୨⎯ The Daughter of Ares ⎯ ୧ ☾P. JACKSON x FEM OC☽

14. "Maybe she was preparing you."

THE THREE FINALLY MADE THEIR WAY TO THE AMUSEMENT PARK. Which looked rather abandoned.

"I haven't seen a lot of horror movies, but this seems like exactly the kind of place they'd suggest to avoid." Percy said as they looked at the amusement park.

"I've never seen any kind of movie." Erika admitted, looking at Percy as she crossed her arms. "I'll have to take your word for it."

"Never?" Percy asked, looking at the Daughter of Ares and Annabeth in suprise. "What do you mean 'never' like, 'never-never'?"

"Is there another kind?" Annabeth asked, looking at Percy.

"Well, if neither of us is dead in a few days, we really ought to fix that." Percy responded. This offer made Erika's eyes widen. "You're missing out." He added, looking down at her. "In the meantime, we should probably get this over with, though."

As he was about to go to that merry-go-round type of gate, the gate creaked before Annabeth asked him to stop.

"Wait, what just happened?" He asked, looking up at the gate.

"Just hold still." Annabeth said. "Gimme a second. In the mechanism there, that's Celestial bronze."

"Oh, fascinating. Erika, what is happening right now?" Percy asked, concerned by what Annabeth is saying.

"Celestial bronze is what your sword is made out of. If you're a human, they'll pass right through you. If you're a monster or a demigod..."

"Well, what's it doing there?" Erika asked, confused.

"That's a great question." Annabeth said, "Safe to say, this is not just some amusement park. A god built this."

"What kind of God builds amusement parks?" Percy asked, confused, Erika's eyes widened as she remembered which god was a blacksmith.

"Hephaestus." Erika responded.

"Why would Hephaestus build an amusement park?" Percy asked, even more confused.

"Maybe he finds them amusing?" Annabeth responded, not even sure why.

"It's really not funny, Annabeth." Percy commented.

"It's a little funny." Erika responded, smiling at Percy.

Percy sighed before Annabeth began saying, "Oh... Oh, look at that. That's cool."

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.

"Just relax. She's on it." Erika responded as Annabeth stared at the Celestial bronze thingy.

"Okay, I get this.. just push through it." Annabeth said.

Percy hesitated for a second but listened to Annabeth and pushed, Annabeth and Erika also came in, where this thing with "000" turned into "002"

"What is that?" Percy asked, confused.

"The machine isn't designed to hurt us. It's meant to scare us. It's a test." Annabeth responded, being the smartest one in the quest right now. "Hephaestus wanted to know any time one of us came poking around his playground." She added as she stood next to Erika, When the thing turnee into "003"

"I guess now he knows." Erika said, looking at the count thingy. The kids began walking off, Percy being close to Erika right now. There was one thing that this seaweed brain had caught her attention on, Him inviting her to the movies kinda sent.. butterflies in her stomach, but she came back to reality when Annabeth said.

"Oh, wow. Look at that." As she looked around. "Tell me the god of craftsmen didn't build this." She added, sounding rather amused, "Have you ever seen anything like this?" Annabeth asked the other two.

"If it belongs to the god of Craftsmen, what was the god of war doing here? Aren't they enemies?" Percy asked, confused for the millionth time, Erika nodded, saying yes. "Then why did he slip without his shield?"

"If I'm guessing... Ares always had a thing with - " Annabeth began saying before Erika cut her off.

"Aphrodite. She's Hephaestus's wife." Erika said before Percy realised something.

"Oh, you're kidding. He met her here? In her husband's park?" Percy asked in disbelief. "That's so wrong."

"What'd you expect? Aphrodite is the goddess of love, the lust. As far as I know, Aphrodite never loved Hephaestus because Hephaestus is ugly." Erika responded, looking at Percy.

"They got caught, and he had to leave in a hurry." Annabeth added, looking at the both of them.

"One thing dad was telling the truth about, this family is a mess." Erika added, walking between the two.

Suddenly, fairground music started playing behind them, and machinery turned on, which was called "Thrill ride o' love."

"Don't you even try to tell me not to be weird about this.." Annabeth said as the three looked at it.

"I didn't say anything." Percy responded.

"I can feel you thinking it." Annabeth responded to Percy.

"This must be where Ares and Aphrodite got caught." Erika spoke. "The shield must be in there. We just gotta go get it."

"I'm not going in." Annabeth said, backing up from the thing.

"Sure. Let's just go check out the scary ghost ride. Why not?" Percy said sarcastically as he grabbed Erika's hand AGAIN, and they began going near it.

"I'll wait for you guys here!" Annabeth said, watching the guys go on the boat.

As Percy sat down on the boat, Erika sat next to him. "Why me?" Erika asked him, looking at the boy.

"Hm?" He asked, looking at Erika.

"I mean, why me? You could've chosen Annabeth." Erika said, looking at Percy.

"Oh, uhm. I don't know, honestly, the number of times we've kinda held hands, I think I kinda trust you." He spoke, letting go of her hand as he realised he was holding it.

"Right - That's strange." Erika said jokingly as she stayed quiet after that.

Only to be jumpscared by "WHAT IS LOVE?" to be start playing.

"What is happening right now?" Erika asked, looking confused.

"Feel like I've heard this before." Percy said, unsure of why the song was playing. "I think, from an orthodontist's office, maybe?"

Slowly, the pink light approached the wall, and there it was, a little story.

"Wait, I know this." Percy said, looking at the story. "It's Hephaestus's story. Rejected by Hera. Rejected by Aphrodite. My mom told me these stories all the time. I remember this. She said..."

Erika turned to look at Percy, "What?" She asked, wanting him to finish his sentence.

"She said this is what the gods are like to each other. This is the kind of family they are." Percy continued.

"Why didn't you wanna say that just now?" Erika asked curiously as she looked at Percy.

Percy pressed his lips together before he said, "She was trying to keep me away from you guys. Maybe you are right. Maybe she should have been preparing me better."

"Maybe she was preparing you." Erika responded, looking back at Percy. "So when you got to us, you'd be different than this."

Slowly, the song turned off, and the boat got faster, making them yell before they got near a statue.

"There is it. Dad's shield." Erika said, looking at the shield in the statue's hand.