Wildfires, Heroes of Olympus ₂

049, jesus my superstar i love you jesus

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
FINLEY                BRIGGS

At the very least, Finn thought she deserved to drink an ocean's worth of wine. She was about to die again, after all.

The basin filled with alarming speed. Finn, Jason, Percy, and Piper pounded on the walls, looking for an exit, but they found nothing. They climbed into the alcoves to gain some height, but with water pouring out of each niche, it was like trying to balance at the edge of a waterfall. Even as Finn stood in a niche, the water was soon up to her knees. From the floor, it was probably eight feet deep and rising fast.

"I could try lightning," Jason said. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"

"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.

"Or electrocute us," Percy added.

"Not many choices," Jason said.

"I could turn this shit into wine?" Finn suggested.

"And what good would that do?" Piper asked. "We'd all still be drowning."

"At least we can go down drunk, I don't know!"

"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there has to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something."

It was a desperate idea, but Finn was glad for something to do after Percy jumped in the water. Finn, Jason, and Piper climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wiggling seashells embedded in the stone; but they had no luck.

Sooner than Finn expected, Percy broke the surface, gasping and flailing. She offered her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him up.

"Couldn't breathe," he choked. "The water... not normal. Hardly made it back."

The life force of the nymphs, Finn thought. It was so poisoned and malicious, that even a son of the sea god couldn't control it.

As the water rose around her, Finn felt it affecting her too. Her leg muscles trembled like she'd been running for miles. She figured that even if she'd tried to turn the liquid into wine, nothing would have happened.

The others moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drenched and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the color was leaching out. Piper was the same. Her skin had turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of a fountain.

"They're taking our power," Piper said. "Draining us."

"Grace," Finn coughed, "do the lightning."

Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled, but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung Finn's skin.

"Not what I wanted," Jason said.

"Okay, okay, Briggs, I change my mind," Piper heaved. "Try the wine. Anything's better than this."