Don't Fade Away: A Solangelo Fanfiction 2

Chapter 5: Nico's Birthday

   It's always a weird feeling when you wake up on your birthday. Most kids are excited to be a new age, a whole year older. They get cake and presents. Most adults don't like their birthday. They don't want to get older and older. And Nico just didn't didn't care either way.

   Nico woke up late, like usual. He glanced at his clock, and the time read 11:11. Though Nico was used to waking up whenever, he was surprised Will hadn't woken him up sooner.

   Nico dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. As he went to brush his teeth, he examined himself in the mirror. He didn't look any older. He just looked the same as any other day. He remembered when he was little, every time he would wake up on his birthday he would run to the bathroom to look in the mirror to see if he looked any older. He always thought he did. People tend to see and believe what they want to see and believe. The mist was proof enough of that fact.

   Nico headed to Will's cabin. Will had told him yesterday to do that after he woke up. Nico expected that he was going to get a cake or something from Will, but that's it. Nobody else cared enough to waste their time going to a party for a socially awkward child of Hades, and definitely not enough to remember when his birthday was.

   But like most times lately, he was surprised to find that he was wrong. As he walked into the Apollo cabin, he was shocked to see there was a whole crowd of people that were there for him.

   He looked around at all of the faces. There was Will, of course. Then there was Austin and Kayla, and Rachel and Cecil. Next to them was surprisingly Percy, Annabeth, Sally and Paul. Sally's stomach looked even bigger than the last time he saw her.

   Nico looked at the 9 people in the cabin. They were all here for him.

   Will was the first to speak. "I'm sorry that not everyone is here. Jason and Piper are really busy in California right now, so they couldn't make it out here. He told me through a letter since technology is still down. He remembered your birthday and wanted to tell you why they couldn't make it. Same with Hedge and his family, though they'll be coming down to visit in a few months instead. Leo and Calypso are busy with Apollo. I of course couldn't contact Camp Jupiter, so no Hazel, Frank, or Reyna. Lou's not at Camp right now, so she couldn't make it."

   Nico stood there in shock. "But you think all of them wanted to come?"

   Will nodded. "I don't think so, I'm sure all of them wanted to come."

   Nico counted in his head. There were 20 people who wanted to come to his birthday, including the people who were already there. 20.

   "That's a lot of people." Nico said, his eyes slightly watery.

   After Nico relaxed, he examined the cabin. Just like with Will's birthday, the beds were pushed against the walls on one side of the room. There was a long table on one wall, and it was right in the middle, like it was the centerpiece. On it was a black cake with a cartoon-ish ghost on top, and candles that said 15. There were cookies that looked like skulls, and a platter of different snacks, like fruits and chips. There were black streamers all over the cabin, and a banner that said "Happy 15th, Nico" There were two tables that were pushed together, and 10 chairs around it on one side of the room, and a couple of party games on the other. Underneath the main table that had the cake on it were presents.

   Will noticed Nico looking around and said, "We went a little overboard, huh?" He said scratching the back of his neck.

    "A little?"

   "I just wanted to give my death boy the best birthday ever, since you've never actually had a birthday party before."

   Nico looked Will in the eyes. "Thank you." Then he pecked him on the lips.