𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖋

PHOENIX TOOK OUT HER POLE AXE ALMOST INSTANTLY, "You two stay behind me!"

"Stop it Khaotikomi! Don't do anything reckless yet!" Annabeth lowered her right hand.

Up on the rim, the Eros statues were drawing their bows into firing position.

"Fine." Phoenix mumbled monotonously, "Get pierced by the arrows. See if I care."

"You can't just say stuff like that!" She huffed

"Maybe if you would stop being a buzzkill." She crossed her arms over each other and played with a braid.

"Guys!"

"I am not a buzzkill! I am strategic! And you're insane!"  Annabeth glared

"Thanks."  Phoenix shrugged, "At least I'm not a wiseass." 

"Hey!" Annabeth glared daggers at her, "Luke totally told you to say that!"

"Annabeth! Phoenix!"

"What!" They both turned to him at the same time, taking their eyes off each other for the first time since they started arguing.

"Look!"

Percy signaled just as the cherubs shot, but not at them. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" Annabeth said.

"Try to keep up."  Phoenix rolled her eyes.

The two girls moved forward in sync leaving Percy to throw up his hand in frustration before following after them.

Phoenix grabbed the shield and they ran, but going up the slope of the pool was not as easy as going down.

"Come on!" Annabeth shouted.

She was trying to hold open a section of the net for them, but wherever she touched it, the golden threads started to wrap around her hands.

The Eros' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose all around the pool, blinding them with an illuminating white light, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute. Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight—"

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid! Eta is 'H.' He made this trap to catch Aphrodite and Ares in bed together. Now we're going to be broadcasted live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

They had almost made it to the rim when the row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic automatons poured out.

Annabeth screamed and jumped back in fear.

It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward them in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.

"Spiders!" Annabeth said. "Sp—sp—aaaah!"

"I think she's going to faint." Percy fanned her

"She can't knock out yet. she's the smart one!" Phoenix exclaimed, almost as if she were actually concerned.

They had never seen her so disheveled before. Annabeth was usually a walking embodiment of calm collected and calculating. But there she was turning red and screaming in horror over a horde of mechanic spiders.

She fell backward onto her butt and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before Percy pulled her up and dragged her back toward the boat. As he did that, Phoenix smushed down one of the mechanic spiders with her combat boot, and flicked off the first row with her pole axe before running after them.

The things were coming out from all around the rim now, millions of them, flooding toward the center of the pool, completely surrounding them.

They had no idea if the creatures were programmed to kill, but Phoenix didn't care. She understood that this was a trap meant for the gods. Almighty gods, those without an ounce of mortal blood in them. Whatever this trap could do, it was only meant for those with pure ichor flowing through their blood.

They didn't have that.

Annabeth, Phoenix, and Percy clambered into the boat. Phoenix and Percy started kicking away the spiders as they swarmed aboard.

He yelled at Annabeth to help them, but she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream.

"She can't hear you Fishface! Just keep them away from us!"

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker.

The spiders started spitting out strands of metal thread, trying to tie them down. The strands were easy enough to break at first, but there were so many of them, and the spiders just kept coming. Percy kicked one away from Phoenix's leg and its pincers took a chunk out of his new surf shoe.

Grover appeared after hearing the commotion, he came in screaming that he was there to help. He hovered above the pool in his flying sneakers, trying to pull the net loose, but it wouldn't budge.

Phoenix had to admit, she was enjoying the utter chaos that unfolded in the Tunnel of Love.

At least she did until one of the spiders pinched her arm. Then she got pretty angry and started stabbing through them faster with the tip of her Pole axe.

"I'll make you into skewers and fry you for my lunch!"

"She does know they're metal spiders right!" Grover bleated in concern.

The Tunnel of Love entrance was under the net. They could use it as an exit, except that it was blocked by a million robot spiders.

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called.

"Grover!" Percy yelled. "Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!"

"But—"

"Do it!"

The spiders were all over the prow of the boat now. Annabeth was screaming her head off as Percy thought of how to get them out of there, he had no idea the damage his plan would cause.

Grover was in the controller's booth now, slamming away at the buttons.

"Five, four—"

Grover looked up at Percy hopelessly, raising his hands. He was letting him know that he'd pushed every button, but still nothing was happening.

Percy closed his eyes and Phoenix started cursing, "Hey! It's not time for a nap!"

He didn't listen and proceeded.

Then she felt the first drop, "Ow!" She screamed, her hand falling to her arm that sizzled and became tender at the burning touch of water.

"Two, one—"

She frowned, her eyes widening slightly. "Percy—Wait!"

—Zero!"

Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. Percy pulled Annabeth and Phoenix into the seat next to him and he fastened all their seat belts fast enough for them to be secured as the tidal wave slammed into their boat. The wave reached over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing them completely, but not capsizing them.

"AGHHHHHH!" Phoenix howled and lost grip of the shield.

"Phoenix?? What's wrong!!" Percy asked but it came out muddled as the boat kept on moving. When he noticed Ares' shield falling towards him, he grabbed it before it broke his nose.

She keeled over into a ball, hiding her face in her lap. White smoke left her lips...

The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool. Causing the trio of demigods to thrash around relentlessly.

The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool's concrete wall with such force they burst.

Phoenix felt her skin lose its usual firmness, the water seemed to seep into her. She clenched her fists, trying to ignore the discomfort spreading through her body.

As Percy and Annabeth shouted over the chaos, Phoenix writhed in agony.

She felt like her skin was on fire. The burning sensation intensified wherever the water touched her, which was everywhere. Sharp stabs shot through her limbs. She gasped, trying to suppress the pain that radiated from every wet spot on her.

Phoenix could feel her strength dwindling, her flesh becoming red and itchy. An overwhelming sensation of searing discomfort took over her, causing her to feel utterly helpless against the tormenting onslaught of water.

She curled tighter into herself, wishing desperately for the nightmare to end. Her mind raced with fear and utter confusion, overwhelmed by the relentless assault of sensations that engulfed her.

She had never felt something so intense.

Spotlights glared down at them. The Eros-cams were rolling, live to Olympus.

Phoenix's torment went unnoticed amidst Percy's control over the boat and Annabeth's trembling fear of the attacking spiders.

The boat rode the current and almost magically kept away from the wall. They spun around one last time, the water level now almost high enough to shred them against the metal net. Then the boat's nose turned toward the tunnel and they rocketed through into the darkness.

There was a cacophony of screams as the boat shot curls and hugged corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of pop culture couples and a bunch of pink and red heart decorations.

Then they were out of the tunnel, the night air whistling through their hair as the boat barreled straight toward the exit.

If the ride had been in working order, they would've sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool.

Except, the Gates of Love were chained. Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before them were now piled against the barricade-one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"Unfasten your seat belts," Percy yelled to them.

Phoenix could only respond with a whine.

"Are you crazy?" Annabeth screamed, She turned towards Phoenix who was on the left of her. "He's—Oh my gods! Phoenix! Percy what happened to her!"

"I don't know! What the—unbuckle her! Unless you want to both get smashed to death." He screamed out in distress. He strapped Ares's shield to his arm. "We're going to have to jump for it."

His plan was simple and insane. He decided that when the boat struck, they would use its force like a springboard to jump the gate. With luck, they would land in the pool.

Emphasis on 'with luck'

Annabeth seemed to understand his idea without him having to utter a word.

She pulled Phoenix into her side as the gates got closer. The daughter of Athena heard the girl's shallow breaths and felt her skin hot to the touch.

Fear gripped Annabeth's heart as she realized the seriousness of Phoenix's condition. Anger bubbled up in her for not realizing sooner. She only wondered how she ended up so badly hurt...

"On my mark," Percy said.

"No! On my mark!" She reached out and fumbled with Phoenix's seatbelt, as she tried to time their jump exactly.

"What?"

"Simple physics!" she yelled. "Force times the trajectory angle—"

"Fine!" He shouted. "On your mark!"

She hesitated.... and hesitated... then finally she yelled, "Now!"

Annabeth was right, naturally.

If they had jumped when Percy initially thought they should have, they would have crashed into the gates. Her timing had ensured they got maximum lift.

Unfortunately, that was a little more than they needed. Their boat smashed into the pileup and they were thrown into the air, straight over the gates, over the pool, and down toward solid ground.

Something grabbed Percy and Annabeth from behind.

Annabeth yelled, "Phoenix!" She pulled her by the waist and pressed her closer. Ensuring that she wouldn't plummet into the asphalt. The raven-haired girl murmured incoherently, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder.

In midair, Grover had grabbed Percy by the shirt, and Annabeth by the arm, and was trying to pull them out of a crash landing, but the trio had all the momentum.

"You're all too heavy!" Grover said. "We're going down!"

They spiraled toward the ground, and Grover did his best to slow the fall.

They smashed into a photo board, Grover's head going straight into the hole where tourists would put their faces, pretending to be Noo-Noo the Friendly Whale.

Annabeth, Phoenix, and Percy tumbled to the ground, banged up but breathing. Ares's shield was still on Percy's arm.

Back at the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was subsiding. Their boat had been smashed to pieces against the gates.

Once they caught their breath, Percy got Grover out of the photo board and thanked him for saving their lives.

Meanwhile, Annabeth pulled Phoenix into her lap, "Phoenix? Phoenix? Can you hear me?"

"What happened to her..." Grover asked, shuffling forward and sniffling slightly.

"I don't know." Percy frowned as he responded, "Too much happened after the water pipes burst...I couldn't see anything. Annabeth do you know what could...I mean what could cause that much damage? The spiders hardly touched her."

"I don't know." Annabeth whispered, still staring down at the pained girl, "I'm going to help you okay?" Annabeth murmured softly, moving the wet black strands out of her face. "I promise."

"Mmm"

A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Eros' were still filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on them, the spotlights in their faces.

"Show's over!" Percy growled. "Thank you! Good night!"

The Eros' turned back to their original positions. The lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool.

Phoenix slowly, felt a faint sense of clarity seeping back into her. Her skin was still red and tender but she was slightly soothing the ache in her muscles and clearing the fog in her mind.

As her quest mates fretted over her, she tried to mask the gnawing ache in her insides. Every movement was a struggle against the burning sensation lingering from the water's touch.

Grover pulled a vial of nectar out from Phoenix's backpack. "Here, drink this."

Phoenix hesitated, her monotone voice betraying no emotion. "I don't need that stuff. I'll be fine."

"You look like you need it," Percy interjected, concern etched on his face. "Trust us."

Reluctantly, Phoenix accepted the vial. She uncapped it and sniffed cautiously.

"Just a little," Annabeth advised,

"Yeah yeah." Phoenix started by pouring a small amount onto her tongue. She cringed.

"What's happening?" Annabeth asked quietly, her voice tinged with worry.

Phoenix swallowed another mouthful, her jaw clenching involuntarily against the burning sensation. "It burns," she murmured, almost to herself.

Percy exchanged a troubled glance with Annabeth. "You shouldn't have more if it hurts," he suggested gently.

"It shouldn't be hurting at all." Annabeth shook her head in disbelief.

"It's fine." Phoenix stared at the rest of the vial.

Annabeth repeated a little bit right before she chugged down a heap of nectar causing Percy to slap it out of her hand, breaking the glass. "Are you crazy!"

"Are you stupid?" She growled then immediately groaned. To her surprise, the nectar's heat spread through her system like an uncontrolled wildfire, intensifying the discomfort from the water's burn.

The sensation was overwhelming; it scorched through her, causing her muscles to tense involuntarily. It was different than the burn of water, it was familiar, and it felt almost like—Fire.

Phoenix's features hardened, she gritted her teeth against the sensation.

Annabeth, Grover, and Percy watched with bated breaths. They were afraid of what would happen. Neither knew what horror show was going to come from her drinking that much nectar... they just knew, Phoenix wasn't going to be part of the quest for much longer.

But then, to all their surprise, Phoenix's features softened, and the tension eased from her muscles. The faintest blush colored her cheeks and she sighed in relief.

"You—You're okay." Annabeth sniffled. "How is that possible!"

"It dried me up?" Phoenix asked as she looked at her completely healed right arm and hand.

Grover shook his head. "Not a scratch is on you! How!"

Annabeth frowned. "Your tolerance for nectar—is unheard of in a demigod! It's like your body knows how to absorb it without being overwhelmed." She thought out loud, "Is it because you're a Daughter of Eris? Did she gift you immunity to incineration?"

Phoenix shook her head and scowled, "I... I don't know. But I don't want any gift from her..."

Percy smiled gently. "But this... this is good. You're healed! Hey, I'm so glad you're okay. "

"Fishface you caused this." She grunted.

"What." His face soured, "Why would I want to cause something like that Nix."

Phoenix shook her head her voice was steady and without much emotion. "No, I mean...I have... a water allergy."

"A water allergy?" Grover repeated, surprise evident in his voice.

Phoenix stomped and Grover jumped back.

She growled "It's complicated. Just promise—promise you won't tell Chiron what happened! He'll never let me go on another quest! He thinks it's a weakness," she murmured, more to herself than to them. "I'm not weak."

Annabeth and Percy exchanged another look, their concern deepening into shared understanding. "We promise," Annabeth assured her softly. "But you need to be more careful. You should have told us before."

Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest, "Why would I do that."

"So I wouldn't have hurt you" Percy exclaimed, "I wouldn't have if I just knew—"

Phoenix growled, "I'm fine. Don't you see I'm fine? I can handle myself! Okay!"

Percy opened his mouth and closed it, he decided not to argue. "I'm sorry..."

Phoenix furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean...."

The trio looked at each other, exchanging sympathetic glances.

"He means. that he didn't mean to hurt you, and he hopes you are not upset with him." Annabeth explained in a way she could understand.

Phoenix looked at Percy curiously, they stood an arm's distance from each other. Tension hung in the air. These two were complete opposites. They'd never be able to mix, never be able to become real friends when Percy had the power to weaken her, and Phoenix had the power to...

"Okay."

Percy nodded, "Okay."

The single phrase hung in the air, unspoken words resonating between them.

"So...We have to make sure you avoid water now," Grover announced.

"Or I can just stock up on that stuff." Phoenix shrugged, "Either way. Don't start thinking I can't handle being here. I can."

"No one's thinking that Khaotikomi. But you should know nectar and ambrosia aren't the easiest thing to find here." Annabeth sighed, "We'll just have to avoid more water park rides yeah?"

"Deal." They all said in unison

Percy then hefted the shield on his arm, his jaw clenching in anger as he stared at it. "Now, it's time we have a little talk with Ares...."