[Let's pretend I posted this when The Sun and The Star got published and not later. As I'm starting this chapter, I haven't read the book but have a ten-week wait for it.]
As I'm publishing this, I have read the book and it gave me a lot of material for this and future chapters. Might as well post it now cause it's June.
Story #45: Nico Has a Glow-in-the-Dark Boyfriend
If they don't shadow-travel too far for dates, Nico can stay awake for dinner. Often, that means they can't go as far as outside state lines, but they sometimes test the waters. Once they crossed onto the Canadian side of the falls, they took trips to different parts of Canada, bordering states. They even ended up at a rodeo in the South which was fun and horrid for many, many reasons. That was an event that, after a bottomless bucket of ribs and a mechanical bull throwing Nico across the restaurant, they swore never to go to again.
That was even weirder than when they wound up in Venezuela's biggest cheese whiz processing plant. The stench that remained with them afterwards sent the lactose-intolerant campers into a spiral.
But, sometimes, they liked taking the risk and testing boundaries. The cheese whiz processing plant wasn't that bad.
Although when they shadow-travelled this time, they ended up in another dark area with some weird and unknown liquid sloshing at their ankles. They knew it was bad when they landed with a splash, couldn't see anything in the dark,
"Ah, Styx…" Nico curses. "Here we go again."
"At least it feels like water," Will guesses.
His arm brushes against him so, at least, Nico knows where he is. One time, when they somehow separated mid-shadow-travel, he lost Will in a museum and found him dangling from the solar system display on the ceiling. Nico found it hilarious as did many kids who were at the museum with their parents. The security did not and so they had to escape before getting apprehended and, therefore, making a call to Camp. (Mr. D gave him a quota of one get-out-of-jail-free card and he used it when he was surfing along the newspaper conveyor belt of a publishing warehouse and got the breaking news headline inked across his forehead. It stayed on his head for a week). Nico wasn't as recharged enough to shadow-travel out of the museum so they hid within the dinosaur displays. Nico took a quick power nap as Will kept on the lookout. They eventually made it out of the museum without a call to Mr. D.
Nico feels the area around him. Aside from the (likely scenario) water at their feet, the walls right around them are cold metal and damp.
Great. He's in another jar. Just like the darkness, it's the company he's accustomed to being with.
At least he's with Will so it couldn't be all that bad, although the enclosed dark might be making him mad already since he's smacking and punching the walls. Nico takes out his sword and tries slashing it. Sparks glint upon contact and Will dusk, sliding against the walls and into the water.
"Wait," Nico says, "watch your feet."
Will pauses, stepping as far back as he could. It's not much given their tiny space, but it's enough for Nico to stab the bottom. His sword penetrates something, but water starts spewing like a firehouse before he can pull it back.
Bad move, he realized once their containment started filling with more of the mysterious water.
"I thought no sun wasn't good for me but maybe no air is worse," Will mutters. He starts jumping in case there was anything above them to grab on, but nothing.
"Come on!" Nico yells. The water being at arm level makes it tougher for him to wield his sword. "Grab my hand. We'll shadow-travel again."
"No, you're not strong enough to go now. The Kit-Kats in my pocket melted."
"As long as it takes us elsewhere!"
"Nico, no!"
Will tries to grab onto him but can't find him in the slosh and the dark. He knows that Nico is trying to concentrate on his power but the rising water level is already at his chin while it's only rising at Will's neck. He knows that they won't be shadow-travelling out of here. In some miracle that they manage to shadow-travel out of here, they know he isn't energized enough to take them anywhere good.
"You need the sun," Nico says between gasps for air.
Will shrugs, a small laugh escaping. "That's an exaggeration. I am the sun."
"Will."
"I know, not the time for jokes. One more breath."
Will inhales as much air as he can before the water is completely over his head. He sinks a bit, his back scraping the bottom. His eyes are squinted shut but then he's seeing orange swirls appear out of nowhere. Will opens his eyes and there's suddenly light. He quickly tries to search around for an exit since the light is helpful, but when he glances at his arms, he notices that he's the light. He gasps, quickly shutting his mouth since a good amount of his air escaped at that moment.
He can't believe it. He really is The Sun. He didn't know he could do this. None of his siblings could.
He's warm as if he's basking in the sun. Light beams out of his chest, illuminating the tank they seem to be in.
Right. Focus. They need to get out of here.
Nico's unconscious, probably from attempting to shadow-travel under their extreme situation. Will rotates his body so that he's facing downwards and sees where Nico stabbed his sword the first time. He pulls apart the piping, grunting but trying not to run out of air. Something must happen to the water pressure because once he sets a piece free, the water starts rushing out. Will almost rolls through and joins the waves, but grabs Nico before the water grabs a hold of him.
They're sucked through, following the water. Will wants to keep his eyes open but water stings at top speed.
The moment more light appears from behind his eyes, his face is above the water's surface so he opens his eyes and shoots his head up for air only to slam it against something. He curses as he sees that he's in a bright blue tube, propelling down the water with Nico flailing behind him, still knocked out.
Wait … he's been in one of these before. They're on a water slide. Nico probably shadow-travelled them into one of the main plumbing systems, whatever those are called. Will should ask one of the Hephaestus kids about it if he cared enough.
Will tilts his head forward and sees the slide he's on about to pivot two ways. He cranes his body right to head towards the purple slide but Nico's unconscious body heads down the yellow slide on the left.
"Nico!" Will yells when he goes down another slide.
Will looks back but can't move much in the slide. He continues being propelled through the twists and turns until he splashes in a pool. Will swims up to the surface and sees a zombie Nico must've summoned pulling him up with makes him skitter a little. Nico, soaking wet, sits on the desk. Lucky for them, the indoor waterpark is closed for the day so no confused families or angry security guards are around to see two lost kids in the pool and their zombie.
"My boyfriend glows in the dark," Nico tells the zombie, grinning a little. He looks over at Will. "You burned bright."
"Cause you burned out," Will spits back.
Nico shrugs. "Now you're burned out."
He pants. "Yup. You looked like you died."
"You liked like a night light."
Will narrows his eyes. "Death Boy."
"Night Light."
Will looks at him for a bit longer before smiling. "Surprise." He fans his hand out like a performer.
"Got any other tricks? That one was beautiful yet blinding. It took me out in there."
"We'll see."
Yes, this is like that Tangled scene. I couldn't resist.
After reading The Sun and The Star, chapter 8 of this story (according to my AN) became canon.