Discolored

3: So This Is What Makes Life Divine

WPOV

I've decided I'm going to become a monk and live a romance-less life for eternity. The handsome Hades guy is talking to Piper again, and it is just now hitting me that she is on his level of good-looking, and I am most certainly not. I made a mistake by talking with him because now all I can think about is how much I am hoping that they're just friends.

I have to figure out if they're dating or not. I very carefully stand up—am I really risking getting noticed just so I can ask someone if the Hades guy has a girlfriend? This is stupid. Oh my God, this is the stupidest thing I've ever done. I try to act casual as I stand up from my seat and go find Annabeth and Percy. They know almost everyone at camp, and Annabeth and I are close, so I'm sure she'll give me an honest answer.

On my way over, suddenly someone from the Aphrodite cabin stands up and cheers, "Shout out to Nico di Angelo for being here tonight to help a couple fall in love!" She points at the Hades guy, who suddenly looks like he's going to commit homicide against all of us right now. So that's his name—Nico. I like it.

The girl touches my shoulder as I pass and says, "He doesn't normally come to these things—shouldn't you try to help welcome him, as a child of Apollo?" She tries to gently begin guiding me in his direction by taking my shoulders and walking with me, but I frown at her.

Rude. Am I not allowed a night off?

"Oh—if you're looking for the welcoming committee, you'll need to ask Austin," I tell her. "He's the one who's leading the fire today, so he'll know who's helping with that." And then I continue on my way to find Annabeth.

She's in the middle of a conversation with Percy when I sit down and blurt, "Is Nico di Angelo gay?"

Wait. That is not what I had wanted to ask. I had only meant to ask if Nico and Piper are dating—that question is a lot easier to mask as gossip rather than attraction. I can't take it back now though—my face is hot, and I'm hoping that they don't notice.

They stare at me a little—trying to come up with an answer to such an awkward way to ask a very personal question.

"I'm...uh, well I'm not sure if I'm really the right person to ask," Percy says, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Maybe you should go ask him instead."

Right. He's right, it's rude to try to figure out someone's sexuality like this. Being upfront is better—I know that, objectively. I know I should just go ask if they're dating.

"Right," I mutter.

Annabeth glances across the fire at Piper, who has an urgent expression on her face. Nico still looks mad—I think he's about to leave the fire. Annabeth swallows and then turns and tells me cheerfully, "You know what? You should go over there and ask him right now before he leaves. You might not get another chance, man—just try not to draw too much attention, alright? He's already uncomfortable."

Right. Right, right, right.

I stand up, and I think I'm shaking a little.

I march over to him, and he's standing up, looking more than a little annoyed, and I'm about four feet away from him when he notices me and I decide that this is a horrible idea. My face is hot and I try to turn around and abort this mission—

One of the Aphrodite kids knocks into me, and I fall backwards into Nico, both of us falling painfully into the brown dirt—

Brown?

I push myself onto my elbows, staring at the ground in wonder. It's a deep brown, and the flickering light of the fire behind me contributes a faint reddish glow. A few blades of grass stick out of the rocky soil, and I stare at the color green for the first time in my life. 

So this is color. I think I'm in love.

A/N: 

Word count: 683

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Have an absolutely amazing day!

Yours,

Sunny