Nerissa went all but mute for the rest of the week. She did not speak unless spoken to as long as it had nothing to do with her personally or the gods. She endured a lot of guys coming up to her and telling her that they were competing for a date by listening to what they had to say and then walking away without a word. Iolaus and Hercules were practicing their song after classes when Nerissa would disappear to random areas in the woods to study. Lilith and Jason would always help the two competitors by giving them honest feedback. The two of them were surprised at how good the pair actually was. Go figure that Hercules could actually play the lyre and that Iolaus had a voice.

The night before the competition, Hercules got up in the middle of the night, only to look down and see that Nerissa was not in her bedroll. Jason had let her take his spot next to Hercules, as her previous spot put her right next to Adrastos. They weren't completely sure he wouldn't do anything inappropriate to her while they were asleep. Glancing around, Hercules found Iolaus, Lilith, and Jason still peacefully in bed. He slid out of his sheets and snuck out of the bed chamber. He checked the training room, but she was not in there. He tiptoed past Cheiron's and Fiducius's rooms and went to the front door. Peeking out, he spotted a long-haired individual sitting on the edge of the well, looking up at the starry sky. He slipped out the door and closed it quietly. In the moonlight, Nerissa looked very similar to her mother. Her night dress was made of satin that was a soft green color. She had a see-through cover over her that was the same green and was similar to her mother's gown. Hercules would never let Aphrodite hear this, but he thought Nerissa was much prettier than her mother in a very mortal way. He didn't want to think of the side of her that was Balian as being the side that made her beautiful. That would be creepy.

He quietly walked across the dirt courtyard and hopped onto the well beside her. Nerissa was so startled by his sudden appearance that she almost fell into the well, but Hercules steadied her.

"Sorry. I noticed you were out of bed, so I went to find you. You shouldn't be wandering around this late. What if Adrastos had noticed instead of me?"

Nerissa nodded.

"I know, but...I'm just worried about tomorrow. I'm sorry. I swear, everywhere I go I'm a possession. The prized daughter of Balian of Corinth. The daughter of Aphrodite, a trophy to be shelved. Complete and utter...perfection. Right...You know what is perfection? That sky up there. That is perfection. The oceans...rivers...lakes. Untouched woods and forests. Nature. That is perfection. Not me. I'm a...unique "specimen." But I bleed and hurt and cry. And I prefer it that way. Being perfect, or perceived as perfect...It's dull."

Hercules hummed in agreement to what she said. She looked so depressed yet he couldn't help laughing.

"What?" she demanded, feeling insulted.

"I should talk to you at night more. You opened up like a book after days of barely saying a word."

Nerissa groaned.

"Damn it. I guess I just needed to release that."

"Oh, no. I enjoy it. Release more, please."

She nudged him with her shoulder.

"Alright. How about this? My mom is constantly butting into my life. My finding love is her only concern. How am I supposed to find the real thing when she does stuff like this? And I came here to become a warrior and within a day she decides to judge a stupid contest that, for all intents and purposes, should be cancelled. I really don't want to go on a date. All those guys will want is..."

Nerissa and Hercules both shuddered at the thought. They then looked at each other and grinned.

"Don't worry," Hercules told her," We, your awesome friends, have a plan."

"Oh, well, I'm doomed."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Nerissa laughed, making Hercules smile.

"You're lucky. Zeus only meddled in your life enough to issue that if the gods kill you they go straight to Tartarus."

He looked at her in astonishment.

"Lucky? That's not what I'd call it. I wish that he would acknowledge me. He won't even come and say hello or show up on Parent's Day. It's always just been me and mother. You understand, right? You want Balian to see you as a warrior, not just a child."

Nerissa went silent. She didn't seem completely convinced, but she did not protest against his statement. It got awkwardly silent between the two of them. Hercules pushed out his lips in thought and crossed his arms. He glanced over at Nerissa to see her pull her legs up against her chest, a hand on the wooden post on the well. Her other arm wrapped around her thighs to keep her skirt close to her. He turned to her with a question.

"I was wondering, how do you find clothes like that? Your outfits are pretty unique to you."

Nerissa looked down at her nightdress.

"Oh. Yeah, my mom picks out my clothes. That is something I gave up on years ago. It was annoying back when I was around ten years old, but now I kind of like them. I like light pastel colors and she takes that into account. They remind me of flowers."

Hercules smirked and leaned a little closer to her.

"Well, they look good on you."

Nerissa turned away from him but, in the moonlight, he caught a pink tinge creep onto her face. He chuckled softly and noticed her grin slightly. She turned to him and tugged at the sleeve of his nightshirt.

"Well, you don't look too bad in purple."

"Why, thank you. Coming from a fashionable lady such as yourself, I feel grateful for the compliment."

The girl shook her head at his statement. Hercules slid off the well and turned to Nerissa, extending a hand to her.

"We should get some sleep."

Her legs lowered and she placed her hand on his. Her nails were perfectly filed. Her hand was soft, as if she had never used it or touched anything before. Nerissa grinned, noticing Hercules examine her hand so thoroughly.

"I was born this way. My skin's natural state is to be flawless, but cuts take the normal amount of time to heal, just like any other mortal."

She jumped off the well and moved over to Hercules, taking his hand in both of hers. She traced from his wrist, over his palm, and along his fingers. She smiled to herself.

"You've done many things. Your hands prove all the work you've ever done. They are strong and rough, like a warrior's hands should be. Mine are destined to never show a history. To me, beauty lies in hands like everyone else's."

Hercules raised an eyebrow.

"Not to disagree with you, but I think it is pretty normal to see everyone else as better and ignore how great your self is."

He took her right hand and kissed it gently.

"Your hands may not be perfect, but they are beautiful."

Nerissa pulled her hand away from his and smirked. She wagged a finger at him.

"Watch it, mister. I've heard from Lilith how you can be a charmer. I won't fall for sweet and innocent tricks like that."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and pretended to saunter off hotly. She stopped a few feet away to throw a smile over her shoulder. Hercules looked a bit stunned, from her comment as much as her walk.

"Lilith said I'm a charmer?! She's completely lying. Wait, did you just fall for me a little? Nerissa!"

He just heard her laugh slightly as he caught up to her.

"I don't fall that easily, my friend."

"So, I am your friend."

He laughed as she gave him a look that clearly showed how stupid she thought he was sometimes. They then snuck back into the Academy and got to bed.

The competition started at noon at Kora's restaurant. The building was packed with students performing in front of Aphrodite. Jason, Lilith, and Nerissa sat in the back watching all the acts. There were dancers, jugglers, singers, and even a mime. There were painters, poets, and all kinds of crazy performances. Nerissa sat between her friends with her head on her hands. She was biting her lip nervously as Adrastos did a very impressive dance for his talent. He was at least in the top three of men she could possibly have to go on a date with. She kept glancing at Lilith and Jason, who looked rather calm. She growled every so often to the point that Jason began looking at her strangely.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What do you think? I don't want to go on a date and here we have this parade of idiots trying to get me to go out with them. It's pathetic to watch. I thought you all had a plan. Hercules is such a liar..."

Lilith hugged the other girl around the shoulders.

"He wasn't lying. Don't worry. Everything will turn out fine."

"Then tell me about this plan!"

"Nope."

Nerissa sighed and glanced wistfully at the empty seats beside Jason.

"I wish they were at least here..."

Adrastos finished his act with a bow and a wink to her, which only made her glare at him. Another cadet took the stage and added one more love poem to the at least ten other ones they'd listened to earlier. Kora passed close to them and Jason called her over.

"How many people are signed up? We've been here for at least thirty minutes."

Kora shook her head.

"Too many, but there are only five acts left. The one you're waiting for is second to last."

Nerissa's head popped up and she looked over at Kora, her eyes wide.

"An act? The plan has to do with an act?"

Kora and Jason exchanged a look. The owner then looked at Nerissa and smiled.

"I'm going to go over there now."

She hustled away quickly, trying to avoid Nerissa's staring. The girl then looked between Jason and Lilith. She then grabbed Jason's jacket and pulled his ear to her mouth.

"TELL ME!" she shouted, making Jason cover his ears and Lilith to jump away in alarm.

Neither of them indulged her so she had to wait another ten minutes. It was at the second to last act and Nerissa almost fell off the table she was sitting on when she spotted Hercules and Iolaus step onto the stage. She shook her head.

"No...no way..."

Hercules grabbed a lyre from the pack of instruments on the stage while some cadets they recruited to help them out got on other instruments. Iolaus went to the megaphone. He tapped it quickly.

"Hi. I'm Iolaus and this is Hercules. We're, uh, gonna sing a song to...get a date, of course. And, well, Hercules is on the lyre, but he sings, too. Hope you like it, Miss Aphrodite. Nerissa."

Nerissa rolled her eyes as her mother smile and clapped enthusiastically. The music then started and the girl slid off the table in shock as Iolaus started to sing. She stood up from her seat. She looked at Lilith and Jason, now standing as well, who had smug expressions on their faces.

"Good, isn't he?" Lilith asked.

Aphrodite was screaming and cheering like a lot of others in the room. People were dancing and swaying and Nerissa couldn't help but be pulled into the music a little herself. When the boys finished, she clapped for them. As the last act got on the stage, the two boys made their way over to their friends. They were stunned as Nerissa jumped on them, pulling them both into a simultaneous hug.

"You guys were awesome. Even if you guys don't win, I am just so happy you did that for me. I mean you guys were good."

The last guy sang a song that wasn't nearly as good as Iolaus and Hercules's performance. The entire building went quiet as Aphrodite got onto the stage. She snapped her fingers and suddenly Nerissa was beside her. She looked annoyed that her mother hadn't let her walk up there herself, but she didn't say a word.

"Thank you, boys, for all of your talents. I had a great time watching and judging. Yet I have to say...that the best act was...IOLAUS AND HERCULES!"

Cheers went up from a quarter of the cadets in the room, not including Jason, Lilith, and Kora who were practically screaming their lungs off in triumph and clapping loudly. The two boys made their way to the stage. Aphrodite turned to her daughter and the two boys once they were all on stage. She pinched Nerissa's cheek.

"Guess you have two dates. I'll see you later, sweetheart."

She gave both boys a peck on the cheek, then her daughter, and then left the building the godly way. The three on stage exited quickly. Adrastos looked super pissed, but he couldn't say anything since he'd lost in a competition he had requested. The group wished Kora good-bye before leaving. As they walked, Iolaus stepped up beside Nerissa.

"You know, we did this so that you won't have to go on a date with anyone."

Nerissa looked over at them in surprise. Hercules nodded in agreement.

"Really?"

"Really," they replied in unison.

Nerissa stopped and tackled them both in a hug again. Iolaus looked like he'd left his brain this time from happiness.

"Thank you so much," she said, pulling away," But...you guys deserve it. Since you guys are my friends...I'll go on a date with the two of you tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Jason and Lilith looked stunned while Hercules and Iolaus exchanged a look. Zeus's son frowned.

"Are you sure? But you said-"

Nerissa grinned.

"I know what I said. But...how many times in a lifetime does a girl get to go on a date with two of the best guys she has ever met?"

Iolaus put a hand to his heart as they began walking again.

"I feel...kind of touched. You don't hate me!"

"Of course not. You're kind of special...in a mentally unsound kind of way, but you're a good friend. That is what matters."

Hercules smirked at her.

"You know, you're kind of philosophical."

She shrugged.

"It's from hanging out with the gods, too much, I guess."

Her tall blonde friend caught her glance at him to make sure she hadn't unsettled him, talking about how she'd met the gods, but he was starting to get used to it. He felt a little jealous every time it came up, but he wasn't about to begrudge her what she'd been through in life. She could definitely keep her overbearing mother, though Aphrodite seemed interesting enough. Alcmene seemed like the better alternative to Hercules in the end, anyway. He instead ran around in front of her and walked backwards so he could look at her.

"So, what do you want to do on this date?" he asked.

She thought for a moment before pointing a finger at him.

"Surprise me."