[A/N: OMGGGGG APHRODITE Y U TALK SO MUCHHH. This was hell to type, JUST so you all know .-.]
PERI'S POV

Aphrodite knew how to do tea, that much I give her.

She led us to the central pavilion in the gardens - a white-pillared gazebo, where a table was set with silverware, china cups, and of course a steaming pot of tea, the familiar taste of green tea and ginseng filling me with melancholy memories of the past. There were plates of scones, cookies, and muffins, fresh butter and jam.

We sat in ridiculously Southern wicker peacock chairs, and Hazel kept making nervous glances over her shoulder like an angry mob would come barreling around the corner to come and lynch the two of us. This was my first time in the South, and with the combination of everything currently going on in my life, I can't say I was really feeling it. Too much heat. Too much history.

Aphrodite poured tea and served cakes without getting a speck on her clothes, her posture always perfect, her smile dazzling. "Oh, my sweet girls," the goddess said. "I do love Charleston! The weddings I've attended in this gazebo - they bring tears to my eyes. And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South. Ah, they were lovely. Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they called me Venus."

"Which are you?" Bonnabelle blurted. "Venus or Aphrodite?"

The goddess sipped her tea. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Annabeth Chase, you've grown into a beautiful young lady."

I nearly choked on my tea. Venus claimed to have known Bonnabelle, but then she got her name wrong! How rude. Personally, I'd be highly upset.

"Mother, you're avoiding the question." Piper said shortly.

Aphrodite sighed, visibly troubled that her fun was spoiled. I didn't like when Aphrodite was upset. Pretty people like her deserve to be happy.

"Fine," the woman said. "I am both Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to another. In fact, I like to think I haven't aged a bit!" Her fingers fluttered around her face appreciatively. "Love is love, after all, whether you're Greek or Roman. This civil war won't affect me as much as it will the others."

Hazel nibbled a sugar cookie. "We're not in a war yet, my lady."

"Oh, dear Hazel." Aphrodite folded her fan. "Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of course war is coming. Love and war always go together. They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness."

Hazel set down her cookie, leaving a few crumbs on her chin. Damn her ability to be adorable at all times.

"What do you mean," Hazel asked, "heartrending days?"

Venus laughed. "Well, Annabeth could give you some idea. I once promised to make her love life interesting. And didn't I?"

Damn, she did it again! Bonnabelle looked like she was about to flip over the table. That'd be something.

"Interesting," she said evenly, "is a mild way of putting it."

"Well, I can't take credit for all your troubles," the goddess said. "But I do love twists and turns in a love story. Oh, all of you are such excellent stories - I mean, girls. You do me proud!"

"Mother," Piper said, "is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides tea? Yes, to make the story short, I'm here to help you girls. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Your little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other gods are rather indisposed, as you know, torn between their Roman and Greek sides. Some more than others." Aphrodite fixed her eyes on Bonnabelle. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling-out with your mother?"

Bonnabelle reddened as the three of us turned to her curiously.

"Falling-out?" I asked.

"An argument. It's nothing." Bonnabelle said quickly.

"Nothing!" Venus cried. "Well I don't know about that. Athena was the most Greek of all goddesses. The patron of Athens, after all. When the Romans took over. . . oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had other war gods who were more to their taste, more reliably Roman - like Bellona-"

"Reyna's mom," Piper muttered.

"Yes, indeed," the goddess agreed. "I had a lovely talk with Reyna while back, right here in the park. And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, of course, there was Anastasios - not even properly Greek or Roman, but a powerful and thoughtful Olympian. However, your father was quite the rebel, Periwinkle, I must say." My eye twitched at the sound of my name and the mention of my father. "At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined poor Athena. They took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

"The Mark of Athena," Bonnabelle said. "It leads to a statue, doesn't it? It leads to. . . to the statue."

Aphrodite smiled. "You are clever, like your mother. Understand, though, your siblings, the children of Athena, have been searching for centuries. No one has succeeded in recovering the statue. In the meantime, they've been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war. . . so much bloodshed and heartbreak. . . has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children."

"That's. . ." Bonnabelle began, but trailed off.

"Romantic?" Venus offered. "Yes, I suppose it is."

I snorted. "Yeah, uh, not so much."

"But. . ." Bonnabelle paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I couldn't say. I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she'd simply tell you where to find it. No. . . I'd guess the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of breadcrumbs, It's a connection between the statue and the children of the goddess. The statue wants to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the most worthy."

"And for thousands of years," Bonnabelle said, "no one has managed."

"Hold up," Piper cut in. "What statue are we talking about?"

The goddess laughed. "Oh, I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in. At any rate, the clue you need is close by: a map of sorts, left by the children of Athena in 1861 - a remembrance that will start you on your path, once you reach Rome. But as you said, Annabeth Chase, no one has ever succeeded in following the Mark of Athena to its end. There you will face your worst fear - the fear of every child of Athena. And even if you survive, how will you use your reward? For war or for peace?"

The fear of every child of Athena? I'd heard that story. Every child of Athena feared the same thing: spiders.

I touched Bonnabelle's leg. She was trembling. "Don't worry, girl. You've got this." I turned to Aphrodite. "Where is this map anyway?"

"Guys!" Hazel cried out suddenly and pointed to the sky.

Circling above the palmetto trees were two large eagles. Higher up, descending rapidly, was a flying chariot pulled by pegasi. Apparently Leo's diversion hadn't worked - at least not for very long.

"Romans," Piper said.

I crossed my arms and scowled. "Totally called it, like, not even fifteen minutes ago."

Venus spread butter on a muffin as if she had all the time in the world. "Oh, the map is in Fort Sumter, of course." She pointed her butter knife toward the island across from the harbor. "It looks like the Romans have arrived to cut you off. I'd get back to your ship in a hurry if I were you."

In the blink of an eye we'd all jumped to our feet. My heart raced. We could not let them take the ship.

"Thanks again for the tea, Venus, it was really nice." I said hurriedly as the other girls ran off in the direction of the ship.

All of a sudden she grabbed my hand and winked at me. "And my do I see some interesting love lines on your palm." The woman held my gaze for slightly longer than necessary. "And remember, Peri, I do like a good show so try and keep things. . . suspenseful, yes?"

I stared at her, wide-eyed, and a confused croak escaped my lips.

And then she released me suddenly as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. As if she hadn't just given me a miniature prophecy.

"Would you like some sweets to go, darling?"