Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.
Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!
Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!
Will's POV:
Little children jumping on the bed woke Will followed by the gleeful screams of "It's Christmas! It's Christmas!"
His eyes opened to find two smiling faces peering down at him. Two of his younger siblings, Alicia and Louis, had woken him up. He sat up and looked around the cabin. The clock on his bedside table read 7:00 am.
"Good morning, kids. I'm only going to get up if you stop jumping on me." He warned.
They quickly got off. He looked around the room. All of the members of the Apollo cabin were standing around, bleary-eyed, but excited for the holiday. Kayla was watching this action unfold, her arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall.
"They've been awake since 6:30, but I made them wait until now to wake you up. They are anxious to open presents."
"Merry Christmas everyone!" His remark was met with choruses of 'Merry Christmas' and 'You too' and 'The sentiment is nice, but I'm Jewish' from one of the girls. Will nodded his head in apology. "Of course, Hannah, I apologize. We will celebrate Hanukah with you when the time comes." He looked around at his cabin members. "Who is ready to open presents?"
Everyone cheered as they swarmed the Christmas tree that they had in the cabin. The kids attacked all the presents while Kayla, Will, and Austin watched. The bags and boxes revealed bows and quivers, harmonics and sheet music, swords and knives, trains and cars, and so many Mythomagic figurines. Will went to the tree and picked out the presents he had gotten for his older siblings. He handed one to each of them. He had gotten Kayla a couple of bandanas and hair dye.
She laughed and hugged him. "Thanks, big bro!"
Austin opened his gift next. Inside were a new saxophone mouthpiece and a box of reeds. "Ah man, thanks, Will! I needed a new mouthpiece." He clapped Will on the back.
"You're welcome. I don't know how I would handle all the stuff that has happened in the last year without you guys." Will said lovingly. They all exchanged another round of hugs.
"And now, Big Bro, we have a few presents for you too!" Kayla said as she walked over to her bedside table.
She opened the drawer and pulled out two gifts. She handed them to Will. Austin had given him a new set of scrubs. He smiled. He then opened Kayla's present. It contained new guitar strings, picks, and music. One of the younger kids had broken his strings earlier in the year, and Will hadn't touched the instrument since then.
"Oh my gods, thank you all so much. I will definitely put these babies tonight during the sing-along. And the scrubs are absolutely perfect Austin! You guys are literally the best." He looped his arms around Kayla's and Austin's shoulders. "Now c'mon, let's go celebrate with our family."
Nico's POV:
Nico woke to Hazel shaking his shoulder. She smiled, her curls framing her round, cheerful face. "Merry Christmas, Nico."
"Merry Christmas to you, Hazel." He sat up, kissing his sister on the cheek.
He stretched and yawned. "What time is it?"
"8:30. Time for presents!" She sang, pushing a gift bag into his hands.
Nico took the bag, removing the tissue paper from the top. Inside, there was a pair of fingerless gloves, which he used during training and combat missions.
"Nice!" He exclaimed. "My last pair got corroded by a hydra." She raised her eyebrow, questioningly. "What? It was a mission for dad. I only sustained a few burns."
"A few?" She asked.
"It healed… for the most part," He reassured.
"For the most part?"
"It's Christmas! Stop harassing me!" He whined.
"Alright, alright, I'm done," She relented. "There is something else in the bag."
He looked further into the bag. He pulled out a Christmas sweater. It was black and silver with skulls. "Gods, no."
"C'mon Nico, have a little Christmas spirit. This isn't even that festive. It has skulls on it!"
"I'm not wearing it." He said flatly.
"It's a present; you HAVE to wear it."
"No," he refused to wear it.
"Nico, please?" She pouted. "For me?"
"I hate you." He said, taking the sweater.
"No, you don't," she sang, happy that she had gotten her way.
Nico rolled his eyes after he opened the drawer on his bedside table. From there, he extracted a simple black box. He handed it to his sister. "Merry Christmas, Hazel."
She opened box, revealing a necklace. It was a black teardrop stone set in a silver casing. She gasped, her eyes twinkling.
"Oh Nico, it is beautiful. Oh, where did you get it?" She asked, her eyes fixated on it.
"I found the stone in New Orleans on the ranch where you and Sammy had a lot of memories. I know that place holds a lot of pain, but I also know that that's where you grew up and had a life before it all changed." Nico explained.
Hazel had tears running down her face. "Nico, I love it. It's perfect!" She turned and Nico pulled the necklace around her neck, clasping it into place. She looked down at the necklace before turning and jumping into Nico's arms. "Thank you so much!"
"Of course. You mean so much to me; I wanted to give you something that would mean a lot to you as well." He said into her ear as she hugged him. She released him.
"Now, I'm starving, let's go grab breakfast," Hazel said.
"You just want to go see your boyfriend." Nico teased. "You gave me your five minutes, now you are trying to get rid of me."
"Not- not true." She spluttered, blushing. "I do want to see Frank, but I am not trying to get rid of you."
"I don't know, that's the vibe I'm getting." He continued. "I'm just chopped liver to you."
Hazel picked up on his joking manner. "Oh, stop. I know you want to go see your boyfriend just as much. Don't think I didn't notice how late you got home last night. What were you two doing so late at night?"
It was Nico's turn to turn bright red. "Not-Nothing. How about we get ready for breakfast now?"
"Don't dish it out if you can't handle it, Nico."
"Point-taken."
He went into the bathroom to freshen up before he had to see the rest of the Camp. He grit his teeth as he pulled the sweater over his head. It was surprisingly comfortable, but he wouldn't tell Hazel that. When he emerged a little later, Hazel was wearing a knitted Christmas sweater as well. They had a theme going. Great. He linked arms with his sister, and they exited the cabin.
Breakfast had been eaten and Nico's friends had all come together in order to exchange presents. Percy and Annabeth had just arrived from the city, already having opened presents with his mom. So, the Seven plus Reyna, Calypso, and Will were all gathered together.
Percy stood up first. "It kinda sucks that I have you all as such close friends because I had to buy presents for all of you." Everyone laughed. "But that didn't stop me from using all my money. If you don't like your gift, you can return it and give me the money back." Nico rolled his eyes at Percy's antics. "I'm joking... kinda. Anyway, here are your gifts." He began calling out names and throwing packages around.
Nico looked up when his name was called. He was about to tear into it when Percy asked him to stop. "It's a joint gift from me and Annabeth. I want everyone to see it."
"Cheap," Nico muttered quietly. He thought no one would hear it, but Will laughed.
Percy looked affronted, having heard it as well. "It's pretty amazing if I don't say so myself."
"You just did." Nico pointed out.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Just indulge in my little game. You can open it now." Nico complied, pulling the wrapping paper off the box. He opened the lid and found a stack of Mythomagic cards.
"Great, now everyone knows I'm a nerd." Nico joked. Percy looked offended. "I'm kidding, I love it, Perce."
"They are not just any cards. Open the packaging." Nico obliged.
He turned over the first card. It read Ghost King. He didn't allow himself to believe just yet. He looked at the illustration. It was a drawing of him, his Stygian iron blade in his hand.
"Wait," he breathed. He flipped over the card to make sure he wasn't imagining this. The illustration of him was still on the card. "What-how?" He looked up at Percy.
"After we stopped the Civil War part two between us and the Romans, Annabeth and I made a few calls to the company that created Mythomagic. They needed a new idea for the cards, so we told them all about you. You are on a Mythomagic card. The figurines are in production now." Percy explained.
"Are you kidding me? This is amazing! Oh my gods! Percy!" He exclaimed, hopping up. He slammed into Percy giving him a hug. Percy laughed deeply as he wrapped his arms around the son of Hades.
"Nico, I haven't seen you think happy since you were ten," Annabeth mentioned as he hugged her as well. He let go.
"This is amazing, I can't believe it! Demigods are going to be playing with me as a card, that's amazing."
"That's not all," Percy said. He turned to address everyone. "The company made cards of all us. The Seven of the Second Great Prophecy, and Reyna, of course."
Nico looked down at the cards in his hand. Each person had gotten their own nickname and powers listed on the card. Wise Girl (Annabeth), The Beast (Frank), Gem Hunter (Hazel), Praetor (Reyna), The Flame (Leo), Warrior Queen (Piper), Savior of Olympus (Percy), and Lightning (Jason).
"Wow, Percy. This really means so much." Nico said as he passed out the cards so everyone could see them.
"It's the least I can do after everything that you've done for me." Percy put his hand on his neck, looking embarrassed to get so much attention.
Annabeth stood and then passed out her presents. "Thanks for a great year, you guys. I love all of you." She smiled as she sat back down to Percy.
Frank went next. He had given Nico the Africanus Expansion pack from Mythomagic. "I remembered you saying, right before you got turned into corn, that you never had this pack."
"A bad memory," Nico said, shivering as he thought about his forced transformation into a stalk of corn. "Thanks, man." Frank nodded.
Leo bumped Frank out of the way. "Not that that wasn't a tender moment, but it's my turn."
He pulled out a box for Nico from his tool belt. He opened the lid and found a shirt inside. It was black with a picture of an angry-looking cat with the words 'I Like Sleep. It's Like Dying Without the Commitment'
"Let's see it, Nico!" Hazel said. Nico turned it. Jason and Piper laughed.
"That's perfect," Jason called out.
"Is this some sort of inside joke?" Nico asked.
"It's a meme," Leo said. "Grumpy cat for the King of Grumpiness. You're welcome."
"Thanks, Flameboy," Nico said.
Leo kept pulling presents out of his tool belt for all of their friends. How he had any room in there, Nico didn't know. Jason went next, followed by Piper. They had both had chipped in to buy Nico a new sketchbook with colored pencils. He didn't like to admit it, but he really enjoyed drawing and writing. Hazel distributed her gifts and then Reyna gave a box to Nico. Inside was a silver and black bracelet. It wasn't really his style, but he put it on.
"Now I know you aren't big on jewelry, but this is a collapsible shield. I got the idea from Tyson's creation for Percy. That way, you can stop getting yourself stabbed." Reyna logically stated
Nico pushed a button and it launched into a full shield. It would come in handy. "Thanks, Reyna."
He collapsed the shield and pulled the Roman into a quick hug. He stayed standing as he opened a large paper bag.
"I was too lazy to wrap all your gifts. Sorry."
He threw a tank-top at both Percy and Jason. Percy's read 'Sun's Out, Guns Out, while Jason's had a similar message 'Sky's Out, Thighs Out'.
"Matching shirts for the matching nerds, Water Boy and Thunder Thighs," Nico announced.
"Bro, this is amazing!" Percy exclaimed, looking at Nico with excitement. "I can't wait until summer."
"We can match, Perce," Jason said, holding his shirt over his body.
"Oh, brother," Annabeth grumbled. She looked at Nico. "Now they are going to be even more unbearable."
Nico laughed. "Which is why I got you a sketchbook, just like mine. So, you can keep yourself entertained while Percy is on his man-dates."
Annabeth took the sketchbook. "Thank you, Nico." She removed the pencil from where it resided, behind her ear, and began sketching out a floor plan.
"For Frank," he reached into his bag. "A pair of Chinese handcuffs." Everyone laughed as Frank turned red, remembering his struggle with this toy. "Just kidding. A set of Mythomagic cards. We really have to play Mythomagic one of these days."
"Am I hearing a challenge, di Angelo?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, you are. Name a time and place and we will fight." Nico goaded.
"You're on!"
Nico laughed as he handed Piper a pair of combat boots. "These were on sale so I bought them."
She gasped. "Nico, I love them!"
She pulled off her shoes and laced up the combat boots. She stood showing them off. Jason whistled and Leo applauded.
"For Leo, I have a container of Legos in my cabin." He mentioned, handing the box to him.
"Dude, I love Legos! There are so helpful for making models." Leo mentioned, his fingers scurrying around as if already planning his next invention.
"And finally, for Reyna," he said, slowly reaching into his paper bag. It was a ring in the shape of a maga, the national flower of Puerto Rico. "Merry Christmas."
"This is beautiful." Reyna breathed, admiring it as she slipped it on her finger. She and Nico both had the tendency to roll their rings around on their fingers when they were nervous. The fact that they shared this habit (and both noticed that that shared this habit) made the ring even more special. "Thank you, Nico."
"Well, that's all I got."
"Hey," Will said incredulously. "What about me? You risked your life the other day and didn't get me anything?"
Nico smirked at him and mouthed 'later'.
"Now that the present-giving has concluded…" Jason smiled. "Let's have some fun."
He threw a snowball at Piper.
"Oh, no. You are not going to get away with that!" She challenged, lopping a ball back at him. Soon, everyone was locked in a battle.
Will's POV:
Will was in Nico's cabin. The day has passed quickly. After a long snowball fight, the group had gone into Jason's cabin to hang out. Frank and Nico had spent the hours after dinner attempting to teach everyone Mythomagic. After two failed games, Frank and Nico were left to challenge each other. Everyone went to dinner and then the camp sing-along where Will had tried out his new guitar strings.
Will and Nico had gone back to the Hades cabin. Will pulled out a bag and gave it to Nico. He was so excited for Nico to open his present. Nico grinned as he took the wrapping paper out. His eyes grew very large as he saw what was in the bag.
"Shut up." Nico pulled out the jacket. "Shut UP, Will! Is this an exact replica?!"
"As close as I could get."
"Holy Hera, it's amazing." He put the jacket on. He looked unbelievably attractive in it. "Will, I love it." He planted a kiss on Will's lips. Will parted Nico's lips and pulled him closer. They slowly broke apart. "And I love you."
"I'm glad that you like it," Will whispered breath ghosting Nico's lips.
Nico shivered. He pulled away. Nico removed the box from under his bed and handed it to Will. Will smirked as he opened it.
"Aw, man, I love Phantom," Will exclaimed. He looked at Nico with joy in his eyes. "The Apollo cabin is going to hate me with how much I am going to play this."
"I'm sure they will," Nico joked. "But, that's not all I got for you."
Nico pulled out two small pieces of paper from his drawer. He handed them to Will.
"You got me tickets to Phantom of the Opera?" Will's mouth dropped open. He looked at Nico. "How did you afford these?"
Nico shrugged. "I asked some spirits for some help backstage. Those theatre people are so superstitious."
"You didn't?" Will looked shocked.
Nico laughed. "I didn't. My dad called in some favors and he got me the tickets. I don't know how, but he has some swing with Broadway."
Will kissed him. "Thank you so much, Nico. This is so amazing."
"One more thing," Nico mentioned. "We talked about this months ago. A trip to the Underworld. You can see my home away from home and maybe talk to some of the friends you've lost." Nico said, playing with Will's hand.
"I would appreciate that so much," He muttered, pulling Nico into his chest. Nico rolled over and nuzzled his face into Will. Will felt satisfied. "Did you have a good Christmas?"
"Yeah, I did." He murmured into Will's chest. "You?"
"Yes, I did. Especially since I got to spend all day with you." Will kissed the top of Nico's head.
Nico sighed happily and snuggled further into Will's chest. Will shut his eyes and enjoyed Nico's warmth. The two boys slowly settled into sleep.