☀ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛʜᴇ sᴜɴ☀

He’s trying to ease into this, really, he’s trying. There’s just been too much effort spent these past few months and he’s starting to think that no one could’ve understood this sensation better than Jason. “Right, right. I get it.” 

“I don’t know about specific,” he starts, mirroring the shift in demeanor. “But I’ve got a few general things in mind. Listen, if you don’t know – it’s not on you. You didn’t…” 

It takes everything not to let loose. “So you’re really not forgetting, like, anything? Not even once?”

There’s something off about Percy; that much is clear. Will’s never seen him look like this. Still, he thinks, there’s no reason for Percy to be so...callous about this weird, vague issue that Will doesn’t really understand. He straightens his spine and squares his shoulders in an effort to appear larger, stronger. It helps that Percy is his height and not taller.

     All Bilbo had been waiting to do was cross the street. Having lived in the Hive for more then a year, he had believed himself accustomed to the weird practices of this city. But he did not expect someone to reach out and pat him on the head like a child.

   “… What do you think you are doing?”

Will almost shouts when the person whose hair he just ruffled turns out to be a fully-grown man. His cheeks flood with color.

[ ♉ ] TAVROS: hEY,! uH, wAIT! [ ♉ ] TAVROS: cAN i SHARE THAT TAXI, pLEASE

luminests

     ❝Oh...sure!❞

luminests

“H-hey! Come on, stop it!” He’s talking about the dog who ran off with his head, of course.

“I can’t even run that fast!”

     ❝Uh...hey!❞ Will stoops to retrieve the metal object, scratching the dog behind the ear once before it goes on its way.  He glances at the headless suit of armor advancing on him. ❝Um...here, dude. You dropped your, uh...❞ 

A few weeks?

And he’s been around Nico!? It just gets worse. If he weren’t about to react irrationally before (and he might as well have been), he’s just about obligated to now. Did literally no one care to check in with each other? 

He tries not to let the anger bubble up in his throat and give Will the benefit of the doubt.

But right now,  all his doubts and certainties are being held apart by a very thin line. All he knows for sure is that this could’ve gone differently if there’d been more than just him around. He’s not an apt healer. Not familiar with death sense and not familiar with this place as a whole. “Fine. Thanks. So you’re serious, then.. Nico didn’t say anything about… anyone from back home?”

Will finds himself bristling a little when Percy speaks so harshly of Nico, as if the son of Poseidon hadn’t been responsible for so many turning against him. ❝It just didn’t come up,❞ Will says, shortly.  ❝Sorry? I dunno what you want me to say, here. He never mentioned it to me.❞

When Percy turns at the sound of his name, he blinks slowly and his vision blurs. He almost can’t believe that anyone would recognize him, much less call out to him in the middle of a bustling city. And then, as if every force in this sick, new universe wants to tear him a new one, Will Solace’s warm smile pulls him from the sluggish mess that is his consciousness.

“You’re… really here. Will Solace. The Healer.” His voice cracks; it’s not like he’s used it much over the past two days. He’s completely disregarded any and all questions tossed in his direction – feel free to thank his consuming state of disbelief for that. “How long?”

Something’s wrong.

Will knows Percy. He likes him. He’s even been a little jealous of him in the past (it’s hard not to be jealous of the way Nico used to look at the guy). He knows what kind of a person Percy Jackson is, even if he doesn’t know the minute details of his life too well.

     The person looking back at Will is more akin to Nico than Percy, and it scares him.

If Will had taken another step without looking where he was going, he’d have run into the little guy standing right in front of him, waiting to cross the street. Will glances down at the shock of blond curls and, in a reflexive move, reaches down to ruffle it.

“Yeah, well…speak up next time.” he doesn’t mean for it to come out so clipped, but Roxas didn’t enjoy being stared at and he certainly didn’t like being compared to other people. It couldn’t be helped, though–and this boy’s reason was really strange. “Apollo…” where had he heard that name before? Roxas glances skyward, eyes narrowing in thought. “That guy’s in the Colosseum, right?” He was some “god”, like Hades. It had actually been a subject of fascination for Roxas once upon a time. He couldn’t recall anything of note about Apollo, but Zeus was the father of someone he knew. Roxas crosses his arms, observing the other boy with more scrutiny this time around. There was…no way they were from the same world, right? He didn’t dress at all like the fighters Roxas had met there. But who knew–Roxas had learned to question everything and never go with your first assumption. “…So does that mean you know Hercules and Phil?”

     ❝Um...Phil?❞

     Is that...Percy Jackson?

out of sunlight;; 

       {{☀}} Several months had passed now since the princess’ initial arrival in the city. Upon seeing the Hive for the very first time she proved to be far more fearful than she had been when leaving her own gilded cage. Circumstances were far more different than what she had believed. The outside world was not cruel but this metropolis could swallow one whole, and more often than not it did just that.

        That being said there were few pleasures in the city, small moments when living conditions did not seem as dire. Today could easily be considered one of those moments. Sun shown above with a heat that warmed her skin just enough. Below a tree she sought shade being that she had spent the majority of the day on her feet, buzzing around the flower shop. Physical labor was not something she was new to rather she was still getting used to the limitless activities she could pursue even while on the job.

         Enjoying her small break it was then when a melody caught her attention. The tune was unfamiliar to her. The sensation that pulled her closer after each note brought her to a boy with fair hair, much like her own. Much younger than the royal she did what she could to keep her own excitement at bay. A yellow glow that bore a likeness to the gleam of her healing locks brought her focus to the injured bird in hand. No soon after she was caught in the act

       “I saw all of it! You were incredible!! I thought I was the only one but you can do it too, you can heal people when you sing!!”

     Will stood stunned for a moment, staring at the girl as she approached him excitedly. There was no Mist here. Anything he did, all use of his powers...nothing would go unnoticed. Therefore, he’d vowed to himself not to use them in front of non-demigods whenever possible; of course, if he needed to heal a person, that was one thing, but he didn’t want people’s suspicions to be raised about what kind of a person he was. There was no need to freak all the normal people in this city out.

          ( will was seriously overestimating the quantity of normal people in hive city )

Still, better to uphold the illusion, Will thought...Until the girl started talking about Will’s powers, and Will balked a little; she...Wait, what? He shook his shaggy mess of blond hair and raised his hands slightly in surrender.

     ❝You...heal people with song...?❞ Will took in the girls wide eyes and freckles, her golden hair and bright demeanor.  ❝Are you...a daughter of Apollo? Or some kind of legacy?❞

Will’s face brightened at the prospect. He was always excited to meet new siblings or relatives of his, and this girl seemed really nice. He’d thought it would be hard, making friends in this city, and yet here a friend had fallen into his lap.

                   「☠」—» There were an innumerable amount of things that Nico di Angelo wanted to keep from those closest to him, for whatever reasons. A thousand secrets carefully filed away as so that no one he cared about would ever find them. Whether to protect them or himself, it didn’t matter. He only knew from the deepest part of himself that there were things he never wanted to show his friend, never wanted them to see. And one of the most crucial to him was just how terrifying he could be, if he was pushed, if he had a need to. And although it was something he didn’t particularly find the need to hide from strangers on the street who had no idea who or what he was, it was a different story all together when you dropped someone he knew right into the middle of it.

                   And so, with the shadows shifting and slithering under his feet, Nico watched as the attackers took one fear-stricken look at him before fleeing in a panic. Despite himself, he felt a smirk play across the corners of his lips. Another job well done, another pedestrian saved from the evils of bullying (although maybe a little late). He was feeling rather pleased with himself…

                                                           Until a single word sent ice splintering through his chest.

                   The son of Hades froze, muscles seizing in shock. That couldn’t have been… his name? And in such a familiar voice? A million thoughts passed through his mind in a split second, and the demigod could feel panic slowly building behind his ribs… it couldn’t be. But he also knew there was only one way to find out.

                   Ever so slowly, Nico turned his head, finally allowing his gaze to fall on the face of the one he had just saved. Golden hair and a dust of freckles, blue eyes and a surfer’s tan. He knew that face, and it made a blanket of dread settle across his shoulders… which wasn’t helped by the terror he could still see fading away from those blue eyes.

                   “ Will…? “ And now there’s a tinge of fear in Nico’s own voice, not for the fact that the son of Apollo was here, in Hive City… but for what he had just witnessed. Nico di Angelo at his worst, all the darkness locked up inside of him bleeding out. It made his limbs go cold, and he instinctively took a step back. “ I’m… sorry… I didn’t… I didn’t know it was you… I didn’t mean to…  “

     Nico stepped backwards, and Will would have rolled his eyes -- if the other demigod didn’t look so obviously afraid. Afraid. Of what? Will’s brow knitted in confusion and he pieced the individual fragments of a scene together, albeit glacially (he figured he’d lost a lot of blood; his thoughts came all slow and syrupy at this rate). Will shook his head and forced his expression into one of calmness and understanding, the kind of face he’d seen that Roman dude wear in Nico’s presence from time to time. Probably it annoyed the son of Hades, but at least it showed him the other person wasn’t afraid.

      ❝Sorry? For what? Saving my life?❞ Will chuckled and then winced, clutching a bruised rib. He sang something soft, slurred and melodic under his breath to heal the wound; tiny tendrils of light escaped his fingertips and seeped into his bloody shirt front like water. He sighed. Suddenly, he could breathe a little easier. He could even stand up straight. Ah, the magic of healing powers.  

     ❝Nico, if you hadn’t shown up -- Gods, I don’t even want to think about what those guys would’ve done to me. I wanted them to think I was unfazed, but I’m shaking all over. Can’t you tell?❞

Will lifted a hand and held it level with his own shoulder to show Nico just how much he was shivering.  ❝You’re a lifesaver, y’know that? You’re my hero.❞ He wasn’t even teasing when he said that last part, and the earnest gleam in his eyes likely lent a ridiculous quality to the scenario.  ❝Honestly, you don’t have to be sorry for anything. Seeing you here, like this...well, it’s not ideal, but I can’t help thinking it’s a weird coincidence. You, showing up like this when I’m in mortal peril. It’s like something out of a cheesy Nicholas Sparks book.❞

Will laughed and wondered idly if Nico knew the reference he just made; he’d heard that the son of Hades was from the thirties, locked away in a timeless casino for decades. There was so much Will wanted to know about Nico, so much he was itching to ask the other boy --

      ❝Oof.❞

-- but he staggered sideways and slammed against the wall, cringing as the bruises on his arms were aggravated. His vision swam; suddenly, it looked like there were three Nicos, all giving him identical pained looks. Will whimpered.

                   「☠」—» Nico di Angelo was not a savior. A hero, maybe, but he didn’t go catering to the needs of every person who needed help. He had his own agenda, things to get done, and if he sought out trouble and fights for the sake of others, he’d never get anything finished. It was a principle policy for him, but still, when he stepped from the shadows two sectors away from where he’d first raised his foot and saw a scene straight out of a high school parking lot, the demigod had to pause. Not actively trying to help people and ignoring a beating taking place right in front of him were two very different things, and, try as he might, Nico knew he couldn’t just walk away.

                   Silent footsteps carried him from the darkness, and cold eyes regarded the aggressor with all the emotions of a black hole, ignoring the victim entirely. Alone, without his sword, Nico knew he didn’t always look like much. But could he, if he tried? Absolutely.

                   Slowly, the shadows all around the son of Hades stretched and writhed, pooling at his feet like oil. They encroached on the light, extinguished all brightness, sucked the warmth from the air. The only colors were black and white, and Nico’s pale skin looked like bone against the inky backdrop. A slight upturn of his lips almost resembled a smile, but the effect was more ghastly than friendly. He was a ghost straight out of a nightmare, and he knew he was terrifying.

                   “ Get lost. “ Whether he was talking to the attacker or the attacked, nobody knew.

     Will had never really seen Nico di Angelo in action; he’d heard stories of the other demigod’s powers, of course, had seen him raise a legion of skeletons, had felt his crushing, crippling wrath. He had known all these things about Nico and cared about him anyway; part of it was an admittedly childish crush on a far-off stranger, dark and mysterious, but part of it was something much deeper than that. Will saw something in Nico he doubted Nico could see in himself. He saw a thoughtful, caring person restricted by layers of stifling agony; he saw an insecure young man at the edges of a thriving social life, a square peg looking for a way to wedge himself into a very round hole. He saw things in Nico that might very well be the product of love-struck fantasy, and if that were true, then Will would address it and care about Nico anyway. He was special. Important. Powerful. All the things Will himself was not.

          ( so, if you had asked will solace whether or not nico di angelo was scary,            he would have told you to take a hike. would have, that is, before today )

Tendrils of shadow licked their way up and around Will’s face, causing his limbs to shake and his eyes to widen in confusion. He heard the voice of his savior (or new attacker; Will wasn’t sure), but didn’t process that it was familiar; his heart raced, his pulse thundered, his breathing became quick and shallow. His swollen face throbbed painfully and he scooted back as far as he could to get away, back colliding sharply with the brick behind it.

          ( what is this, what’s happening, oh, gods of olympus, if i don’t survive this day -- )

Will’s initial assailants fled the scene in fear, leaving Will with no choice but to confront this new arrival. He knew his face was frozen in shock and terror, but couldn’t find the brain power to wipe that look off his face before looking into the steely gaze of --

      ❝...Nico.❞

Will gasped out the name, and suddenly, his trembling turned to tremors of abject relief. Before the darkness had even subsided, Will made a valiant effort at getting to his feet, emitted a pained noise and collapsed again. He grinned at Nico, flashing a bloody sliver of usually-white teeth.

           ❝Boy, am I happy to see you.❞