Lou rapped on Nico's cabin loudly. She was excited to leave Camp Half-Blood for a day and put her plan in motion. She sighed deeply, she didn't think that the day would come so soon.

Nico opened the door, and came out wearing his best black shirt and jeans. He looked slightly less pale than usual, and the bags under his eyes seemed smaller.

Lou noticed that Nico was slowly looking healthier after Will's constant fussing and controlling his diet.

"Will is definitely talented, I got to give him that." Lou muttered out loud.

Nico raised an eyebrow, but Lou just smiled.

Lou grabbed Nico's hand, and led him towards where Will had been.

"Will, Nico's fine to shadow travel short distances, right?"

"Where are you going?" Will asked in a sharper tone than he intended. "Mhmm" Will cleared his throat trying to hide his embarrassment.

"The Best City in the world, or so they say." Lou said coolly.

"It should be okay..." Will started worriedly. "But... just in case" Will handed Nico some ambrosia and medicine.

"Don't overexert yourself. You still aren't back to full strength." Will said looking at Nico intensely.

"I'll be fine." Nico said curtly. "Thanks."

Lou Ellen brightened up. "As touching as this is, we'll be going now. See you later Will. Come on Nico, I have a lot planned for today. To Times Square!" She grabbed his hand tightly and they were enveloped by the shadows.

They ended up in the middle of the bustling streets of Times Square, LED screens flashing all around them. Luckily, they landed on the pavement and not in the middle of the road.

Upon arrival, Lou grabbed Nico's hand tightly to try to steady herself.

"Is this what it's like every time you shadow travel?" She asked looking slightly green.

Nico knelt down and looked worried. "Let's go inside a shop and sit somewhere."

He let Lou lean on him, and walked inside a nearby Starbucks where they sat until Lou's queasiness went away.

"This must be what motion sickness is like." Lou groaned. "When we get back, let's take a cab." She said with a small smile.

Nico nodded and gave a reassuring smile.

After a few minutes, some medicine and spells, Lou was back to her bright energetic self.

"Come on, I'm going to show you around the city. We are going to just be tourists today." She said brightly.

She grabbed Nico's arm out the door and the tour began. She provided an incredibly detailed tour with lots of trivia and tid-bits about Times Square and the Rockefeller Center.

"It's nice to see this place again when we aren't being chased by monsters or fighting Titans. Thanks." Nico said quickly.

"Of course, I figured that you hadn't slowed down and just take in the city yet."

They indulged in some good food and bought some snacks for Will.

"Have you seen Central Park?" Lou asked.

Nico shook his head.

"Well then, let's go. Let's take the subway this time." Lou added firmly.

The sun was high in the sky, and the temperature started to heat up.

Lou looked up at the sky and smiled contentedly. They lazed around on a park bench in the park in a comfortable silence.

"It's such a nice day, it's good to be out."

Nico looked around cautiously scanning for monsters.

"We'll be okay for another two hours." Lou said with a smile.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked skeptically.

"The talisman I made is supposed to help mask our scent. We still have some time."

After some awkward silence, Lou said "I'm glad it's you."

"What?"

"You know, I always thought that I would be on Will's side no matter what. I guess that'll be hard to do from now on. But I just want you to know that I approve" Lou said with a sad smile.

"I-I don't understand" Nico stuttered confused.

"You. I like you, and I trust you. I know you like Will, and I'm not going to stand in your way." She said gently.

"Wh-what? What do you mean?" He squeaked out. It was getting hard for Nico to breathe.

"Calm down, you know despite how subtle you think you are, you can tell when a person likes someone by the way they act around them. Normally, I would try to intimidate you, but somehow I can't bring myself to do that." She said with a tinge of sadness.

Nico's eyes widened and they were silent for a while.

"Do you like Will?" Nico asked with his voice shaking. Nico felt his chest tighten and his body stiffened. He liked Lou, and he didn't want to lose her.

"Not the same way you do. I love him because he's my best friend, and one of my closest friends. Honestly, I didn't want him to date anyone because I was scared I would lose him. But I think it'll be okay if its you." Lou said sincerely.

Nico relaxed. He was relieved but also uncomfortable bearing his heart to so many people in so little time.

"Let's head back." Lou suggested finally. "You do have to promise me one thing though." She added.

"What?"

"Don't leave me out." She said quietly.

Nico nodded fervently. "Wouldn't dream of it. I really don't want to be turned into a plant again."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya." Lou said with a big smile.