A/N: This will remain a one shot, but there will be sequels and such. Hope you enjoy! And... please read the A/N at the bottom.
Thanks for all the favourites, alerts, and reviews. {Virtual hug}
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO and HOO. They belong to that awesome genius, Rick Riordan.
And now...enjoy :)
As he scrambled around the apartment picking up clothes strewn on the floor and vacuuming (hey, he wanted to make a good impression), Jason wondered how much his lifestyle would change now that Piper was moving in with him. Not that he regretted his decision to let her live with him or anything. She turned down all those high end apartments her dad offered her, just for him. It's just that...the only girl he had ever lived with was Thalia, and that was only until he was two. He barely remembered his life then. Being a girl, Piper was definitely much neater than him. Did that mean he had to vacuum the apartment every day?
Jason switched off the vacuum as he pondered that. As far as he was concerned, the place only had to be cleaned every two days. Or when he had parties. Or when he had his friends over (which was pretty much every day). And, boy, when they left, the place always looked like it had been trampled on by giants. When Thalia popped in during her breaks, she took care of the laundry and cooking (though on most nights they ordered takeout).
Jason wasn't sure how it would be like with Piper. Sure, they had been going out for some time now, but this was a new step in their relationship. Jason grinned slightly. Would she have sleepovers with the others? That sounded really farfetched to him, but only because it was normal. Being demigods didn't really give them the chance be normal.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when the doorbell rang. He scurried to answer it.
He was expecting Piper at the door.
Not some supermodel.
Jason's eyes widened. The woman in front of him was absolutely gorgeous. She was only wearing jeans and a plaid shirt, but she made it look amazing. He stared at her for some time, trying to form coherent words.
"Now, now, Jason. Is this how you treat a lady?" The lady chided. Jason blushed as he opened the door and welcomed her inside. He had no idea who she was, but he felt compelled to listen to her silvery voice.
"Oh, how adorable! You're cleaning up for Piper!" The woman giggled. Jason stood awkwardly at the door. First of all, this lady knew his name. That already scored a ten on the weirdness scale. Secondly, she also knew his girlfriend's name. That took the prize. Jason shook his head slightly, trying to regain his bearings. He continued staring at the woman, then decided that she was definitely someone he knew. She looked so familiar, bearing resemblance to Piper. And no matter how much he tried, he couldn't figure out her age. The more he looked at her, the more she changed, becoming more and more beautiful. She was timeless; her eye colour and hairstyle changing constantly; her clothes flickering uncertainly, from an elegant red gown to a simple sundress, as if deciding which one to wear. It was like she was...
"Immortal," Jason whispered to himself.
Realization dawned on him as he shut his apartment door and made his way to her.
"Venus?" Jason asked hesitantly.
"Aphrodite, rather. Took you long enough, dear boy! And they say Perseus is slow." She giggled yet again.
Jason had to suppress a smile. Percy didn't like being called Perseus. At all. He found that out the hard way.
Then a thought crossed his mind and his smile vanished. He had thought Piper's mom was gorgeous. Well, she was, being the goddess of beauty and all, but still. She was his girlfriend's mom. It couldn't get more awkward than that.
"Um..." Jason couldn't think of anything to say. What was she doing here? It's not every day you get a visit from the love goddess. He ran a hand through his hair.
"So...uh..." He figured 'what the hell are you doing here?' wouldn't make her too happy.
Even though he doubted she would vaporize him for that, he didn't want to take any chances. You could never tell with godly beings.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked politely instead, then stared at himself in horror. Where did that come from? He was pretty sure people didn't talk like that anymore...or did they? Besides, everyone knows that just means 'What the hell are you doing here' in adult talk, which was what he had wanted to say in the first place. Did that mean he could have said that and not get vaporized? Were adults just being rude in a polite way? Did that even make sense? Jason groaned internally. Where were all these thoughts coming from, anyway?
Jason blamed everything on his ADHD.
Aphrodite, however, didn't seem to notice his dilemma.
"Why, to talk, of course! We've got so much to talk about, you know?" She clapped her hands and his apartment was suddenly spotless. She conjured up food on the table, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate, pizza, cake, fruit punch, soda...Jason's jaw almost dropped.
Instead, he gulped.
"Uh...Piper..."
"Don't worry about her, she'll only arrive later. I've made sure of that." Aphrodite plopped down on the sofa.
Jason raised an eyebrow at the "I've made sure of that" part. But Piper was not his only concern. Being the son of Jupiter (or Zeus, whatever, he still needed time to get used to the Greek/Roman stuff) didn't always mean that Jason was fearless. Not that he was fearless at all in the first place.
In fact, he was ashamed to say that even after all those years of crazy monster fighting and general demigod-ish stuff (which were always dangerous, mind you) he was totally not prepared for this visit.
"Now come on! Take a seat!" Aphrodite gestured to the sofa opposite her.
With a sigh, Jason obeyed. Who knew how long she would take?
Oh, well. At least now he didn't have to clean for a week.
Jason grinned despite himself.
"And your sister, Artemis? She's such a stick in the mud. You know, swearing off boys and all that jazz. So boring! And when I tried to tell her that she should hand Thalia over to moi so I could spice up her love life, she actually threw a fit and cursed me for a week! A week, can you believe it? I had this sudden urge to turn all men into animals!" Aphrodite blabbed on.
Jason was slightly annoyed that she wanted to 'spice up Thalia's love life'. That was his sister she was talking about, for Zeus' sake! Even if she was older...
Besides, Jason understood perfectly well why Thalia had joined the Hunters. Annabeth and Percy had filled him, Piper and Leo in on their past adventures awhile ago. He didn't want her to quit, even if that meant she could spend more time with him. That would be selfish of him.
So far, Aphrodite had done all the talking. Now he knew about all the gossip on Olympus.
Apparently, Athena had declared war on Poseidon, should Percy ever propose to Annabeth. Jason knew for a fact that Percy was planning to do exactly that in two weeks. He had been one of the poor boys dragged along to pick out a ring. It was a great bonding experience for him, Grover, Nico, Leo, Frank, Connor and Travis. Why Percy needed so many of them, Jason would never know. Of course, Jason figured Aphrodite would know about the proposal and all that. She was probably protecting the Golden Couple or something.
Also, Apollo and Hermes have teamed up for a prank-a-thon on April Fool's. It was rumoured that their first victim would be Artemis. After Jason heard that, he was glad he wasn't them. They might be his godly siblings and all but he really didn't want to spend the rest of his life as a jackalope.
In other news, 'Percabeth'-Jason didn't know what that was, but it sounded like a combination of Percy's and Annabeth's names-was all the rage on Olympus, with merchandise being sold at every store. Bets were being placed on whether or not they would get married and stay married (at this point Jason knew it was their couple name).
Obviously, Athena was far from happy about that.
"Oh, but you know, other couples are climbing up the ladder. Tratie, Jasper, Leyna, Coranda...among others," Aphrodite added. Jason's eyes widened in horror. Tratie? Jasper? Leyna? Coranda? (That last one sounded like coriander to him.) And there were more?
If Jason guessed right, 'Jasper' was about him and Piper.
His cheeks flushed slightly.
"Uh...what's Tratie?"
"Why, Travis and Katie, of course!"
"Oh. I should have guessed." Jason really didn't know what else to say. "What about Coranda?"
"Their closest siblings, duh!"
Jason raised an eyebrow. The sibling Travis was closest to was Connor. And the sibling Katie was closest to was Miranda.
"Connor and Miranda?" Jason asked uncertainly.
"Yeah! They've got it bad for each other, don't you think?" Aphrodite squealed in delight.
"Well, yeah." Connor was crazy for Miranda. And vice versa. They just didn't want to admit it yet. He supposed Coranda was better than 'Miranor' or something. Still, it sounded like coriander to him. But that was just his ADHD talking. He wondered what it was with the Hermes guys and Demeter girls, though.
Jason was almost afraid to ask what 'Leyna' was. But he did anyway.
"So...what's Leyna, then?"
Aphrodite grinned mysteriously. "That...you have to find out yourself." She shook her head.
"With so many couples to work on, I don't know whose life to mess with first! Maybe a little drama for Travis and Katie-not too much, mind you, Demeter would have my head-" she shuddered involuntarily. "I don't want to hear about the benefits of cereal. Hades once told me that she talked for five hours straight about that! I mean, I know she's the agriculture goddess and all, but you don't have to talk about it all the time, you know?"
Jason wanted to point out that everything she had been talking about so far was related to love, but he didn't want to get on her bad side, for obvious reasons. She might turn him into a poodle or something.
"Anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes. Connor and Miranda too. But I suppose I shouldn't tell you my plans. Though it would surely be exciting. Never a dull moment in their love lives, that's my aim! For Percy and Annabeth, now, they require something special. After all, I promised Perseus years ago." She sighed nostalgically at the memory.
Jason had been holding in a scream. It came out something like, "Eep." He knew she was the love goddess, but this was just weird.
Aphrodite seemed to sense his uneasiness. She shot him a dazzling smile.
"Sweetheart, Romeo and Juliet's story was only romantic because I got involved!" She told him, satisfied, as if that justified her actions.
Jason's cheeks grew slightly warm. It was nice being called 'sweetheart'.
"Uh...didn't they die in the end?"
Aphrodite sighed. "Why does EVERYBODY have to point that out? At least they had a good life!"
Jason wanted to add that no, they did not, but she continued talking.
"It's my job to make romance more interesting. What other way to do that than add a little drama? For example, you see a man on the street with his girlfriend. And then another lady walks past, and the guy involuntarily turns to look at her. Imagine how mad the girlfriend would be! She slaps him, he begs for forgiveness, and whether they get back together or not depends on my mood."
"But you can't just-"Jason stopped himself.
"Mess with people's love lives?" Aphrodite raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "It's my job, Hon."
Jason nodded numbly. "Sure. Yeah, I guess it is." He really didn't want to be turned into a poodle.
"So anyway, back to our demigods. I'm sorry I can't spare you and Piper, even though she's my daughter." Aphrodite frowned.
"Duty first, and all that. But I'm pretty sure she can handle it. She's strong, you know, like her big sister Silena. Silena and Charlie, now, they're happy in Elysium together." She sighed unhappily, her voice signalling that she was about to cry.
Jason panicked. He did not know how to deal with crying girls. It was completely beyond his understanding.
But then Aphrodite smiled again, and Jason let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
"Oh, aren't you cute! Anyway, I better get going. You know, lots of stuff to take care of. Besides, Pretty Little Liars is starting soon."
Jason stood up with her. "Sure, Lady Aphrodite." He realized his leg had fallen asleep. He would have, too, but eating all the chocolate kept him awake.
"Oh, and Jason? I almost forgot what I came to tell you in the first place. Piper is a strong girl, stronger than most of her half siblings. But she can break too. I cannot thank you enough for being there for her. Like I said, ancient rules forbid me from not interfering in her love life. It simply isn't fair that I should favour my kids. However, being my children, they know how to handle anything that comes their way, relationship wise. Just like how Athena's children are natural born brainiacs, mine are experts in the romance department. There will be hard times, of course. It's my job. Prove to me that you'll stick through thick and thin. And maybe, just maybe, you might catch a break."
She smiled, a genuine smile. She didn't say anything more after that, but the unspoken words hung in the air: like Percy and Annabeth.
"Take care of her, Jason. My daughter is in your hands."
She started towards the door, but turned around and said, "One last thing. You're going to have to learn how to deal with crying girls, my boy. Piper can, and definitely will, cry." She winked and vanished into thin air, leaving a speechless Jason, the sweet and pleasant smell of designer perfume, and a heck of a lot of food.
And just in time too, since at that exact moment, the doorbell rang.
"Jason?" Piper's voice called out. Jason sprinted towards the door and threw it open. Then he sighed in relief, because it really was Piper, looking beautiful in jeans and a Camp Half Blood T-shirt.
The first thing that caught his eye was that she was only carrying one duffel bag. He raised an eyebrow. She laughed and walked inside as he closed the door. Piper leaned against the closed door.
"Coach Hedge said he'll drop off the rest of my stuff tomorrow," she explained. "Sorry I'm late, though. Had a little problem along the way."
"Are you alright?" Jason suspected her 'problem' might have one thing to do with Aphrodite keeping her busy.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, why do I smell Gucci perfume?" She said suddenly, and caught sight of the humongous amount of food. She stared at it in shock.
"Jason? It smells like my cabin in here." Realization dawned on her, and Jason laughed at her expression.
"Was my mom here?" She asked in a small voice.
"Yup," Jason confirmed, shooting her a smile like, all in a day's work.
The look on Piper's face made Jason wish he had a camera.
Her eyes widened. She started freaking out.
"Oh my gods. My mom. The goddess of love. Was here. She. Aphrodite. Why? What? She didn't hurt you, did she? Because if she did, I'm so sorry! She's a bit-"
Jason pressed his finger to her lips. "Shhh," he whispered.
He was holding her in his arms, just like that time at the Grand Canyon when he saved both of their lives. He chuckled lightly.
"Yeah, Pipes. Your mom was here." He dropped his voice to a whisper again. "And you know how they say that you would see the most beautiful person you know in her? I kept seeing you." He almost sighed in relief. Finally, he had let that out.
Piper turned slightly red, and she asked, "You really saw me?"
"Why would I lie about that?" Jason feigned hurt. He didn't give her a chance to answer, though. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, their hearts beating faster against their shirts, before he leaned down and kissed her.
When they broke apart, Piper laughed softly. "So that's why Mitchell visited me today."
"Huh?"
Piper chuckled. "Some other time. But you're going to going to have to fill me in about what Aphrodite told you." Jason opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off.
"Now what are we going to do with all this food?"
Forgetting about what she said before, he grinned widely.
"Party?" Hey, it was the natural thing to do.
"Yeah, okay. I'll IM the rest." Well, they couldn't possibly call them with a phone, now could they?
"We can have it like a celebration for you moving in. They can stay over, if they want."
"You're so sweet, Lightning Boy."
Jason gave her an incredulous look.
"Lightning Boy?!"
"Hey, it's nice. I like it."
"Then I'll call you Beauty Queen."
"Jason!" Piper laughed and pecked his cheek.
"Oh, please. All this mushiness is too much for my macho brain to take. I'm gonna puke," someone said behind them.
"NICO?!"
...End?
A/N: So that's it. Thanks for reading! Please review! I'd really appreciate it.
I'm sorry for having been gone so long, there is no valid reason I have.
Oh, and the ending is sort of...cheesy/corny, (the name part) but...I like it. *sheepish laugh*
{Edit: Yeah, I pretty much deleted the long author's note I had here previously.}
~Mel