A/N Thank every divine being that's listening for fanfic. I've had a really crappy day, and it feels so good to escape into someone else's life for a change...

This chapter was just begging me to write it...

After stopping back at cabin 7 for some fresh cloths (I can't believe I slept in Nico Di Angelo's cabin, wearing only pyjamas trousers... Will)(and hippocampus trousers at that), the boys walked over to the dining pavilion. Being past 1:30, only a few stragglers were left there: Clovis, using a slice of bread for a pillow; Nyssa, trying to add some steam powered legs to table 9; and Percy and Annabeth, discussing blue jelly babies ("They don't exist, and would totally pointless if they did. What would they taste of, Percy?!" "... Sour raspberry.") Will looked over at their table as Annabeth laughed, then looked away quickly as she pressed her mouth to Percy's. Glancing at Nico, Will saw that the other boy had turned pink and was staring intensely at his shoes.

He grabbed two plates from a stack, and started piling food on them, but Nico snatched one.

"I can do it myself. You're the one that needs to take a break..."

When Nico tried leave Will at his table and go and sit at table 13, however, Will protested. "You can't sit alone today! You made me drop all my duties; the least you can do is sit at my table with me!"

The Italian muttered something about high maintenance, then dumped his plate unceremoniously next to Will's. When he took his seat, though, he was grinning.

Will didn't really know what he was eating (he was too busy staring at Nico, after all), and was surprised to find that he'd finished his plate. The other boy, however, had barely touched his food.

"Aren't you going to eat that?"

"Not hungry. I don't eat much anyway..."

"No, no, no. You will eat this plate, Death Boy. You're not leaving 'till you do." Nico looked like arguing, so he added for good measure:

"Doctor's orders."

Nico half laughed.

"I'm not fading at the moment, Solace! Nor am I , you're not my doctor. Also, I'm the one taking care of you this weekend. Therefore, I'm the doctor."

"... if I agree, will you promise to eat full meals?"

The pale boy smiled. "Deal."

Neither of them looked up as Percy led a giggling Annabeth away into the forest.

Will didn't want to spend the rest of the afternoon in the cabin, not after sleeping in all morning; he needed to be doing something. Thus, he was pretty grateful when Nico suggested that they go hunting in the woods.

Will took a sword from the armoury (metal work was another thing on the list of Things He Was Bad At) (his own sword was a blackened lump of disfigured metal), Nico his own stygian iron one, both boys grabbed a tube of pringles, then they wandered into the trees.

Over the next hour, they came across two giant geckos and a bugbear (all deceased now); a stash of water balloons and silly string (probably one of the Stoll brothers' emergency banks); Lou Ellen and some other Hecate girls trying to turn the leaves on a cluster of silver birches purple; and Percy and Annabeth making out behind a tree. Finally, they found a clearing free of monsters, traps, and couples in which to enjoy their 'picnic'.

The sun shining through the leaves above their heads gave the clearing an almost faerie-like feeling, and the trees seemed to be whispering around them. If they sat quietly, they could just about hear the gurgling of a small stream somewhere near by.

"It's like magic, isn't it?" sighed Will.

Nico snorted. "We live in a world of magic, Sunshine. This is just an area that shows how you think it should be represented. My power isn't like this."

"Lighten up, Death Boy. And when did I become Sunshine?"

Nico stood up and looked away from Will. His neck had turned red. "You have a nickname for me... and Sunshine suits you."

Will stood up too.

This is it, he thought.

He moved closer to Nico.

"...Will?"

Nico was standing with his back against a tree, and so could not retreat as Will advanced on him.

I am going to kiss Nico Di Angelo.

Closing his eyes, he leaned in to the shorter boy.

He hadn't expected Nico to be this warm. He was expecting his mouth to feel as cold as his hands. He was also expecting him to be firmer than this. And he was not expecting him to feel like a 12 year-old girl.

Will jerked his eyes open to see a giggling dryad where Nico had been.

What the...?

Backing away quickly, his face colouring, he looked around for the Italian. But he wasn't there. Meanwhile, the dryad he'd kissed by accident had been joined by a second, taller one, and they were having a whispered conversation, glancing interestedly at him every few seconds.

He had to get out of there. Nico had shadow travelled somewhere, leaving him to make a complete fool of himself.

How could he?

His skin feeling like it was going to melt away, he sprinted back towards the ring of cabins, praying to every god he could think of that no one had been watching.