Theme 02: Love

By then I'd remembered her words perfectly; knew them exactly the way they had come out of the the goddess's perfectly poised mouth. Even then I couldn't help but imagine her coy smile and the feeling of being her next...project, "Really, how boring these hunters are! A quest for some monster, blah blah blah. Saving Artemis. Let her stay lost, I say. But a quest for true love–"

"A quest for true love" Was that it? Aphrodite had thought so at least. The eerie thing was how sure of herself she'd seemed, throwing out words like...love so easily. There was no reason, at least I thought, for her to even think of it. Ithought the reason I'd saved Annabeth was the same reason that I'd saved Grover. I went on that quest because she was my friend.

Lost in the turmoil of my own thoughts, I hardly noticed the several impatient knocks echoing from the door. Already feeling a bit uneasy, I glanced fleetingly at the doorknob, as if expecting it to speak to me. "Hey, Seaweed Brain," it demanded, rattling about, "Open up!" Annabeth. I grimaced.

She tried the door again, "Percy? Are you alright?"

The more I focused on ignoring her, the more I could see the movement of the air, weaving in and out of itself until if formed an illusion, surely a mirage... Aphrodite, her lips stretching into a sympathetic smile. I closed my eyes for a second, hoping this might help ease my possible insanity a bit, but when I opened them again I was disappointed to see her still hovering there.

"In denial, Percy?" She... spoke? I struggled for a moment, but managed to look her in the eye; she seemed to be looking back.

I stood up.

"Exquisitely painful isn't it? Not knowing who you love and who loves you."

I heard my sneakers scuff against the polished concrete.

"I have some wonderful surprises in store: anguish. Indecision. You just wait."

Against my better judgement, my hand was reaching for the doorknob.

"You love her, don't you?"

I hoped she wouldn't knock the door down... By the sounds coming from the other side, I wouldn't be surprised.

"It's not hard, just follow your heart." I sighed, the knob turned in my palm and gave way. Aphrodite winked, not at all disheartened by my state of disarray and indecision. It was probably what she wanted anyway.

Therefore, I blame her entirely for Annabeth's sneaker in my face.