The building had to be at least a hundred years old, built from the same wood as the town itself. The windows didn't do anything to keep the heat out. Everyone Will came into contact with looked ready to melt into the floorboards.

Percy interacted with everyone they passed. A wave, nod, handshake, maybe a word of greeting or two. A girl named Clarisse slapped him upside the head. Twins named Travis and Conner tried stealing his wallet. Percy took all of this in good fun. Will wondered how he had so little respect for peace.

He was always doing something one way or another, always staying social even if it involved being made fun of. Will wanted to step in whenever the "jokes" got too serious. He never did. Percy never stopped smiling.

Fake. That smile had to be fake. Right?

First period was English 3. Percy sat in the back of the room, leaving Will no choice but to also sit in the last row of seats. Drawings covered the ancient desks. Percy took a pen out and started to play with it. The blue ballpoint matched everything of Percy's, even his energy. Blue.

The teacher walked in just as the bell rang. He was a man in his thirties, with salt and pepper hair and kind eyes. His clothes were appropriate for his teaching position. Most of the kids seemed to respect him.

His eyes landed on Will. "You must be Will Solace," he smiled. "I'm Paul Blofis. Would you like to step into the hall for a quick talk?"

All eyes landed on Will. He felt like an intruder for the first time.

"Sure," he squeaked.

Chuckles erupted around him as he followed Mr. Blofis out into the hallway. Once the door was closed behind them, the conversations broke out behind the door but were unable to be understood.

"I wanted to properly introduce myself and welcome you to Frostford," Mr. Blofis said. "I know it can be scary being the new kid, and the teens around here don't take to new things, including people. So if you need anything, just let me know."

He took a paper from his pocket and handed it to Will. "Here are the phone numbers and addresses of all of your teachers. All the work you've missed won't count against you, but we'll start grading you on everything here on out. Are you trying to get to college?"

Will took the paper and pocketed it. "Yeah."

A flicker of something in those eyes. "I'm so glad to hear it. I've been trying to get Percy to...he has so much potential...all those wayward friends of his do. They just...they hurt, they have problems, they don't see life in the long run. Please don't let them get to you."

That same warning. What did all these adults expect them to do to him?

"I won't," Will assured, because this man seemed to just want the best for them. "I'm going to college."

It was just college. Why did everyone want him to go as if it would save his life? Run to its outstretched arms, they seemed to scream. There's nowhere else to go.

The promise made Paul's whole day just as it had Sally's. Their interest and involvement was enough for him. Why wasn't it for Percy?

.

.

His notebook was red and so was the textbook. Percy was beside him like usual, lunch was next period, and Mrs. Dodds was too deaf to hear any of their conversations. She had to be in her nineties, still up and teaching through some miracle. Her white hair reflected the artificial lights.

It was ten minutes into the Algebra 2 class when Nico decided to show his face. Everything in Will jolted and his whole system kickstarted. The boring math class he expected was suddenly no more.

Nico slipped in through the cracked door and made his way to the back of the room without a word to Mrs. Dodds. His boots made a cowboy-y sound against the floorboards. That hair, the braids, the hairpin; his eyes, black as a summer night, dead, cold as winter; his aura, the energy he radiated, everything about him that melted him and Frostford together in Will's mind.

"You were late to Will's first math class!" Percy whined as Nico sat beside them. There it was again, his constant speaking despite the topic, the constant company he demanded.

"I'm sure he'll get over it," Nico smiled. "Then again, he is your cousin."

Percy jabbed his pen in Nico's direction. "Rude. You know you love me."

Something in Nico's eyes pulsed in pain. Will saw it through the fractured glass of his composure. What was he hiding?

Percy didn't notice. Maybe if he had noticed…

"What are the plans?" Percy continued on. "Bunker?"

Nico nodded before turning to Will. "Are you coming?"

Butterflies. Their red wings fluttered in his throat and stomach. He nodded without knowing what the bunker was, without a second thought, even with piles of homework in his bag. Only when he noticed this did he realize how dangerous Nico di Angelo was.

They had warned him but had been too late. Something about Nico made him believe in love at first sight.

.

.

His apple was as red as the lunch table. He could only wonder where Sally had gotten it so fresh. Its color was its own sign of life.

Talk. Constant chatter. Percy never stopped. What made him hate silence?

"It's so hot," Piper groaned. "Can't we go to the lake instead?"

Percy's hand shot up. "I vote lake!"

"But Will hasn't seen the bunker," Leo whined. He looked different than he had earlier in the woods. Maybe it was because the tips of his hair were now singed. "I have to introduce him to Festus."

Annabeth fanned herself with one of her papers. Her blonde hair danced. "It is really hot, Leo. We can't stay long if we go to the bunker."

"We don't have to!" he insisted. "But can we? Please? Nico, vote for the bunker and I'll fix your bike's headlight."

Nico didn't look up from his phone. "I vote bunker."

Will was directly across from Nico at the table, thus able to notice every little thing about him. His stomach was a pool of red hot fire.

He hadn't had a crush like this before, so strong it was impossible to ignore, so strong it had to be more. Soulmates? There were scientific theories on them, and he believed in science. It could explain his infatuation with Nico.

Or he was just a love sick fool.

Whatever the case, it was there, it was strong, and Nico di Angelo owned him.

"I agree with Nico," Will spoke up. "I want to see what the bunker is."

Leo pointed a screwdriver in Will's direction. Why he had it at school, Will would never know. "New kid has spoken. Bunker it is."

"You need to install air conditioning," Piper insisted. "We would be voting with you if you did."

"My bike comes before air conditioning," Nico piped up. His eyes still didn't leave his phone. His fingers were typing away.

Will wondered who was on the other end of those text messages, who had stolen Nico's attention, who was worth that much to him.

"Now that that's settled…" Leo leaned forward and wiggled his eyebrows at Percy. "I heard Mr. Blofis went to your house Friday."

Piper gasped. "Again?"

Will looked between them all. "What am I missing?"

Percy glared at Leo over his slice of cold pizza. "Will doesn't know any of this."

"Can I tell him?"

Annabeth hit Leo with her book. "He's Percy's cousin. Let him explain."

Percy looked at Will. "Um...you know family can be messed up, right? I mean, your dad kicked you out for being gay, of course you do. But this is a different kind of messed up, like relationships and marriage."

Rambling. That rambling made Nico's head snap up from his phone. Those dark eyes stared at Will with a silent question.

He just outed you...are you okay?

Will gave him a nod and smile. Nico di Angelo had been ready to protect him.

"Mom and dad's relationship was never perfect," Percy continued, oblivious to their interaction. "After I was born, they broke it off for a little bit. There was too much drama, with your dad getting out and my...unplanned existence. When they finally got back together, things had changed. They married but decided to stay in an open relationship. Mostly because dad had gotten an old friend pregnant and mom had an ex husband… Long story. But they're in an open relationship. They haven't been with anyone else really, though. Dad and that girl broke it off when she lost the baby. And he hasn't been with anyone since. But mom met Paul..."

Will stared at him. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"It's not something that's public."

"Right."

"Did that scare you away?" Percy asked.

"Not as much as the fact I saw you put sour cream on your pizza," Will smiled. Laugh. Lighten the air. Percy shouldn't have any negative interactions because of the actions of his parents.

"Cold pizza," Percy argued, as if that explained it all. But his carefree smile was back and that was all that mattered.

Nico was staring at that smile with the cracked veil over his eyes. Will wondered how long before the cracks grew and the veil collapsed.

.

.

Last period was Spanish 3. Percy was playing with his pen like usual and talking his ear off about the latest Xbox game. Nico and Jason were sitting in the desks in front of them, Jason turned around to face them and Nico sitting sideways, his feet in Jason's lap. The teacher was sitting on his laptop with a bullshit video playing on the projector.

"Do you guys know any Spanish?" Will asked, generally curious. "Because it doesn't seem like it took a lot to get to this class."

"Me gusta pan!" Percy shouted. One kid threw an eraser at him. "Uh...me gusta pizza. Me gusta-"

"He's limited," Nico supplied. "Jason's pretty good but he actually studies. I know Italian."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you in a Spanish class?"

"They don't offer Italian."

Percy threw the eraser he had recently gained at Nico's face. "Neeks is bilingual."

"Call me Neeks again and I'll shove that eraser up your ass."

Will's eyes never left Nico when that boy was in the room. Maybe his obsession was stupid, was out of nowhere, but it was too strong to ignore.
When Nico was on his mind, he overwrote everything else.

"Bilingual?" Will asked. More. He wanted to know everything he could about this boy. Why he was bilingual, why his hair had braids in the back, where that hairpin was from. What had made his eyes so broken. Why he lifted that veil over himself to begin with.

Nico nodded but looked guarded. Rocky territory. "My mom was born in Venice. She was a diplomat or something."

"Nico doesn't know a lot about politics," Jason cut in. "But if you do, would you think about joining me and Reyna on the student council?"

Horrible change of subject. Nico rolled his eyes and brought out a box of cigarettes. He played with them, put his interest in them.

Another security blanket. The talk about his mother must have cut deep.

"No, thanks," Will declined. "I have too much work added on to going to see whatever the bunker is."

Jason's face fell. "They already roped you in to their activities?"

Will scratched the back of his neck. "Um…"

"We're not going to be there long," Nico assured. "It's too hot. We'll end up at the lake"

"That's not any better!" Jason argued. "The lake's dangerous. There's a reason there's 'no swimming' signs."

"That's just for liability."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. A vein pulsed in his forehead at what seemed to be a common argument.

"You guys are going to kill yourselves," he warned. "And now you're taking Will down with you."

Nico smirked. His lips were red and so kissable. "Better to die young than get old in this hellhole."

The sentence hurt something deep in Will, and it seemed to do the same to Jason. But Nico was smiling and that was everything.

Percy started rambling as soon as their conversation died. Something about Finding Nemo and the sharks portrayed in it. Nico went back to fiddling with his cigarettes while Jason actually pulled a textbook out and began to study. How he was friends with Nico and Percy, Will would never be sure. He was part of student council, he cared about his grades, hell, he cared enough about their safety to lecture them. And he still stayed with them when they went against everything he said.

Their relationships had to run deep. There was no other explanation.

So what was Will to them? He had known them for less than a day. Nothing about their relationships ran deep. When were they going to stop being so welcoming to him?

But the look Nico had given him at lunch, the anger in his eyes at Percy's carelessness, the protection. Something about the outting got to Nico.

Was he also…? Oh god, Will could only hope. To be with that boy would be the icing on the cake of his move to Frostford.

But Nico hadn't said it yet. Nico looked at him but not with love. Nico hadn't ever mentioned his sexuality or relationships.

Will noted to ask Percy whenever they got home.

The school day ended with the last bell. Will grabbed his bag and followed his new friends out of the building, keeping close to Nico like a lost puppy. If the other boy noticed, he didn't say anything. He kept on like normal, his key chain dangling from his hands, a cigarette in his mouth as soon as they stepped outside. He grabbed Leo's lighter from his pocket and lit it.

They grouped up around Jason's pickup and Nico's motorcycle. Percy had his arm around Annabeth's waist and was whispering something in her ear, her cheeks blossoming red. Her watch was the same color of love.

Nico perched on his motorcycle as Will had seen him do earlier in the woods. Gray smoke blew from those red lips. The sun made his eyes look more gray than black.

Gray. Nico was gray as Percy was blue.

"Meeting at the bunker?" Nico asked. The red paint on his motorcycle was gleaming in the sun, almost blinding Will. But he didn't look away from the boy.

"I guess," Percy pouted. "But I wanted the lake."

"We'll go to the lake after," Annabeth insisted. "It's hot as hell in that bunker. We'll need to."

Nico sighed and turned his key, the engine roaring to life. "I'll meet you there. Valdez, there better be food."

Then he was driving off, leaving them to melt into the asphalt.

"Leo, don't you usually ride with him?" Will asked. Those two...they were so close but complete opposites. Half of Will could imagine them dating.

"Only two people can fit on that thing," Leo said as he climbed onto Jason's truck. "He's gotta get his little sister home." He sat in the cargo bed and took some scraps of metal out of his pockets, along with the screwdriver from earlier.

"He's got a sister?" Will asked, blinking at Leo as he did god knows what with that metal. All Will knew was that it looked pretty dangerous.

Percy nodded. "Little sister. Hazel. He's really protective, so be warned. Like more than he should be."

"Well you know why," Annabeth defended. "Wouldn't you be in his situation?"

Before Will could divulge any further into Nico's home life, Piper came running from the building with Jason's keys in hand.

"We're good to go!" she shouted as she met up with them. "Jason's catching a ride home with Reyna after their meeting. So we can take the truck to the bunker."

She seemed to have been what they were standing around waiting for, because everyone got into the truck right away. Piper driving with Annabeth beside her, everyone else in the cargo bed. Leo's invention started to smell like smoke.

"What is the bunker?" Will asked as the truck pulled away from the school. Sweat was running down his back from the red hot sun. "I'm honestly curious by this point."

"She is my pride and joy!" Leo yelped. "Don't ever talk bad about her!"

"I wasn't-"

"Dude, she's awesome," Leo continued. "We're the only ones that really know about her. I found her, brought her back to good health. She's from some war, maybe the civil? I'm not good with history, only machines."

Will's eye twitched. "You guys hang out in an actual bunker?"

"Yeah, what else did you think?"

Jason was right. These kids were going to get themselves killed.

.

.

The drove deep into the woods, passed the houses until the trail ended. There Piper parked the trunk, her and Annabeth jumping out to meet the rest of them.

"We have to walk from here," Percy explained as they got off the truck. "No more paths."

"And you know where you're going?" Will asked. "How?"

"Markers!" Leo cut in. "I made markers all over this place. There was no way I was losing my baby."

Annabeth turned a flashlight on and handed it to Will before grabbing another for herself. "Come on, let's get going. I have work to do."

Leo didn't need to be told twice. He jumped through the foliage with ease, quick and nimble. His lighter lit his way.

The others stuck together, the two flashlights their own source of light. Will felt bugs biting at his skin and too many unknown plants rubbing against him. He loved looking at nature, sure, but he hated everything about climbing through it.

Then he saw where they had brought him. Built into one of the many hills in the forest, a concrete door was closed and padlocked. Pure, thick concrete. A real fucking bunker.

"You really hang out in an old war bunker…" he whispered.

Leo hopped along to the door and took the padlock off. It had to weigh a good twenty pounds, red with rust and age. Leo threw it to the side before nodding at Percy, and together, they pulled the door open.

"Watch your step," Annabeth warned. "Have you had your tetanus shot?"

Will nodded. "Probably."

Leo was the first down the now-exposed staircase, his lighter in hand. Then it was Piper, then Percy, Grover and Annabeth, and finally, Will.

"Does this place have-..." The question died on his lips when the lights turned on. Leo had gotten to the bottom and was now standing next to a large panel of switches, his grin and pride never leaving his face.

And holy shit, the bunker really was something.
They stood in a hallway at the bottom of the staircase, it leading off to the left and right, and in front of them sat an old door with the circular handle you saw on boats. Leo and Percy had to work together again to spin it, and once they had the door open, Will lost his breath again.

The room was huge. No windows but rows of artificial lights above them. On the far wall, faded writing read 'Bunker 9'. Below it was a symbol he didn't recognize.

On the far end of the room was what Will could only assume was Festus, the dragon replica Nico had mentioned earlier. Its metal head and wings brushed against the ceiling. It was rust red like the rest of the ancient building.

"Holy shit…" Will breathed. "You actually made a dragon…"

Leo spread his arms. His eyes screamed pride. His smile was wider than Will had ever seen it.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" he asked. But he was actually asking, looking for reassurance. He had actually been dying to show him.

"It's awesome," Will promised. "Leo...this is amazing."

Leo beamed even more. His eyes were lit with flames.

"You really think so?" he asked. "You really do?"

Will nodded. "I don't see how anyone couldn't."

"Can we eat now?" Percy broke in. "I'm starving!"

Leo jumped out of the conversation as if it had really stuck him in place. "Chef Leo's ready and hungry-edy."

He scampered over to the middle of the room, where old couches had been brought and put together. There were also boxes and other things being used as chairs, like a broken fridge laying on its side and the seat of an old car.
There was a working fridge but it seemed as old as everything else. Leo grabbed some things from it and went over to an old stove, starting to cook.

"This...is your hangout?" Will asked. "How...the fridge and stove...and the couches…?"

"Junk yard." Annabeth sat on a couch and started getting homework out. Sweat stuck her hair to her forehead. "But it's too hot to stay in here long."

Percy flopped down on the other couch with a groan. "I want to go to the lake!"

"After food," Piper agreed. "After the food, we'll swim."

"I thought I smelled something," Nico commented as he walked in. One of his braids had been redone. "Valdez, what're you making?"

"Spaghetti to forgetti our regretti!" Leo replied. Nico facepalmed. Percy laughed.

They were just friends hanging out, in that moment. Friends joking together and hanging out. As the laughs continued, Will caught Nico's eye and Nico caught his. They were just friends hanging out. No problems.

But only in the alternative reality the bunker created. Only there.

Because they all had problems nobody liked to speak about. If only they spoke about them…

Silence was dangerous. If only he had hated it as Percy had.

They ate from questionable dishes and spoke about nothing. Percy was on about Finding Nemo again. Annabeth was doing her homework. Leo was tinkering with Festus and Nico was smoking. But the heat only got worse.

"Can we swim now?" Piper pleaded, her body melting into the couch. "It's too hot… We came to show Will Festus and we did."

Percy jumped up, tomato sauce covering his shirt. "Lake time. It's decided."

Annabeth sighed in relief and began to pack her things away. "Finally."

Nico followed suit and stood up and stretched. He looked at Will, his veiled eyes having melted a little in the heat. "Want to ride with me?"

Will couldn't hide his smile. His skin was red from heat and blush. "Definitely."

Their eyes remained locked. Neither of them noticed Leo and Annabeth share a knowing look.

.

.

His first time riding on a motorcycle was thrilling, to say the least. The red butterflies were dancing in his chest. The air hitting his face was relaxing as fuck.

"First time?!" Nico yelled over the wind. His hip bones felt too jagged under Will's arms.

"Yeah!" Will never loosened his grip on Nico. Not in fear of falling but in fear of losing the dark haired boy. Fear of his life changing from this moment.

Dirt was spitting up around them as the tires made their own way through the forest. They had lost the pickup long ago, Nico not sticking to roads and paths the truck could go down. Instead they raced through the uneven forest, over ant hills and through bushes. Will vaguely wondered how the bike was still in good shape but didn't dwell on it long. Not when all he could smell and feel was Nico di Angelo.

Nico finally pulled over and parked at a more secluded spot on the lake's edge. He turned the bike off and looked back at Will, his smile still wide from that feeling of life, from the adrenaline.

"It makes you feel alive, doesn't it?" he asked. "Isn't that feeling of life so much better than what life actually is?"

Will could only nod as he caught his breath. Adrenaline. That's what made Nico smile.

Nico got up from the bike and took his book bag off, throwing it to the side. He sat on it and started to remove his boots.

"Why'd you ask me to ride with you?" Will asked. "Why not Leo?"

Nico threw his boot at him. "You're as oblivious as Percy."

Will frowned. "I just don't like to assume things, I guess."

"Don't assume," Nico said. "Just ask. Figure out the right answers. Because my life's going to be too short for assuming and shit."

Will sat beside him on the ground and began to take off his own shoes. "Your life isn't going to be short. You're healthy."

Nico didn't answer. Maybe Will should have questioned that.

"Are you and Leo...together?" Will asked. "You just...seem close, like you know everything about each other."

Nico shook his head. "He's got a girlfriend. Straight as fuck."

Will looked over at him. "Really?"

"Really," Nico said. "We're just good friends. He knows a lot of shit about me. And I know a lot of shit about him. But we don't talk about it. But we know. You know?"

Will nodded. "I guess."

Nico took his socks off and stuffed them in his boots. Then he grabbed his phone and hairpin and also put it in his boots. "We'll have to swim over to where the others are."

"Why didn't we just start where they are?" Will asked, repeating the same actions Nico did. Shoes, socks, phone and keys.

Nico shook his head and muttered "oblivious" as he stood up. He didn't make a move to remove his shirt. "Come on, it's fucking hot."

Will stood up beside him and removed his own shirt, then pants. When he looked back up, Nico was staring at him.

Shit.

"Was I...not supposed to do that?" Will asked. "Are you uncomfortable with me swimming in boxers?"

Nico's face was red. "No, it's fine." He cleared his throat. "It's good. Let's just get in."

Will watched as Nico wadded into the brown lake. The sky was turning red. His silhouette in that red light was beautiful.

He followed right behind. He'd follow that sight anywhere.

When they were up to their chins and keeping themselves afloat, Nico looked to him again. The tops of the trees were still sheltering them, keeping them alone and safe.

"Percy said you were gay…" Nico whispered. It was silent save for their paddling and speech. "He was telling the truth?"

Will nodded. "My dad...he was never the same after I came out. It wasn't much of a surprise when he told me I was moving in with Percy."

Nico pursed his lips. "Your dad's a homophobic ass?"

Will nodded. He could still remember when he was called a faggot for the first time. It coming from his dad made it all the worse.

"And you came out just like that?" Nico asked. "Weren't... weren't you scared? Scared Percy would reject you?"

Will shrugged. "A little. But if someone rejected me for that then they never really cared about me."

Nico stared down at the water. "I don't want to find out who really cares about me or not."

Will blinked. "Wait. You wanted to know all of that because... because you're...you wanted to be alone with me so no one would hear...you wanted to know because you also need to come out…"

Nico flinched. "Maybe it was a mistake-"

Will grabbed his arm before he could swim away. The cold water had cooled them both off long before, but neither got out of its security.

"It wasn't a mistake," he said. "It was smart. You let it out. You spoke it. That's what people need to do. They need to speak about what's bothering them."

Not suffer in silence. Not die in silence.

Nico gulped. "You don't hate me…"

"Why the fuck would I hate you?" Will asked. "Remember I'm gay too?"

Nico smiled. A soft smile, nothing like the adrenaline filled one.

"Does anyone else know?" Will asked.

Nico nodded. "Annabeth and Leo. My sister. That's it."

"What about your parents?" Will asked.

Nico's face darkened. "I don't have parents."

Will froze. The water was suddenly too cold. "What do you mean?"

"Mom died when I was six," Nico hissed. Ever word seemed to cause him pain. "Dad got with a new girl and she died in childbirth. He isn't a dad anymore. All he does is work and smoke and fuck who knows who. He isn't a dad, and I don't have parents."

Will wiped away the one tear to fall from Nico's eye. "You don't ever talk about this. You can tell."

Nico shook his head. "Never. And never again."

The butterflies and their red wings were stronger than ever as he rubbed his thumb against that pale cheek. Nico didn't pull away.

"You're gay…" Will whispered. "Admit it to yourself. Say it. The longer you stay in silence is the longer you suffer. You're safe to say it, it's only me here."

Nico tried desperately to regain his composure, his shield. "You first."

Will stared into those dark eyes. "I'm gay."

Nico stared right back. The veil over his eyes loosened. "I'm gay."

Will smiled. "You're gay. Are you single?"

Nico nodded. His lips were cherry red. "Are you?"

"Hopefully not for long…"

Nico blinked at him but didn't shy away. Instead, he moved closer until their chests were pressed together.

Adrenaline. Nico was obsessed for a reason. In the lake, Will also became addicted to that life-drug. He forgot everything else, including college and his stacks of papers and the warnings he had received. He forgot he had only known Nico for the day. In the water, their bodies together, they could have known each other for lifetimes.