The flowers were bothering Piper.

She had never been a girl who liked pink, even though she was a daughter of Aphrodite. And the flowers were completely and irritatingly pink. There was not a single blossom in a different hue.

Piper stood tapping her foot near the entrance of the supermarket, waiting for Jason. It was Valentine's day, hence all the pink flowers, and her boyfriend had insisted on stopping by the store on the way to the movie they were going to see. Piper thought it was very sweet and romantic that Jason was taking her out on a date on Valentine's day. She wouldn't have minded if they had a quiet dinner together in their small New York apartment, but she was impressed with Jason's planning.

The sound of her favorite voice in the world caused Piper to turn away from the annoying flowers.

"...go and see the movie!" Jason was saying. He gave Piper a one-armed hug, and Piper glanced curiously at the bag in his other hand. For some reason, Jason blushed when he saw that she had tried to look.

Smiling, Piper lifted her chin and kissed him. "Let's go, Sky Boy." She grabbed his hand, and they walked out of the store together.

Jason had tickets for one of Piper's favorite movies, a cute romantic film that she had seen a half-dozen times before. Even though Piper wasn't as girly as some of her half-siblings, she was still the daughter of the love goddess, and she loved movies like this one. She knew that Jason wouldn't really mind the cheesiness of it all.

As soon as they had their seats, Jason put his arm around Piper. She snuggled into his side, taking a piece of the popcorn they had bought. The two watched the screen as the hopelessly love-struck couple couldn't seem to stay away from each other, finally realizing that they should just be together. It wasn't exactly lifelike, Piper thought, but it was cute. At last, the pair got their happy ending.

Piper looked up at Jason, who leaned in and kissed her. Gods, she loved him to Olympus and back. Even when the lights came back on in the theater, she didn't stop kissing him. When Piper finally pulled away, she smiled sheepishly, realizing that they were surrounded by other people. Jason didn't seem to care. He gave her another peck on the lips and grinned.

"Come on, Jason," said Piper, trying not to become mortified. "Let's go."

She dragged him up out of his seat, rolling her eyes. Jason winked at her, and Piper made up her mind that she could never stay irritated with him. She smiled to herself, knowing that Jason was one of a kind.

On the way home from the movie, Jason surprised Piper by going past their turn on the road.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," he replied, smiling. Despite the smile, Piper noticed that he looked slightly nervous. She shook her head, bemused.

When she saw the sea, Piper thought she understood what Jason was doing. "A day at the beach!" she exclaimed. "Jason, that's perfect!"

Jason chuckled and pointed to the back seat, where the bag he had gotten at the store was propped. "I brought a picnic."

Piper was touched. "Aw, Jason! You really thought of everything, didn't you!"

"Well, so far everything seems to be working out pretty well," he admitted. He pulled into a parking place and walked around the car to open Piper's door.

Not many people knew about this beach, and today it was empty. Jason had brought Piper here before, and Piper loved the place. It was just sand and water, no tourist shops or lifeguard towers to get in the way.

They spread their blanket just a few yards from the water. Piper was reminded of their picnic in Rome on Jason's birthday. This time, the meal seemed more sincere. It came from Jason, not from a cornucopia.

Piper was surprised at the amount of food Jason had managed to fit into the grocery bag. He kept revealing more and more. There was ham and turkey, fresh bread, and fruit; hamburgers and chips; there was even a container of brownies. The very last thing Jason brought out from the bag was a bouquet of gorgeous blue flowers.

Piper was thrilled. "They're not pink!" she cried.

Jason looked confused. "Is that a bad thing?"

Piper laughed. "No! They're perfect. I love them. I love you!"

Now that there was nobody around, Piper could kiss Jason properly. She wrapped her arms around him and kept them there even when they had pulled apart, laying her head on his chest. But the food was making her stomach growl, and eventually Piper sat up straight.

"Help yourself," Jason told her, having read her mind.

Piper enjoyed the meal. It was better than anything that could have come from her old cornucopia. She laughed when Jason reached for his fourth brownie.

A little while after their picnic, Jason asked if Piper wanted to take a walk down the beach. She jumped up readily, kicking off her shoes so she could feel the waves on her feet. Hand in hand with the love of her life, Piper felt like the luckiest person alive.

After a few minutes, Jason lead Piper onto the dry sand and paused. "Hey, Pipes?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you," Jason said timidly, "and I just wanted to tell you that you are my world."

Jason let go of her hand and got down on his knee.

"Oh my gods, Jason!" Piper covered her mouth with her hands. Jason smiled at her reaction. Piper's heart was soaring above the clouds. She was embarrassed when she felt tears in her eyes.

Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black jewelry box, opening it to reveal a beautiful gold ring glittering with diamonds.

"Piper, my love," he began. "We have gone through so much together, and I've found that you are always by my side. Even when you're far away, I know that you are there for me. So here I am, letting you know that I'm here for you as well. I figure that without you, I would probably be stuck wandering the skies alone with no one to bring me home. Will you be the person who brings me back down to earth? Piper McLean, will you marry me?"

Piper choked out a laugh. "Yes," she breathed. He slid the ring onto her finger.

Piper threw her arms around him and kissed him. "I love you!" she cried.

Jason held her close and pressed his face into her hair. "I will always love you," he vowed.