(Ella's POV)
The sun was setting when we reach the water park. The main gate was padlocked & topped with barbed wire. Inside, dry waterslides, tubes & pipes curled everywhere, into empty pools. Old tickets fluttered on the asphalt.
"If Ares brings his girlfriend here," Percy said, "I’d hate to see what she looks like."
"Percy," Annie warns. "Be more respectful."
"Why? I thought you hated Ares."
"He’s a god. His girlfriend is temperamental. But honestly, Nora is way prettier than her."
Percy agrees. "Shut up!" I say blushing.
"Who is she? Echidna?" Percy asks.
"No, Aphrodite," Grover says dreamily. Goddess of love.”
"Didn't she marry Hephaestus." Percy said.
"What's your point?" Grover asked.
"So..how'd we go in?" He changes the subject.
"Maia!" Grover flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled, landing on the opposite side & grinned as if he’d planned the whole thing.
"Show off." I muttered. Annie laughed.
"You guys coming?" He asks.
Annie, Percy & I climb the old fashioned way, we held the wire down as we crawled over it.
We saw few attractions - Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, & Where’s My Swimsuit? There was a shop left open. Merchandise on the shelves: snowglobes, pencils, & racks of-
"Clothes," Annie said. "Fresh clothes."
"Yeah," Percy starts. "But you can’t just-"
She snatched an entire row off the racks & disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came in flower-print shorts, a red Waterland T-shirt, & Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack on her shoulder, stuffed with even more goodies.
"What the heck." Grover shrugs. Soon, all four of us were dressed like walking ads for the defunct theme park.
"So Ares & Aphrodite," Percy asks me, "they have a thing going?"
"That’s old gossip, Percy," I told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."
"What about Aphrodite’s husband?"
"Well, Hephaestus, the blacksmith: crippled as a baby & got thrown off Mount Olympus. He isn’t handsome. Clever, yes, but Aphrodite isn’t into brains & talent, you know?"
"She likes bikers." I shrugged.
"Hephaestus knows?" He asked.
"Oh sure," I said. "He caught them together, literally caught them, in a golden net, & invited the gods to come laugh at them. He always tries to embarrass them. That’s why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like..."
I stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that."
In front of us was an empty pool. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl. Around the rim, twelve bronze cupid statues stood guard with wings & bows ready to fire. On the other side, a tunnel opened up.
"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"
I ran my fingers along the base of a statue. "This is a Greek letter, Eta, I wonder if...."
"Grover," Percy said, "smell any monsters?"
He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."
"Nothing-like, in-the-Arch-&-you-didn’t-smell-Echidna nothing, or nothing?"
He looked hurt. "I said, that's underground."
"Okay, I’m sorry. I’m going down. I want you to stay here with the flying shoes. You’re the Red Baron, a flying ace. I'm counting on you, if something goes wrong."
"Sure. But what could go wrong?"
"No idea. Just a hunch. Annabeth, come on-"
"Are you kidding?" she looked at him as if he’d dropped from the moon. Her cheeks red.
"What’s the problem?" He demanded.
"Me, go with you to the..Thrill Ride of Love?" She said.
"So?" But his face was burning now, too. "I’ll do it myself.” He says going down the side of the pool, I follow him, since she didn't & ignored the look Grover was giving me.
We reached the boat. The shield was on a seat, & next to it was a lady’s silk scarf. I noticed on the side of the boat: the greek letter-Eta, same as the cupid statue.
Percy picked the scarf. It shimmered pink. He smiled dreamily, & was about to rub the scarf against his cheek but I ripped it out of his hand & stuffed it in my pocket.
"No, you don’t. Stay away, that's love magic."
"What?"
"Get the shield, Percy, let’s get out of here."
The moment he touched the shield, I knew we were in trouble. His hand broke something connecting it to the dashboard. A tripwire!
"Wait," I said.
"Too late."
"There’s another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap."
2 chapters just like I'd promised :)
Take care my lovely readers.❤
Alice signing off.
XOXO.
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Daughter Of Lightning - Book 1(Percy Jackson x OC fanfic)
Fanfic**CURRENTLY BEING EDITED** Meet Eleanor Grace a girl who looks no less than an angel from heaven - beautiful brown hair, sapphire blue eyes & a perfect smile. She loves to play the guitar, is great at sword fighting, & her archery skills remain unma...
