Butterflies

Chapter 14

Needless to say I love you all. I'm so tired all the time and I feel like giving up on the things I aspire to be, but then you all come along and put down a comment that makes me squeal with joy. I'm literally like a pig. It is horribly fantastic. And hayilliyah and thepeculiarpenner have both been sharing conversations with me which is brilliant. I seriously love you guys.

~O~

"So, this is the transport for the second great seven prophecy?"

The underground made a sound close to a wailing elephant and all the people standing swayed.

Currently the newly made crew were all riding a subway towards some destination Nico wouldn't tell them. With limited seats, only four of the seven could sit, so Will took the initiative and grabbed a handrail right in front of Nico, who was laid back with his arms around the small backpack in between his legs. He was really looking for a chance to talk to Nico, but the position wasn't great for small talk.

Jason was sitting the farthest away with a passed-out-Piper resting on his shoulder. He didn't look too annoyed. Lou Ellen and Cecil were playing some hand game that involved a lot of slapping and quiet laughter. Reyna, being as prideful as ever, took the second spot standing. After a guy tried to pinch her butt and she nearly decapitated him with what looked like a pencil, the area had cleared and left them with enough room to stand comfortably.

Needless to say it still wasn't very comfortable and Will was not getting any of the response he wanted from anyone.

"I think it's safe to say our budget was a little less than the first seven prophecy," Nico sighed and readjusted himself in his seat.

Jason chuckled softly and said, "Is that what we're going to call them now? The Seven Prophecies?"

"You got any better ideas, Thunder Cloud?" Nico asked with a laugh and then settled into a smirk with his eyes on Jason.

Will's inside boiled and he felt like screaming with frustration. Why is it always Jason? He practically yelled in his own mind. Why can't I be the one to make Nico smile first? What is wrong with me so much that we can share a kiss and not even look at each other the next day? His mind sent him through a whirlpool of self doubt and grief as he imagined Nico slipping through his fingers. Melting away from him into the shadows where Will's light would only make it harder to see him. His heart beat pulsed in his ears and all he could think was, Nico doesn't love me. I'm not worth it. I need to tell him how I feel, make him reply truthfully. I can't let it just keep on like this.

But his mind slapped itself and reminded him that he was being needy. That he was just being annoying and it wouldn't do any good to just keep on making problems.

The guilt built up and he kept quiet, just listening to the conversations happening with a dull aching in his chest that never seemed to go away.

"I'm interested in where you are taking us, di Angelo," Reyna commented, leaning up against a hand pole. Out of everyone here, she looked the most comfortable.

Nico glanced down at his bag for a second and let out a breath as he said, "Yeah, well it isn't that great of a thing, but I figured I should take you all there so that we can start this mission properly. With some kind of knowledge on the subject of the quest." He wrapped his arms around the backpack and laced his fingers together, resting his chin on the top of the bag. "I don't have much of an idea of what I'm doing. And going there will probably help me with this whole 'leader' business."

Will took in a painful breath and replied quietly, "I think you are doing a fine job as a leader, Nico." He watched for a few seconds, but Nico did nothing to acknowledge Will had said anything. He probably didn't hear him.

But that didn't make it any less painful.

The rest of the ride was a mixture of loud people and quiet conversations. Everyone seemed to be whispering, but that left it with a rolling wind of rushed words and raspy breaths. Six stops went by before Nico finally decided they were there, and it took ten minutes to get Jason and Piper off the subway. They narrowly missed the closing doors and both started laughing before Nico could even try reprimand them.

Will looked Nico in the face and noticed he seemed much more tired than normal. It almost passed as calmness, but his reactions were slow and he never seemed able to say exactly what he meant.

"Alright guys, its not to far from here, so, um, just stick together alright?" Nico blinked slowly and added with a sigh, "Also tell me if you get attacked and we will get to a safe battlefield or something. Just don't decapitate any mortals." Reyna missed Nico's tired glare that ended in a smile, as she was too busy not looking at him.

Everyone made noises of agreement, so Nico turned around and walked them out of the crowded gray station. When they made it above ground, Will couldn't believe at all what he was seeing.

It was like a thousand colored raindrops were swirling through the air and the scent that followed them was sweeter than any girls perfume. Magenta drops fluttered around Will as he stepped forward towards the bending trunks and vibrant green grass. Everything graceful and beautiful about nature had been concentrated into one spot, a garden fit for the gods.

He didn't feel guilty anymore. He couldn't. The garden had sweeped it away in the mere forty seconds he had been standing there. Will felt like he could stand in the moment forever and be content, but a movement beside him made his heart flutter like the petals around him and he was grateful he looked. Because beside him was Nico, eyes closed, hands in pockets, completely relaxed and calm. He was inhaling the air and when the wind ruffled his hair, it almost seemed like he was being caressed with the breath of spring.

Will didn't know how Persephone didn't love Nico. He looked like the embodiment of all beauty of spring in that moment.

And then he sneezed.

Will jumped back slightly as Nico came up from the outburst, rubbing his hoodie sleeve under his nose.

"Sorry guys, but that might happen a few times in the next ten minutes," Nico said with a chuckle. Will couldn't help but grin at the hilarity of it.

So that's why Persephone didn't like him.

Lou Ellen, who had been caught in the same trance for a while, snapped out of it and asked, "Wait, Nico, why are we here again?" She paused and then corrected, "Never mind, not again. Why are we here? As you never told us to begin with."

"We're here to meet a friend," Nico stated calmly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "A wise one too, hopefully."

Will laughed and was surprised at how loud it was. "You have friends living in paradise, di Angelo? I never thought that could happen. I thought you were more of a dark and gloomy kind of boy." Will was even more surprised at how easily he had teased Nico, considering he was ready to die from grief on the subway over. The spring seemed to renew his senses a bit, like he had forgotten he was allowed to be William Solace.

And then it happened. Nico grinned and punched Will in the arm.

"Don't be a bastard, Sunshine," he said playfully.

Will's heart exploded with relief and all the feelings he felt for Nico poured back out. He had a nickname and a smile. A grin. And the most comfortable atmosphere that Will was afraid it was a dream. Nico wasn't avoiding him or forgetting him, and he did not smile at Jason more than he did at him. It was all self-conscious thoughts Will had made up only to make himself feel bad. But none of it was true because right now Nico was laughing with him.

And Will fell so much harder.