A/N: Hey, guys. Guess what? I'm home…sick. Blehhh. Have you ever had a stomach ache that makes you feel like you're constantly about to throw up? Well…that's what I have right now. I feel a lot better than I did earlier, but it still hurts… :(

Notes: Based off of only SOME lines in Why Can't we be Friends? by Smash Mouth/WAR…I can never tell which made it and which re-made it. Note No. 2: Some alcoholic references. No. 3: Someone asked how to say Athena's mortal name, "Graeae." It is just pronounced "Gray". It means, literally, gray one. I used it for her eyes. 4: Degrassi is mentioned in this…personally, I think it's retarded, so I made fun of it. With a drinking game. I'm very mature, guys.

Disclaimer: RICK! Y U NO LET ME OWN PJO? (Ragestache, anyone?)

Chapter Three: Why Can't we be Friends?

Friday Night
8:00 PM

The six friends sat around the coffee table in the fourth floor living room, the one between Poseidon and Athena's rooms. Aphrodite kept glancing nervously between Poseidon and Athena, who had still been at edge with each other about the whole "marriage" situation. However, they could officially converse like civilized human beings…in some ways.

"Hey, Athena!" Aphrodite yelled over the music playing on Apollo's ApolloPod on his ApolloHome.

Athena looked over at the girl. "Hmm?" She asked.

"Can you go get some wine?" she asked. "I haven't had any since the night…oh." She began to blush.

"What?" Apollo asked, turning down the music playing.

"Well, I haven't had any since I…err…'met' Tristan." Aphrodite giggled.

"You mean since you had Piper?" Athena questioned. "Great. Now if I go get some wine, you'll probably pop another with Ares."

As the rest of them laughed, Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Wait, we don't have any wine!" Ares said. "But we do have some Bud Light in the fridge."

Poseidon grinned. "I have some in my room."

"Wine or beer?" Apollo asked. "I prefer the beer. Wine's for girls." He tried to stick out his chest, indicating that he was not female. However, he just looked insane, as his sister pointed this out.

"You look like a retard. Athena, can you go grab Poseidon's wine? He can go fetch the 'male' drinks." Artemis grinned at the silliness of the men.

"Sure thing! I'll just try not to drown in there…" Athena laughed.

"Heh. Drown; you know, cause he's—well, used to be—the Sea God? No?" Apollo asked as his smile faded. "Alrighty then."

"I meant how dirty the ro—oh. Never mind." Athena began as she opened the door. "It's as clean as mine!" She mumbled to herself, not letting the others hear. Athena searched the room high and low, but didn't see anything out of place.

"What are you doing?" A voice called from the doorway.

"Um…looking for the wine." Athena answered, turning around.

"They're right there," Poseidon indicated towards his bedside table.

"Right, right. I guess I missed it…how did you get this wall? It's just marvelous!" Athena pointed towards the wall behind his bed.

"I guess Zeus has some heart. Either that or he gave me a huge aquarium wall as torture, knowing I can't be the sea god for a while."

"It's just magnificent! Oh! Is that a baby turtle? It's just so…precious! Oh my gosh! It's a—but they're endangered! And…wait, they're endangered, as well! Oh, Poseidon! This is wonderful! Magnificent! C'est beau! Je voudrais avoir une salle aussi magnifique que ça!" Athena began rambling on in French, and Poseidon could only pick up a few words. He wasn't very multilingual, but he did understand 'beautiful', 'wish', and 'room'. When he put it together, he got a general idea of what she was saying, and he couldn't help but grin.

"I'm glad you like it, Athena." He smiled at her.

She grinned back as she punched him on the arm. "You're not so awful, Nicholas."

"Nor you, Graeae."

Athena quickly walked away, to give Aphrodite one of the wine bottles. As she came back in, she shut the door behind her. As they shared the other wine bottle, she began asking about the species and they conversed on the endangered and threatened ones. They chatted for a while, until it got very dark outside. Athena looked at bright green LED clock and saw the time was 10:59 P.M. However, she didn't leave, for only one minute later, the lights went out in Poseidon's room and the aquarium lit up so it was a happy blue color in the aquarium, and gave off the same shade blue very lightly across the room. Athena cast aside her wine glass to the side table and stood up.

Poseidon's room was already grand in size, but now that all attention was focused on the wall, it was magnificent—it was endless. Poseidon smiled up at her again. "Oh, I forgot to mention, it does that at eleven every night."

Athena nodded. "Yeah, you left that out." She mumbled.

Poseidon stood up and re-poured wine in both of their glasses. He walked over to Athena, who was currently watching a colony of baby sea turtles swim around, and handed her the newly filled glass. She turned around and thanked him, clanking her glass with his. "Cheers," they both said.

Athena suddenly gasped. "Oh!"

"What is it?" Poseidon questioned her, turning back to her.

"You have the Pomacanthus imperator! They're my favorite tropical fish, they're just so magnifique!" She started walking down the aquarium, next to the swimming emperor angelfish.

"Leave it to you to use the scientific names and then go all French on me," Poseidon laughed.

Athena shrugged. A comfortable silence encased them, aside from the occasional mumbling of French words from Athena. The two could faintly hear the end of a song from the ApolloPod the next room over. Suddenly, and old song came on which made Athena start laughing.

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I seen ya, I seen ya, I seen ya 'round for a long long time
I really, I really, I really remember when you drank my wine

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

But then, the music stopped. A faint, "Time for bed, guys," was heard instead.

And it was awkward for Athena, as she immediately caught on what Aphrodite was trying to do. She didn't let it show, though, for she kept staring at the aquarium. I can see that cute little red mark dancing across your cheeks, Athena.

Wait.

I just called Athena cute.

…

Kind of.

And Athena noticed his blush, as well. She pressed on the subject of fish, and it immediately became less awkward. As she pointed out more species she hadn't noticed, the two became rather tired. When she glanced back over at the clock, it was already two in the morning.

The two of them were both getting tired, but they kept talking. As Athena grabbed for the wine bottle, she saw it was empty. "Oh. We drank it all," she called to Poseidon.

"We might have some other stuff in the fridge downstairs," he told her. "Aphrodite was making them all day for tomorrow…but you two can make more."

Athena looked up. "Oh, right! We made a lot of martinis…I can go grab some! And I think we still have some Bud Light left."

Poseidon snickered.

"What?" Athena snapped.

"Well, I just never thought I'd hear you say you made a martini, let alone with Aphrodite. Or that you'd consider drinking beer."

She shrugged. "I guess it is out of character," she said, "but they're not that bad…"

"You and Aphrodite drank half of them as you made them for tomorrow, didn't you?"

Athena nodded and laughed.

As they got into the kitchen, Athena opened the fridge door. "Hmm," she hummed. "Let's see…where are they?"

"Looking for these?" Someone said from the dining room. Poseidon flipped the light on and saw Aphrodite standing with a platter of martinis in her hands. "Sorry, but they're for tomorrow when we go swimming in our pool."

"We have a pool?" Athena asked, shutting the fridge.

"Yeah, I didn't know we did either. There's this awesome indoor pool where we thought the attic was—it's all decked out and looks all tropical! It goes all the w—but that's beside the point! What are you two doing with martinis at two thirty in the morning?" She set the tray down on the table and proceeded from the dining room to the kitchen counter. She pointed to the two seats. "Sit." She said.

Confusedly, Athena and Poseidon sat. "What is this about?"

Aphrodite sighed. "Well, you two are made up, right?"

They shrugged. "For now," Poseidon said.

"Obviously. Peace between us never lasts very long. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Aphrodite walked in front of the two, so she was on the other side of the counter. "Athena, Athena. I thought you two knew this already. When a man and a woman love each other very much—"

"Can it!" Athena said, frustrated. "We're not in love, Aphrodite."

"You didn't let me finish." Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "When a man and a woman love each other very much, they consummate their love. However, that also happens very often when two people are drunk. Which may be just your case. I suspected this when you two were alone, so here," Aphrodite pushed a little bottle towards Athena. "Hasn't failed yet." She smiled.

"Aphrodite's Assurance: the only pill that works on goddesses." Athena visibly shuddered. "Aph, I appreciate the thought, but I'm a maiden goddess. Well, not a goddess anymore, but I will be again, soon. And I swore that I would be an eternal maiden. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Suit yourself. That just means you'll hear me and Ares more often than—"

"She'll take the pills." Poseidon said, draining color at the thought.

Aphrodite smiled sweetly. "Good! Here you two go," she pushed the martini tray towards the two. "Have a nice night!" And suddenly, Athena's face matched Poseidon's.

The giggly girl skipped up the stairs.

Athena sighed. She pushed a martini over to Poseidon. "Well, I'm not letting them go to waste." She picked up the tray and headed back upstairs. Poseidon, who had hesitated a moment, left Aphrodite's bottle sitting on the counter top as he grabbed a six-pack.

"Not letting these go to waste, either." He mimicked Athena, picking up another.

He walked up the stairs behind her, and all the way up to the fourth floor. He had never noticed how big the house was until he was carrying twelve heavy bottles.

As he entered his room, he expected to find Athena on the floor, drinking martinis as she looked at the aquarium. Instead, he found her in a pair of sweats—familiar sweats—and on his bed, with the tray on her lap. "Oh, sorry. I had to change—that dress was horridly uncomfortable. I'll never understand how people think they should be worn on a daily basis. I didn't have any clean sweat shirts…"

Poseidon smiled. "It's fine." He set the two packs down on the bed.

"You think we can drink all that?"

"I don't know?"

"Well…I'd never normally say this, but what about playing a drinking game?" Athena asked.

Poseidon laughed. "You'd never say that."

Athena switched on his TV. She turned on Teenick and saw Degrassi was on. "Oh, good!" she began laughing.

"What's the deal?" Poseidon asked her.

"Hmm…every time someone kisses someone else's partner or has sex, let's down half a bottle. Okay?"

"Deal," Poseidon said, knowing this wouldn't last long.

And it didn't. They had gone through the whole two six packs within the next three hours.

Saturday Morning
9:00 AM

Athena groaned into her pillow, trying to make the headache go away. Unconsciously, a pair of arms tightened around her. She didn't wake up, but instead fell back asleep.

The two were asleep until a bright flash encased the dark, shaded, lit-up-by-the-aquarium room. The lights flickered on and the aquarium faded back to normal-looking waters. "Ah! That's great!" A girlish voice squeaked.

Athena snapped her head up (which was a bad idea, because her head really hurt) and she blinked repeatedly.

"Aphrodite? Artemis?" She croaked. And then it hit her. She looked down and saw a pair of arms wrapped around her. As soon as that happened, she turned green.

"Athena! I'm disappointed in you! How could you just go off and drink with some male all night long, let alone Poseidon—" when suddenly, Athena pushed Poseidon off the bed and burst through the door. A slam was heard from the bathroom and Aphrodite cringed.

"Ooh. The hangover is the worst." Aphrodite shrugged. "Well, that shows her not to do that again."

Artemis just rolled her eyes.

"Ouch. What just happened?" Poseidon asked, sitting up off the floor.

"Athena pushed you off your bed." Artemis told him.

"Why?"

"Do you remember last night at all?" Aphrodite asked.

"Uh…I remember her yakking on and on about my fish and turtles. And then watching Degrassi—"

"You watch Degrassi?" Both Artemis and Aphrodite yelled. Artemis yelled with disgust, whereas Aphrodite was laughing.

"No. We played a drinking game," he said, referencing to the bottles on the floor. "But I can't remember what happened after the first bottle."

"Zeus probably isn't very happy." Artemis sighed.

"No, Zeus is not happy."

A/N: WEEE! I hate most Pothena, but if I write it my way, I tolerate it!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it's early for a certain someone to make an appearance, but trust me. It will play a HUGE role in the story line. I've had this planned for a long, long time but changed my mind. But now…I am sticking to my original idea….:D

QUESTION TIME!

Who do you think said that last line? Is it:
a.) Zeus
b.) Hera
c.) or is it Hermes, delivering a message?

What do you think the punishment will be?

WILL there be a punishment?

What do you think Aphrodite was getting at with the song lyrics?

Finally, are you liking the story so far?

I love feedback almost as much as Aphrodite loves love!
~Suzie