A/N: I wrote something sad… Pre-SoN, one-sided Percico. Hope you like it, please review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hazel wasn't sure what came as more of a surprise to her- that Nico was at Camp Jupiter at 4 in the morning, or that he was so spaced out not even a zombie invasion led by his own father's army could have snapped him out of it.

So, obviously, Hazel couldn't either.

"Hey, Nico!" she called up to where her brother was lying, on the roof of the Temple of Pluto, staring up at the sky.

He neither answered nor acknowledged her existence.

"Nico?" Hazel asked again, climbing up to the roof next to him.

Still no answer.

Frowning, Hazel knelt down next to her brother and poked his arm. "Nico!"

Finally, Nico yelped in surprise, jumping to his feet and drawing his sword before he realized who'd touched him. "H-Hazel?"

She looked up at him from where she was still kneeling on the ground and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

Nico cleared his throat awkwardly, regaining his composure and laying back onto the pile of bones. "Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, I was just... Thinking."

"About what?" Hazel asked him, settling down onto the roof next to him.

Nico hesitated to answer, but then sat up and glanced nervously at her. "Hazel, when you... When Sammy loved you... And you loved him, what... What did it feel like?"

Hazel stared at him, taken aback by the question.

"Never mind," Nico hastily back-pedaled. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No," Hazel stopped him. "It's okay. I... I don't mind. It... It was a long time ago, but... I remember being scared, at first. Because I cared about him so much, and I... I wasn't sure if he felt the same way about me."

Nico nodded. "Right. Yeah."

"But even if he hadn't," Hazel continued, smiling encouragingly at her brother. "He was still my best friend, and he always would be, and that was all that mattered."

Nico nodded, breathing shakily. "Ok. Thanks, Hazel."

"Is this... About someone?" she asked.

Slowly, hesitantly, Nico nodded. "Yeah. Kinda. But I'm okay. It'll be okay."

Hazel smiled. "I'm glad." She stood to go. "And remember, if she doesn't like you back, then she's not worth it."

"Oh, I-" Nico began, but she'd already disappeared over the side of the temple. "I... Never said it was a she..."

A/N: Hope you liked it, please review!