haunting ＊ percy jackson

x. heart to hearts and other awkward situations: part one

To say that Amos was freaking out would be an understatement. The sound of gears grinding was almost deafening as the tiny Cupid statues — which Amos now felt justified for feeling strangely about — rotated, shooting cables in a way that threatened to trap them.

From above, Annabeth and Grover were yelling, "Eta! Gods I'm so stupid! Eta is H! Hephaestus! It's a trap for Ares and Aphrodite!"

"Oh this is bad," Amos mumbled, trying to rein in his panic as he and Percy attempted to climb up. The cables the Cupid statues shot at them were thin and golden, weaving together almost like threads above them. "This is really bad." If they climbed quickly enough, they might have made it out; that is if it hadn't been for the water.

When they were close to the rim of the pool, almost close enough to pull themselves out, small hatches, built so well that they hadn't been noticeable before, opened up. One of them opened right in front of Amos' face, startling him for a moment as the sudden appearance caught him off guard. Then a jet of water shot out, hitting Amos squarely in his face and making him lose his balance. He tumbled back down to the bottom of the pool, coughing and rubbing furiously at his eyes, which now burned thanks to the sudden onslaught of water.

Percy was quick to head back down, his hands helping Amos up and his mouth parted as though he was about to ask if Amos was alright, but before he could, the Cupids started acting up again. Video cameras popped out from the tops of their heads as a robotic voice spoke. "Live to Olympus in one minute... fifty-nine seconds... fifty-eight seconds..."

Water was beginning to rise quickly, almost to their knees at this point, and Amos felt his heart speed up as he scrambled back and clambered into the boat in a panic, significantly slowed down by the water. Percy followed after him, moving quicker and with much more grace. "Amos, what-"

"The water's rising too quick," Amos said, his breaths fast and his eyes alarmed. "It'll be full before the countdown ends and I can't-" Panic threatened to overwhelm him, the words getting stuck in his throat.

"Hey, it's okay." Percy tried his best to reassure him. It was a bit rushed and frantic, but considering the situation they were in, Amos didn't judge him for it. "It's just water, and you're with a son of Poseidon. I think you're pretty safe, all things considered."

It was almost like his words were tempting fate because that was the moment more hatches opened up. These hatches were closer to the rim of the pool, and from them spilled out weird, mechanical-looking spiders. They scattered along the dry parts of the pools, as though sensing where the water was, and similarly to the Cupids, began shooting cables at the two of them. These cables were much thinner, almost barely visible, though when Amos tried to push one away it proved to be unnaturally strong. As if that wasn't bad enough, the spiders had begun jumping, leaping with perfect precision to land on the dry boat. Amos had to try really hard to not scream once that started happening.

He and Percy had devolved into uncoordinated messes, slashing at cables and spiders as the boat rocked precariously. The robotic countdown continued, now down to fifteen, as the pair of them kicked spiders away, Percy's eyes darting around as he looked for anything they might be able to use to their advantage.

"Grover!" He yelled suddenly, startling Amos so much he stumbled, sending the boat rocking. Maybe it was a son of Poseidon thing, but Percy was almost entirely unaffected — he looked natural on the boat, never losing his balance and having such a strong sense of confidence Amos was almost envious. "Get into that booth and find the 'on' switch!"

"What? You're trying to fill this place with *more* water?" Amos' voice went high as he felt yet another rush of anxiety.

"Just trust me!"