AN: I am the worst fanfiction author in the world... I wrote this Christmas-y scene and meant to post it over break... but I forgot. I won't be able to post til mid-February... I just hope that there's someone out there still enjoying my writing xD Don't forget to review, fav, and follow!

WILL'S POV

Things settled down after Leo returned.

Well, except for the fact that the demigods still couldn't believe that Nico and I were dating.

They still placed bets on who would kiss who first in different situations (me), who was worse at archery (Nico), and who visited the other's cabin more. As it turned out, I visited Nico's cabin more than he visited mine. Maybe it was because there was a lot more privacy in the Hades cabin to, well, make out. Every time we did, though, I swore the little sculpture along a wall of the cabin bore its eyes into me. Needless to say, it was a tiny bit awkward for me. I'm surprised no one's changed the rule that says two campers of the opposite gender can't be in their cabins alone. I guess they figure it'd be too much of a hassle to change. Or the camp just find our constant private moments entertaining.

Halloween passed without much trouble. The Ares cabin rigged up some tricks around the cabins, though, and the camp was flooded with rare footage of Annabeth and Percy's privatedisplays of affection (nothing past kissing and cuddling, though). I swore it was Clarisse's personal choice of the relationship to target. I was just glad the focus of the camp wasn't on Nico and me for once.

Finally, it's Christmas, though. A few inches of snow covers the ground- a new coat every day. Already, campers have been sleigh riding down any hills they can find.

"You know, in Camp Jupiter, they would have a lot more fun with the big hills there," Nico comments to me before we split paths to go to our cabin's tables. Kids are leaving snowy tracks on the pavilion as they return from practically fruitless rides.

"We should go, then," I call out to Nico. I'm not sure if he heard me, as his back was turned already. Nico says nothing as he sits down and eats alone, looking down at his plate.

"Hey, Will!" Lou Ellen says, as she passed my table.

Thank the gods we cleared up the rumors that Lou Ellen liked me. She never liked me; Aphrodite had just been playing with my emotions, my relationship. Lou Ellen is in a secret relationship with Cyrus, and has been ever since the Battle of Manhattan, actually.

"Hey!" I reply, waving.

The kids from my cabin slowly fill into the table, laughing and snow-streaked. They happily greet me and sit down around me.

For the briefest of seconds, I think I see Nico lift his head up from looking down at his plate, but when I look at him, his head is lowered like usual. It's the loneliness of being an only kid in a cabin, I guess. While Percy embraces the privacy his cabin offers him, Nico seems to drown in loneliness.

"You guys can join us, you know?" Austin says to me, as he watches me looking at Nico.

"Huh?" I ask, confused. I didn't take in his question while I worried about Nico.

"You're thinking about how lonely he is, aren't you?" Austin replies.

"How did you know?" I ask sullenly.

"Because I know you and that's just the kind of thing you'd be thinking about right now." I drag my eyes away from Nico to look at my half brother. "So do you want to come with us? We got permission to go off Half-Blood Hill, as long as we bring some weapons," Austin tells me.

"That's okay. I think Nico and I are going to check out the hill overlooking New Rome."

"That must be amazing," Austin says, his voice carrying his awe.

"Well, he hasn't taken me to Camp Jupiter yet, so I wouldn't know yet," I reply honestly.

"I'm sure Reyna and Frank can pull some strings for you guys, if anything," Austin reasons.

"Maybe we could get a whole camp meet-up sometime," Kayla suggests. She had been sitting next to Austin, eavesdropping on our conversation.

I suddenly start thinking about when Octavian was launched into the sky by one of the catapults while we defended Camp Half-Blood against the Romans, then Gaea. If they ever found out that we were responsible for killing him? If they did, would they hold it against our camp? We all made sacrifices, and even though Octavian was pretty stupid, he was still a Roman, a Roman we technically killed. It remains a secret Nico and I have to keep.

I was slightly scared of Nico in the moment he allowed Octavian to be launched to his death.What kind of person let someone die that easily and quickly? That's what I had thought. Then I figured it out.

A broken person. A person damaged badly by the person they wanted killed. That's who Nico was then. Condemned for a parentage he had no control of and someone with no one to depend on.

"Will? Will?" Kayla calls my name, probably for the fiftieth time.

"Sorry, I spaced out," I reply. "Maybe we could do that, but I think at a different time."

Austin and Kayla just nod. We finish our breakfasts without much more conversation. When we head back to our cabin, though, my brothers and sisters are chattering animatedly.

I throw on a thicker sweater and a heavy jacket. After a few seconds of thought, I grab an extra jacket and black sweater for Nico. I doubt he has many clothes, not many suited for winter, at least. I put on my snow boots, too. He probably doesn't have those, either. I bought him a pair for Christmas, along with other things, when Aphrodite decided we were her new favorite demigod couple and took me shopping in a dream (I paid for the boots with some mortal money, though). I even ruffle my hair a little in the mirror over my bed, trying to style it.

"Looks like you're ready to go on a date!" _ calls out loudly to me.

All my siblings start to cheer as I smack my forehead jokingly.

"Really, guys?" I say, but I myself am laughing.

"You guys are so cute, though!" Kayla calls out. The others cheer in approval.

Secretly, I love the attention and they all know it. "Aww, but every time I go to see him, you guys practically stalk us."

"You go to see Nico almost too much," Austin says. "We don't go every time. Sometimes it's Jason and Piper."

I just shake my head and clamber out of the cabin. As I walk to the Hades cabin, I notice that several of my siblings are still following me, but they keep a respectable distance.

I walk straight into the Hades cabin, like usual, but what I didn't expect was that Nico was changing at that precise moment. Luckily, I had closed the door behind me, or we would've had some explaining to do.

"Do you mind?!" He asks, with his bare back turned toward me. He can't see who I am, I guess.

"Mmm, I don't mind, but only if you don't," I say, dropping the clothes I brought, grabbing him from behind, and pulling him into a kiss before he can say another word.

He's smiling when he pulls away. "I guess I don't mind," he replies.

"As much as I love looking at you in various states of undress, Nico, you need to get dressed. We have an exciting adventure ahead of us!" I tell him. "Sledding waits for no man!"

He laughs. "Did you bring me something better than the T-shirt I was going to wear, then?"

I toss a black sweatshirt at him. "I better get that back."

"I can promise you nothing," Nico replies. "What else am I going to hold when you're not with me?"

"As long as it's not another guy, whatever works for you. Now hurry up!" I say.

He throws on the sweatshirt, which is about two sizes too large for him. I give him a snow jacket, too, which is also too big for him. The size makes me laugh.

"I don't suppose you have boots, too?" Nico asks, raising his eyebrows. I can tell he's not surprised when I pull out the wrapped present.

"I bought it for your Christmas gift," I tell him.

"How did you buy snow boots while you've been here?" He asks, puzzled.

"Ummm..." I don't have an answer for him.

"Okay, you can keep your little secrets," he says to me. He unwraps the gift and takes out the snow boots. They fit him perfectly.

"These shoes actually turn into any shoe you want it to," I admit. It was an Aphrodite fashion modification.

"Really?" Nico exclaims. He closes his eyes and the boots change into ratty old sneakers. He nods with approval and imagines them back into the original boots that they were. "I don't suppose you got this from a god or goddess?"

"No comment," I tell him, but my smile betrays the poker face I've been trying to keep. "Merry Christmas!"

"Wait, but I didn't get you anything," he says.

I shrug. "You still have time. It's only Christmas Eve, after all. Now, let's go!" I grab his arm and pull him out the door, onto the mini porch of his cabin.

Surrounding us are a few campers, all smiling expectantly at us.

"Um... Hi, guys," I say hesitantly. "What are you doing?"

Connor Stoll looks at me with a mischievous grin. He points upward to the roof of the porch. Dangling at the top is a branch of mistletoe.

"Really?" I exclaim. "Why do you find our public displays of affection part of your entertainment?"

They just stare at us quietly, without replying. I turn to Nico slowly, but uncharacteristically, he puts his arms around my neck and pulls me into a passionate kiss before I can react.

I hear the crowd's cheers around me, but all I can think about is Nico's soft lips on mine. How he, for once, without much hesitation, kissed me in front of a large audience without my first move.

In fact, he was so nervous that before it happened, I could feel the nervousness. One moment, we were on the porch, but in the next moment, we were back in the Hades cabin via short distance shadow travel. He must have sought the safety the private room provided.

"Oops," he said, giving me a slightly lopsided grin once he realized what he'd done.

I just burst out laughing. I knew he'd sometimes shadow travel involuntarily while he slept from what he told me (I haven't actually slept with him by my side, yet). However, I had never experienced the involuntary traveling firsthand.

"We should probably let the others know where we are," Nico tells me, smiling shyly.

I throw open the cabin door and the people stare at us in confusion.

"What just happened?" Travis Stoll asks.

I notice Jason and Piper laughing at the edge of the crowd. Jason calls out, "Nico used to shadow travel in his sleep while we were on the Argo II, to all these different places on the ship."

Nico frowns next to me and stiffens. Those travels were most likely the result of nightmares that he had on the quest. I lightly touch my hand to his, so he doesn't feel too alone. He surely only meant to explain in short what happened. He didn't want other people dredging up part of his past. Now, I sense why he had issues fitting in: he would become insecure that people would be out to get him and point out his flaws, trying to reveal his every secret. He sure had a lot of secrets I was slowly unraveling.

"You okay?" I whisper to him, while the crowd's attention is on Jason's knowledge of the experience.

Nico looks at me with tears threatening to well up in his eyes. His quest really was incredibly scarring, it seems. Normally so headstrong and emotionless, it's hard to remember at times that Nico is just an insecure teenager.

I grab his hand, despite its coldness. His hands are always cold, made warm by me. "Let's go, okay?"

He only musters up a nod, and I give him a small peck on the forehead.

"We have to go now, guys. Seriously," I address the crowd. "We'd like to get some privacy, too?"

The demigods slowly disperse, whispering.

"It'll be okay."

AN: REVIEW, FAV, FOLLOW! I don't know when I'll have time for another chapter, but I'm still not done, so sometime or another I'll update xP