This took longer than I expected. I believe we will end in chapter 5, but I can't be sure. Stay tuned!

The weeks passed in a hurry, even if considering her immortality, but said weeks had been... great, actually.

Well, they weren't like what Aphrodite had pictured in her head. What they were doing recently... it really wasn't what she did with anyone else. Small things, like going to get an ice cream. Going to the movies. Taking a walk in the park. Coffee dates. She even received small gifts from Percy, the one she prized the most being a black diamond necklace. It fitted her Jessica disguise, and she genuinely felt grateful for it.

It was a strange feeling. She hadn't even been able to get intimate with him. Not in a sexual way, that was. There were some kisses here and there, sure. But... it had been 24 days since the date in his house. Almost a month. And Aphrodite didn't feel the necessity of getting into bed with him. To say that they weren't being intimate would be a lie. They have been intimate. It was just that it was emotional. The poor man probably thought she didn't want anything physical.

Aphrodite wasn't just the god of desire. Of passion. Of lust. No, no. She was the goddess of LOVE. And feelings related to love weren't something she was used to let loose inside of her. Which was ironic, for sure. Again, she was not a whore, she had standards, but she liked being free to play pretend the way she wanted. But now? She had at least four people she had been talking to before meeting Percy. And now, they had been left on read. Aphrodite wasn't sad, nor did she miss those people.

Because she had Percy.

Now, once more, she was getting ready for a date. For the first time, Percy left her completely in the dark about where were they going. She wasn't used to surprises, and it made her nervous and excited. Even if it was another cute endeavor... well, it had been great. No reason to stop liking it!

Just as she finished her makeup, her palace's bell sounded off, startling her. Aphrodite checked herself in the mirror, seeing if she looked appropriate, and of course, she did. As she ran towards the door, she found herself puzzled about who it could be. Hebe was busy today. None of her fellow Olympians called her or her secretary. For a moment, she thought it would be Poseidon trying to impale her for messing with his favorite son.

But when she opened the door, she almost wished it was the sea god. Instead, it was someone that the goddess was not prepared to face right now. Long hair, sunglasses, a leather jacket, and behind him, a giant Harley motorbike.

"Hello, beautiful." Ares, her longtime lover, said. "Going somewhere?"

"Uh..." Aphrodite froze. She was most definitely not in the mood for Ares and his antics. He... he was too much, compared to what the goddess was having now. "Yes, actually."

The war god raised his eyebrows. "You wouldn't mind if I stole a few of your minutes before you went out, would ya?" And of course, it was more of a rhetorical question, since he already walked past her, sitting on her couch. Usually, the worst part of having Ares in her home was to have him get her palace all dirty because of his clothes.

Now, the problem was different.

"What's wrong?" Ares asked, not sounding too concerned. Aphrodite shrugged off.

"Nothing." She spoke. "Just a bad day. I was just trying to... clear my mind, I think that's what mortals call it."

"Mhm." Either he wasn't convinced, or he didn't care. He snapped his fingers, and a glass of water appeared in his hand. Aphrodite wanted to groan, but instead, she sat down by his side. Immediately, his arm enveloped her waist, and it just made her feel... uncomfortable. In a way that she hadn't felt before. "How's things"

"Mostly fine," Aphrodite said. She wanted to say great, but that would poke his curiosity. "Haven't been doing much, recently, in fact..."

"That's surprising." Ares chuckled. "Why didn't you call me, then?"

"I don't know. It didn't cross my mind." She responded. That was the best excuse she could come up with. "Sorry."

"Eh, it's fine." Ares gazed directly into her eyes. "I've been busy too. Been visiting some older war sites. Stuff you probably don't care for."

That comment made her heart ache a bit. Because with Percy, every subject was interesting to her. Even the simplest things like his taste for blue food. It made her committed to listening to him. But with Ares had said now... it made Aphrodite feel like she was superficial. Like she didn't care.

"I suppose. You know I don't like the boring stuff." Maintaining the façade was difficult, but manageable. If he went away soon, everything would be fine.

"Yeah. I know what you really like." And then, he moved to her neck, slowly kissing it. In normal circumstances, that would make her forget everything. But... she felt nothing now. And it wasn't long before Ares noticed she wasn't having her usual response to it. "What's wrong?"

"I... uh, nothing. I was just lost in thought, I'm sorry."

The god of war did not seem convinced, drifting away from her body. She couldn't see her eyes, but Aphrodite knew he was trying to read her.

"You're acting so weird. I know you're not telling me something."

"Forget it, Ares. It's nothing-"

"Don't try to trick me." His tone was aggressive. "What are you hiding? You never rejected me." That wasn't true, whatsoever. "What's wrong now?"

"I'm just not in the mood, okay?" She tried to calm him down. "Like I said, I've been having a bad day."

Ares was silent for a moment. "Where are you going?"

"That doesn't concern you," Aphrodite answered, cooling her voice.

"It does concern me. Are you going out with someone?"

"And what if I am?" Aphrodite replied, losing her patience. "I'm not yours, remember? We are technically lovers. I'm not even supposed to be with you."

"Oh, so that's what this is about." Said the insufferable god. "You just found someone so brilliant and awesome that it's making you forget who really matters to you."

"Ares, if you were to feel jealousy, you should have done it three thousand years ago!" Aphrodite argued. "Now it's not the time. I'm not going around questioning you because you have offspring. And neither were you."

"Because you, despite who you were hooking up with, never rejected me!" Ares said loudly. "And now, you think a mortal is better than me?"

"I'm sure of it," Aphrodite said, shocking even herself. Ares finally shut his mouth, but not for long.

He got up from the couch, and said, "I'm gonna find this mortal. Somehow. And I will kill him."

"Both of us know that you can't do that for several reasons." Aphrodite replied. "You're not touching him."

Ares smiled, but not in a nice way. No, it was a vicious grin. "No, I'm not. But a lot of other things can. I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna kill him."

"You will not!" She yelled, feeling desperate, before he vanished in a whirlwind of flames and ash. She quickly cleaned the living room and tried to process what just happened.

Ares couldn't spy on her. But she could send his agents. Phobos and Deimos may have some loyalty to her... but demigods didn't. She felt grateful that she chose to wear a disguise.

And that it wasn't a simple mortal that had stolen her heart, but the greatest demigod alive. Percy could defend himself on his own if need be. But it would also reveal the truth, something which she wasn't ready to do.

Whatever. Aphrodite needed his embrace, more than ever.

His kiss felt good.

But his mere presence was enough to make the goddess calm down.

"What's wrong?" Compared to how Ares had asked it... damn it, there wasn't even a way to compare it. It was just so different. And somehow so great.

"Something happened. I... look, this is going to sound awkward."

"I'm all ears."

Aphrodite smiled. "I know, Percy. It's just that my ex, he texted me earlier." Without telling the whole truth, this was what the goddess thought would be believable. "It was really unpleasant."

"Oh." Percy was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. Has it been long since you broke up? You never talked about it."

"Almost a year." She lied. "And he can't get over me. Maybe there is reason for it." Once more, she smirked. Percy mirrored her. "But it has been getting annoying, borderline creepy."

"You should just stay away from him." The demigod advised. "And... I guess I can help if he gets too close. Not that you need help or anything, just saying."

"Don't worry. I'd love to be protected by you." He was right, Aphrodite did not need a demigod to protect her. But who cares? The thought still felt pleasant. "You also didn't tell me if you had a break-up."

Perhaps letting her curiosity get the better of her wasn't a great idea, but Percy didn't seem bothered. "I had one girlfriend. Met her in that summer camp I told you about."

"Mhm." She nodded. It was always funny to see him talking about his hidden demigod life like she was unaware of it. To him, she was. But it was entertaining to see the lengths he would go to just so he could tell her stories.

"I met her the first day there. I... slept after some time in the car and I woke up the next morning with her telling me I drool in my sleep." Aphrodite knew that wasn't completely true, Percy had fought the goddamn Minotaur that night and that's why he passed out, but whatever. His eyes had a look of longing and sadness, but she could see acceptance present. "We broke up a few years back. It just wasn't working anymore, and we decided to follow separate paths. Not what I wanted at the time, but I'm fine now."

"You don't happen to keep in touch with her, do you?" Her jealousy was not without honesty. No way that in the past Aphrodite imagined that she would want Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase to not talk to each other.

"No, don't worry." Percy quickly said, noticing her piercing look. "It's been almost a year since I last talked to her. She's in Italy or Spain, I think."

"Good. You're mine, sir." Aphrodite joked, but in a way, she meant it.

"That I am." Percy smiled. "So, aren't you curious to know what I planned for us?"

Aphrodite grinned widely. "Of course I am! I could barely get sleep yesterday thinking about what it could be." That wasn't true, but it could as well be. She had been curious.

"So," Percy paused. "Do you fancy a trip?"

For a moment, Aphrodite stood in silence. "A trip? To where?"

"Nothing too far. Do you know Montauk?"

Montauk. Montauk. The name did not ring any bells. "No. Where is it?"

"A few hours from Manhattan." Percy scratched the back of his head. "Look, it's very nice. I can explain why later. I understand if you don't want to go too far-"

He got interrupted by Aphrodite placing a finger over his mouth. "Say no more. We will go."

Percy's subsequent smile made her feel dizzy. She couldn't even believe it herself.

The drive to Montauk had been quiet, for the most part. While they talked for a few moments here and there, Aphrodite took the opportunity to take something akin to a nap. Not really a nap, considering she was still conscious, but the goddess managed to shut off her thoughts, which was nice.

After almost three hours and somehow not a lot of traffic, they arrived in Montauk, where Percy headed to a small cabin not far from a beach. He parked the car there and invited her to walk with him to the beach. Aphrodite happily obliged, holding his hand all the way. They got to a part of the beach that was mostly composed of rocks and decided to sit there, the sea coming close to them. It was the middle of the afternoon, so the sun was already milder than earlier, the tides coming quite close to them. The wind felt perfect, swirling her hair around, while also being refreshing. It was a warm day.

"So, why are we here really?" Aphrodite questioned, feeling very curious now. This place was completely unknown to her, she didn't know if Percy even had some connection here, or he just... well, knew the place.

"This," He began. "Is a place I've been visiting I think my whole life with my mother." Aphrodite had to mask her surprise. "Learned to drive here, always came to the beach to be with myself. So, it's special. I wanted to bring you because I already think you're just as special as Montauk to me."

It was corny. It might be something Aphrodite would find ridiculous when watching a movie. But to have those words be spoken to her...

Why did she feel this way? The goddess would always be the one to make others feel like this. Ironically, love wasn't usually felt in her heart, not romantic love at least.

But was this changing?

"That's sweet." Aphrodite smiled a sincere and wide grin. "Thank you, Percy... I really appreciate it."

"Also..." Percy took something from his pocket and opened his hand. "I got this for you."

In his hand, laid one of the most beautiful shells Aphrodite had ever seen. It was colorful, but also bright. Crystals were present in the entire structure. It was small, fitting in his palm, but its beauty made up for the size. It looked perfect. A gift worthy of a god. She was momentarily speechless, not even believing what her eyes were seeing.

"Percy, it's... it's wonderful... where did you even buy this? How much was it? This is..."

"It didn't take much effort." He chuckled. Jessica wouldn't know, of course, but Aphrodite had a few theories on how he got this shell.

"Really? It looks like it would cost a fortune."

"Like I said, for me, it was easy enough." Now, his tone was strange, leaving the goddess worried.

"Is something wrong?"

Percy grimaced. "No. Not really. It's just that..." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his sea-green irises were filled with concern. "I really like you, Jess."

"So do I, Percy," Aphrodite said, holding his hand firmly.

Percy held her back. "But there is something that's been giving me no sleep recently. Something that I thought I managed to avoid all my life."

The goddess was genuinely confused about what he meant, but she had an idea. Nevertheless, she didn't even have to fake the fact that she was puzzled, and her face showed it. "What do you mean?"

For a moment he was quiet, looking into the crystalline seas in front of them. "Do you remember when I told you about my name?"

"Your name?" Aphrodite did not remember that interaction. Even if just less than four weeks ago.

"I told you my name was Greek."

Oh. Oh. "What of it?"

"Jess, I'm not a normal person. At all. I don't know how to explain it to you, but... look, do you know the Greek gods."

Oh, fuck. "I do. I mean, a bit. There's Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo..."

"They're real." He deadpanned. Now, the goddess did have to mask her true emotions, which wasn't hard this time.

"What?"

"Yeah, and I am the son of a god. I think you noticed I don't really talk about my father."

And that was true. The only thing Aphrodite had heard of Poseidon was that he lived in a faraway country. Which had been disappointing at the start, but she soon forgot the subject entirely.

"You're shitting me." Aphrodite really tried her best to show her 'disbelief.' "Then..."

"What?" Now it was Percy the one that looked confused. And it was undoubtedly genuine.

"I've... been seeing things, and... weird people." She began elaborating. "I wasn't sure of what it was... but... oh, God. It all makes sense."

Truthfully, Aphrodite did not know if he would buy her story, but Percy looked like he was contemplating it. "The Mist. You can see through it. It's a veil that keeps mortals, i.e., people that don't have divine blood in them, from seeing the mythical world."

"I..." Aphrodite paused. She was doing a great job. "Which god is your father?"

Now, the demigod smiled. "Try to guess." And then he extended his hand towards the sea. The waves began to swirl violently, forming the shape... of a heart. Aphrodite turned back to Percy, who had a confident smile on his face.

"Poseidon? That's the only water god I know."

"Bingo," Percy said, but his smile faded. "Look, I didn't know what to expect when I chose to tell you this. But there can't be any secrets between us. It's great that you can see through the Mist, at least partially. We will find out." He held both her hands in his. "But... Jess, would it be early if I said I love you?"

Aphrodite raised her eyebrows. "Love can be confused with passion, Percy. But I can't say I share the same feelings for you."

He smirked. "Good. I just... life for a demigod can be hard. It was worse when I was a kid." Aphrodite could see he shuddered. "But I... I want to keep having what we're having."

"So do I." Aphrodite got close. "I won't go away."

"I won't either," Percy replied, and their lips connected, eyes closed, relishing in the moment.

But the goddess knew... as her feelings for him grew larger... so did the web of lies.