Love Hurts

"NO! ANNABETH! NO!" Percy screamed, agony and raw anger laced with his voice. Annabeth looked at the battlefield and made eye contact with Percy. The monsters and giants are all gone, leaving only Gaia with a maniacal grin of satisfaction.

Annabeth mouthed, "I love you. Goodbye, Seaweed Brain."

Her eyes watered with tears as she closed her eyes for the final time. Gaia threw her battered body across the battlefield, in front of Percy, with a huge shard of dirt that pierced her heart. Percy knelt down beside her lifeless body and sobbed uncontrollably over her. The Gods and the rest of seven watched with pity and tears in their eyes.

"No...No...NO!" This came from a goddess that surprised the Olympians and the demigods. Aphrodite crumpled to the ground holding her head in Pain. "Arghhh!" She screamed. Aphrodite's eyes glowed pinkishly red and she turned into a pink supernova, so bright that the Olympians had to turn away to avoid looking at the harsh bright light coming from the love goddess.

When the light died down, the gods, Gaia, and the demigods saw that replacing Aphrodite was a tall lean female, with dark hair and dark clothes. She looked up and everyone, even Gaia gasped. Her face and her clothes have done a 180-degree turn. She now looked more like an assassin than a love goddess. Aphrodite was wearing tight-fitting clothes that cover her entire body except for her face. She has light armour and a hoodie on. Her face had a stern, determined, and steely look.

Aphrodite's eyes glowed a neon pinkish red colour as she screamed. Her scream is so loud that it cracked the ground. The odd thing is that the gods and the demigods were not affected, instead, they only heard a muffled scream. However, Gaia was affected by it and crumbled onto the ground, covering her ears, yelling at Aphrodite to stop.

When Aphrodite stopped screaming, Gaia and the other gods, other than Aphrodite, realised that they cannot move. Aphrodite walked calmly towards Percy. Percy didn't even look up as Aphrodite walks up towards him. He didn't even care whether she would kill him or comfort him. All he could think is that his wise girl is gone. Aphrodite knelt down beside Percy and put an arm around his shoulders, "I'm sorry about her. I'm sure she will go to Elysium."Aphrodite benevolently tells Percy. She then glared at Hades who then quickly tried to nod his head, but couldn't. Fortunately for him, Aphrodite understood him.

At that time, Gaia realised that she could already move. She cackled evilly and taunted Percy, "So...What are you going to do about me, huh? Puny demigod." Percy slowly looks up and stares at Gaia with hate. Aphrodite stood up and helped Percy up. "Let's go kick the ass of queen dirt face, shall we?" Percy nodded, feeling a rush of power as he is determined to take Gaia down to take revenge for Annabeth.

They then rushed to Gaia together, who was surprised and offended that a demigod and a love goddess would dare to attack her. Meanwhile, Piper looked at her mother with new found admiration, while the other demigods looked at her with a mixture of fear and awe. The gods teleported everyone out of Percy's and Aphrodite's way as they know that they are not to interfere or they would face them in their rampage to kill Gaia.

Poseidon looked at his son with a fusion of fear and pride. Proud that his son is brave enough to attack Gaia but fearful that he may perish at Gaia's hand. The other gods looked at Aphrodite with concern as they knew that she has never fought with weaponry before.

Percy uncapped riptide while Aphrodite summoned pink hunting knives which Artemis nodded in approval at. They both lunged at Gaia and started to fight her at the same time. It was like they knew each other for a long time and trained together. Their movement was synchronised, much like Annabeth and Percy.

Gaia countered-attack Percy and Aphrodite's attack with her earth staff. She even summoned sharp shards of dirt and metals to fly around her so that Percy and Aphrodite would not be able to come near her. She also summoned an army of earthborn that attacked the demigods and gods so that they would not interfere with the fight between Aphrodite, Percy and Gaia.

However, these attacks did not seem to bother the duo at all as both of them attacked her with determination and a goal: Destroy Gaia. Percy summoned water and then turned it into a whirlwind that diminishes down the sandstorm that Gaia had summoned and sent to directly at them to try and blind them temporarily so that she could sneak attack them.

He yelled in frustration as he tried to get into Gaia's protective stance, her dirt staff, and the shards of dirt and rocks, but failed. Aphrodite had a storm of rose petals around her that blocks the sharp shards of rocks that came to both her and Percy's way. She even summoned an indestructible giant dove that pecked at Gaia.

Aphrodite somehow managed to get into Gaia's guard. "This is for ending the greatest love in the world!" Aphrodite shrieked and kicked out at Gaia's face. Hard. The Earth Mother faltered, stumbling back and clutching her nose. Aphrodite smirked in satisfaction as she noticed the slight trickle of sliver inchor drip between Gaia's fingers.

The sparse pause proved to be Gaia's downfall. Dazed and helpless to respond in time, there was nothing Gaia could do but watch crossed -eyed, as together, Percy and Aphrodite stabbed her through the primordial being through the chest. Riptide striking her directly in the core.

Gaia gasped out and looked at the two, smiling. In a voice so soft that the demigod and goddess almost missed it, the Earth Mother whispered, "Thank You." Before turning back to dirt and crumbling apart, becoming once again, part of the earth.

After Gaia is gone, Percy ran over to Annabeth side and continued staring at her with a defeated look in his eyes. Athena was frozen to shock, after the fact that her favourite and best daughter had died, came crashing onto her. She crumpled onto the floor and wept for her deceased daughter, destroying her efforts in the last few millennia of showing the other gods that she was a cold and heartless war goddess. The rest of the seven had tears in their eyes. Piper was affected the most out of the rest of the seven as she felt that Annabeth was like a sister to her and she always confronted Annabeth when she felt conflicted or needed her advice.

Aphrodite told Percy gently that they needed to go to the camps to help out with the attacks there.

Aphrodite snapped her finger and Annabeth disappeared. Percy panicked, but Aphrodite said, "Don't worry, she is on Olympus and will be given a proper magnificent heroes burial." At this, Percy calmed down.

The gods flashed the demigods and themselves to Camp Half-Blood where the fight between the monsters and the demigods had already started. Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood have already established an alliance pact against the monsters.

Aphrodite's voice magnified, making it louder than the noise of the battle, "Demigods, I repeat, demigods, come behind me!" She waited for all the demigods to scrambled behind her, she then screamed once again. The monsters burst into golden dust, even the powerful ones such as the Chimera and Echidna, but the demigods and the gods stayed unaffected again.

The children of Venus and Aphrodite looked at their mom with gaping jaws, while the other demigods looked at her in awe and can't believe their eyes that the love goddess destroyed monsters, especially the experienced demigods. Chiron could not believe that the gods came to protect and help their children and go against the ancient laws.

After all the monsters are gone, the campers from both camp cheered. Aphrodite said, "We have won the battle with Gaia, but with a heavy cost. Annabeth Chase is now in Elysium." The Greek demigods widened their eyes in shock. Some of the older campers crumpled to the ground and started sobbing. Annabeth's old friend, Clarisse, shouted, "Don't lie! Annabeth can't die!"  The older campers nodded in agreement

Everyone expected Aphrodite to blast her, but Aphrodite only merely shakes her head slowly. Clarisse crumpled and fell to her knees, staring at the ground in shock. Her cabin mates, the Ares cabin, stared at their half-sister in shock as they have never seen her weak. Malcolm was devastated. Annabeth was his favourite sister. When he first came to Camp, Annabeth helped him and made sure that he wasn't bullied. He instantly ran into the bathroom after hearing the news and didn't come out until hours later, eyes bloodshot from crying.

The Romans were confused for a little while. However, after seeing the Greeks reaction, they started to realise it. They bowed their heads in respect as they do not know Annabeth well, except Reyna who was still stunned that Annabeth could die. She was like an invincible person to her and it seemed impossible for her to die. But Reyna knew that she was truly dead. Thalia screamed in rage and sadness because she had the strongest bond to Annabeth as she had saved her when she was young. Thalia went on a rampage in the woods, killing every monster that she came across. She only calmed down after a few hours later. Nico's eyes widened before tearing up a little. He shook his head before shadow travelling to gods know where.

"For Hades's sake, stop mourning. It's just an Athenian." After Zeus said it, he regretted it immediately. Thalia shouted at him to shut up. The seven, minus Percy and Annabeth, stared at him with slacked jaws. Hades yelled at him for using his name as a curse word. Athena glared at him. The campers looked at him in shock, shocked that he dared to insult Annabeth, the legendary heroine demigoddess.

Percy looked ready to attack him. Although Poseidon does not like Athena and most of her children, Annabeth was Percy's girlfriend and he would do anything to defend his son's late girlfriend's honour. He slammed his trident onto the floor, making some of the campers and the gods jump up in surprise as the Sea God and the Wise Goddess do not really get along well. But the most fearsome one there is Aphrodite. She towered over him and said in a barely controlled voice.

"How dare you ask them to stop grieving for their loved ones! Even if it's just an Athenian, the love for her is more than you love anyone! How dare you!"

Zeus gathered up whatever courage he had left and said, "I am the king of the Olympians. My word is law and I order all of you to stop grieving for that stupid little Athenian." This time, everyone ignores him except Aphrodite.

Her nose flared with anger and she screamed at him, "How dare you! Don't you dare to force them to stop grieving for Annabeth! Don't forget, I am the oldest Olympian, born from the blood of Ouranus and the sea! I'm the last and youngest child of Ouranus and the only child born from the sea other than Pontus, the primordial of the sea! I am also technically a primordial and can curse you, and if I curse you, you won't be happy, I'm warning you!"

Zeus paled and nodded his head furiously. The other gods snickered and Zeus glared at them. After a time, Aphrodite said, "Percy, we have to go to Olympus to burn her shroud." Percy sniffed and nodded. Aphrodite snapped her finger and flashed every demigod and god to Olympus.

On Olympus

Athena walked up to her motionless body, kissed her forehead and murmured a blessing for her. They then burned the shroud while Aphrodite comforted both Athena and Percy who were bawling their eyes out.

The fates came in to take her out and they said in unison in an emotionless voice. "All Hail Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Beauty, Lust, Emotions, Procreation and Heartbreaks."