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Nico woke to the steady patter of rain. He smiled to himself- Hazel liked the rain. Nico missed Hazel, the way she reveled in the gloom as tiny drops of water glistened in her honey-colored hair. Hazel, his almost-sister, daughter of his father’s ex-girlfriend. She was gone now, two towns and an hour of driving away, leaving him with his horrible stepmother and stepsisters.
And now Nico was crying. Angry at himself and his tears, he snapped the rubber band on his wrist, barely flinching as it added to the collection of bright red bracelets circling his pale skin.
“Nico!” Drew called. “Hey, princess!”
Shit. So it was going to be one of those days. He pulled on an oversized black t-shirt and beat-up jeans and he stumbled down the hall toward his sister’s massive bedroom.
“Go make breakfast,” she demanded, somehow sensing his presence. “Mom’s out today.”
“Yeah, okay,” Nico muttered, hiding his swell of joy at the news about his stepmother. Maybe he wouldn’t have such a bad day after all. With Medea out of the house, Drew and Octavia would never notice if he left for a few hours.
He hurried downstairs, made a half-assed attempt at breakfast, and slipped out.
The rain had stopped by now, but the newly-woken streets still lay under a thick blanket of pale fog. The ancient trees lining Nico’s street cut jagged, shadowy shapes in the mist. He kept his head down, dodging low-hanging branches as his feet followed the familiar path to Jason Grace’s house.
He knew all the shortcuts, all the obscure, gloomy alleys, and in only a few minutes he was at Jason’s back door.
Jason’s girlfriend, Piper McLean, pulled the door open before he had a chance to knock. Holding a finger up to her lips, she grabbed his hand and led him upstairs, past Ms. Grace’s bedroom, to Jason’s “hangout room”- more accurately described as the entire third floor of the house. Jason lay on his back on the couch, feet propped against the wall, playing air guitar and singing along to the song blaring through his giant speakers.
“Hearts on fiiiiiire tonight! Feel my booones ignite!”
“Oh, god.” Piper clicked off the speaker and punched her boyfriend in the chest.
“Hey!” he pouted.
“C’mon, Jase. Nico’s here- at least try to be normal.”
Jason turned, electric blue eyes lighting up behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “Hey, bro!” He didn’t ask why Nico had fled to his house- he already knew everything. Nico loved that about his best friend. Jason didn’t need to ask uncomfortable questions or make him feel pathetic. He was trusting, loyal, kind, and pretty much everything else Nico’s family wasn’t.
“Hi. D’ya mind if I hang here for a little?”
“Nah, of course not. Actually, we were hoping you would show up. Pipes and I have something to tell you.”
“Jesus. What is it?” Nico hated surprises.
It was like Piper could read his mind. “Aw, don’t worry, you’ll like it!” She smiled, her features dazzling and flawless. “Well, at least I think you will.”
Nico rolled his eyes, but grinned a little despite himself. It was impossible to be annoyed with Piper.
“Um,” said Jason. “It’s...you know that guy you like?”
It was, however, possible to be annoyed with Jason. “Come on, that’s none of your business!” Nico was blushing furiously, dark eyes burning holes in his old Converse.
“I’m your best friend! Or course it’s my business!” Jason retorted, indignant. “Anyway, he’s throwing a Halloween party! And you’re going!”
“WHAT?!” Nico could feel his heart spazz out. “Halloween? That’s TOMORROW!”
“Exactly,” said Piper. “We’ve got it all planned out! My dad is taking your stepmom on a date, so she won’t be home. You can come over to Jase’s house and we’ll get you ready. Someone will watch Medea, and when she heads back to your house they’ll text Jase. We’ll extricate you from the party, and no one will ever have to know you were there. Except the cute blonde guy, of course. What’s his name- Westley?”
“It’s Will, and he won’t know I’m there, because I’m. Not. Going.”
“Oh, and there’s one other tiny detail.”
“Yeah?”
“Hazel’s gonna be here. At Jason’s house. Seven PM tomorrow, right before the party.”
“Fuck you guys. This is not fair. You’re using my sister to lure me out to this stupid party?”
“Yup,” Jason beamed proudly. “Annabeth helped come up with the plan.”
“Annabeth is in on this?”
Jason nodded. “And Percy, and Leo.”
Nico swore. “You really suck, you know that? But whatever. I’ll go.”
The way Piper was smiling made him more nervous than he would let on.
----------
At exactly 6:30 PM the next day, Mr. McLean, gorgeous and charming as always, escorted Medea di Angelo into his sleek black sports car and sped away. Nico felt bad for the guy- Medea was about as hot as a harpy and as sweet as her ancient Greek namesake. Nevertheless, he was grateful, because Mr. McLean gave him just enough time to lie to his sisters and hurry to Jason’s house.
Piper opened the door and led him up the stairs, explaining breathlessly that Jason was already out, tailing Mr. McLean and Medea.
Nico twisted his silver skull ring around his finger, excited to see Hazel but dreading the party.
As they reached the third floor, he was ambushed by hugs and greetings from all sides. Lean, blonde Annabeth. Handsome, green-eyed Percy. Dark, impish Leo. He pushed them all off, muttering something about his ‘no touching’ rule. Because there was only one person he really wanted to see.
And there she was. Hazel. Warm as melted chocolate, radiant as pure gold. When she hugged him, she smelled like cinnamon and happiness. “Omigod, Nico!” she squealed. “This is gonna be so great. Me and Pipes have your costume all planned out. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! Oooooh, that Will Solace won’t be able to resist you.” She grabbed his wrist and dragged him, embarrassingly enough, to Jason’s bedroom. Piper was already digging through Jason’s clothes, tossing things at Nico. He caught a pair of black jeans, a white dress shirt, and the most ridiculous black-and-red waistcoat.
“No way am I putting this shit on!” he protested. “Why the fuck does Jase even have this?”
“Oh yes you are,” Hazel insisted, ignoring his question. Piper left the room with a knowing smile, and his sister swooped down on him, pulling his shirt over his head like he was a little kid. Now that was too much. He shooed her out of the room and put the stupid ‘costume’ on. The girls were waiting for him in the bathroom. Annabeth shoved him into a chair with unnecessary force as the other two descended, wielding glittering tubes and thick brushes.
Half an hour later, they were done. Annabeth, who had been hovering awkwardly, stepped forward to pin a long, black cloak around his throat and drag the chair over to face the mirror.
Nico stared. Clearly, he was supposed to be a vampire, but he had always thought of vampires as bloody, creepy, and generally cool. He did not look bloody, creepy, or cool.
Hazel and Piper had painted his hands, face, and neck white, making him even more unnaturally pale and completely erasing any hint of olive from his skin. They had flat-ironed his curly black hair into raven-feather bangs that fell just past his jaw. His lips were bright, rose-petal red. His obsidian eyes were lined thickly with kohl, lashes long and curled under the influence of mascara.
“Jesus. Fucking. Christ,” was all he could manage.
“Damn right, di Angelo.” Percy Jackson had appeared in the doorway. “You may not be my type, death boy, but you look damn hot right now.”
If Leo thought Nico couldn’t hear his explosion of giggles, he was sorely mistaken.
“Whatever.” Nico blushed through the thick makeup. “Let’s get this over with, okay, guys?”
“Sure, captain.” Hazel mock-saluted him. “But seriously, though, if you’re ready, Piper and I will take you right now.”
He nodded grimly, resigned to his fate. “Let’s go.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Annabeth promised. “We’re just going to get dressed really quick.”
“Take your time.” Piper winked as she and Hazel each took one of Nico’s arms and half-carried him to Marie’s car, which Hazel had borrowed for the night.
“Have fun!” Annabeth cried from the upstairs window.
“Oh, we will!”
----------
The party was dark, warm, and sweaty. The press of bodies and loud, horrible music was overwhelming. Nico had wanted out almost immediately. But his friends had set up the whole evening just for him. Tristan McLean was taking his repulsive stepmom on a date. He owed it to them to stay for at least a little while.
He hadn’t seen Piper, Hazel, or any of the others in almost an hour. Nico stood by the wall, swaying uncomfortably from side to side and considering having a drink, just to dull the pain of his ungracefulness.
And then he caught a glimpse of bright gold hair. Smooth, tan skin. His gaze locked onto a pair of shockingly sapphire eyes.
“Hey,” said Will. His tattered zombie costume showed a lot of skin, and his red and black makeup was mixed with sweat, smeared across his face. He looked slightly inebriated, but not enough that Nico was unsettled by the advance.
Nico almost melted. “Hey,” he squeaked.
“You wanna, you know, go somewhere a little more private?”
“Yes!” He knew he was coming off as too eager, but he honestly didn’t give a shit. Will Solace was asking him to...well, he didn’t know exactly what Will wanted, but, whatever it was, Nico was practically tripping over himself to give it to him.
The blonde boy grabbed him by the forearm and led him to a mostly empty hallway. “You’re pretty, you know? I think I might’ve seen you around, once or twice, but I never told you.” Will giggled adorably. “So, this is me telling you. You’re pretty.”
“Oh, my god. Thanks?! I-”
Will swallowed the rest of Nico’s sentence. His lips moved fiercely, expertly. At first, Nico was frozen with shock, too elated to respond, but soon he melted into the kiss, his mouth warring with Will’s, frantic, burning, blissful.
The taller boy’s hands moved down his back, slipping under his shirt, finding the mountains and valleys of his shoulder blades, his spine. Nico felt his touch on every inch of his skin, tingling, dancing with electricity. Strong, sure fingers sashayed along the curves of his slim waist, reaching teasingly for his hipbones.
Nico made a tiny, desperate noise and knotted his thin, spidery fingers in Will’s silky hair as he felt himself pulled closer, against the heat of the of the blonde’s solid, angular torso. Suddenly there was another hand on his arm, small but insistent, and a high, laughing voice in his ear. “C’mon, lover boy. We gotta go. Vámanos! Your evil stepmom is gonna catch you. Hurry up! Are you stupid?”
Nico groaned and disconnected from Will. “I’m sorry, I really have to go.”
“Wait!”
But he was already gone, Leo Valdez leading him through the crowd and out into the night.
----------
It wasn’t till he was safe at home, his makeup down the drain and Jason’s clothes stashed in his closet, that he realized his silver skull ring was not on his finger.
----------
The next day, at school, the news of Will Solace’s mysterious lover was the only topic of any conversation. Nico walked around with his head down, avoiding Will, convinced that he wasn’t so pretty in the daylight.
At lunch, his friends decided to stage an intervention. Piper whipped out her phone and brandished it in Nico’s face. “Do you see this?” she cried. “Do you see this shit? Literally everyone I know has texted me, asking if I know the guy. And look what Will sent me. That’s a picture of your ring. You know it, I know it, we all know it. He says the first guy who’s able to tell him what’s inscribed on the inside of the ring will be his boyfriend. He’s determined. Come on, you have to tell him!”
“How the fuck did he get that?”
“It obviously must have fallen off while you guys were, ah, kissing.”
“Aggressively making out,” Leo corrected.
“Anyway.” Nico glared. “There’s no way he’s gonna like me now. Not when he’s sober, and he sees how much of a loser I really am.”
“Dude, come on,” Jason protested. “Don’t be stupid. He’ll love you. He does love you.”
“He made out with me once, slightly drunk, at a Halloween party. ‘Love’ is a bit of a stretch.”
“Nico, enough, man.” Percy’s sea green eyes were wide, earnest. “You’re awesome. He’s tearing up the school looking for you. If you talk to him, he’ll know it’s really you. And if he can’t deal with you just the way you are, you’re way too good for him. Okay? Now go. Tell him what’s on the inside of the fucking ring. Get yourself a boyfriend.”
Nico didn’t move.
“Annabeth?” Percy nodded at his girlfriend. “Will you do the honors?”
The grey-eyed girl rose solemnly and lifted Nico out of his seat by his upper arms. Setting him on his feet, she prodded him towards where Will sat, across the cafeteria. “Go,” Annabeth ordered.
Nico felt his friends’ eyes on his back as he wove his way between tables and classmates. His legs were lead. He felt nauseous. He forced himself to keep going.
When he finally reached the table, the sight of Will’s face filled him with an odd confidence, almost like he was watching from out of his own body.
“Hi,” he said. The other occupants of the table slid to make room. He slipped into the seat beside Will, heart thumping wildly, pulsing through his bones. “The ring is mine." Will's nod was tiny, almost imperceptible, barely more than a raise of his eyebrows. "And there’s nothing inscribed on the inside," Nico continued, his voice quivering embarrassingly.
Brilliant blue eyes lit up with recognition. He turned, stared at Nico for one intense moment. Then, faster than should have been possible, he grabbed the sides of the olive-skinned boy’s face, pulling him in for a long, smoldering kiss.
It was even better than the first time. Nico felt sure. Bold. Wanted. Just for that moment, everything was okay. Nothing hurt.
He was sure everyone else could feel it, too. The entire cafeteria cheered.