Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Just to clear it up: Neraudris is a nymph (daughter of Poseidon). Perseus was shot by a love arrow and fell in love with Neraudris, and Neraudris with him. When a nymph falls, she falls hard. She was devastated when he left her. Enjoy the story!

The After Math

When I woke up, my mind was blank. With a groan, I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. They went wide when I remembered what happened last night. Quickly, I jumped out of bed.

All of my siblings were gone, so I guessed it was late in the morning. As I got ready, I thought about last night, and what Chiron told me. Perseus and Neraudris had had a one night stand... But that was never in the books. My old confusion came back to me. So when Cupid's arrow wore off, he just left her? That's rough for anyone.

Once I was dressed and ready, I went to the Aphrodite cabin to talk to Silena before my sword fighting class.

She was sitting on her bed, talking with her brother. A brush was in her hand and she slowly pulled it through her hair.

"Uh, hi, Silena."

"Hey, Annabeth. Brad, you can leave for a minute? You know, girl stuff," she asked him. He nodded and smiled as he walked by me. Outside, I could hear him calling a friend over. "So, what's up?" She patted the bed, and I sat down.

"Do you- Do you know about Perseus and Neraudris?"

Silena blanched, and looked away. Her eyes wouldn't meet mine as she said, "N-no, I haven't. Who's that?"

"A nymph who hooked up with Perseus. He was shot with Cupid's arrow."

"Oh, really? That's weird. I never heard of that before."

I studied her. She bit her bottom lip, fidgeted, and wouldn't look at me.

"Don't lie to me, Silena."

Silena sighed heavily, and looked at me. Sympathy swam in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. I do know."

"So it really happened," I asked, and she nodded. "Okay... So do you know what happened to her after he left her?"

"No. Mom only told us how much Neraudris loved him, and how sad it was to see him leave her. She really wanted Perseus to stay with her. Mom said, 'They made such a cute c-c-c-"

Suddenly, Silena burst into tears.

"What- Why are you crying?"

She looked up at me through her tears. "She told me not to tell you, Annabeth. But- but I have to. After what happened last night...," she choked out before breaking into a new sob.

"You mean with Alex?"

"N-n-no. P-p-p-percy. How he said he l-l-loved you."

My own face paled. "Silena, what are you talking about? What did Aphrodite tell you not to tell me?"

Silena gripped my hand. "Mom shot Percy with Cupid's arrow. He's in love with you now." She wiped her eyes delicately and cleared her throat. Once she had gained her composure, she continued talking. "Not that he hadn't already loved you. It's really obvious that he liked you."

I blushed and looked away, but I stood up. "It wears off, though, right? That's why Perseus left Neraudris. Because the arrow wore off."

Silena nodded and stood up. "The arrow only lasts one day and one night. But sometimes it just maximizes feelings they already had. If that happens, then it really never goes away. Sure, it wears off, but if they already loved whoever it was, the feelings are a little more apparent after the arrow."

"Thanks, Silena," I said, giving her a small smile. "I'm going to talk to Percy."

"Okay. Good luck."

...

He was sitting on the dock, his feet dangling in the lake. I stood behind him, contemplating whether or not to say something. Before I could make up my mind, he turned around and looked at me. His green eyes were normal and calm. I sat down next to him.

"Hey, wise girl," he greeted me. It was like last night never happened. The feelings are a little more apparent after the arrow. He didn't seem like he liked me, or even loved me. I was just Annabeth, the best friend.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain."

We sat there for a while, staring at the lake. After awhile, I became absorbed in my thoughts.

I had an audience with the oracle, which meant I would be the one to find Neraudris. Alex flashed in my mind, with his wild eyes and rancid breath. Would that be me? I glanced over at Percy. Surely Chiron would send Percy with me. He had already been on several quests.

I realized that Percy was staring at me, and glanced sidelong at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied. But he still watched me. . It made me feel like I was under a microscope, every move being plotted and wrote down in detail.

Percy put out his hand, and I froze. His fingers brushed my cheeks as he put a strand of hair behind my ear, leaning in closer every moment. Soon, he was kissing me. Butterflies exploded in my stomach, and a warm tingling feeling expanded to every inch of my body. His hand was on the side of my face, holding my steady.

This was too much. Wasn't the arrow supposed to wear off? I recalled something Selena had said; it's really obvious that he liked you.

I jumped up. Percy stared up at me, his hand dropped to his side. Hurt punctured his gaze, and I couldn't see anything through my embarrassment, happiness and tears.

"I- I have to go. Sword lesson," I muttered, and ran off. A piece of wood jutted up from the dock, and I stumbled. I didn't stop running until I reached the arena. I leaned against the cool stone and caught my breath.

This couldn't be happening. Percy hadn't kissed me, he hadn't said he loved me, and he had never been hit with the arrow.

Anger at Aphrodite coursed through me. She was meddling, obnoxious goddess, fooling around in people's lives like this. I spun into the arena and buried myself in swordplay.

...That Night...

Soon enough, it was dinner. It's funny, actually. In all the movies, this happens to the girl, and she ends up happy. Yet, I wasn't happy. I was confused, embarrassed, nervous, and mad. But I wasn't happy. I wonder; if I had kissed him back instead of running away, would I have been happy?

The nymphs gave me a chicken salad, with pasta on the side. My appetite was ruined, though, when I saw Percy staring at me from across the tables.

When it was time to sacrifice part of our meal, I did my best to stay away from him. Avoiding him would only be a Band-Aid on the subject, but it would work until I got the courage to talk to him. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that was days off.

Chiron stood up to speak. I was happy for the distraction from Percy's piercing stare.

"Another great day has passed, and another will great us tomorrow. Alex has yet to heal, for all the worried minds. We are still miles away from curing him, but we have made a plan.

"Time to rest your minds, children. Dinner is dismissed."

The noise erupted as kids stood up and made their way to their cabins.

I left my plate on the table and headed toward the Big House for my audience with the oracle.. Chiron and Mr. D sat on the porch, drinking diet Cokes.

"Ah, Annabeth. Here you are. The oracle waits for you."

Nervousness ate at me. The oracle was notoriously creepy, and every instinct in my body was screaming to run in the other direction.

The attic was dusty and smelled of mothballs. Slowly, I treaded through the artifacts, taking time to study each interesting thing. Soon, I came upon something that made me smile. I picked it up and fingered it. The soft fabric rippled through my fingers. Aphrodite's scarf. A strange feeling entered my body, similar to the feeling I had when I had kissed Percy at the volcano, and when he had kissed me early that day. A voice sounded through the fogginess of my mind, and I quickly dropped the scarf.

Girl.

Time to talk to the oracle.

She sat on the stool in her dress. I cleared my throat.

"Please tell me my destiny."

Green smoke surrounded me, and it morphed into Luke. My heart ached when I saw him, even if he was green.

Three demigods shall go south to the corrupted mind. The voice was thin and slippery. The smoke transformed into my father. He smiled.

Defeat the corrupted one or face sickness undefined.

My father's body turned to the one of Athena's.

Relieve it of the cure, and bring it back to the camp of the half-gods.

I took a sharp breath and sneezed, nearly missing what it said as Athena morphed into Percy.

True love and friends shall welcome you back with much applauds.

I coughed and watched the smoke as it was sucked back into the mummy.

Chiron and Mr. D were inside, playing pinochle by the fire. When I Chiron saw me, he smiled and gestured me over. Mr. D, of course, ignored me completely.

"What did she say?"

I told him the first three lines, leaving out the last one. He studied me.

"Here are three plane tickets. Pick your accomplices by tomorrow. The plane leaves at three. Argus will drive you."

I nodded and went to my cabin.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto my bed.