Despite being dyslexic, I didn't mind reading. It helped that I had gotten glasses a few years ago, though I did still occasionally misread some of the words at times. Either way, because I worked at a night club, I was home all day while Will was teaching history at Goode high school. Since it was only a few blocks from our apartment, he usually walked to and from the school with our son, Jordan, who was just starting his Sophomore year there, but today, it was pouring rain.

My phone rang on the table beside the comfy gray couch I lounged on. I picked it up and checked the caller ID. Jordan.

"Hey Jordan. I'm assuming you and dad want me to come pick you up?" I guessed. I heard a soft, familiar laugh. "Yes please. We're right at the front of the school, under the rain cover." He told me. "Okay, I'll be right there. Bye."

"Kay, see you soon." He hung up and I turned off my phone, then went to find a shirt and my rain jacket as quickly as I could.

I walked out of our apartment wearing comfy blue cotton pyjama pants, a long-sleeved shirt with three buttons, and a black rain jacket. I had crammed my feet into converse, though it was a little weird with no socks on.

When I arrived at the front of the school, I saw my husband and son, both soaking wet, despite the cover (though it was pretty small), and shivering. They hurried to the car when the noticed me, Jordan climbing in the back and Will in the front beside me.

"How much of a difference would it have made if I'd let you two walk?" I questioned teasingly. "Nico!" Will hissed, teeth chattering. I chuckled lightly and started to drive out of the parking lot. "I'll make coco when we get home, don't worry." I assured him. I glanced to the rearview mirror and saw Jordan smiling faintly.

Nico, Jordan, and I hurried into the apartment building and bathed in its warmth for a moment, then headed upstairs to our flat.

"You guys go get changed and I'll have the coco ready by the time you're done," Nico said, shooing us down the hall. I laughed, sniffled, and began peeling my wet jacket off before I even got to our (Nico's and mine) bedroom.

True to his word, Nico handed me a mug of hot chocolate when I snuck into the kitchen and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my lips to his neck. I knew he was smiling without even seeing it.

"Thanks for coming to get us Neeks," I whispered, taking the hot chocolate. "Had a bad day at school today?" He questioned, twisting in my arms. I nodded. "How'd you know?" I replied. He smiled faintly. "Because I know you," He said, brushing a clump of half-wet hair out of my face. Now it was my turn to grin softly. "That's a good thing, otherwise, I don think we'd be where we are now," I mumbled, pulling the skinny man in for a hug and resting my chin on his shoulder.

Jordan walked right in through the kitchen and grabbed a mug of hot chocolate off the counter, then started walking into the living room. "Hey Jordie, do you have homework?" Nico asked, pulling away slightly. "I left it at school. It's not due for another two weeks anyway, I'll be fine." He replied, sounding slightly exasperated. I smiled faintly. "That doesn't sound much like homework. Which teacher assigned it?"

"Blofis. We have to read this book, and write a review on it." He mumbled. "Which book?" Nico questioned. Jordan was silent for a moment, then he said slowly, "Lord of the Flies." He replied with a sigh.

"You're lucky I don't have that one. What do you guys want for dinner?" Nico said, changing the subject as quickly as it had come up.

"Food," Jordan answered sarcastically. Nico glanced at me in questioning. "Whatever you want is fine with me." I replied with a shrug. "Mkay. Pasta it is then."

"Mac and cheese pasta or pasta salad pasta?" Jordan questioned from the couch. "Mac and cheese, if that's okay with you. If not, there's onion and cold dressing in the fridge." Nico replied, watching carefully for his reaction. Jordan smiled. "Mac and cheese is good. You make good mac and cheese." He nodded slightly.

"I'm happy to hear that." Nico said, a happy smile on his face. He turned and began the preparations for Macaroni and Cheese. I stayed in the kitchen, sipping from my mug every now and then while I sat on the island counter and watched my lovely husband make Macaroni and Cheese.

"So how was your day?" I asked him. "Good. I'm almost finished The Book Thief, so I'll have to find something else to read soon." I grinned. "Is it a good book?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. It was one of Bianca's old ones that she must have forgotten to bring with her." He explained. Our oldest daughter, Bianca, had just started her first year of collage, and had moved into the dorms there, considering it was in Toronto. She was only three years older than Jordan.

Both Jordan and Bianca were demigods, or descendants of demigods at least, because they often came to Camp during the summer. Sometimes we didn't stay the entire to months, and sometimes we did. The last two summers we had stayed the whole time. Percy and Annabeth had come every year since forever, but Hazel and Frank only visited once or twice, so Nico sometimes shadow-traveled to Camp Jupiter and stayed with them for a couple days. But we hung out every Christmas break, alternating between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, or sometimes at our apartments. Nico still had to go into the city to work during the summer, but he had most days off, and we were able to hang around at Camp. Sometimes sparring, training, or simply just enjoying each other's company.

"How can you read books though? I mean, I know you've got glasses, but it's impossible to even read the title without it looking like a bunch of random letters squished together." Jordan said from the living room. Nico shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to practice reading. Like, a lot. Not just the time I spend here at home while you two are at school."

"It's still frustratingly difficult though. I can barely make it past internet searches at school.

"Try setting your language to Greek. It helps a little bit." I suggested. "Really?" He questioned. I nodded. "Yeah. That's what I did for most of High school and University."

"I thought you lived at Camp Half Blood until you were eighteen?"

"No, we went to High School. We went to Goode, actually. Class of twenty twenty." Nico said. "Seriously? But it's so far from Camp?" Jordan said. Nico glanced back at me. "Well... essentially, we did live at Camp, but... for the four years of school... Chiron set up an apartment for us all to live in. Percy and Annabeth stayed at Mrs. Jackson's place though."

"Mrs. Jackson?"

"Well, we knew her as Mrs. Jackson. She changed her name awhile ago though. To Blofis." Nico explained. "Oh my god, does that mean Percy is Mr. Blofis's step son?"

"Yeah. Because he lived with Percy for so long, he know's all about the demigod world. Can't see through the mist, of course, but, he know's it's there." I replied. "He helped out a bit in the war against Kronos too." Nico added. Jordan hummed. "Cool. What was the war like?" He asked softly.

"Well, there were a lot of injured demigods. A lot of them died. Percy went missing for awhile... It was actually the first time I met your papa." I told him, my tone soft. Nico turned and held a hand out, which I gratefully took, letting his skin, calloused from so many years with a sword, brush against mine and push back the guilt of not being able to save them all. I should have been able to. I was able to. But I didn't. After that, Jordan said nothing until I called him up to set the table.

I couldn't stop thinking about Micheal Yew, and how much of a role model he had been for me when I was younger. Nico had told me once he thought he'd seen Micheal heading through the gates of Elysium, but as he had only heard of what he looked like, he couldn't be quite sure.

By the time we had finished eating dinner, it was nearly time for me to go to work, which meant I was rushing around the apartment getting dressed and finding my keys and phone and shoving my feet back into converse, this time with socks.

Before I left, I pulled Will aside and kissed him on the lips. He smiled, a surprised light dancing in his blue eyes. "What was that for?" He asked.

"I know you're feeling a little guilty. It was over a decade ago though, Will. And the ones that are gone? You did as much as you could to save them. It is not your fault, okay?"

He bit his lip. "Okay." He agreed quietly. "I love you, Will," I said, kissing him on the lips quickly on more time. "I'll see you in the morning."

He smiled. "Love you too, Neeks." He said, kissing me on the lips, then walking down the hall to our bedroom. I smiled faintly and started towards the door.

"Night Jordie, I'll see you in the morning. Don't stay up too late." I said to the teen on the couch. He hummed, focusing on the sketchbook Hazel had given him for his last birthday, his pencil scratching the page "Night papa."

******

I trudged up to our apartment door and unlocked it, slipped through, and locked it again. My eyelids felt like lead, and my feet were soar. My hands smelled like alcohol, on account of multiple drinks spilling on them over the course of the night.

I shuffled to the bedroom Will and I shared, and forced myself to brush my teeth, wash my hands, and change into my pyjamas (the same blue pyjama pants I had been wearing earlier. I left my shirt off, simply because I still could, and sleeping beside Will was like sleeping beside a furnace. He was always so warm, especially when he had no shirt on. I don't mean that in a dirty way, just that he's really warm.

Tonight, I was glad he had chosen to wear no shirt. I felt cold, though I wasn't really, temperature-wise. I kind of just wanted to snuggle up to Will and not let go.

So that was what I did. I crawled under the thick duvet cover and pressed my body close to Will, breathing in what was the faint smell of hospital that always came with him.

He mumbled something that sounded like an "I love you," and I whispered back the same before I fell asleep.

******

Saturday mornings were my favourite. The first day of the weekend, always the best day to recollect your strength on. And an even better day to sleep in.

I woke up around twelve, as usual when left to my own time, but I didn't see either of my dads until nearly two-thirty.

When they shuffled down the hallway, my papa wrapped in a fuzzy black blanket, I gave them a raised eyebrow from my position in the armchair.

"It's his fault," They both immediately said, pointing to one another. I msmirked and went back to my drawing.