The Secret Singer

Will woke up in a sweat, again.

His dreams of the Pit had stopped over the weekend, granting him a few nights of peace, but now they were in full swing. The only comfort Will found in his nightmares was that Nico was now with him again. He didn't have to wake up in a panic, looking for his boyfriend and realize that he wasn't there. Or lay down in a bed that felt colder than it had before since there was only one body laying in it.

Will pulled his hands behind his head and looked over to the second body that now filled the bed. He was still fast asleep. As much as he wished he could wake the Italian boy up and tell him all his nightmares, he didn't. Nico had been working all weekend and even though it was Wednesday, he was still catching up on sleep. 

He tried to remember exactly what Nico's job was but he couldn't remember. He knew Nico had said he did something with music but Will hadn't really been paying attention. He had been lost in his head with the thought of Nico leaving and also of Nico moving on. Just like everyone else.

Tartarus had proved to Will that one of his biggest fears was Nico leaving him behind. Nico had found out in that awful place and reassured him that he would never leave him behind, but lately Will had started feeling alone. Austin had gone back to school and was trying to get into a musical school, Kayla got a part time job as an archery instructor, Percy and Annabeth were in collage and Frank, Hazel, Piper and Leo were all out living life. Even Nico had a job in the real world now but Will was still stuck. He was stuck in his head, in the Pit. He was stuck in the infirmary and Camp Half-Blood. He was even stuck with his powers, nothing super useful in a battle. He wasn't in collage or getting a job or working towards anything, he was just living day after day, doing the same routine and trying to forget what happened over a year ago.

Will suddenly felt two arms wrap around him and a small body snuggle up to his side. Nico had rolled over to him and tucked himself into his waist. Will smiled at the touch. Most people at camp seemed to believe that Will was Nico's protector but really, Will felt it was the other way around. Yes, Will did stick up for Nico and healed him and made sure he was always at his side, but Nico was the one who Will could feel truly at ease with. There was never a time when Will didn't feel a flicker of hope when Nico was there. He was powerful and kind and was always prepare for a fight. He was resourceful and quick thinking, sometimes Will wondered if he was claimed by the wrong god and was an Athena child instead.

"Will?" Nico's croaky, morning voice broke into Will's swirling thoughts.

"Morning, Sunshine," Will sing-songed back.

Nico looked up at him with annoyance, "Morning, Care Bear."

"How was your sleep, Grumpy Ball of Darkness?"

"Great, Significant Annoyance."

Will gasped, "No you didn't!"

Will started poking and tickling Nico making his wonderful laugh shout out the cabin, bouncing off the dark walls that were empty except for the light of the sun rising over the world. Will was glad once again for the sound proofing the Hephaestus cabin had done after a week of being awoken in the middle of the night by screams of Will and Nico, when their nightmares had first started.

Nico sat up and rubbed his eyes, Will smiled up at his boyfriend and his messy bed head. Gods, he had missed him.

The boy yawned and looked down at him, "What?"

"Nothing," Will grinned, "I just really missed you."

"I was gone for three days!" Nico protested, flopping back down on to his bed.

"Three very, very long days," Will said matter-of-factly. He leaned over to his beautiful boyfriend and kissed him.

***

Will and Nico were standing at the bottom of Half Blood Hill. Nico was wrapped in a scarf and a sweatshirt a few sizes too big that made Will think it was one of his stolen ones. He had so many sweatshirts stolen by his boyfriend, he couldn't remember which ones were his and which ones were Nico's.

The two shielded their eyes from the sun as it shone from over the hill. Actually, Nico was shielding his eyes and Will was having another staring contest with his dad. Honestly, how did he learn how to stare that long? He probably practiced on his many. . . acquaintances.

Soon, two silhouettes of humans climbed up the hill. Annabeth and Percy, hand in hand, came walking down the hill. They were dressed in coats and hats and their hair blew in the wind. It had been a few months since they had gotten to see their friends face to face and Will couldn't wait to ask them about collage.

The couple on the hill waved down to the two at the bottom and when they came close enough, they all embraced. 

"It's so good to see you again," Annabeth said, holding Nico at arms length.

"It hasn't been that long," Nico replied with a smile.

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "Seems like only a yesterday."

Annabeth sent her soulmate a look. Some things never change.

"Come," Nico offered, "Chiron will be happy to see you."

The four friends walked across the grassy fields, idly chatting about life and school. Will and Annabeth went into a long conversation about collage and the more Annabeth described the classes and teachers and basically the life of a collage student, Will felt a pull in his heart. He wondered what it would be like to go to school like that. He had gone to middle school for a few years and had Freshman year in a public high school, but he liked the idea of studying something he actually liked.

When they had reached the Big House, Chiron greeted the two former campers with a hug and Dionysus gave his usual greeting of calling them the wrong names and making some kind of snarky comment. After pleasantries were exchanged, it was time for Nico and Will to start their daily jobs as camp counselors.

Will walked with Nico to the training arena where there were about five kids waiting for their lesson.

"Do I have to teach today?" Nico asked like he did everyday.

"Yes, darling," Will responded, using the nickname that he knew would make Nico blush.

He was correct.

Nico shoved Will in the arm, "get out!"

He started walking over to his students but Will grabbed his wrist. He pulled his boyfriend back and gave him a deep kiss.

"I hate you," Nico whispered as they pulled apart.

"Love you too, Sunshine," Will replied with a smile.

Will then let his boyfriend go and walked over to the infirmary where patients were bound to show up any minute now.

***

It was a few hours later that Hazel and Frank came and that's when Will first noticed something strange. 

Hazel asked where Nico was and Will told her he was by the climbing tower because at this time he was training the new kids how to use their powers there. The strange part was when Frank didn't follow behind and instead asked where Percy was. Will was a little shocked as he usually stayed close to Hazel but said he was probably in his cabin with Annabeth. Frank started walking off into that direction, and Will called out to him, asking him why, but Frank ignored him and scuttled off.

Something felt off about it. Sure, Frank was a nervous guy but he usually didn't show it. When he had asked for Percy's where abouts, he seemed really nervous and he kept looking around anxiously.

Now, Will was not the type of person to stalk or eavesdrop but what if Frank was in danger or Percy or Hazel or. . . Either way, Will decided that he would follow Frank to the Poseidon cabin and just make sure nothing bad was happening.

By the time Will made this decision, Frank was no where to be seen. Not that it mattered, because Will knew his way around camp but he would now probably miss part of their conversation. He walked out of the Big House, past the forge and armory, and found the blue cabin with the number 3 on it.

He snuck around the sides until he found an opened window. He crawled  to the open window and got as close as he dared to it before going completely still and listening. 

"I'm sorry, Percy," Frank's voice said. "I didn't want her to get mad and. . ."

"It's okay, Frank," Percy's voice came calmingly. "We'll figure something out, it's fine."

'What did Frank do?'  Will wondered. 'What did they have to figure out?'

"There aren't a lot of other options," Annabeth popped in. If Annabeth was there and Will was found, he'd be very, very dead.

"Five people already know who shouldn't!" Percy protested.

"Hazel's good at keeping secrets," Annabeth reassured him. 

"But she's his sis-!" Percy exclaimed.

"Shh!" Annabeth said, "the window is open! We can't risk anyone else knowing!"

"Close it then!" Percy huffed.

Will pulled himself close to the wall as he heard footsteps and a thunk as the window closed shut.

Quickly and carefully, Will crawled out of his hiding spot and made his way back towards the infirmary. So, Frank had told Hazel something he wasn't supposed to. Some secret that Percy had. Five people already found out and two of them were Annabeth and Frank. This also has to do with another mysterious person because Percy said "she's his. . ." friend? It has to be someone she is close to. Piper? Leo? Reyna? Nico? She was friends with a lot of people.

Will spent the rest of the day until the conch shell blow for dinner, mindlessly caring for campers while his brain tried to make sense of the conversation he had overheard. What could be so bad that Annabeth, Percy, and Frank wouldn't tell him? Will liked to think of himself as a trustworthy person and a lot of people had confided in him over the years, so why not this? 

'What if it's Nico?' a voice whispered.

'Why would it be Nico,' Will shot back to the voice.

'What if he knows and doesn't want to tell you because he feels like you're slowing him down.'

'He wouldn't do that,' Will told the voice. But he didn't know if he believed himself. What if the voice was right? What if Nico didn't like him anymore? What if he knew and didn't tell him because he didn't want Will to slow him down?

At dinner, Nico had decided to sit at the Big Three table with Percy and Hazel. Frank joined them too since he was a visitor and didn't know anyone else, but Annabeth sat with her old cabin mates who were overjoyed to see her again.

Will peered at the four sitting at the Big Three table. Three of the people were definitely involved in the secret conversation and either Nico didn't know so they couldn't talk about it or they didn't want to look suspicious because they were all laughing and talking loudly. They didn't put their heads together or whisper to each other or anything. You wouldn't even know that a few hours ago, two of them had been talking secrets.

"Hey, Will," Kayla's voice ripped Will from his thoughts.

"What's up K?" Will asked.

"You keep staring at the Big Three table," Kayla tells him, gesturing to the very table of the people he had been studying for the last twenty minutes.

"Yeah," Will admitted. "I just. . . I need to ask Nico something."

Kayla seemed to sense his half truth, "well, you can ask him during capture the flag. Right now you have to eat."

Will tore his eyes away from the four suspects and quietly ate his food.

After only a few bites, Chiron stood up from his table and addressed the demigods in the room.

"Alright," Chiron spoke over the noise. Everyone became instantly silent. 

All the demigods had found Chiron as a parent, especially if they didn't have any mortal ones, and he was very well respected among them, not for teaching so many Greek warriors but because he respected and loved them. Why not respect and love him back?

"As you know," Chiron continued, "it is time once again for capture the flag!"

The campers cheered and Will was happy to forget about his barley eaten food. He couldn't find an appetite.

"On one team we have. . ."

Chiron looked to the Ares and Athena tables. A girl named Lila rose from the Ares table and a boy name Marco from the Athena cabin. Lila had gotten a nasty scar on her cheek down to her neck from the war against the giants and Gaia and a more recent burn on her left forearm was from the battle at the tower of Nero. Marco had visited the infirmary many times when he dated Will's brother, Justin, and he had a cut on his right pinky finger in one of the creases so he can't move it completely.

 The two campers stood next to Chiron and looked out at the few campers that didn't nearly fill the hall like usual. Normally there weren't enough campers to keep capture the flag going year long, but this year there were just enough for a fifteen v fifteen match.

"On Athena's team," Marco said, commanding all eyes to him, "we have, Hephaestus, Hermes, Apollo, and Hades."

"And for Ares," Lila grinned, "Aphrodite, Hecate, Poseidon, and Nemesis."

The campers cheered their approval. They had already been split the days before but now it was time to put the teams together.

Will stood with the rest of his cabin as they all made their way to the forest.

"Hey!" Will turned and saw Nico running after him.

He caught up quickly and grabbed Will's hand, making Will's stomach erupt in butterflies.

"What's going on?" Nico asked.

"We're playing capture the flag," Will told him.

"That's not what I meant."

Will knew what he meant. He needed to ask Nico about the secret but not now. Not with all the people around.

"I'll tell you later," Will answered.

Nico nodded and squeezed his hand. He was good at knowing when to let Will be and he realized it was nice to have someone who knew him that well.

"Nico!" Hazel's voice came from behind Will and he turned his head to see her brown curls bouncing in the air as she ran to them.

"I'm so excited!" she said breathlessly as she came to walk beside them. "I haven't played this is a while."

"Just wait," Nico told her. "It's way more interesting with only thirty people."

***

Capture the flag had been going on for twenty minutes now and Will was getting bored. He was just standing off to the side, making sure his teammates weren't hurt, with Nico being the only company. Not that he didn't love his incredible boyfriend, but he wished he was actually doing something. And he wondered if Nico felt the same.

'He resents you,' the voice told him. 'He is annoyed that he has to stand here with you instead of fighting.'

"Will," Nico moved so he was in front of him.

Will looked at him and tried to put on a shining smile, "what?"

Nico frowned, "what's going on Will?"

He knew Nico would see right through him but he didn't know if he could talk about the secret here. Will looked around. There was no one around that he could see but that didn't mean someone wasn't hiding. He couldn't ask him about the secret yet, so instead he told him another thing that had been bothering him.

"I just. . ." Will said. He looked into Nico's eyes, so dark and warm, full of nothing but care and worry for him. 

"I wish I was out there," Will explained. "I want to be in the battle. Not sitting here, waiting for someone to need me."

He dropped his gaze, worried that Nico would call him stupid or tell him he was just a healer and should stay out of the fray. Cold and delicate fingers gently lifted Will's chin until he was looking back into those beautiful eyes.

"If you want to go," Nico told him. "Then let's go.'

Will blinked, "what?"

"We'll seek around the sides of the forest and grab the flag how they least expect it," Nico explained. 

Will could only stare. He had expected Nico to tell him to stay put or to let the others fight for him, but here he was, telling him to go and offering to come with.

"But," Will stuttered, "I-I'm just a healer."

"You get to decide what you are," Nico told him. "If you want to fight, fight."

Will stared at the boy in front of him. What did he do to get someone so wonderful as him as a boyfriend?

"Okay," Will finally agreed. "Let's go."

Taking Will by the hand, Nico lead him through trees and bushed, running to the order line. It was exciting to run towards a fight, with the wind blowing in his face and the anticipation for an actual fight filling his body with adrenaline.

They soon came to the small stream that marked the border, they stopped.

"You can't touch the water," Nico informed him. "Percy can sense you and we can't let him know."

Will nodded and took a big leap across the water and began running again with Nico right beside him.

They ran and ran until Nico grabbed his shirt and pulled him to the ground. Will stifled a gasp and looked around for the reason Nico had pulled them down. 

A few feet away from them sat the other team's camp. Will had been wondering why they hadn't run into any campers and he got his answer as he stared out into the clearing. Almost half the campers were fighting heatedly with each other. Swords and spears and many other varies weapons were being used and they seemed to be out for blood although Will noted there was almost not shed.

"Okay, here's the plan," Nico whispered in Will's ear, trying to get his attention. Will turned around and he and Nico faced each other, almost nose to nose.

"I'm going to run out there," Nico explained, turning on his inner Athena. "They are going to think that I was a surprise attack and I'll keep their eyes on me while you run in there, grab the flag and run along the other side of the forest until you get to the creek and you'll just have to jump over it."

"What about Percy?" Will asked. "He'll hear the shouts when they realize what I've done."

"I've got it covered," Nico said, looking back at the fray. "I'll see on the other side."

Nico gave Will a quick kiss and then he ran off. He jumped into the clearing and the campers shouted as they turned their attention to a new and more powerful opponent. Will new he had to act fast so he crept as quietly as he dared to the edge of the clearing where he saw where the flag was set.  

There was a giant thorn bush that encircled the flag waiting in the middle. It was smart, demigods would have to throw themselves into the thorns if they wanted the flag and the extra obstacle would slow them down and create noise, drawing the attention of everyone in the clearing. Will observed the problem but he couldn't find away around it. He needed the flag and the only way to do it was to go through the thorns.

Taking a deep breath, Will ran. He ran into the clearing where he could hear the sound of battle. He ran across the grass between the bush and the forest, with no guards around to stop him. He ran and ran straight into the thorns.

At first Will felt pain all over his exposed body parts as the sharp thorns dug into his skin. As he moved through the brush, he found the pain dulling and the pain in his arms disappear. He looked quickly down at his arm and saw two things. One, he was glowing. Two, there were no cuts. 

Apollo kids were fast healers but they mostly healed after the pain was gone, not as it was happening. Some how his magical abilities were healing him as fast as he was getting hurt so he could run through the thorn bush without much pain at all.

Will picked up his pace once the pain had dulled and in no time he had reach the middle and grabbed the flag sticking up there. He didn't stop running until he emerged from the bush into the clearing where he was met by three Nemesis children. 

Will looked around at the three kids and felt a sinking in his gut. He had failed. Suddenly a tugging sensation started pulling at him and he felt like he could feel all their inner body parts moving. Feel the beat of a heart and the expanding and contracting of a lung and the air flowing through the nostrils. He felt his arm reach out and he pulled it back as he released the adenosine into the bodies of the three in front of him. The three kids, Violet, Caleb, and Ax, sank to the ground and their eyes lids closed as they fell asleep.

Will couldn't dwell on what he did and his adrenaline made him immediately start running again, back into the forest, dodging trees and jumping over logs, running towards the creek. There were shouts and calls from behind him, some cheering and some swearing, as he sped across the ground. He reached the bank and expected a hoard of people ready to stop him but there was no one there as he made a giant leap and landed on the other side.

As soon as Will's feet reached the ground, the flag turned from the Ares's colors to the yellow and gold of the Apollo cabin with a sun right in the middle of it.

Cheers erupted all around Will as people ran out from the darkness. They crowded around him and lifted him up in the air. He was tossed up and down until Will felt he was going to throw up.

"Well done!" Chiron's voice sounded from behind him.

Will turned and saw Chiron and Nico walking towards him. As soon as Will saw his boyfriend he scrambled away from the crowd and ran right to him. He wrapped his arms around Nico's shoulders and squeezed him tight.

"I did it!" Will whispered. He knew that it was just a game but it felt nice to win something. And not some kind of doctor contest or something, but a game where he got to do something other than sit and wait for someone to need him.

"You did it," Nico confirmed proudly. Will squeezed him tighter.

"Ahem," Chiron cleared his throat. Will turned to the centaur.

"I believe you get this," Chiron handed him a crown that was made out of thin willow branches and flowers woven through. Since there were less campers, Chiron had decided to reward the person who captured the flag with a flower crown so they could be appreciated. Most people used them to collect and show off to the others but it was a nice idea. 

"Good game, everybody," Chiron applauded. "But it is now time for everyone to retire to bed. Hazel, Frank. . ."

The centaur turned to the Praetors as the campers walked back to their cabins.

"You are welcome to stay in the big house or in the Hades cabin." 

Hazel smiled gratefully, "we would love to Chiron, but camp needs us."

"I'll be taking them home," Nico spoke up.

Will glared at his boyfriend, what do I say about your underworldly magic?"

Nico danced away from him and over to his sister and her boyfriend. 

"To use it as often as I like," Nico replied with a smile. Before Will could correct him, his boyfriend disappeared into the shadows of the coming night.

Percy and Annabeth walked with Will back to the cabins. The couple told Will about their time back, or at least part of it. They told him how they climbed the lava wall, sparred in the area and even 'fell' into the lake. Will laughed as they told their stories but he couldn't help but think about what he had over heard.

"Congratulations on getting the flag," Percy said, clapping Will on the back.

"Thanks," Will replied. "I was sure that you were going to get me by the creek."

"I thought that too," Will laughed. "But Nico kept me busy."

Will cocked his head, "how? He was in the clearing."

"I heard the shouts," Percy explained. "So I was going to raise the water to stop you but skeletons crawled out of the ground and my feet were stuck in the shadows of the water."

Percy laughed, looking up towards the sky, "that little shit's gotten powerful."

Will chuckled. He had indeed watched Nico train through out the last two years and with his healthier eating habits and better mental state, his powers have gotten more powerful and precises.

"Well," Annabeth said as they reached the Hades cabin. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Will looked at his friends. They were holding hands and they moved like they were one person instead of two. They had slight smiles on their lips as they waved goodbye and they walked off to the Poseidon cabin like it was their home. 

They seemed so perfect but Will had a weird feeling in his gut. He knew something was going on with them and he had to find out.

Turning, Will opened the door to the Hades cabin and walked inside. He walked in about two steps before a figure appeared on the bed.  

"Nico di Angelo," Will said crossing his arms.

"William Andrew Solace," Nico said, crossing his arms too. He crawled towards the of end of the bed and Will walked over to him so that he was now a a whole head and a half taller than him and stood in between his boyfriends legs.

"'di' isn't your middle name," Will commented, looking down at the boy below him.

"Yeah, well the syllables match," Nico countered, looking up at him.

"No they don't!" 

"What-ever!"

Will rolled his eyes. Nico looked down at Will's lips and he couldn't help but give in and lean down to kiss him. They broke apart and Will knew it was time to ask him the question that had been bugging him all day.

"Nico," Will started.

The raven-haired boy looked up, concern filling his eyes. "What is it?"

Will took a deep breath, he wasn't completely sure he wanted the answer.

"We tell each other things, right?" Will asked, taking a step back.

Nico nodded, not looking away form him.

"And if someone told you something, you would tell me," Will confirmed.

"Of course," Nico replied without hesitation.

"So," Will looked down at his hands. "Has Percy told you anything."

"No." Will looked up to see Nico staring at him in complete sincerity.

He let out a breath of relief, "okay. Okay, good."

"Why?" Nico asked, sitting up, "did Percy say something?"

"I just heard him talking with Frank and Annabeth," he explained. "I think Frank told Hazel something he wasn't supposed to and Percy was freaking out."

Nico's eyes went slightly distant and Will could tell he as trying to figure out what was going on.

"Hey, hey, hey," Will kneeled before his boyfriend so now Nico was half a head taller. "Don't worry about this. It's none of our business."

Nico looked into Will's eyes. He could see the worry spiraling in his eyes, he had lost so many people, so suddenly. It would be hard for him to just stand back and hope nothing was happening. 

There was a 'pop' and a giant, hairy figure appeared. Will brushed against it's side and felt something like feathers and when Will looked closer, he could see a rhino horn in the middle of it's head.

"Perdita!" Nico said, surprised. 

A black panther like cat with crow wings and rhino horn in the center of it's head. Another cocopuff.

"I'm okay," Nico told the cacodemon. He bent down and stroked it's nose. "You can go back to the palace now." 

The cat growled and and bowed it's head before disappearing into the shadows.

"You're right," Nico said, turning to face Will. "We should let it go."

Will smiled. "He'll be alright."

 Nico smiled, "yeah."

The two boys climbed into their usual spots on the bed and Will pulled Nico's back into his stomach, giving him a bit of comfort. They were leaving the world of confusion and worry and falling into a world of fear and nightmares, but at least they were falling together.