The sun was setting behind the mountains by the time we reached the old water park. Based on the sign, it was called WATERLAND, but some of the letters were missing, so it read WAT R A D.
The main gate was padlocked and had barbed wire on top. Inside, we could see huge water slides, tubes and pipes everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around. With night coming, this place felt creepy.
"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said as he looked around. "I'd hate to see what she looks like."
Annabeth looked at me. "Percy, 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," I snapped. "Aphrodite."
"Goddess of love." Annabeth said.
"My mom."
"Oh, sorry, Cor."
Did he just say my nickname? I was fine when people said it, but when Percy just said it, it felt... different.
"I thought she was married to somebody," Percy said. "Hephaestus."
"What's your point?" Grover asked.
"Oh. So how do we get in?"
"Maia!" Grover said as he flew into the air, went over the fence, did an unintended somersault, then stumbled to a landing. He brushed off his jeans, like he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming."
Annabeth, Percy and I climbed up the fence, holding the barbed wire down for each other.
There was no monsters around, and nothing made a noise.
I tried to push down the strange feeling I had of this place, telling myself it was myself being paranoid.
We found a souvenir shop that was left open. Stuff was still on the shelves.
"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."
"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"
"Watch us." I said.
Me and Annabeth grabbed the first clothes we could reach and went into the dressing rooms. I had grabbed some regular black athletic shorts and an oversized Waterland T-shirt. I shoved extra stuff in the bag Annabeth grabbed once she got out.
"Can you redo my braid real quick?" I asked Annabeth.
"Sure," she said and pulled out the hair tie and started to untangle it slightly with her fingers. "Won't be as good as Silena can, but I'll do my best."
"It's fine, just wanted to get it redone."
Grover and Percy just stood there watching before shrugging and grabbing clothes of their own until we all looked like we were about to take a photo shoot for the water park.
We kept on searching for the Tunnel of Love once my braid was done and everyone else got done grabbing random goodies.
Percy fell in step with me. "So Ares and Aphrodite, they have a thing going?"
"That's old gossip, Percy," I told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."
"What about Aphrodite's husband?"
"Well, you know, Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but my mom isn't into brains and talent, you know?"
"She likes bikers."
I smiled. "Whatever."
"Hephaestus knows?"
"Oh sure." I continued. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out of the way places, like..." I finally spotted the Tunnel of Love. "Like that."
Around the pool were a dozen bronze statues of Cupid, maybe Eros, depending on who you ask. On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THEILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!
Grover came to the edge. "Guys, look."
We looked at the bottom of the pool to see a pink and white two seater boat with a canopy on top and hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, was Ares's shield.
"This is too easy," Percy said, and I nodded. "So we just walk down there and get it?"
Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue. "There's a Greek letter carved here. Eta. I wonder..."
"Grover," Percy said. "You smell any monsters."
Grover sniffed the air. "Nothing."
"Nothing- like, in the Arch and you didn't smell Echidna nothing, or really nothing?"
I slapped Percy's arm and frowned at him. "Percy!"
Grover looked hurt at this. "I told you, that was underground."
"Okay, I'm sorry." Percy took a breath. "I'm going down there."
"I'll go with you," Grover didn't sound like he wanted to.
"No," Percy told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."
Grover looked happier at this. "Sure. What could go wrong?"
"I don't know, just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me—"
"Are you kidding me?" She looked at him like he was some alien.
"What's the problem now?" Percy snapped back.
I sighed before this could go anymore. "I'll go with you, Percy."
Percy nodded, and smiled a little, although I might've been imaging it.
Me and Percy reached the boat, where the shield was propped and next to it was a silk scarf. Percy picked it up and smelled it. He smiled and held the scarf close to him.
I quickly grabbed it from him. "First of all, ew, that's my moms. Second of all, stay away from that love magic. Just get the shield, seaweed brain, and let's get out of here."
The moment Percy touched the shield I knew I had messed up in telling him to do so.
"Wait," Annabeth said from up top.
"Too late." Percy said back.
I looked at the boat. "There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap."
Noise suddenly erupted from all around us.
"Guys!" Grover yelled at us.
I looked up and saw the Cupid's drawing their bows. Before I could even think, Percy put an arm in front of me. I watched as they fired not at us, but at each other. They released a string like material that started to weave itself.
Like a net.
Like Hephaestus had done to Ares and my mom all those years ago.
This was meant for them, not us.
"We have to get out,"
"Duh!"
Percy grabbed the shield and we ran, but trying to get up was harder then coming down.
"Come on!" Grover and Annabeth yelled. They were trying to hold open the net, but wherever they touched, it began to wrap around them.
The Cupids's heads popped open and there were video cameras in its place. Spotlights came up, blinding me for a second.
A loud speaker came up. "Live to Olympus in one minute..."
"Hephaestus!" Annabeth almost screamed. "I'm so stupid! Eta is 'H.' He made this to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"
We were almost up when the mirrors on the pool opened and thousands of metallic things poured out.
I froze and looked at Annabeth, who even in her panicked state looked at me with pleading eyes.
"Coriane Tucker, you listen to me! Don't you dare go back to that place!"
Thousands of tiny scorpions started scuttling towards us, and I screamed. I fell backwards and started kicking at them, but obviously, it wasn't enough.
Percy pulled me up into the boat, and looked at me with upmost concern.
"Cor!" He yelled at me. My head snapped to his. His sea green eyes were almost calming right now. "I don't know what's happening, or why you're freaking out so much, but I promise you'll be okay, just help me on this."
"Thirty, twenty-nine," the loudspeakers announced.
"Coriane! Please!"
I nodded and twisted my ring, tossed it up and came back with my sword. I held it out and tried to swing at them, but not much was working and I couldn't stop myself from freezing every five seconds.
"Fifteen, fourteen,"
"Grover! Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!" Percy yelled.
"But—"
"Do it!"
"Five, four,"
Nothing was happening.
That's it, this is how I actually die.
To a bunch of robot scorpions made for my mom.
Thanks mom, you're just so kind.
"Two, one, zero!"
Suddenly water exploded out of nowhere and I was pulled into a seat. The scorpions were swept away, and we just spun in circles, after getting soaked.
I looked at the cameras and knew this was being streamed all over Olympus at the moment.
Oh wow.
My mom was watching this.
Suddenly we shot through the tunnel and both me and Percy were screaming.
As soon as we got in, we were out and going through the night air.
Annabeth is definitely going to have to do my braid again.
"Unfasten your seatbelt!" Percy yelled at me.
"Are you crazy?"
"Unless you want to get smashed to death." Percy strapped Ares's shield on his arm. "We're going to have to jump for it."
I understood what we had to do and looked at everything. I knew exactly when to jump.
Annabeth had spent countless days teaching me random things I'd need to know in case I ever went to school or something, and from when she taught me physics, I could remember everything in this one moment.
I grabbed Percy's hand as the gates got closer, trying to calm myself.
"On my mark," Percy said.
"No! On my mark!"
"What?"
"Simple physics! Force times the trajectory angle—"
"Fine! On your mark!"
I waited, and waited. Watching as it came closer. "Now!"
We jumped and flew into the air, but there was a little too much power. We flew over everything and started to come down towards the concrete.
Something grabbed my arm and I winced in pain. "Ouch!"
I looked behind to see Grover holding Percy by his shirt and obviously me by my arm.
"You're too heavy! We're going down!"
We spiraled toward the ground, and we smashed into the ground.
I groaned and took time to catch my breath. I stood up and so did Percy. I looked down to see we were still holding hands.
I pulled mine away, my cheeks heating up, him doing the same.
We helped Grover out of a photo board and Annabeth crushed me into a hug.
"Tell me you didn't go back to then."
"I didn't. Percy distracted me."
"Good."
Percy looked at the Cupid's, who were still recording.
"Show's over!" He yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"
The Cupid's turned back to their normal positions, the lights shut off and everything was quiet again.
Percy turned back to us. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."