The soft sunlight flowed through the window, shining directly on Nyssa's face, much to her annoyance. She quickly stood up from her desk and pulled the curtains closed, sighing as she did so.

She'd been hiding away in the Hephaestus cabin all day now.

The reason?

Y/N L/N.

She didn't know what they were; rivals? Were they? Perhaps frenemies. Yes, that was it. Their endless bickering ringing through the air was daily, or at least weekly routine at camp.

She used to hate their confidence and how easily they got along with pretty much everyone. How smart, strong, perfect they were.

Now she admires it.

She would always glare at Y/N from across the room, but now she couldn't help that small smile whenever she looked at them.

"Nys." Leo's voice pulled her out of her train of thought. "Nyssa?" She didn't even hear him enter.

"Oh my gosh. Yes, Valdez, I'm here. What do you want?!" She snapped, her chair screeching as she abruptly got up from her desk.

He had that glint in his eyes, like he knew more than he was letting on. He usually knew more than he was letting on though, so that wasn't really a suprise.

Leo cleared his throat. "I just thought you were avoiding me... and the whole world in general." He shrugged. "You're awfully quiet today. And I gotta admit, it's kinda fishy."

Nyssa narrowed her eyes, biting down on her tongue to avoid cussing him out in Spanish. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Thinking?" Leo repeated, his tone teasing. "About what? 'Cause, you know, you don't usually think. You're more of an action-over- thought type of person."

"Leo, stop." She exhaled sharply. She was already in a bad mood, and her brother wasn't helping. Her patience was running thin. The last thing she needed was her half-brother play some mind game with her.

But of course, Leo wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily.

"You know, you're not fooling anyone." His voice shifted, becoming slightly more serious but still keeping that playful tone. "You've got to be avoiding someone... and I'm pretty sure I know who that is."

Nyssa froze.

There was... no way he could know. She hadn't even talked to anyone about it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The daughter of Hephaestus mumbled, crossing her arms in an attemot to protect herself from whatever would come next.

Leo raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure. You're not that good at lying. But there's this thing, hermana-" He said, stepping closer. "You're avoiding Y/N because you like them."

Nyssa's heart skipped a beat. The words hit her like a bucket of cold water crashing over her. Her face heated up, and she couldn't stop the rush of emotion that came with it.

"No." She managed, her voice hoarse. "I don't like them. I-"

Her brother held up a hand, cutting her off. "You're not fooling me, Nys. It's okay to admit it. You have a crush on them. And you're avoiding them because you're scared."

Under different circumstances, if he ever told her she was scared she would've punched him.

But she couldn't, because he was right.

A heavy silence hung between them, and Nyssa's heart pounded against her ribcage. She opened her mouth, to protest, argue, but no words came out. Leo didn't need so say anything else. She wasn't sure she had ever seen him this serious... or serious at all, for that matter.

He looked at her knowingly, then turned to leave. "Just think about it, okay? I don't want you sitting here all day." He mumbled, then paused and looked over his shoulder. "If you're not gonna deal with it, at least stop avoiding them."

Nyssa didn't have a chance to respond before he was gone, leaving her alone.

For a long moment, she stood there, staring at the spot where Leo had been. She felt the weight of his words and suddenly, the thought of being around Y/N didn't seem so bad anymore. They were still the same person after all, the one who made her laugh and sneer, the one who made her feel... something.

She sighed and stood up, grabbing her bow and quiver from her bed before heading out the cabin. She needed to clear her head right now, and archery was personally one of her favorite ways to do so.

Her usual spot was at the edge of the training grounds, where the trees offered the slightest bit of shade. As she approached, she spotted Y/N, already steady in position with their bow. They hadn't noticed her yet.

The Hephaestus girl hesitated for just a second. What was she supposed to do now? She couldnt avoid you forever, and she knew it too. Maybe it was time  to stop pretending.

"Hey." She called.

Y/N turned to look at her, offering a wide smile. "Hey, there you are! Was wondering if you were going to join me today."

Nyssa tried to keep her cool, to not allow her feelings to show. "You're lucky I didn't fall asleep in the cabin, huh?"

"Oh, totally." They teased. "I was starting to think you ditched me for good."

"I'd never ditch you." Nyssa replied quickly, though wincing internally once she realized that was what she was initially planning to do. "...I'm not that cruel." She added.

Y/N laughed, a sound that warmed her heart. "Alright, alright. Let's see if you can get a good bullseye today, I'm feeling extra competitive."

She shot them a teasing smile. "You're on."

The two of them fell into a steady rhythm, the banter flowing as naturally as ever. Nyssa still couldn't shake the conversation with Leo from her mind, but she told herself it didn't matter. Not right now at least. It didn't feel like something she had to figure out immediatly.

Maybe she could take her time. Maybe she didn't need to rush things for once. But one thing was for sure; she wouldn't avoid Y/N anymore. Because, deep down, she had always had this nagging thought that they could feel the same way

And when the moment came, she could tell them.

But for now, she could enjoy the sound of your laugh and the easy bickering.

(i actually love nyssa she's so underrated)