Nico's day was completely ruined by the sudden appearance of Aphrodite on the beach. One minute he'd been sitting by himself, stirring the sand with a stick as he looked across Long Island Sound. The next, he was surrounded by a cloud of Chanel perfume and swan feathers.

While he was coughing, Aphrodite grabbed him by the back of his jacket and hoisted him to his feet. She was wearing a pale blue sundress and a wide-brimmed straw hat. She might have passed for any other woman on vacation if her appearance wasn't constantly changing to keep up with beauty standards. Her hair transformed from long and red to short and blond.

"Did I startle you?" she asked. She whipped off her bug-eyed sunglasses. Even her eye color couldn't stay the same for more than a few seconds. The effect was dizzying.

"What's going on?" Nico wheezed. He was pretty sure he'd gotten a mouthful of sand as well.

Aphrodite clapped her hands. "I'm here to give you my congratulations. Congratulations!" She threw her arms around Nico. He nearly suffocated.

"What are you talking about? Ma'am," he added. It wasn't a good idea to get on Aphrodite's bad side.

"You know what, silly." She tapped him on the nose. Her nails were so long they nearly scratched him. "Your boyfriend."

Nico was struck speechless. Blood rushed to his cheeks. This has gotta be a nightmare, he thought. Aphrodite would never visit him like this, not at camp, not anywhere. Therefore, this was a dream. One that he hoped to wake up from, very soon.

He found his voice again. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Don't be coy, sweetie. I know everything. And they always said that children of Hades were a hopeless case—especially you, dear, don't take it too personally—but I showed them!"

Nico didn't know what to say to that.

Aphrodite went on. Her appearance was settling. Her hair switched between brown and black. "You've had a tough life. There was never enough love in it. Poor boy, harboring your unrequited feelings for so long! You've been so brave. But I'm happy to see that there's someone who can finally fill that empty space in your heart." She jabbed him playfully in the chest.

"But I don't…" Nico began.

"Oh! There he is now!"

Nico was afraid to look around. Who would the dream show him? Percy? That thought was so mortifying he was surprised he didn't drop dead on the spot. He turned in time to see Connor Stoll jogging toward them. Even from far away, his concerned expression was clear. He seemed reluctant to get closer, but he kept coming anyway.

"There's been a mistake," Nico said in a rush.

"No use denying it, honey," Aphrodite said. "I told you, I know everything that has to do with love." She waved at Connor.

I want to wake up now. Aphrodite thought Connor Stoll was his boyfriend? Impossible. Sure, he and Connor had gone on a minor quest together a few weeks back, but that didn't mean anything. Nico had hung out with him maybe once since then. His brain was playing tricks on him.

Connor was now about a yard away. He stopped short.

"Don't be shy." Aphrodite smiled knowingly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's just…" Connor glanced at Nico. He looked as confused as Nico felt. "You don't usually visit camp. Everyone's wondering why you're here."

"This is a special visit." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was black again, and feathery. "In fact, I wouldn't have come if it hadn't been hinted to me by your stepmother, Nico di Angelo."

"My stepmother?" This nightmare had more layers than Nico expected.

"She told me about your recent trip to the Underworld. Apparently you saved this young man," she gestured to Connor, "from eternal imprisonment by completing Orpheus's task. An incredibly romantic gesture, I must say."

"Romantic?" Connor said, his lips quirking into an amused smile.

"Listen," Nico said, no longer caring about being respectful. "Connor's just a friend. I don't know what my stepmother told you, but she made a mistake. We're not… together."

Aphrodite frowned. Her eyes flickered sea green, then blue, then dark brown. "No? Nico, you should know that love is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm never wrong when it comes to emotions, so you won't get anywhere by playing dumb. Now!"

She grabbed Connor and Nico by the wrist. Nico tried to pull away, but her grip was too strong. Connor's face paled. He looked like he wanted to cry for help. There were a few campers watching from a distance, but none of them moved.

"I've decided to give you a gift," Aphrodite said. The skin around their wrists grew warmer, almost to the point of burning. "You've suffered enough. Now that you've found the one you love, I'll guarantee that you'll never lose him."

"Wait," Connor said, but she wasn't listening.

"Connor Stoll and Nico di Angelo. You are now promised to each other for all time. Your hearts are one." She beamed. Her eyes were misty. "I wish you all the happiness in the world. Ah, it feels so good to mend broken hearts."

With that, she disappeared in a shower of flower petals. The scent of French perfume lingered on the salty air. For a moment, Connor and Nico stood there, too shocked to say anything. Nico looked at his wrist. There was a shiny band around it, like a bracelet that was a part of his skin.

"What did she do?" Nico said, horrified.

"I think we're engaged. Or maybe we're already married."

"Don't make jokes like that!"

Connor held up his hands. He also had a glowing ring around his wrist. "I'm being serious. The way she was talking sounded like a wedding ceremony."

"Alright, that's it. I want to wake up." Nico rubbed at the mark. "I want to wake up. I want to wake up."

"This isn't a dream, man."

"You're right; it's a nightmare."

"I'm pretty sure we're both awake, but you can pinch me, just in case."

Nico spun around and planted his fist in Connor's stomach. The older boy doubled over with a faint "oof." He felt as solid as Aphrodite's hands had been.

"I said pinch," Connor croaked. "Not punch."

"Shut up. Oh my gods what are we going to do?" Nico grabbed fistfuls of his hair and tugged. This had to be a prank. The gods were messing with him, for some bizarre reason. No, one goddess was messing with him.

The watching campers were starting to come down to the beach. Connor straightened up. He studied the mark for a moment, then gripped Nico's shoulder and turned him in the direction of the cabins.

"We should probably get out of here before we get interrogated," he said.

Nico agreed. If anyone saw their matching wristbands, he'd throw himself into the ocean. This had to be the most humiliating experience of his life. Why did Aphrodite feel the need to butt in? If she really knew everything like she claimed, she would have been able to tell that Persephone was lying.

"Why did you come over here?" Nico asked as they left the beach. "This wouldn't have happened if you'd stayed where you were."

"I was worried. When goddesses suddenly show up at camp, it's kind of a big deal. I wanted to make sure she wasn't about to turn you into a frog or something."

I'd rather be a frog than be tied forever to Connor Stoll. Not that Connor Stoll was terrible, per se. He'd been nicer to Nico than he deserved. And they'd gone on that aforementioned ghost delivery mission. And, yes, Nico had led Connor out of the Underworld, but that was one time. That didn't mean he was in love with him.

"This is because I stood on the heart rock, isn't it?" Connor said.

"It's because of Persephone. She hates me, she hates it when I visit the Underworld, so she decided to embarrass me by telling Aphrodite that we're a couple."

"I would think Aphrodite would realize the truth. Unless she knows something I don't."

"Don't flatter yourself. How do we get these things off?"

Connor shrugged. "You got me. My best guess is we ask someone from Aphrodite cabin if they can help."

Nico stopped. "No. The last thing we want to do is let any of them know about this." He tugged his sleeve over his wrist. Thankfully, the mark did not glow through the fabric.

Connor tucked his hand into the pocket of his jeans. "Then we tell Chiron."

"No!" That was even worse. How was he supposed to stand in front of the old centaur and explain the situation? They'd have to tell him about how they snuck out of camp on an unapproved quest.

"Hey, hey," Connor said. "It's gonna be okay. Look, we'll swing by the Aphrodite cabin and see if David's in. I know the guy. He's discreet."

"Are you sure? If anyone finds out…"

Connor laughed. "I'm telling you, David's cool. He won't breathe a word. I swear. He might be the only person in the Aphrodite cabin we can trust."

David Park was, as a son of Aphrodite, stupidly handsome. Everyone agreed on this. It actually made it hard to talk to him. Nico had learned the hard way that when David was listening to you, it was easy to forget every word in the English language. And Italian. So he was more than a little nervous when he and Connor knocked on Aphrodite cabin's doorframe.

David was—thankfully—the only one in. He was sitting in the middle of the floor, creating a scrapbook from magazine pictures. He looked up when he heard Nico and Connor come in. Nico tried not to look directly at him.

"Hi, Con. What can I do for you today?"

Connor pulled the door closed behind him. "This is top secret. You can't breathe a word of this to anyone, capiche?"

"My lips are sealed. Cross my heart and hope to die."

They showed him the marks. David whistled.

"Tell him what happened, Nico," Connor prompted.

Nico stumbled through the story as coherently as he could manage. David listened, nodding from time to time. When Nico finished, he said, "Sounds like my mom, alright."

"So what should we do?" Connor asked. "Can you fix it?"

David frowned. "This is a bit out of my range. It's really strong magic."

"What does it even mean?" Nico said. "She just left without explaining."

"Um… it's kind of like an engagement." David took their hands and looked closer at the marks. "These are to show that you're off-limits to anyone else. Same as a ring." He hesitated. "But it's a lot more serious than that. She tied you together by the soul, so… if one of you dies, then both of you do."

Nico felt like a ton of bricks had just been dropped on his head. Connor's lips were pressed together. He looked like he might keel over.

"I'm sorry," David said. "I wish I could undo it, but I don't have as much power as my mom. You could always ask Chiron, but I don't think you want to. Right?"

"Anything else?" Connor said, his voice low.

"You should probably stick together for now."

Nico muttered a curse under his breath. Things had gone from bad to worse. "Is there anyone who can fix this? Anyone?"

David gave him a sympathetic look. He was too pretty. Nico blushed despite himself. "You'll probably have to see Aphrodite again and tell her she made a mistake. It's no guarantee, but she's the only one who can reverse it. I'm sorry I couldn't be a bigger help."

"Nah man," Connor said. "You did what you could. Remember: absolute secrecy. If you let it slip that this happened, Travis and I are releasing all of your dirty secrets."

David simply smiled. "No need to threaten me. I promised, didn't I?" He gestured for them to wait a second, went to the boy's side of the cabin, and came back with a wristband. He handed it to Connor. "So you can cover it up."

They both left the Aphrodite cabin feeling dejected. They stood in the center of the cabin complex, staring into space. Then Connor grabbed a fistful of Nico's jacket and pointed him in the direction of the Hermes cabin.

"Where are we going now?" Nico demanded.

"Travis."

"You are not telling your brother that Aphrodite 'soul-bound' us."

"Quit freaking out. He's my brother; he wouldn't judge."

Nico gave up. His stomach churned. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Annabeth talking to a group of campers. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but it looked like she was trying to calm them down. They were probably abuzz about Aphrodite's manifestation. News spread like a wildfire during a drought in this camp. How long would it take for them to connect him to the incident?

I understand why Persephone hates me, Nico thought, but why can't she just leave me alone?