{ ' A GOD BUYS US
CHEESEBURGERS ' }

008. . . ( tunnel of love )

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...        𝐁y the time Percy and Pandora had reached the amusement park, the sun had set and there was a light fog dancing along the ground, only making their chills run further. The air was still and quiet, the only sound that could be heard was their trainers against the damp grass. The park itself was dull and poorly lit, Pandora would've guessed that it was due to the lack of sunlight, but used her common sense to realise that it just hadn't been used in a very, very long time. Abandoned, joyless and creepy. Was there a better combination? There was the odd neon light flashing in the distance or at the top of an old rollercoaster.

"I haven't seen a lot of horror movies, but this seems like exactly the kind of place they'd suggest to avoid." Percy commented, nearing the large overhead sign that read 'Welcome to Waterland'.

"I've never seen any kind of movie." Pandora said, as if her statement wasn't the craziest thing known to man. "So, I'll just take your word for it."

"Never?" Percy frowned, watching her as she walked forwards. "What do you mean 'never', like never-never?"

"I'm not the smartest person ever, but I'm pretty sure there's only on type of never." Pandora quirked an eyebrow, smiling at him.

"Well, if neither of us is dead in a few days, we really ought to fix that." Percy offered, stopping his movements, making her do so too. "You're missing out." He then continued walking.

"Did you just—" Pandora tried to ask, but was cut off.

"In the meantime, we should probably get this over with, though." He emphasised the beginning of his sentence, making it louder as if to stop her asking her question.

Percy pushed through the metal gate, before getting stuck against the wall of it. Above him, there was a metal clanging noise, and the sound of machinery whirring.

"What just happened?" He stammered out, staring up at the moving contraption.

"Just. . . hold still. Gimme a second, please." Pandora stuck her tongue out partially as she tried to examine the metal. Gods, she wished she was intelligent enough for this. "The metal looks like the same that Riptide is made of! What is it called. . . Cement— No. Cell— Cell— Celestial bronze!"

"Oh, fascinating!" Percy said sarcastically, not moving his eyes from the mechanism. "Pandora, what is happening right now?"

"I swear. . . Chiron taught me this before. . . Hold on, Percy, I'm trying to think." Pandora stared at the ground in concentration, trying to block out the sound of the machinery. "I think, I'm taking a guess, if you're human, celestial bronze will pass right through you. If you're a monster, or in this case, a demigod. . ."

"Well, what's it doing there?" Percy questioned, moving his fearful eyes to look at the girl on the other side of the bars.

"Percy! I'm really not the right person to be asking these types of questions— I don't know!" She exclaimed, the stress overtaking her. "This clearly isn't just some amusement park, some sick freak made this and now we're suffering because Ares is a dumb little shit and left his shield while having some nice little fun freedom time! Why can't anything ever be easy!"

"Pandora!" Percy shouted, holding the bars that were blocking their distance. "Breathe. Just breathe." Her chest heaved and she panted, panic rushing through her already. "You've got this. You're smart. Just breathe and think."

"I am thinking, Perce!" Pandora yelled back, staring up at the sky. "I swear to the gods, if the freak who made this is one of you lot— Oh my! Of course it was. Percy!" She grinned, looking at the blond boy. "Hephaestus made this park!"

"Okay, 'Dora, brilliant. But, why would Hephaestus build an amusement park?" Percy asked, continuously glancing between the girl and the machine.

Pandora deadpanned, looking at him with a flat face. "How on Earth am I supposed to know? He likes having a little ride on the teacups— I don't know!"

"Pandora!" Percy groaned, making her snap out of her sarcastic state.

"Oh. . . Just go through. I don't know!" Pandora slapped her palms against her thighs. "Just push through. The machine is above you, it can't possibly come down. It's fixed into place."

"Push?" Percy looked questionably at her. "'Cause, remember what Annabeth said this morning about how the Fates mean one of us is going to die and we should take it more seriously?"

"Percy, please, for the love of Zeus, just." The mention of Annabeth had set her on edge again ". . . stop making me second guess myself!"

"Okay! Okay!" Percy nodded, turning his back to her and pushing the metal bars.

As Pandora thought, the entrance continued to rotate, letting the boy into the park. She followed through. On the other side, there was a small row of three letters, reading '002'.

"Hephaestus wanted to know anytime one of us came poking around in his playground." Pandora guessed, cocking her head to the side as she looked at the numbers. "Now he knows."

The pair continued to make their way through the amusement park, but there was nothing there that screamed to them. It all seemed very normal and dull. They walked past a rollercoaster that seemed to by designed for kids, judging by the very animated drawing style and the once bright colours that were splashed across it.

Pandora giggled and pointed at the silly face on the front of one of the carts. "Look at that! I can't believe the god of craftsmen built this!"

Percy chuckled slightly at her finding this all amusing, and then he truly noticed her shift in demeanour. Earlier, around everyone else, she was glum and miserable, she hadn't uttered any words, apart from the odd few and a quick departure to Grover. She had practically ignored Annabeth's presence the whole time, like a blank canvas or a soul damned to be in the Underworld for the rest of eternity. But now, she was alone with Percy, and it was like nothing had ever happened. Like she had been this happy and smiley the whole time.

Part of him wanted to question her on this, but he had an inkling that it would dampen her bright mood, and that was the last thing he wanted to do, because, oh, how he loved her smile.

"If it belongs to the god of craftsmen, what was the god of war doing here. I mean, aren't they supposed to be enemies?" Percy decided to ask a question that stayed on topic. "And, why'd he split without his shield?"

"If I'm guessing. . . Ares has always had a thing with my mother—"

"Your mother, she's Hephaestus' wife." Percy nodded. "Oh, you're kidding. He met her here? In her husband's park? That's so wrong."

Percy quickly apologised after receiving a disgruntled glare from Pandora.

"They got caught, and he had to leave in a hurry." Pandora expanded on the truth. "One thing Ares was telling the truth about. . . this family is a mess."

As they walked past a small lane of water, the sound of children's music began playing. It was the type of tune you'd hear come from an old jewellery box, or a jack-in-the-box. The sound of light whirring came and a sign lit up in bright purples and pinks, giving some illumination to the surrounding area. The water ride was labelled: 'Thrill Ride O' love'.

"I can feel you thinking." Pandora smirked, poking the inside of her cheek, trying to hide the on-growing grin.

"I didn't even say anything—"

"Oh, shut up." She scoffed and rolled her eyes with a chuckle, grabbing his hand pulling him along.

They neared one of the boats, and Percy stepped in first, before helping her in, using both hands. They laughed as she let out a short squeal, nearly falling into the water, but he caught her by the waist, lowering her down onto the seat.

"Are we taking a quick detour, m'lady?" Percy grinned at her, quickly hopping out of the boat to pull the operating lever, and then jumping back in.

"Maybe, or maybe the shield's in here." Pandora tried to cover her case. "I mean, come on, this must be where my mom and Ares got caught. There isn't a single ride other than this that screams 'loving couples hop on!'."

When Percy sat, he found a beautiful pink scarf on the floor of the boat. He took it in his hands and smiled dreamily at it. It shimmered and had a perfume of indescribable scent — perhaps roses or something romantic.

Pandora snatched the scarf from his hands without a split second going by. "No love magic for you, Jackson."

"Huh?" Percy hummed, as if slowly coming out of a daze.

"Stay away from love magic. It's too dangerous." Pandora expanded, stuffing the scarf into her jacket pocket sneakily.

The boat glided smoothly against the water, flowing into a dark tunnel, lit by nothing but a few faulty fairy lights hanging overhead. The pair sat directly next to each other, their thighs touching. Pandora hated the dark, so she found solace in wrapping her arms around his bicep. He smiled down at her, but she'd never know that.

There was a echoing crackle before an upbeat song began to play, making Pandora jump at the sudden noise. They looked at each other with the same furrow in their brows before bursting out laughing.

"What is happening right now?" Pandora giggled out, holding her stomach.

"Feel like I've heard this before." Percy managed to calm himself down. "I think, from an orthodontist's office, maybe?"

"What's an orfodoltist?" Pandora muttered, looking up in awe as a ray of light shot across the ceiling and travelled along the walls.

There were bright colours, ranging between pink, blue and purple. Projection or magic, Pandora couldn't tell, but the sight was truly mesmerising. Then, an animation came up in the light. Black silhouettes telling a life story. The story of Hephaestus.

Percy's eyes couldn't decide what to be captivated by; the beauty of Pandora, or the wonders of the blacksmiths life. The girl looked enthralling with the flashes of light to illuminate her face, the way her lips parted as she stared in a trance. Her lips. So perfect, so pink. As if sculpted by Aphrodite herself. There was a beauty about her like no other. It was intense and riveting.

"Wait, I know this." Percy clocked, trying his hardest not to look at Pandora, but the story playing out in front of him. "It's Hephaestus' story. . . Rejected by Hera. . . Rejected by Aphrodite. My mom told me these stories all the time. I remember this. She said. . ."

"What?" Pandora asked, turning to look at him.

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

"Why didn't you wanna say that just now?" Pandora frowned, no longer paying attention to the dancing silhouettes.

"She was trying to keep me away from you guys." Percy licked his lips and sighed. "Maybe Annabeth was right. Maybe she should've been preparing me better."

Pandora cleared her throat and untangled her arms from his bicep. "Maybe she was preparing you. So when you did find us, you'd be different than this. Better than this."

The song stopped abruptly and all the lights went out, making the pair shuffle back to each other. The machinery and lights powered down, and all that they could see was glowing trees before them. . . and a drop. A drop that they couldn't even see the bottom of.

Pandora let out a scream as the boat dropped down, her grip on the wood tightened and she closed her eyes as best as she could, trying to stop water from spraying into them. The ride went up and down, reaching highs and dropping to lows.

The crazy twists and turns thankfully stopped as they reached a calmer area, but the water was still choppier than before. It was a corridor, with open archways on the left, showing off items like a display. The items were seemingly made of solid gold. A chair and a statue of a woman, holding. . . a shield. Ares' shield.

"There it is." Percy said, nodding at the metal shield. "Ares' shield."

Ahead of them, the ride disappeared into a pitch black room full of smoke and lightning effects. They shared a panicked look.

"Jump!" He shouted, standing up and making the boat rock.

"Percy! Wait, I can't—" But before Pandora could finish her sentence, Percy had leapt into the water, leaving her with no choice but to follow.

The water was cold and her clothes clung to her immediately. Pandora was terrified. She kicked her feet as hard as she could trying to stay afloat, but she accidentally swallowed a bunch of water in the process, making her choke and cough. Her body was now thrashing and trembling violently, and she could've sworn she saw her life flashing before her eyes. She felt her body sink under the water, despite her desperate kicks and flails. Through a curtain of bubbles, she saw a hand reaching out towards her, and a mop of blond hair. She tried to reach it, but it was too far away. The alarming amount of terror that rushed through Pandora's blood and the lack of air combined was enough to send her heart into cardiac arrest. Her eyes burned as she tried to keep them open, but she felt her eyelids slipping closed, but not before she saw a whirlpool like motion in front of her.

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...        𝐀nimation returned to Pandora's body, but now, she was on a solid surface. Her eyelids fluttered open, baring her bright blue eyes to the light, and she spluttered and coughed while sitting up try to expel the water from her lungs. A hand rubbed her back, muttering positive praises and words of encouragement. She rolled onto her front, using her elbows to support her as she choked up some water, panting with exhaustion.

"Did— did you do that?" She asked breathlessly, shakily rising to her knees. "The water? How did you—"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Percy furrowed his brows, looking behind him. "I'm figuring this out as I go." He stood to his feet, holding an arm out for Pandora, which she took. They both raised their heads to look at Ares' shield, which was in the grasps of the tall golden lady, towering above them. "How're we supposed to get that down?"

"Maybe it's connected to the chair?" Pandora guessed on a whim. "It's gotta be another machine. But, I don't know how it works."

Percy stared at the chair for a moment more before realising something. "It was a gift, with a hidden purpose. Hephaestus offered it to Hera, but as soon as she sat in it, she couldn't get up. All of the gods tried, but the machine was too smart. It was too strong. It was too much. Even for them. Finally, they said if Hephaestus let Hera free, Aphrodite would be his wife." Percy swallowed thickly and then looked at Pandora, who was admiring the chair. "The chair is the bargain. One of us goes in and the other gets the shield."

"I'll do it." Pandora was quick. She stepped forwards but Percy grabbed her arm and held her back.

"What? Wait a minute."

"Whoever goes in, isn't coming out." She said. "That seems pretty clear."

"I know, that's why I said wait." Percy retorted, looking down at her in shock.

"This isn't the arch, seaweed brain. You're not pushing me into the stairwell again!" Pandora argued. She was agitated again, just like before.

"Yes, I am." Percy stated stubbornly.

"I'm not gonna let you this time." Pandora said through gritted teeth. "It doesn't work that way!"

"You wanna know why you're here, 'Dora?" Percy asked with a hum. "Because I see past everything that you put forwards. You're not dumb. You're not oblivious to the world around you. Sure, you like to look good. But you are so smart! So smart and it kills me that you don't know it. And you're loyal, and you're a good friend, and I trust you so much, but we've only known each other for a week! When I was choosing my team, I told Chiron that I needed someone positive and loyal by my side. He agreed. That was you."

"Oh, come on, Percy!" Pandora groaned, throwing her arms in the air. "I'm an idiot! I know I am. Grover knows it. Luke knows it. Peter knows it. Annabeth definitely knows it! I understand, that I'm not the brightest person ever. I was never going to survive this quest! I'm not cut out for this stuff. I'm better at sitting down and— and painting my nails. Or choosing an outfit for an event."

"You know, I can't believe it, but the Fates were right." Percy scoffed, shaking his head. "There's no getting around this. We dodged it at the arch, barely, but. . . maybe this isn't something you can dodge forever."

"This quest is designed for you! You sacrificing yourself is the most inane idea you've had! The Oracle chose you! The gods chose you! They did that for a reason—"

"Stop! It isn't about that."

"What could it possibly be about if it isn't about that?!" Pandora exclaimed, finding this whole situation ridiculous. If he let her sit down in that chair, he could get the shield and complete the quest with Grover and Annabeth. Simple. Why wouldn't he just let her do this for him?

"You are better at this than me!" He shouted, overtaking her volume. "You just are. And you know it. Deep, deep down—"

"Oh, for goodness sake, Theo! Just stop being so stubborn and let me help!" Pandora yelled, her words reverberating off the walls of the amusement ride.

A tense silence hung in the room as Pandora's jaw fell slack and Percy's eyebrows furrowed. She sighed deeply and looked to the floor, suddenly finding great interest in her soaked trainers.

"Theo?" Percy questioned in a whisper. "Who's Theo?"

"Nothing. No one." Pandora sighed. "Forget I said anything."

"Nothing or no one?" Percy bit back, getting frustrated with the constant back and forth. Why was she being so stubborn? So argumentative? Did all of this really mean this much to her?

"It doesn't matter, Perce, the point is: I'm useless!" Pandora scoffed with tears in her eyes, trying desperately to change the conversations direction. "I am literally useless. I haven't done anything to help this quest—"

Percy's hands grabbed her cheeks and forced her to look at him. "Stop." He whispered, shaking his head. "Stop talking about yourself like that. You are so amazing. You have the ability to complete this quest, and believe me, I wish there was another way that the quest could succeed. I just don't see it."

He pulled his hands away from Pandora's face and stuck one in his pocket, pulling out Riptide, which was disguised in its pen form. He handed it to her, and she hesitantly took it. Once again, his palms encased her skull, but this time they went further back, bringing her head closer to his. His lips lingered on her forehead, and she closed her eyes, relishing in their last moments.

When he pulled away, Pandora sighed shakily, not wanting to open her eyes. She heard his footsteps walking away from her.

"I need you to promise me something." Percy said through a cracked and emotional voice.

"I'm not leaving the Underworld without your mom." Pandora whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder, she wouldn't be speaking at all.

"Thank you." Percy smiled at her before chuckling slightly. "I was going to say, when this quest is done, can you maybe swing back here and try to get me outta this thing?"

"You think you had to ask?" She sniffled, looking up at him with glassy eyes. "It was the first thought on my mind."

Slowly, but surely, Percy sat in the seat, pacing his hands on the arm rests and sitting up right. Action happened immediately, the cogs in the back spun, and the machine creaked and whirred.

"This is weird." Percy breathed heavily. "It's. . . warm."

Gold patterns of leaves and swirls began to wrap around his legs like vines, securing him into place. The metal moved from his arms and to his back, swallowing his arms as it went too.

"This is a bad idea. Stand up." Pandora begged, her voice laced with distress. "Perce. . . Percy, please."

"I can't." He sighed. Somehow, he seemed a lot calmer than her, but unbeknownst to all, it was simply a façade, to hopefully settle her own nerves.

"Percy, stand up, I mean it!" Pandora sobbed, ignoring the way she couldn't tell if the wetness of her cheeks was from her tears or her near-drowning experience.

There was an overwhelming feeling of grief and repetition absorbed in her mind, and she couldn't get it out. It was like a terminal disease. It will never leave her, only eat away at her agonisingly, bit by bit. People dying seemed to be a reoccurring theme in Pandoras life, and it was always down to her cowardice.

"It's okay!" Percy exclaimed, wishing he could leave and hug her, but he couldn't. His voice quietened down as he looked at her with a small smile. "I'm okay, 'Dora. I'm okay. I'm okay. Just breathe."

The gold had now travelled up to his face, tracing his curls and smearing smoothly over his cheeks.

"I'm—" Percy went silent. Pandora squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head to the side. She didn't have it in her to look at the solid gold statue of her closest friend. Another sob left her mouth, followed by muffled cries as her hand came up to cover her mouth. She shook her head in denial, ignoring the loud metal crash that echoed around the room as Ares' shield dropped to the ceramic floor.

Although, the loud noise reminded Pandora of her situation and she inhaled deeply, wringing her hands off on her jeans and walking over to the fallen shield. Her eyes made an active attempt to ignore Percy's statue.

Whilst standing next to the shield, she noticed the metallic cogs in the side of the chair. She furrowed her brows and rushed down next to it, observing them before running her fingers along them. Pandora shook her head and dried her tears, breathing out shakily before moving to turn the cogs. She grunted and groaned as her biceps tightened, using all of her strength to try and budge the metal, but it stayed stubborn and still.

"Okay, come on, Pandora. You've got this. It has to move somehow." She mumbled to herself, trying a bunch of other circular machinery pieces.

She began to grow extremely frustrated with herself as none of her methods or ideas had been successful. Why couldn't she be smart like Annabeth? If she was here, Percy would be free right now. It all wasn't fair. Nothing about being a demigod was fair. Nothing. She felt so useless all the time.

"Come on, not again, please, not again." Pandora let tears drop down her cheeks as her hands refused to leave the expensive metal. "Mommy, please let this work." She prayed to the goddess of love.

Suddenly, a door from the top of the ceiling opened up, and a middle-aged man with scruffy grey hair and a frazzled moustache stepped into view. He wore a brown leather apron with a woodwind instrument hanging around his neck.

"Can I help you?" He asked, peering over the railings. "Do you need some help finding your way out?" A sudden melodic tune came from his flute, and a flight of stairs shot out of the water, leading to the railings that he was standing on. "So, off you go."

"I'm not leaving without my friend." Pandora ignored him, continuing to try and shift the cogs.

"Yeah, that isn't really how it works. It's kind of a one-way sort of thing. It can't be undone." The strange man informed.

"How do you know." Pandora scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. In her opinion, he was very unattractive and looked rather homeless.

"Because I built it."

Pandora looked up at him, realisation dawning upon her, but refused to satisfy him. "I'm not leaving here without my friend. And if you aren't going to help me, could you maybe leave me alone so I can focus?"

"In spite of what my brother might've told you, I am not someone who'll be pushed around." Hephaestus' voice boomed around the room.  "You know, your mother's been watching you, recently. We both know how she gets. But this has been a lot. Even for her, and that's saying something. . . You think she doesn't pay attention to you, but she does. You just have to earn it. And you can! Right now, if you walk out of here with that shield, then you're a hero. Your mother will never stop praising you. You'll be on your way to the greatest glory. Everyone at Olympus would be proud of you, and you would be forgiven, by your mother."

"Forgiven for what?" Pandora scoffed. "I haven't even done anything for her to be annoyed at."

"You're shutting the ones you love out, simply because you are jealous, that they are what you are not." Hephaestus declared, furrowing his brows at the young girl.

"Yeah? Well tell her I said 'like mother like daughter'." Pandora grumbled, sighing as she sat back, disheartened at the way the cogs wouldn't turn.

"Things can go back to how they used to be. How they should be—"

"Should be?! Are you kidding me?! It isn't how it should be! It isn't!" She yelled, standing to her feet. "Eat, or be eaten. Power and glory, and nothing else matters. Ares is that way. Zeus is that way. My mother is that way." Pandora paused for a moment, turning her head so that she could see Percy out of the corner of her eye. "He isn't that way. He's better than that. Maybe I was that way once too, but I don't want to be that way anymore. I won't be like all of you. Because I am sick and tired of worshipping my mother all the time, when she doesn't even bother to talk to me. When I have people in front of me, who would die for me. It's just not worth it anymore. It's not."

Hephaestus looked away at the same time as Pandora, and began playing a harmonious tune on the flute. The gears on the chair began to grind and the cogs spun to life, reversing and working together. Pandora rushed around to the front of the chair, standing in front of it with hope and anticipation.

The gold was melting away from Percy's skin and clothes, retracting back into itself. He lout out a sharp inhale of air, his chest heaving up and down as he was reanimated. As soon as he could stand up, Pandora pulled him to his feet and threw her arms around him, burying her hands in his curls. His arms folded around her waist tightly.

"Some of us don't like being that way either." Hephaestus spoke up. "You're a good kid, Pandora. I'll put in a good word with your mom for you." Then, wit the help of his cane, he turned around and disappeared behind the door again.

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...        𝐏andora and Percy had returned to the old diner. It was empty, besides a couple of workers and the table they had sat at previously. Ares, Grover and Annabeth all still sat around. Pandora walked towards the table and slid the shield onto it, raising an eyebrow at Ares sassily.

"Where's our ride?" Percy ordered to know.

The god of war led the four teenagers outside, and a large, white truck was waiting for them, with the words 'Kindness International' painted on the side in dark blue.

"You're kidding." Percy groaned.

Ares clicked his fingers and the doors swung open. Pandora recoiled and plugged her nose as a waft of 'farm' hit her nose. "Get in, don't. I really don't care. But in a few hours, this thing is gonna be at the Lotus Casino in Vegas. Hermes hangs out there. You play your cards right, and his personal driver can get you to LA in minutes." Ares threw Percy a rucksack. "Here. Clothes, cash, Drachmas to summon Hermes. I'd wish you luck but what good would it do you?"

"We're not gonna fail." Percy pushed, still adamant to prove to god wrong.

"Don't worry. Your dad had plenty of kids he stopped caring about once he lost interest. You'll have lots of company." Ares grinned fakely, casually throwing dirt on the sea god.

"We're not gonna fail." Percy continued to state. "And I'm getting pretty tired of you saying it." He stepped closer to Ares with the intent of threatening him, despite Grover's warning. "You think you know who I am, but you don't. And if you aren't careful. . . you're gonna find out."

"Percy." Grover repeated, as the three rushed forwards, holding the boy back. "So, thank you for the emotional abuse and the cheeseburgers. . . and the ride! We're gonna take you up on that, too."

Percy glared at Ares one last time before hopping up into the van. Annabeth and Grover followed, but just as Pandora was about to, Ares held her back.

He gripped her forearm and pulled her against him, muttering in her ear. "Your mother talks about you, you know. . . You're her favourite. Keep doing what you're doing, kiddo." He pushed her forwards, making her stumble at the unexpected shove.

Percy held an arm out for her to take, and lifted her into the back of the van. Ares' words had thrown Pandora off completely. She had believed that Aphrodite had been ignoring her her entire life, only to be told by her ex-lover and current lover, that she isn't?

Once they were all inside, they turned to look at Ares. Pandora had plugged her nose with her thumb and pointed finger, the smell of animal faeces and farm was not very pleasant.

The truck was lined with filthy animal cages of all shapes and sizes. Enclosed in the metal bars were the most pathetic zoo animals ever seen; a zebra, a male albino lion and an odd-looking antelope, not to mention a variety of other mammals.

Someone had thrown the lion a jute sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and antelope had a tray of meat. Who was in charge of feeding these animals?

The zebras mane was matted and wiry, with parts of chewing gum clumping strands together, almost as if someone had taken joy in purposefully spitting it out onto the zebra. The antelope had a ridiculous birthday balloon tied to its left horn which read OVER THE HILL!

The lion was weakly pacing his cage (a space obviously too small for him) while flies buzzed annoyingly around his pink eyes, and was so skinny that his ribs imprinted through his white fur.

"In what world is this kindness?" Pandora mumbled under her breath, desperate to reach out and comfort the lion, but too afraid of him attacking her.

"Do you think we could get some paper towels or something? It's not that nice in here." Grover asked politely.

"Or a gas mask." Pandora deadpanned, nearly gagging at the horrendous smell.

Instead of replying, Ares clicked his fingers, and the doors slammed shut in front of them. Now, the only light being provided was that of a small sky light, which didn't really do much, considering it was night time.

"Well. . . this smells." Percy complained, as they all walked deeper into the truck.

There was a variety of different noises coming from all sorts of animals. Goats, pigs, chickens, a horse?

"If it gets us where we need to go, that's all that matters." Annabeth replied with her same tone of tough-love.

"Assuming Ares was telling the truth." Percy said.

"He wasn't." Grover confirmed the groups doubts. "Not entirely, at any rate. He was holding something back."

"How do you know?" Annabeth asked, furrowing her brows.

"Because I think I got it out of him." Grover responded with a hint of self-pride in his voice. "I know who stole the master bolt."

— 𝒋𝒂𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔

the edit i made for this chapter
actually eats so hard bro😈😈
if you want to see it my tiktok is
@/lovinqreg.wp

another theo cameo. i wonder
who this mysterious being is😱😱
(jokes on you all i know)

also pandora ranting to her 'step-
dad' about the gods and percy...
damn

low-key scared that next week is
the finale... like what will i do after
(walker scobell fanfic???)

ALSO WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT
DAMN CLIFF HANGER OH MY
GODDDDD

this chapter is a whopper oml
5455 words hot diggity dog