Aphrodite did of course want to make Percy’s love life interesting, though she had shipped percabeth as endgame.
That is until Eucleia, one of the younger Charities and a handmaiden of hers, asked her if she might be permitted to try to win the young demigods heart.
It took Aphrodite maybe five seconds to decide this was the best idea ever.
Eucleia herself was aware that she was drawn to the son of Poseidon for his tendency to win. But that had drawn her notice, what kept her attention (and made her willing to risk offending Athena by perhaps wooing away her daughters boyfriend) was how much the handsome young man was often not permitted to enjoy, to as it where glory in his victories.
Added to that, thanks to the daughter of Athena, the demigod had a poor reputation in terms of intelligence and battle planning.
How often did he use creative strategies to win? Athena should adore him really, and yet the Athena spawn insisted on calling him names, even now when at this age she should be far past that, and far past any need to put the boy down in order to make herself feel better.
Eucleia had seen Perseus flinch over the years at the endless litany of “seaweed brain” “you’d fall apart without me” on and on.
And his victories? True, a certain amount of sadness and mourning came from battle, for those lost. But Perseus and not been truly permitted delight in really any win. Somehow being at fault for this or that and it drove the Charity to distraction.
She had finally decided that someone needed to be there to tell the boy that he was smart, and his power was not something to fear and that pride in winning, in triumphing was not a flaw (getting overconfident/being an asshole about it was).
So she approached Aphrodite, both in hopes of her blessing and maybe to gauge whether the goddess of love though she had a chance.
It would be a task she was ill suited for, as her representations had oft included being the representations of the “good reputation of the chaste bride” but for Percy, she would attempt to flirt. People, Gods, Immortals, so many did it all the time, it couldn’t be that hard!