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You’ve seen everything, or so you thought.
You’ve been at Camp Half-Blood for years, longer than most. You’ve seen two wars, countless monsters, ghosts, you’ve seen the gods themselves. Yet somehow, this surprises you the most.
You’ve known Will Solace since you came to Camp Half-Blood so many years ago. He’s the ultimate child of Apollo, everything from his appearance to his personality to his smile is like sunshine incarnate. He’s one of those people that makes you feel safe just by being there. He’s a fact of Camp, just as permanent as the lava wall or Zeus’s fist. You consider him to be a friend, always there with good advice or a shoulder to cry on, eternally friendly and approachable.
There is a darker side to him as well. The trauma of losing his older brother hardened him, and he couldn’t even grieve properly because he was thrown into the role of head counselor. He was only thirteen then. Now, whenever he hears Michael’s name, his bright smile hardens slightly. He nods along to whatever anecdote was being told and then he moves on as quickly as possible, moving on to the next person who needs him to be calm and stable.
Will Solace is like the sun, always the same, and always reliable.
The first time you saw Nico di Angelo was when he first came to Camp. He was younger than most first timers, only ten or eleven at the most. Nico seemed to be like any other demigod when his older sister was around, but when she left he closed himself off, shuffling his mythomagic cards over and over. He would sit at the gates of Camp and would brush off anyone who invited him to hang out with them, saying he wanted to wait for his sister. He called her Bia. When she died, he ran for it.
Four years later, you see him for the first time since then at the battle of Manhattan. He raises armies of the undead from the ground and a grim power radiates off of him. Even though you know he’s on your side, you feel the urge to run. Nico is dark, exactly what you would imagine if someone said “Child of the Lord of the Dead.”
Nico shows up at Camp Half-Blood at random. He’s temporary, like a gust of wind. You never know when you might see him next, if at all.
Nico di Angelo is like the moon, never constant and always changing the tide.
Now you think you’re dreaming. You’ve lost it. No fucking way is this happening.
The battle with Gaea ended four months ago and Nico has been staying at Camp even since. That was strange enough. Now, you’re walking past the porch of the Hades cabin to see none other than William Andrew Solace, lying down with his head in Nico di Angelo’s lap. And Nico is laughing, looking down at Will with so much affection. They both have a reddish tint on their faces. And they’re fucking holding hands. What the fuck?
You’re trying not to stare. You promise. But it’s pretty hard not to when the self-professed “Ghost King” has a grin that only someone who is stupidly in love could have, and Mr. Human Sunshine looks like he feels the safest he’s ever felt. Luckily, they haven’t noticed you staring because they’re too busy looking at each other. Disgusting.
You slowly walk away shaking your head. Look at them. Who would’ve thought? Not you.