Two Odd Princes ~ A Solangelo AU ~

Chapter 36

Nico headed to Bianca's room to see if she was there. It was almost time for dinner, so he knew there was a good chance she was back by now. If not... he'd cover for her and go out and find her, hopefully without attracting any attention. Lucky for him, that wouldn't be needed. His sister was in her room, furiously jabbing her console controller. Slowly he approached her, sitting down beside her as she swore someone out over her head set. This continued for a few more minutes before she set it aside, bathing in the silence around her.

Neither one said anything for a moment, neither of them knowing where to start. Then, at the same time, they opened their mouths but closed them when they saw the other's was opened. Nico opened his again, speaking first.

"Rachel mentioned that you were upset about something," Nico started. "Want to talk about?"

And so she began to vent her problems out to her brother. Everything from the wedding to the kissing, from this damned arrangement to the proposal from Artemis. At the end, she flopped back on the couch, her legs thrown over Nico's lap and one arm over her eyes.

"I don't know what to do," she whined, then sighed. "I wish I could just leave being a princess behind and join you, you know? Actually, do something and have the freedom to control my life."

Nico snorted. "You mean working your butt off to make minimum wage and pay bills while you eat old leftovers from the fridge?"

Bianca lightly kicked him, both of them giggling slightly. In the end, they skipped dinner, deciding it was best since Bianca was stressed from news and such. Rachel checked in with them to make sure everything was okay and promised to bring food up after dinner. Then the texting abruptly stopped. Nico suspected she was caught at the table with her phone.

☀❤💀

Back at the dining table, Naomi was worried about Bianca. Apollo assured her she'd be fine but it didn't do anything to help his wife. In fact, it just made her more upset. Apollo was treating the situation like it was nothing. Once he finally realized that he was making her mood worse, it was too late. She had already left the room and Apollo sighed heavily.

"Look's like I'm out on the couch tonight," the king declared, tired sounding. The kids all understood but had no pity for him.

"Good luck with that, sir," Rachel said, finishing her last bit of dinner, then quickly dismissed herself.

Rachel had been told multiple time by both Apollo and Naomi that she could call them by name, not by titles. It was easier for her to speak to the queen while using her name, but Apollo's... something about referring to him by his name in person just felt weird to her. He was the most powerful person in the whole kingdom after all. So she settled with calling him 'sir'.

As promised, Rachel went straight to the kitchens to bring to the di Angelo siblings. She didn't know which snacks to pick, so she simply asked the servants for their favorites. Luckily, they had them all in one of the pantries and ready to be eaten. After a quick thank you, the redhead made her way to Bianca's room.

Nico and Bianca were on the couch with gaming remotes in hand and a combat game pulled up. Rachel wasn't sure which game it was, but they looked to be fighting on the same side. She waited till the round was over before she interrupted.

"I got the stuff," she stated.

"All the stuff?" Nico asked.

"You bet. I even brought the cocaine," she joked, holding up a package of Fun-Dip. The siblings grinning, each taking one of their choosing.

Bianca put the games away and the three sat around chatting. It was casual at first, then Rachel brought up Bianca's troubles again. At first, she tried to change the subject, but her brother also thought it was a good idea to talk about it.