Sorry it took me a few extra days to get this one published. My computer crashed last Friday so I had to start the chapter over by scratch. -_-

Regardless, here's the thirteenth chapter of Nothing to Fear!

Disclaimer: I don't own PJaTO.

Nothing to Fear

Chapter 13- Victories and 'Almost's

Olivia walked beside the son of Hades, trying to keep her gaze forward. Every so often, her blue eyes would shift around the view in front of her to look at his cool expression, wondering what he was really thinking behind those dark eyes of his.

Ever since they'd left lunch, he hadn't said a word to her. Hadn't even bothered explaining to her why he had made his decision to help her. Or why he really disliked Robert.

"Nico…" Olivia eventually called.

His eyes glanced over at her in response. "Yeah?"

"Why are you helping my sword training again?"

His eyes went back to looking ahead, no longer interested in the conversation. "I have a responsibility for you since I brought you to camp. Can't have you dying on my watch. Also, like I said before, it gives me a chance to repay you for the archery lessons."

"Responsibility?" Olivia asked with a smirk.

Nico had to hold back a chuckle. "Oh believe me; I'm fully aware of how arduous being responsible for you can be. I've got the scar to prove it."

She laughed quietly at the memory. "It was your fault for trying to be all heroic,"

Nico looked over at her with an incredulous smile. "My fault! It's my fault that your dagger suddenly found its way into my skin?"

The demigod just pretended not to hear his question as they continued up the path to the arena where Robert awaited them. She even noticed that Nico seemed to be in better mood now.

"I have a question," Olivia stated as the two noticed the Arena up ahead.

"Go on," Nico urged, looking at her quizzically.

"You've seen how 'okay' I am with a knife," She began. "So why is sword training really needed for me?"

The good mood Olivia thought she recognized on Nico's face seemed to fall as his smile slid off. "When you're a half-blood, the more weapons you know how to use the better chances you have at surviving."

"You make it seem like it doesn't happen often," Olivia noticed morbidly.

He just shrugged his shoulders, but she could see a whole array of emotions flashing in his eyes from guilt to anguish to nostalgia to pain. She wondered if she'd have eyes like that after a few years at Camp.

When they finally made it to the Arena, they found Robert waiting with open arms and sword already in hand.

"Hey, Rob," Olivia greeted happily.

Nico contradicted Olivia's emotions entirely. "Heron."

Robert was unfazed by his attitude. "Hey, you two,"

Then he looked over to Olivia with a smile. "Ready to start?"

She smiled back with false eagerness. "Ready as I'll ever be,"

Nico and Olivia stood on opposite sides of the Arena, sword in hand. Robert stood on the sidelines, watching for flaws and openings in Olivia's posture to point out to her.

"Begin," Robert declared.

Olivia decided to instigate the battle by charging forward, straight at Nico. Her sword was held above her head, ready to be brought down on the shoulder of her opponent. Meanwhile, Nico stood on the other side of the playing field, unmoving.

The moment Olivia got within range of the attack she wanted to inflict, Nico's blade caught hers mid-fall.

"Gotta do better than that," Nico muttered as she used her weight to force down her sword, attempting to break his strength first.

Nico realized her dully thought out plan and quickly used her weight against her. His dexterity, gathered from years of avoiding monsters, allowed him to use a free hand to grab Olivia's sword grip while still holding his own. He twisted her wrist to release it before jumping away from her entirely, making her fall to the ground.

"Ow…" she moaned.

"If you only knew how many openings you had just now," Nico chuckled as he walked over to her and gave her a hand.

"Hey, I'm a beginner, what do you want from me?" Olivia sulked as she grudgingly took his hand. She took her sword back from his as well.

"Nico's got a point," The observing demigod agreed as he walked over to the two. "You're way to open about your attacks. Sword fighting isn't the same as it is in the movies,"

Olivia just looked oddly at him, as if asking him to elaborate. The boy sighed at her confusion before reaching out for her.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked skeptically. His question was ignored.

"Here," Robert started as he put his hand over hers. "Think of your grip on this blade as being your grip on life. If you drop this sword or even think of letting it go, you lose all chances of surviving the fight." Then he slipped his other arm around her waist, his chest pressing against her back. "And everything my body is touching right now is considered a target for any opponent, so keep yourself protected at all times. Protection should always be your first priority."

Nico tried to hold back the anger growing in the pit of his stomach at seeing the teenager press himself against Olivia. And, of course, she failed to notice the awkwardness of their position because she was too busy trying to take in his advice on swordplay.

This guy has no shame, Nico thought heatedly, glaring a hole in his forehead.

"Hey, Heron," He called, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

The boy looked up in recognition, still draped over the demigod beneath him. "Yeah?"

"How about we show her how it's done through example?" Nico requested, his words lined with a dark undertone.

Robert smiled brilliantly at the son of Hades. "That's not a bad idea, Di Angelo,"

The two stood against each other as Olivia sat in the Arena stands to watch their fight.

"Ready?" Robert asked him.

Nico took an attack stance from the other side of the field. "Let's get started."

The boys charged at each other at the same time, but after a moment Robert decided to stop first as Nico plunged at him. Their swords connected with a loud clang.

Olivia kept her eyes on them, trying to comprehend their agility mixed with their balance and harsh slashes. The two were definitely pros at their given games; that much she could tell. She also made the observation that the two were fighting evenly matched since their battle began.

Nico swung, Robert dodged. Robert sliced, Nico countered. It was like watching a ballet, but instead of tutus, they had fatal weapons. Olivia didn't know whose form to follow half the time.

Nico was trying to hold back, reminding himself that it was only for show. Only for Olivia's experience. However, his opponent's evasions, amongst other actions the boy had made, had severely gotten on his nerves.

Robert shot his blade forward, and it took Nico by surprise, cutting close enough to leave a cut on his arm, topping Olivia's scar from days ago.

Feeling the sting of his blade, Nico's restraint seemed to disappear as he slammed into Robert, hard enough to push him back and take him by genuine surprise. Olivia watched as the tackle made him drop his sword completely.

Nico caught his sword and slashed Robert away from him, using a double-sided slice of his and Robert's blades at the same time. All before Robert even fully hit the ground.

"Wow," Olivia whispered as she witnessed the maneuver.

Then she noticed that Robert had hit the ground with quite a thud. She hopped over the Arena wall and ran over to her teacher as Nico walked towards him.

"You put up quite a fight there, Heron," Nico complimented with a hint of smugness in his tone. He'd be lying if he said that winning hadn't felt at least a little good. And the fact that his loss was in front of Olivia didn't hurt either.

"Not as good as you," Robert replied as he tried to stand up. Once he was up though, he winced, his arm wrapped around his waist. "Apparently."

When he revealed his side, red blood covered his hand while he opened his gash to fresh air. Olivia was the first to gasp while Nico's mouth went agape as his victorious expression turned into a guilty one.

"Aw, man, I'm sorry," Nico immediately apologized. "I could have sworn the tips didn't touch you,"

Robert leaned on Olivia's side as he chuckled ad held his gash closed. "You're better than you think, Di Angelo."

But Nico just couldn't take the compliment to heart as he watched the boy limp from Olivia's side.

"Don't worry," Robert assured. "I've got a bag on ambrosia in my bunk. The cabin isn't too far from here."

"You sure you can make it?" Olivia questioned, obviously worried.

The wounded kid flashed a reassuring smile. "You just keep training with Di Angelo. I'll be back and healed up in no time."

Nico and Olivia watched him walk out the Arena, limping his way to the Hephaestus cabin. Once he was out of sight, Olivia looked back to see Nico with shame still burning in his eyes.

"I honestly didn't mean to hurt him that bad," he promised her as he noticed her glance.

Olivia picked up her sword from where she left it on the ground earlier. "It's okay… I know you didn't. The damage would've been a lot worse if you'd meant to,"

Nico didn't know if he was being forgiven or accused, but decided not to think much of it as he placed Robert's sword down by the entrance. "Let's get back to practicing,"

And their battle commenced. Olivia took charge first, heaving all she could into her attacks.

"Stop just throwing your sword around," Nico berated as he blocked her every blow. "Sword fighting isn't just about who has the most power, it's about who has the most skill. That includes strategizing."

"I'd rather just fight like this." Olivia said as she continued.

Nico's sword clashed with hers as they push on their blades with equal force.

"Then, you will lose ever fight." He stated.

Olivia tried to swipe him away, but it was no use, her blade was trapped in collision with his.

"Olivia, you're so much stronger than you let yourself be," The Death boy informed. "If you would just stop thinking like a kid and start thinking like a demigod, you would have beaten me by now."

"I'm trying-"

"Try harder."

Olivia glared at his dark obsidian eyes, her anger suddenly getting the better of her.

"You think I wanted to be a demigod? I didn't! I didn't want to be a freak of nature. I didn't want to have stupid and terrible powers. I didn't want any of it," Olivia growled, power building inside of her. "But you know what I do want? To knock you on your ass."

And she did just that. She turned the tables on the son of Hades, twirling around his blade and using his own weight against him. With a final blow to an opening on his left side, she sent him tumbling to the ground.

"HA," She yelled at him… before making herself trip on accident and falling to the ground herself.

THUD.

"…Ow…" she groaned softly. The ground was a lot bonier than she remembered.

"Got that right," a voice said beneath her.

Olivia looked down to see Nico had cushioned her fall while she, on the other hand, had just made his worse.

"So… rry," She muttered slowly as she tried to get up, only to realize how close he was to her yet again.

His cologne, she thought to herself as she stared at his deep coal eyes. It smells like fruit.

Nico's eyes were trapped by hers as well. "It's… okay…"

Olivia noticed his face growing closer to hers. Inch by inch, his head began leaning up to her, their hearts thumping. They were only centimeters apart now, the gap between them ceasing to exist…

"Am I interrupting?"

The two snapped out of their trance to see Robert at the Arena entrance, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. Olivia was the first to react, realizing the situation.

"W-what? No, of course, not," She stated, trying to calm her heartbeats as she immediately rolled off Nico and got up to her feet.

Nico got up after her as well, trying to look anywhere but at her. "Yeah… of course not."

Meanwhile, Robert just smirked at the two, avoiding each other's gaze.

"If you say so…"

Well that was the 13th chapter of Nothing to Fear! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Please review!

Yours truly,

The Victorian