...
"My parents were the demigods." I kicked the ground a bit as their faces went from awe-struck to down right confused. Annabeth looked the least confused, then Percy, then Chiron and lastly Nico, who looked at me like I was character from one of the books I read. "Uhh..." I said as I tried to back up. Apparently, I drew a crowd. I turned to see who I bumped into. It was the Austin kid from earlier. "Sorry," I muttered as I felt bodies being pressed against my own. I moved to the circle, or square, of Percy, Annabeth, Nico and Chiron. They looked down at me, which made me realize I was on the ground. "Can you help a girl out?" I smiled weakly. A horn blew and the crowd ran towards the hill with the pavilion. Once the majority left, Nico helped me to me feet.
"We can't be late for lunch," Chiron said as he started to trot towards the hill.
"Come on. Let's go," Percy said as he grabbed Annabeth's hand. I followed with Nico walking besides me.
"Who are your parents then?" Nico whispered.
I gave him a sideways glance before answering in a whisper as well, "Kevin and Sarah Wilson."
"Never heard of them," he said.
"Most people haven't. My dad works as a doctor in Germany and my mom works for a newspaper as an advice columnist," I said, turning my face down a little.
"It sucks to not be able to see family. Even worse if they're dead," Nico said flatly. I felt a sting of guilty of bring it up. As if on cue, Nico added, "You don't need to feel sorry. I have a great family with these guys."
I smiled as we came to the pavilion. My smile was washed away by everyone staring at us. I felt my face get hot as Nico and I stood there for a moment. He grabbed my hand, not my wrist, and pulled me to a lonely table. We sat down as food appeared. "I can't sit here," I said, standing up. "I don't belong anywhere."
"You do belong. You just need to find where, but until then, sit here. I'm sure my dad won't mind," Nico said as he pulled me back down to sitting. "And if he did, I don't care." Feeling comforted a bit, I grabbed something and threw it into a fire. The fire turned a green and blue color. I guessed it wasn't the normal color because people started whispering.
"I told you!" I shouted at Nico as I got up and ran away from the pavilion to the blue house, that oddly represented a safe haven now. I stumbled a few times, running down the hill at full speed. I slipped on some mud outside the house and fell on my butt. I got up and ran into the house and sat down in a wash or mud room. I pulled my muddy legs to my chest and hugged my legs. I let the tears fall, thinking I was the abomination everyone thought I was. I heard a soft knock. I didn't respond.
The person knocked again, saying, "Juli, it's me, Nico. Can you open up?" How did he find me? It doesn't matter. I'm still an abomination, I thought. "I'm coming in," he opened the door, barely missing me. "Juli, come back to the pavilion. Everyone is worrying."
"Really? That's a first," I muttered. "They don't care until it's appropriate." He squatted in front of me.
"I'm not talking about everyone else. I'm talking about Chiron, Percy and Annabeth," he managed a smile. "They care about you, even if you just met them. They are my family and they care about me and what I care about." I blinked a few times before sighing.
"I'll go, if you can tell me something," I smiled a bit, too. I heard footsteps outside the doorway.
"Nico, Juli. I found you," Percy smiled as he poked his head in. "Come on back to lunch. Chiron is getting worried."
Nico got up, then helped me up, "I think she needs to get changed first." Percy and Nico managed to get me clothes that fit and I changed into them, leaving my muddy clothes with Percy. We trudged back up the hill. Percy went to his respective table and Nico brought me to his.
Everyone still eyed us, but I turned a cold shoulder to them. We ate and talked about random, non-Greek or Roman related things. It turns out Nico has a soft spot for my favorite book series, Gone. We quoted our favorite lines and laughed about the similarities between us. We both liked a love song called Overwhelmed by Tim McMorris. We both enjoyed random songs that reminded us of stuff from our childhoods. When lunch was over, we walked around camp. Nico told me of his sister and mother. I told him about my cousins. Towards the time of dinner, we turned to the subject of celebrity crushes.
"I would say mine is David Tennant, or maybe Matt Smith," I said, leaning on my elbows and sitting in the sand. "Who's yours?"
"Who in the gods' names are that?" Nico smiled.
I shook my head, "They're British actors, who kinda look like an older version of you, but with paler skin." I asked as I sat up, brushing off the sand, "So, who do you like?"
"I don't know," Nico shrugged. "I'm not into tv or movies, really."
"If you had to pick, no buts, who would you say?" I turned to face Nico, instead of the setting sun. He thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
He closed it, then opened it to speak, "If I had to choose one person that I had a crush on..." he trailed off.
"Yeah. Pick anyone you want," I smiled as he smiled.
"If I had to pick one, I'd pick you."
