Nico's shoulder length hair swung in the breeze as he ducked under an extended arm.
The empousa glared at him. He just smirked as she bust into golden monster dust.
He lazily swung his sword forward to rid it of the leftover monster dust.
Looking round he found Percy stood nonchalantly , surrounded by the same golden dust as Nico, grinning at him.
Nico rolled his eyes but didn't bother to hide his own grin.
"You will come to the beach with me, right Nico?"
Percy was staring at him with those wide sea green eyes, like that had been the plan all along, and Nico had just forgotten.
In actual fact, Nico could say for certain that the thought had just occurred to Percy and he wanted Nico to accompany him.
Knowing full well that Percy wouldn't go if Nico declined, the Italian son of Hades rolled his eyes again, but nodded his head anyway, his mouth quirking up at the side.
Besides, the last time Percy had convinced him Nico had loved every moment of it. Finding that he wasn't afraid of the water when Percy was there.
Percy gave him a blinding smile and Nico couldn't help returning it.
He and Percy had gotten over their - okay, his - animosity years ago.
After his break with Annabeth, Percy had needed someone who wouldn't pity him him, push him to talk about it, or judge him in anyway. That person had become Nico.
After the first year when Percy had just turned eighteen, his father - Hades - had appeared to Nico.
He had told him that due to his extended time spent in the Lotus casino he hadn't aged appropriately. Due to that, Hades had the power to increase his age. When asked if he wanted his age to be altered, Nico had asked his father to adjust his age so he was eighteen.
Consequently, he and Percy were now the same age. When Percy had moved out of Sally and Paul's apartment, he had asked Nico to come live with him.
He had come into possession of a large house in the middle of nowhere. It was (surprise, surprise) located near a large body of water.
Percy had told him it was because this way they couldn't possibly get into trouble with any locals or mortal authorities due to monsters.
One, because it was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing either way for miles.
Two, because apparently Percy officially owned the place.
The green eyed demigod had told him it was a gift from Poseidon.
Whom Percy had talked to about moving out of his mum and Paul's place to give them some peace and privacy.
Percy had developed an excellent relationship with Poseidon. He was another who had been there for Percy during his split with Annabeth.
It was for that reason Percy hadn't had much trouble accepting the gift, as he might have when he was younger.
When they were discussing it, Percy had told Nico that to the gods, a house probably wasn't that big of a deal. Not that they dealt them out to all their kids. But when they did, they didn't consider it something to get fussed about considering how long they had lived and how powerful they were, they probably didn't understand when their kids got upset, thinking the gods were trying to buy their forgiveness, when really they were just trying to take care of them or help them out..
At this moment in time though, Nico and Percy were in New York, visiting Sally upon the birth of Percy's new baby (half) sister.
Sally had become like a surrogate mother to Nico, so he didn't feel awkward round Percy's family, like he once had. Instead he felt included.
Despite his initial shock at the request, Nico had felt overjoyed and extremely emotional when Sally had asked Nico to be the unborn child's godfather. That way he would be 100% part of the family.
It had taken a while, but Nico had finally decided to let Bianca go. That didn't mean he forgot her. But instead, he had stopped calling her from the underworld and remembered all the good memories (that had been restored) that he had of her.
Nico embraced his life with the Jacksons (though Sally was a Blofis now, Percy and Nico had to keep reminding themselves) and he had grinned so wide his cheeks hurt when Sally had told him the name of Percy and Nico's new baby sister/goddaughter.
It was a happy family that welcomed Bianca Blofis into the world.