Hey guys! I've always loved a good Musician AU, and therefore I've written one. In this fic, Will Solace can sing, despite the canon contrary. Throughout the story, I will be using multiple songs written by different people, and although I will be using them, I do not own them. I also do not own the Percy Jackson characters. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: With the Strum of a Guitar

Nico grunted as he helped Connor and Travis lift the drums into the back of the bus. Connor and Travis, Nico's bandmates, were eager to get on the road, and Nico didn't blame them. Their record company had decided that it would be a good idea for the three of them to go tour the smaller cities in the US to help promote the record label and their band, and the Stoll brothers had been more than excited.

The three of them had discovered each other a couple years ago at summer camp. Nico had been sitting at his table, alone as usual, singing softly to himself. He had always done it, especially when he was feeling lonely, and today he was feeling a bit shut out from the others. His group of "friends" that he normally hung out with had just found out that he was gay, and had promptly and not at all politely cut him out from the group. Naturally, Nico had felt the pain of rejection, but he had felt it before and simply went to a different table, where he was left alone. Two years later, and the table was unofficially officially called the "Death by Rainbows" table, and Nico continued sitting alone.

Nico didn't know when he had started singing as a way to cope. In fact, most of the people around him (when not laughing at him or ignoring him) would say that he wasn't musical at all. It simply wasn't what Nico was into! He was into death and scowling and guys, not music. Of course, no one bothered asking Nico what he was into or what he liked, and he would have (albeit grudgingly) agreed that, yes, he was into death and scowling at people who got too close to him and guys, but he always had his earbuds in, listening to music. He loved everything, well, everything except for country music. If one got lucky enough to get into his playlists, one would find rap music, movie soundtracks, show tunes, pop songs, and more.

But no one cared. So Nico just sat at his table, with his earbuds in, singing softly along to whatever was playing. This was the routine every day at camp during his free period. He wasn't bothering anyone, and no one bothered him.

One raining day, however, changed everything. Because of the sudden thunderstorm and the onslaught of rain, everyone was gathered under the pavilion, both disappointed because of the cancelled activities but pleased at the sudden free time. Nico had just shrugged and walked back to his table, which was off in one of the corners inside. No one was around, so instead of putting his earbuds in, Nico decided to plug in his speaker. He didn't have it very loud, and no one looked his way when he turned on his music, so he just left it as it was and leaned back, propping his feet up. No one noticed him.

If you want it, take it

I should have said it before

Tried to hide it, fake it

I can't pretend anymore

Except for the Stoll brothers. They had been sorely disheartened at the unexpected rain, but there wasn't much else to do.

"It's too bad it rained," Connor said, wringing out his soaking shirt. Both of the boys had been caught in the middle of a field when the rain had hit, so by the time they had made it to the pavilion, the damage had been done. They were both dripping wet and other campers had almost automatically stepped aside for the brothers to get inside. "We would have been able to do the prank on Jason."

"Yeah," Travis agreed, taking off his shirt and shoes. "We'll have to do it tomorrow."

"Hey, do you hear music…?" Connor asked suddenly. He looked around until he saw Nico in the back corner, singing softly along to the music playing from his phone. The brothers looked at each other and shrugged before making their way over to Nico. Neither of the boys had a problem with Nico being gay. In fact, the two brothers were considering calling themselves bi or bi-curious themselves. They didn't like how the other campers openly hated Nico even though Nico did nothing malicious towards them.

I only want to die alive

Never by the hands of a broken heart

Don't wanna hear you lie tonight

Now that I've become who I really am

"Is he singing?" Travis whispered to Connor as they got closer. "He's really good…"

Connor looked over at Travis with a grin on his face. "Let's go join him," he said with a grin. He paused a moment to identify the song Nico was singing, but quickly started humming the bass line. Travis caught on and started singing the harmony, much to the surprise of Nico, who quickly stopped singing.

This is the part when I say I don't want ya

I'm stronger than I've been before

This is the part when I break free

Cause I can't resist it no more

The two brothers grabbed a chair each and sat down next to him. Travis looked at Nico and waved his hands while still singing, motioning for Nico to continue. Nico narrowed his eyes, but kept going. Soon, Nico was belting out the verses equally as loud as the Stoll's. They were dancing on the table and strumming air guitars. All three were pleased at how their voices had all blended together, and all three were lost in the music.

When the music finally stopped, Nico looked up and he saw the other two panting on top of the table. He was standing on a chair with one of his hands above his head and the other off to the side, dramatically. He looked around the room and saw that, unlike before, the room was filled with astonished people. The other campers stood in silence and shock, gaping at the three who had turned the commons room into a stage.

Thought on your body I came alive

It was lethal, it was fatal

In my dreams it felt so right

But I woke up every time

Nico's face turned beet red, and he slowly lowered his hands. Connor and Travis clambered down from the table and ran up to Nico. Suddenly, the crowd burst out in applause and cheering. The brothers turned around and did the most comical bow ever, much to the crowd's amusement. The two brothers turned and looked at Nico with huge grins plastered on their faces.

Nico didn't know what to do. This was the first time anyone had given him any attention in a really long time, and Nico couldn't remember how to respond, so he did what instincts told him. He turned and ran out the door as fast as he could into the rain. He didn't stop running until he had reached one of the large oak trees that surrounded the outer edges of the courtyard. He sat down, landing in a puddle of mud, but he didn't care. He knew what happened next. He knew that at any moment, the swarm of people would come out and do their worst, telling him that he was only being a nuisance and he was already enough trouble. He leaned back against the tree and braced himself for the worst.

The Stoll brothers were confused. What had they done wrong? Nico had just run off to gods know where. The two shared a look before hopping down from the table and following the boy. The crowd murmured in confusion before slowly following the two brothers.

"Where did he go?" Connor asked Travis as they dashed out the door.

"I'm not sure," Travis gasped. The two peered into the rain, trying to make out the shapes that were shrouded in the downpour. They could barely make out the running form of Nico as he dashed into the trees.

"There he is, let's go," Connor stated. He and Travis took off running, unaware of the large crowd following them. They reached the tree a couple seconds later. Nico was laying against the tree, his face wet with tears and rain. His face was red, and his eyes filled with embarrassment. Connor could see Nico cringing, but he sensed this wasn't the first time Nico acted this way.

"What's wrong?" Travis implored, squatting down besides the boy. "Are you ok?"

Nico shook his head, and curled into a ball. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done that," Nico whispered. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"What trouble?" Connor cried out, throwing his arms up. "You did nothing wrong! And you have to admit you had fun." Nico turned to look at Connor, who offered back a smile. Nico looked down at the ground and nodded weakly.

"I did have fun," Nico admitted softly. He sat up again, bringing his knees to his chest. "But why did you do it? You barely know me. And I'm sure you know that my reputation isn't the best."

"Neither is ours," Travis replied, "and we don't care about your reputation. And as for not knowing you, well, we'd like to get to know you more." Nico looked at Travis again, though this time a look of confusion and shock was etched across his face.

"Yeah, Nico," Connor agreed, "We don't care if your gay or not. That's your own thing. We want to get to know you better 'cause tonight, we rocked it!"

"Didn't you notice how we were completely in sync?" Travis asked, grabbing Nico's hands. The smaller boy looked down at Travis's hands stunned, as if he had never had that happen to him. Travis turned his head to look at Connor. "We should do something with him. Maybe for the talent show?"

"But I'm not even good," Nico said, mumbling into his legs. Connor looked at Travis with a look of mild disgust before squatting down on the other side of Nico.

"Kid, you sing amazingly. I have no idea where that voice came from but it was beautiful. I have a good voice already and I envy your talent," Connor reassured, putting his hand on Nico's shoulder. Nico looked up at Connor, and Connor was shocked to see a new pair of eyes. Gone was the dead look that was normally on Nico's face. Now, Nico's eyes were alive and sparkling, and Connor loved it. He swore to himself to help Nico keep those eyes, because they too were beautiful.

"Connor, doesn't Dad know a guy who works in the entertainment business…?" Travis asked. Connor tore his gaze from Nico's eyes and looked at his brother. He furrowed his brow trying to remember before nodding emphatically.

"Maybe in the future we could start something serious!" Connor suggested.

"I don't know," Nico hesitated. It was at that moment when Travis noticed the rest of the camp surrounding their tree. Travis stood up and turned toward the crowd.

"Hey guys, did we sound good?" Travis asked the other campers. The campers let out a loud cheer and started applauding, much to Nico's surprise. Travis turned toward Nico again. "Do you know now?"

This is the part when I say I don't want ya

I'm stronger than I've been before

This is the part when I break free

Cause I can't resist it no more

Nico stood up and nodded, blushing. Travis and Connor grinned as they patted each other and Nico on the back. The rain had finally stopped, and the sun was peeking out through the clouds, shining through the leaves and hitting the boys.

For the rest of their time at camp, the boys had come up with different songs, and, with the help of the camp director, had gotten their hands on more instruments. Nico and Travis could play guitar, though Travis preferred the drums, and Connor could play bass guitar. Nico was appointed as lead singer, and after mastering singing and playing the guitar at the same time, was able to confidently play rifts while belting out the verses.

The next year at camp, the three immediately got together to rehearse for that year's talent show. Nico had been convinced to play the show only after months of being pestered by the Stolls. In the end, he caved, partially because he agreed that getting their first concert out of the way would be good for him, and partially because they had gotten really annoying.

Near the end of camp, the night finally came. The boys got on stage after a disturbingly awful clarinet performance. Nico stared out at the crowd of people, who sat up in their seats. Over the past year, the other campers had slowly opened up to Nico, and while they were far from being friends, they occasionally high-fived him or nodded at him instead of throwing insults at him. Nico didn't mind, though. He didn't really want to get to know the other campers anyway. Connor and Travis were already too much to handle, and he couldn't imagine dealing with more.

Nico turned around to look at Travis, who nodded and got into position. Instead of trying out one of their original songs, the three of them had decided to play it safe and a cover. Nico raised his guitar and started playing. After a couple seconds, Travis joined in, and Nico started singing.

Right, right, turn off the lights

We're gonna lose our minds tonight

What's the deal, yo?

Nico felt really nervous. Connor had told him that that was okay if his nerves were getting the worst of him, so he closed his eyes and forced his mind to slow down. He focused on the beat, his hands moving on their own, playing the guitar chords like they were separate beings. He was glad he had practiced so much.

I love when it's all too much

5 a.m. turn the radio up

Where's the rock 'n roll?

Nico smiled into the mic. He had no idea that this would be this much fun! He turned around to look at Connor, who grinned back at him.

Party crasher, panty snatcher

Call me up if you're a gangsta

Don't be fancy, just get dancy

Why so serious?

Nico looked out at the crowd. Those who knew the song were standing up and dancing, and grabbed their water bottles in preparation for the chorus. Nico smiled again, relishing in the adrenaline and the heat of the stage lights.

So raise your glass if you are wrong

In all the right ways

All my underdogs!

Some in the crowd had jumped onto their feet, some were standing on chairs, and all were dancing to the beat of the song. Those with water bottles raised them above their heads, singing along.

We will never be, never be anything but loud

And nitty, gritty, dirty little freaks

Nico was singing at the top of his lungs into the mic, dancing around while playing the guitar. He wished he had a face mic, but the camp wasn't that cool. Sweat was running down his face, but he didn't care.

Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass!

Just come on and come on and raise your glass!

After the concert was over, Nico was exhausted. He grabbed one of the chairs off stage and slumped down into it, stretching out and yawning. He watched the unfortunate few who had to stay behind and help clean up and chuckled. Suddenly, a hand clapped onto his shoulder, making Nico jump. He turned around and saw Travis and Conner, who were equally sweaty and just as exhausted-looking.

"You did amazing!" Connor exclaimed. He grabbed another chair and sat down next to Nico, who just smiled.

"Thanks," Nico grinned. He closed his eyes yawned again, letting his head fall behind his chair.

"No seriously, you did awesome! You didn't even look nervous!" Travis praised. He just sat on the floor, and leaned against the back of Nico's chair.

"I was nervous," Nico said, "but I loved it! It was so much fun!"

The three smiled, to tired to say anymore. They sat there until the camp director came and kicked them out, telling them to head back to their cabins. The three dragged themselves to bed, and the trio had a good night sleep.

The next day at lunch, Connor and Nico were sitting at their table discussing end-of-summer plans when Travis came running up.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Travis asked excitedly. He was jumping up and down, clutching his phone in one of his hands.

"You finally got expelled from school?" Connor teased. Nico rolled his eyes.

"What's up, Travis?" Nico asked. Travis momentarily glared at Connor before resuming his previous actions.

"Someone posted a video of our performance online and it's already hit one million views!" Travis blurted out. Nico looked stunned, and Connor dropped his fork.

"WHAT?! Let me see!" Connor exclaimed, standing up. Travis eagerly showed Connor the video, which clearly showed Nico, Connor, and Travis's performance the night before. "How did it get so many views so quickly?"

"I don't know!" Travis responded. He and Connor were giggling like little school girls, but Nico just sat there, staring at the phone. Travis finally noticed this and frowned. "Nico, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm cool. Read me the comments." Nico answered, still appearing emotionless. Travis looked at Connor, who shrugged. Travis handed Nico the phone, who scrolled down to the comments section.

"These guys are awesome! What's the name of this band?"

"Woah. They're good. I want them on my phone!"

"Where can I get more of their stuff? This is amazing!"

"This is my new favorite band! And they're all cute!"

"Oh dang," Connor said. He sat down. Travis and Nico looked at him. "Guys, you know what this means, right?"

"What, that we're internet famous?" Travis retorted, earning himself a smack upside the head, courtesy of Nico.

"No dummy. It means that we should contact our Dad's friend," Connor exclaimed. Travis and Nico both gaped at Connor. "The fact that so many people watched our video and liked it shows us that we could probably make it big!" Connor continued.

"Let's slow down a minute," Nico interrupted. "Even if we do make it into the music business, our entire lives would change. We would constantly be on the move if we go on tour. We would have to go 100% into this."

"I'm willing," Travis stated. He took a big swig of Connor's drink, who gasped in mock offense. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes. This will be fun!"

"I am too," Connor said. He snatched his drink back from Travis. "You in, Nico? We kinda aren't anything without you."

Nico looked between the two brothers, who both were gazing at him with puppy dog eyes. Nico tried to keep himself together, but he cracked. He sighed and grinned. "I'm in."

Connor and Travis whooped before grabbing their phones.

Many phone calls, one demo, and ten months later, Travis and Connor found themselves at the end of their school year, eagerly awaiting the end of the exam period so they could find out their results. The proctor had forced them to turn off their phones before the exam, and in five minutes, they could turn them back on. Their father had promised them that he would text them the news.

RING

The final bell rang and Travis leapt from his seat. He snatched his phone and he and Connor bolted out the door.

"Turn it on! Turn it on!" Connor shouted. The anticipation had left him sweating in his seat, and the entire time, he had ended up staring at his phone as if the sheer willpower for it to give him what he wanted would help him.

"I am!" Travis reassured. As soon as his phone powered on, he saw the text alert bubble. He eagerly tapped it and read it aloud to his brother. "Apollo got back to me. He said he loved your demo and would love to sign you over! Oh my gods!" Travis shouted with glee. Connor jumped up and down, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hey! We need to go tell Nico! He's in the other building, I think!" Connor gasped. Travis quickly turned to look at his brother before nodding, and the two turned and ran in the direction of Nico's classroom.

That summer, the boys didn't go to camp. Instead, they all stayed at the Stolls house, writing songs and testing out music. Twelve months, two additional band members, and lots of coffee later, the boys had completed their album and gotten the approval for a five state tour.

Nico had discovered that it was pretty easy transitioning from the life he had to the life of a music star. He had a lot more to do, like completing the last few online classes he had left of his senior year and writing new songs. But he enjoyed all of it. This was an adventure he didn't know he always wanted.

"Yo, Nico, help us with the rest of this stuff," Travis yelled at Nico, yanking him from his thoughts. Nico looked up and saw Travis and Connor trying to haul suitcases into the back of the bus. The new band members, Cecil on piano and Lou Ellen on acoustic guitar, were on board the bus stocking up the fridge with drinks and snacks. Nico sighed and ran up to the brothers and helped them out.

After finally getting everything packed up, everyone loaded up and strapped in. Nico glanced at Travis, who gave him a thumbs up, and Connor, who just grinned at him. Nico smiled back and looked out the window, watching clouds move through the sky. This was going to be a fun ride.

Hey guys! So, how did you like it? If you DID like it, I would very much like to hear from you! If you want me to continue the story, leave a review and follow the story! If I don't get any reviews or stuff, I probably won't work on the story, since I have other stories that I need to be working on.

The songs that were used in this chapter were "Break Free" by Ariana Grande and "Raise Your Glass" by P!nk. OBVIOUSLY I don't own the songs, and I don't take credit for writing them.

I hope you enjoyed! Until next time!