How Icarus Fell From the Sun (a Solangelo fanfic)

it only took 37,000 words

Nico could not stand the sight of Will Solace, and his stupid, stupid face. He could not stand the sight of Will Solace who, like Percy, he could never have. Unlike Percy, however, Will was close. He was a friend. A kind friend who was usually attached to Nico at the shoulder. A friend who was currently watching tears slowly fall down his face, all while neither of them had any idea why.

"Nico?" Will asked, tentatively. The anger was gone from his voice, replaced only with gentle concern.

Nico could not bring himself to respond, and instead leaned against the wall of his cabin, and again, slid down until he was on the floor. He threw a hand over his eyes so that Will couldn't see them well up further.

"Gods above, Nico. What the hell?" Will dropped the jacket on a random bunk, joined him on the floor against the wall, and hugged him tightly. When he let go, it was not completely, and, keeping his hands on Nico's elbows, he turned him slightly so they were eye to eye.

There wasn't much for Nico to say, really, and he couldn't keep crying on the floor like an idiot. He started to squeeze his hands together, rubbing his palm over and over, unsure what else to do.

Will grabbed and held them, as he had when they discovered Leo was alive, as Bianca had when he was young. "Hey, Nico. We were all worried sick. What happened?"

Nico could only shake his head.

"I noticed you took the Gatorade, so I went in to check on you, but you were gone." He hesitated before asking, "Where did you go?" His voice broke slightly as he spoke, giving way to some of the emotion Nico had seen on his face just as he entered the cabin. Will dropped his hands.

Nico took a deep breath, and tried to calm down before he answered, insuring his voice was steady as he spoke. "D.C."

"D.C." Will repeated.

"It was nothing, Will, sorry. It was a stupid thing to do. I shouldn't have left like that."

"You're damn right you shouldn't have. But judging from the state you're in, it's clearly not nothing, so I'll let it slide. You don't have to tell me anything, Nico, but it might help." He smiled weakly and bumped Nico's shoulder with his own. "At least Clovis isn't anywhere close today."

Nico looked up at Will, unamused, as he pursed his lips.

"D.C." He said again, shifting the subject slightly. "Thats... that's where your mom died, right? Where you and your sister lived for a few years?"

Nico nodded, and took another deep breath. Will took his hand again, and Nico shot him a grateful glance.

"I... had another dream." He said, looking up at Will. "Like the one we were in before. Only this one was- was from before the Lethe."

Will's eyes sharped in further concern, and he squeezed Nico's hand slightly. "How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes I get... glances, I suppose. Like, I can remember Italy, and being there, with my mother. I can speak Italian even though I had no memory of ever doing so. But nothing in full. It's all just, facts, or visions. It's never been a full memory before. But this one was- it was awful, Will." He closed his eyes, remembering vividly. "It's just the day she dies. My mother. Sometimes its over and over again but sometimes it's followed by... another. From after."

"What's the other?" Will asked, kindly, quietly.

"You." Nico said after a moment. "The day my sister died." He laughed, dryly, "You were trying to get me on the lava wall. But you said something, that I knew, but I didn't remember where from."

Will looked into Nico's eyes for a moment, but his mind was far away. "You had your head in the clouds." He said, finally, looking away.

Nico drew in a sharp breath. "That. My mother said it to me, a few moments before she was killed. And you said it, and, I don't know, it gave me a moment of clarity. Connection to my family, both sides of it. And I could just... feel that she- that Bianca was dead."