-ONE WEEK LATER-

Will lightly punched my shoulder and climbed off of the bunk.

"Hey, I'm going to head out and train a bit. You can get a shower if you want, almost no one's going to be in the cabin." he looked at me, gesturing towards the bathroom door across the cabin. He began to gather his bow and quiver of arrows, waving to me as he headed out.

Smiling, I waved back and meandered over to my bunk and grabbed some clothes. I turned to the bathroom, walking in and closing the door. I picked up a fluffy, white towel from a stack in the cabinet and setting it off to the side, along with some clothes that I had brought with me to the Apollo cabin. The large, marble shower stood in the corner, pristine and clean as if it had never been used.

I walked to it, turning the dial a little more than halfway, watching as it heated up. Steam rose from the top opening of the glass panels. I stripped down and stepped into the hot water, letting it massage into my back, relaxing my tense muscles.

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I tried to fix my hair as best as I could, which wasn't, you guessed it, very effective. It hung like an old, wet mop around my face. I left my hair wet as I proceeded to pull on a black shirt and boxers. I pulled on my torn skinny jeans, hopping slightly. Stretching, I walked towards the door, opening it and walking out.

The only person in the room was Christine. She was sitting on her bunk, staring down at a picture in her hand. She looked distraught, tears gleaming in her eyes. I slowly walked towards her, making sure to keep my distance. "Christine?"

She looked up, startled. "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear anyone in here." she sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

She hesitated before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm not one to talk, but the best thing you can do is talk to someone. Don't bottle it up."

She sighed and looked up at me. "Okay, will you listen?"

I nodded and sat down next to her. She handed me the photo. "That was my boyfriend, Jonathan. He was a child of Demeter."

The photo showed Christine with her arms around a guy with dark brown hair, his arms around her waist. He had a mischievous face, but the love showed on his face from being around her.

"He died in the battle of Manhattan."

"I'm so sorry, Christine."

"He sided with Kronos." She looked down at her hands curled in her lap. "I tried to warn him that he would be killed. I guess Luke was more persuasive."

"Hey, it's not your fault. People make their own decisions, and sometimes you can't stop them. You just have to let it happen."

"Like with Octavian?"

"Exactly." I nodded slowly.

She took a deep breath. "I can't help but think that if I said more, he would still be alive. I should've done more."

"If he died, there was nothing you could've done to change that. The Fates had already predicted his future." I looked into her eyes.

"I know." she hung her head.

"The best you can do is move on from it. Never forget him or all of the memories together, but don't spend the rest of your life dwelling on his death." As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how much of a hypocrite I was. I could use the same advice with dealing with her death.

"Do you really believe those words?"

I scoffed bitterly and shook my head. "I guess you've got to practice what you preach."

She smiled weakly. "And we're nothing but bitter."

Deadpan. "How'd you know?"

She mirrored my expression. "Lucky guess?"

"Must be."

She seemed to think about her next question before asking it. "Hey, do you know Connor Stoll?"

I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose. "Yes. Speaking of the Stolls, I need to get them back for a prank they pulled on me a month ago."

Christine giggled and covered her mouth. "Do I want to know what they did?"

I scowled and looked at her. "No."

She continued giggling until she sobered up. "Well, anyway, do you know if he has a girlfriend?'

"Taking my hypocritical advice after all?"

She blushed and looked down. "I might as well try."

"I think he's single."

She looked up and blushed again. "Thanks, Nico."

"No problem." I got up and crossed the room, getting my jacket, as it was starting to get chilly outside. I slipped it on, stopping at the door to do so, and walked out into the slightly crisp air. Many demigods were still outside, running here and there.

Nearing the archery range, I saw Will, shooting arrows with extreme precision. Almost every arrow hit the bullseye. Will seemed so concentrated, his face emotionless and his jaw was set in place. With every arrow he loaded, I could see the his muscles rippling under the tight tee shirt.

This made me blush and chew on my lip, deciding on what to do. I wanted to hang back and watch him shoot, but strangely, I also wanted to hear his voice.

I ended up hanging back and watching Will as he practiced. He had been out for almost two hours, so he was probably close to being done. I wasn't complaining, though. It was extremely entertaining to watch him get frustrated every time he hit anything but the very center.

Finally, after around ten minutes, Will lowered his bow and shook his golden hair away from his forehead. He turned around, immediately stopping when he saw me.

"Were you watching me practice the whole time?" he chuckled, sitting next to me on the ground and wiping his face with a towel.

"No, I only saw the end of it. You're really good, Will."

He smiled. "Good, I was on a bad streak at the beginning and threw my bow down."

"That would be worth seeing." I laughed.

"Oh shut up, death breath." He joked, smirking.

My stomach fluttered. "Make me." I bit my lip.

"Oh I will." He suddenly attacked me, tickling my sides until I couldn't breathe.

"S-Sto-op! Yo-ou dumba-ass!"

He stopped tickling me and laughed. "You're so predictable."