This chapter is dedicated to the guest that gave me a review that only said this... ::))))))))))) And to the other guest that all they said was "SQUUUUEEEEEEEE" because goddamn that's some funny stuff to me.

Thank you for making me smile, my good reader. Thank you.

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Rosalina, a small eight-year-old tartarus bent on learning how to use a sword, grimaced as she was yet again tossed aside by the instructor in front of her. Although she was small and the stumble hurt a bit more than an average scrape, she grabbed her dual swords and held them up to block the oncoming attack. The dark-haired teen that taught her didn't wait around for anyone to recover, knowing that monsters were relentless beings and that Rosa was just as relentless in battle.

Nico struck down harshly, enough pressure to make the child strain, but not enough to completely overpower her, "Rosa, you're small. Use that and your speed to your advantage." She stood up as she pushed his sword off of hers and wiped her forehead to get rid of the sweat. Nico put himself in a battle stance once more, his dark eyes piercing into her, "You can't use your brute strength like your fellow Ares siblings. You may be young, but you gotta use your energy knowingly."

Rosa didn't say anything before darting one way, feigning left and then pushing right at the last moment, taking Nico off guard and making him scramble to block the dual swords with his one. The battle marched on for another five minutes, Rosa going completely on the offensive before feeling herself tire.

Nico resisted the urge to smirk; although she was young and inexperienced, her enthusiasm in battle made up for it. He hoped that her siblings watching on from the sidelines could learn something from her, and the son of Hades knew that Clarisse must be beaming at the small girl, despite her protests for any sort of affection held there.

Before she could think to go defensive, Nico disarmed her and held the tip of his blade near her chest, a large smile on his face. "I don't know if any of you saw," He began, "But your youngest sibling did better than most of you when facing me or your cabin leader."

One camper snarled and raised his hand, "She lost, just like the rest of us!"

"But she took it seriously." Nico explained. He grabbed the discarded swords off the ground and handed them to Rosa, watching her face break into a small smile at the praise, "Unlike the rest of you, she treated me not as her authority to be respected or as her friend, but as a monster. Next time we fight, Rosa, please take note of when to switch from offensive to defensive, alright?"

She nodded before sheathing her swords at her hips, "Thank you, Mr. Nico!" A contented sigh left Nico's lips at the small show of gratitude, reminding him that although his job was taxing, the younger kids made it worth it. He opened his mouth to give her similar thanks when a familiar voice called out from the arena's entrance.

"Does anyone need any medical assistance, nectar, or ambrosia?" A wry grin fell on Nico's face as he whipped around to see his boyfriend carrying his infirmary supplies, looking over the bodies of the campers for injuries. "Looks like Nico and Clarisse went easier on you today, yeah?"

Clarisse snorted before walking over and clasping him hard on the shoulder, making Will stumble a bit while walking, "Hardly. They just didn't push themselves like they should've. Only one who needs any ambrosia would be lil' Rosa."

"Rosa!" Will smiled, gesturing at the supplies in his hands before setting them down, "C'mon, I'll get you all patched up. Shame that you're the only one who knows how to fight decently well in your cabin. Besides Clarisse, of course." The girl giggled shyly as he winked at her, and Rosa walked over to wrap up the small scrapes on her body.

The camper from earlier, an older one from the looks of it, sneered at the thought of an Apollo kid back talking how he and his siblings fought. "You're just a doctor! How would you know what decent fighting even is?" Some of the Ares' kids laughed with him, but Clarisse just raised her eyebrows.

"I wouldn't egg him on, if I were-"

"Let it go, La Rue," Will grinned, "At least we know who would win in a fight, right?" He motioned his hands toward herself, Nico, and Rosa, who giggled again at being included with the older campers. He wrapped up the last scrape on her hand and kissed it for good measure, "Take care of your hands, Rosa!"

She smiled, but before she could say thank you to Mr. Will, the angry camper stepped forward, "I'm pretty sure any of us could take you down in a fight, Solace!" His sneer marred his face, and Will raised his eyebrow at the outburst.

Nico smiled, "Are you sure you want to fight with Will? He can be pretty ruthless. You know, being a doctor and all."

Before too long, both Will and Keegan, the Ares camper, were suited up in sets of armor typically used for Capture the Flag, one smiling and the other glaring. Nico was fixing Will's shoulder strap, whispering lightly in his ear, "You know, you should be resting, not fighting campers. It's your day off of work, Will. And Chiron told you to take it easy."

"Gotta stay limber, right?" Will smiled, turning his helmet covered head and lightly kissing Nico's cheek, "Besides, it'll be a good warm up for when Hazel and Frank get here. Get the jitters out."

Nico smiled and grabbed Will's knife before handing it to him, "Just go easy on them. They've never seen the Great Solace fight before."

Will just rolled his eyes, flicking the knife in his hand once in the air to feel the familiarity of the weapon once again. Nico walked calmly over to Clarisse, who was watching Keegan get his armor on with a bit of struggle. She nudged the Ghost King with her shoulder, "Will'll beat 'im, yeah?"

"Kid doesn't stand a chance; gods, have you seen Will fight?"

Clarisse shook her head, "No, but I've heard stories about Will fighting between healing others. Not too strong or fast from what I heard, but his accuracy with a knife is damn near perfect." Nico nodded at Clarisse's description of Will, agreeing with her fully, "What's he fight like, Di Angelo?"

"Will may not be able to overpower him, but he could probably take down Percy if he was smart about it, which he's smart about everything," Nico mused, tapping his chin, "The difference between how most people fight and how Will fights comes down to knowledge. Will somewhat toys with his opponents at first to figure out how they function, what tendons make a Hydra's head move, what muscles helps harpies' wings flap. When fighting a new monster, you want Will on your side."

"But the kid's a human, a body that Will knows inside and out."

"Exactly." A chuckle left Nico's lips, "Will knows every little thing he can about what can build up the human body, and how to tear it down. Last time we sparred without powers, he hit my pressure points and I was paralyzed for a good five minutes."

Clarisse whistled lowly, watching how Will expertly was thrusting his knife in the air to prepare himself for the oncoming fight, "Keegan should watch his mouth."

The two counselors laughed at the comment, and Rosa anxiously walked over, bandages still on her hands and a satyr-printed bandage on her arm. She looked nervous as she walked over to the adults, but at the smiles that were sent her way, she warmed up rather quickly. Nico smiled down at her; he vaguely wondered what it was about the younger demigods that made him happier, "Hey Rosa. You excited to watch your brother lose?"

She threw her head back and laughed, her dark hair looked tangled when introduced to the light in the arena, "Yeah! Mr. Will looks tough!" Clarisse laughed and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, lifting her onto her back in one swing. Nico has always been impressed by the easy strength that came to being an Ares' child.

"That's 'cuz he is, Rosalina." La Rue grunted out, watching as Keegan picked up a large sword before flipping it in his hand to test the weight. The son of Ares seemed to look confident in the fact that Will only wielded a thin knife.

Rosa still looked vaguely concerned, "But all he has is that knife… Keegan uses big swords."

Nico gave her a reassuring smile and crossed his arms over the orange camp t-shirt. "Just because he has a different and smaller weapon doesn't mean he's going to lose. I thought we taught you better than that," he teased.

She looked offended that he even went far into the teasing that he insulted her learning habits, but cooled her head fast enough. She's seen enough hotheadedness from her siblings to know that it would only get her in trouble, "So he's good at fighting?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

Will looked over at the three and waved at them, a small smile on his face. Nico snorted in amusement before covering up the sound, while Rosa giggled so much that Clarisse let loose a deep chuckle. He looked so calm in the suit of armor; an oxymoron, really, seeing as he usually never wore armor (although no one could blame him; he needed his full range of motion to help cure others). So when Nico looked at his stunning boyfriend in golden armor, accentuating his golden hair and making his blue eyes shine in the sunlight - yeah, it was a sight to behold. Will really did get some patented Apollo looks.

It was finally time to spar, and Clarisse held her hand up in the air, shouting at the two of them, "Alright, you know the rules! Try not to maim, or else no dessert for a week. First one to be incapacitated or knocked out loses. Are you guys ready?"

Will nodded, as did Keegan. One was glaring at the other, while Will kept a carefree grin on his face, like this was a normal Tuesday for him. Which, in a way, the idea of sparring with someone really was normal. Though one could look closely and see the dangerous glint in his eyes, a certain madness that could rival one of Tantalus' evil glares. Clarisse cleared her throat, stopping a moment to see Hazel slip in with curious eyes, "Well then, begin!"

Keegan struck out first, using his strength to his advantage and arcing the sword downward toward Will. The son of Apollo barely had enough time to glide left, making sure nothing would get hurt. He didn't raise his knife just yet, but he did strike with his foot at Keegan's chest, making him stumble backwards.

It just made the Ares child more angry and frustrated. A doctor who spends all day in the infirmary wasn't going to best him! He stabbed the sword straight forward, narrowly missing Will by a few inches. Will had to admit, the teen was strong and quick on his feet. But still, Nico was quicker, so Will didn't have that much of a problem keeping up. A grin was on his face as he slashed out playfully with the knife, not intending to do anything other than tease Keegan, "You favor your right side, hm? Interesting."

Keegan gave a growl of frustration before using his elbow to throw a jab in Will's direction, who took a step backward once more to avoid it. He seemed to look at the right arm curiously, "You know, favoring one side of your body over the other is unhealthy." Before Keegan could retort, Will threw a quick jab to Keegan's left shoulder, making sure the knife wouldn't hit him, "Spinal misalignment, lack of blood flow, headaches, and most importantly…"

Will flicked the knife upward, cutting a leather strap off the shoulder, the small movement quickly removing the left arm's armor immediately. The son of Apollo kicked Keegan's sword out of his hand before hitting nerves and veins that popped out to his eyes. It seemed in intense battle, he could feel the body of his opponent, knowing exactly what he needed to do to win, "You'll get poor circulation to certain appendages."

The son of Ares cried out as his left arm was rendered useless. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore, and every time he tried to move them it felt as if a fire was being set to his veins, like he had slept far too long on his hand. Keegan struggled to pick up the broadsword with his right hand, not used to keeping the weight of it on one hand only. Will smiled gently at him, "If I had stabbed you with my knife right here," Will avoided the kick sent his way as he punched the space where Keegan's neck connected to his shoulder, "I would've hit one of your major arteries." Keegan winced at the sharp and painful hit, "Death would've been imminent in about ten, maybe fifteen minutes."

"Shut the hell up!" Keegan threw himself forward, pointing his sword towards Will's thigh and lifted his leg at the same time. Will could only dodge one of the attacks, since they were coming at him from two different angles, so the kick hit him in the stomach. Will doubled over in pain, and there wasn't enough time for him to say a quick hymn before another knee was sent upward to his stomach.

But Will was prepared that time, and grabbed behind the knee, holding his leg up. He coughed twice as Keegan desperately tried to find his balance, "Your center of gravity is higher than mine, so you're easier to tip over as well." He jumped forward, forcing Keegan onto his back on the dirt. A grin swept over Will's face as he realized he was only a cry of 'uncle' away until winning. He swung the knife expertly in the air before stabbing downward at Keegan's only usable arm, getting in between the chinks of the armor to the ground, effectively pinning him down.

Keegan dropped the broadsword as he felt the knife bite his forearm; not enough to brutally hurt him, but enough to draw a hiss of pain from underneath his breath. He looked up, completely useless in the position he was in, and saw the smiling son of Apollo seeming to happily gloat over him. Will pressed a knee too Keegan's chest armor, and the son of Ares looked away before angrily whispering, "I yield."

"As you should've before you decided to fight 'im." Clarisse grinned sharply at her younger half sibling. She pointed the predatory grin to the rest of her cabin mates, "Hit the showers! We have Capture the Flag tonight, so everyone needs to be on their best game!"

A few mumbles of 'yes ma'ams' rang through the small crowd, and the kids and teens dispersed, ready to wash off the dirt and bruises covering them. Will smiled at the sight, knowing that tomorrow they'll be much more determined, before turning his grin toward a familiar face, "Hazel! What's up, sweetheart?"

A small smile graced her, and she wrapped an arm around Nico's waist as she spoke, "I came to see some awesome counselors and my favorite big brother!"

"Technically with that logic I'm also your least favorite big brother." Hazel lightly slapped his arm, silencing Nico.

Clarisse gave a wry grin, almost predatory, and focused on the golden eyes of the daughter of Pluto, "How do you think your bro's boyfriend did, Levesque?"

She let go of her brother to grab the upper arms of Will, laughing a bit as she did. Her dark hair seemed to glitter in the sun, along with her sparkling teeth, "You did amazing! How'd you get him pinned down so quickly?"

"Dumb luck and doctor smarts," Will chuckled, and as he spoke his friends could see his freckles slightly glow, like they did years ago. There was something special about the small daughter of Pluto that always cheered him up. "If I didn't have the accuracy of an Apollo kid, I'd've been knocked silly by Keegan!" The four of them laughed at the outburst, and Nico gave a chuckle at the slight Texan accent that shown through his words, usually hidden from his prolonged time in New York.

A large familiar sound rang in their ears, and Nico's mouth twitched, "You guys ready for some lunch? We could stay here, but I don't have any more classes to teach so we could go out to eat."

Clarisse shrugged, "No can do for me. Gotta whip my sibs' into shape before Capture the Flag tonight, or else the Athena kids will beat us again, and I'm not going to have Malcolm gloat over the campfire!" The others nodded and smiled at the girl, understanding her determination completely.

Hazel clasped her hands together and gave another bright smile, "Frank and I should be able to come! Just let me check in with Chiron before we do so he knows we're leaving."

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McDonald's was easily becoming one of Will's least favorite restaurants, and it took fifteen minutes of arguing before he was finally able to convince Nico to walk away from the golden arches of fried fatty foods. It didn't help that Hazel was on Nico's side (seriously, was this a children of the god of the underworld thing?), but at least Frank was on his side (granted, it was only because the big guy felt sorry for Will having to deal with the other two, but Will would take any help offered at that point). They had finally settled for a pizza joint not far away from their apartment, just in case something happened, as it inevitably would with how their luck always turned out to be.

They were in the middle of sharing the largest and cheesiest pizza available when they decided to begin discussing the events of a few nights ago, and Will immediately stiffened at the topic. Nico kept a hand on Will's leg to calm him down as they spoke in quiet tones, not letting the chance of anyone around them to hear. Nico leaned forward after shoving a bite in his mouth, "Do you know any monsters that can control golden light?"

Hazel shook her head, "There's not a one that I can think of. Are you sure it was light and not fire, because there are more beings able to control fire than light." Nico shook his head, and Will took a sip of Sprite before speaking a bit softer than usual.

"No, it was definitely golden light."

"The only name at the top of my head is Apollo," Frank mused, tapping a finger on the wooden table. The adult in front of Will always made him do a double take whenever he spoke; Frank looked like a giant, chinese bear person, but his voice was always quiet and polite towards others. It was yet another comforting thing that Will enjoyed, and he was pretty sure that Nico knew that, "But Apollo wouldn't really want to work with any monsters. He'd probably say something about their disgustingness being contagious."

Will rolled his eyes, "That sounds like Dad all right." The table burst into low chuckles at the sarcastic statement before a lady from a couple booths away glared at them into silence. Will couldn't help but think back on that night in the calm silence, and he desperately wanted to be able to know more about what was going on that effected him so terribly. His memory of the night was skewed, and he didn't wish to tell Nico that a part of him yearned to go back and to listen to the sermons again. He caught himself thinking about it more and more, and there was just something about the speech that he felt that he could relate to.

But Will was usually a stubborn person who wanted the facts of something before committing to it. Why was this suddenly different? Something about this made him throw away one of his personality traits as he focused solely on the speaker's voice, and even thinking back on it, he couldn't remember what the tone of the voice even sounded like. A part of him wanted to say it sounded like his mom, while the other was leaning toward the dark tones of Nico's voice.

The son of Apollo shook his head before taking another bite of his pizza, getting rid of the strange realizations with some of his favorite food. Frank, Hazel, and Nico soon began a rousing discussion about the two Camps that soon diverged into each other's living situations. Will chimed in here and there, but he enjoyed just being able to sit and talk with some old friends. Only the Fates knew when they'd see each other again.

Lunch passed by fairly quickly after that, full of playful banter and witty jabs between the two siblings at the table, and Will and Nico began the short tread home. Nothing about the walk was really extraordinary, but Will always enjoyed being able to hold his boyfriend's hand as they walked in peaceful silence together back to their home.

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"Don't you hate being hunted? You have young, others you care for, possessions you treasure, and yet we are killed off and slaughtered like little pests. You see how they treat our favored brethren!" The voice boomed out into the crowd, a golden light pulsating behind a figure in a long white cloak, hiding their features from view. The monsters, demigods, and mortals alike all cheered and shivered with anticipation, "They treat a Cyclops as a brother, a hellhound as a pet, harpies as helpers, yet what of us? What of the countless others that they've destroyed?"

A hush fell over the crowd as they took in the new information passed to them. Angry hushed whispers rippled through the gathering, formulating like angry bees ready to defend its' nest, "I see you all as you are. Broken, defenseless, and alone. I yearn for your retribution, I crave your justice, I seek your vengeance! Though I see these things, I am not your god, but I will be your Great Prophet, the stepping stone for the Great One to bridge the gap between monsters and man!"

Cheers once again broke out, pleased with the answer. Hooves stomped, wings flapped, hands clapped along with the pulsating light, the powerful voice. The wide alleyway they were in had wet and smelly bricks, but it didn't seem to deter anyone in the congregation. Nico Di Angelo kept his hood up as he weaved his way through the crowd, trying to desperately get that closer view he failed to accomplish the other night, "Can't you see it? No gods, no government, just man and beast living peacefully side by side. Is this not what the universe intended all along?"

Nico shook his head at the comment, thinking of the chaos it would bring, and then shivered at looking over and seeing a smaller than usual Hydra staring above him. The demigod couldn't be happier that they were all distracted from his presence, seeing as the other mortals and demigods in the area must've been blocking his scent, "I am not your god, nor will I ever be. But I am your Prophet, and I will show you to the light of equality. I will shine this golden ray of truth on the gods, and we will watch them wither away as their lies come to the surface!" A roar of approval at this statement, and the Prophet continued, "Please, I beg of you all, do not show your faces to others, tell no one of our ways, for they will not understand the perfection of our peace until it comes to them. Be cautious and safe, my monsters, and hide in the shadows until our light finds you. Mortals and half-mortals, hide the Good News in your heart until it is time to divulge in our secrets. For by doing so, you all are your own prophets, paving the way for everyone's freedom!"

A sharp white light, cutting through the soft gold, pierced every being's eyes in the area, causing shrieks to ring out in the alley. Nico swore under his breath as he heard a song unfamiliar to him blare out from the alley's entrance, and he began to have a fairly good idea who was crashing the gathering. Monsters left and right were grabbing mortals and demigods alike before running away, flying, teleporting, whatever they could do to leave. Nico had to admire the very well-structured escape plan, but soon realized that he didn't have an escape route yet. He swore once more, a bit louder this time, before trying to desperately find any shadow to jump into.

The only problem was that the cursed white spotlight seemed to make all shadows fade away.

Nico ditched the plan of escaping in favor for chasing after the 'Great Prophet', and turned to see him still up on his pedestal, talking hurriedly with a human and what appeared to be a harpy. He pushed through the creatures around him, all shoving against him, as he clawed his way closer to the cloaked figure, who had grabbed the shoulders of his partners. The son of Hades gave out a strangled cry of anger as he realized that they, too, had means of leaving.

The great wings of the harpy spread out widely, showing off the grey and golden feathers that graced the monster. The harpy wrapped their arms around the Prophet and other human, and Nico surged forward in one last attempt to grab onto the cloak.

Time seemed to slow down as Nico's arms brushed the smooth feathers of the screeching harpy, and his fingertips merely caressed the cloak of the Prophet. The harpy bolted upwards as the Prophet called down to the creatures, "Stay safe, my children! I shall embrace you all as my brothers and sisters in due time!"

The last thing Nico saw f the Prophet was a glimmering smile before the harpy flew out of his sight.

Nico stood alone in the alleyway, yet another curse ready to spill from his mouth. He made sure his hoodie was still covering his facial features as he turned around slowly, ready to 'face the music' that was behind him. He glanced his eyes upward to send a quick prayer to the gods, thanking them that he wasn't wearing his normal aviator jacket for once, as it most likely would have given him away to the one man that knew him.

Tony Stark cut off the music, but the light persisted, erasing Nico's chances of running to the nearest shadow. Even though the alley was full to the brim, it was empty and quiet now, with only Nico standing in the center. The son of Hades didn't look up at the adults in front of him, opting to stare at his boots as the familiar snarky voice of Mr. Stark filled bounced around the bricks, "So, you gonna tell us what was going on here, or are we going to have to bring you in for questioning?"

Nico just kept his hands slightly raised up to show he was weaponless (far from it, but people generally like a bit of security). The only thought running through his head that if he was going to get caught, Will would be pissed as all hell with him. The son of Apollo didn't even want Nico leaving the apartment, so if Nico proved Will's 'prophetic ways' right, he'd be in deep trouble with his boyfriend. Nico shrugged at the voice in front of him, hoping it'd prompt Tony to shut the light off.

Tony didn't shut the light off, "You see, kid," Nico cringed as he was called kid. He was nineteen! Not a child anymore! "I can't just let the only person who didn't disappear in thin air go. How about you tell me where all your little churchgoer friends went, and we'll go easy on you."

We? Nico looked up with his eyes, not wishing to show his face in the bright light quite yet. In the entrance of the alleyway stood Iron Man in his signature red and gold armor, a man with an arrow notched right at him (Will would go crazy tonight when Nico tells him he saw Hawkeye), and… oh gods is that Captain America?

Nico remembered seeing glimpses of the man when he was a child! He may have lived in Italy, but Captain America was a well-known figure everywhere around the world in WW2. But how was he here and alive? The familiar shield made Nico stare at the star in the center, making him think back to the days when he and Bianca would talk for hours about America's newest superhero. He tried to shove the memory down, but an image of Bianca dressing Nico up as 'Captain Italy' persisted in his mind, making him blush as the memory of her stuffing him in tights went.

The man himself spoke next, "Look, we don't want to hurt you, we just want to know what was going on here." Nico recognized the man slipping out of his defensive stance, trying to ease the younger adult, "If you'd come with us, we could help you get out of whatever this is."

Another light curse, the last one for the night, slipped from Nico's mouth, this time in Greek. He saw the confusion on the men's faces, but ignored it as his eyes settled on the shadow that the light was creating from Steve Roger's form. It was right in front of the man, the light maneuvering around his broad shoulders and creating one of the only dark spots in the alley. This was going to be a stupid idea.

Surging forward, he didn't give the three heroes enough time to let out their own curses before he was almost face to face with Captain America. A punch was headed his way, and he quickly ducked his head to missing the oncoming freight train that was Steve Roger's punch. Nico wondered if it was true that he had stopped a tank with a single punch, and cursed his ADHD for thinking so when an arrow was being shot at him. He really didn't want to get hit, and he could only thank his own smarts for drinking a five-hour energy drink around three hours ago. That along with some nectar was giving him a real boost that he desperately needed, and he wouldn't be doing too well in this fight without that helping him.

He yelped as he narrowly dodged the arrow shot by Hawkeye, and looked over to see the sparks coming off it as it hit the fire escape on the side of a building. Great, so he's trying to taze me. Okay.

A beam of light shot near his feet, and another punch was dodged (admittedly, the hit did clip Nico's ear, making him rub it unappreciatively). Nico slid downward and shoved forward at the same time, doing a baseball slide straight toward Steve's feet where the shadow emerged.

He saw it quiver anxiously, almost reaching out to meet him halfway when Steve moved to the left, thinking Nico was trying to poorly kick him, and dodged the advance. Nico would've cursed again, but he rolled to his left as well, dodging another arrow in the process. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, I'm in trouble.

Just a little closer, and… Nico touched the shadow, and the tug in his gut became more prominent as the shadow encased his body, traveling up his legs and eventually covered his head. The last thing he saw was the feet of his childhood hero.

He shadow-traveled to his dark apartment, and he lay on the floor a moment to catch his breath. He hadn't fought like that in a while, and he fought down his ragged breath and jumpy heart rate to calm himself down. Two things were running through his mind at this point, one of them being 'Why the hell were the Avengers there' and 'What the fuck did I just witness'. Considering to get himself a cup of coffee, but opting out because it was literally 2:57 in the morning, he made his way to the bedroom in the back.

As he walked through the slightly cracked door, he could see the lump under the covers that couldn't be anything but his boyfriend. His body was exhausted, as was his mind, so the warm bed was greatly appreciated. Before he fell over from being tired, however, he watched carefully for the gentle rise and fall of the body in the bed, a small smile on his face as he realized that Will stole all of the blankets again. He sighed, realizing that trying to steal them back would be fruitless, and immediately collapsed on his boyfriend, who grunted in surprise and relief. Will sat up groggily in bed, his t-shirt hanging off his thin shoulders. The son of Apollo rolled over, giving Nico more room to lay down as he yawned, "Y-You should change into pajamas. You'll feel better." Nico kicked off his shoes, but other than that, he didn't budge.

"I want to cuddle my boyfriend." Nico said stubbornly, wrapping his arms around Will's waist and sighed happily as Will hummed in giving up trying to get him to change. They lay in bed, not doing anything a moment, before WIll sat up.

He leaned over Nico, and Nico watched appreciatively as his golden hair flew every which direction, his tan skin seemed to glow happily, and his blue eyes, although halfway closed with sleep, were bright and joyful, "So, Neeks," He leaned down and gave the son of Hades a peck on the cheek, "Anything happen tonight?"

"Blahh," Nico scowled, and grumbled in monotone, "I don't wanna talk about it righ' now. I want kisses and sleep."

Will chuckled, "Fine, but we're talking about this in the morning." Nico grunted, accepting the proposition that he set. They could talk about it when Nico wasn't tired from fighting and shadow-traveling as they drank coffee together. Will laid his head down on Nico's shoulder and reached a hand up to tangle his fingers in Nico's thick and dark hair.

Nico leaned down and kissed him lovingly on the mouth, albeit a bit sloppily as both were sleepy, but neither minded in the slightest. Lazy and warm kisses were always good kisses. Nico smiled into the kiss before leaning back a moment, "I love you, Will."

A wide and crooked smile made its way to Will's face, and Nico grinned as he could see his boyfriend's beautiful and happy light pooled in spots on his face, and peeked out from the roots of his hair, living proof that Will was very happy in this moment. Nico loved being able to not only see the beautiful smile and crinkled corners of his eyes, but he loved the light that his boyfriend unintentionally showed, "I love you too, Nico."

They fell asleep laying like that, happy and content with one another and offering lazy kisses every so often.

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I got to admit, I love hearing all of your guys' theories for what's going to happen! All of the positivity that I'm getting from everyone that leaves me reviews is so nice ;w;

So I'm going to update you on stuff I suppose. I'm still pretty ill, but I finally went to the doctor and now I'm taking medication for it, so it should clear up in a couple of weeks. I'm now in only 1 orchestra, which is so much better than the original 3, and that takes some stress. right now I'm just making preparations for graduating, nothing too extraneous so I can deal with that.

Thank you all for your kindness toward me and your love for this story! I love being able to read your reviews, and you guys never cease to make me smile!

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