A week later, after tons of practising and singing lessons, the big day was there: The talent show would start in the evening. Everyone seemed excited.... except for Nico, who was lying in his bed and was about to finish the next mortal instruments book.

He opened the final page, when Will ran in.

"Come on, we need to get dressed and finish everything!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Not yet, you spork! Let me read."

Will came over to the bed and tried to grab Nicos book out of his hands. "Let's gooo!"

"No-hoooo. I'm at the final page."

Will took Nicos hand and pulled him away from the bed. "It'll wait for you. The show won't."

Nico groaned. "You sound like a child of Nike!"

"Come on, Neeks. We've been waiting so long for that moment!"

"Will, you've been waiting for that. I didn't have the idea. But yeah... let's go."

Will breathed out. "Thanks!"

He grabbed his elbow and pulled Nico outside and to the Apollo cabin. "It's empty now, we can get dressed."

Suddenly, Nico hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do this? I'm... I don't know...."

"Nico, it'll be great. Forget about the others, believe in yourself! You are amazing."

"You're so cheesy, dudeeeee. They'll laugh at us!"

"And? Who cares? They're just jealous because we are cool enough to sing and they're not."

Nico sighed. "Okay. But if I should faint, it's your fault."

"I'll catch you."

"Aw."

They got into the Apollo cabin and Will pulled two outfits out of the closet. "Let's go for it!"

Half an hour later, everything was on point.

"You look AWESOME, death boy!"

Nico blushed. "Thanks, sunny."

"Let's go, or we'll be late!"

Will ran out and Nico sighed. "Why are you so motivated?"

Will ignored him. "I'm so excited!"

"Mhm."

They went to the place where the campfire usually was. Now, there was a big empty floor, where the stage and the dance floor should be.

Nico gasped. "Where did they put the campfire?"

Will shook his head. "Oh, I think some Hephaestus kid put it away and will place it there again afterwards."

Nico was kind of impressed.

All the others were already there and cheered and shouted. "Have they started without us?" Will sounded upset.

In that moment, Chiron stood up. "Hello demigods! Welcome to the very first camp halfblood- talent show! Let the fun begin!"

Mr. D just waved unimpressed at the audience and looked pissed off.

A loud voice started talking.

"Lady's and Gentleman, our first big talents-"

"Leo is the show master? That's a terrible idea!" whispered Nico.

"I don't know why they've chosen him. It'll be fun."

"- are me and my hot gf! Applause!"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Totally fun."

Leo and Calypso rushed on the stage. While Calypso started voice exercises, Leo took a few things out of his belt and started to work.

Everyone started mumbling. "Is that their trick?"

"I don't know, man."

"I'm bored."

Suddenly, something exploded. Leo started burning. "Damnit!" he shouted, "I've set myself on fire again!"

Nico saw Jason on the other side grinning.

Calypso opened her arms. "Oh boy! Let me cure you with one of my beautiful songs."

Without waiting for an answer, she started singing and Nico immidiatly got goose bumbs because it was so epic.

Her voice was clear and loud and Nico didn't understood the words, but the song reminded him of good times. Of sunshine, and pirates and pomegranates and old mythomagic games.

He wanted to take Wills hand, when suddenly some giant fireworks erupted from the ground. Leo, who was still on fire, made them and they immidiatly went into the sky. Big, red hearts filled the sky and together with Calypsos singing, it was propably one of the most aesthetic moments in Nicos life so far.

Nico spotted Annabeth and Percy, who kissed. He had to smile.

"That was the amazing show of Calypso and Leo! I bet you're mind is blown right now! Vote for team caleo!" With these words, Leo pulled everyone back into the reality. The demigods started shouting and clapping and cheering and Nico gulped. "Will, we won't ever top that!"

Will took his hand for a short, short moment. "No one cares! We're here to have fun!"

"The next act!" yelled Leo, "the Stoll-brothers! I don't know what they're going for, it kinda looked like 'who can knit the worst scarf'? Let's go!"

Nico slapped his forehead with his hand. "This makes me cringe."

After many more acts, including Sam who showed off on the piano, Clarisse, who made poems like a child of Apollo, Piper and Annabeth, who flashed everyone with their hotness and wisdom and Percy and Jason, who started their act with 'Bro, we should get matching anchor tatoos!'

'Bro, why?'

'Because then our friendship never floats away!' and then messed everything up with ice cold waves and giant lighting bolts and yelling 'BROMANCE' several times,

after all those acts, Leo finally shouted: "And now we have Will Solace together with Nico di Angelo, let the performance begin!"

Everything went silent. Nico took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. Will did as well and then he whispered into Nicos ear: "We can do this, death boy. I love you."

Butterflies flew through Nicos stomach his whole body suddenly felt like gold. Everything was golden. Everything was beautiful.

But he didn't got the chance to answer, because before he could move or say something, Will already chimed on the stage and grabbed the microphone.

The first notes of 'message man' started playing (live by the other Apollo kids just to get into it) and Nico dissolved into the shadows. Will started singing the lights flickered in a very intense way.

Will wasn't even singing bad, but Nico was so nervous and concentrated that he didn't notice. The chorus was coming up and without thinking another minute, Nico jumped out of the shadows and rose on the middle of the dance floor, together with six sceletons who moved around him.

"Release me from the present, I'm obsessing all these questions while I'm in denial..." he rapped those words so quickly that he was almost to fast for the music, then, when it was Wills part again he dissolved back to the shadows again. Everyone sang along and clapped and shouted.

"I'm taking this moment to live in the future!" Nico did a giant jump and around them, a flame wall appeared. The audience screamed.

Nico had no idea who it was, but the person who made the light show did an amazing job. Everything around them seemed to flicker and gloom at the same time and Will sang like a world - champion and Nico didn't care what everyone thought. He was fully into the performance. When the song got to his end, the demigods nearly went insane. The actual plan was that Nico, Will and the sceletons should dissolve into the shadows after the act, but so many people screamed "MOOORE" that Nico looked at Will and raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Should we do one more?"

Will, whose face was red and whose eyes sparkled, looked straight at him. "Do you want to?"

Nicos smirk got bigger. "Yes, dude!" He removed the shadows around them and yelled into the microphone. "Guys, we'll be singing another song for you-", he was interrupted by screams, "and it's going to be 'when the day met the night' by Panic!At The Disco!"

He turned to Will. "Is that okay with you?" But Will just looked like he was about to start scream too. "I LOVE that song so much and oh gods it represents us so much!"

Nico smiled and waved at the Apollo kids, who started with the first notes of the tune.

Because Will looked like he was kinda out of breath, Nico started.

"When the moon fell in love with the sun..."

The air shimmered golden. Will was glowing, just like in the cave and he joined Nicos singing with the most beautiful smile Nico had ever seen. "All was golden when the day met the night."

The moon was shining bright in the sky and around them, literal sparks flew. Nico didn't knew what was going on, but he sang one of his favourite songs with the person he loved and everyone screamed and someone in the audience yelled "I ship it!"

"The middle of summer..."

Will came closer and closer and when the song ended, they stood right in front of eachother and looked into eachothers eyes. Will put the microphone down and leaned down and for for a second Nico thought that he'd kiss him, but he whispered into his ear: "That was was so cheesy."

Nico glared at him. "It's supposed to be cheesy. It's a love song."

The last tones of the song were played and for a second, everyone was silent and lost in the sounds and the glow. Then, they stormed the dancing area. People hugged Nico and Will and girls gave them kisses on the cheek and then other music started playing again, and everyone danced and the boys stood in the very middle. Jason used his elbows to get through the crowd. He pointed at Nico and Will and shouted: "You guys should start a band!"

Even Sam, hand in hand with a girl Nico had never seen before, gave him the biggest hug ever. "You were freaking amazing!"

Nicos heart was still beating to fast after the performance and Adrenaline rushed through his veins.

He couldn't explain why, but he saw everything in slow - motion. All his friends dancing around him, the moon and the stars above them, the smell of summernight and magic in the air, and Will in front of him, who looked at him like he was the lucky one. Like he was the one who won the first price, like Nico was the first price. That look made Nicos knee weak and the butterflies in his stomach started to play again.

And at that moment, he knew that that was happiness. He knew that he didn't care about what other people said. He loved that boy and if someone would hate him, then it wasn't his fault.

With a sudden mix of anger and courage, he faced Will again.

"Will, we are fireworks, okay?" With these words, Nico grabbed Wills face and pulled him down into a kiss. With all the others watching. In the middle of all his closest friends dancing.

For a split second, it seemed like everything went quiet. Nico felt like even the music stopped. But he didn't care. He felt like young volcanoes again.

And then everyone started cheering.