Rival Lovers-A Solangelo STORY

Chapter Twelve

The third girl. . . It was like she was beckoning him with her eyes.

She had creamy skin, with bright red lips and startling brown eyes, surrounded by dark eyelashes. Her midnight black hair looked soft, and it was so dark it almost looked blue. It was held loosely behind her back, some strands falling to frame her face. Her body was being covered by a crimson red dress, going all the way down to her heels. The way she stood was imposing. She was smiling sweetly his way, although he wasn't sure wether her smile reached her eyes.

It's not like Nico was attracted to her in any way, shape, or form. In fact, ever since he met a certain blonde guy he was sure he had upgraded his gay by 110%. However, that didn't stop him by being drawn to her, like he should know her already, like the way she stood and looked at him beckoned him without her saying anything.

Deep inside himself, he knew that what he was doing was completely wrong. Almost as if his mind was at war with his heart, except it wasn't his mind or his heart, it was hers. Like the princess was making him feel like he needed to choose her, and only her. It was the weirdest feeling ever, and it made his blood boil.

Hades suddenly appeared right by his side, distracting him completely from his thoughts, and breaking the girls gaze away from him.

For the first time, he was thankful for his father's presence.

"Ahh, Nico, let me introduce you to these wonderful ladies," Hades cleared his throat, adjusting his tie as if introducing people would take a great deal of his energy.

Pointing to the blonde one, he began, "This is Annabeth, who came all the way from Athena's pack, one of the brightest minds in the Chase family line. She would make a wonderful wife, and help you make those great decisions for the kingdom."

Annabeth smiled at him, but her eyes told her that if he chose her, she would make his life miserable. Her steel gray eyes judged him so much that Nico had to cast his view elsewhere.

Hades outstretched his hand to the next girl, the one with the fierce almond eyes and square jaw.

"The next lady here, she's Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano," Hades narrated. So her initials were...

"Trust me, she would make a great queen, and if you ever go into war, she's the best option here, as she's the best warrior of her land, the land of Bellona."


Reyna cast him a gaze that held war, so he quickly discarded her in his mind.

Nico's heart began beating faster when Hades got to the third girl, except he didn't know why. He wasn't nervous, or scared, so he didn't know what this feeling meant. He didn't feel butterflies in his stomach like when he was with Will..

Stop thinking about Will! You're literally choosing your bride right now...

Nico cleared his mind, just as Hades pointed to the next girl with caramel hair. "This is Atalia-"

And then Nico's thoughts were cut off, and he couldn't hear what Hades was saying. The girl's eyes met his, and she held it in such a way that Nico couldn't seem to let go. He wanted to look away so badly, but he couldn't seem to disregard her. She just kept locking daggers.

Nico tensed up immediately, standing up a bit straighter (AN: haha) and swallowing the discomfort down.

Then Hades' gruff voice brought him back. "-Nico. You mustn't choose one right at this moment. You can dance with them all night, or talk to them, until you make your final decision. I'll leave you now," Hades walked away, leaving Nico staring after him. Only, that Miss Annabeth and Miss Reyna were leaving too, chattering soft words to each other so that Nico couldn't hear.

When Nico looked back to where they used to be, only Atalia remained. Her name seemed slightly familiar, even though he'd never heard it in his life.

"Nice finally meeting you, Prince Nico." Nico was startled by her silvery, velvet voice. She spoke in a flat tone, but she smiled sweetly at him, and he noticed that she had taken the moment to actually honey her stare.

Nico wasn't sure how to respond to that. The only girl he'd ever really talked to was his sister.

It was only then that Nico noticed her outstretched hand, so he took it, feeling soft skin. It was cold and smooth, like marble. It reminded him of every other aspect of her. The way her face and hair looked like it was carved from it, so perfect and unreal it was almost alarming.

Instead of letting go, Atalia guided him to the dance floor, where other couples were swaying to music already.

Before he registered anything, he felt a strong grip of his shoulder, the other one on his palm. Atalia looked at him expectantly, so he quickly grabbed hold of her waist and positioned his other hand correctly to hold hers. She smirked slightly at him, like she knew that Nico had no idea what he was doing, and began moving her feet to the soft tunes.

Fortunately he did have dance lessons, so this part wasn't very difficult. Except that Atalia kept glancing straight at his eyes, like she wanted to get to see him better, but couldn't. Maybe it was because Nico was hiding emotions, maybe it was because his hair was currently falling into his eyes.

It seemed to be both, because the girl lifted the hand resting on his shoulder and removed the stray strands of hair that currently covered Nico's eyes.

"You should let people see your eyes more, they're quite attractive," she observed.

Nico nervously shifted his glance elsewhere, feeling his face heat up slightly. It was very possibly noticeable, considering his pale complexion. "Um, uh, thanks."

Very smooth, Nico.

She chuckled, an amused look in her eyes. He didn't know the reason, or if he should be laughing as well. He wasn't good at understanding ladies.

Adjusting his coat slightly, Nico cleared his throat, resembling what his father had done earlier. "Do you want me to get us some drinks?"

She looked confused for a moment, but smiled, "Of course."

Nico walked away briskly, heading straight towards the tables with champagne. But something made him stop in his tracks, holding two glasses in his hands.

Standing in the far wall, waving at him and winking, was Will Solace, clad in a formal suit and blending in perfectly with the crowd.