AN: Author's note at the bottom of the page. Enjoy reading :)

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.

Piper

"Have you seen Drew? She left the dining pavilion before the rest of the Aphrodite cabin, and I haven't seen her since that. I am afraid that she might have done something stupid." I said. We were in the Hades cabin, and Nico and Will looked really embarrassed. A suspicion grew in my head. "Do you have something to do with that?" I asked.

"Err, yes, kind of." Nico answered. "We might, or might not, have locked her and Cecil in the supply closet of the Big House."

"You did what?" I exploded. I glared at them. "You will free them, NOW." Sudden realization hit me. "Wait, why Cecil?"

Will obviously felt very uneasy. "Well, I am not supposed to talk about this, so if you would keep that as a secret…" He took a deep breath. "Cecil told me that he loves Drew, and because she didn't leave her cabin very often for the last few weeks, we thought it might be a good idea to lock them in there. You know, so they had time to talk."

I rolled my eyes. "Who are you, and what have you done to Will Solace? You sound like on of the Stoll twins, except the fact they aren't embarrassed of their pranks. Anyway" I shot them an angry look "you will unlock the closet, right now. Understood?"

Three minutes later

The door swung open. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Hello Piper" Drew answered, her voice as friendly as I never heard it before. I didn't believe my eyes: Drew and Cecil sat on the floor, their arms wrapped around each other. Both looked as if they had cried.

They stood up, still holding hands. Drew broke the silence. "Piper… I'm so sorry. I know, I've been an asshole, but can you forgive me? I didn't know how it feels to have a broken heart, until…" her voice crackled. "Until I fell in love myself." she finished her sentence.

I offered her my hand and she took it. "Apology accepted. But I'm not the one you should apologize to in the first place." She looked desperate. "I know" she muttered.

Cecil

I was on cloud nine. Confessing my feelings to Drew had taken a load off my mind. When we kissed, I was perfectly happy. After Piper freed us, I almost wanted to be back in there. Just me and Drew…

As we walked through the camp, holding hands, many people looked at us in disbelief. Drew had a really bad reputation, and I suspect many people pitied me or thought of me as Drew's latest victim. But I knew better.

"Will you apologize?" I broke the silence. We sat on top of the Half-Blood hill, leant against Thalia's pine, and enjoyed the vista. "Yes" she said with a low voice. "But I am scared. Scared of rejection. Scared of their reaction."

I put my arm around her. "I can't promise that everything will be fine. But whatever will happen, I'll be there for you."

The conch shell horn at the dining pavilion boomed through the camp. Dinner time. At the pavilion, we reluctantly parted to head for our respective tables.

—

When the dinner was halfway through, I saw that Drew stood up at the Aphrodite table and asked for everyone's attention. The room fell silent.

"I have to apologize. During the last years, I have acted beyond excuse. I broke hearts and destroyed relationships, direct or indirect. I used my powers for bad. I know my behaviour is inexcusable. But I…" she took a deep breath "I beg you for your pardon."

For a few seconds, nobody said a word. It felt like eternity to me. Finally, one camper stood up. I remembered his face, but not his name. One of Drew's former boyfriends. "I accept your apology." One after another, more campers stood up, until about one third of the campers stood up. All assured that they didn't hold a grudge against her. I let out a breath I didn't knew I was holding. Drew looked as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her. What was exactly what had happened.

Afterwards we met at the fireworks beach. "I am so proud of you" I whispered in her ear while I embraced her. She rested her head on my shoulder. "Since I came to Camp Half-Blood, I struggled with uncertainty. I covered it up with arrogance and cruelty. You gave me the strength to face my weakness. Thank you, Cecil. For being there. For being you."

I ran my fingers through her hair. "I takes a lot of courage to acknowledge your wrongs. You have proven your courage. To confess a mistake is no sign of weakness, it's a sign of fortitude."

We fell silent and watched the sunset. Now it was my turn to rest my head on her shoulder. When the bell announced the beginning of the curfew, we rose and made our way towards the cabins. Before we parted, I shyly asked her for a goodnight kiss.

Our second kiss was as passionate as the first one.

AN: The last two chapters focused on Drew and Cecil, so the next chapter will focus on Will and Nico again. What do you think, should Cupid appear? As always, let me know what you think about the story.