I'm back! The inspiration for this and what will be the next chapter popped into my head just as I was falling asleep last night, so I had to write it up real quick before work! Questions, comments, opinions, gratuitous flattery, and constructive criticism is all quite welcome!

~~Miette

Disclaimer! Characters and plots belonging to Rick Riordan are borrowed with all respect. Anything else you recognize is pure coincidence


Margo lay on the roof of her cabin, watching the clouds scuttle across the sky. It had been 2 days and a few hours since Nico had arrived unexpectedly at camp, and 'Operation: Capitalize on the fact that big bro isn't here and seduce Nico' was going absolutely nowhere.

At first, Margo thought that Cherilynn was right, there was a shot. When Margo got to her table she sat as close to Nico as she could while still sitting at the Poseidon table, as was her habit when Nico and her brother were around. As soon as she'd seen him, however, hunched over the table, all thoughts of seducing him went right out of her head.

"Hey! You feeling ok over there?" Margo, concerned for her friend, leaned over and laid her knuckles against the back of Nico's neck as her mother used to do to her to feel for a fever.

Quickly, as though startled, Nico sat up, causing Margo to jump away, "I'm fine." His voice was tight as he spoke his short reply.

"Well, ok, then," Margo turned away, sitting properly at her table, irritated by his tone. She felt his eyes on her as she requested an iced green tea from her goblet.

Out of the corner of her eye, Margo watched the grumpy Nico, as she resumed her seat after giving her offering. Something definitely seemed to be agitating him. "Hey, Nico?" Marguerite had finally made up her mind to strike up a conversation and ask what was wrong. Nico's response? To get up, give his offering to the gods and SIT AS FAR AWAY FROM MARGO as his table would allow. All as though he hadn't heard her speak, which she knew was not the case.

Margo bit her lip, hurt. What was up with Nico? He'd seemed find this afternoon, happy even. Did he find out about Margo's crush? Did he know of her and Cherilynn's plan? Was that why he was behaving like this? Knowing herself prone to tears, Margo refused to continue thinking on the subject.

Quickly, ignoring Nico as soundly as he was ignoring her, Margo finished her meal, and left the pavilion. She gave a small shrug to Cheri's confused look and hurried away.

She was just to the cabins when a figured appeared in the shadows of the Zeus cabin.

"Margie?"

The girl turned silently to look at Nico, here eyebrow raised in question.

"Could we talk?"

"You didn't seem to interested in speaking at dinner, Nico." Margo fought the urge to cross her arms. She felt rather confused as to what was going on here. Not only had Nico ignored her through the meal, he'd been blatant about it, and she wasn't even sure why. Now he'd gone to the trouble of Shadow Traveling from the mess hall to her to talk?

"I know. I'm sorry, I just…" Nico ran a hand through his hair, something Margo sometimes day dreamed about doing. "I've got some stuff on my mind and I was being an ass. I'm sorry I was being such a jerk at dinner." Awkwardly, Nico held his arms open to asking for a hug, "forgiven?"

"Forgiven," Margo stepped into the embrace, "just, if you need to talk I'm here, and, next time you need alone time, don't be an ass about it, just tell me."

"I will," Nico pulled back slightly, though not breaking the embrace.

"And…" on a whim, Margie slowly slid her arms from around Nico's chest and up to his shoulders, watching his eyes the entire time for a reaction. Once her wrists were securely behind the boy's head, Margo rose to her tiptoes and pulled Nico's head down to her level. Softly, Margo pressed her lips to Nico's.

Neither was positive on how the initially chaste kiss turned into Marguerite being pressed up against the wall of the Zeus cabin, her fingers in the hair at the nape of Nico's neck. Or Nico's right hand gripped tightly on her hip while his left was wrapped tightly in her hair. What they did know was that it ended abruptly.

"Oh gods," Nico whispered as he lowered Margie to her feet and quickly stepped away from her.

Dazedly, she smiled and touched her fingers lightly to her lips, her eyes glowing, "right?"

"No," he whispered, than more firmly, "no."

"What?" Margo dropped her hand and her smile faltered.

"No. This will not happen. It didn't happen. Never," Nico waved a hand as though warding her away. "Don't say anything to anyone. This did not, will not, cannot, won't happen."

"What? Nico…?" Margie took a hesitant step toward Nico, wanting to regain to warmth and pleasure she'd had a moment ago.

"No, Pearl," Nico stepped back.

With thoughts starting to fall into place, Margo flinched at the sound of her pet name, "don't you Pearl me! I…wow…just," Margo shrugged, "bye." She turned on her heel and hurried to her cabin.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel!" Margo smiled slightly at Cheri's voice from the ground.

"Yes?" Margie called, looking over the edge of the roof down at her friend.

"Get down here! There's going to be a gathering this evening!"

Margie smiled at Cheri's code for illicit party, "oh?" Margo made her way to the lower, less angled roof over the porch of her cabin as she spoke. Stretching her legs down to the porch rail, she paused there before dropping to the ground beside Cheri.

"Yes, 'Oh?'. There's some fresh meat coming over from Camp Jupiter, so there is going to be a little welcoming in the Hermes cabin. I figured since you won't tell me what's got you down, even though it def has to do with our Operation, the least I can do is put you in positions to be distracted and made happy!"

"Gee, thanks, Cheri," Margo said with a roll of her eyes.

"What are bestie's for?" Cheri threw an arm around Margie waist and dragged into cabin three to pick an outfit for that night.


Thanks for reading!