Death's Reason

Chapter 5

Nico first took a notice for Will Solace after the Fall of Camp Half-Blood. Camp Jupiter was full of the wounded and panicked, and all hands were on deck for those who could still help. Nico found himself working alongside Will among the injured demigods, the two becoming an odd but solid team rather quickly.

Before then, Nico had only ever had a true crush on Percy Jackson. And after seeing him die not long before, never having been able to tell him, he was never expecting to form another so quickly, especially for a boy like William Solace.

But he found himself blushing, stealing glances, thinking along the lines of things he never should have before. And if the end of the world wasn't happening, he probably would have continued to live in the misery of it all for years. But he didn't. He found it in himself to tell Will before he could die, just as Percy had.

He never expected Will to kiss him when he found out. He never expected himself to kiss him back.

And as the days went on and Gaea came closer, he found himself falling head over heels for a boy he was probably destined to be with. A fate he ruined by letting Leo Valdez live.

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Nico walked passed the infirmary three times before he made himself find something else to do. Will was fine, Nico knew he would continue to be. But old feelings in a cold heart kept him checking up and checking up and checking up... No doubt it was starting to become suspicious.

Without any other choices, Nico found himself walking to the sword arena. Percy was in the middle of training on a dummy, Riptide slashing away with more skill than Nico expected at this point in time.

"Nico!" Percy turned around in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you to come around here. I thought Chiron was going to set you up with the Hermes cabin or something since you don't know who your godly parent is."

"I'm staying in the Big House," Nico dismissed. "I honestly don't know why I came here. I was just walking, I guess."

"Well...as long as you're here, want to spare?" Percy asked.

Nico sighed. He couldn't use his new sword, it tucked away under his bed in the Big House. One look at the Stygian iron and he would be found out immediately. "Got an extra sword?"

Percy grinned. "Sure do. Hey, I'll use one of the extras, too, so we're both at the disadvantage."

"You don't have to," Nico said.

Percy shrugged. "It's no problem. Come on, I'll show you the armory. We can both pick out a sword to use."

Nico reluctantly followed him through the camp, picking out a sword as close to his old one as possible when they got there. He hated the different material. He hated having to hide his parentage.

Percy twirled his practice sword in hand. "Ready to get back to the arena?"

Nico nodded. "I guess..."

"Don't be nervous, it'll be fun," Percy said as he started to lead him back. "And no one's going to be watching, so don't worry. It'll just be us."

"Do you not like when people watch you?" Nico asked, genuinely curious.

Percy shook his head. "Adds on to the stress of the fight, makes it less fun and more like you have something to prove. Especially me being a son of the Big Three and all. I know you wouldn't understand, but it's like everyone's looking at me to be something different than them. Something stronger. But I'm a half-blood, just like them."

Nico couldn't believe Percy was only fifteen. Already, the poor boy took all the weight around him on his shoulders.

"For what it's worth, I don't expect you to be superhuman," Nico said as they entered the arena. "You're a half-blood, just as you said. Your powers won't make you better than that. Only your personality, what you will do for others, your morals- That's what will make you better."