Disclaimer: I don't own these books.
A/N: Hey! Sorry for the long wait, but here it is. The end is near! XD
"I don't know what to make of this." Hades boomed, thrusting Nico and Leo onto the beach. Pointing to a patch of sand, he scanned his eyes over the Latino son of Hephasteus. Leo knew he was being scrutinized, and he sat down carefully. Nico scrambled next to him, clutching his hand.
With a sigh, Hephasteus lumbered over, standing in front of Hades. He stared into his ghastly, piercing eyes for a long while, obviously unintimidated.
"I say it's fine with me. My son here," he gestured to Leo, "does not love easily after his mother died. Nor does he feel comfortable around most humans. I mean, the kid's obviously lovestruck." he chuckled softly as Leo blushed a deep shade of red.
Hades rolled his eyes, and Leo scooted closer to Nico, clinging desperately to him. The older boy leaned closer and murmured Italian words into his ear to comfort him.
"Il suo bene, il mio amore. Ti amo più di quanto tu possa immaginare." he whispered as his lips brushed over his ear, and Leo sighed in a bit of relief at the familiar sound.
For a second, Nico thought he saw a hint of happiness in his father's eyes. It disappeared, however, and the older man sighed.
"I believe this calls for more help than I anticipated." he muttered, snapping his fingers.
With a poof of shimmery pink dust, a woman appeared next to the two gods. She wore a flowy white yoga with gold accents, and Leo recognized it as a similar one to the one Piper had worn when she had been claimed.
She took one look at Leo and Nico in eachother's arms and squealed.
"Ooh! You two are absolutely adorable together!" she exclaimed in a bubbly, high-pitched voice. She turned her attention to the gods, pecking Hephasteus on the cheek. "Hi honey." she flashed him a dazzling smile. He grumbled in acknowledgement.
While this was going on the Ghost King was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can we get to the point?" he snapped, his frustration getting the better of him. "My son is gay!"
"I say let them be. They're obviously in love!" Aphrodite told him, fixing her hair in a mirror. "Well, anyways, gotta dash! Lots of meddling to do!"
With a flash and a flutter of pink glitter she was gone. Hades sighed in frustration and looked at the two boys.
"I'm not saying I approve. But it's two against one." he muttered as he looked at Nico. What he said next shocked the boy. He gasped a little, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"Does he make you happy?" the god of death asked him.
Nico was still in shock, but he managed to nod and pull Leo closer to him. He held him desperately, looking up at his father under half-lidded eyes.
"He makes me happier than anything has since Bee died." he sputtered out, tears pricking the corners of his black-brown eyes.
With a nod, Hades sighed again and turned away. "That's what I thought." he muttered as he turned to Hephasteus. He held out a lithe, pale hand.
The other god shook it, and he turned back to the teens, shaking in eachother's arms.
"I've decided not to kill you today. But if you break my son's heart, I will not hesitate to send skeletons and demons from the depths of Tartarus after you to end you." he threatened, then actually smiled a little. "Good luck, you two."
With a blinding flash the two gods vanished, leaving the two alone. Leo sighed in relief, flicking sweat off his forehead before realizing the older demigod was in tears. He scooted over and straddled his waist, holding his head close to his chest and heart.
"It's okay, Nico. They're gone now. No matter what your dad might've said I would never let you go." the Hispanic boy murmured, and it seemed to calm his boyfriend down.
Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Much to their dismay, they turned around to find their friends watching the intimate but heartfelt scene unfold.
Leo nearly fell over. Nico flopped backwards and managed to tangle their legs even further. After about a minute of flying curses in Italian AND Spanish, accidental crotch-gropes (well, Leo's weren't accidental, but he wasn't about to tell Nico that), and a plethora of odd looks from their friends, they had managed to untangle themselves from eachother.
"Uh, hi." Leo said, dusting off his jeans and giving an awkward half-wave as he stood up. Nico stood up after him and glared at his shoes. "Hi."
"I think you guys have some explaining to do." Hazel finally spoke up, her hands on her hips. Nico knew that look; that was the tongue-lashing-sibling-protecting face.
Leo had Nico's hand grasped in both his own when he finished the story, scared as he studied their friend's faces. Nico was petrified as well, but not displaying it as usual. After a long silence, a rooster crowed in the distance, and they cracked up. Something about that noise seemed to help relieve some tension, and the lovers were grateful.
After a murmuring of agreement, everyone came and hugged them, and Leo chuckled at the glare plastered to Nico's face. Once they were all gone, the Hispanic took his boyfriend's hand to his mouth and kissed his bony knuckles.
"Te amo, mi rey fantasma."
Nico chuckled, he didn't need a translation anymore. He leaned forward and kissed his cheek, murmuring something onto his skin.
"Anche io ti amo, il mio meccanico."
Translations:
"Te amo, mi rey fantasma"- I love you, my Ghost king
"Anche io ti amo, il mio meccanico"- I love you too, my mechanic