The conch horn blew, sending my siblings into a state of frenzy.They all ran forward, going on the right side to capture the red team's flag, as we were commanded to do so by Annabeth. I stayed back, though, due to my dislike of fighting. I was running a few yards behind the rest of the Apollo cabin when a flash of darkness caught my eye. Grinning, I turned and ran towards the moving shadow.
"You're going the wrong way, Solace," the shadow said, not stopping.
"I have to keep an eye on you. To keep you from getting the flag, Darlin'," I replied, easily able to keep up with the unusual darker streak running along in the black forest. The shadow stopped, reforming back into my favorite son of Hades. For some reason, my mind latched on to the fact that Nico was still wearing my yellow sweatshirt underneath his shining armor.
"And how are you gonna do that?" Nico asked, smirking.
"I have an idea," I whispered, hoping Nico couldn't see the blush that was forming on my face. Nico smiled as I leaned down, my face getting within inches of his. Nico cackled as he melted in to the darkness, Shadow traveling away. "Be careful!" I yelled, unsure if Nico could hear me. Cheers coming from deeper into the forest rang out all around the woods, bouncing off the trees. I hurried towards the clamor, and reached the creek that divided the two teams' sides. There I saw Clarisse being held up in the air by the rest of the red team, holding up the flag that she had presumably captured. Nearby stood Nico, grinning as he cheered along with the rest of his team. Nico caught me staring at him and sent a smirk my way. I laughed and motioned him over to me. He quickly walked over, a huge smile on his face.
"Where were we, di Angelo?" I asked, enjoying the pinkish tint that appeared on Nico's cheeks.
"Uhhh..." Nico stammered. I took up my position near Nico's face. His dark eyes were darting back and forth. Before our lips touched, Nico squirmed away. "Not here," whispered Nico, blushing as he looked around. I felt deflated. Is Nico embarrassed by me? Does he not want to be seen with me?
"Fine," I replied, trying to mask the hurt in my voice. "Then you're coming to the infirmary. I need to check up on you."
Nico frowned. "Why?"
"You could've faded away for good because of your Shadow traveling. I need to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine, Solace. I just jumped a few hundred yards. It's nothing to get worked up about," Nico said.
"You were also running while being masked by the shadows. I'm not taking any risks," I replied, grabbing Nico's hand and dragging him towards the infirmary in the Apollo Cabin. Nico groaned, but he did little physically to stop me.
+++
Once in the infirmary, Nico lied down on the bed and folded his arms over his chest.
"Aww, c'mon, don't be so grumpy, di Angelo. You know that you like spending some alone time with me," I said, waggling my eyebrows, unable to hide the grin on my face. Nico huffed, allowing a blush to creep onto his face from his neck. Nico waved his hand at me, silently telling me to come near him. I obeyed, taking a couple steps closer to the top of the bed and moving my head toward Nico's so he could whisper in my ear. Instead of whispering, though, Nico lifted his chin up, kissing my cheek. It was my turn to blush.
Taking my blush to mean that I was embarrassed, Nico stammered out an apology."I'm so sorry, Will. That was rude of me. I should've asked permission first. And even then you would've said 'no' probably-," Nico rambled. I decided that there was only one way to shut him up. I pressed my lips to Nico's, placing my hands in his hair. Nico wrapped his arms around my neck, kissing back fervently. I pulled away, needing air. Nico gave me a small smile, his face completely red.
"Why didn't you want to kiss me after capture the flag?" I whispered.
"I...I just don't feel comfortable doing that kind of stuff in public," Nico replied, looking away.
"Nico, you should've told me sooner. I wouldn't have tried to get you to kiss me. Is that why you were acting so strange at breakfast?" Nico nodded. "I'm sorry, Darlin'," I paused, contemplating my words. "Well, scoot over then. If we aren't going to do couple-y things in public, then we are going to do it alone." Nico grumbled, but I could see the smile in his eyes. He moved over and I sat down, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Nico groaned, but snuggled up into my shoulder, closing his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly. I leaned my head over and kissed the top of Nico's head.
"Goodnight, Death Boy," I whispered. I slowly shifted a little bit down on the bed so that I could go sleep as well, when a loud voice startled me.
"Ah, the son of Hades, I see. I guess you take after me for more than just my healing, if you know what I mean." I quickly looked down at Nico to make sure he was still asleep. He was.Nico let out a puff of air, moving a little bit.
I recognized the voice. Apollo? I thought. "Shhh!What are you doing here?" I whispered, careful not to wake Nico.
"Zeus finally decided on a punishment. I'm supposed to be Camp Director along with Dionysus. Isn't it great to have your dad so close to you all the time?" Apollo said, a little quieter.
"Yeah. Great," I deadpanned. All sarcasm was lost on Apollo.
"I know, right! So," Apollo said, rubbing his hands together. "Where are all my other kids?"
"They're at capture the flag, although, I bet they'll be here soon to tend to injuries." It took a moment for what I said to register in my mind. They'll be here soon! I shook Nico, effectively waking him up. He had started to protest, but eventually opened his eyes. Noticing Apollo standing near the bed, Nico let out a loud scream, tumbling off the bed. I moved to catch him before he fell, but Apollo was faster, running over and grabbing Nico by the waist inches above the ground.
"I'm not that scary, am I?" Apollo joked. I frowned, thinking back to breakfast when I had said the same line to Nico. The son of Hades obviously remembered, too, because his eyes swiveled, meeting mine as he crawled out of Apollo's grip.
"That's debatable," Nico mumbled, flattening out his shirt. Apollo obviously didn't hear because he had no reaction. I, on the other hand, busted out laughing as I felt my admiration for Nico grow.
"What's so funny, son?" Apollo asked, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
"C'mon, Nico. My siblings will be here in a little while to take care of injuries. Let's leave. Goodbye, Apollo," I said in reply.
"Why is he here? What did he want?" Nico asked. I relayed to him what Apollo had told me. We walked to the Hades cabin. Once we were in the doorway, I looked around for any people. After seeing that there were none, I kissed Nico on the lips, long and hard. I pulled away.
"Goodnight, Death Boy," I said, repeating what I had said earlier.
"Night," Nico replied. He placed a hand to his lips and closed the door. Once I was a few feet away from the Hades cabin, I jumped in the air, pumping my fist and cheering. I walked all the way back to the infirmary with a newfound spring in my step.
