For the love of Aphrodite (a Percy Jackson story)

To the rescue

Percy's POV

I saw Chiara's text and decided to wait for her to come back so we could talk in person. What the fuck was going on? I had no idea, every time I thought I'd figured out what was happening something would happen and make it even more confusing.

I couldn't brush away the idea of her charming herself and Jason. For me. She always wanted something genuine, but for me she'd give that up...

And Jason? Maybe he deserved her way more than I did. He would let her charm him. Did he already love her and that's why he did it? Because it wouldn't change a thing? Should I be the one letting her go now? Maybe her happiness lied with him...

I was so lost on my thoughts that I didn't even notice Annabeth approaching. Since we'd broken up we haven't really talked.

"You should talk to her..." she said sitting besides me. "You're both miserable!"

"She's with Jason now!" I said and Annabeth rolled her eyes at me.

"She's not with him. At least her heart isn't. Maybe he is rebound, maybe they are having fun, maybe it's all fake, I have no idea what is going on, but I know they are not dating. You don't have to be a daughter of Athena to see that she's been trying to hide the fact that she cried everyday this week, that whenever you're around them that's when they get all lovey-dovey and that she doesn't speak around you anymore, Jason does all the talking..."

"I guess I'm dumb..." I said simply.

"No. You're just in love!" She said with a fainty smile.

"I'm sorry..." I told her.

"It's fine. You were right. I guess I hadn't notice how incompatible we were, we really were too accommodated and plain and whenever we were around we'd spend most of our time disagreeing with each other. But I guess we had been through so much together that I didn't want to accept that it was in the past... But you were right, once I started thinking about it I came to the conclusion that we really weren't meant to be..."

"Can I tell you why Chi left me?" I asked her and she nodded. I started telling about the talk we had and how she became certain that incident with Aphrodite meant that she was just a pawn on the chess match that was my love life.

"Well, maybe it is Aphrodite's doing after all, but maybe she's just wrong about the game. Maybe she only started making it difficult for you now. Now that you found your true love... Maybe she's keeping the two of you from each other, that's how she's doing. I don't think any of you were charmed, she didn't even had to do so, you two love each other so much she just had to plant the seed of the doubt and voilá you both would be so worried about keeping the other one from finding true love and happiness that you'd let each other go... That's so tragic and romantic!" Annabeth said.

I started thinking about all that. It was a good theory and if she was right, that meant me and Chi could still have a future together.

"You have to call her!" Annabeth broke me from my thoughts.

"I'll do better. I'll go visit her!"

"I'll come with you!" The blonde girl said.

"Won't that be weird?" I asked.

"Percy, don't get me wrong but you can be so stupid sometimes, if I let you go by yourself chances are you'll ruin it once again. I would trust Chiara but she's so nice she always put others happiness before hers if she is still sure the two of us are meant to be she won't cave in. You need a mediator!" She said and I decided to let her go.