Author's Note: Hey, I hoped you liked chapter 1. Sorry this took a while to upload. Now that school is out, I have a lot more time to write. Thanks for the reviews. There was a complaint that the story was moving too fast, so I'll try to show the passage of time better in this one. I'll focus more on the storyline and less on their relationship. Also, I know everyone is a little OOC (some more than others), but I found that they fit my natural writing style better if I changed them a little bit. Please review so I know what to do better and I hope you enjoy!

After breakfast Piper went to the Hades cabin to talk to Nico. Surprisingly, the door was open, and she invited herself in. For once Nico looked happy to see her, and he wasn't sulking. Will must have done something, she thought.

"So, how was the date?" She asked casually, plopping herself on the bed next to where Nico was sitting.

"What date?" Nico said playing it stupid.

"You're date with Will. You know what I'm talking about," she said, not taking any of Nico's shit.

Nico sat up straight. He did not want to talk about his private life right now.

"How did you know? Did Jason tell you my secret, when I specially told him not to?" He demanded. Piper looked slightly surprised by his outburst, but she understands the intent behind it. It did sound like she was forcing him out of the closet. But she laughed to show that she supported him.

"Relax Nico. Will asked me to help plan your date. He said he needed a little Aphrodite charm. I just want to know how it went," she said. Nico released a little bit of an tension in his shoulders.

"It was fine," Nico said.

"Like, fine as in great, or fine as in you're better off as friends?" Piper clarified. Nico tilted his head and looked her in the eye.

"So, you're, like, okay with it? You know, two guys dating," Nico said sharply. Piper softened.

"Nico, you can date anyone you want, as long as they make you happy. Even though I'm not the typical daughter of Aphrodite, I know that you and Will are a match made in heaven," Piper said giving him a friendly hug.

"So how was your date?" She asked again.

"It was great. Thanks for planning it," Nico answered honestly this time.

"No problem. If you ever need anything or if Jason gives you a hard time, just know that I'm here for you," she said.

"Thanks, I have to go find Will now. See you later," Nico smiled and walked away.

Nico was on his way to the infirmary until he heard Jason call his name.

"Hey Nico! What's up?" Jason ran up beside him.

"I don't know, not much," he sighed.

"Are you going on the New Rome trip this weekend. We're planning on reuniting the seven, except for Leo..." Jason said. A dark cloud immediately dropped over them. Both Nico and Jason could feel the tension in the air. Nico didn't what to say. He knew Leo moderately well, but it was nothing compared to losing your best friend. Luckily, Jason came to the rescue.

"Anyways, you should come. You were a huge part of the quest and deserve to be part of our reunion," Jason said, he really wasn't in the mood to discuss Leo right now.

"I don't know," he said. "I have stuff to do at camp."

"Come on, just take a weekend getaway. It will be fun."

"Whatever, if you really want me there," Nico said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes! Can't wait. You can invite Will," Jason suggested. His eyes went wide like he just remembered something.

"How was your date?" He asked excitedly. Nico blushed and twisted his skull ring.

"It was good. We're together now."

Jason's jaw dropped. These were the words he has been waiting to hear since the battle with Gaea.

"Well, did you, you know..." Jason wriggled his eyebrows and made an obscene gesture.

"No, we didn't, you perv. It didn't go any further than kissing," Nico said. "If we going to continue this conversation, we are going to go somewhere else." They walked away from the main pavilion.

"You kissed?! I'm so happy for you!" Jason squealed, he was elated. "Will has to come to Rome with us. Go invite him right now." He shoved Nico in the direction of the infirmary and watched from a distance. He was glad his friend had finally found someone.

Nico found Will analyzing some test results in the back of the infirmary by himself.

"Hey... Will," he said wrapping his arms around the son of Apollo's neck. This was something he never would have done if others were watching.

"Hey, Death Boy," Will responded, which earned him a playful slap in the arm.

"So, will you be able to take time off work this weekend?" Nico said before planting a kiss on his neck. Will turned around.

"If it's important," he winked.

"Well, me, Jason, and the other members of the quest are going to New Rome this weekend and it would be great if you could come with me, you know, as my boyfriend," Nico said.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Will whispered and he pulled him close. Soon they were making out and Nico caught Jason peeping in through the window. He was smiling and clapping softly. Nico was pissed. He liked having Jason as a friend, but he did not need him following him around all the time, especially during personal moments like these.

Nico drew his head back and flipped Jason off behind Will's back.

"You stalker," he mouthed. Jason quickly realized him presence wasn't welcome and he left.

"So you think you can come?" Nico said, turning back to Will.

"I'll be there," Will promised.

"I want to introduce you to Hazel and Reyna. You met them before, but I want you to know them for real,"

"Can't wait," Will whispered as he kissed Nico again.

The next day Nico slept through breakfast an was in a pretty bad mood when he missed his chance to see Will before he had to work.

"Yo, Nico!" Percy called. Waving him over to his and Annabeth's lunch table. Nico knew that he was going to pester him about Will, but really how bad could it be? Now that he was out, his secret didn't seem so embarrassing or shameful anymore. Besides Will was taking the lunch shift in the infirmary today, and he didn't have anyone to sit with. He casually walked over and sat down.

"Are you going on the New Rome trip?" Percy asked. As usual, he was a little late to the game.

"Yeah, Jason told me about it yesterday. I'm going with Will," Nico said. He added the last part to show Percy that he actually had a social and didn't sulk in his room all the time.

"Oh, I'll see you there," Percy said, "So, like, what is going on between you and Will? I noticed you have been hanging around with him a lot lately,"

Nico shrugged like it was no big deal, "Yeah, we're dating." Percy raised his eyebrows.

"So about that, you said I'm not your type. What does he have that I don't have?" Percy asked. Nico rolled his eyes, he made it very clear to Percy that he was over him.

Annabeth slapped him on the arm. She always wondered how her boyfriend got away with being so rude.

"I told you not to ask him about this. Despite how egotistical you are, not everybody finds you attractive," she hissed.

"For starters, he's gay, which means I actually have a chance with him," Nico said. He was surprised Percy hadn't figured this out earlier.

"Okay, you got a point there. What else? Is it because he's blond, because-" Percy rambled before getting cut off.

"You may be the most powerful demigod I ever met, and I've met a lot of demigods, but you are not the center of the universe and while I think you're cute, I don't like you in that way anymore," Nico explained.

"Anything else that sets him apart?" Percy was not done yet, he needed to know why Nico wasn't into him.

"Well, Will is also the head of the infirmary, which means he's super smart," Nico continued.

"And I'm not?" Percy protested

"Annabeth calls you Seaweed Brain for a reason," Nico laughed and gave Annabeth a high five. Percy gave up.

"Okay, I get it. You like Will more than me. But for real, I'm happy for you guys," Percy said, giving Nico a pat on the back as they got up to get their food.

Two days later, Nico, Will, and the rest of the people going on the New Rome loaded on to the charter buses. Even though the buses were modified by the Hephaestus cabin to go faster, it would still take 2 days to get to San Francisco. Nico boarded the bus and sat down in the back, behind Jason and next to Will.

"Hey, Death Boy," Will said, wrapping his arm around Nico's waist. He grimaced at the pet name, but decided not to say anything. He knew that if he made a big deal about it, Jason and Percy would make sure to call him it at every available opportunity.

Nico snuggled into Will's shoulder. He felt safe, comfortable, and protected, the things he wanted most in a partner. He had a rocky past, and he needed stability in his life. Luckily, Will met all of his needs.

"They are the true Camp Half-Blood power couple," Jason whispered to Piper, loud enough for Nico to hear.

"They are so cute together," Piper cooed. "Aww, Nico looks like he's about to fall asleep in Will's lap."

"I'm not sleeping!" Nico snapped, sitting upright.

"Nico, it's okay. You need sleep. It's no secret that you were shadow traveling last night," Will said. Nico mumbled something about helping Hades in the Underworld, but Will keeps on talking. "You're deathly pale, colder than normal, and have bags under your eyes. You need sleep."

"It's 10 a.m. I'm fine," Nico protested. He found this embarrassing. His boyfriend was giving him medical advice in front of his friends, who were much cooler than him.

"Doctor's orders," Will said, finding Nico 's weak spot. Nico eventually gave in and fell asleep to Will running his fingers through his hair.

A few hours later, the buses pulled up in front of a KFC in Ohio.

"We're going to stop here for lunch. Don't leave the premises and be back on the bus in an hour," Chiron announced. The campers filed off the bus and it took about 2 seconds for Nico to realize something wasn't right.

"Will. Come on. There's an Underworld presence here. It's not a good one either," Nico said tensely. "Let's go. We need to stop it. Grab your bow." Will had no intention of battling some creepy Underworld spirit, but he knew that Nico would overexert himself by summoning ghosts and zombies if he was not supervised.

He ran up to Jason and patted him on the shoulder.

"Get me and Nico each a chicken wing combo with Diet Coke. I'll pay you back later," he said before hurrying to catch up with Nico who was already walking away.

"So what's up?" Will asked. He wanted to know what he was getting into.

"There is an Underworld spirit around here. It probably just wants me to do a favor for my father. I want you to help me if things turn nasty."

"You know I'm horrible at combat," Will complained. He had a bad feeling about this; Underworld spirits rarely played nice.

"No, you're not. I saw you in the battle, you're a good strategist," Nico snapped. He didn't have time to argue. He knew Will would do fine, even if he could benefit from a sword fighting lesson.

Nico stopped in his tracks. He saw what was casting the deathly aura. A tall woman dressed in half-black and half-white stood in a parking lot a few blocks away from the KFC and she didn't look happy. Ignoring Will's protests, Nico walked right up to her. Will reluctantly followed.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Nico demanded.

"Nico, be nice. You don't want to make a bad impression on her," Will hissed.

"Ah, Nico, son of Hades, I am Melinoë. I am a goddess of fear and I preside over the ghosts. But that is not why I'm here today. For weeks I have been roaming the Earth, tormenting mortals, waiting for you," she said regally.

"Just get to the point," Nico scoffed.

"Your friend is right, you don't want to make a bad first impression on me. But right now I'm playing nice because Hades wants you to do him a favor. He wants you to clear some rogue spirits out of the Fields of Asphodel and back into Tartarus," Melinoë said delicately.

Nico was outraged. "I'm done doing his dirty work. If it's too trivial for him to do himself, he should just have one of his servants do it. Why are you even here? I'm sure my father has messengers!"

"Hades, well, he's disappointed in me. Demios had been doing a better job at my job lately. You could say I'm being... Punished."

Nico drew his sword. A second later he realized his mistake. Melinoë dropped her act of playing nice and raised her sword as well. He now knew why she was the goddess of fear. Nico was terrified.

Will took a step back. "Nico," he said desperately. Melinoë's sword was pointed at his boyfriend's chest. "Just try not to do any Underworld stuff. You don't have the strength," he warned.

Nico nodded. He stopped Melinoë's first attack, but he wasn't so lucky for the next one. She charged towards his neck and he barely jumped away in time. He felt blood soaking through his shirt and saw that she grazed his shoulder. Will watched in horror.

Melinoë's powers were in full effect. She was calling out insults and getting dangerously close to Nico's vital organs. She was moving too fast for Nico to get any attacks in. Nico managed to dodge or stop most of hers, but her fear vibe was making it hard for him to think straight, a skill crucial for battle. He had gashes all over his arms and torso and he knew he couldn't win by sword play.

"Will, I have too. Make sure I don't fade away," he gasped. Nico didn't wait for Will's response. He was going to do it anyway.

A pit opened up beneath the goddess's feet. Even Will, a son of Apollo, knew that it was a drop into Tartarus. It reeked of death and cries of suffering could be heard from miles away. But Melinoë jumped to the side and Nico didn't have the strength to make it any bigger.

"Will. Help," Nico said. Will ran to him and pulled his medical tape out of his mini first aid kit. "No, your bow," he said.

Will got the message. He nocked his bow and pointed it towards Melinoë. She quickly noticed that Nico wasn't her only threat and lunged at Will. Will waited for the perfect moment, when she was standing in front of the pit, and released the string. The arrow sailed through the air and struck her in the chest. She didn't die because she was an immortal goddess, but she lost he footing and fell backwards into Tartarus.

Nico closed the pit and sat down, exhausted.

"Gods, I'm a horrible person. I sent a freaking goddess to the Underworld. I know it's her domain, but Tartarus. Really?" He ranted. Will clasped a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Nico, you did what you had to do. We don't want that creepy lady to stay around scaring people. Right now, I need to fix your injuries," Will said. He gave Nico some ambrosia and started to bandage his cuts. Nico enjoyed his tender touch and relaxed.

"Come on. We should get back to the bus soon. I asked Jason to get us some chicken wings and hopefully we won't have to fight anymore battles. And when I say no more Underworld stuff, I mean it!" Will lectured.

The rest of the bus ride to Camp Jupiter was relatively uneventful. They did run into some venti in Missouri, but Jason took care of them. They (everyone except Nico) sang camp songs, until they pulled into a hotel in northwest Kansas.

"We're here! Halfway to Rome!" Percy whooped. He gave Annabeth a peck on the lips and whispered, "Let's room together." He winked twice and Nico turned away. He was not a fan of public affection and had no intention of knowing the details of what Percy and Annabeth did while they were alone.

"Attention! There will be four and only four people to each hotel room. Lights out by 11:00 p.m. and be back on the bus by 8:30 tomorrow morning. The hotel will be serving a complimentary breakfast starting at 6. Dismissed!" Chiron announced. Chaos immediately broke out among the campers as they organized their rooming arrangements with their friends.

Nico turned towards Will. "We're together right?" He asked. Because being a loner was not an option, being with his boyfriend was the next best choice. He just wasn't sure if he was ready to sleep in the same bed as him yet, even if they don't plan on having sex.

"Of course. We still need two other people though. It's too bad Lou Ellen and Cecil didn't come," Will said. They nervously looked around for people who would meet their criteria. These people needed to be 1. Okay with them being gay, and preferably someone who they were already out to and 2. Someone who actually planned on sleeping.

"Maybe if we don't find anyone to room with, Chiron will let us have our own room," Will suggested, but Jason quickly crushed his dreams of spending a night alone with Nico.

"Hey, Nico! Will! Do you have a group yet? Come join me and Piper!" Jason called.

"Why aren't you with Percy?" Nico asked rudely. Jason was one of his best friends, but he really wasn't in the mood for him to make a big deal out of their relationship.

Jason hesitated. "Ah, well, Percy and Annabeth somehow convinced Chiron to let them have a room to themselves because they're senior counselors, or something like that," he said.

"So, it's okay that we room you?" Piper asked. "Don't worry I'm not charm speaking," she added when she saw Nico's skeptical expression.

"Yeah, that would be okay, I guess," Nico said.

"Oh, this is going to be great! We'll stay up all night, throw a party, and watch movies. It will be so much fun!" Jason said excitedly.

"On second thought, maybe you should convince Chiron to let you stay with Percy and Annabeth," Nico said. Everyone laughed and they brought their stuff to the hotel room Chiron assigned them.

"A deluxe suite for the head counselors," he said handing them a room key.

"I'll get dinner!" Piper declared, not trusting her friends to arrange a meal with nutritional value. Jason, Nico, and Will walked into the lobby and went up the elevator.

"Woah, this place is huge!" Will exclaimed as he stepped into their penthouse suite. There was a huge flat-screen TV, which Jason immediately planted himself in front of, a fancy kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over the small Kansas town. There were also only two beds.

"I'll sleep on the couch," Nico announced. Will looked hurt and dropped Nico's hand, which he didn't even realize he was holding. The gesture felt so familiar now.

"Nico," Will sighed. "It's bad for your back to sleep on a couch. Just sleep in the bed with me. Piper and Jason will be in the same room, so it's not like we'll do anything…" Jason was to absorbed in the football game on TV to listen to their conversation, which Nico was grateful for. He really didn't need Jason's cheery attitude right now.

"If you insist…" Nico said. "Let's put our stuff away." They walked into the bedroom and placed their duffle bags by the window.

Nico flopped down on to their bed and Will followed suit. Will rolled over, so he could face Nico.

"Hey, Death Boy," he said and flashed his signature smile.

Nico gritted his teeth, "Do not call me that." Will ignored him and planted a kiss on his lips. They laid there, making out, for a few more minutes until they heard the hotel room door bang open.

"I'm back! I got Chinese takeout," Piper announced. Jason quickly turned off the TV and got up to give his girlfriend a kiss. Will and Nico got off the bed and went into the dining room/kitchen, their clothes a little more rumpled than usual.

They ate dinner and discussed their plans for their weekend in New Rome. After dinner they all squished on to the couch to watch a movie.

"Hey, let's watch Hercules! It's about demigods," Jason said, scrolling through Netflix.

"Yeah, sure. I'm a huge fan of how they portray Apollo, though," Will said, coming back from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn.

Piper nodded in agreement. "The movies never get anything right. Trust me I know from experience."

Nico sat in silence, his arm wrapped around Will's waist. He wasn't that familiar with pop culture. Jason pressed play and turned off the lights. The first scene opened up with the Fates singing. It took exactly three seconds for Jason to comment on it.

"You know, I would actually be okay with battling the Fates is they broke out in song…" he said loudly. Piper shushed him and he held his arms up innocently. "Just saying."

A few minutes later Jason spoke again.

"Woah, is that Mt. Olympus? The people who made this movie obviously didn't know what Greek architecture is," he said. This time he got an angry glance from Nico as well as Piper.

"Shut up!" She said slapping him on the arm.

"I have never seen this movie and would appreciate it if you could be quiet," Nico added.

"Next time you talk you're leaving," Piper declared. Jason shut up for the time being.

"Gods, is that Hades?!" Nico asked, appalled. "Why is his hair on fire? The people who made were clearly not demigods."

Will gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome to the world of Disney getting everything wrong." They watched the rest of the movie in silence.

"I'm tired," Nico yawned.

"Let's go then," Will said grabbing his hand walking him to the bedroom. Nico laid down as Jason and Piper walked into the room.

"We're going to go to bed now. It's kinda late. Don't worry we're not going to do anything to intimate with you guys here," Jason said as if his intentions weren't obvious. "I need to get to the workout room early with Percy tomorrow." The rest of the people in the room rolled their eyes.

Will got into bed and pulled Nico close. He brushed Nico's hair out of his eyes and slid his other hand up his shirt. Nico pulled away slightly, not used to people touching him in this way.

"Just the shirt?" Will winked. "We're under the blanket anyways." Nico nodded and Will pulled his shirt over his head. It looked ed like Jason and Piper were doing the same thing on the other side of the room.

Will kissed his neck and stroked his chest. Pretty soon his shirt was off to. They kissed and touched for a few more minutes until they looked at the time. It was almost midnight.

"Will, I'm tired now," Nico whispered, his eyes drooping.

"You mean the world to me," Will said as he gave one more kiss, which caused Nico to blush furiously. They held hands and went to sleep.

The next morning Nico woke to Will shaking him awake. "Hey, Death Boy. Wake up. You're late. You missed breakfast," he said irritably.

"Why are you a morning person?" Nico grumbled, rolling over away from Will's morning vibe.

"I'm a son of Apollo. What did you expect?" He smirked. Nico looked at the time. It was 8:00. The bus was supposed to leave in half an hour.

Nico quickly got out of bed and pulled on a shirt. Jason and Piper had already left. He hurriedly packed up his stuff and he and Will left the hotel with five minutes to spare.

They boarded the bus and sat in the back with the Jason and the rest of their friends.

"You're lucky I packed you a healthy breakfast. We're not going to be stopping for lunch for a while," Will said handing Nico a bag of food. Nico ate his meal and they were off on their way to Rome.

Several hours later the scenery changed from rolling fields of corn to the San Francisco Bay.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Will gasped. "I can't wait to meet all your Roman friends!" Nico agreed with him. He couldn't wait to get to camp either. He was getting tired of riding the by when he could have shadow traveled there in half the time.

Finally the bus pulled into the Camp Jupiter parking lot. They were in Rome at last.

Author's Note: I hope you liked it. I'll be a little quicker uploading the next chapter. The next part will have a little more adventure. Please review! Remember hate is frowned upon but I'm always looking for ways to improve. Stay tuned for chapter 3!