"Are you sure about this?" Will asks as he and Nico make their way towards the lake, and Nico nods, his hands stuck in his pockets as he trudges along beside Will, his shoulder brushing against Will's arm.
"I mean… everyone knows I'm gay. At least at this point. And… I can be myself with everyone there. So I want you to be there. With me." Nico says, and Will smiles, reaching down to grab onto Nico's hand, lacing his fingers with his boyfriend's.
"Then I'll be there with you. As your boyfriend." A slight flush creeps into Nico's cheeks, and he looks away from Will, tugging him a little faster. Will can't help the grin that appears on his cheeks. Making Nico flustered is very much so becoming one of his favorite pastimes.
"Hey! Nico and Will are here!" He hears a voice call as they make it to the shore, and Jason comes bounding up to them, water dripping down his neck from his wet hair, a bright smile on his face, blue eyes gleaming. "Glad you could make it, Nico. And that you brought Will." His gaze zeroes in on their intertwined hands, and his smile widens.
"Don't." Nico warns, his voice dark, but Jason just grins, turning around to face everyone, the other campers staring at Jason expectantly.
"Nico brought his boyfriend!" Jason calls, and Nico groans, lashing out and kicking the back of Jason's leg. Wil startles, surprised at Nico's violence, and frowns, about to lecture Nico on not hurting others, but Jason laughs, reaching out to ruffle Nico's hair, completely nonplussed.
"Douche." Nico mutters, and Will just laughs, squeezing Nico's hand.
"Hey, Neeks. It's fine." Will says, and Nico breathes out a big sigh.
"I wanted to be the one to say it." His voice is barely loud enough for Will to hear, and Will leans down to bump Nico's shoulder with his own, a smile on his lips.
"You'll have more opportunities to." Nico deflates a little bit from his annoyance with Jason and he looks up at Will, brown eyes wide, before nodding.
"Yo, Nico!" Percy says, running up to the pair of them and Jason, the older boy wandering off to go talk to Piper. "That's awesome news, man. Will's great. Good catch." Nico makes a face at Percy, but he lets go of Will's hand to let Percy drag him into a hug, even if he's clearly a little bit uncomfortable with it.
"Thanks for approving of my relationship, Jackson." Nico mutters, the sound muffled by Percy's hug. "Really the stamp that I needed, now I can continue dating Will without any regrets." Percy just laughs, letting go of Nico and ruffling his hair. Nico hisses, batting away Percy's hand, patting his hair back down. "Why does everyone keep touching me?" He mutters, but Percy just ignores him.
"Have you gotten taller?" Percy asks, squinting at Nico. Nico scrunches his nose, but he can't help but laugh, the sound tinkling through the air a little bit. Will's favorite sound, though he knows he won't admit that out loud. At least not around so many people.
"Maybe you got shorter." Nico bites back at Percy's jab, and Percy's lips curl up into a grin, clearly happy that Nico is playing along with him. Before he can speak again, another voice cuts through, getting closer.
"Percy, stop annoying Nico." Annabeth says, pulling her blonde hair up in a ponytail as she comes over to the growing group of people.
Will feels so out of his element right now. Sure, he knows everyone here at least a little bit. (Well, minus Frank and Reyna who he's never actually met before…) But he can't help but feel very aware that these are NICO'S friends.
The thought disappears when Annabeth turns to him, a smile on her pretty face. "Hi Will." She says, waving slightly. Will just laughs, the easygoing feeling of interacting with Annabeth dispelling the nervousness that tangles in his stomach. He knows Annabeth. This is easy.
"Hey there, Annabeth. Nice to see you not covered in war grime again." Will says. Annabeth snorts, leaning into Percy. He winds his arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
"Likewise, Will. I'm really happy for you, by the way." Will can't help but smile, and Annabeth's gray eyes gleam. "I told you that it would all work out." Nico turns, staring up at Will with a question in his gaze.
"What?" Nico says, the end of his question coming out in a squeak. Annabeth bursts into laughter, and Will shakes his head, tugging on Nico's hand.
"It's nothin', Neeks. Just Annabeth being too smart for the rest of us as usual." Nico turns to face Annabeth, an eyebrow raised.
"You knew." Nico says, though the tone is not quite accusatory. Annabeth shrugs.
"Will's not subtle, Nico." She says with a laugh coloring her tone, and Nico sighs. Will feels a flush creeping up the back of his neck, embarrassment bringing the color to his face. Gods, could the ground just swallow him whole right now, please?
"I suppose that's true." Will stares at his boyfriend, who just laughs, his lips turning up into a slight smile. Well, now Nico is just making fun of him, isn't he? "Now that I know you liked me… Looking back at it, Will, you really were obvious."
"Neeks!" Will cries indignantly, his blue eyes wide. He cannot believe this! Everyone turning against him! "I was bein' good!" Annabeth laughs with Nico this time, and Will can't help the huff that leaves his lips.
"I think the whole camp knows you had a crush on Nico, Will." Annabeth admits. "Like I said before, you aren't exactly subtle. It was cute though. Reminds me a lot of Percy." The other boy had wandered off at some point, chatting excitedly to Jason about something or rather. Annabeth looks after him fondly, a small smile on her face.
Will takes a second to look at Nico, curious about his reaction, but there's no hint of jealousy or anything on Nico's face. In fact, he's not even paying attention. He's looking back at Will, the slight breeze making his hair blow into his face. Will reaches out, pushing the lock of hair behind Nico's ear, relishing in the scarlet blush that the action causes to spread across Nico's face, the way Nico looks away, but leans into Will's hand.
"Are you two going to get in?" Hazel says as she appears at Nico's side, her cinnamon hair gathered into a bun on the top of her head, Frank trailing behind her just slightly. Nico shakes his head, but Percy bounds over at the motion like an oversized puppy.
"Awe, come on Nico! Will, tell Nico to get in the water!" He cries, and Will can't help but laugh. Oversized puppy really does seem to be the best way to describe Percy Jackson, if he thinks about it real hard.
"I don't tell Nico to do anything, but I wanna get in anyway." Will drops his hand from Nico's cheek, stepping back from his boyfriend to pull his shirt over his head.
He always forgets about his tattoo until there's a reaction to it.
"Hot damn Solace!" "Will, what is THAT?" "Stop ogling my boyfriend!"
Voices overlap, tumbling over each other in a mess, and Will laughs, shaking out his messy blonde curls. "I got a tattoo last year for my birthday. Looks pretty cool, don't it?" He asks, and Percy steps closer to him.
"Damn, I want a tattoo now." Percy says, inspecting his tattoo further.
"Absolutely not, Percy. Your mom would kill you and then me in that order. Will, how did YOU get one?" Annabeth says, and Will grins, tilting his head to the side.
"Mist. Lou Ellen helped me out." Annabeth sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Of course, a child of Hecate. Mist manipulation. Rule breaking." Will shrugs his shoulders, looking at the older girl.
"Nothin' in the rules." He shoots back.
"Except that getting a tattoo at what… 14 is ILLEGAL?" Annabeth exclaims. Will hums, nodding his head. It is. He just doesn't care. "You're just as reckless as Percy." She shakes her head.
"Hey!" Percy squeaks, his sea green eyes wide. "I am right here! And I'll be 18 soon! Sooner than Will is going to be!"
"Like I said, Sally would actually murder both of us. Percy, stop poking Will." Percy had taken to poking at the tattoo on Will's chest, and Nico bats Percy's hand away with a scowl on his face.
"Stop touching Will." He bites out, his voice dark, and Percy grins at him.
"Never pegged you as the jealous type, Nico." He teases, and Will can see Nico physically bristling. He stops, however, when Hazel steps forward, resting her hand on Nico's arm.
"Nico." She says softly, and Nico deflates, the fire leaving his eyes. "I wanna talk to Will, why don't you guys go enjoy the water, hmm?" Nico gives his sister a long look, and they do that thing Will does so often with his siblings, having a silent conversation through their expressions.
"Fine." Nico says in defeat, his shoulders hunching up to make him look smaller, younger. Will frowns a bit.
"I won't keep him long. Go hang out with Jason." Hazel says softly, and Nico nods. His fingers encircle Will's wrist for a second, squeezing gently, before he lets go.
Will doesn't get the time to watch him go over to Jason. Instead Hazel rounds on him, her golden eyes wide and curious.
"Will." She says simply, and he clears his throat, suddenly nervous.
"Hazel. Hi." He says, and even he can hear how bad his twang gets when he's freaking out. She just smiles, and Will suddenly remembers she's from Louisiana. The sound of his accent must be at least a little familiar to her. That does make him feel a little bit more at ease. But she's still Nico's sister, and he would do anything to stay in her good graces.
"Let's go over to the dock, yes?" She asks in that lilting voice of hers, and Will nods. He drops his t-shirt next to where Nico had thoughtlessly thrown his, and trails after Hazel slightly, his eyes flickering over to the group of demigods currently shrieking and hiding from Percy's water powers.
Nico seems happy enough, Will can see the mirth in his eyes. He's with Jason and someone who Will doesn't recognize at first glance, but from the way Nico seems to be comfortable around her, could only be Reyna. Nico must feel Will's eyes on him, or maybe he looks back at Will as much as Will looks at him, but his boyfriend turns his head, catching his gaze. He tilts his head, a question in his eyes, but Will just shakes his head. He's fine. It's just Hazel.
He takes a seat next to the younger… older…? girl, his feet dangling over the edge of the dock, just barely grazing the surface of the water. He feels the water cooling down the heat from the day, and he can't wait to jump in and join Nico and his friends. But first…
"I'm really happy for you two." Hazel says softly, and Will turns his head to look at Nico's sister. Her golden eyes are trained on him, like he's some new marvel to examine. He blinks, and a smile starts to spread over his face.
"Thanks, Hazel. It… I know talking to you really lessened the burden from Nico's shoulders. He… I guess he wasn't sure how you would take it?" Hazel hums, nodding.
"We had a very long conversation, but Frank was there to…" She trails off, frowning a bit.
"Help with the modern aspect of it all?" Will adds helpfully, and Hazel nods.
"Neither one of us are from a time where… well any of this was something that would be spoken unless behind a locked door in hushed tones." Hazel admits, and Will can see a slight flush starting to heat up her cheeks. "And… well I never knew anyone... Like you or like Nico. This is all very new to me. But.." She trails off, and her gaze turns to the group of demigods, and Will follows. "Nico's my brother. I would do anything for him."
"I know the feeling." He says softly, and Hazel nods.
"You have siblings?" She asks, and Will hums.
"Seven of 'em right now. On my dad's side, like you." Hazel smiles softly, and Will can't help but notice that it makes her seem younger.
"Nico's told me a bit about your siblings, your cabin. How easily he was accepted, like family." Will makes an embarrassed sound in the back of his throat, his cheeks heating up.
"We, uh, tend ta do that with the people my siblings are dating." He admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "Or their real good friends. Apollo Cabin is like this big communal space half the time. Somethin' Kayla and Austin really started after Manhattan, to fill the hole left behind." The last part comes out as barely more than a whisper, and Hazel looks at him again. He swears she can see into his soul, see the siblings that he had lost. Perhaps she can, being a child of Pluto and all. But he remembers Nico saying her gifts lie more with Pluto's aspects of wealth and gemstones…
"It will be good for him. Nico. Having that aspect of community and bonding." She says, picking her words carefully. "I was worried about him. Since I have to return to Camp Jupiter in a week or so." Time's really flown huh? He muses. It's already September… "But, he seems to really like being around you and your siblings. Well, you especially, even if he won't admit it." Will startles, and a tinkling laugh, not unlike Nico's, leaves Hazel's lips, even if her cheeks are a bright scarlet.
"Well, I'm real glad about that. My siblings have been trying real hard to make him feel welcome, and I've been trying my damndest as well." Will admits, rubbing his arm. He knows the scars from the birds are still there, jagged lines running down the length of his bicep.
"I think you're very good for my brother." Hazel says, fanning herself just a bit. Will can't tell if it's from the heat of the sun bearing down on them, or embarrassment. Maybe a bit of both. "He really does seem to like you a lot."
"I've liked him for over a year." Will blurts out, and Hazel looks at him in surprise, her lips parted just slightly.
"Really?" She asks, her golden eyes gleaming. Will nods, feeling like he wants to throw himself off the dock into the water. Did he really just say that? Randomly? To Nico's sister? Gods above. "That is… well, I find that quite something, really." She smiles, her lips quirking up. "Nico needs people that care about him, that care for him. That… take everything that comes with being a child of the Underworld."
"I don't care about alla that. I mean, it doesn't bother me. I barely notice it as it is. He's just… Nico." Hazel frowns just slightly, looking like she wants to say something else. She shakes her head, and Will guesses that she had decided not to bring it up. Whatever it was.
"I think you'll be good for him, Will. That makes me feel at ease about leaving him here. He wants to stay, you know? We talked about it for a long time." Hazel says, and Will can feel the smile that turns up his lips.
"I'm real glad he wants to. I want him here too." He admits, and Hazel's golden eyes light up with her smile, shimmering just a bit. He can't tell if it's a trick of the light or the magic he knows she gets from Hecate, but he swears her eyes glow.
"Just take care of him, will you?" She says softly, and Will nods. Above anything else, that's what he intends to do. "Good. I'm glad we finally got to meet, at least once before I go back for the school year."
"Me too, Hazel. It was real important to Nico that we do, and I think we're gonna get along nice." Hazel laughs, tossing her head back slightly.
"I think so too, Will."
—
"Do you have everything, sunbabies?" Will asks, and Melody rolls her eyes, heaving out a big sigh.
"As I have told you eleventy million times, brother, yes. We are going to school, not off to some war." She freezes, and Will gives her a withering look. "Apologies, I did not think through what I was saying. I mean to say, it is just school. We will be just fine."
Will hears a thump, and Yan appears from the bunks, his dark hair pulled back from his face, the jagged scar running down his cheek and across his lip on display.
"Chill, Will. Seriously. It's boarding school. Plus, this is the one Nova goes to, right Mel?" Melody nods, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder.
"Novie's papa talked to mine and Yan's mamans, Will. Everything is covered. You need to stop being such a, what was it Yan, a buzzkill?" Melody says, and Yan barks out a laugh.
"More like a mother hen." Yan says, and Melody nods, reaching over for a pin on the desk. A music note, glimmering gold under the late afternoon sun. She twists her hair expertly into a bun before sticking the pin in. A present from Yan's mother for Melody's family helping pay for his boarding at the same academy.
"Will, we must be going now." She says in that haughty but warm voice of hers, and Will feels his shoulders fall. Melody looks at him for a long moment, her blue eyes flashing. She sighs again, dropping her bag and holding out her arms. "Come here, frérot." She says, just low enough for Will to hear. Will hesitates for just a second, and her eyebrow arches. Will clears his throat and steps into his sister's embrace.
"Ain't I supposed to be the one comforting you?" He asks, and Melody swats him on the back, light enough that it doesn't hurt.
"If you do not quit your complaining, I will be taking back my affections." She hisses, and Will can't help but laugh, burying his nose into her shoulder. She smells like Chanel, and the sweet sunshine that fills the clearing. Warm.
"I love you, Mel." Will says softly. She just hums,
"I love you too, Will. We will be safe. I can promise you this." She says, her lips brushing against his cheek in a gentle kiss. Will pulls away after a minute, his eyes misty. Yan looks at him, his sword strapped to his belt, a cocky but familiar smirk turning up his lips.
"If you think you're getting a crying sesh from me, Will, you have another thing coming. I know you already cried it out when Gracie left earlier today." Yan says, and Will can't help the laugh that bubbles from his chest. His older brother comes over and ruffles his hair, the dragon piercing dangling from his ear glinting in the sunlight.
"See you next summer, Yan. Keep track of Mellie and Nova, will ya?" Will asks, and Yan nods.
"You have my word, Will. I'll remind Mel to Iris you every once in a while too, yeah?" Yan says, his voice a bit lower, more gentle. Will knows that Yan can tell how hard this is for him. Letting go. Letting them out of his sight.
"Thank you." Will says, and Yan squeezes his arm before picking up his backpack.
"Come on, Mel. Nova's stepmom is probably waiting for us, and I don't want to keep her waiting." Melody nods, reaching out to squeeze Will's hand before she also picks up her bag, disappearing through the door of Cabin 7.
It takes exactly 37 seconds for the first anxious tears to fall, and Will can't handle it. He plops down onto one of the beanbags, burying his head in his hands.
Notsafenotsafenotsafenot–
"Can I sit here?" He hears a familiar gentle voice, and his shoulders relax.
Austin.
He doesn't reply, but he nods, and he hears the shift of the beanbag next to him, and after a minute or so of quiet shuffling, the muted sounds of a guitar start to reverb through the cabin.
They don't speak, but Will is grateful for that. Just knowing Austin is there, existing in the same space as him, makes Will feel more at ease. More calm.
The door opens, closes, and Will can hear footsteps careful across the floor of the cabin. A hand with rough calluses and a dainty ring on the pinky finger ghosts across his arm, but doesn't linger, and he hears the shift of a bow being taken off the wall.
Kayla.
It takes Will another half hour before he feels calm enough to move to his bed, drawing the plaid sheet across to block out the late afternoon sun.
He doesn't come out.
