𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄// 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐔

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒𝟖// 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞

Nico awoke to silk sheets wrapped around his waist, and soft sunlight filtering through the curtains of Will’s room. It must have been early morning. He stretched, stifling a yawn, before turning to look at Will. 

Will was sleeping on his stomach, his curly hair sticking up this way and that. His face, which was turned to Nico, was partly cast in shadow, the sunshine highlighting the graceful curve of his back. He looked as lovely as ever. Nico took in every detail he could; it would be a while before he could do such a thing again. 

Carefully, so he wouldn’t wake him, Nico scooted closer and pressed a kiss to the top of Will’s head. Will stirred, but didn’t wake up. Nico laid down next to him, closing his eyes. 

He wanted to savor the peace as much as possible. 

☀️☀️☀️☀️ 

When Nico woke up again, Will wasn’t there. He found a note on the nightstand, which talked about a room three floors up that his friends were meeting up in. He quickly got ready and hurried to the place. 

Everyone was already there. Hazel was talking to Austin and Lee. Beckendorf, seated in a wheelchair, was discussing something with Leo and Reyna. Jason was laughing at something Percy had said. Will, Annabeth, Magnus, and Piper were playing some kind of card game that involved slamming your hand on the table to grab the cards. 

Nico walked over to Hazel and the healers with a smile. “Why didn’t you guys wake me up?” he teased. 

“We thought you’d need the rest,” Austin said, returning his smile. “You have a big day ahead of you.” 

Nico shoved down his anxiety, refusing to let it show. He turned to Hazel. “You said we’re leaving around noon, yeah?” 

His sister nodded. “We’ll arrive around evening, maybe nighttime. Are you ready?” She smiled when he nodded. “Great. I’ll check with Reyna and the soldiers after this to see if they’re ready as well.” 

“Speaking of which,” Nico muttered, lowering his voice, “Have they gotten any information from the prisoners? Have the Aureoles gotten anything either?” 

“Nothing yet. But the Jacksons think we’re onto something.” 

“I should've asked this earlier, but did the prisoners go with the other Shades, or are they here in the Aureole Kingdom?” 

“They went with the others.” Something like anger flickered over her features, but she hid it quickly. “They are traitors to the Shade Kingdom. They will be prosecuted as such.” 

Nico nodded, thinking of something to say, only to hear a shout from the card table. He turned around with a smile to see the Chase cousins laughing at something. 

“Come on, Mags,” Annabeth laughed, bumping his shoulder  with hers. “Use your brain!” 

“I don’t have one!” he wailed, making Piper cackle. 

Nico heard Hazel laugh at that, and he turned to see her smile. “Your friends are cool,” she said with a smile. “I’m happy I got to meet them.” 

His smile grew. “I’m glad I’ve met them, too. They’ve changed me for the better.” 

“I’ve noticed.” Her smile grew at his surprise. “You’re a lot…calmer. You don’t look like you’re expecting the end of the world constantly. You smile more, too. Back then, you only smiled like that around Reyna.” 

He didn’t know how to respond to such an observation, and simply nodded, turning to look back at the card table. Will slammed his hand onto the table with a shout of triumph, before leaping back, holding the cards over his head with a grin. Piper rolled her eyes, laughing, though Nico couldn’t hear her from here.