You yearn, he ignores. You tease, he deflects. You flirt, he’s confused. You touch his arm, and he thinks you’re pushing him aside to walk past

So he let's you.

You have a hopeless crush on Ethan. The kind that makes your chest warm and your smile stupid.

You hide it under:

• teasing
• calling him handsome when he’s annoyed
• flirting mid-battle
• purposely walking beside him
• whispering “you miss me?” every time you pass him; pretending it’s all jokes.

But every time he shrugs you off, the yearning only gets worse.

Your friends know. The nymphs know. The whole Aphrodite cabin knows. Even Mr. D knows.

The only person who doesn’t know is the one you like.

Ethan assumes: you’re loud because you’re a son of Aphrodite. He literally does not realize you’re down bad for him.

While he's sharpening his sword? You lean closer. You save him from a loose hellhound? He grumbles, 'I had it.' He drops something and you kneel down to pick it up for him? He thinks you're mocking him. But in reality, you're just trying not to blush. Whenever he's at the training field? You'd always show up despite saying you hate it.

"Are you following me?" "Maybe." "Stop." But you don't.

But honestly? The real reason why he's oblivious is that

No one would choose him, Aphrodite kids flirt for sport, You tease because you like watching him get annoyed, You’re joking, You’re not serious, And he’s not someone anyone genuinely yearns for.

So he brushes everything off to protect himself.

He doesn’t deny you because he dislikes you. He denies you because it never crosses his mind that you might actually mean it.