but he was avoiding Treya. No not like the plan he had weeks ago to forget her. It's not like he was totally avoiding her. They still trained together, but the time they spent together decreased and decreased until Nico hardly saw Treya in a day anymore.

Of course, it was because he shut himself out. Unknowingly. He was still trying to figure out something, anything. For three days now, he's been offering and praying to Aphrodite. Personally, Nico wasn't much fond of the goddess, but he needed her help. He hardly received any answers except Piper telling him that her mom showed up in her dreams and told Nico that

'He could do it!'

That irritated Nico, he didn't know why the goddess said it. The goddess may have just placed a star stamp on his wrist with 'GOOD JOB!' 'YOU CAN DO IT!' He could do what? Tell Treya that he likes her too? Nico wasn't good at this love game, he had no clue how he was gonna let her know.

For the first two days wherein he started shutting himself out, Treya was adamant to know what was wrong with Nico. She wanted to help him, reach out to him, console him. But Nico accidentally pushed her away, yelled at her that he didn't need her.

Nico knew that it had instantly been Top 1 of Nico di Angelo's Most Dickhead Moves.

He apologized of course, but he couldn't forget the look she gave him when he accidentally told her that he didn't need her. It was a look of hurt, betrayal, confusion, overall a bundle of pain that hurt Nico too. Nico immediately knew that Treya took it as a signal not to bug him any further. And she didn't.

Nico apologized every single day, telling Treya that he was sorry and that he didn't mean it and that the words came out of his mouth due to anger and overthinking.

Nico knew there was no excuse to hurt Treya nonetheless, but he apologized anyway.

As guilt ate him up, Nico made the decision to take a breather. He planned to go to the Underworld, he knew it would be no good to talk to his father Hades about teenage romance, especially that his father had weird methods of getting the girl. It's not like Nico could just kidnap Treya and ask her to be his girlfriend.

But he needed a place to think.

"Chiron, I'll be heading to the Underworld," Nico told the centaur, who was in the midst of training other campers but he said it anyway, not that he minded letting everyone know he was going to the underworld, but he really wanted to leave immediately.

Nico didn't know if he was being too rash with his actions but the thought already crossed his mind too many times to count.

Chiron excused himself from the demigods, "Any reason for your sudden want to leave Camp Half Blood, Nico?" He asked with concern.

Nico looked away, nodding meekly, "A bit. I just need to think,"

Chiron smiled, "Okay, if you think it'll be good for you then you have my permission to leave camp. Just be back in a week, okay? Those little demigods won't train themselves,"

Nico nodded again, "Of course, I won't take long,"

As Nico was on his way back to his cabin, to get his things, which were not a lot and he probably didn't even need because Hades usually provided everything for him. From money down to clothes and underwear.

"di Angelo!" He heard, the voice calling out with so much anger.

He knew this voice anywhere. Nico could spot it a mile a while even if it was just a mere whisper. But this was different. Nico felt her rage.

Nico rarely heard her call out his surname, and when she did, she was usually very furious. Usually she wasn't mad at him, but was angry towards someone or something else, she'd call out his name to rant.

But Nico didn't think this was the case today.

Nico looked back to see an infuriated Treya Shaw marching up to him, but before he could say anything, she grabs his wrist and drags him to his cabin.

"What-" Nico started

"You're leaving?!?" Treya cut him off, slamming his door shut.

Nico rolled his eyes, "Just for a while, I need to think," He told her as he sat on the edge of his bunk. Treya copied his actions, except she sat across him in Hazel's bunk with her hands crossed together and a sharp glare piercing him.

"Think? Haven't you been thinking enough the past week?!" She angrily said, clearly referring to the week long of Treya abstinence Nico had done.

"You don't understand," Nico tried to tell her but Treya was stubborn as a rock.

"Exactly! I don't understand! So enlighten me! We're friends, are we not?!" Her voice got louder. Nico quietly thanked that it was already the middle of the day, if it was earlier or later, people from other cabins would have heard.

Nico stayed silent, and Treya only took it as a chance to speak more.

"I want to understand! Whatever pain you're going through, I know it may not be easy to open up- but gods, Nico! How can you just suddenly decide you want to leave?" Her voice cracked at the end, Nico looked up to see Treya's facial expression but it was still the same.

"It's not like I'll be gone for long," Nico replied

"Fine! You can leave! Not that you need my permission to leave, but fine! Leave! You're coming back anyways, so just tell me why you want to leave!" Treya shouted, standing up

Before Nico could raise his voice at her, her expression changes. Her infuriated state quickly morphs into pain, and sadness. A look that was begging Nico to tell her everything.

But how can Nico just suddenly ruin his plan? He wanted to tell her when he was less afraid of his feelings, when he could confidently be someone Treya deserves, not someone who constantly ran away from everything.

"Why do you want to leave me?" She quietly asked

Nico found himself stuttering a little "N-no, Treya I'm not leaving you. I'm doing this for a reason,"

Treya wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "I'm not stupid Nico, I know you're avoiding me. I know you've been avoiding me. Tell me the reason why,"

"I- I can't," Nico breathed out

Treya looked at him with those green eyes of hers that seemed to remind Nico of granny smith apples, but tears cascaded down, and this time Treya didn't even bother to wipe her eyes anymore.

Nico instantly stood up and took a step closer but stopped himself. He wanted to console her, but he was so afraid.

"You meant it, didn't you?" She asked

"Mean what?" Nico's voice came out as a hushed whisper

"The other day. When you lashed out on me,"

Nico shook his head, taking another step "I told you, I didn't mean it. I said it out of anger, it's an old habit of mine,"

Treya blinked, her tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Nico, tell me why you want to leave,"

"I- I have so many thoughts running inside my head, I don't want to assume which is why I keep asking and asking. I just want to know why my closest friend is shutting himself away from me" Treya started

She took a deep breath, "Please don't go,"

Nico took another step, "I need to. It's for myself, I- Treya, you haven't done anything wrong,"

"Don't leave, please," She sobbed, clenching her fists, ready to punch the living daylights out of Nico di Angelo.

"I'm coming back, don't worry. I'll be back, I won't even take a week. I'll come back," Nico repeated, trying to console her but she only shook her head stubbornly and continued to cry.

Nico never noticed it, but he took one more step and his hands gently grasped Treya's face and wiped her tears with both his thumbs.

"Shh, don't cry. I'll be back," Nico softly said, "I have to be better,"

"For what?" Treya asked

"For you," Nico admitted and took a step back.

"What?"

"I don't deserve you," Nico said, looking down on the floor.

Suddenly, everything happened so fast, Nico barely even registered anything. Treya scoffed, and when he looked up she was furious again, but with tears still in her eyes. Confused, Nico was about to ask why she was angry again.

But Treya took a step closer to Nico, grabbed the neck hem of his shirt and kissed him.

Startled, Nico's first instinct was to push her away but Treya's hands found its way to his cheeks, as her soft lips were still on his. Nico couldn't think, he was supposed to leave, be a better man but here she was, kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

Nico kissed her back, completely yielding to the girl in front of him. Nico instantly kept up with how rash and how rough Treya was kissing him, and Nico decided that he liked it. He felt a surge of Treya's emotions flowing onto him.

Nico had already kissed her twice. The first time was when she was feeling high from a manticore's poison, Nico had kissed her on the forehead for reassurance, not knowing of his already blooming feelings. The second time was when she panicked, naturally Nico panicked too and kissed her to make her stop thinking about anything.

If this was how Treya felt when he kissed her back then, it felt undeniably confusing. All of Nico's thoughts vanished. All of it. All that was left was just Treya Shaw, her undeniably soft and addicting her lips were, and how her tears smudged on his cheek as they kissed.

Nico was pretty sure she was completely enraged towards him, because that's what he mostly felt but his stomach started feeling jittery as he pulled her closer by holding her waist and Nico felt like a mortal teenager, giving in to his hormones.

Treya pulled back, for air, glaring at the son of Hades.

"I cried thinking you didn't even want me near you anymore, but you were just thinking about how you didn't deserve me? All those tears?" She angrily said, but kept her hands on his cheeks, her warm hands contrasting Nico's cold body temperature.

Nico choked on air, "Excuse me?"

Treya took a deep breath, "I really really really like you. I like you so much that I can't even get you out of my head while I eat. I like you so much that everything you do made me feel jittery. I like you so much because even if you know how I felt, you never dismissed my feelings for you. I still like you so much despite how confusing you were, you were giving me mixed signals I didn't know if I should just go for it or not. I like you, Nico, and I don't want you to leave, you already are the better man,"

Nico had to bite his cheek to prevent a smile from breaking through, "You know I can't top a confession like that,"

Treya broke into a small grin, "I know, I rehearsed in the bathroom countless of times and asked Annabeth proofread it," She said as she played with his long hair.

"I just didn't know when to say it," Treya added

Nico chewed on his lower lip, "I like you too, more than you can ever imagine,"

A wave of silence falls upon them and all of the sudden, they both start laughing at each other.

"Nico, you're such a moron,"

Nico tilted his head, which Treya found absolutely adorable, "Forgive me for trying to run away from you and from my feelings?"

Treya smiled, getting on her tiptoes before bumping her forehead against his in a not so gentle manner. Nico hissed, and rubbed his forehead immediately and looked at Treya who was snickering.

"You're forgiven," Treya stated

"...if you bake me lemon squares and take me to Hot Topic so we can get matching Ramones shirts," She added, laughing a little, as her statement was supposed to be a joke.

Nico tucked a piece of Treya's hair behind her ear and pressed his lips on her forehead, giving her a chaste kiss before pulling her into the shadows and into the unknown.

fin

beyond the boundary

"Treya, you're supposed to be training with Annabeth," Nico sighed, running a hand down her hair as she snuggled her head on his lap.

Both Treya and Nico were sprawled out in the meadow behind the training arena, it was quiet, nobody really passed through here, it was their safe place.

"Five more minutes," Treya mumbled

Nico chuckled, before leaning down to kiss her forehead, "Fine," he said, as he couldn't really resist her. Not especially when she was resting her head on his lap.

And it was only a matter of minutes before Annabeth Chase found them, and scolded them for being irresponsible little brats.