Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

NPOV

~~~Dream start~~~

Dead. 

Dead. Dead. Dead. 

The house was filled with smoke and I was having trouble breathing. My mama and papa were nowhere to be found, but my sister Bianca was in front of me offering her hand. I took it and she started running, dragging me behind. Her brown hair in a tight braid shipping around behind her. She led me from my room down the stairs and out the front door. 

As she let go of my hand, I turned to see our rustic home going up in flames. Bianca ran back into the house, but not before whispering in my ear"I'm going to get mama and papa, if I don't make it out-" "NO!!" I scream. "Let me go with you!" "Nico, Ti amo, per favore resta e promettimi che qualunque cosa accada, continuerai ad andare avanti." (I love you, please stay and promise me no matter what happens you'll keep going.) "Lo prometto" I say, watching her run back into the house. Suddenly the left house collapsed with a loud CRASH. "MAMA! PAPA! BIANCA!!!" I fall to my knees, sobbing. The other half the house went down. I kept screaming their names over and over until my throat was raw. They were gone. 

Dead. 

Dead. Dead. Dead. 

~~~Dream end~~~

I woke screaming and thrashing, tears running down my face. Calming down, I looked around. I was in an alley, where I had fallen asleep after my last battle with Luminescent. My powers always needed charging in a way. Find me after a fight and you'll have captured yourself a super villain. Some rest and a little bit of food though, and you won't get within ten feet of me. 

My little alley had a dumpster and a chain link fence at the back seperating property. I stood, still a little off balance after the nightmare. I didn't have to go far though. I went deeper into the alley to avoid the daylight and found dark shadows. I smiled to myself. Shadows were always a comfort. I stepped into it and fell through. 

I shadow traveled to the one place the heros didn't know of, or didn't care enough to search it. My old home. I lived in its burnt remains and have maganged to preserve some photos. I emerged in the room with the only intact roof and walked out of it to a hallway. 

The house was large. The front door lead immediately to the hallway I was in and went out in three directions from there. Because of the collapse, the house needed some foundation work, obviously. But I had cleaned up most the debris from the fire and was rather proud of myself for the clear hallway. I was down the left hallway and made my way forward to the right side of the hallway. While walking past the front door, I glanced out and saw a women walking her dog and a man eating a bagel, sitting on a bench. 

I walked quickly to avoid being seen through the holes in the walls. I passed 4 doors and entered the 5th. Now, I don't think I've mentioned the obvious: I'm the only one who lives here. So when I saw a blond haired boy standing over my sleeping bag and holding one of my photos in his hands, I panicked. I made a little squeaky noise. Smooth Nico, real smooth. The boy turned. Ah, shit. It actually was Luminescent. His striking blue eyes stood out against his white clothing. He was in what he usually fought in: a white button up shirt with seams of gold. His slacks were just plain black. And to be completely honest, he looked hot. Wait hold up! He's enemy number one! Stop it brain! Before I could something smart like "wrong room, sorry," he said "Ghost King?"

 "What the hell are you doing here Luminescent?" I spat out his name with all my hate.

 "I was just looking around. I didn't know this was your place." He sounded genuinely interested. 

 "Well it is and I'm not in the mood for a fight, so leave." I really didn't want to ruin my old home anymore than it already was by clashing with Luminescent. 

The blond clicked his tongue. "I'm afraid I can't do that,  death boy" 

"Did you just- what the hell did you call me-!?"

In my confusion, Luminescent took his chance. He jumped at me and slammed my head into the ground, knocking me unconscious. 

The last thing I heard was: "I am sorry Ghost King."

"I truly am."

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Hope that was an ok first chapter. I've been doing some editing so it should have at least improved a little bit. 

Have a wonderful day/night

-Noah

Word count: 798

Chapter Text

WPOV

I carried The Ghost King out of the burned remains of the house over my shoulder. If he was awake, he probably would've had my head, but fortunately he remained unconscious even while I walked. He really hates the name "death boy," doesn't he?

As I reached base, which was located under a McDonalds, I ran into Poseidon, Wise Girl, and the Latino Elf, each dressed in their respective costumes. They were sharing some fries at a table right next to the kitchen entrance with Poseidon holding the container. As I made my way to the door, I passed them and Wise Girl's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Does that just so happen to be our nemesis unconscious over your shoulder?" She sounded beyond skeptical.

I wince a little. I know most of the team wanted the raven-haired boy imprisoned for the rest of our lives. I don't necessarily trust anyone of them to even know that I have him. I especially didn't want anyone to take him before I could figure out why he did what he did. "Maaayyybbbeee." I stretch out the word, turing to face them.

"And you weren't going to tell us, your teammates, that you caught the biggest threat to the city? Just thought you could walk right by us?" The Elf said indignantly.

Yeah, I was kinda hoping I could. "I guess? I was going to call a meeting once I got here to tell everybody at the same time." How did they not here the lies in my words when I can hear them myself? My stomach rumbled a little. "Can I get a fry?"

That last part was directed at Poseidon, who had been silent up until now.

"You want a fry, you're gonna have to earn it." Wise Girl facepalmed and the Elf smirked.

"I caught this guy? That good enough?" As I said this, I lifted death boy a little higher on my shoulder so he wouldn't fall. I'll have to keep thinking about nicknames. "Death boy" seemed almost like an insult. Perhaps that's why he doesn't like it.

Poseidon looked thoughtful for a second. Then cleared his throat and said in a deep, raspy voice, "you are worthy of the fry!"

Wise Girl gave him a look. "He won't be getting any fries until the group has talked about the fact that we might not have jobs anymore!"

"Calm down Miss Wise! With all your knowledge and stuff we shouldn't have to tell you we can't just retire! Or even quit!" the Elf said.

That much was true at least. Fortunately for the world, our powers stem from the borderline fact that we are immortal. No one is really sure how the eight (nine now) of us gained our abilities, but that doesn't stop them from asking us for protection. Unfortunately for us, that means we barely get breaks, and we definitely can't quit. Not all of us are at terms with this yet, but that's another story.

I don't have time for their bickering. I just needed to lay the Ghost King down, have a talk with him, and figure out a way to protect him. "Can I just take the guy in? I'll call a meeting after I make sure he's not hurt."

For whatever reason, I felt that it would be wrong to leave him injured. Especially facing the ones who've tried to take him down many times. He should be able to defend himself, just in case.

"Why are you concerned whether he's hurt or not?" demanded Wise Girl. "We've finally got him in custody and a weakened villain is better than a strengthened one."

Alright, I'm not dealing with this bullshit anymore. "I'm healing him before we do anything else. That includes restraining him." I won't let him wake up in panic and not listen to me because he's fighting against handcuffs.

I heard the Elf mutter something about the difficulties of dealing with people for eternity.

I marched into the McDonald's kitchen and walked swiftly past the workers. No one paid any attention to me as I made my way to the very back where the trash chute was. The opening was just large enough for a human. Or an immortal carrying a super-villain. I readjusted the Ghost King so I carried him bridal style, and eased myself into the chute. The darkness consumed us as we went down the slide.

-----

I slid for about a whole minute before landing on multiple stacked mattresses. And a person. I took a quick look and realized I had landed on Sparky.

"LUMIN!" Sparky yelled. He's been yelling a lot recently. In the past few months, Sparky seemed more angry and irritatable than ever before. Maybe something happened with Aphrodite, his girlfriend. Or maybe I just keep catching him at bad times.

I gathered myself, secured Ghost King in my arms, and stood up looking down at Sparky. He was completely unprepared for battle with his purple t-shirt and blue jeans. His blonde hair was going in every direction, but that was normal considering the amount of times he electrocutes himself.

"You are the one in the way of the slide, you know. Why were you even there?" I made sure to keep my tone light as to not cause a shouting match.

Sparky glanced up at the small tunnel I had fallen through, and back to me. He just shrugged and stood up, finally noticing the limp body in my arms. "That's him?" He inquired.

I gave him a bland "Yep."

"Like the guy we've been hunting for over fifty years? The cause of the two-thousand seven massacres?" Sparky had a gleam in his eyes that looked murderous. That's different. Usually he at least partially supports me when I say we shouldn't punish people by execution but right now. . .

I'll unpack than later. "Yeah" I respond again, hoping my tone conveyed my desire to leave.

"Are we even going to have jobs after this?" I swear if they don't get it through their heads that we have a permanent job I'm going to wrap them up in light and lock them in a room.

"Obviously we're going to have jobs! It's not like we can quit or get fired!" I was getting exasperated now.

Sparky made a face. "I mean, the city probably has some methods of neutralizing us."

"What? Why would you even-" I gave up trying to speak, deciding to just push past Sparky, going down one of the hallways on the sides.

There were ten hallways branching from the middle room where I landed with the Ghost King. Each one went to a hero's room, except the one that went to the meeting room and the one that went to what we call the "spare room." Funny story, it's our dungeon. Although we've never locked anyone up for longer than a few hours, It makes some of the Heroes feel better that we have the option. I personally hate the room with a burning passion, but I can't really argue with the peace of mind it brings to the others.

I took The Ghost King down to the hallway to my room, which was rather small considering how much stuff I was able to cram in here. I set him down on my bed and looked for my medical supplies. The room was brightly decorated, with sunset yellow walls and bookshelves everywhere. My bed, which was pushed against the center of the back wall, was a king size with books stacked all around. The door to the bathroom was on the left wall and probably the only non-cluttered area of my living space.

I made my way to said door and checked the bathroom cabinets for my first aid kit. I quickly located it and prepared myself to bend the light to heal. As I walked back over to the sleeping form in my bed, I took my first good look at the infamous Ghost King.

His small pale form was dressed in black high tops, jeans, shirt, and hooded cloak. The only bit of color was the skeleton with a rose in it's mouth on the front of his shirt. His black hair covered most of his face, and I really wanted to push it back to see his eyes, although at the moment they were closed.

I tried to think back to our most recent battle, to remember what color his eyes were, but it was odd. They. . .  changed. During battle, whenever I arrived, the irises were the colour of rich gold. But nearing the end of the fight, the faded to a beautiful chocolate brown. That's when he gave up and faded into the shadows.

What the hell does that mean?

And how was this little ball of cuteness been our enemy so long?

I managed to feed the pale boy some painkiller for the bruising on the back of his head. I placed my hand where the wound is and sang quietly. It was a song my mother had written and sang to me before she passed. It depicted the Greek God Apollo, running among the mortals and healing their wounds. The song was enhanced by both the good memories it brings and the mention of Apollo.

After I finished, I still felt horrible for knocking him to the ground and causing the injury. I removed my hand, sat on a chair next to the bed, and waited.

After about twenty minutes of watching his sleeping form, the Ghost King's eyes shot open with a bloodcurdling scream.

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Chapter Text

NPOV 

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ Dream continued* 。° 。 •˚《

I was back in front of my ruined house, the fire still burning hot enough to scorch my face. The flames that engulfed my home flickered, like a beast waiting to strike. Then I realized the swaying of the fire was not at random. More humane movement could be seen through the orange light. The heat began to fade as the flames parted, revealing a figure standing several feet taller than me. I had no recognition of this man. 

All I cared about was that this wasn't Bianca. Or Mama. Or Papa. I just wanted to be safe in their hold, but instead I'm to be antagonized by a murderous arsonist. 

As it approached, I froze. At first I thought I couldn't move due to the fact that I was terrified enough to shit myself

 But when I gathered myself to try to run, I found I truly had no control over my own limbs. My head was angled so I had no choice but to stare down the oncoming threat. The figure drew closer and closer until I was face to face with it. Or rather, him. 

A sadistic chuckle, then: "Ah, a survivor I see."

The voice that spoke those words was like thunder. It was more of a presence in my mind rather than an audible sound. His words were enough to make me tremble despite whatever hold he has over me. 

The man before me had pale, blond hair and a scar running up his face. He looked like no older than late teens, but I wasn't sure if beings who came out of fire aged. The worst part was his eyes. They were pure gold. The color in his irises seemed to move, as if the precious metal had been melted down and kept at high heat. 

Apparently the being found my staring amusing, for he quirked an eyebrow at me, and I felt the force keeping me from moving lessen a bit. 

He spoke. "You shall make a fine flesh vessel." He grinned widely. Maniacally. A smile only someone without their sanity could display. I trembled at the sight of it. And his words... 

I opened my mouth in an attempt to respond, to fight back, but all that came out was a wheezing cough. Forget trying to speak, there was too much smoke in my lungs to take a proper breath of air. 

The figure noticed my struggle and seemed to read my mind. "Nico di Angelo, my current form is wasting away, meaning I have to take a new one. And you just happen to be my only option."

Holy shit. What was he going to do? Snap my head back and take my soul? I realized I was overthinking it as he placed his hand on my forehead and dissolved, leaving behind a pile of ashes. 

Where did he go? 

Right here, Nico di Angelo. 

I looked around frantically for the voice. It was so loud. Surely it was behind me or. . . 

In your head, perhaps? I could still hear the malice in his voice, despite that I could no longer see the speaker. 

No, no, NO! 

"GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU BASTARD!" I screamed. 

I heard a sound. Was he growling? Shut up! Before other humans come after us! 

I want other humans to come after me! 

They can't help you now, not after a complete possession. 

I couldn't take it anymore. I started sobbing. Terrible body wracking sobs that left me lying on the ground curled in a ball. The magic that held me place had completely dissipated, but I didn't want to move. I just wanted my family. 

You need to get up. People are coming, and knowing humans, they'll probably burn you at the stake. 

Well that's just wonderful. Truly delightful. I mean who doesn't love being possessed the night your entire family dies and having a creepy being's voice in your head? Oh, and not to forget, also having the threat of burning alive because of said creepy being. 

Just gotta love it. 

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ Dream end* 。° 。 •˚《

I woke screaming. My head pounding. My surroundings are completely unfamiliar, so despite my disorientation, I try to take in as much as possible. The room I'm in is yellow. There's no other words. Yellow. . . everything. Its rather on the small side as well. The door is on the opposite side of the room. 

Sitting in the chair next to the bed, was Luminescent. He had his suit on, but his face was clearer than it usually was. Like there was a curtain that had been opened just for me to see. I could see the freckles on his cheeks and across his nose and was filled with the desire to count them. Even though he looked concerned, he also looked wary, like I could not be trusted to remain peaceful. I probably couldn't.

Did he really just kidnap me? 

No, he just took you to the heroes base because he thought you might want to join up or some bullshit. 

For the love of Hades. Can Kronos just stay out of my head right now? Stupid Eidolon. I can't even tell if he's being serious or not. 

We've been over this, dumbass. I'm a Titan. And why the hell would I be serious? You really think he cares? 

Lumin was watching me. He seemed like he cared. But maybe he was trying to lure me into a false sense of security. Apparently that's all Kronos needed to hear before taking complete control of my limbs. 

I had to silently watch as my body moved without my command into a fighting position standing atop the bed. I swear when I get enough energy to take my body back-

Lumin spoke. "Why- why are your eyes gold?" Despite his stammer, the blond managed to sound confident and in control. 

"Does that really matter?" I heard myself snarl in response. It was hardly my voice at all. The sound coming from my mouth was several octaves too low to ever be mine. 

"Yes, considering how you got a head injury. Sit down and we can talk." He patted the space on the bed in front of him. 

"Hell no." 

Kronos, cut the shit out! 

I'm a Titan. I don't stop just cause some whiny brat told me too. No, that's when I kill anyone that might ever mean anything to you. 

On that happy note, my body made a mad dash for the door, only to see tendrils of soft light block my path. Kronos summoned shadows to our hands and masked ourselves in their darkness until we were only a shadow amongst other shadows. 

Lumin didn't bat an eye. I suppose he might be used to fighting villains he healed. He never had any qualms about helping anyone who was injured. Even if the person was evil. 

The blond stood up, took a fighting stance, and summoned a bit more light, causing our shadows to recede. I am grateful for that. It was exhausting me to have so much energy taken from my reserves. Lumin's voice cut through my thoughts. "Calm down so we can have a rational talk. I can help you!" 

Help? Help sounds nice. Maybe with his control over the light. . . Maybe, just maybe, he can get Kronos out of me. Assuming no one dies at what would appear to be my hands right in front of Lumin, he might be still be willing to do something. 

Perfect. Now all I have to do is kill one of his team membes before he has a chance to get close to you. 

And with that, Kronos releases his hold on me. I fall out of the shadows just in time to see shock on Lumin's face. Apparently he wasn't expecting his words to work. 

I managed to stand, still a little shaky from losing control of Kronos, but Lumin seemed to have decided the best option was to retrain me before I could do more damage. Smart move. He wraps one end of the golden light around one of his bedposts and the other end around my wrists and ankles, which I did not offer up willingly. I knew I should be tied down, but my claustrophobia was not having it. So when Lumin finally gets me in a semi comfortable position at the end of his bed, I start trying to escape. The blond still hadn't spoken since Kronos left, but his eyes conveyed pity. I didn't want pity.

So I do the logical thing. 

I begin to cuss him out with my limited colorful vocabulary. 

Shadow swarmed around me as I thrashed. I kept a minor tamp on my powers, not letting it hurt the one person who might actually help me. My profanities became quieter and quieter until I was merely mumbling them. The words didn't even seem to be registering with Luminescent. He just stared at me, like I mattered or something. 

I didn't like that. Not if he wasn't going to follow through. 

I ceased my attempts to escape. "Sunshine, for the love of all that is holy, get these damned ropes off me." I seethed, barely restraining my voice. 

Lumin smiled, seemingly celebrating the fact that I had stopped being violent. "I need to go talk to the others. Just, ah, stay put until I get back." And with that, he waved a hand and the ropes glowed brighter, hurting my eyes. He walked out the door on the opposite side of the room and I heard the lock click shut. 

That's just peachy. 

I feel I should take zero blame in this. 

I can't fucking wait 'till he either convinces them to help get rid of you, or they put me out of my misery. 

As if he'll help you. Maybe the brats will lock us up and I can use my powers to make you slowly go mad. 

The issue with fighting back to that statement is that it's entirely possible that the heroes would do that. They just would never know why I'd become a hallucinating mess. 

I begin what you can call a mental battle. It consisted of me envisioning Kronos and beating him up in my mind. It brings satisfaction, to say the least. 

When he finally shut up about how I was useless and would never be deserving of real help, I could start working at the bindings. Some well-placed shadows in the right intensities made the blinding light let up more easily than I'd hoped. The rope around my left hand came loose. Then my right hand. I put all the shadows I could at my ankles and both the ropes came undone. 

I leap up and ran out of the room like the devil himself came for my soul. Back in the main room, I looked around the ten hallways in frustration. Who in their right mind would ever make a place that you needed a map to find your destination? 

I cannot. Get. Lost. Here. They'll find me anywhere I hide here, because, unlike me, the heroes know this place like the back of their hand. I decide on a hallway with gray walls, contrary to the brightly colorcoded hallways all around. As I walked, I heard voices. A lot of voices. I rounded the corner and saw eight people standing at a table with multiple bags of McDonalds on it. How many calories do these idiots consume? 

Careful little Nico. Remember what I said. 

His voice was weary, most likely from using so much energy to control me, so I doubted I would hear anything from him again for awhile. I block out his voice and focus on the ones in front of me. Ducking behind a corner, I can hear arguing. About me. 

"We can't let him run around free! He'll just keep fighting and eventually end up committing mass genocide!" Someone shouted. I think it was Sparky. Did he really believe me capable of such a feat? I'm flattered. 

"You know full well execution is not the only option for preventing that!" That voice was familiar. Luminescent? 

"I understand not killing him, but are you suggesting we let him go? Even if we look past the arson charges, he still attacked countless citizens!" A different voice said. Arson charges. . . They think I burnt my own home down. They think I killed my own family. That in itself was nauseating. 

"Hey! I'm the only one allowed to commit arson here!" I held back a laugh. I'm pretty sure Latino Elf is actually allowed to set whatever he wants on fire so long as it can be proved to be for the "greater good."

A softer, kinder voice began speaking. "I'll ignore that. Luminescent and are right. We shouldn't give out the greatest penalty with proper investigation." That would be Gemma then. She's usually the most practical thinker and voice of reason when Wise Girl gets caught up in her own thoughts. 

"What about the two-thousand seven massacres?" A new voice said. I wince. That hadn't been a great year. It was after I had a particularly bad bout of desperation, in which I had tried to take my own life. An action I now regret immensely, not even including the fact that before I took what I had hoped to be my last breath, Kronos took control of me and ended up killing the few people he had let help me. Anyone who witnessed anything was also slain. The only reason anyone ever found out it was "me" who did it were the security cameras. 

Luminescent was running a fool's errand. He can't argue with concrete proof. "We still don't even know for sure if that was him or not! We all saw the footage, the camera had blood splattered over it. We can't confirm any-" He gets cut off. 

"What we saw was his exact cloak except covered in the blood of fourteen people." Sparky concurred. 

"For the love of the Olympians, stop fighting!" 

The group froze. I could hear several gasps. That had to have been the Shifter then. He almost never raised his voice. It was a little refreshing to be honest. 

I figured this was the perfect time for a dramatic entrance. I stepped fully into view with a swagger. I kept a hand on my hip and my mouth in smirk. "Fancy seeing you all here!" Their faces right now were priceless. "While listening to you fight about whether or not to kill me is fun and all, I think I'll just go. Can I get a fry for the road?" Of course I didn't expect a fry, and I certainly wasn't expecting to get out of here. I didn't know the way out, so the next best option is to confront the opposers. Maybe not the "best" option, but it's too late to turn back now.

They all stared. I'm getting really tired of people staring. 

Lumin snapped out of his initial shock. He walked behind me and started messing with my hair. In a single movement, I had his wrist in my hand, my face inches from his. I blushed. Hard. Lumin was also blushing. Probably just from the fight though. He had sounded pretty worked up. 

The blond smiled softly at me, like I wasn't being offensive or problematic. "I'm just checking your bruise, death boy." His voice was significantly more tender than when he was speaking with the others. 

"Oh. . . Uh. . . Okay. Sorry." Why did I apologize? Something about Luminescent sends my walls crashing down, allowing me to be vulnerable. In a room of heroes, being the only villain, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. 

I released his wrist and let him finish whatever he was doing with my hair. Then I went to back up out of the room, but multiple people's powers went rushing at me until I was held a few feet off the ground by hardened clay. Gemma and Latino Elf then. Interesting. I knew Elf personally and Gemma is quite kind compared to her counterparts. 

I struggled uselessly. I just decided to fall limp to save my energy while the group made a semicircle in front of me. I suppose they wanted me to put on a show. Act III, villain is brought to justice by means of murder. I smiled a bit despite my situation. I could at least entertain myself before my inevitable death. 

Apparently a bit peeved by my cockyness, Aphrodite spoke. "That seemed rather easy. Now what?" 

Sparky smirked. That in itself was unusual. He's normally pretty reasonable and logical. His words of malice suprise me further. "Our spare room is open." He said deviously. 

"And that's because we don't lock people up! We analyze, find another way." Lumin said in reply, still trying to defend me. How can he not yet see that I'm a lost cause? 

"We do now." Sparky is going to be the death of me. 

"My sincerest appreciation for these lovely restraints, but I'd like down before my arms are removed from their sockets." I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. That was only half true. My arms were throbbing, but I mostly just wanted to remind them of my presence before they started fighting again. 

The clay heated up and put me on my feet while still holding my wrists tight. I nodded a thanks to Elf and Gemma. Lumin came over to stand diagonally behind me. I couldn't turn to see his face, which really bothered me. His golden hair and deep blue eyes brought me comfort. He was still defending me against his own team, so not being able to see him presents the opportunity than he might leave. 

In the haze of my thoughts, I missed their conversation. Sparky looked frustrated. That's good. He wants me dead. 

"So we're agreed? He'll stay with me until we figure out a permanent solution that does NOT involve death?" Lumin said asked. 

Shit. This is basically the same as holding me hostage. 

"Excuse me, but I'd like to leave, not stay in your overly bright room." Politeness will get me nowhere, but it's very amusing to watch everyone try to bite back some choice words to throw at me. 

Poseidon spoke for the first time. "Listen man, it's either this, or we keep arguing and eventually just lock you up and throw away the key." His voice was mildly remorseful, which  piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately, there's no time to unpack that right now. 

I renew my struggle to get my wrists free. A whisper found my ear. "If you don't calm down, they'll think you're trying to start a fight and we won't be able to get out of here." Luminescent's words were laced with the same tenderness as before. Yet I didn't hear him clearly. I just wanted to be free of the clay tightening around my wrists. 

Lumin begins to rub circles into my back, calming me slightly. Enough for me to give up my struggle against my restraints and look at the murderous glances I was getting. 

"We'll be in my room if you need us." The blond's comforting touch was at odds with his quick and defiant words. 

I felt something begin to tingle where he touched my back and I had just enough time to observe the other's reactions before Luminescent and I dissolved into light.

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Chapter Text

WPOV

My body solidifies, feeling slightly bulky after becoming one with the light waves in the air. It didn't help that I was already mildly disoriented from the meeting. I shouldn't have to fight for someone's life! Everyone has value. Everyone derseves to live. How could Sparky not understand that? 

I stood by my door, the safest place to make an entrance into my room considering how cluttered it is. My guest seemed to have gotten over the nausea that usually accompanied my travelling method, for the Ghost King himself sat on my bed, waiting quite patiently. 

I'm seriously going to need a new way to address Ghost King, because the title is too formal and my ability at coming up with nicknames is extremely lacking. Calling him "death boy" seems a little too on the nose. I thought back to any information that might be good nickname material. I remembered whenever I was searching through the files for places that haven't been ransacked by a Hero yet that the house I went to was the di Angelo's place. I thought at first it was just a random house he had taken shelter in, but judging by the burnt pictures, he was probably a di Angelo himself. I hadn't looked at the actual residents' names, so all i have is his last name. That works. For now. 

The pale boy's pitch black hair somewhat covered the deep brown eyes, which had fixed their sharp glare directly at me. Looking into them seemed to put me in some kind of. . . trance. His eyes were truly beautiful. His whole figure also looked rather soft when he wasn't fighting for his life. 

Apparently fed up with my admiring session, di Angelo said, "For the last time. What are you staring at?" The edges of his mouth tipped upwards slightly."Is there something on my face?" He added jokingly. 

I make my way to my bed and sit next to di Angelo. I really didn't expect him to start friendly banter, but who am I to shut him down? "Yeah, you got a little-" I reach my hand out and swipe my thumb across his cheek, masking my shock when he let it happen. "-smudge of cuteness right there. Doesn't look like it's coming off, though." I let my hand fall back to my lap. Holy shit. I really just said that.

He flushed bright red at my words. To be honest, from the way my face feels heated, I probably look worse. Di Angelo pretended to wipe his face off with his own hand and looked at it, then at me, as if comparing. "So that's what's all over your face. I have to admit, I thought it was just how you looked, but I guess not."

There's this phrase called a "gay panic." It's usually used whenever two people of the same gender act extraordinarily straightn't with each other to the point where one or both of them feel like they can't breathe due to excessive gayness. For the first time, I understand the "panic" part. 

I avoided looking at the captivating chocolate brown eyes for fear of blurting out exactly what I thought of him. Frantically attempting to change the topic, I spoke. "So, uh," Fuck, what do I say? "Why do your eyes change colour? I mean assuming the brown is your natural eye colour and-" Shit, I'm rambling. About his eyes nonetheless. 

The Ghost King looked mildly shocked, but he took mercy on me and stopped my rambling by putting his hand in the air in the universal "Shut up and let me speak" way. "I don't want to talk about it." His tone was flat and blunt. 

Great going, Willaim. This is why you shut your mouth when cute boys talk to you. "Oh, crap. Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Di Angelo tilted his head a little to the side."Why are you apologizing to me?" He asked curiously, incredulously,  even. 

I smile a bit. That seems to be becoming a habit around him."I don't want to invade your privacy. If you want to share something, then I'll listen, but otherwise I'll respect your boundaries." 

He looked stunned. I tested my luck by putting my hand on his arm. Miraculously, di Angelo didn't lean away. If anything, he seemed to lean into my touch. 

He really is adorable though. If I can't convince everyone that he deserves to go free. . . well, that'd be pretty shitty for us all. 

Snapping me from my thoughts, death boy spoke up. "So, what's your and the Heroes' grand plan? Lure me into a false sense of security so I'm easier to take down? Wait until I fall asleep and slit my throat?" The nonchalantness of that statement made me wonder how long he had time to think about this. 

I give him my best serious face and nod. "Yes, that is exactly the kind of high level thought process our group is cable of."

I was awarded with a guarded smirk. Scooting back a little and folding his legs together, the Ghost King replied, "Of course." He made sure I was making eye contact with him before he continued speaking. "But actually, what are you going to do with me if an attempt on my life isn't in order?" 

Kiss you. 

Shut it, bi thoughts. I matched di Angelo's position on the bed and we readjusted so we could face each other. "You'll just stay in here until we decide what to do with you. The group kinds runs like how the Romans did it. We vote and debate, although we don't have a leader." He looks discouraged, so I added, "Don't worry, you've got quite a few of us campaigning for you, so you'll probably just be asked to join the team."

The pale boy froze, hair falling further into his eyes. "You'd really let me join the team? Even after the two-thousand seven massacre?" He shook his head, as if convincing himself as well as me. "Besides, I've been alone this entire time. You don't know what else I could've done in that time." 

I scoff. "First, I hate the fact that you had to be by yourself for however long you were, but now you're with us, and we'll accept you with open arms." He looked incredibly skeptical while I beamed at him. Di Angelo raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. Then I realized just how hollow that had sounded. I had just wanted to offer him reassurence, even though I had no idea what the next gathering would bring. Despite not everyone having it out for him, Sparky has quite some pull within our little group. I'm not sure what caused his change in mood, but he definitely won't let Ghost King leave unpunished. I put all the conviction I could muster into my voice when I said, "I can convince them. I know I can." 

He scoffs. "Sure you can. I might as well believe you, seeing as you're the only one willing to have a conversation with me, Sunshine." Sarcasm driped from his voice. "So, what's the second thing?"

Here's hoping this goes well. I took a deep breath to steel myself, and ask,"Why'd you kill those people?" 

The look of hauntedness was clear on di Angelo's face. Welp. I'm either going to die or live the rest of my life in humiliation. I'm not even sure which is worse. His whisper was so quiet I had to strain my ears to hear it. "I didn't."

What the fuck? This could mean. . . 

I made to touch his arm, but he leaned away quickly. He looked me in the eyes with a harsh gaze and stared for a moment. Apparently he didn't like what he saw, because he turned his head away and said, "You don't believe me." He laughs a bit, but it's humourless and dry. "I understand. It's a little hard to swallow. The suspect saying they didn't commit a crime always looks suspicious." 

The fact he might be innocent is enough to get me excited again. "Then can you explain? If it really wasn't you, then I can build a solid case to present to the other Heroes. You really can join us!" 

Di Angelo shook his head quickly. "I can't. I can't join. It wouldn't be safe for you."

The melancholy in his voice was almost too much."Why wouldn't it be safe?" I inquire, looking directly at him while he looked anywhere but me. 

"He said he would kill you." In the way he spoke, the way he slumped over a bit, all I could see was defeat. I wished he hadn't given up. Building hope from rock bottom is much more difficult than starting with it. 

I wanted to comfort di Angelo but instead I stiffened in panic. "And who is 'he?'" I said cautiously. 

He looked up and-

Gods of Olympus, help me. 

I scooted backwards off the edge of the bed as fast as possible. His eyes were molten gold, and he was showing off some rather impressive fangs with a sadistic smile. The grin was too wide for his face and looked terrifyingly maniacal. I couldn't stop myself. I screamed. "Oh, so you are afraid. Wonderful! I can work with that." The being's voice was deep and more of a rumble. That wasn't di Angelo right? There's no way. . . 

My door flung open. Standing there was Gemma. Or as I knew her, Hazel. "I heard screaming. Are you okay?" Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. 

I looked from her to the Ghost King. 

Then, before anything disasterous could happen, his body lost all tension as he fell unconscious. Luckily, he fell onto the bed, but I still rushed to check for injuries anyways. I swallowed my terror as I did a quick once over on him. Hazel seemed frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do. A large gash opened up along the Ghost King's forearm, blood flowing from the opening quick and warm. 

Where the hell did this come from? 

"What just happened? Is he alright?"

Hazel's question caught me off guard, even though she had always been compassionate towards any living entity. The way she delivered her words was quiet but confident, as if she were schemeing the next governmental coup. 

I take a deep breath and repositioned di Angelo so he was laying flat on my bed, face up. I set my hands gently over the wound on his forearm before letting some light from my palms sink into his pale skin. I chanted a short hymn to the god Apollo while I worked. I had found that invoking the Greek god of healing always enhanced my own powers. 

After finishing the chant, and checking for any other damage to di Angelo, I remembered Hazel was still here. She had been rather quiet, perhaps to help me concentrate, but I could never be sure with Hazel. "He's fine." I said. "Or he will be soon." 

Hazel signed with relief, and nodded. "In that case, I'm heading to the room full of arguing idiots." We shared a small smile. "Do you want me to tell them you'll be late?" 

Hazel and I have never known each other that well, but it's in those small moments where our shared compassion comes into play that I feel like we understand each other. "Yes, please," I said. "I'm staying with di Angelo until he wakes up."

I almost missed the look of confusion on her face when I said "di Angelo." I had forgotten to tell anyone about that. The second I had found a place that hadn't been searched, I had left as quickly as possible. Although Hazel didn't seem to particularly care how I figured out his name, I gave her a brief summary of what I'd been up to the past day. She merely listened and left the room without a word. 

I redirected all my focus to the boy on my bed. He seemed to be doing well, injury-wise. The hymn had healed his arm with minimal scarring, but di Angelo had yet to wake up. I wasn't too concerned, knowing that rest is a vital part of the healing process, and his little nap gave me time to think about how he got like this in the first place. 

I took a deep breath and sat on my butt with my back to the bed. I could hear the Ghost King's own steady breathing behind me and relaxed at the sound. At least he wasn't having any nightmares. Or being controlled by some creepy freak. 

How did that happen, though? I know that I won't know anything until death boy wakes up, but my brain still wanders. 

Was it another villain? A bigger threat? Or maybe it was just an act to confuse me? 

I shook my head at that last thought. There's no way that was an act. The way his eyes faded to molten gold and his voice went several too many octaves low confirmed that for me. But that still leaves the question. How did this happen? 

I startled when I heard a groan. I was in my feet in seconds, watching as di Angelo rolled over on his side and slowly opened his eyes. The chocolate brown hue immediately reassured me he was no threat. At least, not right now. I placed my hands on the shorter boy's shoulders to stop him from sitting up. "Nope!" I said. "Lay down, doctor's orders." 

Ducking away from my hands, di Angelo scowled, adjusting himself a tad so he could at least sit upright in compromise. I took the spot on the side of the bed. He seemed to be avoiding my gaze, angling his head downwards so I couldn't see his face. Was he. . . embarrassed? Then, I heard sniffling. 

Oh shit. He's crying. 

I frantically tried to figure out what to do. Despite what people may think about healers, I'm pretty bad at reading emotions and dealing with them sometimes. In an act of desperation, I asked, "Can I touch you?" 

A small nod. I swept him up in my arms and let him have a moment. I rocked us slowly back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The only indicator that he was actually crying was the damp spot on my shirt near my collarbone, and it was slowly growing. I don't know what caused this, but I'm sure as hell going to make sure di Angelo gets through it in one piece. 

It couldn't have been more then ten minutes later that the black-haired boy pulled away from me, wiping his face on his cloak. He took a few deep. steadying breaths and pulled himself together. His voice was slightly quieted, but not quite a whisper when he said, "I'm sorry."

Did he really just apologize for crying?

"No, don't be sorry." I give di Angelo what I hope is a soft, reassuring smile. "Everyone needs support from time to time."

He brushed my words off with a wave of his hand. "Right, because mass murderers have feelings, too." He said sarcastically. 

Oh hell no. 

If he thinks he can get away with invalidating his own feelings and shoving them in a corner for later, he is sorely mistaken. 

"Everyone has feelings that matter!" I argue. "Besides, you have plenty cause to be upset or just straight up emotionally exhausted!" 

Di Angelo was still trying to play it off. "Bold of you to assume I can do anything 'straight up.'"

Well, that shut me up effectively. 

The little smirk he gave me aided the search for my voice. "Bold of you to assume I'm going to allow self-depreciating talk within a fifty mile radius of me," I shot back. 

The sigh di Angelo heaved was low and defeated. He changed the topic. "I suppose you want answers." 

I let the matter drop, but not before silently swearing to have a heart-to-heart with him later. "I mean, that'd be nice." 

"And you don't want me imprisoned?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"Not one bit." 

"Alright, let's see if this changes your mind." Another heavy sigh, then, "I've got a madman forcefully invading my headspace."

I stared at him. My brain processed the information extraordinarily slow, allowing only one thought. That thought come tumbling out of my mouth when I said, "That actually makes so much sense!" 

Di Angelo flinched a bit at my volume. "Yes, well, glad you can summarize my life with a single sentence. Particularly one of my possession." 

It was my turn to flinch. "Sorry, it's just, this is what's going to get you out of trouble with everyone! We present this moment as evidence and the other Heroes will have to agree-" I get cut off. 

"And we all hold hands as we run through fields of flowers? Is that it? The perfect fairytale ending to a perfectly messed up story that no one thinks twice about?" I could see nothing but raw emotion in di Angelo's eyes. "We all forget everything that's shaped who we are and allow some silly daydream to take over everything?" He looked away. "That kind of happy ending isn't for me." 

I. . . 

Gods, how do I respond to that? 

I can see how di Angelo wouldn't think there would be a happy ending for him, but his words made me consider something I had never even gave a thought about before. To him, the pain he's experienced has made him who he is today, whoever that may be. But, as a healer, my whole job is to take away the pain. To allow the victim to be free of that burden. 

I had never once thought someone might want to hold onto what they contained. To own it and allow it to become a part of their identity. Yet, here di Angelo was, refusing to let go of the past for fear of losing a piece of himself.

"Okay." 

Di Angelo looked back at me. "Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay, we make our own happy ending." I mustered a small sad smile. "One where we remember our history, but don't allow it to cloud the future."

Silence. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Then, di Angelo laughed. He laughed. I was getting seriously concerned for his mental state by now. 

The raven-haired boy had doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach as he attempted to stand up off the bed. I didn't stop him as he got up and braced himself against the wall. I didn't stop him as he slid to the ground, laughter dying as he stared back at me. I certainly didn't stop him as he grabbed my arm and sat me next to him. 

Di Angelo took deep breath and let it out. "Why must all our conversations be so emotionally charged?" 

"Perhaps we're just emotional people." 

I was rewarded with half a smile. "Right."

"So, you think you can get your team to listen?" He asked with something I hadn't heard yet from him in his voice. Hope. 

I grabbed di Angelo's hand and began rubbing circles into the back of it. "With evidence, of course. But, really all they should need is my word." 

"So do we go break down their doors or. . .?" He sounded sincere when he asked, which made me question his moral compass, but we can work on that later. 

"I was thinking we could just go to their meeting. No door breaking needed." 

I could practically hear the record screech sound going through di Angelo's head. "Now?" 

I let go of his hand and stood up. After dusting myself off, I went to offer my hand back to di Angelo, but he had already gotten up as well. He took it anyway. "It'd probably be a good idea to go soon at least. They've probably already almost finished up," I said. 

"Alright." He looked to the floor for a moment and braced himself, as if about to face a particularly dangerous foe. "What's your name?" I was shocked into hesitating for a second, long enough to let di Angelo start rambling. "Not like your official Superhero name, your real name. Unless you don't want to tell me-"

"William Solace." He stopped talking abruptly. "Call me Will," I finished. 

The shorter boy nodded. "Nico di Angelo."

Finally, a fitting name to the handsome face before me. I squeezed Nico's hand and pulled him along to my door. He steeled himself and stepped over the threshold. That tiny step was probably the difference between safety and danger for him. 

I led Nico down my hallway and towards the grey coloured walls that led to our meeting room in silence. I stop right outside the entrance, giving Nico a final look. In return, I received a grim nod. I pushed open the doors, exposing us and our entwined hands to the Heroes. 

◣━━━━━━━━━━━◢

Chapter Text

NPOV

You know, this genuinely isn't how I thought my day would go. I mean, being kidnapped was definitely on my bucket list, but not like this. I was honestly surprised my brain was still functioning. I had cried, spilled some of my deepest resentments, and dealt with a stupid Titan. And to top it all off, Lumines- Will- had to put up with all that. I hadn't even provided a decent explanation and he just went along with it! Who does that?

A boy named William Solace, apparently.

I turned my attention to the room. This was easily the most civil these people have ever been towards me. Glares seem downright friendly when the person glaring at you has tried to kill you before. We all stood around a table which, comically, had McDonald's bags sitting in the middle.

The silence was worse than any attack they could've launched. I was going to lose my mind if it went on a moment longer.

My pleas to the universe were heard. "Are we really even considering letting a mass murderer get off with imprisonment? It's the whole "eye for an eye" thing. You kill someone, you die." Sparky said abruptly. Will, who was to my left, took a step closer to me. Aphrodite eyed us warily.

"Since when was that a rule?" Poseidon asked, using his arms to reaffirm his point. "Besides, I thought we agreed to hear him out as a group and stuff?"

Several suprised faces gave me the insight to assume that Poseidon was typically the class clown. Most didn't think him capable of being an important member of the team. That's gotta sting.

"Not to mention the countless charges of felonies!" Aphrodite pointed out.

"Do the felonies even matter after the fact that he's just a terrible person?! A murderer!" Poseidon remarked.

"Can he explain himself first? There might be a reason!" Will looked me dead in the eye whe he said this, giving me an opening to speak.

"Well I-" I started.

"A reason? A reason!?! There are no 'reasons' for killing people!" Gemma spoke up.

"If you'll let me explain-"

"No! There's no explanations!" Latino Elf said.

"Let him speak!" Shifter interjected.

"You should do that!" I said, giving Shifter a look of thanks. "Many years ago, my house burnt down with my family in it-"

"I'm sorry about your family but is this important to why you're killing people?" Wise Girl said.

You aren't gonna kick her ass for that?

It's tempting. But no. Please don't fight for control when I tell them. Makes me look insane.

But all the best people are!

Xander....

Fine. No craziness.

I kept my expression neutral and said,"Let me finish! A demon came from the fire and possessed me!"

Silence. You could've heard a pin drop. I examined everyone's faces for their reactions and found them mixed. Some looked shocked. Others, confused.

Finally a voice broke the silence.

"Like, you're possessed right now? Who are you?" Gemma said.

I take a deep breath.

"Yes, there is currently a creature inhabiting my mind. But I'm me."

"And who is that exactly?" said Sparky.

"HE'S A MURDERER FOR GODS SAKE!" yelled Wise Girl.

"Stop shouting! This is getting ridiculous." said Aphrodite.

"Can't you just admit we might've been wrong? That the world isn't black and white?" said Will.

"We can talk about fixing the world's dynamics later. We have to figure out what to do with Public Enemy Number 1 over here." Said Latino Elf.

"I would appreciate knowing my fate so I know how quickly I have to escape." I said smirking.

"Oh you won't be able to find your way outta here too easily." said Wise Girl with a matching attitude.

"Enough!" said both Lumin and Shifter.

"We should put him in the spare room!" Sparky said earnestly.

I hear mumbles of agreement around the table. Multiple people had smug expressions. That really pissed me off.

What shit are they planning now?

Cmon! Let me at them!

Hell no! I'm not in danger and Will won't let anything happen to me!

Will...

What about him?

I mean he's pretty hot.

Stop hitting on him for me.

As you wish. I could hear the snarkiness in his voice.

I realized I missed an entire conversation and the group was staring at me. Why would they...

"Why did your eyes go red?" asked Aphrodite hesitantly.

"I was speaking with Xander." I replied.

"Who's Xander?" Will questioned. Was that jealousy in his voice?

"The demon invading my head space."

Hey! I'm not invading! You let me in.

For the last time. ON ACCIDENT!

"Is he the one killing people?" asked Poseidon.

"Yeah. But he'll only take control of my body if he feels threatened. He survives in me as long as I survive."

"And you can stop him? Tell him to stop killing people?" Wise Girl implored.

"Yes, but he can hear you right now too."

"Does this change anything? We still have a problem and no solution." said Latino Elf.

"Well of course this changes things!" Will said.

"We can't kill him anymore! That would release the demon and he would wreck our base! Then where would we get free McDonalds?!" Sparky said, looking aghast.

"We're not going to kill him?! Yes!" Lumin exclaimed.

"No we won't kill him, but we need to do something with him." said Wise Girl.

"Any chance you can stop talking about me as if I'm not here? I have my own opinions too you know." I said, voice dripping with obviously fake kindness.

"And what are those opinions?" asked Gemma.

"Let me go free and I might be able to hold Xander back."

Hell no. you couldn't hold me back even now kid.

"I've got it!" said Aphrodite. "We need an exorcist!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said.

"We could get Xander out and you could have a normal life!" said Will, looking life a puppy with his excitement. Why the hell would he excited?

"Someone get the ropes!" Poseidon commanded.

"On it!" Latino Elf ran out of the room.

"EXCUSE ME! BUT I WOULD DIE IF YOU DID THIS!"

"Oh. Perfect! Then we don't have to deal with both of you!" Sparky said.

"NO! WE CAN'T! HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DIE!"

Why was Lumin standing up for me? He and his adorable floof of hair should hate me. I deserve that.

"Guys we can't just kill people!" Shifter spoke up for the first time in a while.

"The majority of the group has already said we can so..." Sparky pulled out the emergency weapons from under the table, claimed a sword, and said "now we just wait for the ropes."

Then he attacked.

When he lunged, I faded into the shadows and became incorporeal. He passed right through me and fall face first on the floor. It was a domino chain after that. Everyone grabbed their weapons from the table and started trying to land a hit. Everyone except Will.

I remained ghostly as I crept over to him and asked him "you remember your promise right?"

His eyes went wide and he turned to face me, but that alerted the others to where I was. They all came at me and I just stood there. I was about to pass out from the effort to remain a specter and I collapsed. But someone caught me. They glowed. Then I was being ripped away from them, blindfolded, and tied down to a chair.

"What are you doing?!?" came a voice through the haze.

"There's a demon inside him Will!"

"And? He hasn't done anything to us!"

"Yet!"

"I can't believe you guys!"

"Well believe it." a new voice said. Sparky.

"No." that one simple word, spoken with a seething rage that couldn't be contained. The blindfold slipped off to reveal Will glowing with an intensity leaving me seeing sunspots.

Sparky and Wise Girl looked at each other. Then back at Will.

"Please calm down, we just need to kill the demon." Annabeth tried to reason.

"Which in turn kills him!" Lumin said back.

"It'll be fine!" Sparky reassured. Then brought out a dagger, engraved with markings in ancient Greek.

He strode over to me and cut into my forearm. Deep. I cried out in pain, but I couldn't move far because of my bindings.

Lumin lost it.

His hands were around Sparky's neck before Annabeth could stop him. She tried to pry him off, but he was too strong. Sparky collapsed in a pile on the floor, bruises already blooming on his neck.

"Aw shit Solace. Why'd you do that?" I said, being the everpresent source of sarcasm.

"I-I-I don't k-know." he stuttered out.

Wise Girl looked in shock from Sparky to Will.

"He's not dead right? He can't be dead. He's immortal." Annabeth panicked a little.

"He's fine." I said, unable to sense a death in the room.

Will turns to me "My room. Now." he faded to light.

I took one last look at Sparky and faded into the shadows.

Chapter Text

WPOV

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Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

What the hell did I just do?

"Are you going to tell me why you wanted us here or...?" Nico asked.

We're both sitting on the bed, criss cross applesauce, facing each other.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I just... Got ahead of myself?" I reply.

He snorted. "That's what you call getting ahead of yourself?"

"I guess? I didn't want him to hurt you."

"Speaking of which." he motioned to his cut arm.

"Oh! I'll get my bandages!" I leap up from the bed and grabbed the first aid kit I had used early from the floor where it had fallen.

I sat back on the bed and took Nico's arm. Hovering my hands above the wound, I sang quietly while I pushed my light into the wound. Nico hissed and yanked his arm back.

I look him in the eyes. "Nico, you have to let me heal this so it doesn't get infected."

"Fine."

He held his arm back out and I finished applying antibacterial gel and began to wrap his arm. When I was finished, our hands lingered a little longer than what they should've. Nico quickly went to drop his hand, but I grabbed it.

"What are you-"

"Your hand is soft."

He pulled back hard.

"Excuse me? My hand is soft?!"

"Yes." I neutralize my features to keep from laughing.

"You son of a-!"

I burst out laughing before he could finish. He tried to yell at me, but I was laughing too hard to understand. He resorted to laying on the ground, arm raised above his head, both hands in a rude gesture.

I took his wrists and pulled him up, putting him on the bed next to me. We looked at each other, and the mood became solemn.

"Hey Nico" I say softly.

"Yeah?"  he responds as quietly as me.

"Sparky got what he deserved."

He looked at me in shock "you would say that about your own team?! For me?!?"

"I couldn't stand to see you get hurt."

"I know your supposed to be the superhero, but I'm the villain! You're not supposed to help me!" he raised his voice "you're supposed to hate me and lock me up and-"

"I will never let anyone lock you up, ok? I promise"

He smirked at my words. "After your last promise Solace?"

"In my defense, I didn't kill him!"

"You were going to!"

"I WAS NO-well yes maybe I was, but that besides the point!"

He laughed. It was a beautiful sound. I was captivated until he wave his hand in front of my face.

"Heeelllloooo? Earth to Solace?"

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

"What are we going to do? They'll try to kill both of us now! Well they'll exorcise me, but they might kill you!"

"Good point." I thought for a moment. "Let's call another meeting and tell them that if they try to kill either of us, we'll go and cause some chaos."

"Are you, the good guy, offering to go on a crime spree?"

"Why yes I am!" I wink at him.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go get ourselves killed!"

"Alright then!"

I pull out a radio from my nightstand and turn the knob on top.

"Hello Team Schist, this is Sunshineboi, I would like to request a meeting in out normal spot, in one hour. All who approve, speak now."

I hear crackles and static over the radio.

"This is KoiFish, I'm in"

"I guess if KoiFish is going I'll go, this is Rhinestone"

"I hate you after what happened to Jaso- I mean Lightning Boy, but I'm in. This is Cupid"

Nico raised his eyesbrows at the name. "Later" I mouthed.

More static. "Can I bring my knives?"

"Depends. Are you going to maim anyone?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Ok then. Go ahead."

"Thanks Sunshineboi. This is Owl Head by the way."

"I kinda figured that."

Loud static filled the air. Then someone yelled over the radio.

"REPAIR BOY MCSHIZZLE VALDEZ SHALL BE ATTENDING THIS MEETING!"

Both me and Nico flinched at his volume. He snatched the radio from my hand and spoke into it.

"GHOST KING TO REPAIR BOY DO YOU COPY?"

I stared at him. Utterly and profoundly confused.

"HELL YEAH GHOSTIE BOI!"

"WELL THEN STOP SCREAMING!"

"Fine. You haven't seen the last of me though...."

What the fuck just happened.

My expression must've looked pretty funny because Nico took one look at me, set down the radio, and busted out laughing.

I chuckled, still confused.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked.

He thought for a moment. "He said Valdez right?" I nod. "I ran into a Leo Valdez in a McDonalds and we talked."

"You and Leo. Talked?"

Well yes, I do sound a little.... jealous. But I should be the only one that he likes. Oh shit. I sound crazy. Nico can do whatever he wants and it's not my business.

"-and then he ate my happy meal!"

I gasp and clutch my heart over dramatically. "How could Leo do such a terrible terrible thing!"

Nico grinned. That made me happy. I checked the time.

"Neeks we have to go! The meeting starts in 15 minutes!"

"Neeks? How many nicknames are you going to make for me?" He looked at me, annoyance clear.

"Many as I want!" I pouted.

"Alright then Sunshine. Let's go. " he said smirking.

I took his hand and pulled him towards the door, still thinking about how soft it is. After walking through the main room and to the meeting door, I turned and said "major deja vu."

He grumbled. "If you even try to kill anyone I swear-"

"I won't! Unless you do!"

He sighed and pushed open the door where he was greeted by six faces. Expressions varied from amusement (Latino Elf) to fear.(Aphrodite) Per- I mean Poseidon was not in attendance and Lightning Boy was lying on a cot in the back of the room.

Nico stepped in confidently and stood where I usually stood at the table. He spread his hands out and said "Alright! Who wants to try to kill me first?"

Silence. Annabeth slowly raised her hand, clutching a dagger I might add. Piper's hand went up as well. The girls glared at each other.

"He said who wants to kill him first. And I for one would enjoy that" Piper said.

Annabeth, taking a deep breath, yelled "DIBS!"

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T CALL DIBS!" Piper yelled back.

"BUT I DID!"

The girls started bickering.

I looked at Nico and made eye contact.

He is so cute! With his fluffy hair and emo clothes.... And red eyes?

He was shaking. I thought for a second he night be crying, but then I heard the laughter. It was deep and manical and terrifying.

"You really thought I'd let you kill my vessel?" the voice was deep, threatening, and amused. Shadows surrounded him, making Nico look badass.

Not the time Will.

Everyone in the room froze. Piper and Annabeth both had their daggers out and ready to strike. I approached Nico slowly. He backed away.

Eventually he got himself backed into a corner and I wondered what was happening to everyone to keep the silence. I looked back and saw them all staring at me like they were already at my funeral.

"What are you going to do to me?" came a raspy, shaky voice.

Well first I would pick you up and run away. Then I would kiss you. Then we would have the standard slightly cringe worthy happy ending.

My response was a lot less dignified. "I'll uh ki- no uh hmmmmm"

He looks just as confused as I felt.

"Your going to do what now?" Said Jason.

An audible gasp can be heard. Lightning Boy was standing on the about 15 feet away looking pretty mad.

I am so dead

"Heeeeeyyyyy Jason." I point finger guns at him.

"So who's got the honor of killing this fucker?" he states calmly.

"Nobody. I refuse to hurt him!" I said, anger rising.

Nico stepped to my side. I looked at him and saw his eyes were their beautiful chocolate brown again.

"Hey Will?"

"Yes Neeks?"

"I would very much like to kiss you."

I stood dumbfounded. He started to walk towards Jason and held out his wrists, which Annabeth bound with some rope. Piper came over and used her powers to make me stay.I still couldn't move even when they took him to the spare room. What shook me from my daze was screaming. Loud bloodcurdling screams.

I ran like mad to the dungeon. I found a small boy strapped to chair surrounded in with salt, candles and blood. Jason stood chanting something with a book open in his hands and ripped open pillow pets at his feet.

I don't know who the hell this is, but

It's not Jason.