Archive of Our Own

Work Text

11/21/2023
I have since removed racial epithets and any glaring racial stereotypes, however I will do a full read-through at some point to fix any other instances. 
05/07/2021

DISCLAIMER (PLEASE READ):
 As I look back on this fic, a year since I’ve updated it and three since it began, I find that I’ve… well, I’ve outgrown it. What I mean is that I am far more educated than when I began writing. I have grown as a person. Rereading my work, I realize that I showed very little concern or respect for people of color, their cultures, and the avoidance of stereotyping. This is especially true of the way I approached writing Latin American and Indigenous people. I now know that Piper (Leo a bit less so) is a poor attempt at representation on Riordan’s part, and I have come to understand much of what makes that so. I did very little - if any - critical thinking when I read these books as a young teenager and wanted to emulate the work of my favorite author. This is no longer true, and I do not support the racist stereotyping in this fic.  The stereotyping mostly comes through in the details. I have always supported people of color the best I knew how, which has changed over the years, so know that it does not come from a place of hate. Simply ignorance.  While I’ve come a long way, I know that there is still so much I can do to be better. I will never stop learning how to be supportive of and sensitive to people of other cultures and races. I will never stop working to dismantle the inherent racism that I as a white person have and benefit from. I will never stop trying to be the best ally that I can be. All this being said, I do not at this time plan on deleting the fic. That does not undo what’s been done, and while deleting it could potentially prevent further harm, I am putting trust into my readers to fully read this disclaimer and decide whether or not to continue with the story. I strongly encourage any who do to use their own critical thinking while they read and educate themselves on the criticism of Rick Riordan and his works. There may come a future where I will delete this fic, or edit it to be more sensitive (and include a disclaimer regarding that), but that future is unclear. Right now, I am considering discontinuing it. As I’ve outgrown much of my ignorance, I have also outgrown Percy Jackson and my PJO fanworks. It will always hold a special place in my heart, but it is not something I actively engage with.  However. I said at the start of this that I would not abandon it, and I mean to be true to my word. I feel that churning out the last little bit of life this fic has left would finally allow me to put it to rest. If anyone has any strong opinions regarding this, please let me know, and I will certainly take them into consideration.  Until then, thank you for reading. I will work on writing the final chapters, but whether or not I post them is a different story. Support people of color. Educate yourself. Do what you can to help and then some. The only way we fix this is together. Corvidwing

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Oh my gods, guys. It's finally here. The sequel to Black and Blue! You really seemed to like that story (don't ask me why I have no idea it was a mess :P) so I'm continuing in the universe with Jasper's wedding! Anyway, there are some things I want you to be aware of before delving into the story. I will update this as needed, and if you like I could put it on my profile as well.

Things you should know about the story (listed in order of importance… sort of)

Updates in bold

-Please remember that this fic deals with themes such as depression (though there is always a happy ending) and Nico is prone to panic attacks. I put these things in the tags but I don't put warnings in the chapters. I can, just ask.
-The main focuses of the story include Jasper's wedding and Solangelo's relationship.-There will be POLLS as I write, so if you want to have an effect on the outcome of this story, keep an eye out for them!-I have no idea what the POV of this story even is anymore. Just try not to think about it too much, kay?-I probably will not update as often or consistently as I did Black and Blue. I have a lot going on, but I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS STORY. Recently, chapters have been coming every 1 or 2 months.-I do not know how long this story will be, but my goal is that each chapter is over 3,000 words. They may end up being even longer as there are fewer chapters but a lot of content. So far, chapters (minus Road Trip Adventures) have averaged around 8,000 words.-As I was planning, I realized 'Of Weddings and Weekends' was very similar to season 9 of How I Met Your Mother. This is not a parody or HIMYM AU (although, after I realized, I kind of stole a few ideas :p).-Jasper's wedding is Sunday, 7pm. Just so you don't have to count the hours :)-I finally learned how to use page breaks, so you can look forward to those!

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In Pennsylvania, Percy saw a dog.Leo had just screeched to a halt at a red light when the furry gray mass caught Percy's attention. With a euphoric squeal that may or may not have sent several people sprawling on the floor, the diver scrambled off the couch and launched himself toward the window. His lips were spread in a wide, dorky grin as he pressed his face against the glass, and his breath fogged up the surface."Look! Look, Annabeth!" he exclaimed. His girlfriend rolled her eyes. "It's a dog! Look, Wise Girl! Look! Look!""I see it, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth sat on the opposite side of the rv, her arm stretched out on the back of the couch. Her gray eyes sparkled in amusement as she watched Percy observe the outside world, a childlike excitement in his eyes. "And no."Percy turned around to face her, the dog forgotten. His elation morphed to confusion, and he fixed Annabeth with a scrutinizing gaze. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"Annabeth snorted. "Please. We've known each other since we were teenagers," she said. She kicked her feet up onto the back of her seat. "Besides, you're so predictable.""Am not!""Are too."
"Am not!"

"Are too!"
Percy dropped to his knees as if Annabeth had smote him with her words, clasping his hands together in a sort of prayer. "Please," he whined. His girlfriend crossed her arms; said nothing. "Can we get a dog? Pleeease?"Annabeth's eyes met his evenly. She paused for a moment to take in his expression - pouty lips, pleading green eyes - and pretended to think. "Hmm…" The others snickered. "No.""But Annabeeeth!""But Peeercy! You can hardly keep a goldfish alive."They continued like this past Ohio and Indiana, into Illinois, bickering back and forth about why they should (or shouldn't) adopt a dog. No one really knew why Percy even bothered, but they figured that if anyone would be able to change Annabeth's mind, it was him."WE COULD NAME IT BLUE!""NO!"In Ohio, the group played Twister.Frank was at the wheel: a wise choice. The rest of them gathered in a circle around the mat and eyed the colored dots, as if they'd done something to personally offend each of the six. This was where the group's competitive nature really shone through their humble exterior.Ha ha. Humble. Good one.Nico promised himself he'd never ask them to play Monopoly."Will, left foot yellow!" Jason called. He and Leo sat at the spinner, no doubt to rig the game. Leo could hardly mask the sly grin that had already started to creep its way over his face. Nico was just about ready to slap it off.Will maneuvered around the mat and came to a stop in front of the yellow dots. He scratched his chin, a mocking bemused expression on his face. He slammed his left foot down on the middle dot."I win!" he yelled. The others cheered.Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond, a smirk playing at his lips. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Solace," he warned. "Just you wait. I am going to kick. Your. Ass."The group erupted in a chorus of 'ooh's. They all held their breath.Will grinned. "Oh really? We'll see about that, di Angelo."Leo and Jason rattled off more names and colors."Piper, left hand red!""Percy, right foot blue!""Nico, right hand yellow!"They continued until everyone was situated precariously over the board: Annabeth arched over Hazel's back; Piper bent over backwards with her hand twisted underneath her; and Nico's arm reached over Will's shoulder as the blond crouched comfortably. The two were practically hugging.Nico almost missed the look Jason and Leo shared."Nico," Jason called. The Italian glared at him, and the blond smiled. "Left hand yellow."Nico glowered. No way that had been a coincidence. To place his left hand on a yellow dot, he'd have to lean even farther over Will, which would basically lay him over Will's body. He shot another glare at Jason, who smiled innocently.
I'll get you for this later, Grace.
He reached for the yellow dot. He nearly had it when he started to feel trembling underneath him."Death Boy, that tickles!" Will giggled.Nico's eyebrows furled. "Wha-?"Will spoke through fits of laughter. "You- Ha ha! You're breathing- Hee hee! On my neck!"Nico rolled his eyes, scowl softening. "Stop it, Will. You're making me lose my- OOF!"The couple fell in a heap of limbs and giggles. Their friends laughed along with Nico's soulmate."Wiiiill," Nico complained.Will just laughed.In Indiana, Annabeth got sick.It was a day just like any other day. The group lounged around on sofas and chairs - except for Jason and Percy, who battled to the death in a video game. As Leo drove, the landscape passed by them in blurs of green. The cities passed by them in blurs of lights.No wonder Annabeth was feeling nauseous."Ugh," she groaned. Her feet were stretched out on the couch, and she pressed a hand to her scarlet forehead. Her blonde hair was fanned out around her head and she clutched her stomach. "I'm not feeling so hot."Hazel glanced up from her geology textbook and took in the sight of Annabeth's face. "Really?" she asked. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion, and she tilted her head. "You look like you're burning up."Annabeth swallowed. "It's just an expression, Hazel.""Oh." The brunette looked down sheepishly.Annabeth groaned again.When the vehicle lurched, the professor made a dash for the bathroom, and instantly her heaving could be heard through the open door. Nico grimaced.Percy jumped to his feet, the game forgotten. He rushed to Annabeth's side at the toilet."It's okay," he consoled. He used one hand to rub his Wise Girl's back while the other constrained her hair. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm not leaving."Annabeth smiled. Then she threw up again."Is everything okay back there?" Leo called from the driver's compartment.Piper was quick to retort in her friend's defense. "Easy on the drive, Repair Boy!" she belted. "You're making us sick!"The ride was a little smoother from there on out.In Illinois, the nine grew strangely quiet.Nico minded his own business - put his headphones in his ears and escaped from the world. He snuggled into Will's side and closed his eyes, letting the motion of the rv and the warmth of his boyfriend lull him to calmness.Will's attention was on the tv, where Hazel also had her head turned to watch Disney movies. He ran his fingers through Nico's feathery black hair as he thought to himself, Gay princes, Disney. Do it.Annabeth, still recovering from her sickness, laid her head in Percy's lap and slept. Her soulmate filed some sort of underwater discovery report on her laptop. They looked so at ease and comfortable around each other, like they could go through Hell if only the other was at their side.Piper and Jason murmured softly to each other while they watched Leo build a robot, no doubt sharing anticipations and doubts about the upcoming union. Frank drove.In Nebraska, the group got a little tipsy.Will was their designated driver. He had one job, and one job only. And that was to drive.Annabeth, however, was their designated chaperone. She loaded them all up safely in the car and made sure they were well cared for.Both of those things proved to be harder than she had braced herself for."Come on Piper, just get in the vehicle!" she ordered. The blonde thrust a finger toward the rv, her face red in anger.Figuratively speaking, Piper was not a pretty sight. Her eyes were glazed over from the alcohol, and she was drooling slightly.Confusion washed over Piper's face. "Ve-cle?" she slurred. Annabeth nodded. "I thought tha was a house."Annabeth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a house on wheels," she explained impatiently.Piper was slow to react. Her confusion morphed to an expression of incredulousness in a span of about ten seconds before she finally breathed, "Whoa.""Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Whoa. Now let's get you inside, shall we?"Piper clumsily obliged.Once she was sure her friend was secure, a package of crackers in her hand, Annabeth joined Will outside the rv.Only Percy and Jason were left. But Percy wouldn't stop trying to fight, flailing his arms at Jason as Will restrained him. Luckily, he was too drunk to do any real damage, and it wasn't hard for Will to hold him back considering he was taller and bulkier than either of them."Take that! And that!" Percy declared as he struggled to free himself from Will's grasp. Jason stood in front of him, a smug grin on his face."Percy."He kept flailing."Percy," Annabeth repeated.Will gave her a sympathetic smile, but the blonde just rolled her eyes and strode over to her boyfriend."Mwah!" She placed a big, sloppy kiss on Percy's cheek."Whoa, whoa!" he said. "Stop!" He looked at Annabeth like she'd just insulted his mom or thrown away his blue pancakes. "I have a girlfriend!"Annabeth just rolled her eyes again, but she couldn't stop the warmth in her chest or the grin that spread over her face from her soulmate's reaction. "I'm your girlfriend, Seaweed Brain," she told him. She grabbed his arm. "Now come on. Let's get you in the car." And away from Jason, she thought, but she knew better than to say it out loud.Once everyone was inside, Annabeth slammed the door shut and they were back on the road to California.The rv was a riot.Leo kept reaching for his tools. To make sure he didn't blow up the vehicle and everyone in it, Annabeth locked his supplies in a cupboard and hid the key in another cabinet. Defeated, Leo slumped over the table and muttered about soulmates. Annabeth felt bad for him. He hadn't met his yet.Jason wouldn't stop yelling about existentialism. Annabeth had to admit he made some pretty good points, but she disregarded them as a drunk man's rambles and made him sit. Once she gave him a rubix cube to play with, he calmed down.Nico kept trying to take off his shirt. Annabeth, for the first time, had no idea what would've caused him to do this (besides the alcohol, obviously). She would've expected him to be the sad kind of drunk, like Percy had become after entering the rv. The architect simply wrapped the Italian tightly in a blanket and stuck his headphones in his ears.At least Hazel had quieted down. She'd been the wildest of them all. She'd whipped her frizzy brown hair in a frenzy, screaming about some party she wanted to go to. But once Will had gotten her inside, she'd plopped onto the couch and started snoring. Frank had almost fallen on her.Frank was buckled into the passenger seat next to Will. They couldn't risk him breaking anything, or, in Hazel's case, anyone.Fine, Annabeth thought. A smirk pulled at her lips. Let Will deal with his rambles and stupid giggles. She had enough on her plate.She looked around at all her drunk friends. She had a faint sense of Percy behind her whining about some scraggly old one-eyed cat his mother hadn't let him keep when he was five, but she was too focused on one amusing thought.
They are going to be bumming tomorrow.
They weren't in Wyoming for very long. But Leo put on a cowboy hat anyway."YEEHAW!"Leo thundered into the room in a pair of brown cowboy boots and leather chaps. He had a wild grin on his face, and his curly brown hair stuck out in random places underneath his hat."Leo, what are you doing?!" Piper shot up from her resting place on the couch, startled by Leo's sudden entrance.He tipped his hat and grabbed his belt with his other hand. "Howdy!" he greeted.Piper fell back onto the couch with a groan. She pressed a hand to her forehead; and she looked just like Annabeth had before she'd gotten sick. "Leo, we're pointed toward Utah as we speak. So could you stop it with the cowboy getup?"Leo's smile never faltered. He shook his head. "No can dosville, Beauty Queen." Piper pretended to gag, and the others stifled their laughs.With his eyes closed, Leo took a deep breath and savored the fresh Wyoming air that drifted through the open windows. He exhaled with a big puff. "Just like bein' back home in Texas."Will looked up from his book (which he'd been pretending to read; Nico splayed over the pages as he rested). His eyebrows furled in confusion, and a small frown pulled at his lips. "No it's not," he said.Leo gave him a look that said: What do you know? and scoffed. "Oh? And why is that, you…" He trailed off in thought. "Uh… where are you from?""Austin," Will replied flatly. He tapped his fingers on his book. "Born and raised."Leo looked surprised. Then, he shrieked."You never told me you were from Texas!" he cried. He vaulted onto the seat next to Will and got uncomfortably close to his face. "Story time! You need to tell me all about your upbringing."Will opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Leo started to rattle off questions. His legs were tucked under him, and his hands trembled on his knees as he struggled to contain his excitement. "What's your family's chili recipe? Do your parents drive a pickup? Have you ever gotten attacked by fire ants? Did you make snowmen out of tumbleweed every winter? How did you deal with idiots?"The boy was too preoccupied with asking questions to notice that Nico had stirred from his slumber. His eyes were full of sleep, and a frown adorned his face. Leo hardly had time to look at him before a foot met his chest and he went tumbling over the side of the couch.Everybody laughed as Leo whined from the floor.Nico's sour expression briefly shifted to a smile. "And that's how we deal with idiotis in New York."Leo groaned.In Utah, the group played Truth or Dare.
You don't want to know.
In Nevada, the group took a detour."Please, guys," Percy whined. He held a map tightly in his hands as he gazed longingly out the window. There was a pout on his face, one that constantly brought people to their knees, shouting, 'Yes! Yes, we'll do what you want!'Well, except for Annabeth.But Annabeth wasn't the only person in charge of this road trip. After all, they were heading toward Jason and Piper's wedding venue in Leo's car because Percy was afraid of flying. So Annabeth couldn't exactly say no. But she couldn't exactly say yes, either."It'll be great!" Percy argued, turning to the group. His map was still crumpled in his hands, and he gripped it even tighter when he looked at Jason. "Please?" he asked again. "I want some dam french fries."The rv erupted in a mix of snorts and snickers. Percy looked confused. "What?" The others laughed. Then, it came to him, and he smiled. "Oooh," he drawled. "I get it." He started giggling. "Dam french fries."Jason couldn't seem to say no after that. "Who's in?" he called. The vote was unanimous. "Then it's settled." He grinned. "We're going to Hoover Dam."
o0o
Once Percy's lust for french fries was satisfied, and they'd seen all there was to see as Annabeth recited facts at a thousand miles per hour (which only Leo seemed to be listening to), they were finally on their way back to the rv.Until they ran into a familiar face."Rachel?"The redhead whirled around, her fiery, frizzy hair whipping her face. She wore her everyday paint-splattered jeans and comfortable t-shirt. A camera hung from her neck. She grinned when she saw them. She looked just like she had every day of high school."Jason? Percy? What are you guys doing here?" She drew Annabeth into a hug when she saw her, and turned to look at Jason with surprise written on her face.The blond shrugged, his hands in his pockets. "Just making a tourist stop on the way to the inn. What about you? Same thing?"Rachel nodded and looked around in wonderment. "Yeah. I've just always wanted to see the Hoover Dam. It's so beautiful, I wish I could paint it right now."Piper nodded, seemingly distracted. "That's great," she said. She shoved a thumb in the rv's direction. "But Jason, we should really get going." Her brow furled. She looked worried, probably afraid they'd be late. But they had the inn for almost four days.Jason looked back, as if just realizing they had somewhere to be. "Oh, right." He turned back to Rachel. "I guess we do-"He got cut off by the ringing of his phone.He excused himself with a hand and a nod, and grabbed the cell from his pocket. Piper looked back anxiously as he held it to his ear. "Hello?""WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"The group flinched slightly. Except for Jason, who jerked so violently he almost threw his phone into the water hundreds of feet below.Piper glanced at her fiance sympathetically, an eyebrow raised. "Reyna?"Jason nodded. "Reyna."With a deep breath, he put the phone back to his ear. "Pfft," he said, a nervous grin crossing his face, "Definitely not at the Hoover Dam."The group tensed for Ramirez-Arellano's reaction."JASON YOU LITTLE SHIT YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED YOU NEED TO-"She let out a string of words better left unsaid. Hazel almost fainted."I'm sorry Reyna, but Percy wanted some dam french fries!"In the background of Jason's phone call, a feminine voice yelled, "I want a dam t-shirt!"Jason's brow furled. "Was that Thalia?"He could imagine Reyna's confused, exaggerated face. "Who? Nevermind, that's not important."The conversation didn't last much longer. The gist of it was: Go straight from Nevada to San Francisco. No detours.So with a 'See you at the inn' to Rachel and a 'Stop feeding the pigeons' to Percy, the group piled back up in Leo's motor home and once again they were back on the road to California.When they finally, finally got to the inn, it was noon, two days before the wedding.The group was ready to drop.…Except Leo."WOOHOO!"The resident adventurer leaped out of the rv with duffel bags stuffed in his scrawny little hands. He dropped them at his feet and put his hands on his hips, allowing himself a moment to breathe in the fresh salt air. He exhaled loudly."You guys, this is going to be the best weekend of our lives," he said. He looked around the establishment: neatly trimmed hedges, half empty parking lot, glittering sea in the distance. His eyes shone with excitement.Jason trudged up behind him, his physique drained. "Only if the inn has comfy beds," he moaned.Leo nodded in agreement. Then a mischievous grin spread over his lips, and he draped an arm over Jason's shoulders. He almost had to stand on his tiptoes. "Come on," he urged. He started toward the inn, pumping a fist in the air. "Let's go get my homeboy married!"Jason rolled his eyes, and the friends walked inside, toward a bright future and an exciting - but horrible - weekend.

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.
Chapter 1: The Beginning (And a Really Shitty Bartender)

Friday

3pm

52 hours before the wedding
"Where's Percy?"Piper and Jason came into the inn's small, nearly empty restaurant hand in hand, their eyes bright with the energy sleep gave them. It had been a long ride to the inn, and Nico was pretty sure they would've settled themselves on the lobby floor if Annabeth and Hazel hadn't hurried them to their room for a nap. Nico couldn't really blame them, though. He'd been so happy to finally be on solid ground that he hadn't gotten off the pavement until Will threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.If Will began to bruise, it was his own fault."He's probably a thousand leagues under the sea by now," Annabeth said, stirring a straw in her lemonade. She'd just taken a shower; her princess curls were damp and the sweat she'd gathered from the scorching heat just like the rest of them was gone. "He left the moment we got here, so I had to check in by myself. And if you're wondering where Frank and Hazel are, they've gone sightseeing."Piper took a seat next to her friend with a roll of her eyes, accustomed to Percy's antics. Ever since she'd met Annabeth a few years ago, she knew how annoying her boyfriend could be. But he really was a kind man, and he loved Annabeth to pieces, so Piper could deal with his quirky personality. And if she was being honest, he could be kind of funny.Okay, really funny.Jason pulled up a chair next to his fiancee, Leo at the head of the table on his other side. He picked up a light conversation with him as even more chatter began to buzz around them. Even Nico participated slightly, contributing with a few words here and there, but otherwise Will did most of the talking on their behalf.All the voices mingled with the gentle melody of jazz that seeped out from behind the bar, and the crash of waves that could be heard in the distance. It was pierced by a seagull's call every now and again. But the friends were too absorbed in the feeling that they were here together, rather than the realization that they were here at all to take notice.Except for Nico.In the midst of conversation, Nico was mostly quiet, something Annabeth would call a 'taciturn presence'. He was too focused on the sights and smells that met him in the old inn: the polished wood that arched across the ceiling and in the walls, creating art and doorways that must have been there since before Nico was born. Portraits and paintings of nature that popped against the dull wallpaper, as if screaming to be seen. And the subtle smell of the ocean, which seemed to be infused in the very inn itself.It felt like Italy.And that made Nico angry more than anything.Luckily, Nico didn't have to think about it as Percy came running up to the table, soaked in seawater. His lips were in a stupid grin, and he looked around at everyone as they looked back at him. Their voices died down.Annabeth was the first to say something. "Percy, you're getting seawater everywhere! Go get a towel before they kick us out!"Percy didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Oh, please. They wouldn't kick out the best man." He looked down and shook sand off his foot.Leo's interest was piqued by this, and he sat up straighter in his seat. "Does that mean I can do whatever I want?" His eyes drifted away in thought and he smiled slyly. If there was a word to describe what that look resulted in, it would be 'bad'."Don't be ridiculous," said Percy, crossing his arms. He paused for a moment. "It means I can do whatever I want."Jason rolled his eyes in exasperation of The Battle for Best Man that had been going on since he and Piper got engaged. It was bad enough that he had to choose, but even worse that Leo and Percy seemed to take it as a challenge. Everywhere they went, one or the other was trying to prove their merit for the title of 'Best Man'. The last time that happened, the whole group got banned from Walmart. How does someone even get banned from Walmart? Have two idiot friends named Leo and Percy, that's how.Jason raised his hands in a placating gesture. He had a faint sense of Piper smirking next to him. "Guys, guys, you can stop now." Two confused but expectant sets of eyes stared at him and he folded his arms on the table, leaning forward. "I've already picked by best man."Leo and Percy's eyes grew wide, along with a few of the others'. There was no sound but breath and the clinking of glass as the bartender, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, drew a rag over already-spotless cups.Jason smirked. "Reyna."Leo's jaw dropped open; Percy scowled, and a voice that came up behind them said, "What's this I hear about me being best man?"Grins spread over the group's faces as they got up and turned around to greet Reyna, who held herself in her usual air of confidence. A duffel bag was slung over her shoulder, and she was in her army fatigue jacket despite the heat, but her hair was pulled back in a braid to keep the sweat off her neck. She gave a small smile and went to hug Jason as he approached her, but then she seemed to remember she was holding something and turned to Piper."You wanna take care of a kitten for a day?" she asked.Piper blinked. "Uh… what?"Reyna rolled her eyes with a smile as she looked down at the bundle in her arms - the bundle that was… moving?Before Reyna could even free the kitten from its blanket, there was a squeal next to Nico's ear. He almost flinched, but he'd already known what to expect when it was announced that there was a kitten in the room."Can I hold it?" Will pleaded, his blue eyes wide. He tentatively reached out his arms but pulled them back, as if he couldn't contain the burning desire to hold the kitten. Nico rolled his eyes.Reyna simply nodded and transferred the animal from one person to another, Will's grin getting wider and wider with every inch the kitten grew closer to him. Once he had the bundle in his arms, holding it like a baby, he pulled away most of the blanket to take in the sight.The thing was adorable, but ask Nico and he'd deny he ever believed it. Its little needle-like whiskers twitched as it sniffed Will's hand, and it looked up at him with big green eyes. Then it mewled, and Nico knew what Will was going to say before he said it."We're not getting a cat.""Oh, Nico, please?!"Nico looked at him. "No! We're not allowed to have pets in our apartment." Will had only just recently moved into Nico's apartment, but it felt like they'd been living together for years. They knew each other's routines like the back of their hands, and could sometimes even predict what the other would want for dinner based on the day they'd had (although, Nico almost always wanted takeout, which Will only let him have once in a while). "Besides, I'm more of a dog person."Will looked at him like he'd just donned a rainbow jumpsuit. The others gave him strange looks as well, and Nico suddenly felt like a deer in headlights. "What are you looking at me for?" he asked.It took another moment before Will broke out of his daze, but his eyes still seemed kind of blank. It was disconcerting."I'm sorry, you're a what?"Nico's brow furled, and he wondered if he was actually hearing this. He glanced at the others, but they gave no hint of sarcasm. Just genuine curiosity and for some, confusion. "A dog person," Nico repeated. "I mean, I don't necessarily want one, but I'd rather have a dog than a cat."Will gasped slightly and covers the kitten's ears. "Don't say that in front of Sir Whiskerton!""Will, it's not our-! Wait…" Will looked down in shame; he knew what was about to happen. "You named it?!"Will scoffed. "Pfft, no…" He rocked nervously on his feet, a gentle side to side motion that must have been soothing to the animal in his arms. Nico just rolled his eyes again, something he did a lot in the blond's presence.Well, anyone's presence, really."We will discuss this later, Solace."Nico turned to look at the others, who were silent after having watched the exchange. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck, but thankfully they weren't focused on him for long as Jason turned to Reyna, finally hugged her, and asked, "Where have you been? Didn't you get here days ago?"Reyna took a deep breath, and for a moment it was the only sound besides Will's coos to the kitten and its resulting purrs. "I was at the florist's to work out a deal. Ah-" she held up a finger to silence the engaged couple, who had opened their mouths to speak. "Before you say anything, let me just tell you that everything's fine. The florist's a total arsehole, but nothing I couldn't handle."Jason and Piper visibly calmed, their tense muscles relaxing as they let out the breaths they'd been holding. Once they were no longer worried, Jason finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Where'd you get the kitten?"Reyna laughed. "Part of the deal," she said. "I've got to look after this little sherbert furball for him. It's only for a day, though."Jason smiled and shook his head. "How do you get yourself into such strange situations?"Reyna raised her eyebrows, looking pointedly at her childhood best friend. "How do you think?"Jason huffed. Then, "Fair enough."Reyna looked like she was about to say something, but at that moment Annabeth nudged Piper, and the bride broke out into a friendly smile. She turned to Reyna. "Would you help us with the last of the dinner rehearsal prep? We've still got a few nicks to work out with the seating plan and whatnot.""Of course," Reyna said, and suddenly she got swept up in the group of girls that rushed past her to get upstairs where the preparatory binder was waiting. She cast a desperate look back at Jason, who simply gave her a 'Sorry, there's nothing I can do' shrug. The ensuing glare was enough to make Jason develop a sudden interest in his shoes. Say what you will about their choice of company, but they sure knew a lot of badass women. And that was awesome.The restaurant suddenly felt emptier with the absence of the girls. All around Nico were halves of a whole, and he couldn't help but think it was ironic that he should consider this detail now, when two people were about to be joined together in marriage. He looked down and shook his head as Jason announced he was following the girls upstairs to help plan, then tried to fight a small smile that came to his lips. But once he looked at Will, who sat on the floor with the kitten in his lap, all hope was lost.He took a few steps toward where Will sat, and trailed his colorless gaze on the man's smile. It was blinding, but Nico couldn't look away. With no preamble, he folded his legs underneath him by Will's side, and leaned into his boyfriend's shoulder. Normally Will was the one to initiate contact, but Nico was known to do it every once in a while.Will turned his smile on Nico, blue eyes shimmering with joy. Then he looked back at the cat in his lap, and ran his fingers through its orange coat; when the feline purred, his smile grew even larger."When we go back to New York, we're getting a cat.""Will, no.""Will, yes!"Nico started to grow angry, but a voice in his mind told him, that's ridiculous. Will is just joking around. So Nico settled deeper against Will's side and started to hum a melody that sounded suspiciously like You Are My Sunshine.Meanwhile, Will's smile turned soft, and most of what attention was still on the cat went to Nico. He would never mention anything, but Nico had developed a habit of humming or even singing sun-related songs under his breath when Will was around. He loved that he could bring out the side of Nico so rarely seen: the side that had a great deal of compassion for other people, the side that loved his friends (and Mythomagic). Will also really loved when Nico sang "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles; that one was his favorite.It had only been a year since they met, and every time Will saw Nico, his heart skipped a beat; every time they touched, there were sparks. He'd waited so long to meet his soulmate, and gods was it worth it. His eyes were like the night: dark and full of stars. His laugh was rare but radiant, music to Will's ears. And whenever they kissed, it lit a flame of passion deep within the furnace of Will's chest.It had taken a little while for him to come to terms with the fact that Nico was his, not out of denial, but disbelief. And he knew that for Nico, it had been an emotional roller coaster; the boy had always felt so alone, even in the company of his best friends. His family. Now, with Will, he was a little less lonely (and a lot more healthy).Just don't tell Will about the Snickers hidden underneath the bed.A small mewl broke free from the kitten, who had begun chasing a string that Nico pulled off his hoodie. Will was surprised to see that Nico was actually playing with the animal, the tiniest bit of brightness in his eyes. He draped the string over the kitten's head, and Will could see its teeth when it opened its mouth; his first thought was that it looked like a little orange vampire. He restrained from aw'ing out loud, but when the kitten flopped over on its back to bat the strings with its paws, he couldn't help but let out a noise that could only be described as 'Cuteness Overload'.Nico's eyes snapped to Will, whose heart-eyes were trailed on the kitten. He watched him for a moment, just taking in the sight of his glow; given the fact that Solace means 'sun', Nico could say that Will literally was the sun. And they balanced each other perfectly.He looked back at the cat and the string he held in his hand, and thought about how happy Will would be with a kitten. But they couldn't have an animal in their apartment, and everytime Nico thought about getting in trouble, his mind went right back to the events of last year… When he almost got deported.Thank the gods for Will's Aunt Artemis.To this day, Nico still doesn't know exactly what she said to the Department of Immigration. But as long as he was still here, he didn't really care.He had a sudden stinging desire to see the sky and ocean.Much to the kitten's chagrin (it may have dug its claws into Nico's skin), he scooped up the kitten in his arms and looked down at Will, who had a confused expression on his face. "Let's go for a walk," he told him, and said nothing more as he caught up with Leo and Percy - who had just decided to head upstairs - and handed them the kitten. Leo took the furball into his hazelnut arms with a grin, and Nico went back to Will. With a small smile, he took his hand, and the two of them went out the door and walked together out onto the sand."...Are you sure you want to put Dakota that close to the kid's table?"Piper, with names stuck to almost all her fingers, looked down at the seating chart in her lap. She was biting her lip, and her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to figure out what Reyna meant. "Um… I don't see why not."Reyna positioned her arm underneath her so that she was higher up off the bed that she lied on; completely uncharacteristically, she'd gone for the bed instead of a chair; she usually liked to be in a 'stance' that made it easier to jump into action. It was what all the years of training and being in the army had done to her. Well, that and many, many other things.Reyna raised an eyebrow. "Where there's kids, there's sugar. And if there's Kool-Aid…" She made an expression like 'Sorry girl, that guy gon' go psycho' (as if a look could really portray all that, but apparently, Reyna could do anything) and with this realization Piper pulled his name off the chart and placed him somewhere he was less likely to wreak havoc."You should put Leo at the kid's table," Percy said, smirking. He was flat on his back beside Reyna, playing with a fidget toy. His Long Island tee rode up so far on his stomach that his belly button was visible."Hey!""Maybe we should put you at the kid's table," Annabeth mumbled, matching together fabrics that would complement the rehearsal venue's wallpaper. It was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic; oftentimes she went from joking to serious without ever changing her expression. Despite how well he knew her, it still confused Percy. After all, social interaction wasn't exactly his area of expertise.The diver rose to a sitting position, placing the toy in his lap. Then a grin spread over his face, and he made a sideways glance towards Leo, who still seemed to be somewhat offended by Percy's comment. Percy made a nonchalant gesture, a wave of his hand, and looked at Annabeth, whose eyes were on the task in front of her. "He's a child anyway," he said jokingly.Leo clutched a hand to his chest, his mouth agape. "I am not a child!" he exclaimed. Jason and Piper smiled; even Reyna looked on with amusement. "I am a man!" Jason let out a snort then, but Leo hardly registered it, a smirk sliding to his lips. "In fact, I'm the Best Man."Several 'oohs' erupted around the room, and Percy eye's widened. His chest puffed up like a startled bird (if birds got startled when their friends tried to pass themselves off as Best Man when clearly the choice was themself) and he rose to his feet with a mischievous gleam in his eyes and the tiniest hint of a smirk pulling at his lips.Leo slowly rose his hands up, as if in surrender, and started to lean back. As Percy grew closer, Leo began shaking his head; his dark brown curls bounced and his grin grew wider. Then Percy tackled him, and he let out a squeal as he was mercilessly noogie'd by his friend. Aw, darn. It was messing up his hair.As if his hair ever looked presentable.The group around them rolled their eyes, half their attention on the things they were doing anyway. But Annabeth got up and approached the two with strength in her stride. Without warning, she grabbed Percy by the ear, and pulled him off Leo. Leo placed a hand over his chest, his face red and his breathing heavy."OW!" Annabeth released his ear, and Percy looked at her like she was crazy. A couple others like Jason glanced up to observe the scene, but they didn't seem all that invested. "What was that for?" He brought a hand to his ear and rubbed it.Annabeth looked frustrated and held out a hand, like she was trying not to yell. "That's not the kind of behavior…" Percy raised an eyebrow, and Annabeth started again. "That is not appropriate behavior."Percy looked like a kicked puppy who had no idea why his owner wouldn't let him into the cat box. Annabeth crossed her arms and looked at him, her lips pressed together in a line. "Go by the front desk and see if they got those extra wine glasses we asked for," she said. She didn't quite meet Percy's eyes."Can't you just call?"Annabeth breathed a small sigh. "Yes, but you're being punished. Go." She swatted his behind with a fabric sample, a glitter returning to her eyes, and Percy rolled his as he walked away. He sent a rebellious smile behind him to Leo, who grinned back, but Annabeth's glare returned and he hurried out the door to avoid her wrath.
oOo
As Percy approached the man at the front desk, he felt a shiver crawl up his spine, and his hair stood on end. He couldn't quite explain it, but something about the guy was... off. His clothes were really old fashioned, but he wore them in a modern way, with his sleeves rolled up and his top button left undone. Percy gave him an uneasy look, but the man was too immersed in the papers in front of him to notice.Percy approached the desk with his hands by his side instead of in his pockets, and his steps were measured and careful. He stopped a few feet away and observed the man shamelessly (the guy wasn't even looking up at him anyway), picking out every detail.Finally, he remembered he was here for a reason, and cleared his throat. The man seemed to be brought back to the real world now, and looked up at Percy with a smile. He closed the folder he'd been looking through, and slipped it onto a shelf beneath the desk. Percy remained suspicious; his expression remained indifferent, but he did note that the man's teeth were quite sharp.They're just canine teeth, Percy, Annabeth's voice said in his mind, and he wondered for a moment if this guy could be a werewolf. All humans have them.Not babies, he'd say.Annabeth would just roll her eyes."I wanted to know if you have the extra wine glasses we ordered." His look portrayed almost outright dislike, but the front desk man didn't seem to notice. Instead he just nodded like he was excited about the aspect of wine glasses, and reached down to pick something up off the floor. There was a loud array of clinks when he set the box on the desk."Here ya go," he said, overly chipper for this kind of thing. "Extra wine glasses."Percy crossed his arms and lifted his nose, looking at the man through his lashes. The guy's expression didn't change; he didn't seem weirded out in the slightest that Percy wasn't saying anything. After a minute of dead silence, Percy spoke."I don't need them now," he said, looking for a way to push this guy's buttons. "The rehearsal dinner is tomorrow. Why do you think I would need extra wine glasses when the rehearsal dinner isn't until tomorrow?" He paused for front desk guy's answer.It took a moment, but the man, whose name tag read 'Akmon', finally placed his hands on the box. "Okay," he said, and put the glasses back in their rightful place.Percy didn't really know what to say after that; he uncrossed his arms, but then realized it made him look less intimidating, and crossed them again. After another moment of silence, he said, "That's right," and marched away. But then he thought of something and backtracked. Akmon, a smile still on his face, looked up at him expectantly.Percy looked him up and down, then said, "Where are you from?"Akmon's growing smile revealed even more of his sharp teeth, and it made Percy feel uneasy. What was the deal with this guy?"Well, I'm not from around here. I can tell you that much," he said, and for the first time since they'd started their conversation, he turned away and went back to what he'd been doing.Not long after the unsettling encounter with the man called Akmon at the front desk, Percy joined the others in the restaurant, them having migrated after finishing the rest of the dinner rehearsal prep. He told them about the occurrence; Piper and Reyna rolled their eyes, but Jason and Leo seemed invested. And Annabeth… Annabeth was silent.When he'd finally finished the story, Jason and Leo looked deep in thought, small frowns on both their faces. Reyna just rolled her eyes and took a drink, and Annabeth was still silent beside him. But then she scoffed and looked at him as if he were drunk - or she were drunk."A monster," she said, more a mocking statement than a question. Percy shrugged like the idea was totally plausible, and Annabeth rolled her eyes, turning to stir her drink. She took a sip, then looked back at him and shook her head. "You mean like the ghost you thought was in our apartment last month? Or the singing drunks across from the aquarium who you thought were sirens? Grow up, Percy."Percy froze. Annabeth said things like that to him all the time, but never in such a serious tone. He looked at her, but her attention wasn't on him. It was on the table in front of her, and Percy's eyes jumped between Jason, Leo, and Reyna. They were almost as confused as he was."Okay," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. The energy had been taken out of him, and the front desk guy was now the last thing on his mind. "I won't bring it up again."Annabeth nodded like 'good' and took another sip of her drink.Thank the gods for Hazel and Frank."Hey guys!"The couple approached them side by side, Hazel with a dazzling smile on her face. It was obvious that the wind had begun to pick up outside, as Hazel's hair was even frizzier than normal and wrapped part way around her neck and forehead. A pair of binoculars hung from her neck - Frank's too - and she clutched a hotel brochure in her small hands."Hey!" the rest of them greeted; Reyna stood up to formally introduce herself, and she exchanged handshakes with each of them. Then she caught sight of Frank's id tags, and asked, "You serve?"Frank looked down at his chest, as if just realizing the tags were there, and gave Reyna a nervous smile. "Yeah. Marine Corps."Reyna smiled back at him. "Army."As the two of them started bromancing over the military, Hazel kept smiling and rolled her eyes. She took a seat on the other side of Leo, and swept her eyes around the table. When she seemed to have missed something, her smile vanished, and she did it again. Same result. "Where are Nico and Will?"Jason looked around the table and shrugged, not all that worried. "Sightseeing, probably. And speaking of sightseeing, how was it? Did you guys go to the lighthouse?"Hazel's smile returned full force, and she shut her eyes as if she were imaging the ocean breeze sweeping over her and the sound of nature in her ears. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and said, "It was amazing. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."As Hazel started picking up a conversation about the things she and Frank saw while they were exploring, other guests in the inn (who weren't there for the wedding) began pooling in for dinner. Clattering and sizzling started sounding in the kitchen, where the chefs were busy preparing food. A waiter or two went around taking orders, and the poor kid who ended up taking theirs looked like a wide-eyed freshman taking a test he didn't study for.As the waiter hurried to fulfil their order and get it done with as soon as possible, Nico and Will came in through the glass door at the back, looking tired but happy. They were greeted with smiles and a few 'heys', but by now everyone was too hungry to be very excited about anything.They waited impatiently for their food (Jason even went back to see why it was taking so long) ("Oi, it'll be done when it's done!") ("It's for the bride!") ("Oh, of course… It will be ready shortly.") Leo may have started to build something under the table, too, but when anyone so much as glanced at him, all movement stopped, and a blush crept up his neck. Yeah. Definitely not at all suspicious.When their food finally arrived, everyone was more than happy to skip the conversation and dig in. Although there were a few comments here and there, the sounds most audible were chewing and the clinking of silverware. Everything was great, until one clinking sound became a cause for concern.Hazel held up her glass to her face, and peered in with squinted eyes. She looked entirely confused, and after a moment, Nico knew why."Leo, do you want to explain to me why there's a screw in my drink?"Leo's eyes went wide, and he glanced from Hazel to her drink. Everyone else became silent, and because they'd been causing about 70% of the noise that filled the restaurant, the atmosphere became eerily quiet. The only thing that truly pierced the lack of sound was: "Uhhh…""Valdez!" Frank leaned over the table so he could look at Leo, whose face was scrunched up in embarrassment. When the culprit heard Frank, Nico swore he could see a flash of fear in his eyes. He didn't dare to look at the Marine.Leo chuckled nervously and rubbed his neck, his cheeks turning red. "So that's where that went…"Hazel didn't seem all that angry, but she was incredibly annoyed. She planted her cup back on the table with a little more force than was necessary and simply sighed, rolling her eyes as she stabbed at the food on her plate. Okay, maybe she was a little angry.Frank looked like he was about to say something, but Nico cut him off. "I'll get you a new one, sis."Hazel smiled at him, her eyes glittering, and even Frank's lips turned up a little in appreciation. Nico rose from his seat with the feeling of a few sets of eyes on him, and went over to grab Hazel's cup. His sister's cheeks were tinted with a light pink, and once she spoke Nico knew why. That girl was too kid for her own good. "Could you just ask one of the bartenders to get me some water? I don't want to bother them too much during the dinner rush.""Sure," he said, and Hazel rubbed his arm in thanks.As he left the group and approached the bar, he was glad that most everybody was seated for dinner, else he'd be weaving through a crowd the size of Lake Huron. Nico hated crowds. And lakes. Let's just say he hated a lot of things.And he was about to experience something at the top of his list."Can I get some water over here?" he asked, sitting down on a stool. The bar was just like any other: dark wood, worn seats, booze. There were two bartenders on duty, and the only other person at the bar besides Nico was a woman who looked like she belonged in a Vogue magazine. Blonde hair, red lips, fancy clothes… All the works. She seemed to be in conversation with the bartender who wiped glasses in front of her.The other bartender, a big tattooed man by the name of Butch, came over to him and accepted his request with a smile. Contrary to what the guy's appearance said about him, he seemed really nice.When Butch put Hazel's water in front of Nico, the Nico's eyes were somewhere else; more accurately, on the bowl next to him. It was empty. "Do you guys have any peanuts?" he asked. He had a faint sense that if Jason were here, he'd be laughing.Butch followed Nico's gaze, and thought for a moment. "They must not be out yet. Let me go check in the back for you."Nico nodded and Butch swung a rag over his shoulder to walk away. When he disappeared behind the door, Nico was deep in thought, staring intensely into the fresh water. He was so deep in thought, in fact, that he almost didn't hear the words that would just about ruin his entire weekend.Almost.The other bartender and the woman next to him were still talking; the bartender was angrily wiping a glass, and Nico began to grow uneasy. He glanced back at the table, his group. "They just strut around in their prissy little mandals and walk into public places like they're human beings."Nico's breath hitched, and he couldn't figure out if his heart was beating beyond the speed of light or if it had stopped all together. It was only a sentence, but Nico had already had a bad feeling about the pair. They couldn't be talking about what he thought they were talking about… Could they?"We had one in our residency hall back in college," said the woman. She drew a blood red fingernail across the wood; the scratching sound that it elicited made Nico's hair rise. "He was always so… clean." She scrunched up her face in disgust, as if being clean was a bad thing.Nico didn't like where this was going.The bartender stopped wiping the glass and leaned his elbows on the bar, enraptured with the lady's story. He rested his chin on his fist, and his eyes were wide, like he was listening to a story about a knight who just came face to face with a dragon. "What did you do?" he asked."What do you think? We flushed most of his prized possessions down the toilet; burned the rest of them. Then we strung him up on a flagpole by his underwear and destroyed his college career. Haven't seen him since."The bartender laughed. Laughed. "Serves him right."The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes, and the next word out of her mouth made Nico's stomach leap up into his throat. "Fags."Nico felt like he was going to puke. How could they say that? No, not again… Not knowing what else to do, Nico dropped his feet onto the ground, almost tripping in his haste. He needed to get out of here. The voices around him were blending together in his ears, and the restaurant was swaying in front of him. He tried to breathe, but it came out short and quick. Outside… he needed to get outside…His rush out the door might've gotten him a few strange looks, but at this point, he didn't care. He just needed to calm down. Inhale, exhale. One, two, three. Inhale, exhale, one, two…He steadied himself against the inn, trying to quell the shaking of his hands. He didn't know how long he knelt there, trembling so hard he ached. His mind kept reaching for the dark abyss of memories, but he struggled against it, and all it could manage was words. Fag. Worthless. Trash. Die.Then the tears came. He couldn't stop them, but with the little strength he had, he could keep them quiet. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if someone heard him.By the time he calmed down (as if he could be truly calm after this), the sun had sunk beneath the sea, and darkness had set upon the world. The shadows seeped into him, and it felt like they were waking him up inside. But with his life, and the way he saw the world, those shadows could be killing him and he would be none the wiser.It was a little while longer before someone found him. And of course, of course it had to be literal ray of sunshine Will Solace. Because what's more poetic than the light burning through the darkness?"Hey, where've you been? Hazel never got her water." He had a smile on his face, as usual, but Nico could hardly bring himself to notice. "Hey, what's wrong?"Nico's soulmate came over to him and slid down the wall so that he crouched by Nico's side, his eyebrows furled in concern. His smile had vanished. Freaking doctors, man. It's like they're clairvoyant.Nico didn't meet his eyes. "Nothing," he lied. "Just tired."Will frowned, like he didn't quite believe him, but said nothing about it. "Okay." Then he reached a hand out to touch Nico's shoulder, and it startled the man so much that he flinched. He just couldn't handle physical contact right now.He couldn't bring himself to look at Will's face, but in the end, it didn't matter. He could feel the man tense up beside him and let out a deep breath. He could see Will put his hands on his knees out of the corner of his eye, and he could so easily imagine the disappointment he was sure to be showing on his face right now.Nico's heart shattered.Will went inside.Nico took a deep breath.He couldn't believe there were still people who felt that way about… people like him. He'd thought the legalization of gay marriage had shut up the majority of them; living in New York, he didn't think he'd ever meet one. And in California? Even less.He closed his eyes, and resigned himself to the fact that there would always be hate in the world. Another deep breath, and he went back in through the same door Will had entered a short minute ago. As he walked into the room, he saw that most of the group was gone, presumably to their respectful rooms. When he glanced back at the bar, he saw that the water was gone too.He gave Jason a small smile when the blond caught sight of him, and held Will's eyes for a second too long. Then he simply turned and walked out of the restaurant, towards where his bed was waiting.
oOo
When Will joined him almost an hour later, Nico still hadn't fallen asleep, his thoughts too loud and too many. What the bartender had said was making Nico think about all the looks he and Will had received over the past year - looks he'd ignored, looks he'd forgotten about. But this night was making his mind bring it all up again, and he couldn't stop the onslaught.Will was silent as he got ready for bed. Normally he stomped around in his footie pajamas; not tonight. Normally he hummed when he brushed his teeth - not tonight. And normally he bid Nico sweet dreams.Not tonight.Nico appreciated it; Will knew when to give him his space, but was space really what Nico needed right now? It was always what he deferred to; after all, it was his natural instinct. But through tough times, Will had taken a moment to stop and ask him: What do you want? And when Nico answered, Will would almost always ask: What do you really want?Nico tried asking himself these questions now, but he didn't know the answers.And he went to sleep without them, the weight of Will by his side anything but comforting.In the dwindling energy of the inn's restaurant, a bartender smiles. He picks up a glass - fragile, like the bonds of a relationship. The beginnings of his plan have come together; one down, two to go before this whole wedding collapses in shambles. His smile grows wider."If you're done mastermind-ing, I'd like that drink now."The bartender turns to the girl, an insignificant lowlife if he ever knew one. But she'd done her job, and she'd done it well. So he pours her drink and slides the glass across the bar to her, tracking its movement with his eyes. They're icy cold, but a flame flickers behind them.The bartender opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, and opens it again before he says, with a burning sensation in his throat, "Thank you for your work today." The girl either doesn't notice the lack of genuity, or doesn't care. "The story about what you did to the queer, that - uh, that was impressive."The woman takes a sip of her drink, umber clashing with red. She doesn't meet his eye out of what must be discourtesy; it seems she feels the same way about him as he feels about her. But they have their mutual hate for relationships of any kind, and that is all they need. "Sure thing, Octavian."The bartender smiles, then nods as his ally gathers her things and leaves. She parts without so much as a goodbye, but they've already said everything they needed to say, and Octavian has his own matters to attend to. After all, you can't cause destruction without doing a little destroying. But, in his case, all he has to do is give the right person a small nudge in the right direction…And they'd crumble from within, taking the others down with them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

.

Chapter 2: Of Fights and Old People (No, Not Fighting Old People)

Saturday

5am

43 hours before the wedding

(and 13 hours before the rehearsal)
When Nico woke up, it was at the crack of dawn, and the inn was silent around him. The only sounds he could hear were the faint crash of waves in the distance and Will's steady breathing beside him. He took a deep breath and tried not to think of yesterday, but the guilt and fear washed over him and he just laid there, staring up at the darkened ceiling. He felt tired, and yet so wide awake.Another minute of stillness, and Nico sat abruptly and swung his legs over the bed. He needed to get out of here. Clear his head. As he left, snatching his hoodie from the coat rack, he sent a glance back at Will's sleeping form. Another wave of grief - or guilt; he couldn't tell - hit him, and he slipped through the door without another thought, not bothering to put his shoes on.He snuck through the inn like a spy, his movements swift and silent. Little did he know, there was one other person within the walls of the inn who couldn't sleep.When Nico got to the water, he let himself fall onto the sand, still cold from the darkness of night. He was glad to have brought his hoodie as the ocean breeze swept over him. The sky was just starting to brighten over the water, and Nico wondered what the inn's sunrises looked like. He also wondered what Will would think of them.He squeezed his eyes shut. It had become a thing between them to compare and rate sunrises, and though he may never admit it out loud to anyone but his soulmate, the moment Will got up in the morning with his ruffled hair and sleepy eyes was always his favorite.He wondered what the people he used to know would think about that.Nico nearly resorted to hitting himself to get those thoughts out of his mind. They would do him no good. At this point, though, he wasn't sure anything would. He thought about hurting himself again, if only because he didn't know what else to do, but he refrained. If he did something even remotely harmful to himself he would spiral, and he wasn't sure he could handle that. Not without his loved ones. And if it was really as bad as he suspected it would be, not without Bianca.Gods, he wished she was here right now.He tried to focus on what his sister would say if she were sitting by his side, right now, watching him cave in on himself. He knew she'd tell him that she loved him for who he was. He knew she'd tell him to ignore the man and woman's words, and to always, no matter what, love himself.But she wasn't here. All that was beside Nico was a vast, empty shore, and the voice in his mind was just a dream.He wasn't sure how long he sat there, face buried in his knees. He hardly noticed the warmth that started to spread over the world as the sun rose behind him, too cold himself to care. As time ticked by, he inwardly scoffed at how someone could call a place like this 'timeless'. He was surrounded by the transition of dawn into day, and the waves' crashes every few seconds were nothing if not a painful reminder of a clock's noisy hands.He'd grown so used to them, though. He didn't know if he welcomed the habituation or reluctantly accepted it, but it was almost enough to make him forget about his troubles. It was as if the waves could pull him in any second, and he'd be just another animal floating in the current. So it made sense that when something changed, Nico noticed it immediately.There was another noise, but which side of him it was coming from he didn't know. It was small, quiet, but so out of place that it was like gunshots to Nico's ears. He strained, listening, and discovered that the noise was coming from behind him. And not only was it getting closer, it was a distinct set of footsteps.Nico didn't look up. He said nothing. He didn't even breathe. He sat still on the sand with a chill in his bones, and remained that way even when somebody dropped down next to him.The figure took a deep breath, and Nico's eyebrows furled. He was tense, ready for action; he'd already decided that he didn't need to see who it was before he kicked their butt if he had to. His other senses were just as strong. He knew firsthand the vulnerability of blindness, literal and figurative, and made sure that nothing like that would ever make him weak. So he was ready.But then the figure spoke, and the tension oozed out of Nico's body. It didn't drain completely, but he felt better knowing who it was, and knowing it wasn't someone who'd be almost aggressively adamant about fixing things."Makes you want to dive in and live there forever, huh?" said Percy. Nico moved his head, just a little, so he could peek under his arm to see Percy's face. It was pale, and his eyes seemed… haunted. He wasn't smiling like he usually was. He was staring at the ocean, expression unreadable. "Just to hear the water move."Nico finally shifted enough to rest his chin on his arms, and though he felt Percy's gaze on him, he said nothing. He really wasn't interested in having a conversation right now. It didn't seem to matter to Percy though, and Nico didn't know whether to feel annoyed or relieved when Percy kept talking despite the lack of response."Remember when my team went out last year to gather data on the river crawfish? The water was so quiet, at least compared to the ocean." Percy shifted, but when Nico glanced over, his eyes were still on the Pacific. "It wasn't until we got closer and Frank accidentally dropped a thermometer in that we realized how strong the current actually was."What the heck does this have to do with anything? Nico thought. He found it weird enough that Percy had come out of the inn so early in the morning, but now he was spouting off nonsense."Do you have a point, Jackson?" Nico's voice was so hoarse from sleep and disuse that he almost fell into a coughing fit. Percy looked at him, surprise quickly replaced by what might've been concern. He said nothing at first, his lips pursed tight, but then he looked out at the water once again and his hands started fidgeting."I'm just saying that sometimes things surprise you. It may not always be a good thing, but every cloud has a silver lining, so that's okay. Because you know what?" Nico's eyes flicked to Percy's face, and he felt a little more calmness ease into his body when he saw the smile plastered there. "Frank also dropped his sandwich in, and pouted like a child as he watched it get swept downstream." Percy chuckled, and Nico felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. For the first time since yesterday's dinner, he felt like everything would be okay.But then he watched the smile slowly disappear from Percy's face, and his chest tightened with anxiety. The strained, pensive look had returned, and Nico wasn't sure what to do. Should he say something? Leave it be? Tension crept back into his bones. He wasn't good at this kind of thing - did that make him a bad friend?Nico took a deep breath, and made his decision. His voice was soft as he asked, "What's going on?"Percy's lips quirked up, like he was trying to look optimistic for Nico's sake. But his words said something else entirely. "It's just… Annabeth. She's always gotten after me for doing stupid stuff, but lately…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it more than it already was. It seemed as if he had so many things on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to say but just couldn't articulate well enough.The man looked back at Nico for one last time that morning, and Nico noted the way the newly risen sun shone on his skin. A sharp pang spread through his chest as blond hair and blue eyes flashed across his mind. No matter how hard he tried to clear his head, Will wouldn't leave it."Lately she's been acting like everything I do has cosmic consequences." He heaved a shrug, like the topic didn't bother him as much it clearly did.They sat in silence for a few moments, no sounds but their steady breaths and the ocean's waves. Both their troubles seemed to hang in the air, but they were kept at bay by every breath took. And when Nico decided to say one last thing, Percy's troubles were pushed behind him, if only for a short while."Whatever it is, I'm sure everything will be fine. If there's anyone who can get through this, it's you two." With this Nico tightened the grip he had on his knees and closed his eyes. He hoped desperately that those words could apply to him. But he didn't even know what he was going to do when he had to face Will this morning, let alone how this would all turn out.The minutes - maybe hours - stretched on, and Nico tried not to think. Just as he felt he was about to fall asleep, he heard someone else approaching, and jolted out of his daze."Hey guys." Just the sound of his sister's voice made Nico's bones turn to jelly. He wanted to whip around and pull her into a hug, but at the same time he didn't want to worry her. She'd take it too close to heart, and he knew it wouldn't stop plaguing her. So instead he turned to look at her with a smile, wondering if he actually managed one.Hazel looked bright, as if an aura of happiness clung to her. If one looked deep enough, they could see a spark of something else in her eyes, but otherwise she was filled with energy and ready to face the day."Good morning, Hazel," said Percy.Nico's sister smiled, clasped her hands, and looked between the both of them. Clearly she was wondering what they were doing at the beach so early, but thankfully she let it be, and didn't ask them any questions."The guests have started to arrive," she told them, too chipper for both the time and the event. Nico inwardly groaned. People? No thanks."Thanks for letting us know." Percy seemed a lot more animated and happy than he had when he first plopped down next to Nico on the sand. He wondered if it was an act or if he was genuinely feeling better. Guess he'll never know.The diver unfolded his legs and rose to his feet, sand falling from his clothes. Nico supposed he should follow suit, especially when Percy gave him a pointed look, but let it be known to all that Nico would rather learn how to play the bagpipes than socialize with a bunch of old people and the younger, more high strung guests.Hazel's lips widened to a grin. "Let's go."Somehow, Nico managed to re-enter the inn, sprint upstairs to take a shower and get dressed, and even eat a short, pathetic breakfast (he didn't really have an appetite, anyway) all without running into anybody.Until…"Hey, how're you doing?" Will's voice was soft, like he was afraid of scaring Nico away. At this point, Nico wasn't entirely sure it was impossible. It wasn't Will's fault, though. None of this was. It was Nico's.He ruined everything he touched."I'm fine," Nico answered shortly, like that would somehow be enough. He started to walk slowly out of the restaurant, expecting Will to follow behind. He did."Are you sure? Because-""I said I'm fine, Solace!"Nico couldn't see him, but he could hear Will's footsteps stop. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing his mind not to picture the look on his soulmate's face. The silence was dragged out what seemed like minutes to Nico, but he knew it wasn't really that long. The only thing that felt real right now was the hurt in Will's voice."Okay."Their encounter seemed so short, so wrong somehow, but Nico couldn't find it in himself to try harder. He just let his heart rip to shreds as Will walked away, saying one last thing over his shoulder.His voice was so small. Broken. "You might want to find Jason and Piper before they send out a search party."And once again, Nico let him slip through his fingers."Percy, where have you been?!""Sorry, I was just-""Nevermind that, get over here!"Percy didn't bother trying to break free as Piper dragged him through the quickly-growing crowd. He figured if there was one thing that the girl wasn't going to do, it was take crap from people. Neither from the Stolls nor Percy.Piper slowed down, but then she sped up again without warning and Percy stumbled out the front entrance. He planted his feet. Luckily Piper had already gotten him where she wanted him, so she let go."What's this all about? Surely they can't be causing trouble alre-""Perseus!"The diver's words faded as he caught sight of the culprits Stoll and Stoll. They had manic grins on their faces, and if Percy didn't know how to handle their antics, he'd be breaking out in a sweat. But they'd gone to the same summer camp every year for ages, and been in their fair share of situations - mischievous or not - together.Percy's lips spread into an easy grin, and he gave Piper a reassuring look. That alone seemed to ease the tension out of her and she smiled back at him. Percy couldn't exactly relate to her situation, seeing as he'd never been a bride before (except that one time at Kleinfeld - don't ask), but he had had times where it felt like the weight of the sky sat upon his shoulders."Connor. Travis." Percy nodded politely at the two of them, but that didn't seem to be enough for the brothers. Suddenly he was being sandwiched between the two of them in a really awkward hoagie hug. Oh, no. Now he was hungry.The brothers pulled away from Percy, smiles still shining. But Percy, knowing them, gave the two a disapproving look. He held out his hand to Connor. "Wallet."Connor shook his head like he'd forgotten how good Percy was, and gave his wallet back to its rightful owner. "I still don't understand how you manage to be a buzzkill and a riot wrapped up in one." Percy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, appearing slightly like a grimace."Truly astounding," Travis agreed.Percy turned to him. He acknowledged the man with a blink, and not a moment later he was holding his hand out to the older brother. "Phone."Instead of shaking his head, Travis cackled and clapped Percy on the shoulder as he dumped the phone in Percy's hand. "Good to see you, bro."Percy's smile returned. While the Stolls could be a true pain, they really weren't that bad once you got to know them. They valued kinship (despite how often they turned on their friends) and could really lighten a mood, even when it didn't need to be lightened. They reminded Percy an awful lot of Leo.Come to think of it, Percy didn't really know why the Stolls were invited. Sure, he'd just gone over their better attributes in his head, but they weren't really friends of the happy couple. Then again, when you're planning a wedding and aren't necessarily picky about the guest list, you invite everyone. Literally. Everyone.He began to wonder if they'd thought this through.Just as the thought crossed his mind, a loud, feminine voice surged through the crowd. It was like a bomb had gone off, a sudden disturbance causing most of the guests to flinch."PIPER! PIPER, WHERE ARE YOU?! LOOK OUT, MOTHER OF THE BRIDE COMING THROUGH!"Percy's hippocampus identified the source before his eyes did (what? He listened when Annabeth talked) and told him there was only one person that voice could belong to."Mom!"Piper looked a little shell shocked, as if she hadn't invited Aphrodite and wasn't expecting her to come. Knowing all she'd gone through to plan this wedding, and Aphrodite's tendency to show up whether she was invited or not, Percy didn't find the idea all that implausible."Oh," Aphrodite breathed, a hand on her chest. She stopped just short of Piper, whose shock was slowly being replaced by a smile. The woman's eyes flew up and down to take in the sight of her daughter, and a few seconds later she had Piper wrapped up in a hug.They only had a moment of calm before the rest of Piper's immediate family bustled through the crowd. Piper's dad looked weary, which Percy accredited to the eight thousand bags of luggage he was hauling and the two squabbling boys that trailed beside him. The diver didn't think he'd ever officially met Piper's step-family, but from what he was seeing, he decided he'd save that for another day."Dad!" Piper's smile widened to a beaming grin, and her father dropped everything he was carrying to hold Piper in his arms. Seeing the two of them made Percy's heart pang. He set a mental reminder to call his mom later.He was just about to stop staring and greet the other guests when he felt someone bump into his leg. He turned quickly, apologies on his tongue, but when he saw who it was his words died off and he was left with a grin to rival Piper's."Mr. Brunner!"Percy's old teacher/camp director smiled up at him, an ever-present twinkle in his eyes. Oh, how he had missed seeing him. The man was like a second father to Percy, and had really been there during the most troubling years of his life. Just knowing he was here made Percy's chest swell with happiness."Please, Percy," Mr. Brunner said, rolling his wheelchair away from the purposeful collision. "You're making me feel like an old man. Call me Chiron."Percy nodded, still high on excitement as Chiron reached over to grab something from his bag. After a moment of shuffling and a few mumbles, he came back up with a small box in his hand, wrapped to perfection in silver paper. A bow tied it all together.Chiron looked at the gift for a moment, then held it out to Percy, a soft smile never leaving his lips. Percy couldn't help but feel puzzled, though the emotion he was already overwhelmed with clouded most of his confusion."For you and Annabeth," said Chiron.Percy lifted the gift from his hands, albeit with a little hesitation. Chiron leaned back in his chair contentedly."But... we aren't the ones getting married." He noticed Chiron's smile grow, and he stumbled over himself to say: "I-I mean, thank you, Chiron! You really didn't have to. Goodness knows I don't deserve it," he mumbled.Chiron chuckled, a sound Percy had gone too long without hearing. "That's quite alright, Percy. Now, tell me." He straightened up in anticipation, then leaned forward with his eyes wide. "What kind of trouble have you gotten into since I saw you last?"Percy grinned.
oOo
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, relating to Chiron tales of heroism and great feats (what kind of guy did you think he was?), but he finally had to excuse himself when he saw Piper getting cornered. Percy didn't think he'd ever been caught in a hoard of old people, and seeing it he wished he never would be.As he started towards his friend, Chiron leaving to go greet the others, an idea popped into his head. He'd gone to rescue Piper… but why not make Jason do it? He was the one marrying her, after all.A sly grin appeared on Percy's lips. Piper had been drowning in people who wanted to pinch her cheeks and tell her just how adorable she was, but she was one of two. Time to turn the tables a little bit.With a new plan to execute, Percy changed direction and rushed inside the inn, squinting his eyes as they adjusted to the light. When a quick glance around the lobby revealed Stolls stuffing free mints in their pockets but no Jason, Percy pushed his way forward. Guests seemed to just mill about in every corner of the room, eating and talking and, in some cases, being a menace.It wasn't that Percy didn't like people. It was that he didn't like this many people - people who, for the most part, were strangers to him.He felt like he was wading through quicksand with how slow he managed to get through the crowd, but he was making progress. It wasn't until he got through to the restaurant that he could step back for a moment to reorient himself. He was looking for Jason… but where was he?He was just about to brave the crowd again to get upstairs when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.It was Annabeth. She was distanced from everyone else, opting to lean against the breakfast buffet rather than socialize. In one hand she held a muffin, disappearing bit by bit as she munched on it. In the other was a cup of coffee - no, tea; Percy could see the tag draped over the mug.Percy froze, but then he realized how stupid that was and approached his soulmate with a smile. She hardly paid him any heed, too enraptured in the taste of her food. Percy paused for a moment, waiting to see if she'd acknowledge him, but she just took another bite and Percy leaned against the table next to her."Hey, Wise Girl," Percy greeted. Annabeth turned to look at him like she was just seeing him for the first time, and Percy wondered what she'd been thinking about that got her all wrapped up in her mind. Knowing Annabeth, it could be anything from the inner workings of Ancient Greece to the thought of 'Did I brush my hair this morning?'She smiled at him, and Percy's heart warmed. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. Annabeth finished off her muffin and took a sip of her tea, and Percy noted with affection how she gave a small, approving nod. He didn't think she was even aware she did that. The man found it adorable."Where were you this morning?" Annabeth asked after more silence, grabbing a donut from the buffet. Percy did the same. "When I woke up, you were gone."Percy looked ahead; he could see the ocean clearly through the French doors from where he was standing. Annabeth had been excited when she first saw them, telling Percy that they needed French doors when they bought a new place. Percy had nodded along. He didn't really care what kind of doors they had, and was more than content to leave the planning to Annabeth. He knew he'd love whatever she picked.Percy swallowed a bite of donut. "I was down at the ocean," he said simply. It was pretty self-explanatory considering Percy's affinity for water, but it said nothing about his doubts or Nico's troubles. Not that he wanted to share those with the class.Annabeth nodded, and accepted the answer point-blank. She took a sip of her tea, and another moment or two of silence passed again before she said anything."Whatcha got there?"Percy's head whipped to look at her, and he found her eyes trailed on his hands. He looked down, only just now remembering Chiron's gift to them. He held it up for her to see. "It's a present."Annabeth paused. "I can see that." When Percy offered nothing more, she prompted, "Who's it for?""Us. It's from Chiron."Annabeth perked up instantly, beaming. "Chiron's here?!"Percy grinned. "Yeah. He's outside."Annabeth hurried to finish the rest of her breakfast, and Percy stood away from the table they'd been leaning on. He watched his soulmate with a soft smile as she wiped donut powder on her jeans. It seemed he'd spaced out, because the next thing he knew, Annabeth was looking at him weirdly. "What? Do I have something on my face?"Percy shook himself out of his daze. "No," he said, smiling wider. "It's nothing."Annabeth smiled again, and rose up on her tiptoes to give Percy a kiss. When she dropped back down, she tapped the gift in Percy's hand with a finger. "Don't lose that," she warned."I won't, I won't." Percy waved his free hand to emphasize his point, and Annabeth gave him a suspicious look. Percy rolled his eyes, like he knew why she seemed doubtful but felt mockingly betrayed. "Go see Chiron."Annabeth laughed lightly- "Okay" -and gave Percy another kiss before leaving the way Percy had come.Okay.They would be okay.
"You might want to find Jason and Piper before they send out a search party."
Nico had felt broken after his short encounter with Will, but now anger bubbled in his chest as he walked the halls in search of Jason, and he had no idea why. He had no reason to be mad at his soulmate. So why was he feeling this way?
"It's your fatal flaw."
That voice. He hadn't thought of that voice in a long time.Or maybe he had."I don't got a fatal niente, Papa."
"Now, Nico, mind your grammar. Or do you require more lessons in English?"

"No, Papa."

"Good. And no more of this mixed language. You speak English to me and Italian to your mother and sister, understand?"

"Yes, Papa."
Nico didn't realize he was holding his breath until he noticed the floor start to sway beneath his feet. He stopped, gasping in as much oxygen as he could, but his breaths were shallow. It took him a minute to fully regain composure, and by then the damage was already done.Nico fell back against the wall - it always seemed to be a wall - and sank to the floor, already situating himself in his default position of knees hugged to chest. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore everything around him (though there was no one in this hallway, thank the gods) and resist the urge to punch something.He focused on his breathing. There's nothing else, he thought, drawing in a breath. Just me and my lungs.Eventually his body reached equilibrium, but his mind was still a wild card. He'd calmed down enough to function, but if he didn't find a distraction soon…Hands on his knees, Nico rose to his feet. This was the second - third? - time in two days. Pull it together, di Angelo.He took another deep breath, and trudged forward.
oOo
When he found Jason, the blond was showing guests to their rooms on the second floor. He really didn't need to - anyone with half a brain could find their way around this place - but Nico figured he was trying to be polite. It was the least he could do considering he wasn't down amongst the crowd and greeting people."Nico!" When Jason caught sight of him, his face split into a grin, and he gave one last gesture to the woman he was guiding before running up to him. "Where've you been?"Nico shrugged. "Outside."Nico knew Jason heard him, but he gave no acknowledgement and instead looked around. "Have you seen Thalia?" he asked. His brow was furled, and his lips were pressed together tightly.Nico shook his head.Jason sighed, obviously annoyed with his sister, but then he threw his hands up in the air; maybe he was a little frustrated, too. "She got here before we did. How is it that we haven't run into each other yet?"If Nico was good at anything, it was sensing tension. He had a lot of practice. "Relax, Jason," he said, wanting to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't. "She said she'd be here in time for the rehearsal dinner, right?" Jason nodded, and Nico copied. "So you have nothing to worry about. Thalia keeps her promises."Jason smiled at him, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Thanks."Nico nodded."So, you said you were outside? How's it looking out there?"Nico's heart stammered the tiniest bit and he felt his neck heat up. He avoided Jason's eyes. "Oh, I was out back," he admitted. Jason gave him a curious look, but said nothing on the matter."Well then, let's go see for ourselves, shall we?" Jason's expression dropped just a tad. "I'll probably get trapped in the lobby again, though," he grumbled. "It took extensive planning to get out of there."Nico smiled, his bad mood from earlier starting to dissipate. "So you're a veteran, huh? Surely, with your experience, diving back into the belly of the beast should be-""Easy?" Jason asked hopefully."Well, I was going to say "slightly less dreadful," but whatever you need to tell yourself."Jason groaned.Nico hadn't seen the full crowd yet, but he'd heard it. "Come on, it can't be that bad."He was wrong.Oh, gods, he was wrong.The instant he stepped downstairs his nose was met with a powerful odor, and while not completely unpleasant, Nico's senses still felt like they'd been assaulted. The overpowering smell, coupled with what sounded like a hundred marching bands to Nico, made him want to run and hide."Come on, Neeks," Jason mocked, a smirk growing on his face, "it can't be that bad."Nico wanted to punch him."Once you get used to the old people smell, it's a lot easier to be in here without fainting."Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, until they all start pawing you because "you're just so handsome!" and drill you about your soulmate." Nico's mouth went dry with the word 'soulmate,' and he swallowed harshly. He doubted half these people would recognize Will as his soulmate, and instead tell him he just needed to wait for the right girl. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.No matter how many times Jason and Piper told him that almost all of their family was accepting, he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it. He'd heard that too many times. Prove it, and maybe Nico would start to consider it might be the truth."What do you think?" Jason asked, surveying the scene with analytical eyes. "Should we try to-""Jason, dear!"Nico's head snapped to the side, and he could feel the smell now, as if it was coming at him in waves. In front of him stood a little old lady, with a wooden cane in one hand and a pocketbook draped over the other.When Nico looked at Jason, he saw the grimace in his smile, like he was forcing it. Nico couldn't blame him. He wasn't even trying to act civil."Hello," Jason greeted, and if one didn't know the blond well, they'd easily miss the mocking tone in his voice. The lady didn't seem to notice anything was wrong, and simply smiled at him. She turned to Nico, and for a moment her smile faded, replaced by a scowl. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, and Nico wasn't sure he could say it even happened.The woman took Jason's hand in her own, and said nothing, until… "Will you show me to my room?"Before anyone would've been able to get a word in edgewise, Jason all but yelled, "Oh, of course! Rooms 1-20 are downstairs, and anything 20 and up is in the upper floors."Nico may not have been the most polite person in the world, but he did know when to scold his friends for not doing it. "Jason," he hissed. He hoped the old woman didn't hear him. In his experience, old people had two hearing levels: deaf, and something that would considered superhuman.The woman paid no heed, and reached into her purse to pull out a room key. "I'm in room 15." She had a huge smile on her face, like being in room 15 was the best thing to ever happen to her. Maybe it was.Jason shot Nico a look, fears and pleads all wrapped in one expression that said: SAVE ME.Nico shrugged.Turning back to the woman (but not before giving Nico a glare), Jason held out his arm. The woman linked her own arm with it, and they were off with a "Right this way, Ma'am."Nico smiled to himself. Poor, helpless Jason.He stood there for a few more seconds, wondering what to do. But just as he decided to go outside and get some fresh air, a bright flash of color caught his eye, and he found himself staring at none other than Will. A sense of worry - or hurt - filled his chest.
"Seriously. What's with the bright shirts?"
The feeling persisted even as Nico was brought into the memory.
Will closed his laptop as Nico put a cup of coffee in his hand, patting the couch next to him as an invitation. "You need a little more brightness in your life, Death Boy. I've seen your closet."

"But you already shine as bright as the freaking sun," Nico protested, snuggling into Will's side. If he'd looked at his soulmate's face, he would have seen a light blush start to make its way across his cheeks. "You're going to blind me."

Will smiled and pulled his boyfriend closer. "You're already blind," he said, and before Nico could ask what he meant, he put a hand to his heart for dramatic flair. "Blinded by my love."

Nico groaned and facepalmed, but Will's smile only grew, and he started to sing. "Blinded by love…"

Nico didn't bother to move his head when he spoke, so his voice came out a little muffled. "I'm pretty sure you're the only person on Earth who likes that song," he said, but he couldn't stop a smile from creeping onto his lips. He was glad it was hidden from Will.

"I can't see the morning sun…"

Nico finally forfeited and let his smile be seen as he shoved Will (lightly, aware of the hot drink he held). "Stop it!"

Will only laughed, letting the sound dribble into the rest of the chorus. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Will started singing again, and Nico could have that, now, could he? So he did the one thing his mind was telling him to do, and pressed his lips to Will's.

It started out awkward and fumbly, as with any first kiss, but soon they settled into it and found their place with each other. Will carded his fingers through Nico's hair (he'd wanted to do that for so long) and Nico cupped Will's face in his hands. The moment was perfect, silent, though whether that was because it actually was or because they'd blocked out the rest of the world was unknown.

When they finally pulled away for breath, Nico wasn't sure whether to smile or not. Was it okay? Did he need to change something? What if Will was angry that he kissed him without permission?

But then Nico opened his eyes, and saw the grin growing on Will's face - bright and beautiful as always. And Nico smiled. He wished he could stretch this moment into a thousand lifetimes, but he couldn't. So another kiss would have to do.
When Nico was pulled back to the present, he grasped at the fleeting joy of the memory. It was gone before he could say 'Will'.
oOo
Once the guests had all gotten settled in their rooms, and the chaos that had overtaken the place died down, the nine of them met up in Jason and Piper's room. How that had become their hangout spot, Nico didn't know, but he assumed it had something to do with the fact that it was the biggest.Nico didn't waste any time finding somewhere to sit. He just plopped down on the nearest chair and rested his head on his hands. "I'm exhausted."Jason made himself at home on the bed. Out of every corner of Nico's eyes, he could see the other seven claim places for themselves. "Yeah, I'll bet. It must be hard being the gay friend and the emo friend.""Jason, shut up," Percy jabbed. He drove a pillow not-so-gently into Jason's chest, and Jason looked at him with an incredulous expression."What?" he asked, rubbing his arm. Then he saw the look Nico was giving him. "Sorry.""Chin up, Nico," Piper encouraged. She was in her usual spot next to Jason, leaning back on her hands. "We still have an entire wedding rehearsal to do."Nico suppressed a groan. He didn't want to do anything other than sleep right now."But… we do have some time to kill." Percy's eyebrows rose as he looked around at the faces in the room, some bored and some neutral. Annabeth, though, turned to him with a questioning look."What did you have in mind?" she asked.Percy shrugged. "Maybe we could watch a movie."Faces seemed to light up, and Percy smiled at his friends' joy. Piper was already reaching for the remote."This thing have Pay Per View?" she asked, almost to herself. A chatter started to pick up around the room as people discussed movie choices and the inn's services, and for a moment it felt like everything was back to normal. Nico wondered if it would be like this when they got back to New York.A shout broke Nico out of his thoughts. "Casablanca!"The whole room went silent."...Casablanca?"When Nico looked around the room, he saw confusion, from Annabeth most of all. "Percy, you hate Casablanca."Percy straightened up like he was preparing to defend himself, which, in a way, he was. "Do not!""Yeah, you do." Piper's hand was still pointing the remote at the tv. "The last time we watched it you said, and I quote, "I hate this movie"."Percy scrunched up his face, like he was trying to think. "Hmm… No. I don't think so. Never happened."Annabeth's eyes hardened and she hit Percy in the shoulder. "Don't lie. It's a bad example."Percy rubbed his shoulder, looking at his soulmate indignantly. "For who?!""For whom," Annabeth corrected. She shifted on the bed and put her hands on her knees. "And you know that Leo is very impressionable.""Hey!""Alright, alright," Jason interjected. "But… Casablanca? Why?" The blond turned to fix his gaze on Percy, and everyone awaited his answer.Percy shrugged and gestured toward the tv, the light of which shone in his eyes. "Well, you said to pick a love story-" several people's confusion intensified as they thought about the ending "-and look, it's right there. $2.99. Amazing." He sent a glance toward Nico, and the Italian knew exactly what it meant.Nico loved Casablanca.Percy was trying to make him feel better. But while he appreciated the sentiment, Nico didn't know how much a movie was going to help."I'm up for Casablanca," Frank piped in.Percy nodded at his friend. "Thank you!""I've got nothing against it." Several more phrases of agreement erupted around the room, and it was settled."Casablanca it is," Jason announced. Piper clicked the purchase button. An hour and forty two minutes later they'd be arguing about what to watch next, but for now, the nine of them could sit back and enjoy a movie from the 1940s, surrounded by their greatest friends in the world.Nico ignored the look Will gave him.
oOo
When they'd finally arrived at the rehearsal venue after several movies, a prevention of chaos ft. the Stolls, and a few thousand rounds of "Percy what are you doing put that garlic down," Jason had announced that each couple got their own dressing room.Nico could feel the tension.It sizzled in the air, and every hair on Nico's arms and neck rose. He and Will were silent as they dressed, an appropriate distance between them. But at this point, Nico wasn't really sure what that meant anymore.Nico kept his eyes only on what he was doing. He didn't look at Will, he didn't look at the door, and he didn't look in the mirror. He didn't want to face the person he'd see if he did.They settled into a comfortable rhythm, despite the discomfort they were both feeling. Their movements seemed to match each other's, but ask either one of them and they'd probably say they hadn't noticed. Somehow they were both oblivious to and hyper-aware of each other at the same time, and it seemed to settle a sort of fog over the both of them.Will sighed, the loudest noise either of them had made so far. Nico ignored him and bent down to tie his shoes, but it seemed Will wasn't finished."Look." He started strong, with a confidence that had managed to be enough for the both of them this past year. Maybe that's what Nico needed. Confidence. "I don't know what happened, or what's bothering you-" Nico tensed up at this, pausing as he tied his necktie "-but you should really talk to someone about it."Nico spared Will a glance, and was surprised to see the blond wasn't looking at him. Instead he had his eyes trailed on the shoelaces he twirled between his fingers."It doesn't have to be me, but I do want you to know that whenever you need me…" Finally he looked up at Nico, and their eyes met. He thought back to all those months ago when he saw them for the first time, and they were just as beautiful now as they were then. "I'll be here."Nico was the first to break eye contact. He swallowed and found his tie's reflection in the mirror - why wasn't this stupid thing tied yet? - and heard only a light scuffle as Will moved. "I'm not sure that's what I need right now," he mumbled. He wasn't sure whether or not he'd wanted Will to hear that, but in the end, it didn't matter."What's that supposed to mean?" asked Will; his voice was a lot less confident than it had been just a minute ago.Nico gave up trying to get the stupid thing around his neck to cooperate, and threw it to the floor with a growl. "I mean this isn't something that can just be talked away." Despite his vagueness, he felt like he'd just ripped off a thousand layers of walls, and his breathing turned ragged. It got worse the more he talked. "It's… ye-years worth of f-fear and hate. Just leave me alone."This time, Will didn't. He didn't say 'okay,' he didn't walk out the door; he didn't leave him alone."You know what? No." Nico froze, his eyes on the floor. He could hear Will steady his breathing, and realized that his own was speeding up. "I've given you your space. But you need to stop bottling everything up. It will eat away at you."Nico wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn't find the strength. There was a moment of pause between him and Will, and he almost thought Will wasn't going to say anything else."Can you at least tell me what it is?" Will asked. If Nico looked at him, he was sure he'd see pleading eyes. He considered it a specialty of his to resist them, like Annabeth resisted Percy's. But he wasn't sure he could do it now."No.""Nico-""It's nothing.""Obviously not."Nico growled again. He wanted to punch something, or throw something, but the closest he could get to letting out his anger was a kick to the wall.He forced himself to steady his breathing. Will didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be brought down by someone like him. Nico squeezed his eyes shut.When he opened them, tears burned at the corners."It's just…" Will waited patiently as Nico struggled to get the words out, his head hanging. "It's just the words, an-and the people…""The people?""The people!" Nico yelled. He squeezed his eyes shut again. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't. "The people in the inn, and the people in Italy-""Italy? Is this about Italy?""Yes - no, I don't know!""Okay," Will said soothingly. He seemed so much calmer than Nico felt, and for that Nico was grateful. Even if he couldn't show it, and even if he didn't know right then that that's what it was. But it still wasn't enough to calm Nico, and his blood boiled. "Why do they bother you?"Nico scowled. "Perché no?!" He dug his nails into his palm. He could feel the blood begin to pool under his fingers, but he couldn't feel the cuts they came from, and his anger only grew. "They're terrible. To me and the rest of the world." It was the only way he knew how to say it."Yeah, so what?" 'So what'?! Will was supposed to understand this better than anyone. "They're arseholes. The lot of them. Why does this upset you so much?" His voice had filled with desperation."Because it's hard being in a relationship that people think is disgusting and wrong!"Neither of them noticed that the door had opened.The only sound that filled the air was their heavy breathing.And Nico's broken heart put the pieces back together just to shatter itself again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

.

Chapter 3: Of Secrets and Rehearsals (And... Bread?)

Saturday

5:39 pm

24 hours, 21 minutes before the wedding

21 minutes before the rehearsal

No - eyes - so many eyes - what are they looking at? It's ruined - gone - leave. Breaths - it's loud - too loud - get out - out - out OUT
Nico ran.Unbeknownst to him, Hazel, Piper, and Percy were all back in the dressing room, holding their breath. Will tried to move forward, to follow Nico, but Hazel put a hand on his chest. "Let me," she said, and that was it; she left without another word.Will could feel his heart sinking. He could feel the energy be wrung from him by Fate's cruel twists, and he could feel tears start to burn in his eyes."Will…"He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to be pitied. He just wanted to be home, happy with Nico. He wanted to be in a time before all this. Before they all piled into Leo's rv. But he didn't have a time machine, and it felt like he didn't even have a soulmate.He could hear muttering, but he'd turned his back - avoiding the others, avoiding the mirrors, avoiding the truth. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he noticed the absence of voices."Let's talk for a minute," he heard, and he identified the voice and hand as Piper's. It wasn't a question. He wasn't being given a choice. He turned his body to sit on one of the benches, and noticed that he and Piper were alone.When he looked at Piper, her soulful eyes shining with concern, he felt calmer. Maybe a talk was what he needed. Even though she had enough on her plate, he felt like he could talk to her."Are you okay?" It was the first thing Piper asked, and Will could almost cry hearing those words. There were so many things he could say, so many reasons those words affected him. She didn't ask what was wrong. She said it so gently. And the answer was… He didn't know.He looked down at his hands. All he could see was his fingers curled with Nico's, his palm on his soulmate's cheek. He balled them into fists.When he answered, he spoke the truth. "I don't know."He told her everything.
oOo
Nico didn't run as far as he thought he would.To be fair, he wasn't really thinking about where he was or where he was going. The only thing that could get through to his mind was something akin to fear, and he wasn't going to sit and dwell on it. At least, not until he found a tree stump outside the rehearsal venue to be as good a spot as any to sit down and shake.He couldn't put a restraint of any sort on the constant trembling, so he was forced away from stillness. What does it matter? he thought. What does anything matter?Where once it felt like the time was slipping away, gone, it felt now like quicksand. It was as if Nico could reach a hand into the air and twiddle the time with his fingers. Wisps of it were shrouding him, and when it felt like it was crawling up the nape of his neck, he shook harder.Wait. That wasn't time, that was a person.Nico tried to quell the shaking in his bones, but he'd already tried to no avail. So his body kept moving as the person approached, an ache building in… everywhere.The person stopped just a few feet short of him, and Nico curled in on himself. He felt so exposed, so open to their eyes. And yet, it felt similar. Normal. He had two guesses as to who it could be, so he took a shot. It was a fifty-fifty chance."Go away, Hazel.""No."So he was right, then. But that didn't fix the problem of him wanting to be alone, and it certainly didn't fix the problem he'd been carrying with him since Italy. The problem he felt would follow him to the ends of the earth.He could hear his sister take a few more steps forward, and he cast a wary glance at her; she settled on the ground next to him, but her eyes weren't on him. Instead they were unfocused, an empty stare. It seemed she was lost in thought.The hollow thump of heartbeats pulsed in Nico's ears, and he'd give anything not to hear them. They were taunting, smothering. His wasn't even supposed to be beating anymore, not really, not with how many times he'd gotten close to death. Others' and his own."I still miss him, you know." Hazel still wouldn't look at Nico, but she spoke to him. Even if it seemed she was talking to herself."Who?" Nico asked gruffly, if only to amuse her. He knew who.When Hazel opened her mouth to speak, no words came out. When Nico looked at her, he noticed tears building in her eyes, and the strain Hazel put on herself to keep them at bay.She said nothing, and Nico thought that was that. But a few drawn-out moments later, she whispered, "Sammy."Nico curled in on himself even more, if such a thing was possible. He felt guilty, but for what he didn't know. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was too many things.Nico said nothing in response, and spent a few moments wondering if that was what his sister needed. He was the biggest human disaster he knew; how was he supposed to be intuitive about others' needs? He was briefly lost in thoughts, questions of Am I a bad person? and What can I do for Hazel? running through his mind."I know," he whispered. Gods. He sounded so stupid. But at least he was speaking, and at least the shaking had slowed.Hazel took a deep, shuddering breath; it was as if tendrils of Nico's shaking had been passed onto her. It was hardly noticeable, but to someone who knew the signs, it was as loud as a foghorn."But I love Frank," she blurted, small sobs starting to crack in her voice. She pressed her lips together, and Nico felt a phantom tear crawl down his cheek as he watched one slip from Hazel's eye. His heart hurt. Both of their hearts hurt, and they pounded together in a broken tragedy."I know," Nico said again. He just didn't know what else to say."Nico." Hazel gave him no warning as she turned to look at him, and the boy's adrenaline spiked. The shaking came back full force. With the sudden scare, the worry of Hazel noticing didn't even cross his mind. They were looking at each other now. Hazel's eyes glowed startlingly in the dim light, and Nico squeezed his knees to his chest.Hazel broke her stride with a sigh. She seemed to have ceased her slight tremors, but her tension was still evident. "I know I always denied this with everything I could... And I'm still not sure I believe it to be a gods-honest truth. But... I'm lucky." Her eyebrows furrowed as the corner of her mouth quirked upward in the slightest. "Not everyone gets a second chance like me," she said, and her voice sounded earnest now, like this was something she just needed for Nico to hear and understand. But it was also soft, and it was as if Nico could feel what she felt, just by hearing her voice."I love Frank." The energy that had filled her disappeared. She slouched, her eyes no longer on Nico. The thoughts she'd been stuck in earlier seemed to return, and Nico felt a drive to save her from them, even if they wouldn't hurt her. "But if I had a chance to go back..."Sorrow and guilt seemed to overtake her, and she started to stutter nervously. "Oh, gods, that's such a horrible thing to say. I love Frank, and I loved Sammy; it's so complicated... It's not like I could just choose-""You don't have to," Nico interrupted, stopping the stream of words before Hazel could go down the rabbit hole. She paused and turned her eyes on him; a silent battle seemed to be happening in them, but finally she took a deep breath, and didn't look quite so tense anymore."You're right," she said. She started to nod. "I need to live in the present." Her eyes flicked back to Nico. "And so do you."Nico glanced at her, but he couldn't bring himself to hold her gaze. It was because - why? Was it because she was right? Was it because he knew that, but just didn't want to think about what it meant? Or was it something else entirely?Hazel gathered herself, and with a start Nico realized she was getting up. A panic sparked inside him, surprising the man. Hadn't he wanted to be alone?But it didn't seem like Hazel was going anywhere; not right this instant, at least. She looked down at Nico from where she stood, eyes soft."Don't let something like this pass you by." She sounded almost desperate, releasing the emotions in her heart through her voice. Tears were starting to build up in her eyes again, but none fell. She took a step closer to Nico. He let her. "You might not get another chance."Nico said nothing, but Hazel didn't need him to. She offered a hand to him, and a soft smile started to form on her lips. "Come on," she said, and after a moment's hesitation, he took her hand. A reassuring squeeze sent a sense of comfort through him that he'd been so dangerously lacking. "I need my big bro to sample the food first so I know the Stolls didn't tamper with it."Nico knew she wasn't just trying to lighten the mood; there was an underlying message - probably something like 'Don't think I won't notice if your plate is bare'. But it didn't trouble him, because this was his sister, and he loved her.So together, they braved the night.
oOo
When Jason and Piper found each other again, just to see each other one last time before the rehearsal, Piper was quiet. Slow. Jason shot her a look of concern, but she didn't seem to notice it."Are you okay?" he asked.Her eyes flicked up to his suddenly, like he had startled her. She turned her lips up in a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine." She turned away. "Let's just get this over with.""Get it over with?"She turned to him again, and the smile was there. "Sorry, you know what I mean."He almost didn't.Well the whole 'brave the night together' lasted for about five seconds.When the pair walked back in, Hazel almost instantly took off to find Piper, saying she needed to talk to her. Nico couldn't really blame her, though; there was only six minutes until the rehearsal, and everything was in a frenzy. He could hear workers finish setting up in the next room over as he stood in the entryway, and a few voices barked orders to seemingly no one. Nico identified one of the voices as Reyna's.He wondered where he should go. He wasn't ready to go forward into the venue and be bombarded by frantic, last-minute preparations. But he also couldn't go back to the dressing room, in case he were to run into Will.Now that the initial shock had worn off, he couldn't believe he'd said that to him. He'd basically told his soulmate that their very presence together wasn't right. He knew that it was right, but he just didn't know how to show that, and worse, he didn't know how to fix what he had broken.Nico sighed. Maybe he could just let things play out, and resign himself to the fact that whatever happened was supposed to happen. But he'd never been one to believe in a 'bigger plan.'When the door opened behind him, Nico flinched, and turned around to see guests entering the venue. He didn't recognize any of them, but that might've just been because of the anxiety that washed over him. He didn't wait around to be noticed and scampered down the hallway to his left. This was the direction to the dressing rooms, but anywhere was better than the entryway. Besides, he could probably hide in the bathroom until someone went looking for him."Nico?"Damn it.Nico stopped looking over his shoulder at the predicament he'd just escaped and instead looked at the man in front of him. He wore a tux, pressed to perfection (Nico seemed to remember Reyna getting in a fight with the dry-cleaner guy), and a blue tie. Of course it was blue. What else would it be?"Are you okay?" Percy asked. Despite his sincerity, Nico wanted to punch him in the mouth. Percy usually made an effort to keep his head about him when he asked Nico questions, but alas, it was in human nature to say stupid things.Nico crossed his arms. He didn't look Percy in the eye; he wasn't sure he could look anyone in the eye right now.Percy looked him up and down, and Nico could sense that he was telling himself not to feel hurt at Nico's lack of response. He supposed his friends were used to it; what did that say about him?"Do you need anything?" Well, it was better than 'are you okay'.Nico shook his head. He could feel Percy's gaze on him, and he could feel his pity. It made Nico sick."Well if you change your mind, let me know," the diver said, and the two of them stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, nothing but the sound of preparation in the background. Nico's mind flashed back to that morning, when Percy joined him on the beach, and he wondered for a moment what had changed between then and now. The only answer he could come up with wasn't the obvious, no - it felt different than that. But he couldn't come up with anything else.With one last look at Nico and a slight nod of his head, Percy took off down the hallway towards the rehearsal room, where the rest of their friends were sure to be waiting. Nico wasn't sure he had the strength to follow.It wasn't until a few minutes later that Hazel found him, and Nico felt a spark of relief light up in his chest. He could do this with her by his side. He had to. For Piper and Jason. He'd brought them enough grief; for a second he wondered why they still let him be a part of this, why they hadn't kicked him out already. But it did not do to dwell on these thoughts, and he allowed them to fall behind as he walked to the rehearsal room with Hazel.It was surprisingly quiet when he entered, but a low chatter filled the seats, and the sounds from the dining room could still be heard. The first thing he noticed when he looked around, besides all the decorations and people, were Jason, Percy, and Leo all standing at the altar. They'd decided to keep the number of people up there small. Considering how many people were actually attending the wedding, it made sense. No need to crowd the bride and groom any more.Hazel broke off from his side once again to join Annabeth, who was waiting in the back to walk down the aisle. The two of them wore purple chiffon dresses; they came down to just above the knee and made their shared beauty stand out in the crowd. Nico might not cross-dress, but he admired a jewel neckline when he saw one.When he spotted an empty aisle seat in one of the back rows, he made haste to claim it. He would have stood against the opposite back wall of the bridesmaids, but he didn't think he could handle watching all the faces turn around to look at Piper, even if the eyes weren't on him. He tensed when he thought about the person who should be sitting next to him.There was no music to announce the beginning of rehearsal, as it would be saved for tomorrow, but the room did quiet drastically when Annabeth started walking down the aisle. Nico didn't know whether or not to turn around (wasn't that only for the bride?) so he settled for looking to the side as Annabeth passed. The closer she got to the altar, the more Percy's face looked lovestruck.There was no time to focus on that however, because Hazel began her walk towards them shortly after. She had a large grin on her face, like she was about to watch her friends get married for real. Nico could only imagine what her face would look like when they did.The two women exchanged a few words with the groom and his men, not bothering to keep their voices down because this was a rehearsal, and rehearsals were made to work out any wrinkles in a ceremony.A loud creaking sound overtook the crowd. It took a moment for Nico's brain to realize that it was the sound of everyone turning around in their seats, and he felt a blush crawl up his neck. When he turned around to look at what everyone else had turned around to look at, he felt a pang of emotion in his chest.Piper was standing in the doorway, wearing a dress that almost reached her ankles and linking arms with her father beside her. She held no bouquet, but of course, rehearsals were such casual events. All the theatrics and such would reserved for the actual wedding.She started to make her way down the aisle, slowly, walking at the pace she would assume tomorrow. Nico didn't need to look at the faces in the crowd to know they were smiling, soft grins that reflected Piper's own. Her father had one as well, and a glisten in his eyes that may or may not have been unshed tears.Time seemed to slow as everyone watched the bride-to-be make her way to her soulmate. If there was music playing, it would've felt just like a wedding, even if she wasn't wearing her dress or carrying a bouquet. Because when he looked between Piper and Jason, he could see love written all over them, powerful and unbridled. They saw only each other in a room full of people, and sat with each other in the dark when one could not find the light.Nico knew how they felt. But he also knew not to underestimate the strength of the dark, and he'd just be reaching blindly for the shadows if he tried to find Will.When Piper reached the end, time sped up again. Suddenly everything was happening, and Nico's head hurt keeping up with it. Piper's father gave her away with a kiss to the cheek, and she took her place next to Jason; her bridesmaids gave her hugs, and Leo gave her a fist bump.As soon as everything went still, there was a pause. Then Leo sidled over to stand behind the couple, and held a fist to his lips. "Ahem!"Piper and Jason shared skeptical looks, momentary frowns overtaking their features. They needed someone to stand in for the officiant, but Leo?"Mawwiage."Jason and Piper's grins returned full force, and a small ripple of laughter passed over the room. Leo, however, looked completely serious, despite the fact that Piper was bending over slightly in amusement. He didn't take notice."Mawwiage is what brings us togethaaah, to-day."Piper was giggling now, and Jason was shaking his head at Leo's antics with a smile. Nico could see guests among the crowd covering their mouths. Some of their faces were turning red."Alright, alright." Even though Annabeth had a smirk on her lips as well, she was always the one to step up when a situation called for responsibility. The men and women on the altar straightened themselves up, trying to wipe the amusement off their faces. Jason and Piper stared into each other's eyes.Then the groomsmen and bridesmaids took turn explaining things to the couple, like what they'd be asked to do and how they should do it. Nico wasn't sure all of them had been to a wedding before (except Percy at his mom's) but they all seemed to have some tips to share. There were a few pauses, but their conversation wasn't completely over until Percy clapped his hands together and shouted, "Alright, you're married! Go eat some food."Laughter erupted from the guests once again, and applause overtook the air as the happy couple, hand in hand, ran down the aisle and out the door. Those remaining at the altar waited a few beats, then paired off, Percy with Annabeth and Hazel with Leo. Nico slipped out quickly after them. He didn't want to wait around while everyone was getting up.So it made sense that he didn't notice a certain face missing from the crowd.Percy scanned the crowd, watching as all the guests filled their plates and found their seats. The room was certainly a nice place for a dinner rehearsal; there was a small platform at the front for live entertainment, a door connected the room to a kitchen, and the tables were arranged in such a way that there was room for dancing. Percy wondered if he and Annabeth would have a rehearsal, or if they'd just go Percy-style and wing it. Attending someone else's wedding rehearsal was preparation enough, right?With his gaze focused on the people in front of him, he hadn't realized that his friends started lining up at his sides, standing in front of the long table that Percy was leaning against. Looking back on it from the future, Percy would wonder why none of them had sat in their freaking chairs until they'd already finished their food. Maybe they were just that hungry.The six of them included in the ceremony had gotten their food first, shortly followed by Nico. Percy wanted to say something about how little food he had on his plate, but he saw Hazel walking over to him, and figured she would take care of it. When he noticed Jason beside him, he caught a snippet of his conversation that made Percy's stomach growl for more food. And he'd just eaten a large meal."-toast," Jason was saying to Frank, probably about the 'raise your glasses and make a speech' toast. But Percy's mind didn't seem to distinguish that, and his thoughts were taken over by a strong craving."Do you think they have any toast here?" the diver whispered to whoever was on his left. When he looked, he saw Annabeth, fork halfway to her mouth. Her brows were furled in confusion, and she looked at Percy with that very expression."Probably not?" she answered, though she didn't sound sure. Percy frowned. He really wanted toast. "But there's plenty of bread and butter."And with those words a light shone down from the heavens, casting a halo over his soulmate's head and a glimmer in his eyes. He smiled, and a look at the tables covered in food verified it."Be right back!" he shouted, and took off. He didn't see Annabeth roll her eyes.When Percy returned, it was with a paper plate wrinkling under the weight of rolls. Stacked around them, as if built in the shape of a wall meant to protect the bread, were tiny packets of butter.Annabeth's eyes widened as she looked at Percy's plate, next to which hers looked practically empty. And that was saying something. She'd been eating slow."Percy!" she exclaimed, still staring at the breadpocalypse. "What are you doing?"Percy tore into a roll without bothering to put butter on it first, and looked at Annabeth with a small bit of confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked, talking with his mouth full. Annabeth didn't really notice as she was so focused on his plate. "I'm eating bread.""There's enough bread there to feed an army."Percy smirked. "Or two Leos.""What?" Leo's head popped up from among his friends, and Percy turned to look at him, a roll in his hands."Nothing!"Leo squinted, but said nothing, and returned to his conversation. Percy thought he heard the word 'dog,' but he couldn't be sure."You need to only take what you're going to eat," Annabeth scolded, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say she sounded concerned more than anything.He let an easy grin slide to his lips, then shoved another bite of bread into his mouth. "Don't worry, Wise Girl, I'll eat all of this."Annabeth shook her head just the tiniest bit, like she didn't realize she was doing it. She probably didn't. "You just ate an entire meal."Percy said nothing, instead continuing to eat. Annabeth turned back to her own food then, looking down at it like it was in trouble. Percy knew that look. He'd been on the receiving end of it enough times to picture it in his mind with the clarity of a diamond. But that wasn't a good thing… Could she still be mad at him?"Fine," Annabeth said. She dug her fork into a strawberry. Percy was watching her now, bread almost forgotten in favor of trying to understand Annabeth. But then again, if there was anything men were breadful at, it was understanding women. "Just don't come crying to me when you get a tummy ache."Percy couldn't quite tell (probably because half his brain was thinking about bread), but he thought there might've been a bit of a teasing edge to her voice."Oh, and Percy?""Yeah?""You forgot to grab a butter knife."Percy's eyes fell to his plate, and he tried to contain a gasp. He'd already eaten several rolls, and they hadn't even had butter on them!Percy squeaked, and rushed away to grab one. He had to weave his way around the tables, but luckily, everyone was sitting down now to enjoy their meals. When he returned to the long table once more, butter knife in tow, he found his friends were seated, and joined them. This could only mean one thing."Toast time!" The eyes of his friends shot up to look at him, and he drew a few gazes from the closest tables. But he didn't care. He was about to have all eyes on him in a second anyway. "Sorry bread, not you," he added as an afterthought, looking down at his plate. Beside him, Annabeth rolled her eyes.There was the scraping of a chair as he stood up, and he the champagne made a sloshing sound as he grabbed the glass in front of him. Surveying his options, he picked a gold-colored spoon off of the table to make noise with."Can I have your attention, please?" He tapped the glass a few times with the spoon, and he found the guests to be quite responsive. They settled down almost instantly, the chatter dying off as Percy looked at all the faces. "I'm so glad you could all be here tonight," he started.The guests didn't look all that interested, probably thinking things like 'I was eating' and 'the real wedding is tomorrow,' but Percy tried not to think about that. He could win them over.The groomsman lowered his glass, and started to speak. "Now, I'll try not to take up too much of your time, seeing as I'll be making a big speech tomorrow. But I would like to say something." He turned to look at Piper and Jason beside him, a small smile on his lips. The two of them returned it. "Jason, you have found yourself one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Piper is kind, smart, beautiful - you know all this for yourself."Jason grinned at Piper, and they squeezed each other's hands. "I'm proud of you, bro," Percy told him.Then he redirected his gaze towards the bride, and paused for a moment before speaking again. "And Piper." He let another second of silence pass. "Are you sure you wanna marry Jason? I mean, I know he's cute but he's a lot of work. He tried to eat a stapler.""When I was two!" Jason huffed indignantly."Eh, semantics."Jason's eyebrows raised. "I don't think you're using that word correctly."Percy grinned at him, and it wasn't long before Jason grinned back. Piper, somewhat caught in the middle, rolled her eyes.Percy turned back to the crowd, raising his cup as high as he could. It might have been a little over the top, but what fun was a wedding rehearsal if you didn't add just a little bit of a dramatic flair to your toast? "To Jason and Piper!""To Jason and Piper!"Percy watched as the people around him sipped from their glasses, and he smiled. But on the outskirts of the crowd, against a wall, was Nico, and Percy couldn't help but notice him tip the remaining contents of his glass down his throat. His smile fell.What a weekend.He tried to look on the bright side. Despite the obvious, Percy still knew some good things to be true. Such as the fact that when Nico fell down like this, he always got back up.He turned to find his soulmate, by his side as usual. When she noticed him watching her, she raised an eyebrow, and Percy's smile returned. "What do you say we go tear up the dance floor?"He offered his hand to Annabeth, and she took it."Leo, what are you doing?!" Nico hissed, being tugged along by a very enthusiastic Latino. His skin burned where Leo touched it."I told you, Doom and Gloom, we're going on an adventure!" he exclaimed, a grin spread wide on his lips."No we're not!" Nico protested, trying to struggle free. An adventure? Screw that. He wanted to wallow. Then, he wanted to plan. Then (after a little bit more wallowing), he wanted to throw away his plan and speak from the heart. But that was always easier said than done.He'd realized, standing on the sidelines, that Will was nowhere to be found. He'd done it, this time. He'd driven Will away, and he wasn't going to get him back."It'll be fun, you'll see!"Nico groaned.
oOo
Jason refilled his cup with punch (what? It was good) and went to take a sip when he felt a tap on his left shoulder. Just as he turned to look, a pair of hands grabbed his right arm, and he was being pulled away from the party.
oOo
"Percy, can you go wait by the door? I'll be over in a minute."Percy, who had just finished dancing and was sporting a shiny forehead, frowned. "Why?""Please?" Leo begged. He looked up at Percy with puppy-dog eyes, and despite his normal resistance to them, Percy faltered.He sighed. "Okay. But if this is for something stupid, I'm putting shaving cream in your pillow."Leo smiled. "Relax, it's not stupid." Just as Percy started to turn away with a skeptical look, Leo added, "Wait. Get Frank on your way there."Percy's eyes hardened. "Leo, I swear to gods-""Thank you!" Before Percy could say anything else, Leo took off.
oOo
Leo rubbed his hands together. "First, I'd like to thank you all for coming.""Valdez, what are we doing here?"'Here' was the parking lot outside the venue, brightly lit by street lights but surrounded by the darkness of trees. Leo had escorted his merry band of men out here into the chilly summer night, but for what they had yet to know."Well, Frank, to answer your question would require many, many minutes that we do not have, a couple diagrams, maybe a slice of pie…""Leo!" This time it was Jason, who'd peeled off his suit jacket after dancing but was now putting it back on. "I'm supposed to be at my wedding rehearsal! Just say what you wanted to say so we can go back inside!"Leo clicked his tongue in disappointment, eyes closed and head shaking. "Dear, dear Jason, I didn't bring you out here to tell you something."Jason raised an eyebrow, as did Percy, but Nico and Frank simply kept glaring. "Then what did you bring us out here for?"Leo's eyes drifted away, like he was trying to remember something. His three victims let him do it for a moment, but then he raised his hand to stroke an imaginary beard and Frank took a threatening step forward."Alright, alright!" Leo shot his hands up in surrender. When Frank backed down, he tugged on the collar of his shirt like he'd just gotten through with a fight. "I want to show you something. And… maybe make it into an adventure along the way."Jason's head lolled upward. "Leo, whatever you're planning-""It's not even that far!" Leo defended, looking around at the others. "Look, if we get there and you're sorely disappointed, you can help Percy fill my pillow with shaving cream."Jason raised an eyebrow at Percy, and Percy just nodded.Jason sighed. "Alright," he relented. "Just get me back before-" he checked his watch "-nine-thirty."Leo grinned. "Don't worry J-bird, I'll get you back in time for you to have fun taking out the trash. I still don't see why I have to help, I mean, I'm the best man-""Leo. Let's go.""Okay."
oOo
Twenty minutes of walking later, it was obvious that Leo had no idea where he was going.Nico had already taken off his shoes, dirty socks be damned. He didn't want to form blisters, especially when he'd be wearing the shoes almost all day tomorrow. What was Leo up to?"Now, this doesn't seem right," Leo muttered under his breath as he looked around. Being closest, Nico was the only one that heard him.They were on a long stretch of road, lit only by the lampposts and the moon. Up ahead they could see the lights of the city, but on either side of them there were only dark houses. Nico couldn't imagine where Leo thought they were going."Guys, we might be a little lost.""We know!" the group chorused. The three of them had begun to drag their feet.Leo huffed, opening his palms up to the sky. "I could've sworn this was the place, though."Jason caught up to him, which wasn't hard as he'd stopped to pout. The blond put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should just call it a night," he suggested gently.Leo's eyes hardened. "No! We can't. Let's at least reach that commercial area. If we aren't where I think we are, then we can head back."Jason thought for a moment, first looking into Leo's pleading eyes, and then back at his other friends. None of them seemed to have any strong opinions, so Jason turned back to Leo and said, "Alright. But you're buying me a water bottle at the gas station."Leo gave a small smile. "Deal."So they were walking. Again. Nico wanted to stop.Luckily, they didn't have to walk far before they reached the gas station. The closer it got, the more dread filled Nico's stomach, and he credited it to fatigue. He'd been up since sunrise; it made sense that he was tired. Not to mention it had been a very emotionally-charged day.Leo speed-walked the last few paces to the station, then stopped and looked at his surroundings. He didn't seem to find anything familiar. His face fell.Jason planted his feet and looked at the store, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, bro, you owe me a water."Leo rolled his eyes playfully, but they shone with disappointment. "Alright, fine.""I'm coming too," Percy piped up as they started forward. "I want a snack.""You had, like, three pounds of bread at the rehearsal!" Jason exclaimed.Percy looked at him. "So?" Jason's face was priceless.Nico didn't get to hear the rest of their banter as they entered the store, a jingle announcing their arrival. He stood in awkward silence for a few moments with Frank, his arms crossed, but then the other man stuttered out a sentence Nico couldn't quite make out, and followed the others into the store.He took this opportunity to look around him, at this gas station on the outskirts of San Francisco. Neon signs hung from the place. They did a poor job of drawing attention away from the peeling paint, but it gave a nice feeling of familiarity, and it was almost like Nico was back home in New York. He turned around to mention as much to Will, but then he remembered.He didn't know if things would ever be the same again.Trying to push those thoughts as far back into his mind as he could, Nico continued to look around. A red pickup was being filled with gas, and a couple teenagers were sharing a late-night meal of sandwiches and chips on the ground in front of the store. It looked like they were sitting in a nest of hoodies and plastic bags; it wasn't until one of the bags moved that Nico realized they were holding hands.So much for trying not to think about it.But he ignored them. He could do that. In fact, he was very good at ignoring people.Until he couldn't.Apparently, there was a homophobe everywhere you went in San Francisco, and apparently this one had followed Nico's gaze. (Okay, so he might have been staring a little).The man putting gas in his red pick up was nonchalant as he spat hate, eyes going from the boys to his car. He looked like some sort of hillbilly biker dude - plaid, jacket, beard, you name it. "Why don't you stop experimenting and go find a coupla girls."The hushed voices and light laughter that had been shared between the boys died down, and they looked at the man with emotionless faces. The smaller boy pressed into the other's side. It seemed he was the less confident of the two, especially because his boyfriend quickly said, "Why don't you stop insulting random strangers and go bribe your wife before she leaves you." The man's face paled, and a snarl started to pull at his lips. But the boy kept going. "Or better yet, mind your own damn business."With a loud clang, the man replaced the gas nozzle and started forward with a murderous gaze. "What did you just say to me you little-""Hey."Suddenly three sets of eyes were on Nico, and he felt a deal more uncomfortable than he had a moment ago. But he knew he had to do something, because this - this was just wrong. Disgusting. Vile."Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Nico uncrossed his arms, and gave the man the most intimidating look he could muster.Hillbilly biker guy took a second to rake his eyes up and down all five feet, six inches of righteous fury that was Nico di Angelo. Nico's adrenaline spiked, but whether it was because of fear or his own bravery he didn't know.The man was silent for a few moments, and Nico's expression turned smug. "See something you like?"The guy's face twisted in disgust, and he recoiled his head slightly. Nico thought he had won. Then, he spat, "You're goin' to Hell."Nico didn't miss a beat. "Great. Maybe I'll see you there."Disgust turned to indignance, and the man let out a low growl. But then he walked quickly back to his car, got in, and drove away.Nico let himself feed off the high of adrenaline and victory for a few seconds after the asshole left. He'd never done anything like that, and damn did it feel good. It reminded him of when he met Jason. He was being harassed on the street for some reason or other, and Jason, a stranger, had stood up for him. It was obvious how that turned out. Nico felt glad that he could pay it forward.He crossed his arms again, and leaned against the store in a comfortable position. A glance through the window showed him that his friends were checking out (though Percy was admiring some ocean-themed merchandise on the back wall)."What's your name?"With a start, Nico realized he was being spoken to. He did a quick look around, just to make sure he wasn't being mistaken for someone else, but found that no one else was out there with them. He set his gaze on the boys; the smaller one was peeking out from behind his boyfriend's shoulder. He gave them an answer."Nico."The confident one looked pleased that Nico had responded; after all, Nico wasn't really the kind of guy to talk to people, and it was evident just by looking. Nico pulled his lips into a soft smile, if only to look a little friendlier. These guys deserved to be treated with kindness. Especially after what had just happened."I'm Demarco. This is Kevin." The boy behind him gave a small wave."It's nice to meet you," said Nico. He hoped he wasn't expected to carry on a conversation, because that was one thing he really couldn't do."Thanks for… you know," Demarco continued, and Nico nodded. At least this was a bit of conversation he could work with."You guys don't deserve to be treated that way." Nico felt a pull in his chest - maybe he should listen to himself - and pushed on through it, because he needed these boys to hear this. "Those people…" He looked away as if there were more approaching, and shook his head. "They're the ones who are in the wrong." He looked back at the boys. "They're the ones who're disgusting."Kevin and Demarco smiled at him, calm. There was a beat of silence before Demarco spoke again. "There aren't many people who would do something like what you just did. Especially for a couple of strangers."Nico observed them for a moment, dark eyes trailing their expressions. They seemed… happy. Nico had done something good. Something right. He said nothing for a few seconds, then told them, with a small glimmer in his eyes, "You kind of remind me of…"As the boys awaited his words, another jingle announced his friends' passage through the door, and he cleared his throat. Saved by the bell. He wasn't sure if he could finish what he'd just started. "Anyway, have a nice night."He turned to leave with his friends, who carried plastic bags in their arms. Percy was stuffing funyons in his mouth, and Jason was chugging water. But he only walked a few steps before Demarco's voice called out, "Wait!"Nico turned around to look at him, and he could feel the others do the same (though he could still hear Percy munching). Nico paused expectantly."Who do we remind you of?" Demarco asked. He seemed so innocent, sitting here in the middle of the night, sharing sandwiches with his boyfriend. He had the curiosity of a kid; after all, he still was one."Me," Nico answered, and the words didn't seem so hard now; in fact, they lit something up in his chest as he said, "and my boyfriend."Kevin and Demarco's smiles broadened, and Nico could feel his grow as well. He said nothing more as he departed, but he was left with the images of their smiles, and he knew he had something to do."Make some friends while we were gone?" Jason teased, but he said nothing more on the matter, and Nico didn't answer. He leaned toward Percy instead."I need to talk to Will." Percy looked at him for a moment, but Nico was too focused on the road ahead of him; literally and metaphorically. The diver nodded."Okay," he said, and they started the journey back.They got about one streetlight away from the gas station before Leo, who had been dragging his feet behind the rest of them, stopped. Nobody noticed at first, but Jason did a double-take when he did, and walked back to his friend."Leo? What's wrong?" he asked.A mop of brown hair was all Nico could see as Leo hung his head, but then he looked up, and there was a solemn sadness in his eyes. "This adventure was a flop."A small smile returned to Jason's face, overtaking the concern that had grown there. "Yeah, it kind of was," he said.Leo gestured towards the group with his hands, eyes flicking about. "I thought it would be fun, you know, five guys out for a spontaneous little trip in San Francisco before one of them gets married. What if we won't be able to do this anymore?"Jason was confused again, staring at Leo like he had sprouted five heads. Knowing Leo, Nico wouldn't put it past him. "What… You think just because I'm getting married we won't go on adventures together?"Leo said nothing at first, but he nodded slightly, like he was totally justified in his worry. Which he may very well have been. Then he said, "You guys are gonna go off to buy a house, be responsible adults, have kids-""Whoa," Jason laughed, putting his hands in the air, "I don't think we're ready for kids just yet." It didn't seem to put Leo at ease. Jason put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, man," he said, trying to catch Leo's eyes, "hardly anything's gonna change. And besides, I'll still need to make sure you don't get into trouble, right?" Leo gave a small smile.Percy came over to join them, putting a hand on Leo's other shoulder. He smiled at him. "It's okay, Leo. No one wants to miss out on some classic Valdez adventures." He let his hand fall.Leo's expression turned sheepish, and he raised a hand to rub his neck. "Well, you already kinda missed out on one this weekend," he said. He was met with confusion. "A yellow, three-legged one," he added. He noticed the looks on his friend's faces. "I'll explain later."Jason rolled his eyes, and after a minute, he pulled his friend into a hug. "You have nothing to worry about, Leo. You're still my best-""Man?""-friend." Nico almost missed the shocked look on Percy's face, but he knew it was teasing. "You're the Super-Sized McShizzle."The two of them pulled apart, and Leo's chest puffed up in confidence. He looked slightly upwards with a determined expression. "I am the Super-Sized McShizzle."Jason grinned. "Come on." He made himself look excited, even clapping his hands. "We've got janitor duty!"Leo groaned, but a small smile never left his lips.Nico couldn't get to the inn any faster.He didn't even know if Will was there, but Percy told him he'd make an excuse and let Nico take a cab.When he got there, he pounded up the stairs to his room, not bothering to ask the guy at the front desk if he'd seen Will. But when he got to the door, he froze, hand halfway to the doorknob.What if he couldn't do this?No. No time for second-guessing now. He just stood up for two teenagers and saw Leo's bravado drop. He was ready for anything.But when he walked in the room to see Will sitting on the bed, a book in his hands, and he didn't even look up to see who had entered, Nico crumbled."Will…" His voice was a pathetic whisper. He cleared his throat, and repeated, "Will."He got no response."I'm sorry," he broke out, a pool of tears threatening to spill over his eyes. He looked down now, too ashamed of himself to want Will to see. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said." He wrung his hands together and sniffled, just a little.Will continued to say nothing, but Nico thought he saw him look away from his book, and that was progress. Not that he owed anything to Nico."I had no reason to be so, so horrible to you. You don't deserve that. And I don't deserve you." He let the tears fall. He couldn't hold them back anymore, even if he wanted to. He covered his face with his hands.A few beats of quiet passed, nothing but the sound of Nico's muffled crying and… were those footsteps?Suddenly Nico's hands were being pulled away from his face, and he did everything he could not to flinch. But he did tense up a little bit, and Will didn't pull away. Nico brought his eyes up to look at him; he was as beautiful as he'd always been: kind, blue eyes, and a golden halo around his head. Nico asked himself every day how he'd managed to get so lucky."Even if that were true," Will started softly, looking into Nico's eyes, "it wouldn't matter." He brought Nico's hands down in front of him, but didn't let them go. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I want you."Nico sniffled again. It took him a minute to speak. "You do?""Yes, you idiot! Of course I do. Even if I'm mad at you right now and it'll take a little while to get back to normal." A soft smile formed on his lips, and Nico couldn't help but mirror it, even though the prospect of Will being mad at him was terrifying. Nico nodded his head; it was so unnoticeable, one could argue it never happened.There was a few moments of silence before Nico pulled away, turning towards the loveseat in their room. "I'll sleep on the couch," he said. Will looked like he was ready to protest (Nico wouldn't expect anything less), so he added, "After what I did, the least I can do is give you some space."Will mulled it over for a few seconds in his head, looking between the loveseat and Nico. "Are you sure?" he asked.Nico nodded, already laying down on the cushions. He pulled a throw pillow into his arms. "Comfy as can be."He heard the sound of a light switch - the room went dark - then Will settling into the bed, and Nico was prepared to go to sleep right then, but a voice pulled him to alertness. "You're still going to have to talk about Italy."Nico sighed, and for a moment he said nothing. But he knew it was coming, and for some reason, the topic didn't seem as daunting as it always had. "I know."He didn't think Will would say anything else, but then he heard a soft, "Can I ask you something about it right now?"Nico's muscles tensed, but he took a deep breath, and forced himself to say, "I… guess."The sound of Will taking a breath filled the quiet room, and then he spoke. "If you hate Italy so much, why do you speak Italian sometimes?"Nico felt his muscles relax. This was something he could answer, surely. "It was the language I spoke with my mother and sister," he admitted, and he felt a tug in his heart at the mention of them. There was a moment of silence between the two men, thoughts and emotions running through both their minds. Will knew how important those women had been to Nico. "My dad wouldn't let me speak English to them, and he wouldn't let me speak Italian to him." That was one thing Will hadn't known.The blond must have gone to sleep after that, because he said nothing more, and soft snores would soon follow. In the meantime, Nico let the happy memories of his mother and sister lull him to sleep. He'd find a blanket lain over him in the morning.He could fix this. He had to.In the post-party quiet, the only sounds Annabeth could hear were the rustles of trashbags and the soft scraping of chairs. Though she was tired, and though the cleanup was in good hands, she hadn't wanted to just leave. She owed Piper and Jason more than that.It wasn't until she backed up towards the bar - was there a bar everywhere? - that she heard voices, and the sweeping of her broom slowed. When she turned to look, she recognized the bartender from the inn; he must be a hard worker, because he seemed to work a lot of shifts. Then she heard what he was saying to the barmaid, and her heartbeat quickened."Him, over there." He pointed to a spot past Annabeth, but she didn't dare look. "The one with the messy hair and green eyes."The barmaid looked at the man he was gesturing to, who couldn't have been anyone other than Percy, and took in the sight of him. "Oh, you mean the stupid one." Annabeth felt sick.The bartender - Octavian, read his nametag - laughed a little. "Yes, him. You know he thinks Akmon is a monster?" The two of them shared a laugh, and Annabeth thought back to their conversation around the restaurant table, about the creepy man at the front desk. Dread filled her, and her sweeping grew shaky."Guy couldn't tie his shoes without help," said Octavian, picking up a glass. He started to wash it."Gods save the poor woman who ever decides to marry him," the barmaid agreed, running a rag over the counter. She clicked her tongue. "Pity."A loud clink marked the glass' return to a shelf within the bar, and a weaselly smile overtook Octavian's lips. "With a man like that, you can only hope he won't have children." The two of them continued their work, practically giggling, and Annabeth swallowed.With her heart sinking into despair, she put a hand over her abdomen, and the life growing inside it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

.

Chapter 4: Of Leos and Adventures (Plus a Bad Idea or Two)

Friday

12:30pm

49 hours, 30 minutes before the wedding
When they first drove through the streets of San Francisco, well, Leo knew there would be no avoiding some exciting times in the throes of exploration. Just call him Leondiana Jones; he was ready for anything. Forget the wedding for a little while. He was going to let the city point him in whatever direction it saw fit.He just didn't realize how far those adventures would take him. (And no, "How Far I'll Go" definitely did not start playing in his head). He wasn't the most preparatory of people - he thought on his feet and sometimes didn't think at all (don't you just love ADHD?) - but he'd at least looked up a few places to visit. Of course, he ended up only visiting one of them. For a few minutes. Until he got thrown out.But more on that later.Never one to stray from adventure, Leo was pretty much out the door right after they got to the inn. He went upstairs, put his things away, and left just as Hazel and Frank went out the back and everyone else went to their rooms. Well, except Percy. Nobody expected him to leave the water anytime soon.Now Leo, stood on a bus with a bandanna over his forehead to stop the sweat and a distant look in his eyes as he contemplated mechanical improvements to make this thing go faster so he can get the hell away from all these strangers, let it all slip away. He was out here for some classic Valdez adventures. Maybe it was a little lonely, but he'd grown tired just like the rest of them (he wasn't a machine) and understood their need to settle down. He just felt like he had a bit of energy left in him.So he jumped off the bus at the next stop, ready to let the smoggy city air fill his lungs and random strangers yell at him on the streets. First on his list was the Exploratorium. He was a mechanic at heart, but physics and other endeavors in the field of science were fascinating to him. He and Annabeth often held conversations on such topics, and he was glad to have someone who understood the difference between structural integrity and structural efficiency (here's looking at you, Jason). However he would appreciate it if Annabeth stopped using big words that don't actually relate to science.He decided to leave some space between him and his destination. He wanted to walk through the city a bit instead of just seeing it through the window of a bus or rv - really take in the sights. Unfortunately, he didn't think about the distractions that would meet him along the way, and just how easily distracted he was. Fortunately, he was dead set on going to this Exploratorium. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans.The city was impressive; his mind got caught on analyzing the building structures, but the beauty managed to slip through, especially when he walked through a park and saw the sky meet the sea in the distance. The trees and flowers were in bloom around him, spilling a strong fragrance into the air to battle the smells of the city. He couldn't help but miss the smell of motor oil and metal, but that was more a comforting smell than a good one; it reminded him of his mom.He took a deep breath. Come on, Leo, he thought to himself. Adventure awaits.With determination in his stride and an ever-present smirk on his face, he set off with renewed vigor towards his goal.That's when things stopped going according to plan.He must've taken a wrong turn (though how that happened was a mystery), because the park quickly turned into a labyrinth of back alleys. Graffiti adorned the walls, and a dripping sounded somewhere in front of him.A shiver crawled up his neck; he wasn't sure why, because he'd been in worse places before, but he couldn't shake the feeling. His paranoia was justified when he heard several voices mutter around the corner.He snuck up to the wall and pressed against it, not wanting to be seen. But he did want to see, so he slowly peeked his head around the corner. He hoped no one would notice his mop of curls.In the next alley was a group of three men standing around each other, talking in hushed voices. But Leo could still hear them - at least, for the most part. He couldn't make out everything they said, but what he could was loud and clear."We get the cargo… move it… won't notice… if he does… hide the… bury... no evidence."Leo pulled his head back so fast he thought he'd get whiplash. What did he just hear?As he struggled to get his heart to beat at a regular rate and his lungs to stop heaving, another voice piped in, and he felt like he had to look again. It was the same three people, but now he realized one of them was a woman. Her voice rang out amongst the normal city sounds."...what they deserve."Leo couldn't believe his ears. He needed to get out of here. But just as he made to leave, the fates wrung their hands, scissors at the ready, and Leo tripped over a trash bag.His blood instantly started roaring in his ears. The sounds behind him came to a crashing halt, and Leo saw his life flash before his eyes. In one fleeting instant, he was faced with a choice.He could stay still. Maybe they'd just think it was a cat, and wouldn't come looking. Or they could decide that they weren't in a private place anymore, and come his direction looking for a new one. Or, he could run. But then they'd hear his footsteps and know it was a person, and they'd catch up to him in the unfamiliar alleyways.There was nowhere to hide. So his last (and most stupid) option was to walk right up and confront them.He had charm. He also had acting skills, and though the quality of those skills were debatable, he could play a convincing "¡No hablo Inglés!" At least… he thought.He wasn't sure if it was the impulsiveness, the fear, or the sound of footsteps moving (okay, it was probably that last one), but Leo went for the third option. It wasn't his proudest moment.It felt like longer, but it was only a few seconds before Leo was met with three scary people surging toward him. He forced a charismatic smile to lips and prepared himself for what was to come."Who are you?" One of the men stopped in front of him, the others standing behind in a crossed-arm backup, and Leo suddenly felt very small under his towering figure. It was like he was straight out of the movies - muscular, big brow, mean face. Leo needed to make his game plan now. Charm, or no hablo Inglés?"¿Uh… me llamo Leo?" Damn. Why didn't he give them a fake name? Stupid. He upped the charm a little, and laid the accent on thick. "Nice city, eh?" Okay. Charm and no hablo Inglés.The man looked back at the others, as if to ask "What do we do about this weirdo?" He ran his eyes over Leo's small frame, frowning, and asked, "What are you doing back here?"Leo gave a small laugh. "City people is slick, no?" He raised his hands to gesture, and scrunched his face as he mimicked a city slicker. "'We have... parches de… elbows! Y - y - big apples! Come here, waste money!'"Over the span of a few tense seconds, the man went from fixing Leo with a scrutinizing gaze to throwing his head back in a laugh. The others followed suit, and though Leo was very, very confused, he joined in as well.When the man calmed down - was that a tear? - he pointed a finger at Leo. "I like you. You're funny."Leo let out another quiet laugh. "Sí, sí… Muy gracioso."The man took a step closer, and Leo had to fight his instinct to step back. His body settled for a gulp instead."I'll tell you what. Get out of here, and we can forget all about this."Leo took on a serious expression. "Oh, yes," he said. He nodded as though the man's words were the most important thing in the world (which, right now, they kind of were), and finished with "I leave."The man hummed his approval, and smiled. "Good."Leo decided not to waste any time following the man's instructions.When he managed to get far, far away from whatever part of the neighborhood he'd found himself in, and got the flutters of his heart to subside, Leo came to the conclusion that he'd had enough adventure for one day. He couldn't stop the small voice in the back of his mind that was calling him a quitter, but when he made it back to the inn's safety, he couldn't find it in himself to care.Jason was the first person he spoke to after his return. The group - minus Hazel, Frank, and Percy - were sat around a table in the restaurant, and the couple of the weekend came down from their nap. Jason took a seat next to Leo and looked over at him. After a few seconds, he scrunched up his face."Dude… You look like you've seen a ghost."Leo sighed. "Ghost? Nah. ¿Gente aterradora del asesinato? Sí."Jason looked confused, but he'd experienced stranger from Leo. "Okay..""Never mind." Leo pulled his tools out of his pocket to fiddle with. "What's up?"Jason started telling him about the inn's nice rooms, and Leo could (almost) forget the afternoon's events.Well, so much for classic Valdez adventures.But tomorrow would be another day.
Saturday

5:45am

37 hours, 15 minutes before the wedding
Leo slipped out of the inn just before the guests arrived, and he was pretty sure nobody noticed him leave. He was glad. He'd do a lot of things this weekend for the sake of his best friends' love, but he didn't think greeting the elderly could be one of them. Especially not with how that went last time.So he went back into the city. He felt good about having a fresh start, like today would be the day he did something fun in the city of San Francisco. He was a little apprehensive given what happened yesterday, but he'd gotten out of there alive, hadn't he? Besides, he still wanted to go to that Exploratorium. He'd just have to ride the bus closer this time.Oh, when would he learn?He began to doubt if he really knew where the heck he was going, because even despite the map in his hands, he managed to get himself turned around. Again. His navigation skills may not have been perfect, but they were usually a lot better than this.It wasn't until Leo, face buried in his map, trampled over a lady's tulips and got sprayed with a hose that he decided to abandon the Exploratorium. He deflated slightly in disappointment, but maybe they'd all be able to stop there on their way out the city. Now, though, he was faced with a bit of a dilemma. One that his stomach quickly settled for him."First stop: food," Leo said to himself. He wondered how close he was to the pizzeria on his list of places to visit.Turns out, he wasn't that far. He managed to find it without nearly as much hassle as the Exploratorium, though his stomach was growling loudly by the time he walked through the doors. It must've been around seven o'clock by now. Leo was a little surprised the place was already open.The place was small, but welcoming. The warmth and smell of cheesy goodness that drifted from the kitchen certainly contributed, but even without it the restaurant had a visual appeal. It was traditional: red and green checkers, simple decor, everything you'd see in a place that primarily serves pizza and burgers.There weren't many people there. Employees walked between tables and a young couple enjoyed their breakfast, but other than that there was no one except Leo. He hadn't expected anything different."Can I help you?"Leo whirled around. There was a girl right next to him; she looked to be around his age, with calmness in her stance and an apron around her waist. Leo put on his best smile."Depends. You got a phone number?"The girl looked decidedly unperturbed, voice flat as she said, "Excuse me?"Well, she sounded a little bored, but Leo could win her over. He had that special Valdez charm."I need to make a call to one of Heaven's angels."The girl rolled her eyes. Simple flirting was usually seen as pretty harmless despite the 'Soulmate rules,' especially in big cities. This girl probably got hit on a lot. With the way she called for the owner (he identified him by his name - it was the same as in the restaurant title) so calmly, like this was just another part of her day, Leo figured that yeah, this had to happen often."Are you disturbing my daughter?" Leo should have been thinking about something else - anything else - but all he could do was wonder why this girl called her father by his name. His last name at that."Uh…" In a lower light, Leo might think that this was the same man he'd talked to yesterday. He definitely held himself the same way. And was the same height. But the light was just fine, and Leo knew this was someone he'd never seen before. "No, sir!" he said. "I just thought someone should tell her how dashing she is."Okay, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. Leo blamed his mouth. Running off before his mind once again."That's enough," the man said forcefully. He grabbed Leo's arm, and with a tug began to drag Leo through the building."Aw, come on!" he protested. "I didn't mean anything by it!The man didn't listen, and in a few moments, Leo was being thrown out the back door.Leo stumbled out onto the pavement, just barely managing to avoid a face-plant (he face-planted people who deserved it, not himself) as a cry of "¡Oye!" left his lips. With a loud SLAM!, the door was closed to him, and Leo was left with nothing but a sore arm and the burning image of angry eyes in his mind.He kicked a rock. Esto es estúpido. Until he got over his sulking, he didn't quite notice where he was - an alley behind the shop. Why the owner threw him out here and not out front was beyond him, but he figured it must have had something to do with the dumpster right in front of his face.Leo sighed. Back alleys and stinky hovels were nothing new to him. He took a seat against the brick wall with almost no hesitation, letting his head fall with a muffled bump. He didn't feel like going back to the inn just yet - he's Leondiana Jones, dammit! - but he didn't know where else to go. Restaurant owners clearly didn't appreciate his charm, and frankly, San Francisco had some shifty activities going on within its city limits. He felt sort of… lost.Turns out, he was exactly where he needed to be.A rustle sounded to his left. A clinking closely followed - cans and bottles, perhaps - and then a huff. Leo thought it was a cat; after all, a city like this was bound to have strays rooting through their dumpsters. But then he heard a strange, rhythmic thumping, and decided there was only one thing that might make a noise like that.The tail - the culprit of the noise - was the first thing he saw when he walked over. It was short-haired and yellow, and thump thump thumped against the metal bin. He saw the dog just after, sniffing through the trash as though it was the most interesting thing in the world.Leo had never really been someone who liked animals. But he was definitely someone who made big decisions without really thinking them through first, and that's been tried and proven. So okay, maybe what he did next was a bad idea, and maybe what he did after that was impulsive. But he was glad he did it."Hey boy!" he called. The mutt barely noticed him, though perhaps his tail slowed down just a tad. Leo took a second to run his eyes over the dog; he looked like some sort of lab, but his fur was too long and more gold than yellow. Leo would've thought golden retriever, but the fur was too short and too yellow. He had to be some sort of mix then.Such things were trivial, however, when Leo took in the skin-and-bone frame of the poor animal, as well as the peculiar lack of a limb. His heart sank. He wondered how the dog ended up here: forced to search through a dumpster for his next meal. Leo had been there. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, even a dog, and now, rather than sinking, his heart went out to him."Hey!" he shouted louder. He reached out a hand to touch the dog's back, and was met with a sudden snarl and flurry of teeth. He stumbled back, eyes wide and trained on the animal, waiting for the next move. It wasn't a particularly aggressive "attack." It was more like a "this is my food, leave me alone" warning. Leo didn't blame him. Out on the streets, there was little a stray could call theirs, and a dog like this was sure to be wary of people.Okay then. Leo would have to gain his trust.Again: big decisions, little thought.Dedicating himself to his newfound goal, Leo took a seat on the alley floor and leaned up against the wall once more. The dog was back to eating (or looking for food, at least) and didn't take any further notice of the human in his space. Leo was content with the dynamic, but he began to wonder just how long this might take. All he really wanted to do was get the dog to trust him enough to get close, then maybe he could get him to follow behind as he found a food vendor and bought the dog a full meal. He would get the food and come back, but he couldn't be sure the dog would still be there, and with how little he knew about the city, he didn't know how long it might take to find suitable food.A few minutes into the process, Leo started to get fidgety. He shouldn't have expected any less; moving was in his blood, and that meant patience was a fickle thing. He was truly glad to have found friends who knew the same troubles: Percy, Annabeth, Jason… Especially Percy - though not as strong as Leo's, his traits had the most effect out of the other seven.He let the thoughts slip away with the twiddling of this thumbs. As he watched the dog move from an empty, overturned pizza box to a paper-wrapped who-knows-what, Leo found his hands migrating to his pockets. Spare parts and tiny tools always found a way to fill his pockets just enough to be noticeable. Even without his toolbelt - which he stopped wearing in public thanks to quips about its strangeness from multiple friends - he had enough on him to keep his hands and brain occupied.This was something that quickly brought his mind to Nico di Angelo. The two didn't hang out often, especially not alone, but there was a companionable and understanding silence between them on the rare occasion. Nico never said anything about the toolbelt (though Leo could never be sure about his thoughts). Despite their conflicting personalities - Leo sarcastic, Nico more serious - Leo never felt as though he was being judged. It was as if Nico understood what it felt like to be different, which he undoubtedly did, and saw Leo's difference, and didn't do anything about it except to offer support through action instead of words.There was one time Leo could remember the silence being broken. He was building something or other, and Nico was… reading? He couldn't quite recall; what the Italian had said was the most prominent part of the encounter, and Leo was pretty sure he wouldn't forget it for a long, long time, if not forever. What Nico was doing while he said it wasn't important.Nico was a lot different back then. Maybe that was part of the reason his words resonated so deeply with Leo. He hardly talked, he didn't touch anyone but his sister (not that he engaged in much touch now), and he was still in the closet, deathly afraid of someone learning his secret. He was a lot more relaxed when he finally came out to them as gay - which they knew Reyna had something to do with but not what - but Will Solace was a large factor in Nico expressing himself more openly. Back then, Nico hadn't met him yet.It started out as a conversation. Leo had muttered to himself about having to fix his invention again, and Nico had said, "How many times have you had to do that?"
It took Leo a second to realize Nico was talking, then another to interpret what he said. "Too many." He paused for a moment. "I might just throw it out."

"Don't." Leo looked at him, and seeing that, Nico looked away.

"It's broken."

"Everything's a little broken. Doesn't mean it never works. Where would you be if you tore down a house every time the roof leaked? It's still protecting you from the weather, it just… needs a little help." He looked down at the tools in Leo's hands, and despite not saying anything else, Leo knew exactly what he meant. It's easy to throw something out. It's harder to keep working on it, and find a way to make it better when it feels like there is none.
Leo's inventions were everything to him. When he was sad, they made him happy. When he was scared, they made him feel safe. When the wrong thoughts grabbed hold of his mind, they wiped it clean like a slate so that all he focused on was what he did with his hands and where each of the parts in front of him went.When Leo pulled out of his thoughts just enough to notice the silence, he then jumped out of his thoughts, because what did that silence mean? Well, his answer was sitting right in front of him.The dog had finished his perusal through the trash, and fixed Leo with an unwavering stare. Leo wasn't sure exactly how long the dog had been sitting there, or how long he had been sitting there, but it didn't seem like the dog was going to leave anytime soon. He watched Leo as if with intent. Maybe he did have intention - could he be asking for help? Leo quickly shoved his tinkering in his pocket.Leo's hand reached slowly towards the animal. He didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier, but then, he had kind of sneaked up on the dog. He just needed to use a bit of caution. The dog didn't look angry, or dangerous from what Leo could tell. Not that he really knew how dogs behaved when they were either of those things. He just used what little he did know and hoped for the best."Easy boy," he calmed. The dog remained still, so Leo decided to lean forward just a bit, and kept his hand beneath the dog's nose but high enough so that he knew where it was.When Leo's fingers touched the dog's chest, the animal's mouth fell open so quickly that Leo thought that was it. He'd be mauled by a dog in the back alley of a restaurant thousands of miles from home.But he was just panting. His tongue lolled over his jaw; it looked like he was smiling. Even his eyes lit up. Leo felt a bit of tension leave his shoulders, and a smile came over his own face. "Hey friend!" As if the dog knew what that meant, his tail started swishing behind him.Leo laughed. He didn't quite know why, but a sense of elation flowed through him. He'd made a friend.Leo got to his feet - not too fast, not too slow - and patted his legs in invitation. "Come on, boy! Come on!"The dog looked at him, closed his mouth, and titled his head in a universal "What?" gesture.Leo groaned. "You have to at least know what that means," he said.The dog tilted his head the other way."Alright, fine. I'll figure something else out." He couldn't help but smile again when the dog did. "You're a good boy," he said. "Is that the problem? You're too good to hang out with Bad Boy Supreme?" The dog closed his mouth again.Leo faltered. He didn't really know what to do. He'd been relying on the dog understanding his body language; he even tried to move in one direction, but the dog had only stood up, moved forward a step, and sat back down. He tried to stop his frustration from showing, but he could already feel it festering. He just hoped he didn't make the dog upset.He took his tools out of his pocket again to vent through his hands. The moving sculpture seemed to appear on its own, then Leo took it apart and put it back together again. When he did it the second time, he realized he had an audience.The dog was staring at him. Again. Well, not him per se, but his hands. Leo decided to test something, and when his hands started moving again, the dog's eyes snapped to them. He grinned. This was something he could work with.He set himself to making something he could move with a remote (after all, he never left home without his trusty remote control). The dog's eyes never moved from his building, and Leo felt a little less lonely than he usually did when he worked.When he finished, Leo held up the completed product with a small flair. The dog didn't seem to appreciate if, but hey, he's a dog. Perhaps Leo could train him to appreciate the delicate intricacies of dramatic effect. He did seem to appreciate Leo's new creation at least, because his tail gave a small wag when Leo showed it to him. The movement was a little uncertain though, like he didn't know yet whether it was something he should be excited about.The demonstration was what really got his tail wagging. Leo placed the object on the ground - a little dreidl-shaped helicopter - and after the dog gave it a little sniff, Leo was ready to get it moving. He swore, once that animal saw what his machine did, that little piece of metal wasn't the only helicopter around. The dog's tail started wagging a mile a minute, and when he jumped Leo could see his skin spread thin over his ribs. His determination to see this through to the end only grew."Alright, buddy! You're a fan of engineering, then. Come on, let's go get some food in you." Leo instructed the machine to move forward.His new friend followed behind it happily, eyes watching the whole time. He hopped just a little on account of his missing leg, but he seemed to get around just fine, even though his tail wagged so hard it threw him off-balance. Leo laughed. "You're real happy for a starving, three-legged stray," he said. He thought for a minute. "I'm gonna call you Festus."The dog barked in joy, and though Leo would like to believe it was because of his newfound name, it was more likely to have been in response to the helicopter's quiet beep boop.Leo laughed again. "Yup. Festus it is."
oOo
They ended up at a wiener stand just outside one of the parks, and Leo bought four to share between them. He didn't know what kind of condiments a dog could have and what would make them sick, so he bought them all plain with a bun. Festus took two (but Leo paced him) and half of Leo's second one when he pulled the irresistible puppy-dog eyes.The two of them spent the rest of the day playing with sticks and machines (the ultimate dog toy combo) in the park, enjoying the fresh air and wide open fields.And gods damn it, if this didn't make Leo's decision making back even farther into the dark corner of his brain."Hey buddy," Leo called to Festus as the sun climbed to the top of the sky and bathed the city in a bright warmth. "I have a pretty cool rv." Festus looked up from a particularly interesting patch of dirt, and smiled at Leo. Leo's heart leaped. His decision was made, no matter if his heart took control over his head. "What do you say we go home?"Festus wagged his tail.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

.
Chapter 5: Of Unions and Gang Fights (But Mostly Unions) - Part 1

Sunday

4am

15 hours before the wedding 
 Nico’s sleep was restless.  He tossed and turned all night, not because of the couch, but because of the dreams. They plagued him with an angry confusion, though what he saw was hardly confusing.  It was him and Will. Where they were he couldn’t tell, but Will was angry. A murky mist surrounded him in the dream, a stark contrast to the usual shine.  “What are we doing, Nico?!” Nico couldn’t make out everything Will said, but some things were disturbingly clear. He didn’t want to know the words his dream garbled.  “You’re neurotic! I shouldn’t even be here.” Dream Will was beyond angry, face red and a biting fury in his tone. In the waking world, things weren’t nearly that bad. But given what Nico had done, what he’d said, they could’ve been. Nico woke up in a cold sweat when Dream Will threw something. He couldn’t see what it was.  Then he just laid there. He noticed the couch now; it was uncomfortable as to be expected, but it was more than he deserved. He probably would’ve slept on the floor if he knew he could get away with it. But the pillow was a companion to his thoughts, at least, and he picked at a loose thread. He wondered what time it was.  He wished he knew how to be a better soulmate to Will. Then he realized that was stupid, and all he ended up wishing for was Will’s patient understanding as Nico learned.  Nico couldn’t keep hoping for someone or something else to solve his problems. He already knew that, really, even if he didn’t know he did, but now he knew what to do about it. Take action. Not now, though. Now, he would go back to sleep, and in the morning he would ensure to the best of his abilities that his friends’ wedding went smoothly.  When he dreamed, he dreamed of the sun in a bright blue sky. 
oOo
 
“Nico, wake up.”
 Nico shuddered in his sleep. What dark corner of his mind was that coming from? 
“Nico, come on.”
 He began to stir from his slumber. Oh, so that was real. Just as he began to fully regain consciousness, a shout met him. “Up and at ‘em, Death Boy!!!” Nico felt the urge to flinch, and just barely managed to avoid it. He didn’t like it when people woke him up. He’d never admit it, but it scared him, and if he didn’t let himself wake up naturally he’d always just set an alarm with soft music on his phone. With Will, it was a little different, but they still had a ways to go. “There are things to do, and… things to do, and more things to do.” Will’s voice gradually deflated as he went on, but at the end he shrugged his shoulders with indifference. “At least it’ll be worth it.” Nico, now disgruntled and definitively not sleeping, turned over and looked at the clock on the dresser, which read 6:00. He suppressed a groan. It was way too early to be awake. It was too early to be alive . Will, noticing Nico’s open eyes, bounced on his toes with a small smile and left to brush his teeth while Nico was doomed to suffer in the state between wake and sleep. Wake won over because Nico knew it had to. If he was home though, he’d be pulling the covers over his face. Resignedly, Nico set to getting ready; he showered as fast as he could, and shook his hair off like a dog while he dried the rest of himself with a towel. He half expected to be met with Will and a comb when he exited the bathroom. Then he remembered. Will didn’t seem particularly off-put this morning. But he’d told Nico point-blank that it was going to take time, and Nico didn’t expect anything less. Guilt washed over him, and he wondered if he should say something, which started a chain of What would I say? and Maybe I shouldn’t. He made his choice. “Hey.”  Will looked at him while he was making the bed (seriously, Will?) but said nothing, and Nico’s eyes quickly dropped to his hands. He’d been tying his shoes, but his hands were moving so slow it was as if they weren’t moving at all.  “I’m sorry. For everything.” Nico could almost hear Will roll his eyes. He wondered if it was annoyance, amusement, or both. “You already apologized, Nico.” “Not very well.” Nico let the laces fall from his fingers; he wasn’t getting very far anyway. He moved onto the other shoe, as if he’d have more luck with that one.  Will, now straightening out the sheets, looked away in thought for a moment. Then his lips quirked up just a little, and he shrugged and said, “It’s a start.” There was a moment of semi-comfortable silence between them. “Why didn’t you feel like you could talk to me about it?” Nico took a deep breath, trying to push away his instincts and make room for the changes he wanted to make. That started with being open, and truthful. “I guess I just… didn’t want to burden you with it. I can take care of myself.” Will sank onto the freshly made bed, folding his hands in his lap. He looked like he was about to give Nico bad news, and it made the Italian think about how he’d have to do that as a doctor. He knew Will could handle it - he was strong - but he couldn’t imagine telling a parent they’d lost their child or a person they’d lost their soulmate.   “Right. Not like you’re human. Not like you make mistakes.” “I’m sorry. Just… Can we talk about this later?” Anxiety coiled in Nico’s chest - his instincts were coming back full force - and he fidgeted as he tried to keep a pained expression off his face. “Now isn’t the right time. I don’t want to impede on our friends’ wedding.” Will’s voice was calm, as usual, and that was the only thing that kept Nico sane despite what he said. “Is that what you think our relationship is? An impediment?” Nico’s head shot up. “What? No, I - I didn’t say that - you’re putting words in my mouth.” “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Nico’s heart dropped with his shoulders. “No, it’s…” He took a breath. “Come on. Let’s go get breakfast before Piper puts us to work.” Will nodded and rose from the bed, his expression indiscernible. Nico needed to do something, anything, to lighten the moment, so his lips twitched upwards and he said, “Bet you I can scare the chef into making me a pop tart.” Will chuckled. “I don’t doubt it, Death Boy.” Nico smiled.In the small hours of the morning on the day her friends were to be wed, Annabeth Chase was shaken out of her slumber by a wild battle cry and a loud THWACK! repeating over and over. Her reflexes kicked in. She flicked the lights on, only to see… Percy. He’d taken a metal baseball bat to an innocent coat hanger, pummeling and slashing at it like an Ancient Greek warrior.  “ Percy! ” “Die, foul beast!” With an elegant whirl of fabric, Annabeth draped one of the inn’s robes around her shoulders, and it curled softly around her neck. But a quick glance over would reveal the tension in her gripping hands, and a glance up would reveal the anger in her expression. She marched over to her soulmate.  But when Percy didn’t even notice her, and stumbled face forward into the coat rack, Annabeth realized he was sleepwalking.  “Percy, wake up!” A tap to his back seemed to jolt him out of it, but then Percy spun toward Annabeth with bat still in hand as he recalibrated his body and surroundings. Annabeth didn’t appreciate having a metal baseball bat waving in her face, but she wasn’t scared. Percy wouldn’t hurt her. Even if he was asleep. “Annabeth?” “Percy, what are you doing? It’s -” she paused and reached for her phone on the bedside table. She groaned. “Ugh, it’s almost time to get up.” Percy blinked like a baby bird partaking in a scientific trial, experiencing something strange for the first time. He looked down at the bat in his hand, then the coat rack beside him. “You!” he said, accusation in his tone as he pointed the bat at his own jacket. “You’re the culprit.” Annabeth didn’t know what to say. With the responsibility of parenthood looming over her - looming over them , waiting to be abated with reassurance - she’d been sensitive of Percy’s silly moments. He was so much more than a goof - he was insightful, caring, sometimes pessimistic - but Annabeth worried that maybe those goofy moments would impart bad lessons on the child, and she didn’t want that to happen. She’d read a lot about child development, and after hearing a total stranger recognize the potential problem, she was on edge. Obviously neither of them were perfect. Maybe that’s what had Annabeth insecure - her own flaws. She wanted to do it right . She just wasn’t sure she could, and she needed Percy all in on it with her. If she had given it a good think, she’d know that Percy would be a fantastic father, and that they’d both make amazing parents. There’d always be that small sliver of doubt, but talking to Percy about it would make her feel better. She just… didn’t. There was too much on her mind, what with the wedding and everything going on. Besides, she’d only just found out about the pregnancy less than two days ago, and that didn’t give her much of a chance to mull it over. So here she was, stuck with her own fears and no way to deal with them yet. They had a busy day ahead of them; there was so much to do before the wedding and then they had the actual wedding to attend. She didn’t have time to think. Annabeth watched Percy blankly as he glared at the coats, then glanced back at her. “This thing was stalking me in my dream,” he said matter-of-factly. He fixed the stand with a death stare. “You should know better than to mess with me, you monster!” Annabeth was going to say nothing, and simply start getting ready as there was no point in going back to sleep now, but something made her stop. Percy, instead of putting the bat down, lifted it in an “en garde” gesture, a stance which he followed through with in his other arm. Annabeth was angry then, and she wondered if it was her usual anger or if she was having mood swings. Either way, it boiled in her gut. “Percy, enough!” she yelled. Percy faltered a bit, but he was sort of used to Annabeth yelling at him, and she figured he wasn’t too bothered. But she didn’t know what she didn’t know. “It was a stupid dream. Stop acting like a child.” She turned her back on him and went to take a shower, leaving a small “sorry” on the tip of his tongue.The cold morning air, as it drifted through the dining room’s open doors, brought life and rejuvenation to the early risers as they enjoyed a hearty breakfast on the big day. They needed as much food as they could handle before Piper turned them all into errand runners and wedding makers. Nico ate an assortment of fruit and yogurt, and on the corner of his plate: the remaining crumbs of an eaten pop-tart. When Will received his protein-rich breakfast, he paused before digging in to scoop up some of his eggs and dump them on Nico’s plate. Nico stared at them for a second, then glanced at Will. He couldn’t quite tell, but there seemed to be a tiny quirk to his lips.  They spent the last bit of free time they’d have this weekend eating and chatting; many of them visited the large table they’d all been sharing, but Nico didn’t see a moment when they were all there at the same time, and if they had and he’d just missed it, it had been very brief. Nico looked around as he ate his food, taking in the moods and actions of those around him. Most people seemed to be excited; after all, it wasn’t every day you got to see your friends get married. But there were a few discrepancies here and there. Piper and Jason, as any pre-wedding bride and groom, seemed to be somewhat nervous. Nico didn’t see them for very long. They’d probably gone off to make lists or maybe just get a little bit of quiet before the day began. Percy and Annabeth also seemed a little down, though Nico wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t been looking. After his and Percy’s conversation on the beach, Nico had tried to notice any changes, as if there was anything he could do about them. As he watched the soulmates eat their breakfast, a voice in his head told him he was being invasive, and the unsettling feeling of guilt drew his eyes away.   His eyes fell on Leo just as he was leaving the dining room, plate in hand. Nico was confused, but not all that surprised. He’d seen weirder.  Nico leaned back in his seat, hoping to feel at ease before being on his feet for the rest of the day. He stretched out his legs. Will always told him about the troubles of being tall, and how there was never enough room to stretch his legs. And if there was, he’d take up too much space; he’d trip or touch someone, and he wouldn’t be able to stretch his legs anymore. But then Nico would always bring into light the “high cupboards” point, and Will would acquiesce.  Nico pouted at the memory of how one such argument ended; Will gave the victory to Nico as usual, but the next morning Nico went into the kitchen to find all his coffee mugs on top of the cupboards. Will had laughed his socks off when he walked in only to see Nico piling crap up on a chair to reach them with a frown on his face. Nico sat up and turned to Will, who was tearing apart his toast like a weirdo. For whatever reason, he asked Will if he remembered that day. Will chuckled. “How could I not?” he said. “I wanted to miniaturize the entire apartment so you’d understand what it’s like to be big, but unfortunately that plan had too many technical difficulties.” He looked at his toast, then back up into the distance as if he was mourning a great adventure he never went on. “That would’ve been awesome.” Nico raised an eyebrow, and Will’s eyes fell on him. “Really?” Nico questioned. “You wanted to make a mini apartment. That was your master plan?” Will shrugged and ate a bite of his toast. But then he smiled and said, “That would’ve been so cute.” Nico shook his head with a tiny laugh. “You’re an idiot.” At the realization of how normal this was - too normal for the current state of things - Nico tensed, and his face dropped. Will seemed to notice, and all he did was lean closer so he could brush his shoulder with Nico’s. He was keeping his promise. He was there. Nico’s smile returned. 
oOo
 The sun began to shine brighter as everyone finished their breakfast, and Nico was both grateful and ungrateful. Grateful because they’d have good weather for the wedding, and ungrateful because it meant he’d roast in his black hoodie as he went around helping prepare for the event.  Of course, he’d sacrifice comfort for aesthetic. Those on the prep team (or “Wedding Warriors” as Leo liked to call them) migrated from the dining room toward the sitting room, where Piper was mumbling to herself as she looked over a list. Nobody bothered taking a seat. They probably all figured they’d be up and moving soon anyway, so sitting would be pointless. Nico hoped that wouldn’t affect anyone’s digestion.  Wow, what a Will thing to think.  Leo had to yell Piper’s name to get her attention once everyone had come in and waited for several minutes. A chatter had picked up - people asking how the others slept, how their breakfast was, et cetera. Piper’s eyes snapped up to look at them and she blushed, embarrassed that she hadn’t noticed; she put her list down and finally addressed everyone. “Alright guys,” she said, hands together. Everyone quieted. Jason, who seemed to have come in when Nico wasn’t looking, took a spot next to his soulmate. “Before I give you all assignments and you go running off to fulfill them, Jason and I would like to thank you. Without you, none of this would be possible.” “We know,” piped Annabeth, and everyone laughed, including Piper. The bride continued. “Nothing would even be the same, and I wouldn’t change this for the world.” She grabbed Jason’s hand. “Well, now that that’s taken care of, homework!” A few groans rippled through the group as Piper picked up her list - no one wanted to be reminded of their high school and college days - but there wasn’t a single person who was unhappy to be here. Even Nico, and he usually wasn’t happy to be anywhere except for home. But he looked around, and saw all his friends and his soulmate gathered together to work toward something beautiful, enjoying each other’s presence, and Nico decided, this was home. “Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth, Leo and me - we’re all on decoration duty. With the six of us working together it shouldn’t take that long. Remember, we’re having the wedding outside so we have our own altar - Percy and Frank, I’ll have you guys put that up. Then this afternoon, I’ll have to steal away Hazel and Annabeth to go pick up our dresses. Reyna is picking up the bouquets so she could probably tag along with us…” Nico almost snorted as Piper told them what still needed to be done, and she had barely gotten into it. Of course, all this could surely be done the day of the wedding without much hassle, but most of it usually gets done the day before or even earlier. Then again, almost everyone in the room had ADHD, so one would expect nothing less. “Nico and Will,” - Nico perked up - “you’re getting the cake and most of the food. Then after that’s taken care of, you can join Thalia in making the rounds and ensuring that everything goes to plan.” “Jason, you’re doing all the boring stuff - last minute bills, marriage license and stuff.” She smiled and put her hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Have fun!”  Jason chuckled a little. He looked tired; after all, he’d been working just as much if not more than the others to make this happen, but he was definitely enthused.  Piper focused her attention back on the group. “And one last thing.” She took her cellphone out of her pocket and gestured with it. “Make sure your GPS is on. That way Thalia and I can see where you are and won’t have to worry about herding everyone here at once. Okay? Everyone know what they’re doing?” She was met with a series of affirming nods and hums. “Alright then, what are you waiting for?”  Piper then swept everyone away with her hands, and quickly found her decoration crew to fall into step with. She emitted an air of confidence and purpose, and Nico wondered how she, Reyna, Hazel, and Annabeth would look walking into the dress maker’s. Sure, they saw many brides and bridesmaids, but probably none quite like them. Even Hazel was scary sometimes despite her quiet demeanor; one of the greatest mistakes a person could make was underestimating her. Nico turned to Will to make sure they were both on the same page, and was met with an affirmative smile. With that, they set off. On their way out the door, Nico bumped into someone familiar - literally. “Oh! I’m sorr- Thalia?” He’d whirled around only to be met with a head of spiky black hair and two familiar, piercing blue eyes staring at him. The girl smiled, and Nico realized that he was kind of happy to see her; it’d been a long time, and he’d known her for even longer than he’d known Jason. “Hey, Nico! How are you doing?” Thalia looked different since the last time he’d seen her - not necessarily having a changed appearance, but holding herself with a different confidence, a different authority. She reminded him of Reyna. They were similar people, but Thalia had more anger, while Reyna tended to maintain a calm steadfastness.  Nico’s lips twitched upward, but inside he was quickly trying to determine how to turn the conversation’s focal point on her. “I’m okay. What about you? How’s the unit? Still getting a lot of trainees?” Thalia was the leader of an all-female military unit that ran missions on apprehending or shutting down national threats. Even despite the danger of her career both on and off duty, she was never off-put, and Nico had never heard of an occasion where she faced such threats in her personal life. Thalia bobbed her head. “Every now and then. Things seem to have calmed down on that front.” “That’s good. Oh, Thalia, I don’t think you’ve met Will.” Nico turned to the blond, who stood straighter at his inclusion in the conversation. He gave Thalia a smile and nod. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. Thalia smiled. “You too. It’s good to see Nico with people who make him happy.” The short silence that followed may not have been particularly awkward, but to Nico it was an excruciating few seconds. “Anyway, I’m sure you guys have stuff to do, and I have to go help my brother with the… “boring stuff”?” She looked at them as if for confirmation, and they simply nodded. “Speaking of Jason, you guys know where he is?”  Nico looked back towards the sitting room, then back at Thalia as he gestured to it. “He was just in there,” he said. “I don’t think he’s gone anywhere.” Thalia started moving almost instantly - determination overtook her for the smallest things. But she paused to tell Nico it was good seeing him again, and to repeat that it was nice to meet Will. They stood in silence for a few seconds after Thalia left, then Will broke it. “She seems nice.” Nico waited just a little too long before saying, “Yeah.” Another pause, a glance at Will. “Let’s go.” Will didn’t need to be told twice. 
oOo
 “What do you think you’re doing, Solace?” Nico impatiently pushed another strand of hair out of his face, only for it to be blown back again by the wind floating in through the window. He’d been watching the sights of downtown pass them by until Will had stolen his focus. They’d taken Reyna’s car to get the food, Will in the driver’s seat, but at this moment Nico was left wondering if that was a mistake. “I’m turning,” came the answer, spoken as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it was, but Nico didn’t pay much mind. He was too focused on where they were turning (and maybe the strands of sunlight woven into Will’s hair, but don’t mention that last part). “Yeah, the wrong direction.” Will looked at Nico like he’d grown two heads once he’d pulled onto the next road. His eyes fell back on the road, but Nico’s didn’t waver. “What? No it’s not.” Will’s eyes flicked back and forth. “It was ‘go straight, then take a left at Johnson's.’” Nico sighed, turning his attention to the phone he held in his hand. He thought about old pirate navigations - how they bested the temperamental waves with nothing but the stars to guide them - and not for the first time was grateful for modern day technology. “Go straight, then take a right at Johnson's.” Will groaned like one wrong turn had decided to ruin his entire life, and Nico just rolled his eyes out of fondness. He was glad for the alone time with Will; no matter how awkward things might get or remain, he liked being with him, and that wouldn’t change. “At least you got the straight part right.” Will snorted. “Not even,” he said, and once Nico realized what he was implying it was his turn to groan. Will just loved making jokes like that. They sat in silence for a couple seconds before Will seemed to realize something. “Hang on. If you knew where we were going then why didn’t you tell me when I put my blinker on?” Nico leaned his head back on the headrest and looked up at Will through thick eyelashes, putting on the most innocent face he could muster. “Because I love watching you suffer,” he said sweetly. Will glanced at him, and smiled as he turned his eyes back on the road. Then he caught sight of something, and Nico followed his gaze. “Man, I’ve always wanted to go to one of those places,” he said, looking at it for a couple seconds before his attention was back on driving. On the side of the road was what appeared to be a bubble tea shop, if the signs were anything to go by. It didn’t look to be open yet - the interior was dark, and it was completely void of people. Nico hummed deep in his throat. “Maybe if it’s open we can stop in on the way back.” Nico startles with the thought that for such a simple interaction, it was pretty domestic. 
. . .
 They managed to get to the catering business after a ten minute detour and Will’s seven minute rendition of “Hey Jude” in which Nico began to wonder why the Beatles screamed so much and if Will had some sort of karaoke double life that he wasn’t telling him about. But they got there, and were met with a pleasant aroma of food as they stepped into the building.  For once, Nico was glad that his friends had wanted to do almost everything themselves in terms of set-up for the wedding. It was nice to be able to get out of the inn. Had they just had the food delivered, Nico wouldn’t be able to admire downtown San Francisco and watch the clumsy candy store worker across the street fall face first into the (inactive) cotton candy machine. He bit back a laugh at that. Will wasted no time (meaning he got distracted by a sample assortment for five minutes) before going up to the woman standing at the front desk, who’d somewhat awkwardly greeted them when she started to wonder what they were doing. Will flashed a smile at her, placing his hands on the counter, and told her they were here to pick up an order. “Do you have the order number?” the girl asked as she tapped on the screen in front of her. Will had to say Nico’s name twice before he heard him; he’d been distracted by a fleeting thought sparked by the charming set-up around them, and as he turned to look at Will it was lost entirely from his grasp. “I need the order code,” Will said, and Nico, now a smidge embarrassed, pulled his phone out of his pocket and walked up to join the others. He opened his texts from Jason and showed the worker the scannable code he’d been sent. She quickly processed the order and told them she’d be right back, disappearing into a door behind her.  CLANK. Squeak. Tink. “Here you go!” The woman returned, and if Nico hadn’t been warned by the sounds of the cart she was pushing, he would’ve jumped out of his skin. She smiled at the food, but she appeared almost out of breath. Nico wondered how heavy that cart was. “Everything got finished up this morning. I’ll go back and get the cake. Do you… do you need any help moving all that stuff?” Will looked at the food on the cart, then back at the girl. “I think we got it. Thanks.” She smiled at them. “Alright, I’ll go get the cake then.” She disappeared once more, and Nico had already begun lifting boxes and containers to bring into the car. Just as he was about to leave, Will called, “Nico, wait.” When he turned around, Will threw the car keys to him. “Turn on the AC,” he said. Nico nodded. When Nico came back to get more food, Will was holding the cake. It was large - the largest cake Nico had ever seen. Then again, he hadn’t come face to face with very many cakes before, and he hadn’t been to many weddings.  Will saw Nico eyeing the cake, and he asked, “Think I could eat this all in one bite?” His lips had an almost mischievous tilt to them, and his soulmate looked at him like he was crazy. “No.”  Will’s smile widened at the curt answer, and he looked down at the container in his hands. “I think I could.” Nico huffed. “Sure you do.” Will bumped into his shoulder on the way out to the car. It didn’t take them as long as they thought it would to get everything loaded up - they’d recalibrated their guesses when they saw how much food there was - but it still took a good fifteen-twenty minutes before they were on their way back, cake on Will’s lap. Nico had decided that it was his turn to drive, but that was just because he knew that the passenger would be stuck as a living plate. Moving everything had reminded Nico of when Will moved in with him; he could’ve sworn the food weighed the same as Will’s medical textbooks. It totally didn’t, but Nico would never admit that. Will let out a tiny “yay” when he realized that the reason Nico was taking the detour route was to visit the bubble tea shop. It had opened since they visited the caterer’s, and they hadn’t even been there that long, so Nico could only assume their day was just getting started. When they walked in, there was only one person there to take their order, and that was it. It was colorful in the shop - posters adorned the walls, there were old photos and license plates scattered around, and there was even a jukebox in one corner. It was like a mix between 50’s diner and retro arcade, which in any other situation might have annoyed Nico, but he was grateful for new surroundings. The inn was obviously old, and even more bland. He drank his tea slowly to avoid going back for as long as he could. “I’m sorry about this morning,” said Will across from him, out of the blue, and Nico almost asked him to repeat himself because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  “What? What are you apologizing for?” Nico couldn’t seem to get it through his head that anyone was in the wrong but him - he’d been in the wrong all weekend, and it had hurt people.  “I wasn’t being a very good listener.” Will folded his hands on the table, and looked at Nico with an expression almost too serious. “I said I would, and the first time you really tried to talk to me about it I… kind of failed.”  Nico was still for a moment, his expression unchanging, but his thoughts were whirring. He didn’t think Will really needed to apologize, but he asked himself, If Will hadn’t said those things, would it have gone smoother? And if I had said something else? “We’re both learning.” He finally concluded his thoughts aloud. “It’ll get better.” Will smiled slightly. “Yeah. I think so, too.” They fell into silence, and Will looked around at the cafe while Nico stared down at the table. The only noises were coming from the back; Nico enjoyed the not-quite-solitude, and he wondered if this was an opportunity. An opportunity to talk again. He’d said before that they should wait to talk about it, and he’d meant that they should talk about it after the wedding, but this would be a good time if he could stay calm. That was another thing he needed to get better at. “It didn’t just come out of nowhere, you know.” Will’s attention went to him, but Nico kept his gaze down. “Someone said things… Things that reminded me of Italy.” Any of Will’s focus that hadn’t been on Nico before surely was now, and Nico paused for a moment before he spoke again. He knew what he needed to do. It was clear now, as clear as Will’s eyes on Nico’s, and there was no chickening out. “I need to go back.” Will’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “To the person?” he asked. “To Italy.” Will’s surprise was evident. He wasn’t always the most expressive when it came to surprise or shock - after all, he was in training to be a doctor, and he needed to be prepared, to expect the unexpected, and deal with it properly. But his face betrayed him, and his next word just made him sound baffled. “What?” Nico took a quick breath. He gestured slightly as he spoke. “It’s the only way I’ll be able to get over this deep-seated…” Fear? Anger? “Thing.” Wow. “I need to face my demons.” They both let the silence stew for a few moments, and Nico, despite everything he was feeling, wasn’t worried. He knew he would be confronting something big, something that may change the way he thought about certain things, but it was something he now knew he could do. Mainly because he knew he had to, but also because he had something that he didn’t have before. Nico was absently picking at a frayed menu taped onto the napkin holder when Will broke the silence. “I’ll come with you.” Nico’s eyes snapped up to look at him, and Will continued. “Unless… this is something you need to do alone.” Nico thought about if for a moment, eyes drifting away, but he was already quite sure of his response. Will was his soulmate, and Nico needed - he wanted - to share the big things with him. A small smile spreading over his face, Nico leaned back into his chair, and slowly his eyes met with Will’s. “Nah,” he said. “I think I’ll enjoy confusing you when I speak Italian to all the locals.” Will laughed. He seemed to relax at the words and he leaned back, mirroring Nico. “Guess I’ll need to take some lessons then.” Nico’s smile grew in the slightest, and - so softly it was almost a whisper - told Will, “ Ti amo. ” Will didn’t need to take lessons to know what that meant. 
oOo
 Almost the second they finished unloading most of the food - a friendly inn worker had come by and offered to transport the rest for them, which they gladly accepted - Will was dragged away to go decorate. Piper had said nothing but, “Will, perfect! We need another tall person.” No greeting, just the strong arm of a bride on her wedding day. Nico found himself completely alone, save for the infrequent strangers scattered around the inn. He remembered his second task: find Thalia and lend her a hand, but a quick glance into each of the common hangout areas brought forth no results.  He considered sending her a text, but he doubted she’d even answer, and wasn’t that eager to start working again. Or to be around another person. He took the opportunity to bask in solitude. Recharge his battery. Sounds of preparation came from all directions, but Nico took a deep breath and it all became background noise. He had to let it go, though - the peace and quiet - to find Thalia. He had a job to do and for his best friends, he was ready to do almost anything.  He took off down the halls. He didn’t really know where he was going; he didn’t know Thalia’s room number, so that was out of the question. He figured he’d start with Jason and Piper’s room. Maybe she was there. As he made it to the door, he took another second to be alone, then knocked. A deep voice inside said, “Come in.” The first thing Nico noticed about Jason was that he had his head in his hands, and was surrounded by a sea of papers. The next thing he noticed was that he looked positively miffed, like he’d just woken up from a bad night’s sleep. Nico tentatively stepped forward. “Hey.” Jason barely looked up when Nico spoke, but he did give a soft “hey” in return. Nico thought about just pretending like everything seemed absolutely perfect and getting straight to the point of asking where Thalia was, but he decided that he wouldn’t be a very good friend if he did. Besides, Jason was just stressed out with all the things to do before the wedding. It wasn’t like he was having an existential crisis. Though Nico had never gotten married, he remembered not only preparing for finals, but sorting through things like applications and financial aid before he even went to college. He was familiar with that particular kind of stress. “How are things coming along?” Jason laughed humorlessly. “Great,” he said, picking up a paper and putting it in a pile. Apparently there was an order to them, but it was one that Nico couldn’t see. “I love legal work and bills.” Nico didn’t really know what to say, but luckily he didn’t have to, because Jason spoke again. This time, he looked at Nico. A small smile graced his lips. “But hey. It shouldn’t take me that long. And besides, it’s so worth it.” Nico smiled. Jason was right. But then Jason paused, and his smile fell, and it looked like he was back where he started. Nico’s heart did a little jump. “Are you nervous?”  Jason looked him in the eye, and for once Nico didn’t turn away. The corner of his lip twitched just slightly, pulling at the scar he put there when he was two. He ran his fingers over a piece of paper, and his gaze drifted off in thought. “Not about the wedding,” he told Nico, “or getting married. Just… I don’t know.” He shrugged, and his fingers stopped moving. “The things that will change I guess.”  Nico scrunched his face in confusion. Didn’t Jason make a point about how he wouldn’t let things change? Was that only for Leo’s benefit? Jason continued. “Obviously there won’t be much-“ that made Nico feel a little better “-but there will be some , and there’s nothing we can do to stop that. I guess I just didn’t prepare myself for it.” Nico took a deep breath. Okay, so maybe Jason was having a miniature crisis. But he had options: take a little time to prepare himself for change, or get used to it as it came along. Either way, he’d find equilibrium. Of course, there was always the chance that he wouldn’t get used to it as it came along. But what kind of thought was that on a wedding day? Nico stepped forward slowly, and lowered himself onto the freshly made bed. Jason shifted slightly in his seat. His fist found a way under his chin, but it ended up sliding halfway up his cheek and made Jason look even more tired than before. They spent a moment in an awkward-but-not silence, with nothing but the sound of wind whistling through the window and waves crashing faintly onto the sand. Then Nico looked at Jason and started speaking.  “Look. Obviously things are going to change. You’d be an idiot for thinking otherwise. At least you’ve got that going for you, Grace.” Nico’s lips turned up in a smile, and Jason’s did the same as he rolled his eyes. “But not all change has to be bad. And not all change is out of your control. ” Jason took his fist away from his face, his eyes starting to sharpen in focus. Besides Nico’s sister, Jason was the one who always cared what Nico had to say. He couldn’t be more grateful.  “You have choices, Jason. In fact, you’ll have a lot of choices from here on in. And you and Piper get to make them. You just have to decide what’s more important, at every crossroads you come to.” Nico leaned back, and watched Jason’s eyes as they seemed to get brighter and more resolute every passing moment. “Family. Always.”  His tone said he was final, and Nico didn’t expect anything less. “There you go,” he said, spreading his arms. The two shared a breath, and then Nico told him, “But you know, family may not be a factor every time.” Jason was quiet for a moment, but then he set a dead serious gaze on Nico. It was enough to make him shiver. “Family’s always a factor.” Nico didn’t argue with that. Jason’s eyes softened. “Thanks Nico.” Nico pursed his lips and nodded, and after another moment of silence rose to his feet. Jason looked back at his work, but didn’t turn, and Nico’s gaze drifted to the window for a brief second of calm.  “Did you need something? I assume you didn’t come in here just to talk to me.” Jason picked up a pen, and, twirling it in his fingers, glanced back at Nico. “Now why would you think that?” Nico teased, and Jason gave him a face. “Okay, okay. I was just wondering where Thalia is.” Jason’s face contorted in thought for a moment. “I think she’s showing the photographer where we’re going to have our pictures taken. So, outside somewhere. When in doubt, just following the sound of her over-controlling.” Jason smirked. He loved his sister, and expressed his gratefulness for everything she did, but he was right. She could be over-controlling.  Just as Nico had opened the door and was about to step through, he paused, and didn’t move for several seconds. Jason took notice that he was still there, and looked at him without saying anything. Finally, he smiled, and met Jason’s gaze. “Look at how far we’ve all come.”  And with a final smile from Jason, Nico left. 
oOo
 Nico found Thalia where Jason said she’d be, directing the photographer on the beach beside the lighthouse. He was impressed to see the photographer take Thalia’s words in stride. If he was unsettled by her strong character or falling behind in any way, he didn’t show it.  Nico should’ve known to cherish those few seconds before Thalia noticed him. Because once she did, he was like Leo: he never stopped moving. Thalia was all over the place, and sent Nico to do the same. But honestly, those moments were better than the calm ones where he and Thalia worked on something together. Because no matter how hard he tried to pretend everything was normal, he just couldn’t shake the shared history between them. He had blamed her for a long time. Will found him after an hour or two, and whisked him away for a little while to relax on a seaside bench where he could get some fresh air and forget his worries. Soon the background noise from in the inn faded, and the only sounds that existed were the ocean waves and each other’s steady breathing. Nico closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a state of peace. It didn’t last nearly long enough.  Then it was back to work, lunch their only other break before the wedding. Nico found himself tiring; he’d woken up early and been on his feet for a long time. You can sleep after the wedding , Thalia told him when she saw how tired he looked. Nico inwardly groaned. He still had a long way to go. And hopefully it’d fly by, because he wanted nothing more than to see his friends commit to live their lives together.  
Sunday

6:45pm

15 minutes before the wedding
 “Where’s Piper?” “No, Nico, the other shoe!” “Has anyone seen my cufflinks?!” “Leo, what are you doing? Get dressed !” “Seriously, does anyone know where Piper went?” “Um, did you maybe try her dressing room , Jason?” “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.” “I don’t believe in that, Frank. And obviously I tried her dressing room, Percy, no one’s there.” Jason sighed in frustration. He was stressed. They all were, but him the most. How they’d all ended up in one room was beyond anyone’s guess, but they hadn’t expected these fleeting moments before the wedding to be anything but hectic. They were about to make history. They’d be remembering this day for years to come; Piper and Jason would tell their kids, and their kids’ kids, and they’d celebrate it every year until death do them part. Besides, with a family like this, “hectic” was their normal. “I’m going to go find her.” Jason grabbed his suit jacket. “Wait a minute, I’ll come too. Annabeth’s probably with her.” Jason waited for a few moments as Percy tied his shoe, both of them eager to get searching. When he was done, Jason wasted no time swiftly slipping through the door. Jason was jittery as hell as they trudged through the halls. He was literally shaking, and after going through a couple floors, Percy finally just asked, “Dude, are you okay?” Jason looked back at him, his footsteps slowing. “Yeah,” he said after a moment’s pause, a small smile creeping with uncertainty onto his face. “Just nervous.” Percy’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not getting cold feet are you?” Jason stopped at a door to knock, receiving no answer. Then, as he processed Percy’s question, his smile went full force.  “No way.” They found Piper and Annabeth outside by the altar. Annabeth was slowly treading between the chairs and ensuring that everything was in its proper place - name tags, programs - and Piper was stood in the aisle, beautiful brown curls and white dress alike rolling down her body as she gazed at the altar. Percy was the first to move, but once Annabeth noticed him she was walking too, and Jason started to feel awkward about staring at his fiancée who hadn’t seen him yet. So he made his way over to her.  “Hey.” Piper jumped a little as she turned around, her eyes shimmering. At first Jason thought it was from the lights strung up, but he looked, and they weren't on. She had tears in her eyes, and Jason’s heart dropped.
.

Chapter 5: Of Unions and Gang Fights (But Mostly Unions) - Part 2

Sunday

6:40pm

20 minutes before the wedding
A weasley smile crossed his lips as Octavian made his way through back doors and dim, gray hallways, toward the service elevator. He wanted to be somewhere high, somewhere he could get a good view of the events that were about to transpire.It had felt so good to tell her - to say right to her face - that her father wasn’t going to be there.She didn’t need to know why, which is what made it that much sweeter when he admitted that he’d thrown a fit. He couldn’t handle the idea of his daughter presenting him with another disappointment, and he didn’t want to stick around and watch it happen, let alone be a part of it. So he just… went crazy. Threw a fit and took a cab to anywhere but here.The story was fabricated of course. And really, Octavian ought to give himself a pat on the back. It was natural enough for the girl to believe it. More than that, it was a perfect coverup for the truth - Mister McLean was locked in a custodial closet upstairs, in nothing but his boxers and socks after… a home remedy.  Octavian pulled the cuffs of the suit back along his wrist. It was a bit large, but he had proven nothing if not that he could make something work - and he made it work.Cool metal moved under his fingertips, and he looked down, his eyes falling on a cufflink. It was ornate, the craftsmanship impeccable throughout the shining spirals and studded edges. An identical one adorned his other wrist. They must’ve been expensive.His smile thinned to a smirk, and he quickly pocketed the cufflinks as he made it to the upper floors.Room 406, he thought. Room 406 had a nice balcony with an ocean view, and more importantly, it overlooked the beach, where the altar stood. It was also just over the extended back porch. That was where they’d eat, and just past that, dance.Well, where they would’ve done those things, anyway.But just as Octavian made it to his destination and was about to enter, a voice shouted from the end of the hall. It forced him to act natural, and he slipped the key behind his back; then he continued walking as if he’d come up here to do nothing more.“Octavian! Octavian.”Octavian held back a sneer, and looked ahead toward the voice. He’d recognize it anywhere - it was Akmon, and though normally he was manning the front desk, it seemed that he was just around the corner anytime there was something Octavian needed to do that required subtlety. His voice had become a sharp screech in his ear. A thorn in his side, you might say.“Akmon!” he exclaimed, spreading his arms in a false display of charisma. Rest assured, he had plenty of real charisma, but none that he would waste on a parasite like Akmon. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”Akmon’s face faltered just slightly into confusion, but he brushed it off and took a final step toward his standing place several feet in front of Octavian. “We need your help,” he said. “The couple’s wedding is about to start, and we don’t have anyone working the phones; the boss told me to go over the books, but I told the kitchen staff I’d get someone to-” “Akmon, Akmon!” Octavian drawled. He placed a hand on Akmon’s shoulder, as much as it pained him to do so. “Everything will be just fine.” Akmon stopped talking and just stared. Octavian just now noticed that he was breathing heavily - he must have run up the stairs to find him. With guests coming and going between the floors at an increased quantity due to the wedding, the elevator was almost never where you wanted it to be. “So you’ll help out in the kitchen?” Akmon said, clearly misunderstanding Octavian’s words. He was so sick of working with people clearly intellectually inferior to him. He couldn’t wait to get out of here, but at the same time he wanted to stick around and watch it all crumble around him. “Well-” “Thanks!” As Octavian began to object, Akmon was already turning on his heel and speed-walking back the way he came. The farther he got, the louder he called out behind him. “They’re a little short-staffed tonight because there was a bit of a miscalculation - most of the guests are here for the wedding, and the couple hired their own caterer, but don’t worry! They’ll probably just ask you to chop up a few vegetables or sweep the floor, and then you can get back to your janitorial and-or bartending duties! Don’t forget the cutting board!” He disappeared into the stairwell, and Octavian growled. He glanced back at the door beside him, Room 406, and made it a silent promise that he’d be back before anyone could say ‘the wedding is cancelled.’ Then he turned on his heel and went back the way he came. “What do you mean he’s not going to be here? What do you mean he left ?” Jason was growing furious by the second, and he clenched his fists in an attempt to hold back some of the anger. His heart shattered as he watched his fiancée cry. He was not going to let her father - her own father! - ruin what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. The only thing was, there wasn’t really anything he could do about it. He began to pace back and forth as Piper sniffled. He tried to think of something, anything he could do to fix this. Well, first he’d go to Piper’s mother. It’d been a long time since she and Mister McLean had been in a relationship together, but he figured that out of anyone, she’d have the best idea of where he went. He just needed to- Piper took in a sharp breath like she was about to say something, and Jason’s breath became bated. He stopped pacing. He knew what she was going to say before she said it. “We’re going to have to-” “No. Please,” he begged, taking a step toward Piper. His soulmate looked at him in the eyes, which were beginning to shine with tears like hers. “Please don’t say it, Pipes.”  “Just for a little while,” she tried to reason. She didn’t look all that sure herself. “Maybe we can find him and bring him back, then we’d only have to-” “But what are the chances of that happening?” A silence rose between them. They couldn’t see it, but they could feel their breath mingling in the air as they stood facing each other, and it warmed the chill that had begun to settle around them.  Piper sighed and put her hand over her face. She looked so… hopeless. “Hey…” Jason took a step toward her, his arm out to reach her. Her eyes were closed. “I’m sorry,” Jason said, and Piper took his hand in hers, and he squeezed it tight. “I just don’t think we have many options here.” “I know. I just… he has to be here. I can’t get married if he’s not.” Jason could feel his lips turning into a frown on their own accord, and Piper looked up at him, her face a matching gloom.  
oOo
 “Hey, Wise Girl.”  She didn’t look at him, but she answered. “Hey Percy.”  Percy tried to hold back a wince and only half succeeded. He threw a glance back at Jason. He was standing with Piper, and even from here, Percy could see the tears in her eyes. His heart clenched. A nervousness he tamped down with flimsy reassurances slithered through his veins, and he turned back to Annabeth, who kicked a seat to the left. “So, uh… How’s the set-up?” He knew it was a stupid question, and he was mentally facepalming, but he didn’t know what else to say.  “It’s fine.” Annabeth shoved over another seat. Percy sighed and put his hands in his pocket. He had to say something. “Is everything okay?” he asked. He stared at Annabeth, concern in his sea green eyes, but she kept her eyes on what she was doing. “And I don’t just mean with Piper and the wedding. Is everything okay with you?” Annabeth did look up at him then, and Percy wasn’t really sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. She seemed… not annoyed, as she had been almost every time she was in Percy’s presence this weekend. No, not annoyed. Just… tired. “Everything’s fine, Percy. Don’t worry about it.” Nothing in her voice made Percy worry any less. In fact, it was her voice and her overall air of dejection that made him worry more. “Are you sure? Because you’ve been acting kinda weird all weekend. I mean, one minute nothing’s wrong, and then the next you want to rip my throat out.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket to rub his neck. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” “Percy…” Her eyes were sad. “You know you can tell me anything, right? Did I do something to make you think that wasn’t true?” After a moment of silence, Annabeth stepped forward and grabbed his arms. She looked him right in the eye and Percy would have cried with relief if she didn’t look so… heartbroken. What was wrong with his Wise Girl? “No, Percy. Of course not. I’m just…” Her eyes drifted, and the gray shimmered near-white with tears. “Just what?” Her voice was so small, but the pike it drove through Percy’s heart was so big he was afraid it would all come crumbling down. “I’m scared.”  He almost hadn’t heard her. But when he registered what she said, he immediately grabbed her arms in return, at the elbow, and leaned over to catch her eyes with his.  “Hey.” His voice was too soft in comparison to his grip that it surprised even him. His soulmate blinked at him, and a tear balanced at the corner of her eye. She was too stubborn to let it fall. He loved that about her. “Whatever it is, we’ll work through it together. I’ll help you. I promise . Nothing’s too scary when it comes to us. We’d make Dracula wet his pants.” Annabeth snorted, the sound conflicting with the tears in her eyes. “Dracula?” she asked, and Percy gave a small smile.  “Okay, maybe not Dracula. But the Big Bad Wolf at least .” Annabeth snorted again, her eyes falling shut, and Percy allowed himself one more second of silliness before he roped it back in and squeezed Annabeth’s arms. “But I mean it, okay? I’ll always have your back.” Annabeth sniffled, and lifted a hand to wipe her eyes as she nodded. “You’re right. You’re right.” She took a deep, long breath which she exhaled through her mouth, and looked at Percy once more. “We’ll talk about it, alright? Just… later. Tonight,” she added quickly, “but later.” Percy nodded, and he gave her a warm smile. Then he pulled her into his arms and whispered, “I love you, Annabeth.” Her breath tickled his neck. “I love you too, Percy.” They were about to pull apart when a shout forced them to. They separated quickly as both their heads snapped to the sound - it was Piper, and she was yelling at Jason, a fist half-heartedly waving at her side. “What part of this don’t you understand?!” she said. “It won’t be the same! It just isn’t right!” Percy couldn’t see Jason’s face, but he could see the tenseness in his shoulders, and he looked over at Annabeth. She drew her eyes from the scene to meet his. There was a glaring question in them, and Percy wished he knew how to answer it. But before they could interrupt the now-shouting-match, as Jason yelled something back, a new voice joined the swarm. “Hey! What is going on here?!” Percy turned around to see Reyna, in her dress suit with a bouquet clenched roughly in her fist. Her dark eyes flicked back and forth between the two couples, but she was mostly focused on the newlyweds-to-be having a row in front of the altar they were supposed to get married at - get married at in less than ten minutes. Her shout brought the attention of Jason and Piper, and Percy watched just long enough to see Piper angrily wipe away a tear. Behind Reyna, Thalia stepped forward. She looked at Annabeth worriedly, her lips twisted in a frown.  “...Annabeth?” she asked, and the others behind her - Nico, Will, and Leo - glanced toward her. “Are you crying?” Annabeth wiped her face, and tried to say what Percy assumed was “I’m fine,” but only came out as a stutter when Thalia turned on Percy and demanded, “Percy! What did you do?” Percy gaped in indignation. “Me? I didn’t do anything!” Thalia put a hand on her hip and gestured toward her oldest friend. “Then why is Annabeth crying?” Percy’s mouth flapped a bit like a fish. He didn’t know what to say, but luckily Reyna saved him before he could embarrass himself any further. When he looked at her, her eyes were screwed shut and she was moving her arms as if to pat the air, palms faced down. “Okay, okay!” she shouted. It drew the attention back to her and she opened her eyes, glancing briefly up at the sky like she was saying a prayer for strength.  She looked back at Jason and Piper, who didn’t seem any less riled than before. She pointed at them. “What’s going on with you two?” She looked around in astoundment - did she not expect an answer? - and continued, “I may have been busy this weekend, but I know when something’s wrong. Annabeth’s been acting like a drenched cat the past several days, and Nico’s even worse.” She waved an arm in his direction, and Percy watched as Nico cast his eyes down shamefully and Will wrapped an arm around his shoulder. For a brief moment a worry filled his brain - a special “Nico worry” that had been reserved for him since they met. But then Reyna huffed, and his thoughts were back to the situation at hand. “And now you two are fighting! Almost five minutes before your friends and family are supposed to arrive and watch you get married!” At those words, Piper hugged her arms to her chest and looked down, eyes closed. Reyna paused, and if Percy hadn’t known better, he would have said that her edges softened. But really he knew that she was tensing to pounce. “What is it?” she asked, her arms lowering. Jason glanced back at his soulmate, then sighed. He looked back up at Reyna with a tired droop to his eyelids. “Mist-” He started again. “Tristan’s not coming.” Percy’s heart froze. Beside him, Annabeth tensed. The entire place seemed to go silent. That is, until Reyna made a face and said, “What do you mean? I practically just talked to him. He was all ready and everything. In fact, he asked me where you were so he could talk to you and make sure he’d be in the right spot to walk you down the aisle.” As she said this to Piper, the bride lifted her head and met Reyna’s confused expression with one of her own. “But… But he doesn’t want to be here. He’s ashamed of me.” She looked down again, and Jason placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. “Are you kidding?” This time it was Leo who spoke, and he looked at everyone’s faces in turn. But his eyes landed on Piper’s, and he said, “He’s proud of you. He told me so himself.” He accentuated his words with hand gestures. “Well, maybe not in so many words, but you should’ve seen how excited he was when I was talking to him about the wedding. He wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Piper’s tears had gone stale and her forehead creased as she scrunched her eyebrows. “But - I don’t - that man. He said-” “Pipes, you’re not making sense,” said Jason patiently. He bent his neck to look at her more closely. “What man?” asked Reyna, and Piper stuttered silently for a moment. “Um… I don’t know, someone who works here at the hotel. He’s helping out with the wedding, so I figured my dad had asked him to tell me that… that he…”  “Right,” said Reyna, gears visibly turning in her head, “but I’m pretty sure we’ve established that your dad wants to be here. So… where is he?” Leo spoke up. “And more than that… why would the guy lie about him missing the wedding?” Everyone was silent for a minute in thought. Percy didn’t really have much to offer. How was he to know where Piper’s dad was? Or why that man lied to her? At least he could help look for Tristan if it came down to that. “Wait.” Everyone turned to look at Nico. “What did the guy look like?” “Um…” Piper twisted her hands in thought. “He was pale. Really pale, like you. Blonde hair.” Her nose scrunched up. “Kinda creepy, actually. And he was wearing a black hotel uniform.” Nico muttered a swear under his breath. Then he looked up. “ Octavian ,” he growled. The confusion emanating from each individual on the beach was clear, but it shattered like glass when Annabeth gasped.  “Annabeth?” “The bartender!” she exclaimed. Her mouth was open wide, and a fire in her eyes had replaced the tears and confusion. “He was at the rehearsal, too.” Nico seemed to be keeping a careful eye on her as he listened, a curl to his brow as if they were discussing a shared, unpleasant memory. It seemed to Percy that they were. “Mmhmm.” Nico nodded, and in the corners of his crossed arms, his hands clenched. “He…”  Nico licked his lips and took a deep breath, then started again. “He said something… really shitty the first night we were here. While I was sitting at the bar. It… It sort of wound me up.” Annabeth glowered, but it wasn’t directed at Nico. Percy would hate to be this “Octavian” guy right now. Especially because both Nico and Reyna seemed to be getting upset as well, and he never wanted to be on the receiving end of their fury. “That son of a bitch is messing with us,” she said, and Percy sent a concerned look her way. She grew more sure of herself as she went on. She had the same look on her face that she had whenever she was figuring out a puzzle that had started to come together. “He’s been messing with our heads this entire time.” Percy reached out his arm. “What? Annabeth, what did he say to you?”  “It’s not important.” She waved off his concern with a hand. “We need to find him and get him to tell us where Tristan is.” Piper’s breathing was heavy as she listened to the conversation, and it was painfully audible now as a growing fear clouded her eyes. But an undercurrent of determination and anger offset it. “Annabeth? What does Octavian want? Has he done something to my dad?” Annabeth broke off from Percy’s side and strode to her friend, taking her darker hands in her own. “Everything’s going to be fine,” she said, and her voice was so confident that Percy had no choice but to believe her, and he was sure the others must’ve felt the same. “We’re going to find Octavian and he’s going to lead us right to your dad.” Despite the atmosphere, a small smirk started to make its way onto Thalia’s face. She looked between the faces of the others with a gleam in her eyes. “Wait… are we getting a revenge mission and a rescue mission all at once?” Annabeth leveled her friend with a disapproving look, but Percy - and Thalia, if her growing smirk was anything to go by - saw right through her facade to the excitement beneath.  Nico’s smirk joined Thalia’s, and though it was smaller, it was much darker. That and his black, often skull-adorned clothes were what gave him the nickname “Death Boy.” “I could go for some revenge.” 
oOo
 They must’ve been quite the sight to take in as they marched through the inn halls in their dogged search for Octavian. Reyna, Nico, and Annabeth led the charge, with Piper right on their tails and everyone else behind her. Guests literally jumped out of their way, and one of the inn staff had scuttled away in fear after Piper demanded to know where Octavian was. But with his answering whimper of “Kitchens!” they had direction and more righteous fury than ever. Nico was almost positive that at that point, anyone who stood in their way would be turned to ash by nothing but their glares. When they burst into the kitchens and Octavian’s wild blue eyes caught sight of them, it was clear that he knew this was the end of his manipulation.  While the other kitchen staff shouted at them about the “Employees Only” rule, Octavian searched frantically for a weapon. But since he’d only been at the sink washing his hands, he was left with nothing but a pan scrub.  “St-stay away from me!” he shouted. The wedding party closed in, cornering him like an animal, and Nico could hear his erratic breath. Then, in a blur of motion, Reyna grabbed him by the collar of his… suit ? Nico bristled with anger at the sight, but he didn’t know why. The woman shoved him unceremoniously out the back door, and a crash sounded as he fell onto some bins. The rest of the kitchen staff seemed to be letting it happen now, and Nico wondered if they were enjoying it. Maybe they hated Octavian as much as Nico and the others did. Although, Nico was pretty sure that would be hard to beat right now.Reyna grabbed him again and shoved him against the wall of the building, fury burning in her eyes. Even Nico was unsettled. “Where’s Tristan?” she demanded. “What did you do to him?” There was a moment of tense silence, nothing but the sound of heavy breaths. Then, Octavian laughed.   Nico snarled, but Reyna beat him to the punch. Literally. Octavian’s lip split with the sickening slap of flesh-on-flesh, and he raised a hand to touch the blood. Then he licked it, and met Reyna’s eyes with a glare of his own. But it was a lot more sneaky. That, or his eyes were just glazed over in pain. Probably both. If Reyna’s punch hadn’t instantly knocked him out, she was holding back. “Why should I tell you?” Reyna poised a hand to punch him again, and Octavian flinched. She got in real close to his face and spoke softly. “Because if you don’t, I’m not even going to give you the pleasure of a beating. You are going to get something so much worse.” Piper rushed to the front of the scene, the train of her dress scraping audibly along the asphalt. She slammed a hand against the building strong enough to send a bang reverberating through the air. “What did you do to my father?!” When Octavian didn’t answer, Reyna punched him again, and this time he crumbled to the ground. He was conscious, but just barely. “It was… antihistamines,” he said, breathing heavily. Piper and Reyna shared a look. “Benadryl. Just enough to put him to sleep. He’ll be fine.” Nico could practically see Piper’s blood boil while she looked down at the snake, her fists curling. “Where is he?” she growled. Octavian said nothing, and Reyna drove a kick into his ribs. Even as he doubled over in pain, he remained frustratingly silent, but the venomous look on his face faded to one of exhaustion, and he let his head hang to the side. “Broom closet. Fifth floor.” With a quick exchange of glances, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth rushed to get to the fifth floor, Piper’s dress skirt clutched in her hands. Nico watched as they hurried back inside. He turned back to Octavian and gave him another strong glare. But by that point the worm had fully given up, and he slumped against the wall of the building. Nico took pity on him. He was a truly pitiful creature, not that he didn’t still hate him with a passion. He whirled around when a hand tapped him on the shoulder, but when he saw who it was they’d already withdrawn their touch. It was Percy. Nico couldn’t really tell what he was thinking, a phenomenon that only happened at the most serious times - not that he was very good at determining people’s thoughts and emotions anyway.  “We’ll handle the rest of this,” he said. He kept his eyes on Nico’s face, which normally would’ve made the Italian uncomfortable. But right now he just wanted this to be over. “You and Will go find Frank and your sister. Man, they’re gonna be so confused.” He gave a small huff of a laugh. Nico nodded toward where Reyna was standing, Thalia beside her with a matching glare. Octavian still sat uselessly against the wall with his arm around his ribs. “They’re not gonna kill him, are they?” he asked, an amused smile noting his insincerity. Percy chuckled. “No, no. We’ll call the police. Or a lawyer.” He tilted his head with a thoughtful frown. “Or both.” “Both is good.” Percy gave him a small smile, and Nico crossed to Will’s side. “Come on,” he said softly, and they made their way back inside the inn.  Once they made it to the second story landing (the elevator was in heavy use as guests began to drift toward the ceremony), Will asked him, “Are you okay?” Nico smiled. “Yeah. I’m okay” he said, and this time he really meant it. His smile only grew wider when he saw Will’s concern and his own small smile on his lips, and he reached out to take his hand. Will laced their fingers together. Nico was okay. He felt better than he had since the minute they got here. He’d taken the first small step towards reconciling with his past and strengthening his relationship with Will, and not only that, he was about to see two of his best friends get married ! At least, he hoped. They passed few people in the halls as they searched for Hazel and Frank, hands still intertwined. And when Nico felt the urge to draw away, he only squeezed harder. 
oOo
 Luckily, when Nico and Will - with Hazel and Frank behind them - found the others, Tristan was awake. He still seemed a bit drowsy, but no worse for wear as Piper helped him drink from a cup of water. Nico noted with a start that he was half naked. Then he realized why his hair had risen at the sight of Octavian in that suit - he’d stolen Tristan’s clothes. What the hell was wrong with him? Hazel rushed over to see if there was anything she could do to help and was almost immediately sent off with a nod, probably to retrieve an extra pair of clothes. The other three loitered a small ways down the hall, and Jason was wetting a towel to give Tristan. He took it gratefully and pressed it to his head. “So… let me get this straight. The kid drugged me, stole my clothes, and told you that I’d left so you would - what, cancel the wedding? Why?” Wisps of dark hair stuck to his forehead as he attempted to wake up and cool down.  Piper shrugged, raising her eyebrows as she took Tristan’s cup and placed it gingerly on the floor. “I have no idea. That’s for the police to figure out, I guess.” The hallway was silent. When Hazel returned with a change of clothes, Piper and Annabeth helped Tristan to his feet so that he could dress. “How are you feeling, Dad?” Piper asked worriedly, her hand on his shoulder. Standing side by side, Nico saw the resemblance between Piper and her dad so clearly he’d have to be stupid not to. “Come on, you should rest.” She tried to pull him towards the elevator, but he pushed her hand away. “No, Piper. You’re getting married and I am going to be there.” “Dad-” As Piper continued her efforts to get him downstairs and into bed, Reyna joined them in the hall, and Nico’s interest piqued.  “Hey,” she said, glancing towards Tristan, who was locked in a staring game of wills with his daughter. Nico could tell Reyna thought it was weird, but she said nothing. “The guests are sitting. They’re starting to wonder where we are. What do you want me to tell them?” “Tell them they’ll get a wedding in a few minutes,” said Tristan, and Piper tried to argue, but he silenced her with a hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to see my little girl get married. Even if I have to carry you there myself. But please don’t make me do that, because I’m all cramped up from being in that closet,” he added, rolling his neck and shoulders for good measure. He had a small smile on his face, and after a moment, Piper smiled back, and she hugged him tightly. “Okay,” she said, and it was as if everyone had taken a collective breath of relief. The air was suddenly less tense and more… electric with excitement, but with a cool undercurrent of calm to relax them. “Great,” said Reyna, a shimmer in her eyes. “Percy, Leo, and Thalia will be along quickly. Let’s go get you guys married.”
Sunday

7:25pm
25 minutes after the wedding was supposed to start Though he would be loath to say something so cheesy out loud, Nico’s heart really did jump for joy as he watched Piper’s father give her his arm at the front of the sandy aisle. She looked beautiful. The twinkle lights framed her in a thin halo - they glittered in her eyes, dark as they usually liked to be, and shone in the sequins of her dress. It fell elegantly in streams toward the ground and pooled around her feet in a small train. It looked almost like a puddle of moonlight. And when she smiled, she simply glowed.   Jason was much the same. When he caught sight of Piper standing there at the start of the aisle, his eyes lit up. The groomsman and bridesmaid pairs had already split off to stand on each side of the altar, and the flower girl, one of Piper’s cousins, was still doing her fluid dance with the blue flower petals. As was custom here, the bridesmaids’ bouquets matched Piper’s eyes, and the flower girl’s petals matched Jason’s.  He wasn’t so much glowing as he was gleaming. It was a subtler light, but strong all the same, and it made him look like a cloud. The music changed as the flower girl took her seat with her family after dumping the rest of her petals on Jason’s feet to humble him. The guests laughed at the gusto with which she did it, nearly tipping sideways in true six-year-old fashion. Then they turned, and everyone’s eyes fell on the bride. No one was supposed to walk over the petals but her - during the ceremony, anyway - to symbolize her devotion to Jason. Once she got to the altar, Jason would show his own devotion in another way. So that’s why she and her father turned to each other where they stood. He kissed her cheek, then she his, and they hugged in a tearful send-off. Nico was pretty sure he was beaming the whole time Piper took her careful steps toward the altar, but he would never admit it. His friends were just so happy , and it made him happy too. Piper looked like the entire world had fallen down around her and Jason was the only person who still existed. Jason was almost the opposite, as if he were surrounded by people, so many people who didn’t matter, and Piper was the only one who did.  As Piper reached the altar and turned to her soulmate, she reached out a foot to brush the petals off of Jason’s. His eyes never left her face. His smile was huge, and the flames from the pyre behind them flickered in his teeth. Piper handed Jason her bouquet, and he picked a small bundle of flowers from it to place over his heart like a boutineer. It would remain there for the rest of the night, or at least through the first dance. But knowing Jason, he’d leave it there the whole week. This was his devotion to her.  The music stopped, and the two went still.  “Welcome,” the pastor began with a smile, looking into the sea of faces with his arms spread wide. “Friends. Family. We are gathered here tonight to celebrate a union. The binding of two souls in harmony and light, under the witnessing eyes of the Soul Matchers, our gods.” Nico glanced around to see small smiles on everyone’s faces and he turned to Will. It was barely a second before he noticed, and his smile lit up his face like the sun lights the sky. Nico smiled back, then focused once more on the happy couple. “Please join hands,” said the pastor, and the two obliged. The man addressed the group. “Jason and Piper have written their own vows under the guidance that they not omit their offerings.” He smiled down at them, hands folded in front of him now, and said, “Piper, you may begin.” Piper nodded at him and stared into Jason’s eyes. She looked like she was trying to tamp down her smile, but it wasn’t working. “I, Piper,” she began, taking a deep breath, “take you, Jason, to be my husband. I make these vows to you as your equal, and as someone who shares with you my heart. “When I see the color blue, I will think of you. When I wake up in the morning, it will be you next to me. I will walk beside you always, in good times and in bad, because I am not just your Soulmate. I am not just your other half. I am your partner, and that means choice. I choose you to grow old with, and to cherish always. With this ring, and an offering to the Soul Matchers, our gods, I vow to be your loving wife.”  The pastor handed her the ring, and Jason looked like he was about to pass out from joy. Nico briefly wondered if that was possible, then figured that it probably would’ve happened already if it was.  She slipped it onto his finger, and the pastor said, “Now Jason, you may begin your vows.” He grinned and held their joined hands to his chest. Piper’s eyes glittered with happy tears.  “I, Jason, take you, Piper, to be my wife. I make these vows to you as someone who shares with you my heart, and as your equal. “Wherever we are, may you find your home in my arms. Whatever we face, may you know that I am always beside you. Whomever we grow to be, may our love never dwindle. You are my light. You are my Soulmate. You are my partner of mind, heart, and spirit. With this ring, and an offering to the Soul Matchers, our gods, I vow to be your loving husband.”  “Please rise as these two matched souls make an offering to the gods for the longevity and prosperity of their lives together.” Nico stood, and Will brushed their shoulders together.  The pastor began a stream of the ancient language. He faintly remembered Annabeth talking about it - maybe in the rv, maybe back in New York. He thinks she said it was a chant to bring the gods’ full attention and ask them to accept the offering. Jason and Piper turned around and knelt to pick up their offerings. They were meant to be something valuable, something sentimental - something that ties their souls to the earth. By giving it up, they relinquished a part of their connection to the world and gave in more fully to their bond. But they still had the rest of their lives to relish in earthly attachments if they so wished.  Nico couldn’t quite see, but it looked like Piper’s item was brown, or maybe bronze, and that’s all he could tell before she dropped it into the flames. If he really wanted to know, he could ask her after the ceremony. Nico knew what Jason’s item was without having to look. He’d show it to him when he decided it was what he’d give up, and Nico had recognized it even then. It was a gold coin, with insignias on either side - one Julius Caesar, and the other a double-headed axe. Nico knew how important it was to him. He could see the pain in his eyes as he held it over the pyre, and his smile soured. It was the only thing Jason had left of his childhood group home and the friends he’d lost there, once when the building caught on fire, and again when he aged out. With a breath he let the coin slip through his fingers.  And then the crowd erupted in cheers. Nico clapped politely, his smile once more wide and bright, but some people, including Will and Leo, had taken an extra step. Will put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Though it briefly pained his ears, Nico laughed. Leo, however, had grabbed Jason in a headlock and noogied him until his hair was sticking up on its own. Beside them, Percy cheered loudly. The bridesmaids on Piper’s side were smiling brightly, laughing and clapping and crying, just a little. When Jason managed to break free from Leo’s grasp, he took a moment to pat fruitlessly at his hair. But, seeing that there was no hope, he simply grinned wider, took Piper’s hand in his own, and lifted them to the sky. 
oOo
 
Clink clink clink.
 “Hello! Hello, can I get everyone’s attention please?” Percy greeted the feasting crowd on the patio with his debonair smile and waved a champagne glass through the air. It glittered in the light. “Now comes the part of the evening where we all get to embarrass the bride and groom.” The crowd laughed, and Percy placated them with a hand. But he was laughing too. “Okay, okay. I’ll try to hold back on the embarrassing stories.” Jason looked relieved. The wedding party all had their own table - a long dining table where they could all fit comfortably. Piper and Jason sat at one end, while Percy and Annabeth sat at the other.  “But,” Percy continued, drawing his eyes over the crowd, “it is time to get sappy and emotional. So, sorry.” He sent a grin toward the married couple. Then, in true Percy fashion, his face took on a dramatic flair, and he pressed his free hand to his heart. Piper instantly facepalmed. She knew where this was going. “When I first met my bro Jason,” Percy began, not a hint of jest in his eyes, “my heart warmed and I knew we had an instant connection.” Nico buried his face in his hands, much like Piper, who had sunk deeper into her facepalm. But he could see through his fingers that Jason looked incredibly touched. So touched, in fact, Nico was afraid he might start crying. At that point, his only hope would be to sneak back into the inn or wear a sign that said “I’m not with them.” “I don’t quite know what to say, Jason. As your best man-” “I’m his best man,” Leo interrupted, and the guests laughed. “-As your best man-” Leo rolled his eyes “-I feel like it’s my job to congratulate you, and tell Piper all your redeeming qualities. But, she already knows them. All two of them, in fact.” He paused for laughter and shared a grin with Jason, and even Piper, who had now taken her head out of her hands to watch Percy’s speech with amusement.  “And, as Piper has become the little sister I never wanted, I feel like it’s my job to give you the shovel talk and praise her to the ends of the earth. But I’m not going to do any of that. Instead, I’ll keep it short and sweet.” He leaned over to grab something from under his seat, and the newlyweds tried to crane their necks to see. Everyone watched as Percy pulled out a small gift bag.  “I had these framed for you,” he said. He lifted out two framed photos, but from where Nico was sitting he couldn’t see what they were photos of. Percy handed the frames to his friends, and Nico watched as their faces took on expressions of nostalgia and joy. They were smiling, with tears in their eyes, and when they’d finished looking, they passed around the photos to show everyone else at the table. Next to Nico, Hazel took one of the pictures in her hands. He could see it now. It was all of them - everyone who was at this table. He recognized it from the previous winter when everyone had gathered for a late holiday at a ski resort in upstate New York. In the photo, everyone was huddled together on the couches, chairs, and floor of the resort’s sitting area. The camera had been on a timer so that everyone would have time to squeeze into the frame. “That one,” Percy said, gesturing to the photograph Hazel held in her hands, “is to remind you guys that you have a lot of people who care about you, and who will do anything for you. We always have your backs. And that one,” he said as he pointed to the one Nico hadn’t seen yet, passing down the other side from Thalia to Reyna to Leo, “is to show you what we see every time you look at each other.” He smiled almost melancholically. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people more in love.” The crowd erupted in “aww”s as Piper and Jason stood up and wrapped Percy in their arms. Nico’s sharp hearing picked up an “I love you” from each one of them. Percy couldn’t quite hide his sniffle when he turned back to the crowd, and Nico saw Annabeth smile at him. “Well, anyway! I’m sure Leo has some words to say! Leo?” Leo sprung up with a wicked grin as Percy, Jason, and Piper took their seats. Nico didn’t even want to think about all the secondhand embarrassment he was about to feel. The rest of dinner passed by in a flurry of tears, laughs, and one or two projectile carbohydrates (mostly aimed at Leo, of course). Just when it seemed everyone was about to burst from all the food they’d eaten, out came the cake, and they were back to stuffing their faces. Nico had to admit, it was a pretty damn good cake. Will, of course, took all the credit for delivering it safely to the inn, and Nico smeared a handful of icing on his face. Then it was time for dancing.  Nico hung to the sides with everyone else as he watched Jason and Piper take the floor with their first slow dance as a married couple. They danced over the light beneath their feet, and to Nico it looked like they were dancing on air. From the expressions on their faces, they were. The chimes and brash notes of Sonny & Cher rang through the festivities, and Nico couldn’t help but sway just a little to the music. When the next song started up - another by Sonny & Cher - the DJ called for other couples to join Jason and Piper on the dance floor. Nico started to step carefully backwards in retreat, but just as he was about to turn around, he bumped into someone.  “Oh! Mi scuzi ! Sorry!” But when he looked up into the face of the “stranger,” it was Will, and he had a handsome smile on his face. Nico stared at him in silence, and Will took the opportunity to gently grab his hand and pull him towards the other dancers. “Dance? A-are you sure, Will?” Nico stuttered, glancing back towards freedom. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to dance with his soulmate. It was just that he… didn’t want to dance. “I mean, I’d love to, but I don’t want to step on your toes.”  He walked into the square, where the fairy lights capered above them and lilted a soft glow onto Will’s face. He looked around the dance floor like it was going to bite him, one of his hands in his pocket. Will raised an eyebrow and called Nico out. “Hey, don’t try that on me , di Angelo. I know you’re more graceful than you let on. And besides, it’s just a slow dance.” He reached out his other hand, and after a moment of doubt and deliberation, Nico accepted. Then Will pulled him into his arms, and Nico was lost. Suddenly it was just them. No Jason, no Piper, no friends. His head buried in Will’s chest, the music gently drifting through the air and winding around every dancing couple - Nico felt relieved. He was lucky. All the crap they’d been through this weekend, the crap he’d been through and all the crap he’d put others through was a tested and true way to ruin anything. A weekend, a relationship, a wedding. But there’d been an opportunity to reach out and attempt to fix things, and Nico had taken it. That wasn’t luck. But everything after that… Yeah, he was lucky. He was lucky to have so many great friends. He was lucky to have his sister; she’d been there for him from the moment they met. And he was lucky to have Will as his soulmate. Nico had read books, growing up, about worlds where there was no such thing as soulmates. Bianca passed them to him in secret; sometimes they were bound in another book’s cover to hide their identities. In these books, there was no greater plan or power; the characters simply were, and they loved whom they chose. And in these books, there was still the same kind of hate that he received for being with another man. Of course, he didn’t get to choose his soulmate. But if things had gone differently, and it was written in the laws of the universe that he was not destined for Will, he wouldn’t care. He still would’ve chosen him, like the characters in his storybooks, and fallen in love all the same. It wasn’t unheard of for people to make a different choice when it seemed they had only one. They were called Non-Matchers. People who defied the expectation of society to live the life they wanted. But just because no one could stop them from making that choice, it didn’t mean companies gave them the same services or they were legally married in the eyes of every state.  It made Nico sick. And though Will was his soulmate, and he’d seen blue for the first time in his eyes, every moment from there on out was a choice. Nico chose to talk to Will. He chose to hug him and kiss him and love him. And he would continue to choose that no matter the circumstances. All the pain, all the heartbreak… It was worth it if in the end, Nico could fall into Will’s arms, and they could dance their troubles - and the night - away.  This was their story, and they were going to tell it.Curled up in Percy’s warm embrace, his breath in her hair, his heart beating under her ear, Annabeth never felt safer. So she took a leap of faith into the arms of the man she loved. “Percy?” “Hmm?” She was pretty sure his eyes were closed as they swayed. “I’m pregnant.” Percy stopped moving instantly, and Annabeth’s heart leaped. But she forced it to settle as she and Percy pulled apart to look into each other’s eyes. He held her surprisingly gently by the arms. “Are-are you serious?” Annabeth tried a pass at casual, giving a little huff as she said sarcastically, “No, I would joke about something like this.” It was a painful few seconds while the words bounced around Percy’s seaweed-clogged brain, and she watched nervously as his eyes looked back and forth between hers. Then he shouted, and Annabeth jumped. “Annabeth that’s amazing !” In the next moment, he was sweeping her off her feet - literally. He laughed in joy as he pulled her to his chest, and Annabeth couldn’t help but smile in return. Then he put her down, and reality took over again in Annabeth’s brain. “But - Percy.” Percy’s features stilled slightly, but Annabeth could see the happiness burning in his eyes. “What? What is it? Is this what you were scared about?” he asked, grip tightening on her shoulders in worry. “You don’t have to be, I swear . I’m gonna be the best father ever to little Hurricane.” He placed a hand on her belly. Annabeth paused at the sheer bafflement that washed over her as she listened to Percy speak. She didn’t even know why she was surprised at this point. “We’re not naming our child Hurricane.” “But why not? They’d be the most kickin’ little kid on the playground!” He grinned brightly at her, but it fell when he realized Annabeth wasn’t going along with his playfulness. Instead, her eyes were cast down to the ground, and Percy seemed to realize something. “Wait. Is this why you’ve been mad at me?” he asked, and his hands fell from her arms. “Do you think I’m too much of a child to be a father?” “No, no,” Annabeth hurried to reassure him, but he didn’t seem convinced. “Okay, maybe I did a little. But not anymore. I know you’ll be a great father.” She rubbed her hand down his arm and Percy’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “Then what’s the problem?” “Ugh, what isn’t the problem!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “I’m… I’m worried about me , Percy. I mean, what if I’m not good enough? What if I turn out to be a horrible mom? I ran away from home when I was six , Percy. What if I become like my dad?” Percy wasted no time gathering her in his arms and stroking his hand through her hair. Annabeth buried her face in his chest. “That’s crazy, Wise Girl. You’re going to be the best mom a kid could ever ask for.” He laughed. “My mom will have some competition.” Annabeth half-heartedly punched him in the arm, and he laughed again.  “Hey, they’re gonna love their grandma.” He froze, and Annabeth pulled back to see shock stuck on his face. “Oh my gods,” he said, eyes glazed, “she’s gonna be a grandma .” “Perce?” Annabeth nudged him with her foot. “You’re not breaking, are you?” He snapped back and smiled warmly at her, melting the ice that had been forming around her heart. “Never.” At that moment, Jason and Piper decided to make their way over, having noticed the couple’s awkward pattern of dance-shout-hug.  Annabeth scoffed and shook her head, ignoring the other two and speaking up before either one of them could. “My mom is going to kill you, Percy.” At this, Percy blanched, and Jason and Piper adopted matching looks of confusion. “Um… why is your mom going to kill Percy?” asked Jason, glancing between the two with a crease in his brow.  Annabeth continued to ignore him and Piper, who said nothing but watched the scene with rapt attention.  “Oh my gods, you’re right. She is going to kill me. I mean, she already hates me for the whole almost-drowning thing, but I got you pregnant out of wedlock . She’s gonna-” “ Wait !” Annabeth could no longer ignore the newlyweds, and though Percy was too preoccupied with his thoughts about what Annabeth’s mother would do to him if she found out, Annabeth looked at the two. It was Piper who had interjected, eyes wide as saucers. Jason’s mouth was hanging open, but he was silent. “You’re pregnant ?!” Annabeth gave a small smile, and twitched her shoulders in a shrug. “Surprise?” Piper squealed and rushed to pull Annabeth in a hug. The blonde couldn’t help but let out a laugh as Piper swayed in their embrace. “I got it!” They all turned to look at Percy, who seemed to have snapped out of his “impending doom panic mode” with a grin. “Marry me, Wise Girl.” “What?!” Piper and Annabeth broke apart to stare at him. “Marry me, Annabeth,” Percy repeated. “Right now.” He took Annabeth’s hands in his and met her eyes intensely. “I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Hell, I’ve known for a long time. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, nothing’s going to change that.” “But… We can’t just get married because I’m pregnant! What about a wedding? Don’t you want your mom to be there when you get married? All your friends?” Percy waved it all away with a hand, his smile only growing wider. “All I need is you, Annabeth. It’s cheesy but it’s true. Besides.” He nodded toward the group, spread out amongst the dance floor. Annabeth noted with amusement the crazy dance Leo was doing, Thalia rolling her eyes next to him. “Those guys will be there.” She looked back at him, her lips twitching upwards, and she found that she wanted to let him convince her. “Hey. I want to promise myself - my life - to you. I love you.” “What do you say, Annabeth?” Piper asked beside her. She was practically grinning, and so was Jason. “Are you ready for an adventure?” Annabeth looked once at Piper, and long into Percy’s eyes, a smile beginning to shine in her own. Her lips spread to match them, and Percy’s heart lurched in a painfully beautiful way as she said, “Yes. Let’s do it.” 
11/21/2023

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Chapter 5: Of Unions and Gang Fights (But Mostly Unions) - Part 3

Sunday

11:45pm

Four hours and forty-five minutes after the wedding 
 By the time nine particular guests (and two very important parties, being the literal bride and groom) began to disappear mysteriously from the reception, there weren't enough people still around to realize it. Most of the guests had wandered back to their rooms, dead on their feet with full stomachs and full hearts. The music had taken a turn to solely softer melodies after the highs and lows of dancing. Conversational chatter began to die down, a word disappearing with each star that became visible as the night went on. Few still remained, however, and while it was custom here that the newlyweds be the last to leave (as opposed to first in other parts of the world), it was for a good cause—the best of all, actually. Percy and Annabeth were getting married. “Wait, where are we going again?” “Keep up, Leo! Shotgun wedding!” “Will, what do you know about childbirth?” “Don’t answer that, sunshine.” “I still don’t understand what’s happening.” “That won’t be important for another eight months, Percy. Leo, I’m pregnant and I’m getting married.” “You’re WHAT ?!” several voices erupted as the group finally caught sight of their destination in the distance. They might have been a little stingy on the details as they hurried toward the firepit sitting out on the beach, but not on purpose—they were just caught up in the moment. It seemed as though all the energy that had seeped away from the dance floor and the tables and the guests was all right here, because not a single one of the friends were anything less than invigorated as they made their way across the sands.   When they got to their spot, Annabeth took a moment to gaze back at the twinkling lights of the inn, only barely visible at this distance, and take a deep breath. When they noticed her looking, Hazel and Thalia slipped quietly from the group and walked up to her, ready for whatever she needed—whether that was an inspirational talk or a quick getaway.  “Hey,” Hazel said softly. She was so good at that—at being kind. “How are you feeling?” Annabeth looked between her and Thalia, a sting in her eyes, though she wasn’t quite sure why. “I don’t really know,” she said. Hazel looked at her with a certain gentleness that Annabeth might’ve thought bordered on pity if she didn’t know how much she genuinely cared. Next to her, Thalia stepped forward, and she provided the hard balance to Hazel’s gaze. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” she asked, sugarcoating nothing.  “Don’t get married just because you’re pregnant,” Hazel added. “I know you wanted a nice, detailed wedding.” Her words called back to all the things Annabeth had mentioned off-handedly during the planning. Well, that and Annabeth’s general personality. But as Annabeth’s mind drifted in thought, her eyes drifted, too. And it was no coincidence that they should turn to the ocean, only to find Percy standing just right under the moon, sparkling even more than the water. She looked around as well at all of her friends—Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna, Will, Nico, Frank—and her gaze settled on the last two in front of her before she smiled. “I want this,” she said, breath filling her lungs and energy rippling through her. She was more sure of this than anything else in the world. “In fact, I should’ve done it ages ago. I have everything I need right here.” They drew her into a hug and squeezed her tight, and as they did, Thalia whispered into her ear: “I’m so proud of you.” Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut and her arms tighter, trying not to cry. As the three of them walked back to the group, they slowly tuned into the conversation that was happening, and… well. Jason turned to her as soon as he caught sight of her rejoining them. “Wait, you are getting married to Percy, right?” Annabeth was so astounded by the question that she was shoved into utter silence. She was saved from having to answer when Percy reached out and flicked Jason’s nose—playfully, but with a little bite.  Jason just shook his head and laughed. “Right. Stupid question. Let’s do this! Wedding, Part 2!” The adrenaline began rushing into their systems, and the whole group buzzed with energy as they began to get into position. There had been no formal asking or organizing—they just knew where they were needed, and they all knew their places, both literally and in their relationships to each other. But it wasn’t until they were just about to begin that Jason realized they were missing one critical person. “Wait,” he said, all eyes turning to him as they registered the falling pitch of his voice. “The officiant already left.” Everyone’s eyes dropped away as they absorbed the information, and the night fell quiet. “Oh, shit,” Percy breathed, the light slipping quickly out of his eyes in a way that made Nico’s heart thump painfully against his ribcage. His crush on Percy may have been a thing of the past, but Percy was one of his best friends now, and it hurt Nico more to see him in pain than his own pain would’ve. (And yeah, maybe that was something he should be slightly concerned about, but at least he knew that Will would always be there to take care of him, and he, Will).  Percy looked over at Annabeth, to the thin sheen of tears that made her eyes glitter like stars in the night. “We can’t get married,” he said. A weighted silence fell over the group as their breath caught in their chests, but Leo (sweet, wonderful Leo) broke it with a “Well, actually…” And hope lived again. All eyes turned to him, and instead of shrinking away like Nico would have, it seemed to invigorate Leo, though he glanced at them bashfully and began fidgeting with his hands before he started gesturing wildly as usual.  He looked over at Jason and Piper. “Look,” he said defensively, as if he had to defend himself for what he was about to tell them. “When you told us all that you were getting married, I was beyond excited. I was so happy for you, so full of love, so caught up in the energy of helping you plan that I didn’t know what to do when it slowed down. And when the first band fell through, before you decided to go with the DJ, I… I started thinking. About every possible thing that could go wrong. I would just sit there going over worst case scenarios in my head while you argued over… cake, flowers, whatever. And it started to get to me.” “Leo…” Jason said worriedly, taking a step toward him. But Leo held up a hand for him to stop. “So I stopped wallowing and decided to prepare.” A mischievous smirk slipped onto his face, just long enough for Jason’s frown to dissipate and the strength in Leo’s words to return before he became sheepish once more. “It’s just… you’ve been through so much together, and I wanted everything to be perfect. Soooo,” he glanced around at the rest of them, eyes lingering on Percy and Annabeth, “I—I went to the courthouse and got ordained.” They all stood in astounded silence for a few moments longer before Piper squealed, launched herself into Leo’s arms, and kissed him on the cheek (which Leo quickly recovered from, a grin spreading over his lips as he wrapped his arms around Piper and gave her a tight squeeze back—Nico averted his eyes from the soft moment as soon as Leo buried his face in Piper’s shoulder. He thought he heard Jason say something about a best man, and this time, there was no argument from Percy, who only grinned at him). The energy was back in an instant; the sparkle in Annabeth’s eyes was from happy tears, and Percy held her tight to his side as they grinned at each other.  And that was that. With Leo standing behind them, and the newly-burning fire casting flickering lights over their faces, they began. “Dear loved ones.” Leo looked out onto the crowd. “And Jason.” “Hey!” They all snickered, and Leo laughed, but he regained his composure quickly.  “We have gathered in this secret location,” he said, gesturing to the beach, “in the hopes that it is not private property—” “It’s not.” “Thanks to Frank and Hazel’s exploration.” He sent them a salute. “Thanks guys.” Hazel nodded back at him, but Frank rolled his eyes—until Hazel nudged him with her elbow and he sent a half-hearted salute back at Leo. “We have gathered here to celebrate two of the most… incredible people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I know Percy and I had our ups and downs when we first met. But now, it’s like…” His eyes grew glossy, lost in thought, but they all waited patiently. They loved this side of Leo, just as much as they loved the rest of him.  “Now it’s like Percy’s the brother I never had. I know trust doesn’t come easily for most of us,” he said, meeting everyone’s eyes. It was nothing short of the truth, but the rawness of having that truth out in the open was a lot better with all of them there—like cold water on a burn. “But Percy is someone I could place all my trust in.” “And maybe that scares you,” he said, addressing Percy, “but that’s what makes it even better . Because even when you’re scared, you keep going . You’re there for us, for me. It’s the best example of courage I’ve ever seen, and you may not have noticed, but Annabeth is a big part of that. Being with her gives you courage.”  “Because Annabeth—” he laughed tearfully, not even bothering to hide it. “Gods, what can I say about Annabeth? She’s amazing. She gets me. She listens. And she’s so smart, it’d be scary if it wasn’t so awesome .” “Annabeth is the kind of person I would want with me if I was lost—in whatever way you take that to mean. Not just because she’s smart, but because… she cares about people. She would make me feel better.” “Ahem, anyway,” Leo broke out, pausing to dab at his eyes with his sleeve. Others took advantage of the pause to do the same, some even taking handkerchiefs out of their pockets. Annabeth and Percy smiled tearfully at each other. Leo shook out his hands and began again. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit scared, myself. None of us want to lose you to each other, but the truth is… Percy and Annabeth would not exist if they weren’t Percy and Annabeth.” Before anyone else could say anything, Percy and Annabeth were dragging Leo into a hug, and not a single eye was dry. “Okay, okay,” Percy said as they released him. “Stop making my fiancée cry.” Annabeth snorted. Her eyes were glittering, but Percy was starting to snot-cry. “So!” Leo clapped his hands, ready to pass it on to the bride and groom. “If you would like to say a few words now, please do so before I marry you.” “Yeah, good luck topping that,” Jason said, and Percy and Annabeth laughed. “I think Leo said it well, Percy,” said Annabeth. “I trust no one more than I trust you. I love no one more than I love you. You are the person that I want to know and to love every day for the rest of my life. Even though you still think Hurricane is an appropriate name for a child.” She smirked up at him, and the others laughed. “Such a cool name,” Percy put in, shaking his head in wonder. “And, yeah. You’re pretty silly,” Annabeth continued. “It’s who you are. But it’s not all of who you are. Because you’re also loving, and kind, and creative, and loyal. You’re Percy . You’re my soulmate. You’re the father of my child. And you’re my best friend.” She lifted Percy’s hands to her lips and kissed them, while Percy breathed steadily and prepared to speak his own vows. They truly hadn’t prepared for this, so these words were quite raw. Straight from the heart—no filter, just love. “Annabeth, I honestly can’t believe we’re even here.” It showed on his face—his eyes were wide, disbelieving as he looked at Annabeth, beautiful in every way, standing in front of him. “Every day I wake up and think that meeting you all those years ago was some kind of dream. Not because I didn’t think that something as amazing as you could happen to me, but because I didn’t think it could happen to anyone . I’m so lucky to have you, so lucky that I get to love you. I couldn’t ask for a better friend, or a better mother to our child, because Annabeth—if they’re anything like you, we’re all going to love them just as much as we love you.” He leaned in and made sure she was looking him in the eyes. “You’re going to be a great mother, Annabeth. And you’re not alone. Look at all these people. They’re going to love our happy little accident, too.”’  “Percy!” “What? It’s a term of endearment!” That broke the rest of them out into laughs, and it was clear that they were full with enough love to last them a lifetime, and they needed to move on before their hearts exploded. Percy’s grin turned soft, and he kissed Annabeth’s hands before they turned to the fire. Leo began speaking in the ancient language, and it sounded as though he was always meant to speak these words. They were omitting a lot of the traditional aspects of a wedding, such as the flowers (including the petals, the bouquet, and the boutonniere), but the one thing they knew they couldn’t-shouldn’t-wouldn’t omit was the offerings. Nico watched as Annabeth pulled a small black object from some hidden place in her dress, and though he didn’t know what it was, Percy clearly did, if his sharp intake of breath was anything to go by. “Annabeth, no.” There was a tension in the air as the rest of them watched on with bated breath, but Annabeth dispelled it with a smile.  “It’s okay, Percy. It’s time I accept the fact that the furthest these will ever go is plans. Ideas. It doesn’t mean they never mattered—they just fulfilled their purpose already. I know what’s important, and I have the ones I need.” She dropped the data chip on which she kept many blueprints into the fire, and they all watched it go.  Then they all trailed their eyes on Percy as, after a moment, he reached into his inside suit pocket and pulled out a pen.  “Percy! You get after me about my offering, and this is yours?” she smiled at him sadly, but fondly. Percy said nothing, smiling down at the pen. Nico didn’t know all the details, but he knew how important it was to him—to give it up was a significant gesture of love. Percy dropped it into the fire, and looked back up into Annabeth’s eyes. The more meaningful the item was, the better the marriage was supposed to go. But Percy and Annabeth could have foregone the offering entirely and still lived the kind of long, happy life together that most people only dream of. Leo finished the words, marking the end of the ceremony and the beginning of their marriage. For a moment, there was silence. Then there was more silence. And even though Percy and Annabeth were completely lost in each other’s eyes, Nico started to feel the silence get awkward. “Sooo,” he said, drawing people’s eyes. “Did we do it? Are you married?” Percy and Annabeth’s grins told him all he needed to know, and he couldn’t help but smile back at them. They broke into applause. “Wait! There’s one more thing,” Jason said, breaking through the noise. “How could I forget?”  He stepped toward Percy with his hand outstretched, and Nico noticed a small silver box that he hadn’t seen before. But Percy’s eyes seemed to widen at the sight, so he must’ve known what it was. Then he said, “Our gift from Chiron?” and it all made a little more sense. “I ran upstairs and snatched it before we left.” Percy took the box from him, turning it over, trancelike, in his hands. Jason grew sheepish and began to rub at the back of his neck. “I thought it was ours, so I opened it. But… Well, here. Read this. It was in the box.” Percy, now perplexed, took the small brown paper from Jason and began reading. Annabeth scooched closer to read as well, and Nico watched as their eyes grew even wider. “No way,” Percy laughed, and with no preamble, he opened the box.  And he took out two rings. Nico didn’t get a closer look at them until they passed them around, but he saw how Annabeth’s eyes teared up at whatever was engraved in them, and even Percy’s eyes grew misty. When it was his turn to look, his heart almost stopped beating in his chest. He had to refrain from running his thumb over Percy and Annabeth’s names, side by side along with the year they met. But when he caught sight of the emblems on either side of them, he couldn’t help but touch them.  There was a trident. A fleece hanging from a pine tree. A labyrinth. They went on, curled all the way around the inside of the ring. And a tear slipped from his eyes as well. They returned the rings back to their rightful owners, and Percy and Annabeth slipped them onto each other’s fingers. Annabeth couldn’t stop looking at hers. The sea green stone within it glinted under the fire and the moon, a swirling display of warm light and cold light. “He knew,” she said, and Percy laughed. “Of course he did. Somehow.” Percy stroked his thumbs over Annabeth’s hands. “Well, we’re still not done.” Annabeth looked up at him in confusion, and then he stepped away to make a show of outstretching his hand, and the smile on her face returned with full force. With the most charming smile he could muster, Percy asked, “May I have this dance?” Annabeth stepped in to meet him, and they were lost. “You may.” They began to sway over the sands, Annabeth’s dress rustling softly in the wind.  And then something amazing happened, and it got even better. Will began to sing. The song he’d chosen wasn’t particularly slow or gentle, but he had an incredible way of turning the melody over with his voice to soften it. The now-long, lilting notes of “I’ll Say Forever My Love” began to drift out over the night, and more than a few cheers, claps, and bright smiles met Will as he made the first dance complete.  They settled quickly so that Percy and Annabeth could have this moment, and the rest of them began to sway back and forth, Leo even bringing out his lighter that he’d used to light the fire. Nico, meanwhile, couldn’t keep his eyes off of Will—he was glowing . The fire framed his hair in a halo, but it felt as though there was just enough darkness in him for the stars to start emerging right on his skin. “Just ask me how long I'll need you, go on and ask me how long I'll love you. I'll say forever my love.” In the comforting blanket of Will’s soft voice, the warm fire, and their own personal dance floor created by the ocean and a circle of friends, Percy spoke quietly to Annabeth, soft enough for only her to hear. “Forever, Wise Girl. You, me, and our happy little accident,” he murmured through a grin, placing his palm over Annabeth’s belly. She laughed quietly and her face fell into his chest. All he did was hold her closer. It wasn’t long before the song was over, but it felt like an eternity. Will picked up with a quicker pace, something the rest of them could dance to as well. And there, under the stars, moving their bodies to Will’s music, not a single person felt time move. As the others continued to dance, Will continued to sing—but as soon as he faded out with his  most recent song, Nico picked up in his place, and he tried to ignore the gazes that found him as he sang a slow song.  “The warmth of your love’s like the warmth from the sun… And this will be our year, took a long time to come…” The others, some whooping (which made Nico duck his head in embarrassment until he realized that it was hindering his voice), began to pair off, but the soulmates had all already had their dances together—so Percy fell into step with Jason, grinning; Annabeth and Hazel took each other’s hands; Piper swayed with Leo; Thalia and Reyna seemed drawn into a competition as they raced with each other over the sand; and Frank stood there looking awkward until Jason and Percy spun by and pulled him into their spirited dance, the look on Frank’s face quickly replaced with a smile. Will, meanwhile, turned to Nico while he sang, and held out a hand. Nico allowed himself to be pulled in. He looked up at Will, who was positively beaming at Nico, then blushed and looked away—but Will caught his face in his hand and pressed a kiss to his warm cheek as Nico sang on. “Don’t let go of my hand, now the darkness has gone…” When the sun began to rise, it felt as though the warmth Nico found in Will’s arms only grew. Leo had taken to singing (quite… enthusiastically ) so that Will could rest his voice, and his rendition of Abba’s “Dancing Queen” seemed a little out of place for the moment and the dance, but Nico and Will didn’t care. What in their lives was ever picture perfect? They didn’t want that. They wanted the chaos. The incredible friends. The adventure. The feeling that burrowed itself in his chest as he swayed with Will was so strong, so pure , and he knew without a doubt that it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever felt, the most beautiful thing that the world had to offer, and he wondered, how could someone ever call such a thing disgusting?  But he didn’t have to think about that now. Instead, the feeling that had ignited in his gut threatened to spill out of his mouth, and well. He didn’t stop it. “Do you ever want to get married?” he asked, looking up at Will. Will smiled down at him. He squeezed his hand a little tighter. “Someday,” he said, and Nico’s heart fluttered. He put his head back on Will’s chest, to the warmth he knew he could always find there. “You?” Will continued softly, not willing to let this moment go. “Someday,” Nico echoed with a smile. Maybe for the first time in Nico’s life, the future didn’t scare him. The sunrise on his face was nothing compared to Will’s gentle breathing under his cheek.
Early Monday Morning
 “Uh… Leo?” Few were around to take in Jason’s baffled expression as he stepped foot into the rv and was met with something undeniably… furry . No, they were too busy lugging their bags out of the inn, smiling and laughing and arguing with each other over pre-road trip soundtrack choices, souvenirs bought, and the weekend spent at the inn for not one, but two weddings. Even Leo didn’t realize his own name had been spoken until he approached with two duffle bags under his shoulders and caught sight of Jason gaping at him and the dog snuffling at his feet, tail wagging. Leo’s lips spread in a wide grin and he said nothing as he went in to set the bags somewhere on the floor. “Do you want to tell me why there’s a dog in your rv?” Jason finally said, voice high. At the sound of Jason’s rising voice, the others finally turned their attention to the scene. There was the sound of a few bags being dropped in surprise, but throughout it all Leo just laughed. He stepped out of the door and gestured to the animal, who was now looking up at everyone and wagging his tail at an even faster pace. “Everyone, meet Festus. Festus, meet everyone.” It was mostly awkward waves and gentle pats on Festus’ head—after allowing a sniff test—that met the three-legged retriever as he made the rounds, greeting everyone in turn with sniffs, kisses, and wags. No one really knew what to do. Well, no one except Percy, that is, who squealed and fell to his knees. That instantly drew Festus’ attention, and he hopped over to cover Percy’s face with slobbery kisses.  Percy cackled with delight, unable to keep the unadulterated joy from spilling forth. Annabeth smiled and shook her head as she gazed down at her— husband , gods she’d never get used to that—and at Will, who soon joined Percy on the ground and had his own soulmate’s loving eyes on him.  “Best. Weekend. Ever!” shouted Percy. “Oh yeah,” Annabeth teased, “nothing like petting a dog 6 hours after marrying the love of your life.” Percy grinned up at her and stood to steal a kiss, leaving Will to smile up at them while he stroked the dog’s fur. “I love you, Wise Girl,” said Percy. “I love you, too.” Annabeth took a deep breath as if to brace herself, and then she said something that could turn the tides of her and Percy’s entire lives, their entire relationship . “And maybe, when our child is a few years old… then we can get a dog.” Percy’s eyes grew so wide it looked as though they’d fall out.  In an instant, he scooped up Annabeth in his arms with a victorious shout of “Yes, Annabeth!” and ran off, leaping up the stairs of the rv as Annabeth laughed, loudly and from the belly.  While the chaos settled, and the others took to loading up the rest of the bags—including Percy and Annabeth’s, as the two were busy inside arguing over dog breeds and names—Jason tossed Leo the keys to the rv (long story as to why he had them) and asked, “So? Is this another one of your adventures?” With a mischievous grin, Leo caught the keys in his hand, Festus trailing after him with a wide doggy grin on his face. “I’ll tell you on the way.” And the nine of them—or, really, the ten and a half of them—settled into the rv, and pointed east to New York—to home.  But they already had home right there.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

.

Epilogue: Of Misunderstandings and Happy Endings

Late Monday Morning
 
“So, let me get this straight. You go into the city on your own. Without a map. First place you end up in you

literally

get thrown out on your ass onto a pile of trash—”
 
“I wasn’t

actually

—”
 
“—only to find a feral dog that could’ve had

rabies

—”
 
“But didn’t!”
 
“—and you said to yourself, ‘hey, you know what would be a

fantastic

idea?!’”
 
“I don’t talk like that.”
 
“Yes, you do. Please, Jason, this is more interesting than a telenovela. Continue.”
 
“How about I

adopt

this thing!” Jason sputtered on. “And, wait—that’s not all! How about I

keep it in the rv

?!”
 
“Where else was I supposed to put him?”
 
Jason fixed Leo with his flabbergasted expression, arms spread wide as they walked across the parking lot with Festus hopping along beside them—nothing more than a rope strung loosely around his neck to keep him safely at their sides. He spared a glance down at the dog, and in an instant Nico could see right through the farce: Jason’s expression softened, and though he seemed to realize and gather himself quickly, Nico could tell that all he wanted was to lie down on the ground and cuddle with the dog like Percy had. Instead, he continued his rant.
 
“What did he even eat?”
 
Leo puffed like the question was totally unnecessary. “I smuggled some of my food out of the inn.” Suddenly all those half-eaten plates and mysterious disappearances from the table made a lot more sense.
 
Jason’s eyes became even more troubled, stormy at this point, but it was a quieter kind of horror. “That can’t have been good for him.”
 
“Relax, my man! That’s why we’re here now,” Leo said, gesturing up to the PetCo before their very eyes. 
 
“Which brings me to my point—” Leo groaned (and to be quite honest, wasn’t the only one) as he came to understand the last ten minutes of Jason’s argument as just buildup  “—you did all that and you never once thought, ‘hey, maybe I should get some supplies’?”
 
“Of course I did! But I was too busy with planning and making sure my best friend’s wedding wasn’t a disaster, and then Percy and Annabeth decided to do Wedding 2: Electric Boogaloo, and I didn’t exactly have time to go shopping!” 
 
Jason scoffed and rolled his eyes—but Nico knew he was just happy to be here.
 
Percy had stayed behind with Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel because he couldn’t really be trusted in a pet store at this point; he was liable to get too excited and jump the gun a few years early. So the rest of them, each on a mission, filed through the doors of the PetCo and set off in different directions.
 
Leo was on leash, harness, and collar duty so that he could make sure he got ones that properly fit. Nico was almost disappointed that he wouldn’t get to see Leo playing dress up with his dog, but he and Will had an important job too—they had to find toys for Festus to play with.
 
“Hey, Will,” Nico said. He held up a toy bone next to his face. His raised eyebrow said it all, and Will snorted as he saw his boyfriend with his favorite emblem. If this stemmed from an inside joke about bones, Nico’s admittedly gothic air, and his work as a mortician, well, no one needed to know that.
 
Will reached out for another toy as Nico felt around the seams of the bone to check for quality—he didn’t want to choose a toy that Festus would instantly destroy. When he looked back up, he saw Will holding a bumpy yellow chewy in the shape of the sun. Nico rolled his eyes, and the two of them laughed. 
 
They walked away with a bone, a sun, and a classic rope that could tie the two together.
 
While Nico and Will tried to find Leo in the large, semi-crowded store, Leo was having his own troubles. Possibly life-threatening ones.
 
Because even though Piper and Jason were on essential needs duty—which included dog food—Leo had to pass by the food to get to all the gear. And what he saw there set a tremble deep in his bones, and instead of fleeing, he stood rooted to his spot. 
 
He briefly wondered if Festus would make a good guard dog, then thought that was stupid, what with the three legs and the interminably loving demeanor. But guard dog or no, his acting skills wouldn’t be saving him this time—not because of any lack in talents, thank you very much, but because he couldn’t stop himself before he said, “Oh,

shit

,” in a loud and distinctly English-speaking American voice. 
 
The three figures, with bags of dog food in their arms, turned to him at once, and he felt as though his blood had frozen into ice. 
 
They were the same people from the alley. 
 
Before anything else could happen, the large, burly, and oddly amused man he’d spoken to last time smiled wide and said, “Hey… Leo!”
 
Leo hoped his smile didn’t look like a grimace.
 
(It definitely did).
 
“Uh… hey.” He glanced down at Festus, who only stared at the three people in front of him. He didn’t know what to do. He just hoped his brain or his instincts (or both) could get him out of trouble if things escalated, which they usually did. But hey, his brain and/or instincts hadn’t failed him yet, right?
 
Well, that was debatable.
 
But it turns out he didn’t need to save himself. He didn’t need Festus to jump to his rescue. Because the only thing these people did to him was confuse him, then confide in him.
 
It went like this.
 
He tried to save himself with words at first, lifting his hands and not bothering with the no hablo Inglés—he’d already kinda blown it, anyway. “This was a totally innocent mistake,” he said, his limbs finally regaining feeling as he took a small step back. “I said I’d leave you alone and I meant it, and I’m sorry—”
 
There was a tense, awkward silence as the man glanced down at Festus with an odd look on his face. Leo tried to hold back a wince as the woman leaned in toward the tall man and said “Told you he spoke English,” to which the man simply rolled his eyes. But his gaze fell back on Festus, then flicked to Leo’s—and it seemed he’d made up his mind on something.
 
“You know what, Leo?” he said, taking a step towards him. Leo would’ve been more scared than he actually was, but this time he at least knew that he had backup. With a single whistle (which he and Will had bonded over), his friends would be by his side—that is, if running away didn’t work.
 
The man grew closer and closer until he was right in front of Leo, then hoisted the large bag of dog food he was holding over his shoulder. He then held out his other hand, and Leo stared at it, bewildered. “You’re pretty cool. The name’s Joshua.”
 
To Leo’s surprise, Joshua was smiling. He hesitantly took Joshua’s hand and attempted a better smile of his own as his brain tried to puzzle out what the hell was happening. Joshua introduced the other two as Reba and Sam, and aside from their slightly bemused expressions and nods in greeting, they contributed little to the exchange. 
 
Leo looked back at Joshua. “Cool. So, uh… I’m afraid to ask…. but I caught part of your conversation in the alley?” He looked up to make sure he wasn’t about to be pummeled while his brain shouted at him to shut up, shut up,

shut up

! But he couldn’t stop the words from falling out of his mouth. He rambled when he was nervous, okay? “So you know, whatever illicit assassination-al activities you’re mixed up in, that’ll just be between us, cool?”
 
Joshua’s brow furrowed, and for a moment Leo thought he was done for until—

again

—Joshua

laughed

.
 
But this time Leo didn’t laugh along, and Reba and Sam only snickered and looked at each other like

what an idiot

. “Okay, I really don’t get what about this is funny.”
 
Joshua reined in his laughter—was that

another

tear?—and looked between Leo and Festus. “Chill,

hombre

. We’re not hurting anybody except corporate America.”
 
Wait…

What?!

Leo looked back and forth between the three of them, unable to piece together enough sounds to form words. Joshua grinned at his expression, then leaned in and said: “Look, what you heard was our plan to take

back

what was taken from those who need it.” He glanced back at his friends, and Leo was left even more confused than before.
 
Then the woman, Reba, spoke up. She gestured to the dog food she held in both hands, then the cart behind them that Leo hadn’t seen, which had even more pet food and supplies in them. “This was all supposed to go to a local shelter. But these bastards turned their backs the second they realized they

hadn’t

lost the profit. Well, we’re here to give these to the animals that deserve them.”
 
Leo was still confused, but Joshua took pity on him and said in a low voice, “Someone went back on their deal. Now we’re stealing.”
 
“Ooohhhh,” Leo drawled, and Festus gave a little tail wag.
 
The worry drained from Leo’s frame, and he took a deep breath. This time, he actually

did

smile, a breathy laugh escaping his lips. “And here I thought you were contracted murderers. But you’re just modern-day animal Robin Hoods.” He looked away in thought. “I guess there really is another side to every story.”
 
Joshua laughed, and Reba and Sam, with smiles on their faces, continued to load dog food into the cart. “Well, you still might not wanna get involved, you know. This is still illegal.”
 
Leo nodded. “Right.”
 
“But you know, if you see someone who looks real important—say, a manager or a CEO—warn a brother, alright?”
 
Leo laughed. “Yeah, sure, Joshua.” He was surprised to find that he actually meant it.
 
But then he grew confused again, and he frowned as Joshua turned back to place down his cargo. “Wait… why’d you trust me? Before, you didn’t want me to have anything to do with it.”
 
Joshua shrugged, and sent a glance to Festus. “Because of him,” he said. Leo looked down at Festus, wondering how he fit into this. “I know what a stray looks like, Leo. Most people in this area, they just ignore them. But not you.”
 
Leo smiled down at Festus as he thought about Joshua’s words and the new friend he had made. He was so glad he had Festus. 
 
He looked back at the do-gooder thieves as one more question popped into his mind. “Sooo,” he said casually, as though just making conversation, “how are you gonna get this all out of here?”
 
Joshua laughed again. “Oh, we’ve got a contact

on the inside

,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. Reba rolled her eyes behind him, but Leo couldn’t help but grin. 
 
“It’s literally just Lily, but yeah, sure,

a contact

,” said Reba.
 
“And speaking of Lily, she’s probably waiting for us out the back,” Joshua said, and he took one last look at Leo and Festus as the other two situated the cart in preparation to leave. Leo almost wished he could keep talking to them, but they had to go, and he had things he needed to do, too. “See you later, Leo. You keep good care of that mutt, alright?”
 
Leo held up a hand in farewell and said, “Yeah, Joshua. Good luck, you guys.”
 
With a final nod goodbye, Leo was left watching his newfound… friends? walk away.
 
And with that, his old friends came up to his side, and he finally turned away.
 
“Leo, what are you doing?” Jason asked as he approached. He glanced, confused, between Leo and Festus, finding no new leash or collar in sight. Behind him was Piper, and behind her, Nico and Will approached with toys in their hands.
 
“Well, Jason, it seems I wasn’t finished with my story.”
 
Jason glanced back in the direction Leo had been looking, but he didn’t seem to notice anything, and after a moment, his confused expression turning into one of fond exasperation with a light scoff. “Okay, Leo.”
 
“Hey… what are

you

doing?” Leo looked down at Jason’s arms to find only a food and water bowl and nothing else. He glanced back to see if Piper had anything, but her arms were full with something entirely unrelated to the task at hand. 
 
She was holding a ferret.
 
“Oh, come on!” she said, lifting up the furry noodle in her hand so Leo could more accurately direct his absolute stupefaction. “She’s just so

cute

.”
 
Will’s coos began and faded to background noise as Leo turned to Jason, who looked at once guilty and ashamed but also completely mischievous and pleased with himself. Leo shook his head. “And after all the grief you gave me about Festus,” he said, acting disappointed. But he couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice, and he laughed when Jason attempted a “forgive me” smile.
 
“Come on, Grace,” he said, clapping him on the back. “I didn’t get what I needed, either.”
 
No one was surprised by that, so as they all headed toward their next goals together with a yet-to-be-named ferret in tow (Jason thought they should call her Tempest, but Piper wasn’t so sure), there was nothing but amusement between them. Later, when Leo recounted the rest of the story to everyone, he’d get more of the same fondness and eye-roll attitude. But he’d also get gratitude for the fact that he hadn’t gotten himself hurt, and there was nothing but love on the way back to New York, even for two fur-covered hearts.
 
oOo
 
They never saw those people again, but that’s just how life goes. People come and they go. Sometimes they stay, often they don’t. The important ones never really leave, though, like when Piper and Jason finally saved up enough to buy their very own house; it was within a 20-minute drive of the places at which the rest of them spent the majority of their time. 
 
It was great for family gatherings, but there’s another thing about the important ones—sometimes there are things that are just as important to them if not more. Percy and Annabeth, with 6-month-old Pearl Hurricane Jackson at home, could be too tired or busy or overwhelmed to come by. And that was okay. Because even if they weren’t there (which they still often were, as the rest of them were more than happy to spend time with little baby Jackson—and maybe let the other two Jacksons take a nap) they’d send along pictures and voice messages and sometimes even gifts. They were there in spirit if not in person.
 
Inspired by his new furry friend, Leo went on to start his own prosthetics and mobility aids organization: engineering at a low cost for amputees and the physically disabled. It felt

right

having a goal, something that he could strive for with what was often just mindless tinkering. And more than that, it felt right to use his skills for

good

—to help people. 
 
On any day that ends with y, he was guaranteed to be in his workshop toying with new models or re-calibrating older ones, Festus snuffling for scraps to play with nearby. It was never truly quiet there, patients and friends and volunteers alike milling about, but on the calmer days you were a lot more likely to see Nico as well—he came by for the company, and Will sometimes came to offer Leo his growing expertise on the human body and how the physiological aspects of prosthetics impacted people’s lives and Leo’s work.
 
But, let’s face it—on the days Leo

couldn’t

be found there, you wouldn’t find any of the others where

they

were supposed to be, either.
 
Oh, yeah. Super-Sized McShizzle’s classic Valdez adventures.
 
(He still held fast to the belief that Pearl was old enough for them, but until the day Percy and Annabeth actually

agreed

with him, she would be left with Coach Hedge, his wife, and their young son).
 
There was nothing much to tell about Hazel and Frank—they had nice jobs, and a comfortable, (mostly) calm life. They took a one-week trip to New Orleans at the end of the year, so Frank could see where Hazel had grown up. She even took him to the cemetery to meet Sammy, and the two of them learned a lot about living with grief, about how life goes on no matter what. Nico and Hazel had long discussions about that when the couple got home, and there was no end in sight to their random, clandestine sibling hangouts. 
 
After a while, when Nico and Will decided they were ready (which mostly meant waiting until Will had some time off school, which didn’t really happen until late winter), they took a trip of their own. Yes,

that

trip. And when the two set out in Italy in search of the closure Nico needed, they were welcomed with the open arms of a more than accepting community. That made the rest of it—namely, going back to the place where Nico grew up and doing their own cemetery visits—a lot easier.
 
And while they visited those loved and lost, they thankfully never had to see…

other

people ever again.
 
Octavian, the

scumbag

—well, needless to say he spent some time in jail. The

unexpected

part, however (depending on who you asked—to others this would be less surprising to hear than that the sky was blue) was that his cellmate was none other than Akmon from the front desk. Turns out he’d been embezzling cash for years—only ones, for some reason—but either way Octavian was in for a

long

sentence.
 
Others they’d seen at the inn popped in and out of their lives—Reyna, Thalia, even Chiron—but that’s how you know you’ve found the good ones. Just like Percy and Annabeth, they made time. (Oh, and everyone was completely divided on the whole subject of Thalia and Reyna getting together—some claimed it was bound to happen, while others said it would’ve had to smack them upside the head to be obvious). 
 
Anyway, things changed. But it was almost entirely for the better—they became more comfortable in their own lives, their own skin. Even Nico (especially Nico), who took to making more jokes like “this is homophobic” when Percy stole his popcorn on movie nights. But Will was always there to defend his honor, and for the first time he truly let himself

believe

that he was loved.
 
And they were happy.