The Glory That Is Rome (a Percy Jackson AU)

A Wife? Not in My Life!

Nico wished he was ill. Really, he did. Physically ill of course or perhaps injured. He didn't want to be seriously ill or injured, though. He just wanted another excuse to see Will. He did everything he could to spend time with the Greek physician. Whenever a slave came done with a fever or a cough, Nico volunteered to fetch the doctor so that he could see Will. The problem was that the entire household had been healthy for the past two weeks.

Nico followed the advice Will had given him, but his symptoms only grew worse despite visiting the public baths daily to exercise and wash up. He felt like he was going mad. He found his thoughts drifting to a certain Greek physician no matter how hard he tried to distract himself.

Nico decided to go out for a walk. He was restless and tired of pacing in his chamber. He said goodbye to his pater and left his villa. It was a hot day and Nico wished that his father had a summer villa. He was wealthy enough to have one, but Hades had told Nico that he preferred to stick near his brother's palace.

Nico tried to distract himself from his thoughts by looking at the busy streets of Rome. As usual, there were throngs of people, a clutter of sounds, and a multitude of smells — both pleasant and noisesome. He skirted around a raucous crowd of people gleefully cheering at the public execution of a poisoner. Some criminals were killed during gladiatorial tournaments, but others were killed on the streets of Rome.

Nico walked quickly past the sad spectacle and then realized that he had been able to think of something besides Will for a few minutes. He smiled and then frowned because the tugging in his chest and the heaviness in his heart were present again. He turned to the right and found himself near the temple of Venus Genetrix.

For the first time in his life, he entered the temple. He smelled sweet incense and saw painted marble statues of Venus. He approached an altar and pulled out a pearl necklace from the folds of his toga that he had forgotten about. His neighbor, Penelope, had given it to him after he fetched Will to help cure her son's cough one day.

Nico had tried to refuse the generous gift, but Penelope had told him that her husband's former mistress had given it to her and she never wanted to see it again. Nico set the necklace on the altar and closed his eyes. He prayed to Venus.

When he was finished, he quickly headed home. The walk had made his thoughts for Will even harder to not ruminate over. Nico was greeted by Persephone when he returned home.

"Nico," she said brightly. "Now that your sister is married, your father was wondering if you would like me to help you find a wife."

Nico wet his lips and said, "I don't want to get married."

"Oh come on," Persephone said. "Every young man wants a wife. Are you in love with a lupa? Is that what is upsetting you?"

Nico noticed that his stepmother was wearing a cooper brooch in the shape of a rose and he thought of Venus. Then, he made an impulsive choice. He told her that he loved men and not women and this time, he said it plainly instead of alluding to it with snails and oysters.