Chapter 7
They returned late in the evening. Athena was bursting with energy, it was as if something was trying to break out of her chest, and there was this peculiar sensation like her legs would lose their connection to the ground and she might float. Percy was holding her hand all the way back, strangely enough, it both tethered her to the earth and prevented her from gathering herself. The goddess stole a glance at him, he was smiling lightly, perhaps, even dreamily. They were quiet, there was no need for words between them. Athena couldn't remember if she had ever felt so much in tune with anyone in her life. It was so novel, so wonderful. A wistful smile appeared on her lips and Percy squeezed her hand tighter without even looking at her. She wasn't even surprised at his perceptivity anymore, though she was still no closer to understanding it.
They entered the flat and went to his room that was hers for the stay.
"I've had a great time tonight," Percy said and quickly kissed her on the cheek. His eyes were shining brightly and he was smiling with unalloyed joy. He looked radiant and it was drawing her in because she wanted a part of that happiness too. "Until tomorrow then," he said rather than asked and made a move for the door.
"Wait," Athena exclaimed without thinking and her arm shot out as if on its own accord to hold onto him because she didn't want him to go just yet. However, when she got his attention back, Athena didn't know how to proceed and what to say. She mentally cursed her impulsiveness and helplessly stared into his eyes that were regarding her patiently allowing her to find her words. "Thank you," the goddess finally breathed out with frightening sincerity. She suddenly lunged forward, flung her hands around his neck and burrowed her face in his shoulder. His arms immediately wound round her waist tightly and Athena was engulfed in a familiar cocoon of tranquility. She didn't know how long they stood like that but all too soon they parted and Percy left.
He left and seemingly took her peace of mind with him. Athena sighed deeply and shook her head, feeling very much human and confused. She didn't understand the effect he had on her and why it was so easy to cross boundaries with him. She shouldn't want to hug him. She shouldn't enjoy his company to the point when the thought of separation was bothering her. There was no reason for her to notice how his smile lit up his face making him even more handsome. And there was no rationalization of the fact that something inside of her reacted to that sight. Absolutely none. But it was happening and Athena didn't know what to do with those things. She was becoming more and more immersed in this pretence of being her daughter because, paradoxically, she felt more accepted and free than when she was herself. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that it wasn't Athena, the goddess of Wisdom, who got his attention, his care, his smiles and gestures of affection, but Annabeth, his girlfriend who he was so happy to reconcile with. There were moments when she altogether forgot about it.
It was dangerous and she fully acknowledged it. One day Annabeth would return and the next time Athena sees Percy, his eyes would hold no warmth for her. She would lose what little she managed to snatch. The goddess almost saw the scene unfolding. She would be her usual self, arrogant and aloof, looking at him down her nose as if he was a disgusting little insect, all the while wishing she could rush in his arms and hide there from the world.
The worst thing was that she was already attached to Percy and she couldn't undo it. Athena came to care for him and there was no going back.
She didn't even know whether she would have prevented everything from unraveling given the chance or not. Were the changes Percy brought upon her worth it? When Annabeth takes her place back, she will be completely alone with no one to turn to. Would the future aftermath be worth it? Would it be better if she didn't get to know Percy and kept on condemning him for his parentage without a thought?
Athena stared into the darkness with unseeing eyes.
She was ignorant to a great many things, her character faults and poor life choices including. And she badly needed it to change because she didn't want to stay so closed off and isolated anymore. The life was passing her by while she was standing around, too inert and apathetic to break the strangling hold of old habits.
Percy was the one to make her question herself. He was the catalyst to the turnabout. Almost entirely without noticing Athena came to value his company and appreciate his openness with her. Although she was uncertain of plenty of things, she felt amazingly alive and the goddess was perfectly aware who she had to thank for that.
To lose everything would be a hard blow. Athena frowned and then blinked slowly, mentally correcting herself. She would not lose everything, she would lose Percy. It wasn't equivalent to "everything". She was being unreasonable when aligning the two. Her newly-lernt lessons were hers to put to life. She could build bridges and forge connections. She could get to know her children better. There were ancient laws to consider, of course, but she could work around them. Maybe she could reach out to Annabeth because once, according to Percy, Annabeth wished to be closer to her. Maybe it still wasn't too late for that. Maybe she could prove herself. And maybe Percy would come along too.
The goddess nodded to herself as a carcass of a plan was forming. Having a general idea of what she would do next always calmed Athena down and she went to sleep feeling tentatively optimistic.
In the morning she woke with the resudual excitement from the previous day, ready for the new day to begin. The breakfast was a casual affair, different from yesterday because Percy was there chatting and smiling at both his mother and her.
Percy asked her where she wanted to go and presented her with a variety of choices. Athena went with the safe option of a history museum and soon they were on the way. In the museum the goddess found herself enjoying the rare possibility to share her vast knowledge with someone willing to listen. And Percy was a captive audience, he asked her questions and wasn't shy about sharing his opinions. Athena was so very pleased that he could sustain the conversation and it didn't look like a forced lecture on her part. Somehow after a while she found herself telling embarrassing stories of humorous nature and spilling secrets that many people would simply die to know. Percy was laughing hard and uttering his disbelief all the while looking at her with rapture, and the goddess was practically preening under his attention.
Athena was overflowed with the uncharacteristic carefree abandon and that airy feeling stayed with her throughout the next days. It stayed when they went roller skating and even the amusement park with unruly mortal children running around could not shake it. It was the most fun that she remembered herself having and the goddess wanted to reciprocate in kind. So she asked Percy where he himself wished to go. It earned her an appreciative look that warmed her to the core and his genuine enthusiasm.
That was how the goddess found herself in a marine museum. There the son of the Sea was in his natural element and Athena could only marvel at how much he knew about the aquatic life. She wasn't particularly interested in the creatures of the underwater before, but Percy made it all sound so very fascinating. He didn't simply recite the facts but weaved an exciting tale of evolution and survival. It was structured and scientific, something that she wouldn't normally associate with the demigod, but Athena couldn't deny that she liked it. Percy was passionate about his subject and it was something the goddess of Wisdom always respected.
Athena left the museum in a thoughtful mood. Their visit supplied her with another piece of the puzzle that was Percy. She parted with her preconceived notions about him long ago but he kept surprising her. Each day she discovered a part of his character that made the young demigod more and more complex and intriguing. However all the answered questions only had her thirsting for more. Athena wanted to learn everything about him. Maybe then her curiosity could be sated and she would calmly leave Percy to his well-deserved happily ever after with Annabeth.
The goddess winced at the thought and absentmindedly took his hand. Percy smiled at her and asked, "What has you thinking so hard, Wise Girl?"
"You," still being stuck in her musings and feeling relaxed in his presence, Athena didn't filter her words. She immediately felt embarrassed at her confession as she absolutely didn't need Percy to know she thought about him. He was smiling, though, and didn't seem to be phased at all.
"And what about me?" the demigod raised his brows at her.
"I'm thinking just how much I don't know about you," Athena said with a small frown.
"I'm not going anywhere," Percy stated with conviction and added softly. "We have time."
It sounded like a promise. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant for her, and Athena felt as if something squeezed her throat making it hard to breathe. It was nothing but a lie, a painful reminder that each day spent with Percy could be the last. Her questions would remain unanswered, her curiosity unsated, she would be left behind.
"What's the matter, Annabeth?" he asked with worry in his voice and facial expression.
"It's nothing," Athena whispered and looked at her feet dejectedly, but then raised her gaze and almost angrily stared into his sea-green eyes. "Just don't promise something when you can offer no guarantees, Perseus." She forcefully exhaled and fixed her eyes above his shoulder, displeased by her outburst and not knowing what got into her.
"That's true," the demigod acknowledged gravely and she glanced back at him in surprise. "We both are well aware how unpredictable our world is. But I'm going to do everything for us to have time."
Percy was so sincere that it tore Athena's heart raw. She closed her eyes in defeat and only sighed when she felt his hands cafefully framing her face.
"Won't you look at me, darling?" the endearment rolled from his lips naturally and the goddess shut her eyelids even tighter. "You are very precious to me. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."
"No," Athena couldn't ignore him anymore and resolutely met his gaze, wanting to make her next words abundantly clear, "it's me who is extremely lucky to have you."
'No matter how short it will be,' she grimly thought, but that thought was quickly chased away because Percy was burning her with his eyes. It was impossible to remain cognizant under such intensity and her vision blurred, with only his face staying in focus. The outside world existed no more, the gods, the laws, her children – they had no place here.
The goddess was watching his expression with a greedy sort of fascination. No one has ever looked at her like he was doing now. It wasn't admiration, it wasn't tenderness either. Those she was already familiar with. It was something wild and fierce, dragging her in with no chance for escape. Percy seemed desperate for her to believe him, to believe in him.
His eyes were roaming her face as if searching for something. Perhaps, some sign that she understood what he wanted to convey. And she did, she understood it, not intellectually, but on a level deeper than logic. How could she not when his eyes were so expressive?
As though in a trance Athena placed her hands on his wrists affirming that she was here with him. Her lips quivered in a smile and his gaze dropped to her mouth. She was sure that he was going to kiss her now and felt no panic, no revulsion and no desire to stop it, only curiosity and a tiny spark of anticipation. But then he lifted his eyes and there was no sharpness anymore. The see was calm and gentle once again, the storm had passed. Percy took his hands away from her cheeks and the goddess slowly released her hold with a twinge of something. Athena was so certain that he would kiss her, the moment was practically asking for it. Moreover, she was willing to let him.
The goddess of Wisdom absolutely hated when she appeared to be wrong but there seemed to be another layer. Those unmet expectations were bothering her in a different way and not a constructive one. Was it the feeling of disappointment she was experiencing? The woman frowned and glanced at the demigod who was watching her patiently.
She suddenly realized that they were standing in the road, though, oddly enough, the mortals were carefully passing them by.
"Let's go," the goddess said and moved forward. Percy silently fell in step with her and she squinted at him. He looked relaxed, if only a little pensive. He gave no indication that something was amiss or unfinished. He also didn't look disappointed. Then why was Athena herself feeling unsettled and disappointed?
Coming to think about it, that emotion of disappointment, did it mean that she wanted Percy to kiss her? The goddess stumbled at that disturbing thought but quickly caught herself. Theoretically she knew that kissing could be enjoyable, but long time ago, when she was subjected to it, there was nothing good about the experience. It was just an unwelcome and nauseating intrusion upon her person. Athena didn't like any of the gods that tried to initiate something with her, to force themselves on her. The mortals didn't inspire either. Then why was she going to let Percy kiss her? Was it out of scientific curiosity, just to determine whether the experience would be different? That might be it, Athena finally concluded. Still it didn't explain the premises to the hypothesis that being kissed by Percy wouldn't match her previous experiences.
The goddess threw another covert glance at him. She couldn't deny that his warm presence nearby was more than acceptable and evoked positive emotions, though this description felt rather flat and inadequate. Athena came to a screeching halt as she had an abrupt epiphany. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, made her happy. It was that easy. She didn't realize it sooner because this happiness certainly differed from the one she was familiar with, though the goddess couldn't pinpoint how and why.
Athena woke from her stupor and rushed to catch up with Percy who was going ahead in a slow tempo. When she drew up with him, he gave her a concerned look and Athena was quick to send him a reassuring smile.
"So is there anything about me that you would want to know right now?" he asked and Athena was instantly flooded with questions. There was a lot of things that she would like to know.
"In the museum you were in your element," the goddess finally started watching him thoughtfully. "I was impressed by your knowledge and your attitude. Is it a field that you might pursue as a future profession?"
A shadow passed over his face briefly, but then his features took a neutral expression.
"I've thought about becoming a marine biologist," he quietly admitted looking her straight in the eyes. "They don't teact it in New Rome."
Athena raised her brows at him in incomprehension, but Percy stayed silent. She voiced the obvious. "There are other places where you can learn, New-York, for instance."
The demigod stopped.
"But you wanted to live in New Rome," Percy said softly, his face looking deliberately blank.
"Oh," Athena uttered completely at a loss. She had no idea how to react and what to say. Did she even have a right to do anything? After all it was Annabeth's prerogative.
Athena felt helpless and could only stare at him in hopeless discomfiture.
"Yes," Percy agreed with her in a subdued voice. He forcibly exhaled and looked like his usual self again. "It's alright, Annabeth. I can choose something else."
Was it alright, though?
"What if you regret it afterwards?" the goddess asked with an air of detachment, feeling anything but. "I've got an impression that it's something important for you. Tell me, was I wrong? Would you give up your dream just like that?"
"What do you want me to say?" the demigod shot her a sharp glare. "I can't predict the future. I chose you and I don't regret it now."
"We didn't even discuss it," Athena mouthed in disbelief. "And if I didn't ask, would you live with this great sacrifice thrown at my feet while I was completely unaware? You can't make those decisions alone, Percy." The woman shook her head at him. "I care for you too. You are important to me, your aspirations are important. Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"You've already planned everything," Percy said with a melancholy smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You were so happy and I didn't have a heart to destroy your careful planning. I've honestly thought that I could find fulfillment in some other area."
"I see," Athena responded curtly. "Promise me that if you want something, you won't hesitate to tell me."
She didn't worry that she overstepped, surely, Annabeth would agree with her. Besides this wonderful tenderness in his eyes was absolutely worth it. Percy took her hand in his and laid it on his chest and Athena felt his heart beating.
"Thank you," he whispered quietly.
"No need to thank me," the goddess murmured below her breath, once again entranced by the fathomless depth of his sea-green eyes. "We'll discuss our options later."
He inclined his head and raised her hand to his lips bestowing a small kiss upon it. Athena felt a flutter of pleasure at the gesture and smiled at him. She didn't even bother to double check her reaction and only intertwined her fingers with his.
Hand in hand they went along the street with no particular aim in mind. Soon Percy offered to eat in a fancy looking cafe and for his sake Athena accepted.
Unfortunately, the goddess of Wisdom was inexcusably distracted, too immersed in a comfortable bubble that existed between Percy and herself. Thus, she registered another godly presence when it was too late and she could do nothing about Aphrodite who was rapidly approaching them with a delightful smile and predatory glint in her eyes. It seemed Percy felt something too because he fell silent in the middle of a sentence and turned his head in Aphrodite's direction. His face immediately took a resigned and wary expression and Athena found herself in total agreement with him. She expected trouble and only trouble from the goddess of Love whom she couldn't stand on most days.
"Look if it isn't my favourite couple," Aphrodite exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm. Then she gazed at the hero and almost purred. "I must comment that you are looking more and more handsome with each passing day, Percy."
At her words Athena's irritation grew tenfold. She glanced at Percy and he was clearly uncomfortable so she covered his hand that was lying on the table with hers. He turned away from Aphrodite and looked at Athena gratefully.
"Is there a reason why you decided to interrupt us, Aphrodite?" she regarded the woman with barely concealed contempt.
"Why, I've just couldn't contain myself when I saw the two of you looking so cute together, holding hands and being all lovey-dovey," Aphrodite innocently widened her multi-colored eyes and pressed a hand to her chest.
"We were not holding hands," Athena stated matter-of-factly choosing to address the easiest part and arrogantly ignoring everything else. It was simply too ridiculous, and Aphrodite could hardly be considered a person worthy of dispute. Besides even the thought of articulating "lovey-dovey" made her nauseous.
"But you are now," the goddess of Love helpfully remarked.
"Yes," Percy said unabashedly and turned his hand palm up, gently squeezing her fingers. "Is there something wrong with it?"
"Is there?" Aphrodite parroted and sent the other goddess a sharp look.
Athena glared at her in response daring her to say something.
Their staring contest was interrupted by the demigod.
"Did you need something from us?" he asked the goddess with an open expression. Athena frowned at him, in her opinion, Aphrodite didn't deserve an ounce of his attention.
"Just wanted to say hi," the infuriating goddess told him with a beaming smile. "Mind if I join you?"
"Yes," Athena immediately snapped.
Outrageously, but the other immortal didn't even look at her, all her focus was on Percy.
"What do you say, Percy?" she batted her eyelashes at him and sent him a sultry glance.
"I don't think it's a good idea," he said with admirable straightforwardness. In that moment Athena's respect for him grew, not many mortals could refuse a goddess and especially Aphrodite.
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to discourage that shameless wench.
"Why not?" she innocently asked and rather presumptuously took a seat. What's more, then she dragged her chair almost flush to Percy's and smiled at him again. "Aren't we all friends?"
Athena was seething with anger, her tight grip on her emotions was rapidly slipping away from her and with it all her thousands years of rationality and foresight. She wanted to smash Aphrodite's pretty face so badly and only Percy's hand in hers was restraining her. He was leaning sideways in his chair trying to put some distance between him and the impudent woman. He was rather pointedly staring at the table and avoiding Aphrodite's gaze. His discomfort was clear, yet the goddess of Love did not take a hint and raised her hand to his cheek turning his face towards herself.
It pushed Athena over the brink.
"Get away from Percy, you slut!"
"Annabeth!" Percy cried out shocked at her outburst while Aphrodite was looking strangely delighted for a person who was just insulted to her face.
"Percy, dear, could you, please, give us a moment alone?" now she was looking Athena in the eye, ignoring her no longer.
Athena bared her teeth in a uncharacteristic wild display.
"I'd rather not," the demigod answered promptly. He finally moved his chair away from Aphrodite and sat next to Athena. It warmed her heart that he immediately took her side and she regarded the other goddess with triumph.
"I insist," the goddess of Love said with the deceiving softness. "Go, buy me a coffee or something, chat with the waitress. Take your time."
Percy stood up abruptly and without a word went to the counter.
"You charmspoke him," Athena immediately accused the other goddess.
"How astute of you to notice," Aphrodite quipped. "It was the only way, otherwise he wouldn't leave his girlfriend with the goddess that she so carelessly offended."
"What do you want?" Athena spoke slowly, clearly enunciating each word as if elsewise the other goddess wouldn't understand.
"What, no apologies, Athena?" Aphrodite raised her eyebrows mockingly. "How rude of you."
"You deserved it," the goddess of Wisdom cut her off. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer."
"You and your expectations," the personification of beauty theatrically sighed. "Always so boring, so uninspiring, so predictable." She gave Athena a speculative glance and tapped her lips in thought. "Though, maybe, not anymore. Today you are acting like a real woman, you are even arguing like one. There are emotions flaming! There is anger behind insults, not your usual cold contempt. There was no careful strategy, you fell back on base instincts, surprising as it is that you have them after all," the last part of the sentence she murmured under her nose. The woman then leaned forward and smiled "You are not like your usual self. Not like automaton at all."
"You don't know me," Athena whispered harshly. It was the only thing she could think to say. To her own ears it sounded awfully a lot like a weak denial. Astoundingly, but she was hurt by the description she received, never before Aphrodite's words managed to get to her. It was no matter. Athena's head flew up. Aphrodite had no business here. She had no right to be here, fling herself at Percy and say those words to her. "I'm playing my part and I'm doing it well. Everything is under control or rather was before you decided to show up. You are interfering and I don't think father would be pleased if your games were to disrupt my pretence. So I ask you again. What do you want?"
Aphrodite pouted innocently, however Athena wasn't buying the act at all.
"Fine," the goddess of Love huffed. "I see that without Percy you are no longer fun and reverting to your old stuffy self." It didn't get her any reaction and the woman rolled her eyes. "I was curious. You can't blame me for trying to see what you might look like in a romantic relationship. For all I know it's my only chance to get an inkling."
"First, it's not real so all your findings are highly inaccurate and unreliable. Second–"
Before Athena could finish her thought, she got interrupted by Aphrodite's incredulous laughter.
"Not real? Are you for real? That's the most real thing I've ever seen from you in all the millenia!" The goddess laughed again and shook her head with an enviable grace. "You can try to fool yourself with rationalization, you can drown yourself in self-delusions, you can outright lie to yourself, but you can't fool me. Whatever is happening between you and Percy is very real."
"Nothing is happening," Athena stated matter-of-factly.
"Not a chance, dear," the goddess of Love elegantly waived her hand dismissing Athena's words with infuriating ease.
"Don't call me that," Athena said through gritted teeth. "You are the one who is drowning in delusions if you think there is something more than pretence between Poseidon's son and myself. What you've seen is a good acting on my part, nothing more."
"Do you truly believe it yourself?" now the other goddess was regarding her with something akin to pity in her eyes. "Then you are a fool, Athena, dear. You are going to break your cold little heart if you don't change your attitude and up your game."
"What are you blabbering about?" Athena frowned severely.
"I'm talking about your obvious attraction to Percy. You must absolutely keep him."
"Keep him?" Athena echoed as if in a daze. The idea too grand to comprehend. "I can't keep what's not mine to do so. He is dating Annabeth. He loves her." She stared in the space and then shook her head weakly. "Why am I even listening to all this nonsense? I hold zero attraction to Percy. When Annabeth returns, everything will be as it was."
"How can you be so dumb, Athena?" the goddess of Love exclaimed with her hands wildly flailing in agitation. "Hades, you are completely hopeless. But I'm not leaving until you admit your feelings."
"I have nothing to admit and especially not to you," Athena stated through her teeth. Aphrodite just looked at her serenely. They sat in silence, neither willing to give up. Athena wondered where Percy was as she didn't see him after Aphrodite sent him away. She wished for his calming presence beside her. She wanted to grab him and head home. Athena didn't understand what the goddess of Love wanted from her with all those questions. "Why are you so annoyingly persistent?"
"Simple, really. I want Percy to have the happiness he deserves," Aphrodite replied. "We owe him, don't you agree?"
"We do," Athena nodded without delay. "However I thought you claimed that Percy and Annabeth were perfect for each other."
"I hate to say it, but I might be wrong about it. Annabeth isn't good for him anymore, the last few month Percy was very unhappy and I felt it within my domains. But now, with you, he is happy again."
As an involuntary reaction Athena felt warmth and not a small sense of pride engulf her with the knowledge that Percy was happy with her. Before she managed to catch herself, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards.
"Aha!" Aphrodite waggled her finger at her. "As if I needed another confirmation that you care about him."
Athena suddenly felt sick and tired of this pointless conversation. It was going nowhere, and the infuriating woman sitting across from her was making her think of the future ahead when she uncharacteristically held no wish to do so. She knew how it should go. Annabeth would return and mend things with Percy. That was the right way. There was no place for Athena, none whatsoever. She would watch them from afar, as ever distant and, perhaps, in time learn to be happy for them.
He would never know. There was nothing to know. It was the only way.
"This conversation is over," Athena stated coldly. "I have nothing to say to you."
She didn't wait for reply, stood and turned around looking for Percy. He was nowhere in sight and the goddess felt a surge of worry inside her chest. Before Athena could make a step to go search for Percy, she felt her hand being forcibly taken in a strong grip and then she was jerked around.
"You will regret it, Athena, for the rest of your long and miserable life if you ignore your feelings and do nothing," Aphrodite told her seriously. She was standing in front of the goddess of Wisdom with the solemn look in her eyes, there was no trace of her ever present silly antics and playfulness. "If Percy is the one for you, you should go for it. We are the gods and we take what we want. That's the way we are. "
Athena tried to free her arm to no avail, Aphrodite only squeezed her tighter, not letting her go.
"Cease this nonsense right now," Athena hissed in a low voice, jerking her arm once more.
However before the goddess of Wisdom could add some threats, they were interrupted. A quick shadow was silently moving behind Aphrodite's back and soon the blade of a sword was pressed against her throat and a palm against her lips.
"Release her," Percy growled into Aphrodite's ear. He was pressed tightly against her back and Athena noticed how those eyes, now grey in color, just like her own, widened in surprise and what Athena hoped was fear. Aphrodite slowly unclenched her fingers and let Athena go.
"Good," the demigod said. He looked tense while the goddess that was forcibly held in his arms went limp. She sent Athena a goading gaze and leaned back on the hero with her head now lying on his shoulder. Suddenly it didn't seem like a hostage situation but more like an embrace, albeit a strange and uncomfortable one.
Percy neither appeared to be fazed by her actions nor relaxed his hold on the goddess, but Athena was seething inside at the audacity so artfully displayed.
"I don't like it when somebody tries to control me the way you did," Percy told the goddess quietly. "And I don't like it when my loved ones are threatened," he added with a glance at Athena who felt a pang of bittersweet something at his easy declaration. "I am sorry if I overreacted but after everything we've been through together…" Percy audibly swallowed and then continued in a slightly hoarse voice. "When I saw you grabbing Annabeth's hand and then not letting her go I was moving before I had time to think. Again I'm sorry. I would be glad to leave all this unpleasantness behind. Can we do this?" he asked hopefully.
Aphrodite nodded with a soft expression in her eyes.
"Good," he sounded relieved. Soon Aphrodite was released, Riptide turned into a pen and Percy stood next to Athena face to face with the goddess of Love. Athena immediately took his hand in hers and resolutely ignored Aphrodite's pointed look.
"Have you said and seen everything you wanted?" Athena asked coldly. She wanted to get as far from the other goddess as possible, though she knew without doubts there would be no chance of her not playing today's interactions word by word.
"Not nearly enough, but I guess I've overstayed my welcome," Aphrodite replied with a pout.
"And long time ago at this," Athena mumbled not so quietly.
It earned her an eye roll from the other goddess who promptly turned away from her and now was devouring Percy with her gaze.
"I hope you'll make the right choice when the time comes, young hero," with that being said, Aphrodite pivoted on her sharp hills. On her way out she winked at the handsome young man sitting alone and just like that he followed her forgetting all about his half-eaten and unpaid meal.
"Did she just kidnap him?" Percy blurted in disbelief. He shook his head and returned his focus on Athena. "Nevermind."
"What did she want from you?" he asked her with a frown. "What choice was she talking about?"
"It was mostly curiosity on her part," Athena said after a small pause. Percy didn't seem to be reassured and the frown on his forehead deepened. 'We are the gods, we take what we want' reverberated in her head. She mindlessly raised her free hand and repeatedly tried to smooth the line between his brows with her thumb. "I don't know what choice she was talking about, but you don't have to worry, everything is all right, I promise." Her fingers glided along his temple and she was cupping his cheek in her palm.
"I trust you," he turned his head and sealed those words with a brief kiss to her wrist. The demigod raised his head then and looked at her inquiringly. "Are you angry with me?"
Athena stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Angry?" she echoed after Percy. "What should I be angry for?" she asked for a clarification.
"That I interfered with your talk with Aphrodite and the way I did it," Percy answered her with a air of detachment, but his eyes were hard, carefully trying to gauge her feelings.
Athena could not help it, she snorted loudly. "Oh, no, not at all," she was nothing but truthful. "The opposite, in fact. I'm grateful that you helped me to get rid of her annoying presence."
Percy strangely didn't seem to be relieved to hear it and looked unsure. He stepped away a little and Athena's hand slipped from his face and for a moment awkwardly hovered in the air, before she put it down.
"What was she annoying you with?" he was studying her face intently. Apparently, he didn't want to let it go. Athena understood.
"She was brimming with desire to discuss our relationship," after a second Athena elaborated needlessly, "my relationship with you."
"If she thinks that her domains give her the right to stick her nose in my personal affairs or her overall personality inspires me to confide in her then she is solely mistaken," the goddess stated matter-of-factly with a curl of her lips. "In my opinion there isn't a place for her in our relationship and I told her as much in quite a lot of words. Besides, she set me off from the start, because the way she was throwing herself at you was absolutely - and I mean it - totally and utterly disgusting, and shameless, and amoral, and-"
"Ok, Ok, I get it," Percy stopped her. His beautiful eyes were bright with amusement and he was smiling at her with tenderness, the frown completely gone. Athena could not help admiring his features, after all she was the goddess of Arts, but then he had to say. "You have no reasons to be jealous, Wise Girl. She was just messing with you."
The goddess faltered momentarily. Surely not, right? She could not feel jealousy, it was merely indignation at Aphrodite's scandalous conduct.
"I wasn't jealous, Percy, don't be ridiculous," she waved her hand dismissively.
"If you say so," his smile widened even more as if he didn't believe her. Athena wisely decided it was best to ignore it.
"Have I alleviated your concerns?" Athena asked him genuinely wanting to put all his worries from Aphrodite's visit to rest.
"As much as you could," he answered honestly with a touch of dark melancholy. "Interest from the gods usually means only trouble for me."
"Perhaps, not this time," Athens suggested gently.
"Perhaps," the demigod agreed. "We'll see."
For the rest of the day Percy was tense, valiantly trying to conceal his subdued mood, but Athena saw through him. He was paying more attention to his surroundings, constantly checking Riptide in his pocket and he was touching her more, brushing his fingers against her arm, briefly resting his palm on her back, holding her hand. Athena welcomed the touches but didn't know how to reassure him the there was no danger.
So when the message from Poseidon came, inviting them to visit Atlantis and Percy turned to her with hope in his eyes, Athena couldn't find it in herself to deny him.
She nodded quickly, not even thinking of what she subjected herself to.