Author's Notes: Okay, that's IT. One cute kid with a messed up past and some emotional drama shows up, and he's paired with dozens and dozens of nauseating Mary-Sues or pathetic whiners. Neither of who have enough of a brain to fill a freaking thimble.

An exaggeration, perhaps. But not by much.

Dedicated to all the people out there who facepalmed after reading a Nico/OC story.

Ghost King's Bane

The Cheerleader

OMG. He is so hot.

Okay, so there's not much of a dressing sense, but whatever. That bad-boy look totally rules, and I can just see Amanda seething with envy when he takes me to the winter dance… and as for all those losers eyeing him, oh puh-leez. I'm here, and he'd be blind to notice any of them.

Oooh, that look. He's so not blind.

Where's my cell? I've so got to text my clique!

Monster Teacher

Half- blood. Smells of mortal blood and ichor, the sweetest scent I've ever inhaled.

He-he. Food.

I'll be waiting, my wonderful little tasty half-mortal…

Wait... what's that strapped to his side?

Apollo's Daughter

I've always been sunny.

I like light, I like hope. I like sunshine and rainbows and brilliance.

So why was it that this boy made me feel like shivering? Why did his darkness draw me in like a moth to flame? Why did I turn my glance at him again and again, ignoring the smiles and laughter of the people around me in favor of his shadows?

Why did he make me feel like I just found the shade to my soul?

And so this guy walks in, and no-one even looks at me.

What the F, man? I rule this place. No way I'm going to let some new kid take over my realm.

Clear-sighted Mortal

I've seen him before, battling it out with a scary thing the size of an SUV. Today, his sheathed sword is at his side. No one else notices.

I do. I see things, all the time. Enough so I cannot bear to look at Mrs. Rodreiguz. I see a lot of things other people cannot see… but when I look at him, he's inscrutable. Mysterious and dark and aloof, his eyes darting around with startling quickness, assessing and deciding.

And I think he too, can see.

So I watch him, my heart pounding and my breath shuddering, longing for the day when I can point to whatever it is I'm seeing and see someone else agree that yes, he saw it too.

I don't like the way Mrs. Rodreiguz is looking at him…

Hey, maybe if I show him around and tell him she likes that Giovanchi thing-

Oh, wait. She looks furious now. I wonder what he did.

It's just a new kid. For Pete's sake, why's everyone acting so weird?

High school, I swear. Just get me outta here.

His hair was black silk, his eyes obsidian. His stride was graceful, his gaze unwavering.

He was, put simply, the most beautiful person I'd seen in all my fourteen years of life. What he was doing in this rat hole, this dump, this pathetic place which did no justice to his splendor…

And then he looked at me for an instant, and I knew it as I felt my heart skip a beat.

He was here, for me.

I knew for certain that from now on, my life would different. I knew that one embrace of his arms would make me forget those…those unspeakable things which happened long ago with my father and uncle. I knew that his one glance would make me feel pure, make me feel loved, make me feel cherished. I knew without a doubt, that all that was unexplained in my life, the nightmares and the horrors, would vanish as soon as he entered it.

And I smiled my smile which somehow dazzled all everyone around me, and I knew it too was changed, increasing thousandfold in brilliance; because he was here.

I wonder what's for lunch; I'm hungry.