Will gently guided Nico by the arm as he staggered over to a bench.

Nico laid on the bench with his head resting in Will's lap-how he could find the hard, metal bench comfortable was beyond Will. He looked up into his boyfriend's sky-blue eyes with droopy eyelids and let out a loud sigh of contentedness- which smelled strongly of alcohol that Will wrinkled his nose at-, closed his eyes, and then conked out. Will felt a smile tug at his lips as he tucked a piece of raven hair, that blew up and down as Nico breathed, behind Nico's ear.

Will had been in the infirmary working, with Nico helping out as his assistant when Aphrodite had come in two days earlier with a very, uh, dramatic entrance. A dramatic entrance that entailed her opening the door telekinetically (Will hadn't even known that gods could do that) slowly strutting in, and filling the infirmary with a faint pink glow and the overwhelming aroma of roses, vanilla, and strawberries, with a hint of earl grey tea. After they'd finished exchanging pleasantries (in other words, Nico immediately demanding why she was here. I mean, who- other than Nico- would dare speak to a goddess like that?) she'd said she had arranged a date for them in a small pub on the edge of London city in two nights. They'd both gaped at her because, 1)They were both underage and 2)How were they supposed to get to London in less then two days (to which Nico responded that he could shadow travel, but that raised the problem of whether it's a good idea to shadow travel drunk, or even a bit tipsy, to which they both said it was not.) 3) (which neither of them voiced but were both thinking) Gods don't usually do favors for demigods, especially for ones they have no familial connections to, so, suffice to say they were both a 'lil suspicious. Aphrodite then proceeded to look mildly offended at their questions (the first two) What do you take me as, she'd said, a powerless maiden? I'm a goddess, boys! To which neither of them had a comeback for. She then took out two fake IDs, that looked nearly real and, when they addressed the problem that they still looked underage, she'd said that Hecate isn't the only one that could use the Mist. The goddess said she would handle transportation and to just have fun. Then she said to meet her at Thalia's tree two days later at 2:30 pm.

And here they were two days later (well, three in America. But fuck technicalities), with Nico drunk and asleep on a park bench with Will, somewhere on the edge of London, at eight pm- but it felt like one am because of the time difference.

Will kept his eyes open despite them feeling like lead because who knows what monster could be wandering the streets looking for a tasty nighttime snack. Aphrodite had assured them that they would be perfectly safe, but that didn't stop the two of them from being cautious. You always have to be on edge when you're a demigod. Especially for Nico, since he's a child of one of the Big Three. And because they still questioned her intentions, but that suspicion waned as the night went on.

Despite the probable danger, Will let Nico sleep. Well he wouldn't be too much help drunk, but the main reason was because Nico had gone through so much at such a young age, he deserved some peace, and Will wasn't about to wake him from the only time he looked peaceful. When Nico slept, he looked so vulnerable, almost like a normal sixteen year old. No tense posture; no jumping into a fighting stance whenever he heard a loud noise; no flinching at the word 'hell'; no resting bitch face; no sass; just a normal boy.

However, Nico wasn't normal, he never would be. None of them would ever get a chance to live a normal life. He'd been pulled out time, had his only family die, been to a place worse than hell- alone-and survived, and had been taken prisoner by giants. Will wished Nico would acknowledge how brave he was, and how it was ok to admit that he needed help. Nico would say that he's fine, but Will's heard the shrill screams at night: he's walked into the bathroom and seen Nico quietly sobbing on the floor: he's noticed that on bad days, where Nico seems to have had a particularly bad nightmare, he barely eats at lunch let alone breakfast- which he usually skips.
But Will doesn't bring it up. Nico would tell him if it got bad enough: he hoped. For now, all he could do is be there for him.

If Will could have any wish in the world, he'd want Nico to be happy, to forget the awful experiences he'd had, to live a normal life with a normal family who loved him. But Will knew that was too much to ask for. No one could change the past, just like no one can erase all the quirks being a demigod came with.

At least Will knew that he would always be there for Nico.

"I'll always love you Nico," Will whispered, mostly to himself since Nico was asleep. He felt Nico shiver in response to a cold wind blowing over them and Will pulled Nico closer to him, trying to keep him warm from the sharp chill in the winter air. "No matter how hard you try and push me away, I'll stick by your side. Nothing can ever come between us. I'll always find my way back to you, because my heart belongs to you, Nico di Angelo, and it always will." Will finished, feeling tears well up in his eyes. This sleeping boy in his arms was someone who he'd gladly lay down his life for, the most important person in Will's life, someone who he -as hard as he might try- could never ever forget.

Will was too caught up in his declaration of love to notice the creeping feeling, the shiver down his spine, the faint flicker of the yellow street lamps, a ringing in his ears, and the unmistakable scent of roses, vanilla, and strawberries, with a hint of earl grey tea: until it was too late.
Will looked up from his sleeping beauty to a strange pink glow. Will heard a voice croak his name.

"Will?"

The last thing he heard before the world slipped into darkness was his boyfriend's voice.

•~•~•

"I've done what you've asked, Hecate," Aphrodite started, walking up the marble steps to a rather grand pavilion surrounded by different types of trees and flowers, with ivy as a canopy roof instead of wood, "now to enact the rest of this stupid plan of yours. You didn't just make me break up a happy couple for no reason, right? I mean, I'm the literal goddess of love, the Olympians will never let me live it down." she denounced, sighing as she sat delicately on a cushioned basket chair."Wait a minute, you did get the approval of the gods for this, right? This last thing we need is an angry Apollo or an, gods forbid, angry Hades. You remember the last time that happened?" Hecate opened her mouth to respond, but before she could even say anything Aphrodite 'Sh'ed her like a child. "Shush, No you don't- I'm still talking. I thought Zeus hated your pet world? 'Cause the last time you sired a child, they acted all stuck-up and bratty. They even claimed to be a god! I mean, can you believe the nerve of some of your children? Mine are most certainly better. After that, didn't Zeus forbid any interaction with the Wizarding World? I think he was scared that you'd had a child that could almost overpower him." she ranted, saying the last part with amusement, after which the sky rumbled and a strike of lightning ignited a nearby tree. Aphrodite and Hecate didn't even blink an eye, though Aphrodite did look a bit peeved. "OH COME ON ZEUS," Aphrodite tilted her head up to the canopy roof and yelled "YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE! YOU WERE SCARED!" and after a second added, "AND STILL ARE!"

Taking her opportunity, Hecate finally put in, "It is not my pet world," she growled, stressing each syllable.

"Whatever you say!" Aphrodite said in a sing-song voice. "Anyway, we got off topic. So, why them?" Aphrodite said, ignoring the flaming tree.
"Nico is a di Angelo, a powerful pureblooded family, one of the only to not stand by Voldemort when he rose to power. The branch of the family left in the U.K died, leaving Nico and Bianca the only di Angelo's left alive, though they were in the Lotus Hotel at the time. Now, Nico is the only child left of the powerful lineage."
"But what will Will do when he gets to Hogwarts?" Aphrodite butted in, "Nico was born with wizard blood, even if he doesn't know it, but Will wasn't. What are we going to do about that?"

"I don't know, you were the one who demanded he came."
"If you're gonna make me break up a happy couple, at least let them go to the same place and live through the same experience for who-knows-how-many years! You would've let Will believe Nico dead. I was not having it."
"Aphrodite, they're going back in time. And, after Nico completed the task, I would have sent him right back the next day, maybe week- time traveling with mortals is difficult- and everything would've been dandy! But nooo, you just couldn't let it go, being the love absorbed bi-" Hecate stopped, suddenly wondering if it was such a good idea to pick a fight with one of her only allies in this.
"I dare you to finish that sentence, Hecate." Aphrodite threatened, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm good, but about Will not having any magic, you don't need to fret. I can give him my blessing." she said confidently " Well, he won't be as powerful as Nico, but that's fine."

"And,when they finish their task and we send them back to the future, will we leave them with their memory of growing up again intact?"
"Well, it would be a waste of power if we let them forget everything they learned, but we can't well risk a war-" Hecate speculated, but was interrupted by a figure stepping out of the shadows.

"You will leave their memories intact when you send them back." it said."Nico just started recovering his memories of his early life. I don't really want him to go through more of that, but I understand that Nico is the only one powerful enough to complete your ridiculous quest. But I don't want you messing around with his head anymore than is necessary. The more you mess around with their heads, the more confusing and upsetting it gets for them when they start remembering things. I do not wish to see my son or his boyfriend harmed." Hades said, frowning. It was quite obvious that he didn't quite approve this."You said this quest is safe and I will hold you to that. If anything happens to my boy or his boyfriend, well, I'll make you regret it."

With that he walked backwards into the long shadow of a tree, keeping his beedy, black eyes trained on the two women. And then he disappeared.

"Dramatic prick," Aphrodite muttered under her breath. She turned back to Hecate, "Guess that about settles it, one complete memory wipe, de-aging, and protection against monsters until they reach Hogwarts. Anyway, I best be going. Toodles!" She waved and also disappeared.

"My family is so weird," Hecate complained, grumbling while she stood up and walked down the stairs of the pavilion before disappearing like a polite person, unlike my estranged family she thought to herself as she apparated out.

•~•~•

Molly Weasley was busy with herding the kids to bed when there was a knock at the door. She left her only daughter, Ginny, who was just under one, to her husband and went to see who was there. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a small, he couldn't have been much taller than her knee, toddler that almost seemed to blend in with the night. He looked around the same age as Ron. The boy was holding a paper note in one hand and a tiny, black pouch in the other. The strange boy seemed to be just about holding in tears. Molly looked around for any sign of a guardian but saw no one. He looked up at her with large, dark brown eyes and asked with a wavering voice "Mommy?"

This was too much for Molly. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she picked up the boy, taking him out of the cold night, and brought him inside, whispering soothingly so he wouldn't burst out crying. She left the boy on the couch and ran to the staircase to call down her husband, who should be done putting the kids to bed by now. "Honey? I need you to come downstairs right now." she called up, careful not to be too loud "It's important." She added.

Arthur ran down the stairs and said "What is it-" his eyes immediately widened when he saw the small boy sitting on the couch, twiddling his thumbs and bouncing his legs. "Molly, who's that kid on the sofa?" He whispered.

"I don't know! I just found him outside with no one else in sight! He's holding a note though, that might tell us something." She said softly as they slowly approached the boy. Molly bent down and looked eye-level at the little kid. He looked like he was covered in scars. How the bloody hell was this two year old covered in scars? Where did he come from? "Sweetie, do you know where your parents are?" she asked patiently. The boy shook his head. "Do you know their names?" He shook his head again. "Do you remember how you got here?" Again, no words, just a shake of the head. Except now he looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"Does he even talk?" her husband muttered in her ear.

"Not helping, Arthur, the kid's about to cry." she hissed.

"Well, at least ask him his name, Molly!"

The boy murmured something. "What was that pet?"

"My name is Nico."

"Ok Nico. We'll find your family, don't worry." She said soothingly.

Those were the last four words he spoke to them until he was well past three years old.

"Can I see that note you have there, Nico?" No response. "I'll give it back after I'm done with it." She added. Nico handed her the letter. Molly turned the note around to look at the return address: there was none. When she saw who it was addressed to, her eyebrows furrowed and she felt Arthur let out a sharp breath behind her.

The Weasleys

The Burrow

Ottery St Catchpole, Devon

England

She tore open the envelope. Inside was a small piece of parchment that hadn't much writing.

Dear Molly and Arthur Weasley,

Thank you for taking Nico in. All his living relatives are dead and I can't take care of him. He won't cost much, he's small. I know he's about the same age as your son, Ronald, so I hope they can get along. And later when he goes to Hogwarts, you can pay for any expenses using his vault in Gringotts- the vault number is in the bag I left with him along with note that you can give to the goblins in Gringotts, they'll help you if they read the note. He'll know what to do when the time comes. Also in the bag is an identification key.

He can wait to buy a wand until he's eleven and buying his things for Hogwarts. He also has with him a small skull ring, please let him keep it.

-Ms.H