percy jackson never would've thought he was this easy. he was too smart for that stuff. right? he never thought he'd actually, genuinely fall for an aphrodite girl. but he did. whoops.

it all started on one of those warm camp afternoons, the kind where the air shimmered above the training arena and the clang of metal carried over the laughter of half-bloods sparring. percy had his sword propped against his shoulder, grinning at his friends like he was saying something clever.

"they only get people to like them with their powers and shit," he scoffed, shaking his head. "without their powers, nobody likes them. or something like that, right?" his friends snorted. "plus, they're fragile. never getting their hands dirty, too busy doing their makeup."

you were mid-spar, sweat glistening on your temple, when those words cut through the noise like a blade. you froze, lowering your sword slowly, your eyes narrowing in disbelief. your sparring partner gave you a questioning look, but you were already stepping away.

"hold up," you muttered, voice edged with fire. you strode across the arena, the gravel crunching under your boots, until you stood in front of percy.

"excuse me," you said, each syllable sharp, "could you repeat all the bullshit that just came out of your mouth?"

he blinked, startled, like you’d caught him doing something illegal. "i— i didn't—" percy stammered, cheeks flushing as his friends exchanged wide-eyed looks.

"right," you said flatly. you turned to walk away, tossing the word "chicken" over your shoulder like a dart.

one of his friends said something stupid, but it got him thinking. you barely made it a few steps before he called after you. "wait, wait, okay. okay, i'll make you a bet." you stopped, glancing back with an eyebrow raised.

"don’t use your 'powers' or whatever, and if i genuinely fall for you, i’ll… do whatever you want." he said it with the smug confidence of someone convinced they’d never lose.

it was stupid. he knew it was stupid, looking back now. but you agreed anyway.

and suddenly, he was showing up more often. little walks by the lake. sitting next to you at dinner. helping you carry things you didn’t actually need help with. at first, it was teasing, harmless banter. but somewhere between sharing blue cupcakes by the campfire and sitting side by side watching the sun slip behind the hills, something shifted.

after the first few “dates” — though he would’ve denied calling them that — percy found himself scanning the dining pavilion for you without even thinking. he’d notice the way your laugh curled around the edges of your words, or how you bit your lip when you were focused on a task.

wait. no. that wasn’t happening. he wasn’t seriously … like … falling for you. right?

he was sure you’d cheated — maybe slipped a little charm into the air, twisted his thoughts. that would make sense.

but the truth? you hadn’t. not once.

and when he realized that, percy jackson was in knee-deep shit.