The First Times

First Move Out

~Fast forward another year.~

"Should we open them together or not...?" Benny suggested, but Ana wasn't really listening to him. She was staring at the piece of paper that had arrived on the mail as if it was the worst news of the year. "I could also dye my hair purple, what do you say?" He tested her, knowing for sure what she would say.

"Aha, whatever you say." Benny smirked at Ana's automatic reply and grabbed her hand, startling her. "What?"

"Ana, there's no bomb inside of those. Nothing bad will happen..." He encouraged her, grabbing the envelope and placing it on her hand. He then looked inside his bag and pulled an identical envelope, directed to him. Ana relaxed a bit, but was still tense. "On three?" This time, Ana nodded and grabbed her own envelope. "One..."

"Two..."

"Three." Both teens tore the papers and started to read the letters in their hands, anxiety and tension clouding the air. Just as they were reading the letters, Ana's parents walked in.

"Hey, guys-" Nico was interrupted by Will's hand on his mouth, making the Sunshine demigod earn a glare from his partner.

"Acceptance letters. Don't-" Will's whispered explanation was interrupted by Ana's loud squeak and Benny's laughter. Soon, they were wrapped in a hug, jumping in their places. And, five seconds later, the parents had been dragged into the celebration. "Congratulations, you two!" Will announced, smiling. "Now, to which place are you guys heading to?" Both Ana and Benny glanced at each other before replying together.

"Columbia University!"

"That's great news!" Nico agreed, also smiling. He had admitted to Will that, since Ana didn't have a career defined, he feared that she would go into an University because of Benny and she would be trapped into doing something she hated for the rest of her life. Going to Columbia would give her the freedom to choose. And be close to home, of course.

"I have to go home and tell my Mom." Benny said, before kissing Ana's cheek and leaving the house. Ana smiled at her parents, who pulled her in another hug.

"Our little girl is going to university- oh, no, Nico!" Ana looked up to see Nico with glassy eyes but smiling, it was obvious he was trying not to cry.

"C'mon... We have to start organizing your things for your move out..." Nico ignored Will's mocking and smiled to his daughter, finally realizing she wasn't a little girl anymore.

A couple of months later, Ana and Benny had their rooms assigned and they had started to pack their things for the move out. Though, in Ana's case, it seemed forever as she would unpack things several times a day to pack them again. Will had smiled the first couple of days but he was now worried Ana was regretting her decision.

"What if I'm not good enough?" Ana blurted out during dinner that night, making everyone look up at her. The adults shared a look, as if she was insane, but said nothing else. "Wh- what if they kick me out the first semester and I have to go to Community College?"

"Not the end of the world..." Nico stated, making Ana look up from her untouched food. "Ana, I know is stigmatized but Community College is not the end of the world... Did you know that in some parts of the world public university are better than private ones?" Ana listened, blinking in surprise.

"Besides..." Will added, smiling at her. "We won't love you or support you any less if you go to either school..." He held her hand gently. "As long as you're happy we don't care where you study or if you don't succeed..." As the smile returned to Ana's face, the adults relaxed. Nico, innerly, blamed the culture and society for demanding perfection of the kids.

The next day, Ana had stopped unpacking, which was a good sign by both parents because the moving truck would arrived any second.

"You come with me, right?" Ana asked before the truck parked and rang the bell.

"I'm not gonna waste the opportunity to see exactly where I need to surprise you!" Will joked, making Ana laugh. Nico smirked and watched as the moving guys placed almost everything Ana owned into the truck. He sighed and promised to himself that he would cry in the solitude of his home when he was back. Right now, it was a happy ocassion.

"Papà?" Ana called him and he wrapped an arm around her.

"You think I'm gonna let him loose without any supervision?"

"Hey!" Will complained, but Ana laughed again and everything was good in Nico's world. He drove to the university leading the moving truck, interrupting some of the silly conversations that were happening while he drove. When they arrived, he noticed several parents dropping kids and their stuff and saw all the spectrum of emotions.

"C'mon, Principessa... We have a long day ahead..." Nico imagined that Ana would ask him to stop using the nickname, but Ana nodded and grabbed his hand tight, making Nico remember when she was little and scared of everything, only trusting him. And now, ten years later, she was still showing she trusted him when she was scared.

"So, I wonder how your new roommate is?" Will wondered out loud as Ana grabbed his hand with her freer one. "I can imagine someone punk, like Thalia... or maybe someone like Drew, can you imagine?"

"I honestly expect someone like Aunt Annabeth or I wouldn't be able to finish my homework..." Ana hoped, smiling. The small family soon reached the room and noticed the roommate was not there yet. "Room 1313... Like your cabin, Papà!" Nico gave her a confused look, forcing her to explain. "The thirteenth cabin for the thirteenth god."

"I'm just glad you don't think is a bad luck number..." Will mumbled, earning a gently shove from Nico, who smiled before the three were in a group hug. "Call us whenever, alright?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"We love you very much, Ana."

"I love you guys very much, Papà."

----

Good morning/afternoon/evening!

How are you? I'm great, thanks for asking. The past week has been busy rejoining work after a two-week holiday with my family... I have to admit that the road-trip didn't go as planned but we had fun anyway. I know many of you are just walking into spring and Spring Break (if you didn't have it yet), so... have fun!

Today, the last Sunday of March, is a bittersweet day for me. Why? After a lot of thought, I decided to post the final 7 chapters of The First Times TOGETHER. That means that after today, there won't be more updates. I apologize to the readers of Saving Time - A Caleo Story as I couldn't finish the chapter yet, but since it will be my priority from now on till mid-May, I'll make it up to you all!

So, with a tear in our eyes, let's proceed...

The First Times: the final seven chapters... I appreciate and love every single one of the comments, the likes and follows this story had and will continue to have. It was an emotional rollercoaster at times, but I loved it as much you did, I hope.

We'll see each other next weekend!
xoxo, SilverHuntresses