Rival Lovers-A Solangelo STORY

Chapter 11

Alas, the time for the ball arrived soon, sooner than Nico anticipated.

He was not very mentally prepared.

So to speak, his father had given him an outfit, a way to fix his hair, a way to speak, and even a way to walk! He followed only half of those things, but he still hated his life at the very moment.

Not only that, but in about half an hour, everyone was expected to be arriving, and Nico still wasn't ready.

In fact, he was outside in the woods, in his wolf form, just roaming the forest grounds and trying to clear his mind. Or perhaps it was more like he tried to calm himself and concentrate. Focus on the fact that this was happening, and he was going to get married. Only that then, he sensed another presence, but he didn't freak for he knew that it was his boyfriend, Will Solace.

"What're you up to now? Isn't today that 'special day'?"

Nico turned his snout towards the tall blonde, inspecting the boy while he could. After he mentally rolled his brown eyes at Will, he roamed his sight across the blonde's body, looking at the sweat on his collar bone, getting lost in his sky blue eyes and gazing longingly towards his lips. He still vividly remembered how they had felt just the other day, when Will had sneaked into his room and they shared kisses. He was wearing the same flannel he wore when they first stumbled across each other, Nico recalled.

He slowly turned back to his human form, nodding slightly at Will.

"I just don't wanna get ready," Nico explained. "I'm too lazy."

"But that's the best part!" Will exclaimed, his bright eyes widening. He walked towards Nico, taking his hand and rubbing it soothingly. "Look, we'll find some way to get you out of this, I promise," Will whispered close to his face, his breath ghosting over Nico's nose.

"Okay."

"In the meantime, go get handsome for everyone," Will squeezed his hand.

"I don't want to get handsome for everyone," Nico grumbled stubbornly, like a child. Will just rolled his eyes.

"Then go get handsome for me."

Nico cocked an eyebrow at the blonde boy in front of him, and after five seconds he hesitantly let out an "Alright."

Nico squeezed Will's hand, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before saying his goodbyes. Turning back to a wolf, he sprinted off, leaving only paw marks for Will and dust in his face.

However, when he got back to his room, he was surprised to find that Will, in fact, was actually sitting on his bed waiting for him. The outfit Nico had picked out earlier lay on the covers of his bed, Will's fingers expanding the fabric so that he could look at it better.

"You're going to wear this?"

Nico simply sighed quietly, walking slowly towards the tall boy and playing around with the cold ring on his finger.

"I hate how you're so fast. And yes, Will, but I don't really have a choice," Nico pointed out, examining the outfit one more time. It was a red velvety tunic, with gold designs embroidered all over the chest area. His black trousers laid out next to it, and on the floor some new shiny boots. It was the most royal clothing he's ever worn, and along with it was a black coat. The coat had a golden pin with a wolf, and all in all he thought it looked pretty cool, but at the same time he didn't feel comfortable in clothes that were clearly meant for looking good for a bride.

"I think you'll look perfect," Will whispered under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck and shyly lifting the corner of his mouth. "You need to shower though, you probably stink," he helpfully added, wrinkling his nose.

Nico almost considered asking Will if he can help him on the task, but he got in the shower. Will left, and he finally finished getting the outfit on. With a brush that rarely helped, he desperately tried to tame down the floof of his hair, until he finally got it to actually look slightly attractive, waved down one side.

So down he went, to the main hall where the event would be taking place. He stood next to Hades, while Persephone nervously paced back and forth in anticipation of the other Queens.

Now, Nico was nervously tapping his foot right next to his father, flitting his eyes from every corner of the room to see all of the people that came. He saw women in fluffy dresses that probably took half of their space. Some more toned down than others, however still looking ridiculous in his opinion. Guys with either exaggerated suits, or others looking like they woke up like that and just arrived. Nico couldn't wait to meet the girls he would be choosing from, and not because he was excited, but because he was extremely nervous and he wanted to get over it. What if they were like three years older than him? He was only sixteen, for God's sake!

That wasn't the case.

His dad cleared his throat to grab his attention. He noticed everyone had stopped talking and dancing, making way for three beautiful girls dressed in nice gowns and with nice hairdos. How he didn't notice this, he wasn't sure. But the ladies were approaching, and the only thing he was happy about was that they seemed to be his age. Or for the most part.

The first one had golden curls, like a princess in a story. It was tied messily into a bun, but it managed to look beautifully elegant, with a pin on her hair that resembled a beautiful flower. Her dress was a dark, midnight blue, a nice length so that he was able to see her high heels. They made her slightly taller than him, so he was intimidated. However, the thing that made him intimidated the most was her face. She was pretty, of course, except that her eyes looked like they could kill you in an instant. If looks could kill, Nico would've already been in the Underworld. She looked about sixteen, the exact same age as him.

Moving on, the second girl looked older than him by about a year. The first thing he noticed about her was actually a small scar on her face, slashing through one of her dark eyebrows. Her eyes were a deep brown, and they held an even more regal power than his father. She looked fit to be queen, although she was quite young to be one. She looked like a warrior, with her regal look and her scar, and her strong jaw. Her hair was dark and shiny, tied into a long braid that fell on the side of her exposed shoulder. The other side was covered with purple silky fabric, that fell into a long dress.

The third girl....