Nico managed to finish the mural the day before the shower. He was ecstatic. It turned out just the way he wanted it to, even the area that he messed up now fit the wall perfectly. He didn't even care if Echo got older and decided she wanted to paint over it. He'd help her. But until then, this was there. His love for his baby girl. His Echo Lark.

He also went mattress shopping and got Meg a new one since he and Will discovered it was hard as a board.

She had said she didn't mind.

They did. In fact, they both said they should have realized she was uncomfortable when she was always so sore. Her back, her legs, her neck. And they both had known she wasn't sleeping well.

But Nico had found out that she hadn't ever been on a soft mattress, or it had been a very long time. Because when he had discovered how hard her mattress was (he had sat down on it while talking with her and then laid back and realized how uncomfortable it was and freaked out because that couldn't be good for her) he had made her go take her nap on his and Will's bed and she had said that it was the softest bed she had ever been on. Then said she was probably exaggerating.

Nico didn't think she was. He had realized that other than buying food that she liked, and clothes that would fit and looked profession, she didn't spend money on herself. Ever. It wasn't that she was a penny-pincher or that she was trying to be frugal. She made good money as a midwife. She just didn't think she should spend her money on herself.

Nico had taken that mattress to the garage to be disposed of (Leo would probably want to get the metal from it for his inventions), grabbed his keys, and told Will that he was getting new mattresses for the guest bedrooms.

Will had responded with a, "Go for it."

Nico loved that Will just went with most of his antics. Of course, Will probably felt bad because of his mother being there and disturbing their lives by getting drunk and being loud and just existing. Also because of his grandmother. But, it didn't matter. Nico would make it up to Will. One way or another.

Or both ways.

Anyway, he had gotten new mattresses for the guest bedrooms, and they noticed almost an immediate improvement in Meg's energy levels.

The evenings were a little hard, especially since Naomi had decided that Nico shouldn't allow Meg to cook.

Meg started spending more time at work, telling the boys that Naomi was just a little much for her to handle.

Which meant Nico spent more time alone with Naomi, and listening to her when she told him for the hundredth time about when Will was a baby, and things she did the he should do to get ready for the baby. Then she would talk about music and such.

Nico dreaded seeing Grandmother Solace at the shower. But he got himself ready and drove himself and Meg, to the shower.

Will was already there, having driven straight from work, but he must have changed at work.

All of their friends from camp were already there, mingling, talking politely with Will's mom and grandmother.

"I don't want to be here." Meg said suddenly. "I can't be here."

Nico put a hand on her shoulder, "Please, Meg, we need you. I know this is going to be hard for you. I promise I'll try to make it up to you. Even if you leave right after his Grandmother. Just…please."

"Fine, but if I start crying we say it's the hormones."

"Okay. We should have asked you about this anyway. We just assumed, and we should have known better." Nico apologized.

She took a shaky breath, "Too late now."

He nodded a bit.

She went over to Will, putting on what looked like a truly genuine smile and talking with her, making small gestures like her and Will were actually a couple, everything just right to make his grandmother believe.

Nico could hear the old woman start talking about how they should have gotten married first, and that they were doing the same thing that her daughter did.

Naomi gave a strained smile, "Mother, get over it."

"I will not! And what did that man do, besides dump you along the side of the road? If it hadn't been for that boarding school Will would have turned out much worse than you. At least he's a doctor."

"I refused his offer of marriage," Meg said, interrupting. "I have severe Gamophobia. Fear of Marriage. My doctor thinks it's because my father's marriages never worked and because I watched all of his wives standing in the rain with all of their thing. Honestly, he's lucky I didn't completely run away on him when he proposed."

"That I am." Will agreed, kissing her cheek.

Nico could tell it was taking every ounce within Will to continue lying.

Grandmother Solace grumbled something about Meg being a crackpot.

Leo nudged him and gave him a very sarcastic thumbs up.

Nico shook his head, "She needs to go." He muttered to Leo.

Leo shrugged, "We could have someone pretend to be a stripper."

"Why is that the first thing you come up with?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

Surprisingly, his grandmother didn't even last half an hour, and because his mom had driven her here, they both left.

Nico silently sent up a prayer of thanks to all of the gods, then found Meg, "If you still want to leave…"

"It's fine. I'll be fine." She said quietly.

He nodded a bit, he could tell that his friends had picked up the vibe of their conversation, they all seemed to end up clustered as they started one of the games.

"At least I can stop pretending that I'm Will's girlfriend."

"Yeah, gamophobia?"

She shrugged, "I looked it up before coming here. Thought we might need an excuse."

"Still, that was…you were awesome. Are awesome. I think you're one of the nicest, most selfless people I know, and that's saying a lot. Especially since I don't think we've scratched the surface of getting to know you. There's so much about you that makes sense even though it doesn't." He grabbed a cookie, "I just don't understand why you agreed to be our surrogate in the first place. You didn't even know us."

She had a ghost of a smile, "But I had heard about you. From Cassie, and from the Jacksons, and Connor. And at Camp. I'm always more inclined to help half-bloods, they already have tough lives. If they've gotten to the stage where kids are even a question…I'd say that they've been extremely fortunate. And If I'm capable, and they are not, why shouldn't I help them? You asked me to have children for you, out of love for your boyfriend."

"But the pain, the discomfort, the…giving the baby to the family…"

"Is worth it when I see how happy they are. And their friends for them." She shrugged, "Besides, I have a purpose just like everyone else. Who's to say that helping you and Will isn't part of my purpose?"

"Nico! Come on! We want you guys to open presents." Frank called.

Nico waved a hand, "Just a sec! You don't have to—"

"Oh please, someone has to explain to you what the things are so you don't embarrass yourselves."

"Come on, Meg too!" Reyna said, coming over and pulling them toward the table, piled high with gifts, and with gifts surrounding it. "We got her gifts too."

Meg looked kind of surprised.

They were all seated and started opening presents.

The gang had gotten Meg spa treatments, bath salts, and other girly things that she could use during and after her pregnancy. Nico was really glad his friends had thought of that.

He and Will got an assortment of things, some of which they hadn't even realized they would need. And diapers. Lots of diapers.

After they finished with the presents, Will stood up.

"We want to thank our friends, for everything they got us and the advice they compiled." He started, "And we wanted to tell you guys the name we picked out for her."

"You already have a name?!" Reyna grinned.

Nico nodded, "Echo Lark Solace."

"Aw, that's so cute!"

"She's going to be so adorable!"

Leo looked like someone had hit him over the head, but he slowly smiled and nodded.

Nico didn't know what that was about, but he liked that everyone like Echo's name.

Reyna got everyone under control again, "Alright, now, before we start decorating the onesies—and there are only three per person, so don't mess up—I want to personally thank Megara. You've done so much for our friends, our family, and somehow I get the feeling that you'll always be doing more. So thank you."

Meg nodded a bit.

Nico and Will sat on either side of her while they decorated, enjoying that their friends would rotate who was sitting with them to change paint colors or get certain decorations.

Laughing at some of the sad attempts at being artistic.

Then they got help to pack up the cars, and went home. Nico and Meg following Will in relative silence.

"Heard from Emily?"

"Yeah, she told me that their son is doing well. They're making some friends. He got a promotion."

"That's good. You been talking to your other friends too?"

"My former legal guardian, yes. A couple others." She shrugged.

He didn't know what else to ask without feeling like he was prying. "How did you meet Connor Stoll?"

"We were in a couple classes together. Emily had a crush on him," She explained. "And he was a halfblood, so we talked."

"Oh," He responded, kind of disappointed. He had been hoping that maybe it would reveal part of who she was.

"Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"What I told you before…that wasn't entirely true." She pursed her lips.

"Okay, what part?"

"My purpose."

"Go on."

She glanced at him, "The one time I met my mom…it was when I was a surrogate for my other friend and his wife. She told me that I would never get to raise children of my own. I could have children, but I would never raise them."

Nico was glad they were at the stop sign, "What?"

"She said that when I had fulfilled my purpose, that I would have my own children, but I would never raise them." She shrugged, "So…I'm not in a hurry to get a boyfriend."

"That's awful. Why would she tell you that?"

She shook her head, "Because she's a midwife. We try not to sugar coat things when they're bad. When things are bad, we get to work."

"So, when you said that you would have as many kids for us as we wanted you were being serious…because…"

"Because that would mean that I was further away from my own death. Stupid, right? Can't hide from death, can't cheat fate. Just…don't tell anyone. Please?"

It made sense. She didn't care how she lived, because at least she was living. And by doing her job, she helped people. She made a difference. That was what was important to her. She was living like she was dying. She was trying to do as much good as she could with what time she had.

Nico parked the car in the driveway, then looked at her, "I can't…I can't promise that."

She nodded slowly, "Try not to tell anyone?"

He nodded in return, "I'll try." He didn't think he'd be able to succeed though. Especially not when Will would ask him what was on his mind that night. He didn't know how long he would be able to last.