Nico di Angelo was stupidly, painfully, hopelessly in love with Percy Jackson. And you were the only person he ever trusted with that secret.

You carried it like a glass vial — close to your heart, careful with every step. Because Nico was young, lonely, and so intensely sensitive that the wrong word could make him withdraw for weeks. And Percy? Percy was Percy. Loved. Bright. Impossible to compete with.

You were close to him too. Too close, maybe.

But that didn’t matter. This wasn’t about you. It was about Nico. Your best friend. Your boy.

And then, of course, the entire camp found out about Nico’s crush.

Let’s not sugarcoat it — it was a disaster. Camp Half-Blood was a gossip machine, and the revelation hit like a grenade. Some kids were shocked, some mocked him, some whispered behind his back. Nico went silent. Completely silent. He barely looked at anyone except you.

And that’s why, on the Argo II, you did the only logical thing a loyal friend would do: You went to talk to Percy.

Just… clarify things. Explain the situation. Make sure Percy didn’t accidentally hurt him more.

It was supposed to be an awkward five-minute conversation in the corner of the ship.

It turned into something else entirely.

Because Percy was sitting on the steps of the deck, looking troubled, elbows on his knees. And when he saw you, his face softened in that stupid heroic way of his — warm, kind, too patient for his own good.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you okay? You look… stressed.”

You sat beside him. Mistake number one.

“I wanted to talk about Nico,” you said gently.

Percy nodded, worried. “Yeah. I figured. I don’t… I don’t want him to feel bad. I didn’t know he felt that way.”

“I know,” you murmured. “He’s sensitive. He’s scared. And he cares about you more than he should.”

Percy sighed. “I care about him too. A lot.”

He said it so honestly your heart slipped in your chest.

And that’s when you made mistake number two.

You shifted a little closer. Just enough that your shoulders brushed. It wasn’t intentional (…right?), it just happened, but gods — it felt like heat spreading under your skin.

Percy didn’t move away.

In fact… he looked down at your hand resting beside his. Too close. Millimeters away. Then he glanced back up, eyes dark with something unspoken.

“Thanks,” he said softly. “For looking after him. And… for talking to me. I don’t think anyone else could’ve.”

His voice dropped. Intimate. Dangerously intimate.

Your breath caught.

You weren’t supposed to be noticing the way his knee brushed against yours. You weren’t supposed to be aware of the warmth of his shoulder. You definitely weren’t supposed to be distracted by how pretty his eyes looked under the glowing lanterns of the ship.

This was about Nico.

This was NOT about you.

But Percy was sitting too close. And his voice was too soft. And his hand… oh gods, his hand was touching yours again.