Nico never thought he'd be friends with someone from Aphrodite's cabin.

Not like he disliked you folks from Cabin 10 — he did have just a little crush on you, like the good half of the Camp, ahem — but mostly just as pretty the Aphrodite kids were, sometimes they were as bitchy and Bratz squads too.

Not you, though. He liked you — you were prettier than anyone, even your half-siblings couldn't rival you in that. And you were nice.

He didn't exactly understand how you two got close and became friends after he decided to stay in Camp after Gaia's defeat — he didn't understand how could someone like you even care about someone like him — his words, not yours! Still, when he was with you, he felt like he was developing a new side, cleaner, more stable one. As if you were his safe haven where he could wait the storm out until it went away.

It was a hot afternoon, everyone hiding from the heat of the summer in their cabins. You two sat at the cool marble floor of Cabin 13 as he listened to you talking about the casual things, as usual getting his doze of the most juicy gossip as you renewed the black nail polish on his fingers, his hand resting on the the fine surface of the floor in yours.