A/N: Here's the tenth chapter, finally! Sorry to all of you guys who have stuck with it that I haven't posted a chapter in a while, but I've been super busy. Anyway, I'll try to update more frequently, so please continue showing your support and reviewing/talking about the story with me, because it means a lot to me c: Anyway, you probably want to just get on with the story by now, so let's begin. (Slightly longer chapter this time, so enjoy!)

10

Will

Will woke to the insistent (and frankly quite annoying) ringing of his cell phone. He fumbled blindly for his phone and accepted the call and the Imagine Dragons song that had been blasting out at full volume was silenced. "Hello?" he mumbled sleepily, pushing himself to a sitting position against his headboard with a yawn.

"Why, was that a yawn I just heard?" Lou asked, feigning surprise. "From Mr. 'I Wake Up At Six Everyday'?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Last time I checked it was"—he glanced at the clock on his wall and did a double-take—"five thirty?! Lou, what the hell?!"

"William, calm yourself," Lou said lightly. "I'm calling because I couldn't bare to wait another second to tell you the beautiful—and frankly hilarious—translation I looked up yesterday."

Immediately suspicious, Will narrowed his eyes at the phone. "And what exactly was it?"

"Get this—you're gonna laugh, babe—il mio raggio di sole translates into 'my ray of sunshine'. How cute is that?"

Will felt a blush stain his cheeks. He... he called me his ray of sunshine... Will shook his head. "Um, Lou, I have to tell you something."

"Hmm?" Lou hummed, sounding curious. "What?"

Will took a deep breath. "Well, I forgot the manga... again..." Before Lou could call him an idiot or other such names, he added, "But I'm meeting him at the bookstore today and I'm sure I'll get it this time."

"William, William, William," Lou clucked with a sigh. "You really are the most forgetful person on the planet."

"I am not," Will protested weakly. "You try to think straight around a short Italian angel boy!"

Lou giggled. "So you admit he's adorable."

Will groaned. "Yes, okay? He's adorable. Can we get back to the 'meeting at the bookstore' part, please?"

"Sure, sure," Lou said, her voice becoming serious. "Will, when are you meeting him?"

"Twelve. Why?"

"Perfect," Lou said, and Will could hear her shuffling around. "I'm picking you up at nine, we're going out to brunch, and then I'm accompanying you to the bookstore. I haven't met di Angelo in person yet, and I feel inclined to do so. After all, I need to make sure he's the right fit for my baby Will."

Will rolled his eyes, but sighed in defeat; There was nothing he could do to dissuade her when she got like this. "Fine. But we're going to L and L."

"Duh," Lou said. "Anyway, I gotta go. See you in three hours!"

Three hours later Will was in the passenger seat of Lou's car, and they were speeding towards Lemon and Lime Café. The Lemon and Lime Café—or L and L, as they preferred to call it—was a little café Lou's uncle owned, and they had the best pastries in the world, according to Lou and Will.

The café's walls were striped lemon yellow and lime green, and the front of the shop was shielded by a pastel pink overhang, and a few outdoor tables sat under umbrellas of sky blue and marigold orange. A bell tinkled above the door when they entered, and the café's air condition offered immediate relief from the summer heat.

They headed towards their usual table in the corner, and within seconds Lou's uncle's shop girl, Meg, swooped down on them with two coffees and a plate of mint green pistachio macaroons. Will grinned and grabbed one, thanking Meg as she walked back towards the counter.

"I hope he doesn't mind that I brought you along," Will said after a while of chewing in silence. "I didn't exactly give him a fair warning..."

Lou shrugged. "If he really likes you, he'll be fine with it."

Will frowned. "Okay, I guess..."

"Oh," Lou said, her eyes sparkling as she pointed at the counter. "Look, Will; they have a new pastry! I'm gonna go get two. Be right back!"

She was back within a minute with two sunflower-shaped pastries that smelled like vanilla. "Let's hurry up and eat these. I want to get to the bookstore early so I can scope out Angel Boy from a distance."

They did indeed arrive early at the bookstore, and Lou and Will ordered coffees and claimed a table at Starbucks, awaiting Nico's arrival. Lou's eyes scammed the crowd as she sipped her white chocolate mocha, and her purple-painted fingernails tapped against the table impatiently.

Finally, Will caught sight of a head of dark chocolate curls heading through the crowd, followed by Nico's familiar voice. "Jason, Percy, cut it out!"

That got his attention, and he raised an eyebrow as he caught sight of Nico, accompanied by two tall, handsome guys. Said guys had their arms around his shoulder and were casting furtive glances about the place, seeming very suspicious. "No can do, Neeks," the tall blond one said. "We're your appointed protection squad, and we take our job very seriously."

Nico face-palmed, a blush staining his cheeks. "You're embarrassing is what you are."

"Us?" the equally tall, dark-haired one asked, feigning surprise. "Embarrassing?"

Just then Nico caught sight of Will, and he glanced up between his two companions and back at Will, looking fearful. The dark-haired one caught sight of him first, and his sea-green eyes narrowed. Will gulped. He felt slightly like making a break for it, but Lou was already standing with a stern look on her face, her arms crossed, so he had no choice but to stand up with her.

"Hello," the blond one said, offering a smile. "I'm Jason Grace, and this is—"

"Percy," the dark-haired cut in, giving Will a distrustful look.

"Um, hello..." Will said uncertainly. He turned to Lou and gave her a "Help me!" look. Lou cleared her throat. "Hello, boys. I'm Lou Ellen, Will's best and most trusted friend, and rest assured, I am judging all three of you." She waved her hand to constitute all of them and glared.

Jason coughed uncomfortably. "Well, okay then..."

"You all are ridiculous," Nico said with a sigh, ducking out from Percy and Jason's arms and walking forward to take a seat at the table. Will let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and collapsed back into his seat. Reluctantly, Lou, Jason, and Percy sat down as well, still trading distrustful looks.

"So..." Will asked, focusing all his attention on Nico and trying to block out the two gods that sat next to him. "Did you bring it?"

"Of course," Nico said, but he remained leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

Will raised an eyebrow. Oh, I should've know. He expects me to do something for it again. But what does he have in mind this time?

Nico smiled. "Of course, you're wondering what I want this time?"

Will shrugged. "Only a little."

"Well, you see, il mio raggio di sole"—Will blushed now that he knew what that meant—"you'll just have to wait and find out."

That scared Will slightly, but it was a good kind of scared. He gave Nico a challenging grin. "Fine, Ghost Boy. I'm ready."