Chapter Text
Nico was doing this.
Totally. Going a hundred percent in. Yes, sir. He was going to do this, and it was going to be so great. Yep.
Gods, was he seriously about to do this?
The very thought of it made Nico’s entire body freeze with fear with his gut twisting and hands clenching. Could he really even do this? Was this even… could he…? Taking a heaving breath, Nico tried to get himself together. It would be fine. He could do this. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just to one person. It was fine. This was fine.
He was definitely going to die... but on the other hand, when wasn’t he about to die? Nodding to that logic, Nico stood up, keeping his gaze straight forward as he marched towards the infirmary. He had made it about three steps out of his cabin was Jason magically appeared next to him, bounding with excitement.
“Nico! I was wondering if-”
“No.” Nico shook his head. “I’m going to do it.” He announced, and Jason frowned, blue eyes puzzled as he lengthened his stride to keep up with Nico.
“It?” He asked, and Nico nodded, not bothering to further his explanation as he continued walking forward, not even faltering when Percy popped up next with a wave at the pair.
“Hey, you guys want to-”
“No,” Nico said firmly, and Percy blinked, looking in confusion between Nico and Jason, who was still trailing behind.
“He’s going to do it,” Jason explained.
“Do what?”
Jason only shrugged, and Percy rose his eyebrows, falling in line with the other boy. Nico continued his walk of determination, trying to keep his emotions in check.
Finally, finally, they got into the infirmary, Nico slamming the door open with a loud clacking sound. Jason and Percy followed him into the room, a small gasp of realization from Jason following a few moments later.
“Dude! He’s going to do it!" He whispered excitedly and Percy stared blankly as he looked around.
“He’s…going to do who?”
“Will!”
“Dear gods, should we be here?”
“No, bro, he’s going to tell Will.” Jason hissed, and there was another gasp of realization from the other demigod. Nico sighed. Idiots. Still, he knew if he turned around to tell them to leave that he would use it as an excuse to not go through with his plan.
Will was sitting at the back of the room, currently pouring over some sort of form or another, scribbling something probably doctor-y down as he yawned, musing up his hair in a ridiculously attractive way as he did so. It was truly unfair, and Nico resented how natural he looked in this environment. He supposed Will was just the sort of person to melt into any situation with ease. Unlike Nico, it felt like Will could belong anywhere.
“Solace.” He said, clearing his throat, and Will’s eyes snapped up to him.
“Oh, hey Nico!” He grinned, immediately putting his pen down. “I just was thinking about you. Do you-”
“I need to tell you something.” Nico interrupted, and Will paused, his eyes roaming from Nico to Jason and Percy, who were watching in the background while splitting a bag of blue skittles that Percy had hidden in his sweatshirt pocket.
“Um, sure thing doom-and-gloom,” Will said slowly, turning his gaze back to Nico with a small smile. Nico stared at him for a moment. Was Will supposed to look at him like that? For a second, his voice betrayed him, disappearing into a void of uncertainty and fear. Perhaps Will sensed this because he got up and walked around the desk. For a moment, Nico wondered if he was just going to leave, but all he did was move, so he was leaning against the front of it, eye level with Nico.
“It’s okay.” He said gently, and Nico quickly grasped onto the moment of strength those words gave him and took a deep breath.
“I’m gay.” He blurted out, and from behind him, he heard Percy gave a quiet cheer as Jason clapped. He ignored them.
Will’s expression didn’t change. He simply looked at Nico before nodded, his face breaking into a smile.
“Good.” He said, and Nico stared.
“Good?” He asked.
“Good.” Will reiterated, and Nico nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Yeah…” He agreed. “Good.” There was another pause. “So… why good?”
Will laughed but did nothing to offer an actual answer.
“We can talk about it more if you want…Or if you don’t, do you want to go get some McDonalds? I have a craving, and you’re the only one who can shadow travel us there without Chiron noticing.” He said, which was a little suspicious because as far as Nico could tell, Will-The-Health-Nut had only eaten kale salads since brought into this world and seemed to believe a single french fry was going to take him out. Not to mention he wasn't a fan of Nico shadow traveling, so the entire situation just seemed wildly unrealistic.
Still. Nico wasn't a fool. He knew how to take advantage of a rare situation.
“McDonalds.” He nodded and walked over, a little bit unsure of how to proceed. Was he supposed to grab his arm? His waist? Did Will care? He said good, so did that mean he was okay with Nico touching him?
“Get me some chicken nuggets,” Percy called out as Will solved the dilemma by grabbing his hand. Nico felt his stomach do the twist thing again but allowed himself a moment of glory to flick both his annoying-ass friends off before shadow traveling away. “With extra sauce!” Percy shouted after them.
"And a McFlurry!" Jason's voice yelled as everything else faded away. "The M&M one!"
Yeah. Nico wasn't going to do that. He did buy Will his cheeseburger and laugh in his face when he put it down after one bite and requested a salad instead.
So how was this supposed to work? Did Nico do it? Or did he wait for Will? Was there some sort of…like… ritual or something? Nico honestly had no idea. He wasn’t even sure if this was a real thing.
Like… Nico was 99.9999% sure he really wanted to date Will Solace. He was a hundred percent sure that he would rather tie himself to Hera and listen to her whine about Zeus all day than go through the steps to get there.
There was also the fact he didn’t know if Will wanted to date him.
After all, Will was funny (sometimes) and had a ridiculously nice smile, and was someone who was easy to talk to (if Nico admitted that, it must be true). He could see how Will could have a number of people he could date. Boys or girls, as one of the Apollo campers informed him. The thought stressed Nico out more than he could say. If his hopes were slim before, now he had double the competition. Horrible. Nico didn't deserve for his love life to be tougher than taking out Gaea.
Maybe the friend thing was better. While Nico would never admit it, he did like spending time with Will. It would suck if he made things awkward because of something silly like a….you know. That.
It was decided then. If Nico wanted to even consider doing the unthinkable deed, he would first have to learn if Will even liked him...And unfortunately, there was only one person who Nico knew that could help with that. He just hoped she wasn't annoying about it.
“So let me get this straight,” Piper started, clapping her hands together before gesturing to where Nico was trying not to die in the middle of the Aphrodite cabin. Honestly, breathing in that much perfume could not be good for your health. “You’re not.”
“Hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before.” Nico scowled as Piper offered a disgustingly sweet smile as she tucked her legs underneath her.
“Sorry, sorry." She said though he got the feeling she wasn't. Nico wondered if Jason had already told her. Piper didn't seem very surprised - then again, she was the of Aphrodite, so maybe she just knew. Nico wrinkled his nose at the thought. After his last discussion with a child of Aphrodite about his love life... It was taking him a lot of willpower to bring himself here. He hoped Piper actually had something good to say. "So you have no idea if Will likes you?”
“Do you even listen?”
“Hey. You came to me for help. Be nice.” She scolded and tapped her lip thoughtfully. “I mean, you could just ask him.” She started, but paused at Nico’s face “….but you’re not going to do that.” She rolled her eyes. “Hmm…So I have a plan.” She said, twirling a strand of hair thoughtfully. Nico rolled his eyes.
“That is why I came here.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“I assumed that upon entering your cabin, Piper.” Nico sighed and tried to ignore the twinge of fear that ate at him as her smile grew.
“So,” Nico said as he watched Piper attempt to balance Katroptis on one finger. “I kind of was under the assumption you were going to at least tell me what the plan was.”
“You were under the wrong assumption.”
“I see that now.”
“I’m glad,” Piper said, and before Nico could respond, was greeted by Annabeth, Percy, and Jason all flopping on the ground next to where Piper and Nico had been sitting in the grass. He froze. Why were they here? Eyes widening, he shot Piper a panicked look, but her smile was so reassuring he almost believed that she wasn't betraying him.
“Hazel, Frank, and Leo will be here in a second.” Annabeth offered at the greeting, fingers interlaced with Percy's. “They all think it is a really good plan."
“Wait a second!” Nico yelped from his place on the blanket Piper had spread out over the bank near the lake. “You told them? And why do they get to know the plan?” He demanded, and Piper shrugged.
“Well, everyone knows you like Will, and Will likes you. They just want to see it official.”
“The whole point of this is that I don’t know if Will-”
“Oh, he definitely does,” Annabeth interjected. “Don’t worry about that.” She assured him, and Nico stared at them all. He had the worst friends. Where was Reyna? He knew if Frank was here, that mean Reyna was probably at Camp Jupiter, but he desperately wanted to see her in these moments. She would never betray him like this.
“You…Then why didn’t you just tell me that? Why is there even a plan?” Nico asked, irritation growing.
“I don’t get the plan,” Percy complained.
“It’s a good plan! And you wouldn't have done anything if I told you he did.” Piper defended, and Percy looked at Jason expectantly, who glanced between his girlfriend and the son of Poseidon.
“I kind of don’t get it either.” He admitted, and both girls rolled their eyes.
"We're just providing an...Opportunity for Nico and Will to have some time together." Piper shrugged, moving so she was next to Annabeth.
Nico wondered why he ever thought this was a good idea in the first place. Maybe he should escape while he still could. Unfortunately, it appeared he was too late, seeing as Will himself was walking up to them. Maybe Nico could shadow travel away.
“Hey, guys.” He greeted them, and Nico took a moment to try and brace himself for whatever might happen next. Will looked at ease enough, wearing his jeans and a sweatshirt, his hair pushed back as he gave them a small wave.
“Hi, Will!” Piper greeted and moved over so he could sit between her and Nico. Nico looked around, trying to get the gist of where this was going. “I’m surprised you came.” Piper said, though she didn’t sound incredibly surprised. “Do you even like meteor showers – being a son of Apollo and all?”
…Meteor shower? Nico had forgotten there was supposed to be one tonight. It at least explained why they were sitting out in the middle of camp and not inside somewhere. He was still pretty confused as to how this related to the so-called ‘plan’.
“They’re alright.” Will shrugged. “But the company sounded good so-”
“Yeah, yeah. Great. I have to go.” Piper said, standing up and brushing herself off. Nico blinked, but Will seemed unfazed, as did everyone else.
“Cool, see you later!” He bid her goodbye as Annabeth stood up as well.
“Sorry, I got to go too.” She said and looked over at Percy, who was too busy playing with a droplet of water to be paying attention. “Percy, we’re leaving now.” She said and Percy glanced up.
“Oh. Right. See you guys later.” He smiled, brushing himself off and giving a small wave. Nico could see them all heading towards the other end of the camp where Frank, Hazel, and Leo were currently sitting in a different spot, patiently waiting for their friends.
“I actually-” Jason started, but Will was already waving goodbye, looking perfectly content by this very….weird turn of events.
Nico had no idea what to do.
“Guess it’s just us,” Will said, and Nico tried to think of something to say. Was that the plan? To just leave him there to die? Nico hoped the betrayal on his face was showing as he stared at them across the field. For a moment, he met Percy’s eyes and could see a twinge of guilt as he shrugged helplessly and turned back to Annabeth.
He made a mental note to corner him later for vengeful purposes. Loyalty his fatal flaw? Bullshit. In another panicked moment of desperation, he turned to look at Hazel, but his sister only smiled and waved at him, confirming his suspicion that she didn't love him anymore and was part of this conspiracy of hate that Piper had created.
“Yeah.” He said, voice a little high as he turned to Will. He tried to hide his uneasiness of the situation. Piper and Annabeth had said Will liked him. He assumed as children of love and wisdom, they should be reliable sources. “Um…Sorry everyone just….left.” He added, and Will grinned, grabbing a basket of food that Piper left behind and pulling out a container of berries.
“Oh, I don’t mind. You're still here.” He said, popping the lid open and offering him a cherry. “Come on,” he coaxed. “They’re good for you. Doctor’s orders.”
“Are you even a real doctor?” Nico mused, humoring him by picking out a cherry a popping it in his mouth. “I don’t see a medical degree hanging on your wall.”
“You doubt my skills when I constantly bring you back from the brink of death?”
“I told you, Solace, I am death.”
“All the more impressive then.” Will laughed. “I must have some talent though, because rumor is I am the only person in the infirmary that can treat you.” He added, and Nico tensed slightly. He could feel his face beginning to flush but fought it down furiously.
“You’re the…least irritating of your siblings.” He admitted, and Will raised an eyebrow, but didn’t push the topic.
“Hm. I’m guessing that is the closest I’ll ever come to a compliment, isn’t it?” He asked, and Nico shrugged, not really denying it. He supposed if he was forced to, he could come up with a few more nice things to say, but he didn’t want to throw all his cards on the table just yet.
“I can’t believe she just left all this food here-” Will mused, unpacking more of the basket that Piper had left behind. He pulled out a series of food (which looked suspiciously like just enough for two) complete with shrimp jumbo, blue cookies, rice balls, and other snacks, which Nico had no trouble identifying who picked what out.
“What!?” Will suddenly yelped. “Holy Hephaestus, I used to love this game,” Will told him excitedly, and Nico peered over to see, with a slight horror, that he had a pulled out a pack of Mythomagic cards and was currently sifting through them. “Well… sort of. Whenever I found out I was demigod I begged my mom to buy it, but she could never get it for me.” He sighed, and Nico frowned.
“Why not?”
“Hm? Oh. Well, we were sort of always on the move. My mom was a singer – truly a disappointment to everyone that I have no musical abilities – and there isn't anyone to really play with when you're stuck on a tour bus all the time.” Will told him, and Nico tried not to act interested as he watched him.
“Where did you live?”
“All over. My mom wasn't like...Super famous or anything but we got to go to a lot of places. Mainly America because...It's country music, but occasionally other places like England or Brazil. We once even got to go to Italy." He mused, a small smile hinting at his face. "I always loved watching Italians rock out to alt-country." He added.
“I was born in Italy,” Nico informed him, and Will paused his moving the cards around to peer over at him.
“Really?” he asked before nodding. “That makes sense.”
“Does it?”
“Yeah. You kind of look Italian…plus, that explains why you speak Italian in your sleep.”
Nico stared. He hadn’t known he had even talked in his sleep.
“You were watching me sleep, Solace?” He joked instead, and to his surprise, the other boy went a little red, turning away from him slightly.
“I had to make sure you weren’t dying.” He muttered bashfully, and Nico resisted the urge to smile.
“Well. For the record, I at least don’t recite medical facts in my sleep.” He commented, and when Will shot him a bewildered look, chuckled. “You always fell asleep at your desk in the infirmary while I was there.” He explained. “I tried to wake you up once, but then you yelled at me to eat an apple or something and just went back to sleep.”
“That was a busy week.”
“Clearly,” Nico said, remembering the empty beds that had been around him. Will made a face, responding with putting a bit of whipped cream on his nose. Nico froze, slightly horrified by the turn of events as Will chortled.
“Why is it you look more terrified by white sugar on your nose than the dead roaming around you?”
“The dead know their place – this whipped cream does not.” Will only smiled and proceeded to put a cherry on his head. “Why?”
“It’s fun.” Will shrugged, and Nico grabbed an apple, harnessing it like a weapon.
“Rumor has it this is your Achilles' heel then.”
“Oh yes. As a rule, all doctors are warned of all the dangers touching an apple.” Will chuckled and held his hands up in fake surrender. “Please, spare me, mighty ghost king.”
“Hmm…” Nico grinned and stroked a fake goatee. “I may consider letting you live.”
“Whatever you want.” Will snickered, and Nico almost stopped breathing. This was his chance. Holy Hades. From behind Will, he could see the rest of his obnoxious friends pausing in their conversation to peer over at them, giving thumbs up in solidarity with this awful idea. Why were they still here? He was never going to Piper for advice ever again.
“Maybe, uh.” Nico stuttered and flushed. “We could do this again sometime?” He managed to get out. Will’s smile remained, thank gods.
“Like a date?” He asked, and Nico had to work hard to not completely crumble under the pressure and decided it was best to give a very weak nod. He was a son of literal death. Why was this so hard? “That would be awesome.” Will beamed at him.
Oh, gods. Did it just happen? Did he just launch a successful operation of asking Will out?
Realizing he was still holding the apple, he lowered his arm, trying to figure out what happened next after this. Will was watching him carefully, head tilted slightly to the side. Before Nico could think of what else to do, the other boy leaned in and kissed him.
It wasn’t anything super long or romantic. More or less just a peck on the lips, but Nico was pretty sure his entire body stopped working. From somewhere in the distance, he could have sworn he heard Jason screaming in approval.
“YOU DID IT, PIPER!”
"Oh my gods - Jason," Annabeth's voice scolded. "Let's go."
"Yeah, it's weird that you're just watching them."
"I'm being supportive!" Jason objected, and Nico tried to focus on Will instead of them.
“Thanks.” He breathed. No, no, no. Why did he say that? That was such a stupid thing to say. Holy Hephaestus, why?
“You’re welcome,” Will told him easily and held up Mythomagic. “Rumor has it you know how to play...Are you going to teach me or not?”
“Why, of all people, did you come to me for help?”
“Because if anyone knows anything about dating someone out of their league… It’s you.” Nico said, and Percy gasped, pointing his toothbrush at him threateningly as he wrinkled his nose in offense. Nico shrugged and continued kicking a blanket Percy had left on the floor of his cabin.
“You’re right… but that was still mean.” Percy muttered and trudged back to the bathroom to rinse. “And for the record!” He shouted. “Just because I’m dating Annabeth doesn’t mean I know how I did it!” He called. Nico groaned.
“Come on – you have to have some idea!” He whined. “Should I defeat Kronos?”
“You know…I don’t think that’s what did it, Nico,” Percy called back and reappeared from the bathroom. “Okay. Give me some groundwork. What do you know about him?” He asked, and Nico reeled back. He had figured there were just…Steps to follow. Not a whole personalized plan.
“Uh…”
“Nico. You kissed the guy. Please tell me you know something about him.” Percy said, and Nico groaned, flushing a little at the reminder. Damnit.
“I mean…He does all that doctor stuff,” He said quickly. “And obviously, he’s really good at archery because that’s like an Apollo thing…He’s also good a singing, but says he’s not, which is kind of weird because I think he definitely is. He’s also smart. Like, he knows really weird things like what the difference is between alligators and crocodiles – oh, and he eats a lot of grapes for some reason-”
“I haven’t heard you talk this much since you were ten,” Percy noted. Nico froze, eyes narrowing a little. “What? Just an observation.” He smiled and sat on the edge of his bed, tapping a finger against his lips as he considered.
“Alright, so…You gave me absolutely nothing to work with, but the good news is you can shadow travel. Is there anywhere you think he would like to go?”
“You are asking very difficult questions."
“Dude,” Percy rolled his eyes. “You can literally take him anywhere in the world...Within reason." He tacked on, probably thinking of all of Nico's mishaps with shadow traveling. "You can’t think of one place?”
Nico grimaced. Maybe this was too much effort. Did he really even need a boyfriend? The answer was no, but he thought back to Will and almost screamed in frustration.
“I mean…He always talks about music festivals, but there’s no way-” He began, but Percy only nodded. “I’m not going to a freaking music festival.”
“Yes, you are.” Percy told him with a click of his tongue. “And you’re going to act like you love it. Do you know how many architecture events I’ve been to? Too many.” He said with a shudder before raising his hands. “Here’s the thing – if it’s important to him, you just have to roll with it. Ask questions. That’ll make it more enjoyable.” He added as an afterthought.
“Will it?” Nico asked, a little uncertainly. Percy’s nod was so certain that he almost wanted to believe him.
“Alright. So, we got the place. Now you just after ask him out and make sure he knows it’s a date…Trust me. You have to clarify that.”
Nico wasn’t sure how Percy messed up asking a daughter of Athena out on a date and somehow confused her into thinking it was not one…but hey. It was Percy. He figured that was enough context.
“Then, at the end. You make your move.”
Nico waited. Percy stared.
“What’s my move?” He finally asked, and Percy threw up his hands.
“I don’t know, man! It’s your move.” He said, and Nico was faced with the very real reality that he was going to mess this up somehow. Dear gods. He was done for.
“…For the love of Poseidon, dude. Just kiss him and ask if he wants to be your boyfriend.”
“Don’t use that word!” Nico yelped, throwing up his hands as if that would shield him from the nonsense this guy was spewing. Boyfriend. Ha. That is exactly what he wanted and not at all what he wanted to frame it as. “It’s…a…mutual understanding.”
Percy looked at him.
“You want to…Go up to the boy you like and ask if he would like to have a mutual understanding with you?” He asked, and winced. “You are quite the romantic.” He said and Nico moaned, throwing himself on one of the empty bunks to wallow in self-pity. “Fine. Ask him if he wants to be exclusive if you hate the word so much.” Percy scoffed, and Nico glanced up from where he had been trying to suffocate himself in a pillow.
“…Exclusive?” He asked, warily “What does that mean?”
“Well…I think it’s pretty clear you guys like each other. And have been spending time with one another…And are moving into more…a uh, mutual understanding area. Exclusive just means you do that with just each other only.”
Nico paused.
“…That isn’t what’s happening now?”
Percy’s face would have been funny if it didn’t terrify him so badly. What had he missed? What was this exclusiveness?
“Oh no,” The other boy sighed “Uh…Not really. Will could probably do that stuff with other people if you don’t talk about wanting to date only him-”
“WHO THE HELL DATES MULTIPLE PEOPLE?!” Nico interrupted with a shout. Now, Nico had to deal with some pretty weird stuff having only spent four years in the modern world versus his ten years in the 1940s... To be clear, he wasn't knowledgeable about dating in the 1940s either - but he was pretty sure people didn't date more than one person at once back then. “That’s a thing? No. No, it isn’t.” He said and looked over at Percy, who shrugged helplessly. “It is? Oh my gods…He probably likes someone else more!” He moaned. His life was truly a tragedy.
“Um,” Percy raised a hand. “No. No, I don’t think he does. You guys are literally fifteen, so I highly doubt he's dating multiple people…You’re just doing this as a formality because you don’t want to use the word boyfriend.” He said, but Nico was too deep in despair.
“He’s a son of Apollo. I should have known.”
“You’re going to play the parent card?” Percy asked, deeply unimpressed “Didn’t your dad like…Kidnap his wife?” He pointed out, and Nico lifted his head. “Do not kidnap Will.” He added quickly. Nico scowled. The lack of trust was unbelievable… Nico would never…though he now understood the appeal. Kidnapping required much fewer steps and there was no need for all this exclusive nonsense. You can’t date anyone else if you were kidnapped, could you? No need to have that conversation. Done and done.
“I’m not sure I can do this.” He said after several moments of him staring at the wall, trying to find something – anything in his life that compared to this fear. Perhaps his time with Cupid…but that had somehow been different. That fear was rooted in a refusal to accept. This was…Well, there was nothing to accept because he didn’t know. “What if he doesn’t…say yes?” He said, and Percy bit his lip.
“I…I think he will say yes, Nico…but if not then you can come over here and eat McDonalds, summon the dead, and I’ll bother you into playing Mythomagic.” He shrugged. “Then you can have a crush on someone else.” He added and held up his hands. “I happen to have some highly qualified candidates-”
“No, you don’t,” Nico said, throwing a pillow at him. “Don’t think I don’t know about you and Annabeth plotting.” He added bitterly. Percy pouted.
“But Alex said-”
“Alex as in Annabeth’s cousin’s partner?” Nico said, exasperated. “You met a child of the Norse god Loki and asked about being gay?”
“No,” Percy sniffed. “And I don’t know if she’s technically gay or not. I’m still getting up to speed on how genderfluid works. Anyways, Alex said it is helpful to be part of a community.” He said with such confidence that Nico would have almost found it sweet if he wasn't so exasperated. He really, really needed to shadow travel and visit Reyna... The only reasonable demigod he had ever known.
“I hate this. I don’t have friends, Percy.”
“That’s what I said you’d say! But then I thought maybe you just don’t want to be friends with straight people-”
“How did we get here?” Nico asked. “I’m going to kill you.”
“That’s fine. I’ll just talk to your dad about this instead.” He said smugly and honestly…How did Nico ever like him?
Music festivals were awful.
Yet… Here Nico was. He hadn’t told Will where they were going. He wanted to argue it was a surprise, but what actually happened was he panicked and said, ‘I need to take you somewhere,’ and then grabbed Will’s hand and shadow traveled.
He wondered if this is perhaps what happened with his father and Persephone. Maybe it was less of a, ‘I shall steal you so you shall be mine’ vibe and more of a, ‘I wanted to tell this girl I liked her and show her my cool house, but now she ate some seeds and is trapped here forever’.
He kind of doubted it, but whatever.
At any rate, Will seemed more pleased than Persephone was, so he figured that was a solid win on his part.
“How did you even get tickets?” Will gasped, seemingly not realizing that Nico had transported them past security and had definitely not bought any tickets. “This is so awesome! My mom and I used to go to these all the time... I've missed it so much.”
And you’re going to act like you love it, Percy’s voice echoed in his head. Nico grimaced.
“So awesome,” He agreed, and Will’s smile was almost blinding. Huh. Seemed like Percy’s advice wasn’t as useless as he suspected. He knew Percy was smart, obviously...But Nico always took his advice with a bit of wariness. “Um...I’ve never been to one of these. How do they work?” He asked cautiously. Will’s mouth popped open for a second, eyes wide before clapping his hands together.
“Right! I totally forgot these weren’t a thing back in the 1940s…” He mused. “And I kind of doubt they have music festivals in the underworld…Unless…” He said, trailing off. “Sorry.” He blushed. “My train of thought is everywhere right now – okay. So, we go pick a place on the lawn and – oh, look.” He said, dashing to a stand a few feet away. Nico trailed behind him a little warily as he watched Will order two ice creams…Damnit. Nico had forgotten to bring cash.
Luckily, Will didn’t seem to want Nico to pay anyway and handed him a vanilla cone.
This was all very overwhelming, and Nico was ninety percent sure he was going to die a tragic death. Still, he accepted the cone and the entire situation as Will led him through the crowds of people. So many people. Gods, there were literally an obnoxious amount of humans that he kind of felt like he was in a more lively Fields of Asphodels. Still, Will was pretty excited about it. Nico didn't even have to do that much talking as he was led around, listening to various songs and whatnot. It wasn't even that bad until Will went to the bathroom and Bianca sat next to him.
Nico did a double-take.
No - it wasn't Bianca, though the resemblance was striking. The longer he looked, the more he realized the woman also resembled a bit of Hazel as well with golden eyes that flickered to blue, like Will's. Nico sighed. There was no point in asking who this was.
"Enjoying yourself?" Aphrodite asked, tilting her head at him. Nico grimaced. Luckily, the goddess didn't seem to want an answer because she just continued clapping enthusiastically as another musician finished up their set. "I'll admit, I haven't been quite as invested in your journey to love as I should have been." She said, and Nico very much wanted to tell her that she had already done enough. Too much. Truly. He had it from here.
Nico may be a disaster at this, but he trusted his own instincts more so than anything Aphrodite might have to offer.
"That's okay." He said coolly and looked around. Where was Will? Nico remembered the line to the bathrooms they had seen earlier and inwardly screamed. He might have to wait a while.
"No," Aphrodite shook her head. "It isn't...But I'm here now!" She beamed before her smile faltered. Nico realized she was wearing a crop top and shorts with a flower crown that made her look closer to Piper's age rather than an immortal goddess. She clicked her tongue. "I do have some concerns though." She continued. Nico rolled his eyes. No problem. He had some concerns too. "Will is so sweet," She continued, putting a hand over her heart "Such a smart boy who really does want the best for everyone." She said, and Nico shrugged. "You are..." She continued and paused. "Well, you aren't really the romantic type, are you?"
Nico felt his mouth drop.
"You came here to tell me that?" He demanded, a little taken aback. Even if he wasn't thrilled that she was here, the least she could do was give him some pointers.
"No - I...Sweetheart. I just think that maybe we should start with a boy who is less... expressive." She decided, and Nico looked at her blankly. "You know, you want to be a good boyfriend, right? Start on an easy level rather than a difficult one."
Nico could not believe he was hearing this right now.
"So...You think I'm not romantic enough to be a good boyfriend to Will?" He asked dryly. "So I should try dating someone who isn't romantic?"
Aphrodite clapped her hands together.
"Yes! Exactly!"
"No," Nico said, and her smile faltered. "I like Will." He said, trying not to feel stupid as he said it. The goddess' gaze softened a bit. It wasn't the good kind of softened, though. It was more of a, 'oh, he thinks he knows things' kind of softened that only managed to irritate him more. "And I can be...Super romantic." He added, knowing it was a lie. Aphrodite rose an eyebrow. "Yeah. With...Chocolate." He said and thought a little bit. "And, uh...Roses."
"Uh huh," Aphrodite said, sounding unconvinced. "You know, I can set you up with someone from the Ares cabin." She wheedled and placed a hand over her heart again. "Those boys can actually surprise you with how sweet they are," she smiled, and Nico made a face. It felt a little weird to date someone from the Ares cabin when his sister was dating a son of Mars. Besides, that wasn't the point.
"I think I got this." He grumbled. Another lie, but he felt like he sold it well. Aphrodite gave him a pitying glance, but shrugged at all the same.
"If you say so..." She purred and stood up, dusting the grass off of her. "Just remember, I am the love expert here. It would be wise to consider my words." She told him and without giving so much as a goodbye...Vanished.
Nico scowled.
Romantic. Psh. He was romantic. The most romantic.
"Hey!" Will called as he skipped back over with a couple of drinks in his hand. "Look what I found," He greeted, handing Nico a drink. "I hope I didn't miss anyth - hi." He interrupted himself when Nico grabbed his hand. "This is good." He added, and Nico inwardly let a sigh of relief.
"This is a date." He informed Will, remembering Percy's last bit of advice. Will raised his eyebrows, but nodded. There. Nico had done it. Well...Almost. He looked down at their intertwined fingers before looking back at Will. He was about five seconds from chickening out until he remembered Aphrodite. Immediately, his nerves hardened. "Can you not date other people?" He said, probably a little loudly, seeing as Will jumped.
"What?" He asked, spinning back towards Nico with wide eyes.
"Um," He spluttered, knowing he must sound like a total idiot, but there was no way he was backing down now. "I was thinking...I wouldn't date other people if you didn't date other people." He said. Will blinked at him.
"You're... Dating other people?"
"That...I - We're not discussing that right now." Nico floundered, and Will tilted his head at him before nodding.
"So...Like boyfriends?"
"No! Well, yes. But with a different word."
Will stared.
"Okay...So we're dating, and I'm not dating other people, and you're not dating other people." He reiterated, and Nico nodded. "But we're aren't going to use the word boyfriend?" He clarified. Nico nodded again. "Hmm...Okay. You're my beau then." He said, and Nico choked on the drink Will handed him.
"Your what?" He said, but Will was too busy laughing at him to give an answer. Instead, he squeezed Nico's hand tighter, and Nico at least had the satisfaction of knowing he had not only completed his quest - but was one step closer to making Aphrodite eat her words. He was going to be the best beau ever.