𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒¹

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒

‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

ASTORIA DIDN'T EXPECT TO spend her first amusement park visit at a dinky water ride. She finally reached the park that had once been called WATERLAND. Now, the sign read WAT RAD, a fitting name that reminds her of water rats. Do water rats even exist here?

Percy looked at the main gate. It was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside huge, dry waterslides, tubes, and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, eyes locked on the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"She's drop dead gorgeous," Astoria spoke up. "Both figuratively and possibly literally."

"What?"

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."

"Why?" He frowned. "I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god," Annabeth sighed. "And his girl is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.

"Unless you want cystic acne for the rest of your life," Astoria murmured.

"Who is she? Echidna?"

"No, Aphrodite," Grover said, a bit dreamily. "Goddess of love."

"I thought she was married to somebody," Percy commented. "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" Grover  asked.

"Oh." Percy switched subjects. "So how do we get in?"

"You ride a love ride." Astoria answered indifferently. She walked down, leaving her friends behind.

"Maia!" Grover shouted as his shoes sprouted wings. Annabeth and Percy hurried over and the three on land held barbed wire for each other as they crawled their way through.

The shadows grew long as they walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit? And they wonder why the business fell through. At least, no monster came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.

Annabeth found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards and racks of-

"Clothes," Annabeth breathed. "Fresh clothes."

"Don't mind if I do." Astoria followed the girl towards the apparel, remembering the nasty, grimy clothes she was wearing.

"But you can't just-" Percy objected, but Annabeth cut him off.

"Watch us."

The girls snatched an entire row of outfits and disappeared into the changing room. Astoria checked out the shirts and shorts she brought out with her. It wasn't very stylish, but she wasn't picky in this situation.

A few minutes later, Astoria came out in a blue Waterland logo shirt, jean shorts, and Waterland surf shoes. She also had a drawstring bag filled with other essentials. Annabeth was already out, sporting a similar look, exactly how the book portrayed her.

"What the heck." Grover shrugged. Soon, all four of them were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park. They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love.

"So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year old gossip."