For the love of Aphrodite (a Percy Jackson story)

Blusher

Jason's POV

"So what now?" I ask Annabeth.

"Now there's only the two of us. And we have to  save them from whatever just happened..."

"Annabeth, what is the meaning of the girdle again?" I asked getting the object from the place where Percy once was.

Once I did I could feel something change in me despite of being unaware of what.

"Inspire love and desire to those who wear it..." she said as she had mentally recorded and had just pressed play.

"I felt something weird when I touched it..." I said and she got it from me. I wait expectantly for her feedback.

"Sorry..." She said.

"Nothing?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Do you think Aphrodite might have done something to me?" I asked.

"I don't think so. Sometimes we get weird vibes from weird stuff..." she said and I decided she was probably right. She was always right.

We were silent again. Pretty much the whole 24h since we fought and said those horrible things about each other, the three of us wouldn't look or say a word to the other. It was bad.

"I'm sorry." I tried.

"For what?" She asked.

"For what I said yesterday..." I said and she looked at me and smiled.

"It's fine. It needed to be said. We had to tell each other these ugly truths so that way, with nothing left unsaid the apple couldn't have  the needed ammunition to make we fight each other..."

"Still. It was bad. And it was low. We played with each other's insecurities..."

"Well I'm sorry for what I said..." she apologised.

"Don't be, you were right. She doesn't love me, not romantically at least. To be fair, right now I can't even be sure I love her. I mean, I do, but again, maybe not romantically... I clearly don't love her as Percy does. Did you see him, he couldn't sleep, eat, he didn't even got up once..."

"You didn't say any lies too. I guess I am too afraid of being a disappointment, of not being good enough, of not living up to my mom!"

"Annabeth, the thing is, you won't. It's impossible. We are demigods, DEMI. Maybe we can be half as good as they are. Or twice as good, I guess is good being half human considering we're only half gods and already have a pretty bad temper and pretty big ego. I don't know about you but I don't wish to be as unstable as Zeus..." I said and she laughed.

"I guess you are right... I had never thought about that! Maybe I'm not the most intelligent person in the world after all, so you were right again. Maybe you are the most intelligent then, you see to have gotten everything right..." she jokes.

"I mean. Da Vinci, Einstein, Newton, Currie... Sorry I don't see the point on lying to you. But you know what, the reason why I don't is because you are smarter than that! You may not be the most intelligent person that ever lived but you are pretty smart, maybe the most intelligent of our generation, most certainly the most intelligent on camp and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt the most intelligent one right here!" I said and we laughed.

"Thanks Jason" She said and giggled and threw her hair back.

"Oh of course Chiara told you! She's Italian, she can't keep a secret..." I said realising that Annabeth new I had had a crush on her when we first met.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said blushing.

"I said you're smarter than me but I didn't say I was dumb. I did the combo of giggling, and throwing your hair back. By the way, I don't get why girls do this..." I said "tho it kind of looked cute on you." She blushed once again.

"Can we start over?" Annabeth asked. I nodded.

"Ciao Bella! I'm Jason, piacere." I said and kissed her hand. She blushed. It worked every time with every girl, but making her blush had a different feel. It was unique. It made me feel like I didn't need to ever do this again to anyone else...

"I bet that works every time..." she said

"It did. I don't see why I'd need to use it ever again after this..." I said and she blushed again. Who'd think Annabeth Chase was a blusher.

That was probably what Percy felt every time he made Chiara blush. Like the luckiest guy in the world. Chiara was only a blusher for Percy and I had began hoping that Annabeth would only do it for me.