Chapter Text
It was when Will decided to have his favorite siblings over for dinner that the argument broke out. The sibling rivalry between Kayla and Austin could get quite heated at times, and they always found the most ridiculous things to bicker about. Nico enjoyed this a little too much; it made him feel like he was part of a family.
This time, it was which was the better country, Canada or the United States. Everyone agreed that had this discussion taken place between 2017 and 2021, there would be no question, but it seemed that the US electorate was showing better sense these days, and Canadian politics was getting a little wonky, so they declared that aspect off the table.
“But American football,” Kayla pointed out. Why do you even call it that? You’re mostly carrying the ball in your hands or throwing it.” Nico, predictably, was on her side on that one. Poor Austin got no help whatsoever from Will, who maintained that both of the sports were head injuries waiting to happen, “and most players are mortal, so we can’t use ambrosia on them.” He then proceeded to tell everyone else about some spectacularly gruesome surgeries he’d had to perform involving destroyed knees and dislocated hips all the while refusing to identify which version of the sport had produced the injuries.
This was not exactly the best conversation to have over dinner, but it set Kayla off on what she was sure would be the winning point in this debate.
“Say what you like about anything else. Canadian Medicare puts any plan this country has to shame.”
Austin looked at her, feeling the sting of defeat. But then he came back with the only reply that could top her.
“Canada has its Medicare, but Canada doesn’t have Will, so we win!”
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“You invited WHO for dinner?” Will was incredulous.
“I’ve been working with him for years now, you know, when I do stuff for my dad. He’s really nice. You’ll like him.” Nico pleaded.
Will knew he’d give in. He knew how stubborn Nico could be when he set his mind on something. Besides, he was a sucker for those big brown eyes. Still, though…
“I can’t believe you invited Thanatos for dinner.”
Nico, of course, made a stellar meal, and really, the god of death was, as Nico had said, really nice. Nevertheless, Will was rather uncomfortable with their guest, and it came to a head after the meal, when Nico excused himself to go into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the dessert, and Will was left alone with Thanatos. The primordial god sensed this and spoke.
“You are shy around me. I am accustomed to that. Mortals always are. Do not worry, son of Apollo, you are not on my list this day.”
Will, being the son of the god of truth, could never lie really well.
“It’s not that. It’s just awkward. You’re a guest in my house, but you bring death, and as a doctor, I fight you every day.”
Thanatos smiled at him. Will thought it would be eerie to have death smile at him, but this was a warm, friendly smile. “You’ve never fought me. I do not bring death, I am death. You’ve only fought my sisters, Pain and Suffering. What you’ve done is make my job easier by preventing me from having to make premature calls and having to argue with my clients before I can do my job. We are not foes, Will Solace. We are allies.”
Nico was pleased when he returned to the dining room to see his old friend and coworker chatting affably with the man he loved.
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Whenever the Hunt was in town and Reyna could get time off, she had dinner at the Solace-di Angelo house. Although some of the Hunters didn’t think it was quite right that she associated with men, Diana was fine with the arrangement, perhaps because she regarded Will with some affection as a nephew, in fact, Reyna had represented the goddess at the boys’ wedding.
The connection she’d made to Nico, forged in the ordeal to bring the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half Blood, would always be unbreakable. His husband, however, was another matter.
When she’d first met Will, she wasn’t sure what to make of him. Of course, he’d charmed her in short order. He was hard to resist, as Nico knew so well. But what had charmed Reyna the most was not his good looks or sunny personality. After her adventure with Lester, she was easily able to resist the physical and personal charms of Apollo and any of his children, but she saw something altogether different in Will Solace, no, Will Solace-di Angelo.
From her days as Praetor of New Rome, she could appreciate Will’s organizational skills, first in running the infirmary at the Greek camp and then as a renowned trauma surgeon. It was also obvious how deeply the boys cared for each other. Still, when she first met Will, she was struck by how soft he was. This was not a physical softness. For someone who never wielded a sword, the son of Apollo was in excellent shape. No, what Reyna meant by Will being soft was his personality. He smiled so easily and got along with everyone. She’d never seen him angry (other than when he thought Nico wasn’t taking proper care of himself), she’d never heard him raise his voice. Of course she hadn’t seen Will storming into Nero’s throne room and storming that no-one hit his boyfriend. Mind, that was a once in a lifetime moment.
No, thought Reyna, Will was so soft, so gentle. And Nico was so strong, so hard. She realized that Nico’s hardness made him powerful, but it also made him brittle. Her dear friend, her hermanito was full of cracks from the blows that his life had dealt him. And here was soft Will Solace, flowing into all of those cracks, filling them in and mending them, until the two of them resembled a beautiful piece of kintsugi.
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Dinners with Nico’s father and step-mother had become more cordial over time. One of the common bonds Nico had with Persephone was that they both agreed that Demeter could be a bit[ mu]ch. It was during one such dinner that Persephone, who always complimented Nico’s cooking (he was rather brilliant in the kitchen) said, “I’m so glad that my mother didn’t join us this time.”
Nico took this as a cue that he could speak freely, said, “I know. Whenever she comes, I have to serve (and he shuddered as he said) whole wheat pasta.”
Persephone nodded in agreement. Then she said, “Do you remember the time she got you so angry that I thought she was going to blast you, and I panicked and tried to turn you into a dandelion to forestall her?”
Will joined in, laughing at the memory. “But I jumped in the way and got turned into a sunflower instead.”
Nico hadn’t been pleased about it at the time, but that was old history, so he said, “I thought your making the tomato plants thrive for the rest of the season was a good apology.”