The Quest to save Apollo

Chapter 9 - Who is Nico Di Angelo?

Nico's POV
Why did Will have to be so annoying yet so cute at the same time? Will walked beside Nico and started shouting "I don't care! And it feels so fudging good to say I swear!" The thing was he wasn't even swearing. He nudged Nico to get him to join in but Nico shook his head. "C'mon Neaks," he started clapping his hands "I don't care and it feels so good!" Urrgh, what made it worse was that Nico liked his voice.
"Will!" Nico snapped, the border to Mexico would be close and then Nico would have to shadow travel them across a whole country but he knew he could do it, ever since transporting the Athena Parthanos he'd become something of an expert of shadow traveling and he was stronger. Nico realised he was still wearing Will's camp t-shirt. "Can I have my shirt back?"
"Why you look good in orange."
"Please Will." Nico felt himself blush as he begged his friend.
"I don't know why, you know black attracts the sun." Nico blushed harder.
"You know what keep it." Nico said he liked Will's shirt anyway, it was long and comfortable and it smelt like Will which was familiar and comforting plus orange didn't look that bad on Nico.
Nico looked at the sun it was starting to set after all the time it had been up but if it did set he wasn't sure it would rise again. The mortals had made some sort of story like it was the longest day of the year, well the sun had been in the sky for about three days Nico didn't really know how the mortals thought that that was just the longest day of the year. Nico stopped and pulled a bottle of water out of his bag to have a sip he wanted to be ready he'd probably pass out as soon as he shadow travelled. Will came up beside Nico. "You don't have to shadow travel if you don't want to." Will assured his voice laced with concern.
"I'll be fine Will."
"It's okay to be afraid."
"I'm not afraid." Nico said trying to sound as confident as he could even though he knew he could do it, ever since he nearly slipped into the shadow world it had made him afraid. "I can do this."
"I'm not saying you can't you're a lot stronger now but I know you're afraid Neaks."
"I'm not afraid!" Nico snapped. Will held his hands up in surrender and sat down waiting for Nico to get ready. He looked up at Nico like he was dreaming of something far away. "What are you thinking?" Will jumped snapping out of his trance.
"What? Nothing just thinking you know."
"What about?" Nico asked sitting beside Will, his blonde hair was electric compared to the now darkening skies.
"You." Will admitted there was slight awkward silence before he continued "Us, what we are." He turned his blue eyes towards Nico.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Nico stammered he felt happy but nervous at Will's comment.
"You're my best friend." He stated "and I'd go to the ends of the earth for you Hades I'd even die for you." Nico was shocked but Will wasn't looking at him anymore he was playing with his new black shirt.
"Yeah well I would hold the sky up for you." Nico said shuffling slightly towards the blonde boy, why hadn't Nico noticed how wavy and perfect his hair was.
"You held the sky... for me?" He turned his head to face Nico.
"Of cause."
"Right like I wouldn't get my sight back if you didn't."
"Not just that you idiot it was so much more I held the sky because of you." Nico gazed into Will's blue eyes which were a beautiful shade of blue like a tropical ocean. Will smiled his white teeth flashing a pearly white, gods he looked so much like Apollo. Will slapped Nico on his back, gently, jarring him from his thoughts.
"I just wish I could understand what you're thinking." Nico smiled at that, Will wanted to know him better. "Do my eyes deceive me?" Will practically shouted "Nico Di Angelo smiling?" Urrgh, annoying but cute.
"What do you want to know?" Nico asked raising his eyebrow.
"Everything and everything."
"Well I was left in the Lotus Hotel for seventy years so technically I'm really old. Then me and my sister, Bianca," Nico frowned remembering his sister he hated talking about this but Will was his best friend and he wanted to know more about him. "we got out and went to that stupid military school Westover Hall where that manticore tried to kidnap us but Percy helped, I guess the Hunters were the ones to officially save us."
"Anyway Bianca decided to join the Hunters and I was mad at her for abandoning me then when she went for the quest I was worried for her, Percy promised me that he'd look after her and I looked into his eyes and thought how could he fail? But she-" Nico stopped he was getting overwhelmed with emotions.
"It's okay Nico take your time." Will cooed.
"She died. I went a little crazy after that left camp became an outcast then for revenge I took Percy to the River Styx I knew it would actually help him to bring Kronos down but part of me was hoping he would burn up." Nico admitted feeling sad at his idiotic twelve year old mind. "He survived clearly, after the battle I left camp going to the Underworld still searching for Bianca but I found Hazel." A smile traced on his lips he remembered finding Hazel he knew she was different, important and now she was one of the few people he loved and trusted.
"Hades told me about Camp Jupiter which was were I took Hazel and Percy arrived in camp I couldn't believe it but of cause he had no memory. Anyway I got captured by those ugly Giants while I was in Tartarus-"
"Wait? You went to Tartarus alone?" Will asked his mouth slightly open.
"I went to find the doors."
"You're even more amazing than I thought."
"Yeah well I nearly died until yet again Percy and the other demigods saved me. I got swept up in the prophecy and transported the Athena Parthanos back to Camp Half-Blood and formed a bond with Reyna."
"And now I'm here talking to Will Solace." Nico left out the part about him having a crush on Percy and left little pieces of his past out because it was hazy and he was working from his memory. Will whistled.
"You Mr Di Angelo are an extremely extraordinary person."
"Why thank you Solace, what about you?" (A/N I don't really know Will's story since he's a 'minor' character so just roll with it)
"Well, I was a pretty normal kid I suppose, I had a good foster family but it always bothered me I didn't know my real parents. One day when I was on the playground at school when I was seven someone fell and scrapped their knee. I went over and I don't know how I knew but I muttered a few words in Ancient Greek and healed him instantly. The kid wouldn't stop calling me a wizard. When I was ten I had my first monster attack, a hellhound if you're curious and my foster parents freaked they said I was a demon and they locked me in the basement and had a priest come bless me and things."
"That sounds stupid." Nico couldn't imagine being locked in a basement as a priest threw holy water at you.
"Yeah well they thought I was a demon the thing was the priest talked in Latin so I could understand some of the things he was saying and it was so unbelievable, I can't even."
"Anyway I don't know how but I escaped I think maybe Apollo was guiding me because I found a saytr at the park who took me to camp. I met Annabeth there when she was eleven nearly twelve so it was close to when Percy came we made good friends. I was claimed the second I stepped off the Big House porch."
"During the Kronos war I was the medic but I fought as well."
"I saw you were amazing."
"Seems to me like demigods don't have good lives but you have had a really hard life." Will said dismissing Nico's comment. Nico leant back and thought for a moment he felt bear as though he had stripped layers off of him exposing himself, there was one thing Nico had to tell Will.
"I had a crush on Percy Jackson." Will's head snapped to the side in surprise but Nico focused on the horizon.
"Who hasn't?" Will said and Nico could hear the smile in his voice.
"Wait you have?" Nico turned to face the blonde boy and he was smiling looking at Nico.
"I did." Nico felt so much better the boys had revealed so much to each other and he felt so much more closer to Will.
"So, you ready?" Nico asked holding his hand out.
"Ready."