A/N: In light of the recent shooting at Pulse in Orlando, I wished to show my support for them, and every other LGBT person. Unfortunately, there aren't many ways for me to do that except for ranting in private about how despicable it is. So, as well as that, I decided to publish this. I hope you all enjoy it.

Hold my hand

Nico's palms sweated as he waited for his boyfriend, Will Solace, to meet him at the top of Half-Blood Hill. Apparently the son of Apollo had planned a night out for them at a club somewhere in town, but that was all Nico had managed to get out of him before he had clammed up. When Nico had pushed him further, Will had just smiled that infuriating smile and tapped his nose, pushing Nico out of the hospital. Nico had silently fumed for days before, wondering what Will had planned for the two of them. For a child of Hades who spent most of his life in the shadows, Nico hated being kept in dark.

At long last, Nico spotted a blonde haired figure trudging up the hill towards him. He hastily wiped his palms on his jeans and watched as Will approached, carrying a large plastic bag. He was wearing his usual orange camp T-shirt and worn blue jeans. His hair was tousled and windswept and it shone gold in the dying light of the Sun, and his sparkling blue eyes matched the cloudless sky. For some reason he had rainbows painted on both cheeks - maybe the Iris cabin had attacked him - but before Nico could ask, Will planted a kiss on his cheek and Nico forgot everything he had meant to say. Will grinned.

"Ready to go, Death Boy?"

"If I only knew where we were going..."

"Ah, come on. You'll love it. You trust me, right?"

"No," Nico said flatly.

Will laughed, a clear sound that echoed across the valley. He claimed not to have inherited any musical talents from his dad, but to Nico that sound was the purest form of music. "Come on," he called, grabbing Nico's hand and dragging him down the hill. "Argus is waiting to take us into town."

Nico ran to catch up with him. The two of them walked hand and hand in silence. It was a peaceful June evening with only the occasional birdsong breaking the quiet. It may have seemed a strange sight, the black-clad son of Hades with the bright beacon that was Will, but Nico hadn't felt this happy since Westover. It was a good feeling.

Will was practically jumping up and down with excitement the entire journey. Nico kept telling him to keep still - which difficult enough to for an ADHD demigod - but Will just kept laughing. Argus dropped them off in the middle of town where a large group of brightly clothed individuals stood. As he drove away, Nico could have sworn he was smiling at them. He shook his head and turned back to his boyfriend.

"So where are we?"

Will grinned and flourished his hand in an overly-dramatic gesture. "Nico, welcome to your first pride parade!"

Nico blinked in confusion. "Pride... What?"

"A pride parade, Death Boy, is when people of all sexualities come together to celebrate who they are and to proclaim in front of the world that they aren't ashamed," Will declared. He studied Nico's face and his grin faded when he noticed his boyfriend's expression which was, to say the least, extremely perplexed. "I-I mean, we don't have to stay if you don't want. I just thought that, what with it being pride month and almost our two year anniversary of dating, that it would be nice, you know? But I know you aren't really this sort of person and I can always arrange something else if you want to go -"

Nico rolled his eyes and pecked Will on the cheek. The boy stopped rambling and looked down at him. "You really don't mind?"

"I think it's perfect, Will. But, as you may have noticed, I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion." Nico first gestured at the people in the parade and then at his own dark clothes. Will visibly brightened at this observation, which was quite a feat for a son of Apollo.

"I already prepared for that!" He rummaged through his plastic bag and came up with two identical rainbow t-shirts, both with #PRIDE2K16 emblazoned across the chest. Nico made a face, but Will saw and glared at him. "It's this, or the bobbles," he threatened, pulling out a ridiculous head piece with bouncy (rainbow) bobbles and flashing lights.

Nico chose the shirt.

Afterwards, Nico surprised even himself by admitting that the parade had been one of the best experiences of his life. Everyone there was so happy and it felt good to be part of a group for once. It made a change to be accepted and not discriminated against for who he was and, if he was being truly honest, he liked not being the loner in the shadows.

Of course, every silver lining has a cloud and, for demigods, those clouds tended to be more like full-blown thunderstorms. As much as Nico had hoped, two powerful demigods, particularly a child of the Big Three, would not go unnoticed for long and, sure enough, the monsters came. They had arrived at the club not an hour before when the doors banged open and almost an entire legion of empousai arrived to feast upon unsuspecting mortal flesh. Most of them had panicked and run to hide, although a few stood frozen with shock. Nico felt a slight pressure on his hand and glanced up at Will. It took but a look for both of them to know the plan: Will would herd the mortals to safety and call for back-up whilst Nico stalled the monsters until the cavalry arrived. In this case, literal cavalry. The pair nodded and charged to their positions.

Nico drew his Stygian blade and faced off with the demons. They hissed at him, but kept a safe distance away from his sword.

"Alright!" Nico yelled. "I'm giving you one chance to leave this place without harming any of the mortals before I attack. And, believe me, you do not want to feel the touch of my blade."

The monsters shuffled and looked to the girl in front - obviously the leader. Looking at her, Nico felt a shiver of recognition that he couldn't quite place. Before he could figure it out, she tipped back her head and laughed, a raspy sound that was harsh on the ears.

"We came here tonight to feast on the flesh of men, little demigod, and feast we shall. No one will stop us, least of all you, son of Hades."

Something clicked in Nico's mind at the sound of her voice. "You're Kelli, aren't you?"

The monster hissed. "And you would do well to remember it, demigod."

As one, the unit attacked.

Nico thought he was doing quite well. He heard sounds of minor scuffles in the distance and prayed that Will was keeping the mortals safe. He slashed and dodged the empousa's talons, taking them out one by one. As he ran one through, another tried to charm him to his death, but the attempts were futile. She turned to Kelli.

"Why does he not succumb mistress? How does he resist?"

"Look where you are. I'm gay, demon," Nico replied, then sent her straight to Tartarus.

He continued to dispatch the monsters, but then he heard a masculine cry behind him. Recognising the voice, he turned, Will's name halfway to his lips, when he felt a burning pain in his back. Kelli hissed into his ear.

"Remember me, Underworld spawn. Remember me, Kelli, the empousa that defeated the mighty son of Hades."

She released him and Nico fell to the floor. His vision swam, but he could tell that the demons had disappeared. Through the fog he saw a bright spot running towards him and suddenly Will's concerned face was just before his. Their eyes locked and Nico saw the worry and fear that was contained in Will's beautiful blue eyes. He tried to smile, but he was just so tired. If he could sleep for just a moment-

"Oh no you don't, Death Boy." Will's voice shook but he kept it together. "We're getting out of this. You're not leaving me, you're not."

Nico tried for a sarcastic reply that of course he wasn't going anywhere but his voice wouldn't work either. His eyes began to drift closed.

"Stop it Nico," Will commanded him. He hesitated for a second and then held his hand out. "Hold my hand. You'll be fine. I've called for back-up, just hold my hand."

With what little strength he had left, Nico reached up and clasped Will's hand. A bright light flared up and Nico felt his wound start to knit together. It was too late, though. Despite Will's pleas, despite the sudden healing, the blackness closed in and Nico fell into unconsciousness.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Hush, child. We have done all we can."

"But-"

Nico groggily opened his eyes. His mouth was dry and his side felt like someone was sticking pins into it, but he managed a slight cough. Will turned round and almost tackled his boyfriend with a hug, only stopping himself at the last moment. Instead he settled for a kiss on the forehead. Nico smiled weakly. "What happened?"

"The wound that Tartarus scum gave you almost killed you. I thought- I thought you were going to die. If Chiron's healing hadn't worked..."

"Now, now my boy. I think you must take some of the credit also," Chiron interrupted. "Had you not acted as quickly as you did, we would my be having this conversation."

Will blushed and looked down at the floor. Nico frowned. "What did you do? That flash... What was it?"

"Umm... Well, my dad is Apollo right? I didn't get many musical abilities from him - except the sonic whistle - but I'm a decent healer and I have this ability to heal people just by touching them. It's only temporary healing but it can save lives in emergencies. It's a really rare gift; Apollo only grants it to his children if they have real potential. I guess... Well, I don't really know why I can do it. I mean, I'm pretty useless-"

Nico reached over and squeezed Will's hand. "Thank you."

The two of them stared into each other's eyes. Blue met black, and they both found such love and care in the other's that they knew that they had found a home. Chiron cleared his throat.

"It is good to have you back with us, Mr di Angelo. Now, if you'll excuse me, I had better check on the other campers." The centaur exited the room and the two boys were left alone.

"So can I go?" Nico asked.

"Oh no, Death Boy. You're staying right where you are for at least another week."

Nico arched his eyebrows. "A week you say?"

"With only me for company," Will clarified.

"However will I manage," Nico replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I have no idea," Will murmured, leaning in and kissing Nico tenderly. And suddenly he forgot about the pain in his side and the fact he was in a hospital bed. And if stifled squeals and the exchanging of cash could be heard, neither of them cared. Each was lost in the gentle pressure of their lips and the cool touch of their hands meeting.

A/N: I am so sorry. This was supposed to be published weeks ago but I had a lot of trouble writing it. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and I'll update soon, especially seeing as I have another chapter idea in mind which I'm planning to write. Bye!