AN: Please forgive any inaccuracies. I have been to a wedding/dinner rehearsal but it was a while ago.

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Chapter 3: Of Secrets and Rehearsals (And... Bread?)

Saturday

5:39 pm

24 hours, 21 minutes before the wedding

21 minutes before the rehearsal

No - eyes - so many eyes - what are they looking at? It's ruined - gone - leave. Breaths - it's loud - too loud - get out - out - out OUT

Nico ran.

Unbeknownst to him, Hazel, Piper, and Percy were all back in the dressing room, holding their breath. Will tried to move forward, to follow Nico, but Hazel put a hand on his chest. "Let me," she said, and that was it; she left without another word.

Will could feel his heart sinking. He could feel the energy be wrung from him by Fate's cruel twists, and he could feel tears start to burn in his eyes.

"Will…"

He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to be pitied. He just wanted to be home, happy with Nico. He wanted to be in a time before all this. Before they all piled into Leo's rv. But he didn't have a time machine, and it felt like he didn't even have a soulmate.

He could hear muttering, but he'd turned his back - avoiding the others, avoiding the mirrors, avoiding the truth. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he noticed the absence of voices.

"Let's talk for a minute," he heard, and he identified the voice and hand as Piper's. It wasn't a question. He wasn't being given a choice. He turned his body to sit on one of the benches, and noticed that he and Piper were alone.

When he looked at Piper, her soulful eyes shining with concern, he felt calmer. Maybe a talk was what he needed. Even though she had enough on her plate, he felt like he could talk to her.

"Are you okay?" It was the first thing Piper asked, and Will could almost cry hearing those words. There were so many things he could say, so many reasons those words affected him. She didn't ask what was wrong. She said it so gently. And the answer was… He didn't know.

He looked down at his hands. All he could see was his fingers curled with Nico's, his palm on his soulmate's cheek. He balled them into fists.

When he answered, he spoke the truth. "I don't know."

He told her everything.

oOo

Nico didn't run as far as he thought he would.

To be fair, he wasn't really thinking about where he was or where he was going. The only thing that could get through to his mind was something akin to fear, and he wasn't going to sit and dwell on it. At least, not until he found a tree stump outside the rehearsal venue to be as good a spot as any to sit down and shake.

He couldn't put a restraint of any sort on the constant trembling, so he was forced away from stillness. What does it matter? he thought. What does anything matter?

Where once it felt like the time was slipping away, gone, it felt now like quicksand. It was as if Nico could reach a hand into the air and twiddle the time with his fingers. Wisps of it were shrouding him, and when it felt like it was crawling up the nape of his neck, he shook harder.

Wait. That wasn't time, that was a person.

Nico tried to quell the shaking in his bones, but he'd already tried to no avail. So his body kept moving as the person approached, an ache building in… everywhere.

The person stopped just a few feet short of him, and Nico curled in on himself. He felt so exposed, so open to their eyes. And yet, it felt similar. Normal. He had two guesses as to who it could be, so he took a shot. It was a fifty-fifty chance.

"Go away, Hazel."

"No."

So he was right, then. But that didn't fix the problem of him wanting to be alone, and it certainly didn't fix the problem he'd been carrying with him since Italy. The problem he felt would follow him to the ends of the earth.

He could hear his sister take a few more steps forward, and he cast a wary glance at her; she settled on the ground next to him, but her eyes weren't on him. Instead they were unfocused, an empty stare. It seemed she was lost in thought.

The hollow thump of heartbeats pulsed in Nico's ears, and he'd give anything not to hear them. They were taunting, smothering. His wasn't even supposed to be beating anymore, not really, not with how many times he'd gotten close to death. Others' and his own.

"I still miss him, you know." Hazel still wouldn't look at Nico, but she spoke to him. Even if it seemed she was talking to herself.

"Who?" Nico asked gruffly, if only to amuse her. He knew who.

When Hazel opened her mouth to speak, no words came out. When the Italian looked at her, he noticed tears building in her eyes, and the strain Hazel put on herself to keep them at bay.

She said nothing, and Nico thought that was that. But a few drawn-out moments later, she whispered, "Sammy."

Nico curled in on himself even more, if such a thing was possible. He felt guilty, but for what he didn't know. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was too many things.

Nico said nothing in response, and spent a few moments wondering if that was what his sister needed. He was the biggest human disaster he knew; how was he supposed to be intuitive about others' needs? He was briefly lost in thoughts, questions of Am I a bad person? and What can I do for Hazel? running through his mind.

"I know," he whispered. Gods. He sounded so stupid. But at least he was speaking, and at least the shaking had slowed.

Hazel took a deep, shuddering breath; it was as if tendrils of Nico's shaking had been passed onto her. It was hardly noticeable, but to someone who knew the signs, it was as loud as a foghorn.

"But I love Frank," she blurted, small sobs starting to crack in her voice. She pressed her lips together, and Nico felt a phantom tear crawl down his cheek as he watched one slip from Hazel's eye. His heart hurt. Both of their hearts hurt, and they pounded together in a broken tragedy.

"I know," Nico said again. He just didn't know what else to say.

"Nico." Hazel gave him no warning as she turned to look at him, and the boy's adrenaline spiked. The shaking came back full force. With the sudden scare, the worry of Hazel noticing didn't even cross his mind. They were looking at each other now. Hazel's eyes glowed startlingly in the dim light, and Nico squeezed his knees to his chest.

Hazel broke her stride with a sigh. She seemed to have ceased her slight tremors, but her tension was still evident. "I know I always denied this with everything I could... And I'm still not sure I believe it to be a gods-honest truth. But... I'm lucky." Her eyebrows furrowed as the corner of her mouth quirked upward in the slightest. "Not everyone gets a second chance like me," she said, and her voice sounded earnest now, like this was something she just needed for Nico to hear and understand. But it was also soft, and it was as if Nico could feel what she felt, just by hearing her voice.

"I love Frank." The energy that had filled her disappeared. She slouched, her eyes no longer on Nico. The thoughts she'd been stuck in earlier seemed to return, and Nico felt a drive to save her from them, even if they wouldn't hurt her. "But if I had a chance to go back..."

Sorrow and guilt seemed to overtake her, and she started to stutter nervously. "Oh, gods, that's such a horrible thing to say. I love Frank, and I loved Sammy; it's so complicated... It's not like I could just choose-"

"You don't have to," Nico interrupted, stopping the stream of words before Hazel could go down the rabbit hole. She paused and turned her eyes on him; a silent battle seemed to be happening in them, but finally she took a deep breath, and didn't look quite so tense anymore.

"You're right," she said. She started to nod. "I need to live in the present." Her eyes flicked back to Nico. "And so do you."

Nico glanced at her, but he couldn't bring himself to hold her gaze. It was because - why? Was it because she was right? Was it because he knew that, but just didn't want to think about what it meant? Or was it something else entirely?

Hazel gathered herself, and with a start Nico realized she was getting up. A panic sparked inside him, surprising the man. Hadn't he wanted to be alone?

But it didn't seem like Hazel was going anywhere; not right this instant, at least. She looked down at Nico from where she stood, eyes soft.

"Don't let something like this pass you by." She sounded almost desperate, releasing the emotions in her heart through her voice. Tears were starting to build up in her eyes again, but none fell. She took a step closer to Nico. He let her. "You might not get another chance."

Nico said nothing, but Hazel didn't need him to. She offered a hand to him, and a soft smile started to form on her lips. "Come on," she said, and after a moment's hesitation, he took her hand. A reassuring squeeze sent a sense of comfort through him that he'd been so dangerously lacking. "I need my big bro to sample the food first so I know the Stolls didn't tamper with it."

Nico knew she wasn't just trying to lighten the mood; there was an underlying message - probably something like 'Don't think I won't notice if your plate is bare'. But it didn't trouble him, because this was his sister, and he loved her.

So together, they braved the night.

oOo

When Jason and Piper found each other again, just to see each other one last time before the rehearsal, Piper was quiet. Slow. Jason shot her a look of concern, but she didn't seem to notice it.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Her eyes flicked up to his suddenly, like he had startled her. She turned her lips up in a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine." She turned away. "Let's just get this over with."

"Get it over with?"

She turned to him again, and the smile was there. "Sorry, you know what I mean."

He almost didn't.

Well the whole 'brave the night together' lasted for about five seconds.

When the pair walked back in, Hazel almost instantly took off to find Piper, saying she needed to talk to her. Nico couldn't really blame her, though; there was only six minutes until the rehearsal, and everything was in a frenzy. He could hear workers finish setting up in the next room over as he stood in the entryway, and a few voices barked orders to seemingly no one. Nico identified one of the voices as Reyna's.

The Italian wondered where he should go. He wasn't ready to go forward into the venue and be bombarded by frantic, last-minute preparations. But he also couldn't go back to the dressing room, in case he were to run into Will.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, he couldn't believe he'd said that to him. He'd basically told his soulmate that their very presence together wasn't right. He knew that it was right, but he just didn't know how to show that, and worse, he didn't know how to fix what he had broken.

Nico sighed. Maybe he could just let things play out, and resign himself to the fact that whatever happened was supposed to happen. But he'd never been one to believe in a 'bigger plan.'

When the door opened behind him, Nico flinched, and turned around to see guests entering the venue. He didn't recognize any of them, but that might've just been because of the anxiety that washed over him. He didn't wait around to be noticed and scampered down the hallway to his left. This was the direction to the dressing rooms, but anywhere was better than the entryway. Besides, he could probably hide in the bathroom until someone went looking for him.

"Nico?"

Damn it.

Nico stopped looking over his shoulder at the predicament he'd just escaped and instead looked at the man in front of him. He wore a tux, pressed to perfection (Nico seemed to remember Reyna getting in a fight with the dry-cleaner guy), and a blue tie. Of course it was blue. What else would it be?

"Are you okay?" Percy asked. Despite his sincerity, Nico wanted to punch him in the mouth. Percy usually made an effort to keep his head about him when he asked Nico questions, but alas, it was in human nature to say stupid things.

Nico crossed his arms. He didn't look Percy in the eye; he wasn't sure he could look anyone in the eye right now.

Percy looked him up and down, and Nico could sense that he was telling himself not to feel hurt at Nico's lack of response. He supposed his friends were used to it; what did that say about him?

"Do you need anything?" Well, it was better than 'are you okay'.

Nico shook his head. He could feel Percy's gaze on him, and he could feel his pity. It made Nico sick.

"Well if you change your mind, let me know," the diver said, and the two of them stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, nothing but the sound of preparation in the background. Nico's mind flashed back to that morning, when Percy joined him on the beach, and he wondered for a moment what had changed between then and now. The only answer he could come up with wasn't the obvious, no - it felt different than that. But he couldn't come up with anything else.

With one last look at Nico and a slight nod of his head, Percy took off down the hallway towards the rehearsal room, where the rest of their friends were sure to be waiting. Nico wasn't sure he had the strength to follow.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Hazel found him, and Nico felt a spark of relief light up in his chest. He could do this with her by his side. He had to. For Piper and Jason. He'd brought them enough grief; for a second he wondered why they still let him be a part of this, why they hadn't kicked him out already. But it did not do to dwell on these thoughts, and he allowed them to fall behind as he walked to the rehearsal room with Hazel.

It was surprisingly quiet when he entered, but a low chatter filled the seats, and the sounds from the dining room could still be heard. The first thing he noticed when he looked around, besides all the decorations and people, were Jason, Percy, and Leo all standing at the altar. They'd decided to keep the number of people up there small. Considering how many people were actually attending the wedding, it made sense. No need to crowd the bride and groom any more.

Hazel broke off from his side once again to join Annabeth, who was waiting in the back to walk down the aisle. The two of them wore purple chiffon dresses; they came down to just above the knee and made their shared beauty stand out in the crowd. Nico might not cross-dress, but he admired a jewel neckline when he saw one.

When he spotted an empty aisle seat in one of the back rows, he made haste to claim it. He would have stood against the opposite back wall of the bridesmaids, but he didn't think he could handle watching all the faces turn around to look at Piper, even if the eyes weren't on him. He tensed when he thought about the person who should be sitting next to him.

There was no music to announce the beginning of rehearsal, as it would be saved for tomorrow, but the room did quiet drastically when Annabeth started walking down the aisle. Nico didn't know whether or not to turn around (wasn't that only for the bride?) so he settled for looking to the side as Annabeth passed. The closer she got to the altar, the more Percy's face looked lovestruck.

There was no time to focus on that however, because Hazel began her walk towards them shortly after. She had a large grin on her face, like she was about to watch her friends get married for real. Nico could only imagine what her face would look like when they did.

The two women exchanged a few words with the groom and his men, not bothering to keep their voices down because this was a rehearsal, and rehearsals were made to work out any wrinkles in a ceremony.

A loud creaking sound overtook the crowd. It took a moment for Nico's brain to realize that it was the sound of everyone turning around in their seats, and he felt a blush crawl up his neck. When he turned around to look at what everyone else had turned around to look at, he felt a pang of emotion in his chest.

Piper was standing in the doorway, wearing a dress that almost reached her ankles and linking arms with her father beside her. She held no bouquet, but of course, rehearsals were such casual events. All the theatrics and such would reserved for the actual wedding.

She started to make her way down the aisle, slowly, walking at the pace she would assume tomorrow. Nico didn't need to look at the faces in the crowd to know they were smiling, soft grins that reflected Piper's own. Her father had one as well, and a glisten in his eyes that may or may not have been unshed tears.

Time seemed to slow as everyone watched the bride-to-be make her way to her soulmate. If there was music playing, it would've felt just like a wedding, even if she wasn't wearing her dress or carrying a bouquet. Because when he looked between Piper and Jason, he could see love written all over them, powerful and unbridled. They saw only each other in a room full of people, and sat with each other in the dark when one could not find the light.

Nico knew how they felt. But he also knew not to underestimate the strength of the dark, and he'd just be reaching blindly for the shadows if he tried to find Will.

When Piper reached the end, time sped up again. Suddenly everything was happening, and Nico's head hurt keeping up with it. Piper's father gave her away with a kiss to the cheek, and she took her place next to Jason; her bridesmaids gave her hugs, and Leo gave her a fist bump.

As soon as everything went still, there was a pause. Then Leo sidled over to stand behind the couple, and held a fist to his lips. "Ahem!"

Piper and Jason shared skeptical looks, momentary frowns overtaking their features. They needed someone to stand in for the officiant, but Leo?

"Mawwiage."

Jason and Piper's grins returned full force, and a small ripple of laughter passed over the room. Leo, however, looked completely serious, despite the fact that Piper was bending over slightly in amusement. He didn't take notice.

"Mawwiage is what brings us togethaaah, to-day."

Piper was giggling now, and Jason was shaking his head at Leo's antics with a smile. Nico could see guests among the crowd covering their mouths. Some of their faces were turning red.

"Alright, alright." Even though Annabeth had a smirk on her lips as well, she was always the one to step up when a situation called for responsibility. The men and women on the altar straightened themselves up, trying to wipe the amusement off their faces. Jason and Piper stared into each other's eyes.

Then the groomsmen and bridesmaids took turn explaining things to the couple, like what they'd be asked to do and how they should do it. Nico wasn't sure all of them had been to a wedding before (except Percy at his mom's) but they all seemed to have some tips to share. There were a few pauses, but their conversation wasn't completely over until Percy clapped his hands together and shouted, "Alright, you're married! Go eat some food."

Laughter erupted from the guests once again, and applause overtook the air as the happy couple, hand in hand, ran down the aisle and out the door. Those remaining at the altar waited a few beats, then paired off, Percy with Annabeth and Hazel with Leo. Nico slipped out quickly after them. He didn't want to wait around while everyone was getting up.

So it made sense that he didn't notice a certain face missing from the crowd.

Percy scanned the crowd, watching as all the guests filled their plates and found their seats. The room was certainly a nice place for a dinner rehearsal; there was a small platform at the front for live entertainment, a door connected the room to a kitchen, and the tables were arranged in such a way that there was room for dancing. Percy wondered if he and Annabeth would have a rehearsal, or if they'd just go Percy-style and wing it. Attending someone else's wedding rehearsal was preparation enough, right?

With his gaze focused on the people in front of him, he hadn't realized that his friends started lining up at his sides, standing in front of the long table that Percy was leaning against. Looking back on it from the future, Percy would wonder why none of them had sat in their freaking chairs until they'd already finished their food. Maybe they were just that hungry.

The six of them included in the ceremony had gotten their food first, shortly followed by Nico. Percy wanted to say something about how little food he had on his plate, but he saw Hazel walking over to him, and figured she would take care of it. When he noticed Jason beside him, he caught a snippet of his conversation that made Percy's stomach growl for more food. And he'd just eaten a large meal.

"-toast," Jason was saying to Frank, probably about the 'raise your glasses and make a speech' toast. But Percy's mind didn't seem to distinguish that, and his thoughts were taken over by a strong craving.

"Do you think they have any toast here?" the diver whispered to whoever was on his left. When he looked, he saw Annabeth, fork halfway to her mouth. Her brows were furled in confusion, and she looked at Percy with that very expression.

"Probably not?" she answered, though she didn't sound sure. Percy frowned. He really wanted toast. "But there's plenty of bread and butter."

And with those words a light shone down from the heavens, casting a halo over his soulmate's head and a glimmer in his eyes. He smiled, and a look at the tables covered in food verified it.

"Be right back!" he shouted, and took off. He didn't see Annabeth roll her eyes.

When Percy returned, it was with a paper plate wrinkling under the weight of rolls. Stacked around them, as if built in the shape of a wall meant to protect the bread, were tiny packets of butter.

Annabeth's eyes widened as she looked at Percy's plate, next to which hers looked practically empty. And that was saying something. She'd been eating slow.

"Percy!" she exclaimed, still staring at the breadpocalypse. "What are you doing?"

Percy tore into a roll without bothering to put butter on it first, and looked at Annabeth with a small bit of confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked, talking with his mouth full. Annabeth didn't really notice as she was so focused on his plate. "I'm eating bread."

"There's enough bread there to feed an army."

Percy smirked. "Or two Leos."

"What?" Leo's head popped up from among his friends, and Percy turned to look at him, a roll in his hands.

"Nothing!"

Leo squinted, but said nothing, and returned to his conversation. Percy thought he heard the word 'dog,' but he couldn't be sure.

"You need to only take what you're going to eat," Annabeth scolded, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say she sounded concerned more than anything.

He let an easy grin slide to his lips, then shoved another bite of bread into his mouth. "Don't worry, Wise Girl, I'll eat all of this."

Annabeth shook her head just the tiniest bit, like she didn't realize she was doing it. She probably didn't. "You just ate an entire meal."

Percy said nothing, instead continuing to eat. Annabeth turned back to her own food then, looking down at it like it was in trouble. Percy knew that look. He'd been on the receiving end of it enough times to picture it in his mind with the clarity of a diamond. But that wasn't a good thing… Could she still be mad at him?

"Fine," Annabeth said. She dug her fork into a strawberry. Percy was watching her now, bread almost forgotten in favor of trying to understand Annabeth. But then again, if there was anything men were breadful at, it was understanding women. "Just don't come crying to me when you get a tummy ache."

Percy couldn't quite tell (probably because half his brain was thinking about bread), but he thought there might've been a bit of a teasing edge to her voice.

"Oh, and Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"You forgot to grab a butter knife."

Percy's eyes fell to his plate, and he tried to contain a gasp. He'd already eaten several rolls, and they hadn't even had butter on them!

Percy squeaked, and rushed away to grab one. He had to weave his way around the tables, but luckily, everyone was sitting down now to enjoy their meals. When he returned to the long table once more, butter knife in tow, he found his friends were seated, and joined them. This could only mean one thing.

"Toast time!" The eyes of his friends shot up to look at him, and he drew a few gazes from the closest tables. But he didn't care. He was about to have all eyes on him in a second anyway. "Sorry bread, not you," he added as an afterthought, looking down at his plate. Beside him, Annabeth rolled her eyes.

There was the scraping of a chair as he stood up, and he the champagne made a sloshing sound as he grabbed the glass in front of him. Surveying his options, he picked a gold-colored spoon off of the table to make noise with.

"Can I have your attention, please?" He tapped the glass a few times with the spoon, and he found the guests to be quite responsive. They settled down almost instantly, the chatter dying off as Percy looked at all the faces. "I'm so glad you could all be here tonight," he started.

The guests didn't look all that interested, probably thinking things like 'I was eating' and 'the real wedding is tomorrow,' but Percy tried not to think about that. He could win them over.

The groomsman lowered his glass, and started to speak. "Now, I'll try not to take up too much of your time, seeing as I'll be making a big speech tomorrow. But I would like to say something." He turned to look at Piper and Jason beside him, a small smile on his lips. The two of them returned it. "Jason, you have found yourself one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Piper is kind, smart, beautiful - you know all this for yourself."

Jason grinned at Piper, and they squeezed each other's hands. "I'm proud of you, bro," Percy told him.

Then he redirected his gaze towards the bride, and paused for a moment before speaking again. "And Piper." He let another second of silence pass. "Are you sure you wanna marry Jason? I mean, I know he's cute but he's a lot of work. He tried to eat a stapler."

"When I was two!" Jason huffed indignantly.

"Eh, semantics."

Jason's eyebrows raised. "I don't think you're using that word correctly."

Percy grinned at him, and it wasn't long before Jason grinned back. Piper, somewhat caught in the middle, rolled her eyes.

Percy turned back to the crowd, raising his cup as high as he could. It might have been a little over the top, but what fun was a wedding rehearsal if you didn't add just a little bit of a dramatic flair to your toast? "To Jason and Piper!"

"To Jason and Piper!"

Percy watched as the people around him sipped from their glasses, and he smiled. But on the outskirts of the crowd, against a wall, was Nico, and Percy couldn't help but notice him tip the remaining contents of his glass down his throat. His smile fell.

What a weekend.

He tried to look on the bright side. Despite the obvious, Percy still knew some good things to be true. Such as the fact that when Nico fell down like this, he always got back up.

He turned to find his soulmate, by his side as usual. When she noticed him watching her, she raised an eyebrow, and Percy's smile returned. "What do you say we go tear up the dance floor?"

He offered his hand to Annabeth, and she took it.

"Leo, what are you doing?!" Nico hissed, being tugged along by a very enthusiastic Latino. His skin burned where Leo touched it.

"I told you, Doom and Gloom, we're going on an adventure!" he exclaimed, a grin spread wide on his lips.

"No we're not!" Nico protested, trying to struggle free. An adventure? Screw that. He wanted to wallow. Then, he wanted to plan. Then (after a little bit more wallowing), he wanted to throw away his plan and speak from the heart. But that was always easier said than done.

He'd realized, standing on the sidelines, that Will was nowhere to be found. He'd done it, this time. He'd driven Will away, and he wasn't going to get him back.

"It'll be fun, you'll see!"

Nico groaned.

oOo

Jason refilled his cup with punch (what? It was good) and went to take a sip when he felt a tap on his left shoulder. Just as he turned to look, a pair of hands grabbed his right arm, and he was being pulled away from the party.

oOo

"Percy, can you go wait by the door? I'll be over in a minute."

Percy, who had just finished dancing and was sporting a shiny forehead, frowned. "Why?"

"Please?" Leo begged. He looked up at Percy with puppy-dog eyes, and despite his normal resistance to them, Percy faltered.

He sighed. "Okay. But if this is for something stupid, I'm putting shaving cream in your pillow."

Leo smiled. "Relax, it's not stupid." Just as Percy started to turn away with a skeptical look, Leo added, "Wait. Get Frank on your way there."

Percy's eyes hardened. "Leo, I swear to gods-"

"Thank you!" Before Percy could say anything else, Leo took off.

oOo

Leo rubbed his hands together. "First, I'd like to thank you all for coming."

"Valdez, what are we doing here?"

'Here' was the parking lot outside the venue, brightly lit by street lights but surrounded by the darkness of trees. Leo had escorted his merry band of men out here into the chilly summer night, but for what they had yet to know.

"Well, Frank, to answer your question would require many, many minutes that we do not have, a couple diagrams, maybe a slice of pie…"

"Leo!" This time it was Jason, who'd peeled off his suit jacket after dancing but was now putting it back on. "I'm supposed to be at my wedding rehearsal! Just say what you wanted to say so we can go back inside!"

Leo clicked his tongue in disappointment, eyes closed and head shaking. "Dear, dear Jason, I didn't bring you out here to tell you something."

Jason raised an eyebrow, as did Percy, but Nico and Frank simply kept glaring. "Then what did you bring us out here for?"

Leo's eyes drifted away, like he was trying to remember something. His three victims let him do it for a moment, but then he raised his hand to stroke an imaginary beard and Frank took a threatening step forward.

"Alright, alright!" Leo shot his hands up in surrender. When Frank backed down, he tugged on the collar of his shirt like he'd just gotten through with a fight. "I want to show you something. And… maybe make it into an adventure along the way."

Jason's head lolled upward. "Leo, whatever you're planning-"

"It's not even that far!" Leo defended, looking around at the others. "Look, if we get there and you're sorely disappointed, you can help Percy fill my pillow with shaving cream."

Jason raised an eyebrow at Percy, and Percy just nodded.

Jason sighed. "Alright," he relented. "Just get me back before-" he checked his watch "-nine-thirty."

Leo grinned. "Don't worry J-bird, I'll get you back in time for you to have fun taking out the trash. I still don't see why I have to help, I mean, I'm the best man-"

"Leo. Let's go."

"Okay."

oOo

Twenty minutes of walking later, it was obvious that Leo had no idea where he was going.

Nico had already taken off his shoes, dirty socks be damned. He didn't want to form blisters, especially when he'd be wearing the shoes almost all day tomorrow. What was Leo up to?

"Now, this doesn't seem right," Leo muttered under his breath as he looked around. Being closest, Nico was the only one that heard him.

They were on a long stretch of road, lit only by the lampposts and the moon. Up ahead they could see the lights of the city, but on either side of them there were only dark houses. Nico couldn't imagine where Leo thought they were going.

"Guys, we might be a little lost."

"We know!" the group chorused. The three of them had begun to drag their feet.

Leo huffed, opening his palms up to the sky. "I could've sworn this was the place, though."

Jason caught up to him, which wasn't hard as he'd stopped to pout. The blond put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should just call it a night," he suggested gently.

Leo's eyes hardened. "No! We can't. Let's at least reach that commercial area. If we aren't where I think we are, then we can head back."

Jason thought for a moment, first looking into Leo's pleading eyes, and then back at his other friends. None of them seemed to have any strong opinions, so Jason turned back to Leo and said, "Alright. But you're buying me a water bottle at the gas station."

Leo gave a small smile. "Deal."

So they were walking. Again. Nico wanted to stop.

Luckily, they didn't have to walk far before they reached the gas station. The closer it got, the more dread filled Nico's stomach, and he credited it to fatigue. He'd been up since sunrise; it made sense that he was tired. Not to mention it had been a very emotionally-charged day.

Leo speed-walked the last few paces to the station, then stopped and looked at his surroundings. He didn't seem to find anything familiar. His face fell.

Jason planted his feet and looked at the store, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, bro, you owe me a water."

Leo rolled his eyes playfully, but they shone with disappointment. "Alright, fine."

"I'm coming too," Percy piped up as they started forward. "I want a snack."

"You had, like, three pounds of bread at the rehearsal!" Jason exclaimed.

Percy looked at him. "So?" Jason's face was priceless.

Nico didn't get to hear the rest of their banter as they entered the store, a jingle announcing their arrival. He stood in awkward silence for a few moments with Frank, his arms crossed, but then the other man stuttered out a sentence Nico couldn't quite make out, and followed the others into the store.

He took this opportunity to look around him, at this gas station on the outskirts of San Francisco. Neon signs hung from the place. They did a poor job of drawing attention away from the peeling paint, but it gave a nice feeling of familiarity, and it was almost like Nico was back home in New York. He turned around to mention as much to Will, but then he remembered.

He didn't know if things would ever be the same again.

Trying to push those thoughts as far back into his mind as he could, Nico continued to look around. A red pickup was being filled with gas, and a couple teenagers were sharing a late-night meal of sandwiches and chips on the ground in front of the store. It looked like they were sitting in a nest of hoodies and plastic bags; it wasn't until one of the bags moved that Nico realized they were holding hands.

So much for trying not to think about it.

But he ignored them. He could do that. In fact, he was very good at ignoring people.

Until he couldn't.

Apparently, there was a homophobe everywhere you went in San Francisco, and apparently this one had followed Nico's gaze. (Okay, so he might have been staring a little).

The man putting gas in his red pick up was nonchalant as he spat hate, eyes going from the boys to his car. He looked like some sort of hillbilly biker dude - plaid, jacket, beard, you name it. "Why don't you stop experimenting and go find a coupla girls."

The hushed voices and light laughter that had been shared between the boys died down, and they looked at the man with emotionless faces. The smaller boy pressed into the other's side. It seemed he was the less confident of the two, especially because his boyfriend quickly said, "Why don't you stop insulting random strangers and go bribe your wife before she leaves you." The man's face paled, and a snarl started to pull at his lips. But the boy kept going. "Or better yet, mind your own damn business."

With a loud clang, the man replaced the gas nozzle and started forward with a murderous gaze. "What did you just say to me you little-"

"Hey."

Suddenly three sets of eyes were on Nico, and he felt a deal more uncomfortable than he had a moment ago. But he knew he had to do something, because this - this was just wrong. Disgusting. Vile.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Nico uncrossed his arms, and gave the man the most intimidating look he could muster.

Hillbilly biker guy took a second to rake his eyes up and down all five feet, six inches of righteous fury that was Nico di Angelo. The Italian's adrenaline spiked, but whether it was because of fear or his own bravery he didn't know.

The man was silent for a few moments, and Nico's expression turned smug. "See something you like?"

The guy's face twisted in disgust, and he recoiled his head slightly. Nico thought he had won. Then, he spat, "You're goin' to Hell."

Nico didn't miss a beat. "Great. Maybe I'll see you there."

Disgust turned to indignance, and the man let out a low growl. But then he walked quickly back to his car, got in, and drove away.

Nico let himself feed off the high of adrenaline and victory for a few seconds after the asshole left. He'd never done anything like that, and damn did it feel good. It reminded him of when he met Jason. He was being harassed on the street for some reason or other, and Jason, a stranger, had stood up for him. It was obvious how that turned out. Nico felt glad that he could pay it forward.

He crossed his arms again, and leaned against the store in a comfortable position. A glance through the window showed him that his friends were checking out (though Percy was admiring some ocean-themed merchandise on the back wall).

"What's your name?"

With a start, Nico realized he was being spoken to. He did a quick look around, just to make sure he wasn't being mistaken for someone else, but found that no one else was out there with them. He set his gaze on the boys; the smaller one was peeking out from behind his boyfriend's shoulder. He gave them an answer.

"Nico."

The confident one looked pleased that Nico had responded; after all, Nico wasn't really the kind of guy to talk to people, and it was evident just by looking. Nico pulled his lips into a soft smile, if only to look a little friendlier. These guys deserved to be treated with kindness. Especially after what had just happened.

"I'm Demarco. This is Kevin." The boy behind him gave a small wave.

"It's nice to meet you," said Nico. He hoped he wasn't expected to carry on a conversation, because that was one thing he really couldn't do.

"Thanks for… you know," Demarco continued, and Nico nodded. At least this was a bit of conversation he could work with.

"You guys don't deserve to be treated that way." Nico felt a pull in his chest - maybe he should listen to himself - and pushed on through it, because he needed these boys to hear this. "Those people…" He looked away as if there were more approaching, and shook his head. "They're the ones who are in the wrong." He looked back at the boys. "They're the ones who're disgusting."

Kevin and Demarco smiled at him, calm. There was a beat of silence before Demarco spoke again. "There aren't many people who would do something like what you just did. Especially for a couple of strangers."

Nico observed them for a moment, dark eyes trailing their expressions. They seemed… happy. Nico had done something good. Something right. He said nothing for a few seconds, then told them, with a small glimmer in his eyes, "You kind of remind me of…"

As the boys awaited his words, another jingle announced his friends' passage through the door, and he cleared his throat. Saved by the bell. He wasn't sure if he could finish what he'd just started. "Anyway, have a nice night."

He turned to leave with his friends, who carried plastic bags in their arms. Percy was stuffing funyons in his mouth, and Jason was chugging water. But he only walked a few steps before Demarco's voice called out, "Wait!"

Nico turned around to look at him, and he could feel the others do the same (though he could still hear Percy munching). Nico paused expectantly.

"Who do we remind you of?" Demarco asked. He seemed so innocent, sitting here in the middle of the night, sharing sandwiches with his boyfriend. He had the curiosity of a kid; after all, he still was one.

"Me," Nico answered, and the words didn't seem so hard now; in fact, they lit something up in his chest as he said, "and my boyfriend."

Kevin and Demarco's smiles broadened, and Nico could feel his grow as well. He said nothing more as he departed, but he was left with the images of their smiles, and he knew he had something to do.

"Make some friends while we were gone?" Jason teased, but he said nothing more on the matter, and Nico didn't answer. He leaned toward Percy instead.

"I need to talk to Will." Percy looked at him for a moment, but Nico was too focused on the road ahead of him; literally and metaphorically. The diver nodded.

"Okay," he said, and they started the journey back.

They got about one streetlight away from the gas station before Leo, who had been dragging his feet behind the rest of them, stopped. Nobody noticed at first, but Jason did a double-take when he did, and walked back to his friend.

"Leo? What's wrong?" he asked.

A mop of brown hair was all Nico could see as Leo hung his head, but then he looked up, and there was a solemn sadness in his eyes. "This adventure was a flop."

A small smile returned to Jason's face, overtaking the concern that had grown there. "Yeah, it kind of was," he said.

Leo gestured towards the group with his hands, eyes flicking about. "I thought it would be fun, you know, five guys out for a spontaneous little trip in San Francisco before one of them gets married. What if we won't be able to do this anymore?"

Jason was confused again, staring at Leo like he had sprouted five heads. Knowing Leo, Nico wouldn't put it past him. "What… You think just because I'm getting married we won't go on adventures together?"

Leo said nothing at first, but he nodded slightly, like he was totally justified in his worry. Which he may very well have been. Then he said, "You guys are gonna go off to buy a house, be responsible adults, have kids-"

"Whoa," Jason laughed, putting his hands in the air, "I don't think we're ready for kids just yet." It didn't seem to put Leo at ease. Jason put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, man," he said, trying to catch Leo's eyes, "hardly anything's gonna change. And besides, I'll still need to make sure you don't get into trouble, right?" Leo gave a small smile.

Percy came over to join them, putting a hand on Leo's other shoulder. He smiled at him. "It's okay, Leo. No one wants to miss out on some classic Valdez adventures." He let his hand fall.

Leo's expression turned sheepish, and he raised a hand to rub his neck. "Well, you already kinda missed out on one this weekend," he said. He was met with confusion. "A yellow, three-legged one," he added. He noticed the looks on his friend's faces. "I'll explain later."

Jason rolled his eyes, and after a minute, he pulled his friend into a hug. "You have nothing to worry about, Leo. You're still my best-"

"Man?"

"-friend." Nico almost missed the shocked look on Percy's face, but he knew it was teasing. "You're the Super-Sized McShizzle."

The two of them pulled apart, and Leo's chest puffed up in confidence. He looked slightly upwards with a determined expression. "I am the Super-Sized McShizzle."

Jason grinned. "Come on." He made himself look excited, even clapping his hands. "We've got janitor duty!"

Leo groaned, but a small smile never left his lips.

Nico couldn't get to the inn any faster.

He didn't even know if Will was there, but Percy told him he'd make an excuse and let Nico take a cab.

When he got there, he pounded up the stairs to his room, not bothering to ask the guy at the front desk if he'd seen Will. But when he got to the door, he froze, hand halfway to the doorknob.

What if he couldn't do this?

No. No time for second-guessing now. He just stood up for two teenagers and saw Leo's bravado drop. He was ready for anything.

But when he walked in the room to see Will sitting on the bed, a book in his hands, and he didn't even look up to see who had entered, Nico crumbled.

"Will…" His voice was a pathetic whisper. He cleared his throat, and repeated, "Will."

He got no response.

"I'm sorry," he broke out, a pool of tears threatening to spill over his eyes. He looked down now, too ashamed of himself to want Will to see. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said." He wrung his hands together and sniffled, just a little.

Will continued to say nothing, but Nico thought he saw him look away from his book, and that was progress. Not that he owed anything to Nico.

"I had no reason to be so, so horrible to you. You don't deserve that. And I don't deserve you." He let the tears fall. He couldn't hold them back anymore, even if he wanted to. He covered his face with his hands.

A few beats of quiet passed, nothing but the sound of Nico's muffled crying and… were those footsteps?

Suddenly Nico's hands were being pulled away from his face, and he did everything he could not to flinch. But he did tense up a little bit, and Will didn't pull away. Nico brought his eyes up to look at him; he was as beautiful as he'd always been: kind, blue eyes, and a golden halo around his head. Nico asked himself every day how he'd managed to get so lucky.

"Even if that were true," Will started softly, looking into Nico's eyes, "it wouldn't matter." He brought Nico's hands down in front of him, but didn't let them go. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I want you."

Nico sniffled again. It took him a minute to speak. "You do?"

"Yes, you idiot! Of course I do. Even if I'm mad at you right now and it'll take a little while to get back to normal." A soft smile formed on his lips, and Nico couldn't help but mirror it, even though the prospect of Will being mad at him was terrifying. Nico nodded his head; it was so unnoticeable, one could argue it never happened.

There was a few moments of silence before Nico pulled away, turning towards the loveseat in their room. "I'll sleep on the couch," he said. Will looked like he was ready to protest (Nico wouldn't expect anything less), so he added, "After what I did, the least I can do is give you some space."

Will mulled it over for a few seconds in his head, looking between the loveseat and Nico. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Nico nodded, already laying down on the cushions. He pulled a throw pillow into his arms. "Comfy as can be."

He heard the sound of a light switch - the room went dark - then Will settling into the bed, and Nico was prepared to go to sleep right then, but a voice pulled him to alertness. "You're still going to have to talk about Italy."

Nico sighed, and for a moment he said nothing. But he knew it was coming, and for some reason, the topic didn't seem as daunting as it always had. "I know."

He didn't think Will would say anything else, but then he heard a soft, "Can I ask you something about it right now?"

Nico's muscles tensed, but he took a deep breath, and forced himself to say, "I… guess."

The sound of Will taking a breath filled the quiet room, and then he spoke. "If you hate Italy so much, why do you speak Italian sometimes?"

Nico felt his muscles relax. This was something he could answer, surely. "It was the language I spoke with my mother and sister," he admitted, and he felt a tug in his heart at the mention of them. There was a moment of silence between the two men, thoughts and emotions running through both their minds. Will knew how important those women had been to Nico. "My dad wouldn't let me speak English to them, and he wouldn't let me speak Italian to him." That was one thing Will hadn't known.

The blond must have gone to sleep after that, because he said nothing more, and soft snores would soon follow. In the meantime, Nico let the happy memories of his mother and sister lull him to sleep. He'd find a blanket lain over him in the morning.

He could fix this. He had to.

In the post-party quiet, the only sounds Annabeth could hear were the rustles of trashbags and the soft scraping of chairs. Though she was tired, and though the cleanup was in good hands, she hadn't wanted to just leave. She owed Piper and Jason more than that.

It wasn't until she backed up towards the bar - was there a bar everywhere? - that she heard voices, and the sweeping of her broom slowed. When she turned to look, she recognized the bartender from the inn; he must be a hard worker, because he seemed to work a lot of shifts. Then she heard what he was saying to the barmaid, and her heartbeat quickened.

"Him, over there." He pointed to a spot past Annabeth, but she didn't dare look. "The one with the messy hair and green eyes."

The barmaid looked at the man he was gesturing to, who couldn't have been anyone other than Percy, and took in the sight of him. "Oh, you mean the stupid one." Annabeth felt sick.

The bartender - Octavian, read his nametag - laughed a little. "Yes, him. You know he thinks Akmon is a monster?" The two of them shared a laugh, and Annabeth thought back to their conversation around the restaurant table, about the creepy man at the front desk. Dread filled her, and her sweeping grew shaky.

"Guy couldn't tie his shoes without help," said Octavian, picking up a glass. He started to wash it.

"Gods save the poor woman who ever decides to marry him," the barmaid agreed, running a rag over the counter. She clicked her tongue. "Pity."

A loud clink marked the glass' return to a shelf within the bar, and a weaselly smile overtook Octavian's lips. "With a man like that, you can only hope he won't have children." The two of them continued their work, practically giggling, and Annabeth swallowed.

With her heart sinking into despair, she put a hand over her abdomen, and the life growing inside it.

AN: OOOOOHH MAAAAN

There's a grand total of six (sorta eight - it's a category) hints to this reveal throughout the story! First person to find them all wins… um… uh… Yeah I didn't think this far ahead XD I don't know, maybe I'll write you a drabble about the ship of your choosing after this story is finished (but I mean who wants more writing from me haha *wallows in self criticism*)