Hey everybody! I really want this to end, for two reasons. One being that surprise last chapter I promised you. Two being this would be my longest complete story, probably ever. So yes, very excited. I'll probably update this one more than the other ones, so just keep your eyes peeled.

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Percy's POV

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"Morning sleepyhead," Nico said when I emerged into the kitchen. This morning I'd found the birthday boy ribbon on my nightstand. Naturally, I had to wear it. Because today I was the birthday boy. I was finally fifteen. And we started our sophomore year next week. That made me one of the youngest freshman. I'd always thought that was a little unfair, but I never voiced it. "I made you breakfast," Nico continued when I sat down at the table.

"So why can't I cook for you?" I asked as he ran around the kitchen gathering things up. He'd made homemade waffles with fresh strawberries and locally made syrup, bacon, eggs, and toast. I was spoiled, and I loved it. Nico set a glass of orange juice in front of me. Fresh squeezed of course. We'd been doing that a lot since Nico had gotten a juicer shortly after his birthday. It was possibly the most used appliance in the house.

"Because," Nico said, going back to the stove. "I like to spoil you, not the other way around. When we're married and old you can do it, but this is my apartment." I rolled my eyes. I'd long since gotten over getting upset when he said things like that. I just accepted them and didn't argue. Hey, I got breakfast out of the arrangement. Who would complain when they were getting fed waffles and bacon? That's what I thought. "What do you plan to do today?" he asked, sitting down opposite me. I sawed at my waffles, thinking hard. What did I plan to do today? Not much of anything.

"Work," I replied. That's right, I'd picked up hours at the Y again. During the winter I was kind of off duty. Nico didn't really need a job, but he'd gotten so lonely by himself, he snatched himself up a job at Barnes and Noble on Fifth organizing and counting books. It only required him to go in a couple days a week, but he rather enjoyed it. "Come home and cuddle," I continued. "That's about it." Nico grinned wickedly. "Why?" I asked warily. "What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing terribly special," he responded casually. "It's also a surprise. So get showered when you get home and you'll see. What time are your lessons today?" I had a mouth full of bacon and egg, so I didn't say anything right away. I swallowed my food, took a swig of juice, and shook my head.

"Noon till three," I said. "All elementary kids. Buddy's supervising these lessons though. That's what makes me nervous." I wasn't sure why Buddy needed to watch me work, but he'd called a couple days ago and said he'd be dropping by my lessons on my birthday. Maybe he wanted to see how'd I'd do with kids?

"No middle school children?" Nico asked. I glanced up at him. I was oddly reminded of the first day I'd met him, teaching him at the Y. Except, it hadn't really been teaching. I'd just played with him. I had a few kids like that now. "Such a shame. They think you're some sort of idol." I groaned.

"Just because I'm in the Olympics doesn't mean that I'm a hero or something," I said. I hated it when people thought of me on a different level than them. I was still Percy Jackson. I was still me. Nico snorted, and I glared at him.

"Come on Percy," he replied. "Think with me for a moment. You're close to being a sophomore, correct?" I nodded. He ought to know. He was in the same grade as I was. "Well, the beginning of your freshman year this scout, whom you didn't even know existed until then, said they wanted you to represent the good ol' USA at the Olympics. They don't ask just anyone Percy. You have to be really good at it."

"But I'm no hero!" I argued. "Lots of people have gotten in, and many more will get in after me. It's not a big deal…" I was wrong, of course. It was a very big deal. They only asked a handful of people every four years that were new, and only a small percent of those were high school students. And very rarely did they ask them to train during their final year of school. It was an honor, really. But I didn't want to be treated any different because of it. Like I said, I was still the same guy.

"Don't let it get to you," Nico said at last, coming over and straddling my lap so he could face me. I looked up at him. "Just let it roll of your shoulders. People will think what they want to think about someone. Everyone at school knows you're the same guy, I know you're the same guy, and, most importantly, you know you're the same guy. That's all that matters. Let them think what they want. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the people you love the most know who you are. And wouldn't trade you for anyone." Nico leaned down and kissed me, long and soft and sweet. He hadn't kissed me like that in a long time. "I'd better be getting ready for work myself," he said when he pulled away.

"You work today?" I asked him, glancing at the clock. Barnes opened in about an hour. "I didn't know that."

"Well neither did I," he said, getting off my lap. Dammit. I'd been liking him there. "The manager called me last night at ten. That's the call that made me pause our game." I nodded. I'd been wondering about that. "Well, apparently the other guy miscounted the young adult fantasy and adventure novels. Alex wants me to recount to make sure we have enough for everyone, especially with all those new books coming out that everyone's excited for." Again, I nodded. There'd been a slew of authors that had come out with new works this year, most of them being late summer, early fall releases. Barnes was actually having a big release party Friday. No wonder they needed Nico's deadly accurate counting skills. I bet he'd even be able to tell you if a book was missing a page. "So I need to go shower and change," he continued, kissing me again. "I just wanted to make the birthday boy his breakfast."

"Oh please," I said, rolling my eyes. He smirked at me. He knew I'd never been able to resist a good breakfast. Did he had a romantic dinner planned as well? If he cooked it, then it would be a five course super meal with special desserts and maybe even wine from his dad's place. Who knew? With Nico, you definitely never knew. I smiled. That was one of the many, many, many reasons I loved my boyfriend so much. He always kept me guessing. Nico kissed me one more time, then turned to leave. "Hey," I said before he could. He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "Thank you very much for the breakfast and whatever else you have planned." He smiled softly.

"Only the best for the best boyfriend ever," he said. "You'd better get ready to go Perce," he added, slightly less serious than before. I glanced at the clock. I had a couple hours yet. But I always went in a little early to do some warm up laps and get out the necessary equipment for the lessons. A few of the kids learned the very traditional way. But I had some kids that learned a lot like Nico did, with play rather than actual lessons. "I'll see you later for your birthday surprise," Nico said, disappearing down the hall.

"I am one spoiled boy," I said to know one in particular. But I was smiling. I loved my boyfriend to death. He'd be with me to do things like this forever and ever, and not a day less.

…

I was exhausted after my lessons, but I wouldn't let Nico know that. After all, he still had some sort of surprise for me. I drove my little neon green Lamborghini Muira home. Nico had insisted on getting me a car of my own. I didn't want him to spend his money on me, but he assured me he wasn't. I wasn't sure how, but he'd managed to get this baby home for me. I loved it. Even the color.

I let myself into the apartment. Nico wouldn't be home for a little bit yet, so I had some time to shower and get ready for my surprise. I went into the bathroom to prepare for my shower. I wasn't sure what my sneaky boyfriend had in mind. But I knew it would be good. Nico usually came up with the best surprises. Even quiet little ones like our very first not-a-date. God almighty above, that was a long time ago. What, a little under a year now? Yeah. I can't believe I'd only been with Nico for such a little amount of time. It felt like we'd been together a lifetime already. Maybe in our past lives we'd been together as well.

"Percy?" I stepped out of the shower just as Nico got home. I smiled. Perfect timing. I wrapped a towel around my waist and went to greet him. "Oh hello there," Nico purred, smiling. "I should come home after you more often. This is a nice surprise."

"Ah, but only a glimpse," I said, tweaking his nose. I giggled at the face he made after that. "I'm going to go put on clothes. What's my surprise?" It was Nico's turn to laugh.

"If I told you it wouldn't really be a surprise now, would it?" he asked. I gave him my best Percy Puppy Pout. "Aww you know that's not fair," Nico said with a groan. He laughed again. "I can't tell you Perce. But I will say you'll like it very much." I'd learned to trust Nico with this sort of thing. He usually knew what he was doing.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" I asked him. That seemed to catch him off guard. He looked at me quizzically. "I know that's very random," I added. "But have I?" He tilted his head to the side.

"No," he said. I went over and wrapped my arms around him. I was aware I was in nothing but a towel, but I didn't care. Nico's eyes slid down to my waist, but then they snapped back up to meet my gaze. Good boy.

"Well, I love you very much," I said. "I will make a promise to you right now, Nico, as long as we're together, I will say I love you every day. When we're happy, when we're sad, even when we're arguing. Couples don't say that enough these days. And I want to be the person that says it every day. Because I will never stop loving you."

"Aww Perce," he mumbled, blushing faintly. "And I love you very much too. I'm so glad I have you in my life."

"I'm glad to have you in mine," I replied to that. "And lucky. So lucky. I'm sure a lot of people want to date you. Hell, lots of people wanted to date me. But I was waiting for someone special. That someone special is you. So thank you Nico, for being that one special person I've been waiting for." I went to kiss him, but stopped. "Nico, you're crying," I said, alarmed. "Is something wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No Percy," he answered, wiping his eyes. "God no. They were happy tears. I mean, you've said things like that to me before but…I don't know. Something about it today made me a little emotional. I don't know. I'm fine, though, really." Now I did kiss him. His kiss tasted salty. Probably from his tears.

"I love you Nico di Angelo," I whispered. "I love everything about you. All you faults and imperfections. And I'll love you forever and ever. Through all the trials, and all the triumphs." Nico sighed and rested his head on my shoulder.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked. I chuckled lowly and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I dunno," I replied. "But whatever you do, it better be for my birthday." Now he chuckled, wiggling out of my grasp. "I'm going to go get dressed, then we'll discuss it." I slipped away and made my way into our shared room. I went into the closet and discarded the towel. Then I looked at my array of colorful clothing. I choose deep purple tonight. And dark jeans. I put on my stuff and emerged from the closet. Nico was sitting on the frame of his bed, staring at the ceiling with his eyes closed. I went and wrapped my arms around him again. "Hey there, mio Ragazzo Ricco," I said softly. He opened his eyes and looked down at me.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I nodded. "Good, let's get going." He led the way downstairs. We both got into his car and he drove us downtown. We pulled up in front of a little restaurant called Hey! It was this teen hang out place, run by teens. It was interesting, and not at all what I would've thought for my birthday surprise. I frowned. "What?" he asked. "You love this place." He was really straight-faced right now.

"I know I do," I replied. "It's just…" I stopped. I didn't want to sound like a spoiled brat. Nico laughed.

"Don't worry, this isn't your surprise," he said. "I just thought it would be funny to pull up here. You're real surprise is in the park. Dad knows a lot of people." I cocked an eyebrow. I wasn't surprised by that, per se, but it was strange that my surprise was in Central Park. Nico drove us there, climbed out quickly, and opened my door for me. He even bowed when I stepped out. I giggled.

"Why thank you," I said, linking his arm with mine. He then led the way. I wasn't sure how'd he'd managed to do it, but he'd gotten a little white tablecloth covered table set up beside the pond. It was a little early for dinner yet, but it was so sweet, I didn't care. Someone, probably one of the many staff Mr. di Angelo kept handy, was standing beside the table, ready to wait on us. Nico led me over.

"I know you wanted a quiet night in," Nico said, pulling out my chair for me. I sat down. "But I couldn't resist spoiling you a little. We'll go back for movies and cuddles, promise. Allen," he said, turning to the waiter/butler. "Can you bring our food please?"

"Of course Master di Angelo," Allen said, backing away to somewhere else. I turned to Nico. He was grinning at me. "Can't forget the cake," Allen added, bringing a beautifully decorated cake to the table. Blue icing (naturally) with my name and age. Blue and green candles, and little frosting starfishes all the way around. Cakes like this weren't exactly cheap. Nico's grin widened.

"Thank you so much," I said simply. Nico reached out and took my hand in his, smiling softly. Allen brought our food, broccoli and chicken alfredo. It was such a simple meal. Maybe Nico was right. It didn't matter what others thought. At the end of the day, I knew who I was. And the people I loved most knew it too.

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Nico's POV

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Percy loved his surprise. And I loved giving it to him. Words couldn't express how happy I felt around Percy. I could sit in front of you for hours and try to explain how I felt and why I felt it, but I wouldn't be able to do it. Percy has done so much for me that he would never know. It was the least I could do for him.

When we got back to our home, we changed into pajamas and watched comedies on TV, laughing and cuddling. It was probably the best night in we'd had in a long time. But this was what Percy wanted. So this was what he got. I sighed happily as I snuggled in. Percy glanced down at me and smiled.

"Thank you for a lovely birthday Nico," he said. "It wouldn't be special without you. It will never be special without you."

What the hell could I say to that? But it made me so incredibly happy to hear him say it, that I didn't say a word. I just wrapped my arms around his neck, pulled his face to mine, and softly kissed him.

…

Aww Percy, you're so sweet cutie pie. You too Nico. Go get em you little charmer you. I think that was a lovely birthday chap, don't you think? I know the boys agree.