He likes boys – Simone Battle

Olivia Greene was new in Camp Half-Blood and he was the first one to welcome her without any of the suspiciousness. He was a little creepy, true. He would always lurk in the shadow and refuse to converse with anyone else.

But he never called her any bad names. He never judged her for what her half-brothers and half-sisters (all of whom she'd never even met) did during the Titan War. He was calm and cool. He listened to her. He patiently taught her how to use a sword. He was amazing - perfect.

And yes, she may be a bit bias, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

"Don't come near him," She heard warnings from others. "He's a son of Hades."

She ignored those and retorted back, "Well, I'm a daughter of Hecate."

She didn't listen to them when they warned her. Sure, she knows that being a child of the Big Three, he was powerful. He showed her one time when he summoned skeletons. But from what she heard in her cabin, children of Hecate could do the same.

Whenever her cabin mates, her half-siblings, would ask why she even like him, she already have a long list of answer. He was sweet and kind. He had sexy hair and gorgeous smile. He's the most perfect guy she knows. Not even the boys in Aphrodite Cabin can compare to him. And when she's on a bad mood, he'd bring her to the video room and watch the Notebook even without prompting.

Sometimes he would travel around, not returning for a week. She would use those times to train, to do things that would be sure he would be proud of. And when he sees her progress, she'll see one of those rare smiles he only gives her and Percy and the daughter of Zeus she had yet to meet. Her heart would beat like a mini drum.

"He's perfect." She said to her sister, Lou Ellen, once. "I – I think I'm in love."

"You can't." the older girl said.

"What? Why?" She scowled at her. She thought Lou wouldn't have any prejudice against Nico for being a son of Hades. "You can't say it's because he's a son of Hades. He's a nice demigod, Lou. And he's really, really amazing."

She saw Lou bite her lower lip. "Listen, this is something you can't tell anyone." She leaned forward to whisper, their eyes meeting in an electric stare-off. "No one, Olivia, you have to promise. This is a sensitive thing."

"Why do I have to promise?" She crossed her arms and looked away with a huff. "I'm in love with Nico and you can't change my mind. No matter what you say. Period."

Lou sighed. "Oli, you're not his type."

"You can't say that." She hissed, standing up and ready to storm out when her sister grasped her wrist. "You don't even know him."

"He likes boys, Oli." She said. "And unless you spell yourself to have male parts, he won't reciprocate your feelings."

"Shut up!" She bellowed. "You're just lying. Stop it." She yanked her hand from Lou and stormed out.

That was a few days ago. She refused to even be in the same room as Lou since that day. She bunked with the Hermes cabin after some pleading. She knew that it couldn't be true. She refused to believe the lies Lou was determined to seed inside her mind.

"Hey." Her lips twitched to a grin and she spun around to see Nico stand before her. He looked as cool as ever, with his beautiful messy hair and rare smiles.

"Hi." She greeted him, a little breathless as she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. "How're you? Did you get what you have to get?"

"Fine." He shrugged. "And you know that I can't tell you."

"You're right, I'm sorry." She blushed when she saw him look at her with amusement in those wonderful black pools.

The two of them just walked around the beach. It was a fair day, after all. And in Olivia's mind, it was so dang romantic that she almost forgot what Lou told her. The silence that surrounded them would be awkward to most people, but for her, it was like she was getting to know Nico through this silence. She could just simply stare at his beautiful face and not bother much.

She looked down at the hand dangling by his side. Her palm itched. She wanted to reach out and hold his hand. It would be so romantic. It was like a beach stroll in fair afternoon. And as she bundled up the courage, almost reaching for his hand, he suddenly jerked away and turned to another direction when he heard a gaily laugh and someone call his name.

A little miffed at her failed attempt, Olivia looked around for the source. It turned out to be Percy Jackson, the camp's Hero (with a capital H). He was topless as he swam around the water, playing around with a dolphin and… what was that colorful fish?

"Percy!" She did a double take as she heard Nico's voice yell out. His tone sounded so different from the usual mysterious – hot – tone he'd use with her. In fact, if she was correct, that was pure happiness.

She just stayed on the sidelines and watched the two of them interact. And, as if her rose-tinted glasses were ripped out, she saw. She saw the uncertain way Nico stood next to Percy – the same way she knows she was like earlier. She wanted to believe that she imagined the way he blushed when Percy draped an arm over his shoulder. She saw - even from her vantage point -the way his eyes softened. She wished with all her heart that she didn't see all those.

But she wasn't dumb. And she didn't need to be a Daughter of Aphrodite to see it.

Lou Ellen was right.

"He likes boys."