I look over to where Leo stands and immediately burst out laughing. My eyes skim over his falsely confident facial expression and shifting feet. Thalia watches him incredulously as he attempts to flirt with her for the thousandth time. Leo opens his mouth and unleashes another set of words- undoubtedly trying one of his pick-up lines.

Right now I'm sitting in the Roman camp's dining hall, sitting solo at the Pluto table. I have my shades on to disguise the fact that I'm spying on Leo's tries to woo Thalia. It's rather sad, really. A son of Hades spying on a potential couple, the activity seems fit for a child of Aphrodite. But there's something about love that makes me feel warm inside, even though it sound sappy and unfitting and maybe even creepy.

I shift my focus back to the lovebirds. Leo must have set her off, because she's walking away looking irritated. I feel a stab of sadness as I see intense pain and failure quickly flits across Leo's face and stay for a moment. The stab leaves after I see him grin widely and make a mental note for the next time he converses with her.

I let the rest of my laughter out, resting my head in my hands. My laughter dies down and now I'm just obscuring my large grin with my hands. I reluctantly let go of my head once a fraction of my laughter is devoid, and I randomly look up at a spot across the room. Right when I look to that spot, I meet someone else's gaze.

My face relaxes into an expression that probably looks fazed and taken aback, remnants from the previous hilarity and newfound curiosity. The face of the stranger is mirroring my expression. I take in as much of her as I can with breaking eye contact.

She has black hair that sits in waves past her shoulders. Her thin, dark eyebrows leave her an air of dignity, possibly due to the praetor attire she's wearing. The mystery girl's eyes are a shade of brown that look shockingly similar to my own. Her skin's ever so slightly tanned, perfectly accommodating her other features. I'll admit, even though it may be the Aphrodite side of me, that she's the best looking girl I've ever seen.

My mouth is slightly parted without my knowledge due to my concentration and I quickly shut it once I've reeled back to reality. She sees the shift in my expression and composes herself, but we're still keeping hold of each other's eyes.

Her gaze shifts to a spot over my shoulder and I also tear my gaze away, looking for clues to find out who this girl is. I look at her table; she's sitting alone, like I am, at the table for children of Bellona. A girl with brains. And I notice there are two gold and silver dogs staring at her protectively, never wavering their locked attention. There are other kids of Bellona at the table, but for some reason they're sitting at least a few feet away from her. And those that are closest to her have slight fear in their eyes.

I take off my shades and clip them to the inside of the collar of my jacket, revealing my eyes, and do the most daring thing I've ever done. I conspicuously walk over to her table and take a seat across from her. Dozens of eyes are focused on me, looking at me like I had just decided to challenge Percy to a fight underwater. It's not the look in their eyes that intrigues me, it's the fact that she's wearing it too.

"I'm Nico," I say lamely, considering that it's the first thing that comes to my mind.

Her façade changes, morphing into a reserved one, "Reyna."

"Are you the praetor around here?" I ask, gesturing to her clothes. I mentally face palm myself, of course she! Otherwise she wouldn't be wearing that clothing.

She nods emotionlessly, "Why'd you come over here?"

"Right to the point, aren't you? I thought you looked lonely and could use some company…"

"You're not from here, are you?" Reyna asks with a miniscule spark of curiosity.

I shake my head, "I came here from Camp Half-Blood."

She nods but her face stays unreadable.

"You'd be really great at poker," I blurt out, mentally cursing my stupidity again.

For a second, I'm contemplating about taking that statement back. I open my mouth but her laughter interrupts me. Not full on laughter, but a light laugh is all I need.

Now everyone's eyes are focused on the two of us, their faces a mixture of complete surprise and utter confusion. They almost look horrified.

"I take that back," I share, cracking a smile.

She smiles ever so slightly, recovering from her laughter. More miffed expressions are received from our close-by neighbors.

Her eyes quickly shift to the large extravagant clock on the wall and her face is, once again, devoid of emotion. "I have somewhere to go," she admits, standing up and glancing at me.

I hide the disappointment, "It was nice meeting you."

"I have to say the same for you, too," she says cautiously, looking like she's picking her words carefully. She starts walking away and I stare intently at the back of her head thinking.

I'm definitely going to make sure we meet again, soon.