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The campfire crackled and hissed, throwing sparks into the crisp, cool air. It was Halloween, and for once, today was normal. Kids dressed up, went trick-or-treating, and pulled creepy pranks that didn't result in death.
So Will had less work today, which made Nico pretty happy.
In the dark of night, lit up with Halloween lights and decor, with the cleaning harpies gone for one night, Nico made his way to the Apollo cabin. He had asked Will out to the campfire on the beach.
Will called it a date, but Nico wasn't sure if it was a date, since they'd be surrounded by friends.
The thought still didn't stop the racing of his heart, though.
He was going on a date with Will!
Nico adjusted his jacket, the chill biting against his cheeks as he walked towards the golden glow of the Apollo cabin. Music drifted through the open windows (Thriller by Michael Jackson playing for the fifth time within an hour), and he could imagine Will laughing and dancing with his siblings.
He really was in love with Will if the thought of him smiling made him slightly happy.
He knocked on the door before he could chicken out on this "date."
When the door opened...
"How do I look?"
...Will was a vampire.
Not even a creepy vampire (He was too cute to pull that off); he was more fitted to be in Twilight than an actual horror movie.
"Is that supposed to be scary?" Nico asked, hiding his smile behind his hand. Will frowned, then pouted.
"Not everyone can be naturally spooky, death boy!" Will argued, crossing his arms. "Where's your costume?"
"You just said I'm naturally spooky. Why would I need a costume?"
Will scoffed. Nico watched him briefly head inside, annoyed, then come out with a sneaky smile that could rival Connor's, with Kayla and Austin as back-up.
"C'mere."
Nico has been in enough life-threatening situations to know this was a trap.
Even if Will was the cutest threat to his life.
"Hell no."
Nico had a decent relationship with Will's siblings.
It could've been better if Will's siblings hadn't immediately jumped Nico at the snap of Will's fingers.
And yeah, he could've shadow-travelled away if it weren't for Will straddling him once his siblings got Nico pinned down with a black marker, cat ears, a tail, paws, and an "innocent" smile on his face.
Within five minutes, Nico was a black cat.
"See, was that so hard?" Will asked, loving his artwork on Nico's face.
Will, due to being Nico's crush, gets a pass.
His siblings tho...
Will looked back at his siblings getting chased by zombies.
"Rude," Will commented, but did nothing more than drag Nico towards the beach, leaving his siblings to fend for themselves.
"Some counselor."
"Shut up. They kinda had it coming."
That's what they get for the teasing and making kissy faces behind their backs.
The beach glowed with orange string lights and jack-o-lanterns. Most of their friends were around the big fire, talking and laughing, echoing with the crash of the waves. Nico could smell roasted marshmallows as he approached.
Sadly, Percy and Jason were the first among many to see them arrive.
"Nice costume," Percy called, grinning like a Cheshire cat, dressed like a Smurf. Any other day, he would be thankful to be around a shirtless Percy, but now...
He was still kinda thankful, but more respectful now.
"I was forced by a lunatic vampire," Nico deadpanned, side-eying a proud Will.
Jason snorted. "A black cat is fitting for you."
"Right!" Will agreed.
"Come on, Nico, hiss a little. You can do it." Percy teased. Nico bit his inner cheek.
"How about I claw you, instead?" Nico threatened, but forgot he was wearing cat mittens Will forced on him.
So his threat fell flat, leaving his friends to laugh at him.
They will never let him forget about this moment.
Other than embarrassing, it felt surprisingly... normal.
No quests, no prophecies, just friends, sugar, and the sounds of fake monsters and a Halloween playlist.
And, as Will finally apologized to him with a soft smile, being around a crush that didn't bring pain to his heart.
As the night went on, Nico realized that Will really did view this as a date. They shared sweets, teased each other relentlessly, and after begging, danced near the fire to a weird ass song while Will laughed. The whole time, they never left each other. They talk to their friends, always in arm's reach, and only once their eyes find each other, causing Will to blush and look away. When Nico realized Will was shy from being caught, well, that meant he had a chance, right?
This was a date.
Their first date.
So he had a chance...
Nico didn't know what to do with that information.
"Alright, who's ready for a ghost story?"
Everyone gathered around the campfire, candy or s'mores in hand. Nico and Will sat on a shared blanket, Nico briefly thinking if now would be a good time to hold Will's hand, or if they had to talk about that first.
"So long it doesn't include any of us dying," Someone said, causing a few to laugh.
"Well, I have this one story Dionysus told me, Lou, and Will a week ago," Cecil suggested. Will looked a little unsure.
"I don't think we should do that one-"
"Why, scared?" Lou asked with a grin. "Besides, I kinda want to test out the song. Sounds like a spell."
"I'm not scared!" Will argued, then looked away sheepishly. "I just... I think we should wait until it's daytime."
"Now I'm a bit curious. It couldn't be worse than what we have to deal with daily." Percy voiced. A few others chimed in, not wanting to hear any childish Halloween stories. Outside the borders, and occasionally in camp, they already have to worry about possibly getting harm. They had to learn how to wield a sword, blades, staff, shield, whatever, just to live a longer life than the life expectancy of sixteen on a good day.
The least someone can do is tell a good story without using the monsters they know exist.
Isn't that the point of a story?
"Alright, fine. Tell it." Will relented with an eye roll. Nico moved in close to give Will support.
"Um, if the story is too scary, you can... Well, I can..."
Now, how in the hell can he protect Will from a story?
Will smiled at Nico's softness, placing a hand over his. Nico felt his heart jump to his throat.
"Thanks, Neeks, but I wanna see this play out. But just stick with me if you get too scared. I'll protect you." Will said. Nico blushed.
Will protecting him?
Nico looked away before he could make more of a fool of himself. Everyone quieted down as Cecil cleared his throat, being dramatic.
"Word for word, this is what he told us. A long time ago, long before Chiron ran things here, there was a camper named Dorian. He was a son of Apollo, and said to have a voice like a siren."
"Are we sure the camper's name is Dorian and not Jordan?" Percy asked, bringing up Dionysus's bad habit of saying the wrong name deliberately.
"Or Corbin?" Jason added.
"Or Adrian?"
Several laughed, but didn't deny that the name could be wrong. Cecil shrugged.
"I don't know, but this was the name he stuck with. But anyway, the name isn't important. His voice was. It was said that his singing voice was just as powerful as charmspeak. Dionysus said he used to come to this beach and sing, but no one knew what he sang."
Everyone looked at the water, starting to see the fog cover the surface, but otherwise, it was pretty quiet.
"One night," Lou chimes in, "he went down to the shore. Rumor has it that he heard a voice possibly respond to him. The next morning, a camper found footsteps in the sand, leading straight into the water. No thrashing, no signs of struggle. Dorian vanished without a trace. But after that night, you can hear him sing, calling for you to join him wherever he is. He did try to claim a few people, but he would always spit them back out, traumatized. No one knows what he wants, but he wants something."
"How did the song go, Will?" Cecil asked. Nico looked at Will. He never heard of a camp legend like that, but he also never stayed in camp long enough to hear it. Still, he never heard of a Dorian in the underworld. Nico looked at Percy, who looked just as confused.
He probably didn't sense anyone in the water, but Nico wasn't sure if he could sense centuries-old bodies in the water.
Nico looked at Will.
Was the story true?
Will cleared his throat. "I apologize, but I don't have a siren-like voice." He said beforehand, then sighed.
"One, two, the lake calls for you.
Three, four, don't cross the shore.
Five, six, the mist plays tricks.
Seven, eight, decide your fate.
Nine, Ten, he walks again "
Nico's first thought was that Will had a nice voice.
His second thought: What the fuck?
The fire popped, causing a few to flinch.
"Some say," Will warned, "when he comes, he'll say a name, beckoning for you. If he ever makes it out of the water, don't look at him, don't listen to him, and don't try to befriend him. If you do, he'll take you, drag you to the lake, and no one knows what he'll do once he has you. Maybe, just maybe, he'll spit you back out, but you'll never be the same again."
A shiver ran through the group, some scooting away from the water, the fog growing thicker.
"But it's just a story Dionysus told us to stop annoying him. Nothing to be afraid of." Will added.
The group still stayed quiet.
The sea breeze shifted, colder this time, cutting through the warmth of the fire. The fog curled closer, brushing the sand like slow-moving fingers.
"I'm not saying I believe it," Percy said carefully, "but that rhyme sounded a little too real."
"Percy," Annabeth warned softly, feeling slightly creeped out. She was not trying to die looking like Smurfette.
"No, seriously," he continued, half-joking but frowning at the lake. "You all saw that, right? The mist's just appeared out of nowhere."
"It’s just wind," Will said too quickly. Nico caught the way Will's eyes flicked toward the water anyway, searching for something he didn’t want to find.
The lake rippled once.
"Totally wind," Leo muttered. "Wind that makes perfectly circular ripples. Yeah, that's fine. I’m good. No nightmares tonight."
Lou tossed another log on the fire, though it didn't make the warmth return. "Maybe we should call it a night."
Will laughed, nervous this time. "Come on, it's Halloween! We can’t just-"
From the lake came a sound like soft laughter.
Everyone froze.
And then, faintly, a voice sang:
"One, Two, the lake calls for you..."
"That's not funny. Who's doing that?" Piper asked, but no one spoke up, looking at the lake in fear.
"Three, Four, don't cross the shore..."
"I can't sense anyone in the water. Nico?" Percy hurriedly asked. Nico shook his head. He couldn't sense anyone alive or dead. Everyone stood up, ready to fight or run. Nico took hold of Will's wrist. He'll shadow-travel them to fucking Japan if they couldn't figure out what was going on.
The fog slowly steep into campgrounds.
"Five, Six, the mist plays tricks..."
"Stay close to me, Will," Nico ordered. Will didn't respond. Nico could hear everyone pairing up and stepping back. Nico decided to do the same, pulling Will along. The fog was slowly growing thicker.
"Seven, Eight, decide your fate..."
"Don't move," Will said calmly, planting his feet.
"What? Will, we have to go!"
"Nico, trust me. Don't move."
Nico heard something slow and wet stepping their way. "Don't move," Will shouted. No one responded.
"Nine, Ten, he walks again..."
Will fiercely move Nico behind him just as Nico began to see eyes. Nico held onto Will, his other hand on the hilt of his sword. He was not giving up Will for anybody.
"Son of Apollo... William Andrew Solace... Join with me, brother."
Nico felt Will move and drew his sword, but didn't know where he was aiming it. He couldn't see the owner of the voice.
Actually, he was pretty much surrounded by fog. He couldn't see any of his friends, camp... he could only see Will, only because the blonde was right in front of him.
Still, he moved to the side and pointed his sword forward.
"Will isn't going anywhere. He stays with me." Nico growled. A wet, bony hand grabbed Nico, and he could see eyes. A see-through figure, a lost soul filled with agony and sorrow.
"Son of Hades..."
"I'm not alone," Will said softly. "He's here with me. I'm sorry that you died alone, but let us help you put you to rest, brother." The ghost, Dorian, looked back at Will with tenderness.
"Come with me..."
Will shook his head. The ghost pushed, begged, slowly growing angry as Will shook his head. So Nico made it more evident since he was being ignored. He moved in front of Will, then pressed his body against Will, forcing the blonde to back up. Will held onto him, making Nico more protective.
"He stays with me," Nico said firmly. He watched the ghost grow angrier, trying to get closer. Percy couldn't sense anyone or anything because the body was long deteriorated. As for why Nico couldn't sense the soul earlier, it was an older soul who had more practice concealing itself.
Possibly never left the water until it had to.
"Don't swing your sword. You don't know what is actually in front of you." Will quietly warned. Nico nodded, but kept his sword up. Fine, he'll send Dorain away another way.
"You wandered this realm long enough," Nico said sternly. "By the order of your Ghost King, you will go to the Underworld, where proper judgment will be done, and your fate will be decided."
A fissure opened up to swallow up Dorian, now that he was on land. Dorian cried out in anger, then reached out to take Will with him. Will only got caught by the arm, scratches tearing his skin. Nico pushed back further as Will yanked his arm away, wrapping tightly around Nico.
Nico watched Dorian fall before closing the fissure. He heard Will pant against him, slightly trembling. First, Nico waited for any other threats, determined to protect Will.
But instead, the fog slowly dissipated, revealing a new reality. Instead of everyone being wary of the water, everyone was up, looking at him and Will fearfully, Percy and Jason in front of his sword.
"His eyes are less dilated now."
"Can they hear us now?"
"Nico, please put your sword up."
"What happened to Will's arm?"
Nico slowly put his sword up, blinking, confused.
"What happened?" Nico asked, feeling Will slowly unravel from him.
"Dude, you two panicked. Was the story that bad?" Cecil asked, though, looking concerned for Will's arm. Nico looked at the water, which was still and quiet. No one saw what they saw.
Nico looked at Will, seeing him holding his arm.
First things first, take care of Will.
"I'll explain later. I'm taking Will to the infirmary." Nico said before shadow-traveling them away. They walked out of the dark corner of the dimly lit infirmary, which was thankfully abandoned.
Will sat down on a cot as Nico pulled out supplies, remembering the little training Will had given him about how to patch up small wounds. "This might hurt a little." Nico cleaned Will's arm off; thankfully, the scratches weren't as bad as the blood made them seem.
"Do you think Dorian was lonely?" Will asked. He winced a little when Nico disinfected the wound. Nico shrugged, but knew the feeling all too well.
"Maybe, but even so, it doesn't mean he gets to take you." Nico started wrapping Will's arm, pretty snuggly that which made Will proud.
"You're getting good at this," He said softly.
"I've had a good teacher." Nico kept his focus on the gauze instead of Will's eyes. "You're lucky it was shallow. Any deeper-"
"I know," Will murmured. "You saved me."
Nico finally looked up. "Of course I did!" The words came out sharper than he meant, full of leftover adrenaline and something deeper. Will smiled at that, tired and grateful.
It was funny. Just earlier, he was nervous about a date, about holding Will's hand, but now, he couldn't let go of Will even if he tried. Nico held his hand, calming down, feeling the warmth from Will's fingers.
They'll tell Chiron what happened tomorrow, not wanting to ruin the Halloween mood.
"You think Dorian found peace?" Will asked, breaking the silence.
"I sent him where he needed to go," Nico answered. "That's peace enough." Will nodded slowly, then looked at their tangled fingers. When he looked back at Nico, he wore a pretty blush.
"Thank you, Nico." Nico was about to voice that there was no need to thank him, but all his thoughts halted when he felt a soft pair of lips press against his own. Almost timidly, a bit sticky from the smores, but oh so perfect.
Nico kissed back, silently telling Will this was fine.
Because, compared to the fear of almost losing Will, no amount of nervousness was going to stop him from receiving his first kiss.