Halo- A Solangelo Royalty AU

Chapter 1

~Remember those walls I built? Well, baby, they're tumbling down. And they didn't even put up a fight. They didn't even make a sound~

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"Nico, lovely of you to finally join us." My father addresses me from his throne. King Hades seemed tough, which he was, but many made false accusations about him. He was a kind father. He didn't neglect me when my older sister, Bianca, had died, he took in my step sister, Hazel, and he accepted me when I came out as gay. 

But he was extremely sarcastic when he wanted to be. I roll my eyes.

"Good morning father. Why did you call me in here so early?" I ask. I knew exactly why; I was turning 18 tomorrow. 

"You know why, son. Tomorrow you turn 18, which means this weekend, we will hold the ball. You have some decisions to make and only five days to make them. Better get started," He says. He waves over one of the maids, Juniper.

"You are to work with the our ally princes and princesses to plan your ball. Miss Juniper will assist you as well." He nods at Juniper, signalling for her to escort me to the ballroom. Once we're there, I notice all the nearby princes and princesses already there. I immediately recognize almost all of them. 

Over the years, I've become quite close with many of the heirs for nearby kingdoms. A group of us meet up often to "hang out", without the added stress of being royalty. I smile and wave to Prince Percy and his wife of two years, Annabeth. I nod to Princess Piper, who's sitting with her soon-to-be husband, Jason. I say hi to Prince Leo and Princess Calypso who are chatting happily. Leo's not 18 yet, but they are bound to marry once he turns of age. I greet many other royalty before he walks through the door.

Who, you may ask? Well I'm just as confused as you are. 

The boy walks in confidently, blue eyes set with determination. Determination of what? I don't know. He walks across the room sitting down in the last seat. I tear my eyes away from him, clearing my throat. 

"Hello everyone, thank you for meeting me today. As you may know, tomorrow is the day I turn 18, meaning in a week, I will hold a ball to choose someone that will rule with me when I become king," I say, choosing my words carefully. I know that my father said I could be open, and most of the people here knew I liked boys, but I decided not to say it to everyone just yet. I continued my speech.

"After careful consideration, I've decided to have a masquerade ball. Unlike other masquerade balls, mine will be different. Everyone who comes to the ball, who is at least 18 years of age and is not married, must leave something behind. That's all to be said for now. My father has assigned everyone something to work on, I will be helping with the plans as well. Thank you for your time and please enjoy your stay here." I close off my rehearsed speech. Everyone got to work, planning out the different parts of my masquerade. I got to work on assisting everyone and planning my outfit in my sketch book when I wasn't needed. 

"Nico!" I hear Hazel call for me. I turn to see her with our General, Frank Zhang, who she also happens to be dating. Hazel and Frank are one year younger than me, and will likely marry next year. I smile at them, grabbing my sketch book and making my way over. 

"General Zhang, sister, is there anything you need me for," I tease. Hazel rolls her eyes, shoving my shoulder. Frank chuckles a little. 

"Nope! Just checking in on my brother. How's the planning coming along?" She asks. 

"It's going quite well actually. You can stay and help out if you wan-" Before I finish my sentence she drags the general by the hand, rushing to help Princess Piper plan out the decorations. I smile as she frantically waves her hands explaining her ideas. I lean against the doorway, opening the sketch book and continuing my drawing. I feel someone watching me and decide to call them out.

"Hello, do you need my assistance?" I ask, not looking away from my drawing. Someone sucks in a breath behind me. I close the book, turning around. It's the boy from before.

"I-uhm-no-I- uhm I just wanted to meet you," He admits, laughing nervously. I tilt my head. Usually people avoided me. Even my friends were really only my friends because of my father.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Prince William Solace of Euphoria." He extends his hand which I grab. 

"You probably know me but, Prince Nico Di Angelo of Dream." I let go of his hand.

"I know. My father is King  Apollo," He says. I recall learning about king Apollo. 

"How old are you?" 

"18 as well."

"Did you hold your ball?" I question.

"Not yet. That's actually why I'm here." I looked at him confused.

"My father sent me to help, but also to find someone to marry."