Misery Loves Company

Nothing Good to Come

Will didn't know exactly where he was walking to until he found himself outside of Cecil's building. The red brick apartment building was a generous size, like many of the other 'Hero Housing Centres' that had been built to accommodate the Greek war veterans who transferred to New Rome after the Giant War or the Battle of Nero's Tower.

Will climbed the interior stairs, knocking on the door. Lou Ellen opened the door seconds later, an annoyed scowl on their face that quickly dissipated upon seeing him.

"Finally ready to kick him out?" Lou Ellen asked, stepping aside to allow Will inside.

"At least you're not angry with me." The son of Apollo muttered, entering the apartment and sitting himself down in one of the leather armchairs. Lou gave him a questioning look.

Will frowned, "It just feels like everyone's angry at me right now. Like it's safer to assume everyone in my life is a little pissed at me right now."

Lou Ellen collapsed onto the armchair across from him, "Any particular reason for that?"

"Nico."

"Anyone in particular who's angry with you, or are you just going through a late teenage 'everyone hates me' phase?"

"Nico, Percy, Annabeth, Hazel..." Will counts them off on his fingers.

"So Nico, his sister, and the guy who's known him since he was ten years old and would do practically anything for him, plus said guy's significant other who is also close friends with Nico." Lou Ellen said dryly.

Will really didn't know what to say to that.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is of fucking course they're going to take his side! Now, do you want my opinion on whatever shit you've gotten yourself into or..."

"I just- Nico and I were having a good morning, you know? We were talking about our soulmarks, explaining the new ones that had appeared these past few years. He was telling me about his wings. I don't know, it felt like it used to. And then, he just closed off again, he was all cold and distant."

"What did you ask him about?" Lou asked.

"He has this weird golden not-soulmark on his forearm. At least he told me it wasn't a soulmark, that's all he would say."

"Ok, weird. Has he told you why he left, or where he's been?"

Gods Will hadn't realised how preoccupied he had been with Nico in the apartment, how had he gone so long without talking to his best friend?

Will summarised everything he now knew about Nico as briefly as possible. Which is to say, very briefly given how little information he had. Nico had left for an unknown reason, got a sparkly gold tattoo that he decidedly didn't want to discuss, faded at some point and was gifted literal wings from the God of Death which fixed it, became Heir of Hades and Ambassador pleni-something of the Gods among other things, and at some point Persephone stopped turning him into a flower.

"And these titles he has, are they important?"

"Important enough to warrant Hades coming to our apartment because he missed a meeting on Olympus." Will mused.

Lou Ellen chewed their lip. "Sounds like he's got a lot of responsibilities these days and that maybe there's a lot of things he can't tell you."

"He could tell me, I'm his soulmate for Hades sake!"

"I don't think your being soulmates would matter all that much to Styx." Lou replied wryly. "Have you maybe considered that he physically can't tell you anything? I'm not defending him. I hate the guy for what he did to you, you know that. But he was forced to keep the Romans a secret during the war."