Hi again, gang! Since the last one got us an action fix, I'm moving on with a cute, fluffly one-shot today. This one is dedicated to Gfish59, who mentioned wanting to see this scene in a review of WoS and I thought it would be fun. Turns out it was!

No setting needed here, just know we're now post-WoS-ending. Enjoy!

Piper was nervous.

Okay, that may have been a bit of an understatement. But at the moment, it was the only word that came readily to mind. It was kind of a universally accepted rule at Camp Lumina that calling in a favor from a god was a pretty big no-no. Unless of course you were wondering what you'd look like as a four-legged animal or you liked the idea of your next five thousand meals burning to a crisp just before entering your mouth. If you were the daring sort who loved unknown risks, you'd hardly bat an eye. But in Piper's case, she rather liked herself and her nutrition the way they were, which meant that bothering an immortal—family or not—gave her a serious case of the heebie-jeebies.

Logically, Piper wanted to think she had nothing to worry about. After all, it wasn't as though her mother had ever been openly pugnacious or scornful toward her before. The few times they'd met, they'd always gotten along just fine. But still, you never could tell with immortals. Their moods tended to change with the speed of a disco strobe light—proud and beaming one second and ready to lay down some serious hurt the next. And you did not want to be in the area when that happened.

Calm down, Piper told herself adamantly. She already agreed to this… sort of. Besides, it's not like I'm asking for anything outrageous. It's simple. Easy. Shouldn't be a problem at all.

At least, Piper assumed her mother had already agreed. She'd been praying for days—ever since her enlightening discussion with two particular half-brothers of hers. And finally last night, she'd gotten what she hoped was a reply, in the form of a vision in her magic dagger that showed her inviting the boys out to lunch at a place of their choosing. She couldn't possibly be sure, but something told her that this was her mother's cryptic way of answering her prayers. Something was going to happen today, she was certain. Well… like seventy-five percent certain. She had a feeling the prospect of the goddess of love making an appearance at a fast food joint wasn't exactly a sure thing.

But of course, being kids, that was what the boys had chosen. And so that was what Piper had agreed to. With a sigh, she leaned around the soda station at which she was filling three drinks and saw that her dates had succeeded in choosing a table. Well, four tables technically, as the younger of the brothers was dancing along the booth which provided seating for an entire row. Luckily the place wasn't too busy, though that wasn't to say he wasn't garnering a few disapproving looks from the undoubtedly-upstanding McDonald's frequenters.

Piper winced as she set the drinks carefully on her tray and started toward the boys. "Might want to take a seat, Nathan," she said. "Don't want to make everybody jealous of how much fun you're having."

Grant snickered as his brother dropped down on the bench and said, "Good idea." When Piper set down the tray of food in her arms, the boys promptly pounced on it.

She sat back and sipped her iced tea, watching them with a small smile. She'd been spending a good amount of time with them lately in between her work on rebuilding the camp, and a big part of her kept insisting she should tell them she knew who their immortal parent was. It was fun to watch them speculate or admire what some of the other campers could do, but she could tell they were getting a little impatient. She knew how much they'd enjoy a chance to meet said parent in person, so Piper had begun praying to Aphrodite (which always made her feel a little odd) on a daily basis in hopes of playing off the pride her mother had shown for her after the Battle of the Black Moon. She'd decided to give it two weeks of asking. If after that time she hadn't received an answer, she would go ahead and tell them herself.

But an answer she'd gotten (probably), and now she was having a hard time hiding her nervous excitement. She kept shooting glances around the dining area or peering through the oversized windows, hoping for a glimpse of the goddess of love. Part of her knew that was absurd, wishful thinking, but she ignored that part. A good attitude had gotten her this far in life, and she sure as heck wasn't about to give that up now.

"Don't you want any?" Nathan asked Piper, interrupting her absent-minded search and drawing her attention to the tray of food between them.

"Nah, you guys go ahead. I'll eat back at camp."

"At least have some fries," Grant suggested, pushing some toward her. "There's no meat in them. I think."

Piper laughed, plucking a fry from the pile and biting it in half. She'd only mentioned to them once that she was a vegetarian, so the older brother's mindfulness somewhat surprised her. She thought back once again on their advice the previous week, about accepting the things you've lost by coming to know and love the things you gain as a result. She was really starting to love these boys.

"Thanks for bringing us out," Grant went on with smile. "Our dad always took us to McDonald's real late after a night game, but we haven't been in ages."

Nathan nodded in happy agreement. "Yeah, we missed it. It's fun to go out to eat sometimes."

Piper opened her mouth to say they could do this again anytime they wanted, but she was interrupted by a gentle hand on her shoulder and a good-natured voice saying, "I couldn't agree more."

As the boys looked up, Piper jerked in surprise and spun around, springing to her feet so quickly she banged her knee on the corner of the table and would've spilled her drink had Grant not quickly reached over to steady it.

"Mom! You're… here!" Piper had no trouble recognizing the intruder. Though Aphrodite was dressed far more simply than when they'd last met, she still radiated power and beauty. Standing in the McDonald's in her dusted denim capris, rose-colored T-shirt, and white sneakers with a hand on her hip and her caramel hair pulled back in a half-ponytail, she looked a little like 'the hot soccer mom next door', the one whose grass every teenager wanted to cut and whom all the dads wanted to lead the PTA meetings.

"Of course, dear," the goddess said with a brilliant smile and a flip of her hair that drew more attention than Piper was comfortable with. "You got my message, didn't you?" Expectedly, she stretched out her arms and pulled Piper into a tight embrace, which the demigod awkwardly attempted to return.

"You're Piper's mom?" Nathan asked as they separated, and Piper turned to see them both staring with wide eyes. To his brother, Nathan said in a completely audible whisper, "She's really pretty." Grant nodded wordlessly.

Aphrodite smiled knowingly. "Thank you," she said, even though she was undoubtedly used to hearing that compliment by now. "You must be Grant and Nathan Parker—Piper's told me a lot about you." Her blue eyes seemed to brighten a shade. "You both look so much like your father."

This took the boys by surprise. "You knew our dad?" Grant said, having forgotten all about his half-eaten lunch.

"Oh, yes. Very well." The goddess looked sideways at Piper as though they were sharing in a secret plot—though Piper didn't exactly feel in on the secret. She had no idea what her mother was planning, and to be honest she was a little worried. "You say you like eating out?" Aphrodite asked the boys. She knelt beside their table and lightly touched Nathan's arm. "Why don't I show you what eating out is really like?"

Nathan cocked his head to the side. "You mean like… at a fancy restaurant? Dad never took us to any. He said those were for grown-ups."

"Well, you two look like grown-ups to me," the goddess argued with a half-shrug and a kind smile. "What do you say?"

Piper frowned, but the looks on the boys' faces told her they were already too interested for her to shoot the idea down.

"Right now?" Grant asked, looking around. "Or for dinner?"

Aphrodite stood straight and gave a sly smile. "Both," she answered simply, before snapping her fingers and inviting a bright flash of light that had all three half-bloods shielding their eyes. When the light faded and Piper lowered her hands, she staggered a bit in alarm.

They were standing on a restaurant balcony decorated with sparkling lights and dotted with magnificently-set tables. From the awning above their heads hung five silver crystal chandeliers, and through the wrought-iron railing they could see a river below, orange rays from the setting sun reflecting on its gently waving surface. Piper could hear calm music that seemed to emanate from the air around them.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice small as her eyes fixed on a man pushing a gondola down the river.

"Venice," Aphrodite said happily, and when Piper turned to face her she realized that their surroundings weren't all that had changed. The goddess suddenly looked much more her part in a long, ivory silk gown that hugged her perfect curves, waves of caramel hair cascading over her bare shoulders. Topaz gems glittered at her wrists, earlobes, and throat, almost as bright as the perfectly white teeth that her soft smile just barely showed.

"Whoa, what the…?" Grant muttered, stretching his arms and tilting his head. His and his brother's wardrobes had been magically altered as well—Grant now wore a flawlessly-tailored black suit and pale golden tie while his younger brother sported a dark blue vest and trousers combo over a clean white dress shirt and bowtie. Their normally-tousled hair, which was just a shade darker than their mother's current look, was trimmed and neatly combed, their hands and faces spotless. Piper smiled for a beat—it was really quite adorable—until she happened to get a good look at her own getup. Her mother had done it again, forced her into a floor-length, light orange, draped gown (which even she had to admit looked great against her sun-kissed skin tone) and probably-ridiculously-expensive diamond jewelry. Her mismatched hair was even tied up in an elaborate twist, with curled strands trailing the sides of her face and neck. She scowled and shot her mother a pointed look, but the goddess didn't seem to notice.

"Take a seat!" Aphrodite told them all, extending a graceful arm toward the nearest table, which was already set with four plates of food.

"But…" Grant argued weakly, looking around with a frown. "How are we—?"

"Spaghetti, my favorite!" Nathan interrupted, having spared his new attire barely half a glance. He raced to the table and leaped onto a seat, leaning over a plate piled high with linguini marinara and meatballs.

Grant took a step toward his brother but then hesitated. He turned tentatively to Aphrodite. "…Is this for us?"

The goddess chuckled. "Yes. I think you'll that find we immortals do tend to give preferential treatment to our own demigod children."

"You mean Piper?" Grant asked. When Aphrodite shook her head, the look in his eyes sharpened. "So…?"

Aphrodite smiled with such warmth that even Piper felt her streak of frustration fade. She stepped between the boys and placed a hand on each of their heads, drawing Nathan's attention away from his meal. "In case you haven't guessed, I am Aphrodite, goddess of love. And I am your mother."

Grant's eyebrows shot up as Nathan said with wide eyes, "Really? Wait, does that mean we have love magic? Blegh! Gross!" He made a face, which was even more effective through the spaghetti sauce that covered his lips and chin.

Piper smiled in amusement as Aphrodite laughed melodically. "I'm not surprised you feel that way," the goddess said as she stepped around Nathan and sat down on his left, prompting Piper and Grant to take their seats as well. She lifted her wine glass and held it over her shoulder, and in the blink of an eye a waiter appeared behind her and filled it with a pale pink rosé as she went on, "But someday, you will see that knowing and understanding love is the first step to knowing and understanding people. You will be a better friend than most, and a role model to many. You will know worth, and therefore never feel less than what you are. These are gifts undervalued by others, those who don't know how great a thing empathy can be." She smiled at Piper, who found herself returning the expression without a thought. "Trust me, I see great things in you boys' futures. Starting with this great meal! Eat up!"

That was enough for Nathan, who returned to his pasta unquestioningly. Grant looked rather pleased as well, and kept stealing glances at Aphrodite and smiling as he ate. Piper was mostly quiet during the affair, choosing instead to eat the fruit and nut Caesar salad her mother had chosen for her and listen to the others reminisce about Grant and Nathan's father. She hadn't exactly expected Aphrodite to pull something so elaborate, but she couldn't have been more grateful. With all the brothers' talk of the 'superpowers' they'd wanted to discover along with their parentage, she'd begun to worry that they might be disappointed to learn the truth. But Aphrodite, of all immortals, certainly knew how to make a good impression, and it seemed that in the boys' eyes she'd succeeded in doing just that.

As they finished and rose from the table, Piper leaned close to her mother and whispered, "Thank you so much. You didn't have to do all this."

But to her surprise, her mother pushed a lock of hair behind Piper's ear and answered with a smile, "Anything for you, dear." With a glance at the twilight sky, the goddess raised her voice and addressed them all, "Well, we'd better be getting you three back home. Enjoy the rest of your day! It was so lovely to meet you, boys. Oh, and Piper, dear, be sure to take care of the dress. It's a Versace original, of course, and you know how chiffon can tear."

Mouth open to say goodbye, Piper froze. "Wait, you're not gonna—?"

But with a smile and a wave, Aphrodite once again snapped her fingers and one more flash of white light later, Piper, Grant, and Nathan were standing in the middle of one of Camp Lumina's new roads—still dressed for dinner in Venice. And, to make matters worse, it was the middle of the day back in New York, which meant that reparations were in full swing, and the sudden arrival caught the attention of every team of kids working nearby.

"Great," Piper grumbled, scowling and fisting her hands as a few Ares boys two buildings down whistled loudly. She mentally muttered a few curses aimed at the pushy goddess of love, hoping her mother couldn't somehow read her mind. Her only consolation was that—thank all the gods—she didn't see Leo anywhere close by. If her best friend caught her looking like this, she'd never live it down.

"Wow, it's hot in these clothes," Nathan complained, tugging at his bowtie and frowning up at the August sun.

"Yeah," Grant agreed. "Let's go change. Race ya!"

"Yeah!" Nathan cheered with a laugh before setting off at a run toward the cabins.

But rather than follow his brother immediately, Grant turned to Piper and smiled. "Thanks, big sis," he said, obviously realizing that Piper had had something to do with the day's events.

"You're welcome." Piper grinned. "Little bro."

D'aww. I've become pretty attached to the Parker brothers, haha. They're just so cute to write and to picture.

So anyway, I don't have a schedule for this since it's just something I'm working on when I have the time and feel like writing. I do have a couple more topics on my to-do list, but I could always use more! Got something you want to see? Now's your chance to get me to write it!

Thanks, everybody! Later days!

-oMM