The Elysium Project (Solangelo AU) (Completed)

IV

Reunition

Will

I woke up after noon, which was new. Usually I couldn't sleep past 8. So I went downstairs, and found my parents. They were looking crossly at me, which probably meant they found out about me climbing the wall last night. That's the only reason why they would be strict.

"So, William." My dad Lester started. "We saw you sneaking out last night."

I went really quiet. My younger sister dropped her spoon and looked at me.

"And you weren't answering your Tap." My mother continued.

"I turned it off." I lied quickly. Technically, it wasn't a lie. Because it was true. But only part of the truth. I never told a lie because I didn't tell the whole truth. Technically.

I'm a mess today.

"Well, we were wondering why you went outside."

"I...went to go hang out with Jason." I actually lied. And I luckily made it convincing.

You see, I'm a bad liar. And I'm a wreck when tired. So now I'm a horrible liar.

"Jason?" My mom questioned. She's bad at remembering people, and I don't hang out with Jason as much.

"Grace. Tall, blonde, looks a bit like me."

"Oh right. The one with common sense."

I beg to differ, Dad.

"Well, I'm going up to my room." I said, and decided to Tap a coffee my way. When I was in my room, I found a coffee on my nightstand.

"Hey Percy." I decided to Tap him.

"What's up, Will?"

"I claimed the wall."

Percy spit out his water.

"What."

"I climbed the wall. And met another guy up there."

"What did they look like?"

"Pale, really skinny, black hair, brown eyes, some fre-"

"I meant the Barrenlands, Will. Not your future boyfriend."

"Uhh...he's not my boyfriend. I don't think he's gay. And I'm not going to start hitting on a random guy that I found on a forty foot tall wall."

"But still. What did the Barrenlands look like?"

"Everything was dead. Apparently it's filled with cannibals."

"According to your boyfriend?"

"Shut up Perseus."

Leo tapped in apparently, because the scrawny Latino added "You two argue like an old married couple."

"Shut up. I have a girlfriend. And William here has a boyfriend."

"You do?"

"No."

"Percy you lied. You said Will has a boyfriend."

"Well he acted like it."

I started backing out of the conversation. I hung up and read on my Tap for a bit.

Soon, during dinner, I decided to sneak some food to Nico. I ordered for an extra portion, and Mom asked why.

"Well, I skipped breakfast. I woke up at 12."

"Fair enough."

So I snuck some of the steak into a bag under my sweatshirt, and that night, I decided a window approach would be safest.

Unfortunately, I decided against that once I was actually outside the building, on my windowsill. And here I was, 40 feet up, and stuck.

I'm an expert when it comes to planning. So I shuffled around on my windowsill, and got it so I was hanging on above the window below me.

The impact didn't break it, but probably annoyed the couple in the other room doing...things...

Yeah, I'll shut up now.

Once I reached the wall where the rope was, I was scared Nico forgot.

Soon, I saw a small skinny boy climbing up the rope.

"Are you sure that you don't want food?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"I brought it here for you. I'm not going to poison you. I wouldn't do that to anyone."

"Okay." He sat down.

"Can you show me it?" He asked.

"What?"

"The finger thing?"

"Oh...you mean my Tap?"

"Yes."

"I can try, but they're normally invisible to other people, unless they share a really strong emotional bond. Like a lover."

Nico looked a bit disappointed, but shrugged it off.

Maybe if we become close enough I could show you later. I thought. Then I blushed at the thought.

I saw Nico grabbing the bag of steak, and he looked embarrassed when I caught him opening it.

"It's fine."

Percy tapped me, and when I didn't answer, he sent me a message. Like old world tecksting. But on a Tap. So pretty much tecksting. I don't think I spelled that right. Oh well.

Where are you?

I tapped him, and he looked at Nico eating next to me, and whispered "Gay."

"Shut up Percy. I am very well aware of my sexuality." I hung up and turned my Tap off. Then I realized I said that in front of Nico. Crap.

"Thank you Will. For the food."

"No problem, Nico."

Then Nico asked a strange question. "Are you dating anyone?"

"I'm as single as a potato chip. Or however that saying goes." I paused for a moment. "Sorry, I look at too much stuff from the Old World. It's interesting. Why?"

"You mentioned something to the air."

"That was my Tap."

"Oh."

"I would ask the same for you, but you're probably more concerned about getting a meal on the table than finding a girlfriend."

I swear I heard him mutter something to himself.

"So, do you want to meet up once a week, or what?" I asked.

"Maybe we could do every other day."

"Okay, Nico."

We stayed there in silence for a bit, before he asked about why I like the Old World.

Let's just say we stayed there for a while.