Nico had been nervous walking through the labyrinth. He had been scared when he had faced Kronos. He had been frightened in Tartarus, and he had panicked in the jar.

But he was absolutely terrified as he walked towards the training grounds.

He had gotten a few Demeter kids to point him in the right direction. Now he marched towards it, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He had no idea what he was going to say if Will let him talk to him. All he knew was that he needed to apologize. He needed to at least try and make things right.

Hades, he was scared.

The sound of clinking swords filled the air as he approached. Slipping through the archway, he scanned the assortment of campers sparring on the field, searching for flashes of blond hair with his heart in his throat.

Standing apart from the older campers was a group of younger ones, all about eleven or twelve. They were standing in a line, awkwardly holding training swords and peeking at their neighbors' to make sure they weren't the only one struggling. And walking up and down the line correcting grips was Will Solace.

Nico was startled. Will was a healer, not a fighter. Then he remembered that, as head counselor- and a well liked one, at that- he was required to help out with the new campers. He knew the basics of sword fighting, of course, and he was probably excellent at teaching them.

Nico didn't want to interrupt, so he walked over to the benches and sat down, laying his sword down beside him. Then he turned back to the grounds and watched as Will demonstrated a basic thrust. His elbow stuck out just a little bit too much, and Nico wished that he could go over there and correct him, but he had the basic form down.

Just then, Will's eyes swept over to the benches and he locked gazes with Nico. Nico sat up straight, panic flooding him. At first, he assumed Will was going to smile, until he remembered that he was mad at him. Then he assumed he would glare at him, or roll his eyes, or even flip him off.

He didn't expect for Will to see him, blink once, then turn back to the campers as though nothing had happened.

Nico felt like someone had driven a dagger through his heart. Will's message was perfectly clear: he had seen Nico, and he didn't care. He was going to keep his word and not try anymore, which meant that Nico no longer deserved his time of day.

All of Nico's resolve flooded him. He couldn't do this. He had to get out of here, out of the training grounds, out of Camp Half-Blood- he couldn't stand to be in the same place as a Will Solace that had stopped caring.

He fumbled for his sword, ready to high-tail it out of there, when a shadow fell over him. He looked up, blinking at the two campers that had appeared in front of him. They were staring down at him, their arms crossed, and Nico realized that they were Apollo kids.

"What are you doing here, di Angelo?" the girl asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Nico slowly put his sword back down, not wanting to freak them out by picking it up. "Sitting," he said.

"Unless you're sparring or waiting to spar, you can't be on the training grounds," the boy next to her said.

That wasn't a real rule, and they all knew it. The campers were a little bit older than Nico, but he could have taken both of them in a fight with his eyes closed. They all knew that, too. But they were still glaring down at him, stances defensive.

Nico got to his feet, grabbing his sword. Both of them tensed as he clipped it back to his belt. "Fine," he said, turning to walk away. He stopped when one of them called after him.

"You've caused Will enough trouble, di Angelo. Just leave him alone."

Nico didn't look back at them. He walked over to the archway and, just before he exited, he glanced over his shoulder at the group of first year campers. Will was nodding as they replicated his thrust, all smiles and encouragement.

Nico turned and walked away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day Nico trooped up to the infirmary, feeling as though he was going to be sick. He had been ready to give the whole thing up after the incident on the training grounds yesterday, but his friends had refused to let him stop.

"You need to at least talk to him," Piper had said. "Even if he doesn't forgive you, you both need closure."

So, after breakfast, they pointed him in the direction of the infirmary and gave him a shove with the promise that they wouldn't talk to him again until he at least tried to talk to Will.

Closure, Nico thought to himself as he approached the infirmary. I can do that. All I need to do is get some closure. Okay.

Nico stopped in front of the door, which rose before him like the doors of death themselves. He bit down hard on his lip, shifting from side to side. He couldn't back out of this, not now. Closure.

He raised his hand and knocked.

After a moment, a voice called out, "Come on in!"

Nico slowly opened the door, peeking inside. The infirmary was empty except for a lone figure in the back, their head poked into the supply cabinet. It was Will. He didn't turn around. "Take a seat and I'll be with you in a few seconds!" he called.

Nico stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He took a few steps forward but didn't sit. He stood staring at Will until he turned around, his arms full of what looked like dirty rags.

He opened his mouth to say something, then caught sight of Nico. Immediately his expression cooled. "Are you injured?" he asked briskly, turning away and dumping the rags on one of the beds.

Nico wanted to turn and run. "No."

"Then I'll have to ask you to leave," Will said, starting to separate the rags into different piles. "I'm terribly busy and I don't have time for-"

"I need to talk to you, Will."

"That's a first."

Nico winced. Will kept sorting rags without looking up at him, his hands moving steadily. He looked perfectly at ease except for the fact that his jaw was clenched so tightly Nico was afraid he would hurt himself.

"I'm sorry," Nico said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. When Will didn't respond, he said, "Will?"

"I heard you," Will said without looking at him. He had sorted all the rags, and picked up one of the piles to dump into a box next to the cabinet.

Nico took a deep breath and spit out his next words as fast as he could. "I know you can never forgive me for that stuff I said but I want you to know that I'm really really sorry and I never wanted to hurt you because all you've ever been is a really good friend and I'm so sorry." He bit his lip to stop himself from continuing. Not even he really understood what he had just said, but he had absolutely no idea how to make Will understand what he wanted to say.

Will scooped up the rest of the rags and dumped them in the laundry chute, completely unperturbed by Nico's speech. "Okay," he said.

Nico felt his insides crumble. Will seemed completely unmoved by everything Nico had said, and he couldn't think of anything else to do. If Will wasn't ready to forgive him he at least wanted him to yell at Nico. He wanted Will to get angry and tell him what a lousy excuse for a human being he was. If this was closure, Nico didn't want it.

Will didn't look at him. Nico nodded, staring at the ground. "Right," he muttered, turning to go.

He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and he realized that there was something else he could say: the truth.

"I'm scared of you," Nico said, turning around.

That got him a reaction. Will looked up from the laundry chute, a scowl on his face. "What the hell are you talking about, Nico?"

"I'm scared of you," Nico repeated, his heart jumping around in his chest.

Will rolled his eyes. "If this is meant to be some kind of compliment, it's not working. I'm a doctor, I don't try to be scary."

Nico crossed his arms over his stomach as though that would shield him from the repercussions of his next words. "I'm scared of how you make me feel," he said quietly.

Will's expression changed. He stared at Nico, who couldn't meet his eyes. He had his full attention now.

"I'm scared because you're the only person I've ever met who I feel I can actually talk to," Nico said, carefully looking at the floor. "I'm scared because you're so popular and wonderful and for some reason you actually take time out of your day to talk to me, and I don't know why, but I'm scared because it makes me feel happy that you do. I'm scared because I could never leave Camp Half-Blood now because that would mean leaving you for good and I just can't do that and I don't know why but I'm scared, Will, I'm terrified of you and the only way I can express my fear is by lashing out and I'm not making any excuses because what I did was really terrible and I'm sorry because I never wanted to hurt you, I just wanted to stop being scared, and- and-" Nico put his head in his hands. "And I'm not making any sense, I'm sorry."

When Will spoke, he was several feet closer to Nico. "You're making plenty of sense, Nico," he said quietly.

Nico lifted his head to find Will watching him, his eyebrows furrowed. "You scare me, too," he said.

Nico looked away. "I scare a lot of people."

Will laughed, and Nico's heart leapt at the sound. "Not like that, you idiot. In all the same ways you're scared of me."

Nico blinked. "What?"

"Well, you know, you're…" Will motioned to him, and Nico shifted uncomfortably. Then he frowned. "No, I guess you don't know. Nico, you're… you're incredible. I talk to you because I love doing it. You feel like you can tell me everything because I feel I can tell you everything. You're funny and witty and loyal and-"

"I think you're describing someone else," Nico muttered, his cheeks hot.

"I'm describing you, Nico," Will said. "Why can't you just see that?"

Will was staring at Nico now, his eyes glowing with something Nico couldn't place. Nico took a deep breath. "Can you ever forgive me?" he asked, blushing when his voice cracked.

Will smiled gently at him. "If you promise never to do something stupid like that again… I suppose I can forgive you."

And then he took two steps forward and wrapped Nico in a hug. Nico, who never liked people touching him for more than a few seconds, squeezed Will as hard as Will squeezed him, pressing his face into Will's shoulder. He smelled like a warm summer day and antiseptics, a combination that shouldn't have worked but did. He smelled like Will.

They pulled apart too soon and stood there, staring at each other. Tension rose in the air, and Nico knew he needed to say something to break it. So he blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind: "I'm gay."

Will raised his eyebrows as the rest of Nico's life crumbled around him. He groaned, turning away and covering his hot face with his hands. Oh, Hades, he had just ruined the whole thing. Will was never going to be able to be normal around him now. What had he done? Why had he said that? He felt like bursting into tears.

Will cleared his throat. Nico slowly turned around, his hands sliding off his face, to see Will holding his hand out to him. He looked at him with a serious expression and nodded to his hand.

Confused, Nico reached out and took it. Will gave it a hard shake, his lips twitching. "Nice to meet you, Gay, I'm Will Solace."

Nico made a small noise in the back of his throat, of exasperation and disbelief and confusion. Will laughed, his hand still gripping Nico's.

"And I'm gay, too, by the way," he said, winking at him.

Nico stared at him, startled. "Really?"

"What?" Will shrugged. "My dad fell in love with loads of dudes. Half of my siblings are gay, too. It's no big deal."

No big deal? This had been Nico's darkest secret for so long, and Will was throwing it around just like that? If Will had been from the 1940's…

Will was startled when Nico suddenly started laughing. He watched in surprise as Nico doubled over, clutching his stomach, almost in tears. His normally pale face was red with leftover embarrassment and the force with which he was cracking up.

Will couldn't help it. He started laughing, too.

The two of them ended up on the floor practically on top of each other, and for almost ten minutes they couldn't stop laughing. Each time they would start winding down, they would look at each other's red faces and start all over again.

Nico was in serious pain, but it was good pain. He had never laughed so hard in his life, and it felt as though someone had just taken the sky off of his shoulders. His sides ached, his cheeks hurt, and Will was right next to him, suffering through the pain as well. It was a good feeling.

Nico pushed himself back against one of the beds, still chuckling. Will stayed sprawled out on the floor, a broad grin on his face.

"I've never heard you laugh like that," he said.

"Don't get used to it," Nico said, smiling at him.

Will flipped over so he was lying on his stomach and looked up at Nico.

"So," he said, "now that we know we're both 'of like mind'-"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Subtle."

"Shut up, di Angelo, give me a break; I've never asked anyone out before."

Nico froze. He stared at Will with his mouth open. Will took one look at his face and blushed bright red.

"I mean- sorry, I just thought- of course, I shouldn't assume-" For once in his charismatic life, Will seemed lost for words. That, more than anything, snapped Nico back to the present.

"Are you asking me out, Will?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes?"

Nico stared at him, trying to keep his expression as serious as he could. Will started to deflate when he saw Nico's face.

"I have conditions," Nico said.

Will frowned. "What?"

"One- no PDA," Nico said, counting it off on his fingers. "Keep the touchy-touchy to a minimum, especially in public. I do have an image to keep up, you know. Ghost King and all."

Will's lips slowly started turning up into a smile. "I suppose that could be arranged."

"Two- never ever accept any invitations from my father without talking to me first. If he so much as asks to tie your shoelaces you come straight to me. I don't trust that man not to submit you through a series of tasks to prove your 'worthiness'."

"No problems with that request."

"And three- I get to pick the first date."

"I'm not too sure about that one. I refuse to have a candlelit dinner in a cemetery."

"Cemeteries happen to have very good ambiance for dates."

"And you would know how?"

"Touché. But really, I don't want our first date to be on an infirmary floor." Nico got to his feet and held out his hand to help Will out. When their hands touched Nico felt a customary shiver run up his spine, but this time it was amplified ten-fold.

Will didn't let go even when he was standing, but gave Nico's hand a squeeze. He laughed when Nico flushed and looked away.

"Now can I tease you about your blushing?" Will asked.

"I do not blush," Nico snapped at him.

"Please, that's all you ever do. I was just too gentlemanly to comment on them."

"I'm adding a fourth condition, then: no teasing about my blushing."

"You can't add a condition after I accepted!"

"Watch me."

Will rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't tease you about that specifically. But I am going to tease you." He gave Nico's hand another squeeze and then let go. "Let me just lock up," he said, walking over to the supply cabinet.

Nico leaned against one of the beds, watching as Will packed up the rest of his rags and locked the cabinet. He felt a smile cross his face as Will started humming what sounded like a Disney song under his breath. The smile dropped off when he realized how terribly out of tune it was.

"Done," Will said, turning around. He beamed at Nico and Nico couldn't help but grin back. "Now, where are we going?"

"The Big House," Nico said. "I know where the Stolls hide their stuff."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later Nico and Will were sitting in the attic, a selection of junk food laid out in front of them. Will was busy reading the nutrition label on a bag of chips while Nico worked on making a triple-layer Oreo.

"This stuff is terrible," Will said, shaking his head. He popped a chip in his mouth. "Just this once, Nico. We are not making this a habit."

"I wouldn't be too worried about that," Nico said, scraping the cream off one of the cookies. "The Stolls are sure to change their hiding place once they find it's all gone."

"I have no doubts you'll be able to find it again," Will said. He eyed Nico's creation- a towering pile of cream sandwiched between two cookies. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"A very delicious heart attack."

"I don't think you understand what a heart attack is, Nico."

Nico stuck his tongue out at him, something that was so childish he cringed inwardly as soon as he did it. But Will just laughed and stuck his tongue out at him in return.

"Oh, sorry about earlier, by the way," Will said, picking up a packet of candy. "I know my siblings kind of accosted you on the training grounds. I didn't ask them to do that, I swear."

"It's fine, really," Nico said. "I kind of deserved it."

"Nico-"

"Don't even try and defend me, Will. I messed up, but I'm over it. They were just looking out for you."

Will winced. "Yeah, just a warning… they're probably not going to stop 'looking out for me' for a while. They seem to think that you're 'not healthy for me' or something stupid like that." When he saw the expression on Nico's face he said hurriedly, "They're wrong, though, of course. They're just not used to seeing me upset, so the fact that you've managed to get to me twice in a week kind of alarmed them. They don't get that the reason I get so upset is because I really care about you."

Nico was really glad that he had added that condition about blushing, because Will would have had a field day right then.

"Yeah, well…" Nico muttered, unsure of what to say. He cleared his throat. "My friends are going to be ecstatic. Oh, Hades- Jason is going to be absolutely unbearable."

Will frowned down at his candy. Then his face lit up. "Brilliant idea alert!" he said. "Let's mess with them."

Nico licked a bit of cream off his finger. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we may never get another opportunity like this again. Do you realize that as of this moment we are in a secret relationship?"

"I don't think it can be considered a secret relationship if it started fifteen minutes ago."

"A relationship is a relationship, and since no one knows about it, it counts as secret."

"You're making this sound like some romance novel."

"I was thinking more Romeo and Juliet, but-"

"I refuse to be Romeo or Juliet."

"Nico, shut up for like, five seconds. As I was saying, we have a golden opportunity to mess with everyone. They all think we're still fighting, right?"

"Well, yeah," said Nico slowly. "What are you getting at?"

"I think we should pretend to keep fighting and see how long it takes them to figure it out."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You're definitely making this into a romance novel."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It's a bad thing that you sound just like your dad. Please tell me you didn't get his thirst for drama."

"A little drama makes the world go round."

"You do realize that if we do this, we're going to have to keep fighting in public," Nico pointed out.

Will grinned at him. "It'll be a great acting exercise. Plus it'll be fun! Come on, Nico- for me?"

Nico groaned when Will pulled out the puppy eyes. "Will, this is so pointless."

"Do you really want to march out there and announce our relationship to all of your friends?"

The idea made Nico want to cringe. He could practically picture their faces. "Gods, no."

"Then it stays a secret. Just for a little while. Then we can do all the non PDA-y couple stuff we want."

Nico frowned. "So we're… a couple?"

"That's what people usually call two people who go on dates together," Will said. He grabbed the bag of Oreos from Nico and grinned at him. "That okay with you?"

Nico smiled. "I suppose so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He said what?"

Nico's friends stared as he took another bite of his dinner. They were at the Poseidon table tonight, and Nico was beyond-relieved that they had let him sit with them again, because that way Hazel got to sit with her friends and still fulfill her sisterly duties.

Nico shrugged, trying to look dejected, but it was a little hard after spending the whole day laughing in the attic with Will Solace.

"I tried to talk to him and he told me he didn't want to hear it," Nico said. "I'm not going to push it."

Jason looked as though all his dreams had been crushed. "But- but you two can't just give up. You're Nico and Will!"

Nico's heart played a happy little beat in his chest. Nico and Will. They were, weren't they?

He shrugged again. "If he doesn't care anymore, then whatever."

Hazel frowned at him. "You really don't care?"

"Nope."

Percy shook his head. "But I thought you… you know."

Nico raised his eyebrows at him. He couldn't help thinking about how silly his crush on Percy had been. He was so not his type. "You thought I what?"

Percy flushed. "Never mind."

"Look, it's really no big deal," Nico said. "I tried to apologize, and that's the best I can do. It's not like we were close or anything."

Jason's jaw dropped. "But- but-" He caught sight of something behind Nico and cleared his throat. "Incoming Apollo table," he muttered.

Nico turned in his seat to see Will leading his cabin towards the exit. He wanted to smile at him, but he forced his expression to stay neutral as Will approached. Will caught his eyes and his lips twitched ever so slightly before he glared at him.

"What are you looking at, di Angelo?" he barked as he got closer.

Nico felt his friends stiffen. He raised his eyebrows. It seemed Will really intended to have some fun with this. "Absolutely nothing, Solace."

Will muttered something to one of his cabin-mates, who looked shocked. Nico narrowed his eyes.

"Something to share with the class, Solace?"

Will smiled sweetly at him, drawing to a stop next to his table. His cabin stopped behind him, looking nervous. "Nothing at all."

Nico got to his feet, ignoring Hazel, who was hissing at him to sit down. "Look, if you've got a problem with me, just spit it out. I've been trying to talk to you all day."

"I've got about a hundred problems with you, di Angelo," Will said, crossing his arms.

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that you're so self-righteous you think you can just march off to your Daddy whenever you want."

Nico shot him a look, trying to convey how pathetic that insult was. Will gave an almost imperceptible shrug.

"Whatever, Solace, you're not worth my time," Nico said. He shook his head and sat back down.

Will laughed. "I'm not worth your time? That's rich." He nodded at his siblings, who all looked shell-shocked. "Come on, guys, let's get out of here."

They marched out of the dining pavilion. Nico turned back to his food, picked up his fork, and resumed eating as though nothing had happened.

He looked up when no one said anything to find them all staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked.

Nico shrugged. "I'm fine. I told you he wasn't ready to forgive me."

"That wasn't like Will," Piper said, frowning. "I mean, I understand he's angry, but that was stooping kind of low."

"That's it," Jason said, getting to his feet. "Come on, Nico, I'm dragging you over there and we're making him listen to you."

"Jason, sit down," Nico said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to make Will listen to me."

"He should at least hear you out!"

"Well, we can't make him so can you just let it go? Please?" He tried to inject some measure of pleading into his voice; he didn't want Jason to actually go after Will. That would be disastrous.

Jason grudgingly sat back down, still grumbling.

"I'm sorry, Nico," Hazel said, putting her arm around his shoulders and squeezing. "I'm sure Will will come around eventually."

Nico felt a stab of guilt for fooling his sister, and smiled weakly at her. "Thanks, Hazel."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was waiting for Nico on the beach, in the same place they had fallen asleep a few days ago. He was sitting in the same position, his flip flops cast to the side and his feet in the water. Nico couldn't help but think about how familiar this all was, even though everything was different now.

"You're welcome," Nico said, sitting down next to him. He made sure to keep clear of the water, but allowed himself to sit a few inches closer to Will than he had before.

Will wiggled his toes in the water and looked sideways at him, leaning back on his hands. "What for?"

"Stopping Jason from locking you in my cabin until you talk to me."

Will laughed, and Nico glowed with pride for soliciting that from him. "I suppose you're my hero, then."

"Don't forget it."

Nico finally turned away from Will and looked out at the water. The sun was still up, but it was already sinking steadily. They only had about an hour until curfew, and there would be no late night tonight. Nico didn't think they would be able to pull another one off without getting busted.

"You need to think of better insults," Nico said.

Will sighed dramatically, tipping his head back. "It's kind of hard when there's nothing to insult."

Nico flushed. "You'll have to get creative, then."

"Hey, they weren't that bad! Besides, you didn't have any good insults either."

Nico shrugged. "It's like you said: it's hard."

"We really are a perfect match, aren't we?" said Will. "I mean, we're both perfect."

Nico laughed. He felt very far from perfect at that moment, but he had to admit that Will had very few faults.

He felt a weight on his hand and looked down to see that Will had placed his own over Nico's. Confused, Nico looked up at Will, who was staring out at the water. Nico cautiously twisted his hand over, and Will entwined their fingers.

"This okay?" he asked.

Nico nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Yeah," he said, annoyed when his voice came out a pitch higher. Will's lips twitched, but luckily he didn't say anything.

"What team are you going to be on for capture the flag?" he asked.

Their first game since the war was tomorrow, and everyone was determined to make it a good one. "I don't know," said Nico. "Jason and Percy are on opposite teams, so I could go either way. Which team are you on?"

"Apollo's on blue this time."

"I'll be on blue, then."

"Nah, you should be on red," Will said. When Nico looked startled, he said, "If everyone thinks we're fighting, don't you think they'll expect us to be on opposing teams? Besides, it'll be fun."

"Why do you even care? Don't you just hide during the game?"

Will looked insulted. "Excuse me?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, you couldn't stab a tree."

"Just because I'm medically inclined-"

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?"

"-doesn't mean I can't take you down," Will said, talking right over Nico.

"I'd like to see you try," Nico said, snorting. Oh, gods, had he just snorted?

"You're on," Will said. "Oh, we are so on opposite teams now." He squeezed Nico's hand, and Nico squeezed back, elated.

When the horn for curfew rang, they got up and walked off the beach, Will swinging his flip flops in his hand. They checked themselves carefully for sand in the cover of the trees, and then Will wrapped Nico in long hug before sprinting back to his cabin, leaving a very flustered Nico behind him.

Hazel was reading when Nico wandered into the cabin, still bright red from Will's hug. She took one look at him and put down her book, eyebrows raised.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Just taking a walk," Nico said vaguely, waving his hand. He walked over to his side and bent over his dresser to hide his grin. He could feel Hazel's eyes on him, but she averted them when he changed into his pajamas.

"You seem very happy for someone who's in the middle of a massive fight," she said when he was changed and climbing into bed.

Nico shrugged. "I'm no happier than usual." Total lie.

"Sure you aren't…"

Nico grinned at her and drew the covers up. "Night, Hazel."

Hazel shook her head, going back to her book. "Goodnight, Nico."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nico was on guard duty with Jason.

Percy had pitched a fit when Nico had sided with the red team, and was only placated by the fact that the Athena cabin was blue this month as well. After promising to destroy the red team, Percy had marched off to strategize with Annabeth and the rest of the Athena kids.

Jason and Nico were given the task of guarding the flag on the theory that nothing would be able to get past both of them combined. It was a very good theory, one that they were very confident on; the only person who had a real chance of getting past them was Percy and maybe one of Annabeth's plans, but if the two of them worked together there shouldn't be any problem.

Piper was on their team as well, but she, Hazel, and Frank were on offense. Nico had seen Will briefly before the games trying to get his cabin in order, and barely managed a good excuse when Jason asked why he was smiling.

When the horn sounded, Jason and Nico settled in to wait. It would be at least ten minutes before any of the action got to them, but they kept on their guard, slowly circulating the red flag, swords at the ready.

"Any news on Will, Nico?" Jason called to him.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Is now really the time, Jason?"

"No time like the present. Come on, he still isn't talking to you?"

"No."

Jason shook his head. "You don't deserve that."

Nico didn't answer. He appreciated his friends' concern, but he didn't want to say anything that would blow his and Will's cover. The last thing he wanted to do was have to explain his relationship to his friends. Especially Hazel, who didn't even know he was…

"Whatever," Jason said, oblivious to Nico's dilemma. "You can do better. What about that Hecate guy? He's pretty cute, right?"

Nico suppressed a smile. "Jason, you know very well that I didn't like Will in that way." Another total lie.

Jason held his hands up. "Okay, okay. Just trying to make conversation."

"You're trying to meddle with my love life, that's what you're doing."

"Your love life is so exciting, though!"

"My love life is non-existent." Will was right, it was fun messing with his friends.

"Not for long. I will find you someone, my friend," Jason promised.

"You do that."

They were quiet as they returned their focus to guarding the flag.

Fifteen minutes had passed when they heard the first movement from the trees. Jason and Nico stood with their backs to each other, swords held at the ready, all of their senses alert for a sign of invaders.

After a few seconds two figures appeared from the bushes. Percy was looking at Nico apologetically, and next to him was-

"Will?" For a moment Nico forgot they were supposed to be mad at each other and almost dropped his sword at the sight of the son of Apollo approaching with a sword borrowed from the camp weaponry.

"Surprised, di Angelo?" His voice seemed mocking, but there was genuine humor in it that told Nico the look on his face must have been precious.

Nico glared at him. "What the heck are you doing on offense, Will?" he shouted at him, genuinely surprised.

"Planning to take down the defense. I promised, didn't I?"

"What does that mean, Solace?" Jason growled, keeping his sword aimed at Percy, who was edging closer to the flag.

"None of your business, Grace," Will called. He kept his eyes fixed on Nico, who held his sword at the ready. "You focus on Jason, Percy. I've got Nico."

Jason swung first. Percy blocked it easily. "What the heck, man?" Nico heard Jason hiss at Percy.

"It's not my fault!" Percy said, feinting at Jason's left side. "He insisted on offense! Annabeth let him!"

"What are you doing here, Will?" Nico asked as Will approached, holding the sword straight out in front of him like a spear.

"I told you I would take you down!"

"You can barely hold a sword right, Will."

"Oh, I don't need a sword." To prove his point, Will tossed it to the side. Nico heard Percy yell, "What the hell are you doing, Solace?"

"Focus on Jason!" he called back without breaking Nico's gaze.

Nico slowly lowered his sword, frowning. "Will, what are you doing?"

"I told you, I'm taking you down!" Will beamed at him, the picture of innocence.

Nico laughed. "With what, words? Are you going to talk me into submission?"

Will raised his eyebrows. "Don't mock my plan, Nico."

"Will, you don't have a-"

And then Will had crossed the distance between them in two steps and was kissing him.

Nico was so stunned he dropped his sword, standing stock still. His eyes were wide open, and he stared at Will's closed ones. Will's hands were on his cheeks, holding him in place, but it was unnecessary. A second later his eyes were shut, too, and he was kissing him back.

He heard a loud gasp and a shout of pain that sounded like Percy had cut himself with his own sword, but Nico didn't care about that. All he cared about was how warm Will's lips were and how they tasted like the sun itself.

It seemed like years before they broke apart, breathing heavily. They stayed nose to nose, staring into each other's eyes. Will was smiling like an idiot, and Nico was sure he was doing the same thing.

"I win," Will whispered as a streak of red flew past him. Nico heard Annabeth shouting for Percy to follow her as she carried the flag to victory.

Nico's jaw dropped. "That was your plan?"

"It distracted you," Will said, looking pleased with himself. "And it distracted Jason. And Percy, it looks like."

Nico glanced over his shoulder. Both Jason and Percy were staring at them, their jaws dropped. Percy looked as though he'd never be able to close his mouth again.

"Plus, it was a very fun plan," Will said with a grin.

Nico took a step away, his cheeks hot. He narrowed his eyes at Will. "Not only did you use me just to win capture the flag," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "you broke my number one condition: no PDA."

Will's smile faded. "Hey, it was just-"

"I don't want to hear it, Solace," Nico said. He shook his head, disgusted. "Gods, I can't believe you."

He marched past him. Will made a strangled noise. "Nico, it wasn't- I didn't mean to-"

Nico stopped and spun back around. Will was standing rooted to the spot, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He looked crushed. Behind him, Jason and Percy were watching with wide, fearful eyes.

Nico glared at him for a moment longer and then grinned. "Got you," he said.

Will stared at him. Then he let out an incredulous laugh, a smile spreading across his face. "Alright, we're even," he said, shaking his head. "Gods, don't do that to me, Nico! I thought you were really upset!"

"At you? Never," Nico said, walking back over. Will grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm just plotting the best way to take you down next month."

"I was thinking we could have a truce," Will said with a hopeful grin.

Nico snorted and shook his head. "No way, Solace. The Apollo cabin is going down."

"Wait just one second!" Jason had gotten his voice back. He stared from Will to Nico and then down to their entwined hands. He pointed at Nico, accusatory. "I thought you two were fighting!"

"We were," Will assured him. "For like, a day. Then we were acting."

"So you've just been- you've been- pretending this whole time?" Jason spluttered.

"I thought we were just having some fun," Nico said. He glared at Will, who grinned at him. "Apparently it was all just part of his evil plan."

"Hey, I had plenty of fun with my evil plan. Speaking of fun-" Will started dragging Nico back into the woods. "Let's go celebrate my victory!"

Jason and Percy caught up to them halfway there. Jason was still spluttering, and Percy still hadn't closed his jaw. Nico didn't have the energy to care. Will was holding his hand, looking back at him every few seconds to smile. He had a dimple on his left cheek that Nico hadn't noticed until now. Could this guy get any more perfect?

The rest of the camp was congregated at the dividing line in the field. Half of them were celebrating, while the other half moaned good-naturedly and vowed retribution next month. Annabeth stood at the center, holding the red flag and grinning around at everyone. When she spotted Percy she rolled her eyes.

"There you are!" she said, pushing through the crowd and walking over. "I told you to follow me!"

Percy shook his head blankly. Annabeth reached out and closed his jaw, and he blinked. "Thanks," he said.

"Jason! Nico!" Piper marched towards them, followed by Hazel and Frank. She looked annoyed. "What gives? The game hardly lasted twenty minutes!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Jason said. He pointed at Nico. "Ask him."

Half the campers turned towards Nico, including all of his friends. He blushed scarlet and tried to let go of Will's hand, but Will just squeezed harder.

"I- uh-" Nico fumbled for words.

"Will?" Piper's expression changed. She looked defensive. "What are you doing with-" Her eyes fell down to their hands. She frowned, and then a look of realization crossed her face. Her eyes narrowed and she turned back to Jason. "Oh, come on! You let that distract you? Like you didn't see that coming."

"I thought they were fighting!" Jason moaned.

"And you!" Annabeth jabbed Percy in the chest. "I warned you not to get distracted by anything!"

"Oh, come on!" Percy said. "You weren't the least bit stunned?"

"It was all part of the plan!"

Percy's jaw dropped again. "You knew?"

"Will told me this morning, that's why I put him on offense."

"Wait a second- you knew and not me?" Jason looked affronted.

"Nico?" Hazel stepped forward, looking confused. "What's going on?"

Will threw his arm around Nico's shoulders, looking pleased with himself. Nico said weakly, "We made up."

"They made out!" Nico glared at Percy as everyone started talking excitedly.

Hazel's expression changed to one of shock. Nico winced, shrinking further into Will's side. He gave him a light squeeze, which bolstered him with courage.

"Hazel, I'm- I'm-"

Hazel ran forward and threw her arms around both of them.

"Oh, this is perfect!" she said, drawing away and beaming at both of them. "I knew you two liked each other! I'm so glad you aren't fighting, you're perfect for each other- why didn't you tell me, Nico?"

Nico stared at her incredulously. "You mean you're not- mad?"

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Hades, Nico, I may be old-fashioned, but do you really think I care who you date? On the contrary, this is the best news I've ever heard!" She grinned up at Will, who smiled back. "Congratulations you two. Really."

"Yeah, man." Percy stepped forward and clapped Nico on the back, grinning. "I totally called it, by the way."

"Sure you did," Nico said, grinning back.

"So you two don't hate each other?" one of the Apollo kids asked, frowning.

"Nah," Will said. "Nico could never hate me. Right, Death Boy?"

"I don't know, I'm having my doubts right now," Nico muttered, but he was smiling so much Will just laughed at him.

"ALRIGHT, CLEAR A SPACE!" Campers backed out of the way as Jason marched up to him. Nico resisted the urge to take a step back; he looked furious.

"You!" Jason jabbed a finger at Nico. "My cabin, now! How dare you keep this a secret from me! We need to have a serious talk." He turned to Will. "Sorry, Solace, I have to steal your boyfriend for a little while. We have a lot to talk about."

To Nico's horror, Will let his arm drop. "He's all yours," Will said, winking at him.

Before Nico could protest, Jason grabbed his arm and dragged him through the crowd of campers, muttering the whole time. "Thinks he can keep it a secret from me… non-existent love life…"

"Jason-" Nico started to say, but Jason shot him a look and Nico shut up.

Jason started towards the Zeus cabin but changed direction at the last minute, stomping up the steps to the Hades cabin. Nico trailed weakly in after him as Jason stalked over to Nico's bed and threw himself on it.

"Your cabin's cozier," Jason said. He crossed his arms and glared at Nico, who stood in the doorway awkwardly. "Now, this time, you're really going to tell me everything. How could you keep something this big a secret? You've broken like, every rule of the bro code by not telling me."

"What?"

"You and Will!" Jason said in a tone of someone pointing out the obvious. "Was that your first kiss? How long have you actually been dating? Were you ever really fighting? Come on, dude, spill!"

Nico laughed when he realized that Jason was only upset because he wasn't the first to hear the camp's newest gossip. "Jason, you are way too invested in my love life."

"For good reason, it seems! Come on." He patted the bed next to him, and Nico obligingly crawled onto the mattress next to him.

"Now spill," Jason instructed.

Nico spilled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Marshmallow?" Will offered, stabbing two of them onto his stick.

"Burnt, please," Nico said.

Will shot him a look. "You know I make the perfect golden brown marshmallows, right?"

"That's nice. Burn mine, please."

Will rolled his eyes but thrust the stick right into the heart of the fire.

It was the first campfire since Nico and Will had made their relationship public, and Nico was kind of worried about being so open about it. But it was the perfect setting for a first real date- it was so dark it was hard to see anyone who wasn't sitting close to the fire, and everyone was so focused on singing and s'mores they didn't have time to monitor the camp's newest couple.

Will pulled the stick out of the fire when the marshmallows ignited. He held it between the two of them, and they watched the flame spark and leap between them. After a few moments, Nico blew it out to reveal two charred lumps.

"Perfect!" he said, taking the stick and blowing on them to cool them off.

Will laughed and put his arm around Nico. Nico stiffened before letting himself relax. He leaned against Will's side, pulling the first hot marshmallow off of the stick and popping it in his mouth.

"Mmm," he said, just to prove a point. "Tasty."

Will shook his head. "I can't believe I'm dating someone who likes burnt marshmallows."

"I can't believe I'm dating someone who's so boring they like golden brown marshmallows."

"Marshmallows were not meant to be barbecued!"

"Why are you even eating marshmallows?" Nico accused. "They're all sugar. Aren't they against your beliefs or something?"

"Just because I care about health doesn't mean I can't have a treat once in a while."

"You've had seven s'mores and we've only been here for fifteen minutes. You know what I think? I think Will Solace has a sweet tooth."

Will drew away from him, placing his hand over his heart in mock-hurt. "Excuse you, I am a doctor!"

"Where'd you get your license- Candyland?"

"Oh, shut up and give me the other marshmallow."

"Look who's come crawling back," Nico said, pulling the marshmallow off of the stick.

Will rolled his eyes and opened his mouth expectantly. Nico raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the marshmallow," Will said, his mouth still open.

"There is no way in Hades I'm feeding you."

"You're my boyfriend, you're supposed to feed me!"

Nico's heart fluttered at the ease with which Will used that term. "I'm your boyfriend, not your servant," Nico pointed out.

"Same difference. Come on, Nico- please?" He jutted out his bottom lip in a pout.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Ugh, whatever. Open."

Will lit up and opened his mouth. Nico popped the marshmallow in, hiding his grin as Will closed his eyes and chewed, a smile on his face.

"I guess it's not so bad if I make it," he conceded, his mouth full of marshmallow.

"You're such a snob."

Will swooped in and planted a kiss on Nico's cheek. Nico pushed him away, laughing and scrubbing at the spot he had kissed him. "Gross!" he said. "Your lips are sticky!"

Will swallowed his marshmallow. "They're also very sweet," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Nico was glad it was dark enough to hide his blush.

Will speared another marshmallow and put it in the fire, putting his arm back around Nico. Nico leaned into him, and raised his eyes to look across the fire. Jason and Percy were sitting there, staring straight at him. When they realized he was looking they both lit up and gave him matching thumbs up. Nico rolled his eyes and turned back to Will, who was trying to tell him a story about some dolphins he had seen in Florida.

When it was time for the sing-a-long Will tried to drag Nico up to sing with the Apollo cabin, but Nico managed to resist. Will handed over the roasting stick, gave Nico another sticky peck on the cheek, and hurried off to join his siblings.

"He's good for you," a voice whispered in his ear. Nico jumped and spun around to see Hazel sitting there, smiling at him.

"A little warning before you give me a heart-attack next time, please," Nico said, pulling his marshmallow out of the fire.

"Sorry." Hazel slid into the spot next to him. Nico offered her the marshmallow, and she accepted. "He's good for you," she repeated.

Nico glanced back over at the Apollo cabin, who had started a round of "This Land is Minos". Standing in the front, singing so loudly all of his siblings winced, Will swayed back and forth to the beat of the song, his eyes shut. Nico grinned without thinking about it, then turned back to Hazel with a shrug.

"I suppose he is."

"I mean it," Hazel said as Will's crescendo reached an ungodly note. "I've never seen you laugh so much in one night."

"What can I say? I'm a funny person."

Hazel laughed and grinned at him. "He really is good for you."

Nico glanced back at Will and smiled again. "Yeah, he is."

"Nico…" Nico looked back at her to see that her smile had died a little bit. "About the whole gay thing… why didn't you tell me?"

Nico looked down at his stick, which was sticky with marshmallow remains. "I don't know," he muttered.

Hazel reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "You can always tell me anything," she said. "Remember, I love you no matter what. You understand?"

Nico looked up and met her eyes. She looked worried. Nico smiled. "I know." And he meant it.

Hazel squeezed his hand one last time as the song started winding to a close and then slipped out of the seat, climbing back to where Frank sat entertaining a couple of younger Ares kids with a description of New Rome.

Nico turned around to see Will carrying out a last shaky note as the song ended. As soon as he stopped the campers erupted into applause and the fire rose into the night air, wild with enthusiasm.

Will walked back over to Nico and dropped down into his seat. Nico applauded him as he took the stick back and bowed his head. "Thank you, thank you," he said airily. "I've been practicing for that one."

"It shows," Nico said, nodding. "You really should try a solo some time."

Will lit up while the campers who had overheard stared at Nico with scandalized expressions. "I should!" He bobbed his head happily as his siblings launched into another song and took Nico's hand. "But I think I'll stay here tonight."

Nico's heart soared. He looked back across the fire, where Percy and Jason were arguing good-naturedly about something. Piper and Annabeth looked at each other over their boyfriend's heads, rolling their eyes. Behind him Nico could vaguely hear Frank talking about the other Mars children in New Rome, with Hazel occasionally interjecting with a random piece of trivia. And next to him, Will was holding his hand and using the other to demonstrate the perfect marshmallow roasting technique.

"None of this burnt crap," he was saying, pulling the marshmallow out of the fire. He squinted at it in the dim light from the flames. "See? It's perfectly crispy but still has flavor." He turned to Nico for inspection and raised his eyebrows when he saw that Nico was already staring at him, a smile on his face. "What?"

Nico shrugged, grinning. "Nothing." He leaned in and kissed Will. Will kissed him back before pulling away briefly.

"I thought my lips were sticky," he teased.

Nico laughed. "They're also sweet."

Will chuckled. "I think that was the sappiest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Don't get used to it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

He kissed him again, and Nico felt like jumping up and touching the moon.

A/N: I'm marking this story as complete for now unless I think of more one-shots or plots for these two lovebirds. Thanks for all your reviews and encouragements! I hope you enjoyed.