Chapter Text
Rae walked into the Hades’ cabin as if it was their own. They opened the door and shut it- then silently opened it just a crack- waking up Nico.
“Oh… it’s you,” Nico groaned, sitting up in bed. “Ever heard of knocking? What do you want? I was trying to rest.”
“Oh, so playing dead?” Rae taunted. “That’s just playing alive for you.”
“Funny as ever,” Nico rubbed his eyes groggily.
“Haha, very funny death boy.” Rae mocked Nico, walking closer to where he lay.
“There’s those stupid nicknames again,” Nico said, pushing the covers off himself and standing up.
“Leo came up with it, blame him!” Rae argued, leaning against him.
“I expect nothing more from fire boy,” Nico grunted, shoving Rae off him playfully and running his hands through his messy black hair.
“First off, learn what a hairbrush is,” they said, standing on their tiptoes to brush Nico’s hair out of his eyes. “Second, have you seen Annabeth? I needed some help with my Greek translations.”
“Ha, my hair is perfectly fine,” he said, ruffling Rae’s own shaggy dark brown hair. “And… no, I haven’t seen her. You check the Athena cabin?”
“Your hair’s longer than Piper’s,” Rae pointed out confidently. “But don’t you think I’d be in there, not in here annoying you?”
Nico paused for a moment as he was rummaging through his chest.
“Anyways, isn’t today capture the flag?” Rae asked, mock-innocence in their voice.
“Shut up, my hair’s a completely normal length,” Nico replied, putting a black shirt over his head. “And… yeah? It is, what about it?”
“Well… Will might need some help,” Rae said, pushing a piece of their hair behind their ear. “Kayla totally didn’t send me here…” they muttered, hoping Nico didn’t hear.
Nico looked suspicious at Rae’s muttered comment. “Not surprised Kayla sent you. I am, however, surprised Will let you come. He knows we… don’t exactly… get along.”
Rae rolled their eyes. “You two are so hopelessly gay it’s pathetic.”
Nico scoffed, shaking his head, despite the blush forming at his cheeks. “Are you homophobic, stupid, or both?”
“How can I be homophobic when I’m non-binary and pan?” Rae asked. “Second, I see how you get when his accent slips out.”
Nico rolled his eyes, trying to ignore how hot his face felt. “What are you talking about? I don’t ’get like that’ just because of his damn accent.”
“Oh, so there’s more?” Rae taunted. “Do tell.”
Nico’s face flushed even more profusely as he avoided Rae’s gaze. “Shut up. I have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about. Quite frankly, it’s annoying as all hell.”
“So you ignore his face when your accent slips out?”
“It’s not my fault my accent slips out when I’m angry or tired,” Nico muttered, running both hands through his hair. Rae seemed to finally notice, they could hear Nico’s accent the entire time. They guessed… maybe they had just thought it over, maybe you could just hear it all the time… at least they told themselves that.
“You’ve never been in the Apollo cabin,” Rae sighed, leaning more heavily on the railing. “Never seen Will glow when he talks about you.”
Nico’s mind immediately raced at that thought. “He… what!?” Nico stammered. “What do you mean he glows when he talks about me?”
“It’s so obvious,” Rae muttered, as if it was obvious to someone in clear denial. “Just like when we tried convincing Jason and Percy during that whole Poly fiasco.”
“No… you have to be lying. There’s no way he… thinks about me like that.” It seemed like Nico’s mind just couldn’t handle the thought of Will reciprocating his feelings.
“Niccolo,” Rae started slowly. “It’s okay to be gay.”
Nico crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course I know that, scemo. Will and I… we’re friends. Couldn’t be anything more.”
“That’s what Annabeth and Percy said!” Rae pointed out enthusiastically. “Now look at them.”
Nico sighed, knowing Rae had a serious point. “That’s completely and utterly different. They were obvious with their feelings for each other. Me and Will… nothing like them.”
“He’s really not as good at concealing his feelings as you think he is. As Will’s little sibling, it’s my duty to annoy him about his feelings.”
Nico groaned at the mere thought of Rae knowing his feelings. “Does the entire Apollo cabin know?” He asked as if he didn’t want the answer.
“You’re so obvious, we’ve known since the day you two met.”
Nico shoved his face into his hands. “Seriously? Damn… how many people exactly?”
“Three, not including Will,” Rae recounted. “Me, Kayla, Austin,” they counted on their fingers, then paused. “Oh, and like, your entire friend circle.”
Nico groaned louder this time, feeling mortified at the thought his friends knew. “Just… perfect. Here I thought I was being discrete.”
“You told Percy he wasn’t your type,” Rae pointed out. “Obviously you’re gay. Then you, idiotically, I might say, admitted to Percy you liked Will, after the whole Gaea thing.”
Nico winced at that memory. “Okay, not my smartest moment. But I was tired a-and injured and…” Nico let the sentence die out, running his hands through his hair yet again.
“Hopelessly. In. Love.” Rae taunted, sticking their tongue out at him momentarily.
“Shut up. I am not hopelessly in love.” Nico shoved their hand into Rae’s face playfully. “Okay… maybe I am hopelessly in love with him, but so what? That doesn’t mean he feels the same way about me.”
Rae shoved Nico’s arm out of their face. “Nico, Will may be bi, but so is Piper! She likes girls, so it’s basically just another term for being gay.”
“I know that, scemo. I’m not stupid.” Nico sighed, but his expression became more serious. “There’s no way he feels the same way about me. He’s way out of my league and I’m… me.” Nico gestured to his clothes, which were all black, despite the fact it was summer.
“He tried grabbing your hand the first time you met,” Rae pointed out, clearly getting slightly frustrated. “He literally picked you up by the waist last week.”
Nico blushed at the mention of Will’s tendencies to pick him up when he got “difficult”. “That means nothing. He’s touchy-feely with everyone. It’s just who he is.”
“Yeah, because he’s a healer! You weren’t injured that time!” Rae argued.
Nico rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the points Rae had. “Drop it, okay? It’s pointless, he’ll never see me as anything but a friend. I just… have to accept that.”
Rae started pulling Nico towards the door. “Confront your feelings, already, gods damn it.”
“Hey, where the hell are you shoving me?!” Nico started protesting, slipping over his own feet, nearly tripping Rae in the process.
“First off, OW!!” Rae hit Nico in the shoulder. “Second, if you’re not gonna do it today, at least get some sunlight in your life. Will doesn’t count.”
Nico rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, tightly. “I don’t need sunlight, thanks. I like the darkness of the Underworld much better.”
“If Will jumped down to the Underworld, would you follow him?” Rae asked, annoyed.
Nico didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes, of course. In a heartbeat.”
“HA! We caught you!” It was then Nico realized that Will and Kayla just had to be passing by that exact moment.
He froze when he noticed Will standing outside. “Will? How long have you been standing there?”
Will, who looked very flustered, finally mustered, “Long enough, Sunshine.”
The nickname gave Nico a bit of a surprise, trying to compose himself though he knew there was blush creeping across his face. “How much… did you hear?”
Will paused for a moment. “You’d follow me into the Underworld?”
Rae now stood by Kayla, and they fist bumped. It was clear this was all planned, which made Nico more annoyed, and embarrassed.
He froze at Will’s question, his mind racing. “I- yes. Yes, I would.” It was barely over a whisper, but it seemed to echo in the silence that followed.
“I’d do the same for you, Sunshine.” Then Will leaned in and kissed Nico.
Nico was clearly not expecting it, his eyes widening in shock. His face felt incredibly hot, and he just froze for a moment. He was contemplating if this was real or just some cruel joke. But then he felt how… sincere Will was. His words, his actions, it all felt too real to be scripted.
When they broke apart, Nico took a shaky breath, looking Will in the eyes.
“HA! You owe me twenty drachmas, Jason!” Percy yelled, breaking the awkward silence that had followed.
“Our son grew up so fast,” Jason said, mock-sadness evident in his voice. Hazel looked at him, questioning but curious.
Suddenly he realized the rest of the Seven stood in a group around them, faces ranging from amused- Leo, clearly by Jason’s situation- to, well, it was clear most of them expected, no, anticipated this.
Nico groaned as he realized the other demi-gods were there. He completely forgot the others in his utter shock at Will’s actions.
“Seriously?” Nico asked, annoyed. “You were betting on this?”
“Nico, they bet on my sexuality.” Reyna pointed out, not exactly annoyed, but not amused, either.
“We’re still waiting,” Piper taunted.
Nico sighed, unsurprised by his friends’ actions. “Why am I even shocked anymore?”
“You shouldn’t be,” Annabeth shrugged. “They’ve shipped everyone with… basically everyone.”
“Okay, I’ve tried telling them not everyone’s gay, but at camp, it’s hard to convince the Aphrodite kids of… anything, quite frankly.” Piper sighed.
Nico rolled his eyes at the mention of the Aphrodite kids. They were pretty bad at predicting and matchmaking. “I’m surprised you even tried convincing them. They’ll ship people regardless of sexuality.”
“Should’ve seen what they did with Tha-” Piper started, but immediately stopped as she saw the look Jason was giving her.
“You might wanna shut up now,” Rae piped in cheerfully.
“Sorry, what were they doing with Thalia?” Nico questioned, dreading the answer.
“They thought my sister was lesbian,” Jason sighed. “Which makes no sense since she made a maiden vow.”
Nico was shocked but somewhat unsurprised. “They thought she was lesbian? She’s, like, the most devoted hunter I’ve met. How in Hades did they think she was into girls?”
Reyna raised her hand. “Me.”
Nico could barely stifle his laughter, so instead he decided to lightly insult Reyna instead. “What, you? They thought Reyna was lesbian?” At his comment, Jason looked amused, while Reyna looked like she was planning the best way to hurt Nico in a sibling-ly fashion.
“To be fair, they once shipped you and Jason.” Nico hadn’t the slightest clue how Annabeth of all people knew that, but he wasn’t asking. Will looked taken aback, while Jason looked personally offended- rightfully so.
“They seriously thought that was even slightly possible?” Nico asked. “We’re kind of polar opposites.”
“That’s what I said,” Jason clarified, nodding his head in agreement. “You’re my son, nothing else.”
Nico was still slightly embarrassed at Jason calling him “his son”, but he still nodded in agreement. “The idea of us having anything but a familial relationship is insane. We’re brothers, not partners.”
“Then of course,” Percy said, smirking. “There’s the time they shipped Annabeth and-“
“Need I remind you of the Arch incident?” Annabeth asked, smiling back at Percy.
“‘Arch incident’?” Will asked. “Do I… want to know?”
“I- may or may not- have blown up the arch when I was twelve,” Percy said quickly.
“Sorry, what? And-and how?” Will looked absolutely flabbergasted at Percy’s confession, as if blowing something up wasn’t just a characteristic of Percy at this point.
Nico pinched the bridge of his nose. “And just how did you manage to do it this time, Percy?”
“He locked me and Grover out of the way to fight a chimera,” Annabeth shrugged. “Then promptly caused a tsunami.” She eyed Percy, who was suddenly very interested in his shoelaces.
“I’m not even surprised at this point,” Reyna muttered, slapping Percy on the back.
“He caused a fucking tsunami,” Nico sighed. “At twelve.”
“He’s fought like fifteen Ares kids this week,” Will said. “Mainly the same ones, but he’s earned a spot as a cause on the infirmary sheet.”
“He’s gonna kill himself one of these days,” Piper pointed out slightly sarcastically.
“Another thing we’re placing bets on!” Leo said excitedly.
“I’ll admit, even I placed bets on that,” Frank admitted shyly.
“I’m still staying by him getting as many life-endangering injuries that the average half-blood gets,” Hazel added.
Nico smiled. “I’m standing by mine as he’s getting at least three in the next two months.”
“You guys are betting on Percy’s ability to stay alive?” Will asked.
“We’re betting on a lot more than you think.” Jason laughed, pulling a paper out of his back pocket. Leo looked over his shoulder.
“You guys are betting whether I could beat Frank at hockey!?” Leo looked amused but curious, clearly not knowing how to even play hockey.
“He’s Canadian, but you’re really feisty and a fire gremlin,” Percy said, lightly whacking Leo’s shoulder.
“You guys bet on everything and anything,” Nico sighed.
“Yeah, in fact- according to Thalia, at least- most people at camp bet on how long it would take Percy and Annabeth to get together.” Jason admitted.
“I think that one’s the least surprising,” Nico laughed. “Everyone was waiting for those two to get together.”
Percy gasped in mock betrayal. “How could you, Neeks?”
Nico laughed quietly at Percy’s theatrics. “Please, it’s so obvious. The tension between you two was so playful no one took it seriously. Everyone was shipping you years before you two got together.”
“He also sulked about missing his girlfriend during his time as preator,” Reyna pointed out, looking at Percy, who was currently walking towards the lake, oblivious to anything they were saying.
“I’m not surprised anymore,” Annabeth sighed.
“That was nearly a year ago,” Nico groaned. “Can we forget about that whole… ordeal?”
“Youre never living that down,” Reyna taunted, reminding him about when him, Reyna, and Coach Hedge shadow-traveled half way across the world transporting the Athena Parthenos. “You slept like a baby.”
“Awww, now I’m imagining that,” Hazel laughed, letting Reyna wrap her arm around Hazel’s shoulder, simultaneously giving Nico finger-guns.
Nico’s cheeks flushed yet again. “Oh my gods, you guys are relentless. That was a one time thing, I was mentally and physically exhausted.”
“Yep, because doctor’s orders have prohibited you from shadow-traveling,” Will said, clearly proud of himself.
“Thank you Doctor Solace, but I’m well aware of not shadow traveling unless necessary. You don’t need to bring it up every chance you get, however.” Nico joked.
“He doesn’t,” Kayla shrugged.
“Just does it to annoy you.” Rae finished.
Nico sighed. “I’m aware. He takes a little too much pleasure in nagging me constantly about my health and safety.”
“Better than having a boyfriend who tries to self-destruct himself every five minutes,” Annabeth groaned, pointing to Percy, who was now knee-deep in the lake, try to catch what appeared to be a seahorse.
“Classic Percy,” Nico shrugged. “Can’t keep himself away from danger for more than a minute.”
“Oh shit-” Jason started.
“PERCY!” Piper tried yelling at him. “That’s not a seahorse! That’s a…”
“Too late,” Leo sighed.
“Ow!” Out from the lake, a random water nymph came up. She looked pretty pissed at Percy… and threw a punch.
“Oh. Just had to pick the one sea creature who has legs.” Nico said, amusement and disbelief mixing in his voice as Percy struggled with the nymph.
“Quit fighting mythical beings!” Hazel yelled.
“Uppercut them!!” Reyna yelled back.
“Who are you, Athena?” Annabeth asked sarcastically.
“You guys aren’t making any of this easier,” Nico laughed. “The last thing Percy needs to do is uppercut a sea creature. Also, what does Athena have to do with uppercutting someone?”
“According to mythology,” Annabeth started. “She uses an ability called ‘Quickthink’ to make ‘Warriors of the Mind’ fight faster, but she mainly uses uppercuts.”
“And,” Jason added. “Well… no, actually I think that’s all.”
“Of course it’s related to a god,” Nico sighed. “Can’t catch a break, can he?”
“Last time he came to the infirmary, he was attacked by a flock of birds,” Will recalled.
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Reyna started, raising her hand mocking the way students did. “Which kinds?”
“I’m gonna guess…” Nico muttered. “Geese or pigeons? No, it’s Percy… so swans?”
“Doves.” Piper said.
“And eagles.” Jason added.
“Don’t forget owls,” Annabeth sighed.
“…This guy can’t catch a break-” Rae couldn’t finish their sentence before being interrupted by Percy’s struggles.
“SHIT WHERE DID YOU COME FROM AND WHY DO YOU HAVE A SWORD-” Percy was drowned out by being dunked into the lake by Clarisse.
“Seven years and I finally get to dunk him!” She said triumphantly.
“Only Percy can avoid Clarisse that long. I’m surprised he lasted, especially with all the fights in between.” Will shut his eyes, rubbing his temples.
“At least it’s not the toilets this time,” Annabeth shrugged.
“The less said about the toilets, the better,” Chiron said, casually passing through the group of teenagers.
“I got expelled six times-” Percy choked out before being dunked under yet again.
“After the first few, you’d expect him to learn something,” Leo joked.
“They all happened before he was thirteen,” Annabeth sighed, now looking at Percy, who decided to start swatting at Clarisse instead.
“Start them out young, I guess,” Piper shrugged, turning to the scene with Annabeth.
“I was six!-”
“Not now, Ocean Boy,” Clarisse sneered.
“No wonder his reputation,” Jason sighed as Clarisse yet again dunked Percy.
Nico laughed, watching Percy being dunked yet again, seeing him trying to swat at Clarisse from below the surface.
“Nico I told you to stop watching dark humor TikToks,” Hazel scolded.
“I can’t help it,” Nico shrugged. “They’re too entertaining.”
“They just involve death and- oh now I understand,” Will said, looking off at space. Everyone had left them to look at Percy’s battle, which didn’t particularly annoy Nico. However, he felt oddly… fluttery? Nico’s heart felt as if it was being squeezed, and he knew for a fact his face was incredibly red.
“So… um,” Will chuckled, fidgeting nervously with his hearing aid.
Nico found Will’s fidgeting slightly endearing, and he laughed softly himself. “Relax, Solace. You look like you're about to pass out on top of me.”
“Oh thank gods,” Will sighed. “It was either that or I turned into a flashlight.”
“That would’ve been a sight to see. A talking flashlight.”
“Hey! I’m more than just a talking flashlight,” Will huffed. “I have a lot of other very amazing qualities. Like… being nerdy… and…” he trailed off.
Nico rolled his eyes, amused at Will’s attempts to defend himself. “Of course you have more qualities than that scemo. You’re incredibly stubborn, annoying, and have a beautiful tendency to be very sarcastic.”
“True!” Will smiled, melting Nico’s heart all over again. “Kayla’s told me it’s kinda annoying.”
“Trust me,” Nico said, reaching for Will’s hand. “It’s more than ‘kind of’ annoying. You're the king of sarcasm, Solace.”
Will gasped in mock betrayal, still grasping Nico’s hand to put it over his own chest. “That’s very insulting, Neeks.”
Nico’s face blushed profusely, but he got used to pushing it down. “C’mon Solace, you know it’s true. You’re ready with a sarcastic comeback no matter the situation.”
“Oh really?” Will asked. He swung the arm that was holding Nico’s hand over his shoulder, grabbing Nico’s other hand with his free hand, as if they were at a Shakespearean dance. “Give me an example.”
Nico put his free hand on Will’s waist, leaning into the whole “dance pose” joke. “Example you say? Well, how about every conversation we’ve had? Coated in your signature sarcasm.”
“Fair, but I’ve gotten better at playing guitar and singing. That’s no sarcasm.”
“Yeah, you’re not a sarcastic-know-it-all anymore,” Nico laughed. “You’re a somewhat-decent musician.”
“Ha! I knew you thought I was good at music!”
“I’ll admit, it’s not bad. But don’t let it get to your head. I still think you’re a pain in the ass most of the time.”
“Rude… but, um…” Will stuttered.
“What? You look like you want to ask me something?”
“Ummm… are we gonna tell anyone about us?” Will asked sheepishly, looking Nico in the eyes.
Nico stiffened a little, not expecting their conversation to take this turn. “You mean… this? Us? Whatever’s going on between us?”
“Um… yeah, if you want to… be my boyfriend?” Will seemed to rush the last part out, squeezing his eyes shut, turning his head away from Nico.
It seemed like Nico’s heart was going to beat out of his chest. He let go of Will’s hand, but kept his other hand on his waist. “You-You’re serious? You... want me to be your boyfriend?”
“If,” Will sighed before starting again, taking both Nico’s hands in his. “Niccolo, I’ve known for a long time that, I, uh, liked you. Would you do me the honor and become the darkness to my light?”
Nico was flabbergasted as Will’s confession washed over him. He’d never expected Will to feel the same way about him. “Yes. Yes, I’d be honored to be your boyfriend, William Solace.”
Will smiled, blushing but also glowing slightly. He gripped Nico’s hands even tighter, kissing him on the cheek. “That’s great. Maybe my dad is right, that there is always a darkness to light.”
Nico felt his cheek grow slightly warm from Will’s embrace. He laughed quietly, smiling up at Will. “I guess you could say we complete each other. Light and darkness.”
“Sunshine and Tesoro.” Will smiled back at Nico.
“Yeah. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“Hehe, yeah,” Will sighed. “I guess we have to go confront your very protective older siblings.”
“Oh gods, they’re gonna make such a big deal about this. They’ll start teasing us both relentlessly, you know that, right?”
“Pretty sure they did that before, too,” Will said, helping Nico down the stairs. After he reached the bottom, Will bowed jokefully to the prince of the underworld.
Nico sighed at Will’s words, knowing how truthful they were. “Just you wait, Solace. They’ll start predicting our whole relationship.”
“Hey,” Will gripped Nico’s hand, making Nico look him in the eyes. “This is our relationship. We’ll take it as fast or slow as we want.”
Nico smiled, appreciating Will’s reassurances. “That’s right. This is our’s, and we’re in charge, not any of our overprotective siblings.”
“You ever think it’s kind of weird you all are like siblings, however most of you are either dating or actually siblings?” Will gave Nico another one of his sheepish smiles.
“Oh, don’t even get me started on our twisted ass family we have at camp. It’s a bit… confusing, on the lowest tier.”
“Yeah,” Will shrugged. “I guess after half-siblings, we don’t really judge.”
Nico chuckled softly. “With all the weirdness that comes with being a half-blood, the concept of traditional romance and family dynamics kinda gets thrown in the trash. But hey, it makes things interesting.”
Will wraps his arms around Nico’s neck, kissing the top of his head. “Since my dad literally invented bisexuality, there’s no way Apollo of all people would be disapproving.”
Nico leaned into Will’s embrace, feeling secure and comfortable. He let out a soft laugh at his mention of bisexuality. “I guess if Apollo himself is okay with it, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Ummm, what about your dad?” Will asked, imagining the brooding figure of Hades, king of souls.
Nico tensed at the mention of his father, his expression turning dark. “My father… he isn’t known for being the most open-minded god…” He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “I don’t know how he’ll react to… this. To… to us.”
Will found Nico’s hand and gripped it, firmer this time. “I don’t care how he’ll react. We’re who we are, not our parents.”
Nico looked up at Will, reassured by his words. He gave Will a determined look. “Youre right. We aren’t, we’re our own people. We should be able to live our lives how we want to.” He gave Will’s hand another squeeze. “We’ll deal with my father later. Right now, let’s focus on us. You and I.”
Will looked over at the group, where Kayla was now helping Percy, who had a black eye and a bloody nose. Annabeth stood on the other side, ruffling his hair like he was a little kid. “And… them.” Will sighed.
“Eh, they’ll get themselves into trouble in any situation.”
Will looked around, noticing a few people missing. “Wait, where did-”
“Surprise!” Rae ran up to Will, jumping on him playfully.
Nico’s voice jumped at the sudden appearance of the child. “Gods, Rae, you nearly gave me a dam heart attack!”
“Hehe… we were talking nearby and, well, you guys are a lot louder than you think.” Rae admitted.
Nico facepalmed, not knowing if he was amused or annoyed. “Of course you were. Well, how much did you overhear?”
Reyna put her arm over Nico’s shoulder in a reassuring-big-sister way. “Enough to tell you that regardless of what our parents say, Camp is one of the most supporting places to be. Plus, everyone here is either invasive or siblings. So unless Sunny here hurts you, your two’ll be fine” Nico could tell Reyna was trying her best to be threatening, and since her usual demeanor was brooding, she didn’t need to try very hard.
“I can take care of myself, y’know,” he added mock annoyance to his voice, sticking his tongue out playfully at Reyna. “I appreciate the sentiment.” He looked out at his newfound “boyfriend”, who was running around with Rae, almost like they were playing tag. “But, I trust Will.”