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gatesofember · 6 years ago

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The Whitethorn Hearth: Chapter 1

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 9

Rating: M | Pairing: Solangelo

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Summary: The long-awaited celebration of Prince Nico’s wedding to William of Solace has finally arrived. Between all the wedding duties, keeping Octavian as far from the royal family as possible, and dealing with the occasional fiasco, the grooms still manage to find plenty of time to themselves. But as they enter the new chapter of their life, they will encounter new challenges. Will must say goodbye to his family and move to a new home. Nico remains unpopular among his own people and sometimes still struggles to express himself to his husband-to-be. And what will happen between Nico’s guard and the pretty maid who works for Will’s family?

The Palatium de Divitae looked more beautiful than Will had ever seen it before. The Hall of Gold had been newly polished, the painted ceilings restored to their former glory, and the morning sun streamed through the windows to bathe the marble halls in bright light. Will imagined that he was seeing the palace as it was meant to be viewed — the way it must have looked in the days of Pluto’s wealth, before Pluto’s economic downfall. Even the court and the servants seemed more alive than usual. Jules-Albert was impassive as ever, but Will could have sworn that he’d witnessed King Hades smile.

It was strange to see his family in the Palatium de Divitae. Will had visited Nico enough times to feel comfortable there, but watching his family interact with Nico’s made him nervous. They had been in Pluto for a few weeks already to assist with preparations; as a part of Will’s dowry, Apollo had offered to pay for most of the expenses of the wedding. Nearly every day, Will, Apollo, and Daphne had met with Nico, Hades, Persephone, and Reyna to discuss the wedding or something to do with Will’s dowry, the cattle in particular. To Will’s relief, his family hadn’t embarrassed him much so far. Daphne had been on her best behavior. Will hadn’t worried much about Austin, as Austin was generally quiet around strangers. Had Hyacinth been there, Apollo probably would have been too busy ogling over him to woo anyone else, but as it was, he seemed too gloomy missing him to do much more than half-heartedly flirt with one or two maids and a stableboy. Surprisingly, even Lou Ellen and Will’s older brothers hadn’t caused much trouble, but that was probably due to the fact that they were usually too busy trying to control Octavian.

As ashamed as he was to admit it, Will would have preferred it if Octavian hadn’t come to the wedding at all. In fact, Will’s family had been plotting how to leave Octavian behind. Their original plan had been to leave Diana while Octavian was away at his own private estate, but Octavian had foiled that idea when he decided to visit the Sun Palace unannounced just before they left. In a desperate attempt to get rid of him, Apollo had even offered to leave Octavian in charge of the Sun Palace while they were away. Obviously, Octavian wouldn’t have really been in charge — that privilege had been granted to Hyacinth, who was far more responsible and trustworthy — but Apollo had hoped that the bribe would be enough to get rid of him. Although Octavian had considered the proposal, even that had failed. To the entire family’s dismay, they were soon on the road to Pluto with Octavian and no Hyacinth.

Surprisingly, however, Octavian hadn’t caused much trouble since their arrival in Divitia. Will’s family had done everything in their power to keep him under control. They had maintained a strict schedule for Octavian Duty to ensure that he had no contact with any members of the Plutonian Royal Family — particularly not Will’s husband-to-be. Octavian had expressed his interest in the Prince on multiple occasions and the family had agreed to keep him away from Nico at all costs. Will has even privately informed Reyna of the situation and enlisted her assistance. In one attempt to dodge an escaped Octavian, Will had impulsively pulled Nico through the first door he could find, which happened to be a storage room. Fortunately, Nico hadn’t minded, but he misinterpreted Will’s intentions and wasted no time engaging him in a heated session of kisses. In the end, they successfully avoided Octavian, so Will found that turn of events to be both pleasant and effective.

However, Will’s family had been so preoccupied with keeping Octavian under control that they forgot to monitor Kayla. Hazel, although a few years older than Kayla, had been excited to meet another girl somewhat close to her age and immediately tried to be her friend. The two had gotten along well until one afternoon when Chiron left them unattended for a half hour, only to return to discover that Kayla had somehow managed to destroy three of Hazel’s dolls. Kayla could not comprehend what she had done wrong, but after much intervention, Chiron eventually managed to force a polite but insincere apology out of her. Although Hazel and Kayla had tentatively tried to continue their friendship, Hazel no longer allowed Kayla to touch her belongings and appeared to prefer spending time in her music room with Austin.

Altogether, Will’s family had been reasonably well-behaved. True, there had been a few mishaps, and yes, Will would have gladly traded Octavian for Hyacinth, but in the end, Will doubted anything could have taken away from his elation. After all, it was the first day of his wedding celebrations and Will was marrying someone he loved.

Will walked briskly down the corridor with a song in his head and a spring in his step. Nico had invited him to have breakfast in his chambers that morning before they left to visit the temples. His new chambers, that was — Nico had shared with his sister before, but had moved into a new set of apartments in the weeks leading up to the wedding. After they married, Will and Nico would share that suite of apartments and live in adjacent bedrooms.

Will found Nico’s guard standing at the entrance to Nico’s chambers, looking as displeased as usual. “Good morning, Hedge,” he said brightly.

Hedge scowled at him and opened the door without answering. His sourness did nothing to dampen Will’s mood, especially not when Nico suddenly flew through the doorway into his arms, nearly knocking Will off his feet. Hedge grumbled unhappily to himself when Nico kissed Will, but they ignored him in favor of kissing a few more times.

Reyna drew their attention when she sighed audibly from inside the room. “You’re acting like you haven’t seen each other for months, Your Highness,” she said. “You have been separated for ten hours at most.”

“Hush, Reyna, don’t spoil my wedding,” Nico said, but he took Will’s hand to lead him inside. Hedge joined them inside the room like he wanted to keep an eye on Will’s behavior. Will wasn’t concerned. Over time, Hedge had proved to be relatively harmless. Although Hedge would never admit to it, Will even suspected that Hedge was starting to like him.

Hedge contented himself to glaring at Will for a while, but he voiced his disapproval shortly after Will and Nico were served breakfast. “I still think the wedding ought to be postponed,” Hedge said. “His Highness is far too young to marry.”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “I am of age, am I not?”

“You are still too young!”

Nico hummed and turned to look at Will with a spark of heat in his eyes that made Will blush. “Perhaps so, but I’m far too impatient to wait any longer.”

Reyna clucked her tongue. “The entire Plutonian Court is too impatient to wait any longer. Hedge may be the only person in the palace who isn’t desperate to see you married.”

Nico’s expression turned sheepish. He cleared his throat like he was trying to get Reyna’s attention, but she ignored him.

“I, for one, am anxious to see you married because it means I will no longer have to chaperone you,” she said. “The rest of the Plutonian Court wants you to secure this marriage out of fear that your engagement will end the same way as all your other attempts at courting.”

“Those suitors would have all made terrible partners,” Hedge interrupted. “None of them were good enough for His Highness.”

Once again, Nico cleared his throat, this time with a pointed glare in Reyna’s direction. Will had known that Nico had seen other marriage candidates before their engagement, but they hadn’t discussed their previous suitors. Judging from Nico’s sudden shift in demeanor, there appeared to be an interesting story. “What is this about His Highness’ other attempts at courting?” Will asked.

“Every marriage interview His Highness had before yours ended in disaster. He once told a suitor that he had the face of a toad and the voice of a squealing hog.”

“Reyna!” Nico objected, but Will laughed.

The lines of Reyna’s face remained as cold and hard as steel. “Your Highness, if you are to marry this man, it would be unwise to keep secrets from him,” she said.

“Ridiculous. You just enjoy embarrassing me!”

Reyna nodded sagely. “Yes. I never denied that. As I was saying, Lord William, His Highness was awful. Another time, he—”

“That was a long time ago,” Nico interrupted.

“Not so long ago,” said Reyna. “But you, Lord William, were the first suitor that lasted longer than a few days.”

Will had heard about Nico’s poor reputation, but he’d never witnessed anything to support it. Nico had been quiet at first, perhaps even cold, and his temper could be short, but he was never cruel. He had certainly never done anything akin to comparing Will’s face to that of a toad.

“He was terrified to meet you,” Reyna said. “He begged me not to leave the two of you alone together.”

Will frowned. Terrified? If anything, Nico had seemed indifferent at the time. “What did he think I would do?”

“I wasn’t afraid of you doing something; I was afraid that I would,” Nico snapped. “As Reyna has so plainly described, I had a talent for insulting suitors. I didn’t...I don’t know how to talk to people. Reyna stops me from doing things I’ll regret later.”

“I try, at least,” Reyna interjected.

“I wanted it to go well. I needed to find a husband, I was afraid of disappointing the Matestra, and you...you were....” Nico stopped and turned to Reyna like he needed her help.

“Only a few days after meeting you, he told me that he found you ‘tolerable,’ or something of that nature,” Reyna said. “It was the kindest thing he’d ever said about a suitor.”

Will started to laugh, but then Nico said, “You smiled at me. No one had ever smiled at me the way you did.”

Will’s amusement melted into a familiar surge of affection and he reached out to cup Nico’s cheek in his hand. “Of course I smiled,” he said. “You were my first love.” Nico raised his eyes and smiled, and there was a moment of blissful silence before—

“You have been after the Prince’s virtue since he was a child?” Hedge roared.

“Oh, calm down, Hedge,” Nico said. “Will was a child, too.”

“Then he has been trouble his entire life!”

Will sighed. Hedge had voiced his objections so frequently since Will’s arrival in Divitia that arguments about Will’s suitability were nearly a daily routine. Reyna had told Will not to take it to heart, but Hedge’s rants were becoming annoying.

“Will has been the perfect gentleman,” Nico said impatiently. “I doubt he has ever caused anyone trouble.”

“I think Hedge is only reacting this way because he doesn’t like seeing you grow up so quickly,” Reyna said.

“Preposterous!” Hedge objected.

“Deny it all you want, Hedge; we know it’s true,” said Reyna. She didn’t bother to answer when he sputtered indignantly. “But enough jokes. Let’s discuss today’s schedule.” She shuffled through her papers and started to read off the day’s tasks — libations in the temples, honoring their ancestors at the royal mausoleum, that evening’s banquet and who they were going to greet, and the lighting of the wedding hearth....

Beside Will, Nico sighed. “This is already so tiresome,” he mumbled so that only Will could hear. Will gave him a reassuring smile and kissed his cheek to comfort him.

A moment later, when Reyna finally noticed they were no longer listening, she looked up and found them staring at each other and sitting so closely that they were practically glued together, their fingers linked while Nico played with Will’s hair. “Pay attention,” she ordered sharply. Will tore his eyes away from Nico’s and they listened to her obediently for awhile, but then Nico’s arm snaked around his shoulders and Will found himself distracted once more.

* * *

Nico and Will had poured offerings of grain and honey at the altar dedicated to Gaea, the earth mother, giver of gifts and patron of Pluto. At the temple of Aeon, the god of eternity, they had given libations of grain and wine as they prayed for longevity, a lasting bond, and for the blessings of the Morai in his train.

Nico was no stranger to such rituals. As Pluto’s prince, he was expected to give regular offerings to the gods to pray for the protection and wellbeing of his people. So why was it that he felt so feverish? Why was his gut churning and tying itself in knots? Why did hands and voice shake as he poured the offerings and recited the hymns? Will looked concerned, but did not draw attention in front of the couriers who had followed them to the temples bearing the supplies needed for libations.

Nico couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so nervous — not even the worry prior his wedding interview or the restless excitement before his first kiss could compare. His night had been nearly sleepless and he’d felt jittery since that morning. He wasn’t afraid, exactly, but all his anticipation and eagerness had built up inside him until his body was overflowing with tension.

After paying respects to the gods, they returned to the palace grounds to perform the ceremony for honoring Nico’s ancestors. The royal mausoleum was almost entirely black from the floor to the vaulted ceiling. A round stone altar sat at the middle of the entrance room, and in its center was a deep earthen pit where libations in honor of the dead were poured. Tradition dictated that offerings to the dead were given to the earth so that the earth mother’s servants would bring the gifts to Erebos. The surrounding walls were lined with the names of the venerated dead engraved on golden plates. Something about the tomb — the way sound vibrated off the marble walls and floors, the cool air, the dark atmosphere, or maybe a sense of reverence — made one feel that they had to be quiet.

While the servants arranged a the offerings on the altar, Nico examined the golden plates on the walls. His eyes danced over the names of ancient kings and queens, honored members of the court, and beloved members of the royal family. He had memorized their names and their stories — the prince who had been killed at the hand of a Scatinavian invader, the queen who had been lost in childbirth and her stillborn baby. Plutons revered their dead even more than the other Romanus. Nico felt he owed it to his ancestors to remember them.

Finally, Nico stopped in front of Bianca’s name. He waited for the servants to light the incense and leave Nico and Will to complete the ceremony alone before he reached out to touch her nameplate. Nico had always felt uncomfortable knowing that her body had not been cremated and her ashes were not housed in the mausoleum. Her remains ought to be among those of the rest of the royal family, but instead, her body had been buried in a mass grave of plague victims outside of Venadica. He understood why, of course; in the days of the Scarlet Delirium, hundreds of Plutons had died every day. The healers feared the disease could become airborne if the bodies were burned, or would infest the crops or water supply if they were buried to close to towns or farms. The safest way to dispose of the bodies, they had concluded, was to bury them far away. There had been proper burial rites, but Bianca’s body could not be returned to the royal family for fear of it bringing the disease back into the palace.

Nico heard Will’s footsteps approach and stop just behind him. Will whispered, “Your voice can still reach her.”

“I can only hope,” Nico answered. “But even if it doesn’t....”

While in Venadica that summer, Nico and Will had gone to the monument honoring the victims of the Scarlet Delirium who had died under the care of the healers there. It was outside the city on a hill marking the location of the mass graves. Even though over a decade had passed, the grass still hadn’t grown back properly. There, Nico and Will had performed the ritual ceremony to the dead and had asked Bianca to bless their marriage. Even if Bianca could not hear them from Divitia, she had heard them then.

Will fixed a stray lock of Nico’s hair, then ran his knuckles over Nico’s cheekbones. The touch soothed Nico and the knots in his stomach loosened. “I prayed to my grandmother at the family tomb before I left Diana,” Will said. “I asked for her blessing, too.”

Nico nodded. He was glad; he didn’t like that he and Will wouldn’t be able to visit Will’s ancestors before their wedding, but knowing that Will had gone on his own calmed him.

Nico’s fingers slid to the name beside Bianca’s. “Maria,” he read. “She was my governess. I have told you about her.”

“She must have been very loved by the royal family to have earned a place in your mausoleum.”

Persephone had always assured Nico that Maria had been dear to them, but Nico had never spoken to Hades about Maria. They danced around the topic like her name was taboo. Once, it had infuriated Nico, but over time, as Nico’s anger had cooled, he had grown to assume that Hades simply had a difficult time talking about it.

Still, Nico felt uncertain. Did Bianda know that Lady Maria had been their birth mother? Had she discovered the family secret in Erebos? And what about Nico’s ancestors? Did they approve Maria? Did they approve of Nico, her bastard son? Persephone had said that she and Hades considered Maria family, but did Nico’s ancestors?

“Yes,” Nico said anyway. “Lady Maria was special.” He let his fingers slip away from the monument and turned to face Will. “We should continue with the ceremony,” he said, gesturing towards the altar. Silently, Will took the shallow bowl for the libations and nodded for Nico to proceed.

Nico took the wine first and poured it into the bowl. “I call upon my ancestors, who rest in sacred slumber in Erebos,” he began. His voice was shaking again. When he glanced up and his eyes met Will’s, Will smiled reassuringly and soothed Nico’s nerves.

Nico took a deep breath and set aside the wine before reaching for the honey. He cleared his throat and the sound reverberated from the marble walls and floors, booming loudly back in Nico’s ears. As he drizzled the honey into the wine-filled bowl, he said, “We offer these gifts in your honor and pray that you accept our marriage.” Nico placed the honey’s vase back on the altar and took the milk. The offerings turned cloudy and pink as Nico poured the milk into the bowl. “Wise ancestors, we ask you to honor your descendants with your guidance. Grant us your blessings and watch over us as we enter our marriage. Help us to be patient and loyal, to support and comfort one another.” When he was done, Nico set aside the milk and held the bowl with Will.

The ritual next called for a respectful silence. Nico offered a few unspoken words to Bianca and Maria, asking for their approval and guidance specifically. Although not honored at the royal mausoleum, he prayed to Will’s ancestors and hoped they would hear his promise to care for Will. When Nico looked up, Will’s eyes were closed. A few rays of the afternoon sun illuminated his features from where they streamed in through the door, and candlelight danced across the lines of his face. Nico wondered what he was thinking about. How could Will look so calm?

Finally, Will opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw Nico watching him and nodded to signal that he was ready. Carefully, they lifted the bowl over the altar and poured the contents into the pit in the center. When it was empty, they covered the offerings with soil to be taken to the underworld.

“It’s done,” Nico said, stepping back from the altar. His hands were caked with earth and the sleeves of his coat were stained, but a sense of relief washed over him. He always felt more calm after giving libations to the dead, as though he had left his worries in the hands of his ancestors to take care of for him.

Will offered Nico his arm. “Shall we, Your Highness?”

Nico smiled. “I’m going to ruin your coat,” he said, holding up his dirty hands.

“We planned to change before the evening’s celebration anyway,” Will reminded. “What’s the harm?”

Nico hummed. “True,” he admitted, and he took Will’s arm.

“Now, then,” Will said as he led Nico back outside. “It appears we have time before we must make our appearances this afternoon. What do you think of a walk?”

“I think a walk sounds wonderful,” Nico said.

The asphodel meadows were planted just outside the royal mausoleum, so Nico pointed toward them and steered Will in their direction. “The asphodel meadow was planted in memory of the victims of the Scarlet Delirium, you know,” Nico said.

“Yes, I know,” Will said. “But you’ve never brought me here before.”

“I’ve never liked it.” The asphodel meadow may have been planted to honor Bianca, but Nico hated it. He sometimes walked through hoping that it would make him feel close to Bianca, but it had never worked. Asphodel was not a pretty flower. It had an awkward, broken shape, was as lifelessly pale as a corpse, and in Nico’s opinion, it reeked of death. It did not seem like a fitting flower to plant in memory of Bianca, who had been kind, beautiful, and loved by all. But according to Romanus culture, asphodel was the flower of immortality, symbolising that the memories of loved ones would last forever. Persephone said asphodel was thought to be immortal because it seemed capable of surviving in any condition, even in times of drought, and spread so quickly that it was sometimes considered a weed. In fact, Persephone and the gardeners had a difficult time keeping the asphodel confined. The wind sometimes spread seeds into other parts of the grounds and it wasn’t uncommon to see asphodel sprouting in places it didn’t belong. Sometimes, Persephone would even stop during her walks to pull asphodel buds that she noticed among her flowers, dirtying her hands and sullying her dresses in the process. Once when Nico was feeling particularly spiteful, he had accused her of picking the asphodel to avoid thinking about Bianca. Persephone had calmly explained that asphodel was invasive and could damage the other plants, but had also admitted, “The asphodel meadow was planted after Bianca died. It only reminds me of losing her. I would rather be surrounded by things that remind me of when Bianca was alive, like the flowers she loved and the gardens where she liked to play with you.”

Their shoes crunched over the gravel paths as Nico led Will to the center of the meadows, where a black marble fountain stood, depicting two figures — Thanatos, the god of death, and Bianca.

Nico recalled the first time he had visited the asphodel meadows, when Hazel had dragged him along to show him the fountain. He remembered being afraid when he looked up into the indifferent face of Thanatos. His huge wingspan and his looming presence had made Nico want to cower away. Nico had immediately known that the girl was supposed to be Bianca, but he thought that she looked nothing like Bianca at all. She was dressed in the flowing clothes of the ancients and something about her appearance was cold. But even though he had thought she was a poor imitation of Bianca, Nico remembered feeling angry and scared to see Thanatos’ outstretched hand reaching for the girl like he meant to steal her away.

Hazel, still only a few years old at the time, had looked at Nico proudly and said, “That is my sister, Bianca.” It had infuriated Nico. How dare that girl speak of Bianca like she knew her? How dare that contaminated, illegitimate stranger call Bianca her sister?

Nico had exploded, telling Hazel that she was not Bianca’s sister and that she had no right to even say Bianca’s name. He had immediately regretted it when Hazel started to cry, but he hadn’t known how to apologize until he asked Persephone to help him.

“Are you alright?” Nico heard Will ask.

Nico blinked away the memories and looked back at Will. “Just lost in thought,” he answered.

“About the late princess?” Will asked.

“Yes,” Nico replied. “And Hazel. Hazel and I...we didn’t get along at first. When I came back from the countryside and suddenly had a new sister, I wasn’t pleased. I didn’t want a new sister. I was angry and sometimes I took that out on her. I wish I hadn’t done that.”

Nico looked back up into Thanatos’ face. Now that he was older, Nico thought the statue looked different. He looked calm rather than aloof. His open wings, rather than appearing ominous, looked protective, like he was shielding Bianca. His outstretched hand was offering to guide Bianca, not trying to steal her. He even looked younger, close to Nico’s age, and he seemed gentle and trustworthy. Nico no longer felt afraid of him.

Nico released Will’s arm and dipped his dirt-covered hands in the water to clean them, then gestured for Will to do the same. “Sit with me,” he said when their hands were clean. He sat on the edge of the fountain and patted the space beside him. “We still have time before we’re needed.”

“And what did you plan to do with that time, Your Highness?” Will asked, but the glint in his eye said that he knew exactly what Nico wanted to do.

“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” Nico said, pretending to be displeased.

He didn’t fool Will. “Would you like a kiss, Your Highness?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I told you — don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”

Will laughed softly and slipped his arm around Nico’s waist. “How silly of me,” he said. “I know you don’t want a kiss. You want several.”

Will tipped Nico back so far that Nico grabbed onto Will’s neck, fearing that he’d fall into the fountain. He kissed Nico loudly and sloppily, tickling Nico’s lips and making him laugh. Then he pulled Nico close and kissed him softly, kindly, and innocently, and then he touched Nico’s hair and kissed him seriously.

Their kisses had turned out that way too often lately — with Nico wanting to climb into Will’s lap or to pull Will into his. Their bodies ended up being too close, their hearts beat too fast, and Nico felt dangerously hot. Too often, Will had pulled back, just like he was then, to remind Nico to slow down.

“We only have to wait another day,” Will said, stroking his knuckles along Nico’s neck. “We don’t need to rush.”

Nico shivered. Will’s gentle reminders only made it harder on him. He suspected Will knew it, too — ever since Will had started to become aware of exactly how attracted to him Nico felt, he had started to make a hobby of teasing him. Nico wasn’t sure if he could have survived it had Will not assured him that he wanted him, too.

“I want everything with you,” Will had said, again and again.

Nico sighed and slumped against Will’s shoulder in defeat. “One more day,” he whispered.

“One more day,” Will replied.

* * *

Will wore dark blue that night, which did nothing to help Nico’s self-control. The pastel colors popular in Jupiter and Neptune dominated the majority of Will’s wardrobe, but Nico always found himself weak at the knees when Will opted for darker clothes. Perhaps Nico’s preference for Pluto’s darker fashion was to blame, but something about the way it looked against Will’s golden coloring made him seem even more irresistible to Nico.

They had changed into their evening attire and entered the Hall of Gold with the royal family to greet the guests as they arrived. Before long, their names and faces started to blur together. The Palatium de Divitae hadn’t seen such a celebration since before Bianca’s passing and Nico’s ability to host was sorely out of practice.

Nico didn’t know how he could have managed it without Will. When they greeted the Duchess of Trivia, Will, who had met her at Lee and Lou Ellen’s wedding, kindly said that he was delighted to see her again and asked about her favorite polecat. After Hecate was Hephaestus, the Duke of Vulcan. Will told Nico privately that Hephaestus had once been a consor and major patron of inventions in Venadica, but had stopped visiting when he inherited the duchy about a year before Will was born. Will even dealt with Princes Percy and Jason when they tried to engage Nico in an unwanted conversation. They met a few other major landowners and minor nobles, and several faces later, Nico was beginning to wonder how Will knew the Plutonian nobles better than he did. He met the crowds with the effortless grace of the perfect host, greeting everyone by name and inquiring after the health of their families. He was charming and didn’t stay with one guest for too long or too short. It was like he belonged in the Palatium de Divitae.

All was going well until Will put his lips close to Nico’s ear and whispered, “That’s the son of the Duke of Somnus. His father funds my Somnium research. I like Clovis.”

Nico recalled hearing the name before, but couldn’t remember where until he followed Will’s gaze and saw him.

“Oh, gods,” Nico murmured under his breath, but Will didn’t hear him.

There had to be somewhere Nico could run. Surely he could distract Will and leave his parents to greet the next few guests. After the conversation they’d had that morning, Nico didn’t think he could handle the embarrassment of meeting one of his failed suitors.

But Nico blinked, and suddenly Clovis was there in front of them. Will started to make the introductions, but apparently Nico’s expression made it apparent that something wasn’t right. “Have you met?” he asked.

Nico cleared his throat uncomfortably. “It has been a long time,” he said.

Will looked between them and suddenly a look of understanding passed over his expression. “Oh,” he said. “Oh, I see.” Lowering his voice, he asked, “Did you call him a toad?”

Clovis yawned. “I think he called me a cow, actually.”

Nico felt the blood drain from his face. Will raised an eyebrow. “Your Highness?”

“I...it was a long time ago!” Nico insisted. “I was only fifteen—”

“That is no excuse for calling someone a cow.”

Nico glared back, but didn’t last long before his resolve crumbled. “Alright, I apologize,” Nico said. “That was rude. I should not have called you a cow.”

“It’s alright,” Clovis said glumly. “I’ve heard worse.”

Will frowned at Nico in disappointment. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“I apologized! What more do you want from me?”

Will just shook his head before turning back to Clovis. “I do not think you are a cow.”

Clovis blinked like he was trying not to fall asleep. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“But I think you should go sit down before you fall over,” Will added.

Clovis’ head bobbed up and down a few times. Nico wasn’t sure if he was nodding in agreement or nodding off to sleep, but Will called one of the servants to escort Clovis to a table anyway. Once he was taken care of, Will turned to frown at Nico again.

“Can we just forget this ever happened?” Nico asked. When Will raised an eyebrow, Nico sighed in defeat. “You’re going to tease me about this later, aren’t you?”

“I might,” Will admitted.

“Pardon me, Your Highness,” interrupted a voice. “I wanted to give my congratulations to the grooms.”

Nico looked up in surprise. His parents had taken over the greetings while Nico and Will were busy bickering, so he hadn’t noticed another guest approaching them. He didn’t recognize the man at first, but then Will lit up and said, “Cecil! I haven’t seen you for at least a year!”

Oh, gods, Nico thought. Not again. He would rather spend the entire evening with Percy and Jason than....

“Your Highness, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine,” Will started. “This is Cecil. He’s quite a successful merchant and he recently inherited a county in southern Angelus.”

“Actually, we’ve already met,” Cecil said, smirking deviously at Nico. Nico wanted to take Will and run.

“Oh,” said Will, looking between them. “Oh, no. Another spurned suitor, Your Highness?”

“Will, listen,” Nico said frantically. “I promise he is not the one I called a toad.”

“I am not the one he called a toad,” Cecil confirmed. “That would have been my husband. He’ll be along shortly.”

Nico felt like he was going to be sick.

“If I recall the story correctly, His Highness also called my husband a pig,” Cecil went on, still smiling with a spark of animosity in his eyes.

“I...I...uh....”

“It was a hog, not a pig,” said another voice, and then a burly man appeared at Cecil’s side. A burly man who looked ridiculously toad-like.

Nico was definitely going to be sick.

“There you are, darling,” Cecil said, linking their arms proudly. “Will, I’d like you to meet my husband, Ellis. We married a few months ago. We had quite the laugh when we discovered that both of us attempted to court His Highness.”

Nico tugged on Will’s sleeve urgently, but Will either didn’t understand or didn’t care. “Now that I think about it, you compared me to a dog after we went hunting during our marriage consultation,” Will said. “You seem to have a habit of likening your suitors to animals, Your Highness.”

“I—that—I compared you to Asterion!” Nico stammered. When he made the comparison, he had been attempting to encourage Will after his failure during the hunt. At the time, Nico had worried that he’d said something wrong and insulted Will, but Will hadn’t seemed upset. Had it really bothered Will after all? “I didn’t mean...it’s...Will, listen, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” said Will. “Apologize to them.”

Nico’s jaw dropped. Apologizing to Clovis was one thing, but to these people? They had teased him! “Absolutely not!”

“Your Highness.”

“I will do no such thing!”

“I’m disappointed in you.”

“What! I...you can’t just...that’s not...gods, fine!” Nico glared pointedly at Ellis. “I apologize for calling you a toad.”

“And a hog,” Will reminded.

“And a hog.” He turned his glare to Cecil. “And I apologize for calling you a ferret.”

“Weasel, actually,” Cecil corrected.

“Weasel!”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” said Will. “Was that really so difficult?”

“Do not test my patience, William,” Nico growled.

“You did very well.”

“Don’t patronize me! Gods, Will, you...you...!” At a loss for words, Nico broke off with an angry sound. “I’m finished here,” he announced, then he spun on his heel and stormed away before his parents noticed him leaving.

He heard laughter behind him, which only infuriated him further. How dare Will tease him that way? He ought to know very well that Nico did not like being reminded of the embarrassing fiascos he had gone through before finding Will.

Nico regretted losing his temper shortly after he stormed away from Will and his ex-suitors. He was still furious with Will for teasing him — well, not quite furious; he couldn’t bring himself be furious with Will — but he knew he’d acted childishly. What really made him regret leaving Will behind, however, was that he was almost immediately accosted by Princes Percy and Jason. They were admittedly more tolerable than Nico’s ex-suitors, but Nico would have preferred not to interact with them at all, or at least not on his own.

Percy and Jason were lacking partners, as well, so they invited him to drink with them. Apparently Percy’s wife had run off to dance with Jason’s fiancée. Nico recalled hearing a rumor that Jason’s fiancée was also his mistress. He wasn’t sure whether it was true or not, but their engagement did seem suspiciously abrupt. Nico certainly would never have caused such a scandal, even if he would have enjoyed having Will as a courtesan....

Nico shook his head and quickly buried that thought as inappropriate and offensive.

Nico tried to refuse their invitation, but they dragged him along anyway and he ended up sipping wine with the princes, searching for a way to escape and doing his best to ignore the conversation. Much to his horror, Percy and Jason somehow managed to invite themselves to his bathing ceremony the next morning.

“And then we’ll attend Jason’s bathing ceremony when he gets married!” Percy said with delight. Jason agreed enthusiastically.

“Absolutely not,” Nico said.

Jason looked heartbroken. “You won’t? But I want you to be there.” Nico tried to avert his gaze. Jason’s eyes were bright, blue, and something about his pitiful expression and the lighting in the room made them look soft and very much like Will’s.

“I...that’s....” Nico started, trying to appear indignant. He failed. “Very well,” he grumbled. “I’ll attend your bathing ceremony.”

Jason’s expression immediately brightened and his eyes went back to being piercing, electric, and very much not-Will’s. Nico tried to take his promise back, but protesting became impossible when Jason started to ramble about how happy he was that Nico was coming. Nico was forced to at least pretend to give in out of fear that Jason would look at him with those Will-eyes again if Nico hurt his feelings.

Jason did, in fact, use the Will-eyes on him a few more times. Even though Nico steeled his resolve every time, he could never bring himself to refuse him.

* * *

After Nico left, Cecil asked his husband to give them a moment before gesturing Will off to a private corner. “Tell me honestly, Will. Does he treat you well?”

Will frowned. “His Highness? Of course he does.”

“Pardon me for worrying, but he did call me a weasel and he called my husband a toad,” Cecil said. “I think you can understand why I would worry about my friend marrying him.”

“Cecil, I know that you didn’t have the best experience when you attempted to court him, but that was many years ago.”

Cecil shrugged. “If you insist. I do hope we didn’t make him too angry earlier.”

The corner of Will’s mouth twitched up. “He likes me too much to stay angry with me very long. Cecil, I have been engaged to him for a few years now and we’ve grown close in that time. I know him. He doesn’t have a good reputation, but since I have met him, he has always been kind. Stubborn, perhaps, but kind.”

Cecil nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll have to trust you. Besides, I think I dislike him a bit less when he’s around you.”

“I like him quite a lot,” Will said happily.

“I suppose someone has to,” Cecil mumbled. “But really — you get along with him? Well, of course you do. You could get along with anyone. But you aren’t forcing yourself on account of his status?”

Will didn’t understand the question at first. Nico’s status had never been Will’s primary motive for marrying him — that had only made the decision easier. “Cecil, I love him,” Will said. “And he loves me.”

Cecil held Will’s eyes for a moment, like he was searching for something. “Alright,” he finally said. “Then I wish you happiness. Anyway, I ought invite my toad to dance now. Enjoy your evening, Will. May the Morai smile on your marriage.”

Cecil clapped Will on the shoulder and offered a smile before walking off to find his husband. Will still felt that he should have said something different to stand up for Nico. It hadn’t been the first time that someone had approached Will and expressed concern about his fiancé, but Will hadn’t heard it in a while and had nearly forgotten how poor Nico’s reputation was in Pluto. True, Nico could be cold at first, and according to what Will had heard, he’d even been unruly or rude at times when he was younger, but anyone could be like that sometimes. While Cecil’s friendly concern may have been reasonable, Nico didn’t deserve the hate and fear so many people in his kingdom held for him. Will felt that he ought to be doing something to help, something to show them what he saw in Nico.

Shaking his head, Will went back to the entrance of the Hall of Gold to greet the rest of the guests with the royal family. Hades looked at him sternly and asked where Nico had gone. “He is cooling his temper,” Will replied. Hades set his jaw in a displeased frown, but Persephone patted his arm and told him to leave Nico be.

Nico didn’t return by the time the guests had all been greeted, which worried Will until he entered the Chamber of Ouranos and caught sight of Nico sitting with Princes Percy and Jason. Even from across the room, Nico’s expression was enough evidence of his discomfort. Will considered helping him, but had just decided that he’d let Nico deal with it on his own when a loud, dramatic sigh cut through his thoughts and Lou Ellen suddenly appeared leaning on the wall beside him.

“Hello, Will,” she said.

“Good evening, Lou,” Will replied, taking note of the conspicuous lack of Lee and Michael around her. “Where are the others?”

Lou Ellen shrugged. “I lost them a while ago. Where’s your groom?”

“Cooling his temper, probably. I made him a bit angry.”

“You?” Lou Ellen laughed. “You made someone angry? That doesn’t happen very often.”

“I’ll apologize for teasing him later,” Will said. “I may have gone a bit too far, but he probably deserved it. He insulted my friends.”

Lou Ellen raised an eyebrow. “Should I be worried?”

“No, everything’s fine,” Will assured. After his conversation with Cecil, he didn’t need anyone else to worry about his marriage. “What about you and Lee? Is everything alright?” Lee and Lou Ellen had been acting differently ever since about a week before they left Diana. There had been a bit of excitement earlier that month when they thought Lou might be pregnant, but in the end it had turned out to be nothing. Something about their relationship hadn’t seemed as effortless as usual since then. They still got along well and they continued to be affectionate with each other, but there was some sort of passionate aspect of their relationship that didn’t seem as prominent to Will.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Lou said. “We’re just disappointed. We’ve been trying for years.”

Will nodded. The entire family had been disappointed—especially Apollo, who had cried for days after they told him. Apollo adored babies and desperately yearned for a grandchild. In fact, he loved having children in the house so much that Lou and Michael had a running bet on how much longer Apollo would last before having another one. Will wasn’t participating in the bet, but he suspected that Apollo wouldn’t last long after the wedding. If Lee and Lou Ellen didn’t have a baby soon, Apollo would probably make his own instead.

Lou Ellen cleared her throat. “Actually, Will, I wanted to ask if you...well, you’ve studied the body, so I wondered if you knew of anything that might help.”

Will sighed. “Lou, I have to be honest with you,” he said. “There is a chance that you and Lee simply can’t have children.”

Lou Ellen closed her eyes and sighed deeply, but didn’t look surprised. “But if there’s any hope at all....”

“There are a few things that might help,” Will said. “I can teach you how to track your fertile times, if you’d like.”

“Would you?” Lou Ellen asked, her expression brightening. Will didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wasn’t confident it would make a difference.

Will opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he noticed Lee cutting through the crowd towards them. “I’ll write it down for you later,” Will promised.

“There you are!” Lee said, leaning down to kiss Lou’s forehead. “I have been looking everywhere for you. People keep asking me to dance and rejecting them has gotten tiring. Being handsome is such a hassle.”

Lou Ellen smiled at him in amusement. “You’re allowed to dance with other people. You needn’t hold back on my account.”

“But you are the only one I want to dance with, my love,” Lee said. “Won’t you protect me from my own tragically good looks?”

“Of course, dear. I sometimes forget how painful it is for you to be so devastatingly gorgeous.”

Will rolled his eyes, but he felt a little bit relieved. Lee and Lou Ellen’s relationship seemed just fine.

“So,” Lee said. “What have you been doing while I was off fending for myself?”

“Will has been providing me with some tips for our bedroom activities,” Lou said proudly.

“Why, thank you, Will!” said Lee. “I look forward to discovering what she learned.”

Will hid his face in his hands in embarrassment. “I hate you both,” he muttered.

“Ridiculous,” Lee said. “You are going to miss me terribly when we leave. It won’t be a month before you send me a tear-stained letter crying about how you wish I hadn’t left you behind. But as much as I wish I could could stay and chat, I actually came here because Lou and I need to relieve Mama from Octavian Duty soon.”

Will nodded sympathetically. Fortunately, he had been excused from Octavian Duty for the duration of his wedding, but Octavian needed to be constantly monitored. “Where is everyone else?” Will asked.

“Michael and Papa are together somewhere,” Lee answered. “Papa thinks he is watching over Michael to make sure he doesn’t drink too much, but Michael thinks he is watching Papa to make sure he doesn’t try to woo anyone important. I’m not sure which one of them is correct, but I decided not to pry. Chiron and Austin are watching Kayla to keep her from destroying anything else. Oh, and I believe Lady Reyna was looking for you to prepare for the lighting of the wedding hearth. Where’s your groom, by the way?”

“Will teased him and now they’re in the midst of a lover’s quarrel,” Lou Ellen replied.

“It’s not a lover’s quarrel,” Will said.

Lee whistled. “Bad timing, Will. I suggest you make up before tomorrow night.”

Lou Ellen scoffed. “I’d wager seven aurei that all he has to do is smile to get the Prince to forgive him.”

Will blushed and tried to protest, but Lee laughed. “I’m not betting against that,” he said. “Go find your prince and Lady Reyna, Will. Lou and I ought to relieve Mama before Octavian wears through her patience.”

After Lou Ellen and Lee had left, Will scanned the crowd for Reyna’s sororal silver. The dresses of sorors and the pale colors popular in Jupiter and Neptune stood out against the backdrop of dark colors favored by Plutonian aristocrats. Will wondered if it was simply a unique Plutonian style, or whether the fashion of Pluto had fallen behind since the Scarlet Delirium’s effect on the economy. Earlier that week, Lee had remarked that the cut of Plutonian clothes seemed a bit dated, with higher waistlines on men’s clothing and higher necklines on the women’s. Will had never noticed, but perhaps Lee had a point. Over time, the lower Neptunian cut had become popular in Jupiter, but it appeared that the trend had not spread to Pluto. When he had brought it up with Nico, however, Nico had declared that the Neptunian cut was scandalous and that Plutonians simply had a sense of decency. Reyna, who had been in the room at the time, had laughed and teased him for being hypocritically prudish.

When Will found her, Reyna informed him that it was time to prepare for the lighting of the wedding hearth and asked where the Prince was. Will pointed to where he’d seen Nico and asked her opinion on the way Nico had stormed off earlier.

“I think that it will take approximately two seconds for him to forgive you, if he hasn’t already,” she said. “But I also think you ought to apologize anyway. I, for one, am guilty of teasing him too often. It’s true that he overreacts, but he doesn’t deserve to be teased so much.”

Will nodded. “I agree,” he said.

“That being said,” Reyna went on, “He was quite terrible to those suitors and a bit of retribution was due. I wish I’d been there to see it.”

When they found Nico, he was still sitting with Princes Percy and Jason, looking miserable and desperate for an escape. He seemed happy to see Will at first, quickly abandoning the other princes to run to latch onto Will’s arm, but then he frowned and scowled like he had just remembered that he was supposed to be angry.

“I wanted to apologize for teasing you so much earlier,” Will said. “I shouldn’t have done that, especially not in front of our guests.”

Nico looked like he was ready to argue further, but then Will smiled at him and, as Lou Ellen had predicted, the resolve melted from Nico’s expression. “My actions may have warranted a bit of teasing,” Nico admitted. “Did I truly insult you when I compared you to Asterion?”

Will chuckled under his breath. “Of course not,” he answered.

“Good. Because I didn’t mean to, really. I meant to be encouraging. I worried that I might have said it the wrong way and when you commented on it earlier, I thought....”

“Your Highness, I never even considered that you meant to insult me by comparing me to Asterion,” Will said. “In fact, I’m flattered that you think as highly of me as you do of your dog.”

Reyna cleared her throat. “Now that you’ve successfully made up, I suggest you make your way to the courtyard for the wedding hearth ceremony before the sun sets,” she said. “The guests have already begun to gather.

Will looked up at the domed glass roof of the Hall of Ouranos to see that the sky already had an orange cast in the west. The lighting of the wedding hearth always took place at sundown. It was a Plutonian ritual to signify the beginning of the celebrations. The first time Will heard of it was at Lee and Lou Ellen wedding when they lit the hearth in honor of Lou Ellen’s Trivian heritage. The tradition originated in ancient Pluto, Nico had explained. The hearth was considered to be the heart of the home; it served as a place to gather for conversation, to cook, and to eat. The lighting of the wedding hearth signified a welcoming embrace and the joining of families through matrimony. In more recent times, royalty and noble or wealthy families often performed the ceremony with a great fire pit rather than an indoor fireplace. Lee and Lou Ellen had lit a fire pit in the courtyard of the Sun Palace. Nico and Will would do the same at the Palatium de Divitae.

As they left, Will heard couriers announcing that the wedding hearth ceremony was about to begin and a crowd had already begun to form by the time they arrived in the courtyard. Reyna led them past guests wearing heavy perfumes, frilled coats, and sweeping skirts until they reached the fire pit. Dried logs and twigs had been piled on top of one another to build a tall structure, one that seemed even larger than the wedding hearth at Lee and Lou Ellen’s wedding. An outdoor orchestra filled the air with music distinct from the chatter of the crowd. Not for the first time, Will was struck by the absurdity of the fact that all of the extravagance was for him and his wedding. To Will, it seemed as though the entire world was celebrating his marriage.

Reyna arranged them so that they were standing in the proper places in front of the fire pit and asked, “Do you both remember what you are supposed to do?”

“Of course,” Will said. To his left, Nico nodded, but seemed less certain. Will frowned in concern. After finishing the rituals in the temples and the mausoleum, Nico’s nerves had appeared to melt away, but he suddenly seemed tense again.

Reyna seemed to notice Nico’s unease, as well. “Everything will be alright, Your Highness,” she said. “It’s a short ceremony. It’ll be over before you can blink.” Before she turned to leave, Reyna looked at Will and nodded, a gesture that Will understood to mean, take care of him for me.

A moment later, when they were alone, Will looked at Nico and asked, “Are you nervous about the ceremony?”

Nico didn’t look back at him. He stared straight forward into the crowd and chewed his lip before answering. “Ceremonies don’t really make me anxious,” he eventually said.

“Then are you nervous about marriage?”

“No,” Nico replied. “Quite the opposite. I’m so excited that it’s driving me mad.”

Nico looked up then. The darkening red sky made his eyes look like they were made of fire. Will felt like his gaze was piercing him, threatening to strike his very soul. Will was vulnerable, weak, and naked in a way that he only ever felt around Nico. “I love you,” he blurted out before he could stop himself. He wanted to kiss Nico right there in front of the crowd, but just managed to hold himself back.

Nico’s expression melted into something softer and gentler. “And I love you,” he answered.

Will might have kissed him then, had the crowd not started to part for a woman in silver holding a lit torch. There had never been a question as to whom would perform the soror’s rituals in their wedding. Artemis had been the obvious choice and she had made it quite clear that she would not tolerate them even thinking of asking another soror.

Artemis offered the torch to Nico without a word when she reached them. The lighting of the wedding hearth was a silent ceremony. There were no hymns to recite, no words to exchange — the heath spoke for itself.

When Nico turned to share it with Will, their eyes met across the flame. There was a question in Nico’s eyes. Will wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. Perhaps, Are you certain? or, Are you ready?

Will’s answer was the same either way. He reached out to help Nico hold the torch, and together, they dipped it into the fire pit. For a moment, it didn’t catch. Will noticed Nico’s body go tense. Then a dry bit of dead brush started to burn, and only a moment later, the pit was engulfed in flames.

The fire would be kept alive over the next two days of the wedding. Supposedly, it was a bad omen if the fire ran out before the wedding ended, but Will didn’t believe that was true. However, Nico did. The hearth was to be constantly monitored and tended to until they threw in the wedding wreaths to signal the end of the celebrations at the end of gift-giving day.

The crowd cheered and applauded as the flames licked up towards the clouds. Nico returned the torch to Artemis, then took Will’s hand and stood beside him to watch the smoke rise into the air. In the distance, the first firework of the night rocketed up before bursting into streaks of red across the dark sky. Out of the corner of his eye, Will noticed Reyna turn and disappear into the crowd.

“Where is Reyna going?” Will asked.

“My chambers,” Nico replied. “I asked her to take care of Asterion before the fireworks startle him too much. He’s afraid of them.”

Will smiled to himself. “I remember. That was the night we had our first kiss.”

“Yes,” Nico said. He sounded surprisingly displeased. “But if you hadn’t been so annoyingly polite, we could have kissed long before then. You must have realized that I’d been trying to get you to kiss me since the fall.”

Will laughed. “I hadn’t the faintest clue. I couldn’t understand you at all back then. But you were not very forthcoming with your feelings.”

“I’m improving.”

“Yes,” Will agreed. “And I have become much better able to understand you, as well.”

“Yet we still have much to learn, don’t we?”

Will cupped Nico’s jaw and carefully brushed his thumb over his cheek. “Yes. And I suspect that the more I learn, the more I’m going to fall in love with you.”

They kissed while the crowd around them was too busy watching the fireworks to pay attention. “One more night,” Nico whispered, running his fingers down the front of Will’s coat. “Then we can....”

“One more night and I’m yours,” Will answered.

#arranged marriage AU #solangelo arranged marriage au #pjo arranged marriage au #royalty au #solangelo royalty au #pjo royalty au #solangelo #Nico di Angelo #Will Solace #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #The Heroes of Olympus #Heroes of Olympus #the trials of apollo #trials of apollo #toa #hoo #pjo #reyna avila ramirez arellano

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