Two Odd Princes ~ A Solangelo AU ~

Chapter 9

Will quickly caught up with Nico. They were right outside Hades office door when Will grabbed Nico's shoulder. Nico tried to pull away, but the other boys grip tightened.

"What are you doing," Will asked.

"Getting answers," Nico replied, placing a hand the door knob. Will pulled him back again, keeping him from barging into the office.

"For what?"

Nico sighed in annoyance. "My father isn't going to tell up anything on this assassination attempt unless we make him. That means he won't give us any information in who it is, what to look out for, or what we should expect. He thinks it will help keeping us in the dark, but it won't."

"Look," Will said, letting go of Nico. "I know you're concerned for your sis--"

The door opened and Nico entered. Will sighed, realizing he should never have let go of Nico. He followed the other boy in, not know what else he could do now; obviously, his mind was already set.

Hades looked up from his desk when he heard the door open. He was surprised to see it was Nico; he assumed that he would stay as far from him as possible, not wanting to see the man who threw him out of his own home. It shocked him even more when he saw Will following behind him.

"Nico," the king spoke in a cold tone. "Go back to your room; it's safer there."

Will shut the door, knowing that their conversation would escalate at some point.

"No," Nico said. "I want to know about this person that tried to hurt my sister."

"We have it under control. It's none of your concern."

"But it is," he struck back. "What if this person goes after me? After Hazel or Will? How else are we supposed to defend ourselves if we don't even know what we're up against?"

"The guards are being doubled. There's no ne--"

"No," Nico's voice rose, causing Will to flinch a little. He hadn't seen angry and he didn't like it. "I want to know how I can make sure they don't go after B again. I don't care if they come after me, and I know you don't either, but I care about protecting my sisters."

Hades still refused to tell Nico anything, and Will didn't intervene; he didn't want to get on the King's bad side or Nico either. Both of them were shouting loud enough to be heard from outside; heck, the whole palace might have heard by now.

The door opened once again, but now Princess Bianca stood in the doorway. She didn't look happy either.

"You two," she shouted, "need to get along better." She turned to Will and told him to leave the room and check on Hazel, which he did without hesitation. Once the door was shut all the way, she continued. "I don't care if you're both still holding grudges from two years ago, but there is a guest here that has no idea about it. What y--"

"Then tell him," Hades said, trying to come to a compromise. "Then the prince will understand the family problem."

"First off," Nico said, "it's not for anyone to tell; it's for me and me only. Second, family problem? Are you saying that my sexuality is a problem?"

Before another argument started, Bianca took over.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about! Dad, please, try to act a little more mature about it. And, Nico, stop being so... so stubborn all the time and learn when it's time to intervene. I know you're only trying to help, but you need to know your place."

Nico frowned, realizing what Bianca wanted. This was the first time Nico had been home for more than one day in two years and she just wanted everyone to get along.