A/N: Hello Peep! Yeah, yeah, I know, it's been FOREVAR!But, I have an excuse. One, I went out of state, twice. Two, I've been sicky. Three, I've been busy.

This chapter starts of normally, but near the end it gets kinda sappy. Sorry, but tha's just the way it is. :P

And because I love you all so much, I've already got the next three chapters planned out. And the Epilogue. And the sequel. You're welcome. ^_^

Enjoy! :)

I sighed and checked my watch. 6:35.

I heard a door open and close behind me. I didn't even bother to look, because the only other person here was Adie.

"He still not here?" she said, plopping down next to me on the curb. I shrugged. "I DID say around six thirty. And it's only 6:35. Oh, check that. 6:36."

Adie shook her head. "So precise. Well, if you want, you can come inside. It's not like I've kicked you out or anything."

I laughed. Adie was one of the nicest people I know. "I'm good. But thanks. Besides, it's nice out here."

She nodded, and looked down the street. "Well I have to run, Thal. Shop closed an hour ago, the hubby's going to wonder where I am." she hugged me, against my will, and dashed over to her sky blue bug. (The car, not an actual bug.)

I gave a small nod to her and placed my ear phones in my head.

Or ears. Your pick.

"I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams. Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone." I jammed out to it for a while, putting it on repeat. I could listen to this song for HOURS.

Well, lucky for me (And my boyfriend's health) I didn't have to wait for HOURS. Nico pulled up at 6:40 on the dot. I stared at him doing my beat evil eye. He hopped out of the car and strode over to me.

"You're late."

"Sorry, got held up at work. Calvin was having difficulty, and as his trainer, I

had to stay with him while he received punishment."

"Do I want to know?"

"Hmm, not really. But I'm sure you'll find out from Sici tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. Remember, were going over to the Jacksons."

"Since when?"

"we made plans past week! Honey, did you have a long office at the day?"

*Smack.*

"Sheesh woman! Sorry! Come on, if I have to, I'll fill you in on the way."

He held out his hand. To me, rolling his eyes. Smirking, I grabbed it and pulled myself up. I slid into the car and flipped out my handy dandy iPhone, which, by the way, is magical.

Don't even deny it. You know it's true.

I pulled up my calendar and looked at today's date.

'7:00- bonfire at the Jacksons.'

Well I feel like a doof

"Hey, Percy said it was going to be cold, even with a very large fire in our faces, so I brought your hoodie." I grinned. "Aww, someone's trying to get brownie points!" I said, pinching his checks.

Nico swatted me away and rubbed his check. "You women and your mood swings!" he

grumbled.

I responded by turning up the Pulse.

The drive to the Jackson's house was filled with a comfortable silence. It didn't seem to bother Nico, and I know it didn't bother me. We pulled into Haven Hood and pulled into a three story building's drive way in the very back.

I was about to hop out of the car when I heard the beginning of Smile by Uncle Kracker play. I reached to turn it up, but Nico shut of the car. "Nico! Turn it back on!" I protested. He rolled his eyes and opened his door. "Come on, Grace."

Grumbling, I reached into the back of the car and grabbed my black sweater. But it's not plain black. It's got this mega awesome white eagle on the front, and it says: PRIDE on the back.

It may seem like I wear a lot of Daddy related stuff, but most demigods do. Dunno why, it just kinda happens. I stepped out and was automatically slammed into by a strong force.

"Thalia!" The force screamed. I looked down to see Selena, a spunky daughter of Apollo that the Jacksons adopted from this demigod orphanage in Vermont. It called Sweetwood or something. But she acts like she's been their daughter for all fifteen years of her spunky life. And she adores me. No idea why.

Well, not to sound self-centered or anything, but how could she not love me?

I grinned at her. "Hey, girly! How you doin?" I said, wrapping an arm around her. "Good! I got an A on my Biology test today! And Mark finally asked Carrie out! I mean seriously, I'm no daughter of Aphrodite, but I know they were meant to be together!" She squealed.

As much as I love her, she's so hyper and….. preppy. Or maybe that's just around me. I know I get that way around a certain son of Hades. Speaking of Nico, I looked around for him. "Oh, Nico's already inside. Dad said something about nachos and football, so he bolted." Selena said.

I nodded and followed the bubbly teen into her house. I saw Nico and Percy siting on their couch, screaming at the TV. "Go baby, go! Come on! The ball is right there!" Percy screamed.

I smirked at my cousin and kicked my boots off. That was one of those unspool=ken rules at the Jacksons. You come in, shoes come off. I don't even remember why. "RUN FORESST RUN!"Percy and Nico shouted.

"It was RIGHT THERE!" Nico said, glaring at the TV. I rolled my eyes.

Boys and their football. Such doofs. "Selena, where's your mom?" I asked, desperate to get away from the football fanatics. She jerked her thumb to the stairs. "Third floor, last bedroom on the right."

I think she forgets that I come here at least twice a week. I know her house better than she does. That was proved in a game of Sardines. But, I silently made my way to the third floor, last bedroom on the right.

You see, Percy is a marine biologist, Annabeth designs fancy buildings, and Selena has a baby sitting business. All together, they're pretty rich. That's why they can afford a three story house in the country.

I softly knocked and tiptoed in. Annabeth was currently staring into a small white cradle, and humming a soft tune. I walked up beside her and peered into it.

Lukas Andrew Jackson breathed in, and out, softly falling asleep to his mother's tune. When, said mother was certain he was asleep, she motioned for me to follow her out.

She softly shut the door behind her and lead me to her office. Unfortunatly, her office is bright and colorful. And pink. Very pink.

I made a face, and reluctantly stepped in. Annabeth caught my face and laughed. "Oh, Thalia. Like you haven't been in here a million times. I shrugged. I wasn't as emo as I was a few years ago, but I still preferred black.

"He's so cute when he sleeps!" I said, plopping down on her desk. She swatted my butt of her nice clean desk, but smiled. "It's hard to believe he's really mine. I can barely even believe he's almost one year now." I smiled, and hugged myself a little tighter. It was unusal for demigods to make it as far in life as Annabeth and Percy had, so I don't blame her.

"Well, he almost gives me a cavity." I mumbled, but slightly smiling so Annabeth would know I was just joking. She rolled her eyes. "So how do you feel about Hot Dogs and Marshmallows? Because Selena's been looking forward to them all week, but if you don't eat them, neither will she."

I laughed. "Yeah, I'll eat them."

Annabeth smiled and made her way down stairs. I followed, but not before petting Daedalus, Annabeth's tabby cat.

At about seven Annabeth and I began to whip up dinner.

"Hey football monkeys, come help your girls with dinner." I called into the living room. The both looked at me and got that look on their face that told me the only word the heard was 'football' and 'dinner'.

Selena caught the look to, and she started giggling. "Daddy, Nico, come help me make the hotdogs." the boys nodded and jumped up to help. I pulled the marshmallows and chocolate bars out of the pantry and walked over to the patio. "Nico! Come be a good boyfriend and open the door for me!"

Hey, I had three bags of marshmallows and seven bars of candy. Plus my soda. My hands were full.

Nico came over and opened the door, earning a kiss on the check. I set them down next to the fire pit and bounced my way back up to Nico.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on the top of my head. "You seem really bubbly lately." he said, causing me to pull back. "Is that a bad thing?" my eyebrows rocketed sky high and do did Nico's.

"No! It's just an, um, observation." I smiled, and gave Nico a look. "I see. And is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good. Very good."

I leaned in a lightly kissed him, and the pulled back to look him in the eyes.

*wink*

I reopened my left eye as quickly as I closed it, and walked back in to the house. I heard Nico stuttering behind me, which filled with me with a bubbly joy.

As much as I love Nico, this girly-lovey-dovey stuff is starting to get annoying. Is it a side effect? I'm not sure I like it. I'm slipping out of my emo mode!

GASP! WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TOO?

Hmm… That reminds me of that Plain White Tee's shirt. "We'll watch the world, from above. As it turns to the rhythm of love."

...

Well, I might as well start listening to Justin Beaver.

"Hey, Thalia! I was wondering if you wanted to help me out with my archery! I know you're mega busy with all your other classes, but do you think you could fit me in?" I nodded. "Sure! You can come to my regular class. It'll be awesome."

Selena swirled and ran over to Annabeth. "Mom! Mom! Thalia said she'd help me!" Annabeth smiled, and winked at me. "That's great sweetheart! Now go help your father. I think you know how to work the grill better than he does..."

I laughed hysterically on the inside.

On the outside, I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

The door bell rang, but Annabeth looked busy violently attacking her vegetables like they were the cause of her problems, so decided to answer it. To be perfectly honest, I was expecting to see either the Po-Po or the Muffin Man.

But alas poor yorick, I was greeted by neither.

Instead I was greeted by Larrssici, which wasn't so bad. I liked the kid. She was pretty cool. But I was still a little disappointed.

I mean who wouldn't love to have the Muffin Man just randomly show up? And as

for the Police...

I AM INNOCENT UNTILL PROVEN GUITLY!

...

Moving on...

Sici came in and us females finished up dinner, working in the kitchen, slaving over a. Hot stove, and of course, gossiping.

"He seriously said that? Girl, you should've slapped him then and there!" I said, throwing my hands up in air.

"I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, sayin: AYO-"

Thalia, me thinks I need to lay of the pop music.

Sici shrugged. "I seriously thought about it, but I thought it make things a little more, ah, difficult.". Well duh, Sici. But that doesn't mean you can't!

"But he called you a-"

"Thalia Grace, please note 10-year-old in our presence." Annabeth cut me off; disappointingly shaking her big wooden spoon at me.

"Yes, Mom." I grumbled before turning back to Sici. "So if Poseidon pretty livid?" she nodded, causing her raven curls to bounce around her face.

"Yeah, he and Hermes had a screaming match."

"Ohhh, I know from experience screaming matches with gods are. Never fun.". Annabeth smirked and rolled her eyes, turning her attention from the veggies to us.

"And naturally, Hermes defended Calvin, with the classic: "She started it!" Psh, as if. I'm not the one that started flirting obnoxiously in front of customers!" she rolled her eyes.

"Who started flirting?" Percy said, walking into the kitchen with Nico. "Dude, don't ask questions." Nico said, lightly shoving Percy out of his way.

Sici seemed amused at her older brother. "The newbie at the Blu Fig tried to flirt with me, but I told him I wasn't interested. So he got kinda mad and said some words that shouldn't be reapted. One of our non- demigod customers reported him to "Head of the Company" and right he now is jobless and being chased by a pack of angry hell hounds."

"Wow..."

Sici shrugged and made her way to the patio. Soon we all joined her, and so began the bonfire.

Bonfires at Jacksons are VERY fun. Not only do we use wood for the fire, but other things in our life that we'd just like to burn.

B Percy burns sports stuff (ex. A newspaper that says the New York Yankees lost), Annabeth burns depressing or political stuff (ex. A newspaper article about a local shooting or a political add.) Selena burns the latest TEEN magazines ("They disgust me!"), and Sici burns pictures (ex. When she broke up with her boyfriend, she burned all of their pictures).

Nico burns stories about death (For some reason, these bug him…) and I burn pretty much anything I can get my hands on. But mostly stupid stuff, like Dora books, Justin Beiber pictures, I've even burnt stuffed animals. I'm weird like that.

I chucked another clown doll into the fire, and saw Nico underhand toss another newspaper article in. We have a bonfire every month, so we bring piles of crap to burn.

On the other side of Nico, I saw Sici dropping in pictures, one by one. "That's for breaking up with me, that's for hitting me in P.E., that's for "accidentally" spilling all your left over lunch on me..." Percy was currently screaming at the fire, while tossing paper in. "The Yankees should have won that! The Redskins cheated!"

I have such a weird family.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at her husband before lightly throwing in an entire newspaper. Hmmm… must have been a depressing day. Either that or the new senator was elected.

But how would I know? I'm eighteen, I don't read newspapers.

After we finished chucking in our ginormus piles of crap, Annabeth went upstairs to check on Lukas, and Percy and Nico went to go get something out of the garage. That left Sici, Selena, and I to begin the weenie roast.

I tossed in a bag of marshmallows that we specially bought for the gods as an offering, and so it began. I suck my hotdog out over the open flame.

Annabeth came back out, and I saw Percy and Nico strutting back over with something in their arms. It was a keyboard. Like, a mini piano. Percy set it down and began fiddling with it. While Nico set down a guitar. No surprise there.

Nico tapped on the small microphone that Percy had also brought out, which caused my eardrums to explode.

"WE CAN HEAR YOU!" I shouted over the furious tapping. He grinned and winked at me. "This song is at the request of the ladies. Ready Perce?" Percy nodded, and let his fingers glide across the keyboard.

I grinned, and heard Selena and Sici gasp behind me. Annabeth laughed and grinned at me. This was a well like song in our family.

But as Nico started singing, my thoughts were all him.

"You're better than the best."

Nico was pretty awesome made life amazing.

"I'm lucky just to linger in your life."

He deserved someone better than me. He was incredible, but I was just plain.

"Cooler than the flipside of my pillow, that's right."

I laughed at that line. It reminded me of all the pillow fights we'd had. And good times.

"Completely unaware,"

I can't believe it took me a year of being unaware of his love to realize that I loved him too.

"Nothing can compare to where you send me."

Nico has had to go several places for me. Kroger, Nike, Victoria's Secret…. (For pajamas!)

"Lets me know that its okay, yeah it's okay."

One of the things that Nico was really good at was comforting me by just saying: "It's okay."

"And the moments when my good times start to fade…"

Whether it was a bad day at work or a glass of spilled milk, Nico always knew what to do...

"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record,"

When I was with him, I wasn't afraid to sing; or just be myself.

"Crazy on a Sunday night,"

He made me crazy, wild, and a rebel.

"You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee."

Nico left me breathless.

"Just the thought of you can drive me wild…"

I looked at him and started giggling for no reason.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, you make me smile."

A grin spread across my face, as the firelight lit my boyfriend, dazzling every little feature.

"Even when you're gone, somehow you come along."

I've often noticed that when Nico's away, I get the feeling that he's still with me

"Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that."

Haha…I just remembered the time when Nico tripped over a flower….

"You steal away the rain and just like that…"

I may or may not have caused it to rain on only Nico once or twice. Or three times.

"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night. You make me Dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee. Just the thought of you can drive me wild. Ohhh, you make me smile."

He was the only one who brought me out of my depressed state; bringing light back into my life.

"Don't know how I lived without you,"

Looking back, my life was never fully complete.

"Because every time that I get around you,"

I looked at Nico, and our eyes locked,

"I see the best of me inside your eyes."

Warmth flowed through my body, causing me to smile

"You make me smile."

I was happy,

"You dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee, just the thought of you can drive me wild…"

And I wasn't afraid to you show it.

"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night, you make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee just the thought of you can drive me wild."

And nothing could ever stop me.

"Oh, you make me smile."

A/N: Awww! Sooooo cute! Am I right? Oh, I know you know I'm right. ^_^

On a side note, some of you have been saying that Thalia is getting to preppy, and I agree. Some of it is on purpose, some of it is an accident. But, I do have all of my people (AKA me and my cat.) working on it. Hopefully the next couple of chapters will be better about it.

Fairfarren,

PolarBear1355