"I'm so tired," Will yawned as the bus pulled out of the Camp Jupiter parking lot and everybody around him nodded in agreement. Their weekend in New Rome was short, but very busy and tiring. Though they all wanted it to last longer, not one person could say no to two days of relaxing on the bus.
The bus ride through California, Nevada, and Utah was relatively uneventful. Most of the campers were either sleeping or It wasn't until Colorado did thing start to get unpredictable. Halfway through the Rocky Mountains the bus started to shudder and smoke. Nico who was sleeping on Will's shoulder sat up and grabbed his hand tightly.
"Is the bus broken?" Nico asked, worried. Will shrugged and didn't answer. Suddenly the bus stopped and Chiron stood up to address the group.
"Unfortunately we will have to take an emergency stop. The bus needs urgent repairs and Nyssa will tell you more about it," he said.
Nyssa from the Hephaestus cabin stood up as well. "The magic and extra parts we installed in the engine to make the bus go faster have been going haywire since we arrived in New Rome. Now we need to pull over and access the situation," she said. "Shouldn't be more than a few hours." The camp groaned. It was windy and cold outside, weather no one was looking forward to being stuck in.
A few minutes later about 50 demigods filed out of the bus and huddled under the tree to get warm. The wind was numbingly cold and there were no enough blankets to go around. In short, they were miserable.
Will wrapped his arms around Nico's neck and pulled their blanket tight around them. They shared a chaste kiss before turning back to the group, who was watching Nyssa intently.
The rest of the Hephaestus cabin has also gathered around the bus while Nyssa investigated the engine. "Hey everyone, it looks like the engine is completely corroded. We'll try to be quick about repairs and hopefully we'll be moving in several hours." The camp groaned and people with blankets pulled them tighter.
"Several hours?!" Jason complained. He usually wasn't one to whine, but he also was one of the unfortunate few who did not have a blanket or a jacket even though he was a head counselor. "Pipes, there are lots of venti around here that I think we could use to get home. Convince Chiron to let us leave. We could use one of those emergency chariots in the back of the bus." He instructed.
"Do you think that they could take us back to Camp Half-Blood too?" Will whispered, but Nico shook his head. The (partially broken) emergency that Chiron sometimes used to rescue stranded demigods barely looked big enough for two people.
"Chiron, we'll meet you back at camp," Piper said with her charm speak before hastily joining Jason in the chariot, which now had two wind spirits harnessed to the front.
With that final statement Jason pulled the reins and the lifted off the ground and zoomed through the mountain pass. The remaining campers stared at the spot where they just were in disbelief before breaking out in excited murmurs. Everyone left was fantasizing about making a dramatic exit to and Chiron had to blow his horn multiple times to quiet everyone down.
"Attention! Nyssa just informed me that we should be back on the road by this afternoon. Unfortunately we will only be able to travel at normal highway speeds and it will take us a week to get home," Chiron said, getting interrupted by a collective groan. Suddenly changing his mood he added, "Hot chocolate will be ready shortly." The camp lightened up slightly but they still huddled together for warmth.
"What if we were to just leave too?" Nico suggested. Though the wind had let up a little due to Jason taking some venti, Nico still felt like he was dying of hypothermia, a feeling he was all to familiar with.
Will let go of his boyfriend's waist and looked him straight in the eye. "If you're thinking of shadow traveling it's not going to happen," he said sternly. It's not healthy for you."
"Will, I'm stronger now. This isn't like after the battle where I would literally fade away if I tried anything. It'll be fine," Nico said.
"Nico, I love you and I want you to stay. As your boyfriend and a medic I'm asking you not to jeopardize your health by shadow traveling," Will replied calmly, pulling him closer.
"I don't know about you but I don't want to stand in the cold for several more hours and then get back to camp in a week," Nico snapped. He wriggled out of Will's arms and marched over to the nearest shadow. He started to fade but a second later he materialized again and glared at Will. "Well are you coming or not?"
Will didn't really have much choice. He needed to make sure Nico got back to camp safely or provide emergency resuscitation if he didn't. He also didn't want to spend a week on the bus without him. He walked over to his boyfriend and grabbed his arms. "Fine, I'll come. Just don't hurt yourself."
For Will, shadow traveling was an unnerving experience. He was slightly nauseated watching various scenes from the Underworld whip by, all gone before he could get a second look. He could also hear departed souls wailing from Tartarus. Even though Nico was constantly reassuring him that they were safe he was still on edge.
Suddenly Will lost his grip. Nico's hands were no longer solid. He would've fallen deep into Tartarus if he hadn't managed to hug him just in time.
"Nico, we're almost there. Only a few more minutes," Will gasped, squeezing his boyfriend close. Nico gave a small nod, too exhausted to speak. "I love you! Don't go."
They were losing speed. Will immediately regretted letting Nico transport them across the country. They were almost at a full stop and Will did the only thing that could motivate Nico to keep going. He kissed him full on the lips and to Will it made the underworld a little brighter.
The kiss was just the encouragement Nico needed to keep going. He activated his last bit of strength and they tumbled down Half-Blood hill and landed in the strawberry fields.
"Nico! Wake up!" Will sobbed. Nico's eyes were fluttering and he was gasping for breath. Will jumped on top of him and started feeling around his neck for a pulse. It was slow and faint but at least it was steady. Irregular heartbeat, one less thing to worry about, Will thought. He grabbed a square of nectar out of his emergency portable first aid kit and forced it down his throat. "Come on Nico," he said, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
The ambrosia pulsed through his veins and Nico felt his strength coming back. He opened his eyes and made a feeble attempt to sit up, but Will pushed him down again.
"No. You're too weak to walk on your own," Will said firmly. "Let me carry you." Nico let out a soft moan and Will carefully lifted him to his feet. Nico was leaning against him like he was in the battle but he didn't feel uncomfortable this time or push away.
Carrying Nico back to the infirmary was easier said than done. The process was slow and it was mostly Nico leaning on Will while Will tries to push him along. It was tedious and Will was becoming almost as exhausted as Nico.
"Hey Will! Need a hand?" Kayla yelled and Will nearly jumped a foot in surprise. His half sister was fulfilling her school's community service requirement by picking strawberries.
While Will did want more quality time with Nico he couldn't find himself turning down his sister's offer. "Yeah, sure. It would be great if you could get a gurney."
Will muttered his thanks as Kayla sprinted through the fields and returned in record time with a rolling hospital bed. They lifted Nico, who was now sleeping in a strawberry patch, onto it and Will talked about his New Roman Holiday on the way back to the infirmary.
"Yeah, it works well. The leadership style was a lot different there and I think our way's better be Reyna really knows how to handle the entire legion and meet everyone's needs..." Will rambled when Kayla asked about the praetor system. Changing the subject he added, "They play capture the flag there too, but the best part of the trip was when Nico and I went into the city." Nico gave a small moan of agreement.
"Oh, what did you guys do?" She asked, eyebrows raised.
"It was a da-" Will said before catching himself. He almost said 'date' but he realized it wasn't exactly the place or time to come out to his sister. They had to get Nico to the infirmary and there was no time for deep conversations. "We just hung out."
Kayla looked at him and Nico suspiciously but didn't say anything. They had arrived at the infirmary and Nico was groaning loudly in pain.
"Well, do you need me to stay and help?" Kayla asked once Nico was off the gurney and chewing on ambrosia.
Will looked up from the medical file he was taking notes in. "Nope. I got it," he said winking at Nico.
Kayla raised her eyebrows once again and Will pulled the privacy curtain shut around him and his boyfriend. She had her speculations that they were dating but wanted things to play out on their own. She was not one to pry.
"You are going to be okay," Will said giving Nico a soft kiss. "I gave you some ambrosia and all you can do now is rest."
Will grabbed his hand and watched him drift to sleep before checking on the other patients.
Drew Tanaka was in the next occupied bed and was hospitalized for four days so far from taking a 'miracle diet pill' that she bought from a drug dealer in a sketchy alley in New York City. The pill ended up being a dangerous mix of illegal drugs and she barely made it to the infirmary in time before she realized her mistake.
"I hope we learned our lesson about taking unauthorized pills," Will said grumpily, annoyed that he could have been tending patients with real health problems (aka Nico) but had to watch her instead.
"Oh Will," Drew gushed, her Aphrodite charm radiating off of her. "It worked. I lost 10 pounds in 2 days." She stroked Will's arm and batted her eyelashes when he brushed it away.
"Well, if you rest and take your medication you can leave the infirmary by tomorrow evening," Will said. He resisted the urge to laugh at her flirty antics.
"But Will, what if I don't want to leave that soon? I've been getting accustomed to my bed here," she whined. "Besides your here." She grabbed his arm again and pulled him closer to the bed.
Will raised his eyebrows in a mixture of alarm and confusion. Drew Tanaka had never said two words to him before and now she was using her Aphrodite charm to its full potential. He had a suspicion that she was using him, but he pushed that thought back down reminding himself that he had Nico and she could easily find a single, straight guy to flirt with.
"You're single right?" She said, pulling her low-cut shirt even lower. Will rolled his eyes, this conversation was going exactly where he didn't want it to go. He wasn't exactly in the mood to come out to someone he despised.
"No." Will said flatly. "I'll leave you to rest now." He said before walking off, relieved to get away from the situation. Even though he was in a horrible mood from all the day's events, he was still to nice to outright reject her.
Drew laid there deflated. She had never been rejected before and was expecting the Son of Apollo to be head over heels for her. She figured that she would catch him in a better mood at dinner.
"Hey Nico," Will whispered and he have him a soft kiss on the forehead to wake him up. "I think you're well enough to go to dinner as long as you promise to spend the night here."
Nico rolled over and grunted, "Fine. As long as I don't have to spend tomorrow here too."
"Okay. I'll make a compromise and only make you stay until lunch, even though the smart thing to do would be to stay until Wednesday," Will said.
Nico rolled out of bed and they made their way down to the dining hall.
"So, how was the rest of your day?" Nico asked, referring to the time when he was sleeping. "I see the infirmary survived a weekend without you."
Will pulled Nico away from the main pavilion and kissed him in a more secluded spot. "Nico, that weekend in Rome was one of the best weekends in my life," he said getting more sentimental. "I love you and the trip made me love you more. Kayla managed the infirmary fine."
Nico almost choked at the cheesiness of Will's words, but he loved him too so he didn't judge. Beside he felt the same way about him. He checked to make sure that no one was watching and gave another quick kiss.
Turns out someone was watching. That person was Jason Grace. "Oh hey Nico, want to join me and Piper for dinner?" He asked as he walked up to them. Then he noticed them making out. "Am I interrupting something?" He said awkwardly.
Will and Nico sprang apart. Nico was relieved that it was only Jason, but he'll admit that it's embarrassing to be so caught up in the moment that you don't notice someone sneak up behind you. "Uh... No. We were about about to go to dinner ourselves."
"Cool. I'll walk with you," Jason said. "You guys are so cute together, you know."
Nico punched him in the arm. Hard. "Jason..." He said through gritted teeth. "Remember that I can use the Underworld to my advantage." Jason backed away a little and quickly apologized.
"But Jason you don't need to worry about that," Will said. "Nico is not supposed to abuse his powers. He nearly died Shadow Traveling across the country today."
Will also earned a punch on the arm and Nico stomped away from them towards the dining hall. While he secretly thought it was cute when Will teased him, doing it in front of Jason was just humiliating.
Piper wanted to sit with her Aphrodite friends, who she hadn't seen in a few days, so Will, Nico, and Jason sat at the empty Zeus table.
"Let's have some man time," Jason declared. "It's too bad Percy has to miss out on this." Will and Nico rolled their eyes, while they were friends with Jason, they weren't exactly 'bro' material.
"So are you guys looking forward to capture the flag?" Jason asked.
"Capture the flag isn't for another three weeks," Will pointed out. "Shouldn't you be building a shrine or something?"
Jason dropped his frat boy demeanor and sighed. "Yeah, there's a lot of work to be done. I can't believe I built a shrine for the Fates today. But, hey, maybe they'll leave us alone if we honor them more."
Suddenly Drew Tanaka, who was supposed to be healing in the infirmary, sat down at their table. "Hey Jason, Hey Will," she said sexily. Nico as usual was ignored. "Mind if I join you? I was going to sit with my Aphrodite siblings, but Piper was there," she grimaced.
"Piper happens to be a very nice person, thank you very much," Jason said loudly. "In fact I'm going to go sit with her right now." He marched over the Aphrodite table, where he was welcomed with open arms.
"Beside the point. So Will, tell me more about you're New Rome trip," she said, stroking his arm. Will edged away from her and squeezed Nico's hand under the table.
"Let's see, we played War Games, the bus broke down, and I went on a hot date," he said, rather bluntly. He scooted closer to Nico, so that their legs were touching.
"Oh Will, you went on a hot date? You can do so much better than any of the girls who went on the trip!" Drew squealed. She brushed Will's arm and her recoiled.
"She's right. I got you," he muttered to Nico. Nico smiled for the first time since Drew joined them.
"Come on," Nico said abruptly. "Let's go."
Will set up Nico's bed in the infirmary while Nico took more ambrosia. "What was Drew doing with you anyway?" the Son of Hades asked, irritated.
"She probably doesn't have anyone to flirt with because everyone went on the New Rome trip," Will responded. "Presumably I'm her back up guy, since her boyfriend is still on the bus."
"Oh, they broke up a month ago," Nico said and Will straightened up, surprised that he kept up with the gossip. "Piper told me," he added quickly.
Will let out a great sigh of annoyance. "Now I'm her first choice, but little does she know that I have no attraction to her." He gave Nico a soft, sensual kiss.
"Well, are you ever going to tell her?" Nico asked, pulling away, slightly pissed that Will was trying to avoid the conversation.
"When the time is right. Come on, you need one more dose of ambrosia before bed."
"Well, just don't let her do anything," Nico snapped at his boyfriend before getting kissed goodnight.
Nico didn't know why he was so irritated. Sure, Drew Tanaka had an uncanny ability of manipulating people and he didn't trust her, but he knew Will did nothing wrong. He saw the way he rejected her, he just had a hard time believing it.
Author's Note: Hey, sorry guys for the super long update. I was out of town for several weeks and then decided to rewrite this from scratch. I also heavily revised the first chapter but I'm still deciding if I should post it or not. Anyways, this chapter and the next chapter are supposed to be one chapter but I had trouble uploading the large file. Sorry for the inconvenience!