Whatever Athena had been expecting, it had not been that. Her arms dropped to her sides and her gaze moved to Annabeth, who was gaping at Percy in astonishment. "You didn't know that, Annabeth?"

"No, I … I knew." Annabeth said softly, because she did. Of course she did. How could she not, when Percy gave up immortality for her? "I just … wasn't expecting him to say it."

Percy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Not really how I was planning on telling you, to be honest." He admitted. "Look, we both understand that you two have … issues."

"And we understand that this isn't really what you were hoping for." Annabeth added.

"But I love her." Percy said, taking her hand.

Annabeth smiled at him, lacing their fingers together. "And I love him."

"And we're happy." Percy finished. "Can't that be enough?"

For a second, the two gods stared at their children, then Athena sighed, pursing her lips. "Annabeth, outside. Now."

Annabeth nodded slowly, squeezing Percy's hand before releasing it and following her mother out of the throne room towards the gardens.

Athena didn't speak and Annabeth waited patiently until they reached a small flower garden, taking a seat among the raised beds.

"Are you happy?"

Annabeth blinked at the sudden question. "Yes. I know you …"

"Forget me." Athena interrupted. "Forget his father. Are you happy?"

Annabeth nodded. "Very happy."

"He treats you well?" Athena asked.

Annabeth smiled. "Yes. Don't get me wrong – he puts his foot in his mouth sometimes, and he can do some pretty stupid things, but he loves me."

Athena sighed. "I know he does."

Annabeth chewed on her lower lip, before asking the question she really didn't want to ask. "Are you … upset?"

Athena was quiet for a few moments, pondering her response. "Yes." She said finally. "But only because this will force me to interact with Poseidon at least a little."

Annabeth's surprise must have shown on her face, because her mother smiled.

"You are my daughter, Annabeth, and I want you to be happy. It would be very unwise of me to dismiss that purely because I can't stand his father."

"Dad!"

Annabeth looked up to see Poseidon striding towards them, Percy hurrying along behind them. "Oh, boy."

Athena squeezed her arm. "Don't worry, dear." She raised her voice so that Poseidon could hear them. "I'm sure your boyfriend was talking sense."

This pulled the Sea God up short and he stared at her for a few minutes. "What?"

"Percy thought I would be rational, didn't he?" Athena guessed.

"I knew you would be." Percy admitted, looking nervous. "You're not hugely fond of me in our time – or rather, what I represent – but that's passed. And you love your daughter far more than you hate my father."

Athena gave him a stern look that didn't quite hide the smile that lurked in her eyes. "I have to give your mother credit, Perseus. It has been a long time since a son of Poseidon has actually possessed a brain."

Poseidon frowned. "For our children's sake, Athena, I'm going to pretend that wasn't an insult. You are actually alright with this?"

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Are you not?"

"I am." Poseidon said. "Annabeth seems a perfectly lovely girl and I'm glad Percy has someone who can keep him out of trouble."

Annabeth blushed and Percy heaved a sigh. "Why does everyone think I need someone to keep me out of trouble?" He asked no one in particular.

His girlfriend gave him a fond smile. "Because you do, Seaweed Brain." She tucked herself under the arm he held out, leaning into him as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Athena couldn't help smiling. No one could deny the way Annabeth lit up or the love in Percy's eyes when he looked at her. "My daughter is happy, Poseidon. For her sake, I am willing to accept this."

While Percy and Annabeth were potentially giving their parents heart attacks (that is, if gods could have heart attacks), Thalia followed Artemis to a small private sitting room. She wasn't sure what Artemis wanted to speak about, since it was almost certainly not Zoe, and anyone with eyes could see that Percy and Nico were like her brothers so her oath was not under threat.

To her great surprise, Aphrodite was waiting for them, greeting Thalia with a bright smile that she could not help but return, albeit nervously.

"Relax, Thalia." Artemis said kindly. "I know the two of us are an odd combination."

"To say the least." Thalia agreed, taking the seat Artemis gestured to. "I would have thought you two hated each other."

Aphrodite laughed. "Thalia, Artemis and I disagree over several things – obviously – but we do not hate each other."

"Aphrodite stays away from the hunters." Artemis elaborated. "And I do not force young women to take the oath if they do not wish to do so, nor do I punish them for not taking the oath."

Thalia nodded thoughtfully. "So you agree to disagree?"

"Precisely." Artemis said with a smile.

"So … what is it that you both want to talk to me about?" Thalia asked.

Artemis glanced at Aphrodite and sat back a little, silently yielding the floor.

"Thalia, why do you think the Hunters never break their oaths?" Aphrodite asked.

The question made little sense to Thalia, but she considered it anyway. "I … had never really thought about it, to be honest. I just assumed that some did and paid for it."

"Some Hunters do come to me and confess they want to leave." Artemis agreed. "As long as they do so before breaking their oath, I free them from it without punishment. But they can never return. And there are very few that do so."

"Oh." Thalia said, thinking some more. There was only really one answer she could think of, which sounded too easy, but she knew by now that Artemis didn't make a habit of asking 'trick questions'. "Because none of us want to."
"But some would say it was a natural progression." Aphrodite said. "That all young women grow up, and they begin to form attractions, and they eventually want relationships."

Now that sounded like a trick.

"Maybe." Thalia agreed cautiously. "But a lot of the Hunters take their oaths young and then stop aging, before the hormones kick in. I'm definitely one of the oldest. Obviously, some women just aren't attracted to men … does the oath still count?" She asked Artemis, distracted.

Artemis smiled. "A maiden is a maiden, Thalia. But there are a lot more loopholes in those cases, obviously."

Thalia nodded and turned back to Aphrodite. "So maybe they're too young or … or some people just don't feel sexual or romantic attraction to other people." She thought about herself and Zoe. "And I suppose some of us have been hurt so badly in the past that they don't trust men enough to form any more attractions."

Aphrodite beamed at her. "Thalia, you are exactly right. When you meet people – and I mean the general 'you', not necessarily you – you form a … let's call it a bond with everyone you could potentially fall in love with."

"'Potentially.'" Thalia repeated. "So I suppose some people form a bond with everyone they meet, some people only form ones with a few select people, and some people never form them."

"Are we sure she's not Athena's?" Aphrodite asked.

Artemis smiled proudly. "Definitely not. She would make an excellent addition to our ranks though."

Thalia blushed a little, but couldn't help frowning. "Erm … Lady Artemis, don't you mean 'will'?"

"Thalia," Aphrodite said gently, "how many hunters do you think have a bond?"

"That depends," Thalia said slowly, "I'm guessing the bond disappears if you don't fall in love and gets stronger if you do. What happens if you fall in love and they hurt you?"

"The bond shatters." Artemis answered grimly. "Vanishes completely."

"Then none of them, in that case." Thalia said with certainty. "Either they never formed them or they were shattered."

Aphrodite nodded. "And normally, Thalia, you would be right."

"Normally?" Thalia asked, something heavy settling in her chest.

Aphrodite smiled softly. "You have a bond, my sweet."

Thalia stared at her, waiting for her to laugh. When she didn't, she shook her head firmly. "No I don't."

"I'm afraid you do." Artemis said softly. "I saw the bond with my own two eyes."

"But that's not possible." Thalia insisted. "There's only one person it could possibly be – you said the bond shatters if someone hurts you and he hurt me – he …" her voice broke and she cleared her throat, almost angrily. "How is that possible?"

"Easy." Aphrodite said. "You're still in love with him."

"I'm not." Thalia said, but the words sounded weak to her own ears. "I can't be."

"I know, Thalia." Artemis said, rubbing her shoulder. "But it seems that you are, however much you don't want to be. The question is, what are you going to do about it."

"I will not break my oath, Lady Artemis." Thalia said firmly. "Unlike some people, whose names I won't mention, my word means something."

Aphrodite choked back a giggle and Artemis hid a smile. "I appreciate that." The hunter goddess said. "But …"

There was a knock at the door, interrupting her, but it opened immediately without waiting for either goddess to respond.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies." Hermes said. "But I need Thalia. Now."

Thalia expected Artemis to refuse, to scold the messenger god for his rudeness, but she didn't. Maybe it was the fact that Hermes hadn't made a joke about the two goddesses getting along, maybe it was the fact that Hermes looked worried, but Artemis merely nodded, looking concerned herself. "Of course. Go on, Thalia; we'll talk later."

Thalia nodded, jumping to her feet, urgency filling her as she followed Hermes out of the sitting room. She wasn't sure why, but she just knew something was wrong. "What can I do for you, Lord Hermes?"

"Do you know where my son is?" Hermes asked.

"Which one?" Thalia responded.

"Luke."

"Which one?"

Hermes sighed. "The younger."

"Ah." Thalia said, jogging to keep up as he strode down the hallway. "No, I would have assumed he was with you. Weren't you and our Luke going to talk to him?"

"We were." Hermes agreed. "But he wasn't with Chiron. And he's not with his future self. So where is he?"

"I don't know …" Thalia began, but trailed off, Rachel's second prophecy coming to the forefront of her memory. "We need to go to my father."

"What?" Hermes asked, stopping dead, completely wrong-footed. "Why?"

Thalia sighed. "Because Luke was the one who took the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness. And I think he's decided to spill his guts."