Chapter 14: Who is the Bigger Fool?

POV Change – Percy

I listened and something inside me cracked. Frowning, I teleported to the ship that Annabeth was on. Wisdom's Owl. I quickly tracked her scent and found her talking to Leo. They were looking at the shoes.

"I don't know. I don't feel comfortable wearing these shoes. Bad memories."

I stepped forward quickly and lifted my hand. The shoes vaporized. "You have good intuition Annabeth. Hermes didn't give those to you. Eros did." I scowled. "Seems like he wasn't as innocent as he let on."

Annabeth ran to me. I smiled and held her while she just hugged me. I knew that she wanted to physically make sure that I wasn't just a mirage. I was real.

"I'm here, Annabeth. Don't worry." I smiled and kissed her temple. "I'm alive, and you're safe." She smiled at me. I kissed her gently on the lips. "Come on." Her eyes widened as I took her and teleported back to my villa. I smiled and quickly, but silently contacted Hades, Poseidon, and Hestia.

I had things to do.

POV Change

It was all Hermes could do not to strike Eros down.

Eros laughed quietly. "Well? You're the fastest god in the universe. Why don't you go and save her?"

Hermes blinked. "I…"

Eros moved quickly in front of Hermes. "I can tell you why. You want Percy Jackson as much as I do. With Annabeth Chase out of the way, he's completely and blessedly available!" Eros smirked arrogantly. "You want Percy Jackson more than anything or anyone else in the world. However, like all gods…" He leaned closer to the god of messengers. "…you have a darker side to you. A side that couldn't care less about collateral damage."

Hermes shuddered and tried to move back, but Eros grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. Eros moved his face inches away from Hermes. "You want Chase to die just as much as I do." Eros released him and moved away. "That's why you won't save her. That's why you're just as much to blame as I am."

Hermes shuddered and vented a sigh. "I've…I've never claimed to be a good god."

Eros laughed mockingly. "None of us, not one, is good. That's the wrong adjective. We can only say that we are not bad. We are not evil." He smiled pleasantly. "I do not want world destruction. I do not want to take over the world. I simply want one little god as my consort and partner."

Hermes glared at Eros. "For how long?! I want him forever! I would never abandon Perseus! I would keep him by my side forever."

Eros laughed. "As would I, Hermes. Don't forget…" Eros turned to leave. "I do not have thousands of children milling about." He left the veranda smugly.

Hermes growled. "Damn you, Eros."

Apollo suddenly appeared. "She's not in the Underworld, and she's not on the ship. Annabeth's disappeared."

Hermes started. He had completely forgotten about Apollo. "You…went to rescue her?"

Apollo gave him a look. "Duh. She's the girlfriend of my second best friend."

Hermes felt himself swelling with shame and self-disgust. "I've been a fool."

Apollo nodded. "Yeah, you have. But not for what you think. You were a fool to listen to Eros' lies. You're not like him. True we have darker sides to us, but our darkness varies in the color black. Yours is more charcoal grey. Mine is like black with a full moon." He gave Hermes a lopsided smile. "In the end, Herm, you'd do the right thing."

Hermes felt his soul lift slightly. Then, it came crashing down. "I didn't save her."

"Because you didn't feel her die." Apollo said simply. "Now, let's go tell Percy what Eros has been up to."

Hermes took a deep breath and nodded. Percy might hate him forever for not jumping at the chance to save Annabeth, but the boy deserved to know the truth.

Hermes couldn't lie to the man he loved.

They moved back inside the villa only to find Eros kissing Percy. Deeply. Hermes blinked rapidly. Apollo gaped. He looked over and saw Annabeth watching too.

She was…

Smirking?!

"What. In. Hades?!" Apollo hissed. Hermes shook his head.

"I'm lost."

Annabeth chuckled and then moved silently closer to the couple. She pulled out handcuffs and, as fast as lightning, grabbed Eros' wrists and locked them together. Eros jerked back, but it was too late.

Percy wiped his mouth and shook his head slowly. "I do not appreciate being manipulated, Eros. So…" He shrugged lazily and slipped an arm around Annabeth's shoulders. "I decided to show you how it feels to be manipulated."

Annabeth chuckled. Her grey eyes flashed with venom, even as her lips were twisted in a smile. "Can we throw him into Tartarus?"

Percy sighed. "No." He smiled sweetly at Eros. "I've a much better idea." He nodded to Hades. "Do you need an assistant, Uncle?"

Hades chuckled. "He'll be perfectly under control in my territory. The dead feel nothing, least of all, love. He'll be a perfect little helper."

Eros was cursing them all in Greek. Poseidon snorted. "Shut up, Eros. You don't have a say in this."

Eros turned his pleading eyes on Percy. "Please, Percy…I cannot help what I was born to be. I cannot change or alter my personality. Please Percy, I must go through my cycle of Love and then, when it is over, I am able to choose which to live with. I would choose passionate love, true love. Please Percy, please, let me show you how much you mean to me." He voice had dropped lower. His eyes were earnest.

Percy looked away. He knew he would cave if he stared at the god any longer. "Eros, you walked into the courtship with your eyes wide open. You cannot lie to yourself. You know that my love for Annabeth is true. I cannot love another while I love her."

Eros glared at Annabeth. "And if she weren't there?"

Percy glanced at Hermes. "I would still not love you as you would want me to, Eros."

Hermes could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Percy's staring at me as if I'm a prime cut of steak!

Percy moved his gaze away and looked back at Annabeth and smiled. She smiled at him and hugged him, but her eyes found Hermes'. Her eyes pierced deep into his soul.

Hermes knew that she would be watching him like a hawk. She didn't trust him with her boyfriend. Hermes didn't blame her. He would be doing the same thing if he was in her position.

He nodded slowly to her. He conceded to her. He had to. Percy's heart belonged to Annabeth Chase.

And that was how it was going to be.