Son of Hades

Nico

 

Nico Di Angelo was contemplating his new life in the Hades cabin with Hazel when the water nymphs of camp Half-Blood arrived. They smiled flirtatiously and twirled their hair just below the surface of the lake. Nico considered the possibility of scaring them away with his ultra-scary I'm-the-son of-Hades-you-had better-start-swimming look. He scowled at the water and was rewarded with a giggle from a particularly blonde, giddy nymph. He sighed in resignation and stood up from his perch on the rock overlooking the lake and surrounding hills and forest. He turned to go and walked straight into a wall of flesh. He jumped back and nearly fell into the water, to the great amusement of the now hysterical nymphs. Will reached out to steady him, and he felt a warm heat flare in his gut.

"You been avoiding me, Skull Boy?" Will asked, his mouth quirking in a badly hidden grin.

"I'm not avoiding," He mumbled at the ground. Will's hand hadn't left his upper arm, and he nearly went toppling again when he tugged Nico back down to sit with him on the rock.

"Sorry to surprise you, by the way." Will said, his tone nothing but mischievous. Nico didn't like surprises. And Will was the biggest surprise of all. Well...maybe he could make an exception, because Will Solace was the best surprise he had ever had.

"It's fine." For the life of him, Nico couldn't think of anything to say, so they sat for a while in an uncomfortable silence that Will seemed perfectly comfortable with. The evening sun glinted off the water. The nymphs started making kissy faces at them, puckering their lips and miming Nico and Will...well, Nico was already melting into a puddle of angered embarrassment on the inside, he didn't need to think about the details.

"Shoo." Will said, and to Nico's surprise they obeyed. He doubted his best Hades impression could have done that, but Will had a presence all unto his own and he didn't need to be intimidating to get what he wanted. Nico had figured that pretty quickly, after spending a whole month with him after the battle with Gaia, and the supposed death of Leo Valdez. He felt his face twist into a grimace, and he pushed away the memories that would plague him tonight anyway.

"What you thinking about?" Will asked, his eyes staying on the water, but his head tilting Nico's way. Hesitation and wariness gripped him for a second, and Nico had to force himself to remember that he didn't have to hide from Will despite his inhibitions about trusting people. In fact, he wasn't even too sure where he stood with Will. Where they...dating? No. Some days Nico just knew he was interpreting his relationship with Will the wrong way, and others the lingering touches and eye contact reassured him that they had something....but what exactly was that something? Confusion gripped him but he found himself answering honestly anyway.

"About Leo...it just doesn't seem...I don't know..." He trailed off, not sure how to form his thoughts into words.

"Like something that would happen to Leo? Yeah. I didn't get to know him that well before he flew off in that crazy dragon-ship of his. But he seemed like a guy who always had a plan, and if not, an idea of how to fix it." Nico couldn't agree more, and he said,

"The others are handling it a bit too well. I mean...mostly just Frank and Annabeth." Nico remembered a time when he would have buried any feeling like grief and, well, attachment in nonchalance and aloofness. He would have acted a lot worse than Frank and Annabeth, he would have bordered on complete jerk-ness. But things were different now. Now he had people to talk to, though he still learning how to act around them.

"I know it seems like they are moving on a bit too quickly. I think it's just how they deal with things. Then again, I don't know Frank that well, so I don't know. But I have known Annabeth for yonks, and I know for a fact that she feels more than she shows." Will was looking directly at him now, and Nico flinched slightly when his hand brushed his.

"For a son of Hades, you sure are jumpy." Will's eyes crinkled around the edges, and now the deep-eye-contact was making Nico nervous. He felt some flowers around him wilt.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, Skull Boy."

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