"Nico?" Will looked around the large house, his hands deep in his pockets as he tried to find the other boy. His father had left with Hades again, having planned for Will to stay with Nico. But no matter where he looked, Nico wasn't in sight. "Hello?"

No one answered. As he got to Nico's bedroom, he found it empty of any occupants. The bed was made, everything was picked up. The stack of books that had once been in there was now gone.

"Neeks...?" Will sat on the bed. "This isn't funny. I...I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Something really important."

Still, no answer. Knowing Nico wasn't one to play jokes like this, Will did the only thing anyone would do in his situation. Snoop.

When he opened Nico's closet it was surprisingly empty besides one suit that was hanging. No other clothes were in sight, nor was anything else to take up space. Will was about to close the door again when he noticed the trap door in the ceiling, the trap door that looked suspiciously important. Knowing it'd be much more entertaining than just sitting in Nico's room, Will pulled it down without a second thought.

He expected some dust like any other unused space, but everything seemed just like Nico's bedroom. As he climbed up the ladder, he felt as if he was intruding on someone's personal space. But what would Nico possibly be hiding in the attic? Why hadn't he shown it to Will yet?

Will saw why as soon as he got up into the attic. The first thing his eyes landed on was the swinging noose. It may have been empty, but Will felt the same dread he would have if a body had been hanging there. Who left such a thing there?

Or had it not be used yet, but planned to?

"Nico..." Will eyed the stack of books beneath the noose. "Nico...why...?"

No answer. The boy didn't seem to be home, which worried Will even more. Where had he possibly gone? The last time Will checked, Nico never ventured outside the house. Not willingly.

"Nico?!" Will called, this time louder. "Nico! Where are you?!"

"Will!" the faint sound of Nico's voice sent Will racing to the window. As he was taller than Nico, he could just look through it without having to step on anything. There Nico was far below, just coming out of the forest. "Where are you?!"

Will sprinted from the attic to the first floor of the house, then outside to where Nico was still standing in a state of confusion. As soon as they met, Will pulled Nico into a hug tighter than he had ever before. "Nico..."

"Will." Nico took a second before hugging back. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

"My dad dropped me off again," Will explained, his eyes closed as he took in Nico's scent. "I was trying to find you. Why were you in the forest?"

"I was just...looking," Nico mumbled. "What were you doing in the house? How long were you waiting for me?"

"Not long." Will lied. "But...I did find something... What are you planning?"

"Huh?" Nico broke the hug, causing Will's eyes to fly open. "What do you mean?"

"Noose. Attic. Books." Will crossed his arms. "You better not be planning to leave me, di Angelo."

Nico felt a blush spread over his cheeks. "Oh...you found it..."

"Yeah. Care to explain?"

Nico glanced away. "I was thinking about it before we met. I never took it down."

"Why not?" Will demanded. "I'm not losing you, Nico. It's not happening."

"And why not?" Nico asked.

"Because I love you."