This was supposed to be a ficlet for the last Percico Weekend but it's getting bigger than expected. I feel bad for making the prompter wait so I decided to post it in pieces as chapters.

Disclaimer: Characters, locations, etc are the property of Rick Riordan.

Edited by the fantastic Lordandladiesofthesilverscreen

As a piece of advice, never piss off a love goddess, especially not one as vain and childish as Aphrodite.

It was just a weak moment. He lost his temper at the celebration after Percy and Annabeth announced their plans to move to New Rome together. He stomped off and scared Jason away when he tried to follow. At the time he just kept thinking how unfair it was. He still couldn't help but blame the world and his own nature. A son of Hades –he was doomed to be unhappy and alone forever. Death wasn't warm or comforting, it was mysterious and lonely.

In a rage he shadow traveled back to Croatia and used his powers and his Stygian sword to vent his frustration at Cupid's temple. When he calmed down enough to realize what he'd done, he still didn't care. He sat down in the middle of the ruin and waited. The sun had gone down and even though the city was nearby, it wasn't nearly as bright as a city in America. The stars and moon were out too but it was still dark. It didn't bother him. In the dark was usually where he felt most peaceful. He could blend in and go unnoticed in the dark and he liked it that way.

He expected Cupid to show up and fill him full of arrows but it was Aphrodite who appeared in front of him instead. She was gorgeous –a raven haired beauty in an expensive looking red dress. There were rubies hanging around her neck and studded in her hair and she wore a pair of earrings shaped like tiny red roses. Judging from her outfit, he supposed they were having a party on Olympus too.

"Well, you've ruined the ruins of my son's temple," she said lightly. "Do you feel better now?"

"I'll probably never feel better!" he shouted.

"Oh, sweetheart there's no need to be so dramatic. Do you know how many young girls wish to be crossed in love?" Aphrodite strolled around the crumbling columns in her heels like it wasn't out of the ordinary at all.

"I don't care, I'm not one of them!" said Nico fighting back angry tears.

"I am sorry to see you so upset, but I promised to make Percy's love life interesting and you're an integral part of that," she said shrugging like the situation was beyond her control.

"You did this to me for that? Made me love him?" He stood up, barely able to contain his anger.

"You have to trust me. It'll get better."

"You can make it better right now." He was crying now and wiped the hot tears away furiously. "Take it away from me. I don't want to feel this way for him anymore."

"It's not as simple as all that. I have a plan-"

"I don't care about your stupid plan!"

Aphrodite looked angry then. Her brown eyes flashed unnaturally bright for a second and he felt the air settle around them. She walked back toward him, crushing bits and pieces of marble under her heels like acorns.

"I am so unappreciated," she muttered wrathfully to herself. "Try to make people happy…try to show them the beauty of love…" Nico's own anger was forgotten and he backed up away from the goddess as she advanced on him.

"Don't like my stupid plan? Fine," she said coolly. "Let's make a new one."

She reached out before he could pull away and touched his forehead with her index finger. The only thing he saw after that was darkness.