The bell above the diner door jingled when it opened.

It was the kind of small roadside place mortals barely noticed—tucked between a gas station and a thrift shop, with faded red booths, checkered tile floors, and the smell of grilled onions drifting lazily through the air. Outside, the summer afternoon hummed with heat and distant traffic.

Inside, though, it felt warm in a different way.

Comfortable.

Safe.

Will Solace stepped inside first, holding the door open behind him.

Nico followed a second later, adjusting the sleeves of his black jacket like he suddenly didn’t know what to do with his hands.

The place wasn’t crowded. A few mortals sat scattered in booths, talking quietly over milkshakes and burgers. Somewhere near the kitchen, an old radio played soft music.

Will glanced back at Nico and smiled—bright, easy, maybe a little nervous.

“So,” he said. “First official date.”

Nico’s ears turned faintly pink.

“It’s not that official,” he muttered, glancing around like someone from camp might appear behind the ketchup bottles.

Will laughed quietly. “Neeks, we shadow-traveled off Long Island to eat lunch together. That’s pretty official.”

Nico didn’t answer.

He was too busy trying not to notice how close they were standing.

Dating was… new.

Technically they’d been together for a few weeks now, but camp life had a funny way of swallowing moments that might have been romantic. Training schedules, cabin duties, random monster attacks—none of it exactly screamed “relationship practice.”

So far they had not:

• Held hands • Kissed • Shared food • Shared drinks • Or even sat closer than a few inches without Nico suddenly remembering something important in the opposite direction.

Which was why Will had suggested this.

A normal date.

Somewhere quiet.

Somewhere Nico wouldn’t feel like the entire camp was watching.

A waitress approached with a friendly smile. “Table for two?”

Will nodded. “Yeah.”

They were led to a booth by the window. Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting warm patterns across the table.

Nico slid into one side.

Will took the seat across from him.

For a moment neither of them spoke.

The table suddenly felt very large.

The waitress set two menus down and a pair of water glasses before disappearing toward the kitchen.

Will picked up his menu immediately.

Nico did the same.

Both of them stared at the laminated pages like they contained the secrets of the universe.

Burgers.

Fries.

Milkshakes.

Sandwiches.

Pancakes, somehow, even though it was afternoon.

Will glanced up.

Nico was pretending to read very carefully, dark hair falling slightly over his eyes.

“You come to places like this a lot?” Will asked.

Nico shrugged.

“Not really.”

“That’s okay,” Will said lightly. “Me neither.”

Another small silence settled between them.

Outside, a car rolled past.

Inside, someone laughed near the counter.