CHAPTER 10: I Want It Closer

NICO POV:

Reyna and I got ourselves patched up at the infirmary. I winced in discomfort as a flare of pain shot up from my shoulder where I'd been slammed into the wall by Hylla. Reyna noticed and asked, ''Are you okay?''

I nodded. ''Yeah, it's just…my shoulder hurts. I think it got dislocated when I was slammed into the wall'' I said.

''Here, let me…'' Reyna offered. I let her. I assumed she knew what she was doing so I let her fix it in place.

''I'm sorry, by the way'' I told her.

''For what?'' she asked, placing her hands on my shoulder and arm. Her touch sent goosebumps erecting across my skin.

''It's my fault Eric's after us. It's me he wants. You almost got killed. If I wasn't here, you and everyone else would be-''

CRACK! She set my shoulder right, making me grunt in discomfort.

''Thank you'' I said, being able to move my shoulder freely now.

''Don't you dare spout nonsense like that, Di Angelo!'' she chided. ''We all care about you; we're not going to stand by while your life is in danger. It's not your fault.''

I considered this. ''Thanks…'' I said. ''I just need to get my hands on him. I just need Eric to myself and I'm sure I'll be able to send him straight down to my father'' I said.

''I know you will'' Reyna encouraged, placing a hand on my shoulder which instantly put me at ease. Despite that, I lowered my head.

''Yeah, I had my chance and I spent half the fight dazed and confused. I let you face your possessed sister all on your own. I can't imagine how hard that could have been'' I said.

Reyna got a sad, distant look in her eyes, no doubt still shaken from seeing her sister's body being taken over by something else, just like her father had been. It made me feel awful for letting her go through that.

''I'm sorry'' I said bitterly.

''Hey, don't blame yourself. You helped a lot down there. The way you fought; Nico, you're one of the best fighters I've ever seen'' the daughter of Bellona told me. She sounded serious.

I smiled a little at her compliment, which made my toes warm up. ''Thanks…you're no slouch yourself; the way you took down those cyclopes…''

She laughed; a good, clear sound which made my heart lift. Brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear, she said, ''Come on, Death Boy. Let's head over to the principia. Hylla's waiting there for us.''

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''Queen Hylla, are you sure you don't remember anything?'' Frank asked, studying her curiously.

The queen of the Amazons shook her head, pinching her temples like she had a migraine. ''The last thing I remember was heading over to the dining hall and then…everything went black'' she informed.

Hylla was sat on the chair facing Frank and Hazel, with me and Reyna on either side of her as we told them what had occurred. Reyna gave them the run-down of what had happened while I'd been incapacitated, how she singled handedly beat her sister while she had been wearing the Amazon belt. I couldn't help but be in awe of her. How skilled was this girl?

Hylla winced at the part of her rag dolling Reyna around and touched her sister's arm. ''Reyna…I'm so sorry'' she apologized.

''It's okay'' Reyna affirmed, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, though her eyes looked sad. ''That wasn't you. Besides, it's not like this is the first time you've tried to kidnap me'' she told her, mustering a wee smile.

I snorted and Hylla gave a weak smile. ''Guilty.''

''Nico, is he gone for good?'' Hazel asked. Everyone looked at me hopefully.

I didn't want to squash their hopes but I shook my head. ''Unfortunately, no; as much as I hoped that one shout was enough to knock him all the way down into the Fields of Punishment, I know he's still out there'' I confirmed.

''Dang it…well who else is in camp that is liable to possession?'' Frank asked.

''The other seven amazons I brought with me'' Hylla answered, frowning in thought. ''As well as the lieutenant of Diana: Thalia Grace. Everyone else either belongs to this camp or the Greek one.''

Frank frowned. ''Thalia's already gone'' he informed.

''Wait, what?'' Reyna asked eyes wide in surprise. ''What do you mean, she's gone?''

Frank blinked. ''Just this afternoon, while you guys were in the infirmary, Thalia strolled up to us. Told us she had to go re-join the Hunters. Jason was pretty ticked off about that.''

''Thalia got permission to stay here a week'' Reyna stated. Everyone grew quiet with realization.

''Eric has her'' I said. ''There's no other possible reason she could be gone. She wouldn't leave her recently resurrected brother so soon.''

Reyna's dark eyes hardened in anger, her grip tightening on the metal chair, muttering a Latin curse word. I hated seeing her angry. And it's my entire fault, I thought.

Hazel shook her head in dismay. ''Jason's not going to take the news well.''

''I'll let him know'' I volunteered, dreading telling the son of Jupiter that bad news. He'd just been reunited with his sister, only for to lose her again. I didn't like Thalia much but I understood what it was like to be torn from a sibling and I definitely didn't want Jason to go through that. Anger swept over me, along with an undercurrent of guilt.

Hylla spoke. ''I think it is best if me and my Amazons leave camp until this situation is resolved'' she suggested.

''What?'' Reyna looked flabbergasted. ''Why?'' she demanded.

Hylla faced her younger sister. ''You know why, hermanita. My Amazons and I are the only ones in camp vulnerable to possession by this Eric guy. With us gone, you won't have to worry about someone stabbing you in the back'' she stated.

''But you just got here two days! If you're here, we'll have a better chance at catching Eric if he takes over one of you!'' Reyna argued, but Hylla shook her head.

''Reyna, I won't endanger you anymore than I did last night. I can't stand the thought of…ending up like him. I'm leaving in the evening. That's final. It's a necessary safety protocol. Surely, you can understand'' the older sister said calmly, but firmly.

Reyna looked like she wanted to argue further, but she clenched her jaw, the look of vivid disappointment shone in her eyes.

''Yeah, okay'' she said. Reyna tried to sound calm but I sensed the edge in her tone.

Frank cleared his throat awkwardly, before grabbing some jelly beans from the jar. ''Right well, at least now we won't have to worry about anyone inside our camp betraying us. Anyone who comes through into the camp will be apprehended and checked by Nico to see if their Eric-less and if they happened to be possessed, well, Nico will deal with him then and there. After all, ghosts are your wheel-house, right?'' he asked me.

I nodded subconsciously, twisting the ring on my finger as a plan formed in my head. ''Yeah…'' I said absently.

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I paced around the camp, lost in thought. Having just told Jason his sister had been possessed and is now missing had been tougher than I had anticipated. It hurt having to tell him that, the look of sadness in his eyes was hard to absorb. The son of Jupiter had risen from the dead to see his sister once again, only for her to be snatched away. It was something I could relate to and I promised him I would do everything to get her back. It didn't seem to inspire much confidence in him.

All in all, I felt like shit. All I'd done since I'd come here was cause problems for everyone at camp. The whole camp was in danger because of one asshole who wanted me dead. I'd nearly gotten Reyna killed. Oh little brother, it's the oldest rule of control. Use a loved one as bait. No way would I let him hurt her. Who else would this cunt try to hurt that I was close to get to me – Hazel, Jason, Percy or any of the people I cared about for that matter? I couldn't take the risk and I once again went through my plan.

''Nico Di Angelo'' a voice called. Turning in its direction, I saw it was Hylla and her group of seven Amazons. ''May I speak to you for a moment?'' the queen asked and I walked over to them.

''Can I help you, queen Hylla?'' I asked, as I approached them, earning a few curious looks from the Amazons. The corner of Hylla's mouth twitched in a smile.

''I was hoping if you could check if we aren't possessed right now'' she told me. A couple of legionnaires casted some suspicious glances their way as they passed by.

''Can you really tell if there are ghosts inside of us?'' one of them asked in fascination, checking her hands as if they might be possessed.

I nodded. ''Yes, I can.'' I inspected them one by one to see if they were possessed.

''You're all clean'' I confirmed. They breathed a sigh of relief.

''How can you tell if someone is possessed?'' another one of them asked.

''When I look at someone, I can sense their soul. When someone is possessed, I sense another soul within the same body, suppressing the current one'' I answered. They shivered and Hylla made the three-clawed hand sign over her heart, which I knew was a ward off from evil.

''Nico, may I borrow you for a moment'' Hylla asked.

''Sure'' I said and we walked together.

''I want to apologize for hurting you in the Labyrinth'' she said.

I shrugged. ''That's okay, it wasn't you'' I answered, though my shoulder throbbed in remembrance of getting body slammed into a stone wall.

Hylla had a distant look in her eyes. ''And I wanted to ask you if you could talk to my sister. She is upset with me. We didn't have much time together before this whole situation occurred'' she said. Again, I felt a lump of guilt form in my throat.

''What makes you think she'll want to talk to me?'' I asked her.

Hylla snorted. ''You're her best friend aren't you?'' she asked with a raised eyebrow.

''Uh…well…''

''Reyna has a lot respect for you, son of Hades. She's always bringing you up. Nico, this and Nico, that'' she stated, rolling her eyes.

I blinked in surprise. ''She does?''

''Yeah. It's kind of annoying, honestly'' she told me.

''Oh.''

''But I know she'll listen to you. I tried explaining to her why I must go, but she is still upset. I can't risk hurting her. I can't imagine how she felt…seeing me like that, almost getting killed by her own sister, especially given what happened to our father'' Hylla said.

I nodded. ''I understand. I'll go talk with her. Where is she?'' I asked.

''At the gladiator arena'' she answered, before smiling in amusement. ''I'd advise you to be cautious, son of Hades.''

I headed over to the gladiator arena. It was a lazy Sunday and not many people were practicing today. I saw only one figure. The daughter of Bellona hacked and slashed with her sword, massacring the practice dummies. Reyna attacked viciously, chopping the head off one dummy before driving her sword through its straw guts. She then changed her sword into a javelin and threw it across the arena. It nailed a dummy straight between the eyeholes of its helmet, which stood a few feet away from me.

''Now what did those dummies ever do to you, huh?'' I asked. Reyna looked at me as though I were her next target, her dark eyes fierce like a hungry wolf's and walked over, picking up her javelin.

''Hey Nico, I was just getting some practice in. Plus I need to get some things worked out. How'd your talk with Jason go?'' she asked, taking a sip of water. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, her skin shining, almost golden.

I forcefully drew my eyes away from her neck. ''Just about as well as you can imagine. He's devastated. Short circuited all the light bulbs in his cabin. Thought I'd come here to let some steam off'' I admitted. A thought occurred to me then. I figured the best way to begin talking to an angry daughter of the war goddess was through combat.

''Care to spar?'' I asked her. Reyna raised an eyebrow, before giving me a smirk. I felt my pulse quicken.

''Is that so?'' she asked, placing her javelin behind her back, stepping closer to me till we were nose to nose, her eyes locked on mine. I didn't back down, despite my heart pounding my rib cage like a heavy bag.

''Very well'' she answered. ''I was wondering when I was going to get my rematch'' she said.

''You're on, RA-RA.''

After we put our armour on, we circled each other cautiously. Reyna tentatively jabbed with her gladius, which I parried with my axe and counter attacked, swinging my axe with power. She leaped back and stabbed with her sword, grazing my breastplate. We exchanged blows, parrying back and forth, stygian iron on imperial gold and the clanging metal rang through the otherwise empty arena as two half-bloods; one Greek and the other Roman tried their best to beat the other up.

We both let our frustrations accumulated over the past few days out with each swing. In no time, I was sweating like crazy. Reyna pushed me hard and I really had to work. Our blades crossed we stood face to face. Her face was strained in effort and we pushed against one another. Reyna then swept her leg out from under me and I fell back. The daughter of Bellona placed her foot on my axe hand, successfully disarming me and placed her knee on my chest, the golden tip of her blade hovering an inch above my face. I looked up in surprise at her.

''Give up'' she commanded, her expression dangerous.

''Not just yet. Best of three'' I offered.

''Hmph, very well'' she smirked and helped me back up and we went again, fighting back and forth across the colosseum, deflecting and exchanging strikes. She dodged and overhead swing of my axe and side kicked me to the abdomen, backing me up, before lunging with her sword. I blocked it and counter-struck and she jumped out of the way. The girl was fast and unrelenting, using feigns to bait me out, before striking again. I counter-struck but she blocked it and kicked me backwards. She stabbed with sword again but this time I anticipated and swirled backwards, striking in a backhanded swing that deflected her sword to the left, before grabbing that arm and yanking her towards me. I slid behind her, twisting her sword arm behind her back, making her drop her blade and placing the edge of my axe against her throat.

I had trained with girls before but being this close to Reyna sent butterflies fluttering in my tummy. Her hair smelled like jasmine. I couldn't help but be hyper-aware of her backside touching my groin, the feeling causing a tightness to occur downstairs. I only hoped Reyna didn't notice. Was I seriously getting aroused by this? A sliver of embarrassment seeped into my mind, but it was pushed away by the part of my brain that thought it felt nice. Maybe the exhaustion was fogging up my mind.

''I win'' I whispered in her ear due to the closeness. Both of us were breathing heavily from the effort of fighting. I felt Reyna's head incline against my shoulder.

''Not bad, Death Boy'' she admitted. I could tell by her tone she was smiling and out of breath. I let her go and she retrieved her sword. ''Final round'' she announced, flicking her sword in a figure X, flashing me a wicked, yet brilliant smile.

I couldn't help but smile back. ''Let's fight.'' We leapt at each other and sparks flew off the two opposing metals. We fought like wild animals, snarling and yelling in effort as we struck back and forth at an inhuman pace. We both may have laughed in between – a short, crazy laugh from the enjoyment of facing someone of such great skill.

Our blades crossed again and this time, I kicked Reyna away and she fell on her back. I swung downward but she backward rolled out of the way instead of blocking and flipped back up to her feet like a gymnast, sword in hand.

''Show off'' I muttered. My muscles ached from fighting. I felt hot and sweaty and my armour felt heavy. Reyna looked no better. Our weapons crossed and she wedged her sword into the crook of my axe. I tried to move it to the side to create an opening, gritting my teeth in effort. At that moment, Reyna spun on her heel and landed a spinning back kick that sent me crashing onto the dirt. Before I could recover, Reyna pounced, slamming my axe away and straddling me, holding the edge of her blade against my throat, the metal feeling cool on my hot skin.

''I win'' she said smugly. I could practically hear the smirk on her face. She raised her head to look at me, her face mere centimeters away from mine. Her face seemed to glow. Her dark pony tail was messy, loose strands of hair fell past her face, which was red from the workout. Her raven eyes glittered in amusement.

Even while exhausted, I felt my senses heighten at the closeness we were at. I noticed every single feature of her beautiful face.

''Touché'' I admitted, smiling a bit. She giggled a little, brushing a stand of hair off my forehead. Strangely, I didn't mind.

''You make for a really good sparring partner, Di Angelo'' she told me. Hearing her say my last name felt oddly satisfying. Her lips were ever so parted. In that moment, all my past heart-breaks seemed to melt away, vanquished by this beautiful, terrifying daughter of the war goddess hovering over me, her lips inches from mine. I want it closer. I wanted to kiss her. I could not ignore that feeling, as we stared at each other.

Somebody cleared their throat. We snapped out of our trance and looked towards the sound. It was Piper. Her face was bright red. ''Uh, hey Reyna, Hazel sent me to find you both. She wants to talk to you both.''

We scrambled off one another, getting to our feet. ''Hey Piper, we were just sparring'' I said stupidly.

Piper stared at me. ''Okay.''

''Okay then. We'll be there'' Reyna told her. Piper rushed away.

''We better go see what that's about'' I told her.

She smiled at me. ''Yeah…hey, thanks for helping me let off some steam. By the way, you want to go for a picnic afterwards?'' she asked.

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REYNA POV:

After hearing what the two praetors had to say, we both took showers and gathered some things for a picnic. It was a lazy Sunday and the camp, despite the unease surrounding the eidolon, was taking this day as a break from the brutal legion training and just chilling out. As we hiked up the hill with the food basket, overlooking the camp, I walked ahead while Nico lagged behind a little.

The sparring session from today still buzzed in my head. That boy could fight alright. I had sparred boys before, but that whole spar had been filled by an odd tension – something that just could not be so easily ignored. When he disarmed me and whispered in my ear, I felt a shiver pass through my body. I wanted to continue fighting but I also wanted to let that closeness linger a little longer. What was this weakness? Why did this Greek demigod have this effect on me? When I had the son of Hades pinned, he looked so unbelievably kissable. Ugh, I tried to stop the insufferable blush from creeping to my cheeks.

I was convinced now. My feelings for the son of Hades are developing beyond a simple crush.

''Keep up, Death Boy! Tired?'' I called back playfully.

''No!'' Nico responded, though his face read otherwise. I placed my hands up my hips and watched with a raised eyebrow as he reached me at the top of the hill.

''This looks like as good a spot as any'' Nico offered. It was at the top of the hill, overlooking the rest of the camp. The sun set cast the valley in a warm, yellow-orange light. The golden domes and red tiled roofs of the city stood proudly. The fortifications in the field of Mars stood derelict after Nico's earthquake. Tomorrow they would fix them.

''The view is beautiful from here'' I noted. We placed the blanket on the soft grass and sat cross-legged, taking some bites out of our sandwiches. Nearby, Aurum and Argentum played tag with Mrs. O'Leary.

Nico and I both smiled at the scene. ''Looks like Aurum and Argentum made a new friend'' Nico noted. I chortled, watching as the massive black mastiff accidentally tipped over a small tree, as the two metal greyhounds dashed after her.

Another thing we have in common, I thought. Dogs. We ended up striking a conversation about our dogs, Nico telling the story on how he met Mrs. O'Leary and some funny moments regarding her, which I laughed at, almost spilling my hot chocolate at the part where Nico had to hide for cover each time Mrs. O'Leary shook her wet coat. I told him about how I'd gotten Aurum and Argentum. Nico nearly fell over snickering over the time when they tore Octavian's pants.

I grinned. This was great. This picnic really helped distract us from the current unpleasant events, especially the one regarding the Labyrinth. That had to have been among the top worst moments from my time as a demigod, which was saying a lot. Seeing Hylla possessed by a ghost and trying to kill me struck a little too close to home…considering what happened with my father.

I looked at Nico. In the light breeze, his black messy hair rippled a bit. The wicked silver skull ring rested on his finger. He wore his usual leather aviator jacket over his black t-shirt and jeans, with black combat boots. The newly-added scar on his face only added to his mystique; this son of Hades who'd been pulled out of time. When he had first come here, as an ambassador of Pluto, I didn't know what to do with him. I knew there was way more to his story. Of course, afterward I learned the truth about him and felt his deep sadness during the quest to deliver the Athena Parthenos when I leant him strength. I remembered the raw-anguish I had gotten from him when I leant him strength; just a portion of the pain I felt from Nico had been more than entire legion during war. How did he bear it?

I grew to respect Nico tremendously, for his grit, his determination, his willingness to fight on, despite such misery and internal suffering and now here I was, in love with the Greek demigod. Nico was not the typical Greek hero. He was unruly and a little on the wild side, but had a maturity and stoicism about him which I liked. I thought about the sadness in his eyes when he told me his break up with Will Solace and his past heart-aches after I had shared mine.

No demigod will heal your heart. My curse could just as well be applied to Nico. He deserved love, same with me. Our situations are similar. Ironic, the son of the healing god had left his heart shattered, which made me angry at him for hurting him further.

I must have been frowning because Nico asked me, ''Are you okay?''

I blinked. ''Yeah, I'm fine'' I answered, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Nico fixed me with a stare.

''Are you still upset about Hylla?'' he asked. I sighed and absently picked at the grass with my fingers.

''It's just that, I was hoping we'd have more time together. She rarely visits, I hate having to see her go'' I admitted.

''Once this situation is over, you'll have more time to spend with her'' Nico told me.

''Yeah'' I thought. ''Yeah, you're right'' I said, turning to give him a smile and placed my hand on his, earning a blush from the son of Hades. His cold skin sent a mini jolt radiating across my palm.

''I was wondering'' Nico started. ''Why did you join the Hunters?''

I pushed a strand of hair out of my face. ''There were some fun times on the Hunt, but honestly, it just wasn't the life for me. I joined the Hunters of Artemis to try and find out who I was. My whole life I'd spent with an overbearing responsibility and a living up to people's expectations. I guess you could say I just wanted to see who I was outside that'' I said.

I looked at Nico's face. He picked up a little flower off the ground. I watched how it instantly withered and turned grey in his fingers.

''Sounds almost the same as what Bianca told me'' he said. ''When she joined them.'' He flicked the dead flower away. His tone had an edge to it.

I looked at him carefully. ''Nico…'' I said sympathetically.

''I hated the idea of you joining them'' he told me simply, looking at me. ''It wasn't any of my business and you have a right to do what you want, but I was furious when I found out you joined. It's just…I couldn't bear to lose someone important to me to them again'' he admitted. His face looked paler than usual, his eyes sad.

I couldn't get mad at him. I felt my heart compress to see him like this. I gently held his hand. ''I didn't know'' I told him.

''Yeah…well, what made you leave them?'' he questioned.

I took another sip out of my hot chocolate, the warm liquid boiling in my stomach, sending a comforting warmth spreading through my body.

''Well, I'll be honest, as a Roman, bow and arrows aren't really my bread and butter'' I said.

Nico smiled dryly. ''Yeah, I noticed'' he teased. I playfully pushed him and continued.

''Anyways, I managed just fine with a javelin but I missed home; Camp Jupiter. I missed my friends, New Rome'' I told him. A lump formed in my throat. I nervously brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

''And… I thought I convinced myself that by joining the Hunters, I'd escape Venus's stupid curse but…secretly…I want to find love too…''I admitted uneasily. I looked at Nico and he nodded slowly, though his eyes were a little wide.

I mentally smacked myself on the forehead. ''Ugh…did I just say that out loud?'' I covered my face in my hands and groaned. ''Ugh, I'm so corny!''

''Wait, what? No! You're not, Reyna! I understand'' Nico promised, shifting closer and removing my hands off my face. His touch sent my hands ablaze with warmth, similar to hot chocolate, which was weird since they were cold as ice.

''I understand…I'm just glad you're back'' he stated, giving me a nervous smile.

I smiled back a little, taking in his charming face. ''Me too.''

We finished our hot chocolate in silence, just sitting in comfortable quietness, watching the sun set, as the orange ball began to hide behind the hills of the valley. Birds flocked by, returning to their nests. I was really comfortable and didn't flinch when Nico draped his arm across my shoulders, even though my heart was practicing roundhouse kicks against my ribcage. I leaned into it, placing my head on his shoulder. This position just felt so natural; so right. It certainly felt comfortable and my entire being felt like a cup of hot chocolate.

''This is nice'' Nico decided.

''Yeah'' I agreed. Looking at the sun slowly sink below the horizon, I wondered if Apollo was watching this happen. Maybe he was trying to make this sun set as beautiful as possible for us. Would he be jealous that I was sitting here with Nico? The memory of when he'd briefly been Lester Papalodopolus and he'd try to ask me to be a couple made me snicker.

''What's so funny?'' Nico asked. I told him the story of what had happened while I'd been on my quest with Lester. I giggled a little at the end and Nico laughed dryly. I wondered if Apollo would be unhappy that Nico had broken up with his son, which brought me to what I had been thinking about for some time.

''Nico, why did you break up with that Will Solace boy?'' I queried.

The son of Hades sighed, tossing the rest of his sandwich to Mrs. O'Leary, the bread and chicken disappearing down her gullet. The dogs were now sitting nearby and resting.

''I don't like to think about it?'' he said distractedly.

Taking my head off his shoulder to look at him, I told him, ''You know, a certain someone once told me a wise bit of advice when I was struggling with my own issues; if you don't use your voice…''

''You're halfway to Asphodel already'' Nico finished, rolling his eyes. ''Alright, I'll tell you. You see…when I first got, I guess you could say, smitten with him, it felt right to me. I was miserable and he was…well, it sounds corny but he felt like a beacon. I thought he would bring happiness to me and he did for a while. Over the past few months, things just…began to turn sour. Will and I…we just didn't have that much in common. The qualities about him I found alluring in the beginning began to irritate me and vice versa with him. We're just very different people; the only thing we had in common was that we both like boys. Two weeks ago, we got into a big fight and yelled at each other. He said-''

Nico sniffled, his voice sounding brittle. ''He said maybe I should be on my own. Maybe I am just a creepy, scary son of Hades'' he finished.

Anger took over me. I wanted to find this Will Solace kid and kick him in the face. I hated seeing Nico hurt like this, knowing more than anyone else, what he had endured; more tragedy and danger most demigods would in a lifetime.

''Well he's wrong. You're not like that, Nico. I know you. You're brave, tough and enduring. You're a kind, good person, Nico. Will Solace is an idiota for saying that'' I told him fiercely.

Nico blinked, before blushing a little. ''Thanks…he said. We looked in each other's eyes for a moment. His eyes were the colour of coffee; dark, strong and bitter but warm. We were nearly nose to nose, our face inches apart.

I want it closer, I thought.

''So…you find anyone in particular yet?'' he asked.

''What?''

''Any guy you fancy?'' he asked, smirking a little. I bit my lip.

''Oh there is one'' I told him. Nico's smile melted.

''Oh…really? What's he look like?'' he questioned.

''Oh, well he's tall'' I ventured. My heart rate was sky-rocketing, what-if scenarios vaporizing in my head.

''Mind if you tell who this lucky fella is?'' Nico said, scratching his hair nervously. Neither of us noticed all three dogs roll their eyes. I leaned closer.

''I could show you'' I all but whispered. Nico's eyes narrowed a little as leaned a little forward as well. We were sat so close to one another. The mere inches between our lips made me want to close that distance as fast as possible but time seemed to move slowly. My mind seemed to work in a haze; the logical part of my brain took a back seat as we both slowly leaned in, my heartbeat raging.

I want it closer.

''REYNA! NICO!'' Frank called out, appearing over the crest of the hill to our picnic spot as we quickly shifted away from one another.

''Hey…uh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?'' Frank asked, his face turning the colour of the sun set.

I forced my annoyance down. ''Oh, nothing'' I affirmed, acting as though I wasn't just about to kiss my first boy.

''Yeah, nothing at all'' Nico backed up, trying to sound casual. ''We were just having a picnic. Is everything okay?''

Frank scratched his elbow. ''Uh, yeah. I came to tell you two that Hylla and the Amazons are about to leave. Nico, you need to be with Reyna to see them off in case…you know.''

''Yeah, alright. Thanks for letting us know'' Nico said.

''We'll be right down'' I told him. Frank glanced between us one last time before hurrying down the cliff. I looked at Nico. He looked disappointed but he turned away, his face turning red. I coughed, imagining my face was of a similar colour.

''Come on, let's go see them off'' I said. We gathered up all the stuff for the picnic and headed down the hill, our dogs racing trotting past us.

I can't believe I was this close to kissing him! Oh my gods, what if he wouldn't have liked it? But didn't he lean in to? I curled a strand of hair behind my ear as I walked alongside him, not trusting myself to not blush if I did. Look at you, you stupid girl. Reduced to a blushing mess over this Greek boy? I thought to myself.

''It was a good idea going for a picnic, Reyna. I enjoyed our time a lot'' Nico told me, giving me a smile which made my heart perform a salsa dance.

Yes…I am and its wonderful!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I mean…talk about sexual tension, am I right fellas? Reyna has now recognized her feelings officially for Nico and next chapter we shall see the mysterious plan he is going to try to pull off. Some Reynico fluff, some romance. Ah, love. Also, I always found it weird for Reyna to have joined the Hunters in TTT. I mean, I know she did it to try and escape Venus's curse but it was already established in HOO that Nico DREADED the idea of Reyna joining them. It seemed like a pretty silly move on Riordan's part to have ANOTHER important person of Nico to have joined the Hunters of Artemis. Thankfully, for all those people who agree with me on some of the bullshit thrown in these recent TOA books, this story is now canon. YAYYY!

Btw, sorry again it took too long to publish the next chapter, exam schedule has been HECTIC to say the least but I am passionate about this story.

REYNICO4EVA: First of all…love your username. Welcome to the Reynico clan, my friend. REYNICO FOR LIFE INDEED and thank you for taking the time out to read this!

Yoshi133: AHHH, damn the interruption by goofy old Frank at the end! We'll see how their romance progresses. Glad you are enjoying the series and taking the time out of your day to read and review.