Chapter Text
“I doubt this is going to work,” Will announced, folding his arms stubbornly as Lou Ellen laid the fifth card on the table.
“Your dad literally owns an oracle and you’re skeptical about a few tarot cards?”
“Fair point,” Will huffed, looking to the cards laid out in front of him face down. “Okay, fine, show me my fate.”
“I told you,” Lou Ellen huffed, “it doesn’t work exactly like that. Okay, this first card is the message or answer from the Divine.” She picked up the card at the top of the pentacle, turning it up with a frown. “The moon,” she announced, looking to Will, who was a little distracted by the cats on the tarot cards. “Uncertain times lie ahead for you. Your path will be filled with deception or vital truths. Prehaps both. You must ask yourself what is real.”
“Well that’s just great,” Will huffed, and Lou Ellen followed the line down to the second card- placed on the bottom left of the pentacle.
“This one shall shed light on how the message from the Divine will impact your intellectual life.” She turned it over, revealing the Ten of Wands. “Ah, a large intellectual burden lies ahead.”
“You’re just making this up,” Will protested, “I’m head medic, anyone could guess that.”
“Shush! Don’t question it, just listen.” She made her way to the third card, positioned at the top right, and flipped it over. “Two of swords. There’s going to be a conflict between your heart and mind. In your spiritual life, that is.”
“I don’t have a spiritual life,” Will protested.
“Morality could be considered a spiritual matter, Will. Beliefs. Grief even. This is yet to unfold. Moving on, we’ll see how you’ll be affected emotionally by this.” She moved her hand to the top left point, turing over the card with a smirk.
“What?” Will asked, raising his eyebrows as she giggled.
“Two of cups. This card will reveal how your emotional life will be affected. Which is fitting, given this card tells us that there’s a deep emotional connection coming your way, an attraction. Hm, interesting.” She calmed her giggling and ignored Will’s disbelieving snort, revealing the last card, in the bottom right corner. The design captivated him, specifically, the black cat and the white cat together. “The Lovers,” she announced, and Will looked up.
“You did that on purpose to follow on from the last card,” Will huffed, blushing.
“This card reveals how your physical life will be affected. Making a decision that makes your heart glad. Knowing you made the right choice will feel like falling on love- it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to find love, just as an emotional attraction can be platonic. You’ll feel strong, happy, but scared and vulnerable. Beware denying your heart. An interesting spread. Would you like to know what I think about this?”
“If you tell me I’m gonna be making out with somebody by midnight, I’m gonna stay in my cabin out of spite to prove you wrong,” Will declared stubbornly. Lou Ellen snorted and laughed.
“Trying times are coming for you, Will. It’s going to be hard to seek the truth. You’re going to be overwhelmed with the knowledge you hold, conflicted between what your heart wants and what your mind knows. But I sense you won’t be alone with what’s to come- after all, you’re fated to form a deep connection, prehaps an attraction. But know that whatever decision you make, it’s going to be the right one, and it’s going to benefit you well. Take this reading as a warning to follow your heart. Your mind is burdened, but your heart should be free. Should you deny your heart, prehaps this will not pan out so lightly. Also, I find it ironic that a child of the sun should draw the moon card the day Artemis’s hunters are set to arrive. And, may I remind you that it doesn’t bode well to ignore fate? Whether it be a prophesy or a tarot reading, take it to heart, but also with a pinch of salt. Sometimes it is not the literal meaning of a reading that comes true.”
“Are you gonna stop talking like some kind of crazy old lady with ten cats now,” Will smiled, and Lou Ellen playfully slapped him across the table.
“You’re annoying,” she announced, “now go away, before I turn you into a child for acting like one, I have things to do!”
“I’m just glad you aren’t gonna turn me into a pig,” Will grinned, walking out to see the hunters had already arrived. He didn’t know much, except for a few years ago their lieutenant, Zoe Nightshade, passed away. Will often sat up late at night to see her constellation, the Huntress. But there had been a rumour- not confirmed or denied, that two children of Hades had also joined the hunters, but one died. Will didn’t believe it- the one who survived was apparently a boy, and although there had been male hunters in the past, they were pretty much an all girls band of man haters, and the whole of camp seemed to be hostile about them. Will looked over, and the hunters were all crowded around the cabin, a confused looking Percy Jackson being glared down by a particularly short hunter, who wore a sword on their belt as well as the customary bow and quiver.
“Look, I already said, I didn’t-”
“You promised!” They shouted- definitely a male voice, but Will didn’t really want to assume that they necessarily were a boy. “You promised, Percy! I worked so hard to move on, and then I find your stupid apology note on my sister’s shrine? And not even to apologise for breaking your promise, but to apologise for the hurt you’ve caused me? You really think that you’re that important to me? Well you’re dead to me, Jackson! And tell your friend Grace to butt out of my private life, just because he was there to hear what Eros made me confess doesn’t mean I want to talk about it to him- in fact, it especially means I don’t want to! Just leave me alone, go save the world, fall into hell with your girlfriend, I don’t know, go sink a ship or something! Just don’t talk to me or- or do nice things, or apologise to me, because it- it makes it worse, okay? Don’t make this any more painful for me by caring!” That voice was definitely familiar to Will, in fact, he was almost sure he’d met them before. Then, the boy turned around, storming away, in Will’s direction- oh gods, it was Nico di Angelo.
“Out of my way, Solace,” he snapped, and Will sidestepped before falling into step with Nico, walking beside him.
“That seemed intense, Death Boy,” Will announced, and Nico sighed, slowing down and relaxing his shoulders. He looked defeated.
“It’s complicated,” Nico said, momentarily looking up to Will before looking back at his feet.
“When did you join the hunters?”
“Since the start,” Nico answered, “but I fight better with my stygian iron sword, so I decided to forego the bow for a while. Until Lady Artemis gifted me Bianca’s bow. But I guess joining the hunters, the Oath I took, didn’t exactly have its desired effect. I’ve doubted my place here since… anyway, Solace. Do you know if anybody does tarot readings here? I could use some guidance right about now, after that.”
“Lou Ellen’s doing them in the Hecate cabin. What was that about anyway? And since when do you believe in tarot?”
“Since every prophesy came true,” Nico answered, ignoring the first question. The mention of the Tarot had Will’s stomach in knots- because Lou Ellen had been right, and it was all coming to the surface. Nico was more than just somebody he treated in the infirmary, more than a regular demigod. He was Will’s friend, but Will would be lying if he said Nico was just a friend to him. The two had developed… Will didn’t know what to call it, and maybe it was wishful thinking, but… Will felt like there was just something more there, something deeper. And Will couldn’t deny that he was attracted to Nico, his heart currently in overdrive by the comfortable closeness they walked with. But seeing Nico reminded him that Nico was a hunter of Artemis- a surefire vow of celibacy, sworn off anything deeper than friends. Plus there were a lot of rumours that he liked Annabeth so he was probably straight. And thus came the conflict of Will’s heart and mind. Nico was out of bounds, Will knew that, but his heart didn’t seem to care. And seeing Nico brought back memories, of Octavian’s death, of war, of loss. It seemed he really was burdened by all he knew, both the bad memories and knowing Nico was complicated, solitary, out of bounds. Nico’s arrival made everything complicated, uncertain. Will had never felt so conflicted, although he wondered about what could be deceptive about the situation. Prehaps Nico’s omission of details? Then again, Lou Ellen did say the Moon card also included vital truths. The last card stuck in Will’s mind- Lou Ellen telling him to beware of denying his heart. How was he supposed to do anything but deny his heart? He was so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed that Nico was already entering the Hecate cabin.
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“The Sun,” the girl announced, smirking with amusement.
“I don’t like Will,” Nico repeated, shooting her a dangerous glare.
“Sure you don’t! Anyway, anyway,” she giggled, “back to the reading. The Sun. A happy time lies ahead, full of certainty and clarity and joy. Optimism and living in the moment are to come.”
“Are you sure you’re reading these right,” Nico frowned, and she nodded.
“I’ve had this deck a while now, it’s never failed to come true. Now, the second card-”
“I’m aware of how the pentacle set up works, I’m in a rush so could you hurry this along?”
“Wow, Rude,” Lou Ellen huffed, turning over the card. “Ten of Pentacles. Stable and abundant life, so I’d interpret this as you’re going to find mental clarity, confidence in your knowledge. Trust yourself. Okay, next card… oh…”
“Death? Is this some kind of sick joke?”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Lou Ellen said, her smile gone, “but it’s not necessarily going to be a bad thing. The ending will bring greif, but it will sew the seeds of a new life, a transformative experience. So yes, spiritually, you will lose something, and it will hurt, but you’ll find some form of spiritual rebirth. Next card- oh.”
“The Hanged Man. Well that’s just great.”
“Whatever situation you find yourself in, you’re going to willingly surrender to it. You’ll either decide to take no action, bide your time, or let it happen, but either way, you’re going to be passive to it. You’re advised to surrender to your emotions, let fate unfold at the right time. That doesn’t necessarily mean those emotions are going to be negative, given you drew the Sun card. And finally, the Eight of Cups. You’re set to leave something behind in search of something new, something else, something different. I’d interpret this reading as a big change coming. But I feel you already know what this means, don’t you? You already know what choice to make, you just have to wait for the right time to make it. And it’s going to bring you happiness.”
“I have to go,” Nico announced, standing up slowly, looking at the cards one last time, “I have some things I need to think about first. He handed her a Drachma to thank her for her guidance, and swiftly left, heading to the Hades cabin. He hadn’t used it much, given he was normally with the hunters, but he needed to be alone. He’d been disillusioned with the hunters for a while now, but he hadn’t been willing to let go just yet. Because Bianca had been so happy with the hunters, and the girls felt like a family to him. After losing Bianca, after his mom’s death, gods he felt like he needed a family. But that wasn’t why he joined the hunters. He’d been young and scared and full of self hate and he was refusing to accept himself, and he had this idea that if he joined the hunters, took the oath and swore off men, then he’d change. But he hadn’t. He still fell in love with Percy, still had to confess to Eros. After that, letting go of his feelings for Percy, he’d been more determined to stay with the hunters, but a part of him had learned to accept his sexuality, and the longer he stayed, the more he felt like he was denying a part of himself he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep buried anymore. Seeing Percy again reminded him of too much pain, but seeing Will… gods, Will made him smile. It didn’t hurt to feel the way he did for Will, but he’d resigned himself to the fact that staying in the hunters would mean he’d instead grow to watch Will fall in love with others, get married, have a family, and one day die. Nico could have handled that with Percy. But with Will… Nico had never felt more sure that he knew what he needed to do. He needed to wait, wait for Will, and whatever Will would decide would drive Nico to make his decision. Leave behind his hope for finding love, or leave behind the hunters in the name of love.
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“Hey, Neeks,” Will began softly, sitting besides him on the porch of the Artemis cabin, looking up at the moon. The moon had always reminded him of Nico. He looked pained today, troubled, but determined. Will had never felt more conflicted in his life. Nico’s face was highlighted by the moon, glowing healthy with olive undertones, breathtaking.
“Hey, Sunshine,” Nico replied with a small smile. The sun hadn’t fully set, and where Will sat, the sun looked like a halo around his head, warm and glowing with light. He looked like home.
“Did the cards give you the answer you wanted,” Will asked, and Nico shrugged.
“It depends which way I interpret them. But… I’m waiting. What about yours?”
“They confused me,” Will admitted, “and I just… I can’t seem to find the truth in all of this, I can’t figure out what I’m supposed to do, or how… how the current situation in my life is supposed to unfold. Do you know what you need to do after your reading?”
“I’m waiting,” Nico said quietly, turning slightly so he could face Will better, “I’m waiting for somebody to decide the right thing. Then I’ll know what decision I have to make.”
“Somebody,” Will questioned, moving to sit cross legged facing Nico.
“Somebody special,” Nico muttered, hoping the darkness would hide his blush, hoping that Will understood what he meant.
Will didn’t. But he thought about the cards he’d been shown, and he decided that even if only for a second he could tell Nico how special he was to him, then it wouldn’t matter if Nico was forever out of bounds, because he’d be able to move on knowing that Nico knew he was loved. He wanted to beg him to stay, but Will knew that would be selfish of him to ask. He took a deep breath to speak, but he couldn’t find the words. He looked Nico in the eye, hoping that he’d find the courage to speak, but as soon as he looked at Nico, his brain melted, because gods he looked like he was waiting for something, he looked so vulnerable and so confident at the same time, but he looked beautiful, and Will could have swore he looked at him like Will was the whole world. Will made his choice and followed his heart, reaching out to trace Nico’s jaw with his hand. Nico shivered, and Will saw hope flash in his eyes as Nico leaned into Will’s touch, leaned closer to him. Will leaned forwards, barely touching their lips together but gods, it felt right. “Please stay,” Will muttered, and Nico reached out, cupping Will’s cheek and resting their foreheads together.
“I’m leaving the hunters,” Nico said softly, “for you, Will.”