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Nico had been so nervous to meet Will’s mother, that he’d been half ready to summon a legion of skeletons and zombies. Not that he had any actual purpose for them, more a difficulty keeping his Underworldly powers under control when his nerves started to take hold.
Still, he managed to keep the legions of the Underworld from rising again. The moral residents of New York probably wouldn’t appreciate having an army of the undead walking through their streets.
And besides, Will already had enough material to tease him about being so nervous. Nico was not about to give him extra material.
So, here he was. Standing on the pavement leading up to a rather nice townhome near the Navy Yard, Nico wondered if he should’ve maybe listened to Will for once and let the boy take him shopping for something a little less print rock band and jeans, and a bit more … well, probably a nicer shirt and still jeans. This was supposed to be casual, per the aforementioned son of Apollo.
The point was that Nico felt woefully under dressed to meet his boyfriend’s famous, country singer mother, despite Will’s assurances that she’d “love ya to death, ya big baby!”
Nico reached into his pocket and retrieved his skull ring so he could turn it over and over again in his hand. He’d opted against wearing it, but didn’t feel quite right leaving it back home in Cabin Thirteen. So, instead, he’d carry it with him as a small measure of comfort to help him fight off the nerves of that first impression.
He drew in a deep, slow breath through his nose, then exhaled as he slipped the ring back into his pocket. Then, he continued his walk up the path, and ascended the three steps to the Solace household’s front porch.
Damn his nerves! Nico had survived countless monsters, titans, giants, and even psychotic Roman demigods. He could manage meeting his boyfriend’s mother.
Hopefully.
With another deep breath, Nico rapped his knuckles upon the door. Inside, he could hear a woman’s voice call out, then laughter as a series of thumps seemed to draw nearer to the door, growing louder the closer they came. A familiar voice called out, sounding a mite frazzled. Enough so that it drew a smile across his features.
Will opened the door, sporting a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a blush that made Nico want to kiss every single one of those freckles upon his cheeks and nose.
“Nico! Hi!” Will blurted. He drew in a deep breath, seemingly in hopes that it might help to stem whatever embarrassment had been visited upon him and reduce his blush. It didn’t. “Sorry. Jes’—” he shot a glance inside, the same he used to silently tell the little gremlins he called siblings to knock it off “—having a discussion.”
Instead, it only earned another laugh, and a woman’s voice calling back, “You put that glare away and invite that boy in, William Andrew! Else, I will dig ‘em out!”
Will’s face flushed a bright pink. He cleared his throat. “C-C’mon in, Sun—Nico!” he stammered. “Ma’s waitin’. She’s been, uh, eager to meet ya.”
Nico smirked. By the way he squirmed and flustered, Will was underselling that a bit. So, he decided to take a page out of his darling boyfriend’s book and rose on tiptoe to wrap his arms around Will’s neck in a loose embrace, then pecked his lips.
“Gladly, tesoro,” Nico replied, his voice dipping an octave. Just enough to make that blush reach the tips of Will’s ears. “But we’re gonna talk about what you’re apparently telling her not to dig out.”
“Or! Or—and hear me out—we don’t!” Will hugged him tight. “Let’s consider that real quick! We jes’ don’t!”
With a laugh and another peck to his lips, Nico released Will from his embrace and drew back, the butterflies in his stomach certainly fluttering, but at least he wasn’t alone in that regard.
Will led him inside and closed the door behind them, guiding Nico into the Solace family home.
Now, the only home Nico had been welcomed into other than Camp Half-Blood and New Rome since leaving the Lotus Hotel had been the Jackson-Blofis apartment. But Percy’s family, an author and a history teacher, were of a bit more modest means than the Solaces.
Although, perhaps Nico should’ve expected that to some degree, given Will had told him some time ago that his mother, Naomi, was a country singing star. It was, after all, how she’d met his father in the first place.
Even so, Nico hadn’t quite imagined something like this. Polished wood floors, walls adorned with pictures of people he guessed to be family, friends, loved ones, a couple rather nice ones of a younger Will in his mother’s arms, her smiling brightly and pressing her cheek against his in much the same way Will so loved to do when he was teasing Nico. And then there was one of Will riding an older man’s shoulders, face alight and full of cheer, and a comically oversized cowboy hat perched atop his head. He couldn’t have been older than seven or eight.
That one, Nico decided, was his favorite. Young Will managed to look almost cuter than current Will. Almost.
He’d have to find some way to tease Will extra over it after he’d survived meeting his mother.
Will then led Nico down the hallway to the left, past more pictures of Will and his mother, and several other scenes of happy times spent in his younger days. None, though, of Naomi Solace performing.
Interesting. Nico would’ve figured her biggest shows would’ve been something to display with pride. Perhaps she wanted to focus less on what she’d accomplished, and more on what she had.
And who she had.
Before they could enter the room, Will seemed to hesitate for a moment. He flicked a look over his shoulder, his cheeks coloring a light pink.
Nico grinned, both to tease and to hide his own nerves. “Your idea!” he mouthed.
“Shut your adorable face!” Will mouthed back. He drew in a deep breath, then took a step forward and to the side, gesturing for Nico to come in.
And just like that, Nico felt those skeletal butterflies in his stomach again. Here goes everything, he thought to himself as he entered and cast a quick glance around the Solace family living room. There were pictures of what looked to be ranch scenery, with wide open land and distant hills, horses, and wooden fences. Mountains, too, it seemed—the Rockies, if Nico wasn’t mistaken. Not quite green enough for the Cascades or the Appalachians. There was a coffee table made of dark, cherry wood, matching the end tables, the TV stand, and the finishings of the mantle. A dark blue couch was situated before the TV, with matching reclining chairs to the right.
Naomi Solace rose from one of the recliners with a brilliant smile. Her eyes were a shade of blue just slightly deeper than Will’s, while her hair was a chestnut brown which curled slightly around her ears.
She took a step forward, stopping to nod to Nico as she seemed to wait for something. Then, she flitted a glance at Will and arched a brow. “William,” she said, the southern twang heavy in her voice. And with it, amusement. “Ya gonna introduce me to your boyfriend?”
Will flushed a deep read. Oh, Nico was going to have so much fun with this. “M-Ma,” he stammered. “This is my boyfriend, Nico. Nico, this is my mom, Naomi Solace.”
“Thank ya, darlin’. Now, was that so bad?” Naomi pointedly ignored how her son grumbled under his breath and approached Nico, offering a hand to shake. “Nice to meetcha finally, Nico. My Will’s told me so much about ya.”
“Uh.” Nico blinked. Will had been rather emphatic that his mother’s hugs could make a grown lion tap out. The hand surprised him, but he took it. “N-Nice to meet you too, Miss Solace.”
She winked. “Call me Naomi. Everyone does. Will tells me ya ain’t much for huggin’ new folks, so, you’re off the hook.”
“For now,” Will deadpanned.
Naomi hummed. “So, that’s pre-K pictures I’ll be showin’ him, then.”
“I’ll be good!”
“Doubt it,” Nico muttered, drawing a laugh from Naomi. Now, it was his turn to blush. “I, er, said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Oh, you are jes’ darlin’, Nico.” With a grin aimed at Will, she added, “I think we’ll get along nicely. Will, treat ‘im well.”
“Hey! He’s the one datin’ your son!” Will protested. “What about how he needs ta treat me?”
“Good point. Nico, I dunno how you’ve kept my son in line, but keep it up. Reckon ya gotta be doin’ somethin’ right.”
“Ma!”
Nico fought to stifle a laugh. He failed, and quite miserably, earning himself a heated glare from his boyfriend.
One that just screamed “you’re gonna get yours, you little traitor.”
Oh well. As Naomi turned to tease and banter with her son, Nico caught his eye and waggled his brows much in the same way Will did whenever he felt the urge to be a brat. Which was to say, basically whenever he was awake and not minding the infirmary.
“… ’N jes’ you remember, William Andrew, I have plenty of stories,” Naomi threatened, the playful grin taking on a rather sharp edge. “Plenty ta go along with each ’n every one, ’n ya know as well as I do that ya stirred up plenty of trouble on your grampa’s ranch.”
“Ma, ya don’t—I keep Nico out of trouble!” he protested, gesturing at Nico. “I might coulda put a half-year’s supply of bandages on him by now!”
“Now, that’s an exaggeration!” Nico cut in. Then, he paused a beat. “We’re not counting the war, right? I feel like I get a mulligan for that considering the whole bringing the Parthenon home thing.”
“No,” the Solaces replied in stereo.
“I had to redo stitches for werewolf lacerations, ma,” Will said, placing heavier emphasis on ‘werewolf’ as if to help her understand the implications. “’N that’s jes’ the start. I had to fight the boy to eat a proper breakfast rather ’n how he’d nibble like a rabbit at Pop Tarts. If even that.”
Naomi’s playful grin had steadily evaporated with her son’s every word. Now, in its place, a look of concern. “Stars,” she breathed. She looked at Nico for a moment, her gaze lingering on his figure as if evaluating him again. Then, she rounded on will and said, “’N ya didn’t bring him by sooner, why?”
Will held his arms out. “Ma, we’ve only been datin’ since summer! I reckon this is soon!”
She hummed, clearly dissatisfied, even if she couldn’t argue the point. Nico found himself reminded of his mother, and Sally Blofis-Jackson, in a way.
“Well,” Naomi said, seemingly deciding something by herself, in that instant. “Since we’re close ‘nuff to camp, know you’re always welcome in our home, Nico. ’N that includes eatin’—speakin’ of which, I need ta get that started. William, feel free ta give ‘im the tour.” She turned to walk toward another doorway, lingering a moment to shoot her son another of her teasing grins. “Keep the door open.”
“Oh my gods and goddesses, ma!” Will’s face was so red with fluster he looked like a tomato. An adorable tomato. “Are ya tryin’ ta kill me?”
As Naomi laughed and sauntered off to the kitchen, Will took Nico by the hand and led him out of the living room toward the hallway again, the son of Hades’s cheeks as bright red as his once he caught up with the implications.
Will turned and led him up the stairs, his steps heavy and thudding against the wood. “Swear, she’s jes’ been waitin’ for this! Gods dang sees a chance to stir up trouble like a fox does a henhouse!”
The foray into Will’s occasional southernisms helped to stem a bit of Nico’s fluster. Though only a little.
His boyfriend was as cute as he was Texan. Shut up.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Will stopped and took a slow breath. Then, he offered Nico a slight smile. “Sorry, ‘bout that, Sunshine.”
Nico ducked his head. “She seems nice. If a bit, uh, protective.” He aimed a shy smile at Will. “Kinda like you, to be honest.”
Will huffed a laugh. “Yeah. Reckon so.” He coughed, then, nodded ahead. “So, uh, this is home. That first door on the right there is the music room—that’s ma’s domain, for sure. Stores her guitars ’n keyboards ’n such in there. Then at the end, if ya take a left, that’ll take us to the office ’n ma’s bedroom.”
“She’s got a room for music and another for office work?”
He bobbed his head. “Music room is for playin’, office is for her business stuff. She sorta wants to slow down tourin’ so she’s, uh, explorin’ some other stuff.” Will hesitated a moment, then added in a soft voice, “Says she wants more time here.”
Nico could fill in the blanks his boyfriend had left—his mother wanted to spend more time with her son. Or, if he was at camp, close enough that she might feel as though she could be present. The slightest pang shot through his chest.
Was he a bit envious? Sure. But he couldn’t fault Will for his mother being alive any more than he could Percy for Sally. More than that, though, Nico felt happy.
For Will.
“Speaking of,” Nico said softly. “I noticed that, uh, there weren’t much in the way of pictures of your mom’s shows downstairs.” He glanced at the walls, and added, “Or on the walls out here.”
This earned a grin. Will beckoned Nico to follow him toward his mother’s music room, nudging the door open to let them inside.
There, Nico saw several instruments set around the room. A keyboard was situated near the window, a fine acoustic guitar resting against a stand in the corner, situated next to a music stand and what looked to be several sheets of music. There were other guitars, older by their looks, hanging upon the walls and interspaced by pictures of Naomi Solace in glittering dresses or faded jeans and flannel, never without a cowgirl hat and a smile that reminded him of the sun rising over the horizon. And then there were others, much like those downstairs. Naomi and a younger Will together, the boy clumsily plucking at the strings of what looked to be the very guitar hanging to the right of the frame, with a smile as bright as his mother’s.
Warmth flooded Nico’s chest as he gazed upon that picture. His boyfriend, several years younger, looked disgustingly cute. He almost wanted to reach through the picture and cup his cheeks, just to see how brightly they’d blush. Heck, a small part of him thought about how it might have been had he known Will at a younger age. Maybe they’d have been friends.
Maybe Will would’ve tried to play his mother’s guitar for Nico sometime.
Laughing softly to himself, Nico turned to Will and rose up on tiptoe, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
Blinking, Will caught him in a loose hug. “What was that for?” he asked.
“Being you.”
“Aw, well, reckon I’ll do that more often,” he teased, the “t” in often notably absent in how he said it. A smile played upon his lips as he looked around the room. “We come in here sometimes ’n play a bit. I stick to guitar, mostly.”
“Fingers too clumsy for keyboard?” Nico teased, earning a pinch.
“Ha-ha.” Will didn’t refute the point. Which meant there was some truth to it. Instead, his eyes lingered on that picture a moment longer, his smile growing.
Nico brushed his knuckles against his boyfriend’s fingers, coaxing them to interlace together.
Will gave his hand a squeeze and turned to kiss the top of his head. “C’mon,” he said softly, giving Nico a tug. “Lemme show ya my room—oh, quit grinnin’! I meant it clean!”
“I said nothing!” Nico practically trilled as he walked hand in hand with his boyfriend. “You just have a dirty mind, tesoro.”
He yelped as he felt the sting of another pinch, sharper this time, but well-earned. Not to mention how it helped him in his own efforts to keep the blush from filling his cheeks.
Personally, Nico blamed Leo. He was the one who made the off-color comments in their group. And managed to rope Piper into joining in after goading her with a few of his more painful innuendos.
Will took a right turn at the end of the hallway and guided Nico past a door on his left—a linen closet—before guiding him through an open wooden door and into the bedroom.
The room itself was a little larger than Percy’s, giving him ample space. The walls were painted a soft blue, reminiscent of the sky on a bright summer day. There were pictures of family and friends on the wall, along with a placard painted silver and dark blue, with a blue star bearing the words “Dallas Cowboys Football.” To his left, a wooden dresser that came up to Nico’s chest stood near an open doorway which seemed to lead to a bathroom, and to his right was a desk situated in the corner near the window and a set of double doors. Upon the desk, he could see several books on medicine and herbs, along with his messenger bag, hanging by a hook from the side. The bed was situated against the opposite wall, covered by a darker blue comforter and a pair of plush pillows.
“Those open up to my closet,” Will said, nodding at the double doors. “’N that’s my bathroom obviously. Figurin’ out what to do about gettin’ a computer for schoolwork, but …” He grimaced. “That’s a challenge for reasons y’know already. School don’t exactly care, though, so, gotta do somethin’.”
“That’s …” Nico chewed on it for a moment, then said, “Annoying. They can’t make allowances or something.”
Will just shrugged. “Is what it is. Ma ’n I’ll figure it out.”
And that was that, apparently.
Nico took another step into the room, looking around with a slight smile playing upon his lips. “It’s nice,” he said softly. “Very … you.”
“Very me?” Will mimicked with a snort. He sidled up to Nico, looping an arm around his waist. “That Italian poetry really is comin’ through.”
Ever one to take the opportunity to go full bore if it meant teasing his boyfriend, Nico turned, looked Will straight in the eye, and, with a look of utter solemnity upon his face, stuck his tongue out and said, “Nyeh.”
Will just rolled his eyes. “Mature, really. Puttin’ me in my place.”
“Yeah, well. I tailor my responses to my audience.” Nico grinned at the slight glare that comment earned him. “I like it. It’s a nice place.”
“Thanks, Sunshine.” Will pulled him into a hug. “Glad ya came.”
“Yeah. So am I.”
The boys shared a warm embrace, Nico happily buried his face in his boyfriend’s chest and drank in his scent. One that sparked feelings of comfort and warmth in his chest, and sent his heart racing.
Then, a question leapt to the front of his mind, and Nico just couldn’t resist drawing back slightly so he could ask, “What the heck are the Dallas Cowboys?”
Will blinked once. Then, he gave a cocky smile worthy of his father and said, “America’s team, Sunshine! Five time Super Bowl champions and the pride of Texas!”
Not a word he said made any sense, not to Nico. But there was just something in that answer that managed to imbibe the slightest hint of suspicion and dread. With a sigh, he turned his gaze skyward and said, “Why do I have the distinct feeling that this team is about to become the bane of my fucking existence?”
“Hey!” Will’s smile faltered. “The heck is that s’pose ta mean?”
“I have no idea. I just have a feeling that, somehow, I’m going to regret asking that question. And then, I’m going to absolutely hate them for it.”
“Okay, listen here, ya lil’ shit,” Will retorted, raising a finger at him. The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’ll grant ya, they’ve flopped in the playoffs the last couple years. I ain’t gonna say ya have to like ‘em. Jes’ … look, long as you ain’t a dang Eagles fan—”
“Literally do not know who that is.”
“Philadelphia’s team.”
“Ew. No.”
“Thanks. Long as you ain’t an Eagles fan, it’s fine.” He paused a beat, then added, “Or the Red—uh, Commanders, whoops. Keep forgettin’ they changed the name. Or the Giants.”
“Again, who?”
“Washington Commanders—D.C., not state.”
“No, name’s too stupid.”
“Not wrong there. ’N the Giants are one of New York City’s teams—I’ll spare ya now ’n jes’ say don’t pick the other one. They’re … look, Jets fans just get pity. I love ya too much to let ya do that to yourself, Sunshine.”
“Then I will definitely not be a Jets fan. The Giants, though …” A sly smirk tugged at his lips. “I mean …”
“Nico,” Will growled playfully.
“You know, I did move to New York with my family.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“So, if I can’t be a Jets fan because they’re awful …”
“Don’t you gods-dang dare.”
“I guess I just have to pull for my home team, right?”
“Darlin’, c’mon. D’ya always have to wind me up?” he groaned, giving his foot a slight stomp. The damned brat. “One time, c’mon.”
Nico schooled himself into a look of utmost sincerity. “But I’m not!” he said, his voice so earnest Will would know he was pulling his leg. “I am so serious right now!” At the flat glare he earned, Nico just beamed. “What colors do they wear? For purely academic reasons, of course.”
“Red, white, ’n blue,” Will said with a sigh.
“Oh, well, that settles it!” Nico beamed. “Now, I just need a shirt or something …”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Bet I could get Percy to help me find one.”
“I am not dealing with you and Jackson needlin’ me every year, ya dang brat! Ya better not, Nico, or so help me …” he said, leaving off whatever implied threat he meant to leave.
Naturally, Nico had no intention of not stepping straight into that particular flavor of trouble. He cupped his boyfriend’s cheeks and leaned in, close enough that their noses brushed together, and fixed him with a serious look. Then, he stuck out his tongue. “Nyeh.”
Letting out a gasp of mock scandal, Will swooped down upon him and swept Nico up into his arms.
“Put me down!” Nico cried through his laughter, lightly batting at the son of Apollo, who simply held him tighter to guard against any attempts to wriggle himself free. “I said put me down, Solace!”
Will shot him a sly grin and walked over to his bed, dumping Nico unceremoniously upon it. Then, he pounced, pinning the boy in place before he could think to escape. With a wicked gleam in his eye, he leaned in and said, “Let’s hear you ‘nyeh’ at me again, Sunshine!”
His hands slipped under Nico’s jacket, his fingers began to dance across vulnerable sides and belly, teasing forth peals of laughter from a squirming son of Hades.
“Will!” Nico shrieked through his mirth, trying in vain to grab at his boyfriend’s wrists and pull his hands away. “Stoppit! Wi-hi-hi-hiiiiiiiiiiiiiill!”
But in this, the son of Apollo would have no mercy. He leaned in, grinning, and peppered the squirming boy with kisses, all the while leveraging every bit of his knowledge of Nico’s most ticklish spots to have him in hysterics.
***
Naomi Solace shook her head, a fond smile playing upon her lips as she worked and listened to the sounds of muffled laughter and banter, the occasional thump as one of the boys tried to squirm free and turn the tables.
Her son loved Nico to bits. She’d known that from the moment he’d come home from camp with a big grin on his face, those baby blues glittering, and told her he had a boyfriend. And now, she could see those feelings were returned in full, and the boy himself a sweetheart. If a bit too thin for her liking.
And, presently, the only motherly figures in his life were Persephone, Queen of the Underworld—not exactly a rainbows and kittens type, that one—and Sally Blofis-Jackson, mother of Percy Jackson, the famed hero of the Titan War a few years ago.
Naomi paused, briefly, in peeling potatoes and glanced at a picture of herself, barely seven, sitting on a swing bench with her late mother, Gwen. And, in that moment, she thought about just what ma would say if she were here.
She chuffed a slight laugh to herself, the answer so obvious, she could hear her mother’s voice, clear as day.
“Y’know, Will tells me Nico sometimes skips meals and gets all ornery ‘bout it when he’s told he needs to eat and put on a lil’ more weight. ’N with his mother ’n sister gone, there’s only really another friend’s who can look out for him in that way,” she said to her mother’s picture. Her lips twitched into a smirk, one that looked almost exactly like one her son would give to his favorite stubborn patient. “S’pose he’ll jes’ learn that even demigod heroes ain’t near as stubborn as a Solace woman when it comes to family.”