Daughter Of Lightning - Book 1(Percy Jackson x OC fanfic)

CHAPTER 23

(Ella's POV)

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

The Cupid statues drew their bows into a firing position. Before I could suggest taking cover, they fired at each other, across the pool. Silky cables trailed, arcing over the pool & anchored where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk which was making a net.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" I replied.

He grabbed the shield & we ran up the slope of the pool, it wasn't as easy as going down.

"Come on!" Grover shouted.

He tried to hold open a section of the net, but wherever he touched it, threads wrapped around his hands.

The Cupids’ heads popped open: video cameras. Spotlights rose all around the pool, blinding us with light, & a loud voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute...Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight.."

"Hephaestus!" I screamed. "I'm so stupid. Eta is H. He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we'll be broadcasted live to Olympus & look like absolute fools!"

We’d almost made it to the rim when the mirrors opened like hatches & thousands of tiny metallic...things poured out. It was an army of creepy-crawlies:bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, pincer mouths, all scuttling in a wave of whirring metal.

"Spiders!" I shrieked. "Sp-sp-aaaah!"

I was scared & almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots but Percy pulled me up & dragged me toward the boat.

The things came & completely surrounded us. Percy & I climbed into the boat. He kicked the spiders as they swarmed aboard.

He yelled at me to help, but I was too paralyzed to do anything.

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker. The spiders began spitting strands of metal thread to tie us down. Percy kicked one away from my leg & its pincers took a chunk out of his shoe. Grover hovered above the pool in his flying sneakers, trying to pull the net.

"Grover!" Percy yelled. "Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!" Wait what? On switch?

"But-"

"Do it!"

"What are you planning to do?" I asked him but didn't get a response.

Grover was in the controller’s booth now, slamming away at the buttons.

"Five, four-"

Grover looked hopelessly, raising his hands, letting us know that he’d pushed every button, but still nothing happened.

"Two, one, zero!"

Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool & swept the spiders. Percy pulled me in the seat next to him & fastened my seat belt just as the tidal wave slammed into our boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away & dousing us completely, but not capsizing but not drowning us.

The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool. The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, smashing against the pool’s concrete wall with force & they burst.

Spotlights glared down at us. The Cupid-cams were rolling, live to Olympus. We spun around one last time, the water level now high enough to shred us against the metal net.

Then the boat’s nose turned toward the tunnel and we rocketed through into the darkness. Percy & I held tight, both of us screaming as the boat shot curls & hugged corners & took high plunges.

Then we were out of the tunnel, air blew through our hair as the boat barreled straight toward the exit. If the ride had been working, we would’ve sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love & splashed down safely in the exit pool. But that was a problem. The Gates were chained. Two boats were washed out the tunnel before us & were piled against the barricade - one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"Unfasten your seat belt," Percy yells to me.

"Are you crazy?"

"Unless you want to get smashed to death." He strapped Ares’s shield to his arm. "We’re going to have to jump for it."

His idea was simple & insane. As the boat struck, we would use its force like a spring board to jump the gate. I understood & gripped his hand as the gates got closer.

"On my mark," He said.

"No! On my mark!"

"What?"

"Simple physics!" I yelled. "Force times the trajectory angle-"

"Fine." He shouted. "On your mark!"

I hesitated...hesitated...then yelled, "Now!"

Thank the gods I was right. If we’d jumped sooner, we would’ve crashed into the gates. Unfortunately, we got a little more lift than we needed. Our boat smashed into the pileup & we got thrown into the air, over the gates, over the pool, & toward solid asphalt.

Something grabbed me from behind.

"Ouch!" I said.

Grover! In midair, he had grabbed Percy by the shirt, & me by the arm, & tried to pull us out of a crash landing, but Percy & I had all the momentum.

"You’re too heavy!" Grover said.

We spiraled toward the ground, Grover doing his best to slow the fall. We smashed into a photo-board, Grover’s head went into the hole where tourists put their face & pretend to be Noo-Noo the Friendly Whale. Percy & I tumbled to the ground. I bruised my already broken ribs but otherwise we were fine.

"You okay?" Annie came up to me asking.

I was too fazed to reply so I nodded instead.

Once we caught our breath, Annie & I pull Grover out of the photo-board & I thank him for saving our lives. I look back at the Thrill Ride of Love.

Our boat was smashed to pieces against the gates. A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupids were still filming. The statues had turned so their cameras were trained straight on us.

"Show's over!" Percy yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

The Cupids turned back to their original positions. The lights shut off. The park went quiet & dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love’s exit pool. I hated being teased & tricked. And I had plenty of experience with bullies who did that stuff to me.

Percy turned to us saying. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."

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Take care my lovely readers.❤
Alice signing off.
XOXO.