A/N: First of all, extreme apologies for updating so late. I'm sorry! Thank you again to everyone who is reading this story. I was planning to only do three chapters but I decided to split this chapter into two for both Nico's and Leo's point of views (or is it points of view?).

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm borrowing.

Nico

Hazel, Frank and Reyna came back from Camp Jupiter a couple of hours ago to visit and surprisingly enough brought some other Roman demi-gods with them; they really seemed to enjoy Camp Half-Blood when they were here the first time. Some of the Camp Half-Blood kids were planning a visit there too. Nico had been going in between these camps longer than anyone else and although he was not a hopeful person by any means, he had a feeling this arrangement will work.

The day after they came, the six half-bloods of the Argo II plus Nico and Reyna decided to meet in the Zeus' Cabin. There wasn't enough room for them all on the bed so they sat in a tight circle on the floor. Nico sat in between Reyna to his left and Jason to his right. It was a fairly small cabin and their knees were touching though the contact didn't bother Nico as much as it would have in the past. Jason and Piper were holding hands, so were Percy and Annabeth, and Frank and Hazel. Nico and Reyna were the odd ones out; Nico was used to that. The only thing that was new here was the fact that he was now out of place with someone else. He was making progress. Reyna seemed a little uncomfortable as well; she gave him a comforting smile.

They were enveloped in an awkward silence; no one wanted to start the conversation they were there to talk about. It had been over two months since the Battle at Half-Blood Hill; two months since Leo's disappearance. Nico kept his word about arranging all the demi-gods' funerals and there was only one left now. The more they put it off the harder it would be to let go. Reyna was the first to speak, sensing the others weren't about to any time soon. "We should start," she said. The response was automatic; everyone fixed their gaze on her.

Reyna continued, "Leo Valdez was…"

"Is," Piper interjected, "Leo Valdez is."

"Piper," Annabeth looked to her friend with concern.

"No! He's Leo and he's alive. You guys HAVE to believe that!" Piper buried her head into Jason's shoulder muttering indecipherable words. Jason patted her back as he gave Reyna a nod to continue.

"Leo was a very brave hero but the time has come to let him go," Reyna finished. The room was silent except for Piper's quiet sobs.

"You sound like you're making a business deal," Piper said, "not declaring the death of one of our best friends." If Reyna was offended, she didn't show. Nico felt the need to defend her but Hazel beat him to it.

"I think she's right," Hazel said. Everyone now turned to look at her, "The more we wait, the harder it'll be." Nico nodded, she was right. Hazel was at the verge of tears; Frank wrapped his arm around her trying to soothe her down. Nico gave his sister a small smile letting her know he approved.

"Nico, you're in charge of funerals. What do you think?" Annabeth asked him, diverting their attention away from Hazel. Nico now felt the weight of their gazes on him. He shifted slightly, he still wasn't used to taking a leading role (with mortals anyway. He could lead an entire legion of dead soldiers without a second thought). But if there was one thing Nico had learned from death it was that the longer you prolonged it, the worse off you were.

"Hazel's right, we should have the funeral as soon as possible," he decided. That seemed to have the ultimate effect because all of them broke down. Hazel started crying, Piper's sobs were louder now, and even Annabeth started shedding tears. They all comforted each other.

Nico and Reyna didn't belong with them in this moment; Reyna seemed to realize that as well because she gestured towards the door. Nico nodded. He gave his sister a reassuring pat before saying goodbye to the group and stepping out with Reyna.

Outside, Reyna sighed. She looked down at Nico, "you okay?" she asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Yeah," Nico nodded. Nico really was doing a lot better. He was eating (since a certain someone would not shut up about a healthy diet), he was resting (because that same certain someone would also not shut up about a good night's sleep) and he was being forced to exercise every morning (because apparently a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, a philosophy Nico thought was completely bullocks).

Nico and Reyna decided to take a walk around the camp; they went out into the gardens first. Camp Half-Blood actually ran a strawberry business, and though Nico was not a fan of fruits, the ones grown in the gardens were delicious. Reyna talked to him about how she was planning on changing the rules a little in Camp Jupiter to give the half-bloods a little more flexibility. She told him about how a lot of them wanted to switch camps and stay at Camp Half-Blood because it was more "fun".

Some Apollo kids were tending to the plants. They all greeted Nico as he passed, two of them asked how he was feeling. One of the little girls named Lacey ran up to him and gave him a hug. Reyna raised an eyebrow; "Made some new friends?" she asked is a teasing voice.

Nico gave a shy smile and started tousling his hair with his right hand. He and Will spent a lot of time together now and the Apollo kids basically claimed Nico as an adoptive brother. "Yeah, I guess I did," Nico replied.

Reyna's eyes twinkled and she gave him a knowing smile. "You know…" she started. Nico didn't like that tone.

"What?" he eyed her warily.

"I heard some rumors," Reyna went on, her mouth twitching slightly as she tried to hide a smile. Nico inwardly sighed, he had a feeling he knew what the rumor was. As much as he tried to convince the others, they refused to believe Will was just a friend (and by they he of course meant Piper and Hazel). Rather Nico was sure Will thought he was being brotherly or something hanging out with Nico all the time.

"Well, rumors are never true," Nico said. They continued walking; they went to the side to where the stables were. He had a feeling his face was flushed, before Reyna noticed, he tried to avert her attention. "Hey, it's Blackjack," he pointed towards the back of the stable. Reyna developed a special bond with the Pegasus after saving him during the battle.

Reyna turned towards Nico with another smile; she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, "Fine. Later then." She said. She walked towards where the winged horse sat eating something (Percy probably brought him sugar cubes again) leaving Nico alone with his thoughts.

It was time. Nico was in charge of handling cremations but since Leo's body was not found, he asked his friends to bring him some of Leo's things to burn instead. Surprisingly, Piper was the one who brought in most of the stuff starting with some of Leo's old shirts, his old tool belt, some old gadgets, and very reluctantly she even threw in a half broken Buford the Table. "He should have Buford with him," Piper said, "to keep him company." Nico didn't mention the fact that inanimate objects, even if they could move, did not go to the same place as humans. The Hephaestus cabin made a small replica of the Argo II, paying close attention to all the little details of the engine and the wings. Nico would be lying if he didn't say he was impressed.

It was late afternoon; the sun had not set yet. There was a little stage at the center next to where the fire would be so people could go up and say a few words about Leo. They placed the different objects in between the logs of wood the tree nymphs had gathered for the event. Nico being the regulator was the first one up; he read the Greek prayer for the dead while everyone gathered around the center. After he finished, he took the small ball of Greek fire and threw it onto the pile, watching as the whole place lit up in the fire.

Nico stepped down from the podium and slid to the side as Leo's friends went up one by one to speak. Nico didn't notice Will come up behind him until he put his hand on Nico's shoulder causing Nico to jump and mutter some curses in Italian. "Calm down, Death Boy, just wanted to check up on you," Will muttered while rolling his eyes.

Normally Nico would've come up with some come back but he wasn't feeling it today; the day had been a long and he was beyond exhausted. And anyways, he was glad Will sought him out. Nico could sort up his feelings about him later but right now he needed a friend. Will probably noticed his change in mood too because he didn't say anything else. They stood there side by side listening to all these people telling them various Leo stories, all of them filled with jokes and pranks and all things Leo.

Piper was up next. Leo's death seemed to hit her and Jason the hardest, which was understandable since they had been best friends for so long. Piper took a deep breath but she did not cry this time, "Leo was my best friend," she started softly but with a steady voice, "He was the guy who always lightened the mood in the darkest times. The guy everyone got along with. The one who made people laugh no matter what."

As he listened to Piper talk about some of their adventures, he tuned out everything else and hadn't noticed everyone's attention shifting to the sky until Will pointed it out to him. A giant mechanical dragon circled the camp with two passengers on its back, a guy steering the dragon and a girl holding on to his waist behind him. The dragon was slowly approaching the ground as it went in circles.

"Sorry I'm late!" the guy shouted from above. "I promise I'll come down if you guys promise not to kill me." It took Nico more time than it should have to recognize Leo Valdez and Calypso.