Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO or the HOO series. The brilliant Rick Riordan does!
Chapter 1.
"Hermes!" Aphrodite's yell rang through Olympus from the golden Olympian palace. No body throughout the whole of Olympus gave it a second thought though. Everyone there was used to the screams and shouts coming from the palace at the centre of Olympus which was the home of the twelve Olympian gods and Hestia.
"Hermes I'm going to kill you!" Aphrodite screeched. She burst in to the throne room and scanned every face, chair and statue.
"Please, Aphrodite, calm down. What's wrong?" Her uncle Poseidon said in a calming manner. Aphrodite's face drained from red to her usual perfect complexion.
"I'm sorry, but Hermes has stolen from me!" Aphrodite accused throwing her hands up in the air.
Poseidon chuckled lightly but not so much that he insulted Aphrodite. Even he didn't want to feel her wrath.
"Yes, Hermes does tend to steal things." Poseidon noted. Aphrodite sighed.
"Yes but this time it's personal. This thing is so important to me. I can't believe he stole it. Once I get it back and have him cornered he will face my wrath." She promised.
"Okay? Aren't you being slightly… dramatic about this?"
"No, how could you suggest such a thing, uncle. I am a highly sophisticated lady with perfect looks, why would I need to be dramatic when my looks are flawless and attract so much attention anyway."
"You're really modest too." Poseidon commented. Aphrodite sniffed.
"It doesn't matter. I'll kill Hermes if it's the last thing I do! He should never have taken that shell." She growled.
"What shell?"
"My shell obviously. Honestly Uncle Poseidon have you been keeping up with this conversation at all?"
"I know it's your shell but what's it for? What does it do? Why is it so important to you?"
Aphrodite stiffened knowing that she had said way too much.
"Oh it's nothing. I don't know why I mentioned it. I should really go and find Hermes." She said airily. Poseidon looked at her as she drifted away through the throne room and into one of the long corridors of the palace.
Poseidon strode into the middle of the throne room and sighed. He'd have to do everything himself.
"HERMES!" He bellowed. Hermes appeared in a flash of blue light even before his name had rolled off of Poseidon's tongue.
"You called?" Hermes asked with a bow. Whenever one of the big three called for a god, that said god would have to appear right away unless it was drastic measures. However, if it was another god, one does not have to be in such a rush to meet up with them- especially if they are after your head.
"Yes. I hear that you've stolen again, you little thief." Poseidon started off. Hermes cocked his head to the side as though in thought.
"I have stolen today. There was that satyr's flute, which was a good thing because he was a terrible player and a nymph's hair clip, which I think may have been a gift from her distant cousin but who cares, and I stole a rainbow snow globe from Iris' shop, and probably some other stuff to." Hermes said trying to remember everything he stole but failing miserably.
"No, Hermes, I mean from the twelve Olympian gods. You know, your close family." Poseidon said. Hermes thought about it for a moment when something seemed to click.
"Oh no lord, Uncle Poseidon. I would never steal from you, Father Zeus or Uncle Hades… much. But I haven't stolen from any of you today!" Hermes defended.
Poseidon studied him with a close eye and Hermes stood up tall and proud eyeing his uncle back. It was clear to Poseidon that the wrong thing had clicked in Hermes' brain. He wasn't the smartest god; he should definitely leave that job to Athena.
"I'm not talking about the big three. I'm talking about Aphrodite." Poseidon said. Hermes paused for a moment before nodding.
"Oh… what about her?" He asked letting his confusion flow. Poseidon shook his head.
"You stole from her." He said slowly. Hermes nodded again.
"Oh… I haven't stolen from her in a while." Hermes admitted with a hint of shame in his voice.
"But she's missing a shell of sorts. I don't know what it is… she won't tell me." Poseidon said thoughtfully.
"Look I haven't stolen any shell-type thing from her at all. The last time I stole from her was yesterday and that was her favourite pair of heels, nothing shell like about them." Hermes confided. The two gods paused.
"Well if it wasn't you…then who stole from Aphrodite?" Poseidon asked nobody in particular.
Suddenly the doors to the throne room burst open, again courtesy of Aphrodite. She scanned the room again and this time spotted her target; Hermes, and began to walk over to him.