Aphrodite's face had transformed.
Before she had pale ivory shin, bright blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She was slim and tall, very tall as she was wearing high heels which must have been killing her feet.
Now she had olive skin and dark lustrous mahogany brown hair. Her eyes were intense and they were leaf green. Her cheekbones were higher and her chin was squared. She looked a lot more like Piper now.
Piper had changed Aphrodite's face. Now instead of looking like a high and mighty supermodel, she looked like... How she had imagined her mother would be when she was little.
She looked a lot more approachable and a lot wiser and serious.
"Let's go outside to my garden Piper and there we can talk"
They passed through a few corridors, before Piper realised that the whole place looked different. Nothing was pink, everything was made of weathered oak wood. Almost like Grandpa Tom's cabin but a lot bigger.
They finally reached the garden. They sat on a bench, Piper trying not to breathe in the sleeping fumes from the plants.
"Piper," she said, "You are a lot like my Silena."
Her smile faltered for a moment when she mentioned Silena's name and then she continued.
"You're a lot like her. A lot like the real me. By the way, the look you decided for me, it's different. It's nice but it's so serious, it's more like reality. Most people who meet me turn me into their favourite pop star or actress or supermodel. Percy Jackson made me look like Annabeth Chase. "
"Percy Jackson... Met you?"
"Yes of course he did. Needed a slight course correction that one."
Piper nearly had to bite her tongue off to restrain herself from asking about the 'course correction'.
Aphrodite laughed, "It's just your gossip gene going isn't it?"
Piper went red.
"Lady Aphrodite "Piper said after a long pause, "I need to know... Why did you send me that dream message?"
"You were upset. You're wasting tears on false memories. You're trying to let go but it's not happening and for that you're blaming me."
"I wasn't-"
"Don't worry I get it all the time. Every so often I get another complaint letter from Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague from Hades of course. Well they weren't supposed to end up dead..." Aphrodite cleared her throat, "Anyway, I didn't make you feel this attachment Piper. Hera planted those memories in your head. You're synthesising the love." Aphrodite smiled weakly, "Looks like I'm in for a bit of competition"
"But why... You said... Glass hearts..." Piper trailed off now confused.
"Ah glass Piper. It's so beautiful, it's so cold and yet so fragile. It shatters Piper. It's not meant to last.
Piper, glass hearts are a metaphor for something that wasn't meant to last. It shatters."
"You mean, the dream meant that..."
"You two weren't went to be or maybe that you're not ready to be together."
"You don't know?"
"I am a lot of things Piper but omniscient isn't one of them."
"But you're a god!"
"If gods knew the answer to everything there would never be any problems would there?"
Piper shook her head in disbelief.
"But what I do know Piper, is that you're special. You're different to the rest. And if I was allowed to have favourites it would be you. You're strong Piper, you're brave and you spread love and beauty. That's what being an Aphrodite camper means. Not being some mean beauty queen who loves fashion magazines."
"Hmm, Drew didn't make it sound like that"
At that they laughed, not because it was funny but because it just felt so good to laugh away their worries.