Sorry for the late update(again). Vacation's ending, so I'll be getting back to my normal update schedule. Also, the one I'm writing for 10k is halfway done, but its almost already 2k so it might be another week before it's done. Also, for this one, pretend that Nico is a freshman in college. Enjoy!

9: 30 P. M. Nico's POV

"Just an hour. That's all I'm asking." 

"Jason, you know I don't do parties. You go, have a good time without me. Besides, Piper is going to be there, so I know you'll ditch me in a second." Jason put his hands on his hips and stopped mid- walk next to the snow covered bushes of the host's house. Loud music blared out of the house, and neon strobe lights danced across the grass. Already couples were sneaking off to do whatever couples did on New Years Eve. I wouldn't know; I had always gone into the new year single. 

"Okay. First of all, I would not ditch you instantly for Pipes. First I'd find you a nice guy to spend the night with. And second, I know you don't do parties, but all I'm asking for is one hour. It is New Year's Eve, after all." I gave a sigh, giving into Jason's electric blue puppy dog eyes that Piper was constantly raving about. 

"Fine. One hour." Jason fist pumped the air and gave a loud hoot, causing a girl standing next to us to give him an annoyed look. Ignoring the look, Jason grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. 

Outside was loud and bright, not how I'd normally spend my ideal New Years Eve. Usually, I hung out alone on my couch binge- watching Netflix and eating Dominoes while the rest of my friends partied. So the inside of the large house, which was somehow ten times worse than the outside, made me want to raid the food table and then sprint away as fast as my food laden body would allow. The smell of booze almost overwhelmed the smell of vomit, and the music was so loud I was surprised my eardrum hadn't burst. I was about to turn to Jason and ask him what he wanted to do first when I saw him wave to piper, who was standing in a corner with Annabeth and Percy, and dash over there. I was about to follow when a mob of people doing the cha- cha blocked my way. when the line of dancers were gone, my small group of friends had disappeared. I did a 360, hoping to spot someone I knew, but the people seemed to mash together, making it impossible to distinguish just one person. I was completely alone at a party I had no business being at, with no one to turn to and no where to go. 

10: 15 P. M. Will's POV

I leaned against the wall, sipping a glass of fruit punch, trying to block out the goings- on of the party around me. My ears hurt from all the noise, my stomach hurt from all the fruit punch I had downed to pass the time. The first hour of the party had been fun, dancing to the music and eating the food that had been set out on a festive table cloth. But when my friend disappeared outside with his girlfriend, the whole thing was just getting boring. At this pint, I was just trying to last until midnight so that when my younger sister asked what I did for New Years I could tell her I went to a party and not be the lame nerd of a big brother- again. 

I finished off my fruit punch and tossed away my red stained plastic cup, figuring I didn't need any more fruit punch in my system. I started to wander aimlessly around the party, wishing I had someone to kiss at midnight like everyone else did. I watched a girl give her girlfriend a small peck on the cheek and felt a small pang of loneliness. Not that I could complain. There just weren't any guys my type at this school. 

I found the staircase, a long, winding mahogany flight of steps that; unlike the rest of the house, was unnaturally clean. Figuring that no one had yet to leave the first floor, at least not any crazy, drunk people, I began to climb, tracing my hand over the long railing, which was smooth under my touch. 

When I got to the top, I was faced with a long hallway, doors lined up symmetrically on either side. I gazed around, trying to find the right door to go into. The one closest to me on the right was slightly ajar, soft light coming from the crack between the wall and the door. I gently pushed it open to reveal a boring closet filled with blankets, towels, and what looked to be a small mouse. 

"I came out of there two years ago and I'm never going back," I muttered as I closed the door. 

Over the course of about half an hour, I opened and explored all the rooms of the second floor, seeing nothing better to do with my time. As expected, they were all empty. The last door on the left, the only one I hadn't tried, was sitting impatiently, waiting for me to open it. I turned the handle to reveal a big bedroom painted blue with a dark blue shag carpet big enough for two people and glittering fairy lights on the wall. There was a bulletin board with a few pictures tacked up; a boy who looked to be a senior and his girlfriend. Their cheeks were pressed together and bright smiles lit up their faces. Smiling at the happy couple I turned back to the shag carpet, which was calling my name. I stretched out on top of it, giving a little yawn. I closed my eyes and the gentle fairy lights and softness of the carpet lulled me to sleep. 

11:30 P. M. Nico's POV

I climbed the long staircase, glad for the chance to get away from the party in which I had been aimlessly drifting for two hours. I had yet to find Jason or any of my other friends, and an hour ago I had simply stopped looking. 

I reached the top of the staircase, relishing the sudden quiet that seemed to appear when I set foot on the second floor. I began padding around, looking in the rooms that lined the hallway. It wasn't the most exciting thing, but it was still better than the roaring party downstairs, which had seemingly gotten more rambunctious as the night wore on. 

As I neared the final door, I heard a soft sound, different from the faint beating of the music downstairs, still discernible even up here; snoring. I crept to the door it seemed to be coming from, the last door on the left. I pushed it open and almost immediately the person previously sleeping on the blue shag carpet leapt up, then stared me right in the eye. 

He looked to be about my age, possibly a little bit older, with shaggy blonde hair and sky blue eyes that made my heart want to burst out of my chest. He had a smattering of freckles across his nose and when he gave me a cocky grin, I couldn't help but smile back. 

"Did you get tired of the party, too?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. 

"What's your name?" he asked. 

"Nico Di Angelo," I responded, wishing that the blush I could feel creeping onto my cheeks would leave. "What about you?" 

"Will Solace," he said, sitting down on the soft looking bed. He patted the space next to him. "So, are you going to sit down?" I must have looked pretty confused, because he chuckled. "Well, we're both hiding from the monstrosity of a social event downstairs, so we must have something in common. So sit, talk to me. Tell me what Nico Di Angelo is all about." Giving a half- hearted smile, I sat down next to him. And I began to talk. 

Will must have been able to sense my gayness with some sort of gay- dar, because I could have sworn he was flirting with me. He laughed at everything I said and throughout our conversation I could have sworn he was inching closer and closer to me. Not that I could complain. I mean, it's not every day you meet a guy in someone else's bedroom. 

I had been telling him about the time Jason got drunk and tried to rob a bank when Will put his finger to my lips. 

"Hang on a sec, I want to show you something." He grabbed my hand, sending shivers down my spine, and led me to the bathroom. As we walked, I couldn't help notice the clock; 11:59. 

We stopped in the bathroom doorway, and Will grabbed one of my hands and pointed a finger up at the door frame. 

"Look," he murmured. "Mistletoe." I laughed. 

"You know that's for Christmas, right?" He shrugged. 

"Does it matter? Besides, a little birdie told me that you're supposed to kiss someone at  midnight on New Years Eve." A smile erupted on my face as I realized that I had been right about him flirting with me. 

"That's funny, I heard the same thing." Our lips met, and we kissed as the clock struck midnight. 

So, I hope you guys liked that one, and again I'm really sorry for the late update. 

Nina