Annabeth had gone to sleep with too many things on her mind, a few days ago she was sure to love Percy but after the game, those feelings seemed to have completely disappeared. As soon as her eyes fell on Jason, Percy was moved to the side, she remembered it perfectly. She remembered being knocked down by Jason and falling entangled by the flag, she remembered feeling that pain in the neck and although her first instinct was to call Percy her lips said the name of the Jupiter's son.

After that everything was very confusing, when she woke up everything in her needed Percy but her body was acting on its own, she couldn't even control her mouth to call him a seaweed brain.

Calling him Jackson tasted like acid on her mouth and when the lightning came, her will was completely extinguished and was seized by her impulses, she ran where the Roman and without hesitation threw herself into his arms, then smashed his lips. Only once had she imagined being with him when they were traveling on the Argo II, but she thought it was ridiculous and immediately dismissed the thought.

Now every time she opened her eyes she wanted to try those lips, she couldn't help comparing them with Percy's, undoubtedly the best ones, but the Roman had become her new need. She knew it was wrong, that this must be a trap but she couldn't help it. Guilt corrupted her and oppressed her heart, a part of her told her that she was in love with Jason, that she should be with him while a very small part yelled at her that her true love was Percy, but which of the two was she supposed to listen to?

...

I returned to my cabin with the box that Aphrodite had given me, I was lucky that the cleaning harpies had already finished their rounds because after talking to the goddess of love I felt somewhat stunned.

I wanted her to just snap her fingers to get everything back to normal but all she did was give me a box and leave me even more confused. I put it on my bed and went into the bathroom.

When I returned there was a note on my pillow, it was from my father.

"Percy, I regret all this but it was necessary. Do not give up.

Poseidon

Pd: maybe this will work for you "

There was a small package wrapped on the bed. I took it and left it on the table without opening it, I was not in the mood for more puzzles, and specifically not one from my father if he had had something to do with all this I would not forgive him ever. I devoted myself to look at the contents of Aphrodite's box and I couldn't help but smile at the contents.

"Wise girl, get ready because I won't let you go that easy."

...

"Leo! Let me out of here! I need to see her!".

"Just shut your mouth or I'll have to lock you up in the stables again."

"I'm already locked up." He said as he hit the transparent surface of his glass fish tank.

"Then I'll just go and leave you with Festus."

"Why can't I go see Annabeth?"

"Because she doesn't want to see you, shadow boy, she wants Percy. Furthermore, you are spelled".

"It doesn't matter that I'm spelled. I have to see her. Why can Jason be with her?"

"Because it is also spelled."

"Of course not, he has always been in love with her."

"You do not know what you're saying".

"Of course I know, he told me himself, Why do you think he returned with the Romans? ". Leo looked at him, he believed that at the end of the war Jason would stay in the camp but when he told him that he was leaving he told him that it was because he missed his home and wanted to remember his old life, Nico's statements were having him doubt his friend.

"He came back to remember ...

"Rather to forget." Said a voice behind him.

"Piper".

"He left to forget about her".

"What are you talking about?".

"Annabeth". The girl had tears in her eyes and was holding a tape recorder in her hands.

"What?".

"To forget Annabeth."

"Why do you say that?".

"Because it's the truth, Leo!"

"Who told you that? Jason?"

"It wasn't necessary, I just had to see it for myself."

"I do not understand".

"Let's go somewhere else, I'll show you."

They left Nico still screaming and banging on the glass as they entered one of the Argo II cabins.

Piper pressed the button and only cried, even more, when she saw what had caused those tears again.

Jason sitting in his cabin opposite him, Aphrodite.

"So? I'm waiting for it, Jason".

"I'm sorry I do not know what to say".

"Let's start with Piper, what is wrong with my daughter?"

"That's what I don't know ... I ... well...

"Do you love her?"

"Of course".

"You know what I mean".

"I just don't know if it's real."

"Keep talking".

"Well, when I met her ... I mean. We were already on that bus and I didn't remember it, it was all caused by the fog. We had a whole history in that school before knowing who we were, who our divine parents were, and all that stuff."

The goddess gestured for him to continue as she paced through the cabin.

"She believed all that story but I did not remember having known it before. Suddenly I was on a bus with Leo claiming to be my best friend and Piper holding my hand and kissing me like she was my girlfriend. But...

"It never really happened."

"Yes ... and then the first real person I know without doubting that it is real is Annabeth, threatening to kill me if I did not return Percy"

"You felt something."

"She's the type of girl I would talk to at a party, in a mall, or elsewhere."

"The kind of girl that attracts you." Jason just looked at her with guilt reflected on his face.

"Go on, I know Piper is my daughter but first I am the goddess of love."

"Then I got here and saw Annabeth as the leader she is, I couldn't help liking her a bit, then I found out about Percy and I got that idea out of my mind and tried to focus on Piper, but I still had doubts. We went to that quest and I kept doubting what I felt for Piper, I was acting on impulse and I didn't know what part of what I felt was because of the fog and what part was ...

"Real. You didn't know if you were really falling in love with her."

"She's great, she's...

"She is my daughter, after all. Go on"

"When we completed the quest and returned to go to pick up Percy I thought I was sure about Piper despite my memories of Reyna. And when I saw Annabeth with Percy I convinced myself that everything was fine".

"But".

"But I couldn't help looking at her and wondering ...

"What would it have been?" He nodded but continued.

"Then they fell into Tartar. I had not seen a sacrifice like the one Percy made for her, I promised myself to do everything to save them and to ensure they were happy, it was all that mattered to me, I had also promised Annabeth to fulfill the mission".

"Let's skip this. The war with Gaia ended and you returned home".

"But...

"You weren't sure this was your home."

"I feel Greek in many ways and Frank was the new praetor, it would have been easy to stay. But being with Piper no longer felt the same. I was surprised thinking about Annabeth more than once and when she was close to me I couldn't help but want to know her better."

"That's why you left."

"I preferred it that way, I wasn't sure of my feelings, and walking away to clarify them was the most sensible thing to do".

"It didn't work. You kept thinking about her despite the distance".

"Despite having everything back, my life, my rank, my companions, and my responsibilities but every time I looked at a building in New Rome I thought of Annabeth".

"And you keep doing it."

"I don't want to hurt anyone, much less your daughter."

"In this situation, no one will get out without being hurt in a way."

"What I do now?".

"Take this". The goddess reached out and placed a red dart in his hand.

"What do I do with this?"

"You will know."

...

Her heart tried to get her attention through her mind, in her dream, she was in the forest, she walked while two people called for her.

"Annabeth".

"Annabeth".

The path she was on opened into two different ones and at the end of each one, the figure of one boy was seen. She didn't know which way to go.

"Annabeth". That voice made her take the path to the right, but when she reached the middle, her mother's voice overshadowed his.

"Annabeth, you are on the wrong path."

"Mother?".

"He is not enough for you and you know it."

"What are you talking about?".

"You deserve the best".

"Mother?". But she did not get an answer. When she looked for the boy, he was gone, she ran and ran but she could not find him, her despair grew with each step she took.

"Where are you?".

Nothing

"Answer me!".

"Annabeth".

"NOOOOOOOO!".

She woke up in her bed surrounded by all her brothers.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" Malcolm was leaning over her, he was really worried.

"I need to see Percy."