The Library Book

3. The Wedding

[ 5 years after chapter 50 ]

"Oh, the place is beautiful," Piper breathed as she, Percy and Leo walked into the banquet hall. Fairy lights adorned the walls, wrapped around bouquets of flowers. There were six tables draped in white tablecloths; a wedding party not too large or too small.

"We're at table 3," Leo informed them, passing the respective placards to Piper and Percy.

Frank and Hazel had moved to Long Island after they both graduated from college. Jason liked to joke and call them the picture-perfect relationship. Percy had to admit that he agreed. Hazel and Frank never, ever had a fight, and one day, he received their beautiful wedding invitation in the mail.

The banquet hall was on Long Island, and it wasn't too intimate a wedding, but their families and friends were present, making up about thirty guests.

All of their high school circle of friends had been invited, but Jason and Annabeth weren't able to make it. Jason had just started as an intern at an architecture firm and was struggling to work his way up to a junior position. Annabeth had just begun law school at Yale and was finally faced with a challenge large enough that it warranted her to stay home and study over the weekends.

Piper and Leo were coming as each other's dates — platonically, of course. Piper and Vincent had just broken up a few months ago, and Leo couldn't be bothered to find a date. Besides, this was Hazel and Frank, a random stranger attending maybe wasn't the best idea.

At the first table were Frank's grandma, his parents and Hazel's parents. Standing nearby was Hazel's brother Nico.

Percy caught a glimpse of bright blonde hair. He elbowed Piper. "Who's that next to Nico?"

She peered at them for a few seconds before whirling around to grip Percy's arm in astonishment. "Oh my God, that's Will!"

Leo responded with a bewildered expression matching Percy's. "Who's Will?"

"Will Solace," Piper clarified impatiently. "From high school! He was on the football team? Blonde, tall, tanned? There was a rumour he was gay?"

"Oh, that Will!" Percy finally remembered. He turned back to get a better look at him and Nico. "I can't believe it. That has got to be the most unexpected thing to happen."

"Quit staring," Piper suddenly hissed.  "They're heading over here. Sit, sit, sit." There was a commotion as they shuffled to sit down and look nonchalant.

Will was the first to speak as he pulled out a chair and sat down, smiling brightly. "It's crazy to see you guys here. It's been, what, five years?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Percy was the first one to recover from the initial shock and answer.

"Have you kept in touch with Hazel and Frank this whole time?" Will shrugged. "I mean, I remember you all being really close but it's so difficult to keep in touch with anyone after high school."

"Yeah," Leo trailed off. "Yeah, no, we do try to text every now and then. Sorry, we're just, kind of, in shock — are you and Nico here together?"

Percy buried his face in his hands, already feeling his cheeks burning bright red from second-hand embarrassment. Leo could be terribly blunt sometimes — and this was Percy saying that.

Nico, who had always struck Percy as a little creepy, actually flashed a half-smile which was even more shocking than anything else that had happened today. "It's okay," he said. "Most people don't believe it the first time."

"Did you guys get together back in our senior year?" Piper asked curiously.

"No, no," Will snorted. "College. Nico was...preoccupied in high school." He stifled a snicker, earning a glare from his boyfriend.