A/N: Okay, I've been working on this since Thanksgiving, I hope you guys like it. I apologize in advance for any and all OOCness, wrong facts, and anything that might offend any of you reading this. Other than that, I hope you guys like it, and a very merry Christmas to all of you. :D

Nico di Angelo covered his head with his pillow. Aside from Halloween, this was the worst time of year. He was sick of the cold, sick of the music that started playing a week before Thanksgiving, and he was sick of being sick. He didn't think he understood Thanksgiving, and now this holiday creeps up on him, and he's not sure how to react to it. His nose was plugged, he couldn't smell anything, let alone breathe out of his nose, and he just felt so weak. For Christmas, Percy had persuaded (read: dragged) Nico out of Camp Half-Blood, to his home where his mother and his stepdad lived. Nico hadn't felt welcome there at all, but there isn't a person alive who can say no to Sally Jackson. But Nico was stuck in the guest room, refusing to even get out of bed no matter how much his bladder begged him to relieve it somehow.

"Nico?" Percy's voice called through the closed door. Was it just Nico, or was Percy's voice just so much more annoying than he remembered? "Mom made blue pancakes for breakfast! You want any?" Annoying voice... Too... Loud. The only thing worse for Nico was the constant music playing in the background. Nico held the pillow tighter over his head, hoping to block out more sounds in hopes to help calm his pounding head. All hopes concerning his head were crushed when the door opened, increasing the volume of not only the music, but also Percy. "Dude, did you hear me? Blue pancakes just waiting to be devoured! Let's go!"

Nico groaned as Percy grabbed his wrist, pulling him into a sitting position. Nico didn't make a move to go anywhere else. He simply sat there, staring at Percy, not even attempting a glare, his mouth open, eyes and nose red.

"You look horrible," Percy said. Nico wasn't even able to come back at Percy with a sarcastic comment. Judging from Percy's words and expression, Nico looked as bad as he felt - maybe even worse.

"Percy, if he's sleeping, just leave him be," Nico heard someone else say. He didn't recognize the voice at first, but he knew the familiar blond who walked through the door. "Whoa... You look like hell just hit you."

Nico didn't respond directly to Jason. He could only fall back onto the two pillows. He was too tired to deal with the Christmas celebration happening downstairs. All Nico wanted to do was sleep. The thought of those blue pancakes would have been enticing had he not already felt like throwing up the empty contents of his stomach.

"Let's let him sleep," Nico heard Jason say, the satisfying sound of Percy giving up also heard. And the sweetest part of it, was the sound of the door clicking shut, and the music dimming down to almost nothing. It wasn't long before Nico was happily embracing the black abyss that were his dreams.

Piper, Annabeth, Reyna, Leo, Calypso, Hazel, Frank, Will, Grover, and Juniper were all gathered in the dining room, laughing happily. So far, the celebration was going off pretty great. It was Christmas Eve, which meant everyone would be opening their presents tomorrow. The thought of everyone's faces and reactions was enough to keep everyone in a good mood. However, that changed when Percy and Jason returned from their job to get Nico to join them. Clearly, they had been unsuccessful. Immediately, Percy pointed fingers to Jason, who was the main reason for their failure.

Jason sighed, accepting the blame. "He looks terrible - worse than yesterday. I think Will would agree with me that he needs to sleep."

"I would also agree with you if you said he needed to eat," Will added, biting his lip in thought.

"I think eating is the last thing he's thinking about," Percy informed Will. "You should look at him."

"Who knew the scary Ghost King could be brought down by something as little as a cold?" Leo commented with a snicker.

Calypso slapped his shoulder, scolding him profusely. Juniper giggled at Calypso's reaction, but said nothing.

Hazel shifted uncomfortably before she stood saying, "I'm going to check on him."

Frank only watched her go, knowing Nico still didn't feel completely comfortable with him, but it was mostly because this time was mostly a brother-sister sort of thing that needed to happen. Boyfriends not included.

Reyna also looked a little worried for the only boy not present, but she didn't voice these concerns to anyone. She wouldn't say it out right, but after what happened with them, Reyna couldn't help but think of Nico as a little brother. She was the youngest in her family, and she felt very protective of Nico. But she knew Hazel would always be there for him first and foremost. Hazel would also be the best person to talk to, since Nico always had a soft spot for her.

Piper smiled at Reyna, leaning over and whispering, "He'll be fine," to Reyna, trying to reassure her.

Hazel knocked softly on the door before opening it slowly. She peered inside, taking a look around before her eyes rested on the barely moving form of her half brother.

"Nico?" she called out in a whisper, not wanting to wake him up if he was sleeping. "Nico, are you awake?" She tiptoed up to the bed, finding herself looking at Nico's sleeping face. His mouth hung open slightly, and his eyebrows were knitted as if he was having an unpleasant dream. Hazel bit her lip. She debated with herself, trying to figure out if it was best to leave him be, or wake him up before he woke up on his own and alone.

Giving in, Hazel leaned over Nico, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nico," she whispered, shaking him gently. "Nico," she said slightly louder, shaking him a little harder. "Wake up... It's time to wake up."

Hazel paused her movements when Nico's eyes squeezed together and he moved. His eyes opened, though only halfway, and stared up to Hazel. Nico coughed a couple times, groaning before he turned into his pillow, allowing himself to be pulled into the coughing fit. Not knowing completely what to do, Hazel just rubbing Nico's sweaty back, saying something along the lines of everything being okay, and to let it all out, even though he wasn't crying.

But let it out Nico did. On accident of course. In the midst of his fit, liquid traveled up Nico's esophagus, and was quickly going out his mouth. Hazel jumped back in surprise when Nico's coughs turned to near strangles as what Hazel could only guess as water came out of his mouth. And now, Nico was laying in it.

"Gross," Hazel muttered, helping Nico sit up. "I think you should come on to the bathroom... can you walk?"

Nico nodded, getting to his feet. He tried keeping his mouth closed to keep anything else from coming up, but with his still plugged nose, that was impossible. Hazel helped Nico stumble into the bathroom. He immediately went to the toilet, no longer trying to keep down the bile that was rising in his throat. Whatever was in his stomach before, was no longer there at all. Hazel half expected to see blood and stomach acid coming up next. She was thankful when that never happened.

But now that Nico was using the toilet as a pillow, his eyes closed to stop his vision from swimming, Hazel didn't know what to do. Should she move him back to his room? No, that would be a stupid idea... but he couldn't stay in the bathroom like a hungover zombie. Deciding the best thing to do was to go get someone else to help, Hazel exited the bathroom, leaving Nico alone for just a few seconds.

Hazel rushed down the hall, to the stairs, where she nearly ran into Will Solace. "Will, I need help!" Hazel said in a rushed voice. "Nico started throwing up, and now the bed is covered in some sort of vomit, and I don't know what to do!" Hazel could feel she was about to start crying, but she wouldn't let herself.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Will said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Nico is where?"

"In the bathroom."

"Is he still throwing up?"

Hazel shook her head.

"And why can't he go back to bed?"

"Because he puked in his bed, and the sheets need to be washed."

Will nodded, thinking a bit. "I'll go take care of Nico for the time being... I want you to go tell Percy about the bedding."

Hazel nodded in return, and was off like a gazelle down the stairs to inform Percy.

Meanwhile, Will trekked down the hallway, and turned to one of the open doors near the end of it. He peered in, casually strolling inside, looking down at the pathetic form of the proud Ghost King.

"I don't suppose you want anything to eat," Will said with a sigh. "You really don't mesh well with winter, do you. Death Breath?"

"Shut up," Nico answered, waving a hand from his position.

"I'm sure the toilet loves your company though," Will couldn't help but say.

Nico glared at Will, getting to his feet, clumsily sizing up on the blond, pointing a finger at Will's sternum. "You keep that act up, and I promise it's nothing you've ever seen you'll be going up against."

Will frowned. "Hey now, none of that. You know you love me."

If Nico was capable of blushing at that moment, he was confident his face would be the darkest shade at that exact moment. He panicked for just a moment. He knew he was blatantly obvious that he had some feelings for Will, whether he liked to admit it or not, but just the thought of Will knowing made Nico feel uneasy. But part of Nico just wanted to tell him. Somehow, he knew Will would understand, but at this point, Will might not even take him seriously.

"How would you know who I love? I'm not capable of loving."

Will cocked his head like a puppy. "I don't think that's quite right," he informed Nico. "If Hades is able to love, I have no doubt you're able to as well."

"What would you know about me?" Nico demanded, suddenly in a bad mood. He could feel a migraine coming on too. Lovely.

Will flinched at the defenses Nico suddenly put up. Sure, he should have expected it, but it still surprised him. "Not much, but I wish I did," Will answered, thinking, hoping it was a safe way to go.

"Just leave me alone," Nico told Will, turning around seeing as he couldn't leave the room with Will blocking his path.

"Yeah, well, it's not like you know anything either," Will said a little harsher than he meant to.

Nico looked back at Will, nothing but pure anger in his eyes. Will swallowed, not knowing what the son of Hades would do next. He knew he was in for something horrible. Nico was unpredictable enough as it was, and despite the reputation he had built up by doing absolutely nothing but be the son of Hades, it should have been obvious what Nico was going to do... But it wasn't like that at all. People assumed he would kill you in point five seconds for making him upset, but that just wasn't the case at all. Will liked to think he knew Nico really well, but the point of fact was that he didn't. If there was anyone who actually knew Nico, Will would think it to be Hazel, even Jason would be a good candidate for that place as well. Will looked back up to Nico, afraid of what the younger would do, but the anger was gone. Will saw only fear and pain in Nico's features, but Nico's voice did not fail him.

"Well I'm sorry for being a burden who can't help with anything because I don't know anything."

And Nico brushed past Will with newfound strength, keeping himself steady to some other room, which one, Will didn't figure out. All he heard was a soft click from somewhere down the hall. Will was surprised Nico hadn't slammed the door, but there was something about the fact that the door was shut softly that worried Will. Perhaps it was the fact that he was the only one who knew what Nico was feeling, or the fact he had to do this alone that caused Will to feel that way, but he knew that if he didn't go now, Nico would be who knows where, and it would be entirely Will's fault.

After waiting for just a moment, Will followed Nico down the hall, knocking on every closed door he came across. After going through all of them, Will realized Nico probably was looking to be alone, and wouldn't answer at all, making Will think the room was empty. With that mentally noted, Will went back, opening every door that was closed. He knew no one was in there except maybe Nico, but that was why he was doing this; Nico was the one he was looking for.

Will opened up the first door, flicked the light on, and looked for any potential hiding places. Finding none, Will turned the light off, and continued to the next room, repeating the process. The third door he went to, he opened, turned on the light that kept flickering, and continued inside, looking for anywhere Nico could be hiding. Will shivered as he felt a cold breeze sweep the room. He turned to the window, seeing it wide open, and footprints in the snow that rested on the small roof part. Sighing, Will climbed out of the window, following the prints, finding Nico sitting on the top of the roof.

Will flopped onto the snow next to Nico, groaning as he felt the snow already get his shirt wet. Nico didn't say anything, nor did he look at Will. That meant Will would have to start the conversation, and one slip of the tongue could lead to something worse than a sick boy sitting out in the snow, without any protective gear.

"You'll only make your sickness get worse," Will decided to start with.

"I don't care," Nico muttered back so softly Will almost didn't hear him.

"But I do, and I'm sure everyone inside does too."

"You don't know that," Nico responded right away.

"Why did you come out here?"

"I like the cold," Nico answered, still not looking Will's way.

"It's probably the cold that got you sick in the first place."

"What would you know?"

"I'm a doctor. I know these things."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Really now? You're not a certified doctor."

"I might as well be!"

"You're far from being qualified," Nico scoffed. "You're no better than the ones in Venice."

"How do you mean? You're comparing me to professionals, how could I not be prepare?"

"You just don't understand," Nico mumbled, staring off into the distance.

"You seem to be doing better."

"Adrenaline," Nico stated with a yawn.

"I see... I would think your bed would be ready by now. How about we get you there so you can sleep properly?"

But Nico shook his head. "I don't want to go back inside."

"Nico, it's not healthy to stay outside... How about we go in... You don't have to go to that room; just inside. Okay?" But still, Nico shook his head, though this time, he said nothing. "Nico," Will tried again, putting a hand on Nico's shoulder. Will froze in place when Nico instantly tensed and tried to get out of the grip. Nico was not used to being touched, but Will didn't know that.

"Whoa, Nico, it's okay. I'm just going to take you inside, okay?"

But Nico shook his head, struggling best he could as the adrenaline faded. "Please don't take me back there... I don't want to go back," Nico was begging, and this was a side that Will had only seen once, and he was so confident he would never see this side of Nico again, but then again... Their lives were so different from not only each others, but also from a normal mortal's. Will only knew part of the story anyway, and no matter what, he couldn't even imagine what it was like. He could make a guess, but somehow, Will just knew he was far from the truth with what he believed. He also knew that no matter what Percy or Annabeth said, the experience for Nico was their travels through Tartarus multiplied by cancer. It was so bad for Nico that Will knew most of the nightmares were from that time when the son of Hades was trapped in that part of the Underworld, not knowing how or when he would be getting out - if he was to get out. Will wanted to make those nightmares disappear, but he knew it would take time, and he wouldn't be able to get rid of the night terrors completely either. But he would sure do his best to keep those things away, and as of that moment, Will knew it was time he started almost forcing Nico to let him help.

"Nico, we really should go inside. It's too cold out here; especially since you don't have a jacket."

But Nico insisted, his teeth chattering against his words, "N-no... Please don't make me go back in there. I'm fine out here."

Will, not sensing any sort of danger, put his other hand on Nico's other shoulder, getting in front of the son of Hades to explain why they needed to go back in the house. But Nico mistook it as a threat, and pushed Will to get free, but Will wasn't expecting Nico to push him, let alone with that amount of strength given his fever, which led to Will releasing Nico, and slipping on ice that was hidden underneath the snow, and fall over the side. The last thing Will saw before his vision was covered in white, was Nico holding his ears, his eyes squeezed together, and folding into himself. The first thing Will felt after he fell was cold. He heard a door open as he groaned in pain. He was thankful the snow was thick which softened his fall, but it still hurt like a son of a Fury.

"Well as least you got ice on it right away," Will heard someone say, looking up to see Leo Valdez standing there. Will could only groan again, laying his head back down in the snow before he found himself being lifted to his feet. He acknowledged Percy's help, and was quickly led inside when he sneezed.

"It's spreading!" Percy shouted, running somewhere inside; Will didn't bother to watch the Poseidon spawn go, instead, slumped into the couch. He messed up, and he knew it. Will rubbed his face with both his hands, looking around, noticing Jason was missing. Will assumed Jason had gone to try to get Nico inside, and just knew the other blond would succeed where he had failed. So much for being a good doctor, Will mused. He shifted uncomfortably in his wet clothes, but was much too lazy at the time to change.

It wasn't long that everyone started talking to fill the silent void that Jason returned, carrying Nico bridal style. Nico was asleep, clutching Jason's shirt, cuddling into the warmth the son of Jupiter radiated compared to Nico's naturally cold skin.

Annabeth cleared her throat, gaining the attention of everyone. "I think it's about time we all head off to bed; it's going to be a long day tomorrow. Jason, you take care of Nico. Will, can I talk to you for a moment before you head off?"

Great, Annabeth was going to demand what happened on the roof, and why they were there, and Will wouldn't be able to give her a satisfactory answer. But he still went with her to talk, whatever it was she wanted to say.

"How's Nico doing?" she started off by asking.

"Last I saw of him... He could be doing better... Not just with being sick. I think his mental health is starting to decline too."

"Again?" Annabeth asked herself.

Will thought he understood what she meant, but quickly realized that really, he couldn't. He figured she was referring to the Halloween fiasco, but he doubted that was the only time. Will settled with a nod, waiting for Annabeth to interrogate him further.

"And how are you fairing now?"

Will wasn't expecting her to ask him how he was doing, but he answered her as truthfully as he could. He shrugged and looked to her. "I messed up," he informed her. "Nico's probably really mad at me right now."

Annabeth sighed. "Listen, I may not be that close with Nico, but I don't think he's one to hold a grudge."

"He's done it before," Will retorted, guilt in his eyes. "He's held grudges before. I don't know what to think now. How do I make it up to him?"

Annabeth merely stared at Will, dumbfounded. In any other situation, Will would have found it funny how he could baffle a daughter of Athena of all goddesses. He said nothing, waiting for Annabeth to answer him. She shook her head, her shoulders shaking with a poorly concealed laughter. It was soft, but Will couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Was the answer really that simple?

"I have no doubts in my thinking that Nico feels just as bad as you do; you should talk to him tomorrow."

"Yeah, talk to the kid who hates Christmas the most - on Christmas. Brilliant plan, Watson."

"Just do it. It's not like you're talking about Christmas to him."

She had a point. Hell, she always had a point, and Will knew he couldn't argue with that. Sighing in defeat, Will nodded. Yes, he would have to talk to Nico, whether they liked it or not.

And with thoughts about how he would approach Nico the following day, Will drifted off to sleep.

Will woke up to the sound of movement. He was laying on the floor in the family room of Percy's house, and it was quite early. He wondered who could be up before the son of the freaking sun god, but he pushed the thought aside when he heard the moving stop, followed by a series of coughs and gasps. Will burst up, running through the room, nearly tripping over both Jason and Leo getting to the kitchen.

Someone was leaning over the counter, face in his arm, a glass of water in the hand on the table. Will flicked on the lights, startling the other person, who turned around too quickly, dropping the glass, and himself as a wave of dizziness took hold of him. Will caught Nico before he hit the ground though, preventing the son of Hades from having to pull glass out of his arm.

"What are you doing up?" Nico was the first to ask Will who let go of Nico as the other made an attempt to get out of his grasp.

"I heard you," Will answered truthfully, knowing Nico would know if he was lying.

"Oh," Nico answered quietly. "Sorry."

Will shook his head. "Don't be sorry. It wasn't like it was your fault. Everyone remained sleeping... though that glass shattering might be an issue."

Nico nodded, and bent down to start picking up the glass shards. Will mirrored Nico, also picking up the glass cup that had broken upon impact with the ground. Nico cut himself on one of the pieces, though he didn't seem to notice. Will made note to bandage that when they were done. Will continued to pick up the glass shards, and couldn't help but think of Nico being much like that glass; the wrong movements could break him to pieces, causing pain to those picking up the pieces, and putting them back together, though it'll never be the same again.

Once all the pieces were together on the counter, Will grabbed Nico's arm, ignoring the other tensing up, and continued to drag him to the bathroom on the first floor. Nico said nothing as he stood there, letting Will take out the supplies he needed, and put a band-aid on his finger. It wasn't a huge cut, a waste of anything other than a band-aid.

"So, what were you doing?" Will asked Nico. "There had to be a reason you were up so early."

"My throat was dry, so I wanted to get some water," Nico replied, telling only half of the truth.

"I'm sensing there's more to it than just a scratchy throat."

Nico looked away, to the ground. He nodded, staring intently at his feet.

"Want to talk about it?"

Nico shook his head.

"Will you ever want to talk about it?"

"Probably not."

"Then we'll wait until you do. I remember full well what your said in October, and I promise once again that I will listen to whatever you need to get off your chest. Okay?"

Nico nodded, still keeping his focus on anything but Will.

"Listen... About what happened yesterday on the roof... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you when I did and it was stupid of me to-"

"You think I was mad at you?" Nico asked incredulously.

"Well what was I supposed to think?" Will questioned the shorter demigod. "With the way you were acting, you were in such a-"

"Will, I wasn't mad at you."

Will closed his mouth. He almost believed he didn't hear him right.

"I was mad at myself. Still am..."

"What could you possibly be mad at yourself for? What did you do?"

"I've pushed everyone away.. you, quite literally..."

Before Nico could continue, Will cut in, "Yeah, and you know what? Pushing us away hasn't really helped you, has it? All you've accomplished in pushing us away is making us try harder and bug you more. Am I wrong?"

Nico chuckled, though he sounded miserable while he did. "Yeah... All you've guys done is annoy me more, and make me do things like celebrate holidays I've never heard of or don't want to celebrate."

"And we'll continue to do so because we love you."

"But why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah... why do you guys try so hard, even after I do the things I do... Most people would give up... But you guys have yet to do so... Haven't you had enough of me yet?"

"Why would we give up?"

"Because I'm a hassle and a waste of time to help," Nico supplied, taking the words right out of some other person who had long since given up on him in the past.

Will didn't answer right away, making Nico think he was spot on like before. But then Will said something that surprised Nico. "How could you think something like that? Do you really think that about yourself? Do you really think that's how others think of you?"

Nico looked back to his feet, tears beginning to fill his eyes. "It's how everyone has for a long time. I don't blame them though."

"But that doesn't make it right." At Will's words, Nico looked up at him, confusion poorly hidden in his features. "You're only what? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"Eighty-three," Nico responded.

Will stopped talking. He had a crush on an eighty-three year old man who looked no older than fifteen. But he had to keep his cool. He didn't know anything, and for all he knew, Nico could just be saying that. Regardless of the amount of truth in what Nico said, Will continued with what he was saying, "Doesn't matter. With everything you've been through, there's not a doubt in any of our minds that your defenses would be up in a matter of seconds. All we want to do is help you, please believe me. We know you're not used to how the way things are on Earth since you've spent a lot of time in the Underworld, so we want to make sure you're as comfortable as you can be."

"Will... I spend most of my time in the Underworld now... But that's because I can help my father now... Before... Before my life went to hell, I actually had a nice life."

Will cocked his head like a puppy, hoping to get Nico to elaborate. Nico sat down, leaning on the cabinets behind him as he did actually continue.

"I was born in 1932 - I think - I lived in Venice in Italy with my mother and sister. I loved it there, even if I didn't know my father or why he wasn't there. But that was also around the time Hitler was chancellor of Germany, and Italy wasn't exempt from the Nazi power... The longer they were there, the longer the more there was that showed up, and the more neighbors and friends I saw get taken away... It wasn't long before Mom pulled me and my sister away from the outside, and we were forced to hide inside. My mother and sister weren't what the Nazis were after, but we hid in fear of what they might do to us... We couldn't understand what they were saying, so if we did something wrong... We wouldn't know it until we were being punished..."

When Nico trailed off, Will picked up with a question. "You said your mom and sister weren't what they were looking for... And you were...?" Will asked it cautiously, afraid of what he might bring from Nico if he wasn't careful.

"Well... They were looking for mainly Jews from what I gathered, but they were also going after those who were gay, or Gypsies, and mentally ill people. I..."

By process of elimination, Will concluded that Nico was somehow mentally ill. "So what do you have?" Will blurted without thinking.

Thankfully, Nico didn't seem to hear him though. "I was close friends to this boy who lived down the street. His name was Warner... He was a Jewish refugee from Germany But he was also... Attracted to other boys..." Nico's speech had slowed enough to allow Will to notice. Will could tell Nico was more than reluctant to share this information, but was pleasantly surprised when he continued on with whatever it was he was saying. "I remember sneaking out of the house with the help of my older sister to go play with him... He always smiled the brightest when we were around the meadows, surrounded by nothing but long grass and sunlight... But the one day there was an adult around was the day he had..." Nico's face grew very red, but Will didn't say anything. "He had kissed my cheek, and I had enjoyed it; I was so happy he had... And... He had been taken away by that man... And... And I never saw him again..."

Will suddenly realized he was wrong, way wrong. He had thought Nico had a thing with Reyna, but with what Nico had just shared, he realized that that wasn't the case at all.

"You remind me of him... With the way you talk and act... He always wanted to help people... But he couldn't even help himself..."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

Nico nodded. "He was gassed and cremated... He didn't live to see thirteen."

"I'm sorry... I didn't know you went through something like that..."

"Don't be sorry," Nico commanded Will. "You wouldn't be born for another three generations, so don't be sorry. It wasn't like you were the one to kill him."

The two remained silent for a while before Will spoke once more. "Was there anything else you wanted to get off of your chest?"

Nico looked back to Will, the tears that had been there before were gone. "I..." Nico started, finishing with words much too quiet for Will to hear. "I have a crush on someone, but I don't think they could ever like me in that way," Nico said audible to Will this time. It wasn't a huge secret Nico had a crush on Percy Jackson, but it was also common knowledge that that crush had long since passed, leaving the person Nico was now crushing on a secret. Will thought about who it could be when Nico spoke again.

"Will?"

"What's up?"

Nico fidgeted before answering, clearing uncomfortable. "I... I know things... things have changed since Warner was taken away... And... And I know he asked to be reincarnated... And I was just wondering... Wondering if..." Nico was stressing too much at this point, memories clearing swarming him in a not so good way. Will immediately pulled Nico into his arms to try to calm the son of Hades down some. It seemed to help some, but Nico hadn't finished what he was saying, and curiosity compelled Will to asked Nico to continue.

But Nico shook his head signaling he was done talking about that. And fortunately for Nico, Piper walked into the kitchen, smiling as she said with an annoyed tone, "Leo's getting tired of waiting for your two lovebirds to talk, and wants to open presents now. So... are you guys ready?"

Will looked at Nico who stood up, stalking out of the kitchen with Piper right behind him, assuming Will would follow. He did, and it wasn't long before the presents were handed out. They hadn't drawn names or anything, so if anyone got something, it was purely out of love from the other person... Or that's what Leo had said, anyway. Everyone looked at their presents, all of them having one that was the same shape, with the same kind of wrapping paper, with the same neatly placed ribbon and bow. Of course, those were the ones that they saved for last, though there was no from name attached.

"Probably Paul," Percy had said when everyone was sitting there with their final gifts... Everyone except Nico who hadn't gotten any gifts. Leo was the first one to open his, and was soon jumping up and down.

"You can't get this part anywhere in the United States! Whoever got this for me, thank you!" Calypso only sighed at Leo's words, opening her own. At first, she didn't know what it was, but once she figured it out, her smile was almost as bright as Apollo's sun.

Piper saw what two friends got, she quickly unwrapped hers, proudly holding up an ancient Gameboy Advance that was still in it's original packaging. Annabeth opened hers next, finding the one book she had been looking for for ages. But it wasn't that the book was hard to find. It was the language the book was in that was difficult to find, but there she was holding it. She showed Percy excitedly, though he was making a move on the identically wrapped package of his own. Inside was the directors cut of his favorite movie.

Jason laughed as Percy squealed in joy, saying that they had to watch the movie when everyone was done. But he went on to open his, Jason was pleasantly surprised to find something that could be nothing like a mock-present. Only someone close to him could have guessed this was something he wanted, but he didn't know who.

Frank opened up his to find not Chinese handcuffs, thankfully. No, he pulled out a simple note that had a few words on them, followed by a camera along with three empty rolls. It wasn't that big of a deal until he realized that this camera had belonged to someone in his family, and had pictures that contained many memories in them.

Hazel also opened her gift, though even she couldn't tell who it was from. But she loved the gift of the small Precious Moments figurines that would certainly go on the shelf she had nothing on. Juniper and Grover opened the ones addressed to them as well, and were also surprised at how much thought this person put into their gifts.

Reyna was one of the last ones to open her gift, finding only inside two tickets to a concert for a band she adored to appear inside along with a note that said: 'It's been a long while since you've last seen your sister. She'd be glad to go with, I'm sure,' in fancy cursive.

Everyone turned to Will to see what he had gotten, but Will only sat there, staring at the neatly wrapped present as if it were too beautiful to unwrap. And while it was well wrapped, time clearly taken on it, the others had torn through it without a second thought, and so, Will gently started taking the paper off the box. Inside the box was an acceptance letter to a medical school he had been looking into; one he never thought he'd get into... he recalled filling something out that he never turned in, but here was the acceptance letter, setting in stone his first semester at the college.

"These can't be from Paul," Will said, his eyes still focused on his last gift. The other things had been nice, but this one clearly outdid the others, and looking at the others, Will could tell they were thinking the same thing.

"But who knows us this well?" Piper asked, looking around.

Annabeth's head shot up, and a moment later, so did Hazel's. Both girls were staring at one Nico di Angelo who was starting to nod off, not noticing their stares. Annabeth looked to Nico's hands that were covered in healing paper cuts and scissor scratches. Of course, it could be no one else.

Will smiled. Of course... Nico was the demigod who observed the events of everyday life, who knew everything about everyone because he listened to everyone talking instead of speaking himself. Nico was the one who liked to think he was scary and mean both inside and out, but still got them everything they wanted. They could only imagine how much time and money he put into all of this. Will couldn't help but think of all the times Nico had blown off hanging out with everyone because he was busy, or needed to help his father... Will realized that though he wasn't really lying, Nico was simply hiding the fact that he was taking on more jobs so he could pay for everything. And that's what touched Will the most.

While in his thoughts, Will hadn't noticed Leo pounce on the unsuspecting son of Hades, who nearly cut the Hephaestus spawn in two.

"You do care!" Leo shouted, hugging Nico who did everything he could to get Leo off of him.

"So much for hating Christmas," Jason added.

"I do hate Christmas," Nico said. "I had to make sure I was getting things everyone would like, and that no one else was getting these things for you, and it was a lot of work, and I sold my My... I sold something important to me in order to get everything by Christmas. And I don't even know why I did it," he finished with an understood: 'When no one got me anything anyway.' But Nico wasn't the type to want things in return anyway. The others were simply picking up vibes that weren't there.

Hazel smiled, and went to her brother, giving him a hug. For once, he didn't tense, didn't push her away. All he did was return the hug, a small smile gracing his face.

"Now for the most important gift," Reyna spoke up, grabbing a large box from behind the tree, against the wall. She walked gracefully across the room and placed the gift on Nico's lap. He stared at her as she backed up so everyone could watch the son of Hades open the gift. When he made no move, Reyna said, "We couldn't all think of something you would like so we joined together to get you something... We hope you don't mind."

"I'm still trying to grasp the fact you got me something at all," Nico admitted, looking at the gift in his hands. He wasn't expecting to get anything, but here was this large box taking up his entire lap. He gingerly tore the paper off the box, opening the box slowly. The first thing he saw was a frame made in sticks with a picture inside he hadn't seen in ages. "Grover and Juniper made the frame," Piper explained. "Leo and Calypso found the photo."

Nico continued on, digging deeper into the box until his hand grasped something so familiar, yet foreign in his hand he couldn't help put take it out to see what it was. He was surprised to be staring at a mini figurine of his father. Nico placed the little Hades back in the box and pushed it aside. Everyone's faces fell.

"Do...Do you like it?" Jason asked tentatively.

"You guys went out of your way... And got all of this for me...?" Nico asked in return, not answering Jason's question.

" 'Course we did, Death Breath!" Leo nearly shouted.

"We're your friends... Why wouldn't we?" Juniper answered. Nico didn't talk to Juniper really; he didn't know her all that well, but here she was talking about him being their friend, and it made him feel... needed, almost.

"But we can't really consider ourselves your friends unless you liked the gift we got you. If you didn't like it, then we failed as friends," Percy put in, the others nodding in agreement.

"This is the first Christmas gift I've ever gotten," Nico started off by saying. "And... I don't think any other gift can ever beat it. Thank you all so much."

"Group hug!" Jason called, being one of the first to wrap his arms around Nico, followed by everyone else in the room. Everyone was laughing, and it wasn't until he was laughing so hard he broke into coughs that Nico remembered he was sick... And that ever-present Christmas music was nowhere in earshot - a perfect end to a perfect day.

When everyone else went to the kitchen to start preparations for the feast, Will hung back and addressed Nico.

"If you really wanted us to leave, as you've tried pushing us away... Why would you get us anything at all for Christmas? Obviously you care about us at least a little... Right?"

"When I lost the two people who care about me the most, I didn't want anyone else to get close to me... I feared if they did, they would just die like my mother and sister... And Warner... I didn't want anyone else to suffer because of me... The more you guys try, the harder it is for me to push you away... I think it's time I just gave up an accepted the fact that you guys will always be there no matter what I do, and no matter what happens."

"You're finally catching on," Will said, ruffling Nico's hair before following the others into the kitchen, leaving Nico alone. Nico watched as Will disappeared from his line of sight, a slight smile sneaking its way onto his face. "Now if only you would," Nico whispered to himself, laying down on the couch, allowing himself to fall asleep, hoping to help the sickness go away for good. And maybe... Christmas just wasn't so bad anymore.