"You said you're visiting your girlfriend?"

"Triton, I think you're intentionally ignoring this, but, we're not dating."

"But…you want to?"

"I don't even know if I want to."

"But, she has eyes? That work? She's not blind?" Triton asked me, trying—but not succeeding—to hide a grimace at the way I was struggling to fit into my shirt. He was giving me a very unimpressed look. "And, she's, like, a female friend. One that likes you romantically. Are you married to the idea of wearing that?"

I ignored the judgmental look on his face as I struggled with my shirt again. I wasn't too sure about the second thing, but something told me that even if I corrected him, he'd just talk over me again. "Yep."

According to Delta, the water here wasn't ordinary; it was infused with nutrients and latent energy designed to draw out the absolute best in anyone who lived beneath the waves. The Atlanteans had perfected it over millennia, ensuring their environment did more than sustain life—it enhanced it.

Delta explained that the water was part of the city's defense, in a way. Every drop was supercharged with trace minerals, magical properties, and elements I couldn't even pronounce, all calibrated to unlock latent potential in its residents.

It wasn't just for show—Atlantis needed its people strong, sharp, and capable of protecting the city from the threats that lurked in the depths. The water did more than keep you hydrated—it rebuilt you, constantly fine-tuning your body like a living machine.

So, even though I'd only been here a few weeks, my body already looked and felt way different. I was stronger, faster, and more resilient in ways I couldn't fully wrap my head around yet. My muscles felt denser, my reflexes sharper, and I'd caught myself moving in ways I didn't think I was capable of before.

But, that mixed with [Godly Constitution] was a real pain in the ass as far as fitting into my clothes went.

When I first got down here, I had stood at the measly height of 5'3.

5'3.

Right now, I was standing at above 5'10. Just above.

My scrawny frame just wasn't scrawny anymore. I was lean and honestly kind of shredded—the abs that had been starting to be just a bit visible were now pretty well-defined. My arms (even the still healing one) were toned, and my shoulders were built.

According to Triton, my back looked nice, too. He gave me some weird run-through on how cut my lower back looked, but I just took it in stride anyway.

"I just…can't fit…" I tried in vain to keep pulling the shirt over my body. This was probably the largest article of clothing I had, formally speaking, but it wasn't budging. It felt like I was trying to dress myself in a wet towel, or something.

I tugged a little too hard, and it ripped. Not just like a tiny little harmless rip in the fabric, but a water-enhanced complete tear down the middle. I held the two barely connected scraps of fabric in my hand, glaring at the shirt.

"Yeah, no, you're done for," Triton called out from my bed. "There's been a little wrinkle in your plans, eh, brother?"

"I'm sure it's fixable," I swear Triton flicked his finger, and the shirt finished ripping completely. I groaned, but Triton clapped happily. He looked like that's what he'd wanted to happen from the very start.

"Oh, thank goodness! That rag finally ripped. Any longer, and I would've gone in and eviscerated it myself. Come on, little brother," Triton bounced off my bed, grabbing my shoulder. "My turn, now. I've got some clothes that'll fit. I think, anyway. You're a lot more ripped than I am. The ice cream here is just too good. And the cooks make the best fries. Where do fries even come from? I don't think we get potatoes down here. I know—I should start working out with you!"

I blinked—the man had just cycled through four different conversation points. I tried to focus on the most important one. "Sure, thanks for the bailout. I train every day, so you'd have to devote a lot of time to that, but I'm game if you are."

"It's settled!" Triton yelled, completely disregarding the fact that it was like six in the morning. I think one of the naiads passing by my room yelped and dropped a tray of fruit that was probably meant for my stepmom. "Triton and Percy, hardcore training sesh, first thing tomorrow morning! Now, what sort of clothes do you want?"

"Well, I don't know," I replied lamely. "This, um, girl enjoys fancy stuff, but I don't, uh, know where she is right now, so to speak. She was planning on traveling this summer."

"Oh, like she likes traveling?" Triton hummed to himself as I followed him out of my room. We started walking through the palace, all the nereids and naiads looking at my bare chest like Christmas had come early. "That's cool."

Yeah, I supposed it was pretty cool. We walked in silence for a bit before Triton stopped us. "Ah, here we are."

Triton's room, for lack of a better word, was decked.

Whereas my room was sparse and limited—basically a hotel room, honestly—his was extra in every single way imaginable. No, really.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that his room was easily over three times the size of mine.

In the far-right corner, there was an NBA regulation-sized hoop, with a polished court that went up to half. Instead of the little semicircle at the half, there was a picture of Triton's face, and the court was a blue-green color scheme. There was an automatic ball machine, too—the ones that automatically get your rebound and shoot the ball back to you.

If that wasn't ridiculous enough, across from the court, he had a food court. There was one of those high-tech soda machines—you know, the ones at the movie theater that are touchscreen. The ones where you can pick the soda you want, the flavor, how much, how much ice, the caffeine—the works.

Next to that, he had a popcorn maker, a pretzel stand that was being magically operated, and a pizza oven that was constantly cooking. My jaw dropped when I saw that he had a slushie and an ICEE machine right next to each other.

He also had a candy bar. Yeah. An honest-to-Zeus candy bar in his room. Next to the candy bar, he had a real bar with so many alcoholic drinks that even I couldn't name more than a quarter of them.

Shaking my head slightly, I turned to his bed, which was the size of four of my beds put together. Across from the bed, he had the biggest TV I've seen in my entire life, with a variety of gaming consoles hooked up at the bottom.

In the left corner, he had a gigantic desk with a glowing PC on it. I don't mean, like, RGB glowing—the entire PC was giving off an ethereal green glow.

"Ten thousand frames per second," Triton said proudly. "Dad had it made for me a while back."

"You must not lose any games," I joked, ignoring the slight feeling of envy I got the more I looked around his room. I wasn't expecting much but knowing that my dad still did this for one of his other sons and then gave me that hotel room made me feel a bit weird. "What's in that PC, anyway?"

"Eh. Some Hephaestus parts. You want a drink?" Triton said, floating over to his food court. "Ah, wait, you're going to see your girl. I almost forgot. Closet!"

THUD!

My jaw dropped again. Instead of a closet like I had, Triton's closet was just a door. I know, super exciting, oh, it's a door—just wait.

"Hm," Triton said, eyeing my body. "Well, you said she likes formal stuff, but you have no idea if she's in a formal setting right now. Oh. I know! You can never go wrong with a white shirt! Closet, give me…hm. Give me my Brioni French cuff, please. The 775 one."

The door gleamed, and a moment later, Triton stuck his hand in and pulled out a really expensive-looking white shirt. "Only the best for my brother. The cuff links are tridents, so if you think that's tacky…"

"No, anything works," I replied, looking at the shirt like it was made out of diamonds. "How much did you say that shirt was?"

"Well, retail is about $775—not to worry, though. I have ten! So, you can honestly just keep this one. It's nice having someone to share with," Triton smiled kindly at me. He waved his hands. "Go on, put it on. I'll have to think about what pants to put on you."

The shirt was, admittedly, soft. To be fair, I'd never worn anything that cost more than sixty bucks, so I feel like that's to be expected.

Triton looked me up and down again. "Hm. Maybe some homme plissé issey miyake pants, eh?"

"Triton, I don't know what half of those words mean," I said seriously, but he just busted out laughing as his closet gave him a pair of black pants. "I was being serious."

"No worries, man," Triton tossed me the pants and turned around so I could put them on. He kept talking as I took off my jeans. "We can clean it off with some oxfords. Bam! Fit created. She's gonna love it. What are you getting her?"

"I have to get her something?" I repeated. "Oh, right! Like…flowers or something?"

"Well, yeah. And pay for everything," Triton continued, cycling through some shoes. He held up two pairs, shaking his head and tossing them back into the door. "You do have money, right?"

"Yeah, money's not a problem," It really wasn't. I'd disabled the annoying notifications a long time ago, but I'd still been getting a decent bit of money because of [Fool's Gold] and the Game had spawned a credit card in my [Inventory] as well. I wasn't concerned about buying stuff.

Triton waved his hand, and a bouquet of blue-yellow flowers appeared in his hand. He handed them to me, and I took them graciously.

"Just double-checking, little brother," Triton continued, turning back to the closet. He began humming to himself as he tossed some shoes at me, over his head. "To finish off the look. You want a watch or anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," I replied, completing the process by lacing up the shoes. I had to hand it to Triton—I felt like a million bucks. "Thanks for the help, again."

"Eh, it's no problem. Like I said, keep the clothes, I have too many," Triton assured me, shooting me a thumbs up. "Man! Lucky you, though. I don't go on too many dates around here, gold diggers and all, but I'm super excited you are. I'll just live vicariously through you. Maybe I'll go the overworld someday, find myself a little baddie."

I surprised myself by agreeing, "Yeah, for sure. You could come to visit my mom and me. We definitely have the extra room."

"Man, that sounds like fun. Maybe when you go back for good, I'll come over for a bit," Triton wondered aloud. He started pushing me out of his room with a wink and a smile. "You, on the other hand, are going to be late. I have some things to take care of—but I'll see you when you get back. Have fun, brother."

"Thanks, Triton," I said, a matching grin forming on my face. "For the clothes and flowers, and well, in general."

Triton waved from his door, "No prob. See you soon."

The door closed, and I narrowed my eyes a bit at the abrupt way he'd forced me out of his room, but I put it out of my mind for now. I had a bit of apologizing to do.

I accessed the bond again. Hey. I'm ready.

Okay.

The feeling was, well, weird. All of the air, er, water, left my body, and I got the sensation of being squeezed really hard. It felt like some giant had picked me up in tried to shove me through a tiny tube.

POP!

The palace faded to darkness.

The squeezing feeling continued for a couple of moments, and suddenly, I was spinning into existence in a bedroom.

Holy…what is it with me today and getting into bedrooms that are just way better than mine?

This bedroom was way smaller than Triton's, but it had a cozy feel to it. Whoever designed this bedroom—technically, my wife—went crazy on it.

First of all, there was a nice little pastel color scheme going on.

You know, like the light pinks and browns. Don't ask how I know that word. Really. Yeah, let's just keep going.

The carpet was an off shade of pink, but it looked pretty comfy. The room had a few paintings here and there, with a TV mounted on the wall and a mirror beside it. Other than that, there wasn't much going on except for a bed and some floating bookshelves—very New York.

The bed itself was pretty big, and the sheets were perfectly folded. I could definitely fit four of me on that bed.

There were a few plants on a windowsill and a bedside table on each side of the bed. Obviously.

Also, there was a—

"Whoa," I blinked a few times, leaning against the wall. A weird sense of vertigo permeated my senses, and I almost slumped to the ground. Being back in the overworld was disorienting. "That was unpleasant."

"Sorry, sorry," Aphrodite said, coming over to me. She oriented my body with surprising strength. "I haven't used that power in a while."

Okay, I'm sorry. I know I say this every time, but damn she's so fine.

She looked older than she did last time, almost like she was trying to match my age. Her face was still in the shape it had been last time, but it had matured more, much like I'm sure mine did, too.

Aphrodite's hair color had changed from the platinum blonde it was last time to more of a silvery color that she put into a loose bun. I know they were for style, but she was wearing a pair of adorable glasses, too.

Also, this part had to be magic, because she was wearing a sundress that went down to just above her knees, and it was my favorite shade of yellow with a bunch of flower patterns on it. I'm not even going to bother getting into how nicely the dress fits her—I don't think it's that important.

Okay, fine. She had supermodel legs and a butt that looked round enough to use as a pillow. Happy?

"My place in New York," Aphrodite replied casually, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She leaned back slightly, propping herself up on her hands. "I wanted a home base to rest in between traveling. You know, somewhere to recharge."

"New York?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Why not, I don't know…somewhere like Paris or Milan? You'd fit right in."

"Oh, darling, I do have places there, too. But New York has a certain…energy. It's raw, vibrant, always changing. I like it." She tilted her head, giving me a curious look. "Besides, it's closer to you."

"To me?" I asked, my brow furrowing slightly. "Why would that matter?"

Her lips curved into a mysterious smile. "Oh, Percy, don't be so modest. I keep tabs on all my favorites."

"Favorites?" I repeated, the word sticking in my throat. "I'm not sure if I should feel flattered or… terrified."

"Why not both?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She gestured to the chair across from her. "Come, sit. You look like you're carrying the weight of Olympus on your shoulders. Let me guess—you've been overthinking something again."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck as I took the offered seat. "Yeah, you could say that. It's kind of a habit these days."

"Well," Aphrodite said with a playful grin, "Lucky for you, I'm an expert at breaking bad habits. Let's start with this one."

I leaned back in the chair, still trying to make sense of everything she was saying. "So, what? I'm supposed to just stop thinking and start…feeling? That's your expert advice?"

Aphrodite smiled, standing gracefully and moving behind me before I could react. "Exactly."

"What are you—"

Before I could finish, she started kneading her thumbs into the tight knots in my shoulders, and I immediately forgot what I was about to say. My whole body tensed for a moment before I felt the tension start to melt away under her hands.

"You're so wound up," she murmured, her tone half-scolding, half-teasing. "No wonder you can't think straight. You're carrying enough stress to crush a mortal."

"Uh, yeah," I muttered, awkwardly staring at the floor as her hands worked their magic. "It's been…a rough few days."

"Rough?" she repeated, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "Percy, you've been running headfirst into danger since the day you found out you were a demigod. No wonder your muscles feel like they've been carved from stone."

I wanted to argue, but it was hard to focus on anything except the way her fingers seemed to find every knot I didn't even know existed. "This isn't…really necessary," I managed to say, though my voice lacked conviction.

"Oh, please," Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes. "Relaxing is always necessary. You can't fight, plan, or even think clearly when you're this tense. Let me help, Percy. You might even enjoy it."

She leaned in slightly, her breath warm against my ear. "That's allowed, you know—enjoying yourself. You don't have to be a hero every second of every day."

Her words hit harder than I wanted to admit. She wasn't wrong—I'd been so caught up in the constant cycle of fighting and planning and surviving that I'd forgotten what it felt like to just…be.

"Better?" she asked after a moment, her voice softer now.

I nodded reluctantly, feeling the last of the tension ease from my shoulders. "Yeah. Better."

"Good," she said, her hands lingering for just a moment before she stepped back. "See? Letting go isn't so bad, is it?"

I turned to look at her, unsure of what to say. She was watching me with that same knowing smile, but there was something genuine in her expression this time—like she wasn't just playing her usual games.

"Thanks," I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Anytime," Aphrodite replied, her smile turning playful again as she stood up and walked to the dresser, putting on a bracelet. "But remember, Percy—this was just a lesson. Next time, you'll have to figure out how to relax all on your own."

I rolled my shoulders, still feeling the warmth from her touch. "Yeah, sure. I'll just pencil that in between fighting monsters and trying not to get vaporized. Sounds easy enough."

"You think I'm teasing, but I'm serious. You can't keep pushing yourself to the edge, Percy. Even the strongest hearts have limits. If you don't stop to take care of yourself, one day you'll find there's nothing left to give."

I tried to shrug it off, but her words stuck. She stepped closer, her presence somehow managing to feel both comforting and unnerving. "Why do you care?"

Aphrodite tilted her head, her golden hair cascading over one shoulder like liquid sunlight. Her eyes softened, glowing faintly with that impossible, magnetic allure only she could possess. "I think you know why."

"I don't think I do," I muttered, my gaze dropping to the floor. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I wasn't sure how to untangle them. Her words were hitting something deep, something I wasn't ready to face.

She stepped closer, her delicate fingers brushing under my chin. Her touch was featherlight but firm enough to lift my face.

"Hey," she said, her voice quieter now, softer than I'd ever heard it. "Look at me."

Reluctantly, I met her gaze. There was something different in her expression—less playful, less teasing. For the first time, it felt like she wasn't trying to unnerve me. She was just…there. Real.

Before I could react, she moved with her usual grace, settling herself in my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. I stiffened instinctively, every nerve in my body on high alert, but she didn't give me time to overthink it. Her hands rested lightly on my shoulders, and her face hovered inches from mine, her breath warm against my cheek.

"I've been feeling your love, Percy," she said softly, her voice like a gentle caress. "For everyone. For everything."

I blinked, my pulse hammering in my ears. "My love? What does that even mean?"

She smiled, but it wasn't her usual playful smirk. It was softer, almost wistful, with a touch of sadness in her eyes. "You don't realize it, do you? You love so deeply, so fiercely, and you don't even see it. Your mother, your friends, the campers you protect—it's all for them. Every fight, every sacrifice, every reckless leap into danger is driven by love."

Her words hit me like a tidal wave. I wanted to deny it, to brush it off, but something about the way she said it made me hesitate.

"That love," she continued, her voice quieter now, "Is what makes you different. It's what makes you you. And, Percy, it's beautiful."

"I don't know about that," I said, swallowing hard. "I just do what I have to do."

She laughed softly, the sound warm and melodic. Her fingers brushed lightly against my arm, her gaze never wavering from mine. "And that's exactly why I love it. Because it's not about glory or recognition. It's pure, unselfish, and unyielding. And because of that, Percy…I love you."

"You—what?" I stammered, my voice cracking slightly. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.

She leaned in closer, her nose almost brushing mine.

"I love your love, Percy," she whispered, her voice so soft it felt like it was meant for me alone. "And because of that, I love you."

I didn't know what to say. My mind was spinning, my thoughts colliding in every direction. But before I could find the words, she leaned in, closing the small gap between us.

Her lips met mine, warm and impossibly soft. The kiss was gentle, almost hesitant, but it carried a weight that left no room for misunderstanding. It wasn't playful or teasing. It was real, genuine, and so full of emotion that I couldn't do anything but melt into it.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. The glow of her presence, the faint scent of roses, the warmth of her lips—it was all-consuming. I didn't think about prophecies, gods, or battles. I didn't think about anything except her.

When she finally pulled away, her gaze lingered on mine, her eyes filled with something I couldn't quite put into words.

"I meant every word," she said softly. "Think about it, Percy. Let yourself feel it."

"I'm feeling something right now," I muttered.

"Percy," She sighed, planting another small kiss on the corner of my mouth, "Next time, you'd better be the one to kiss me."

"I'll do my best," I couldn't stop smiling. "What do you want to do today? I do owe you a date."

"Hm…I don't know," Aphrodite said, rocking back and forth a bit—still on my lap, mind you. She's going to make me start acting up soon. I think she knows that, too, "Oh! I know! I'll finish giving you the tour, and then we can go to the movies, and then we can go to lunch with your mom! I was supposed to meet her later with Hestia, anyway. I think Hades will be there, too. It'll be a nice surprise."

"Uncle Hades? He's visiting my mom?" I said slowly, still tumbling over the words. "Uh, why?"

"Well, his wife is at her mother's, and he hates her mother," Aphrodite shrugged, "He'd usually spend that time with Hestia, but Hestia has basically been living with your mother, so…"

"Huh. I had no idea they'd hit it off so well," Eh, who am I kidding? My mom's basically the best person ever—of course, they were going to hit it off.

On a more serious note, my mother and Hestia do share similar qualities. They're both kind, smart, and would do anything for their family. It really isn't that much of a surprise that they're close, based on what Aphrodite's saying.

"I'm still so glad you wanted to do this," She squealed happily, hugging me tightly, again. "I've been trying to get my claws in you."

"Me too," I said. I'd kind of underestimated how much physical affection she'd be craving, but I'm a hot-blooded male, so you're never going to hear me complaining about that. I was still a bit surprised at how quickly she was moving, but I wasn't complaining. "That plan sounds great, though."

Aphrodite smiled, slowly getting off of my lap with one more tantalizingly slow grind, and bouncing back onto the carpet.

I got up a moment later—well, she basically dragged me out of the bed with a beam of pink energy that picked me up and carried me off the bed like I was a little baby. I couldn't help but laugh at the cute look of determination on her face.

"Come on!" She grabbed my arm, holding it to her chest. "The tour!"

The apartment was amazing.

Aphrodite said it was on 4 Mosbesimi Ave, a penthouse on an offshoot somewhere near Manhattan.

It's especially amazing because it's one of the most expensive apartments I've ever been in. I'm getting weird flashbacks to that one time Marty Darwin threw a party in his dad's Brooklyn loft, except my apartment with Aphrodite easily blows that one out of the water. It must've cost an arm and a leg, though...

Look, I'm from around here—I'm pretty sure I grew up a couple of streets over, so I know how much money you need to drop for a high-end place like this. Beyond that, Aphrodite went all out and got the penthouse, too, so she must've dropped a lot of bills here. At the same time, though, my dad and aunt had mentioned that money didn't matter much to immortals.

Eh, I still appreciated the effort she must've gone through.

Her bedroom was the only thing on the second floor, and the stairs were some of those invisible string stairs, where they were just slabs of wood being suspended in the air. For all I know, they're actually being suspended in the air by her magic.

She excitedly led me down the stairs, dragging me over to the living room. The living room was probably the size of me and my mom's entire old apartment and decked out with different paintings and potted plants.

There was a gigantic glass door leading to a balcony, and the balcony could see all the way up to Times Square. I even saw the Hilton that I stayed in once upon a time when my mom and I were tossed out of our very first apartment.

A part of me wondered if Zeus was pissed off that I was so high in the air. There's no way I'm high enough for him to strike me down, right? This isn't airplane height!

The couch looked comfy, too. It was one of those big L-shaped ones, with cupholders and completely motorized reclining. The TV, much like Triton's, was way bigger than any of the ones I'd ever personally seen, and Aphrodite somehow set up a complete surround sound system.

There was a kitchen somewhere near the entrance of the door, and from what I could tell, it looked pretty sleek- not that I cared, really.

I couldn't tell you the last time I actually cooked for myself. At camp, well, we had the nymphs and spirits, at Atlantis I had the royal cooks, and on my own, I had [Food Generation] so I never really had to worry about it.

"So, you said you wanted to catch a movie?" I grinned at the excited look on her face. "Well, lucky for you, I know the perfect place…"

"So…run me through it again," I said with a small smile on my face as Aphrodite and I walked through Central Park.

We just caught a matinee. I think Aphrodite thought I said manatee because she looked really confused and a bit put out when we sat down at the movies—she brought an umbrella, too, for some reason—but it was actually pretty fun.

We saw Wrath of Man and I absolutely loved it. It was one of those tough-guy movies—your standard cold and mysterious character working at a dangerous job and kicking ass. In the movie, the guy worked for a cash truck company responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles each week; my bread and butter.

Also, the lead was Jason Statham, of course. Who else would play the part? He's like the king of tough guys. I've been watching him since I was a little kid.

I loved it to pieces. The plot was a bit standard, but the effects and everything were amazing, and I was pretty comfortable with Aphrodite snuggling up on my arm. Thank Zeus for those comfy chairs, right?

It was a bit funny, though, because Aphrodite had no idea how the special effects worked, so every time there was an explosion or fight of some sort, she yelped and jumped as if it was real.

After, though, we decided to go on a walk and meet the rest of my family—wow that feels weird to say—at a restaurant for lunch. Aphrodite assured me it was going to be a surprise.

We had some time to burn though, so we continued our little date into Central Park, and I was walking through it with her by my side.

Man, the last time I was here, it was with my sixth-grade class—that bench over there? Yeah, Grover tripped over a stick in front of it and stumbled onto it, knocking over a homeless guy. Said homeless guy chased him around for, like, ten minutes after. I didn't stop laughing the whole time.

I miss that dude. I'll have to make it a point to drop by Camp today—I want to catch up with Malcolm and Annabeth, too. Oh, uh, and Piper. We haven't really talked since the whole rock-climbing thing, but I have caught her shooting me dirty looks.

I mean, hey, second place isn't bad! Since I left, like, a few days later, she was probably treated like the winner anyway! A win-win.

"You're awfully dense sometimes, Percy," Aphrodite complained, shadows falling over her face. The sun hung high in the air, and some of the rays broke through the gigantic tree line. It felt kind of weird to see the sun after so long, but eh, who am I to complain? "Persephone does indeed love Hades, but she's forced to go live with her mom because her mom loves her. Well, and she loves her mom, but it's more of a power struggle thing. It's easier for Hades and Demeter to agree to sharing her like that rather than fighting."

"So, she splits time between the both of them to avoid that sort of conflict?"

Aphrodite hummed, "Yeah. Well, for broad strokes purposes, sure. It's a bit more difficult to explain in its entirety, but I think you sort of get the idea."

"And that's my uncle's kid. My uncle and aunt. They…" I poked my two index fingers together.

"It's best not to think about such things," Aphrodite warned, her face gaining a serious look. For a moment, Aphrodite reminded me that she was an ageless, immortal entity, not just a cute girl. "I'm sure you've realized this already, but a lot of immortals have done things that are less than stellar."

"Yeah…they have," I agreed, thinking back to the story of Medusa. A bitter taste settled in my mouth. "Do immortals ever, I don't know, change?"

"Well, sure we do. As the heart of civilization moves, not only do we follow it, but we gain qualities of the place it goes," She gave me a knowing look. "That's why, when Greece was the epicenter of our power, we embodied the characteristics present in their society. We were immoral at times, focused on power and prestige, and used our abilities to meddle in mortal affairs. There's a reason there are so many myths around those times, and a severe lack of them now. Many gods did things they'd soon regret, even outright condemn in some cases. Of course, that's not to give anyone a free pass, just another factor to take into consideration."

That kind of took some of the wind out of my sails for making them pay for those things, so to speak, but not all of it. Heart of civilization or not, there were some things that the gods did that I don't think I'd ever be able to look past.

"Is…is that something that bothers you a lot?" Aphrodite continued, her perfectly groomed eyebrows knitting together at the pensive look on my face. She tugged my hand a bit. "I know you have questions."

"Not now," I smiled at her, pushing away my thoughts for now. It's a nice day, I have a pretty girl by my side—there's no reason to get all depressed. "I'm more focused on you and me right now. Did you have fun at the movie?"

Her cheeks took on a golden flush. "Yeah. I did. I didn't think I would, honestly. That movie seemed…not to my taste."

I laughed. "Yeah, I thought so too, but it was the only matinee for some reason, and you did say you wanted to meet everyone for dinner."

"Well, I did say I'd be there, and I figured you'd want to see them too," Aphrodite fired back, her smooth fingertips tapping my knuckles. "Your mom and Hestia miss you, you know. Your mother only has one son, and Hestia's grown rather fond of you."

"That's fair," I frowned. I guess in this bull rush to get stronger and stuff, I kind of forgot to well, consider everyone else's feelings.

The prophecy is kind of fucking up my ability to do that, though. I mean, I guess this sort of thing is debatable, but having a timer on my life sort of makes everyone else's problems fade away…like come on, do you really think I care about stupid stuff like camp contests and dumb stuff like dances when I'm literally going to die soon?

I mean, yeah, I care about my family and stuff, but my dad walked into my mind with a weed whacker and slashed all of my dreams and expectations. How the hell am I supposed to live with the knowledge that a single choice I make will either doom everyone I love or save them? And, either way, I'll kick the bucket at the end of it.

I'm worried, okay! Why the hell else do you think I'm trying so hard to get strong so fast? Why do you think I'm trying my hardest to get powerful? I need to beat this prophecy, man, I can't die!

I was broken out of my thoughts as a flock of birds flew by me. I took in a few deep breaths- when did I even start breathing heavily?

Okay, I know. I'm sorry. That was uncalled for and unfair. Zeus, why am I even thinking these kinds of thoughts? My life is finally looking up—I have no reason to worry so much, or be so angry, right?

"Hey," Aphrodite said softly, looking at me with a worried smile. "Don't think too much, okay? You said were focused on me, right?"

I managed a smile. "Yeah, I am. Sorry, I don't really know what happened right there."

"Percy," Aphrodite stressed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "This is new, yes, but I'm here for you. Now isn't the time, but eventually, you can open up to me. Now come on, we're getting late."

"Okay," I said, smiling back at her. "You're right. Thank you."

"Of course," Aphrodite's eyes crinkled, "Anyway. Like I was saying, their deal is part of a larger problem some immortals have with sharing…"

The restaurant was fancy. The name was in Italian, so I won't bother butchering that in front of you, but it's across from the M&M shop in Times Square, so if you're ever in the area, knock yourself out.

Aphrodite led me in, still talking to me about some of the nuances of being immortal. "There's a moment of peace, and then, you just sort of, I don't know, boom."

"Boom," I repeated, smiling at Aphrodite's look of indignation. "Sounds good."

She bumped my hip with hers. "You know what I meant. I'm very happy our date, Percy. I think you're helping me become more...human."

The host interrupted our banter and asked us something in what I'm guessing was Italian, but Aphrodite stepped up again, answering in the same language.

"Wow," I complimented, following behind her as the waiter led us away. "That sounded good. How many languages do you speak?"

"All of them," Aphrodite winked at me, still holding my hand as we walked through the restaurant. I was blasted with the scent of paprika and tomato sauce as we continued deeper into the restaurant. "It's one of my powers."

The waiter eventually led us out of the building and onto the terrace, where there was only one table, with Hestia, my mom, and Hades sitting around it. The waiter bowed out, and Aphrodite and I walked over to the table.

"Oh, my beautiful boy!" My mom stood up, rushing over to me and wrapping me in a hug. I laughed and returned the hug, squeezing her tightly. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Mom," I mumbled, tears forming in my eyes as she rocked us back and forth. Her scent was so comforting—I'm pretty sure she quit her job at the candy store but somehow, she still maintained that wonderful smell. I looked up and Hestia joined in the hug. "It's good to see everyone."

"The man, the myth, the legend," Hades called over from the table as we all took our seats. He didn't bother standing up or hugging me, but he threw up a lazy hand as a greeting.

"Uncle!" I settled in between my mom and Aphrodite. "It's good to see everyone!"

Hades laughed, "Percy. Glad to see you in one piece."

"What?" Both Hestia and my mom said as Aphrodite passed me some garlic bread.

"Oh, what, Poseidon didn't bother IMing you?" Hades said. "Dude was pissed. Percy took out a big bad, like, three hours ago."

"Oh…"

"Uh…"

"Why don't you tell us more about this big bad?" Hestia spoke up innocently. "I'm sure your mother and I would love some background."

"Well," I began, taking a drink of water. Aphrodite squeezed my hand under the table. "It kind of began when Dad told me to get some extra training…"

The dinner passed by way too quickly. It felt good to sort of let loose, and just relax with people I love. No monsters, no fighting, just relaxation, and some good pasta.

"Take a walk with me?" My mom asked toward the end of dinner. She gave the rest of our guests a tight smile. "I'm sorry, I just have a few things to discuss with my son."

"By all means, Sally. He's your kid," Hades joked from his seat, sipping a Shirley Temple. His eyes met mine. "We'll be here. We have some things to discuss, as well."

"Thank you," I followed my mom to the other side of the terrace. We both leaned against the railing, the city bustling underneath us. Again, I couldn't help but marvel at how far we'd come. If you told me, like a year ago, that my mom and I would be eating lunch at a place like this with goddamn Olympians, I don't even know how I would've reacted. Well- not in a good way, that's for sure.

"What's up, mom?" I said a moment later, eyeing her curiously. I'd have to be blind not to notice that she had some stuff on her mind.

"I put down a deposit at NYU," She spoke up a few moments later, playing with one of her rings. I noted, with a pleasant grin, that she seemed a lot less stressed than she had been when I saw her a few weeks ago. "I'm going to take a few classes in creative writing. I figured, now since we have a house, I could just focus a lot of my savings into getting an education."

"Mom, that's great!" I exclaimed, giving her another hug. A warm feeling bubbled up in my chest. "You're going to be the best writer around!"

"Thank you, son," My mom smiled kindly at me, but I still noticed some doubt in her eyes. "I, uh, I also saved some more money…I was hoping to put down a deposit for you at one of the schools in the area."

That threw me for a loop. "Mom, I don't think that's the best idea…"

"Why? Because you're in Atlantis now? Because you're dating a goddess? Because you're training?" My mother said with a bit of steel in her voice. "Honey, you and I both know that isn't how things work. You could do this if you really wanted to."

"Mom, I can't just throw all of this behind me and go back to school in the fall like every other kid," I argued, my hands gripping the railing tightly. "I've seen and done things that no other kid my age have done. I don't know how I'd ever be able to just go back to being normal."

"Percy, you're still a mortal," My mom reminded me sternly. Her voice broke a little. "We used to talk Percy. You used to tell me what was on your mind. Your friends, your bullies, your crushes—don't you see, Percy? We don't have that! You don't have that anymore!"

"Mom, what are you—"

"Who's your best friend, son?" My mom cut me off. "How many friends do you have? What do you do for fun? When was the last time you did something, I don't know, for the sake of it?"

"Uh, Annabeth is my best friend..."

"Percy," She deadpanned. "All you do with Annabeth is train and read. Tell me, what's her favorite color? Hopes and dreams? Middle name?"

Uh. "Piper?"

"After the laurel fiasco?" My mom sighed softly, placing a hand on mine. "Honey, I love you, but you're moving too fast. Growing too fast. You're losing your connections to the mortal world. I know you're under a lot of stress and scrutiny, but you need to keep some sort of relations to, well, mortal things. You're in a special position here, and leaning too strongly into the immortal side of things could ruin you."

I was silent, opting to rather watch the cars drive by. Every time I wanted to say something, I just ended up biting my tongue. I didn't want to drop the prophecy bomb on her, even if it would make her understand, and without that bit of information, everything she said was basically irrefutable. "You feel strongly about this."

"Son, you're everything to me," My mom said quietly. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so beyond proud of everything you've done, but I'm worried. I know you're a hero now, but you're still human. It's my job as your mother to look out for you, no matter how heroic you get, and I've been feeling this way for some time now. You need more human interaction. You can't…can't keep just training and fighting. You're a kid, damn it. You need to go to an amusement park, or play some video games, or swim or something!"

Oh boy. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "You really think so?"

"Percy, your only friends can't be immortal beings and your own mother," She joked. "You're not a Spartan, and you're not some tool of war, okay? Your greatest strength as a hero, your edge over every immortal and monster you fight is your humanity. If you were to lose that…"

"Okay, Mom, don't worry," I cut her off, flashing her a smile. "If this eases your mind…I'll do it."

"Really?" My mom smiled brightly. "You mean it?"

I didn't love it but, "Yeah! I understand what you mean. If this will help you be a little less worried, I'll do it."

The prophecy can wait, I decided when I saw the happy look form on my mom's face.

I can keep getting stronger and all, but if I still can't make my mom happy at the end of all of that, I'd be a pretty lame hero- definitely not the kind of hero I want to be, at that. What kind of hero can't save their own mom?

Okay. Cool. Train in the summer, go to school in the fall. Camp in the following summer. Simple enough. I can do this. I don't know how much longer I'll be around, but I'll be damned if I leave my mom feeling anything but happy.

[Original Author's Note]

AN: Hello! Pretty filler chapter here, just a bit more development on Triton, Percy, and Aphrodite's relationship, and a bit more of a look into how heroics affect Sally. All pretty basic stuff! Hope you guys liked it, though. Back to your regularly scheduled Atlantis content next week!

We're about 70% through the arc. There's going to be a major ending to it. The foreshadowing has kind of been there, so I wouldn't be too surprised if people started guessing it, but I doubt anyone will fully get it. Just know…it'll be big.

A little general note, though, I will be trying to update weekly or biweekly. I took a week or two off writing to enjoy the start of my vacation, but I'm back to my summer schedule. OG fans of the series know all about that.

Of course, onto my favorite part!

Lackollie: Hey! Thank you so much for your kind words, and I'm very glad that you're enjoying the story much more your second time around! Thank you for the catch, as well. I went back and fixed it- I don't know how I ever missed it.

Unlimited21: Thank you, and weekly! Just took a bit of a break…

IhaekLag: I agree! I tried to make all of the evolutions equally broken. I want to kick up Percy's power crawl a bit, so…

Korst: Not crack, but thanks for reading? I think?

Pokepercutopotter: *zips lips*

rock the second: Thank you! And nope, never dropping this story!

Rashio: You…are interesting, let's say. Definitely some takes I've never heard before. I'm going to be real, what you said about luck, honestly seems to me like a load of bs. Maybe it's just the way I've played games, but never have I ever booted up Fallout and dumped all of my points into LUK so. Also, good catch. In this story, loyalty is not Percy's fatal flaw, it's just what he thinks it is. Also, Kronos's thing is fair, but being able to manipulate time is broken and he can only use it to manipulate himself, so it isn't necessarily a red flag for anyone. It's almost like he's changing his own perception.

Delta: Welcome back, man! Who knows? Could be foreshadowing, could be a reference…

Guest: Well, if you ever decide to have a real criticism, or want to say it to my face, be my guest, but till then….

webzayne717: That's fair! I was just going for a fun little easter egg, but that's a pretty valid point. I'll keep that in mind moving forward.

HalfBloodDragonSlayer: Good points, thank you! I've been trying to make that divide pretty apparent, because it has to do with how this arc is ending, but trust me, he'll find his way back into the mortal world and make connections. Also, they'll touch on the Luke thing next chapter.

BigBird97: Thank you for your kind words and catches! I updated all of that stuff. And I'm glad you liked the changes.

TheFire44: Incredibly kind words. I'll keep pushing out chapters of the same quality, so rest assured.

Silverfox72: Hahaha! I didn't even mean for Triton to seem so suspicious, but a lot of people accused him of being the traitor. Who knows, though? Could be right, could be wrong…I'll relay what Dwight Schrute said: It's always the person you medium suspect.

bananamanv5: Love the enthusiasm, lmao. Thank you, though! Praise like that means a lot…also, big facts. I remember picking up Poseidon in smite just because of the PJO books.

Death Reaper Z: Of course! You might remember how I used to update when this story first came out…I'll be trying to stick to a similar schedule. Also, yes! Some long-awaited progress for those two…

The Super Saiyan Fox: Thank you! I was hoping someone would pick up and like that reference! Also- fire name.

That's all for this chapter, folks! Let me know what you thought, and I'll be seeing you guys next week! (or sooner :p)

-Maroon

[Patch Notes]

[01/22/25]: Edited Aphrodite's interactions with Percy.