This takes place about a year and a half after BoO.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Elevator buttons and morning air
Strangers' silence makes me wanna take the stairs
If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares
But right now my time is theirs

I pull my backpack closer to me as I squeeze into the corner of the elevator full of teenagers. This early in the morning everyone is pretty quiet. A twelfth grader in front of me yawns. Haily something-or-other from algebra attempts to get something from her backpack without hitting anyone.

I suppress a sigh. Winter break just ended and I miss camp already. I hate the mundane, frustratingly boring school day. I hate not seeing Cecil and Lou Ellen and Nico. I miss my siblings, and working in the infirmary. Camp Half-Blood might be a little crazy, but it's home.

Seems like there's always someone who disapproves
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury's out, but my choice is you

The elevator lets out on the third floor, and I turn the corner into the arts hallway where my locker is. I notice a couple of kids standing across the hall from it, snickering to each other and glancing my way.

As I get closer I see what's so funny. Someone covered my locker in pieces of lined paper, 'fag' and 'pansy' and a couple of other colorful words written all over them, along with several drawings of dicks. Apparently multiple people helped out judging from the different handwritings.

I close my mouth which was hanging open and shoot the people across the hall my most threatening glare, which Nico always calls pathetic but definitely is good enough to send the mortals scurrying away.

It's not the first time this has happened. It's been happening since grade nine when I kissed Tyler McHall at one of the only mortal parties I ever went to. I live in the south, in a small town full of sheltered kids, and parents who think it's still the fifties. This is a common thing.

I guess I should have been expecting it, talking to Nico on my cell phone in the courtyard during lunch yesterday wasn't the best idea. I mean, I was quiet about it, and if it had been a girl no one would have cared. But someone must have heard me and spread it around that I have a boyfriend, and everyone got worked up again.

It's embarrassing, of course, being singled out like this. But I'm not ashamed, and if lunch time is when Nico could get to the convenience store a couple of miles from camp to use the phone, then that's when I'm going to talk to him then.

I take a deep breath and start taking down the papers.

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell Nico about my day when we're Iris Messaging that night, because he absolutely flips when I tell him about the locker.

It starts out with anger, a lot of muttering in Italian, and some cursing. "I swear to every single god, I'll come there and I'll kill them myself."

After a few minutes of that, he moves on to worry. "Are you okay? They're assholes, don't listen to them, alright? Are you sure you're not upset?"

And then guilt. "I'm so sorry, this is my fault. I should have called later." He says, putting his head in his hands.

"Nico, Nico, calm down." I say, wishing I could reach through the Iris Message and touch him in some way. "It's not your fault. I love you, and I don't care about them. It's really not a big deal, it's happened before. I'm fine, are you?"

Nico stares at his hands in his lap for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Yeah, if you're fine, I'm fine. And I love you too."

You never know what people have up their sleeves
Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
But I don't care 'cause right now you're mine

I'm terrible at sword fighting. I would have given up a long time ago if Nico didn't enjoy trying to teach me so much.

There's only a couple of other people in the sword fighting arena during free time, some children of Ares practising on the dummies, and a couple of girls standing by one of the columns, not really doing anything but talking.

"...could do way better." I hear one of them say.

I look at them out of the corner of my eye to see that they're all watching me and Nico spar.

"I know, right?" One of the daughters of Aphrodite says. "How did he go from Miranda to him?"

I look at them full on now, which gives Nico the opportunity to disarm me and sweep my legs out from under me in one move. I land flat on my back, looking up at him.

"Not fair!" I protest as he sheaths his own sword and sits on my stomach.

"You were distracted. If it was a real fight you'd be dead." He says, smiling smugly.

"...He'll come to his senses eventually." Penelope, a daughter of Hebe says.

I feel sick to my stomach with anger. They have no place to decide weather I could do better then Nico or not, they don't know him, they don't know us. It's not fair comparing my current relationship to my pasts ones, they were all with different people who I loved for different reasons. And how dare they say that I'll "come to my sense," like I'm making a bad decision and I'll soon realize how wrong I've been.

I'm tempted to get up and go over there, tell them off, defend Nico and myself.

And you'll say
Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

Nico leans down and kisses me. "You're getting better though." He says. "Practice is really helping."

"You just like beating me up." I say with a smile.

He grins and helps me to my feet. I decide I won't say anything to the girls, they're not worth my time, and it doesn't matter what they think. I retrieve my own sword and sheath it.

"Wanna see what Lou and Cecil are doing?" I ask Nico.

He takes my hand, and we walk out right past the girls.

And it's not theirs to speculate
If it's wrong and
Your hands are tough
But they are where mine belong and
I'll fight their doubt and give you faith
With this song for you

"Uh oh, he's making his Nico face again." My sister Kayla says at the campfire, snickering and nudging Austin.

"What?" I ask, snapping out of my train of thought. "I do not have a Nico face, whatever that is."

"You totally do," Victoria says teasingly. "Whenever you think about him you get all blushy and you stare off into space and smile like a nerd."

I'm not sure if I was blushing before, but I certainly am now. "I do not!" I say, laughing with them.

We go back to singing along with our siblings that are leading the campfire tonight, but a few minutes later I'm back to watching Nico, whose sitting up front with Piper and Jason.

"Go," Kayla says, rolling her eyes. "I'll stay with the kids."

"I can't," I shake my head.

She sighs "Just go."

"Are you sure?" I ask. She nods. "Thanks!"

I step around people to get to the first row, then sit down beside Nico. He smiles when I wrap my arms around him, and snuggles in closer for warmth, leaning back against my chest.

'Cause I love the gap between your teeth
And I love the riddles that you speak
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored
'Cause my heart is yours

When Kristan, one of my few mortal friends asks me to tell her about Nico, I wonder, how do you describe your played-a-major-part-in-two-wars, ass kicking, son of Hades boyfriend to people who aren't demigods?

He's adorable. I could say. He has these really dark brown eyes that look like chocolate in the sun, and he's got freckles that he thinks look stupid but I just love. He talks with his hands a lot, he's Italian, he even grew up in Venice. He's the biggest nerd ever, but he tries to pretend he isn't. He's one of the bravest people I know. He's been through a lot, but he's always polite and kind, and he always does what's right.

He likes watching movies, but I think that's just because it gives him an excuse to cuddle with me. He's really good with the little kids at our camp, which no one saw coming, since he used to be kind of dark and scary. He's obsessed with sour candies. He's sarcastic, and so good at it that sometimes people aren't sure if he's joking or not. He loves his sister, Hazel. He insists that he can't sing, but I've heard him at the campfire and he's not bad. His favorite color is light blue. He's infuriating sometimes, but I love him.

Instead I just shrug and smile, feeling my face burning with a blush. "He's awesome." I tell her. "One of a kind."

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
But they can't take what's ours
They can't take what's ours

To say it hasn't been a great day is putting it mildly.

First I was attacked by a Gryphon on the way to school, making me late for the third time this year, which meant I had to spend lunch in detention. Then we had a test in science that I had forgotten all about and I'm pretty sure I failed. People were their typical rude selves. I have trigonometry homework. My mom is working late so I'm alone when I get home. And it's all made worse because it's my birthday.

I throw my backpack into the corner of my room and flop down on my bed, wondering how much shit I would get in if I don't do my homework, and contemplating ordering a pizza and watching movies all night.

I've just gone downstairs to the kitchen and got out the pizza place fliers when the doorbell rings. I go open the door and jump about a foot when three of the last people I was expecting to see today yell "Happy birthday!"

Lou Ellen, Cecil, and Nico all stand on my porch, smiling at me. Lou practically tackles me in a hug, and Cecil holds up a birthday cake in a box from my favorite bakery in New York.

"What are you doing here?!" I ask once Lou lets go of me.

"We couldn't miss your birthday!" She says.

"Nico shadow travelled us here." Cecil says.

I just stare at them for a minute, feeling a little chocked up, afraid that if I say something my voice will crack.

"So, are we just going to stand on the porch all night or can we come in?" Cecil asks.

I nod and step aside letting them get past. Nico stops in front of me though and stands on his tiptoes to kiss me. I lace my fingers through his and lean back against the door frame. "You're the best." I say, putting my head on his shoulder for a second.

"We're you going to order pizza?" Cecil calls from the kitchen.

"If he wasn't, he is now." I hear Lou say.

I laugh, shaking my head, thinking that I have the best friends in the entire world.

The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours