She stood apart from the crowd, a space had formed around her naturally, as if even strangers knew they didn't belong too close.
She had shoulder-length hair that shimmered from gold to honey-brown, a graceful neck, and the kind of perfect, sculpted features that belonged to a goddess. Her jeans clung to her waist, and her snowy-white blouse was tucked in without a wrinkle. And yet even that wasn't what made her impossible to look away from.
Her face shifted. One second, she reminded Annabeth of a model she used to watch on TV, then of Thalia, somehow, if Thalia had leaned into mascara instead of punk.
Annabeth's heart twisted. She hated her own hair. For a child as smart as her, the blonde stereotype gnawed at her. If only she had darker tones, she might be...
Lucas nudged her elbow, jolting her out of her spiralling thoughts. She took a shaky breath and felt the heat of embarrassment color her ears.
Ethan was also nudged to attention by Lucas. His knuckles were white around the strap of his bag. He stood with his head slightly tilted toward the ground, attempting to avoid looking at the goddess. For all his willpower, a mere glance still filled him with infatuation.
Looking at their reactions, Lucas guessed it was up to him to make contact with the goddess, so he stepped forward.
"I assume you're not here for the local seafood," he said dryly. "Lady Aphrodite."
Aphrodite smiled.
"Oh, it's you." Her voice was like silk. She placed a hand to her heart and pouted in mock hurt. "And here I thought you might be happy to see me, after all, who can reject love?"
Her gaze swept over Ethan and Annabeth, pausing long enough to notice their stiffness; the duo had raised their guards.
"You all look like I'm about to curse your love lives. I haven't, by the way. Yet." She joked, letting out a little giggle that enraptured those who listened.
Lucas didn't rise to the bait. "What do you want?"
Aphrodite sighed theatrically. "Nothing, really. I was just in the area, and sensed a trio of demigods. A strange gathering unless one was on a quest. Naturally, I had to see who it was. And voilà - the troublemaker himself."
She winked at Lucas. "Don't worry. I'm not like the others on Olympus. Love follows no law. So you see, I'm no threat to you. In fact…"
She gestured toward the plaza. "There's a lovely little café just a block over. Shall we?"
...
The café was shaded, secluded, and strangely empty. A breeze blew softly and sweetly between the tables. When they sat, Aphrodite didn't need a menu. She summoned a glass of something pink and sparkling, already sipping at it as they joined her at the table.
Annabeth looked at her again.
She was even more beautiful now.
Every blink made her more refined, more perfect. Her eyebrows shaped to cinematic sharpness, her lips fuller, her cheekbones sculpted to gods-only heights. The way she sipped her drink, the way the light caught in her hair - everything about her was a reminder of what Annabeth wasn't.
It hurt.
"Now," Aphrodite said, leaning forward, gazing directly at Annabeth, "what brings a child of Athena all the way to Charleston, of all places?"
Annabeth stiffened.
"No, no - I'm genuinely curious." Her smile was kind, curious, and a little sad. "It looks like you three are on a quest, and from the timing, you guys must be looking for the Athena Parthenos, so it's odd that you are here and not in Constantinople."
Ethan frowned. "Why would we need to be in Constantinople?"
Aphrodite didn't look at Ethan as she answered; instead, her gaze fell on Lucas.
"Because it's odd, isn't it? Everyone knows the Athena Parthenos points to Constantinople. Or, at least, they should. A mortal - Steven Thorne - uncovered a trail so elegantly laid I dare say even I was impressed."
The name caught Lucas off guard, his eyes burning into Aphrodite's in search of answers.
"From your reaction you seem to know the man, well I'm just saying, all of Olympus already know the clues lie in Constantinople, so why would Athena send her daughter here for a clue that would only point them to the same location the mortal revealed?"
She leaned back, crossing her arms, and continued. "The real question is: why didn't Athena send you there? I mean, she already sent her other children there."
This time, it was Annabeth's time to frown. "Wait, you're saying there's already a group going on a quest for the statue?"
"Oh, darling." Aphrodite chuckled, shaking her head. "Athena and Ares chose their children and sent them to Constantinople to secure the statue of hers days ago."
Annabeth's throat went dry. Complicated emotions whirled in her gut, knowing her mother not only threatened to disown her for failure, but also sent another child whom she personally helped, while sending her in the opposite direction.
"Well," Aphrodite sighed, brushing a nonexistent fleck from her sleeve. "Regardless of why you're here, the answer you seek lies in Fort Sumter. A little map tucked away by a long-dead demigod. Of course, it won't tell you more than the mortal already did, but… perhaps seeing is believing."
She rose in one elegant movement, "Good luck, children. The gods may be cruel, but know this: love will always try to help those in need."
And then she left.
The café remained silent.
Lucas was absorbed in his thoughts on why his father was included in this quest, why Athena sought to hide this information from him, and subconsciously linking it to the guilt Annabeth felt upon her return from camp, questions forming in his mind, causing him to frown.
Annabeth was likewise absorbed in her thoughts of inferiority and betrayal, her confidence shaken. At the same time, Ethan, who was ignored by the goddess and struggling with her lingering charm, fought against his own feelings of mediocrity.
The quest hadn't even begun, and already they were shaken.