Excuses aside, I'm sorry for the long wait. I know. I'm literally the worst.

Enjoy this chapter anyway! It's a bit short, but worth it!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Perfect Gift

Day: 11

Nico woke up to a note taped to his door.

He rubbed his eyes until he saw stars. He tore the note from the door as he ran a hand through his tangled black hair. Carefully unfolding the note, he immediately noticed Leo's scribbly handwriting

Nico,

Day 10. Location: Sydney, Australia

I'm quickly writing this out before you wake up. I'm really sorry about this whole mess. The Archimedes' sphere wasn't perfect when I fixed it the first time, and I had gone out on a whim when I decided to head to our next location after that. It was a stupid mistake. I'm really sorry.

I'll probably still be fixing the sphere when you wake up. Hopefully all this caffeine I'm getting high off of will be enough!

Unfortunately, due to our unexpected guests, I didn't have time to get you a gift. Maybe think of that kiss as my Day 10 present? ;)

Love,

Leo

The first thing to run through Nico's mind was the word dork. He set the note on the edge of his bed as he headed to the showers to get washed up.

After he got dressed, Nico went straight to the helm of the ship. His hair dripped a trail of water as he made his way to the top deck. Like the note said, Leo was still at the helm, continuously working at the sphere.

"Hey."

Leo turned around, smiling as his eyes settled on Nico.

"Hey."

"Have you been up all night?"

"Yeah. The sphere is pretty damaged."

Nico bit his lip anxiously. "Will we make it to Rio?"

Leo's eyes clouded. He softly set the screwdriver down next to the sphere.

"If I get this done within the next hour, we should make it to Brazil maybe by noon, if we're lucky."

"I'm okay with that. Just don't strain yourself."

Heavy bags were underneath Leo's bloodshot eyes. His face was greasy, his hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes hung limply from his hunched figure. Yet the moment he smiled, it was like he had taken a shot of an energy drink. He simply lit up.

"Hey, I'm Leo Valdez," he said. "I can do anything."

Nico laughed. "Whatever you say. I'm going to get breakfast. Want anything?"

"Waffles would be nice."

"Waffles it is."

Nico disappeared down to the kitchen to make what he think would qualify as waffles.

"DONE!"

Leo hooked the sphere back up to the controls and watched it power up. The whole ship seemed to come back to life as the sphere returned to normal.

"NICO I DID IT!" Leo shouted, not able to contain his excitement.

Suddenly, a toxic scent pierced Leo's senses. He held his hand up to his nostrils, shielding his nose from the smell. At first he though the engine room might be on fire, but he then had the sneaky suspicion that the smell was coming from the kitchen.

Leo burst into the kitchen just in time to put out the fire on the stove with a fire extinguisher. He and Nico coughed as the smoke cleared, leaving nothing but burnt waffles and foam from the extinguisher in a pan.

"What is this?" Leo asked. He poked at a charred brick on the stove.

"That was a waffle," Nico said sheepishly. He shrugged his shoulders, a spatula still in his hand. If he weren't so cute, Leo would have yelled at him.

"No offence dude, but your waffles suck."

"I know. I'm not much of a cook. Maybe I can try again."

"No," Leo said quickly. "I'm, uh, not that hungry anymore. Besides, I've got good news. The sphere is working!"

Nico placed the spatula on the counter. "Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious! We're going to Rio, baby!"

Nico and Leo laughed as they pulled each other into a hug. It was a nice hug, one that lasted not too long but not too short. Leo noticed how Nico was the kind of hugger who buried his nose into the other person's shoulder.

Just another thing to like about him.

"So," Nico said, pulling away from Leo. "When do you think we'll get there?"

"Not sure," Leo said. "We'll just have to wing it, you know?"

"Sounds good to me."

Leo started for the stairs to return to the helm. One hand on the railing, one foot on the first stair, Leo turned back around.

"Oh, and Merry Christmas Eve, Nico!"

Nico let his arms dangle at his side.

"You too, Leo."

A big question hit Nico when he was alone in his cabin, waiting to arrive to Rio.

What am I going to get Leo for Christmas?

Nico was never the best with gift giving. Back when Bianca was still alive, Nico was still young, so she never quite expected much from him. Nico now had Hazel, but never came a time where he had to give a gift to her. She too didn't expect much from him besides love and care and comfort. Now Nico was in a bit of a rut. What was he supposed to give a boy he was in love with?

Nico shivered. Love. There was that stupid word again.

He plopped down on his bed, his dark hair spilling onto the pillow beneath him. What did Leo even like? Tools, candy, caffeine, fire. But all that stuff Leo could pull out of his tool belt in seconds! Material items were probably hard to get for Leo. That meant Nico had to dig deeper…

Nico's hyperactive mind began to wander. He was thinking about the past week and a half. Never in his life had someone besides Bianca do something so nice for him. Every moment of every day had been so carefully constructed to fit Nico's needs and wants, if you disregard the surprise monster attacks and the few times the boys got lost in a foreign country. Leo had to have taken so much time to make sure the trip was going to be something Nico felt comfortable with. Sure, he did a few things he wasn't used to doing, like dancing to carolers in London or skiing in Russia, but overall, Leo made sure Nico was enjoying himself.

He thought about the good times ice skating in London, riding camels in Egypt, getting chased by the ski lodge worker in Russia; the picture in France, delivering gifts in Canada, the swing set in Hilton Head; the museums of Mexico, the heat of Australia, the mistletoe in Spain. He filed each of these memories in his head, hoping they would stay locked in there forever. Never would he want to forget these moments.

I have to get Leo something worthwhile, he thought to himself. Something Leo would never forget. Something he cannot retrieve from his tool belt on command.

A single word scrolled through Nico's mind like a teleprompter.

Memories.

His eyes popped wide open. He leaped out of bed and scrambled for paper and a pencil at his desk. He practically fell into his chair, knocking over a tin full of pens in the process. Nico gripped the pencil in his hand, hovering the tip of the lead just over the soft white paper.

Memories, he thought again. I can give him memories.

Nico began writing.

By the time Nico finished wrapping his gift, it was mid-afternoon.

He didn't know exactly where they were in the world, but the ocean was still sprawled out beneath them. Leo desperately wanted to get to Rio that day, so they were taking the risk of flying over the ocean rather than sailing. The ocean was nothing but a crystal blur below as the Archimedes' sphere worked in overdrive.

Nico quietly made his way to the mess hall below. His stomach grumbled the whole way—he had skipped out on both breakfast and lunch. He quickly made himself a sandwich, poured a hot cup of tea, and went into the newly-installed living room.

He didn't notice Leo until it was too late.

"Ahh!" Leo shouted. The son of Hephaestus was on the ground, kneeling over a small box in the process of being wrapped. He had tape stuck to one hand, scissors in another, a sharpie just behind his ear. His mouth was agape in surprise as he stared at Nico, almost completely frozen.

Nico set his sandwich and tea on the nearest table. He sat crisscrossed on the floor, looking at Leo in wonder. His eyes drifted to the small box on the ground.

"You're not supposed to be here," Leo said, shaking himself out of his trance. He pointed at Nico with the scissors. "I thought you were asleep!"

"Sorry," Nico said. He looked at the box again. "What's this?"

Leo set down the scissors and pried the excess tape off his hands. He grumbled as he carefully handed the box to Nico.

"Your gift," Leo said, "for Day 11."

Nico peeled away the wrapping paper to the partially-wrapped box and nearly gasped. The tin box was a dark blue with small specks of yellow around it, resembling stars against a night sky. Several Greek symbols were painted on it as well—a trident, lightning bolt, lyre, skull, owl, pair of wings, and so much more. Nico ran his thumb over the raised words: MYTHOMAGIC.

Leo's shoulders were slumped. "Man, I meant to give you that later today. I'm sorry the surprise is ruined."

Nico waved him off, his eyes feasting upon the game before him. "Is this the latest edition?"

"Yeah. It comes with new cards—all old ones updated—and new statues. There's even a new option to change the rules a bit to enhance the gaming experience."

Nico was practically drooling. "Oh my gods."

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "And I may have learned how to play…"

Nico's head shot up. "Are you serious?"

"I was hoping that if I learned to play, we could play together," Leo said sheepishly.

An overwhelming burst of emotions came over Nico in an instant. He surged forward and engulfed Leo in a suffocating hug, still gripping the game in his hand. Nico's face buried into Leo's shoulder.

"Thank you," Nico said, his voice muffled.

Leo couldn't help but grin. He placed a hand on Nico's back, pulling the boy closer to him. "No problem."

"You can't do that! That's totally not a thing!"

"Is too."

"This game is whacked!"

"You're just jealous you suck."

"I only learned how to play this morning! Give me a break."

Nico smirked behind his cards. It was fun antagonizing Leo, taunting him with his expertise in all things Mythomagic. Leo kept getting angry at the game. He doubted Nico's moves were even legal, but Nico had memorized the secret set of strategy movies from the last edition of the game by heart. What he was doing was totally allowed.

Leo growled. "I've got totally lame cards. What can I even do with the god Hypnos? Put everyone to sleep?"

"His offense might not be up to par, but his defense has some of the highest points in the entire game."

Nico went on to explaining things like attack points and upgrades. Leo probably could have caught on if he were paying attention, but he was too busy watching Nico. The inner child was shining within the son of Hades. His eyes were wide, awake, alive, and his mind was racing at a million miles an hour, trying to focus on strategies and points. Nico was simply radiant during the entire game.

He was also kicking Leo's butt. They had been playing for hours on end and Leo had won exactly zero games out of many.

When Nico finished explaining, Leo sighed and said, "I love it when you talk nerdy to me."

Nico raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, the sound of mechanical purring overcame the ship.

Leo staggered to his feet. "Festus? What is it, boy?"

Leo sprinted to the top deck. The sight around him was enough of an answer.

It was night, so the first thing Leo noticed was the lights against the darkness. Below him was a large city sitting atop cliffs and rocks. The edges of the city completely surrounded a large body of water. A few large cliffs and mountains were at the edge of the body of water, but one notable mountain was pushed a bit back from the water. It was the largest mountain there, and right at its peak was the Christ the Redeemer statue that was so famous to Rio.

Nico was next to Leo. He took in the sight with wide eyes.

Leo ran to the edge of the Argo II, Nico just behind him. He began rattling off names that hardly stuck in Nico's mind.

"That body of water down there is the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. And that mountain-like rock pile over there with the statue? That's Corcovado, and I'm sure you recognize the statue. And you see that down there, right in the center of the lagoon? That's the world's largest floating Christmas tree."

Nico hardly missed the tree. There it was, resting at the center of the lagoon on some sort of platform. It was brilliantly lit up with golden lights, nearly blinding Nico as he gazed at it in wonder. Its title certainly suited it—Nico had no doubt that this was the world's largest floating Christmas tree.

Leo sprinted to the helm of the ship and guided the Argo II over the lagoon and closer to the Corcovado Mountain. He shook some Wii remotes, and the Argo II did a total 180, positioning it so the side Nico was on was facing the Christmas tree at this distance. Leo made sure the ship was camouflaged with the Mist, put it in "park," per se, and returned to Nico.

"Just wait," Leo said. He wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders, bringing him in closer. "You'll know why I wanted to bring you to Rio so badly."

As if that were the cue, a large boom! went off. All at once, brilliant fireworks shot into the sky, exploding before the boys one by one. Colors danced in front of them—reds, yellows, greens, whites, purples, golds—all in different shapes and sizes. Some spiraled up in the sky like snakes while others erupted in giant circles and spheres. Every firework that went off was different. Every explosion made Nico's heart burst with excitement.

"Incredible," Nico said midst-show.

Leo smiled. "I knew you'd like it."

Of course he did, Nico thought. Of course he knew. Leo Valdez always knows.

Late that night, later than usual, Nico went back to his cabin after more long hours of crushing Leo in Mythomagic. The firework show was the best Nico had ever been gifted to see, and he realized how lucky he was to have a friend like Leo. It only made him even more anxious to give Leo his gift. Was it good enough?

Another note. It read:

Nico,

Day 11. Location: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

We didn't spend much time here, but I know today will be with us forever. Enjoy the Mythomagic game. I'll beat you one day.

With love,

Leo

Nico put the note next to the pile of others on his desk. Next to the notes was his sloppily-wrapped gift to Leo. He quickly scrawled a hasty Leo on top and took the gift to the living room.

Leo was thankfully manning the helm of the ship. Nico crept to the Christmas tree in the corner and placed the gift beneath its branches. His heart thumped in his chest as he took a good look at the present under the tree.

It was only one gift, and it was probably awful compared to the eleven Nico had received so far from Leo, but Nico could only hope that maybe—maybe—Leo would like it.

Nico swiped a cookie from the mess hall and tiptoed back to his room, anxiety and excitement buzzing within him.

I only briefly went over this, so I apologize for any mistakes. One more chapter to go. I will have it up shortly.

Thanks for your patience

~Serena