Chapter Three

Peter had got her to play board games with him. He achieved this by simply flashing his most charming smile, laying on the Italian accent more thickly than ever, and using long words and complex sentences to prove his intelligence. He could tell she didn't like just how attracted she was to him, but couldn't help herself.

He gave her a grin, "It's your go."

"Oh. Oh, right, yeah." Peter leant over the chess board, and put his hand on hers.

"Calm down," He whispered, letting his breath ghost over her lips. He felt her shiver. "Think before you make your move." She nodded faintly. "After all, you don't want to lose to me now, do you?"

Something flashed in her eyes as he moved in, and she pushed him away from her suddenly. He lifted himself up onto his elbows and raised his eyebrows at her. She stared at him for a second or so, then crawled over the floor onto his lap, holding her hands on his chest so he couldn't sit up.

In the next room, Peter could hear the erratic paces of Percy's and Nico's pulses. He smiled up at Annabeth, slipped a hand into her hair and pulled her down.

*

As it turned out, she refused go through with the deed. But the damage had been done, in Peter's eyes at least. Annabeth didn't seem bothered by the fact she'd cheated on her boyfriend in their bed, and Percy didn't notice the smouldering looks that Peter directed to the room at large over breakfast the next morning were returned by his girlfriend.

They split up that evening. Both seemed to be devastated by this, which Peter didn't get, since they both wanted this to happen. But Peter was always finding relationships confusing, and unexpected. Better off without, he thought.

But then, as clichés inevitably crop up when the hero says something along those lines, Peter found something that made him rethink his mantra. Which Peter hated to do. Because really, rethink your mantra, and what's left to live for? Not much, in Peter's opinion. But evidently Percy and Annabeth had rethought theirs. No longer the golden demi-god couple, united despite their parents' friction, withstanding wars, and coming out triumphant. And yet destroyed by a skinny kid with a nasty smoking habit – not that Peter could really talk –, a mop of dark hair that was just begging to have product smeared into it, and who wore jeans that had to be at least two sizes too small. Peter was almost jealous of Nico's achievement: surely a love affair this devastating had to involve at least involve one of Aphrodite's relatives?

Back to Peter's identity-crisis, because this is really all about Peter, and if you stray away from him, then it's just a story with none of the jazz that Peter strews in his trail wherever he goes.

After Annabeth left, Percy and Nico seemed to retreat into their own little love nest, but Peter didn't leave. Percy said he'd take him to see Athena, and Percy would fulfil that promise; Peter would see to it. But until Percy withdrew from the phase he was in – attempting to dry-hump Nico at every possible opportunity – Peter would have to be content with waiting. And so he waited. And waited.

And, as anybody who has to wait for an immeasurable period of time, and particularly one with an attention span as short as Peter's, needs to find a way to distract oneself. So Peter did, often two a night, sometimes more.

And then Peter found the ultimate distraction: a girl who simply refused to be wooed. He was ordering coffee in one of New York's numerous arty coffee shops, there with the expressed intention of finding poets who liked to talk about true love and their souls, and spiritual sex had to be. They were always up for a quickie.

Peter had located his targets – a couple twined around each other, her with dreadlocks, him with lip ring – when he came face to face with an ass. An what an ass. Clad in paint splattered jeans, a pink handprint of the left cheek, and that was just waiting for Peter to touch it. So, being a creature of impulse, he did.

The girl squealed, fell off her stepladder (which explained, Peter noted, what her ass was doing at his eyelevel) into Peter's waiting arms. He smiled, "Need a hand?"

She flushed scarlet and straightened herself. "No. I mean, thank for catching me, but no. Was that you? Definitely no." She picked up her cap and put it firmly on her head. Green eyes sparkled – Unintentionally, he guessed, since, in his experience, women's eyes only tended to sparkle when they were interested in you, which this girl seemed not to be. Odd. – at Peter, and she added, as an afterthought. "Creep."

"Me?" Peter exclaimed in mock-hurt. "You wound me with your accusation! By the Gods, I must shrivel up here, never to reawaken!" She didn't seem amused by his dramatics.

"You're a half-blood."

Peter gaped, still looking devilishly handsome, since he'd long since perfected the art of looking stunning even when doing something so unattractive such as gaping.

"And I didn't see you coming..." This was half to herself, as she stared at him.

"Why, that must make you the new Oracle of Delphi! I've been meaning to find you and have a chat, here, pull up a chair." He made her sit, then smiled expectantly. "Oh, but I'm not a half-blood. Well, not really. Kind of."

"How can you 'kind of' be a half-blood?" She asked, mimicking him.

"Well. Since you'll probably know this all soon enough anyway, my grandmamma is Aphrodite. And my da is Himeros."

"Who? I'm a bit new at this, sorry."

"For the love of-! Fine. Himeros is Eros' brother. You have heard of Eros, right?"

She nodded in his direction absentmindedly. "That's not it though, there's more. I can see it."

"Yes, yes there is."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"What's you name?"

"Rachel."

"Pretty. In that case, Rachel, I'll tell you tonight." Peter stood, smiling his charming smile down at her.

"Tonight?" She tried to raise on eyebrow, but failed, so settled for lifting them both.

"You know Percy's apartment? Pick me up at seven." With that, he winked and left, feeling accomplished.

AN: likes? dislikes? i know this chapter has a different narrative style, but i felt like it :/ sorry for those who dont like it - but tell me! thank you soo much to all those who have reviewed - totally made my day :D