We are just gonna go with my version of the ending, meaning they won the war and everybody lived and it's a happily ever after. Just go with it.

Nico di Angelo and Leo Valdez never thought they'd make it this far. They never fully believed they'd live out the war, much less live it out together. But it seems that the Fates weren't ready to cut their strings quite yet. So, the two settled down. Of course, they couldn't settle in Camp Half Blood; it wasn't made for that. They got an apartment in New York, near where Percy and Annabeth lived. They got married, they made a life for themselves, and they were finally ready to take the next step.

Having a baby.

When Leo proposed the idea, Nico's first words were, "You can't even dress yourself properly, how the hell are you gonna take care of a baby?"

Leo frowned. "Well aren't you nice today, sweetheart." Nico scowled, so Leo tried again and said, "Nico, please. I really want this, and I know you do too. Under all that, y'know, Nico-ness, you really want this."

Nico didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was right. Nico did want a baby, but he'd always been scared to have one. What if he couldn't do it? What if he messed up and ruined the kid's life? What if he ended up being an all-around terrible father? Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. "Neeks," Leo whispered. "I know you're scared. Don't be. We'll do this right. We won't screw this up, I promise."

And so, Leo and Nico Valdez-di Angelo (neither of them would give up their last name when they got married), had a baby. Obviously, neither of them could produce a baby on their own. However, Hazel was willing to help. By help, I mean be a surrogate. Leo, Nico, and Frank were wary of the idea at first, but Hazel talked them into it. She said, and I quote, "It's not like I want a kid yet, but I know you two do, and I wanna help. But Nico is not gonna be the biological father. I'm sorry, bro, but I'm not into incest."

That part of the process was honestly the worst one. Leo, for all his flirting, did not want to have sex with Hazel. Frank and Nico didn't want him to either, but it was a necessary evil. Him being the bio daddy meant that the child would legally be theirs. Or at least, it would be Leo's, meaning it would be Nico's, too. After that part was all said and done, all four of them got immediate baby fever.

Hazel and Frank were taking care of the having-the-baby-and-all-that-goes-along-with-it part, while Leo and Nico were taking care of the after-the-baby's-born stuff. The boys decked out the spare room in their apartment with all the necessary baby things: toys, space for diapers and whatnot, and the best freakin' crib Leo could build. Nico thought it was too much. Leo thought it wasn't enough.

In truth, both of them wanted to give this baby all they had. They wanted the baby to have the best fathers in the world, the ones Leo and Nico hadn't had.

Nine months later, both men were about to hit the wall with anxiety. Hazel was in the hospital room, about to have their baby. Who wouldn't be driven mad?

Nico fell into Leo's arms and buried his head against the Latino's chest. He mumbled something that Leo couldn't quite here. "What was that, mi príncipe?"

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Nico muttered before looking up at Leo. "What if we screw up, Leo? What if we ruin our baby's life and we turn out like our fathers?" His eyes shone with emotions; fear, doubt, worry, but a strong undertone of love.

Leo kissed his little Italian's forehead. "You know we won't do that, Neeks. We'll love it and cherish it and not fuck up its life. You know we can do it."

The Ghost Prince made to say something, but was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream. It didn't take much to figure out that it was Hazel. Oh shit! The lovers looked at each other with wide eyes and took off at a sprint down the hallway. Hazel's room wasn't too far away, but it seemed like they couldn't get there fast enough.

Just as they made it to the door, the sounds of a wailing baby broke the air. Hazel gave one last cry of pain before heaving a sigh like she had just taken the weight of the world off her shoulders.

It took a little while before Leo and Nico could see their baby. When they were finally allowed in, they were completely floored. There, right in Hazel's arms, was a nearly carbon copy of Leo. The infant had a head of dark, unruly curls, big brown eyes, and a pair Cupid's-bow lips already turned up in a smile.

The men approached Hazel and baby cautiously. Hazel, to her credit, was smiling tiredly. "She's a girl," she whispered. "She's a girl."

Nico didn't take his eyes off his baby as he asked, "Can I, um- can I hold her?"

Hazel didn't say a word, just handed Nico the tiny pink bundle. He looked at it with a mix between wonder and fear. Wonder in that this was his daughter. No matter that Hazel had given birth to her; this was his and Leo's baby girl.

His fear was the one of new parents everywhere: the fear that he would fuck this child up beyond repair. Finally, he turned his eyes back on Leo. "What do we call her?"

Leo's face paled. That was the one thing they'd forgotten. He smacked a hand to his face and muttered, "Of course that's the one thing we forget to do…" Leo looked back at his husband and thought for a moment.

Esperanza?

No, that didn't seem right.

Maria?

Uh, no.

Piper?

Can we say no?

Hazel? Annabeth?

No. Leo's daughter needed her own name, not one handed down to her. Suddenly, it came to him.

"I wanna call her Flame."

Nico raised an eyebrow. Even when looking like the proudest dad in the world, he still managed to pull off the you gotta be fucking kidding me look. "I am not naming our child Flame."

"Oh come on, it's perfect!"

"We don't even know if she can do the fire thing! She's not really a demigod, I don't think, anyway. Plus, it's fucking stupid."

Do the fire thing? What? "Fine...Aaliyah?"

"The hell did you get that from?"

"Shut up and just tell me if you like it or not, you ass."

Nico looked at the little pink bundle. He couldn't think of a better first name. Besides, she looked like an Aaliyah. A small smile crossed his face as he said, "Yeah, I like it. For her middle name, can we name her Araceli? That was...it was my sister's middle name. My other sister." The last part was for Hazel's sake.

Leo didn't want Aaliyah to have a hand-me-down name, but he knew how much this meant to Nico. So he smiled and kissed his lover and baby on their foreheads. "Aaliyah Araceli Valdez-di Angelo. That's a mouthful."

"But she's ours," Nico murmured happily and pecked Leo on the lips.

"Uhhhh, guys?" Hazel's voice snapped the couple out of their stupor. "As cute as this is, I'm tired, so put the baby back and get the hell out of my room."