Luke nearly choked on his drink when Tyson asked.

Like—actually choked. He coughed, slapped the table, then stared up at the Cyclops towering over him with wide, stunned eyes.

“…You want dating advice?” Luke finally said.

Tyson nodded eagerly, single eye bright. “Yes! I want to ask her out. Percy says you know about girls. You are very popular.”

Across the pavilion, you were laughing softly at something Annabeth said, fingers absently twisting a ribbon of pink silk you’d braided earlier. The sunlight caught in your hair like it always did, and for a second Luke forgot how to breathe.

“Oh gods,” he muttered. “Yeah. Okay. Sure. I can help.”

Tyson leaned in, lowering his voice like this was the most serious quest he’d ever been on. “She is very nice to me. She listens. She likes the little horseshoe crab I made her. I want her to know I like her—but not scare her.”

Luke snorted. “Buddy, if you scared her, Aphrodite herself would’ve smote you by now.”

He glanced over at you again, then back at Tyson, expression softening. “Look. You don’t need some big flashy thing. Girls like her? They notice effort. Thoughtfulness.”

Tyson nodded solemnly, committing every word to memory.

“So,” Luke continued, counting on his fingers, “one: ask her yourself. Not Percy, not me. You. Two: give her something you made. You’re good at that—way better than most people here. And three—” he paused, smirking, “—be honest.”

“Honest?” Tyson repeated.

“Yeah. Tell her why you like her.”

Tyson’s shoulders straightened. “I like her because she is kind. And because she doesn’t look at me like I am strange. And because she smiles when she sees me.”

Luke blinked. “…Okay, wow. Don’t tell her that all at once or she might faint.”

Unbeknownst to either of them, Percy had been listening from behind a pillar, arms crossed, trying—and failing—not to grin.

That evening, as the campfire crackled and the air filled with music and laughter, Tyson approached you slowly, clutching something behind his back. His hands shook just a little.

“Hi,” he said.

You turned, face lighting up instantly. “Hey, Tyson.”

That smile—that smile—made his courage lock into place.

“I… um. I made you something.” He held out a small metal charm, carefully shaped into a heart entwined with a seashell, polished until it gleamed. “I was wondering… if you would like to walk by the lake with me sometime?”

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then you reached out, took the charm gently, and looked up at him with warmth instead of surprise.

“I’d really like that,” you said softly.

Across the fire, Percy let out a triumphant fist pump. Luke leaned back, shaking his head with a half-smile.

Guess sometimes… love didn’t look the way people expected.