NICO

For a few days, Nico tried to forget about the prophecy. After him and Rachel had spent the night looking over it, he was feeling worse than ever. He had never known Thalia very personally, but she had always been a friend. She had known and trusted his sister, and Nico knew and trusted Jason. He knew she had horrors in her past, horrors that he didn't want to resurface. Horrors she didn't deserve, and yet, did he have a choice? Part of it was selfish; he didn't want to fade from existence. But Nico was sure that even if he were to sacrifice himself for the benefit of his friends, as Thalia had once done for hers, punishment would ensue anyways. Worse punishment, possibly than what Nico and Rachel would inflict.

It would be soon, he was sure, that the Olympians would start taking action.

* * *

At dinner that night, Nico quickly realized just how soon.

"Thalia told me the Hunters are coming into Camp tonight," Jason announced. Nico jumped at the name.

"Really," Leo said, a strange tone to his voice.

"The Hunters of Artemis?" Calypso asked. She hadn't been present yet for a visit from the Hunters.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "They come every so often, camp out here. Visit and play a game of Capture the Flag, usually."

"I'm not feeling very well," Leo said suddenly, putting down his cup of nectar. "I think I'll stay in for the night."

"You okay?" Calypso asked.

Nico studied him. Gods didn't get sick. Gods didn't have off-nights or not feel very well for no reason.

"I-yeah," Leo muttered, his usual humorous self replaced by a nervous demeanor. "I just-I mean... I have an idea for something in the workshop, and I don't want to be rude, but I need to go work on something... If you or Caleo needs anything, I'll be in my workshop," he muttered to Calypso, before bolting from the table.

"That was strange," Nico said, but rather than agreeing, the others looked at Nico like he was the strange one. Sure, he didn't usually talk, but that didn't mean everything he said was by default inaccurate.

Hazel shrugged. "I find it's better to never question Leo."

The others laughed in agreement, and changed the topic to that of Hazel and Frank's upcoming wedding.

But Nico didn't forget that quickly. If it had been anything else, he probably wouldn't have cared. But Leo's reaction forced Nico to wonder if he knew something about the prophecy. He wasn't going to address him about it directly as he didn't want to get anyone involved who didn't have to be, but he knew he'd have to keep an eye on him.

* * *

The game of Capture the Flag was that night. Nico stayed away from the Hunters while he decided what to do.

He'd always secretly enjoyed playing Capture the Flag. Everyone underestimated him, and although he wasn't generally on the front line waving around a sword, he waited in the background until his team needed him and unleashed the wrath of Hades on the opposing team.

However, since becoming a God, he wasn't allowed to play anymore. Chiron had specified that to all of them, as he was worried what their new, undiscovered powers would do if accidentally released on mortal demigods-in-training.

Nonetheless, Nico enjoyed watching the game in progress, and wanted to see how Thalia was doing without having to confront her himself.

He found a particularly dense group of trees near the river that divided the forest between the two teams, and melted into the shadows in the most literal sense. He could watch the game, asses Thalia, help if needed, all without being seen.

Everyone began piling in soon. He couldn't see where the flags were being hidden on either side, but he was right in the midst of the action as team members began to line up, read for the fight. Chiron, acting as referee, called for the match to begin, and chaos ensued.

It was interesting watching from an outside perspective, all the various swords and knives and shield clanking against each other in a battle between friends. He could tell who the newly claimed demigods were, the ones who hung back with unsteady swords, eyes frightened at the eager violence they were witnessing. The veterans were swift and steady, making their way easily through the crowds.

The problem with fighting the Hunters is that they all fought like veterans. The demigods had adults, now, who'd had years of fighting, but they also had those newly claimed kids who hadn't yet grown into their weapons. Nico believed the count was about sixty for the number of games the Hunters had one in a row. With the skill and grace they used as they maneuvered through the chaotic crowd of demigods, Nico had no doubt in his mind this would be the 61st.

With a lurch, Nico saw Thalia come striding through the crowd, clad in menacing black but graceful as a swan as she fought her way through the line of demigods. Nico tried to make himself feel better by admiring her strength; she could get through whatever they put on her, right?

It didn't help.

Nico was lost in his thoughts when he heard a sudden burst of screams. There was always noise going on during the games, but nothing like this.

His first thought was to glance toward Thalia; had the Olympians or Artemis decided it was time to begin her punishment? But she had stopped where she was, as confused as everyone.

Slowly, Nico rose up from the shadows, trying to keep his camouflage as best he could.

He quickly saw the screams hadn't been from demigods, nor from hunters. They were from a cluster of nymphs and dryads, running from a figure in a strange, almost robotic suit. He was waving around a weapon that seemed to be emitting some kind of wave, something that was hurting the woodland creatures.

Those near the incident had seen what was happening and halted their own games, and the others slowly followed, crowding around. It looked as if everyone was unsure whether they should continue fighting, whether this strangely clad man was some demigod experimenting with new technology or an enemy they should actually be frightened of. Eventually, they seemed to decide he was an enemy.

A group of older demigods rushed forward in front of the nymphs and dryads, unleashing their weapons on the man. The stick he'd been using transformed into a long, sharp sword, just in time to come into contact with the body of one of the demigods, one with tan skin and sunny blonde hair-

Will.

Nico stopped watching everything else at that point, forgot about Thalia and his camouflage, forgot that he had godly powers he could use to get rid of the villain. As everyone fought chaotically, someone yelled for help for Will. Despite the fact that he was only across the creek, Nico had shadow traveled straight to him before anyone could say another word.

The blade had struck Will in the shoulder, but it cut deeply. Nico didn't know what to do; Will was supposed to be the one doing all the healing. Nico tore off a piece of his shirt to tie a makeshift tourniquet, and grabbed Will in his arms.

"Nico?" he muttered faintly.

"You're alright," Nico muttered. He didn't want to risk shadow travelling as he wasn't sure what it would do to Will in his current state, so he pushed his way through the crowd and the chaos to get Will to safety.

Nico wondered why Will couldn't be immortal, too. It was always something that had bugged him in the back of his mind, and maybe that was part of the reason that he had ended up with Rachel; though she didn't have the powers of a goddess, she, too, saw an endless future ahead of her. What would Nico do after sixty or seventy years, when Will got old and Nico still had forever?

Nico shifted his thoughts back to the present, knowing that for now he had to focus so that Will actually made it those sixty or seventy years. Nico ran to the hospital with Will in his arms, ran like his life depended on it. Will's might.

He was covered in Will's blood, his thoughts in a blur as they took him into the hospital, elevating his arm, properly stopping the blood. Will had lost consciousness.

"He'll be alright soon enough," said the woman who was tending to him. She had sandy blonde hair and tan skin, similar to Will's. Another child of Apollo. "He just lost of lot of blood, so he's kind of out it."

"I got him here as quickly as I could," Nico said, his voice shaking. He knew Will would be fine, and it bothered him how shaken up he was.

"Thank you for that," the woman smiled a calm, soothing smile. Working in the hospital at the demigod camp, she was probably used to a lof hysterics, both patients and people waiting to hear the verdicts about their patients.

Sitting in the chair by Will's bedside, voice and hands shaking, shirt still covered in blood, Nico di Angelo did not look like a god. He looked like a boy, sitting nervously by his boyfriend's bedside, waiting for him to wake up and tell him it was all okay.

* * *

Nico stayed there all night. He didn't sleep; he didn't need to as a god. But he sat at Will's bedside until morning when the sun finally shone in and Will's eyes fluttered open. He tried to raise his arms into a stretch, but winced immediately. He was observing the large bandage wrapped around his arm when he noticed Nico there.

"Nico! What- I- you..." he stammered.

"Hey, it's alright," Nico tried his best to be comforting. It wasn't his strong suit.

"Last night... Capture the Flag..."

"Yeah," Nico said. "I'm still not sure what happened, but something hit you, so I, uh, brought you to the hospital."

"I faintly remember you tearing apart your shirt in the process," Will said, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Hey, I'm not the doctor around here."

"I didn't mind," Will grinned. "And then did you-" he grimaced "-have to carry me? Not that I minded that either, but... talk about embarrassing."

"Don't worry about," Nico waved it off.

"Did you stay here all night, too? Gods, Nico, I knew there was a reason I didn't give up on you. You should go home and get some sleep."

A small smile threatened to escape Nico's lips, for the first time in a while.

"Sleep is for mortals," Nico smirked.

"Ah, right. My boyfriend is a literal god."

Nico missed whatever Will had said after one word. "Boyfriend?"

"Unless they're some other title that gods prefer to use?" Will raised his eyebrows.

"Nope," Nico said. "Boyfriend sounds good."

* * *

After Will had finally convinced Nico to take a break from sitting in the hospital, he walked out with a newfound appreciation of the sunny day. Will was safe, healthy, and he had called Nico his boyfriend. Nothing could ruin his day until-

"Nico?" A familiar voice called.

"Oh, hi, Rachel," Nico said. It wasn't that seeing Rachel ruined his day; it was that upon seeing Rachel, the other important responsibility that Nico had neglected dropped down on him like the weight of the world.

"I've been looking all over for you! I tried to find you last night, too, but I could find you anywhere. Where were you?"

"Right," Nico said. "Sorry. I was..." he trailed off.

"Nevermind it," Rachel said, realizing his whereabouts weren't her business anymore. "Anyways, the hunters are only staying one more night, and as much as I hate to hurt Thalia, well... I think we at least need to start, before something even worse happens."

Nico sighed. "You're right, of course."

"I hate always being right," Rachel smiled sadly. "Usually it's best for people if the things I say aren't right."

They stood in silence for a moment, Nico reflecting on all the prophecies him or his friends had tried to escape. All the prophecies that had eventually come true.

"Is there anything we can do?" Nico asked desperately.

She smiled sadly once again.

"We can get it over with."

* * *

I know this chapter leaves a few loose ends, but they'll all be explained within the next few chapters. Besides that, what'd you think? Did I do Solangelo justice?

One more thing. I've gotten a lot of questions and messages about how to write a good/better fanfiction, so would anyone be interested in a chapter dedicated to some tips on writing fanfiction? I'm by no means an expert but I've written and read a lot of it. If you're interested and have any questions, feel free to comment those and I can try to answer them as well!

P.S. I just got The Hidden Oracle! Anyone read it yet?