Sunkissed Solangelo

☠Nico☠

A/N: Hi fellow readers guess who's back!! Can you believe it has been an entire year??? I actually updated on this specific day on purpose. And some better news? I've written the next chapter already so there's no way I'll be taking a year long hiatus AGAIN.

This is probably the thousandth time I've said sorry to you guys for not updating often enough, but I really, truly am. I can't express my apologies very well either, and I really wish I could compensate in some way (I do have a few ideas hehe but that's for another time). But the real and honest reason for my inactivity: LACK OF MOTIVATION.

Which I consider as ridiculous because you guys comment the sweetest things and I'm so SO grateful for the support :)

Oh the pain of having a writing block. Maybe you can guess what brought me out of my incapable state. If you thought the release of The Hidden Oracle, you guessed right.

But more on that later. Let's cut to the (Annabeth) Chase and move on to the part you actually care about (the part that's not about me and my procrastination)

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Nico was beginning to fear who he was slowly becoming: Will Solace.

Ever since the war with Gaea ended, he had felt elated, like a huge burden was lifted off of him. He wasn't sure whether it was because his body was no longer exhausted from battle or because he was finally starting to accept himself. Maybe it was both; he was feeling restoration in both his physical and mental health.

However, in some ways Nico was his same old self. He was still an extremely short-tempered, easily irritated, and highly detached teenager who lacked social skills. He now was half-sitting, half-laying down in the infirmary bed, impatiently waiting for Will.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity in the Fields of Asphodel, the son of Apollo walked in. Nico suspected that something huge, perhaps life-altering had happened in the last ten minutes. Will's eyes were his normal shade of pale blue, but they appeared swollen, as if he was crying before.

Will, literally the sunniest guy ever to live on Earth, cried?! That was almost as likely as me wearing a Hawaiian shirt and doing the hula dance, Nico thought.

"Hey Nico..." Will sounded nervous, his unusually squeaky voice foreboding something bad was going to occur.

"Uh... hi Will." Nico was concerned now. "I know something's up. But I'll leave it up to you to tell me."

Will sighed. "You, for one, are clearly not the consoling type."

He continued. "So, um... I'm not sure how you're exactly supposed to do this but... oh gods... IM GAY OKAY? I'm gay and I'm proud of it. And I just wanted to let you know since you're my friend and all. And in case you were wondering you're the first person I've voluntarily told so consider yourself special, Death Boy."

Will spoke his last sentence in a jokingly manner, his eyes twinkling in the familiar way Nico would do anything for.

Nico could've sworn his heart stopped beating. He stared at Will with wide eyes, shocked. He didn't realize until later, but he was probably sending his friend the wrong message.

"...well I know you weren't expecting that, but I didn't think you would take this so slowly. COULD YOU LIKE AT LEAST REACT so I don't have to keep standing here awkwardly?!"

"Oh... right, sorry," Nico snapped out of his phase, feeling the blood pumping through his body once again. "I'm really happy for you Will, but..."

"But what?! Oh please don't tell me you're one of those homophobes because I-"

"I'm gay, too."

"-swear on the River Styx I will... WAIT WHAT?!"