"Will, this is suicide!"

"I know." The child of Apollo was terrified as well.

"Please, you can't," Kayla begged.

"I have to! For Nico," he said in a voice colored with shades of longing. The time spent together in the infirmary felt ages ago. It flew by way too quickly. Worst of all the other had been passed out a huge chunk of it. They barely talked. Every now and then, when his doubts and fears reached a new high, he wondered if the son of Hades even remembered his name - which was stupid cause he had distinct memories of his stomach doing flips whenever Nico's mouth formed the syllables that were purely meant for him and him alone. It wasn't enough. He clenched his fists. Whole story short, they weren't friends. Not really. But that wasn't what Will wanted anyway.

"Don't," his sister warned once again.

Too late, Will's mind was set. The sheet of paper in his front pocket sat heavy over his racing heart. If this was what it took, so be it. He would do anything. No questions asked. Nico was a gift not to be wasted and he trusted Percy.

His siblings watched in horror as their beloved brother marched straight into his doom.

"Exit-plan alpha," Will heard them whisper behind his back.

He braced himself and walked to the small group of heroes and past them where Nico was sharpening his blade, ready to rip the bandage off.

"Solace?" The son of Hades looked up through his mesmerizing dark lashes.

Will's body shivered as he leaned over the boy, casting a shadow on his angelic but admittedly very confused looking face. He put his arm on his shoulder before the last slivers of courage could disappear. His pale blue eyes glinted slightly crazed. "Hey," Will made his voice as deep as possible and hoped to the gods that his hand wasn't gross or sweaty.

The prince of the Underworld blinked while Jason instantly grabbed the hilt of his sword. Seeing Nico cornered by the son of Apollo evoked all kinds of unwanted feelings. Automatically his feet began to move.

"Wait, wait, this is going to be fun," Percy held his obsessively possessive friend back. A sly grin formed on his mouth. There was no stopping the train-wreck he'd set into motion. Usually, the son of Poseidon preferred not to get caught up in the drama, he was also a simple man and enjoyed a good show as much as the next person.

"If you were a McDonald's burger, you'd be the McGorgeous," Will said and the world froze - all eyes on them. The cherry on this nightmare cake was the most exaggerated wink in human history that followed.

Kayla rubbed her hand over her face. "Social suicide," she mumbled.

It deserved to be noted that Nico did not, in fact, decapitated him on the spot. Instead, his brows knitted together.

"Thanks, but I've talked to enough clowns today," Nico snorted before he removed the healer's arm with a detached profession. It also deserved to be noted that he wasn't shying away from him either.

Will grinned wryly and opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a loud shout.

"WILL! Hurry, the infirmary - it's an Emergency!" Austin burst through the door.

For a moment the blond had the guts to look conflicted. His eyes flickered between his brother and the dark beauty in front of him as if debating which was more important. It should have been obvious. Will bit his lips.

"Shit. Sorry, got to go!" Will finally forced his feet to move as if they too wanted to stay as close to Nico for as long as possible. He paused one last time and added. "See you around."

The chains of Nico's belt rattled in the sudden silence. And then the room exploded with wild laughter. Piper, Leo, and Percy fell on their knees, tears in their eyes and holding their stomachs. Even Annabeth and Jason joined in, while Calypso kept scolding them despite her own smile.

Nico frowned. He could still feel the sensation of warmth radiating from where the other had touched him. Slowly it faded. Staring at the empty space Will had left, he shook his head. Weird.

.

.

.

"What's the emergency?" The son of Apollo panted.

"You being stupid," Kayla informed him, arms crossed over her chest. "Thank gods breathing is a reflex."

"I appreciate the concern but -"

Austin kicked him in the shin. "Seriously, ever heard of something called dignity?" He spelled the last word for the other just to make sure.

Will brushed him off. "This is only the beginning." His face was set in stone, but his eyes were twinkling.

"It would take a miracle to make this work. Quit the pick-up lines and stop acting like an idiot."

"It's pathetic," the youngest member of the Apollo cabin chimed in and earned a piece of candy.

"Never!" Will laughed and stuck out his tongue.