::::SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ AUTHOR'S NOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE 5TH BOOK:::

This takes place after the 5th book.
Hmmm, wait... that might not work out.
Okay, just imagine that there was no kiss, and there wasn't that scene at the end where they raced each other to the tree, and blah blah blah.

Please no flaming. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. But reviews that say things like "OMG have you even READ the series?" or "THAT STORY SUCKED YOU'RE HORRIBLE!" are not appreciated. I try my best, but it may not be good enough for you.

Thank you.

I do not own Percy Jackson and/or the characters used in the story.

The Aphrodites: chapter 1

"No," I said simply, tossing a few dirty socks into my clothes hamper as Annabeth gave me a 3 on the final inspection sheet. I was starting to think she was going easy on me.
"Come on, Percy," Annabeth said. "You'll love it."
"Not when I'm being pursued by a powerful Greek god," I replied. Annabeth was trying to get me to come with her on vacation with her dad and step mom before they went back to Los Angeles. It was her first year of not staying at camp after summer was over, and she was safer than ever. But there was no way I was stepping foot outside the camp borders. Not without getting struck by lightning.
"Oh, big bad Zeus can't get you," she said jokingly, nudging me with her elbow. Thunder crashed in the distance, and I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Okay, okay," she said, holding up her hands in surrender. "Don't give me that look. I get what you're saying."
"Haven't you and your dad been getting along better?"
Annabeth nodded slowly, a sad look in her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess. I just wish you could come with me."
I grinned and patted Annabeth on the shoulder.
"Poor Wise Girl. Whatever will she do without me?" I said. Annabeth hit me playfully on the shoulder, which didn't hurt, like she intended it to. She hated not being stronger than me anymore.
"I'm trying to be serious here," she said. "Sometimes I think my step mom hates me."
"Ah, so it's your step mom, not your dad."
Annabeth glared at me. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain. She's almost cruel sometimes."
I looked at her, concerned. "Annabeth-"
"I said 'sometimes.' Gods, I'm not looking forward to this trip. Not only is it dangerous for me to be out of camp, I'll have to miss school. And I don't even have the option of coming back to camp after I leave."
"So don't leave," I offered. "Stay all year with me. You've stayed all year before. You love it."
"I can't," she sighed. "There's just no way out of this trip."

Just then there was a knock on the door frame of my open cabin door. One of Annabeth's half-siblings stood there awkwardly.
"Hey Annabeth," he said, glancing first at me then back at Annabeth. "Chiron says he needs to speak with you. Something about your dad."
Annabeth and I exchanged a confused glance before she shrugged and left, leaving me alone with my level 3 cabin and the setting sun.

Later, after lying on my bunk for a while and sending an Iris message to my mom to make sure she knew I was staying, I decided to walk down to the mess hall. Dinner wasn't for another half hour, at least, but I needed something to do.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As I approached the dining pavilion, I saw Chiron talking with a nine year old girl wearing a brown dress. This shocked me, because normally the girl sat at the fire by the cabins.
I walked up to them.
"Lady Hestia," I said, bowing to the young girl, which felt kind of weird.
"Percy Jackson," she replied warmly, smiling and nodding her head at me. Just being in her presence made me feel homesick, but also made my head swim with images of family and friends, home-cooked meals and holidays with people I loved. The good images. I almost forgot how I wasn't going to see my mom this year. Almost.
"Chiron?" I said, my ADHD brain still wondering why Hestia wasn't in the commons. Hmm, now that I think about it, I didn't see her when I left my cabin. What was she doing here?
"Yes, my boy?" Chiron said. He must have seen the confused look on my face, because he smiled and said, "Just going over dinner plans, Percy. Did you need something?"
"Uh..." I said intelligently, glancing at Hestia again. She smiled at me. "No. Not really. I just needed something to do after you called Annabeth down."
"Ah, yes, Miss Chase and her high spirits. Tomorrow night we're having a chariot race, for the first time in a while. She went to strategize with the few of her cabinmates that are left."

Now, that didn't make sense. Tomorrow was the last day of camp. Annabeth would be leaving to go on vacation. I looked at Chiron curiously. He chuckled, as if reading my thoughts.

"But she's not staying year round," I said.
"She wasn't going to, no, but now she is."
"Can I ask why?"
"By all means."
There was silence. Chiron and Hestia looked at each other.
"Are you going to tell me why she's not leaving?" I asked Chiron.
"Are you going to ask?"
I rolled my eyes at his old Latin-teacher habits.
"Why isn't Annabeth leaving?" I asked.
"Her father came by about an hour ago," Chiron explained. "He wanted to tell Annabeth that something came up and they couldn't take their vacation. I told him that she was busy, either inspecting the cabins or speaking with you, but he insisted. So I sent her half-sibling Daniel to let her know her father was here."
I nodded. Just then, I saw Annabeth strolling towards the dining pavilion, a huge smile on her face and her hands in her pockets.

I suck at writing Chiron. You need not tell me this.
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