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“I’m just saying,” Adam argued, laughing, “that we could try to make nectar into gummies.”
“But why would we do that when we can just carry squares of ambrosia?” Sophia shot back, hands waving dramatically. Her black hair shone brown in the summer sun, and she’d picked up quite the tan while they were at Camp. They rounded the last corner, brownstones standing tall on either side of the road.
“Well, imagine pulling out a Flintstones bottle, popping a gummy in your mouth, and bam! All better,” Adam emphasized.
“Again,” Sophia insisted, “ambrosia square.”
Adam shook his head. “You just don’t get my vision. Tragic, really.”
Sophia was on a roll now, though. “No, but, you’d have to be so careful with the measurements. Because you’d likely lose some water in the boiling process, and then you’d add the gelatin, so the temperature would have to be just right. And then what if you cut the size wrong?”
Adam shrugged. “You could always accidentally drink too much, too.”
“Hence: ambrosia. Already cut and ready.”
“Sure,” Adam huffed, “but nectar–”
He stopped abruptly, startled to see a boy no older than eleven sitting on his dads’ front step. The boy had black hair, red-rimmed eyes, a suitcase, and a backpack. A manila envelope was clutched in his hands.
Adam glanced at Sophia, who shrugged, and then stepped closer to the boy. “Hey,” he greeted, keeping his voice quiet but hand on the small Imperial Gold dagger sheathed in his shorts pocket in case this was some kind of monster trap. He didn’t smell one, though, so maybe this was a demigod. Or just a lost kid. “Are you waiting for someone?”
The boy looked up, eyes flitting between Adam and Sophia. “Are you Will? He told me to wait for Will. He said Will is blond.”
“I’m Adam, this is Sophia,” Adam shared. The boy deflated a little, so Adam added, “But my dad’s name is Will, maybe that’s who the guy meant.” He paused, a suspicion growing, and asked, “Who was ‘he’?”
“He said his name was,” the boy’s face screwed up like he was searching his memory. “Lector Palodopolis.”
“Lester Papadopoulos?” Adam checked, recalling his dads’ story of Apollo’s trials. So, not Hermes who dropped the kid off, but close. He took his hand off of his dagger.
“Yeahhh,” the boy drew out in reply and then shrugged. “Said he was a god and my dad and that he couldn’t stay with me. Said Will could help me.”
Adam closed the final feet and sat down on the step next to the boy, Sophia moving to his other side.
She probed, “Where’s your mom?”
The boy stiffened but Adam saw his lower lip tremble when he answered, “Died. Cancer.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Sophia breathed out.
The boy harshly wiped a tear from the corner of his eye before it could fall. “We knew it was coming. Lester showed up right after.”
“And you don’t have any other family?” Adam checked, voice soft.
He shook his head. “Mom’s parents are dead—before I was born. She was an only child.”
Adam hesitated a moment and then inquired, “Can I ask your name?”
The boy looked up at Adam, eyes squinted like he was evaluating his trustworthiness. He must have been satisfied because he replied, “Xavier.”
“Xavier,” Adam repeated. “Nice to meet you. My dad—Will—is inside, and we were just about to go in and have dinner with him and my papà, Nico. Would you like to join us? We’re having tacos.”
Xavier scrunched his nose up. “But it’s Sunday. Mom and I only had tacos on Tuesdays.”
Sofia chuckled. “My family, too, but these guys are pretty weird. Nico and Will are the kindest people you’ll ever meet, though. That’s why Lester brought you to them.”
Xavier looked between the two demigods, eyes still suspicious. “If this is a trap, it’s a very elaborate one.”
“No trap,” Adam promised, “I swear on the River Styx, which is an unbreakable promise.” Thunder rumbled in the clear sky.
“That’s very serious,” Sophia agreed, nodding solemnly. “It means he’ll be punished if he’s lying.”
“Like, right now?” Xavier asked, looking Adam up and down like he expected him to maybe explode on the spot.
Adam glanced at Sophia, expression bemused. “You know, I’m not actually sure, I’ve never broken a Styx oath before.”
“Hmm,” Xavier replied, still looking unconvinced.
Adam thought for a moment and then, “Oh! Do you know how to use a knife?” A confused and slow nod from Xavier. Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out the dagger stored there before handing it to the boy, hilt first. “Here, you can hold onto this as long as you need to.”
Xavier took the blade, weighing it in his hand, feeling the tip with his finger. He kept it out when he replied, “Okay, we can go inside for dinner.”
Adam smiled and stood, offering a hand to first Xavier and then Sophia to help them stand. Sophia’s cheeks pinkened when they were face-to-face, and Adam felt his do the same.
“Are you dating?” Xavier asked, and Adam was sure his face was now tomato-red.
“Oh, um,” Sophia replied, looking down at the boy, “we are not.”
Adam swallowed and moved toward the door to unlock it, a little embarrassed his crush was so easily caught by an eleven-year-old. He pushed the door open and called inside, “Dad? We’re here! And we have an addition.” Inside the entry room, he squatted down to pet Fumo, the designated door-greeter.
“Adam Adler-di Solace, that is not how you tell your fath–” Will scolded, poking his head around the doorway to the kitchen, but his sentence stopped short when he saw Xavier next to Sophia. “Michael,” he breathed, so quietly it was possible only Adam heard it, and then seemed to collect himself. “I-I mean, hi, I’m Will.”
“Dad, this is Xavier,” Adam introduced. “He told me that, uh, Lester dropped him off at the front door.”
Adam could practically see the “of course he did” flash across his dad’s face, but Will just smiled warmly and said, “It’s very nice to meet you, Xavier, come on in.”
Xavier pulled his suitcase inside, backpack on his shoulder and manila envelope still grasped in his hand, alongside the dagger. He held it out to Will and told him, “Lester said to give this to you.”
Will took the envelope, left the dagger, and opened it up. Inside was a collection of papers that Will quickly skimmed, brow furrowed slightly. He looked up at the boy again. “Rowan? That’s your last name?” The boy nodded. Will pushed the papers back into the envelope.
“Was your mom Dr. Natalie Rowan by any chance?” Another nod. “I worked with her at Columbia, when we were both at Irving. I heard about her passing this morning, and I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Fresh tears rose to Xavier’s eyes, his chin trembled, and Adam felt his heart clench. “Can I hug you?” he asked before he thought about it, but Xavier nodded, and he pulled the boy into his arms.
Xavier released huge, body-wracking sobs into Adam’s shirt, and the son of Jupiter held tight. He watched Sophia step out from behind Xavier, her eyes a little wet, and take his suitcase to the bottom of the stairs. Will hovered nearby, too, but let Adam handle it.
It took several minutes for Xavier to calm down, but Adam didn’t loosen his grip until the boy did.
“I’m sorry I ruined your shirt,” Xavier mumbled, wiping the back of his hands across his nose.
“That’s what laundry’s for,” Adam replied, repeating Will’s words of all those years ago. He looked up at his dad and smiled sadly.
A clatter came from the living room, followed by a cat’s meow and a muffled, “Shit.” Xavier peered around Adam, curious, as Nico stumbled into the hall, eyes on his hip where he’d pulled up the fabric of his shirt.
“Did you forget we moved the table?” Will asked, voice a little tear-thick.
“Yes,” Nico grumbled, “I forgot we moved–” He paused when he saw Adam and Xavier standing beside each other. “Oh. Hello.”
“Hi, Papà. This is Xavier. Lester brought him to us.”
Nico glanced at the boy, at Will, at the boy again. “Okay.”
Then he seemed to shake himself to attention and greeted amiably, “Well, welcome! I’m Nico.”
“Xavier,” Xavier replied then looked up at Adam. “You all are very calm about Lester bringing me here.”
Adam shrugged. “The gods are like that.”
The boy screwed his face up and asked, “So, this is common? You just have random . . . Lester called me a demigod? So, random demigods show up at your door?”
“Let’s all go in the kitchen,” Will suggested. “We can talk while I finish making dinner.”
In they filed. Will went back to stirring the taco meat—Sophia stepping up to chop vegetables—while Nico, Adam, and Xavier sat down at the table, Adam’s dagger placed on the wood in front of the boy. They all filled Xavier in on the gods, life as a demigod, and who Lester actually was.
Will passed Nico the envelope, and Adam peered over his shoulder to see that it was adoption papers, officially listing Xavier as “Xavier Rowan-di Solace.” Nico pursed his lips, and Adam figured it was because this meant Xavier wouldn’t quite get the choice they’d ensured Adam had gotten. The son of Hades put the papers away.
“Dinner’s ready,” Will shared, and they all lined up to serve themselves. Adam watched Nico sneak an extra scoop of meat onto Xavier’s plate and Will check there were enough veggies on it, and he smiled to himself. It reminded him of his first night here, when the two men had welcomed him in and made sure he ate as much as he wanted. He was so scared, but Will was warm and Nico was steady, and it had already felt like home.
“I’m thinking movie night after dinner,” Nico said, placing his plate on the table before grabbing drinks for everyone. “Sophia, you’re welcome to stay, and I’ll shadow-travel you home when we’re done.”
“That would be great, Nico, thank you,” Sophia replied, taking her usual seat. “I’ll IM my parents after we eat to let them know.”
“Star Wars?” Adam asked hopefully. Upstairs, his bedroom still maintained its space theme.
Xavier’s head snapped up from his tacos, and he whispered, “Star Wars?”
“Star Wars,” Will confirmed. Adam watched Nico and Sophia exchange a glance and roll their eyes, but they were smiling.
“But nobody rushes their eating,” Nico reminded while sitting down. “We’re on summer break, we can stay up late this once.”
Adam groaned and pouted. “Saying we’re on summer break just reminds me that Sophia and I are going back to college soon.”
Will chuckled. “‘Oh no! I spent the whole summer at a camp for demigods and now I’m going back to a college for demigods with all my best friends! The worst!’” Another snicker to himself. “Besides, it’s your last year, it’ll be good.”
Adam stuck his tongue out and opened his mouth to retort, but Xavier asked, “Where do you go to college?”
“Sophia and I both go to New Rome University,” he answered, turning to the boy, “outside of San Francisco. It’s in the same place as Camp Jupiter.”
“And that’s where you went, too?” Xavier asked Nico and Will.
“No,” Will replied. “We both wanted to stay in New York, so we went to NYU.”
Xavier nodded, taking a bite of one of his tacos.
“Speaking of New York,” Nico started with a glance at Will and then back to the boy, “the papers in the envelope say we adopted you.”
Xavier looked up, eyes wide and mouth filled with taco. Nico raised his hands in a somewhat placating motion, but Adam knew they were about to go full-Italian, gesturing as he talked.
“And we are 100% okay with it," Nico continued, "so don’t worry about that! We realize you didn’t get a choice in this, though, so we’d like to talk you through options, but you don’t need to make any kind of decision tonight.”
Will hummed a noise of affirmation. “As Nico mentioned earlier, Camp Half-Blood is open year round, so if you don’t want to stay with us, we can make sure you’re set up there with everything you need. That’s what Nico and I did. Adam and Sophia both chose to only go to Camp in the summer, though, and you can do that, too, and live with us during the school year. Like Nico said, whatever you want to do, we’ll support, and you don’t need to make a decision anytime soon. And if you change your mind at any point, we will support you in that.”
Xavier’s brow was crinkled as he processed what they were saying. He looked over at Adam, who tried to smile encouragingly.
“Nico and Will are awesome parents, so I wanted to be with them as much as possible, but we have friends who love being at Camp year-round. You can’t choose wrong, it’s just whatever works for you.”
Xavier still didn’t say anything, just going back to his taco. Adam couldn’t blame the boy: it was a lot to take in, especially given everything else he’d recently experienced.
Will directed the conversation to a funny story about the cats’ antics from earlier in the day when everyone else was out, and soon they were all telling Xavier stories about the cats. In that way, they filled the meal until all of the plates were empty.
At that point, Xavier slowly asked, “Where–where will I sleep tonight?”
“My bed,” Adam answered automatically. “I’ll take the couch. It basically transforms into another bed, and I’m only here for another few nights, so you should get the real bed.”
Nico’s smile to Adam was proud and loving. He rose and started picking up dishes.
“Thanks for cooking, tesoro ,” Nico said and pressed a kiss to Will’s cheek on his way by. “You all go ahead and get the movie started, I’ll clean up.”
“Oh no,” Will replied, “you’re watching the whole thing. Adam and I will go help Xavier unpack, if Sophia doesn’t mind helping you.”
“I’d be happy to help Nico,” Sophia said with a genuine smile. She was a regular at the house—had been since they were children—but Adam still felt a wash of affection every time she blended into the family and moved easily through the space. He truly couldn’t imagine his life without her, his best friend.
Will led the way upstairs, grabbing Xavier’s suitcase as he went. Adam slung the backpack over his shoulder and told Xavier, “The room has a space theme, but if you don’t like it, you can change it.”
Will chuckled and shot Adam a fond look over his shoulder. “I think we’ll clear out the storage room and make it Xavier’s bedroom. It’s about time we sorted all of that out anyway, it’s like the Big House attic in there.”
Adam glanced back at Xavier, intending to fill him in on the joke, but the boy was busy looking around at everything: the photos on the wall, the bedrooms and bathroom through the open doors, Vito hiding just inside the door of Will and Nico’s room.
“There are two cats?” the boy asked.
“Yep, that’s Vito! Fumo’s the black one downstairs,” Adam explained.
Will stepped into Adam’s bedroom and set the suitcase in the corner chair. Luckily, most of Adam’s clothes were back in California, so there were plenty of hangers available for Xavier’s items. The boy set to work unpacking his bags while Adam and Will went about changing the sheets so he could have fresh ones.
“Wait, Dad,” Adam asked after a moment, “who did you think I was talking about when I said we had an addition? You said something about not telling you something that way.”
Will glanced at Xavier and then back to Adam before replying, “I mean, for a moment, I thought you were saying Sophia’s–”
Adam caught on. “Wait, what? Dad, we’re friends! We’ve never, I’ve never–!” And not that Adam didn’t want them to be more than friends, but he was in no way prepared to be a father himself!
“Good, that’s good,” Will nodded. “Just, you know, if you ever do, use protection!”
Adam felt his face burn and mumbled, “I’d like to die now, please.” Good gods, did everyone know about his crush?
Will snickered and tossed the duvet cover over the bed. Adam straightened it at the top and put the pillows on.
“Alright, Xavier, how’s unpacking going?” Will asked, stepping over to the closet to survey the boy’s progress.
“All done, I think,” he replied.
“Do you want to shower and get into PJs before the movie, then?”
Xavier looked up at Will with squinting eyes and a slight scowl. “Do I have to?”
Will leaned in and took an exaggerated whiff of the boy. “Mmm, I think it would be good for you!”
Xavier grumbled but allowed Will to show him to the bathroom and the towels there. Adam grabbed a pair of his own PJs for later that night, his spear from the corner to prevent any accidents with an over-eager eleven-year-old, his pillow, and his book off of the nightstand, setting them in a pile in the hall.
When Will came back into the room, he mused, “I wonder if he has a key to his mom’s place and any of his things there. Maybe I’ll check in the morning. Or,” he considered, “if he doesn’t have a key, maybe Nico can shadow-travel us all in.” He looked over at Adam, expression a little sad. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to get any of your things from your mom’s place when you were a kid.”
Adam shook his head. “You all made sure I could have anything I ever needed or wanted. I mean, shitty of the landlord to just toss most of it out, but at least he saved some pictures.”
“Yeah,” Will agreed, gaze moving to the photos of Adam and his mom on the bookshelves. “You have your mom’s eyes, you know. I mean, the color is Jupiter’s, but the shape is hers. And her smile, too.”
Adam walked over and wrapped his arms around his dad, feeling the hug be returned and tucking his face into Will’s shoulder. He was still just that little bit shorter, still able to hide there.
“Thanks for helping me keep her,” he murmured.
Will pressed a kiss to Adam’s temple and replied, “Of course, kiddo.”
After a few moments, Adam drew back and asked, “So, Xavier looks like Michael, huh?”
Will huffed, but his eyes were sad. “Caught that, did you?” He sighed, scratching his stubble. It was beginning to gray, as was the blond’s hair. “Yeah, enough. Like Michael did when I first met him, kinda. I mean, it’s not exact, but it’s there.”
“You miss him.” It wasn’t a question.
Will nodded and whispered, “I miss all of them.”
Adam reached his hand over and squeezed his dad’s arm, and Will placed his own hand on top. They heard the water shut off, and a couple moments later, Xavier padded into the room, dirty clothes in his arms.
“You can drop them in my laundry basket,” Adam told him. “I’m running a load tomorrow.”
Xavier nodded and did as told. “Star Wars time?”
Will smiled, pushing down his grief. “Absolutely, bud. Let’s go see what Nico and Sophia are up to.”
The three of them lumbered back down the stairs and into the living room, where they were greeted with a dessert spread, Sophia on the couch in bed arrangement, Nico on the loveseat, and the full list of movie options on the screen.
“Alright, Xavier, your choice,” Nico told the boy.
“There’s a right answer,” Adam informed him, nodding seriously.
“There is not,” Will protested. “He picks what he wants, and the rest of us enjoy it because they’re all good.”
Adam stuck his tongue out at Will, knowing full-well he wanted A New Hope. Adam preferred Revenge of the Sith because Anakin was hair goals in that one. Plus, both Anakin and Padme were really pretty in it.
Xavier looked between the two blonds and answered, “ The Phantom Menace, and we watch all of them in order until Adam leaves for college.”
“I accept,” Adam declared and then collapsed onto the couch like he was punctuating the statement, desperately hoping no one would comment on his choice to sit right next to Sophia when there was plenty of room available elsewhere.
“That’s, what? Two a day after tonight?” Nico asked Will. “We can totally do that.”
“Gods, I love you,” Will responded, grinning and eyes practically literally filled with hearts.
Adam threw a peanut M&M at him. “Well, let’s get this show on the road, then! Xavier, come sit with us and let them be annoyingly adorable over there.”
Will shot Adam a pointed look, but just walked over to curl up with Nico. Xavier scrambled onto the couch on Adam’s empty side, and Nico started the movie.
It was comfortable—all of them sharing the desserts and reacting to the movie. Upon seeing little Anakin, Sophia leaned over to Adam and whispered, “That’s what you looked like when we met.”
Adam faked offense, keeping his voice low, too. “Are you suggesting one day I’m going to become the head of an evil dictatorship?”
Sophia snorted. “Literally not possible for you. You put worms back in the dirt when you see them on sidewalks.”
“Well! They’ll dry out and die otherwise, and they’re important for the environment!”
“Okay, nerd.”
“Oh, like you don’t agree with me!” Adam hissed. “You talk all the time about how amazing the compost they create is. ‘Black gold’, you call it.”
Sophia flushed but couldn’t argue.
“Just kiss already,” Xavier muttered, and Adam whipped his head around to glare at him, cheeks very warm. “What?” Xavier asked, expression mostly innocent, except for the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “I’m talking about Anakin and Padme.”
Adam’s attention, if he was completely honest, was about 30% focused on the movie, 35% focused on Xavier, and 35% focused on Sophia. During the podrace, Sophia clutched onto his arm as pods crashed. While Anakin and his mom said goodbye to each other, Xavier sniffled and Adam wrapped an arm around him to pull him in. After Darth Maul stabbed Qui-Gon, Sophia pressed her face to his shoulder for a moment. When Palpatine became Chancellor, Xavier booed and pointed a thumbs-down at the TV.
Once the movie was over, Adam was loath to get up. He was warm, but in a cozy way. He wouldn’t mind if this is what every night looked like for the rest of his life.
Sophia ended up being the first to move, getting up to stretch. The rest followed suit, collecting the desserts as a group to put away in the kitchen.
“Alright, bud,” Will spoke up to Xavier, “let’s get you to bed, it’s late.”
Xavier scowled but didn’t argue. He looked at Sophia. “It was really nice to meet you.”
“It was very nice to meet you, too, Xavier,” Sophia replied. “I hope I’ll get to see you again soon.” She held her arms out for a hug, and Xavier’s cheeks flushed a little pink, but he went into the embrace.
When they parted, Xavier turned to Adam. “I’ll . . . see you in the morning?”
Adam nodded and grinned. “Yeah, we’ll have breakfast and spend the whole day together if you want.”
Xavier smiled shyly and accepted the hug Adam offered him, too.
“C’mon, upstairs,” Nico said to Xavier while he sent Adam a meaningful glance.
Will, Nico, and Xavier headed upstairs to get Xavier tucked in, leaving Adam to say goodbye to Sophia.
Back in the living room, Adam turned to her, bashful but smiling. “Well, thanks for coming to dinner. Who knew it would be so eventful, huh?”
“He’s sweet,” Sophia replied, hands in her back pockets. “I hope he’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Adam murmured, looking at the stairs.
“Well, I’ll see you at the airport, right?” Sophia asked, looking up at the blond.
“Uh, actually,” Adam started, weirdly bolstered by Xavier’s comments all night and seeing his chance, “I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner this week with me? I–I can come up to you?”
Sophia flushed, grin crinkling the corners of her almond eyes. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“Great! Okay!” Adam replied, trying not to seem too enthusiastic and resisting the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet. “Um, how’s Tuesday?”
“Tuesday’s perfect,” she told him. Then they were quiet for a moment, hopeful expressions directed toward each other.
“Okay, Sophia, time to get you home,” Nico said, coming around the corner from the stairs.
Sophia looked at the son of Hades and nodded before looking back at Adam. She hesitated a moment and then stood on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. Adam blushed and gaped.
Sophia turned back to Nico, who was softly smirking, and took his hand. They faded into the shadows.
Adam stood there a minute, mind utterly blank, before he managed to shout, “Dad! I’ll need us to watch the movies early on Tuesday!” He grinned, gleeful. “I have a date!”
“Freakin’ finally!” Will called down the stairs.
Adam changed into his PJs, brushed his teeth, and crawled under a blanket on the couch. Not long after he was tucked in, Nico materialized from a shadow.
“Hey, monello,” Nico greeted, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the couch. He pushed some hair back from Adam’s face and asked, “All ready for bed?”
Adam nodded. Voice quiet, he asked, “What do you think of Xavier?”
Nico smiled tenderly, the wrinkles beside his eyes deepening and silver hair glowing softly in the street lights coming through the blinds. “I love him already.”
“Me, too,” Adam agreed. “I’m worried he’s suppressing his grief over his mother, though. I mean, I know he had time to prepare, but still.”
Nico sighed. “He definitely is, and we should keep an eye on it, but I also think one of the best things we can do for him right now is make a safe space. He probably won’t open up until he sees that he can.”
Adam nodded and closed his eyes when Nico leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, same as he did every night when Adam was growing up.
“Sleep well, cucciolo,” Nico told him, rising to head to bed. “Sweet dreams.”
“You, too,” Adam called after him. “I love you, Papà.”
“I love you, too, Adam,” Nico replied with a final smile before walking up the stairs.
Adam curled into his preferred sleeping position and closed his eyes, letting the highs and lows of the day wash through him. New York was never quiet or dark, but Adam was used to it, and he was soon lulled to sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, hours after he fell asleep, Adam was roused by a weight dipping the couch. He opened his eyes to see Xavier crawling under the covers with a pillow in hand.
“Hey,” Adam croaked. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Xavier shook his head and settled his pillow next to Adam’s. In the low light coming through the window, Adam could see Xavier’s eyes glistening. He thought back to his first few nights living here, how much he missed his mother once he wasn’t constantly trying to just stay alive.
“Thinking about her?”
Xavier nodded, letting out a shuddering breath. “I–I miss her,” he whispered, voice cracking. “And I’m really sad.”
Adam pulled Xavier into his arms, uncaring of his dampening shirt. “I miss my mom, too. Every day.”
Xavier sobbed, and Adam let him, until the tears were dried out. Eventually, Xavier’s breathing softened.
Adam didn’t let the boy go all night. As he fell into sleep of his own, Adam reflected that he thought he was going to like having a brother.