Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot and a few original characters.

Warning: A couple punches are thrown. Very mild language.

Life with Persephone was...unpleasant. Nico scarcely had any free time, not with all the errands she had him run. Honestly, he didn't know why she wanted him to pull weeds from her garden. Didn't she know that he'd pull up the flowers instead? Really, that one was on Persephone.

Needless to say, Nico didn't do everything his stepmother asked of him. Sure, he swept the floor for her and even mopped it, but when she asked him to wash all the windows, inside and outside, he texted Will and made plans to meet up at the cafe. Then he got on his motorcycle and drove off, smirking slightly when he heard Persephone's indignant shriek.

The cafe had become their regular meeting place. There was hardly anyone there, ever. The staff had become accustomed to their presence, glancing up and handing them their regular orders when they came in and then ignoring them for the rest of their stay. Sure, it wasn't great customer service, but Nico honestly preferred it that way.

Nico arrived before Will. The girl at the counter glanced up from her phone and, upon seeing him, got together their orders. She handed Nico his chai tea and Will's fruit smoothie. Then she went back to her phone.

Nico made his way over to the table he and Will had sat at that first day. He kept thinking of questions to ask Will. He had lots of questions, sure, but he wasn't sure if they were too personal or not. How was he supposed to know? Nico had never been good with people, and that was an understatement. He didn't want to scare Will away. Anything but that. But he wanted to more personal questions. Nico groaned in frustration. Why were people so hard?

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Will," Nico greeted.

Will walked around the table and sat down across from him. He grabbed his smoothie and took a long sip. "What's eating you?"

"Life," Nico muttered, not expecting Will to hear him. But of course he did.

He laughed. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. I feel that way sometimes, too. But what specifically?"

Nico pondered for a moment. Should he tell Will? It was alarming to think about how much he had opened up to Will over the past few weeks, how much he trusted Will already. But Nico still wasn't sure he was ready to talk about his home life. But then again, Nico trusted Will. He trusted him more than he had trusted anyone in a really, really long time. Should he- could he- open up? Just a little? Maybe today he would try. Maybe today he could be a little braver. Because what he was doing now, he realised, was not making him stronger. Pushing himself away from people, keeping everything to himself, that wasn't protecting him or the people he shut out. It was hurting him. It was hurting the people he wanted to protect. What he was doing was...cowardly. He thought of how Will wasn't ashamed of his sexuality, how he let people know who he was- even though he knew some of them would judge him and even loathe him for it. Nico couldn't be that open about himself, at least not now. But he wanted to be. He wanted to be as free as Will seemed. He wanted to accept himself so badly. And while he couldn't reveal that part of himself quite yet, he could take a step in that direction. He could trust Will. He could. Will wouldn't judge him.

"I...Can we do the questions a little differently this time?"

Will's eyebrows shot up, but he nodded. "Sure."

Nico took a deep breath. "This time...I'll ask one question at the end. You can ask me anything you want."

Will stared at him, shock and- awe?- written on his face. Why awe? Nico thought. Then Will seemed to snap out of it. He gazed at Nico with a soft smile, eyes encouraging and sort of...fond.

Then his smile widened. "Let's start simple. Any siblings?"

Nico snorted. "Dork," he said. "Stealing my lines,"

Will laughed. "Hey, answer the question."

Nico readied himself. He didn't talk about his sisters much. It was a hard topic for Nico, but he expected this to come up. Will didn't know this was difficult for Nico. But he would talk about them now. He could do this. Don't be weak, di Angelo. "I have a half-sister named Hazel. She lives in California with her boyfriend and his family. You remind me of her, a little. Kind and supportive. Accepting. She and I look nothing alike, you can't tell we're related. Look," He took out his phone and unlocked it. He leaned across the table and showed Will his favorite picture of Hazel. She was sitting on old bench in New Orleans. She was wearing a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, white washed jeans, and brown Ugg boots. She looked so relaxed, so beautiful. The sun illuminated her cinnamon hair, caused her dark skin to glow. She was smiling her wonderful smile, comforting and sincere. Hazel's golden eyes were alight with joy. He looked at the picture fondly. He loved Hazel. If only she had stayed, things might be different. But he didn't hold it against her. He would have left too. If that mansion hadn't held so many memories of his mother and sister, if he could find it in himself to leave his father, then he would be gone, too. But he was happy Hazel was happy.

"She's lovely," Will breathed next to him.

"Yeah," Nico murmured. "She is. My dad went on a business trip once and she was the result. My mother...was very forgiving when she found out. Hazel came to live with the four of us after her mother died."

"The four of you?"

"I had an older sister. Bianca. She- she and my mother died." Nico felt Will's hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me," he whispered.

"No, it's okay. I want to tell you. It's high time I talked about it with someone. My mother and Bianca died in a car crash when I was ten. Hazel was nine. Bianca was twelve. She, my mother, and I were going to the store. Nowhere special, to do nothing special. We had just run out of eggs at home. A drunk driver ran into us. He hit the driver side of the car. My mother died instantly. But Bianca and I were injured, Bianca very severely. When the car had collided into us, our car went over the side of the road and rolled into a ditch. Bianca had a serious head injury and the shrapnel had cut her up badly, especially across her chest and face. One of her arms was dislocated. I had a cut across my forehead, and one of my legs was broken. I could have moved if I had tried, I could have called someone, but I didn't. I was too afraid. I was too weak. Those moments were the difference between life and death for Bianca. She was losing blood steadily. I could have done something- I should have done something. Pressed something against the gashes, anything I could. But I didn't. And she died. Her last words to me were, 'Shhh, soldatino. It will be okay.' She called me a soldier. I've tried to fight for her. But she was wrong. Nothing was okay after that. It's so damn hard, Will." Nico hadn't realised it, but tears were streaming down his face. He took a shuddering breath and continued. "I was so mad at my father when he remarried. It had been two years, but it still felt like it had happened yesterday. I hated Persephone, and Persephone hated me and Hazel. We reminded her of Hades' past lovers. Hazel hated living there. When her boyfriend offered to let her stay with him and his family, she jumped at the opportunity.

"She felt guilty about leaving me, but I told her that I'd be fine. Persephone was glad to see her gone, and my father was indifferent about the whole thing. That just made her want to leave more, naturally. I'd leave too, if I had a place to go. Frank, Hazel's boyfriend, offered me a room too, but I refused. I didn't want to be a burden. I also didn't want to get close to anyone. I think that a part of me felt like it was a good thing she was leaving. That way it would be easier to lie to her about things; it would be easier to distance myself if I didn't have to see it in her eyes that she trusted me. She used to call me frequently, but I started declining her calls. I stopped responding to her texts. It was my fault one sister died; I won't be the cause of her death too."

"Oh, Nico." Nico looked at Will. There were tears in his cerulean eyes. He wrapped his arms around Nico, and Nico felt himself melt into the embrace. He buried his face into Will's shoulder, and Will's hand found the back of Nico's head. His fingers gently stroked through his hair. Had it been anyone else, Nico would have felt really uncomfortable and defensive. But it was Will, and he wasn't.

"Nico, what happened to Bianca was not your fault. You were not weak that day. You were ten years old and you were in a car crash. You were in shock. That's perfectly natural. You can't blame yourself for their deaths. You weren't at fault. At all."

"But it should have been me," Nico whispered, the horrible truth that he had kept inside so long finally making its way into the open. Nico glanced at the girl behind the counter and was glad to find she was completely oblivious to the scene playing out in the back corner.

"No. No, it should not have been you. Never, ever say that. Someone told you that, didn't they?" Will didn't wait for a response. He gripped Nico tighter and spoke fiercely. "They are so wrong, Nico. Whatever other messed up things they said about you, none of them are true. I know how words can get in your head. I know that, coming from certain people, those words feel like the truth. How could they not? But Nico, I promise you that it was not your fault, and you shouldn't have died instead of them. I'm very happy that you lived, Nico. And lots of other people are too. Your cousins, for starters."

Nico had stopped crying. He pulled back from Will's warm embrace and told him what he had done to his cousins, what he had said to them to get them to hate him enough to ignore him. "I used their insecurities to hurt them, Will. They'll never forgive me."

"You did that to try to make yourself stronger, right? More invincible. You wanted to protect them from what had happened to your mother and sister. You didn't want a reason to be blamed for their deaths or misfortunes. If you tell them that, I'm sure they'd forgive you. People can be very forgiving, especially when they want to be. And your cousins want to fix everything that happened between you guys. I'm certain of it."

"How do I start, Will? What am I supposed to do?"

"What's your father and stepmother like?"

Nico was confused by the question, but he scrunched up his nose and answered anyway. "Horrible. My father is the one who told me...you know. He mostly ignores me. My stepmother hates me, though I'm not really subtle about my dislike for her, either. It's just Persephone and me in the house right now, and I had to get away. That's why I texted you originally. She could be worse, but she's stifling. She's nosy and strict and disapproving. She's one of those women who looks at everything with disdain. She tried to confine me to the house. So I left."

"Best not to try and reconnect with them, then."

"No way,"

Will looked thoughtful for a minute. "Why don't you start by calling Hazel? You spoke so highly of her, and if what you said is true she'll probably be overjoyed that you called. I bet you'll be forgiven in a heartbeat, and it's through the phone, so you won't have to look at her face."

Nico nodded slowly. It seemed like a good place to start- but that didn't make it any easier. "I'll call her sometime this week."

"Don't forget to tell her about your arrhythmia. I have a feeling she'll want to know."

Nico paled. "I don't think so. She'd probably book the next flight to New York."

Will laughed. "Still, you should tell her. Don't want her to find out through someone else or by witnessing it, now, do we?"

Nico sighed. "I guess you're right."

Their conversation shifted to lighter topics. Nico felt more at ease than he had in years. Being with Will- it made him a better person. It felt so natural and right to be with Will. The thought both terrified him and made him feel...happy. It was wonderful.

"Hello, Willie-boy."

Will froze. He slowly turned around in his chair. Confused, Nico followed his gaze to a skinny guy who looked nineteen. He had pale blonde hair and eyes such a pale blue they were almost colorless. He wore a sneer that did nothing to improve his looks.

Without responding, Will turned back around in his seat and stared at the table, all traces of happiness gone from his face. He had that look he had gotten in the hospital room when Percy snapped at him. It made Nico immediately loathe whoever this guy was.

"Aw, aren't you going to say hi to me, Will? I thought you were better than that. Come on, I'm your brother." Nico's eyes shot to Will, who wouldn't look at him. "Will, Will, Will. It's been so long. Surely you have something you'd like to say to me. But then again, you never were very strong, were you Will? No, you always hide. You put up a brave face, sure, but it's so very easy to see past you. You act like you're good enough, but you're not. You can't even love the right gender." Nico slammed his hands on the table, starting to stand up, but Will's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Will met his eyes and shook his head at Nico. Nico started to protest, but the guy cut him off.

"Oh, Willie, are you on a date?" The guy's eyes were lit up with sadistic amusement.

"No," Will whispered, eyes back on the table, but his hand still gripping Nico's wrist.

The guy's eyes found the ace bandage on Will's wrist. Will had a nervous habit of wrapping and unwrapping it around his wrist. Will's brother smiled a predatory smile. "Still want to become a doctor, do you? You know, Father is right. You're not smart enough to follow that career path, Willie."

Nico shot to his feet. "Who the hell do you think you are? What's he ever done to you?"

The guy sneered. "The freak exists, that's enough."

"You didn't answer me. Who are you? Will sure hasn't mentioned a rat like you before."

"Willie, I'm hurt. You haven't told your boyfriend about me? And here I was thinking we had something. What would Lee and Michael say?"

Will tensed. "We'll never know," he whispered. "And Nico's not my boyfriend, Octavian. He isn't gay."

Nico felt like he had lied to Will, but he hadn't. Right? He just hadn't told him the truth.

"Aw, my poor little brother. The freak, the disgrace...can't even find someone to love him. Or even like him. Your mother was lucky enough to get rid of you. If only the rest of us could do the same."

Before Nico could punch the guy (and his fist was pulled back to do just that), the door to the cafe slammed open and Jason ran in. He studied the scene before him: Nico about to punch this Octavian character, Will's tense form at the table, and Octavian's patronizing sneer. Jason looked absolutely livid. He stalked over to their table and got up in Will's brother's face.

"Why are you here?" Jason said through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"

Octavian smirked at Jason. "I'm just checking in on family," he said, gesturing to Will.

Jason looked at Will, who wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Are you related to him?" Jason inquired.

Will's whole expression darkened even more. "Yes."

"How?"

"Half-brother."

"He insults you, doesn't he." Jason didn't phrase it as a question.

Will's silence spoke for itself.

Jason turned back to Octavian, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, and said, "Leave town, and don't come back."

Octavian sneered. "Sorry, Grace, but I have every right to be here. I'm visiting family. And Willie-" here he leaned over and wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders. "-is family."

Nico couldn't take it anymore. He punched Octavian in the jaw, who let out a shrill shriek. "Don't you dare touch him!" Nico hissed.

Jason looked like he was about to punch Octavian, too, but before he could, Will cut in. "Don't. He's not worth it."

Nico didn't understand Will's unwillingness to defend himself from this jerk. "But, Will-"

"No, Nico." Will said. "Don't listen to him. He's a sadist who feeds off other's pain. Don't give him any attention."

Nico could hear his pulse in his ears. He was about to land another punch anyway, but Jason beat him to it. "Maybe you don't want us helping you, Will," Jason growled, "But I have a bone to pick with him, too."

Nico's eyes widened in shock. Jason knew Octavian? Personally? Will seemed surprised too, because he gaped at Jason. "You...What did Octavian do to you?"

"He tried to get inside my head. Tried to convince me that certain things would bring me glory. He used me to rise above himself. I finally realised how messed up he was and exposed him."

Octavian glowered. "And you'll pay it, Grace. I know your weaknesses. I know everyone's weaknesses." His gaze landed on his brother. He continued softly. "Don't I, Willie?"

Will was quiet.

"I have to go pay respects to my other siblings. And my father. Come on, Willie."

"He's not going with you," Nico growled.

"Oh, but he has to. You see, his truck broke down."

Will closed his eyes tightly.

"Oh, but that's not a problem," Nico said, mimicking Octavian's tone. "I can take him home."

Octavian looked miffed, but, having nothing to say, turned and headed out of the shop.

Nico noticed that the girl behind the counter was still on her phone. Talk about addiction.

Will still hadn't moved. His face had paled during Octavian's little speech, and he had hardly looked up from the table. Nico wanted him to smile again so badly. He wished he could go back in time and make it so that Octavian never came into the cafe.

"When you were talking about your siblings, you never mentioned him." Nico didn't care that Jason was there. He felt angry, and even a little hurt. Did Will not trust him? Gosh, Nico had just spilled his life story to the guy. What if it was a mistake? What if-

"I didn't think it was important. Octavian went to college. I didn't think he'd come back here. He's always saying that he doesn't like it in New York. I think he dislikes how people here think for themselves. He wants to hold some kind of position of power; he needs people who will follow him blindly. He couldn't find that here. I hate Octavian. I didn't want you to know about him. I hate saying that I'm related to that jerk. People always look at me like they do him, like they expect me to double cross them or insult them like he does."

Nico- surprising himself, Will, and Jason- reached out a hand and placed it on Will's shoulder in a way that he hoped was comforting. "I know you're not him. Jason knows you're not him. I'm sure that that girl and guy you always hang out with- you know, dark hair, green eyes, kinda reminds you of Thalia, and the brown haired guy who looks like he just stole something?- I'm sure they know you're not that rat, either."

Will cracked a small smile, and skeletal butterflies appeared in Nico's stomach. "Lou Ellen and Cecil? Yeah, they're pretty great. Lou will be delighted to hear you compared her to Thalia. And Cecil probably did steal something, actually."

Jason looked at Nico from behind Will. He looked like he was on the verge of figuring out the last piece of a puzzle. Nico didn't like it.

"So, Will," Jason began. "You have to live in the same house as Octavian for how long?"

Will exhaled loudly. "I don't know, a couple weeks? I'll probably volunteer at the hospital after school."

Jason looked thoughtful. "Didn't he say something about your car?"

Will groaned. "I forgot all about that! It's probably not that bad, though. He probably let all the air out of the tires or something. He wouldn't do anything too drastic; he knows I'd call the cops if he did. But if he lets all the air out of the tires, I'll have no proof that it was him."

"So basically," Jason mused. "You don't have a car and your house isn't a good environment at the moment. You could even say it's not safe."

Will looked very confused and slightly uncomfortable. "I guess?"

Jason took out his phone and texted someone. Will and Nico shared a confused glance. Then Jason put his phone away. "Will, you're coming to stay with me."

"What?!" Will exclaimed, standing up. "No, no, no. I can't-"

"Oh, but you can." Jason told him, smiling a little. "You just don't want to burden anyone."

"No, I don't," Will agreed. "Which is why I can't-"

Jason held up a hand. "Will, you have just admitted that if you thought you wouldn't be burdening my family in the least, you would gladly come and stay with us. Not because your parents wouldn't allow it, not because you don't want to, but because you think it would inconvenience my family to have you stay. Which means that something in your home life is making you feel unwelcome or unwanted, and you need to get away from that atmosphere as soon as possible. Thalia, my dad, and my mom are all okay with it, and we're well off, so you wouldn't be inconveniencing anyone at all. So, yeah, I think it would be in your best interests to come and live with me for the next few weeks."

Will and Nico's mouths were hanging open. Nico could not believe Jason had just said that. If he was wrong, that would be extremely offensive.

Jason's expression softened. "We won't ask questions, Will. You don't have to talk to any of us if you don't want to. We just want to get you away from things that will hurt you. And I know they hurt, Will."

Will looked unsure, but he slowly nodded.

Nico looked at his friend. "I can come and visit, if you like. Daily."

Will smiled a broken, but grateful smile. "Thank you." Then he seemed to remember something, because his face crumbled. "I can't," he said.

Jason was about to protest, but Will spoke first. "My siblings. I can't leave them there. I'm sorry, Jason. I really appreciate it, but...they need me there. And don't even think about bringing them all to your place. My dad would never allow it. He might be okay with me being gone for a few weeks, but not my siblings."

Jason looked frustrated. "Well, how many siblings do you have?"

Before Will could answer, the cafe door opened again and a group of people walked in. One was a girl with red hair and eyes the color of bluebells. She was holding the hand of a four year old girl with curly brown hair and pale blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. Next to them was a dark skinned guy who looked about fifteen. He had cornrows and chocolate brown eyes. Behind him was a girl of about ten with muddy green eyes and auburn hair. Next to her was a seven year old boy with hazel eyes and dark brown hair.

Upon seeing Will, the four year old gave a small shriek and launched herself at him. "Will!" she said, hugging him tightly.

"K-Kyra?" Will asked, looking shocked. He turned to the red haired girl, who Nico now noticed had a shock of green amongst the red. "Kayla, what's wrong?"

"The stupid, pig-headed, egotistical maniac is back." She informed Will.

"Yeah, I know."

The dark skinned guy turned to Kayla. "I told you that was Will's truck!"

"Shut up, Austin," she snapped.

The hazel eyed boy stepped closer to Will. "Will, what do we do?"

Will was about to answer, but he was interrupted by the auburn haired girl bursting into tears.

"Monica," Will said, looking alarmed. "What's the matter?"

"I- I hate him," she sobbed, running to Will and burying her face in his shoulder. Nico realised he had done the same thing earlier that day. "He's so- so mean. He calls me names and pulls my hair, like Justin, but harder-"

"Hey!" the seven year old cried, indignant. "I only pull your hair when you act like a know-it-all."

"The point is," Austin interrupted. "When is he gonna leave?"

Will sighed, looking defeated. "I'm sorry, guys. He's not gonna leave for a few weeks."

"What?!" Kayla shouted. "I can't possibly live in the same house as him for a few weeks! Will! He'll go through my phone again!"

"Set up a passcode and a fingerprint."

"But he'll figure the password out! He always does!"

"Then change it every day so that when he does it won't work the next day."

"But a lot of damage could be done by then! I won't let him ruin my chances with Ellis."

Austin scoffed. "What chances? Anyway, Will. He'll mess up my saxophone. My YouTube career is at stake!"

Justin pouted. "He's gonna put all my baseballs in the gutter again. I can't reach them up there!"

Monica piped up. "He'll break all my sculptures, Will."

Kyra chimed in. "He'll tell scary stories before bed again, Will! Then he'll come in and scare me again!" The young girl looked like she was close to tears.

Jason looked lost, and that was how Nico felt. How must Will be feeling, with these people, his siblings, all expecting him to magically fix their problems? Nico was suddenly grateful Hazel was so close in age to him, so she was able to take care of her problems herself.

Will must have seen Nico and Jason's bewilderment, because he said, "These are my siblings. Guys, this is Nico di Angelo and Jason Grace."

All of Will's siblings said 'hi' in perfect synchronicity. Jason and Nico each muttered a greeting. Will was bombarded with questions again.

"Woah, woah. Guys. I can't do anything about Octavian. You're just going to have try and deal with him for a couple of weeks. Then he'll be gone again."

"C'mon, Will," Austin complained. "There's gotta be something you can do to make him leave us alone."

"Please, Will." Kayla begged.

Will sighed guiltily. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

Justin protested. "But Lee and Michael made him leave us alone! Why can't you?"

Will tensed. "Justin!" Kayla scolded.

Will knelt down beside his brother. "I'm not Lee or Michael," he said softly. Nico suddenly felt like he was intruding. "Look, I miss them, too. But we can't get them back. Octavian is a jerk. But he'll be gone soon, okay? Until then we just have to stick together. He'll get bored if we pretend what he does doesn't bother us. Maybe he'll even leave sooner."

"Okay," Justin grumbled.

Will nodded. "Good." Turning to Kayla and Austin, he said, "Take them all outside and wait by my car. I'll be there in a minute." Will's siblings nodded and left.

"I'm sorry about them," Will said to Jason and Nico. "They all hate Octavian as much as I do. They don't like the idea of having him back in the house."

"Don't apologize," Nico said. Then he added, "You're a good brother."

Will smiled sadly. "I try,"

"There's gotta be something we can do," Jason muttered. "I won't leave you alone with that jerk, especially not when you have to take care of all your siblings."

"I'll be fine," Will assured him.

Jason studied Will. "After Octavian leaves, you're coming to stay with my family."

Will stared at him, confused. "What?"

"I can tell that you need to get away from your place. If you won't come live with me for a few weeks, at least live with someone else. You need a break, Will."

Will didn't look convinced. "I'll think about it,"

Jason nodded. "I'll drive your siblings home in my car, since Octavian messed up yours."

Will thanked him and gave him an address. Jason turned and walked toward the exit, but not before turning to smirk at Nico.

"I'll drive you home when you're ready," Nico told Will.

Will looked at Nico gratefully. Then he sighed. "I bet you have questions. Ask any that you want."

Nico wasted no time. "What about your dad?"

Thankfully, Will seemed to understand. "He works crazy hours at the hospital. When he is home, he criticizes…" Will trailed off.

"You?" Nico supplied.

Will sighed. "Yeah. He's a neurologist- he thinks his field is the most important. He holds really high standards- anything below a ninety-five is unacceptable. It makes school that much harder. He's fine with the fact that I'm gay, but he doesn't like how I don't flaunt it. Says that there are plenty of people who hide their sexuality, that I should 'show my pride.' I'm perfectly happy being gay," Will added quickly. "I just don't want people to only think of that when they see me. Every mistake is magnified with him. It just gets tiring, trying your best to do well and impress people, to live up to their standards- to only have them point out what you could have done better."

Nico frowned. "What about your siblings? Do they just stand by and let you take it?"

"Oh, no. If they knew, I'm sure Kayla and Austin would have exploded by now. None of them are around when this happens. They try. My two older brothers, Lee and Michael, died a couple years ago. We're all still trying to get over it. They held us all together as a family. Losing them both was rough. Coping without them is even harder."

"...How?"

"Car accident. Justin's baseball landed in this busy street by our house one day and Michael went to go and bring it back to him. Then out of nowhere this car came speeding toward him. Lee ran into the street to push him out of the way, but...it hit him, too. We found out later that the guy was drunk."

Nico went over to Will and sa beside him. He wrapped his arms around him. This time, Will's face was buried in Nico's shoulder, and Nico was stroking the back of Will's head. "You're enough," Nico whispered to him. "I promise, Will, you're enough." Will gripped him tighter. "Lee and Michael would be proud of you, Will. You are holding your family together."

"My mother didn't want me," Came Will's whisper, barely audible. "She doesn't bother to call. I've never once seen her or spoken to her. I know next to nothing about her."

"She was an idiot, then." Nico whispered back. "She was stupid to not stay in touch. But you're strong, Will. Even with all the crap that's happened to you, you're still nice. You still care about other people. Will, you're the first person I've enjoyed being with for years. I find myself wanting to spend time with you, and I haven't spent time with someone willingly since I was ten. I swear, Will, you're enough."

"Thank you, Nico."

It was there, in that small cafe, with a teenage girl behind a counter texting someone on her phone, oblivious to the scene unfolding in the back corner, that Nico di Angelo realised something that would change his life forever.

Nico di Angelo cared deeply about Will Solace.

No, it wasn't love, but it could become that. And Nico didn't mind it all that much.

A/N: Thank you for the question suggestions. They really helped me transition into these topics. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Romance will start to develop soon, and Drew will make a reappearance. Thanks for reading!