Aliya woke to the sounds of breathing in her ear. Rolling over she found her self face to face with Percy Jackson. Her heart thumping madly she looked around, it was barely morning none of the other campers were awake and for that she was thankful.
Slipping away from Percy's strong arms Aliya clutched the bathrobe tighter to her body. It seemed that the minute she left his side all of her heat left too. Sighing she decided that he had to be woken up, what would the other campers think if they found him sleeping on the ground?
What was even worse was that sea-green and dark purple flowers had grown to form around his body, and around the shape of her body also. Quickly she knelt beside Percy and moved his hair away from his ear.
"Percy Jackson wake up or I swear I will set Amoretto on you!" She whispered hurriedly in his ear. Percy jerked awake and would have smacked her in the face if she didn't have such quick reflexes.
"W-what?" Aliya rolled her eyes and pulled him off the ground.
"I'm going to leave after you fall asleep aye?" She said playfully ruffling his hair. Then when she was sure that he could stand by himself she looked at the flowers.
"Shoo…" She said in a motherly tone, one used when children pried into their mothers business. The flowers quickly shriveled back into the ground leaving no trace that they were ever there.
"Well I guess I fell asleep too…" Percy gave Aliya a sheepish grin was about to apologize when she pulled him quickly into her cabin. The door to the bathroom was closed and you could faintly hear Hades singing 'Sexy Back.'
"Can you imagine what would have happened if the other would have seen us?" Aliya said in a forceful whisper. Percy shrugged.
"No at this moment I'm trying to figure out if Justin Timerlake is you're older brother or not." Percy said cracking a smile, Aliya sighed and let a small giggle escape her lips.
"Anyway Percy I'll see you at breakfast, you need to get back to you're cabin and change. We can even sit together, seeing as neither of us has anyone else in their cabin?" Aliya sounded hopeful and Percy nodded.
Aliya smiled a true smile and Percy saw that Hades was right, Aliya did not look like him when she smiled. Laughing Aliya pushed him out of the door with a later.
Percy stumbled but then regained his balance, he ended up jogging to his cabin to change. When he got there he was surprised to see his father sitting on his bed.
His father hadn't changed since the last time Percy had seen him, two years before on his sixteenth birthday, except now he wore red wake bordering shorts with a blue and green tourist's shirt. Percy caught his breath and then bowed before his father.
"Poseidon, honored father, to what do I owe this visit?" Percy bit back a bitter remark that was on the tip of his tongue. His father laughed a deep hearty laugh and stood, he clapped Percy heartily on the back.
"Percy, my son why so formal now is a happy time. You have made it into your eighteenth year no worse for wear, and in a days time there is to be a dance are you not pleased to see me?" Percy looked at his father, now he was only slightly shorter and they were built the same.
"I haven't seen you in two years, I get no word, nothing and you expect me to welcome you as if you were my mother? You thought wrong, I had hoped that you would only greet me momentarily at the dance and be on your way." Percy let his head drop, as he dropped to one knee.
The sea god looked down at his son and realized that Percy was correct, he had never paid him anymore mind than any of his other children, but he was the only one now and he tossed him aside.
"You're right son, you have the right to angry with me." Percy sighed a sigh of relief.
"All I wanted when I was younger was a father, but I had to grow up without one…"
"I should have been there for you, but I assumed that it would be seen as a weakness on my part." Percy sat next to him on the bed.
"I've met the most wonderful girl, and…"Poseidon looked at Percy and smiled.
"Oh a girl aye? Whose daughter? Mr. D's? Ares's, perhaps Apollo? Don't leave me in the dark I was good with women in my day you know." Percy smiled; this was the first real conversation he had had with his father, ever.
"She's just a good friend father. Her name is Aliya, and she just arrived."
"Peace son. I'd like to meet this girl, please take me to her cabin."
"But we're going to eat breakfast together…"
"This will not wait." Percy nodded.
"I have to change first." Poseidon nodded.
"Do it quickly." As soon as Percy changed into a camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of kaki pants throwing a hat on his unruly hair they left heading quickly towards Hades cabin though this was unknown to Poseidon.
sSs
As soon as Percy left Aliya slumped against the door, she smiled and then ran to her dresser.
Looking threw her clothes she found the perfect outfit. Slipping out of her now dry undergarments from the day before she slipped on a pink bra and matching underwear.
Over her pink underwear she put a blue jeans miniskirt. In black stones it bore her fathers symbol on it. For a shirt she put on a tank top that was white and put a small pink half sweater over it.
Aliya had just finished putting pink roses in her hair when Hades came out of the bathroom. Seeing Aliya he clutched the towel tighter around his lower body and smiled sheepishly.
"You slept well?" Aliya asked kissing his cheek and running into the bathroom. Hades took another towel and began to dry his hair.
"Oh yes, but I didn't see you when I woke this morning, where were you?" Aliya smiled at him before closing the door.
"I slept outside last night, the smell of rain soothes me you know that." When she came out of the bathroom she had only applied a hint of blush to her cheeks and sparkle to her eyes.
Hades was wearing a pair of black skate boarding shorts. His chest still glistened with water and he was starting to wipe them up when music started to play.
A pink mist filled the room and suddenly a beautiful brunette came into view. Aliya saw her father smile slightly before he bade her to fall to her knees.
"Lady Aphrodite, it is pleasant to meet you again." Aliya said starting to sweat. Did the goddess of love know of her trouble? Was she here because of what Ares had done last night?
"Hades! Here I was coming to visit your lovely daughter and I find you here with her, well the more the merrier." She pulled Aliya off her feet and gave her the once over, than winking Aphrodite took a step back and looked at Hades.
"Just what I thought." Hades came foreword to look at Aliya, trying to see what Aphrodite did that he did not.
"And what is it that you thought my dear?" Winking at Aliya again Aphrodite turned to Hades, her heels clicked with the rapid movement.
"Well couldn't you tell that Aliya is ready for marriage?" Aliya finally catching on, that Aphrodite was helping her walked up to her father.
"Yes, daddy it's been on my mind for some time, the appropriate age for a daughter of Hades to wed." Aphrodite nodded her head and placed her arm around Aliya.
"Marriage?" Hades said grabbing his head and sitting down on the bed.
"Why yes, but it can't be just anyone, it must be a god or demi-god, a mortal would survive a week maybe." Hades looked at Aphrodite.
"Well I guess I can check around the Camp, and I'll send a letter to Zeus asking if anyone needs a second wife…" Aliya stepped forewords and looked her father in the eye.
"No daddy, I want to marry my true love." Hades hung his head, all of them had once had that ambition, none of them knowing that their true love may be born in a few years or centuries.
"But…" Aphrodite held her finger to his lips and then produced a shining amulet from her Prada purse. It was two hearts one of silver and one of gold, intertwining then branching out only to return to the main design.
"Well that's why I'm here, because Aliya is so special I decided that this would be a job for the Amulet Amore."
"The Amulet Amore?" Hades said studying the object closely.
"Why yes, this Amulet will tell you who you're true love is, you only need to wear it and it will glow it's brightest when you're true love is near." Hades sighed.
"I see that you have been watching my daughter." Aphrodite looked hurt as though he may have just ripped out her heart, then she smiled broadly.
"Well yes, with no mother, a father that can only visit three months out of the year and a grandmother that preaches virginity I figured that I could look out for Aliya, after all I am one that you trusted to know of her existence." Hades stood and hugged Aphrodite to him.
"Thank you for that…you don't know how much it means to me." Aliya looked at her father questioningly. He knew that she could take care of herself, that she always had, why did he care so much that she had a guardian?
"Well, sure Hades no problem, but now it's her choice do you wish to wear the Amulet and find your true love?" Aliya nodded and Aphrodite a huge smile on her face placed the Amulet on Aliya's neck.
Almost instantly the amulet began to glow faintly. Aphrodite, went to the far corner of the room and the pick smoke appeared again. She laughed merrily as though all was right in her world.
"Well alright it seems that your true love is in the camp at this very moment. I'd better leave you to now. See you at the dance, Chao!" The sound of semaphores filled the room and Aphrodite was whisked out of sight.
"I like her daddy." Hades hugged Aliya close to him. She sighed and hugged him back, he'd never been this touchy feely and it was annoying the crap out of her. Was it because soon she would be able to travel by herself, be her own person. Or was it something deeper, did Hades do something that even his daughter was not privileged to know.
"Yes I like her too." Just then the Amulet began to burn with such brightness that it blinded Aliya momentarily. Five quick raps came on the door and she quickly went to answer it.
"Coming!" Aliya said rushing to the door. She barely had it open when a man, who looked an awful like Percy, rushed in. Quickly Aliya dropped to one knee, the Amulet still glowing so much that it burned her skin.
"Lord Poseidon, to what do I owe the honor?" When Percy came into the room he could feel Aliya's nervousness. Seeing the Amulet he stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes focused on its glowing light. He wondered what it was. She didn't have it before.
Hades shot off the bed when his brother entered the cabin, and even with a fire going the room grew cold.
"Brother." Hades said, Poseidon nodded.
"Yes brother, I haven't seen you in ages." Poseidon said coolly he then looked at Aliya. A grin broke onto his face and he hugged Hades to him.
"I see that you couldn't keep it in your pants forever aye?" Hades laughed and hugged his brother back.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but you know Zeus." Poseidon nodded.
"Yes I know, he's already put Percy through quite a bit." Hades laughed and hugged his brother again.
"At least he was strong enough to pull through, not many have when Zeus is involved." Hades said thinking about many other children that had been lost because of Zeus's jealousy.
"Umm, daddy?" Hades looked at Aliya and then saw the Amulet's wild glow.
"Well, well, well…" Poseidon looked at Aliya and then the Amulet.
"Hey isn't that?"
"Yeah, the Amulet the Aphrodite wore for years, the one that detects your true love." Poseidon's face spilt into a smile.
"Well, then I guess its Percy or I." Hades, smile remained, and he laughed a hearty chipper laugh that left Percy stunned. 'Okay him laughing and smiling is really starting to creep me out…'
Hades was worried, he trusted his brother but at the same time, Poseidon could be violent, all of the nymphs had told him. Who caused typhoons and hurricanes? Hades also worried because, Percy was his father's son, sooner or later the temper would show through and then where would his daughter be.
Aliya stood quickly and went to the far corner of the room. She eyed all the men until her eyes fell on Poseidon and Percy.
Poseidon was defiantly handsome, and he had a wisdom about him that astonished her. The Percy, who still had a rugged boyish face that she knew he'd keep forever, for it was his fathers.
In her heart she knew that she could love them both, she already did. Percy for the kindness he had shone her the past few days, and Poseidon because he was a great god, loyal to the sea and to her father.
Hades walked up to his daughter and pushed her towards the sea god and his son.
"You must discover which one of them you belong to Aliya…" Aliya swallowed quickly and prayed to which ever god was listening that who ever was her true love would not want to take her away from her father.
"Wait…" Aliya heard herself say before Hades could push her foreword anymore. He looked at her startled.
"Isn't this what you wanted Aliya?" He said. She smiled and took off the amulet. Then with grace she placed it in her pocket.
"I have a better idea. How about I spend time with each of them and then tomorrow before the dance I can place it on each of them, the one it glows on is my true love?" Poseidon and Percy both looked at each other and then at Aliya.
"That sounds like an excellent idea Aliya." Percy said a droplet of sweat running down his face.
"I would enjoy spending company with you Lady Aliya, if it is alright with your father…" Poseidon said, with a grin at Hades.
Hades, finally regaining the composure that Aliya had always known him to have Hades looked at his brother and his nephew.
"This sounds like a permitable way for my daughter to spend the day, but I shall have to send you out with an escort…Amoretto!" Hades loomed over the men in the room, a dark shadow covering most of his face giving him the quality of most nightmares.
A bark sounded throughout the room and soon a huge dog with two heads came bounding into view. Both heads were instantly focused on Hades, and low growls escaped their throats.
"Amoretto I'd like you to accompany Aliya and the man of her choice around today and then again tomorrow. You are to be her body guard and escort, make sure that neither she nor these gentlemen make any funny business." Amoretto barked and trotted over to Aliya.
Aliya hugged the dog to her, it easily came up to her chest, Amoretto looked like she could carry Aliya around if she wanted. Standing and scratching the dog absently behind the ears Aliya looked at the men with thought.
"Poseidon, would you accompany me today around the camp?" Aliya bit her lip as Poseidon stepped foreword. He took her hand and kissed it softly his lips just barely brushing against her skin.
"I would be honored to spend the day in your company Lady Aliya." Aliya smiled, and then looked at Percy it looked as though he had been hit by a trident. She wanted to reassure him but looked to her father instead. He understood and when Poseidon took Aliya from the cabin Hades quickly went to Percy.
"Percy are you alright son?" Percy's head snapped up quickly, he had expected Aliya to pick him first, after all he had spent all this time with her. He shook his head in anger.
"No everything is not alright. I spent all this time with her, I took care of her last night. We spent the entire night together and yet she chooses him over me!" When Percy realized what he said he shut his mouth and eyed the Lord of the Underworld with fearful eyes.
Hades took in everything that Percy had just said. With shadows in his face and fear in his heart Hades approached Percy how was quickly backed into a corner.
"You took care of her? You spent the night with her? What the HELL have you been doing with my daughter!!" Percy shrank into the corner, he couldn't fight, this was his fault.
"If you promise not to tell Aliya that I told you I'll tell you everything she told me." Hades advanced and his voice began to ring in Percy's ears.
"You are in no position to deal Percy Jackson, and I am in no mood to negotiate!"
"You have to promise, I'd rather you kill me than have Aliya hate me forever!" Percy screamed, this caused Hades to back away. With eyes shooting daggers at Percy he bid him to stand.
"Alright Percy, say you're piece then I will decide whether I should kill you or not." When Percy looked at the room it was completely changed. Fire's burned everywhere, the screams of the dying and of the tormented could be heard from all around. A throne of skulls was in place of Aliya's bed. When Hades sat on the throne he was crowed with a golden crown and his clothes were replaced with his robes.
"Plead your case before us Percy Jackosn." Percy looked to see who the 'us' were and saw three beautiful young women sitting behind Hades.
"We are the Fates or Mores, we who spin, measure and cut all time. We will know if you lie Percy Jackson." The three said together. Percy swallowed and began to speak.
sSs
Poseidon lead Aliya his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. They talked as though they were old friends and she enjoyed the company. When they reached the lake Poseidon stopped.
"Now Aliya, I want to take you somewhere. Some of it is frightening but most of it is beautiful. This is what I want to share with you this day." Aliya looked into his eyes and saw sincerity.
"Alright Poseidon do your worst." He laughed and lead her into the water.
"No I must do my best." Out of the waves a group of dolphins rose, attached to them was a chariot made of gold shaped like a shell.
"On to the sea Aliya." Poseidon said eyes twinkling. Taking Aliya's hand gently he lead her to the chariot. He lifted her up and placed her into it, as though she were a princess.
Aliya's heart soared, she had never felt this way before, certainly not with Ares. Her stomach seemed too filled with kittens. Her heart beat rapidly, why did he look at her like that? His eyes gently rolling over every inch of her, taking her in with out stealing anything from her. Was this love or lust?
Amoretto climbed into the chariot eyeing Poseidon with distrust. She could hear her masters heart and she could smell what Poseidon felt about her, she must keep a closer eye.