at him. "Good morning Death Boy." He said happily. Nico grunted then looked at Will. That smile is so cute. No cool. "Have you been watching me sleep?" Nico said raising one eyebrow. Will blushed and tried to cover it up. Nico noticed. Wait I said it as a joke! You did? Not that I would mind Nico thought to himself before he saw Will staring at him and smiling still bright like a tomato. Then he had to open his mouth. "You said that out loud." Oh fuck me.
Now it was Nico's turn to become a Tomato. The next Halloween they should all be tomatoes. Nico hurried up and got on some clothes keenly aware of Will still in the room. "You enjoying the sight?" Nico asked mischeviously. It was always Will making Nico fluster but it felt good to do it the opposite way.
"No, uh I mean yes. Uhhh. Yes." With that a very red Will left the infirmary. Nico just grinned. They say an Apple a day keeps the doctor away. I didn't need an apple at all. Feeling in a good mood Nico got ready for breakfast.
When he got there he sat down at the Zeus table. After the war the rules relaxed greatly, now able to sit with whoever except in very official dinners. "Hey cuz. How did the mission go?" Jason asked and Nico started retelling the battle from yesterday.
"A brother of mine huh. Well want to spar after breakfast?" Jason asked. Nico thought for a moment. "Sure on the top of the Lava wall, we need stakes." Jason just grinned and they continued talking.
In the arena two masters of swordsmanship faced eachother. "You know this battle will technically reveal who is the second best swordfighter." Jason pondered out loud. "True, we both know Percy's number one. May the best be second place then." Nico said with a mischievous smile.
They both got into ready stances and called the battle. The first strike came from Jason, a thrust followed by a spin then a slash. Nico dodged the first and second before parrying the third taking the opportunity to swing back.
The Black sword came in from the side and missed Jason's stomach by mere inches. Jason didn't seem faced and forced the Stygian sword away from his body before swinging straight at Nico's stomach.
Nico brought up his sword and blocked. The connection made the earth shake, sparks flew and the shadows grew. "Powers?" Jason asked. Nico nodded before summoning large tendrils out of the shadows that lunged straight at Jason, in return came a torrent of lightning straight towards Nico.
Using the same shadow bubble as the previous fight Nico blocked all of it though with considerable more strain. Instead of only dispersing the bubble he exploded it outwards creating a crater in the ground and flinging Jason across the arena.
Instead of landing unconscious Jason flipped around in the air and sent a massive gust of wind straight at Nico. A wall of shadows appeared in front of the son of Hades which split to reveal Nico charging straight at Nico.
Another clash between the sword and the air vibrated. A swing at the legs and Nico jumped before launching an overhead strike which Jason blocked and once again power crackled. A blast of shadows shot out of Nico's empty hand and only Jason's quick thinking saved him.
Jason held his sword straight at the sky and clouds crackling with electricity appeared. He summoned lightning bolts straight at Nico who had to dodge or block most of them. He jumped into the shadows and practically dive bombed Jason.
A cut then he disappeared before reappearing at the front swinging at Jason's feet before shadow-traveling under Jason and stabbing the left foot.
After about a minute if the back and forth Jason blocked Nico's strike before trying to disarm him. This failed and Nico used the opportunity to punch Jason in the face, grab his sword and hit Jason with the butt end of the sword.
"I yield." Jason said between grunts of pain and exhaustion. "You're still number 3!" Nico cheered. "Just shut up already." Jason grumbled before limping towards the infirmary. "You coming cuz?" Jason asked.
After yet another night in the infirmary Nico was well rested and it was time for the sing along.
101
"Hey Neeks want to sit with me?" Yes. No. Say YES! "Sure." Nico said with a sigh whilst on the inside skeleton butterflies were having a riot. "Why aren't you singing?" Nico questioned Will. He only shrugged. "Didn't get the singing part of Apollo." "You got the looks." No! Why did I say that! They both became Tomatoes. "No. Uh yes. No,- yes." Nico stuttered. Will was still red but smiled at Nico.
Many hours later and it was still going, it got cold a few hours ago but then it somehow stopped. He didn't realsie until he saw noticed his whole body benig pressed to Will. Leaning in for the warmth. Did I do that on instinct. Dam. Nico blused by isn't that just a normal occurrence now.
He didn't dare to move and stayed that way snuggled in with Will the whole night. He almost fell asleep until he felt the warmth leave. "No stay." He mumbled out before shooting up realizing what he just said.
Instead of answering Will lead Nico to the Hades cabin which had recently gotten a massive overhaul thanks to Annabeth and didn't look live a grave anymore. They got inside and Will put Nico in the bed and went to leave. "Stay." Nico once again mumbled before thinking. What did I do… Nico's heart was pounding.
"Sure." Will said happily, he looked almost relieved he didn't have to go. That must be a trick of the light. Wait there is no light. Well except Will he's practically glowing. Did I just imply Will is sunshine.
With that last thought Nico drifted off to sleep.
101
He woke up to bright light shining into his eyes. The sun, he hated the sun but loved Sunshine. He was about to get up when he noticed a warm presence curled up with him. "Will?" He asked in disbelief. Then he remembered last night. Will turned around ti him, noticed how close they were and once again became a Tomato. Their favorite past-time.
Now or never. "Ithinkihaveacrushonyouandhavehaditforayear." Nico spoke rapidly and it felt a like a massive weight had been taken off. "What?" Came Will's intelligent response. "I have a crush on you." Nico said trying to keep his voice calm.
For a second Will's face was blank then it lit up like a Christmas tree and his whole body started glowing, literally glowing. "YES!" He shouted. Now it was Nico's turn to look at him weirdly. Will quickly explained "I never knew if you like me or not. Now you confirmed it!" "Does that mean we are?" "If you want?" "YES!" "Then we are!"
With that uncomfortable turned comfortable morning they walked to the breakfast pavilion. "Do we tell or?" Will questioned. "We don't need to hide it but I don't want to just tell everyone." Nico answered much happier than he had been since his sister died. Followed by happiest day nr.2 when Leo came back.
The day passed quickly and quietly, constantly being with Will certainly helped Nico's mood. Already the first day the Aphrodite cabin had figured it out. Then after a week everyone was running around shouting Solangelo forever.
101
Another mission from Thanatos involving an escape of souls in the Himalayas led Nico to find what looked like a Yeti. Its thick fur preventing the cold from damaging its body. Insteado f talking or even communicating it dumbly charges straight at Nico.
In response he raises his sword and in a single swipe the Yeti head is cut off and the mythical creature gone. The only thing remaining being its pelt. Suddenly there is a roar that shakes the mountainside. "You killed my son!" A snow spirit shouts making a blizzard form.
"Who are you?" Nico questions. "Delatinus! Spirit of the Himalayas! Now you shall face my wrath!"
Massive ice shards decend on Nico who has to dodge or block all of them. The spirit comes down to the ground and creates gusts of wind intending to blast him off of the mountain. That fails and instead Nico shadow travels behind the mountain spirit slashing away its arm. The roar of pain sends Nico 100feet away.
The blizzard picks up and hundreds of small cuts appear all over Nico's face. His energy is goni own fast, he needs to end the battle now. In a last ditch effort he engulfs the entire area in darkness then collapss it all on the spirit who is immobalized. The spirit is then cut down from a thoroughly exhausted Nico.
Just one more shadow-travel. That's all he would need. He willed the shadows to engulf him and then spit him out In Camp half-Blood. He saw Will running towards him and he fainted.
He opened his eyes groggily feeling as if several tonnes pressed down on his body. "How are you feeling my boy?" Chiron asked concerned. "As well as one can after defeating a yeti and a Mountain Spirit." Nico said with a sigh before closing his eyes again.
101
A few weeks later of having fun with his boyfriend Will and training with Jason he gets another mission from Thanatos.
A shadow-travel tur-retur he came back battered and bruised. "Nico! What happened?" Nic grumbled a response. "Nothing much, some old roman general with a skeleton army." Will handed over some ambrosia which Nico happily munched on. "Come on then." Will said and lead Nico to the dinner pavilion.
They sat down together and ate. Continuing to argue and talk the rest of the evening.