Home Is Where The Heart(h) Is

Epilogue

Annabeth was standing in darkness. She looked everywhere for even the smallest spark of light, but to no avail. She felt the rush of a violent wind that roughly pushed her hair, indicating that she could have been in a huge empty space, when she said, "Hello?" her voice was impossibly small, as though she was trapped in a box. A faint memory of the movie Madagascar fluttered into her head. That scene of the animals trapped in the crates...it felt like that. Constricted. Claustrophobic. Yet, just as impossibly, there was no echo. Sound seemed to be void. For a frightening second, she thought Clytius was standing in front of her.

Then a figure shimmered from the darkness. Definitely female, Annabeth thought, as blonde hair spiralled from where the head would be. Distinguished features began to appear. Pink and blood-red clothing. Gold earrings. Shining bracelets. Annabeth was reminded of Drew Tanaka.

It was at this moment that she realised she was looking at the latter's mother.

"You!" Annabeth lunged forward at the goddess, but was pulled back. Her hands were frozen, like they were buried in invisible blocks of iron which were than melded onto the floor.

"I come in peace." were Aphrodite's first words. She wasn't smiling, which was most unlike of her. In fact, her expression was hard to decipher, and Annabeth was supposed to be good at doing that. Strangely, that calmed Annabeth down slightly.

"What do you want? What are you doing in my dream?" Annabeth shot at her.

"I've come to talk, to you." No cheeky replies. No redundant semantics.

"About?"

"Everything." she replied.

"You go first." Annabeth quirked.

Was that a ghost of a smile? Aphrodite took her invitation to talk. "I was...surprised, when I saw what happened. I was watching from the Giants' fortress in Tartarus, you know, and I saw everything unfold. I had not expected it. No offense, but I thought we had won."

"None taken, since we won."

Aphrodite was quiet at the instigation. "I suppose you deserve that. You and the rest have been through the most trying time. But you...you've gone through the most."

"Not really. Percy died and had to battle four souls blessed by Gaia, and then was revived and had to save the world again."

Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively. "Physical exhaustion does not constitute to the hardships one goes through. A man can rest until he is ready to fight again. Perhaps mentally, it is the same as well, but emotionally...no man can recover from that."

Annabeth's body went rigid, even with her already unmoving hands. If Aphrodite noticed that, she didn't seem to care.

"You've had your heart stolen and then broken, within the span of a week. You've even went on an adventure and battled alongside the thief of Perseus Jackson's heart, and you've never laid a finger on her even once--"

"It wouldn't be what Percy wanted." Annabeth cut in harshly, glaring at her.

"And I recognize that. Do not mistake me for the goddess of shallow love, lust or attraction, Annabeth Chase. I know what you feel."

"No you don't. Everything about you is pretty this, pretty that. Makeup here, dresses there."

"Yet my domain covers much, much further than what you describe." Aphrodite looked straight at Annabeth, and the demigod saw within the goddess' eyes, deeper, darker emotions than she let on.

"At any rate," Aphrodite continued, "I am...satisfied with your actions. You acted on your love for Perseus, and not your jealousy. You would rather him be happy than yourself. That is true...selflessness."

"Thank you. Do I get a prize?"

A faint smile played across Aphrodite's lips. "In a way. Do not despair, Annabeth Chase. You will find "The One" or as you mortals so call it, in time. I can guarantee that."

That seemed to signal the end of the topic. Aphrodite looked into the ever expanding void of the dream.

"Do you still believe I am evil?" she softly said.

Annabeth wanted to count her fingers, but they remained glued. "Well, let me see, you kidnapped and possibly killed the Ares campers and Ares himself, controlled Hestia's body and soul, subjected me and Hestia to confinement, put Olympus and Camp under a spell and sided with the Giants. So yes, I think that is deserving of the title 'evil'."

Aphrodite said nothing, again.

"I made rash decisions. I questioned Olympus' ruling. I thought that, being the eldest Olympian, and hence the most powerful, I could bring it down. I now realize that Gaia did twist my mind, convincing me of a new and better world without Olympus and demigods. You must understand, I never meant harm to the demigods. I loved my children. But Olympus, I wanted it razed."

"So you admit it." Annabeth felt no satisfaction in those words, only emptiness.

"Yes...one could say it was my hubris that brought about my downfall."

Annabeth's face muscles tightened. This time it was her turn to be silent.

"So what? Are you glad we stopped you?"

Aphrodite's lip curled, inspecting her manicure. "I will be in hiding for a while. To you mortals, it will be a long time. But you'll never find me - you can tell Lord Zeus that. Good...talk, Annabeth Chase."

And with that, Aphrodite disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

~