Will's not used to waking up to crying. At least it's not his own this time. He sits up, groggily wiping at his eyes. He pulls back the plaid blanket covering his bed, padding his way over to the other side of the aisle. He pulls the blue covers away, pinning them back.
"K." He says softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Kayla startles completely awake, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Will." She whimpers, and Will sits down on the edge of her bed, letting her bury her face into his side. He rubs his hand up and down her back, soothing her gently.
"Bad dream?" She nods, clenching onto his free hand so hard Will winces. "You wanna talk about it?" She shakes her head, and Will just nods. "Scootch over then. I'll stay until you can go back to sleep." Kayla moves over, and Will stretches his legs out over her bed.
It takes a while before Kayla whispers. "It was Aaron." Will sighs, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
"Manhattan?" She nods, twisting her fingers in the soft gray fabric of Will's t-shirt. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Kayls." She thinks for a second.
"It was the hellhound. Aaron standing in front of it, ready to give his life for us. And then he… it…." Her breaths quicken, and Will hugs her tighter.
"I know, Kayla. I know. It's okay." He whispers, and she sniffles.
"I'd never heard bones crunch before." She says quietly. "I didn't… I had no idea they could. And his screams… I hear them all the time, Will. I hear them more than I can hear his laughter or his voice."
"I know, K. I hear them too." He runs his fingers through her messy hair, combing out the ginger and green strands. "I'm always here for you, and you know you can come to me whenever, right?" She nods against him, and he sighs, burying his nose in her shoulder. "It's okay to miss them. I do it every day."
She shudders in his arms, tears still pouring down her cheeks. "It's not fair." She whispers.
"I know, sunbaby. I know."
—
"Good morning, Nico!" Will chirps, opening the door to the private room. The dark haired boy stirs, opening his eyes slowly. He groans, turning onto his side to hide his face from Will.
"Are you always this perky in the morning?" Nico grumbles, and Will just laughs.
"Morning person, sorry. Wake with the sun and alla that. Now, sit up, Mr. Prince of Darkness. I gotta check out your shoulder." He says, and Nico sighs, sitting up. He pulls his black t-shirt over his head, and Will hums, poking and prodding at the stitches.
"Ow, gods, Solace, be careful." Nico hisses, and Will just chuckles softly.
"It ain't hurt that bad, don't be a drama queen." He teases, and Nico huffs.
"It's been three days, Will. You promised." He points out, and Will just shrugs.
"You're not healed yet." Nico turns his head, frowning at him, his dark eyes confused.
"You said three days, it's been three days." Will hums, still looking over the stitches.
"You that eager to get out of here, Neeks?" Nico huffs, looking away from Will petulantly. "You can move around and do stuff, but I still need to monitor you to make sure the infection goes away, and you still flicker." Will says matter-of-factly, and Nico sighs.
"I don't think I'm going to STOP flickering." He says quietly, and Will nods.
"Exactly why I'm saying no shadow travel or any Underworld stuff." Will says offhandedly, and Nico frowns at him.
"You can't be serious." Nico bites out, and Will stares back at him, blinking.
"I'm deathly serious, Nico. You almost died, faded straight into the shadows. I ain't risking that again, and you know that it'll hurt ya again. Do I gotta make it doctor's orders?" Nico crosses his arms over his chest, a defiant look in his eyes.
"Why does everyone else get to use their powers and I get stuck like this?" Will shrugs, handing Nico's shirt back to him.
"I dunno, Neeks, ask your dad why your powers try to kill you. Anyways, we're heading out to breakfast in a bit, you wanna walk over there with me?" Nico pulls his shirt back on, taking a moment to think about it.
"I sit alone, Will." Will just grins at him.
"I didn't say sit with my cabin, Neeks. I said walk over there with me, then you can go over to your table." Nico sighs, swinging his feet over the bed, hopping down.
"Fine, fine. Lead the way."
"Nico!" Will looks over the sudden outburst, and sees Percy running up to them, his black hair a mess. "Man, I'm glad you're doing better!"
"Better is relative." Will comments, and Percy blinks in surprise before a short laugh leaves his lips.
"I guess that's true. You are doing better though, right?" He asks Nico, who just shrugs.
"I guess so. Will says so." Nico says, and Will smiles, nodding.
"He is, but it's gonna be a real long process between the fading and everything else Neeks has going on with him." Will chirps, and Nico huffs.
"Don't call me Neeks." He mutters, and Will sees Percy's eyes dart between the two of them, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Funny, you said Neeks was the only acceptable nickname, didn't you?" Will quips, and Nico glares at him.
"That's because you keep calling me Death Boy or Prince of Darkness." Percy snorts out a laugh, and Nico turns his glare on the older boy. "Not you too! It's not funny!"
"It's a little bit funny." Percy says, and Will grins at him. Nico just groans, stomping ahead of the pair of them. Will stares after his back for a little bit, his eyes softening in affection. He really does adore Nico's morning grumpiness. It's cute.
"Damn, he is not a morning person." Percy says, making Will startle out of his thoughts. He just shakes his head, laughing softly.
"Not really, I've noticed. We should catch up to the others, though. My siblin's are waiting for me." Percy nods, and the two of them break into a jog to catch up with Nico.
—
"Thanks for sticking around and helping out, Neeks." Will says, propping a tray with supplies on his hip. Nico trails after him, hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"It's not like I have anything better to do." Nico says, and Will raises an eyebrow. Nico's cheeks turn a bit pink, and he looks away from Will. "Plus, you asked if I could help out, and I can, so… might as well." Will grins at him, his dimple appearing.
"Well, it means a whole lot to me, and to Anteros 'n' Kayls. We can get swamped here sometimes, and having someone to run supplies when I need them instead of havin' to stop what I'm doin' is real nice. So thanks, really. Now, c'mon. I gotta change Danielle's bandages."
Will sits down on the stool next to Danielle's bed. The daughter of Hypnos opens one eye to look at him, and then a smile appears on her cheeks.
"Hiya, Will." She says softly, sitting up as much as she can.
"Hey there, Dani. You feeling better today?" She nods, and Will smiles, patting the top of her head. "Good, I'm real glad for that. I'm gonna change up your bandages, mmkay?" She nods again, and Will starts to unravel the soiled bandages covering her arms and legs. He hears Nico intake a breath when her injuries are uncovered, and he turns to look at him.
"Hey Neeks?" The younger boy's eyes focus back from where he had looked faraway, and he blinks at Will, curious. "Could you go get me a piece of ambrosia? I need one for Danielle and my hands are a bit busy at the moment."
"Yeah, I can." He says, his voice a little raspy. "Where do you keep it?" He shuffles his feet awkwardly, and Will can't help but smile. He folds another piece of bandage over Danielle's body, the younger girl flinching a little bit in discomfort.
"In the storeroom. The first door you'll see up there on the right. Should be in a big tub labeled ambrosia. Just one will do, I'll ask you to grab more later if I need to." Nico blinks, and nods.
"Okay, um…. Be right back." He says softly, before shuffling off to the storeroom to grab what Will had asked for.
Will continues changing Danielle's bandages, and he hears Anteros's voice leaking out of the doorway to the storeroom, directing Nico exactly where to go to find the godly food. His brother comes out of the storeroom with a bundle of unorganized supplies.
He grins at Will, a gleam in his blue eyes. Will glares at him, having a nonverbal teasing fight with Anteros. His siblings are much too bold with making his crush on Nico obvious, and he's really not having it.
"Here." Nico says, materializing at Will's side in the middle of his eye contact fight with Anteros, and Will smiles, taking it from Nico. His fingers brush against Nico's and a shock sparks down Will's spine.
He freezes, his eyes meeting Nico's. They hold eye contact for just a second too long before Nico looks away, and Will swears he can see a slight flush on Nico's cheeks. But he must be imagining things, right?
"Thanks, Neeks!" He says cheerfully, hoping to clear the tension, and Nico just rolls his eyes, huffing loudly. Will can't help the laugh that leaves his lips, a grin taking over his features. He can't help but be utterly endearing by all the Nicoisms that he's grown so used to seeing.
"You're Nico?" Danielle asks, her blue eyes wide. Nico looks taken aback, but he nods slowly. "You're the one who brought the Parthenos to camp?" Nico shuffles slightly, uncomfortably.
"Well… I helped Reyna." He admits, but Danielle doesn't pay his awkwardness any mind.
"You saved the camp!" She exclaims, smiling brightly up at him. Nico looks at Will in alarm. Will can't help but laugh softly. He knows all about Nico's struggles with being accepted, as they've fought over multiple times at this point.
"He did, didn't he? Nearly killed himself doin' it though." Will teases, and Nico makes a face at him, scrunching his nose up. Will just smiles at him, tilting his head slightly to the side. Nico looks away, chewing on the inside of his lip.
"I'm fine." Nico mutters, and Danielle is practically giddy with glee.
"You're so COOL, Nico!" She chirps excitedly, and Nico looks stricken, like he's not quite sure what to do. Will notices his eyes darting from side to side, and he puts down the bandages to go over to Nico, resting his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.
"Hey, Neeks, do you think that you can sit on the bed over there and organize these bandages by size? Anteros could use the help." He motions to the mess of bandages that his brother had abandoned to help out another camper on the other side of the infirmary.
Nico gives him a grateful look and nods, briskly walking away from Danielle's bedside to organize the bandages.
Will watches him go for a minute, before turning his attention back to Danielle. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes focused on Nico.
"Did I say something bad?" She asks, her voice small. Will shakes his head, squeezing her arm gently.
"No, no, no, Dani. Nico just gets overwhelmed sometimes, don't worry too much. You didn't upset him." She nods, a small frown on her lips.
It's quiet for a moment, the music Will had put on earlier playing in the background, sunlight filtering through the windows of the infirmary. After a while, Will looks back up from his work, eyes flicking over to Nico.
The son of Hades has his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth as he organizes bandages, his dark hair falling over his face, obscuring his eyes from Will's view. He looks up after a minute or two of Will staring, and he blinks. Will tilts his head in a question. You okay? Nico shrugs his shoulders before shaking his head. I'm fine. Will chuckles lowly under his breath before going back to finishing Danielle's bandaging.
He likes this.
Just existing in the same space as Nico.
—
"Go on, Gracie." Will says, and Gracie looks up at him with big blue eyes. She tentatively goes up to the door after a minute, knocking on the wood. A soft voice calls out something from behind the door, and it opens, revealing Nico, rubbing at his eyes with his hand.
"What is i— Gracie? Will?" He says, blinking. Gracie turns her head to look at Will pleadingly. He shakes his head, and she pouts, but turns back to look at Nico.
"Today is my birthday." She says matter of factly, and Nico's lips quirk up into a smile.
"Well, happy birthday." He says, and she grins up at him.
"We are going to the lake today, and I really want you to come with us." She says, and Nico's eyes widen in surprise.
"Me?" He asks, and Gracie nods, her blonde ponytail bouncing. "I don't really like swimming though…"
"You don't have to swim! You can stay on the dock or the beach and just enjoy the sun! It's extra bright and extra warm today, like Dad is watching." She chirps, and Nico's eyes slide to Will. Will smiles encouragingly, and Nico chews on the inside of his lip.
"Is it just your cabin?" He asks, and Gracie nods.
"And Dylan! I think maybe Nova too… but other than that just my siblings!" Nico gives Will a questioning look, but he just laughs.
"Dylan is Sohee's best friend, son of Hebe." Nico makes an 'ah' sound, nodding his head.
"So, will you come? Please Nico? I know Will really wants you there, even if he's being annoying." Nico looks at Will again, and Will looks away, a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. These dang siblings of his. He's never gonna live any of this down, is he?
"Well… I suppose that it's alright. I didn't have any plans with Hazel today, she's off doing something with Frank." Nico says, and Gracie all but squeals, grabbing onto Nico's hands and jumping up and down.
"It's gonna be so much fun! You'll see! I'm gonna go tell Sohee! Bye Nico!" She runs off, shouting for her sister, and Nico and Will both just stare at her for a second.
"She's adorable." Nico says softly, and Will can't help but laugh.
"She sure is, but she's a menace as well." Nico snorts, turning to face Will with his arms crossed over his chest.
"So, you want me there too, huh?" Nico says, and Will flushes deeper, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
"Well, we're friends now, and I like spendin' time with you, why wouldn't I want you there? Plus, Dylan and Nova are gonna be there, like Gracie said, so it's not like this is a family shindig or anything like that." Nico hums, nodding slightly.
"Well, I did promise Gracie." Will grins at Nico.
"It'll be lotsa fun, I promise. I play lifeguard, so I can spend some time up with you on the docks so you don't get all lonely up there." Nico rolls his eyes as Will teases him, shoving his shoulder.
"I'll be fine, Solace, seriously." Will laughs, the sound echoing over the beams holding up the porch of Cabin Thirteen.
"I should go wrangle my siblings together, then. I'll see you in a bit, yeah?" Will asks, and Nico nods, waving his hand dismissively.
"Go. I'll meet you there."
Will waves down Nico, the younger boy still dressed in his normal dark clothing as he approaches.
"You're gonna burn up with how hot you're gonna get under the sun, Neeks." Will frowns, and Nico just laughs.
"Well, I'm too pale to not be covered up, and this is just how I dress, Solace. You got a problem with that?" Will shoves Nico's shoulder, shaking his head.
"I forget people can get sunburn sometimes." Nico blinks, looking at Will with an eyebrow raised. "What? I never have! A gift from Dad!"
"You're a doctor, how could you forget that?" Nico bites back, and Will chuckles, shrugging his shoulders.
"Skill issue." Nico rolls his eyes. Will can't help the flush creeping up his neck. It's still wild to him that he can have an actual normal conversation with Nico.
"Will! Are you coming in?" Sohee says from the water, her long dark hair streaming around her shoulders. "Oh, hi Nico!"
"Hi, Sohee." Nico says, waving back at the younger girl.
"I'll be there in a sec, sunbaby." Will says, and she nods, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she swims back out to the rest of their siblings.
"You can go hang out with them, Will. I can take care of myself." Nico says, crossing his arms over his chest. Will just laughs, shaking his head.
"I will, don't worry. You can hang out on the deck over there so you're close. Enjoy the sun and whatnot." Will pulls his shirt over his head, dropping it on the blanket.
"What the fuck is that?" Nico says, and Will blinks at him before his gaze drops to his own chest, where Nico is staring. Oh, right. He'd kinda forgotten about that.
"Oh, my tattoo?" He asks, and Nico just stares at him.
"You have a tattoo? When the hell did you get a tattoo?" He asks incredulously, and WIll hums, thinking about it.
"Almost a year? I got it for my 14th birthday. So last August." Nico blinks.
"Wait, wait, this is a lot of information at once. How did you get a tattoo?" He asks, and Will laughs.
"Lou Ellen is real good with the Mist." Nico frowns, but Will just shrugs.
"Why did you get a tattoo?" Nico asks, his dark eyes wide. Will chews on the inside of his lip.
"My brother Aaron had a similar one, and I wanted to get something to remember him by after he died in Manhattan." He admits sheepishly, and Nico blinks, looking a bit taken aback at that.
"Why did he get the tattoo?" He asks, and Will just sighs, running a hand through his messy golden curls.
"He felt… disconnected from Dad, and he felt like it helped him feel more like one of Dad's sons. At least that's what he told me." Nico nods, chewing on the inside of his lip.
"Your birthday's in August?" He asks tentatively, but there's a flash of something that Will can't read in his expression. Will nods, a dimple appearing in his cheek.
"Yep! In ten days. The 23rd. I don't like really doing much about it, since it's near the anniversary of Manhattan, but…" He shrugs. "At least there's no big threat of death or anything loomin' over my head this year. I'm going back to Texas for a few days or so, gonna go see my mama." Will says, and Nico looks at him for a long minute, brown eyes dark. Will just smiles, meeting Nico's gaze.
Jason had told WIll a few days ago that it looked like something had shattered inside of Nico after the jar. That his eyes looked like there was something broken.
Will doesn't see any of that.
He's not sure what exactly Jason was talking about, not when Nico's eyes have ever only been warm to him. A dark brown, not unlike the coffee that Anteros brings to Will in the mornings. Something pleasant, inviting, something—
"WILL!" Austin yells, laughing. "Stop flirting with Nico and come in!" Will just sighs. He really needs to tell his siblings off.
"I'm fine, Will. Go on." Nico says, a small laugh coloring his words. Will blinks, not used to this reaction from Nico. Usually the younger boy shies away from anything related to teasing. Huh. Weird.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Will says over his shoulder, before turning back to give Nico a smile. "I'll come and bother you by the dock later, 'kay?" Nico just nods, and Will grins at him before running off into the water, eager to mess about with his siblings.
Will can't stop looking at Nico.
Well… he never really stops looking at Nico. He's really quite given up being shy about the, quite frankly, massive crush that he has on the younger boy.
He can't help it when Nico looks so adorable, his feet swinging back and forth under the dock as he leans against a post, watching Will and his siblings with an unreadable expression.
"I'll be right back." He tells Melody, who just sighs loudly, splashing him.
"Fine, fine, go check on di Angelo. No flirting!" She says, and Will just laughs, swimming over towards Nico.
The younger boy pulls his feet up when Will approaches, tucking his shoes out of sight, away from the water, Will assumes.
"Are you sure that you don't want to come in, Neeks?" He asks, and Nico makes a face at him, shaking his head.
"Definitely sure. I told you not to worry about me." Will lifts his upper body up onto the dock, resting his head on his arms, gazing up at Nico.
Nico looks down at him, his cheeks turning a light pink, before turning his gaze away again.
Hmm.
Everything Nico does these days confuses Will.
"Are you at least having fun?" He asks, and Nico just chuckles, rubbing at his eyes with one of his hands.
"I'm quite enjoying watching you get your ass kicked by a ten year old." Nico says playfully, and Will gasps in mock surprise.
"I'll have you know, Gracie is an excellent swimmer! She's won awards!" Nico just hums, and looks back over the water to where Will's siblings are yelling and splashing each other.
"And you aren't? An excellent swimmer, I mean." Nico teases, and Will laughs, shaking his head.
"Not as good as she is, but good enough to play lifeguard whenever I needa do it." He says, playfully flicking some water at Nico, who avoids it expertly. "What 'bout you, Death Boy?" Nico looks down at him. "You any good at swimming?"
"I don't know." Nico admits softly, his shoulders falling a little bit. Will blinks, confused. What? Nico sighs, fidgeting with the lapel of his jacket. "My memory. We talked about this before, don't you remember, Will?" Will's eyes widen.
They had. Nico was dipped in the river Lethe when he was just a kid. Part of what happened to him before the Lotus Hotel stuff. All he remembers is bits and pieces, and Italian. Damn, Will can't believe that he didn't think before asking.
"Sorry, Neeks, I do remember that. Just didn't think about it in the moment." He rests his chin on his hands again, watching Nico, the way his hair moves gently in the warm late summer breeze. There's a few freckles starting to appear on Nico's cheeks and across his nose, and Will has to resist the urge to reach out and trace them with his pointer finger.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nico asks, and Will snaps out of his trace, blinking. Oh, he's been staring for much too long, hasn't he?
"Like what?" He says innocently, his eyes not leaving Nico. Nico just huffs, shaking his head lightly.
"You know what." Nico mutters, and Will laughs, tilting his head back a little bit. Nico stiffens, and Will stops laughing, frowning a little bit.
"Neeks, you all good?" Will asks, shifting a little bit closer to Nico in concern. Nico's clenching his jaw like he's in pain again. He lifts his hand up, placing it onto Nico's arm. The younger boy flinches slightly, but he doesn't shake Will off.
Nico looks down, and his eyes meet Will's. Will searches Nico's eyes, searches his vitals, but he doesn't feel any more pain than Nico usually carries. What happened?
"Where'd you go, Nico? You kinda… you looked far away for a second." He says softly, and Nico just shakes his head. His eyes soften, and he tilts his head.
"I just remembered that I need to talk to Jason about something. I'm gonna dip out early." Nico says, and Will drops his hand from Nico's arm. A frown settles itself onto his lips for just a second.
Why is Nico always leaving?
Is it something he did?
"Okay…" Will says, dropping all the way back into the water. Nico leans over a little bit, his dark hair falling into his eyes. He frowns at Will, his lower lip jutting out just a little bit.
"I–" He hesitates, chewing on the inside of his lip. "I know I promised you, and I promised Gracie. I'm sorry, Will." Will shakes his head, some droplets of water falling down over his cheeks and lips from his messy wet hair.
"Don't worry your pretty lil' head about it, Neeks. I understand." Will says, smiling, though he knows it doesn't reach his eyes. "I'll see you later, mmkay?" Nico nods and Will gives him a smile before turning and swimming back to his siblings.
Sohee frowns when he swims up, leaving Dylan's side to come over to him.
"Where's Nico going? I thought he was going to stay!" She says, her brown eyes wide.
Will shakes his head, ruffling her already messy hair. "He had something to do, sunbaby. Don't worry too much."
Sohee frowns, her lower lip jutting out into a deep pout. "But you're sad now. I don't like it when you're sad." Will pulls her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"I'm okay. It's nothing serious. I just don't like it when he leaves without warning." He whispers softly, just loud enough for her to hear.
He's trying. He sucks at being open and honest with his siblings still, more content to bottle all of his emotions up and cast them down into the darkest bits of himself, but that hadn't worked well for him in the past, and he doesn't want to lash out at them again.
"It's okay to be upset, Will." Sohee says back, squeezing his sides with her arms. "You like Nico, and I think Nico likes you too." Will frowns, pulling back to look at her.
"Now what makes you think that, Sohee?" She shrugs her shoulders, her dark hair fanning out in the water.
"He's happier when he's around you. NIco smiles more. When I see him around camp without you, he always looks so scary and dark that I forget how happy he can be. But when you show up, it's all gooey."
Will scrunches his nose. "What's all gooey?"
Sohee just smiles, tapping Will's nose. "Your feelings. His feelings. Gooey."
"I dunno about alla that, Sohee." She shrugs her shoulders.
"It's just what I've noticed, Will. I think you have more of a chance than you imagined."
Will's not really sure, but he hates the part of him that can't help but hope.
—
Will sighs, looking over the campers gathering and chatting excitedly to each other. The Hunters had stopped by for a visit, with Thalia wanting to see Jason before he went back to the West Coast for school, so of course, that meant a friendly game of Capture the Flag. Will adjusts the strap of the bag his siblings had gotten him for his birthday last year on his shoulder.
Friendly. Right.
Austin, Sohee, Melody and Gracie had stayed back to make sure the infirmary was ready for any injuries, but the rest of Will's siblings mill about, mingling.
Anteros flips a dagger in his hand from his place next to Malcolm, a wicked gleam in his eyes. Kayla stands with Lou Ellen, her golden bow slung over her shoulder. Will pretends he doesn't see the initials that adorn that bow. He searches further, squinting. Yan is nowhere to be found, but the older boy tends to be that way.
He presses a hand to his dagger on his hip, breathing out deeply.
Relax, Will. They're fine, they're fine, theyrefinetheyrefinetheyrefinetheyr–
"Solace. Relax. You look like you're about to run screaming into the woods at the tiniest sound." Will flinches, a full-bodied shiver running up his spine. He plasters a smile onto his face, shaking his head.
"No need to worry 'bout me, Neeks. I'm doin' just great. Just making sure all my siblings are fine." He says, and Nico looks out over the group of campers, fiddling with the sword on his hip. "You never told me if you named your sword." Nico shakes his head.
"I haven't. You named your dagger?" Nico asks, and Will grins, nodding.
"Iliachtída! Means–"
"Sunbeam. I also speak Greek, Solace." Nico says, but there's a ghost of a smile that turns up his lips. He's teasing.
"Well that's three languages we can argue in, huh?" Will says, sticking his tongue out at Nico, who just rolls his eyes.
"You understand Italian, not speak it, idiota." He pushes Will's shoulder. Will just laughs, shrugging and pushing his shoulder back against Nico's.
Jason runs up to them, his normally cropped blonde hair tousled in the late summer breeze. "Hey, Nico, we're moving out, starting the game. Will, you're playing medic today, right?" He nods, smiling at the older boy. Jason slings his arm around Nico, and Nico huffs, pushing Jason's arm away.
"Get off me." He mutters, but Will can hear there's no malice in it. He's still not sure all what happened in Greece with them, but he hasn't gotten around to asking Nico. He's not sure he ever will, honestly.
"We should head out. See you later, Will!" Jason calls, and Will hums. Nico gives him a small smile before heading down with Jason, running after the taller boy.
Will can't help but feel like something is wrong.
He frowns, his hand on his hip as he leans against a tree, waiting and watching, out of the way of any of the real action. He can hear the whoops and yells, and the crashes of swords and arrows flying.
But something makes him uneasy. Makes bile rise in his throat, makes him look over his shoulder, at his surroundings, with more scrutiny than normal.
Maybe it's the two wars he's survived.
He pushes off the tree, walking a little farther into the forest, pulling his dagger out of the sheath. Picking carefully through the trees, he freezes.
The sound of wings follows him.
No.
Nonononono.
He whirls, brandishing his dagger.
Nothing.
He has to be hearing things, right? There's no way… Hadn't they scared them off years ago? Will shakes his head. He has to be wrong.
"Will." He whirls at the sound of the familiar voice, not processing who it is until the tip of his dagger rests just under Nico's chin, the younger boy blinking at him in surprise. "Well, at least you're good with that thing." Will sheathes his dagger, heat creeping up his neck and cheeks.
"Sorry, Neeks. Didn't mean to almost stab ya." He says sheepishly, and Nico shakes his head.
"I shouldn't have snuck up on you. Last time I did that, you almost speared me with an arrow." He says, a smirk quirking up his lips. Will flushes even deeper.
"It was an accident!" He complains, and Nico just laughs. Will really is starting to love the sound of Nico's laugh, even if it's not very loud or often that he hears it.
"I was just teasing you, Solace. You already apologized about a million times about it. You doing okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Will rubs the back of his neck, sighing.
"It's nothing, I'm just hearing things, I guess." He says, and Nico frowns, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean?" Nico asks, and Will shakes his head.
"It's real stupid, and like I said, it's nothin' anyways. Don't worry 'bout it, Neeks." He says.
"If it's bothering you, I want to know." Nico says, and Will feels the blush creeping up his neck again.
"Well… I keep thinkin' I hear wings, but that can't be, because we scared off the Stymphalian birds years ago." Nico frowns.
"They could still be around, but why is that a problem?" Will's stomach twists at the dismissive tone in Nico's voice.
"I told you it was stupid." He mutters under his breath. Nico stops walking, looking at Will with an unreadable expression.
"Wait, are you scared of them?" Will averts his eyes, shuffling his feet, kicking at a small stone. "Will."
"They're the reason I came to camp all those years ago." Will fiddles with the makeshift bracelet on his wrist. "They attacked me and my mama, and I couldn't do anything about it. Then in my second summer here, they attacked the camp again, and I… didn't take it well. So yeah, Nico. I'm scared of them." He says, his words tainted with just the slightest hint of venom.
"I didn't mean to make it sound like that, Will. I didn't know you had an incident that would make you actually scared of them. I just remember Bianca being scared of pigeons in New York before we went to the Hotel. Just some stupid thing. Not… actual fear." Nico says, stepping in front of Will.
"It's fine, Nico. You didn't mean anything by it and—" Will freezes, his blue eyes focused on the faintest movement in the treetops.
"What is it?" Nico asks, but Will barely hears him, his heart pounding in his chest. Nico unsheathes his sword, drawing Will's attention away.
"I thought I saw something." He says, and Nico nods, his dark eyes hardening.
"I saw it too. Unsheathe your dagger." He commands, and Will follows his direction, taking the gleaming bronze dagger out of the sheath.
As soon as he does, there's a flutter of wings, and five Stymphalian birds swoop down, screeching.
"Will! Get down!" Nico cries, but Will barely hears him, a rush of fear paralyzing him. His limbs feel heavy, like he's slogging through quicksand. His dagger suddenly feels like a brick weight in his hand, a rushing sound blocking all his senses. He drops to his knees, his dagger tumbling to the ground.
"Will!" Nico slashes out at one of the birds which had gotten too close. "Fucking—" Will hisses as he feels talons down his arm, across his cheek, crying out in pain. Where is his dagger? Why can't he do anything?
Useless, useless, useless.
Blood drips down his arm, warm to the touch. He can feel it dripping off his fingers.
Why can't he move?
He feels like his head is going to explode. More screeching, and he can hear Nico shouting something to someone. Is it to him? He can't tell.
Footsteps.
"Piper–"
"Will!" He hears a feminine voice break through the wall closing his thoughts in. He gasps, his vision clearing, his eyes meeting Piper's kaleidoscope ones. Her hands are on his face, her fingers coated in his blood.
"Will, you need to stop it. You're safe. Nico killed them all, come on, come back." There's something lacing her words, an almost dreamlike quality, and Will can't help but nod, and suddenly it's like his body unlocks and he slumps forward, his vision going black.
He's not sure where he is when he comes to, his head feeling like he's been dunked underwater. He blinks, light pouring in from the window across the way from him.
Light blonde hair is the first thing that makes sense to him.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, brother dearest." Anteros says, his arms crossed over his scrub shirt. Will scrunches his nose, coughing slightly. "Here." Anteros reaches over to the side table, handing Will a water bottle with a straw in it. "You're damn lucky it wasn;t your good arm." He comments, and Will looks down.
Thick white bandages cover the length of his left arm, and he can feel some on his face.
"What the hell happen'd?" He rasps, and Anteros sighs.
"You got attacked by some Stymphalians during Capture the Flag and you… froze. Nico killed them all, but Piper had to break you out of some like… trance you had gotten stuck in. A stress response. She had to charmspeak you because you weren't listening, you couldn't hear. Jason and Nico brought you in here. I patched you up."
"How bad was it?" He asks, and Anteros shrugs.
"Your injuries? Deep, but not stitch worthy. Mostly healed up with some nectar and a hymn, but your arm will probably scar. Your cheek won't. Your trauma response? Fucking bad, Will. Nico looked so shaken. I told him to go get some food or something so he wasn't pacing the infirmary."
Will sighs, running a hand through his hair. Some of the curls stick together, but he tugs them apart with his fingers. "I'm real sorry, Anteros." His brother shakes his head, resting his hand on Will's shoulder.
"I'm a freezer too." He says quietly, his blue eyes shimmering a little bit. "That's why I took point on taking care of you. I've been there before, you know that." Will meets his brother's gaze, and he understands. The things that Anteros had experienced before coming to camp… no kid should ever face that at the hands of people who claim to love them.
The curtain separating Will from the rest of the infirmary shifts, and Will hears a familiar soft voice, and then the watery voice of his sister.
"Neeks, Sohee." He calls out gently, and the curtain pulls back a bit. A whirlwind of dark brown hair tears over to his side, and he suddenly has an armful of a crying Sohee, tears streaking down her cheeks.
He presses soft kisses to her cheek, whispering under her breath to her as she cries in his arms.
"I was so scared, Will! There was so much blood, and you wouldn't wake up! Don't ever do that again!" She says, hitting his shoulder with her hands, not hard enough to hurt.
"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't do it again." He says, hugging her close to him again. He looks up over her head to see Nico standing there, the younger boy's mouth twisted into a frown.
"You scared the shit out of me, Will." Nico says, his voice even, but Will can see right through it. He sees the shake of Nico's hand, the glimmer in his dark eyes.
"I know, Neeks, and I'm real sorry. I… I don't know what happened." He admits, and Nico fiddles with the ring on his finger, twisting it around.
"It happens, just… I'd really like to not have to see you like that again. It was… I've never experienced anything like that, and I've—" He hesitates. "I've gone through a situation like that myself. But never… freezing. I—" Will blinks.
"We can talk about this later, Neeks." He says softly, and Nico closes his mouth, nodding, a grateful look in his eyes. "You should get some rest, it can't have been easy, killing all those birds on your own. Oh! Do you know where my—"
Nico places Will's dagger on his lap, the bronze sheath gleaming up at him under the lights of the infirmary. Will shifts Sohee into his arm, the younger girl just curling into his side.
"Thanks, Neeks." He says softly, and Nico's lips quirk up into the ghost of a smile.
"Anytime, Will. You should rest. I'll see you later." Nico says gently, and Will nods. After a second of hesitation like he wants to say something else, Nico turns and the curtain swishes behind his retreating back.
—
It's quiet in the clearing for once. All Will can hear is the slight breeze, the gentle sound of the lake water lapping against the shore, and, if he focuses hard enough, the beating of both his own heart and Nico's.
It's odd, but he can't help but love the sound.
Nico picks at a patch of grass. He's been quiet since they had gotten here, and Will knows he should ask why they're here, but he's just…content.
"Do you know the story about Plato and soulmates?" Nico asks after a long while. Will hums, nodding.
"Where humanity was split into two halves of the same whole, yes. My mama used to tell me about it." He replies, and Nico scrunches up his nose.
"Doesn't it make you feel…broken?" Will blinks, looking over at Nico. The younger boy isn't making eye contact with him.
"What makes you say that, Neeks?" Will asks, confused. Nico sighs, stretching his legs out over the blanket they'd laid out, his sword on the ground beside him.
"I suppose it wouldn't be the same to you…" Will turns to face Nico fully, tapping the younger boy on the back of the hand.
"Explain it to me. I wanna know what's goin' on in that head of yours, sunshine." Will says gently, and Nico makes a face at him, but sighs again, shrugging his shoulders.
"They split the perfect person into men and women, and everyone has a perfect other half somewhere, but I—"
"Wait." Will interrupts, and Nico looks over at him finally, his dark eyes confused. "Who taught you this story?" Nico blinks.
"My mamma…why?" Nico says slowly.
"So…back before the war?" Nico nods.
"Well…" He hesitates. "It was after the war too, when we came to America. Bianca would tell me the story too." Will runs a hand through his hair.
"Nico…Your mom taught you wrong." Nico stares at him, confused.
"What do you mean?" He asks, his voice barely above a whisper. Will sighs, his hand still hovering over Nico's.
"Nico…You grew up in a very different…time and place. You said your family was Catholic, right?" Nico nods. Will reaches down to put his hand over Nico's, looking the younger boy straight in the eye.
"That story…They didn't separate into just men and women." Nico's eyebrows furrow.
"You mean—"
"I mean you grew up in homophobic Italy, where being gay could have gotten you killed, and it was….it was war, Nico. And maybe your mom did it to keep you safe, or that's the story she was taught but…soulmates aren't men and women. You're not broken, I promise."
"I've been meaning to ask something." Nico says suddenly, and Will stops before nodding his head. "I've never said the words out loud, but…you seem to have figured out that I'm…that I like…" Nico cuts himself off, scrunching up his nose.
"It's just me, Nico. I'm not going to judge you." Will says softly.
"That I'm gay." Nico whispers. Will squeezes Nico's hand, before letting go.
"Was there a question in alla that?" Will says, teasing a bit to lighten the mood. Nico frowns at him.
"How did you know?" Will shrugs.
"It's uh…complicated." He says, and Nico's eyebrows furrow, his expression turning dark. Will sighs, picking at a thread coming off his shorts. "Do you remember…um…getting mad at Percy on the Argo for falling into Tartarus?" Nico squints at him, nodding slowly.
"How do you know about that?" Will winces, looking away from Nico. Gods, this is so embarrassing.
"I…dreamt about it." Silence. "I dreamt about you a…few times actually."
"What?" Nico says, and Will turns back to look at him. "Why would you dream about me?"
Will runs a hand through his hair. "Um…children of Apollo tend to have more dreams, and when we do dream, it tends to be about people or things that we are…emotionally attached to."
"And you saw me…being pissed at Percy?" Will nods.
"It made a lot of things click into place, you having feelings for Percy. Your reactions to stuff, the fact that you didn't want to stay here…" Nico frowns, but he doesn't rebuke the statement.
"What…else did you dream about me?" Nico asks slowly, his fingers twitching. Will bites down on the inside of his cheek.
"The…jar." Nico blinks.
"Is that it? Just those two things?" Will nods.
"I don't dream a whole lot, mostly nightmares. So those were the only two things." If Will didn't know any better, he'd think Nico looks almost relieved.
"You're…emotionally attached to me?" Nico asks, and Will buries his face in his hands, feeling his face heat up.
"This is not how I wanted to do things!" He practically wails, and he hears a short surprised laugh leave Nico.
"What do you mean?" Will peeks out from behind his fingers, and sits up.
"Are you…are you blushing?" Will asks incredulously. Nico huffs, throwing a leaf at Will.
"Shut up, Solace, no I'm not." Will leans closer, making Nico lean back. "Stop that! Hey, stop deflecting!" Nico laughs, scooting away from Will.
Will can't help but laugh too, and the both of them dissolve into loud giggles, the sound filling the warm clearing. It takes a minute, but Will finally manages to calm down, ruffling his messy curls.
"I wasn't lying about wantin' to be your friend, Neeks." He admits, and Nico looks at him, dark brown eyes curious. "I mean it, I didn't have any other motive."
"Why do I feel like you're going to say something to the contrary?" Nico asks, and Will just glares at him playfully.
"Hush up and lemme finish." Nico holds his hands up in mock surrender, relenting. "But somewhere along the way…I guess I did get a lil more invested…than I should have."
"Okay, look, Will. You're just confusing me now. Just…say what you're trying to say without dancing around it." Nico says.
The words tumble out before Will can think too much.
"I like you, Neeks."
Oh gods. What has he done?
Nico blinks once, twice, three times.
"What?" He asks, and Will groans, burying his head in his hands again.
"I LIKE you." He says again, and Nico sniffs.
"I heard you the first time, I'm not deaf." Will shakes his head. "I'm just trying to understand."
"I've had a crush on you for a year." Will grits out, and Nico stops.
"Y-you have?" Will's never heard Nico stutter before.
"Since Manhattan." Will admits, still not lifting his head.
"So the teasing from your siblings…"
"Was them being real mean to me and makin' it obvious when I was tryin' not to make you uncomfortable." Nico tugs on one of Will's hands.
"I'm not having this conversation like this, Solace. Sit up."
Will lets Nico pull his hands away from his face, but he still can't make eye contact with Nico, his hands shaking slightly.
"Will, stop. It's just me." Nico says, and Will shakes his head.
"It's 'cause it's you I'm so nervous." He admits, finally looking over at Nico. The younger boy is chewing on his lower lip in contemplation.
"Why did you think you would make me uncomfortable?" Will shrugs.
"I dunno. 'Cause you like Percy." Nico barks out a laugh, looking at Will with an incredulous expression. Will blinks back in surprise.
"You cannot be serious." Will frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. "Will. C'mon."
"You ain't denying it." He mutters and Nico just laughs again.
"I LIKED Percy. Past tense." Will's hands start to shake again.
"Well, I didn't wanna force you into anything either, and I wasn't real sure about anythin' and there was a war and everything."
"Will." Nico says softly, making Will stop babbling on. "Do I look uncomfortable to you? Have I? At all?" Will shakes his head. "Then stop trying to guess what my reactions to shit are gonna be, Solace! Just be honest with me."
"I wasn't even sure you liked guys, Nico! What did you want me to do?" Will says, and Nico sighs.
"I just want honesty, and I don't need you making decisions about me for me." Will huffs, picking at another thread on his shorts. "You haven't even asked the biggest question yet, anyway."
Will looks over at him, eyebrows furrowed. Nico looks back expectantly, his dark eyes bright. The golden light of the sun reflects off the silver piercing dangling from his ear, blinding Will for a second. Yeah, thanks, Dad. Will thinks. I bet you find this real funny.
"What am I supposed to be askin'?" Will says after a minute, and Nico exhales, a breathy laugh leaving his lips.
"You never asked why I wanted to come out here." Will scrunches his nose.
"I just figured you wanted the sunlight." Nico rolls his eyes.
"Right, because that's something I would do." He snarks, and Will can't help but laugh. Yeah…he's right about that one.
"So… why did you?" Will asks, and Nico sighs, tugging on the hem of his black camp shirt. He doesn't speak for a minute or two, and Will just watches him. "It's okay, Neeks. It's just me, like you said before."
"I know, it's just a lot for me to say stuff like this." Nico admits, and Will just smiles, reaching over to squeeze his hand again. Nico looks down at Will's hand for a minute before he turns his own over, tangling his fingers with Will's. Will blinks in surprise, a small smile turning up his lips.
"I thought your ring would be cold." He says, and Nico laughs softly, looking at the skull ring on his middle finger. He shrugs.
"Not really. I always wear it, so it keeps the same temperature as my skin, I guess." Nico says, and Will hums in understanding.
"You're deflecting now too." He teases and Nico glares at him, but there's no malice in the expression.
"I'm psyching myself up, let me live, Solace." Nico says and Will sticks his tongue out at Nico playfully.
"Why do you never call me by my first name, di Angelo?" He says, a grin on his face.
"You keep saying I'm deflecting, yet you keep asking me questions that you expect an answer to." Nico points out, and Will just tilts his head back, a loud laugh leaving his lips. He's still holding Nico's hand, and to be honest, it all feels like one big dream to him. This can't really be happening, can it?
"Sorry, I have a motor mouth, at least according to Anteros." Will says, and Nico just shakes his head. "Plus, I kinda feel like runnin' a lap around the lake right now, I have so much excess energy." Nico scrunches his nose.
"Why?" He asks, and Will just smiles, tilting his head so some of his curls spill into his eyes.
"Do I have to tell you that I like you again, or is it gonna get through that head of yours finally?" A scarlet blush takes over Nico's features, and he clears his throat, looking away from Will. He murmurs something under his breath, and Will leans in closer. "What's that, Neeks? Couldn't quite hear ya."
"I…like you too." Nico mutters, still not looking at Will. Oh, the urge to run a lap around the lake is even stronger now. Will feels something clawing at his throat, his heart. The familiar darkness curls in his stomach, content, happy.
He'd realized long ago what that darkness was. He'd felt it the moment he touched Nico after shadow traveling. It's just as much a part of himself as it was Nico.
"Oh." He breathes out, squeezing Nico's hand.
"Oh?" Nico says, gaze still focused on his shoes. Will just laughs, shaking out his hair.
"Yeah. It kinda feels… unreal hearing you say that." Nico hums, but he finally looks over at Will, and his brown eyes are warm.
"I've never said it in the present tense before." Will gives him a confused look, and Nico laughs. "I told Percy in the past tense. That I had a crush on him, but he's not really my type. That day before I came in for the three days you forced me into—"
"You agreed to them!" Will counters, and Nico scrunches his nose.
"Anyway! I told Percy that I had, past tense, a crush on him." Will thinks about it, before he remembers something.
"You gave Annabeth a high five!" Nico laughs, nodding.
"I think she was proud of me, not going to lie. Dunno what exactly for but…"
"Coming out is a big deal, even if it's just to two people." Will says softly. "The first time I did, it was just to my brother, Daniel." Nico looks at him, his lips forming a frown. HIs eyes drop to the bracelet on Will's wrist, the necklace looped twice around that belonged to Daniel when he was still alive.
"Bianca never knew." Nico says quietly. "And… I don't think Hazel does. I… I'm gonna tell her. I just… she's from a different time too." Will squeezes Nico's fingers reassuringly.
"If you want me to… I can be there for you as well." Nico thinks about it for a second before he shakes his head.
"No, I'll be fine, Will. Don't worry about it." Will smiles, nodding his head. He understands the need to do things on his own.
"We should… talk about this." Will says after a little bit. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. But just like… boundaries. Whatnot. I've… never done this before." He flushes, heat crawling up his neck and face.
"Well, neither have I, Solace." Nico retorts, but there's a hint of laughter in his voice. "And you've been… comfortable with yourself for longer." Will hums, nodding.
"I suppose that's true. I just… I'm happy with whatever you want, Neeks. Dragging you around the infirmary, sitting together at the campfire… holding your hand." He squeezes Nico's hand gently. "I tend to be… very affectionate."
Nico snorts, shaking his head. "Really? I had no idea. It's not like you run around calling all your siblings sunbaby and calling every camper under the sun some kind of endearment, flirting." Will frowns.
"I do not flirt." Nico gives him a look. "I don't! I've only seriously flirted with you before, scout's honor. Cross my heart and hope to die." Nico rolls his eyes, but there's a smile there Will hasn't seen before. Satisfaction.
"Let's just… take it day by day." Nico says after a while. "I'm still… getting used to the idea of having a home here. But you don't have to… pretend or anything. That you don't like me. Especially around your siblings." Nico chews on the inside of his lip. "I like being around your siblings. It feels warm."
"I like you." Will says without thought, and Nico gives him the most withering, long-suffering look at his joke, making Will burst into laughter.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was a wide open opportunity, Neeks, you have to understand."
"I take it back, I don't like you anymore." Nico says, going to tug his hand away from Will, but Will holds on tighter, pulling Nico back towards him.
"Too bad, so sad, you're stuck with me darlin'." Will croons, and Nico flushes bright red, squirming away from Will again. "Oh, you LIKE the endearments! Oh, this is going to be delicious." Will cackles, and Nico just sighs, flopping down onto his back on the blanket, his dark hair falling into his eyes.
"What have I ever done to deserve this?" He says dramatically, and Will leans over him, his golden curls falling into his face as he grins down at Nico, the sun filtering over the younger boy's face.
"Well, you had to go and try to date a dramatic son of Apollo." He quips, and Nico just rolls his eyes.
"Just my luck."
Laughter reverbs through the clearing. Affection that hadn't been there in many years.
—
"Is this seat taken?" Will can't help but beam up at Nico when he comes up to the table they're working at, and he shakes his head.
"Nope! The more the merrier!" He chirps, and Nico gives him a grateful look, sitting down. He's so close to Will that his thigh presses against Will's, and Will hooks his ankle around Nico's under the table.
"This is your first time painting a bead, right Nico?" Kayla asks, and Nico nods, looking around at all the supplies apprehensively.
"I wasn't here for any of them before." He says, and Kayla hums, making eye contact with Will,a grin turning up her lips. "Will made the ones I have now."
"I remember him painting them in the cabin." Melody says, leaning over the table to smile warmly at Nico. "It was very kind of him to do so. But now you can have your own handiwork on your necklace, which is better, non?" Nico blinks, but he nods.
"Yeah… I guess." Nico says, and Will smiles, handing him a bead.
"This year is half the camp logo, and half Camp Jupiter's logo. Since this summer was all about us coming together and making it work. Easy enough, right?" Nico nods, and Sohee giggles from her place across from Will.
"It's a lot easier than it looks Nico! Don't worry. It's everyone but Will, Austin and Kayla's first bead too!" Nico looks a bit relieved at the thought, a slight smile curling up his lips.
"Here, let me take your necklace off, Neeks." Will says, reaching back and tugging the strings out of the back of Nico's shirt. Nico freezes for just a moment, his dark eyes darting around, but he relaxes into it after a second, relenting.
Will pretends he doesn't see the grin that Kayla and Austin share. He places the necklace on the table, the two beads glimmering up at Nico.
"Thanks, Will." Nico says softly, and Melody passes him a blank bead.
They work in silence for a bit, only the sound of Anteros and Yan chattering about something filling the air. Will's not an artist by any means, but with this being his fifth bead, and the seventh that he's painting, he feels like something of an expert at this point.
Nico's slightly cool against his body, which he supposes should concern him, but Will knows that he runs hot himself. Perks of being a sun god's kid.
"Hey, darlin', can you hand me the purple?" He asks without looking up, and suddenly, all conversation stops. Will looks up confused, and sees Nico and Sohee staring at each other, both of their hands stretched out to grab the purple paint.
Oh gods.
"I KNEW IT!" Kayla all but screams, and Nico buries his face in his hands, groaning loudly. "Anteros, you owe me FIFTY DOLLARS!"
"Kill me now." Nico grumbles, and Will can't help the laughter that bubbles out of his throat. He tugs Nico a little closer, grinning down at the other boy.
"Well, at least we don't have to tell them." He murmurs into Nico's ear, and the dark haired boy shoves him away, ears turning red in embarrassment.
"I hate you." Nico mutters, and Will just hums.
He doesn't. Will knows.
–
BONUS. ONE WEEK BEFORE.
"I hope this works." Nico mutters, breathing out deeply. He closes his eyes, focusing on the image in his head, the names that he can hear falling from Will's lips.
"You know, if I'd chosen rebirth, this probably would have been a very different story." An unfamiliar voice fills his ears and he opens his eyes.
"Aria, be nice." The other person says, mouth set in a pout. "It's not like you had anything better to do."
"Oh shut it, Daniel. Let the kid speak." Nico huffs, staring at the two ghosts in front of him.
"I'm not a kid." He grits out, and Aria leans down, her pale eyes boring into Nico's soul. He shivers slightly at the chill.
"Last time I saw you, you were like… eleven. A kid." She deadpans. Nico blinks.
"You know who I am?" He asks, and Aria rolls her eyes, sighing dramatically.
"Of course I do. You're Nico. Who else would be summoning ghosts like it's nothing?" Nico flushes slightly, and Daniel glares at her.
"He is a son of Hades, you know." Daniel says, and she just waves her hand. Nico can't help but notice the gaping hole in her chest, the darker patch on her shirt. He'd forgotten how she died…
"Hey, eyes up here, mister. I may be dead but I'm still a lady." Nico coughs, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"I-I'm gay. And I was just… remembering something Will told me." Aria and Daniel both share a glance, a flash of sadness.
"How is he?" Daniel says softly, his pale eyes focused on Nico. Nico sighs, ruffling his hair.
"He… he's dealing. Not extraordinarily well, but… he's tough. He can do it." Aria smiles sadly, tugging on the end of her ponytail.
"He's why you called us here, right? Is he okay?" Nico flushes, looking away. Aria bursts into laughter, throwing her head back. "Oh, don't tell me! He finally weaseled his way into your heart! Gods above, I wish me and Michael were both still alive, he owes me FIFTY DRACHMAS!" Daniel sighs.
"Actually, Drew won. At least that's what Fao said." Aria huffs, flipping off her brother.
"I had my own bet going, that Will would be a little chicken shit and not do anything at all. Well, at least that's what Michael thought would happen. I had way more faith in our baby brother."
"Were you always this antagonistic?" Nico mutters and Aria's ghostly eyes settle on him again.
"I prefer the phrase tough love, thank you very much." She sniffs.
Daniel shakes his head. "Why did you call us here, Nico?" He says. Nico can understand why Will was so fond, IS so fond of Daniel. He's kind, with a soft voice and a warm tone, even in death.
"What do I do?" Nico says, and Daniel looks at him, a small frown on his face. "He's so… open. And trusting. I can't do that. I can't–"
"Nico." Daniel says quietly, his voice wispy and airy. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."
"But I WANT to." Nico says, his words tumbling out in a rush. "It's different for me, though. I'm not like… him. Like you."
"Out?" Daniel says, his eyebrow raised. Nico blinks at him in confusion. What?
"Hey, I was out too!" Aria chirps, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just didn't get the chance to date anyone at camp before I got skewered, unlike you, Lover Boy." Nico looks between them.
"What are you talking about?" He says, and Daniel just smiles, a dimple appearing in his cheek, matching the one that Nico has seen so many times reflected in Will's smile.
"I told Will this once, and I think it still applies, but none of the children of Apollo are straight, Nico." Daniel says kindly, and Nico stares up at him. "And I had a wonderful boyfriend. No one is going to judge you, least of all Will."
"I know he won't judge me. He's so…" Nico trails off, and Daniel just smiles at him.
"You know, I wish I had gotten to meet you formally." Daniel says softly. "Will mentioned you before." Nico's nose scrunches in confusion.
"What do you mean?" He asks, and Daniel hums.
"He mentioned you coming to camp, and when I came back for the summer I…" He trails off, a sad look in his eye. "He mentioned you a few times is all."
Nico frowns. Will had mentioned him before? To siblings of his? That Nico had never met? Well… he supposes of course, Daniel. Will had talked at length about how much Daniel meant to him.
"He wears your necklace." He says suddenly. "Daniel, I mean. I don't know about yours… Aria." Aria shrugs her shoulders.
"Will's a sentimental kid, I'm sure he's got mine squirreled away somewhere in that mess of a bunk of his." She says. Nico's not sure, but that makes sense with the Will he knows. The Will he… likes.
"What do I do?" He looks up at the ghosts of Will's siblings. "I don't know how to do all of this." Aria sniffs, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If I know anything about my little brother, you don't have to do anything fancy. He's… a really good kid. Kind. Soft. Sentimental. I'm assuming you mean how to tell him that you like him?" Nico chews on the inside of his lip before nodding just a little bit.
"I talked to one of my… other friends. He said… He said it would be okay if it didn't work. But—"
"What makes you think that it wouldn't? If anything, Will is always extremely obvious. He's not as good at hiding his emotions as he thinks he is." Aria says with a laugh.
"I know that. And I think… I think he does feel something, but I can't— I'm not good at this. Someone ELSE had to tell me that he was looking at me all the time, even." Aria and Daniel share a look.
"Let me guess… Connor Stoll." Aria deadpans, and Nico looks up in alarm. How did she know that? "Nosy ass kid, always in people's business. I always swore he was a long lost kid of Aphrodite, the way that he was always at the scene of the crime."
Daniel gives her a withering look before turning back to Nico, his ghostly eyes kind. "Look, Nico. Just… you can tell him privately. It doesn't have to be some grand gesture." Nico blinks.
"It doesn't?" Daniel shakes his head, a smile on his lips.
"In fact, I think Will would prefer not having a grand gesture. He knows you. And we know him. Just talk to him. One on one. Will appreciates stuff like that." Daniel reaches out like he wants to put his hand on Nico's shoulder, but he frowns, putting his hand down. Ah. Ghost.
"You think so?" Nico says, his voice barely above a whisper. Aria nods, leaning down to look him dead in the eye. She doesn't say anything for a long minute.
"I like you, di Angelo. For my brother. You care about him, otherwise you wouldn't have summoned the ghosts of his most favorite siblings just to have a chat about how to tell him you like him." Nico shrinks back, a bit embarrassed.
"Well–"
"It's a good thing." She says, and Daniel nods.
"Just… take care of him, Nico." Daniel says, his eyes wistful. "Will is a lot more fragile than he will ever let on, and he needs someone to be in his corner like he is for so many people. He has… so much on his shoulders, doesn't he?" Nico nods. "He needs people to be there for him. He needs that kind of person. Can you be that for him?"
Nico hesitates, but he nods after a minute.
Daniel just smiles, and Aria grins at him, a playful glint in her pale eyes.
"Well, I don't think you need any more guidance than that, di Angelo. Surely not from the dead. Just… give him our best, yeah? Don't let him–"
"He's never forgotten." Nico says. "His bunk is covered in photos. He tells your siblings about you often. He… he's never forgotten." She smiles, and Nico's sure if she could cry, she would.
"That's all I can ask for. Both of us." Daniel nods. Nico stands, brushing his pants off with his hands.
"Thank you for… talking me off a ledge." He says, and the pair of demigods just smile at him.
"Thank you for taking care of our baby brother." Aria says, starting to fade.
Before long, the pair of them are gone, and Nico is left with his thoughts.
At least he knows what to do now.
At least he hopes.
He has to talk to Will, that much he is certain.