Chapter 12: You will choose your future every day of your life. Don't worry about whether you might be wrong someday. Worry about whether you're right now. Tomorrow can wait.

Monday arrived and found Nico, Leo, and the group of children from the Dayspring Center gathered in the grass to the side of the building.

Celia lay on her stomach, kicking her legs in the air and humming. Miles and Sonny explained their idea to anyone who would listen: "Catapults! To defend the center!"

"Bird feeders!"

"Squirrel houses!"

"CAT-A-PULTS! CAT-A-PULTS!" The boys' chanting rose in volume.

Leo grinned and held his hands in the air. "Alright, alright, alright! I'm loving the enthusiasm, guys! But, you know the rules- one project a week. So, we need to decide on what we want." He pointed at Miles and Sonny. "While I love the catapult idea and give mad props- we gotta think about what Dayspring needs."

"But," Miles protested hotly. "It needs a defense system. You have no idea! We have to protect ourselves!"

Brittany scoffed. "What are we defending against? There's nothing out there!"

Miles turned to scowl at the older girl. "Just because you're blind doesn't mean-"

A derisive laugh tore itself from Brittany's lips. "What- you mean the birds? They're just birds! They're not monsters!"

"And you want to feed them! No way!" Miles' hands clenched in his lap. "Besides, they're not all monsters! There's just one."

"Guys, guys, guys." One monster? Leo glanced over at Nico, meeting concerned eyes before looking back to the group of kids. File that one for later. "No need for arguing. You're starting to sound as grumpy as Victor!"

The kids groaned and protested, with Sonny's voice ringing above the others. "Ah, man! Ain't nobody as grumpy as Victor!"

Nico arched an eyebrow and corrected the young boy. "No one is as grumpy as Victor."

Sonny gestured to Nico. "Thanks!" He turned his eyes to Leo. "See? Nico agrees with me!"

Shaking his head, Nico began, "That's not-"

Brittany nodded. "None of us is that angry."

All the children murmured in agreement.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. If you guys can't agree on a project…."

Miles and Sonny looked at each other and held a short, whispered conversation before Sonny spoke up. "Alright. We can do the bird things."

A couple kids grumbled about wanting to build squirrel houses until Leo pointed out that the group was in charge of designing the projects and could possibly add a couple doors to the tops of the feeders for acorns for the squirrels.

After that, the gaggle of children moved into small groups and pairs to come up with several designs.

Leo moved over to Nico and Celia, who had once again teamed up. Nico watched, bemused, as Celia drew a feeder with a door on the bottom underside. The design was complete with a spiral staircase of roosting pegs and sparkles and even a turret.

The son of Hephaestus shook his head and smiled. "I like it, Celita. Very imaginative. We'll make an engineer out of you yet."

Celia giggled and looked up at Nico. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The look of bemusement dropped from Nico's face, replaced by a quick flash of panic before settling into thoughtfulness. "I haven't given it much thought, to be honest." He softly smiled at the little girl. "You know, when I was your age, I thought about being a pirate."

"A pirate! Aren't they the bad guys?"

Laughter pushed past Nico's lips, and his smile grew. "Well, actually, yes. They were pretty brutal. But, when I was a kid, I thought they went on the most wonderful adventures and were just...free." Nico shrugged and reached out to ruffle Celia's hair. "How about we finish this up?"

Leo clapped his hands together after checking on each group to ensure they were finishing up the designs.

"Alright. You guys are really rocking it out, so I think it's time that I teach you how to convert your designs into actual plans! We won't get into measurements yet- I know some people had a difficult time with measurements with the planters-" Leo cast a sideways glance at Nico, who scowled. Celia reached over and patted Nico's hand. Leo caught her whispering, "It's okay- you're good at painting," and fought off a bout of laughter.

"So," Leo continued. "I'm going to visit with each group and help you pull together your plans. Then we'll all come back together and compile a list of materials. Got it?"

Time ticked by as the groups converted their plans. A few reminders and gentle nudges had to be given before the material list was compiled-without Leo having to provide a single answer. He beamed with pride- the kids were learning and picking up so much more than he expected.

"Snack time! You all go along to the entry with Nico, alright?" Leo caught Nico's questioning eyes but didn't say anything just yet. Nico nodded and took the lead. "Hey, Miles. Hang back a sec, hermanito. I need your help putting some of this stuff away."

Miles shrugged at Sonny. "I'll catch up." The other boy turned and followed the others away. Miles collected pencils from the ground as Leo gathered up the sheets of paper and plans.

"So...what was that you were saying about the monster birds?"

Rolling his eyes, Miles placed the pencils into one of Festus' recessed cubbies. "Bird. There's only one monster bird."

"Ah," Leo nodded sagely and carefully rolled up the plans before placing a rubber band around them. Then, setting them down, he turned to face Miles. "What does the bird look like? Does it have metal wings? Human head? Nasty teeth? Anything like that?"

Miles frowned. "No metal wings. And I don't know about her teeth. I've only seen her once here. She came after you guys left last week."

"Her?"

Maybe a harpy?

Miles nodded. "She sat while all the normal birds ate the seeds that Victor threw out for them. And..." Miles trailed off, discomfort pulling his mouth downward.

Laying a hand on Miles' shoulder, Leo gently encouraged, "And what, Miles?"

Miles took a deep breath and said in a rush, "She was at the cemetery on Friday. When we went to visit Casey and Mama Mellie." The young boy stared up at Leo with frightened eyes. "I didn't like it that she was there. She made Celia cry with what she was saying."

Leo stood in silence, shocked. Miles continued in the absence of a response, words pouring out of his mouth faster and faster. "She kept talking about how everything must return and-and that everything would turn to ash. She talked in different languages, too. Mama Mellie hissed at her and made her go away."

Is she a harpy? Speaking a prophecy or something? I thought Ella was the only one who memorized the Sibylline books.

Tears had begun to track down Miles' face, and Leo dropped to one knee, so he was on the same level as Miles. "I know that was scary, but she's not here now, alright?"

Miles nodded, and Leo asked, "Did she say anything else?"

Biting his lip, Miles answered tremulously, "She talked about a peddler and Houston. Like, the space program."

Leo frowned. "The space program?"

"Li-like," a hiccup interrupted Miles' words, and he started again. "Like, Houston, we have a problem."

It definitely sounds like we have a problem.

"Go on, hermanito."

Miles shook his head. "I don't remember anymore. I asked Mama Mellie if the bird lady was one of her monsters. She said no- it wasn't even a part of our pentagon." Miles looked at Leo through teary eyes. "I don't understand."

"Hm." Leo furrowed his brow. "Are you sure she said pentagon?"

Tears welled up in Miles' eyes once more. "I don't know."

"Hey, hey, hey now. You're okay." But Miles continued to cry. "Can I...can I give you a hug?"

Miles nodded, and Leo wrapped his arms around the distraught boy. He hadn't meant to cause so much distress for the child.

Leo looked across the grass and found himself staring back at Nico as the other demigod watched them from a distance. Nico jerked his head in a "come here" gesture.

Leo pulled back from Miles and smiled, noticing the tears had subsided. "Thanks for sharing all that, Miles. Maybe we can try to figure something out to stop that lady bird from coming back. ¿Te parece?"

Miles nodded, and together the two boys walked over to join the rest of the group. Miles broke away and joined Sonny, who threw his arm around his friend's shoulders and, Leo was pleased to overhear, asked if Miles was okay.

Nico raised an eyebrow as he sat beside Celia. Leo shook his head. "I'll tell you later."

The two demigods finished up their time at Dayspring. Once the children were back inside the building with Mrs. Gugaitis and Victor, they packed up and clambered onto Festus' back.

Nico settled himself atop the metallic scales of the dragon, asking, "Home?"

"No," Leo replied with a shake of his head. "Gotta run to Needler's for Jo. You want me to drop you at the station first?"

Nico pulled himself closer to Leo and wrapped his arms around the demigod's waist. "No."

Leo felt his face flush as a grin spread across his face. He told Festus, "Let's go."

The dragon began to run full tilt toward the open road, batting his great wings until they gained enough speed to take flight. Leo's stomach did a pleasant flip as they lurched into the air, gravity trying its hardest to keep him grounded.

The trip to the grocery store was spent in silence, Leo basking in the warmth of Nico's chest against his back. It ended all too soon, and the pair slid down and off the broad back of the dragon. Festus rumbled low in the back of his giant throat-almost purring- before lumbering toward an alley and crouching down low, indistinguishable against the concrete grays and rust spots in the shadows.

Leo snagged a cart as the pair wandered into the brightly lit supermarket. He whistled as he began to roam up and down the aisles. Nico followed by his side, growing more agitated as Leo threw random assortments of processed groceries into the cart.

"Don't you have a shopping list?"

"I don't need a shopping list." Leo tapped his forehead with a finger. "It's all in here. Besides, it's not like anyone made any requests."

Nico frowned at the contents in the cart. "I don't think everyone wants to eat ramen all week. So why would the Waystation need 144 packs of ramen?"

Leo blinked at the other demigod. "Hey- buying in bulk is thrifty. And the whole Waystation doesn't need it. That's mostly for me. And Stan and Deacon. And, Lit, I guess when I'm feeling generous."

Nico continued to stare at the noodles in question. "But...what about everyone else?"

"I dunno. I think they like macaroni? I can grab some of that too." Leo laughed as Nico's gaze grew concerned. "Do you want to do the shopping, then?"

The son of Hades hesitated before nodding. Leo smiled and stepped back from the cart, waving an arm toward the handlebar. "Be my guest. But you're not getting rid of my ramen."

Nico quickly took control of the cart and steered it out of the aisle. Taking a sharp left, he walked briskly over to the fresh produce section and worked his way along the perimeter of the store.

Leo followed in Nico's wake, watching as the other boy picked up fruits and vegetables. Nico turned them this way and that before shaking his head and putting them back only to pick up another one for inspection. Finally, after Nico had decided on a selection of produce, he moved toward the butcher's counter, stopping to look at the displayed meats. He reached out, about to tap the bell for service, but Leo stopped him with a gentle hand.

"Slow your roll, Ghost Boy." Nico slowly withdrew his hand, a look of confusion falling over his face. Leo explained, "We don't really eat any meat at the Waystation. I mean, eggs and cheese are fine. And honey. And...well, I can't say I've ever seen them eat fish, so that'd be one we'd have to ask about but, Emmie and Cal are pretty strictly vegetarian. We've all pretty much followed their lead. I'm pretty sure Sssssarah eats some of the birds that roost up near the gardens if they're ruining the harvest, but...I think that's about it."

"Really?"

Scratching his head, Leo said, "Well, I think Ssssarah also ate a raccoon last week, but-"

Nico laughed in disbelief. "I meant about the whole station. Really no one eats meat?" At Leo's head shake, Nico pulled back from the meat counter and began to push the cart away. "Alright then. That's fine. I'll grab a few other things then."

Nico wandered down the aisle the pair had started in with the ramen. Scanning the shelves, Nico grabbed multiple bags of lentils, rice, quinoa, and kidney beans. He tossed bag after bag into the cart, failing to notice Leo's widening eyes.

"Dude- you realize the grocery store will be here next week, right? Do we really need-" Leo double-checked the cart, "seven bags of kidney beans?"

Nico glowered at the son of Hephaestus. "Seriously, Mr. 144-Packs-of-Ramen?"

"That's different." Leo crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Those are for snacking. We'll go through them in a week, no problem." Leo gestured at the cart. "You're telling me you think we'll go through all of that in a week? And that's with Lit gone."

Nico's cheeks reddened, and he bit his lip before saying softly, "You're right. I just...you never know when you might need it...or when there might not be any left."

"You think they'll run out of kidney beans by next week? Or lentils?"

Nico shrugged. "My sister and I helped my mother with the shopping when we had to let most of the staff go. Shipments didn't always make it to the stores."

Leo stared for a moment, realizing why a boy who had begun life in the midst of war might want a bit of extra shelf-stable food in the house. Leo nodded to himself and reached toward the shelves, grabbing three more bags of kidney beans.

"Might as well make it an even ten then."

By the time they were finished, the cart overflowed with produce that didn't grow in the rooftop garden, tofu and tempeh, five dozen eggs, oats, honey, bread, beans, lentils, and 144 packs of ramen noodles among other staples.

After getting through the cashier's line and paying for their groceries, Leo and Nico made their way back out to the parking lot and into the alley, loading the bag into the side compartments of Festus.

"So," Leo looked sideways at Nico. "You really have no idea what you want to do? When you're older?"

Nico's hand jerked as he placed the bag containing the egg cartons. The bag collided with the side of Festus with an ominous crack.

Nico mumbled under his breath, "Ah, merda." He gently set the bag down and proceeded to check each of the cartons for damaged eggs. Satisfied that the eggs weren't hurt, Nico sighed and set them further back in the compartment before turning to frown at Leo.

"Do you?"

Leo shrugged. "Well, Cal and I had discussed opening a garage together, but….something tells me that's not really an option anymore." He looked over to the other demigod. "I dunno. I really enjoy working with the kiddos. So, maybe I don't need a plan right now. I can just focus on here and doing my best for them. Look out for them like I didn't have anyone to do for me."

Leo smiled half-heartedly. "So? What about you?"

Nico bit his lip. "I've thought about it. Before...before we defeated Gaea, I thought I'd just go serve my father. He's been asking. He needs a true ambassador for the Underworld to Olympus. Despite Zeus promising to treat my father better after Kronos...well, change is slow. But…"

Leo waited for Nico to continue. When the son of Hades didn't, Leo prompted, "But what?"

"It's nothing," Nico responded with a shake of his head. Leo raised his eyebrow, and Nico sighed more heavily. "I thought...maybe...I could work in a hospital? After spending so much time helping in the infirmary last year and...well, working with Dionysus…."

Nico trailed off as the last of the groceries were packed away, and the side compartment was closed. He kept his eyes trained solely on Festus and finished his thought. "I thought that maybe I could help people like me- people who've lost someone. Or are losing someone. Or...even help the people who are losing themselves and dying."

Leo swallowed heavily, memories cascading like falling rain. "You mean a grief counselor?"

Silently, Nico nodded. "I don't know. It was just a thought, but Will-" Nico cut himself off and looked up at Leo as if afraid he had been listening.

Leo sighed. "Listen, Ghost Boy. I know something's up. I might have overheard you talking to Brittany the other day...and, well, I mean. I just...if you wanna talk about it, I can totally listen. I know it might not seem like I'm the best listener because I'm not really all that quiet all the time, but I just want you to know that I'm here- I mean, I'll listen. And you can talk to me." Leo finished with a lame, "So, yeah."

Nico didn't say anything, and Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I guess we should get going." The son of Hephaestus pulled himself up onto Festus and reached a hand down to Nico. The other demigod grabbed his hand and allowed himself to be helped up.

Leo had settled in at the base of Festus' neck when Nico spoke.

"I broke up with Will."

"You will choose your future every day of your life. Don't worry about whether you might be wrong someday. Worry about whether you're right now. Tomorrow can wait." ~ Cora Carmack