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If there was one thing Nico could’ve wished for, he would’ve wished for Solace to be less persuasive.
He could not stand how hard it was to say no to Will. If he asked Nico to bathe in the River Styx with him, well, it wouldn’t sound that bad . . .
But what Will had asked from Nico was a bit more than usual. That was, unfortunately, an understatement.
Now, Nico was walking with a slightly cramped hip, Stygian sword in hand that sometimes served as a walking stick, and a way too optimistic, energetic, blonde fluff of a dude next to him. They walked on a murky path of mud in an endless, eerie forest. Splotches of sunlight leaked in through the trees, which made Solace’s face seem angelic. Whenever Nico occasionally glanced over to him, his demeanor was bright. That only raised a little bit of hope in Nico.
Ever since Gaea had been defeated, Nico found himself hanging out with Will way more than usual. There was barely any time Nico was alone. That time in the infirmary, Will helped Nico have hope that feeling normal was going to actually be normal again. Last week, he even convinced him to play Capture the Flag. Solace had become Nico’s personal alarm clock. For some reason, even after all his leisure was robbed, he just wanted to hang out with Will more.
“Will,” Nico muttered, leaning forward with his sword as a support, “I think I’m gonna die out here.”
“Ah, c’mon, Nico, I know it went this way . . .”
Nico straightened up and grabbed Will’s shoulders. He turned him so that they faced each other.
“Listen, Goldie—”
“Is that another nickname for me?” Will asked teasingly. “I should give you one too. How about—”
Nico shook Will half-violently. “Quiet, Solace. I’m trying to tell you something, you idiot.”
“How’s ‘Death Boy?’”
He shook him harder.
“Do not call me that, else I’m calling you Banana Boy.”
“Hey, that’s not too bad,” Will said thoughtfully. “Uh, please don’t kill me.”
Nico relented and let go of him. “My hip hurts. We’ve been walking for hours. There is no way we’re going to find this cat.”
“But I really care for it. I’m its father, I took it in.”
Before Nico could respond, he glanced at Will’s face. His eyes were an ocean reflecting the moonlight. Light dripped off Solace’s golden hair
Maybe this was why he found it hard to deny Will.
“Don’t look like that,” Nico said, clasping Will’s cheeks. “Come on, maybe it’s close by.”
A rustle sounded behind him.
“Ay!” Will said through smushed cheeks. “That bush! It moved.”
Nico turned around, unsheathing his sword. He approached the brush with caution.
Will placed his hand on his shoulder. “Uh, please be careful.”
With an inhale, Nico moved the bush aside. A porcupine hopped out and skittered away, squeaking under its breath.
“I’m not so sure we’ll find it anymore,” he said, frowning.
“Nico, let’s just keep looking. Come on.”
As they ventured deeper into the forest, Nico wasn’t expecting much anymore. But he would keep going because who knew what would’ve happened to Solace if he decided to look for that cat by himself. Maybe he’d be cornered by bloodthirsty wolves or attacked by feisty pigeons. If Nico hadn’t been there to help him, what would’ve . . .
Will stopped in his tracks. “Nico?”
“What?” Nico asked, snapping out of his train of thoughts.
“Give me your hand.”
Hearing Will say something he wouldn’t usually say made Nico unsure whether he should’ve felt queasy or intrigued. He hesitated before linking hands with him.
Will closed his eyes. Nico remembered when they had reunited at Camp Half-Blood, in probably the worst way possible. Will had just helped Mellie give birth to her baby, and he was stressed. He let Nico feel his hands. A cold, chilling sensation had briefly run down his back. Will’s hands were unstable and soaked in sweat. It was the first time that had happened to Nico.
But now, only a sense of warmth was exchanged between their touch. Nico could hear his own heartbeat. Will opened his eyes.
“Are you doting me again?” Will asked, a sly grin growing on his face.
“I wouldn’t call it . . .”
Will laughed heartily. “You definitely were.”
“Ah, I mean, I’m just worried about you,” Nico said.
“Nico,” Will said softly, with a tinge of affection, “I’ll be fine. I can be just as strong as you.”
“Will . . .” Nico’s words trailed off.
“So, I don’t want you to worry for me. We can do this together, right?”
Really, maybe there was still a little drop of doubt in Nico. But perhaps he’d been too worried about Will. That thought made him smile.
Nico let his shoulders droop. “Yeah. We can. I’m relying on you.”
Will glanced at their linking hands and his face tinted red. “Sorry.”
He let go, and Nico felt that sense of warm fade away. He felt like a cold, dim lightbulb.
His hands twitched. Something seemed unusual around him.
Nico scanned his surroundings. “Hold on.”
He deftly turned around and raised his sword. It was an old man wearing a button up shirt and navy trousers. He wore odd circular spectacles and a tie-dye bow. The man grinned crookedly at them and said,
“Are you folks looking for a cat?”
Will’s face lit up. “Yes! Did you find it?”
“You’re both in luck then,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “I’ve got one cat for ya.”
Will glanced at Nico excitedly, which meant that Nico couldn’t not go. Something about the man seemed off, but he didn’t want to wipe the smile of off Will’s face. His smile was like a ray of sunshine.
They followed the man into a deeper path in the woods. Barely any sunlight leaked in through the trees. The way the man talked reminded him of Coach Hedge, but just with more contractions and a strong Country accent.
“Sir, how’d you know we were looking for a cat?” Will asked innocently.
“Well, ya see, I was just going to tend my garden, ‘cause, y’know I live in the woods and all that,” he said, gesticulating everywhere. “But then, I saw some cat walking around and it was wearin’ a cute little collar. So ‘course, I thought, maybe the owners would be close by. So, I heard ya’ll yapping about a lost cat.”
“But, um, what did it look like?” Will asked. “What was its name?”
“I didn’ real’ look, y’know. But if it ain’t the right cat, my bad.”
Nico glanced at Will, unsure. “Sir, how did you find us?”
“Ya got old ears, kid?” the man asked, pumping his fist playfully. “I heard ya both talking ‘bout a cat, how ‘bout we leave it at that?”
“But we weren’t talking about a cat when you found us,” Nico said.
Will placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Hey, let’s just go see if it’s our cat.”
“Who knows if he even has a cat?” Nico whispered. “For all we know, he could be--”
“YOWCH!” the man hollered as he tripped on a stone. He was sprawled against the floor like a spider. “I’m sorry, kiddos. Didn’t see that pebble there.”
Will gasped. “Wait, sir, are you okay?”
The man turned to lay on his back. “I-I don’t know, frankly. I might 'a busted a bone or two.”
It didn’t quite look like he broke a bone, but his knee was scraped and brusied, which was unexpected for tripping on a rock.
Will kneeled and examined his wound. “Hold on, I can help.”
“No, no, I’ll be fine, you don’t gotta do anything,” the man said.
He reached into his bag and pulled out band-aids, a bottle of unopened water, and a roll of gauze. He rinsed his hands and gently poured water over the wound. Unrolling the gauze, he wrapped it around the man’s knee and ripped off excess. Nico admired his ability of not hesitating to help others, even if they were complete strangers. His heart warmed up at the gesture, for an odd reason.
Will sighed out of relief. “You’ll be fine now. I don’t think you broke any bones.”
“Well, er, thank you, boy,” the man said, taking Will’s hand to stand up. “Ya see, my house is just over there.”
He pointed to a cabin in the distance. Besides it was a pond about the size of an elephant.
“Thank you, sir!” Will exclaimed. “Need me to help take you there?”
The man nodded. “Go ‘head.”
Will got on his knees and let the man ride on his back. After a bit more walking, they finally reached the cabin.
“Well,” the man said, “go inside. Got some coffee and biscuits, if ya like.”
When they entered, the smell of caffeine and ginger entered his nose. A calm, bright fire danced in the fireplace. The cabin was quite clean, but some spots on the wall showed signs of rot.
The man handed them cups of hot coffee. “Hope it is enough.”
Nico sipped it. “Black coffee?”
“If ya don’t like it, I always got sweetener.”
Will shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, I don’t really like coffee.”
“Thas’ too bad!” the man said, grinning.
“Well, not to be rude or anything, but where’s the cat?” he asked.
The man laughed. “That room over there.”
“Alright!”
The duo, still gripping their cups of coffee, approached the door.
“Wait,” Nico said, “I’ll go in first.”
“But it doesn’t know you yet, Nico.”
Nico peered off into the distance. “I just think that something bad might be beyond this door.”
“Come on, it’s just a cat,” Will said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“That it’s not a cat and possibly something way worse?”
“True, but he’s just a regular person. I don’t think it’s bad.”
Although it was true that Nico couldn’t sense anything bad beyond the door, he was still worried. But he knew that maybe Solace knew what he was doing.
“Go ahead.”
Will twisted the knob expectantly and peered inside. Suddenly, something pushed Nico, which knocked him and Will into the room. He tried glance behind him, but the door shut closed.
“Nico?” Will asked. “Why’d you--”
“Something pushed me in,” Nico said, wincing. His hip pain was enhancing.
It appeared that they were pushed into a bedroom. Spider webs were everywhere on the walls, the paint was mostly chipped off. The only source of light was a wide window which was covered in planks nailed to the wall. Small glimpses of light managed to come in through the cracks of the planks, but it was mainly dim. An eerie closet door lingered slightly open.
“W-Wait, are you okay, Nico?” Will asked, concerned. “Stay calm. I’ll try looking for the cat.”
“Will, I don’t think there is a cat. That dude probably pushed me in.”
“But then, I guess that means . . .”
A pause of silence filled the room. Nico rose up and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge, even though it was unlocked. Will steadied himself and stood as well.
“Let’s try finding a way to leave,” Nico said, turning around to look at Will. He was staring at his feet, ashamed. “Hey, Will?”
“Ah, damnit,” he said, his voice cracking. “I guess I just was too . . . gullible. Sorry.”
“Will . . . you don’t have to apologize. We’ll get out of here soon.”
Will clenched his fist, but let it loose. “I just don’t want to be some damsel in distress. I feel so small by your side.”
Although he’d probably been trying to hide it, Will’s tone sounded as if he was a burst of rain pattering against a leaf. When Nico had been worrying about Will in the forest, he’d just expressed concern for him because of how happy-go-lucky he was sometimes. He was completely energetic, stoked to look for his cat and--
That wasn’t right.
If Nico had lost something that was dear to his heart, he wouldn’t be all “woohoo!” about it. He’d be frantic, desperate on finding that thing again. Just like Bianca, he’d been desperate to find a way to revive her. Even if the sky soaked him out of spite, or if all the light in his world had gone dark, he had still tried to revive Bianca. To no avail.
Will was hiding how he truly felt, his fear, his bitter melancholy. He was a jar that was overfilling with emotions.
“Look at me,” Nico said, grabbing Will’s shoulders. “Didn’t you say I didn’t need to worry for you?”
He nodded.
“Then you shouldn’t worry for me either. When I say that I trust you, I mean it.”
“But, Nico, I just,” Will said, his face scrunched up and concerned, “I want to help you. I don’t wanna just be there and do all this stupid shit and get us in some dumb situation.”
Tears leaked out of Will’s eyes, and he rested his forehead against Nico’s shoulder. Nico didn’t move or reject the gesture. He ran his hand against Will’s back dotingly.
Will inhaled shakily. “I’m a liar, di Angelo. I’m such a liar. I can’t do anything without you.”
The air around them disappeared.
Those words that left his mouth pierced Nico’s chest. It made him feel like he was in a jar again, scrunched up and small as life slowly drained out of him. His eyes watered and he unexpectedly wrapped his arms around Will.
“Will,” Nico whispered softly, “you can just be Will around me, you know. You can cry on me, punch me, I won’t mind. As long as you’re Will.”
“It’s funny,” Will said bitterly. “I thought I was the one who made others feel better.”
He stood so still that Nico thought he’d been turned to stone.
Nico tightened his grip around Will. “We can do this together, Will.”
He wiped his eyes with his arm and inhaled sharply. “Let’s kick ass, Nico.”
Nico loosened his grip from Will. He pulled out his sword and stabbed the door. It dented, but they didn’t have much luck. Must be something blocking it, Nico theorized.
“Oho!” the old man exclaimed from the other side. “Ya done sobbing and being all sappy?! Good luck trying to open that door.”
“Shut up, you erectile dysfunctional loser!” Will yelled.
Nico supposed that the only way they could get past the door was knocking it down.
“Push together on three,” said Nico. Will seemed to understand, nodding his head.
Nico kept his hand on the handle, making sure it was turned to the right. He counted out loud, and they body slammed themselves on the door. It only budged a bit. They kept on slamming until, finally, the door peered open.
Nico kicked the door, and it swung to the side.
“You’re a genius, Nico,” Will remarked.
There was nothing that had been blocking the door.
“Ah, well, you finally escaped,” the man said, getting up from the couch. “Too bad though.
A griffin pounced from the roof, a huge chunk of wood falling to the floor with a thud! Its feathers were a pearly white. It growled at them, glaring intensely like it was trying its best to win a staring contest.
“What do you say?” Nico asked Will.
“Escape? But I suppose we still have to--”
Will’s mouth flew open.
“NICO!!”
Nico instinctively turned his head towards Will. “What?”
“No, my cat!” Will said. “You JERK! You did steal my cat!”
The man grinned, holding a pet cage with a black cat inside. “I suppose you want this?”
“Change of plan, get the cat and run,” Nico suggested, though it was more of a command.
The griffin leaped towards them, and they dove towards the kitchen, sliding across the table and knocking off a bowl of fruit. Will gave him a nod of affirmation, which sent a bolt of electricity down Nico’s spine. He stood straight and pointed his sword at the lion. Stay calm, he thought to himself, and don’t lose faith.
They backed up as the lion inched closer and closer. A cold droplet of sweat dribbled down his cheek. He swallowed cautiously, focusing his gaze only on the lion. Any second wasted could have left him vulnerable.
The man chuckled. “Well! Was nice knowing ya both. I’ll be chilling here, watching some tele’, perhaps.”
Will clenched his fist. “Nico, I’ll get him.”
“I’ll cause a distraction. And, um, why’d you name your cat after . . .”
Will flushed. “I’ll tell you later, if I make it out okay.”
“Don’t do anything reckless, Solace.”
He smiled sweetly. “Yeah.”
With a deep exhale, Nico lunged forward with the butt of his sword. It hit in-between the griffin’s eyes, but didn’t flinch. It growled with ire and tried to slashed its claws against Nico’s leg. He swiftly backed up, waggling his finger. His breath had become desperate and uneven.
“Make a run for it, Will!” Nico said, stern.
“Wait.”
Nico watched silently, trying to calm his heartbeat. Will walked towards the creature and gave it an affectionate, innocent look. He kneeled before it and ran his fingers through its mane. The griffin, although seemingly in a trance, bit Will’s shoulder without warning.
“WILL!” Nico screamed, dashing forward with his sword.
Will winced. “I-I’ll be fine.”
Nico halted abruptly. His fingers twitched.
“No, you’re not!”
He raised his sword at the lion, ready to pounce if it dared to attempt to hurt Will any further.
Will gasped shakily. “Look, it doesn’t have a tail.”
Nico peered to the side. He was right, it didn’t have a tail. But he didn’t care if it had a tail or not. His heart told him to save Will, but his brain told him to listen to what he had to say.
“Why does that matter right now?”
“It’s the mist,” Will said, huffing. “I think it’s the mist. Or an illusion.”
“Will, your shoulder is still . . .”
“There, there,” he said, petting the griffin. “I won’t hurt you.”
It snarled aggressively. Nico was about to get ready to dash forward and plunge his sword into the griffin, but, to his surprise, the creature transformed into a possum.
Will held it up under its armpits and smiled. He let it go, and it hid under the kitchen table.
Nico sighed off relief. “And I thought you weren’t going to be reckless.”
“I didn’t promise,” Will said, sly.
The man stood and clapped energetically. “Oh, truly, that was an amazing performance! Bravo!”
Nico tightened his grip around his sword. “I’m sure you’d like to experience it too.”
“Unfortunately, no, but I got my fun out of you both. Goodbye. We’ll meet again, ‘erhaps. Or not.”
He turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared, the cage falling to the floor. Will gasped and fell to the floor.
“Will?” Nico asked.
“Gods, that was an experience.”
“The cage . . . it’s empty.”
“We can keep looking.”
Will sighed and shook his head. “No, I think that . . . I definitely don’t want to meet that guy again.”
Nico extended his hand towards him. “Let’s go.”
The day after, Nico decided that the best thing for him was a break in the strawberry fields back at Camp Half-Blood. He sat on the ground, chin resting on his knees. Demigods from Dionysus’ cabin were plucking them and dropping it into their basket. Looking at those plump, bright red strawberries, he thought about the time he was turned into corn. It was awful. For weeks, all he dreamed about was corns.
He huffed and wondered if he could’ve gotten away with snagging a strawberry or two. It was only the afternoon.
“Nico!” a voice shouted.
A warm sensation of warmth swam over Nico as he saw Will running his way. He really was a ray of sunshine.
Nico waved at Will, who sat down beside him. He outstretched his legs and smiled at Nico.
“What?” Nico asked, staring back.
“I like looking at your face.”
Nico didn’t know what to make of that. “Why?”
“And I also like it when you smile back. Which you don’t do too much anymore.”
“Anymore?”
“I’m just kidding,” said Will quickly, scooting closer to Nico. “What’re you thinking about?”
“Corn.”
“Really.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Oh!” Will exclaimed. “Hey! I just remembered. I found Nico. Some camper in my cabin found it in an alleyway.”
“The cat?” Nico said, staring.
“Oh, um . . .” Will’s face flushed. “It was the only name I could come up with. I still don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but Nico works either way.”
“Why my name? Why not yours?”
“Let’s just say it reminded me of you.”
Nico smiled slightly. “I’ll believe you.”
Will stared into the distance. “That dude from yesterday, I think I know who he is.”
Nico was silent, waiting for him to continue speaking.
“Well, yeah, I looked into this big book of all the Greek gods and goddesses from the Athena cabin, and I figured it was Dolos, the god of trickery. Took a long time. I had to stay up.”
“Dolos . . . hmm,” he thought out loud. “Don’t know him.”
“Me neither, must’ve been a minor god or something.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore,” Will said. “I just . . . Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Nico, you really should take more credit.”
“Hmm.”
Will laughed. “Really! I really appreciate what you said to me yesterday.”
Nico inhaled. He could barely even comprehend that those words left his mouth yesterday. But he knew it was what he truly felt. And he was happy with that. He exhaled, content.
“Will, maybe you should take more credit.”
Will looked towards the ground. “I think I wanna become a stronger person.”
“Whatever you decide, you’ll always be enough for me, Solace.”
“Nico, I . . . I think I can say this. Just let me prepare.”
Nico waited.
“I’m in love with you.”
Somehow, Nico had expected those words from Will. But he hadn’t minded it. A burst of serotonin rushed inside of Nico’s body. He felt like a fireplace was in him.
Nico leaned towards Will’s face.