I don't own Percy Jackson or Green Day.

Something To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving: a national holiday celebrated as a day of feasting and giving thanks for divine favors or goodness

Nico snorted as he swirled his straw around his glass. "Feasting and giving thanks", indeed. He had nothing to give thanks for. And he certainly didn't have the money for any sort of feasting. His pathetic job in a pathetic jewelery store (where most of the merchandise was probably stolen or counterfeit, or both) barely payed enough for the tiny apartment he lived in. Tonight's dinner, in a diner down the street from where his apartment building, was the best he could do.

He didn't mean to sound like the Scrooge of Thanksgiving, but it was hard not to be at least a little bitter. He glanced around. The diner was empty. He supposed people who had a family, had a life, were at home on Thanksgiving. Eating turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, and all the other things that families ate on Thanksgiving.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" the waitress asked. Nico looked up from his soda. She had a flirtatious smile on her face. It must have been a slow night if she was flirting with someone like him.

He looked back down and shook his head, mumbling something that he wasn't even quite sure was in English. The waitress turned around and walked away, her high heels clacking on the tile floor and her hips swaying more than Nico thought was normal.

Nico sighed and rested his chin in his hand. Thanksgiving had never been particularly fun for him. He just didn't see the point in eating more than should have been humanly possible and watching football. Actually, he didn't see the point in football at all.

"Hey," someone said, sliding into the seat across from him.

Nico glanced up. It was a woman, probably about his own age. She had black hair down to her shoulders with a blue streak that matched her eyes. Actually, it didn't match her eyes, but Nico thought that nothing could ever match her eyes. They were electric blue, like they would be giving off sparks if the woman got mad, and combined with her jet black hair they were terrifying. She was wearing a tight black t-shirt and her eyes were rimmed with thick eyeliner. On her right wrist she wore a black watch, on her left, a Green Day bracelet.

She was gorgeous.

"Um, hi?" Nico answered. He'd never been good at talking to people, especially not attractive ones.

The woman stuck her hand out. "Thalia Grace. 23. Lonely on Thanksgiving. You looked like you could use the company."

Nico raised an eyebrow, but took her hand and shook it a few times. "Nico di Angelo. 25."

"Italian. Nice," Thalia said. She grinned at him, then raised a hand and waved at the waitress standing next to the counter staring at them. "Can we order?" she called.

The waitress picked up a pad of paper and walked over to them, still swinging her hips. "What can I get you?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice with a poisonous smile aimed at Thalia.

Thalia slid the menu away from Nico and glanced at it for a few seconds. Then she handed it back. "Cheeseburger. Nothing on it. Just burger and cheese and bun. Oh, and a ginger ale."

Nico blinked. "Uh, same," he said to the waitress. She gave him that same flirtatious smile and leaned just a little too far over the table to pick up his menu. Then she walked away with the same swing in her hips.

Thalia whistled. "So, do people usually throw themselves at you like that, or is it just her?"

Nico blushed and dipped his head down to sip at his drink again. Thalia laughed, and it almost made him want to laugh along with her.

"Okay, so you're shy. Noted." She sighed and leaned back in the booth. "So what do you do, Nico di Angelo?"

He looked back up at her. She was seriously going to sit here and make conversation with a guy she'd never met before? Was he dreaming? Did that waitress spike his drink?

"I work at a jewelery store," he answered.

She nodded. "Okay, out of curiosity, and I'm not, like, against it or anything, but are you gay?"

Nico coughed and suddenly felt very glad that he hadn't been drinking anything at that moment. "What?" he spluttered.

"'Cause most guys I've met who work at jewelery stores are gay. Seriously, I don't have a problem with it. My sister is. Gay, I mean. Well, sister-in-law, 'cause she's my brother's wife's sister."

He stared at her. "I'm not gay," he said in a monotone.

She nodded again. "Okay, cool. Just thought I'd ask."

"Do you…do you do this a lot?"

"Do what?"

"Sit down with random people in random diners?"

She cocked her head and gave him a once-over. "You don't look like a serial killer or anything. Actually," she laughed, "that's a lie. You kinda do. No offense or anything. You're just kinda creepy. But I'm okay with that. And it's Thanksgiving. I guess if I'm lonely and you're lonely then we can be lonely together."

Nico blinked. This was officially the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him.

And somehow, he was okay with that.

"Right," he said, for lack of something better.

But it didn't seem to deter Thalia. He didn't think she would ever run out of things to say. "So why are you lonely? I mean, I know why I'm lonely. My brother decided it was a good idea to go off to the Bahamas with his wife. Who he really shouldn't be married to anyway, he's 20, for God's sake. But I like Piper. She's cool." Thalia stopped and frowned. She seemed to have forgotten what she'd asked him. Then her face cleared. "Oh! Why are you lonely?"

"No family."

"None?"

Nico shook his head. "And I've never celebrated Thanksgiving anyway."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Why?"

"My parents were first generation Italian. We didn't really celebrate American holidays."

"Don't you have, like, friends or something?"

"Yeah, I went to their Thanksgiving dinner last year." He shuddered. "It was terrible."

Thalia laughed. "Why?"

"Neither of them can cook. Percy ended up burning his hand and we had to go to the ER."

Thalia laughed again, and as if on cue, the waitress appeared. She placed their food in front of them, took Nico's empty glass, smiled again at him, and walked away.

Thalia chuckled, watching her leave. "It's almost pathetic how in to you she is." She looked back at Nico to see his baffled expression. "You seriously don't see that? Dude, pick up your drink."

Nico blinked, but picked up his ginger ale. On the napkin under it was a series of seven numbers. A phone number. He looked up at Thalia.

"It's her phone number," Thalia said, like she was talking to a little kid.

"I know that," Nico responded irritably. "Why did she give it to me?"

"Because she likes you."

He looked back down at the napkin. "But…but…why?"

Nico didn't think he was much of a prize. He had jet black hair that got in his jet black eyes, and his skin was an olive color that he supposed could have looked nice, but he didn't get nearly enough sun, so it was just pasty looking. He was tall, but he was too thin, and it made him look like a very long stick. His mother had been beautiful, and his sister had inherited her mother's looks. His father had been tall and foreboding. Nico looked like his father, but without the terrifying aura, the shining eyes, or the confidence. He was just Nico.

Not like Thalia. She resonated confidence. She was so sure of herself. There weren't a lot of people like her.

Thalia put her arms on the table (they were bare, she must have been freezing) and banged her head on them a few times before resting her head on her arms and groaning. Then she lifted it up and looked at him. "You're serious?" He blinked. "Wow, okay. Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Nico nodded. "Okay, well, that weirdo wants to be your girlfriend."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I know what flirting is."

"Then why are you confused?!" Thalia asked, shaking her hands at him.

Nico just shook his head and picked up his cheeseburger. "Wait!" Thalia cried. He looked up at her, the burger halfway to his mouth. "It's Thanksgiving. We have to say what we're thankful for."

"I'm thankful for my cheeseburger," he said in a monotone, holding up his dinner.

Thalia sighed, but closed her eyes. "I'm thankful for Green Day," she announced. She opened her eyes, picked up her own cheeseburger, and took a big bite.

Nico couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

Thalia looked up with wide eyes and swallowed before asking, "What?"

Still laughing, Nico answered, "That's the best thing to be thankful for I've ever heard."

Her face lit up. "You like Green Day?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. You're definitely my favorite person ever now. What's your favorite song?"

"21 Guns."

She stared at him. "Dude, you're never getting rid of me now."

Nico laughed. For the first time in a while he was really having fun. He wasn't sure Thalia could get better. She even loved his favorite band and his favorite song. He supposed he should have gotten that from the Green Day bracelet on her wrist. In his defence, though, he'd just gotten off a 9 hour shift, and he was expected to be back at work at 4 o'clock in the morning for Black Friday. Speaking of which, he should have been getting home soon, or he wouldn't be able to get up in time. But Thalia was talking again, and he couldn't seem to tear himself away.

An hour later they'd both finished their burgers. In the spirit of the holiday they'd both ordered pit, and they'd both gotten chocolate. Nico was allergic to pumpkin, and Thalia refused to eat anything but chocolate if there was chocolate available.

Nico scooped the last bite of the pie into his mouth. Thalia was already staring forlornly at her plate. She sighed. "Since it's Thanksgiving, do you think I can justify getting more pie?" she asked, looking up from her plate.

Nico grinned, and picked up his jacket. "Probably. But I have to go. Nice to meet you." He dropped a twenty dollar bill on the table and stood up.

"Give me your phone," she said. He raised an eyebrow, but pulled the phone out of his back pocket and handed it to her.

She flipped it over in her hand, then looked up at him. "Did a dinosaur give this to you? God, it's ancient."

"It's a Tracphone. It's cheap."

"It's pathetic." She opened the old flip phone (he'd gotten it as a graduation gift when he was eighteen – it still worked, so he didn't see why he should replace it) and punched a few buttons, then handed it back. "Call me," she ordered.

Nico put his phone back in hi pocket. "This was fun. We should make this a habit. I'm free on Christmas."

She shook her head. "Too far away. What are you doing next Friday?"

"Apparently having dinner with you."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a bar. I want to see you drunk."

Nico shook his head. "I don't drink."

Thalia tipped back her head and sighed. Then she straightened up. "Fine. A carnival. Or a concert. Something fun. As much as I like eating half-cooked burgers in shitty diners with creepy waitresses, I would really like to do something a little more interesting."

"Movie?"

She sighed again. "Well, that's better. I'll see you next Friday at six."

Thalia picked up a leather jacket that Nico hadn't noticed before and led the way out the door. Nico followed her and waved goodnight as he climbed into his car.

He sat there staring at the steering wheel for a moment, then started the car. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he couldn't help but grin.

Finally he had something to be thankful for.

So this is my attempt at a Thanksgiving one-shot. Thanksgiving itself isn't such a huge deal in it, but I liked it anyway. I've considered turning it into a series, and my Christmas one would be part of the series. Just an idea.

I found out yesterday that Thanksgiving this year is Goddess Of Idiot's birthday. So this is her early birthday present. I would have uploaded it on Thanksgiving, but the library isn't open, so I'm sorry it's a little early. Happy birthday anyway!

The line at the top came from the dictionary, if you didn't get that.

For those of you who don't know, I uploaded a new chapter of Along the Way and White Rose yesterday, so you should definitely go read those. I am a shameless self promoter.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving, for those of you who celebrate. If you don't, then I'm very sorry. It's one of my favorite holidays. All you have to do is show up and eat lots and lots of food. No presents to buy, no nothing. Just turkey and pie. And my aunt makes the best pie ever.

Review and happy Thanksgiving! And wish Goddess Of Idiots a happy birthday on Thursday!