Nico wished he'd never hung the green curtains.

As he paced back and forth in front of the windows trying to decide if he should quickly rip down the dark drapes and throw them in a crumpled pile in the corner, his mind wandered to the other side of camp where the Apollo cabin was practicing archery. His friend Will Solace was among them, probably shooting his own foot.

For a child of Apollo, Will truly had no grace with a bow. His musical talents weren't quite up to scratch either – the best he could do was a shrill whistle that Nico was sure even the Hellhounds in the Underworld could hear. He mainly tended to the healing side of things.

He did, however, inherit his father's looks. Blonde hair, tall, athletic figure, and sky-blue eyes – the boy could be a replica of the god Apollo.

Nico shook his head in shock and resolved his face into a frown. It wasn't the first time that day he'd caught himself thinking about Will.

This time you have a reason to think about him though, Nico tried to reason with himself. He should be here any minute.

Will had agreed to help Nico redecorate Cabin Thirteen in his own vision. Nico had not taken to the Nosferatu look the other campers seemed to have gone for and decided that, since his stay at Camp Half-Blood would be more or less permanent, he should live somewhere with a tasteful design.

The outside of the cabin looked great. Obsidian walls and torches that burned green all night long that got stronger whenever Nico was around. Nico was starting to hate this feature. It meant that when whenever Will came looking for him there was no hiding in his cabin to pretend he wasn't there. It really irritated him when he heard, "Better come out Dead Boy, or I'm coming in."

"Hey Dead Boy," a voice behind him chimed.

Nico whirled around and faced Will Solace. He had to stop himself from blushing with embarrassment, knowing he had been thinking of the boy only moments ago.

"Don't call me Dead Boy, Solace," he said. "Or I'll have to start calling you Solar Boy."

"Easy there," Will said, holding his palms up in a gesture of surrender. "No need to resort to name-calling, di Angelo."

Nico nodded stiffly. "You're early."

"I got sent off the field." He pointed to his foot, which was bandaged and swollen. Apparently Nico's prediction had been true. "I'm not only a hazard to others, now I'm a hazard even to myself. I didn't think this level of sucking at archery could be achieved by a son of Apollo but there you go. I think Chiron has given up trying with me, now he just kind of stares at me in disappointment."

Will looked to the floor while Nico stifled giggles.

Giggles.

He immediately pulled himself together and began glaring again. A plant on a nearby shelf withered and drooped and the wood below him that made up the floor seemed to lose its lustre.

"So, let's see what you've done to the place," Will said, cheering up quickly. He stepped around Nico, much to his annoyance (go ahead, make yourself at home Solar Boy), and inspected the interior of the cabin.

He walked past the bunks, newly redecorated in black rails and green Mythomagic sheets. Will looked across at Nico, his eyebrow raised questioningly. "What's with the kid's spread?"

Nico tried not to look offended. "It's not a kid's spread," he muttered. "I used to really like that game…"

"When you were a kid?" Will looked smug.

"Shut up."

Truthfully, Nico was hoping to get back into the game now that he didn't have to worry about Gaia destroying the earth and prophecies that predicted death. He'd missed a lot of his childhood because of his godly heritage, and he didn't intend on letting it keep him from having a normal teenage hobby.

His eyes flicked to the shelf by his bunk, where the Mythomagic figure of his father Hades stood, looming over his other small belongings as if to say, "I am the Lord Hades! You will bow to me, small objects, or you will face the Fields of Punishment!" The toy had been a gift from Percy Jackson, Nico's first real crush. Though he had moved on from Percy, he still felt that the gift was too personal to give up. At least for now.

Will moved on. He nodded appraisingly at the wall colour and the minimally decorated space it left. He strode past the bathroom and acknowledged the throne of darkness within. He stopped at the curtains, did a full circle, as if to take in his surroundings one final time, and looked at Nico. Taking a deep breath, he said, "It's horrible."

Nico nearly pulled his Stygian Iron sword and told him to say it again.

"What?" he said through his teeth instead.

"Way too sparse," Will commented, gesturing at the walls. "To drab, too dull, too dark." He pointed at the curtains. "Just plain horrendous."

Nico blushed furiously and strode over to rip the curtains down, embarrassed. He knew they'd been too much. "Well, what would you suggest? Daisy chains and an inspiring message?"

Will looked at him like don't tempt me, and then looked once around the room again. "I think you need a lighter wall colour for starters. Black is cool, but I think that green would make it work better, especially with the torches outside."

Nico stood silent for a moment. "Since when have you been an interior designer?"

Will shrugged. "Gotta be good at something to make up for my lack of archery and musical skill." He looked back to Nico and smiled. "So, I'll see you tomorrow morning at seven."

He turned to leave. Nico whirled around. "What? Why?"

"Well, we have to start saving this place sometime and I figure sooner is better than later," Will reasoned. He started walking across the green towards Cabin Seven. Without turning, he raised his hand in a wave and said over his shoulder, "See you then, Dead Boy."

Nico grumbled, "Don't call me Dead Boy," and then slammed the door behind Will Solace.