The questing demigods say goodbye to Camp Half-Blood, and hello to London.

Chapter Rating: General Audiences

Content Warning: None

Word Count: 4762

And all the characters are owned by JK Rowling, or Rick Riordan.

Nico hummed along to a My Chemical Romance song on his iPod while he finished his packing. He was just finishing his last sweep of the cabin when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" He took one of his earbuds out. He expected it to be Percy or Annabeth, telling him to move his butt so they could get started on the quest. Instead, he found himself face to face with someone else.

Will Solace.

"Why is it that I had to hear about this quest from Kayla?" Will asked, his irritation evident in his voice. Nico forced himself to look Will in the eye like a normal person would.

Don't think about how blue those eyes are.

Those instructions turned out to be counterproductive, because that soon became all Nico could think about.

"I've got better things to do than talk to you, Solace." Nico let just enough snark drip into his tone so it could come off as teasing, but not cruel. This was how he and Will worked; they argued and teased in a way that Nico didn't dare to hope was flirtatious.

It is with me. I'm so far gone it's pathetic.

"Too bad. I thought we were friends..." Will's voice trailed off, sarcasm still intact. Nico rolled his eyes just enough so Will would notice. He only watched as the son of Apollo walked towards him at a snail's pace, teasing smile on his lips. Those perfect lips... it was all Nico could do not to shove Will against the wall and kiss him senseless.

Will stood right in front of him now. He took the earbud dangling at Nico's side, and plugged it in his own ear. The closeness made Nico's heart beat about a million miles an hour. "The Ghost of You." Will smiled knowingly. "Classic Neeks."

"You know I hate that nickname."

"Still avoiding the question?"

"Things just got... busy, ok? I, um, got busy."

Idiot! Of all the things to come out of my mouth...

"You could die, Nico, and that's all I get? Is that the best goodbye you could come up with?"

Will reached into Nico's pocket, removing the iPod. Time seemed to freeze in that very second, and Nico's senses went into overdrive. He could feel the ghost of Will's hand on his leg, hear the little click echo when the pause button was hit.

Silence.

Will's other hand drifted up to Nico's forehead, then moved some hair out of his eyes.

Is Will... is he... does he...

Nico wasn't able to form a coherent thought, not with the way Will was playing with his hair. He had never done this before. Nico's heart pounded with such ferocity there was no way Will couldn't hear it. His skin felt aflame from the closeness... the way Will twirled his bangs around his finger...

Will looked at the ground, then back at Nico, then smiled. "I'll help you bring your stuff out, I guess." He started to back away. Acting on pure, irrational instinct, Nico grabbed his hand to stop him. Will gulped. "I thought you hate to be touched." The words came out as little more than a whisper; Will's lips less than an inch from Nico's.

"You never listen to what I say anyway." Nico closed the gap separating their faces. Their lips brushed for half a second, then, his sudden confidence gone, Nico pulled away. His and Will's foreheads touched, heads so close Nico could feel the heat of the other boy's breath. They held in that position for a long second, relishing in the impromptu moment.

Once it was over, however, embarrassment crept up on Nico's cheeks. Will hadn't even kissed him back.

Does he not like me?

"I-- I'm sorry if you didn't want to do that, Will, I mean--"

That was the moment Will decided to kiss him back. Nico's iPod dropped from his hand thoughtlessly, dropping to the cabin floor. The earbuds ripped out of both the boys' ears, also falling unceremoniously to the ground with a thud. Neither boy cared, they didn't even notice. Will was too busy, his body pushing Nico against the wall of the Hades cabin, hips moving slightly as he drowned in the scent of his partner. Nico allowed his hands to explore Will's curly locks, eyes clenched tight with passion and teeth nibbling on Will's bottom lip. The kiss was perfect: heated, passionate, emotional, gentle, and innocent all at the same time. It was everything Nico had ever dreamed of and more.

Will drew his lips back first, gasping for air. "I didn't think you liked me back," he panted.

"Neither did I," Nico admitted.

Will gave an adorkable smirk, then moved his lips to Nico's neck. Nico's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, but the all-consuming passion of their first kiss had lost its potency. Thoughts of his quest, and his promise to his father, returned. Like Chiron said, it was best not to keep his father waiting; even over something as important as kissing Will.

"My quest," Nico mumbled. "Someone's going to come in here and see us."

That made Will pull away. Part of Nico begged him not to. "Yeah, that would be kinda awkward." Both boys laughed, so overcome with raw emotion neither could function. "You'd better talk to me every day while you're in Britain."

Nico placed one last, long, lingering kiss on Will's lips. "I'll Iris message you the minute I can. Now help me with my stuff." Will cocked his head to the side and shook it in disappointment, like Nico was some kind of hopeless case. Nico didn't want to admit how utterly adorable it was. The two boys walked out of the Hades cabin together, acting calm, inconspicuous, like they hadn't just exited a make-out session.

"Hey, di Angelo! We were about to start searching for you!" Percy's shout greeted the boys when they walked onto the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Nico imagined what Percy would've done had he walked in on them kissing a few minutes prior. One look at Will confirmed he was thinking the same thing. Brown eyes met blue, and then they both doubled over, laughing like hyenas. They couldn't help it--emotions were running high after what just happened in the cabin. Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look of their own, one of utter confusion.

"Sorry," Nico apologized, forcing himself to stop laughing. "You had to be there." Will cracked up with that, making Percy and Annabeth look even more confused. Finally, Will got himself under control and waved one last goodbye to the three of them. Then, he left for his cabin to get ready for dinner.

"Um, what was that about?" Annabeth asked.

Nico wiped the smile off his face, getting himself under control. He shrugged with nonchalance, slung his bag over his shoulder, and looked around. He wanted to engrave the valley in his mind; it could be months before he saw it again. "It's nothing. Grab your stuff and take my hands, guys."

Percy raised an eyebrow at him. "You're letting us touch you?" Percy's voice filled with sass, reminding Nico of Will's taunts just before.

Eyes on the prize, di Angelo. Not on your super hot... um... is he your boyfriend now?

"First and last time in your life, Jackson," Nico replied. He forced Will from his thoughts; whatever they were or weren't would have to wait. With a confidence befitting only a child of the Underworld, Nico ran into the darkness of the evening's light, his friends beside him. Three bodies melted into the shadows of the trees a second before they hit them.

The three demigods emerged at King's Cross Station, after a few seconds of the high-speed tunnels Annabeth associated with shadow traveling. Not her favorite mode of transport, to say the least, but, it did the job.

Now in public again, Annabeth looked around making sure no one had seen them emerge from the shadows. From the lack of bewildered stares, no one had. Smartly, Nico had picked a secluded corner of the station for them to enter through, so few mortals were anywhere near.

The moment his feet hit the ground, Nico's knees buckled. He dropped like a fly, into Percy's waiting arms. "Long journey, for him," Percy noted.

Annabeth nodded. That was pretty obvious."You'll have to carry him while we find our way around here." Annabeth fished around in her bag for the tickets Chiron gave them. "Platform nine and three-quarters? Where's that?"

Percy shrugged, to the best of his ability with Nico in his arms, anyway. "I know about as much as you."

"We'll have to look around for it, then." Annabeth scooped up Nico's bag, which had dropped on the floor when he'd fainted. Percy, who'd found a sign declaring the nearest platform 'Platform Five', began to walk down the long corridor with Annabeth on his tail. They made their way to platform nine, figuring that's around where their platform would be. But, Annabeth didn't see any signs with fractions on them as they walked, which made her nervous.

Annabeth thought they must look odd to the mortals, with an unconscious boy in their arms and no adults in sight. If they did, however, no one noticed. She knew it might be the Mist, covering up a possible example of magic from the mortals. But, that was a long-shot, since the Mist didn't tend to deal with demigod embarrassments or societal norms. Much more likely, the lack of stares came from the big city aura she was all too familiar with. With so many people in big cities like London (or San Francisco), weird became the norm. Locals saw so much weird stuff that, as long as it didn't affect them, they didn't care. Sometimes, that reality worked more in the favor of the magical world than the Mist.

Just as Annabeth feared, platform nine and three-quarters didn't exist. There was a platform nine, a platform ten, and a brick wall between them. But, the train wasn't set to leave until eleven the next morning, which gave her and Percy time to figure out the issue. It was about ten at night in London (EST plus five hours equaled GMT; it had been five when they left camp), so, they could find a place to rest and form a plan. Annabeth figured that a good night's sleep would allow her to address the issue with a clear head, instead of wasting time staying here and freaking out.

"We'll worry about finding the train tomorrow, Percy. Right now, we should find a motel or someplace cheap for Nico to sleep." Percy agreed readily, his fatigue from carrying Nico so long apparent in his face.

Annabeth double checked how much mortal money they had as they walked out of the station. They had the standard amount for quests: seventy pounds, equivalent to about one hundred dollars. Since the followers of Hecate had their own currency, and the quest took place in that world, Annabeth figured they wouldn't need to rely on pounds much. So, it wasn't as necessary to conserve them as it was on other quests, meaning they could splurge on a motel. Having spent the majority of her quests sleeping on mounds of dirt or circus trucks, a bed-bug infested motel seemed like an upgrade.

They checked into a motel about a mile from the station. It was nicer than Annabeth expected. At least, there weren't bed bugs, fleas, or dust anywhere. The room was pretty standard: two double beds, a couch, and a chest of drawers for storage. Once they got their room, Percy laid Nico down on the bed, fixing the pillows under Nico's head with care.

"Why do you do that?" Annabeth asked.

Percy looked up from Nico, his eyebrows knit together. "Do what?"

"Act like that with Nico. Like he's your little brother or something. I mean, I know he's our friend and all, but you always go the extra mile with him."

"I do? Like when?"

"Like just now, fixing the pillows and stuff. You wouldn't do that for too many other people."

Percy looked back down at Nico, chest rising and falling. He gave a small, warm smile. "I dunno. He is my first cousin, after all. I just feel protective of him, especially 'cause it's kind of my fault he's got no mortal family left. Maybe I do think of him as my brother... I just feel like he needs someone, and if that someone's me, so be it."

Annabeth couldn't help but give a smile of her own. She crossed the room, pulled him close, and placed a small kiss on her boyfriend's lips. "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard you say. But Bianca's death wasn't your fault. And he has Hazel."

Percy nodded, drawing Annabeth in a little closer. "I know. But Hazel can't be here all the time, and Bianca... I promised Nico I'd protect her. When I couldn't do that, I told Bianca that I'd take care of him." His eyes moved back to Nico for half a second. "I won't break that promise. It was practically Bianca's dying wish."

Annabeth understood that. Or, at least, she understood the way that kind of duty felt. She couldn't think of anything to say, so she just held her boyfriend close, drinking in the moment. With her head resting on his shoulder, she felt completely and utterly at peace.

I love you, seaweed brain.

It took Nico a moment to get his bearings once he woke. Without opening his eyes, he could tell that he was moving pretty fast, and, based on the numerous voices around him, he was in some kind of crowd. He knew he should wake himself up, but the urge to fall back asleep overwhelmed him. After some self-coaxing, he opened his eyes, allowing a flood of blurry images to enter his brain. Around him, he saw brick walls and towering glass ceilings--he was in King's Cross Station. Despite his groggy brain, Nico realized with a jolt what was going on. He was in Percy's arms, rushing down the platforms. In broad daylight. In public. Bridal-style.

There goes any sense of pride I might've had.

Waking up from a long shadow travel made him feel like he'd recovered from a general anesthetic, making it impossible for him to express his embarrassment as eloquently as he would like.

"Percy!" Nico demanded, his voice weak but hostile. "Put me down!"

Yeah, that works.

Percy and Annabeth stopped running. Percy even looked down at him in surprise, like he was the one who just woke in the arms of his former crush, embarrassed, in public, and probably getting weird looks from strangers. "Sorry, Nico. The train leaves in ten minutes. It was getting too late to wait for you to wake up."

At long last, he lowered Nico onto shaky feet. It took him a few moments to steady himself, but he managed it, plus another annoyed glare. "Haven't you ever heard of waking somebody up?"

"We tried," Annabeth countered. "For a good fifteen minutes. That's why we're rushing."

"Sorry," Nico apologized, more embarrassment creeping up on his cheeks. He hated being weak and helpless, even for a little while. "Shadow traveling this far takes a lot out of me."

"No one's blaming you," Percy assured him. "We just need to figure out how to get to a platform that doesn't exist."

As the three walked--Nico didn't trust himself running--to platforms nine and ten, Annabeth filled him in on their search the day before. "If worst comes to worst, we can always shadow travel again," he pointed out.

Annabeth shook her head. "We can't. A) you don't know where the school is precisely, so we might get lost, B) it would take too much out of you, and you'd pass out again, this time for longer, and, C) we agreed to keep our heads down and not reveal who we are unless absolutely necessary. How would it look if three kids appeared out of thin air from the shadows? Anyone who knew about the gods would know that one of us is a son of Hades."

She was right, but Nico's concern was growing. They had maybe ten minutes until their only mode of transport to the quest would leave without them. He'd promised his father he wouldn't fail, and it hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet. For a quest intended to make Hades proud, failing in a day would not have the desired effect.

With seven minutes to go, Nico heard salvation. "Come on, platform nine and three-quarters is right over there. Sirius, stop chasing cats!"

Sirius had to be their dog, as there was a black bear-like creature chasing, what else? A cat, scared out of its wits. This spectacle caused one of the boys in the group--a boy with glasses and brown hair--to shake with laughter.

Annabeth, with the same idea as Nico, walked over to the woman in charge, a plump, ginger in her early forties. "Excuse me, ma'am, did you say platform nine and three-quarters?"

The woman smiled, though she looked confused. "A bit old to be a first year, my dear."

"It's my seventh year, technically," Annabeth answered. It was almost like she'd practiced... which she probably had. "I'm an exchange student from America. I'm Annabeth, that's my boyfriend Percy and his cousin Nico. Percy's in seventh year too, but Nico's in fifth. We're just confused, we've never been to England before."

The woman gave a tender smile. "I'm Molly Weasley. My son Ron and his friends Harry and Hermione are in fifth year, too." She turned to a ginger-haired boy, a girl standing next to him, and the boy who'd been laughing at the dog. They all looked around Nico's age. "Ron! Harry! Hermione! Meet these new students, one of them is going to be in your year."

The girl, Hermione, ran up to Nico and shook his hand. "I'm Hermione. So you're from America? What's it like? I've never been!"

Nico recoiled slightly, shocked with the onslaught of her sudden curiosity. "Um, about the same...?"

"But it's supposed to be rainy here," Percy cut in. "And you're all supposed to be proper and stuff, right? With those double-brimmed hats and wooden pipes and--"

Annabeth shot Percy a look, then turned back to the confused Hermione. "Sorry about him. He has a stupid sense of humor."

"Hey!" Percy protested. "It's part of my charm!" The entire situation was so absurd that even the adults gave a little chuckle.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley calmed them down. "Harry, Ron, Hermione, you stay with Lupin while I take these dears to the platform." A shaggy man Nico hadn't noticed before stepped forward. He ushered the kids to the side, while Mrs. Weasley guided the demigods to the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. Nico turned back, watching Lupin and another man with an electric blue eye talking to the kids. With the serious looks on their faces, it reminded Nico of battle-planning at camp. Harry looked up and locked eyes with him, sending a clear message.

'This is none of your business.'

It was only for a second, but it was enough to make Nico's blood boil. He didn't have long to process the anger, though, because Mrs. Weasley started to talk. "You just run into this wall, and it will take you to the platform."

"Running into walls? This should be your specialty, Neeks," Percy teased.

Nico groaned at the stupid nickname. "Don't call me that."

"Why? Will does it."

"And I tell him the same thing. He just doesn't listen. I'm starting to think it's worse than 'death boy.' "

Mrs. Weasley looked confused at the exchange. "Why would running into walls--" She cut herself off with a shake of the head. "It's none of my business. On you go."