Hey, guys! It's been like a year (or more) since I've updated any fanfiction. I'd like to apologize for that, I've been busy with work and my personal issues but that doesn't mean I haven't written anything. There's many half finished one shots from a few of my books. And I've been busy working on my own books. I have like 4 I'm in the process of writing. Let me know if you guys would like me to publish them for you to read. I'm still a little insecure about my writing even though I've been writing for years. Anyways, hope you enjoy!-Was

Ps: Happy Birthday to our little Death Boy

Nico was not having a good day. First, he was woken up at noon. Secondly, he ran into the wall trying to put his pants on and thirdly, Percy Jackson just ran in his cabin demanding him to shadow travel him to the nearest grocery store.

"Percy, Will is not going to let me take you," Nico said.

"Nico, Will doesn't have to know."

Nico looked at him suspiciously, "Why do you want to go so badly? Usually you're against me using shadow travel as a form of transportation."

"Usually, I am. But I'm desperate and I need your help plus you're the one who told me that if I ever needed something to ask you. So that's what I'm doing. I wouldn't ask you if I knew it would drain you but I remember you telling me that you've gotten better at it. And it's less draining the closer it is."

"Desperate? Why?"

"I need to get a few things to make a surprise for Annabeth. It's our anniversary," Percy said, rocking on his heels and smiling.

"Anniversary? I thought it was on the same day of your birthday."

Percy's eyes widen slightly, "Yeah, no. I mean, it's the anniversary of when we first said I love you."

"Really? That's a thing?" Nico asked, slightly panicked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it was a special day. Gotta remember those things. Don't you remember when you and Will first said 'I love you'?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pft. Of course. How could I forget?"

"So then you understand how important this is. And I know Will would want you to help."

Nico sighed, "Fine. Let's go."

Nico walked up to Percy and grabbed his arm, the world went dark for a moment before bringing them up to a harsh fluorescent light that blinded him.

They were standing in the middle of a grocery store right at the flowers.

"Huh. Good thinking. Maybe I should buy some flowers too."

Percy picked up a bouquet of roses, "Isn't it too ordinary?"

Nico shrugged, "I don't know. They're just roses. I'm sure she'll love them."

Percy put them back down, "I'm gonna go ask if they can make a bouquet with the flowers I want."

"I think you'll have to wait weeks to get it, if they can even do specific ones."

"We'll see about that. Can you go grab the things from this list while I go order the bouquet?"

Percy handed him a list and walked off.

Nico groaned inwardly, he was not gonna have a good day.

About an hour passed when he finally found all the ingredients. He found it weird that Percy wanted to make an Italian dish for Annabeth.

He asked Percy this when he got back, and yes with a bouquet of pink and white flowers which Nico had to admit was beautiful.

"Well, Annabeth has been talking about this one Italian restaurant that her and her friends went to. So I decided to try and make her a nice Italian dinner."

Nico narrowed his eyes, "So that's why you came to me."

"Um, what?"

"You wanted me to get the ingredients you needed so I can help with the dish because I'm Italian."

Percy laughed a little, "Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Sorry, if that offends you any."

Nico smiled, "Not at all. Hurry up and pay for this so I can get to the kitchen. Chef Nico is gonna reach you some things. At least, the things I can remember."

Percy saluted him, "Yes, Sir."

They got in line and paid for their stuff. They just walked out the store, looking for a shadow, when they ran into Leo.

"Nico! Percy! I'm so happy I ran into you guys. I need some help."

"Hey, Leo. What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"Hey, Leo," Nico said.

"I was doing some shopping when my chariot car broke down," Leo said, pointing at a weird looking chariot. A chariot that had a motor and much smaller than a normal one.

"You call it a chariot car?" Percy asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Leo asked.

"Why not something cooler?"

"Like what?"

"Like, I don't know. Something like "Char" or "Cariot" I think that sounds pretty good."

"Uh, how about no."

"Back to the topic at hand, why do you need help?" Nico asked.

"Because I need to move my things from the seat compartment. I really need to add a freezer somewhere in case this happens again."

"Come on. You can come with us back to camp. That's where we were going anyway."

Leo took out his bags and came back over, "Okay, I'm ready."

Nico stood inside the chariot's (cariot?) shadow and grabbed onto both of their arms but before he could shadow travel, Leo stopped him.

"Wait!" Leo yelled as he dug around in his bag.

He slapped his forehead, "I completely forgot the frosting. There's a specific type of frosting Calypso likes and she's gonna kill me if I come back without it. Since it was the one thing she told me not to forget. Except they didn't have any here and I don't know where else to find it."

"Well, Nico can help you look for it," Percy said, offering Nico to Leo like he was his servant or something.

"Wait, I need to get you back to camp first. Secondly, who's to say that I don't have anything I have to do today?"

"Well, do you?" Percy asked.

Nico sighed, "No. But you could have still asked me if I wanted to help."

"Sorry. Do you want to help Leo?"

"No. Not really. But I'm going to anyway."

Leo went to hug him before stopping himself awkwardly, "Thank you."

"But I still have to take you back to camp."

"That's okay. I'll call a taxi," Percy said.

"Okay," Nico said as Percy gathered his things and walked off to call a taxi.

"Okay, Leo. Where do we find this frosting?" Nico asked.

It took them 3 hours. 3 hours. 3. To find frosting. Frosting. Leo kept getting lost and refused to stop and ask for directions because 'his memory was that of an elephant' which clearly, it wasn't.

After finally finding the store and buying the frosting, Leo suggested they head home in a taxi instead of shadow traveling.

Nico felt irritated, "Why can't we just shadow travel? It's faster."

"Yeah, but you already did that once today. I'm not risking you hurt yourself."

Nico was about to argue but then decided against it, "Okay. I hope you have money left over cause I have no money on me."

Leo grinned, "I'm always prepared."

"Sure you are."

On the ride home, Nico was thinking of how he's been moving non stop since waking up. No breaks. No food. Not that he was that hungry but still. He's been on side quests all day and he hasn't even got to see Will yet. It was almost 5. He pressed his head against the window and watched the buildings blur by.

When they got to Half-blood Hill, Leo took forever to gather his things.

"Are you an old man in disguise or something?" Nico asked.

Leo laughed, "Possibly. My joints hurt."

"Do you need help?" Nico asked.

"Nah. I got it."

After what seemed like forever he finally had all his belongings together. And they started their walk down to the cabins.

It seemed strangely quiet.

"Did everyone go to sleep early or what?" Nico asked.

Leo shrugged, "Don't know. Maybe."

As the stepped near the dining pavilion, a confetti bomb exploded above their head, raining black and white confetti.

Nico stared in shock as a banner appeared and balloons popped up from all sides of the pavilion. The banner read.'Happy Birthday, Nico Di Angelo'

All the campers came next, but Nico scanned the crowd for one person in particular. His eyes landed on a blonde but not his blonde.

Annabeth came up to him, "Happy Birthday, Nico. You're getting older, it makes me want to cry. I remember when you first came here. At least you're still small, too much change would scare me."

Nico laughed slightly and reached out a little awkwardly, "Thank you. But I'm still older than you."

Annabeth eyes brightened when he saw his arms open. She pulled him into a hug, "Details. But seriously, happy birthday. May all your wishes come true. I'm glad we still have our little Nico here."

She pulled away and ruffled his hair, "You're doing good, Kid. You're trying and that's really all that matters."

Nico felt tears prickle at his eyes, "Thanks."

She gave him a warm smile and another hug, "Don't lose your smile. You only just got it back."

Then came Percy, who seemed to be trying not to cry.

"Hey, man," he said as he clasped Nico's shoulder, "happy birthday. It's your day so do all that you want. It's the only day you will get away with it."

"So does killing you count?"

Percy laughed nervously, "Let's not murder anyone, okay? But, um, seriously dude. I'm glad we still have you here. I know it took a lot of work for you to stay. And I'm sorry that I wasn't able to be there every step of the way. But you know now we're on better terms. And I'm not going anywhere so if you ever need me, you know where to find me."

Nico sighed like he was gathering his energy to do something difficult, "Come here."

Percy froze when Nico hugged his torso, "You're not trying to suck out my life source, right?"

"Just hug me before I decide to send you to my father instead."

Percy laughed and hugged Nico back.

Nico was trying his best to blink away the tears. When Nico finally pulled away, he said, "I'm sorry about all that happened. I'm glad we're on better terms now."

Percy smiled, that smile that he used to wish so badly would be for him back when he liked him, but now instead of making him nervous it gave him a sense of comfort. Comfort that even when they go through tough times, he'll have a friend in Percy. Always.

Nico smiled and quickly wiped away his tears, "Okay. Okay. That's enough sentiment. You're gonna ruin my image."

Percy laughed and ruffled his hair, "We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"No, we wouldn't," Nico said as he pushed Percy's hand away, "Okay, okay. I'm not your pet."

Percy smiled, "Definitely not. You're too vicious. Like a Chihuahua."

Nico glared at him, " Okay, let's not."

After, the campers got to wish him a happy birthday, they asked him to play Pin the Satyr, in which when he finally got it right, the nature spirits gave him a wreath of flowers.

He played bingo, and one 3 times (he's a master at bingo), they played the floor is lava which lead to many campers jumping in the canoe lake because they weren't sure how to play the game, Nico had a good time laughing at them, and finally when the sun started to set they told him they had another surprise.

Nico felt really happy, extremely happy, for the first time in a long time but he was also a little sad. Will wasn't here. And even though he was having a good time, he kept looking around waiting for Will to show up on all his golden glory.

But nevertheless, he let himself be guided towards his cabin. They told him to stay in their until they have the surprise set up. They pushed him in the dark cabin and closed the door.

The sudden quietness startled Nico, even though he was used to it. Suddenly, a light lit up behind him. He turned and saw the most beautiful thing to ever exist.

Will stood behind a table that was set with candles and dinner. With a vase of flowers that looked vaguely familiar but he didn't dwell on it because the sight to behold wasn't what was on the table. It was who was standing behind the table.

Will Solace. A beautiful angel, that the gods themselves hand crafted. His hair glowed warm golden in the candlelight. His blue eyes looked at him in such a soft and loving way it physically hurt Nico. His smile made him feel like he finally found home after searching for it for years. His body seemed to relax as if he's been tense this whole time without realizing it and it took just one look to help ease his worry

"Happy birthday, my death boy," Will said, even his voice sounded warm and sweet.

Nico just stood there. He couldn't say thank you. He couldn't even say I love you. He knew that if he opened his mouth, he'd start crying. The ugly sobbing. Not the shedding a few years kind. And he did NOT want Will to see him ugly cry right now.

"Nico? Love, what's wrong?" Will asked.

Nico shook his head and walked up to Will, "Nothing. Nothing is wrong. For the first time in my life I feel so genuinely happy that it kind of scares me."

Will smiled softly, "If it doesn't scare you, then it isn't real."

"What?"

"If you aren't afraid to lose what you have, then it isn't something worth having."

Nico felt the tears coming.

"Nico, you have a lot of people who love and care about you. You never seem to notice because in your head nobody cares. But if you'd get out of your head for a minute, you'd see that there is many people who would do anything for you. Doesn't today show you that there IS people who love you?"

"That's the scary part. I never really had to care about other people's thoughts. That's what kept me alive. But now it's kind of scary. What if I make a decision someone doesn't approve of? What if I disappoint the people who care about me? And then they all leave?"

"If they leave you in a time of need, they were never really your friends. But you don't have to worry about that. These friends you have, they're loyal to the end. They'll help you even at your worst plans and ideas. Because they trust you, they know that you know what you're doing is right. Plus, loyalty is kind of Percy's fatal flaw and all."

Nico smiled, "I love you, Will Solace."

"I love you too, Nico Di Angelo."

Will came forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

"I'll always be here for you, Death Boy."

Nico grinned, "Thank you for being my solace, Solace."

Will laughed, "A pun, huh? I like it."

Nico gave Will a quick kiss, "I'm glad."

Will beamed at him. He pulled out the chair for Nico to sit.

"Did you cook this yourself, Will?"

"Yes. With a little help from...someone."

When Nico looked at the dish he realized something. Then he looked at the vase of flowers and something clicked.

"Did you send Percy to get those flowers and the ingredients to make an Italian dish?"

"Yeah. And I needed someone Italian to make sure it was the right things. And of course I couldn't ask you cause then it would be obvious. So I sent Percy."

"And the flowers?"

"Yep. I know you don't know much about flowers but these are the flowers for your month. Carnations and snowdrops. Snowdrops first start blooming in January and they're from the UK. They thrive in the cold harsh month, they bloom and blend in with the snow. Kind of like you. And shadows."

Nico couldn't help but smiled, "Well, they are beautiful."

"Another thing you have in common with the flowers."

Nico blushed, "Shut up. Let's eat then. I want to see how well you did."

When Nico ate it, he felt like he had truly found his roots. The food was amazing, the boy in front of him was amazing, his friends were amazing. His life, how in the Hades did it happen he had no idea, was amazing.

After they finished up, there was a knock on the door. When he opened it, Leo grinned.

"Birthday Boy, it's time for your surprise."

Will took his hand and took him down to the beach, where everyone had blankets laid out and in the center was a cake. That said, 'Happy Birthday, Death Boy' in the same frosting that took him and Leo 3 hours to find.

Nico laughed, "Did you really get lost looking for this or were you trying to distract me?"

Leo laughed, "A bit of both."

Leo lit the candles with his fingers, "Make a wish, Death Boy."

Nico smiled, "This will be the only time you get away with calling me that."

They sing him Happy birthday and at the end when it was time to make a wish, he wished that he could have this forever. As soon as he blew out the candles, all the fairy lights cut off and the night sky lit up with fireworks.

Everyone cheered.

Will lead him to a blanket that was laid out for them.

They sat together, Will's arms around him, looking at the night sky. Images in fireworks flew across the sky. Of Nico, when he first arrived at Camp Half Blood, when he first ran away, when he declared himself the ghost king, him in all his battles, him saving Camp Half Blood with Reyna, him winning capture the flag a few months ago.

All his adventures poured out on the night sky. His home, HIS home, was showing love to him. His home has always loved him as much as he loved them.

Okay, this is posted 8 hours after the end of our Death Boy's birthday. But here it is. Sorry, it's a little late. I fell asleep writing it. He's turned 101, so he's a century old now. Anyways, I hope you have a good day/night!-Was