After a while, I saw (Y/n) sneak out. Why didn't I think of the earlier? I thought. I got up, the guy from the Hermes cabin still talking, not even noticing me leaving.

Without hesitation, I followed her.

~(Y/n)'s POV~

You trudged your way towards Canoe Lake, which was pretty hard due to the dress and shoes you were wearing. You took out your iPod and put a pair of headphones in your ears. Setting the playlist on shuffle, you sat down on the docks, leaned back, and closed your eyes.

Little did you know, a certain son of Hades quietly inched towards you and sat down beside your peaceful figure. He tapped your bare shoulder, not wanting to scare you.

You opened your eyes and sat up immediately. "Oh, hey, Nico," you greeted, taking out one of your earbuds in order to hear him.

Why'd he follow me? "Why'd you follow me?"

"Um, well the dance got kind of boring and stuff, and this Hermes kid started yapping about his hopes and dreams," he shrugged.

"Seriously? And what kind of 'hopes and dreams' are those?" You laughed, slightly curious.

"I honestly don't know, I wasn't even listening. Maybe he said something about competitive crossword puzzles, butter sculpting, bread making, dog whispering, or maybe animal husbandry. Or was it something else? Who cares?" He said.

You laughed. "Remind me to never talk to you about my dreams."

He shrugged. "Since it's you, I would probably listen." Your face heated up.

"Really?" You asked. He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, of course. And uh, the other reason why I left is because the girl I wanted to dance with, left."

A small part of you hoped that the girl he was talking about was you. You nodded but kept your head down and cleared your throat, "Right, yeah."

"So I followed her."

You snapped your head up to look at him. A smile spread across your face. You swiftly stood up. He smiled back, but wondered why you stood. "What are you-" He tried to say.

"Dance with me then," you interrupted and held out a hand. He stood and took your hand in his. Putting one of your earbuds in his ear, you put your arms around his neck and he put his hands on your waist.

The song on your iPod changed. It was Lay Me Down by Sam Smith. You internally cringed. Its not like you had a problem with the song or anything. The song was amazing and beautiful. It was even amazingly beautiful. It's just that the song was sad in general.

The song made you think about all the friends you had in the past that passed away. The campers you lost in the Battle of Manhattan a few years ago. Your mortal parent. The siblings who fought bravely and died against Gaea's forces. It was always managed to remind you about all the hardships that came with being a demigod. It made you feel the grief all over again.

But this feeling was different.

Right here, right now, being with Nico and sharing a slow dance with him, made you remember all the good things that made being a half-blood sound not so bad. All friendships you built the past few years here at Camp Half-Blood. All the adventures you had and the memories that you wouldn't trade for the world. None of that would've happened if wasn't for who you were.

Having lost loved ones will always be painful. But the love for them will never be lost. You realized that now.

Burying your head in Nico's shoulder, you smiled, swaying to the song.

The song changed a few more times, making you notice that you two had been dancing for a while. The dance back at the amphitheater must be almost over.

Nico got quiet for a long time, and then he started saying a bunch of words that made no sense together, but you knew exactly what he was trying to say.

If a girl spends any amount of time with a boy, she is bound to have a conversation pretty much exactly like this one. With Nico, it went like this: "So um you know," he said. "You know how when two people, like, when they know each other. When a guy and a girl, they kind of, um, they sometimes kind of... You know, when...I've been. Here's the thing..."

Yup, sometimes a guy would much rather avoid what he's trying to tell a girl while he's telling her it, than come right out and say what he's actually thinking. Nico was no exception there.

You quickly shushed him, knowing what he meant by all the jumble of words that came out his mouth. "I like you, too, Nico."

He looked half dumbfounded, half ecstatic. He tried to speak, but it came out as something like, "Neener durm buraz maaa."

You laughed and ruffled his hair. "Okay, Death Boy."

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