𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 - 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚 𝒋𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝒐𝒄

‧⁺˚*･༓𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑬𝑵༓･*˚⁺‧

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they entered the waterpark. 

Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D. 

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

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

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

"Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added. "Who is she?Echidna?"

"No, Aphrodite," Phoenix said with a smile. "Goddess of love."

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

"What's your point?" she asked.

"Oh," Percy muttered. "So how do we get in?"

"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings. He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, and then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

Phoenix, Percy, and Annabeth had to climb the old-fashioned way, holding down the barbed wire for each other as we crawled over the top.

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? No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise. 

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

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"

"Watch me." She snatched an entire row of stuff off the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"What the heck." Grover shrugged. 

The two boys grabbed Waterland clothes and tried them on. Phoenix grabbed a few items and just stuffed them into a Waterland drawstring since Aphrodite's clothes were still intact.

Soon, the three others 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," Phoenix told replied. 

"Three-thousand-year-old gossip," Annabeth added.

"What about Aphrodite's husband?"

"Well, you know," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, and thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?" 

"She likes bikers," he grinned.

"Whatever."

"Hephaestus knows?"