Apologies to the long break between chapters; I have only just got around to reading the first two books in the Trails of Apollo series. Enjoy :)

First verse - Won't Say I'm in Love. Disney Hercules
Last verse - I wouldn't Mind. He is We
Verses in text - Soldatino (Nico's Lullaby). Paola Bennet

Disclaimer: All content belongs to the original creators. All characters, aside from Leah Moran, Alexandre and Valentina Dubois, owned by Rick Riordan.

I'd love to hear what you think about Leah Moran and Alexandre/Valentina Dubois - even though they're not characters from the original series - as I have been thinking about fleshing them out in my own little offshoot.

Drop me a PM or a review with your thoughts

Shadowheart x

(Who d'you think you're kidding)

(He's the earth and heaven to you)

(Try to keep it hidden,)

(Honey we can see right through you)

(Girl you can't conceal it)

(We know how you're feeling)

(Who you thinking of)

No chance no way I won't say it, no no

It's too cliché I won't say I'm in love

'That is really unhygienic.' Will Solace eyed his boyfriend with a mixture of disgust and horror as the son of Hades impaled several marshmallows on the sharp end of a broken tibia bone and held them over the campfire. 'As your doctor, I feel like you should be listening to me.'

By way of reply, Nico Di Angelo looked the son of Apollo directly in the eye and shoved all three marshmallows into his mouth.

Immediately, his eyes bulged as the molten sweets burned his mouth. Smoked curled from his tongue as he spat the hot ball of half-chewed marshmallow into the fire.

'Gah!' He levelled a glare at Will. The effect would've been much more intimidating if he had not been panting like Mrs O'Leary after a game of 'fetch the femur'. 'Tha was your fault!'

'I told you not to.' Will rolled his eyes at his boyfriend, who was now furiously wiping at his tongue with the sleeve of his jacket. 'And now you're probably going to end up with some long-extinct disease as well as a burnt tongue.'

Nico paused long enough to flip him the bird before finally retracting his tongue back into his mouth. He wouldn't be able to stick his tongue out at Will for weeks without being reminded of this. They had only been dating for three months (well, three months, four days and seven hours if you were counting – which he wasn't) and the son of Apollo had only found more ways to get under his skin since the day that he had returned with the Athena Parthenos.

Close your eyes

I know what you see

The darkness is high

And you're in ten feet deep

But we've survived more terrible monster than sleep

And you know I will be here, to tell you to breathe

The dark-haired boy glanced over the campfire to where Will had wandered over to speak to his siblings. Adrian was warming up on his saxophone, getting ready to lead the campfire singalong. The warm metal of the instrument looked like molten gold in the firelight and Nico was hit with a sudden pang of longing for his half-sister – thousands of miles away in Camp Jupiter.

Since coming out to the son of Apollo, he had spent almost every waking moment in the older boy's company but he still missed Hazel. Four long years had passed since Bianca had died, and now it was as if the daughter of Pluto had disappeared as well. Frank and Hazel hadn't visited since the battle for Camp Half-Blood, and messages had been few and far between. Even Reyna had been silent since returning to San Francisco.

His mind wandered and the crackling flames brought his thoughts to the missing son of Hephaestus. He was going to kill the scrawny Latino boy when he returned. Not only had he cheated his way out of his father's realm, he hadn't told any of his friends of his insane suicide mission to destroy Gaia and then fly off to rescue some damsel in distress.

Nico reached into his pocket and felt the familiar crinkle of the holo-parchment that Leo's faulty message had arrived on. Ever since the day the letter had arrived at camp, he had kept it rolled up tightly in his coat pocket. Looking at it rekindled his anger at the son of Hephaestus. Will had called him an 'edge-lord' for it once, but he was yet to find out what it actually meant.

Tu sei il mio soldatino (You're my little soldier)

La ragione per cui vivo (The reason I live)

Non ti scordar di me (Don't forget me)

Io veglierò su di te (I'm watching over you)

He didn't realise that he had been scowling at the campfire until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Six months ago, his first instinct would've been to flinch away from the contact – and then slice the hand from its owner. But now the son of Hades glanced up at Will Solace, his face freckled even this late in the year; a perk of being the sun god's son, he supposed. He leaned into his boyfriend as he swung down beside him, letting him drape his arm over his shoulders and press his face into his hair.

'Being an edge-lord again are we?' He could feel him smiling against his hair. Nico pulled back slightly, not enough to break the physical contact (physical contact, he had quickly learned, could be wonderful) but just enough to meet Will's sky-blue eyes. They were so different from the sea-green ones that had haunted his dreams for so long, but Nico found that he liked them better. For one, they didn't look at him with a permanent expression of distrust and pity. No, Will Solace's eyes always seemed to light up whenever her saw him; something that had initially been a great source of confusion for the son of Hades. He loved Will's eyes.

Wait. Love? Where in Hades had that thought come from? His heartrate jumped, pounding so hard against his ribs that he was sure that his combat-medic boyfriend would be able to feel it though his leather jacket. Since when was he in love with the son of Apollo?

Stumbling lost; the last choice of all that you meet

It's the cost of ruling those 'neath your feet

Paths you've crossed, and trust you're trying to keep

You're exhausted, listening for a voice that can't speak

'You okay?' Concern laced Will's voice as he tangled his fingers with Nico's – ghostly pale against his sun-kissed skin.

'Yeah.' The son of Hades pressed a gentle kiss to Will's temple, if only to mask his rising panic. He glanced furtively across the amphitheatre to where the twin children of Eros were seated. Usually, Nico would be first to blame Love's son and daughter for any kind of emotional disturbance but Valentina and Alexandre Dubois were far too busy flirting with Mercy Morana to have caused his sudden predicament.

Ever since they had arrived at camp three weeks ago, Val and Alex had taken an instant liking to the daughter of Thanatos. Although the dark-haired girl seemed to have warmed up to the red-haired children of Eros, Nico avoided them as much as possible. He still hadn't forgotten his run-in with their father in Croatia.

'Look, Adrian is about to start the sing-along.' It was a blatant change of subject, but Will just gave him a bemused look and went along with it. He knew that the older demigod would grill him about it later, but for now Nico was perfectly content to sit among the other campers and listen to his tone-deaf boyfriend yowl along to the usual campfire songs.

(Ma Nico, mia caro)

Tu sei il mio soldatino (You're my little soldier)

La ragione ho vissuto (The reason I lived)

Non ti scordar di me (Don't forget me)

Io veglierò su di te (I'm watching over you)

After the fire had died down and campers had begun to disperse, Will walked Nico back to Cabin Thirteen.

'Got to make sure that you get home safe.' The blonde demigod bumped his shoulder against Nico's, grinning widely. The son of Hades rolled his eyes.

'You're a dork. I love you, but you're a dork.' Nico climbed the steps in front of his cabin, taking all three in one bound. It wasn't until he reached his door that he realised Will wasn't beside him. The son of Apollo stood frozen at the bottom of the steps, his expression similar to that of someone who had just been hit in the face by a frying pan.

'What did you just say?' His voice was soft, hesitant. Now it was Nico's turn to freeze. His brain rewound through his last sentence. I love you.

Damn. He hadn't been thinking, hadn't been paying attention. All he could think about was the glow of the firelight on Will's face, the way that he had kissed him breathless after they'd won Capture the Flag last week and wondering if he'd do it again tonight. And now he'd gone and ruined everything. Again. What had he done? Will probably thought he was a clingy little child now.

The son of Hades was so busy beating himself up that he didn't notice his boyfriend striding towards him. He was so preoccupied with the thought that Will did not feel the same way, that he failed to imagine that he might say it back.

So you run; through shadows you roam

Seams undone by the love you thought you could own

But he's just one of many that you might call home

And maybe someday, the bitter will fade from your bones

So, it came as an utter shock when the taller demigod grabbed him by the collar of his bomber jacket and covered his mouth with his. Surprise had Nico freezing up like a Medusa victim, but after a few seconds Will still hadn't pulled away so he closed his eyes and fell against the son of Apollo. He wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted for, only that at some point Will had pressed him against the door of Cabin Thirteen and tangled his fingers into his hair.

They broke apart at the sound of whoops and catcalls coming from several campers who had spotted them. Instead of yelling back, Will held Nico's gaze; the intensity in his eyes was startling compared to his usual easy-going nature.

'I love you too, Nico Di Angelo.' His breathing was uneven and he knew that his hair must be even messier than usual from his boyfriend's fingers but Nico felt as if his chest had been filled with helium.

'I…um…yeah.' Nico stammered, his brain too busy catching up with the events of the last minute to form a coherent sentence. He held out his hand for Will to shake, then ran his through his tangled hair, cursing himself for his stupidity. He finally settled for shoving both hands deep into his pockets where they couldn't make him look any more stupid than he already did.

Meanwhile, Will was watching with great amusement as his boyfriend dissolved into a babbling, blushing mess.

'Now that I know that kissing you is the most effective way to shut you up, I'll have to do it more often.' Nico managed the impressive feat of turning an even deeper shade of red as his boyfriend grinned smugly.

'Is that a doctor's order?' The son of Hades asked weakly, his brain finally cooperating with the rest of his body.

'I suppose it is.' Will leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Nico's cheek. 'Goodnight Nico.'

'Night, Will.' Nico absently rubbed the back of his neck, the ghost of the kiss still lingering on his cheek. His gaze followed Will's retreating figure before he realised that Mercy Morana was watching him from the porch of Cabin Twenty-One, amusement gleaming in her eyes as she leaned against her doorframe.

He gave her a quick nod before bolting into his cabin, running into the door-frame in his haste to escape the tall girl's piercing gaze.

Eri il mio soldatino (You were my little soldier)

Ora un principe oscuro (Now, a dark prince)

Ma anche per te, c'è una luce (But even for you, there is a light)

Che ad un'altra vita ti conduce (That leads you to another life)

Mercy smiled to herself as she watched Nico Di Angelo stumble into his cabin. Love was often more painful than death at her father's hands, but she thought that the sons of Hades and Apollo had found something lasting and pure. Gods knows he deserved it.

Forever is a long time

But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side

Tell me everyday I get to wake up to that smile

I wouldn't mind it at all

I wouldn't mind it at all