"It's snowing," Nico said. "I thought that the weather was controlled inside the campgrounds."

"It is. This is new," Will announced, more delighted than anything. He crouched down and started rolling snow into a ball. "It almost never snows in Texas. What about Italy? Did you see snow as a kid?"

"I can't remember," Nico told him. "I think mostly in the mountains but we lived in Venice." The snow crunched under his feet.

"I so love your vague explanations. Speaking of, we can't keep saying that you were born in the thirties since you're officially part of the world. 2006 would be right if your fourteen. It's all up to you though."

"It doesn't matter." Nico looked back at the tracks they had made. Snow was already refilling them.

"It matters. For official reasons and unofficial ones. What's the rest of it anyway?"

"Can we not-"

"Oh, we absolutely have to now. It's your day! You can't go throughout life without your own day."

"After Bianca died, it wasn't that important anymore."

Will clicked his tongue but Nico glared at him and started walking away. Will dropped the snowball and watched him in confusion. For a second he looked mortified before catching up with Nico. "I am so sorry. I forgot about the Lethe."

Nico laughed bitterly. "The joke is that I can't forget about the Lethe. I can remember that. But I can't remember my birthday."

Will brightened again. "Wouldn't you say today is the first day of the rest of your life?"

"I would never say that."

"Good thing I'm here to do it for you then."

"It might not be a bad idea. Since it means that much to you."

"So what do you want to do?"

Nico stopped walking and looked at Will.

"What?"

"Anything you want. It's your day."

Nico kicked the snow in front of them. "Maybe I don't know much about that either."

"Let's go find out, okay?"

"This was planned," Nico said, sliding down in his seat.

"Please don't," Will told him. "This is about enjoying the day."

"But you made it sound like it was just going to be us."

"Fifteen demigods and a handful of chaperones inside Luna Park by themselves? I think we're going to have plenty of alone time."

"But-"

"The only way this was going to happen was for everyone to go. But I did convince Chiron to wait until you were well enough to come along. And there are no take-backs. Today is your birthday. You already agreed to it."

"That was a stupid idea. You can't just make up a birthday."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't."

"Well, now you've convinced me."

At the front of the bus, Rachel Elizabeth Dare stood up and started making announcements. "No explosives this year Harley. Just because you're not planning on blowing up anything doesn't mean it's okay. No breaking into the shops and stealing, no fighting, and no supergluing the seagull's feet to the boardwalk. That means you, Cecil."

"They had it coming."

"So what is it," Nico asked.

"What is what?"

"Luna Park? What is it?"

Will gave him a curious look. "I keep forgetting that this is all new to you. I have so much to show you. It's an amusement park. It's closed during the winter but Chiron usually secures it for a day for us."

"Rides?"

"And no waiting lines. All-day long. It's going to be great."

"They had a Ferris Wheel at the freak show in D.C."

Will cleared his throat. "They're not called freakshows anymore. They're circuses or carnivals."

"Oh."

Later, they were walking by the shops, most of which were still closed for the season.

"I didn't know which one you like so I got one of each," Will said, setting four different cups in front of Nico. "Hot chocolate, hot cocoa, cider, and chai." He had also been carrying a box under one arm. "I saw this too and I knew I had to get it for you."

"Aren't hot chocolate and cocoa the same thing?"

Will laughed. "Noob."

Nico chose the chai anyway. If today was about new things, he had never tried it before.

Inside the box was an aviator's jacket with fur trim around the collar and wrists.

"You lost the old one," Will said, nervously.

It was starting to be too much but Nico wasn't sure how to tell Will. He decided to wear the jacket anyway.

"So rides aren't really your thing?"

"I'm not sure." They both watched a roller coaster complete its track.

"There's only one way to find out," Will said, with a side long glance at him.

It was nighttime when they made it to the Ferris Wheel. Nico was standing up, looking at the skyline. Millions of lights glittered on an endless plain.

Will hated that he was doing that. It was crazy dangerous, now that the wind was coming down from Canada but it was the first time Nico had shown real enthusiasm for something. "It's like I can see all of New York," he said.

"I'm sure you saw some really amazing views on the Argo 2."

"There was always something trying to kill us. So I didn't have time to notice."

"Now you have time." Will shifted further into the corner, trying to escape the wind.

"I never really thought of it. I want to remember this forever." Nico leaned further out and Will wished he hadn't chosen this moment to be reckless.

"I'm so lucky," Will told him.

"What," Nico said.

"I guess I thought you were kidding about some of this, but you weren't. You really haven't done a lot of things that are normal for me."

"So?"

"If I could Baby, I'd give you my world/Open up, everything's waiting for you," Will sang quietly.

Nico glanced back at him for the first time since they got up here. "What?"

"I just realized you're really seeing this for the first time. And you let me come with you."

Nico finally dropped into the seat next to him. "You're the one who brought me here," he told Will.