Fate Withstands

Chapter 6

When he woke up next, it was dark in the small bedroom. He could see Minos's ghost, however, could see its outline in the pale moonlight. He wanted more training. He always wanted more training. And as much as it pained him, Nico tore himself from his bed and did as he was told.

His powers would grow fast, Minos warned. They had stopped during his time in the fields, and now they were ready to make up for the lost time. He needed to be prepared. He needed to harness them. If it hadn't been for the upcoming war, Nico wouldn't have wanted to.

What was so great about his powers, anyway? The shadows didn't speak, the skeletons he learned to raise didn't do much better. And he yearned for conversation, a yearning he wasn't sure how long would last. But as he was away from Percy, training, all he could do was want to talk to him again.

He crashed again, this time more violently. When he awoke, Will Solace was over him, his eyes closed and blond hair shinning. His hands were against Nico's bare chest, over his heart.

"Stay still," Percy's voice ordered. Nico couldn't see him as the shadows danced around his vision. "Let Will do his work."

Nico focused his attention on Will Solace, looked at that perfect face as he felt himself gain control. He could feel the shadows melting out of him, feel them as they transferred over to Will. And damn, was Will good to look at. Nico wasn't sure if it was his powers or his looks that actually ended up helping him.

Will opened his eyes, the blue irises full of shadows. Before Nico could speak, he blinked and they were gone.

"Am I going to have to ban you from using your powers?" Will asked.

"Huh?"

Will looked to Percy in exasperation. "That took longer than usual. I was afraid I might have to do it in parts."

"And if you had to?" Percy asked, standing by the door. His arms were crossed and he was in full worried parent mode, which Nico found cute. Damn, everything was cute about these two boys. Their eyes, their hair, their differences, Percy's height, Will's freckles, the way they talked and breathed and-

"He would get sicker while we waited in between," Will answered. "Who knows if it would kill him in that time or not."

Nico rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't kill me. I'm fine. Totally fine. Percy, have you thought about that thing I asked you?"

Percy's eye twitched. "No, I haven't."

"Hurry up and think on it," Nico ordered. "We could do it soon, all we need is-"

"Nico, Will's here to help you, not to talk about that." Percy cut in. "We can talk about that later."

Will cleared his throat. "Okay... Nico, you need to have ambrosia or nectar when you're training with your powers. They aren't like Percy's. They're like mine. You can't use it too much at a certain time. They can consume you."

"Warning taken." Nico swallowed thickly. That boy's face when he got serious...

Will forced a hoodie over Nico's head. "And keep the warmth in. You may have been dead but you're not anymore."

"Noted."

Will cracked a smile. "Promise to take care of yourself? I have to get back to camp, now. I doubt having three demigods sitting together for so long is good."

"How long have you been here?" Nico asked.

Will shrugged. "Couple hours?" He looked to Percy, who nodded. "Yeah, a couple of hours."

"Doing what?" Nico asked. "You couldn't have spent that much time on me...right?"

"Is that shocking?" Will asked.

Nico nodded. "I'm literally a dead boy."

"Not anymore." Will patted his shoulder before getting up. "Take care of yourself. You've got people that care about you, you know. You can't go throwing yourself into the shadows all the time."

"I'll try not to." His breathing was getting heavier. Why was his heart beating so fast? Damn that Will. Damn these crushes. Damn his gayness.

Damn, he was gay. Nico let it sink in as he finally admitted it to himself. He was gay. These crushes, they weren't curses. They were just...him. He could imagine that Percy felt that way about most girls, and a lot of girls felt that way about Percy. It was just...

"I'm a teenager." Nico groaned.

Will glanced him over before chuckling. "Yes, yes you are. Are you just now realizing that?"

"I...it's nothing." Nico wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, trying to keep the shivers in. "Thanks for helping again."

"No problem." Will's smile was blinding. "I'll be going, now."

Nico tried not to show his disappointment at his words. "Oh..."

"I can show you out," Percy spoke up. "Do you have a ride back to camp?"

Will gave Nico one last smile before following Percy out of the room. "Yeah, I have bus fair..."

Nico laid back in his makeshift bed as he waited for Percy to return. The war was getting closer, he could feel it. Something big was going to happen. And he needed to get Percy prepared.

When Percy walked back into the room, Nico sat up with a serious face and stressed voice. "The River Styx. You need to decide."

Percy hung his head. "I know."