I am back after a couple days of absence with the fifth theme, 'Seeking Solace'. This is about James and Ari breaking up, because, no offense to anyone, she IS cuter with Gabe! ;)

~*~*~Chapter Five, Theme Five: Seeking Solace~*~*~

Solace.

Was that too much for a hurting daughter of Aphrodite to ask for? She was always optimistic. Always. As far as other people were concerned. But something she never dreamed of had happened.

Ari Johnson's boyfriend and her had just broken up.

It didn't seem all that bad, considering other half-bloods problems, and even what she had gone through in the past. But still . . . it was bad, for her. Break-ups always were, for anyone really. Especially a daughter of the goddess of love. Wasn't that supposed to mean that the first boy she had ever truly fallen madly in love with was supposed to be hers forever, a real kind of love that people seldomly had anymore? Like soulmates?

The answer was no. Even Aphrodite seemed to like playing love tricks on her own.

Ari said in an alleyway, still close enough to the street for someone to see her if they really looked, but not close enough for random people that were walking by to see her. It sky was cloudless, almost a sin for how she felt. The stars twinkled brilliantly, and the nearly full moon cast shadows in the dark alley. The city of New Orleans was bustling with life, like normal. But Ari tried to block it all out as she cried.

Ari heard pitiful sobs escape from her, but she didn't try to stop them. Her face was wet with salty tears, but she didn't try to wipe them away. Mascara was running in lines down her cheek, but Ari didn't even think to find somewhere to wash the make-up away. All she cared about now was the break-up. How had it gone again?

"James . . . we haven't been seeing a lot of each other lately. . ."

James had looked at her with dangeroulsy dark eyes. "I'm sorry, Ari, it's - "

"No, please, just . . . I'm ending it. We haven't been seeing each other a lot, and I just . . . I'm so sorry, James."

Why had she done that? Why? She loved him . . . James, son of Ares, with his fiery temper and quick tongue. But he was so brave, and sweet to her, even if not to everyone. Why had she done that?

In the back of her mind, Ari new the answer: Gabe.

She had spent much more time with him than she had her own boyfriend. The last few times she had been around him, Ari had felt something stirring inside her. She felt warm feelings when she was around Gabe, she felt safe around him, and most of all, she liked him. A lot. Maybe even more than she liked James.

But why? She was a daughter of the goddess of love, and not one of those that found a boyfriend and dated him for a few weeks, then dumped him for someone hotter or better. No, Ari believed in true love, the way she figured her mom might like it.

But maybe her mom had been playing with her all along.

"No," Ari whispered to herself, shaking her head from side to side slightly. She refused to believe it.

Ari wrapped her arms around herself and leaned further back into the brick wall of the building. She took in the scents around her, even if they weren't pleasant. And the sounds. The sounds of the joyous city. It almost made her happy. It would have on any other night. But whenever she felt a surge of happiness coming on, whether it was the excited city or the thought of Gabe, she was immediately overwhelmed by dread.

Solace would have been good at that moment.

Soon, Ari started to drift off a little, the sounds of New Orleans getting fuzzier, and the smells fading. Faintly, Ari could hear her name being called somewhere down the street, time and time again, by different sets of voices. Her ears perked and she listened to them, her eyes closed as they had been for the past few minutes. One, she could tell right away. Gabe. No mistaking a voice like that. The next took a few more seconds, but she identified the person as Remy. The next was another male's voice, Alex. How come Ari seemed to have so many guy friends? Not that she cared, but her best friend, Cara, was off halfway across the world in Ireland.

Maybe, if one of them found her, they could offer comfort.

After another few minutes, or what Ari assumed to be another few minutes, she heard her name again, this time, closer, right in front of her.

"Ari," Gabriel's voice whispered, and Ari's eyes snapped open. At first, everything was hazy and dark, then Ari's eyes came into focus. Gabe was kneeling in front of her, a cute, worried look on his face. Ari almost smiled at it, but then she felt more tears come to her eyes, except these ones were dry, since she had already used up her quota. It was wrong, thinking she should even think of Gabe in a loving way after what she had just done to James.

"Ari," Gabe said again, even softer this time. He looked uncomfortable, a little frantic, even. And definitely worried.

Ari shifted so she now sat up on her knees, and outstretched her arms to him. After a few seconds of hesitation, Gabe opened up his, and Ari fell into him, sobbing dry sobs into his chest.

Maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.

Short, sweet, and solace seeking. ;)

Ari belongs to iheartbluetoo, and Gabe of course, belongs to Mino. :P She's right, next chapter has a strict, NO MINO policy. ;P