Chapter 2

Five minutes 'til midnight and the infirmary was silent. Too silent. Kayla looked around in caution, expecting to find her head counselor probably about to do something stupid (like what he had been doing the whole day). But as she walked down the aisle of beds, she grew more positive that it was only her, Nico and the patient who had been covered in casts.

She sighed in relief. About time the infirmary got its peace. Will had been acting strange the whole day trying to wake the son of Hades up for no reason at all. From reciting poorly made haikus to his attempt to sing him rock songs (they had to stop him because Will's music can literally drive a person crazy—which may actually be one of his gifts from Apollo)—the others were almost positive that he was going insane.

Then it all soon made sense to her as to why after her best friend, Lou Ellen, told her about Will's purpose. Of course, being a girl, Kayla found it sweet but at the same time, she was still furious at the blonde for not even thinking for the other patients.

She sighed as she watched the sleeping face of Nico di Angelo, the boy whom most of the campers would try to avoid. Who knew he would manage to capture the brightest sun in the camp, despite being the epitome of darkness?

THUD!

Kayla quickly turned around, her eyes wide and alert as she wondered who it was. No one should be around in such a late hour. Not even the campers—not with the harpies out there. She heard more noise and quickly made her way towards it.

She grabbed the nearest item and was surprised to see it was the guitar they stole from Will.

Then she saw a bit of movement from the window near Nico's bed and hastily made her way towards it. Her weapon was ready as she raised it above her head, about to knock out whoever the person (or monster) was—when a bit of red caught her eyes.

And before she knew it, she dropped the instrument loudly.

"Hey! That's mine!"

Kayla did not respond to that, instead, she just stared at her brother with wide eyes. The blonde… was wearing a Santa suit… and a beard. Her eyes then landed on the sack beside him that was filled with Styrofoam.

"Will—what in the world are you doing?!" She practically waved her hands in disbelief and exasperation, "And did you just sneak in here through that window?"

Will huffed, "Obviously." Then he tried to sneak a peek over Nico's bed, "Now keep quiet! I'm going to surprise Nico."

Kayla couldn't hold back her sigh as she rubbed her temples.

"And this time I'm sure it will work! I remembered Nico told me once he doesn't believe in Santa since there was no way a guy could just deliver gifts all over the world in one night— but of course I told him if he can shadow-travel from the other side of the world, then why can't Santa—?"

"Will, this has got to stop!" She saw the hurt that flashed on his face and tried not to wince, "You have to accept that Nico won't wake up until the day after tomorrow—or in this case… tomorrow." She said as she checked her watch.

There was a moment of silence.

"At least… let me try." Will finally spoke as he tried to give her a defiant glare… and Kayla knew there was no way of changing his mind. She admired his persistence… but at the same time, she felt bad for the hurt he might feel at the end of it all.

"Fine…" She gave in, "In exchange you take tonight's shift. I'm going back to our cabin."

"Thanks—wait, you might get caught by harpies—"

"Brother, if you managed to get here without being eaten by one—then I think I'll be totally fine." And with that, she hurriedly left.


Lou Ellen winced at what Kayla told her during Christmas morning. They were just about to head their way to the mess hall for breakfast when she noticed that something was wrong with the daughter of Apollo.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, I found him this morning at Nico's bedside, still wearing the Santa suit… and uh… covered in Styrofoam. His head was buried in his arms, so I wasn't sure if he was really sleeping or if he was just pretending." Kayla sighed sadly, "I told him it was useless. If only he just listened."

"You gotta give the guy some credit." Lou Ellen patted her friend on the back, "He probably knew how hopeless that situation was more than we do- that he knew he had to act."

"That's a stupid logic."

"It's still logic."

"Lou Ellen!" The two girls turned to see Annabeth running up towards them, a pencil was tucked above her ear and in her hand was a crumpled notebook, "About the fireworks—I was wondering if we could try to—" She stopped and looked at their faces as if noticing something, "Did something happened?"

They exchanged looks, and before they knew it, they were all sitting around the Poseidon's table—along with Piper, Jason, Leo , Calypso and of course Percy. The son of Poseidon himself. They were most probably breaking the rules here but hey—it had actually become a "thing" lately.

"I don't get it. There's still tomorrow, right?" Percy asked with a mouth full of blue pancakes.

Both Piper and Annabeth exchanged exasperated looks as if to say; Boys.

"But by tomorrow, it's not Christmas anymore." Kayla sighed for almost like a hundredth time.

"And he was actually looking forward to it." Lou Ellen mumbled as she tried to scribble through Annabeth's complicated equations for the fireworks.

"But we can't really do anything about that, now can we?" Jason said with a frown before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Hey, you're a sorceress right? Maybe you got some spells that can wake our friend up." Leo turned to Calypso who was mixing the vegetable salad on her food bowl.

"I usually do have a potion for that and it's quite simple to make." They immediately looked at her in shock and in excitement, "But I would need to use some certain herbs that can only be found back at my old home."

And everyone deflated at that.

Piper bit her lower lip before speaking up, "Maybe we should just let them be. Obviously, there's nothing we can do… and even if we try waking Nico up… I don't think it would work."

"And what makes you think so?" Kayla couldn't help but ask.

"Well… if Will can't even wake him up… then what are the chances that we can?"

Then silence fell upon them.


Nope. He was definitely not depressed. So what if Nico never woke up from his last attempt? He only had to wait for another day and BAM! The son of Hades would be up and about in no time, scowling and brooding like how he used to.

He was now changed in his usual green surgeon shirt and pants, but he did not bother shaking off the pieces of Styrofoam that got stuck on his hair from last night when he tried to shower Nico with it, pretending he was Santa and all.

He restocked the first aid kit before putting it back in the cabinet, trying to keep his mind in his work while trying to ignore the cheerful greetings outside the cabin as well as the carols of some campers.

"Hey Will," A kid from the Aphrodite cabin came in the infirmary as he took out another kit. Batting her too long eyelashes at him she said, "Merry Christmas."

The blonde merely grunted in response, feeling like a Scrooge at the moment.

"Uhm… hey, do you know how to ice skate?"

"A little." Will replied as he checked for the gauzes.

"Really?" She perked up, her ginger hair bounced at the action and she flipped it to her back, "Maybe you could teach me—"

"Sorry. I'm a little busy right now." And with that the healer stuffed the first aid back to the cabinet and stalked off, leaving behind the stunned girl.

He sat behind the desk near the entrance and started scanning through their medical files.

"Hey, you know you don't have to check those." He looked up to see Austin, "I mean… it's my turn to be on duty after all."

"No it's fine." He mumbled, "Go ahead. I'll take this shift."

His brother sighed, "You know I can't-"

"As Head counselor, I say otherwise." He gave him a firm look and stood up from his chair, stalking off towards Nico to check up on him. Not really caring about how Austin stared at him in worry.

The day went on without the usual hindrances, and Will forced himself not to notice how snow started to fall outside… or how the sun was starting to set a little too soon. He started arranging the thick blankets around Nico's still form, making sure he was warm and cozy, before turning his attention to the other patient who used to be covered in casts. He should be well enough to go back to his cabin.

"Man, you really like Nico don't you?" Cecil grinned as he sipped on his nectar while Will continued his check up on his newly healed bones.

"For someone who became the main target of that snow ball machine, you sure healed up quickly." Will ignored him as he closed the kit beside him, "You would probably start walking like a normal person in a few days, just come by once a while for your daily check-up and probably some therapy."

The grin now vanished, "Come on, Will, no need to be so down in the dumps. You did your best." He winced as he tried to pat the other in the shoulder, "Come with us tonight! That'll cheer you up! We're planning this huge prank on the fireworks—"

"No thanks." Will waved him off, "You're free to go now."

And with that the healer stood and walked off, leaving Cecil with a pair of crutches.


Night had finally arrived and Will could already hear the excited chatters of the campers as they talk about the upcoming fireworks. He sat by the porch of the infirmary drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

There's always next year. He thought miserably. He watched as the snowflakes continued falling and held out a hand. It immediately melted at the touch of his finger and he imagined him and Nico actually sitting by the hill on a picnic blanket, all huddled up from the cold with a blazing fire near them, eager to watch the upcoming fireworks.

Next year would be better. He promised himself before entering the infirmary.

He eyed the paper bags near Nico's bed as he arrived. Percy and the others had arrived from New York and had apparently done some shopping. They bought Nico some gifts (and him too, surprisingly) so that he wouldn't be too upset for skipping Christmas.

Will sat on the stool next to Nico, and smiled, "It looks like it's just you and me."

Nico was still as ever. The only sign that he was still alive was his breathing, and the healer never stopped making sure that he still was.

"You really should be waking up now, death boy. Christmas will be ending soon… and…" He hesitated, "…and we won't get to watch the fireworks together."

He slowly reached out to hold the pale hand that stuck out. He really wished that the other would flinch like how he used to when he touched the cold appendage, but he was as limped as a doll. Will clenched the hand and hummed.

He knew it wouldn't work. There wasn't anything to heal after all… but… he couldn't find himself to care as he continued.

Nico felt warmer, but the cold was still apparent. Will stopped humming and leaned forward at the side of the son of Hades' bed. He rested his cheek against his folded arm and stared at the sleeping face of the other, never letting go.

"The fireworks will be starting soon!" A voice from outside yelled.

The pang of sadness that hit him suddenly made him grip the other's hand a little tighter, "Dammit it Nico, wake up already!" Feeling like a child that he was getting upset over fireworks, he rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm himself down, his other hand still not letting go.

"The day is just beginning! There are still loads of time to try and wake sleeping beauty up!"

Will stopped as Lou Ellen's words from yesterday echoed in his mind.

Sleeping Beauty…

He looked at Nico with wide pale blue eyes and gulped. An idea formed in his mind. A stupid idea. And immediately he shook his head, feeling even more stupid for even thinking about it.

But… still…

Slowly, he stood up and leaned forward. His heart beat a little too quickly and blood was surely rushing up his face. He was definitely sure this was going to work… but would he risk the anger or shock Nico would give him?

Then, he heard a familiar hiss and explosion of a firework setting off. Shadows danced around him and he heard the gasps of the other campers and before he knew it, he whispered softly to Nico,

"Come watch the fireworks with me… please?"

And his lips touched cold and soft ones. Sparks were felt and Will shut his eyes, savoring the moment—however, he did not dare take advantage as he quickly retreated and watched the boy expectantly.

Seconds passed… and suddenly it was a minute.

And Will now had his face buried in his arms before abruptly standing up, causing the stool he was sitting on to fall to the ground. He ran a hand over his blonde hair, causing some styrofoam to fall off.

He wasn't at the verge of crying. Nope. No he wasn't.

He looked out the window and saw another firework exploded and he watched in amazement as the fireworks actually came to life. If possible, he felt even sadder than before.

His sadness turned to anger.

"You just had to visit the Hypnos cabin, didn't you?" He turned sharply to the sleeping demigod, "You just couldn't—" He shut his eyes tightly, holding back the sting in them, before finally opening them and angrily said, "I was looking forward to this day! I even made you a beach towel that was supposed to be a scarf! And then there was this store I wanted us to go at New York—and we were supposed to ice skate and I would watch you fall on your butt and laugh at you and then you would scowl at me—"

He rubbed furiously at his eyes, not letting any tear escape, "And right now—we're supposed to be out there! Watching that!" He pointed at the fireworks that exploded once more, "And then…" His fists trembled as he finally looked down, "And then… I was going to tell you something important."

The usual lack of response got him all riled up that he couldn't contain himself as he continued,

"It's a stupid haiku… but…" He took a deep breath,

"Hey di Angelo,
You are my only Death boy,

And he hung his head low before muttering the last part sadly, "I liked you… always…"

Silence followed after more fireworks exploded…

Will sniffed before ruffling his blonde hair. He continued watching the smaller teen expectantly before turning away with a small scowl, "Not that it matters anyway, you're gonna wake up tomorrow—I'll just…" His shoulders slumped and sighed in defeat, "I'll go get your present."

"Thanks… I think I'll be needing that scarf from all this cold."

The son of Apollo froze just as he turned around. Slowly, he looked back at Nico's bed and his pale blue eyes widened significantly as he saw the son of Hades sitting up, wide awake and smirking at him.

"Nico…?"

"It's gotten chillier since you let go of my hand." The ghost boy continued as he tried to act casual with a shrug, "So anyway, where's that scarf—oof!"

Another round of fireworks exploded as Will buried Nico into a bear hug. He let out a relieved laugh while Nico practically slapped his arms to let go of him.

"Let—go—!"

"I'm sorry—I'm just..." He let out another laugh and this time, he let go, giving the other his needed space.

Nico swung his legs to the side of the bed and tried to stand up. Will of course, tried to stop him, "You just woke up. I don't think it's wise to just suddenly sit up after being out for two days."

The son of Hades scowled at him and was about to open his mouth to probably retort (gods, Will had no idea how much he missed that) but stopped as the colorful fireworks exploded in the night sky. He watched as all the signs of the cabin appeared and changed into various color and he had to look at it in amazement.

Will smiled softly at this—but his smile disappeared at what Nico suddenly said.

"Was everything you said true?"

The son of Apollo froze, "Everything—? What are you talking about?"

Then the son of Hades turned a light shade of red as he couldn't help but stare at the ground instead. Now Will was starting to feel a little embarrassed now.

"Don't tell me." He gulped, "You heard… everything?"

Nico shrugged, looking a little sheepish, "I also saw… your attempts."

Will rubbed a hand on his face, he really wanted to die right now. He suddenly couldn't look at the other in the eye, "E-everything?"

The other nodded, turning even redder that he was pretty sure it wasn't healthy anymore.

"H-how?!"

"I may have been in that state of coma where you get that out of body experience…" Nico admitted.

And he fell on the floor, with his hands covering his face in utter embarrassment. If Nico had experienced everything… then the—

"Oh gods! Then—t-the-" He covered his mouth and before Nico could even respond, Will stood up and started apologizing, "L-look! I'm sorry for—for—you know. I'll understand if you get mad… I just want you to at least know that I-I was doing it to surprise you. So you would wake up!"

"Solace, calm down." Nico scowled at him, but the blush was obvious.

"I—uhh… I'm just…"

"Don't." Slowly, the ghost king tried to stand up and he wobbled a bit—causing Will to rush forward, ready to catch him if needed. His dark eyes softened and Will was pretty sure his face was on fire.

"Wanna watch the fireworks with me…?" He suddenly asked with a small shrug.

Will gulped, "I…"

"I'm sorry about your plans. We can still do them tomorrow if you want. That is if you're still interested—"

"YES!" Will exclaimed, and he let out an awkward laugh, "Gods, yes."

"Good…" Nico tried to look nonchalant, but the way his shoulders slacked told another story.

"Yeah." Will grinned, feeling relieved as well.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

Both demigods turned to the window in surprise at the sudden screams. They suddenly heard the familiar hiss of the fireworks going off followed by an explosion but nothing lit the light sky… instead—

"Is that… rain?" Will squinted through the glass window.

Nico yelped as something yellow splashed against the glass, and suddenly all the demigods were running away. All covered in variety of colors.

CONNOR! TRAVIS!

Came the angry voice of a certain hot-headed daughter of Athena.

And the two demigods just watched the scene in silence. Half of the campers were attacking the Hermes cabin (andwait… wasn't that the snowball machine they were supposed to destroy?!) while some had ran away to take refuge.

"Nice haiku by the way." Nico suddenly blurted.

Will didn't answer. He was starting to feel light-headed from all the blood rushing towards his head. Just how much did Nico hear and see?

"If you don't mind… I made one too."

"You know how to make haikus?"

"I learned from one of your attempts." And before the blonde could sputter in embarrassment, he continued,

"You're really stupid,
And a little annoying,

He looked up at the blonde and smirked softly, "That's why I like you."

Though the next thing he did was a little stupid and foolish, it was still all worth it. He had practically invaded the other's personal space as he kissed him one more time. Nico visibly stiffened within his embrace and before Will knew it he was being attacked by zombies and was forced to run outside the colorful rain.

For a moment he thought he had ruined everything when he arrived at an empty infirmary… no sign of death boy anywhere. But when a knock on his cabin's door woke him up the next morning, he knew it was going to be the best (late) Christmas ever as he was greeted with the sight of a scowling son of Hades standing by the porch with his foot tapping impatiently against the floorboards. He was wearing a black coat, a pair of black pants and boots, and…

…a baby pink scarf covered in green and yellow polka dots that was snugly wrapped around his neck.

EXTRA:

"Oh yeah," As the two walk down the chilly streets of New York city, Nico suddenly took out a dark green gift that was perfectly wrapped with a black bow on top and handed it to Will (the son of Apollo tried not to compare the perfect wrapping with his amateur one), "I got you something. This is the reason why I went to visit the Hypnos cabin."

Will stared at the gift with wide eyes, not really believing that the son of Hades had actually gotten him something. Tentatively, he opened it. Careful not to rip the wrapper (but Nico ripped it for him out of impatience and embarrassment in the end) and was surprised to see a pair of gray fluffy earmuffs.

"The material is the same as the ones made out of their blankets and pillows." There was tint of pink in Nico's cheeks, and it was apparent that it wasn't from the cold, "Just hope you don't fall asleep because of its softness."

"Are you kidding?" Will practically put it on with so much excitement that it made the son of Hades smile a little, "This is the best! How do I look?"

"Dorky."

"Thanks!" The smile grew wider and Will had to mentally pat himself on the back. They continued their walk in silence and suddenly, the healer remembered something.

"So what woke you up? Really?"

"Your haiku." Nico automatically replied, as if he had been expecting the question for a while now.

"R-really?" He felt embarrassed almost immediately, "I-it wasn't because of the… y-you know…?"

Nico tried to bury half of his face in his beach towel/scarf, "It was a little obvious… I was uhh… kind of expecting it too…"

The son of Apollo just shook his head in disbelief, "You're not kidding, right? Was it really because of my haiku?"

Then the other suddenly gave him a cheeky smirk, "Yeah, I was surprised to realize that you can actually make a haiku."

"H-Hey!" The blonde said, looking offended, "If you really had seen my attempts in trying to wake you, you should've seen the a high-definition quality of my purely polished skills in the fine-arts of poetry and—"

"Solace." The sudden jerk from his scarf abruptly interrupted him and he looked down to stare at those beautiful onyx eyes that glared harshly at him, "Shut up."

And the next thing he knew, familiar cold lips touched his own and despite the freezing temperature—he was pretty sure he was melting into a puddle of happiness at that moment.

Definitely the best (late) Christmas ever!

"By the way…" Nico suddenly spoke up, his dark eyes unreadable, "Who was that red-head yesterday?"

END


The special is…. *drum roll* A DRAWING I MADE! xD Please check it at xxchuchanxx. Tumblr. Com.