Cringe Narrator POV

Nico traced the delicate curve of Will's cheek, savoring the warmth radiating from his sun-kissed skin. The aftermath of their stolen kisses under the twilight sky buzzed around them, a sweet secret shimmering in the morning light.

Suddenly, a shrill voice shattered the peace. Drew Tanaka, her perfectly coiffed blonde hair glinting in the sun, stormed towards them, eyes blazing with a jealousy Nico hadn't seen since their days at Camp Half-Blood.

"You," she spat, venom dripping from her words, "how dare you touch him?"

Nico's fingers froze on Will's cheek, a chill creeping down his spine. He'd expected hostility from some quarters, a few snide remarks or disapproving glares. But this raw, unhinged fury was something entirely different.

Will, oblivious to the brewing storm, turned towards Drew, his smile gentle. "Drew? Everything okay?"

Before he could register the glint of a celestial bronze dagger in her hand, Drew lunged. The blade arced through the air, aimed straight for Nico's heart.

His reflexes, honed by years of battling shadows and monsters, kicked in. He whipped aside, the tip of the dagger whizzing past his ear, the wind whistling against his cheek.

The world slowed. Drew's face, contorted with malice, was a frozen mask in the periphery of Nico's vision. The celestial bronze dagger, glinting wickedly in the morning sun, was a blur hurtling towards Will's chest.

Time warped. Every instinct in Nico's being screamed. Adrenaline flooded his veins, turning limbs into weapons, reflexes into lightning. He lunged, shadow whipping around him like an inky cloak, aiming to intercept the blade before it reached its mark.

He was too slow.

Will, unaware of the danger, turned towards Drew with a questioning frown. His eyes, pools of golden trust, were oblivious to the death arcing towards him. The dagger buried itself in his chest, just below his heart, with a sickening thunk.

A primal scream ripped from Nico's throat, raw and agonized. The world dissolved into a kaleidoscope of red-stained gold, Will's pained gasp echoing in the void that replaced his thoughts.

He was there, one second basking in the afterglow of stolen sunshine, the next cradling Will's collapsing form, the warmth of his sun-kissed skin replaced by the chilling bite of celestial bronze.

His fingers fumbled to stem the crimson tide welling from the wound, but it was like trying to hold back the ocean with sandcastles. Will's breaths, shallow and rapid, were punctuated by gasps of pain, each one a hammer blow to Nico's heart.

Drew, frozen in the face of the carnage she'd unleashed, looked like a pale ghost, her venomous rage replaced by a dawning horror. But Nico had no eyes for her. His whole world narrowed to the golden boy in his arms, the sun fading from his eyes, replaced by a chilling twilight.

"No," he choked, his voice raw with despair. "Will, stay with me. Please."

Will looked up, his face a mask of pain, but his eyes, even in the growing dimness, held a flicker of love and reassurance. "Nico," he croaked, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't... blame yourself."

And then, the light in his eyes dimmed, the golden sun setting into an eternal dusk. Will went limp in his arms, a statue kissed by a deadly frost.

The scream that clawed its way out of Nico's throat this time was a primal howl of anguish, a lament that tore at the very fabric of reality. He cradled Will, the warmth of his sun fading with each fading heartbeat, the future they'd woven under the first blush of dawn turning to ash in his hands.

Drew's tearful pleas, the whispers of approaching help, faded into a distant hum. All that remained was the unbearable weight of loss, the echo of stolen warmth against his skin, and a vow etched in blood and tears: he would bring Drew to justice, not for revenge, but to ensure no other light was extinguished by the shadows of homophobia.

Homophobia. Nico thought. I can't believe fucking homophobia was what led Drew to this conclusion. What... what state of the mind was she in? Gods, she was worse than J.K. Rowling! She hated on people like us, too. Girls must have SERIOUS issues.

"I... I hate you!" Nico screamed, and was about to lung towards Drew, when suddenly he stopped when he heard her trying to use charmspeak on him.

"You won't tell a soul about this. You will kill yourself right now and make it look like you killed your boyfriend before your suicide attempt."