A/N: Hey guys. This is technically the last chapter, but then there's gonna be an epilogue, and then- because I'm a wimp- another fic! Ha ha... ha... It'll just be a sidefic in this universe, nothing major like this one, probably only one to three chapters, and it won't come for a long time cause I'm trying to finish up the fics I've already started before I start new ones, but it will exist eventually so keep an eye out for that.

Anyway, here's the technical last chapter, hope you like it, please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Ten

Nico woke up in Italy.

A sharp pain in his arm brought him back to consciousness and he scrambled to his feet with a hand clamped over his bleeding shoulder as monsters surrounded him, slow but numerous.

Instincts took over and Nico jumped out of the way, dodging individual monsters' claws as he reached for a sword that he for once didn't expect to be there.

But then his hand closed around a hilt, and memories came back to him with a snap. Just as the shadows closed around him- a cold comfort after four days without them at his beck and call- the horde of monsters vanished, and the pain in his arm disappeared. Nico was unsurprised when an army of faceless men suddenly surrounded him, and he slowly turned around, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of a goddess in the form of his mother.

"Welcome back," Hebe greeted him, speaking without moving her mouth. Her eyes gleamed with amusement, though her painfully familiar face didn't smile.

Nico bowed respectfully, albeit hesitantly, still trying to wrap his brain around what was happening. "My lady. I... you... it worked? You brought me back?"

The goddess nodded slowly. "I did... and you're lucky... As the goddess of youth, I have a very limited power of time- I can't bring you to the future, and it's extremely hard for me to bring you to the present, but the past... well, that's much easier to work with."

Nico frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I brought you back about a week," the goddess explained. "Before you told Hazel to plan your funeral."

"Before I faked my death," Nico realized, and stuttered out a hasty goodbye and thanks to the goddess before disappearing into the shadows.

Camp Half-Blood's borders had often made it difficult for Nico to shadow-travel straight into Camp, but he forced himself through the defenses, appearing in the Poseidon Cabin, where- since Nico hadn't accounted for the time difference from Italy- Percy Jackson was asleep.

But he was wearing a shirt, with no Hipster glasses in sight. Nico grinned, and turned to leave.

"Nico? What are you doing here?"

He spun around again to see Percy sitting up in bed, staring sleepily at him. "Something wrong?" Percy asked, concerned yet obviously half-asleep.

"Uh- no," Nico managed, trying to keep himself from smiling like an idiot. "No, I'm fine, I just-"

Percy got to his feet and crossed the cabin to his fountain, splashing some water on his face. "Just what?" he prompted.

Before he could stop himself, Nico darted forward and hugged his cousin.

"Whoa, what's this?" Percy laughed, hesitantly hugging him back.

"What, I can't hug my family?" Nico asked, no longer trying to keep from smiling. He let go of Percy and stepped back. "Anyway, you should get back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Percy."

"Night," the son of Poseidon returned uncertainly, frowning in confusion, but Nico was gone before he had the chance to question.

Luckily for Nico, the lights were on in Bunker 9, so he didn't have to brace the craziness of the Hephaestus Cabin.

Despite the late hour, there sat Leo Valdez, wearing a welder's mask and mechanic slops, attacking some kind of metal with a blowtorch.

Nico knocked politely on the wall, not wanting to startle the boy. Leo glanced over at him, then turned off the blowtorch and pulled his mask off.

"Hi," Leo said slowly as he pulled off his gloves.

"Hey," Nico returned, attempting a smile. "I need to talk to you."

Leo frowned, and Nico saw his hand drift towards his toolbelt.

"Oh, no, I'm not mad at you," Nico hurried to assure hi, holding his hands up in surrender. "I just... uh..."

Leo was still staring at him warily, and Nico realized he had to do exactly what he'd done in the human world.

He had to trust Leo Valdez with the truth.

And so, he told Leo everything. Everything from the fake funeral that technically hadn't happened, to his four days in the human world. Albeit with a slight hesitation, he even told Leo about his real-life childhood crush on Percy and his human self's thing with Luke (which led to an explanation about who Luke was in the real world, involving a lot of questions about loyalty, and at least four different ways of saying, "No, he and Annabeth were never technically dating"). Leo went through the natural stages of reactions- confusion, disbelief, thinking Nico was crazy, then just accepting it. By the end of Nico's speech, they'd migrated to the back of the Bunker and were sitting on couches, Leo fiddling with the gas switch on his blowtorch.

"I'm sure you have lots of questions..." Nico concluded.

But Leo just stared ahead for a moment, silent and still save for his dangerous fidgeting. Then he glanced over at Nico and clarified, "Jason wasn't there?"

Nico shook his head. "I mean, he definitely existed cause his number was in Human Nico's phone, and you mentioned that he bailed you out of jail once, but, no, I never ran into him."

"Huh," Leo muttered. "And you... You and I were best friends?"

Nico nodded.

"Gods," Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "Best friends. I don't think I've even spoken to you more than three times not in pirate talk."

"Right?" Nico agreed.

Leo sighed and turned his blowtorch off, getting up from the couch and returning it to his worktable. Then he glanced at his watch and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's pretty late," he told Nico.

"Right, sorry," Nico said, getting up. "I didn't mean to spring all this on you in the middle of the night, I know it all sounds crazy."

"Yeah, kinda," Leo muttered. "I'm glad you told me, though. It's cool to know that so many things could be different if we weren't, you know, heroes."

"Yeah," Nico scoffed. "Seriously."

"I, uh, won't tell anyone," Leo continued. "I doubt anyone other than me would be very cool with you faking your death."

"Yeah, pretty much," Nico agreed. "Thanks, Leo."

The son of Hephaestus offered him a half-hearted mock salute, then left the Bunker.

And Nico sank into the shadows.

Sometime soon after the war, Hazel and Frank moved into a little apartment in San Francisco- close enough to Camp Jupiter that Frank could keep up his praetor duties, but away from the crazy aftermath of the war.

And it was that apartment where Nico went next.

California was three hours behind New York, so it was no longer 2 in the morning, but it was still late at night, so Nico appeared out of the shadows just inside the apartment, not wanting to bother the neighbors by knocking.

He found a pad of paper in the kitchen and scribbled a note to his sister-

Hazel,

Long day. Monster fight. Fine but need to crash here. Hope you don't mind.

He hesitated slightly before signing it, Love, Nico.

He taped the note to Hazel's bedroom door, then collapsed on the couch and almost immediately fell asleep.

Nico awoke to a hand on his shoulder and his sister's voice saying his name. Without opening his eyes, he reached out and grabbed Hazel's arms, pulling her into a hug on the couch next to him.

"Oh!" Hazel exclaimed. "O-okay. Hi, Nico. I love you too."

Nico held her close and smiled.

Nico was sitting alone at the Hades table at Camp Half-Blood when Leo Valdez nervously came up to him.

"Hey, Leo," Nico greeted him, noting the awkward tension between them. "What's up?"

"Uh, Jason and I were supposed to hang out today, but something came up with Piper," Leo explained. "Do you... want to do something?"

Nico grinned. "Sure, I'd love to."

Leo nodded. "Cool. Great. I'll, uh, see you later then." He started to leave.

"Wait," Nico called, and Leo turned back to him, an eyebrow raised questioningly. "You have a Wii in the Bunker, right?"

"Yeah..." Leo said slowly.

Nico nodded. "Good. Cause apparently I'm really good at Smash."

Leo grinned. "You're on, di Angelo."

Nico chuckled. "Can't wait, Valdez."

He'd been back for a day. He'd reunited with his sister and cousin, he was starting to form a friendship with Leo, and things were looking up for Nico di Angelo.

But one thing still bothered him.

Nico stood in a phone booth in downtown Manhattan. He put money in the machine and punched in the number that had belonged to Human Nico's cellphone.

Because it didn't belong to hi, so it had to belong to someone.

The phone rang for awhile. Then a familiar voice answered.

"Hi, this is Will Solace's phone, who's calling?"

Nico let out a laugh, then hung up the phone.

A/N: So yeah there's that. Let's assume Will's minor-major-god enough to get a cell, just go with it, it's cute. Anyway, hope you liked it, epilogue should be up soon, please review!