Death, Fire, and The Sun (ValdAngeLace)

Chapter One - A Fire In Your Heart

It was a normal sunny day in Camp Half-Blood. You know, the usual: sunny, satyrs and nymphs roaming around picking up litter with those pointy stick things, and not to forget the Aphrodite girls tanning on the sand. The others doing their thing, Athena kids creating things with the Hephaestus kids, Demeter's children helping the nymphs and satyrs pick up trash,planting little seeds of roses around the Aphrodite cabin, Ares' kids playing volleyball with Apollo's children, and last but not least, Clovis sleeping soundly in the summer grass. He was napping so soundly he didn't notice the two Hermes brothers, Travis and Connor Stoll, sneak up and do the whole feather and whipped cream prank. (Interesting fact, as opposed to contrary belief Connor and Travis are NOT twins. In the books it says they "Look so much alike that they could be twins" thank you now continue reading)

But where are our main characters you may ask? Well at least e know where one of them is at this time.

Leo Valdez, son of the lame (Meaning crippled you dick-cheeses) god Hephaestus, was currently in Bunker Nine doing repairs on the warship that was Argo II. He was tinkering with the Wii remotes controls used to steer the ship, thinking about how by now everyone in cabin nine and his friends in others cabins had heard bout the secret bunker in which Leo practically lived in. He just wanted to be near his old dragon boat friend. Ever since four of his friends left to live in New Rome. The four consisted of Piper, Jason, Frank and Hazel. they just found it more... safe there. They could continue their training in Camp Jupiter, and they could have a life there where they wouldn't worry about living in the mortal world.

Leo thought about leaving to New Rome, but he hadn't anyone to go with him. He didn't want to be the fifth wheel, yet again. So he stayed with his few friends in CHB. Nothing like having no friends am i right ladies? Yeah sure he had Percy, Annabeth and not to forget his brothers and sisters, but they didn't get him like Jason and Piper had. Those were he knew understood him. Through thick and thin they had his back. Sure Percy and his girlfriend were his friends but they were a couple. All the kids in his cabin looked at him weird now anyways. Who needed people when you had robots, right? Right.

Secretly Leo wished someone would hang out with him and help him with the boat, but his wishes never came true. Until today.

He heard a clanging noise three times, signalling that someone was knocking. Leo set down his tools that he he was currently using, stepping out of the ship and walking over to the big metal door. Turning the big metal hand wheel,Leo opened the door. He was wearing a torn up white t-shirt and blue jeans, his hair pushed back in a sparkly pink headband that he had stolen from the cabin full of fashionistas that was cabin ten. (Aphrodite) His face ad hands were covered in black grease from the warship and he had a do-rag(A bandanna) hanging from his back pocket. The Hispanic boy wiped his hands on his jeans and gave Nico a goofy grin.

"Hiya" he chirped, in an ecstatic tone. Wow someone to see me!! He was like a little puppy when it came to visitors. Nico's lucky Leo wasn't sniffing his ass.

"Oh uh..Hi. Chiron told me to relay this message to you, Come down to the pavilion for nightly meal. Or as translated, get your sorry ass to dinner." Ooh salty Nico is salty. Afterwards he promptly turned around to walk away, thinking 'Oh no he's hot'

"hEY wait! Do you wanna walk down together or something..? I mean you don't have to but..you know?" Leo smiled convincingly as Nico turned his head back towards the taller male.

"I have places to b-" Nico began, but was abruptly cut off by the bouncy Latino.

"Oh come on, we're all going to the same place. You can't have somewhere else to be."

"Well I do, so I am declining your humble offer."

"Bu-" Leo started, but this time it was the long haired Hades boy who cut him off.

"No means no." (a lesson all fuckboi's need to learn) Nico finally walked away from Leo, sticking his hands in his pockets. Our little sinnamon roll frowned but left him be, getting his work boots on and waiting for the Hades child to be out of sight then started towards the pavilion. He smiled up at the stars and moon as he walked.The moonlight lit his path through the forest and he could feel the chill of the summer breeze.

Yeah he missed Jason and Piper, not to even mention how much he missed the other couple, Hazel and Frank, but that wouldn't go away unless he forgot about his friends. He didn't want that. But they haven't tried to contact him since they left two months back. Leo guesses that they forgot about him completely. But maybe they were trying to give him his space.

Leo looked up at the cedar and pine trees that filled the spaces around him. He made his way through the winding path that was the trail to the camp. The leaves were green and soft, instead of the red and crunchy leaves that were soon to come.

He pondered whether or not he would be a year round camper or not. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go. he had no family that loved him or friends that he could stay with. 'Guess that means I'll stay year round.' he thought to himself.

Nico was another camper that would be staying for the rest of the year. With Bianca and his mother dead, there was no place for him. He was an unwanted child to his father, a mistake. But on that same account that means Thalia, Percy and Jason t would have been big mistakes as well. The three of the aforementioned demigods did great things to impress there godly parent. Nico was just a disappointment to his father.

"Be more like your sister.", "Why can't you do anything right?!", and "Get out of my house you..you disgrace!" were commonly heard from his father. Demeter's mother, Persephone always complained about Nico and how he will never do anything great in his lifetime.

So he was constantly thinking, "What would Bianca do?" and then he would take the approach to do it right, and fail at that. His dad and step mother were always sighing at his attempts to impress them and one day he just..gave up. No more, he decided. He hasn't visited the underworld since then. And that was about four months ago.

Once his dad found out from Aphrodite, yeah they talked occasionally to gossip on who was getting in whose pants, that Nico was gay. Well... he didn't take it well. His only child left, and he was a fruit?! Outrageous. Don't even get started on how Persephone reacted. They were both stuck in the nineteen fifties, where everyone was straight until proven guilty. And if found guilty, punished by excommunication. Or you know, public exile.

No one but Jason and the Olympians knew about his sexuality, and he preferred it that way. He did have his eyes on a guy or two, but for all he knew they were hetero. Nico was not going to confess his feeling unless someone told him first. He had to know for sure that his crushes were gay or at least bi or pan,before asking them out. And maybe even then he would probably never admit that he liked Leo Valdez and Will Solace. But don't tell him I told you. It's all hush hush. Though by the way he stares at them across the pavilion you could probably tell from a mile away that this guy was head over heels for the two bubbly characters. Will and Leo were just...how would Nico put it? Oh! how about the definition to hot. Literally. They just started something in this boys heart, something warm and wild, uncontrollable. A fire.