Plugging in the earbuds in his ears, Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, opened the door of his cabin, and walked out of it, closing the door quietly. Covering himself with his newly-bought aviator jacket –that resembled his old one so much-- , and tucking his hands in his pockets, he stopped right in the strawberry fields to look around the camp wherein he actually stayed in for almost a month now.

A month has passed since the fight with Gaia, and her servants had ended. He couldn't say that everything was perfectly back to how it was before. How could he possibly say such a thing when he, himself, could still hear the screams of those who died fighting, those cries of the people left behind, those shouts of commands, those whispers of goodbyes, and those voices of the dead that haunted him? He looked at his hands, and remembered the nightmare he just had last night: Tartarus.

Some might have moved on, but it wouldn't be easy for him. With Jason Walker's 'Echo' playing on his Ipod, he closed his eyes.

Somehow, those flashbacks he hated to have came back rushing into mind: Knowing his sister had decided to be part of the Hunters, Percy telling him Bianca was gone, Percy shoving him away, him watching Percy, and Annabeth happy, those looks and murmurs of disgust he received weeks after the first Titan war, that statement his father that crushed his life about him being better dead than Bianca, those lies Minos spouted, Akhlys' joy upon knowing he was miserable enough, and those things he fought and saw in Tartarus no one could ever understand.

Pushing those thoughts away, the son of Hades re-opened his eyes. On his far right were Jason and Piper having a picnic near the lake, completely happy that they finally have a rest day after building almost three shrines within a month. On his far left were Percy and Annabeth planning their future together in the porch of the Cabin Three. Behind him were Leo and Calypso, who miraculously crashed back into camp in the middle of the night a week ago, riding Fetsus, who seemed as pleased as his riders for being back home. Calypso ended up as a mortal after breaking the curse placed on her, and Leo, like Hazel, having a second life thanks to Asclepius. The two were half arguing and half laughing as they fixed Festus back to his old perfect form. Frank, Hazel, and Reyna were back to Camp Jupiter, and were now tending the injured demigods on their sides, and doing their best to bring back the peace Octavian ruined.

Octavian. He knew that Octavian was now suffering down on his father's domain. But he still couldn't stop the guilt in his heart. And Bryce Lawrence...he couldn't seem to find the guy wherever he visited on his Father's three domains, and it worried him.

And far in front of him were Will Solace, and his siblings teaching young demigods how to use a bow and an arrow.

He couldn't help the smile that spread on his face when Will, himself, failed on landing an arrow right in the middle. Laughing, the medic said something, and the others laughed along with him.

Will Solace, the self-proclaimed doctor of the camp, and self-proclaimed owner of the Camp Infirmary, was one of Nico's closest friends (or maybe ever more than that) – something he would never say out loud or willingly, of course. During the course of his mandated three day stay in the Infirmary, he's found out that Will was actually a very stubborn, determined, persistent, approachable, funny, and caring person. He tended to each of the patients as if their his life depended on them. What Nico admired most about the guy was his smile—it never wavered. Yes, sometimes he'd frown, but after awhile, his bright smile would lighten up everyone's life, again.

The son of Hades wasn't even sure what he was feeling anymore. At first, he tried to shove the medic away, but as the latter persisted on clinging to him, and babying him—he ended up being attached, and sometimes never thought of Will, but most of the time, Will was all he could think of. He was sure they were still not a thing, but Will had sent hints, and he could...say it was a mutual understanding—not in a relationship yet, but more than friends already.

The song changed to Rachel Platten's 'Fight Song,' and his heart quickened. Smiling, he touched his Ipod, and whispered, "Thanks, Sis." Hazel had gotten it for him a week after the war with songs already downloaded in, promising Nico he'd love the playlist she made.

He remembered clearly her proud smile, and confident words:

"It's my little gift of appreciation for being the best brother among all brothers! There are some mellow ones, which I probably suggest not to listen to so much or else you'll end brooding again –as Will Solace has phrased it—and there are many encouraging songs also to keep you reminded to keep fighting. All in all, I think that has two hundred different songs of different genres. Choose wisely what to listen to, brother. Frank and Reyna helped me pick them. I'm sure you'll love them all." That's one of the longest thing Hazel said to him with a big smile.

He approached her and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, sis."

He did love it.

He turned when the earbud on his right ear was taken off. He watched in surprise as Will plugged it in his ear.

All of a sudden, Will half-shouted, and half-sang, "This is my fight song! Take back my life song! Prove I'm alright song!"

When he didn't follow, Will grabbed a hand of his, rewinded the song, and murmured these lyrics as he looked at Nico straight in the eyes, "...And all those things I didn't say, wrecking balls inside my brain. I will scream them loud tonight. Can you hear my voice this time?"

He refused to continue, so the medic did, "This is my fight song! Take back my life song! Prove I'm alright song! Prove I'm alright song. My power's turned on. Starting right now I'll be strong. I'll play my fight song. And I don't really care if nobody else believes. 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me."

As Will nodded at him encouragingly, he murmured along with the tone, "Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep. Everybody's worried about me. In too deep. Say I'm in too deep (in too deep). And it's been two years. I miss my home. But there's a fire burning in my bones. Still believe. Yeah, I still believe... And all those things I didn't say, wrecking balls inside my brain. I will scream them loud tonight. Can you hear my voice this time?"

That was when the blond screamed, "This is my fight song! Take back my life song! Prove I'm alright song! Prove I'm alright song. My power's turned on. Starting right now I'll be strong. I'll play my fight song. And I don't really care if nobody else believes. 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me."

And the son of Apollo continued singing the next verses before ending it with a very low-toned, "...to me,"

When the song ended, Will removed both of their earbuds, and squeezed the hand Nico tried to yank away. "Hey. Just woke up?"

He rolled his eyes. "You wake up at 7. I wake at 10. Same routine everyday, Solace."

"Will."

"Huh?"

"I like it more when you call me with my first name," He mumbled sheepishly, and looked away.

Trying to hide his flaming cheeks, he grumbled, "Your whole first name isn't even Will. It's William."

The blond smirked. "And yours is supposed to be Nicolas, right?"

His eyes widened. He snapped his hands, and grunted, "H-How did you even know that?" He spat, and started babbling, his hands making wide gestures, and his face making different expression, which Will really loved to watch...until a hand almost slapped him in the face.

"By the gods, Nico, careful with that! You might cause my death!" Will protested, and took both of the brunet's hands with his. When the son of Hades tried to apologize with a sulk, he laughed, and said, "It's okay, it's okay. You're so funny. I mean, you're usually frustrating I just want to strangle you, but you're quite honest when you want to."

Nico grabbed his hands back, and snapped, "I'm not honest. I'm a liar, and if you think you actually know me so much, kindly check because I'm pretty sure your eyes need glasses."

"Wait, Nic—" But the son of Hades plugged his earbuds back in his ears again, and paced to the dining pavilion. Sighing, he mumbled, "Just centimeters away...Why do you always back away when you clearly see my signs? Why do you hide despite knowing I know you feel the same?"

"I think you're just a little push-y," A voice commented behind him.

Turning, he found the three main couples of the camp: PercAbeth, JasPer, CaLeo – names made by their fans around camp.

Jason, who just spoke, added, "Nico is a very old-fashioned guy. He's literally from the '30s, and he's still not used with how and who he really is. Take it easy. Slow. Gradual, and with his pace."

Piper nodded. "Let me tell you that you're doing a fine job. He's a lot better now, and it's all because of you. Yet, you need to slow down on trying to romance him. He's new with swinging the other way around. You're a modern guy, I could see that, but just follow his pace for now."

"You two are a thing now, right?" Annabeth asked with a smile.

Scratching his chin, he answered, "I think? I mean I send hints, and he sends hints back. But the three word hadn't slipped our lips yet."

Percy laughed. "He lets you hold his hand, be proud, Solace."

"Dude, I already got a hug. Should I be proud too?" Jason teased with a smirk.

The green-eyed almost choked. "WHAT?" He gasped, and began whining, "Wheeeeennnnnn? Where was I? Whyyyyyy? Why hadn't he given me a hug yeeeetttt?"

Annabeth, instead, answered, "I think I saw that hug happening at sunrise, days after the war. You were still sleeping and drooling. Because Jason asked, and since Nico made an exemption, he gave in. He hadn't given you one yet, because someone might kill you for it."

The son of Poseidon looked around. "Who'd kill me?"

Will opened the medical kit he had, and took out an injection, and smiled. "Oh, I dunno."

Percy backed away. "Ah, right. Sorry."

They all turned when something exploded on the dining pavilion, and they heard a scream.

"Nico!" They all mumbled, and ran back.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Biting his lip, he recalled what he just did and say.

Making a displeased groan, he thought I ruined everything again. Will was just trying to make me feel better. But of course, I need to fuck everything up.

Sighing, he murmured, "How will our relationship step to next level when I'm like this all the time?"

With stomach growling, he stopped mid-track as he saw the dining pavilion split into two groups.

On his right was Hecate Cabin with Lou Ellen in front. On his left was the Hermes Cabin with the Stolls in lead. Frowning, he took off his earbuds; he asked aloud, "Am I interrupting something?"

All heads turned to him, and he suddenly felt very self-conscious. Lou Ellen stepped up. "Nico, tell them!"

"Tell them what?" He responded.

Lou Ellen cried, "They stole some of our experimental potion balls from our Cabin, and wouldn't give them back! We wanted to cast a spell on them, but they threatened that they would throw our potions balls somewhere! We couldn't have Chiron angry at us for experimenting when the Stolls are in fault!"

He blinked. "I..."

Travis spoke up next. "We weren't even going to use them. We just wanted to look at them! You make it sound as if we're so naughty, and bad."

Someone from the Hecate Cabin shouted, "You are!"

He looked around, and said, "I'm...just gonna come back later," He wanted to shadow-travel away, but he would be given mandated one week stay in the infirmary if Will found out, and he didn't know if he was stable enough already to do Underworld-y stuff.

The two cabins resumed arguing, and just when he was going to take a step back, a blue transparent ball with green mist inside rolled down in front of his feet. As he was about to run, it cracked, and then exploded.

He screamed as the ball's shards scratched some parts of his body, and its' green mist stung his eyes, and hands.

When he re-opened his eyes, he saw Will right in front of him. The medic cupped his cheeks, and murmured gentle words he slowly heard, "Nico, Nico, come on. Breathe in. Breathe out. Good. Now blink three times. Good, can you hear me?"

He nodded, and gulped, feeling something funny in his throat...like it was tickled or scratched.

Sitting up, he glared at Lou Ellen, Travis, and Connor. "What the hell do you think you were doing? If that was a literal bomb, it could have killed someone! Do you think it's easy to do burial rights? And just think of how exhausted the Apollo campers are, they need rest too; stop making a mess wherever you go, Stolls. Can't you seriously do something that don't involve injuries? And you, Lou Ellen, please refrain from doing experiments that could harm people. A life should not be wasted. What if I wasn't a demigod, and someone got seriously hurt? The guilt, could you take it? And my body freaking hurts, what does that potion even do? And why did the green mist sting, was that acid? Wait, did my face get burnt, tell me the truth! Hey, freaking answer....Ugh, why am I so talktativeeee!" He covered his mouth, and frowned. Did I just whine?

The others gaped at him.

"That was the longest sentence I heard from Nico di Angelo all my life!" Percy celebrated in shock.

Letting Will help him stand up, he leaned against the blond, and did his best to just spit, "What the hell?" instead of declaring an essay.

"It worked!" The Hecate Cabin celebrated. Lou Ellen elaborated, "For almost a week, we were trying to make a potion ball that would cause someone to become so honest for whole half a month. Its purpose was to make the Stolls admit all of their wrongdoings! We thought it failed, but it didn't!"

"So..." Will started, and looked back at Nico. "Nico will be completely talkative, blunt, and honest for whole two weeks?"

"Uh-huh," The Hecate Cabin answered in unison.

"Now, he'll babble things up, and gesticulate even more; aaaannnnddd might injure more people by doing so. Great," Will sighed.

"If only you don't look so darn good looking, and have that sweet smile, I would kick your fucking sexy ass—" Nico clasped his mouth shut, and turned beet red. Well, shit. I can't keep my own secrets.

As Will stared at him wide-eyed with a big grin, the whole camp erupted in laughter.

He covered his mouth, and was about to run away in embarrassment when some half-bloods shrieked. He turned, and found some demigods soaking wet, some with toasted hair, some with burning clothes, some trapped in cages –when they were made, he never knew—with hard-to-answer codes to unlock, some placed on top of the lava-spouting climbing wall, some confessing their sins in a corner, and some singing soprano whatever they said.

He smiled slightly at his friends, who seemed so proud of their chosen punishments.

  ~ o ~ o ~ o ~  

While eating lunch, he decided to sit with the demigods part of the Seven in the Prophecy in the Hades' table. "So, how you coping up with being so honest?" Jason asked casually.

He flushed. He was about to say 'Fine,' when he spouted, "Not good, honestly. I mean, I'm not even that talkative. Sure, I was energetic when I was younger, but I know when to shut up. Right now, whenever I open my mouth, I say even more than two novels long answers. I am not comfortable with others staring at me as I spout responses, and gaping at how honest I suddenly was. I was struggling with keeping my mouth shut, but I am used to answering with sarcastic remarks, but they just turn into honest answers, instead, and it's sooooo," he grunted with matching gestures, "frustrating!"

The others stared at him, and then laughed.

Pouting, he stabbed a lettuce on his plate.

"Hm, how about this...Ah, Nico, does Will have a chance with you?" Piper asked with a sweet smile.

He pursed his lips, but found himself answering honestly afterwards anyway, "He does. I'm just not used with how much attention he gives to me, and it kind of makes me uncomfortable. But he is special to me. He makes my day brighter, and despite my sarcastic remarks to him, he's actually a very great person, whom I respect. He stands a chance, he really does. I just need to cope with it slowly, I'm still pretty new to this...I do hope he'll keep my pace, and be patient with me. I don't want to lose him. And—Nico, shuuuttt upppp--"

He bit his lip, and smacked his head on the table.

"Oh my gods, Nico, what the hell are doing?" Will grumbled, and lifted Nico's head. "Geez, this will become a bump if—"

With flushing cheeks, and a scowl, he whispered, "Did you hear?"

The blond blinked. "Don't need to," He answered with a gentle smile before applying a cold cloth on his forehead. "Hey,"

"Yeah?" He murmured, and hid his face behind his dark and messy fringe. He definitely could feel the others' stares at them.

"Come to the CampFire later, alright? Don't miss it out tonight."

He lifted his head. "Why? Is there something big or new happening later? Does it involve something that doesn't usually—" He bit his tongue, and winced.

The medic laughed. "That must have hurt."

He glared at the blond.

"Just come later. I promise you wouldn't regret it."

He made the expression that said And if I don't want to, and wouldn't come?

"I'd curse you to rhyme your honesty," Will warned with a big grin.

He quickly surrendered, and let the healer tend his forehead's bump, and the small wound he did from biting his tongue too hard. He glared at the other Seven, who were all either grinning or cooing at them.

  ~ o ~ o ~ o ~  

He had no idea why it was so noisy in the amphitheatre, and for some reason that terrified him from going to the CampFire, but then he remembered Will's threat, and gulped.

Being honest was bad enough. Rhyming his words of honesty? That's worse.

And in front of the camp? That's the worst embarrassment he could take.

Nico took a deep breath, grabbed his aviator jacket that was placed on top of his nightstand, and then put it on. Taking his Stygian Iron sword with him, the son of Hades headed out of his Cabin.

His eyes widened when he realized there fireworks on the skies. And there were about five vans placed beside Thalia's tree. He frowned when he realized that the amphitheatre became even noisier.

And in a split second, he was running towards that particular place as William Solace grabbed his wrist, and dragged him while laughing.

He blinked. Around him were crazy campers going wild. Okay, not literally. But instead of a normal CampFire, it seemed to have become a dance party wherein the campers were dancing along with the music as the Apollo Cabin, and Dionysus Cabin did the DJ-ing in front. Everyone surrounded the campfire that seemed to have reached its' highest flame ever. In the right corner was a long table covered with white satin, and placed on top of it were different kinds of foods, and drinks. It was almost like the dance party he attended at Westover before Percy, and the others took him and Bianca.

He heard Percy, and Annabeth laughing as they danced along the music somewhere on the back of the crowd. Piper, and Jason were beside the Apollo Cabin, and were laughing. Leo was going wild, and dancing on top of a table as Calypso laughed, and scolded him. Hazel came up to him, kissed his cheek, waved at Will, and then ran towards Frank. Reyna was standing beside Rachel as the two just ate, and chatted at a corner. Grover, and his girlfriend were having fun in the middle. Even Clarisse and Chris were in the crowd. Lou Ellen and Cecil were doing a dance...he couldn't decipher at the far left. Even the Stolls were having fun pranking people, and dancing at the same time. Dionysus seemed pleased with the ongoing party as he sipped his Diet Coke on the far back together with Chiron, who was both amused, and alert with how a party changed the ever-alert-and-combat-ready campers of theirs. Some Aphrodite kids were seducing whoever they wanted.

He gasped when Will took both of his hands as Austin picked a new song, and its' intro began. "What is it, Will?"

Will answered him with a sly grin, and that wicked gleam on his eyes. Nico knew that look.

He shook his head, and tried to run away. "Oh no, no, no, no! I'm not going to dance, Solace!"

The blond made his puppy face, and tilted his head sideways, which Nico really loved and hated. "Please, Nico? This rarely happens. We're finally celebrating our victory against Gaia. I do not want that to happen again, and this should be the last time it ever happens in our lifetime, so come on!"

He sighed in exasperation before rolling his eyes. "Will, I do know how much you love celebrating events with the people you care most, but I am not a dancer. I prefer being a wallflower, and hiding behind the shadows. I know that your intention is good and innocent, but to dance with you is like letting others know my secret, and...I don't know if I'm ready for that..."

He looked up when Will squeezed his wrists gently, and stared right at him. "No one will judge you badly, Nico. Not on my watch. Opening up, that is what I want. I want them to know about us. I want to show them how proud I am of you."

His heart clench with how sincere Will was. "But Will—"

"It'll be okay! Just take my lead!" Before he could even protest, the healer had dragged him to the middle of the amphitheatre beside the bonfire – that wasn't that hot as he thought—and pulled him close.

The song re-started as the people requested.

"No way—" Nico began.

But Will sang along as he guided Nico to dance however he wanted. "'Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me.'I said, 'You're holding back.'She said, 'Shut up and dance with me!'"

The son of Hades stared at the hand Will offered, and hesitated. As others began to notice them...could he bring the courage to actually begin to let others see who he really was?

"'Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me.'I said, 'You're holding back.'She said, 'Shut up and dance with me!'" Will repeated with an encouraging smile, completely open with Nico's rejection of his offer.

He gulped.