No reviews? What, my most popular story isn't popular anymore? (I highly doubt that). Normally I don't post new chapters until I get new reviews, but it's time for Nico's birthday (yes, in a weird twist of fate, Nico is four or five months older, depending on how you want to look at it).

In regards to the timeline of events, I've decided to add Percy's proposal to it. Yes, Percy is going to propose to Nico. Because why not? There's nothing stopping him.

…

Nico's POV

…

Today, March 9th, was my birthday. Since it fell on a Tuesday, we couldn't do out big sailing trip quite yet. We were heading out this Thursday (well, dad, Bia, and I were. Percy was flying down to meet us Friday after school since he had tests to make up). I still wasn't sure how I felt about being fifteen, and older than my more dominate boyfriend. Isn't it the older guys that were supposed to be the more dominate ones? I'm sure that was a vicious stereotype, but it was normally that way. 4

I woke up bright and early today, mostly because I didn't want Percy cooking breakfast like he said he was going to do. No, I didn't want to actually be spoiled today. One of the perks of having a big ass apartment for only two people was that you could float off to a different section and not bother anyone else. So that's what I did. I grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen, left Percy a note, and went up to the loft to work on my novel. It was slowly coming together. I hadn't forgotten my dream. I would get a book published someday. This one felt different than all my other stories. This felt like the one I wanted to get published.

I'd added a desk up here after figuring out it was one of Percy's favorite spots to study, so now I was seated at it. I had my notebook spread out in front of me, my granola bar, and an iced coffee from our mini fridge. Yes, we had a mini fridge on the loft now. You're talking to the guy who has a recliner in his closet. The fridge is the least of your worries. I took a sip of my iced coffee and turned back to my notebook. This story was set in a fictional Californian town. It was about a new kid, from a relatively wealthy family, who runs into this surfer guy on the beach. They strike up a conversation, the main character confesses he doesn't know how to surf. And, well, the rest is history. Does this story sound familiar? It should. This was my twist on how Percy and I met.

"Good morning Birthday Boy," Percy said softly, startling me. I glanced over my shoulder. He was just getting to the top of the loft. "How come you don't want breakfast? Why can't I cook for you? You cook for me."

"I'm just not hungry," I said. "Besides, I have work to do." I motioned to my notebook. Percy glanced at it, and he grinned. He sat on the arm of the love seat and studied me. He was still in his pajamas, but he looked amazing. "I want to see if I can get this book published before we graduate. Wouldn't that be amazing?" I sighed happily. "So what's up?"

"I'm up," he joked. I rolled my eyes. He sure loved that joke. "Have you thought about what you're going to do after high school? Other than come along for training?" I'd put some thought into it, but I wasn't sure on anything yet. Other than being an author, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. "You might want to think about it Nico," he said.

"I know," I replied, sighing. This one wasn't as happy. "Before this year, I never had to think about it. Author was my thing. But in between, especially if my books don't sell, I'll probably need to do something."

"I still say you open a restaurant," Percy said, swinging a leg. "You're a great little chef. And you'd have a pretty successful place." The only problem with that was New York had hundreds of restaurants already. I didn't want to leave my hustle and bustle home. This apartment already had enough room for a family. I'd actually planned to raise my family right here, in the apartment I grew up in. "Or not. Any other ideas." I shrugged.

"I'm not sure," I said. "I'm that much older. I should probably start thinking about alternatives. Hey, I'm older than you." I grinned at him. I'd always been older, but now I was fifteen while he was still fourteen. He rolled his eyes again. "Roll your eyes all you want Jackson, that's the truth." I turned and smiled at him. It felt nice to have someone to joke with. "What do you think I should do? Other than a restaurant!" I added quickly. Percy smirked.

"Honestly, you'd make a good lawyer," he said. "You love to argue with people." I glared at him, and he laughed. "Plus, you always try to prove you're right. Unless, of course, you're up against me." He smiled sweetly. "You can never beat me." That much was true. Even when I was right, I was wrong somehow. Until I wasn't. Percy had to come to his own conclusion. "It's just something to think about Neeks." He got off the love seat, came over to me, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, kissing my temple. "I have to go shower, but Jason should be coming over any time. We're carpooling with him and Bia today. If the doorbell rings, can you answer it?" I nodded distractedly. I was busy writing again. I just thought of some things the main character could say on their field trip (yes, they were still in high school. Though they were juniors). "Have you picked a title for the book yet?" Percy asked.

"Not Your Typical High School Romance," I said. "Corny and catchy." He laughed. "Because like ours, Ian and Taylor's romance is anything but typical." Percy kissed my temple again, probably because he could reach around to kiss my lips. Oh, did I mention that I named the main characters Ian and Taylor. I was Taylor and Percy was Ian. And this whole story was told from Taylor's POV. "Go shower Perce. School starts in an hour." He smiled, leaned forward and kissed me, then disappeared back down the ladder. Just as he slipped into the bathroom, the doorbell rang. I finished the sentence I was on, closed the notebook, and descended the ladder myself. I made my way to the front of the apartment and opened the door.

"Happy Birthday!" I leaped back in surprise when about forty people said that to me. Jason, the rest of the basketball team, Bia, Thalia, and a few of Bia's friends. Percy came out of the bathroom fully dressed, hair combed down. He was grinning at me.

"Just in case you wouldn't let me cook, I arranged for this to happen last week," he said. "Were you surprised?"

"So surprised I almost had a heart attack," I replied. Then forty plus people flooded into my apartment to wish me happy birthday. They all formed a loose circle around Percy and myself. It was nice they included my boyfriend in the middle of the circle with me. I said thank you so many times it was laughable (almost literally, since almost everyone was joking and laughing and having a good time). "Any more surprises?" I asked Percy.

"Yes," Jason replied for him. I turned to my future brother-in-law questioningly (this was going to be a weird family growing up. Percy's cousin would become his brother-in-law). "I called in a few favors from some of dad's old clients. Though this was your boyfriend's idea, di Angelo, not mine. If you kill someone after this, it will be him." Percy grinned. "We've got a party bush arranged to pick us all up and take us to school." I turned and glared at Percy.

"When was this arranged?" I asked him. He pretended to think about it. When he pretended to think, his eyes tended to go up and stare at the ceiling. It was normally cute, but I was a little peeved right now.

"About a month ago," Percy replied. "Don't be so sour. It'll be fun!" Forty people yelled enthusiastically in unison, and even I couldn't help but smile at everyone. So maybe this party bus thing wouldn't be so bad after all. Everyone was watching me expectantly. So it was up to me whether or not we actually left in that thing. I snatched up my backpack.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked the assembled mini-crowd. "It's party time!" They cheered and flooded out in a matter of seconds. They must have rehearsed this part or something. I grabbed Percy's arm as he walked passed me. He glanced at me. "I love you," I whispered. He smiled, stopped walking, and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me softly.

"I love you too," he replied. "Let's get going. We have a party bus to ride in." I shook my head. Even now, my boyfriend never ceased to amaze me.

…

"It is definitely much better now that you're here," I said to Percy, embracing him. Yesterday, Thursday, had been driving me crazy. Mostly because Percy was still back in New York while I was down here, sailing the waters of the Caribbean with my father and sister. I'm sure it was driving them crazy as well. Now, we were docked in Jamaica, picking up Percy. Anders and Jesse had flown him out here as soon as school let out. But that was still a few hours' worth of flight. Now, it was evening. The sun was beginning to sink over the ocean. "I'm happy you're here."

"In Jamaica?" Percy asked, looking around. Jamaica was nice. We actually owned a summer home down here that we used every now and then. When we weren't using the yacht. "I can't believe how many different places I've been to already."

"While you being in Jamaica is nice," I said before he could get too lost in his own train of thought. "That is not what I meant. I meant I'm happy you're here, with me, where you belong." I smiled down at me. He was still taller, curse him. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine.

"I'm definitely glad to be here myself," he said. "So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" We walked along the beach as we talked. Percy had traded in his jeans and sweater for white cotton shorts and a light blue tank top. He had sandals on, something of which I hadn't really seen before. "It's so warm here," Percy gushed, looking around. "New York is going to feel like an ice chest when we arrive back home."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Most definitely. So enjoy the warm weather while we're here." We stopped and stared out to sea, watching the sun dip down. The water was turning darker while the sky lit up with colors like orange and pink. I loved sunsets on the beach. I sat down in the soft sand, and Percy copied me. He drew his knees up to his chest and stared at the water. "About the agenda," I said, and he looked at me. "Tomorrow morning is breakfast, then a whole day of sailing. Then a special surprise for you in the evening after dinner." Percy smiled.

"Can't wait," he said. "Hey, I was thinking." I looked up at him. When Percy thought, it was normally about something good. "For our honeymoon, we should go to Hawaii. I've never been, but I want to go."

"Sounds great," I said. "I also want to take you to London. Hey, maybe we can make it a family trip. Take the kids there. And Disney World. We have to take them there."

"But of course," Percy replied. "Every kid dreams of going there." I nodded along in agreement. And this was why Percy and I had a relationship that was anything but typical for a high school couple. We actually thought ahead of the next day, or even the next year. We were thinking about ten, maybe twenty, years into the future. With weddings and honeymoons and kids and family trips. It was great. Once upon a time, we might've been hesitant about talking about this kind of thing. But ever since Christmas, this kind of talk came up more and more. And it grew more and more serious as we kept talking about it.

"Do you ever think we're getting ahead of ourselves?" I asked quietly. Percy, who had been playing with the sand, now stopped and looked up at me. "We're talking like we're already married. But we're just high school freshmen. What if this relationship doesn't last to senior year, let alone passed high school?" Percy kneeled in front of me and captured my chin in his hands.

"Nico di Angelo, you stop that kind of thinking right now," he scolded gently. "You are never going to get rid of me. Of course it will last passed high school. And I will marry you. We will have kids, and we will take all sorts of fabulous trips with them. You know how I know that?" I shook my head. "Because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to be together forever and ever. And we will. Because I know you feel the same way. You love me too, and you want to spend the rest of your life with me." My throat closed as he talked. But I was so fucking happy he said all that stuff. "You never fall out of love, Nico. Either you're always in love or you never were. And we'll always be in love. We'll always want to be together."

"Forever and ever," I finished. He smiled softly and wrapped his arms around me. "God Percy, I love you so much. So, so much. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"Me too," Percy replied, sitting back down beside me. "I love you, Nico di Angelo. And I always will."

"Same here, Percy Jackson," I responded, grinning. I loved it when our talks turned to sentimental things like this. Percy made me so happy. I had no doubts our relationship would last. If it lasted this long, through all the trials and heartache, then it would definitely extend passed high school. I was just wondering what Percy thought. Why did I ever doubt him? He'd be mine, and I'd be his, forever and ever.

"Percy, Nico, dinner!" dad called. Percy scrambled to his feet and held his hand out. I took it, and he hauled me up. Then he walked up to the house together, hand in hand.

…

Sailing was just as enjoyable as I remembered it being from about two months ago. Percy and I still worked well together as a team. Dad had gotten me a sailboat for my birthday, so Percy and I took her out on her maiden voyage. Now, with the sail adjusted just so, Percy was standing beside me, gazing out at the crystalline water. I was steering, for now. After about an hour, we'd switch off. We would continue to do that throughout the day.

After sailing, we went inside to shower up and eat. I still had my surprise for Percy, even though this was my birthday celebration. I was dressed in nice tan shorts and a light purple polo. But my nice effect was ruined by the flip flops on my feet. Percy came out of the bathroom dressed a little like me, except his shirt was the same color blue as the sea. I took his hand and led him out of the house. Then down the little walkway, to a clearing we owned for small parties. But that wasn't what it was being used for right now. I'd asked dad and Bia to decorate while I had Percy out sailing. They'd done a fantastic job. Bia had managed to string lights around the trees. Dad had set up a fake dance floor. And he was the DJ. I gave him a thumbs up, and he began the song. As soon as it started, Percy gasped.

"God Gave Me You," he breathed. "This is our song." He turned to me. "Nico…"

"Shh, mio Ragazzo Cervello," I whispered. I held out my hand. "May I have this dance?" Smiling, Percy took my hand. I led him out onto the dance floor. Bia turned on the lights, bathing everything in a white glow. Percy beamed at me. "Ti amo Percy," I whispered.

"Ti amo Nico," he whispered back. "Thank you for the dance." I smiled and kissed him. He might've been full of surprises, but so was I. I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, letting the lyrics of the song washed over me.

Even long after the music ended, Percy and I continued to dance.

…

Awww, fluffy b-day chap!