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Hades looked at his son. “A ball?” he questioned. “You want me to invite every young suitor in greater Olympia to Malavita for a chance to capture your heart? You don’t want things the regular way? The way your sister is doing it? Why don’t you court someone? And, for the love of my father, why can’t you just date Reyna? She’s a lovely girl and I know you know tha-“Prince Nico cut him off “Reyna is my best friend. I treat her like I treat HAZEL. And besides, she has a girlfriend. Thalia, Prince Jason’s sister. Remember? She told you as much when you proposed the idea to her.”Hades sighed in frustration. “Very well, then. I shall facilitate this event under three conditions. One: I may invite young maidens too,
Two you will actually TRY to find someone you like, and Three, if it doesn’t work, if you don’t find anyone to your liking, you will marry Reyna.”“Yeah. Fine. Whatever.” Nico said before heading up to his room to select something to wear for that night’s dinner*************************************************************************************Will“Wilma!”
a voice shouted. Will groaned. He was the youngest child in the house and thus, stuck with all the chores. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had received the nickname Wilma, on account that he liked to have his hair shoulder length and often pulled it up into a sloppy bun. “Get up here NOW!”
The melodic voice of his sister, Kayla drifted down the stairs. He didn’t want to get up, but if Kayla was saying something, then he should probably listen to her. Kayla only called him when there was something important happening she thought he needed to know about. He got up.
After pulling on a t-shirt and jean shorts, He made his way up the stairs. He only caught part of what Daphne was saying.“……He has made clear that this will be the only time
to catch his heart. If nobody is to his liking, shortly after the ball, he will marry Lady Ramirez-Arellano.” Will furrowed his brow in confusion. Who was getting married? His stepmother countinued “it says right here: Prince Nico Di Angelo invites every young suitor to a ball on the twenty -first of June.” Will had s topped listening. Nico, his
kinda-sorta- maybe crush was hosting a ball for young suitors. After his father had died 10 years ago, Will had pretty much given up on the potential of a happily-ever-after. His stepmother
had made quite clear that unless it brought significant honor to the family, homosexuality was not happening. Still, he held out hope that Daphne would allow him to go, though he did seriously doubt that. Knowing his stepmother had wanted to hide the event from him, he was quite silent when he opened the chest of items his father had left behind for him. Normally, when he looked at the items in the chest, he felt
the gilded gold of his prized quiver and arrows, or his old medical textbook with notes in the margins. But today, he skipped past those things and found an old suit. It would require some hemming and perhaps new buttons, but it would work. Will admired the silvery sheen of the fabric. It was quite nice indeed.
3 weeks later, the night of the ball arrived. Will was prepping when he heard a low murmur “….Kayla, I think you are the girl that makes gay guys straight.” Suddenly,
it all made sense. Daphne was hoping beyond hope that one of her daughters would win Nico’s heart. He stopped. “WILMA!” Great.
He went upstairs. It was Daphne. “Wilma, please zip my dress shut? And what do you think you are doing?”“I’m preparing to go to the ball, miss.” He replied while zipping up the back“Oh honey, “ She began with artificial concern and sweetness “You are the type of guy that is the reason we have lesbians. Who would want you?” She grabbed something off of the table and threw it at the half-buttoned suit. It fell off in tatters. One would know all hope had died inside of Will when he held back sobs and gingerly carried the remains of the suit downstairs.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NicoNico examined the ball. There wasn’t much of interest.
He did see a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes he had considered approaching, but had decided against it when a grey-eyed blond came up and kissed him on the cheek. Of course the only guy he would like at the ball would be straight.
He had several people want to dance with him though, and he did so out of obligation to the kingdom. They weren’t very memorable, except for a guy who introduced himself as Leo Valdez, senior blacksmith and
then added (My friends dared me to do this) , and when Jason had walked up to him. Jason had said “Typical. Shouldn’t have dared so may people.” Nico had been confused until Jason had added that he sent Leo over to dance and a few others too. Those three minutes were pretty high up on “Awkward moments”. Right beside the whole “I won’t marry Reyna because I’m gay and we treat each other like siblings” Conversation. Nico sighed and slumped in a chair, waiting for the night to end. Nico sat down on a chair, waiting for the night to end. Of course,
there was also the army of girls who deemed they could “make a gay guy straight”, which isn’t how anything works. He was surprised when one girl, Drew maybe?, tried to strip down in front of him (and the rest of Olympia)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WillWill was outside when he saw white mist floating towards him. A girl formed. She had cocoa-colored skin and cinnamon-colored hair. Her eyes looked worth more than pure gold. She was wearing a lilac shirt and a pair of overalls. Will vaguely recognized the girl, but he couldn’t place where he had seen her“Hi. I’m Hazel and I’m here to save you.” She reached out her hand and the tatters of the suit flew to her hand. The white mist wrapped around Will and he saw as more of the same material spun around him. He was confused when it formed a dress though. “Umm….why this?” he asked.“I’m improvising. I’m not perfect yet, Will.
Just take the outfit and go!”, Hazel replied.“Aren’t you the princess though? Why are you helping me?” Will remembered the photo of the royal family that was included in the invitation.Hazel sighed. “Because, I care about my brother, and there are certain perks to being a part-time sorceress. I’ve been watching you, and when you go, I know Nico will notice you.”“Transportation?” Will questioned“Waiting for you. Oh, and there is a time limit. At precisely 4 am, it will begin to disintegrate.
Anyways, BYE!”When Will walked up to the front of the house, he saw a white misty carriage similar to the mist that formed Hazel. He noticed, though, as he got closer, it solidified. Will hopped in and they rode to the palace------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NicoNico was pretty sure that he would find
no one for him, and that is NO ONE, when a new figure walked in.
Though the person was wearing a dress, he could tell by the crowds reaction’s that this was most likely a boy. Intrigued, Nico stood up and was greeted by the man Nico was sure he would marry if given the option.
He had sunshine-blonde hair, sapphire-blue eyes and he had freckles that looked like constellations. In a matter of seconds, the two had met in the middle, and a new song began.
Nico struck up a conversation“So what’s your name?”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WillWill was ecstatic when Nico joined him. He was also so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed when he began a conversation. “William Solace” Will replied“Well, William, I am glad to have met you.”A look of confusion crossed Wills face. Nico, the prince of Malavita, was honored to have met him?!?“I can see your confusion, Will, and yes, I am. The reason is you seem to be the most human and normal attendee of this ball. A few have tried to strip down in front of me, convinced that they could make me straight.”Will stiflied a laugh, then said “But that’s not how it works. Someone can’t just change someone else’s sexuality.”Nico, apparently, agreed. “Yeah, I know, and anyone with an ounce of brains would know that.”The two talked for about an hour while dancing and eating several snacks. Will learned that Nico’s father wanted him to marry Reyna, the girl who was dating Princess Thalia, who lived in a neighboring kingdom not far from Malavita. Will told Nico about his siblings, his dad and of course, Daphne.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NicoNico dragged Will into a hallway, coming across another couple as they went. It was Reyna and Thalia, and Nico wasn’t surprised. He just continued, pulling along Will. When he was satisfied, he whipped Will around and pushed him up against a wall. He stared deep into Will’s ocean-like eyes and then kissed him. It was a sweet, drawn-out kiss but quickly turned into something more. More needy, more ferocious, more frantic. Nico needed Will. And from the way Will responded, he needed Nico just as much.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WillWill couldn’t remember when Nico had brought him to his bedroom, but one minute they were in the hallway, the next, in his room. Nico was currently laying on top of Will, just holding him, as if he was afraid for him to disappear. Will didn’t want to disrupt this peaceful, loving silence, but he had to tell Nico the important thing: He had to leave at 4:00. Will glanced at the digital readout on the wall. It was 2:00, meaning he had two hours left.“Hey Nico.” Will opened“Hmm?” asked Nico“I’m gonna have to leave in two hours.”“Why?” Whined Nico“It’s when my family is gonna leave. And they have us leave at the same time.” He explained“How will we find each other again?” Asked NicoWill thought for a moment, then thought of something. “Take my shoe. It was custom created for my foot. Plus, it’s a heel. Not many guys will wear a pair of high heels.”“Okay. I wish you didn’t have to leave, but at least there is a way to find you.” Then, Nico pulled a gold button off his shirt. “For insurance. I don’t know how many blonde-haired, blue-eyed boys out there would be willing to try on a heel, and on the off chance it fits someone else, hand this to me when I arrive.” The two then fell back into their easy silence.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NicoWhen 4:00 came, Nico escorted Will outside, to his carriage, then gave him a final kiss. He ran back up to the palace, clutching the shoe as if it was his lifeline. In a way, it was. He sat back in his throne and waited for everyone else to leave after putting the shoe in a safe place in his room. A boy approached him, and Nico scowled, waiting for him to go away. He did that with every one who walked toward him, unless it was Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Reyna, Thalia or his dad. He didn’t want to see anyone unless it was his family or Will.
He did smile, however, when there was no one left. Then he could issue the search for Will. And he did. He went to every house searching for his love.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WillWhen Daphne arrived back with the rest of his siblings, she seemed distraught. She was complaining loudly about something. “…..And didn’t give anyone else a chance after that boy arrived. And he was wearing a dress! What kind of boy would wear a dress?”A gay one, Will thought, and apparently, Kayla was thinking the same way, because she said “A gay one, mom. Anyone with a brain knows that.”Kayla was the only one of his siblings that treated him like and actual person and not a scullery maid. She walked downstairs to check on Will. “Hey Will. I know Daphne was rude to you earlier. Are you okay?”“I’m okay, I guess.” He sullenly repliedKayla looked at him, and Will knew he was doing a bad job of hiding that he was not okay. “What can I do for you?”“By any chance, do you have any more of the gold fabric that was used to make your dress?” he requested“Heck Ya I do! I pulled 75% of the fabric out of it because it was too poofy. I wanted something that would be sleek, not poofy. I’ll go grab it” Clearly, Kayla was exited. She brought the fabric down and, looking around, had a clear revelation. “You want help repairing Dad’s suit that Daphne destroyed right?”Will smiled. “Yeah. It’s one of the only things I have left of him. And I heard that the royal wedding will commence as soon as the prince finds that guy.”“That’s right” Kayla replied while sewing the remains together. She was amazing. In 10 minutes, she had put the entire thing back together, leaving the details to Will.Will lit up. “Thanks Kayla”. He gave his sister a hug.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NicoNico sighed as they entered the next house. The person who answered the door was a girl with black hair and dark eyes. She reminded Nico of someone, but he couldn’t place where.
“Prince Nico! To what do we owe the pleasure?” She asked, smiling and filled with artificial sincerityNico simply
said “Um, I would like to speak with all the members of this house that are under the age of 25.”“Okay” She replied. Then she turned “Kayla! The prince is here! Get on up here sweetheart!”A melodic voice drifted up the stairs “Can it wait a minute? I’m helping Will clean up!”The woman who answered the door scowled “NO it can’t wait. And what did I say? We call that useless piece of scum who takes after his father Wilma.”A pause, then an innocent question “Fine then. Can Wilma come too?” The girl seemed unhappy to call Will that“If it will get you up here sooner, then fine!” was her reply. Then she turned to Nico, “My apologies, my daughter Kayla has a tendency to attempt to teach an idiot. It can’t happen, bless her heart. My name is Daphne, by the way.”Nico was intrigued. While they were talking, Will had mentioned Daphne and his kind-hearted sister, Kayla. Would he finally find Will? “Tell me a bit about Wilma. Or whomever Kayla was helping”Daphne sighed “Oh, all right. When I was younger, I was widowed after my husband went off on a business trip. A few months later, I met Apollo Solace, a well-known doctor. His wife died in childbirth of his son, William. We married, if only for the sake that out children may have a more normal family. I had a few kids, you see. A few more kids came from our marriage, like Kayla and Austin. Now, around 10 years ago, Apollo went on a hunting trip with his sister, Artemis. Only Artemis returned. I mourned, but Will seemed to take it the worst of all. He quit his studies, forgot his future. Since he is at home, I have him take care of the house while I instruct the others.”Nico frowned. This was not he had heard. Then again, if Daphne was trying to seem like a good person, obviously she would pin it all on Will and Apollo. Nico’s hopes lifted though, because he knew Solace was not a common name. “If you’ll excuse me, I think everyone has gathered. I’ll take care of it all. Daphne, enjoy the peace you’ll get for a few minutes” Nico turned and found where the noise was coming fromIn the study, where all the kids/young adults had gathered, Nico saw around 10 kids. “I only want to speak with those with blond hair.” Everyone except for 3 kids left, 2 boys and one girl. However, the girl had orange hair. “Miss, I said blond hair, did you mishear me?”The girl’s voice was the same who had been downstairs, so Nico assumed that this must be Kayla. “I didn’t mishear you. But if I leave, so does Will, and he is in your candidates for who could be your love, correct? I’ll sit in the corner working on repairing my bow and you talk with Will and Lee can help me.” Kayla moved away from in front of someone and Nico felt pure, real joy. It was Will.“Will!” Nico whispered as if it was untrue. Will stepped forward and pressed a button into his hand.“Nico.” Will replied with the same expression: an loving reverence of the person in front of him; a disbelief that it is true. Will pressed the button into Nico’s hand, sealing that yes, it is who you think it is. A smile came upon Nico as he walked closer to Will and kissed him, sweet and slow this time, like their parting kiss, and the broke apart.Nico spoke first “I want you to come with me, back to” Will cut him off“I will, I need to grab my things first. Could you help me?”There was only a microsecond before Nico replied “Yes. And when we’re done,”Will finished for him “You’ll take me home” The pair hurried out of the study, hoping Daphne was distracted long enough for them to go downstairs, and she was. Nico scanned the room. It was kinda bare, but a few things hung on the walls. The main thing that needed packing up was the repaired suit that lay on the bed. Will answered a silent question “What I was going to wear last night, but Daphne ruined it. Kayla helped me repair it today. It’s one of the few things I have left of my father” Nico opened the chest for Will to put it in. Will asked Nico to also grab some of the carvings under the bed, as well as the only reminder Will had of his mother, which was the tools. As Nico did this, Will packed up his studies, which he had indeed continued, Thank you very much. In around 20 minutes, he room had been completely derived of anything of Will’s, and they carried the trunk up the stairs. They had loaded the trunk into the carriage that Nico had taken and Will was saying goodbye to Kayla, when Daphne noticed“And WHAT do you think YOU’RE doing, Wilma?” Daphne sneeredNico answered for him “He’s coming with me. He was there last night, at the ball. We met, but he had to leave. After everyone left, I started hunting for him”Daphne’s face changed about 20 times in a span of 2 minutes. Then, after having her little “Panic Attack” followed by her “What the Hell is going on” session, she realized. More silence followed before she spoke “You were the ‘mysterious royal’ everyone was talking about, Wilma. I’m so sorry, I should never have destroyed your clothes, I’ve been horrid, haven’t I? Forgive me, please” Will allowed some awkward, but necessary silence to occur before he spoke“From the first day I met you, you were not the person I was told you were. Before my dad died, you were mean, made a few comments. After he died, you were worse. So. Much. Worse. You forced me to quit my studies, at least public ones. You made me do all the housework. You were horrid, encouraged the others to tease me and call me Wilma. And then, when I was hardworking and did all you asked me to, you tried to hide the ball from me. When I tried to do one thing for myself, you told me I would never be wanted by anyone. You said that I am the reasons lesbians exist. You were abusive, and you don’t deserve my forgiveness. I’m not ready, not yet. I’m sorry, I really am. Yet, something tells me if I let you have whatever you wanted from me again, you would always treat me less than human. You would always be hurting me. I’m sorry, but I’m not” Will finished his speech, then turned to Nico. Nico told him with his eyes“That was so brave. How did you do that?” and Will replied with his eyes,“I just focused on the truth and what I wanted. Which is you, and peace. And the only way I could have both was by not permitting her to be in my life anymore” Nico then swept Will into his arms, bridal style and carried him out to the carriage*************************************************************************************4 months laterWillWill woke up to Nico’s kisses every day, but not today. Under any other circumstance, he would be sad, but not today. Today was their wedding day. Will walked over to the door and found the room that contained the top-secret items for him to wear. Nico had never seen them, which was really something, seeing as how the two of them hardly ever spent a moment without each other. Will opened the door, where Kayla was waiting to help him. The outfit he was going to wear was gold and white, like the sun. It was also a dress. Will pulled it on with his sister’s help and then put on some tennis shoes. He had already gone through the whole heels thing and did not want to go through it again. His hair pulled into a bun again, just like the night of the ball. Soon, though, he was ready. Will waited for the ceremony to start. The wedding party consisted of Hazel, Frank, Jason, Reyna, Thalia and Piper for Nico and Kayla, Lee, Austin, Percy and Annabeth for Will. Percy and Annabeth had been his friends before his dad died and he was excited when he got to reconnect with them. Daphne was not invited. You’d think that after four months, someone would realize something and make an effort to change, but no. After he was ready, Kayla left, saying something about a “Surprise for later”, which Will didn’t really have a problem with, as he wanted to get himself together and calm his nerves. He knew his Aunt Artemis was coming, and she was a friend of Thalia and Reyna. Also, apparently Nico’s sister Bianca joined the small group of eternal maidens that Artemis had. Strange, it’s almost like they were destined to find each other.About an hour had passed and then Artemis came in “Will, it’s time.” She said. She would be walking him down the aisle.Will walked down, Artemis beside him, and smiled when he saw Nico. Nico was wearing a black suit with silver accents, and the two looked like opposites. They weren’t, not really, but it was a nice comparison. Piper’s brother, Cupid would be officiating the ceremony. “Do you, William Andrew Solace, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Will replied “I do.”Cupid continued “Do you, Nicolo Di Angelo, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband”“I…..will” Nico said after a few secondsPart of the group of guests laughed at that, and Will snickered a bit, but at least that was what Nico was going for, as he smirked a bit. Cupid began once quiet returned “Does anyone have an objection to this? Speak now or forever hold your peace.” A pause. No one spoke up. “Well then, you may kiss your husband!” he finished. Nico pulled Will close and kissed him, long and slow and beautiful and perfect. And even though everyone was waiting for them to stop, it was awhile before they did, and when they did break apart, the crowd roared with happiness. Will and Nico walked out of the hall, ready to start dancing, ready for everything that came next. And they danced the night away