Disclaimer: Don't own PJO or the Whiskered Warrior.

Lunar Phases

First Time

Valentine's Day.

The commercialized celebration of love, new and old, as observed by the modern world. A holiday unrecognized officially due to its origins as a feast in honor of the Christian martyr by the same name. Over time, however, the deities that govern over love and lust used (or abused depending on who was asked) their mortal connections to twist the masses' understanding of the day and its purpose to further fuel their domains.

"Not...exactly," the Monkey King said to them, a crooked smile still on his face. He snickered at their slacked jaws and mortal blood boiled.

"What does that even mean?" The blond took a step forward. "If you know anything about where she is-!"

"Careful, mortal." Wukong's smile remained, but a dark glimmer rested along the amusement in his eyes. "You overstep yourself. If I knew where she was exactly, I wouldn't be so eager to find her as you, now would I?"

He bristled, but quieted. The snarl in the back of his throat, the yearning for answers and the demands he wanted to shout quelled. His hands balled into fists at his side.

"Now then," Sun Wukong clapped his hands together, the dark intent vanished from his expression, and met his gaze. "As I said, she's not exactly alive, but she certainly isn't dead in the sense that we know it. I think I have an idea of what happened, but I can't be certain until provided with proof."

Naruto scowled and shared a look with his father. Clearly, Minato believed the Trickster God as much as he did, which frankly, wasn't all that much to begin with. They glared at Wukong, who shrugged it off.

"Ah, no need for that! Such scary glares you two make." He chuckled and rolled onto his back to peer at them while upside down. "I wouldn't worry about it, things like this happen from time to time."

"People don't just vanish into thin air!" He argued with a scowl.

"Really, Whiskers?" The scoffed accusation didn't sting so much as it did manage to bring his awareness back to his surroundings. Thalia had folded her arms and glowered at him. He'd have to apologize for his choice of words later.

"Well, to be fair, he is right from a certain point of view." Wukong conceded with a chuckle. He grinned at Naruto once more. "Take it from one trickster to another, kiddo. Nothing is true, and everything is fair."

"That smells like a fresh trail of scat." Naruto deadpanned. The Monkey King shrieked out a laugh and clapped his hands.

"Oh, watching you figure it out would be so fun! Gah, I wish I could stick around to do just that, but methinks you're about to get debriefed, and not in the 'fun' way." The Monkey King sighed and shook his head. His nimbus cloud rose him up into the sky and he waved down at them. "Good luck, Heroes of Afar! Oh, and Leto? Don't forget about that peach cobbler!"

Then, he was gone, just a faded gust of wind that disappeared into the winter night. No sooner had one King left, another arrived in his stead with a mighty show of lightning, only this one had his Queen in tow and both ruled over Olympus.

"Well, it would seem your quest was successful…" Zeus' words faded into muffled sounds as a snarl broke through the night sky. Red eyes the size of planets emerged in his view and the owner startled him awake with its words.

"Wake up, Boy! Stop dreaming of this nonsense!"

Blue eyes snapped open and immediately surveyed their surroundings. Bare ceiling and covered windows. Right. The apartment had been repaired all of a week ago, but was only reopened to them the night before. The investigating law enforcement advised Thalia to not leave so many electronics plugged in at once. To say she wasn't amused was an understatement, and all throughout dinner he had to play devil's advocate while also trying to quell her now infamous ire. Which was probably why they wound up bunked in the guest bedroom again.

Naruto made to rise and was halted by the weight draped across his chest.

We either need a bigger bed, or to sync our sleeping schedules, Naruto thought as he relaxed under Thalia and started to close his eyes again. He'd only just started to nuzzle her head when a growl echoed in his ears.

I swear on The Sage's name, if you go back to sleep I will ensure you dream of your stupid uncle's 'sex talk', The Fox intruded on Naruto's plans to return to sleep. Like, ever. He was going to commit to life as an insomniac now. His grousing thoughts were heard by the spirit animal, and it scoffed. I wish you could be so lucky. This is the last time I act as an alarm for you, Boy.

More surprised that you agreed to help. Naruto returned. He carefully slipped out from Thalia's embrace and soothed her disgruntled features with a gentle stroke of her 'sleep spots'. Confident his girlfriend wasn't due to awake for another - a quick glance at the clock showed it was a quarter until four - five hours at least, he grabbed some light pants for a jog and set out for the kitchen. What did I offer you?

The still beating heart of the next idiot to make an attempt on your mate's life.

Naruto paused mid reach into the cupboard where his 'prescription' was. Would he really offer that? ...Maybe. It depended on how annoyed he was. But for as something as small as a wake up?

What did I really offer you?

The Fox clicked its tongue in annoyance. As Naruto gulped down his medication, it gave its answer in a near 'whisper'.

You offered to sneak a few extra bowls of Ramen into your diet.

That sounds more appropriate. Naruto chuckled at the annoyed growl that followed his small jab before their connection 'cut'. He wondered if The Fox would give him an answer as to why it took the simple arrangement? Probably not, given how moody it was on a 'good' day. Confused but grateful to his forced companion's aide in starting his day, he made for the door to pull his shoes on. Mid-stride, he spotted the reason why he wanted to be up early, a date on the calendar that hadn't yet been crossed off.

February 14th.

"Valentine's Day." Naruto mumbled, brow furrowed. Out of habit, his lip curled, but he caught himself before the building growl could slip out of his throat.

On one hand, it was the very day that his mother (and he, to an extent) absolutely detested. Corporations would saturate the country with fallacies about 'love' and 'romance' that would cause drama where it wasn't wanted, let alone needed. During his schoolboy days in Pennsylvania, he reluctantly participated in the rituals of the popular candy exchange and note giving that most schools forced upon the attending children. He would admit that some of the candy was passable and that the notes from his then associates were amusing, if cliché. Otherwise, as Zoë put it: "it's a waste of a day that focuses too much time on satisfying one particular goddess' domain."..He missed Zoë's blunt summations. They were funny.

On the other hand, that was all of Naruto's experience with the holiday before he was in a relationship. It wasn't a position he'd thought himself to ever be in, but here he was. And as far as he knew Thalia never really saw fit to celebrate the day either, outside of educational obligations (like himself). Would she want to celebrate the holiday now that they were together? Would he?

Ugh, it was too much to worry about at four in the morning. He needed to clear his head with a run and then worry about it later. With a shake of his head, Naruto pulled his sneakers on, grabbed his jacket, and stepped out.

Very few times was there ever a rational reason for Aphrodite and Artemis to meet. There were times when they came together to stand against one of the meatheads' (Ares or Apollo, it depended on the circumstances) plans for mortals. One notable example was in the midst of one of the Post-Pact Council Meetings (gatherings that occurred roughly between the late Thirties and early Fifties of the twentieth century), where Apollo tried to convince Zeus (and the rest of the council, but mostly Zeus) what the true purpose of the 'casting couch' was. Artemis was offended by the prospect on principle (especially after Apollo was forced to explain the importance of the item's alliteration) and Aphrodite was affronted that her mutual on/off side-piece would try to encroach on one of her domains. It was quite the debacle, but low and behold, the united front of Artemis and Aphrodite made Zeus see logic past his lust, and rule against Apollo's suggestion. That's not to say it stopped, per say, but it wasn't as regular an occurrence to make it more than a rumor turned cultural cliché.

Today, however, there was a grander reason for such a gathering. A treaty of 'peace' so to speak. Hence, why Athena was present as chronicler, mediator and (if needed) enforcer. That's why they sat at an actual table, parchments, papers and other practical implements of recording agreements stacked neatly beside them. The typical agreements have already been made – Aphrodite wouldn't send any suitors after Artemis or her Hunters and Artemis wouldn't take pot shots at any cherub depictions of Cupid nor would she unleash her hunting animals on any parties or dances where children of Aphrodite might be (it was only one time in the mid 80s, but even Athena thought it was still one time too many, regardless of whether Aphrodite deserved it or not). Now, they were coming to the more acute details of the day's arrangement.

"..And you agree to leave alone any couple you and your girls may stumble across in your prancing across state lines?" Aphrodite, dressed miraculously in a modest suit with a pencil skirt, asked as she read over one of the more documents.

"Provided it is a mutual thing, yes." Artemis grumbled, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Aphrodite. A recent development that Athena noticed was her increased hostility towards The Lady of Doves. Terrible timing to do such a thing, in the midst of combat with the Titans, but given Apollo's own sour mood lately, Athena attributed it to another 'casual' hook-up between the two being learned of. Aphrodite, who hardly cared about the negativity aimed at her by the lunar-aligned Letoide, nodded and set her copy of paper down. The next one she held up and hummed at.

"'Report all sightings of Eros to the Council'? Well, I mean, doesn't that go without saying?"

"Your child is untrustworthy and you are biased." Artemis glowered. The Goddess of Love arched a delicate brow, but didn't make any effort to deny the accusation. Athena made a soft note of that for a later date. Instead, Aphrodite straightened her faux glasses and grabbed the next piece of paper. Painted lips pursed together as she scanned the terms. The paper was slammed down and Aphrodite's eyes sifted through a variety of colors attributed with anger. Not all of them were red.

"Artemis, what is the meaning of this?" She demanded, her voice not raised, but venom teased along her words. Athena glanced at the page number and sought through her perfect memory of its contents. Ah, yes. Mandated Request No. 8462548-AL; Alpha. This request was precisely why Athena made herself present for the annual Valentine's Day Arrangement between these heated rivals rather than just send a portion of her essence to supervise.

"You can read, I presume." Artemis sniped back. Twin orbs of lunar luminescence stared into the multicolored mania that emitted from Aphrodite's gaze, and didn't flinch.

"It's—This is being unreasonable!" Aphrodite protested.

"I will scrap this arrangement and return to that of darker times if you don't agree." Artemis growled. Athena gave her a sidelong silent glare of warning, cool steel rebuffed murderous moonlight. The Huntress huffed and folded her arms over her chest. Content she was placated for the time being, the Goddess of Wisdom looked back at the Goddess of Love.

"There is only one couple specified, Aphrodite." Athena pointed out. Yes, it was a heavily biased request, but for things to erupt as it had made Athena wonder why. She'd left it in because, logically, she saw no reason not to, and to satisfy her curiosity over why Artemis would request it now. The Goddess of Wisdom was rather certain Aphrodite would not take it well, but to become so angry by just reading it once?

"It is not 'One Couple', Athena!" Aphrodite glared at Artemis as her previously pristine hair started to turn into a wild mess of tangled locks. Her nails, sharp as knives, dug into her palms as her hands curled into tight fists. "It is The Couple! My magnum opus for the millennium!"

"I was under the impression that you saved such claims for your own offspring," Athena said as she folded her hands in front of her. She gestured at the goddess. "As the agreement allows, you may explain why this proposal is unfair."

"Half of the couple specified is a pure-blooded mortal." Aphrodite pointedly stabbed a finger into the paper with the last three syllables.

Not for the first time during such a meeting, but definitely for the first for this meeting, Artemis' fist cracked the table's surface as it slammed down. Normally, Athena would remind her to keep her temper, but she could see and feel from the light radiating off of the Moon Goddess that this was her keeping her temper in check. It was a miracle her bow hadn't been drawn yet.

"He. Is. My. Son."

"Adopted." Aphrodite hissed and Artemis bristled. An immaculate, ichor-stained nail pointed at The Huntress. "You claimed him by word alone, and I had thought because of this there was hope for you! But no! You reverted back to familiar ways once he started to come of age, and kicked him out!"

"Once you and your ilk started to poison him, you mean!" Artemis snapped back. She bared her teeth like they were fangs and her moonlit eyes glinted with murderous intent. "You waited until my guard was down, until I thought him safe, and then struck like the vile viper you are!"

"I have never done such a thing! The fact that you make such baseless accusations-!"

"Oh, so those taunts and teases aimed at Zeus' half-blood were just acts of boredom?!"

"The both of you need to calm down." Athena ordered, standing as soon as they did. She glared from one party to the next. "I will get Zeus involved and we all know how he will rule on the matter."

Aphrodite scowled at her and Artemis almost snarled. Both had their own reasons for such a reaction to her threat. The former had misbehaved once at the turn of the twentieth century and Zeus, still heated from insults he'd suffered during The Great War, had taken control of her domain for one day. The Valentine's Day Massacre would never have been had it not been for Aphrodite's punishment that year. The latter's less than stellar opinion of their King was pretty well known at this point. Olympus was torn on the subject, but unsurprisingly, of the loyal subjects, those who were not afraid of Zeus' temper were afraid of Artemis'. Were The Huntress to cut ties with Olympus, Athena would dare to guess that most of the denizens would follow her.

"He needn't be consulted, as he would see my side of the argument." Aphrodite harrumphed. She poked at the paper containing the clause she so clearly despised. "That little hunk of yours–"

"Do. Not." Artemis growled again.

"I can't help myself. He's a snack, Artemis. If I were a lesser goddess, I would eat him up." Aphrodite smirked and Artemis slammed her palms onto the table to rise once more. Athena was going to insist she replace the table at this point.

"Sit." Instead, she gave the Huntress a pointed stare. A betrayed scowl on her face, Artemis listened after a moment. Athena looked back at Aphrodite. "Get to the point without riling her up."

"The point, Artemis, is that your baby boy is a mortal in the purest sense of the term." Aphrodite reiterated. She smiled. "And as I said, if I were a lesser goddess, I would make a move. I am not. I am the Goddess of Love. Your boy will finally have the wonderful Valentine's Day he deserves."

"Whatever enchantments you placed on Thalia Grace to bewitch him–!"

"That's the thing, Artemis!" Aphrodite interjected with a giggle. She clapped her hands together and sighed happily. "I barely had to do anything! Oh, they're both so stubborn, but clearly made for one another! Thalia Grace has him wrapped around her finger and he's got her wrapped around him in the way that matters. Their romance easily surpasses The Almighty Triangle–"

"The what?" Athena asked. She knew the second the question left her mouth, she would regret it. Aphrodite grinned at her.

"Your favorite and Poseidon's and that funny little clear-sighted red-head! They're adorable, but need work. Your daughter especially, but my daughter is helping with that."

"...I'm going to pretend you didn't just imply that you're planning to put my child with that Whaling Idiot's spawn." Athena drawled. She shook the thought. "Besides, Artemis' request is to leave her adopted champion–"

"Son." Artemis corrected her sharply. Athena gave her a brief stare before conceding with sigh. She didn't need to win that argument, not now anyway.

"Artemis' request to leave her son alone is paired with Zeus' one order for you this year." Athena pulled the edict from her pile and willed it to land in front of Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love read the small note and scowled.

"Oh, well, he's no fun."

"There is a war on, he doesn't have the time to have fun right now." Athena reminded. The Huntress scoffed and crossed her arms.

"What did our glorious King ask for this time? Another sow to spoil?"

"Mind your words, Artemis." Athena warned the goddess, and got a scowl in turn. She was not here to be a sister. She was here as an extension of Zeus' trusted council, an overseer that can remain detached and unbiased. She took the small edict back from Aphrodite's pile and folded it up. "If you must know, he will take any further interruption to Thalia Grace's 'Love' life as an act of Eros and act accordingly in response."

"...What does that mean?" Artemis frowned.

"The involved parties would likely find themselves hung from the clouds above Olympus." Aphrodite sighed and threw her hands up. "Fine. FINE! I won't bother Nalia this Valentine's Day. Happy?"

"...What is 'Nalia'?" Artemis asked, her nose scrunched in confusion.

"Typical." Aphrodite rolled her eyes and started to fix her outfit. "It's the ship name."

"What ship are you talking about–?"

"I believe she is referring to the relationship between Thalia Grace and your son," Athena clarified. Artemis audibly gagged and Athena rolled her eyes. "Do try to act your age, Artemis."

"The second she," Artemis nodded at her rival. "Can stop being so provocative and loose, I would endeavor to."

"Immature and childish, unsurprising." Aphrodite harrumphed once she fixed her hair. "Fine, the stud and his vixen are to be left to their own devices. I do hope you're ready to be a grandmother, Artemis."

"Aphrodite, don't antagonize her." Athena warned when she noticed a lack of retort. A quick look showed her Artemis' cold glare returned. A quiet Artemis was a dangerous Artemis, for it meant she was planning a kill shot. "Is there anything else?" Merciful silence on both ends. Athena resisted the urge to let out a sigh. "Then I believe this annual accord is complete. We may all adjourn to our regular duties."

"Well since my plans for the day are ruined, I might as well seek out the stud's daddy."

One could hear Hermes' attempting to sneak into a bank vault in Switzerland from the silence that permeated the air. Athena heard a chair scrape along the floor and this time did sigh as the crack of wood signaled permanent damage to her table had been made.

"Let us be clear on one thing, you seafoam-brained whore." Artemis' voice was soft and cold, but it carried the weight of a celestial body with it. "That...Man...is a walking corpse. He just doesn't even know it, yet."

"Tsk, of course you would want to see him dead. Why not let me deal with him for you? I'll owe you one." Aphrodite offered with a smile. Artemis' nostrils flared and the ground beneath her feet cracked. Athena was definitely going to make her fix that. By hand, if need be.

"Minato Namikaze is an enemy, Aphrodite! Do not sleep with The Enemy!"

Minato Namikaze? That's a name Athena had heard before. Where, though? It rang around in her head for all of a second before she placed it. A recent paper on ancient civilization warfare that had piqued her interest was published under that name. The author had analyzed and picked apart the decline of the samurai lifestyle, and suggested ways that it could have persevered if not improved the way war was conducted today. Off paper, it sounded like something Apollo would pitch as a terrible film franchise, but the way it was written had positively enraptured the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare. It was as if it had been written by a former soldier or leader, given the details of combat and potential politics that could be influenced.

"Who is Minato Namikaze?" Athena asked, looking between the two.

"A dead man!" Artemis snapped. She would have started to rant if not for the sudden scarf that wound itself several times around her face.

"It's her baby's bio-daddy." Aphrodite interjected with a titter as she sauntered over and leaned against Athena, who sighed tiredly at the goddess' antics. "You'd probably like him. He's smexy~."

"Do I even want to know–?"

"Smart and sexy, wrapped up in a bundle of fine." Aphrodite elaborated with another bell-like giggle. Athena stared at her, all while her mind raced through possibilities. Clearly, she took too long to respond because Aphrodite sighed and stretched. "Well, I should go loosen up before I hunt that mortal down and rock his world."

"Pah! Aphrodite, don't you dare!" Artemis snarled once she finally pulled the scarf from her face. The Goddess of Love scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Oh, what now, Artemis? He's a mortal! He's your baby's daddy–"

"Stop calling him that!"

"Well, if you don't want him, why can't I have him? I'm sure Naruto would love a little sister! Ooh, he'd probably be super sweet as a big brother…"

"Already going back on the arrangement, are you?" Athena asked. Aphrodite scowled at her.

"You're a killjoy." She huffed and crossed her arms under a now generous bosom. "Artemis, give me one reason as to why I cannot bed him?"

"Because he's not even from this universe!" Artemis snapped, her face slightly golden from rage.

"...What." Athena and Aphrodite stared at the Huntress. The implications of her words struck Athena and she realized that perhaps she'd maybe overlooked something when her daughter reported the boy's victory over the Manticore. She'd waved it off as a fluke and further attributed that victory to the influence of others when the Colorado Incident occurred. That meant she needed to investigate.

"Elaborate." Athena demanded, giving The Huntress her full attention.

"Supposedly, he and Naruto's birth mother come from another reality or dimension or something along those lines. I don't know, I was only partially listening." Artemis admitted as she crossed her arms. Unfortunate, but it made sense. Artemis didn't care about much unless it pertained to something that threatened her Hunters, her Twin, her cham-Son, or her domains. The Huntress waved one hand dismissively. "He thinks his quilt piece fell apart or something and it was sewn into ours…"

"He's a multiversal lifeform?" Athena breathed, the Upper Air flew from her as if she'd been a mortal that had gotten struck in the solar plexus. Wait, if the father and mother were–Athena grabbed Artemis' shoulders. "Your champion–"

"Son!"

"Is a multiversal lifeform?! Does Zeus know?"

"Do not call Naruto that." Artemis growled as she shrugged Athena's hands off. "And yes. The King knows."

"What are his strengths? Weaknesses? Diet? Weight? Does he need air to breathe? Does his soul look like that of other mortals–?"

"I do not know, nor do I care." Artemis spat. The sheer audacity...This was a scientific improbability of the highest standard! This was alien life being discussed and The Huntress was indifferent?! Athena could hardly believe Artemis wasn't even the slightest bit curious.

"Wait a moment," Aphrodite said, drawing their attention. A salacious smile was on her face. "He's a man not of this world, hm? Is that why you don't want me to touch him before you? Are you feeling...funny whenever you think of him?"

"The only thing I feel whenever I think of That Man is the urge to plunge an arrow into his skull." Artemis deadpanned.

"...Sure you do."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing…" Aphrodite giggled in that strange way she did sometimes. "So, you're Hunting him, hm? What's he been up to?"

Finally, a reasonable question from the Goddess of Love.

"...I don't like the way you phrased that." Artemis scowled and crossed her arms. "But if you must know, yes. I am Hunting him. He was last seen at Storm King Mountain...And were it not for Mother's interference at the start of the month, I would have his head by now."

"Oh, I'll bet you want it…" Aphrodite grinned.

"Yes. I want to mount his head among my other conquests." Artemis arched her brow when Aphrodite started laughing. "Are you partaking in any of Apollo's recreational substances?"

Athena decided against clearing up Artemis' confusion. It would only start another fight and that would make it much harder for her to slip away to find this otherworldly interloper. The Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare found something new to learn about, and that didn't happen often.

Again, as was the (frustratingly) increasing case every other week, Whiskers woke up without going through her favorite ritual. Don't ask Thalia why, but his nuzzles were addicting and the pre-day makeout session ranked up there with the mid-shower makeout session in her book. Granted, her experience with the former far outnumbered the instances where they partook in the latter, but that wasn't the point. Anyway, Whiskers made up for the lack of a good wakeup by making her a delicious bacon and egg sandwich. However, she couldn't even enjoy it because after the plate was set in front of her, he disappeared into the bathroom to shower, but not before kissing her cheek.

So yeah, Thalia was left alone in the kitchen with just her delicious breakfast and the strong woodsy scent of 'post-run' Whiskers centered at her cheek. The boy was either oblivious, an idiot, or an evil mastermind with how he pitted her Almighty Libido and her stomach against one another. Luckily for him, her stomach won out, and she finished by the time he was done in the bathroom. As she showered, he cleaned up the kitchen from his meal-making. It was as she was getting dressed for the day, Whiskers dropped the bomb on her.

"Today is Valentine's Day." Whiskers informed her from where he leaned against the doorframe. Thalia almost, almost, went with the initial offer to stop getting dressed. She was pretty sure that was a suggestion from Aphrodite, and the fact that it wasn't the worst idea she could have was a little scary.

"Okay, and?" Is the brilliant prompt Thalia went with instead. Immediately, immediately, she knew that was the wrong thing to say. Gods, why couldn't her brain work when it mattered? She knew how Whiskers would take that.

"...I just thought you'd want to know?" Annnd yep. That was a confused and hurt Whiskers slinking away. Hoover Dam it, Thalia needed to trade her brain in for one that worked.

"No, Whiskers, wait!" Thalia pulled her band shirt on and caught him before they left the hall. "Hey, no, I'm sorry. That was a real dick thing to say."

"Real d–? Whatever. It's fine, Tree Girl." Whiskers smiled at her. She smiled back and pulled him down for a quick kiss. Really, it was quick. Like, two milliseconds passed. Thalia kind of wanted more, but they parted at two beats, and Whiskers did that forehead-to-forehead thing she secretly loved. So, yeah, they stood in the hall, heads pressed together, before Whiskers broke the silence again. "Did you...Is there anything you want to do today?"

"I mean, it's just another Saturday, right?" Thalia asked, regrettably pulling away from the partial-nuzzle. Whiskers arched a brow and she pursed her lips. Did he want to celebrate the holiday? For the first time? With her? Because if yes, that is the sweetest dumb thing he's ever done, and the fact that such a thought made her heart melt while thinking about it was mildly upsetting in the most confusing way. Thankfully, rather than dwell on that, she realized he was still waiting for a response. "Or ...we could go out and buy each other candy that's overpriced and tastes disgusting. Maybe some flowers that'll wilt in two weeks. ...Throw darts at some Cupid decorations?"

"That last one is tempting." Whiskers hummed. He shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know how to celebrate today. I don't...Do you celebrate?"

Oh gods, he did want to celebrate it with her. Alright, this is important Thalia: do not melt. Do not melt. Do. Not. Melt. ...Okay, good, her body was still solid. That's a plus. Now, how to hide the very foreign (but welcome) feelings of the L-word and adoration she felt swelling inside her?

Got it. Thalia grinned up at him. "Do you want to be my Valentine?"

"Y...Don't make this a thing." Whiskers sighed and dipped his head down. She could see the crests of his ears darken and his namesake was joining them!

I knew I won the dating game. Thalia thought triumphantly as she smirked at him. "You gotta say it back. Pretty sure it's the rules."

"I have to?"

"Yep. Otherwise someone else could." She egged on and without missing a beat, the hallway filled with a deep, guttural sound. Thalia carefully hid her reaction to that, something she'd been working on while they were holed up in the Hilton. He absolutely cannot learn what that does to me. "Well?"

"Yes, gods." Whiskers huffed. Gods, her boyfriend could be cute. "Thalia, will you be...will you be my Valentine?"

"...Lemme th–Yeah. Yes." Thalia grinned as he scowled at her. She pulled him down and kissed him again. This time, she broke it before he could register how deep it was meant to be. "You should see the look on your face."

"You are so mean, Tree Girl." Whiskers huffed, but still pulled her into a tight hug.

"You love me." She muttered into the Grimace shirt she got him last week. Thalia was so happy he was broadening his wardrobe, but at the same time, they were at home and she liked his body. His chuckle reverberated through his chest.

"Someone has to."

"Jerk." Thalia snorted and pulled him with her into the living room, the beginnings of plans on how to spend the day started to filter through her head. One stray thought focused on the fact that they were back in her living room. She'd missed her living room, even the stupid giant windows that had the worst view imaginable.

A quick glance at the windows in question, and–Those need to be covered ASAP. What kind of psychopath lived so high up without any shades or curtains over the nine-foot tall windows?! What if she lost control of her static and Whiskers was launched out like she did to his dad? Whiskers was durable, sure, but not 'fifty-thousand feet to the ground in two seconds' durable! Worse yet, what if she fell? She'd be a street smear in a second!

"Tree Girl? Hey, look at me, Thalia." Warm calloused hands cupped her face and Whiskers' blue eyes stared into hers. His thumb rubbed along her cheek and his smile came into focus. Aimed at her. Her heart needed to settle down. "Better?"

"Mm-ye." What was that? Did that come from Thalia's mouth? That wasn't even a word. Focus, brain–Not on the stupid psychopath windows! Whiskers, focus on Whiskers! He's here, right in front of us! Cute face, pretty eyes, nice smile. Focus on that!

"Thalia? You there?" Whoops, too much berating the brain. Focus, Thalia. Whiskers' hands cradled her head and his thumbs stroked over her dumb freckled cheeks. "Let's go do something today, yeah? Get out of the apartment?"

"Y-yeah." Out, yes. Thalia wanted out of the death trap. Great idea. Why did she miss this place again? Right, possessive personality traits from living on the streets – what? Chiron explained that sort of thing to her before she stopped going to Camp because Whiskers was banned from Camp. She felt her eye twitch but quickly fought back the usual ire that accompanied it. And then she was ruminating over her stupid father's dumb ruling.

By the time she'd realized she was outside, Whiskers had helped her pull her jacket on and led her out onto Fifth Avenue. The sidewalk was bustling with activity, other mortals hurrying from one place to the next, kids near their age grouped up and lost in their own world. Whiskers arm was over her shoulders, hugged her tight into his side and he was telling her about his morning jog.

"So, then some bozo shot around the corner wearing a Red Ranger costume–You back?" he asked. She realized he was looking at her and nodded. Shame filled her, she shouldn't have lost her cool like that. She lived in that apartment for basically a year, why was it bothering her now?

Ugh, and now she was annoyed and frustrated and–

Oh, hello Whiskers' lips, is that a peck for me? Thalia hummed and felt tension fall out of her shoulders. What was her problem again? She forgot.

"Better?" Whiskers asked once the kiss broke.

"Yeah." Thalia smiled up at him. "Thanks, Whiskers."

"My pleasure, Tree Girl." He smiled back at her and she snorted, before resting her head back against his shoulder. He was such a sap, but he was her sap. "So, we're out of the apartment. Want to tell me what that was about?"

"Acrophobia acted up."

"...Wanna go buy curtains?" Whiskers offered. He was being sincere, she knew it, and it was sweet, but wow. Wow! That had to be the most inappropriate thing for someone their age to suggest. So inappropriate that it swung around outrageously stupid to just being funny. He arched his brow when she laughed. "That's a no, then?"

"Y-yeah. It's a no. Sorry. Th-That has got to be the dumbest thing we could do on Valentine's Day." Thalia snickered. Huh, maybe Thalia was a bit sleep deprived or something. A soft huff warmed her head and she wrapped her arm around his side. "No, sorry, it's just–You sounded so old."

"Wait, you didn't know? Curtains are the new 'thing' mortals are into. I was trying to help you stay in touch so you don't look dumb in public." Whiskers snarked. That earned him a pinch on the side. "Hey, don't hurt me for being helpful."

"Shut up, Whiskers." Thalia snorted out before shivering. Gods, why was February so cold? She closed her eyes and reached out to the frigid breeze that was washing over her and focused. A second later and Whiskers started to sniff. She flinched away when he sneezed. "Gross, cover your mouth next time?"

"It's not a disease," he said, using his other hand to pull his shirt up and cover his mouth. Thalia glanced down – oh, so he was wearing his shirt. Smart, he wore layers. Thalia should've worn more layers. "Bring the breeze back, Tree Girl, there's a body decomposing somewhere nearby."

"But it's cold." Thalia pouted up at him.

"Alright, then let's find somewhere warm to hang out. Just–" Whiskers sighed and rubbed his face. "Seriously, it's like three days old at least. Can we not?"

"Okay, okay, sorry mister sensitive." So much for that plan to warm up. Thalia wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against her boyfriend. Sure, his body heat didn't protect her from the winter air they walked into, but it was still heat she could steal.

"Thank you." He sighed. Another sharp sniff followed. "Alley cat. Old age."

"Aw, that's a bummer. Don't bum me out, Whiskers." She didn't want to think about some poor kitty without a home. That just made her heart hurt. Thinking about stray cats reminded her of that Disney movie and the sick kitten she found that That Woman wouldn't let her have. That was followed by the poor alleycat that surprised her while she was on the road with Whiskers, Annie and Lu— and she really needed to stop thinking about alleycats. "Did you ever have any pets?"

"...In the traditional sense? No." Whiskers looked at her with a raised brow. "What brought that up?"

"Trying not to think about dead cats right now." Hm, there had to be a better way she could say that.

"Okay." Whiskers clearly agreed with her self-assessment. "Well, I didn't have 'pets', but I did get to play with Mom's wolves. And the pups. I grew up with a few."

"How old are the wolves when–Wait, no. I don't want to know, ...but I do?" Thalia frowned. She didn't want to be bummed out! Ugh, why was she hyper fixating on dead animals?

"Pretty sure Mom decides when they have to 'go'," Whiskers shrugged. "Unless they get killed on a hunt. That's what happened to Akela."

"Akela?"

"The alpha of the pack before Lycaon attacked and killed her." Whiskers' voice took on a growl as he voiced the memory. He closed his eyes and huffed. "I miss her."

"How long did you know her?"

"We met when I was like, four, and she was a few months old. Her litter and I were...are close." Whiskers muttered. A small smile grew on his face. "And I helped her bring the next one in. She trusted me to be there."

"Is that a big deal?" Thalia asked.

"For canines? Yeah. The fathers and other pack members aren't welcome in the event they kill the pups." Whiskers flipped his free hand around. "Mom's got, like, the equivalent of eight packs in Colorado, and of the eight Alphas that had litters, three made it full term, and two passed during the birthing. It's not normal for wolves of mixed packs to behave like that, but I mean, Mom probably influences it."

"God stuff?"

"God stuff." He nodded. Thalia mulled this over before something he said came back.

"...Wait, hold on. Does Artemis have baby pictures of you?" Thalia asked. Looking back, Whiskers was a different kind of cute before he hit his growth spurt. She was curious if that resonated with the rest of his life. Whiskers stared at her and then threw a thumb over his shoulder.

"So, anyway, that three-day old dead cat probably died from wounds or an infection–"

"Whiskers, no! Come on!" Thalia shoved him. "Does your mom have baby pictures?"

"Do you think she'll share them with you anytime soon?" He asked in turn. A fair point. Bumm–Wait, no! There was a loophole!

"Lady Leto might have some copies." She smirked. Whiskers stared at her again. He took a deep breath and then looked up.

"Helios, Selene, Cthulhu, Primus...Please let that not be the case." He mumbled. Ha! They totally had a baby album. She'd have to get it out of Leto. And if not her, then from Apollo. Artemis was the last one she was going to ask, mostly due to it being a safety concern.

"She does, doesn't she?"

"I will lead you to the dead cat if you do not drop this." Whiskers deadpanned. Thalia scowled at him.

"What's so wrong–?"

"I don't get any baby pictures of you. That's not fair."

"...That's a blessing." Thalia grumbled. To her knowledge, most of her childhood photos were either with That Woman or Jason. The last one she remembered seeing was of her holding Jason under his arms, smiling like an idiot at the camera. And Jason was drooling. It was just before he tried to eat a stapler.

"I'll bet actual money that 'Little Lia' was an adorable menace." Whiskers smirked. Thalia glared at him.

"Well, unfortunately, that's one bet you won't win, because there's no evidence."

"Shame. Oh well, I'll just have to make do with my imagination about Little Lia." Whiskers hummed before he pursed his lips and scrunched his brow together. "That didn't come out right."

She chuckled at him, amused by his self-awareness and gleeful she'd gotten him to drop the issue. That didn't mean she would; those pictures were going to be found and copies were going to be made. They passed a bus stop that had a poster slapped on it that made Thalia come to a full stop.

"No way."

"What?" Whiskers asked, turning with her to follow her gaze. He huffed, unimpressed. "Huh, a remake? That's exactly what was needed after the last one."

"Let's go see it." Thalia grinned at him. He screwed his face up in thought again and she bumped against him. "C'mon, Whiskers. It'll be warm, we could get fresh popcorn, and no one else will be in the theater to see that. It's a horror movie. Who sees a horror movie on Valentine's Day?"

"Aside from us?"

"Exactly."

Not even a half-hour later, Thalia was eating her words. She had Whisker's arm over her shoulder again, but this time she was helping him walk, rather than he was keeping her warm. Turns out, horror movies tend to attract horny teens like blood does sharks. Bad horror movies? Oh, it's like someone dumped a fresh pile of bodies into the ocean.

Within the first fifteen minutes, there was a chorus of shrieks. Normally, Thalia would tune that out, but when those shrieks made her boyfriend flinch more than whatever over-the-top death on the screen did, she got...agitated. More than one person suffered residual static shocks as her irritation grew. It got to the point that she had to pull him out of his seat and out of the theater.

"How're your ears?" she asked, keeping her voice soft, as they walked back out into the frigid February air. It'd be a little more bearable if the sun was out, but with Zeus being as moody as he was - likely due to the war and intrusion of other pantheons - there was a thick overcast.

"Still ringing, but not deafeningly." Whiskers rested his head atop hers and let out a very soft si–nope, that was a whine. Whelp, it's official, if Thalia ever found out the address belonging to that wannabe Scream Queen that shouted "O-M-G, it's SAM!" at the somewhat pretty guy that showed up on the big screen, she was going to take away her license to life. ...Or at the very least, her ability to deafen people.

"So, a little better?"

He let out a noncommittal hum. Thalia pulled his arm further around her neck and melded into his side. Sure it added a bit more weight, since Whiskers was essentially as stable as a blacked out drunk. Quite the inverse of his usual gait.

"Sorry about the movie." Whiskers half-mumbled once they got to the corner. Thalia snorted as she led him to a bus stop and helped him sit beside her on it.

"Don't apologize for being deafened, Whiskers. If anything, we just saved ourselves an extra hour of our lives from being wasted."

"At least the first twenty minutes were good." Whiskers leaned back and groaned. "From what I saw anyway."

"Eh, you didn't miss much." Thalia leaned on him. "I liked the first batch of characters better."

"What, you weren't interested in 'O-M-G Stan?'" Whiskers huffed around a wince. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"First of all, the name that the harpie squealed was "Sam"," she clarified. Whiskers shrugged, clearly he didn't care and Thalia didn't much either. She doubted that was the actor's name anyway. "Second, he looks like he's always squinting. Dude has small eyes."

"But everything else was fine?"

"Meh, six out of ten." Thalia shrugged. Yeah, the guy was attractive, but she had seen Minato, Apollo and Whiskers' faces before. The last one in particular was hard to top, considering it was her boyfriend. Speaking of, he looked confused. "What?"

"It's…Mm, dunno. Something felt ..weird. After what you said, I mean." Thalia had no idea what that meant. She waited for him to elaborate. Rather than do that, he shook his head. "S'not important. We could look for another theater and try again?"

"Pass." The initial adrenaline rush she'd gotten from the film's opening was gone and now she'd known the beats of what to expect. Thalia sighed and tilted her head up to look at her boyfriend. She really liked thinking that. "Was there anything you wanted to do today?"

"..Not particularly." He admitted with a sigh. His free arm reached up and he played with his ear for a second. Whiskers sighed and let his hand drop. "Thank the gods, the ringing finally stopped."

"Your imaginary friend finally fixed it?"

"Yes." Whiskers chuckled and smiled down at her. "Sorry our first Valentine's Day blows."

"It doesn't blow." Thalia refuted, a bit contrite. Sure, the movie date sort of backfired, but things could always be worse. She pulled down his arm around her and smirked as she leaned on him. "Maybe the movie venture could've gone better, but at least there's no monsters."

"Don't jinx it." Whiskers groaned. She gave him the most mature response she could muster at such an accusation, and stuck her tongue out at him. Her eyes crossed when he pinched it, and she glared at his flat stare. "Do that again and I will keep it."

"Pwomish?" Hm, that didn't sound as confident and cool as she would have liked. Whiskers' stern facade broke as he snickered at the lisp he had forced upon her. Not one to be made a fool of, she retaliated with a series of sharp pokes into his upper ribs — which to others might be called a 'tickle attack' — and his snicker turned into a high-pitched giggle. Consequently, he released her tongue as he flinched away. Embarrassed by the reaction he let off, Whiskers scowled at her.

"Cheater." He accused with narrowed eyes. Thalia smirked back at him before she hooked his shirt and pulled him back for a kiss. Lips melded, Whiskers' chest rumbled pleasantly, Thalia felt all sorts of warmth within her start to block out the cold. The realization that they were making out at a bus stop sank in and Thallia pulled away. She grinned around the heavy breaths she let out while Whiskers stared at her, confused kitten face in full effect.

"I win."

"It wasn't–Sure, whatever." Ah, the rolling eyes of a sore loser. Thalia smirked at Whiskers while he looked away. He seemed to find something and sat up straight in his seat. "I found something we could do."

"What?" Thalia asked. In lieu of answering verbally, Whiskers pointed at a small business nearby. The neon sign was not quite obvious while off, but clear to make out. If one didn't have dyslexia. She scowled at him. "Whiskers, don't make me read."

"You ha–Never mind. C'mon, Tree Girl." Whiskers rose to his feet and pulled her with him. She didn't protest much, but made it clear she wasn't interested in being surprised. They crossed the street in record time and Whiskers put his hand on the door. "You'll love this, trust me."

A deluge of hard rock replaced the bustling soundtrack of New York, underlined by a series of loud buzzing. Pierced individuals looked up, some guy at the counter greeted them with a wave and the typical 'How can I help you' spiel, but Thalia had already focused on the walls. The walls were covered in small portraits. Mocks of official art, street-side graffiti, basic symbols and even the occasional cartoon character. It all clicked.

"Oh, my gods." She breathed and grabbed Whiskers' jacket. "Are we seriously doing this?"

"Well, I am. If you don't want to, you don't–"

"F*%$ that, I'm going first." Thalia smirked at him. Whiskers arched a brow and crossed his arms.

"Do you even have an idea of what you want? Or where? It's permanent."

Thalia pursed her lips. She played with her boyfriend's jacket for a second as she rolled the thought in her head. Since she was twelve, she'd kind of had a joke idea of what she wanted, something to commemorate the 'family', as it were. Now, though, she didn't want to risk making anyone ...offended. Not, like, people on the street. Screw them. The Gods. If she, the Daughter of Zeus, made a permanent alteration to her body and it was visible–

"You could get it on your shoulder. Or upper arm." Whiskers suggested. "It feels like getting punched for a week after, though."

"Pfft, pain's whatever." Thalia waved him off. She was turned into a tree and got choked out by an assassin. She looked at – his nameplate read 'Vince'– and gave him a wary glance. Older guy, thirties maybe. Bald with a thick red beard. His left ear was inked to look mutilated that bled into a sick design around the back of his head and down his neck. Still, he was the expert. "Any advice?"

"Least amount of pain? Thigh or arm." Vince shrugged. He smirked. "But, like you said: Pain's whatever."

"...I like you, you get it." Thalia smirked back. Vince chuckled and led her back to his station. Whiskers followed without bidding. Thalia wouldn't lie, she was grateful he followed. Being intentionally stabbed wasn't something she normally did, but for the tattoo she was going to get? It would be worth it.

Spoiler: It was.

AN: Happy Valentine's Day!

Yes, I made the holiday! I'm so proud of myself! Thanks, me! You're welcome, me.

Alright, gross self-appeasement aside, hope all you guys, gals, indiscriminate others and my occasional friendly houseplant enjoy the day! Spread the love, feel the joy, have safe fun, and be a little coy.

Deuces!