{1} Princess - P. Jackson 🔱

" *screams* *giggles* *kick the air* "

🌊

"Percy Jackson," Hermes said, "you might just teach us a thing or two." Then I left, going to meet Maria by the elevator.

Though another god was waiting for me on the way out of Olympus. Aphrodite stood in the middle of the road with her arms crossed and a look on her face that made me think Uh-oh. She'd changed out of her red armor, into a beautiful dress that made her look breathtaking. She smiled when I approached and said. "Well, Percy... you will stay mortal."

"Um, yes, ma'am."

"I know your reasons."

"I want to be a regular guy. I want to grow up. Have, you know, a regular high school experience."

"And my daughter?"

"I couldn't leave her," I admitted, my throat dry. "Or Grover," I added quickly. "Or—"

"Ah, stop with that." Aphrodite stepped close to me, and I could feel her aura making my skin itch. "Are you still going to keep that cover? You think she threw herself in front of that knife because she felt like it? Just because she sensed something was wrong or because you were the one the battle needed? Come on, Percy Jackson, I had warned you before. There's a line of boys who would love to be in your place, starting with the one you have seen before."

"What? I—what?" I was at a loss for words. What does she mean by that?

"Just do what you wanted to do since the beginning, that feeling that was so deep in your chest that it made you confuse things." She then fixed her posture. "You should know that; There's a fine line between love and hate."

And with a wink of her eye at me, mumbling 'What is Love? Baby don't hurt me..,' she disappeared into a pink puff.

That was a trigger song for me.

We went down the elevator in silence, mostly awkward from my part, and the music was awful—Neil Diamond or something. I should've made that part of my gift from the gods: better elevator tunes.

When we got into the lobby, I found my mother and Paul arguing with the bald security guy, who'd returned to his post.

"I'm telling you," my mom yelled, "we have to go up! My son—" Then she saw me and her eyes widened. "Percy!"

She hugged the breath right out of me.

"We saw the blue flag," she said. "But then you didn't come down. You went up hours ago!"

"She was getting a bit anxious," Paul said drily.

"I'm all right," I promised as my mom hugged Maria. "Everything's okay now."

"Mr. Blofis," Maria said, "that was wicked sword work, Perseus should learn a bit from you." She joked and I pushed her lightly.

Paul smiled. "Nah, if he wants, though, he knows where I live. But Percy, is this really... I mean, this story about the six hundredth floor?"

"Olympus," I said. "Yeah."

Paul looked at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. "I'd like to see that."

"Paul," my mom chided. "It's not for mortals. Anyway, the important thing is we're safe. All of us."

I was about to relax. Everything felt perfect. Maria and I were okay. My mom and Paul had survived. Olympus was saved.

But the life of a demigod is never so easy. Just then Nico ran in from the street, and his face told me something was wrong.

"It's Rachel," he said. "I just ran into her down on 32nd Street."