Percy knew he was dreaming.
It was a strange thing to know, considering he hadn't done it much in over half a decade. His extended partial-existence under The Burden would hardly qualify. Even before the sky bearer had awoken on Aphrodite's beach his sleep had been instant and dreamless. Percy might have preferred it that way, especially when the dream had been identical for three nights in a row.
The son of Poseidon found himself standing in the center of a great void of nothingness. It was a familiar scene, and yet also very different to the endless gray he had become accustomed to on Othrys. It was brighter, for one. The shining white was certainly a bit more inviting than the drab colors of the crushing in-between. When Percy looked down he found that the ground beneath him was completely transparent. There was no sound when the sky bearer dug his heel back and forth.
Lying on the floor was a single green string looped in a perfect circle around his feet. Percy was humming again - he hadn't done that in a while.
Less than a yard away, the second break in the endless nothingness was a single flickering flame. Perhaps as tall as his waist, the tendrils of heat leisurely hovered in the air. It was hard to guess without a mirror, but it seems a similar color to his eyes. The fire tinged the white nothingness nearest to it a bit green-blue, though Percy felt no heat when he stretched out a hand. As he did so, his fingers bumped up against an invisible barrier. When the man followed the sensation downwards, it lined up perfectly with the edge of the string.
"Huh." Percy muttered to himself. Rather than echo like he expected, his voice was instead quickly sucked away by the silence. Just as he started to get his bearings, new sounds found their way into the man's ears.
Thud. Percy's head perked up. A quick look around revealed nothing. Thud. Thud. The sky bearer spun in a circle, unable to locate the origin of the noise. It was getting closer. Thud. Thud. Thud. Was that . . . knocking?
"Percy?"
The man was ejected from sleep with all the grace of a four-wheeling rolling off a bridge. Percy sat us gasping. His hands clenched around something soft, sleek, and unfamiliar as the surroundings that greeted his eyes. For several moments all the sky bearer knew were swirls of pink and white and blue.
"Percy, hun? You awake?" It was his mother's voice.
"Uh-" Percy's mouth fumbled his response before his brain could catch up. He blinked a couple of times and more concrete shapes began to settle. "Yeah." An ornately decorated bedroom began to appear, wide enough to hold over a dozen people. "I'm up."
He was lying on a four-poster bed large and luxurious enough to make the term 'king size' a laughable joke. Intricate crown molding sat atop painted walls, all covered by clearly authentic and expensive pieces of artwork. The ceiling was separated into branching, curved lines like the inside of a great sea shell. Each arm was plated in pure gold and covered with complex relief work. What free spaces there were inside the spiral contained murals of stunning beaches and white-marble cliffs. The floor was covered in rugs so thick and plush that stepping on them almost felt like a crime.
Sharp shafts of slanted sunlight fell across the decorative comforter atop Percy's body through the gaps between the window drapes. The son of Poseidon wasn't sure he would have ever been able to afford the sheets covering his form on a mortal salary. It was comfortable at least, he could give it that.
Despite the dim lightning the man's eyes could make out the room with ease. It was another unwelcome reminder of what he had become.
"Oh, good." The entrance to the room was so far away that Sally's head looked half-sized when it peaked through the doorway. He could see her eyes struggling to find him in the dark. "Your breakfast was sitting outside the door. I thought I'd bring it in."
"Oh." Percy wasn't hungry. He hadn't been, not since the meeting on Olympus anyway. "Okay."
It wasn't as if he needed to eat anymore, the act more a luxury than necessity. Sleeping was something similar, though he had been doing a lot of it recently. Still, the son of Poseidon bearer didn't dare turn his mother away.
"I'll bring it in." He shouldn't have been able to, certainly not from so far away, but Percy distinctly heard the hidden sigh of relief the woman gave.
Percy didn't answer, merely let himself fall backward into a set of the softest pillows in existence. They were pastel blue with little embroidered sea-shells on them. He peered around the room one more time, his eyes briefly landing on the floor-to-ceiling mirror in one corner. Towering opposite was a wardrobe that could have fit two of him standing shoulder to shoulder. The handles were shaped to each be half of a heart, meeting at an almost invisible seam between the doors.
His current outfit, consisting of a comfortable pair of boxer-briefs and a loose t-shirt, had come from inside. The thing had been mysteriously fully-stocked the first time he had opened it. At that point Percy had been half-delirious and clad in sweat-soaked clothes, eager to replace them with anything fresh. The man hadn't changed since, but his body's general aversion to producing any sort of unpleasant odor made every outfit smell fresh as a summer's breeze. A thick green mist glowed from his pores when the sky bearer sighed audibly.
"Up and at 'em." Percy muttered to himself. The ironic twist to the words failed to make him feel any better.
The young god - Hades, referring to himself as such was still painful - watched as his mother's head disappeared out the door before popping back in a moment later. It was followed by the rest of her, dressed in a pair of black leggings and a dark tank top. The long streaks of gray in her hair stood out from the surrounding brown, now tied up in a small ponytail.
"Sleep good?" She asked, tongue sticking out one side of her mouth as the balanced closing the door and holding his breakfast.
"Yeah." Percy answered, pulling one of the pillows around to his chest and fingering its embroidered ends. He watched his mother make her way towards the bed.
Sally held an ornate silver tray in one hand as she flicked the lightswitch with the other. Even when the fancy round bulbs hanging from the ceiling switched on and the room was plunged into light, the normal moment of adjustment the sky bearer once expected was absent. It was still disorienting, the sheer amount of information Percy's senses now supplied him.
Ever since that green string had entered his body, it wasn't just his limbs that constantly worked at 110%. Gods, it was more like 10,000% now. From over a dozen feet away the man could see each bead of sweat that rolled down his mother's forehead and feel the water contained within. He could smell the scent of flowers and sun on her skin, hear the way the heart in her chest beat slightly faster than normal.
If Percy hadn't been so mentally and emotionally exhausted he probably would have found sleeping more difficult. He could feel every drop of water in the entire mansion's pipes, for Olympus' sake. The fact that the guest bedrooms were soundproofed, for reasons he didn't want to think about, probably helped stave off the stimulus overload. It wasn't like he was alone in the manor. Still, sleep had been about the only thing he had felt up to recently.
The fact that he was running away from his thoughts didn't have anything to do with it. Nope. Not one bit.
Sally must have seen it in his eyes. "Same dream?" Percy was grateful she decided not to pry for the moment. His mother's voice was light but the question was serious.
"Mhm." Her eyebrow quirked at his answer. "Go for a run?" Gods, when did such small talk become so hard? Percy winced at each word out of his mouth.
"Yep." His mother laughed a bit at his pinched expression. As the woman and the tray got closer Sally brandished it towards him, revealing a plate of eggs dusted in sparkling golden flakes. "The weather's beautiful today."
"I bet." The sky bearer mustered a half-smile. It was easy to believe her when he knew it was true. He - no, Aphrodite, Percy harshly reminded himself - had enjoyed sunbathing and springtime walks more than anyone else.
It wasn't easy, lying to himself about the fact that those emotions weren't his own. Percy wasn't sure how much longer he could do it.
"It'd be good for you to get out." His mother had made the suggestion before. Sally placed the serving tray next to the man's legs, eyeing her son while wiping her forehead with a forearm. With barely a thought Percy willed the sweat away before evaporating the droplets into the air. Sally gave him a fleeting smile when her arm came down dry.
"I know you're still tired. And you have every right to be, don't get me wrong. But you've been cooped up in here for days." Her gaze flicked upward, as if reflexively looking for bed-head. Of course the man's hair never looked anything other than perfect anymore.
"I don't feel like it." Percy shrugged, setting aside the pillow as it failed to still his fingers. "But thanks." The man grabbed the tray and even put the ornate fork in one hand but he couldn't muster an appetite.
Percy didn't want to admit that walking through the rooms of Aphrodite's mansion that first time had been an incredibly efficient exercise in self torture. He felt so at home and yet so alien at the same time. Every hallway had been ripped straight from his brain, every door and decoration familiar in the best and worst way. After the whirlwind that had been those last few minutes on Olympus, the son of Poseidon simply hadn't been able to process the conflicting emotions.
The elder Jackson huffed in frustration, a deep crease between her eyebrows. Percy watched as his mother stalked over to the closest window, throwing aside the drapes. The beaming morning sun set all of the polished metallic fixtures in the room glittering like stardust. She leaned onto the sill with both hands, head bowed and facing away from the bed. There was a long, tense moment of stillness.
"I'm worried, Percy." Sally's voice sounded like it had aged a dozen years in the blink of an eye. Percy set down the fork, a swirling guilt in his chest. "I know it's been a lot. The meeting, learning about yourself, the-" the woman swallowed before pushing on. "-the proposal. I'm not asking you to pretend you're okay or that nothing has changed."
Finally, his mother turned around to face him. Percy could see each drop of moisture in her eyes with crystal clarity. "But you're wasting away in here. Right in front of me." He could feel the pain, the worry in her voice.
Percy clenched and unclenched the sheets in his fists a couple of times before sliding them off his legs. Carefully, as to not disturb the still-steaming plate of food, he stood from the bed. The rugs felt warm between his toes and easy on the flats of his feet. The man's head rose up and up as he stood for the first time in over twenty-four hours. Percy had almost forgotten how tall he was. Slowly, he crossed the room and enveloped his mother in a deep hug.
"I'm sorry, mom." Percy had nothing else to say.
She felt so small in his arms. The woman's head thumped not-so-gently into his wide chest. Percy closed his eyes to prevent himself from seeing out the window to the courtyard four stories below, but recently it seemed like all that did was tint his vision greyscale. He knew the view by heart anyway.
"You can't keep running away from this, son." Sally's tone was heavy with a wisdom born from personal experience. "You can't keep hiding from yourself. From her." When she pulled away a bit, his mother's eyes found his own. "It's killing you both, you know." Each word was a javelin through Percy's gut.
She looked away, peering around one of his arms back towards the massive bed. The sky bearer knew what she was looking at even without following her gaze. Percy could have described it in his sleep.
On either side of the bed's massive headboard were two antique end-tablets, both carved from some beautiful cut of wood long before Percy had even been born. Instead of legs there were four upscaled sea-horses, so realistically rendered that sometimes the man could have sworn they moved when he wasn't paying attention. Still, it wasn't the artistry of the furniture that Sally was focusing on. No, it was the two occupants of one of the tabletops that held her attention.
The first was Riptide. The second was a ring.
It was a beautiful thing. Instead of gold or silver or something equally as mortal and mundane, the thin band was hand-carved from flawless gemstones. Percy wasn't sure how it was possible but the jeweler had found a way to get diamonds, sapphires, and countless other precious stones completely smooth on both the inside and outside.
The thing was a miniature masterwork all its own. The image created on the face was that of a bright blue sky full of stunning cloud formations, all weaving realistically in the wind. No matter how many times you rotated it around the scene was never the same and it never repeated.
Percy would know. He had stared at it for days now.
"You said 'yes', remember? Gods only know why." Her words seemed a bit ironic, since he certainly didn't have an answer. Still, Percy hated the fact that his mother was right. "She didn't force you. You even let her put it on your finger." The man buried his nose back in her scalp, ignoring the sweaty scent in favor of hiding his face. The action made him feel especially childish but he pushed the shame away.
"I know." Percy grumbled into his mother's hair. The tiny box in the back of his mind where he had buried all of his emotions over the past several days was rattling dangerously.
"Have you put it on again?" Sally's voice was faux innocent, the woman aware of exactly which buttons she was pressing. Percy merely shook his head, not trusting his voice. "Why not?"
"I don't know." It came out a frustrated growl.
"If I do, you do." Her comment had Percy releasing their embrace and stepping away. He missed her warmth as soon as he did. Sally was looking at him with critical eyes. Percy watched as his mother re-crossed her arms in a resolute stance. "Admit it, you lo-"
"Don't say that." The words snipped from Percy's mouth, accompanied by a burst of green fog. The bedsheets ruffled as a brief swirl of wind rotated across the bedroom. The floor beneath his feet rattled for a moment. Now it was the man's turn to clutch at either arm, pointedly avoiding the eyes of his mother by staring at the floor.
The box was bursting at the seams.
The stand-off continued for several moments before Sally capitulated with a sigh and a hand to her forehead. "Stubborn boy." She muttered to herself. Percy still heard it.
"I got it from somewhere." The sky bearer's attempt at a bit of humor earned him a tiny smile, and the room felt lighter than before. That was good because it meant the conversation was moving on from extremely dangerous territory. Percy unwound a tad.
"Clearly." Sally huffed, rolling her eyes a bit with upturned lips. "But seriously, eat." She inspected his form, reaching a hand up to brush away a couple of gray curls that had fallen over his forehead. "And then put some clothes on."
"Only if you shower." The quip came a bit unnaturally to Percy's tongue, but it was worth it when his mother's smile widened. Plus, Sally did smell - not that he would ever say that to her face. This was better, more natural. The easy flow between them had stabilized for the moment.
Over the past few days, at least when he wasn't sleeping, Percy's mother had been his only conversation companion. She had talked extensively while her son was mostly content to listen. Some of the things she had revealed had astounded him. The fact that Sally was a permanent resident of Aphrodite's mansion was near the top of that list.
"The mortal world wasn't a safe place for a while." She had told him during their first evening talk, her face burdened. "Especially for someone like me." Whether the woman was talking about her clear-sighted nature or previous fling with an Olympian, Percy wasn't sure. Probably both.
"Aphrodite took me in when the fighting got too fierce. Her 'patronage' - that's what the gods call it - kept me safe, kept me engaged. Eventually I just stayed." His mother had grasped his hand, no small measure of respect taking hold of her expression. "It was pretty obvious that if anyone was going to fight to bring you back, it was her. I could live with everything else for that."
"Aren't there rules against that sort of thing?"
It had been just after sunset during that specific conversation. Percy had felt Apollo move the sun beyond the horizon, a strange distant awareness of the god's aura in the back of his head. It was a completely new experience that he was dead sure mortals didn't contend with. The sensation of Artemis taking her brother's place had Percy tugging the drapes closed. The action painted his mother's face with dark shadows that hid nothing.
The woman had merely shrugged. "There used to be. In the time between Zeus stepping down and the treaty being signed things were a lot less clear." Sally had smirked a bit, sitting cross-legged on the bed in a pair of sweats and a gray jacket. "Aphrodite used that to her advantage. By the time the others noticed it was pretty clear I wasn't going anywhere." She chuckled. "I think after her divorce she enjoyed my company."
He crossed over to sit down next to her. "Do you miss it?" Percy wasn't sure exactly what he was referring to. The mortal world, her old life, her old job. Friends, family, opportunity. Maybe all of it.
"It was worth it for this." His mother had laid a gentle hand on his cheek.
It seemed that with every conversation the sky bearer was constantly being reminded about just how wonderful a woman Sally Jackson was at heart. Trying to fight down his emotions, Percy had asked about why his father hadn't taken her in first. Sally' expression had grown stormy then.
"He offered." She had admitted. "But it wouldn't have been in Atlantis proper or anywhere else I could have influenced things and stayed in contact with Olympus." The face Sally made was hiding years worth of pent up pain and frustration. "It would have been dangerous but I didn't care. He wouldn't have it. I suspect that it was half to pander to his real wife and avoid making a scene." She shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't ask." Percy could almost picture that disastrous conversation taking place. His mother had never been one for inaction.
When the conversation had turned around to talk about him, Percy's tongue had stalled in his mouth. It had been a struggle to even describe what Othrys had been like, what he had felt, what it had done to him. His memory of that final confrontation with Kronos still inspired phantom bolts of pain down his left shoulder and arm, sending his fingers into brief spasms.
Whether it was a physical reaction or a mental one didn't matter much. The sky bearer had a sinking feeling it would never go away.
Percy was pretty sure his mother knew that he hid the worst parts of it. He wasn't looking to be deceitful, but the man worried that the sheer depths of his anger and loneliness would frighten Sally even further. They certainly scared him. The elder Jackson had sat patiently through every single bout of silence, rubbing her son's back and never pushing for more than Percy was able to give. He was more grateful for her than he could put into words.
When the sky bearer had worked up the courage to reveal just how much he had forgotten, the woman had cried. His mother had tearfully asked if Percy wanted her to tell him what she knew. Emotionally unable to deal with more baggage on his plate, Percy had refused.
Sally's eyes were at their saddest, then. It hadn't felt like it had all been for him.
"You had- have friends, you know. People that care about you, that worried over you." That was all she had told him. "They'll still be there for you when you're ready." Percy hadn't been able to answer.
Were they still friends if he didn't even know who they were? If they never reached out, wouldn't it forever stay that way? It had been a miracle the sky bearer even remembered the name of his sword, or Zoë, at all. It was hard enough to deal with one family not knowing who he was, let alone a second who Percy didn't know in turn. Eventually they moved on, but the ashen-haired man could see Sally always on the verge of bringing it back up.
The only reason she didn't seemed to be because Percy couldn't run from it for much longer. His domains made it so. The 'bastion of demigods' couldn't avoid said half-bloods forever. Eventually, inevitably, the day would come.
Percy dreaded it.
The sky bearer's body still disliked speaking for extended stretches, but in short bursts it was manageable. Enjoyable, even, when the subject wasn't the war, or The Burden, or Olympus, or his current situation. So only most things. Still, he was glad he was there with his mother.
The biggest damper on their interactions was the looming shadow of Aphrodite's missing presence. It seemed to hang overhead at all times. Her name remained just unspoken through every conversation, yet another subject Percy wasn't willing to broach. But the ashen-haired deity had questions, questions that his mother either couldn't or wouldn't answer.
The other children of the Great Prophecy? "Aphrodite will know better than I do," Sally had said, avoiding his eyes. What exactly his powers were and how to harness them? Percy's mother was equally as lost as he was. The man knew that the information he sought was so close, yet it seemed so far away after what had happened at the end of that damned council meeting.
It was frustrating, which was made only worse by the fact that the distance was completely his fault.
Movement of his legs pulled Percy from his reminiscing. The sky bearer found his body crossing over to the wardrobe while he was distracted, unconsciously opting to ignore the eggs on the bed for the moment. He had the feeling his mother hadn't said anything because she could clearly see that he was lost in thought.
"I think you should know," Sally began when Percy threw open the double doors. The wardrobe's contents had changed from the last time, the color palette brighter than before. "You have a visitor. Or you will soon, anyway." Her words stilled his motions as the man reached for a comfortable looking pair of blue jeans on one interior shelf.
"Who is it?" Percy couldn't help the underlying tremor to his voice. He hadn't seen anyone else but his mother since the meeting. When he pulled his sleeping shirt over his head his hands were shaking a bit.
"Not Aphrodite." Sally's tone was both unphased by his stripping and frustrated by his obvious avoidance of the lady of the house. Despite being turned the other way, Percy could somehow see her disapproving expression. "She'll only come if you ask."
"Oh." He couldn't help but be a bit abashed. Percy decided to forgo tucking in the soft pink button up the wardrobe had provided. "Um, okay." It went surprisingly well with his pale skin color.
It was pretty clear that the visitor was going to be a god and that Sally wasn't going to let her son get out of it. The elder Jackson had expressed during their latest talk, in no uncertain terms, that she wouldn't allow him to wallow forever. The woman was convinced that starting to integrate himself into his new role would be good for Percy. Take his mind off things, help him feel productive.
She knew him well. He had to admit that she was probably right.
Percy's face twisted a bit at the thought. When his hands reached back inside the wardrobe they came out with the same expensive belt he had worn before arriving at the manor. He quickly threaded it through the proper belt loops. The man felt more than heard his mother approaching. When Percy turned around she reached out to snag at his left sleeve cuff.
"Don't worry too much," the elder Jackson hummed as she started rolling up the fabric to his elbow. "I think you'll like this one." There was a knowing spark in her blue eyes as she switched sides. Percy let her. His mother was doing a cleaner job at it than he would have.
"If you say so." He sighed as she finished, letting both his hands drop to his sides. "No promises for how it goes, though."
"I know it's hard." Sally patted his cheek as she walked around him, heading towards the bedroom's exit. She flashed him a smile before opening the door. "But you've done harder things, Percy." She went through half-way, then paused and looked back over her shoulder. Her gaze was sharp. "Oh, by the way? That plate better be empty when I get back." With that cheerful threat, she was gone.
Percy stood still for a moment. He breathed out a thick sigh, running a hand over his face. The young deity chanced a glance over at the mirror. Even barefoot, he had to admit that he looked better than he would have if he dressed himself. The short sides and back that Aphrodite had trimmed really let the poofy nature of his curls shine on the top of his head, and the wardrobe had succeeded in delivering a color combination that just . . . worked.
At first Percy had harbored the fear that his pale skin, combined with his light gray hair, would make him look desaturated. Ghoulish. Somehow the issue never really manifested. Even as a bit of color had gradually returned to his face, it all only brought out the teal glow to his eyes and the otherworldly sparkle of his form. He was certainly striking, but most definitely not unhandsome.
It was still strange, looking in the mirror and seeing a fully grown man. Percy didn't know when he would get used to how wide his shoulders had become, or how square his jaw was. If he walked into a mortal store he was decently sure it would have been a struggle to find clothes to fit over his biceps or quads. Yet another problem Aphrodite's wardrobe solved. Each article felt loose and skin-tight in equal measure.
Considering his outfit completed, Percy turned back towards the bed and the waiting plate of breakfast. At the last moment, as he closed the wardrobe door, something circular and metallic popped out and smacked him in the chest. Surprised, it was only Percy's new high-speed instincts that had a hand flashing out to snag the thing before it hit the floor.
"What the?"
When Percy held it up, his eyes were greeted by a fancy golden locket held on a chain. It was lighter than it looked. The sky bearer turned it over in one hand as the other finally shut the wardrobe, brian lighting up in recognition. He had almost completely forgotten about the thing since Aphrodite had placed it on his neck after he woke up. Percy's thumb traced over a stylized carving on the front plate that he hadn't noticed before, one of an anatomically correct heart surrounded by vines.
The son of Poseidon sat with a dull thump on the side of the mattress, the serving tray bouncing as his weight settled. It took him a few moments to find the latch on the side of the oval. The mechanism released with a small 'click'. What was revealed on the inside had Percy quickly snapping it back closed again.
On one side was a picture of his mother, standing in the kitchen at what must have been her old apartment with a younger face and a wide smile. On the other, a certain goddess of love on a familiar white-sand beach. He only caught a glimpse of that arresting face before it was gone from view.
Percy frowned, conflicted. The man went to toss the thing away onto the nightstand, but the necklace seemed to stick to his fingers. There was a bubbling of something in his stomach, some dark combination of shame and various other emotions he didn't want to name.
The green blanket over his skin was especially bright for a few moments.
He went to set the locket down next to Riptide, forcefully this time. Again, he couldn't do it. No matter how much Percy wanted to get rid of the locket his hand wouldn't let go. After two more failed attempts the sky bearer settled for tucking it into one pocket with a sigh and picked up the fork.
It was strange. Once the first bite of ambrosia-infused eggs hit his tongue, Percy couldn't seem to stop eating. The man restlessly paced the room with the plate in one hand, almost angrily shoving forkful after forkful of the stuff into his mouth. His brain was churning as much as his jaw. It was difficult to be mad when he was constantly bombarded with the flavor of home-made cookies and a thousand other perfect foods.
Each time he passed the window, even if his eyes didn't move, Percy could see out into the courtyard. Flawless blue skies above let the bright sun beam down upon the pink and white tiled recreation area. The man could instinctually feel the breeze that visibly stirred the tops of the trees planted in rows every few dozen feet. Greek statues ringed the tops of the surrounding roofs, looking down over long balconies with comfortable eating and lounging areas. A few of those concerningly large avians perched between the eaves, silent and watching.
Still, it was both palatial and relaxed to the extreme. Impeccably maintained, the outdoor space was a joy to the senses. There was an Olympic-sized swimming pool out there surrounded by a hundred beach chairs, complete with a competition diving board. There were not one, not two, but four massive hot tubs. Each was larger and fancier than the previous. He spied a false river, a decorative waterfall. You name it, Aphrodite had it.
Percy could feel the masses of water outside, evidenced by a comforting weight at the bottom of his gut. The different bodies of liquid called to him, pulled at the man in a way he couldn't quite explain. All Percy had to do was reach out and he knew that they would answer.
Further beyond, out on the expansive lawn, there was a race track and an amphitheater. What looked to be a second small guest house was actually an armory and training ground, and there was an on-property forest trail further out from that. Beneath Percy's window there was a fully-stocked bar that would have been staffed by a friendly and painfully familiar servant at the snap of his fingers.
A few of their figures mulled around the courtyard even now attending to various duties. One staff member was sweeping, another tending to the trimmed bushes along the edges of the grass. If he focused on them he would have been easily able to make out more detail, but that meant seeing their faces too and the sky bearer wasn't quite prepared for that yet.
Percy knew the path outside by heart - out the bedroom door, through the living room of the guest sweet, down the hallway and a few flights of stairs before going through an exterior door. Hades, he probably could have jumped out the window or off the closest balcony just fine. His legs were definitely strong enough to dive straight from his room into the pool, as crazy as that might have seemed.
The only thing keeping Percy from enjoying it was himself. The baggage that it seemed only he struggled with felt like chains around his ankles. The man had just found his freedom only to confine himself to solitude once more of his own stupid volition. Around and around the bedroom Percy's feet went. As he did a fourth loop, he came to a stark realization.
"I'm going stir crazy," Percy laughed out loud to himself. How ironic.
"I expected as much."
Percy whirled around towards the front of the bedroom, senses bombarded by a new presence. His eyes widened as a living column of flame erupted from the floor. The rug underneath remained perfectly unblemished.
"I had hoped to find you in better spirits, but the others always called me an optimist." The sky bearer nearly dropped the plate when out of the blaze stepped a familiar, child-like Olympian. Hestia met Percy's shock with a smile and a tiny wave. "Hello Perseus." Her eyes were tiny flickering torches. The fire behind her vanished with a whisper.
"Aunt- Lady Hestia." Percy practically dumped the remains of his meal onto the bedside table. The motion rattled the plastic form of Riptide and the ring. "I didn't . . . I wasn't expecting you." The sky bearer took a step away, trying to put some distance between himself and the hearth goddess. Percy couldn't decide if this was the best of the worst case scenario.
"You needn't hide your familiarity with me, Perseus." The small goddess elegantly perched on the end of the bed. Her expression was open and tender. "That's why I'm here, after all." The bedroom suddenly smelled like an evening around a warm campfire. "Aphrodite thought it would be good for you, and she asked if I could get an idea of what it's like in your head at the moment."
Hestia's small hand patted the space on the mattress next to her seat. Percy couldn't help the way his face twisted or the tornado in his chest quickened at the notion. The locket in his pocket felt heavier than stone.
"We talked, a little bit." It sounded like an excuse because it was. "After the meeting." When Percy sat down it was pointedly a few feet away. He avoided looking at the eldest Olympian directly. The distance hurt.
Hestia rolled her eyes with a half smile. "Calling that a talk would be like calling me young." The hearth goddess laughed at her own joke, the sound open and free. "You had my niece flashing you away like you owed us money."
"I was overwhelmed." The truth spewed from Percy's mouth before he could stop it. "It was just . . . too much all at once." The man bit his bottom lip to stop more from escaping. The sky bearer's hands were gripping the comforter, and Percy could feel the cool touch of condensing clouds spawning between his fingers. They rolled off the side of the bed and onto the floor.
Those few moments after Aphrodite's declaration were a blur in his head. Percy had barely spoken his answer before the love goddess was at the man's side, gently grabbing at his hands and magicking the ring from thin air. Her face, beaming a smile wider than he had ever thought possible, was the most stunning thing he had ever seen.
It seemed that basically every god and goddess had wanted to get a piece of him all at once after that. His father, Hades, Hera, even Demeter. The sky bearer had been able to sense nothing but a saturated rainbow of power. Percy had feared Artemis would return, see him so off balance and take advantage. In once panicked glance, the love goddess had gripped him and his mother and whisked them away.
He hadn't spoken to her since.
"That's a good way to put it." Hestia mused. The goddess swung her short legs back and forth, toes a few inches off the ground. "Especially considering everything you had just been through." Percy knew she was looking at him. "How do you feel?" The bed bounced as the tiny Olympian scooted over until their shoulders were almost touching. "Your mother is worried. So is my niece." Her voice was as warm as her aura against his skin.
Percy could feel himself cracking, the paper-mache walls he had built crumbling to dust. The young god had to grip his hands tightly to avoid them doing something he couldn't control.
"Can I use overwhelmed again?" The joke came out wobbly.
Hestia giggled. "I suppose." There was a humorous twinkle in her gaze.
"Thanks." He couldn't help the way one side of his mouth curled upward for a moment. "I just . . ." Percy shook his head, unsure why he couldn't find the strength to stop talking. Warm orange eyes met his own when the sky bearer peaked over. "I didn't want to be an Olympian. I didn't want to be immortal."
"You wouldn't be as good of a person if you did." Hestia tilted her head, brown hair sparkling in the window's sunlight.
Percy laughed. It came out strangled. "I don't feel like a good person." He couldn't help but glance at the ring on the bedside table.
"You are." Hestia laid a hand on his arm. Gentle copper tones mixed with teal green in the air between them. The goddess smiled at him, child-like expression sure of her statement. Percy could only stare for a moment.
"I remember you." The sky bearer instantly wanted to snatch the words back.
Hestia seemed unbothered. "So I was told." Her hand dropped off his bicep, though her smile remained. "What do you remember?"
"A lot." Percy answered, picking one moment that stood out from the rest. "We had tea." He fiddled with his fingers. "At a café in Paris. I- Aphrodite was worried that the city would be destroyed." The voice of the goddess in his head described the outdoor table, the smell of the cup of coffee in his hands. "You said you would help preserve it. You did." It had meant a lot of Aphrodite then, so it meant a lot to him now.
"That was 1940." Hestia was swinging her legs again, eyes clouded with her own memories. "June, I think."
"Yeah." Percy nodded in reply, looking away to gaze out the window. He watched as the leaves of the trees outside danced in the wind. "It felt like a long time ago but I wasn't sure." The words came easier than he expected. The man realized that the lead ball of stress strangling his heart seemed lighter than before. There was a beat of companionable silence.
"Well." Hestia finally breathed out, the noise a bit heavy. "I'm sorry you are going through this, Perseus." Her face was tender when she looked back at the sky bearer. "But I'm afraid I can't be as sorry as you deserve."
"What?" Percy started, eyebrows drawing together. "Why?" Her answer didn't make sense.
"You can call it selfish." The goddess shrugged in her small brown robe. "But if there's one thing I love more than I should, it's my family." Her tone had changed, revealing the impossible depths of age hiding beneath that young exterior. "And it seems I've gained more than just a new member, but perhaps a nephew that I've loved for millennia." Hestia's comforting aura was a thick down blanket, almost smothering Percy in sheer familial affection.
Percy's arms moved before he could stop them. The next moment found the larger man scooping up the tiny goddess in a bone crushing hug. Hestia wrapped her arms around his chest fiercely with strength that belied her slim frame.
"Thank you." He whispered into her hair. "Thank you, Hestia."
The embrace lasted for a couple of minutes. Once Percy had gotten his fill of the physical contact, the hearth deity peeled away to sit on her knees atop the mattress. She patted one of his hands, smirking at the blush of embarrassment rising up his neck.
"You can call me auntie, if you'd like." Hestia giggled again, the sound as joyful as her face. "Aphrodite always did." Percy's cheeks threatened to shatter with the smile that crept over his features with Hestia's words.
"You can call me Percy, then." The man was so, so tired of hearing his full name being thrown around all the time. He felt his grin falter, one last question on his mind. "Auntie . . ." The word stuttered from his lips. "Why didn't you come for me?" Percy found himself unable to hold the goddess' gaze.
Hestia's expression fell, a great burden of sadness pulling at her lips. The fire in her eyes died down. "I wish I did." Now it was the goddess' turn to look away. "Until the treaty I wasn't a council member. I convinced myself that the best option was to work from behind the scenes. Avoid confrontation, help the rest of the family to do what I could not." Hestia stared morosely out the window. "By the time I realized how wrong I was, the war had reached a stalemate and you were out of reach."
She looked back at Percy, who was gripping the sheets on either side of his legs with tight fists. Her words hurt, stung that deep part of him that foolishly hoped there was a better excuse. The paintings on the wall rattled in their frames as Percy's gut swirled, the air inside the bedroom following suit.
"I won't ask for your forgiveness, Percy." The sky bearer felt a tiny hand over his own. When the man summoned the strength to look over, Hestia was leaning towards him. Her face was open and sincere. "That's yours to give when you see fit, if ever at all." She gave him a tilted half-smile. "But let me promise you one thing."
When the hearth deity moved to bring her other hand around, Percy found his fingers trapped in her grip. The goddess' last sentence had spawned something in his chest, a flickering flame that he hadn't felt since the last meeting on Olympus. It was almost like he was hearing her voice twice, once in his ears and once in his head.
"I'll be here for you from now on." Hestia's tone was solemn. "If you need anything, anything at all, you only have to ask. I promise." Her smile returned, a real one this time. "It's the least I can do."
Percy knew he was already inclined to believe her. Looking into that face and having the memories he did made it hard not too. Still, there was something deep within his soul that resonated with Hestia's words. A piece of him that had been borne from the Fates' proclamation, laying just beneath a surface that he couldn't seem to pierce.
"Okay." Percy let out a sigh, gently returning the squeeze of the goddess' hands. "Thanks." He meant it. It even felt like he meant the smile he gave her afterwards, too.
"You're very welcome, dear." Hestia patted his knuckles once before releasing him.
The air was warm, comfortable and rich with her unique fiery aura. The green coming from Percy's mouth blended into it, causing a sort of light, swirling amber color in between the two. The hearth deity went to stand up. Her head still barely cleared his own.
"Oh." One small hand reached into the folds of her robe before miraculously producing a sealed, white envelope. "Hermes asked me to deliver this." Hestia held it out with a shake of her head. "He's still nervous to talk with you." Her eyes were fond despite her exasperated expression. "Give him some time, he'll come around."
"He's nervous?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.
The man stayed seated as he reached out a hand to take the offered letter. It was sort of nice to hear that someone else was having a similar experience to what his reality had recently become. The sky bearer wasn't sure what the messenger god had specifically done to him, though. Besides being on the council anyway.
Hestia shrugged. "It's been a rough few years. What we learned from your testimony didn't help matters." Her face twisted as she quickly realized how that sounded. "Not that it's your fault, of course." The goddess added on.
Percy waved her words away. "I know what you meant."
He shot her a crooked sideways smile, one that he had practiced on his mother. It seemed to have the same effect of dissipating the tension in the air. The son of Poseidon turned the letter over a few times in his hand, noting the embossed gold laurel on the back and the official wax stamp on the front.
"One last thing." Hestia's voice inspired him to look back up. When Percy did, he found her eyes trained on him. "I care about Aphrodite as much as anyone else in my family, and she cares about you most of all." The goddess' face was deadly serious. "Don't keep her waiting."
Quick as a whip, the goddess tossed something small in his direction. When Percy reached out to catch it, his fist opened to find the stunning ring he had left on his bedside table. One look at the the hearth deity's face made it clear she would hear no protest.
The sky bearer grimaced, wilting into the mattress. He had no words to say as he pocketed the thing right next to the gold locket. With a final wave and a bit more of a smile, the goddess was gone in another swirl of heatless flame. For a moment, Percy sat motionless, staring off into space.
Percy stood slowly from the bed, trying not to pretend that the words of his aunt had gotten to him as much as they had. The newest Olympian's bare feet tracked swirling trails through the bit of lingering fog on the floor as he strode to the open window. Still, no amount of lying to himself could make the weight in his pocket, or the weight on his heart, any lighter.
The sensation of the sun on his face did little to relax the ashen-haired man. The wind outside responded to his presence. All of the leaves on the trees below visibly bent towards Percy's window, a few new clouds drifting over the top of the roof. They were waving at him again. Percy could feel it, that tantalizing control of the breeze that was so close and yet so far. That was a common theme it seemed.
Percy knew what he had to do. He knew what was the right thing to do. If Hestia, Sally, and his conscience agreed on something then he should probably listen. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't indulge himself with a few more moments of procrastination.
Percy raised the letter up to the sunlight. He tilted it back and forth with both hands, as if that would make the contents any more clear. He could practically smell the political implications of what was inside, none of which he particularly liked. He knew what this was.
Zeus only sent such missives out for the big things, the important things that not just his close circle but all the residents of Olympus needed to know. Percy wouldn't be surprised if a similar copy was even passed out among the demigods in some form or fashion. Maybe it was posted on a bullet board or something. There was really only one event that could warrant such an invitation, and it was most definitely the one that led to the ring in his pocket.
The dried wax gave way under his finger with a brittle snap, and Percy's hands made short work of extracting the letter inside. What greeted him was precisely what he was expecting and dreading in equal measure. It was penned in swirling blue ink on a piece of thick parchment, edges embossed with the symbol of Olympus.
By the grace of the council of the gods and goddesses of Olympus, you are hereby invited to attend the announcement party officially declaring the engagement of Aphrodite Venus, daughter of Zeus, and Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.
The event shall be held in four days in the main courtyard of the palace of the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Invited guests shall arrive no later than 5 p.m. Dinner shall be served at 5:15 p.m. and conclude at 6:30 p.m. At that point doors shall be opened to the public for the main festivities.
Any person, creature, or deity in good standing with Olympus shall be allowed to attend. The party shall continue until at least 9 p.m., after which its conclusion shall be at the discretion of the bride and groom-to-be. Gifts are highly encouraged but not required for entry.
No RSVP necessary. A black-tie dress code shall be enforced for dinner.
Written at the very bottom, half contained in the margin in shining gold script, was one last added message.
Welcome to the family.
"Charming." Percy snorted, both at the wordy nature of the letter as well as the ominous tone of the last sentence. The sky bearer had a feeling that Zeus had meant it to sound even less welcoming than it currently did. That lead weight in his gut from before Hestia's visit had returned, this time with some even heavier friends. They all had bright red hair.
Four days. It seems Percy's meeting with the echoes of his past would come sooner than he had hoped. Four measly days.
The paper was flying out the window with a flick of Percy's wrist. The thing was quickly snagged by the wind, which had since switched directions. The sky bearer's super-human eyes tracked the thing as it fluttered over a few trees before performing a tight spiral and landing directly in the center of the pool.
The son of Poseidon watched from a hundred yards away as the individual letters bleed through the parchment. With a smirk and a pull inside his gut, watery fingers manifested from the surface and dragged the soaked letter underneath. Even if the wind refused to listen, at least he still had that.
Well, nothing for it. Enough stalling.
"Aphrodite?" Percy spoke the words out the window, no louder than his standard speaking voice. Still, the son of Poseidon knew he would get an answer. He was proven right not even a second later.
"You called, my love?" Her voice was drawn, hesitant.
Percy had felt her the moment the goddess flashed into the room. It was that unmistakable pounding of blood in his veins, the increased beat of the organ in his chest, the ghostly sensation of skin sliding against skin. Aphrodite's energy uplifted his spirit, lightened the stress on his shoulders. He had missed it.
"I'm sorry." Percy couldn't bring himself to turn around. He didn't need to, not really, to see the love goddess standing next to the bed. "I shouldn't have ignored you, pushed you away like I did." It sounded lame coming out, more stunted than he wanted it to. His grip on the windowsill was tight enough to warp the frame with an impression of all ten fingers.
"Oh, mon cher." Aphrodite gilded forward on steps lighter than air. Every inch that the distance between them shrunk the ghostly hands on his shoulders solidified. "If there is someone who must apologize it would be me."
Percy finally looked over when she alighted next to him, gazing not out at the view but instead on the side of his face. He felt his breath leave his body.
The deity of love was dressed in a gorgeous set of pastel-pink loungewear the same color as his shirt. It was somehow several degrees less beautiful than her regal face. What must have been the softest silk known to man draped across Aphrodite's hourglass form, tenting beneath her impressive chest but riding up just enough above her waistband to show off a half-inch of a tan, toned stomach. How loose pants managed to both accentuate and hide the Olympian's hips and legs was completely beyond Percy.
The only things smoother than the silk clothing were the complexion of her glowing skin and the waves of auburn hair cascading down her back. Aphrodite had flipped it all over her right shoulder today, leaving one side of her jaw and one perfectly rounded ear completely exposed. Hanging from its lobe was a tiny diamond cloud, but what Percy was most surprised to see was a small silver loop on her ear's top curve.
"I didn't know you had more piercings."
Percy blinked, figuring out that it was his own mouth that had moved a moment later. The realization was followed by a rush of warmth to his cheeks, a fiery blush that only the love goddess seemed to constantly inspire.
Aphrodite's enchanting visage lit up in a real and breathtaking smile, the room's heaviness abating for a moment. "Do you like it, dearest?" The goddess tilted her head towards him. The motion sent the hanging cloud swaying. "C'est nouveau- it appeared this morning." That had the sky bearer blinking.
"Yeah, I mean-" Percy cursed his mother for implanting too many thoughts into his head. "You look pretty." His face was hotter than the inside of a volcano. "I mean it looks pretty. On you." The man cleared his throat, entire being simmering in the awkwardness.
Aphrodite giggled at his expense. "Well, I would certainly hope so." She leaned sideways, one shoulder finding the wall next to the window. "Beauty is one of my domains. It comes with the territory, you see." Percy had missed that teasing tone of voice more than he dared to admit.
One tan, delicate hand reached up to fiddle absently with the helix piercing. It revealed to the sky bearer that the Olympian wasn't as relaxed as she outwardly appeared. Percy hadn't known it was possible for the goddess to look frazzled. Yet the man couldn't help but gather that impression upon a second glance. It wasn't anything physical, not really. But there might have been the tiniest hint of bags under Aphrodite's eyes and just a few hairs just slightly out of place.
That only made him feel worse.
From there the conversation settled into strange territory. Percy was lost in that sea of raspberry chocolate in Aphrodite's irises, surrounded by her aura in a way that not even Hestia had come close to replicating. Spectral touches trailed down the sides of his chest, ghosted around his waist. Eventually, the bubbling guilt in Percy's chest boiled over.
"I meant what I said." The young god worked a cheek between his teeth, fingers nervously gliding along the smooth rolled up cuffs on either elbow. It was Percy's way of keeping them from reaching out to the goddess instead. "Avoiding you was wrong. Childish. I guess I just . . . assumed the worst." He had been doing that a lot lately.
"The blame lies with me, my love." Aphrodite had no such qualms about physical contact. Percy's entire body stilled when the goddess found his wrist with two light fingertips. Her eyes were morose. "I ran far ahead of myself at the meeting. It was neither the time nor the place to spring such things on you." The goddess' nails, painted this time a matching pink, trailed up one chiseled forearm. "C'est une de mes faiblesses- it seems to be a weakness of mine."
Percy caught her wandering hand with his own, lest the teasing motion make him erupt from his skin. It was hardly better when Aphrodite decided to thread their fingers together, trapping the sky bearer completely. That didn't stop the sensation of her aura from parading more touches across the back of his neck.
Forgiveness was just at the tip of his tongue, nearly pulled out by the sincere shine in the goddess' eyes. It would have been easy, too easy. Percy bit the words back, taking a deep breath instead.
Don't be a doormat.
"You're right." The goddess' eyes flashed with hurt acceptance, but Percy persisted. "It wasn't a good time. Why'd you still do it?" Percy's question stilled Aphrodite's expression.
"Which explanation would you like?" The sky bearer's entire body erupted in shivers as the love deity's other hand slowly splayed across his covered abs. Her finger raised five lines of goosebumps on his skin. Hades, he had forgotten how touchy she was. "There are several, mon grand."
"The truth." Percy answered.
"They are all true, my silver fox." Aphrodite shrugged, her wandering fingers shamelessly following the dips between Percy's muscles. Her eyes never left his own, full lips tugged a bit to one side. "To some degree or another, au moins." The angled shafts of sunlight across the goddess' face revealed that hypnotizing pink glitter once again, dusted this time across her high cheekbones.
Percy grunted. "Fine." The word came out a bit breathy as the love deity traced the side of his hip.
Aphrodite smiled in victory. "I'll go in order of least important to most relevant." Above their clasped palms, Percy felt the goddess raise one finger.
"The reason that Olympus would care about most is to prevent another war." Her words had Percy swallowing heavily. "The world needs time to heal, time which only a united council can provide. An absence of Kronos does not mean an absence of conflict." There was sadness behind her words.
The son of Poseidon knew what she meant - Atlas was still missing, tensions still high on Olympus. Percy could only wonder how many other elements of the Titan army had gone underground, content with biding their time. How much of the mortal world required reconstruction? How many lives had been lost? War had a way of forcefully revealing a society's cracks, no matter how cleverly concealed.
"Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades required a reason to work together, to put old wounds behind them." Aphrodite continued in her musical voice. "Nous leur en avons donné un- we gave them one. My hope is to contain the squabbles to the political realm, rather than the physical one."
"Hades?" Percy raised an eyebrow, momentarily distracted off his original course. He couldn't help the spark of irritation in his chest spawned by the god's name.
The goddess giggled, the sound more than a bit vindictive. "Let's just say that mon oncle owes me a favor or two. Especially after that ridiculous stunt of his." Percy had never seen someone manage to look so attractive and so vicious at the same time. The sky bearer's other eyebrow joined the first on his forehead. "A story for another time, darling," Aphrodite smirked.
"That's still not what I was asking." It took Percy a moment to speak, digesting the love deity's words.
"I suspected as much." Aphrodite's fierce expression shifted into a rueful smile. Her hair waved hypnotically in the breeze. "The second reason was for your mother." Percy felt the goddess lift another finger.
"How?" That had his attention.
"She told you how she came to live here, chez moi, correct?" Aphrodite looked like she already knew the answer. "What she does not know is that her presence has brought unwritten rules long followed into question." The goddess' face had turned serious. "What does it mean, to have the mortal lover of an Olympian living with and conversing regularly with the gods? Let alone the fact that she was invited by me and not your father." Aphrodite shook her head. "Would Zeus, Ares, or Apollo start doing the same? What would that do to Olympus, to its image and function?"
Percy scrunched his face in contemplation. They were all good questions. It seemed to him like neither of them had any such answers. "I don't know."
"Your ascension and our union provides ample cover for Sally's continued residence." Percy had almost forgotten about Aphrodite's other hand until it was feeling up his obliques. The man's breath hitched for a moment, and the goddess took advantage. "Now she is the mother of one Olympian and soon to be the mother-in-law of a second, both among the top echelons of power. That puts her in very specific, very elite company." Aphrodite's eyes flashed pink. "To threaten her, directly or indirectly, would be foolhardy at best." Apparently he wasn't the only one holding a grudge against a certain King of the Underworld.
"You're overestimating me." Percy chuckled, more than a little self depreciation in the sound. "I can't seem to control any of this 'power'." The sky bearer didn't know when his other hand had found the dip in Aphrodite's hip. His larger palm fit perfectly. The pink silk was sheer under his fingertips.
"I will teach you." Aphrodite's smile was unconcerned, equally sharp and enticing. "Ne vous inquiétez pas- worry not, love." A set of ghostly hands appreciatively squeezed one of his biceps. "You will blossom like a beautiful rose with thorns deadlier than even the council could possibly expect." The level of impure reverence in her voice had parts of Percy's anatomy excited in ways he tried not to think about.
"Is there a third reason?" The question was specifically to keep his brain as distracted as possible. Aphrodite's smile faltered. The fingers on his stomach lifted away to lay over the back of the hand that her others were still clasping.
"Yes." She took a deep, steadying breath. "The last, and most self-serving, was for me."
The sky bearer watched as the little remnants of Aphrodite's mask there were lifted away. Underneath was that hesitant, awe-struck, almost human woman that he remembered from the end of the meeting on Olympus.
"For you?" Percy's mouth moved out of his control.
"I told you, Perseus, on that first day we spoke." Aphrodite's face was drawn. Exhausted. "I am a selfish being. So terribly selfish that I lost all control of myself." The goddess was struggling, shame and contentment warring in her expression. "I could not wait a moment longer to have you. Vous êtes trop tentant."
"That's it?" Sally's words outside the throne room rang through Percy's mind. Hestia had said the same thing, hadn't she? "Selfishness?" He found himself strangely disappointed.
"What is love but selfishness? I desire to take you and be yours at the expense of every other woman in existence." Aphrodite's eyes gleamed, each a rainbow of brown and pink. "What is love but obsession? Not a single thing matters to me more than you." Her breathy words were a prayer and a sermon all at once. "What am I but love? Rien- nothing."
Percy was struck silent for a few moments. That was a very large, very scary can of worms that the young god didn't feel prepared to touch. Still, it was at least an explanation, albeit one he couldn't fully understand. The sky bearer searched the goddess' swirling gaze.
"So love is the reason." His voice came out a bit more hopeful than he expected.
"I am the goddess of the heart, Percy. A goddess changed and defined by your own." Percy could feel Aphrodite's fingers trembling. "Would you force me to spell it out for you, mon idée fixe?" There was a lightning contained between their joined hands, one that sent static through every nerve in Percy's body.
"No." His voice sounded far away.
Aphrodite breathed out a sigh of relief. The goddess kept her grasp on his hands as her gaze turned out the window, watching the movement of the trees several stories below. For several long moments Percy was allowed to stew in his thoughts. The words of his mother ran around and around in his head. Where was the line between being kind and standing firm? He had lost sight of it.
"Your father visited." The man was shocked back into reality when Aphrodite spoke again. The love deity's voice was as soft as her expression.
Percy felt himself stiffen. "Was he here for me?" He grimaced. "For mom?"
"Your concern for her is touching, my love." Aphrodite's smile was small, but real. Her eyes found his own again. "But Poseidon was here to speak to me, in fact." There was a tired irritation beneath her tone.
"Oh." Percy's response felt a bit lame. "Why? He didn't just Iris Message you?" The sky bearer could immediately tell he had stepped onto some sensitive ground.
"Iris is currently on a . . . leave of absence." The goddess' face was downcast. "Her father Thaumas, a son of Gaia, sided against Olympus during the war. As a pacifist, Iris chose to stay out of the conflict. Une poursuite noble." Aphrodite ran a soft thumb over Percy's knuckles. "Her father fought directly against your own for Atlantis and was eventually slain, you see. With the war now over she has been granted a respite, both to grieve and recover." The goddess' shoulder shrug was slow and empathetic. "Her services were essential to Olympus' victory. We are not so cruel as to deny her request."
Percy couldn't help but swallow thickly. The man didn't know the goddess of rainbows very well, but it was yet another reminder of the destruction the war had caused. He hadn't even seen the state of the mortal world yet, but there was already a great knot of anxiety in his chest.
"What did my dad want?" It was a weak attempt to move on, but Aphrodite allowed it.
"To gauge my intentions, I suspect." The beautiful deity sighed. "Some of us can be quite old fashioned from time to time." Aphrodite laid her head on the side of the window pane. "He warned me to keep my 'wandering hands' under control." A puff of frustrated air from her lips fluttered a few locks of deep red hair.
"Ah." Percy grimaced. It was rude, no doubt, but given Aphrodite's past? Yet another thing the man tried not to dwell on. He could only be grateful that Aphrodite had spared him from the finer details of such stories. Still, the sky bearer found himself increasingly conflicted over the fact that his father still appeared to genuinely care, at least in a stunted and awkward way. That silence from before returned with force.
"I know you do not yet understand your domains, mon rêve." Aphrodite turned her whole body to face him, now. "But may I invoke your name? Just this once." She smiled at him. Percy was spellbound. "I do not wish to prove your father of all people correct. Allow me to show that my change, my affection, is more than superficial."
"Okay." It was near impossible to say no to that face, no matter how confused he was.
"Merci." The goddess closed her eyes for a moment. When she re-opened them, there was a spinning neon line around each pupil. "I, Aphrodite Venus, swear these words in the name of Perseus Jackson, keeper of oaths and promises."
That same burning sensation Percy had felt with Hestia was back again, this time twice as powerful. The son of Poseidon couldn't look away, even as the double-layered voice of the love goddess took over his brain.
"These shall be my vows." The goddess turned Percy's hand until his palm was facing the floor. "For as long as Perseus shall have me, no other shall hold his place in my heart."
Percy started when something brushed against his leg. When he looked down, a ghostly set of fingers had raised the shining engagement ring out of his pocket. The inferno in his chest was nearly all-consuming, power feeding directly into his soul. The sheets on the bed were flapping madly, the trees outside waving in a growing, swirling breeze. Waves of water crashed up over the sides of the pool walls, running across the courtyard.
"For as long as he shall have me, no other shall find a place in my bed nor I in theirs." The thing floated up and up until Aphrodite plucked it out of the air. "For as long as he shall have me, my eyes shall be for him alone."
Gently, slowly, the goddess straightened Percy's left ring finger. Her enraptured expression held his gaze captive. The gemstone band was cool against his skin as the goddess slid it over one knuckle, and then a second. It was lighter than air when it reached the base and her hands dropped away.
"So say I, so it shall be." The goddess finished.
Percy acutely felt the sensation of a lock clicking closed in his chest. The fire died down to warm embers in his stomach. When the sky bearer went to open his mouth, nothing would come out at first.
"You- " Percy was struggling. "You didn't have to do that." He wasn't sure what exactly Aphrodite had even done, but he knew it was something significant. Something powerful and old and important and probably more suited in front of an altar than an open bedroom window.
"I did." Her answer was effortlessly simple. The love deity was still smiling, but it looked almost . . . serene. Like some great, invisible weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Percy's teeth clicked together harshly when he closed his mouth. It wasn't for several more moments until he opened it again.
"I, Perseus Jackson, swear these words in the name of . . . myself, I guess." Aphrodite's entire body jolted. "Keeper of oaths and promises."
It hadn't been since the Fates' proclamation that Percy had felt so energized, like his soul was too large for his skin. The son of Poseidon could feel his hair floating, see the green of his aura painting the entire room even brighter than the sun outside. He could see tears welling in the goddess' eyes.
"For as long as she shall have me, no other will hold Aphrodite's place in my heart." The words felt so natural coming from his lips. "No other shall find a place in my bed, nor I in theirs. My eyes shall be for her alone." The goddess was clutching her hands over her mouth, which was the shape of a small 'o'.
"So say I, so it shall be." The entire room vibrated with Percy's last words. He only realized his feet had left the ground when his toes settled back into the plush rug underneath.
"Perseus-" Aphrodite's voice wavered as much as her face.
"I don't know if I love you, Aphrodite." Percy hated that he had to break the moment. "This is all so new to me. It's confusing and stressful and-" He took a deep breath, trying to keep his rambling under control. "Yeah."
"I understand, dearest." There was a growing spark of panic in the goddess' eyes. "You did no-"
"Let me finish." Percy felt bad for interrupting again, but he did so firmly. Aphrodite clammed up faster than one of his father's citizens, ears blushing a dark red. "You swore to me, it's only fair to do the same. What I meant is that I don't know if I love you now."
The man's hand reached up slowly, finally doing something he had dreamed of since he first saw her on that beach. Aphrodite's cheek was soft and warm beneath Percy's palm, perfectly shaped to cup under his fingers.
Percy smiled. It was a nervous and shaky thing, full of all of the millions of emotions swirling around in his chest. The sensation had started that first moment the man had heard her voice under The Burden, continued as she had kept him alive and kept him sane. It was only strengthened through years of conversations, entire lifetimes of experienced shared.
Their tumultuous reunion had dampened it. Then the meeting and the goddess' admission of selfishness had nearly stamped it out completely. But through it all, the embers burned. Aphrodite was imperfect, a strange and often secretive personality wrapped in a cracked shell of insecurities and flirtatiousness. But Percy was imperfect too. And here, in the heart of her domain, the sky bearer found he couldn't contain the feeling anymore.
"But I think I could learn to. If you'll let me." Percy finished.
"Of course." A single tear slipped from the goddess' eye, trailing down until it hit the top of Percy's thumb. "I'd love nothing more, Perseus. Fiancé." The word felt so much more real when spoken in that sultry French. Her lips danced, waltzed around it.
"Percy. Not Perseus." The man corrected gently. He failed to resist the urge to run his fingers along the side of the goddess' face as he willed the water away from her skin. It was an addicting sensation.
"I'd love nothing more, Percy." It was the loveliest thing the young god had ever heard. "And please." Aphrodite pushed forward until they were touching chest to chest. Her soft form melded flawlessly into his own. There were stars in her eyes as she looked up at him, whole universes undiscovered.
"Call me Aphy."