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Now, believe him when he says this. But Percy truly did not want to go on this quest. I know at this point you must be thinking “Well Percy, with how much you’re on the dam things it looks like you love to go on quests”. Well, he doesn't. Please, he swears on all the blue food in the world and his own life. He isn’t looking for these opportunities, they hunt after him, attach to him with fangs that sink into his flesh and do not relent.
However, when the goddess of love herself shows up in all her glory, massive doves knocking over a Hermes kid on the way in, you have to listen. Especially with how that dove was looking at Percy's cabin. The son of Poseidon did NOT want to clean up buckets of bird shit thank you very much.
The quest itself was quite simple if he was honest. Just retrieving a necklace stolen from Aphrodite eons ago by a cheeky satyr. Whether it was for a date night or whatever else a goddess of eternal beauty does in her spare time, Percy didn’t know. But the goddess was very adamant that she must have it back. And even more insistent that Nico and Jason must join him. Why she needed three of the big threes kids to go collect a bit of jewelry was beyond the demigod, but he didn’t have much of an option.
It was much easier then past times, like having to literally risk his limbs for the gods' little quests. What Percy wouldn’t give for every God to have to have a short stint as a human on earth so they can truly start to understand how fragile and utterly breakable a demigod's body is. There weren’t many time that Percy regretted rejecting godhod (who is he kidding, there were hundreds) but falling from a times square billboard was definitely one of those times (another story for another time)
“Now boys, it’s in this little town in Texas okay? I’ve written down the address on a sheet in this wallet, which has a coin you must give to the man at the counter. Okay?” She said sweetly, still perched on Percy's table as if she was made to sit there. Thankfully, as it was school time there were barely any campers around to be gawping at the odd situation.
“Ah-I guess?” Percy said, unsurely taking the “wallet”, which was actually a sparkly pink shaped purse the size of a saddlebag. Is it a coin or a gold bar in here?
“Oh you’re the best” she cooed, golden curls cascading down her face and a blinding smile. She turned to Nico who sat on the opposite side of Percy along with Jason. The dark haired boy didn’t look up from where he’d slumped against the table and started thumping his head, Jason desperately trying to pull him back up and nodding up at the woman.
“I’ll see you soon then! Good luck cuties!” She pecked Percy on the cheek then aimed for Nico just for the boy to melt into the darkness, bringing Jason with him. “Hmph” She pouted before exploding in a ball of glitter. There goes Percy's pizza.
-
It didn’t take long for the information to spread among the few campers currently on camp. With the smaller number of campers, any news was quickly made common knowledge. Yesterday, when Cecil tripped and landed in the lake the entire camp knew by the time he was dry. So it was only a matter of time till the boys were approached.
It happened the night before the boys were scheduled to leave, when Percy got a knock on his door. Opening it revealed the stolls brothers, on a “short break” from college, though neither will confirm or deny if the authorities are after them.
“Heyy Perce, you excited for your little trip?” Travis grinned. Percy rolled his eyes and kept packing, ignoring the two. “Honestly Percy, you quest crazy fiend. When will you retire??” Connor joined in, smirking. Percy sighed deeply, not wishing to humor the two with anything more than a roll of his eyes, and a middle finger waving in the wind. But if he’s honest, he wonders as well. He was sure 18 had to be a cut off, but he’d been 19 for 4 months now and that's clearly not the case.
“Where are you going anyways?” Travis pries. Percy shrugs. “Some town in Texas. No clue. Was just going to punch it into the GPS” he handed the small slip of paper to the son of Hermes and went back to chucking clothes in a rucksack.
“Oh my gods dude look” Travis whispered, beckoning Connor over. The two look over the paper again before grins break out on the two of them. “Dude, Percy. This is the town Will lives in”
That made Percy pause. Will? Which Will-ohhh. Will Solace. Nico’s best friend Will Solace. Saved probably every person in this camp's life multiple times Will Solace. “Oh nice. Will he let us bunk, do you think?”
Travis shrugged, opening his mouth to respond before Connor nudged him in the ribs, shutting him up.
“Here, you can ask him here.” He scribbled something down on the sheet of paper before handing it back. “That’s where he works” Percy heard a faint wheeze coming from the other stoll brother but brushed it off.
“Ah, okay? Will that be okay so last minute?” Connor nods. “Yeah, his house is a safe house. His moms not home too often, so he tells campers they can pop in anytime for medical supplies or help, or just for bed and some food. He’s kinda out of the way though so he doesn’t get many though…”
Percy didn’t know safe houses were a thing. Makes sense though. Wished he’d known of a few during his many years of life-risking and sleeping in sewers. Maybe he’d bring it up with his mom-
“Percy, you good?” A finger snapped in his vision as he was shocked back into the present. “Uh yeah sorry. Sounds good, I’ll let the guys know”
The two boys grinned, making Percy narrow his eyes in suspicion but before he could question the two they were already gone. He looked down at the sheet of paper, squinting at the odd name. Who names a diner that?
-
The two boys left the next day after breakfast. The camp was quiet, the morning rays cutting through the sharp cold of the morning. The sunlight was pale, as if even Apollo himself didn’t have enough energy to shine bright. Nico sleepily offered to summon Jules Albert, but the other two agreed that was not the roadtrip vibe they were going for.
“What is a ‘road trip vibe’ anyways” Nico huffed from the backseat where he had to sit, as the other two sat in the front of Percy's car. Sucks that “dibs” wasn’t a thing back in the 1930s evidently. “We’d be much comfier in the back of a limo, is all I’m saying”
“A limo driven by a literal dead man” Percy muttered as Jason energetically filed through his cd collection.
“Ooh yes” The blond yelled, before sliding in one of Estelles Taylor Swift CDs, bopping away to shake it off like he didn’t have a care in the world. Percy thunked his head against the wheel as they waited in traffic, Nico still grumbling and Jason now dancing moves he made up on the spot.
“Are we there yet?”
“WE JUST LEFT!”
-
3 hours in and the son of Poseidon was exhausted. Thankfully Jason had offered to take the wheel and was now driving 10 miles below the speed limit. Already on his last straw, Nico threatening to shadow travel there set him off.
“D’you where we’re staying Nico? At Wills house. And you know he is going to kill you if you jump across the country for a necklace” Percy leaned back, glaring. It worked, as Nico immediately stiffened up and flushed red.
“You did not tell me Will was going to be there” The son of Hades hissed, sitting up and straightening his jumper hurriedly. “I didn’t even, fuck, I didn’t even shower Percy oh my fucking gods” he frantically looked around, as if wet wipes and dry shampoo were going to poof into frution right in front of them- jesus fuck they did.
Nico, now slightly covered in glitter, held a packet of wet wipes, breath mints and dry shampoo. A little note with a heart and badly drawn winky face stuck to the front. Nico looked in shock for a second before shrugging and began to freshen up. Jason coughed as suddenly the small car was filled with fumes from the spray.
It was clear to anybody who looked that Nico held Will in high regard, as more than a friend. And even more clear that the feelings were reciprocated on the blond's side. It’s become a running joke in both camps how long the two are going to remain oblivious of the others feelings. Everytime Percy tries to poke fun, however, he’s remembered of how long he was unaware of Annabeth's feelings, but he always contests that saying he only had feelings for her for like 2 years before the war, which never fails to make the other campers roll their eyes. Percy was sure that they were never that ridiculous though.
Just a couple of months ago Will had been in the infirmary when someone had crashed into him, causing him to trip and fall as everyone knew the blond didn’t have a graceful bone in his body. He stumbled towards the door shrieking and failing before collapsing right into Nicos arms, who had come to collect him for his lunch break.
The son of Hades turned scarlet as the other boy thanked him profusely and gave him a kiss on his cheek in thanks before rushing off again. Percy hadn't seen a person so frozen since Grover's uncle in Medusa's lair.
A few months before that Nico had been training in the summer sun and had gotten overheated, leading him to take off his shirt while he was practicing cutting a straw figure into pieces. Because of this Leo and Piper had the joy of seeing Will jog over to the arena to say hi only to start resembling a strawberry with how red he turned, freckles glowing like constellations across his cheeks. Leo couldn’t stop laughing as the daughter of Aphrodite was recounting the story.
Percy was brought back to the present by another hoarse cough coming from Jason “What is he doing back there?” Jason wheezed, rolling down a window. Percy just laughed and shook his head.
“Who knows”
-
Percy looked outside at the landscape, after many hours of driving it was starting to look less city and more country. He could understand the appeal if he wasn’t sweating buckets. How was it 68 degrees in the middle of december. Looking at the gps it was still a good 5 hours till they were going to be there. Suddenly Nicos offers of shadow travel were a lot more attractive.
“Let's pull in to an air bnb for the night now, so we’re rested tomorrow” Jason suggested, but only Percy heard as Nico was passed out in the backseat, mythomagic cards falling out of his hands. That was another way Nico had changed. Two years after the war and he was a lot more laid back. Percy knew a lot of that was due to Will's influence, the golden boy who resolutely clung to Nico, even when he was deep in his “everybody hates me, I’m not wanted” mindset.
The blond boy pushed Nico towards everything that could improve his time in camp, including coincidently joining a small club for the card game he was so fond of in his youth. Everyday he could see Nico coming back to himself bit by bit, and Percy could never be more grateful to the son of Apollo, who truly lived up to his fathers reputation and brightened the gloomy son of Hades' dark life.
The three boys quickly fell asleep in the quiet of their room, exhausted from the long day.
-
They arrived in the small town of Arlington around 2pm, which worked out well as most diners were open by that time. It was by unanimous decision that they would try and find Will first, then head out and find this sketchy pawn shop of the gods.
“Okay, Travis and Connors directions place us just a block away, so let's get out and walk from here in case there’s no parking” Jason decided. Nico looked nervous at the thought of seeing the blond for the first time since September as he was trying to finish high school while he could.
Will was actually meant to come back to camp in a week as his school was done a couple of days ago according to the son of Hades, so the boys were planning on offering an early lift back to camp so he wouldn’t have to bother travelling on his own.
The three boys only had a short walk before they were in front of the classic looking diner, with the big word “Mooters” on the front sign, a cow with rollerblades and milkshakes smiling down at them.
“That's a weird name” Nico muttered before Jason pushed open the door, urging them forward. They looked around at the pretty basic decor, colors of baby blue, pastel pink and white everywhere, cracked leather seats and checkered floors. The smell of fried food filled the air, not helping with the already stifling Texan heat.
The three boys waited to see if they would get seated for a moment before shrugging and picking a booth near the corner. The diner wasn’t super busy, which was a bit odd for the middle of the day but it was a small enough town so maybe it makes sense. It was only a few minutes in when Percy noticed it.
“Uh guys, I think we might be in the wrong place?”
The other two turned to where he was looking and their eyes widened. Several boys were roller skating around giving out food and taking up plates. That wasn’t what was odd though. What was crazy was what they were wearing.
Almost all of the boys were wearing the tiniest pair of booty shorts with thigh highs and a crop top, accompanied with a little bell on a collar and cow ears and horns, clearly staying on theme with the “moo” in “mooters”. The closest thing to it Percy would say would be hooters, but this seemed almost more obscene with the added length to their legs that the rollerblades gave them and the fluidity of their movements, accompanied with the collar.
In particular was the boy a couple of booths down from them. His back was turned, bent over slightly as he spoke to the group of middle aged women in one of the booths, who were clearly having the time of their life. He laughed, golden curls bouncing as he swayed with the conversation, shorts riding up as he leaned over the table to place a platter with a frankly gigantic burger and diabetic portion of fries on it, coupled with a milkshake. Then he was turning around and Percy's eyes practically bugged out of his head.
That was Will.
The other two boys hadn’t noticed yet, and neither had the blond boy evidently as he zipped back into the kitchen.
“We must be in the wrong place Percy, Will can’t work here” Nico said wide-eyed, overwhelmed by the amount of scantily dressed waiters around him. Percy was about to speak but Jason beat him to it.
“I wouldn’t say that Nico,” the blond said, nudging the son of Hades to look up from where his eyes were glaring at the table in front of him. The three were then treated to the sight of Will rollerblading distractedly up to them, eyes trained to the notepad in front of him.
“Hey y’all, how are we doing today. First time or repeat diners?” He said, southern accent drawling out of him like thick honey, sunny smile ready as he looked up before it dropped in shock. The four were frozen till Nico coughed out a weak “Will?”
Percy couldn’t blame him for his breathlessness. The son of Apollo was wearing some powder pink booty shorts with white lines up the side, tugged up so high it was almost obscene, coupled with thigh highs with stripes of pink, white and blue. Across his chest was a short cow-print vest top with another emblem of the rollerblading cow, who Percy deduced was some kind of mascot. He had some arm warmers that matched his socks, but his tanned freckled shoulders and collarbone were open to the air, speckled with some beads of sweat. Around his neck was a white color with a little bell on it, jingling with every rise and fall of his chest. Nestled in his colden curls were some fluffy black and white cow ears and two little horns, his hair puffed around it like one of those paintings of an angel or those little cherubs.
Cheeks flushed red, whether from the heat or the embarrassment of the situation Percy was unsure. Lips pink and bitten with golden lashes fluttering, coupled with sparkly pink eyeshadow and white eyeliner, his blue eyes really playing into his outfit.
“What in tarnation are y'all doing here?” He choked out, southern accent in full force. It was a moment before anyone spoke up, Percy taking the lead, handing the blond the slip of paper they had been using for directions.
“Stolls.” he said simply. He could see now why the two boys were so delighted to help “assist” them. This was probably their plan from the start.
Will groaned, a hand rubbing his forehead. “I never should have told them where I worked. Stupid drinking games” he muttered before shaking himself. “Are you guys here to eat or is the world about to end?” He sighed tiredly.
“We’re just on an errand, it shouldn’t take us long. But we were wondering if we could bunk at your house for the night and then if you wanted a lift back to camp tomorrow” Jason said, finally able to speak again. Nico, not so much. Will contemplated it for a second before shrugging.
“Yeah alright. Mamas away right now anyways, and I was going to catch an early flight in a few days regardless. Thanks”
He seemed to take a calming breath before plastering back on a toothy grin and repeating his same line.
“Hey guys, how are we all doing today? First time or repeat diners?”
“First time”
“Alrighty then. Have we gotten a chance to look at the menu yet?” The blond smiled.
“Uh yeah, the “moo-gnificent double cheeseburger and fries” with a “strawberry baby boy milkshake” Percy stuttered out, Will struggling to keep a straight face at the son of Poseidon’s bewilderment at the odd names.
“And you?” he turned to Jason. “The same please, but with a Cheeky Chocolate milkshake and no pickles on the burger please.” The son of Jupiter said.
Will then turned to Nico, nervously chewing on his bottom lip and trying to shift in a way that covered himself a bit more. The dark-haired boy was still in shock, jaw dropped before Percy shoved him, awkwardly smiling at the blond boy. It seemed to spur Nico into action as he mumbled out “Same as Jason please”
Will smiled thinly and nodded. “Okay guys, I’ll get that sorted right away.” He gathered up the menus, having to lean over Nico to reach Percys, making the son of Hades bluescreen again, before blading off.
“Well.. that was unexpected” Jason said. Percy grinned and turned to Nico. “You having fun Di Angelo?”
The younger boy sputtered before punching Percy. “Sh-shut up. I was surprised, okay? I’m from the 20th century, I’m still getting used to the culture shocks”
“Well, you know what they say. Save a horse, ride a cowboy. Or, let the cowboy ride you in this case” Nico flushed red again before lunging to attack Percy, only held back by Jason pushing the winds against him forcing him to still mid air.
“Stop it you two, we’re going to get kicked out and I’m hungry”
-
The whole situation seemed less dramatic once there was food in their bellies and Will had slid into the booth in jeans and a flannel, a regular outfit he often wore around camp. He brought with him his own burger and fries, the burger slightly lopsided and the fries looking like they’d been cooked on top of Apollo's chariot with how burnt they are. At Percy's questioning gaze Will just shrugs awkwardly.
“The guys in the kitchen will give me the fuck ups if I ask them nicely. And they don’t charge so it’s free lunch” the blond said, mumbling the last part as if he was ashamed that he couldn’t just buy his lunch. Percy huffed. However good and filling the food was, he wasn’t wrong in being afraid of the prices. Thank the gods they were running on camp funds, at Chiron's insistence, otherwise Percy's wallet would be weeping.
“So Will, how was your last week of high school? Did you enjoy your graduation?” Jason asked, smiling kindly at the boy as if he hadn’t seen more of the blond's skin than his clothes less than 20 minutes ago. The son of Apollo calmed down slightly at the calming vibes that the older blond was so apt at giving and nodded.
“Yeah, only a small school so we don’t do much but I was voted “most likely to succeed” so I got to give a speech, which was crazy nerve racking but I honestly enjoyed it. And afterwards we all went to Jay's house for a party so that was awesome. Can’t remember a whole lot but it must have been good. Everyone told me I enjoyed it so I must have been having some fun” The freckled boy laughed evenly.
“I woke up the next morning in his brothers room, the brother himself passed out on the couch downstairs wearing my skirt and I had his shirt on, and only his shirt on so yeah” He laughed again before trailing off, as if remembering who he was talking too and awkwardly went back to picking at his fries.
The other three boys were speechless around him. Percy had heard some stories about Will, apparently the guy went a bit rogue after his brothers died as it left the heavy weight of both Head Medic and Head counselor of Cabin 7, not an easy role to fill at 15. Rumors of parties and hook ups and smoking in trees, all things he was hesitant to believe but it seemed like they may have had more of a likelihood of being true then Percy had given them credit for.
Nico was still silent, though now his gaze was sharper and his foot was wearing a hole in the floor by how much he was grinding it downwards, his mouth closed in a thin line. For a second, Percy was worried that the son of Hades was judging the blond on his actions, something that Nico had struggled with in the past, both with his own feelings and coming to an understanding that the lies he had been fed about things being “against nature” and “unholy” were all a bunch of, pardon his greek, pegasus shit.
But taking a closer look it looked more like the kind of silent jealousy Nico would get whenever anyone would get closer than appropriate with Will, or when the blond himself was talking about people being “closer than appropriate” with him. The kind of jealousy that made Percy want to lock the two in a cupboard together to sort out, cause come on. This much pining can NOT be healthy long-term.
Jason was very much playing the role of school counselor, nodding along and making odd “hmm” noises whenever there was a pause, looking slightly caught off guard but determined to be as supportive as possible.
“Anywayssss” Will said, sucking up the last of his drink that Nico had subconsciously gifted him. “I’m going to head home and pack. I wasn’t planning on doing any packing for another, like, week but obviously plans have changed” he was mostly muttering now. “Uhm, you have my address from the Stolls I’m presuming, and if not Nico should have it. I’ll make some dinner for you guys to eat, I might be asleep when you get there. My spare keys under the plant plot with the hycatiaths, and yeah.” he exhaled slowly. He looked tired. Percy couldn’t remember the last time Will had looked this burnt out. “Please don’t die.”
With that he stood up, waving bye to Percy and Jason but darting in to give Nico an awkward one-armed hug. He waved goodbye as he started walking away, big chunky headphones pressing down on golden curls.
-
Thankfully, it only took the boys 4 hours to sort everything out. a ridiculously short quest in comparison to all the rest. However, getting chased by fire breathing gargoyles and a run in with a surly old gnome were not super high on Percy's bucket list. Eventually they found the right shop, gifted the shopkeeper the coin that was in the purse, which they discovered was actually the box for the necklace.
Walking back into town Percy wasn't sure what to do with the presumably very valuable necklace he was carrying. Jason offered to carry it but Percy refused. The son of Poseidon thinks he heard Nico whisper something about taking the necklace and wrapping it around a dead man's neck, which was oddly poetic in a way but again, Percy had to decline. He didn't particularly want to explain to the goddess why her lovely blood diamond necklace now looked as if it was the blood coming out of a corpse.
However, all their problems were solved as right before they made it to town a poof of glitter appeared before a tall, slim woman with golden curls cascading down her back, little denim shorts and a crop top flannel with god awful pink sparkly cowboy boots appeared.
Percy’ll give you one single guess who it was.
“Aww you guys are absolute dolls!” Aphrodite exclaimed, taking the box, checking inside briefly before nodding firmly. She looked quite flustered, cowboy hat askew, face flushed and hickeys dotted around her collarbone. They must have interrupted her “special time” with Ares. Gag.
“Well, thanks. Have a nice night. Little pale boy, check your front pocket.” Nico gaped in outrage, face going even paler before flushing red in anger, but before he could say anything she tutted and pointed at a pocket in Nicos jacket, looking significantly more full than it did 5 seconds ago. The son of Hades peeked inside briefly before somehow flushing even more and zipping it back up abruptly.
“Have funn. And who knows. You’ve found my necklace of love, maybe you’ll find your own love sometime soon” the goddess winked, looking seconds away from falling over with laughter, but before Percy could ask what she meant she was gone.
Jason huffed, spitting a poof of glitter out of his mouth. “I’m not sure I'm the biggest fan of her exits. Or her entrances I'm honest” Percy laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Gods am I right?”
Jason rolls his eyes and nods, shaking his glasses to try and clean the lenses. Percy then turns to Nico, and grins at him.
“Sooo neeks. What's in your pocket, huh? Can’t be that bad surely, but i dont think ive ever seen more color on your face. Did she put some like, nude polaroids in there?” He was joking for the most part but honestly he wouldn't put it past her at this point. It sounds like the kind of thing and egoistic, utterly obsessed with herself goddess would do. especially to the young boy her second in command was so fond of tormenting.
Whilst Percy doesn't know what exactly happened between Nico and Eros, he does know it was to do with him and Nicos feelings towards him. He also knew Eros was an absolute dickhead. However, he isn't aware if Aphrodite had any part to play in any of that or not. Percy didn't doubt that she did, she always found a way to medel with his own love life, but Nico seems to only hold a grudge against the male angel of love, not the goddess. He didn't respect her at all though, if it wasn't evident by the way he and Will had an annual tradition of smashing cupid statues on Valentines Day. Sometimes Jason joins in. Or just watches. But it's mostly Nico and Will.
Cause Will knows. Percy has no clue how he got through to the boy, but it seems once a Di Angelo trusts you they TRUST you, something Percy had learnt and wished he hadn't. Will seems to know everything about Nico, and vice versa. Well. Almost everything, as evident by the shock Nico had from Will's “wild side”. Though Percy can't exactly blame the blond for keeping those little tidbits of information a secret. Especially with the way Nico often struggles to adjust to how the 21st century works, with his quite traditional values.
Hopefully the two will be able to work past it. Percy has no doubt they will be able to though.
Eventually they make it to Will's apartment building. Heading up to apartment 7, a coincidence Jason didn't hesitate to comment on, they knocked on the door. It was only 10pm, so Will shouldn't be in bed yet but after no response for 5 minutes they let themselves in.
The apartment is small enough but comfy. A living room that opens right into the kitchen. A little TV, cracked leather sofa, old stained coffee table. Bookshelves surrounded them on either side of the tv, filled with an odd mix of medical textbooks and childrens fairytales.
The light was dim, only a small lamp in the corner, a string of fairy lights and the passing lights of cars on the street illuminating the room. A well worn, soft looking rug lay down in the centre of the room. A stack of copybooks is sat on an armchair perched in the corner. Plants are in almost every free space in the room, leaving a fresh foresty feeling behind. Overall, a very cozy and welcoming space.
Heading into the kitchen they found a note saying there's food in the fridge, and if he's not there when they are back he's in his room either packing or asleep. In the fridge is a shepherd's pie, a slice gone but enough left for the three of them. Together they devour it, not even bothering to heat it up in the microwave.
Eventually Jason thinks to grab plates and separates the last of the pie between the three of them.
“This is sooo good” Percy groans and the other two hum in agreement.
“I didn't know Will could cook so well,” Jason ssid absentmindedly, shoveling in another forkful of food. Nico shrugs. “We cook together a lot in the little kitchen in my cabin. He's almost better than me, and I’m Italian” he said with such wonder, as if there was no way he should be so close to his skill level without even a hint of latin blood in his veins.
“Well thank you for the high praise sugar, but I’m nowhere near as good as you” a sugary sweet voice sounds from behind Nico. Will comes round the corner, unhooking his second earbud from which loud music of some genre or another is pulsing out of. “Well, anyways, it's delicious. Did your mom teach you to cook?” Percy asked curiously. Will laughed awkwardly.
“Ah, not really. I had to cook a lot growing up. But anyways. Let me pour y'all some sweet tea. I made it fresh this morning”
Gratefully accepting the cup with the sugary liquid Percy finally looked around the kitchen. Quite basic, as to be expected in a two bedroom apartment in a small town in texas, but still nice. Checkered floors, sage green cupboard doors with golden nobs, adding a nice finish. The smell was his favourite part though, clearly a room well loved with many hearty meals lovingly crafted within its four walls.
A child's crudely drawn pictures were still tacked to an old fridge, an obnoxiously bright green pair of crocs that Percy assumed were Wills sitting in the corner and some salt and pepper shakers shaped like cows on the countertop.
“So, everything went well?” Will questioned, perched on the counter. It's then that Percy notices Will's pajamas. A shorts and top combo, the shorts short enough that tanned freckled thighs are on full display. The pajamas have little suns on them which Percy only finds a tiny bit adorable.
“Yeah, it was fine. Not even any injuries, unless you count me tripping along the way and grazing my knee”
Will just tuts and rolls his eyes before touching his hand to Jason's leg as the blond thanks him profusely.
“Uh, I hit my head I think” Nico says quickly. The two other boys side eyed the son of Hades. Percy knows Nico hadn’t got hurt once, having been tied up for the majority of the time. However, when Will walked over and gently held Nicos head in freckled, calloused hands it was clear what the raven-haired boy's intentions were, a small smile present on his face before he schooled his expression into one of mild discomfort, trying to sell his story. Will hummed in contemplation.
“It feels fine, but I sent some healing magic in anyways” he said, before pulling away, albeit reluctantly.
Nico nodded his thanks before finishing his food quickly, moving to wash up. The two younger boys briefly squabbled over who would wash up, before eventually deciding Nico would wash and Will would dry. Percy and Jason finished their meals pretty quickly, handing their plates over to Nico who huffed before washing them as well.
“Goodnight y’all” Will said, waving. Nico awkwardly sent them a wave over his shoulder before continuing to tidy up, hanging around.
Percy and Jason made their way to the spare room that Will had pointed them towards. There was one twin bed and a mattress on the floor. Percy shrugged, Nico must be sleeping on the couch. Or in Will's room, who knows. It was then that he realised something.
“Wait, if this is a spare room and Will's room is across the hall, where does his mom sleep?” Percy questioned as he and Jason got changed into just their boxers and a spare shirt they brought. Jason looked at him questiongly.
“You didn’t know?” He said, eyebrows raised. Percy stilled, “Know what?”
“Will's moms been gone for like a year and a bit now, took off once he was 17 cause he could ‘take care of himself’. Apollo pays his bills but Will works for food and anything like that. I didn’t know where till today though. But yeah. He’s here alone. Apparently it's not too different to what it was like before, I don’t think his mom was super present.”
Percy was surprised. He couldn’t believe anyone could just abandon their child like that, especially not one like Will, a very kind and helpful one. He can’t imagine how hard it must have been for the blond growing up, especially with the added stress and grief of the two wars. A brief image of a tiny 12 year old Will, broken in grief, returning home to an empty apartment briefly flashed across his mind, making his heart break momentarily. That must have been awful. No wonder he’d latched so hard onto any authority figure that had shown him any affection, Chiron or his brother lee. Or even his friends.
Now that he thought about it, Will always seemed to be so desperate to keep his friends close to him, irrationally afraid of them leaving. He'd thought it was due to his siblings passing during the war, but maybe it ran deeper than that. Maybe people, in particular the one person who should always be there for him, had kept leaving him. That would mess anyone up, even the embodiment of sunshine himself.
“Damn. Poor guy. I didn’t know all that was happening behind the scenes, he always seemed pretty happy.”
Jason shrugged.”Yeah. But he has a support system now. And Nico” Percy laughed. “Yeah true. How much longer till one of them finally confesses?” Jason smiles and shrugs. “At this point? Could be three hours, three days or three years. I’ve given up on guessing at this point I’m afraid”
The two chuckled before finally getting into bed. Percy was almost asleep when he heard voices, a yelp, a muffled whine and then silence.
-
Waking up in a warm bed, in dry clothes and without the threat of immediate death hanging over him was one of the best ways that Percy had ever woken up whilst on a quest. Though he supposes the quest is technically over now.
He makes his way to the kitchen, just to walk into a scene he shouldn’t have. Will pressed against the counter, still in his sun shorts but now in a skull shirt that looks suspiciously like the one the son of Poseidon knows that Nico shoved in a rucksack 5 minutes before they left, after being reminded by Jason he can’t live in the same clothes for 4 days. The sun shirt is nowhere to be seen, with Nico in just some sweatpants. However, judging by Will's appreciative roaming hands, he clearly doesn’t hate the outfit.
Nico has the blond boy pressed against the counter, pins pinning him to the cupboard doors. Although several inches taller, Will makes no effort to move, and practically sinks into the son of Hades’ embrace. His shirt slips slightly, revealing a line of bruises making their way up a tanned neck. When he reaches his arms up to thread around Nicos shoulders, a bite mark is revealed on his hip. As Nico leans upwards, more hickeys are revealed on pale skin.
Percy finally snaps out of his shock by the realization that he might be about to see them add to the love marks and yelps loudly, slapping a hand over his eyes, absolutely mortified. The two younger boys spin around in surprise, leaping apart quickly. Percy can’t see what their reaction is as he quickly spins around and runs back to bed, a lot of emotions coursing through him, but embarrassment prevails, along with a little bit of pride for his adopted brother finally manning up.
Closing the door behind him, he can hear Nico groaning in sheer embarrassment, as Will giggles and tries to convince him “Come on neeks, it is a little bit funny”
Percy trips over Jason in his attempt to both bury under the covers, and remain blind. The blond mumbles tiredly, reaching up to grab Percy's ankle and yank him down, holding him like a little kid would hold their favorite teddy bear after a nightmare. Before Percy can argue, the son of Jupiter is already back asleep. After a few moments of struggling to no avail, Percy accepts his fate and allows himself to fall back under the soft blanket of sleep.
-
They leave around noon, after Percy wakes up a second time at half past ten, just to be informed he had stumbled into the kitchen at precisely 5 in the morning. Jason seemed to either be oblivious to Nico and Wills newfound closeness, or he had accepted it and moved on. Both were feasible options. Percy decided to follow suit, and not a word was said except for a questioning gaze sent towards Nico, who responded with a shrug and a sheepish smile, leading Percy to respond back in turn. He was happy for them.
The drive home was quite, but thankfully not as awkward as it could have been, Nico passed up being in the front seat and instead sat in the back with Will, the two sitting close and whispering back and forth, a shared blanket between them along with some brownies the son of Apollo had somehow found time to bake since yesterday. At one point Percy looked back to see the two asleep, Will leaning on Nicos chest as the raven haired boy leaned his head against the blond’s mop of golden curls. They looked so cute he couldn’t help but take a photo. And of course, for blackmail
When Nico quietly informed Jason and Percy that he and Will were together now that night at the campfire, nothing was exchanged except for congratulations and money. After all, Jason had bet it would be during the summer. Sucker.