~The Canoe Lake~

‘Are you kidding me?’

Percy stared at the piece of paper Cupid had given them before abruptly disappearing with a sound like a harp. The others gathered around him, peering over his shoulders or trying to peek over his head.

‘What is it?’ Grover asked.

‘Another one of those riddles,’ Annabeth grumbled, having already read the note. ‘Do you remember what we told you about that Christmas quest we went on?’

Grover and Juniper nodded while Percy, Hazel, Frank, Piper and Jason groaned.

‘Well, this looks like a similar clue,’ Annabeth continued.

‘Same people?’ Hazel suggested.

‘Could be,’ Frank agreed, taking the note from Percy.

‘We’d have to ask them,’ Annabeth said, taking off.

The others exchanged worried looks before following. Already the group was shifting apart.

They searched for Rachel, Clarisse, Lou or Drew. The found the Oracle and the daughter of Ares in the training arena. Rachel was talking whilst drawing in a sketch book as Clarisse hacked the dummies apart.

‘Hey!’ Jason called, annoyance filtering through his tone. The two girls attention snapped to him. ‘Do you know what this is?’

Rachel jumped down from the stands and the two walked over, Clarisse swinging her sword impressively and nearly decapitating Grover who jumped aside with a yelp.

Rachel took the paper and read it aloud, ‘On the wings of a dove, there hidden is love, by the angels light, the arrows strike.’

Clarisse made a face, ‘Love? Definitely not.’

Piper rolled her eyes, ‘Aren’t you in a relationship?’

The war gods daughter didn’t even bat an eye as she returned to slashing apart inanimate objects. ‘Maybe.’

Annabeth sighed, ‘What about you, Rachel?’

The Oracle shrugged and handed the paper back to Percy, who passed it to Annabeth, who pocketed it, ‘I’ve got no idea. What’s this about anyways?’

‘Nothing important,’ Juniper yelped quickly. Everyone glanced at her, ‘What?’

‘Nothing,’ Piper said. ‘Thanks for your help, Rachel.’

She smiled, ‘No problem.’

They left the arena, leaving the daughter of Ares to her training, and the Oracle to her sketching. How did two such very different people become friends again?

‘How do we get them to confess?’ Percy asked once they were out of earshot.

Piper shook her head, ‘I don’t think she was lying.’

‘So you think that it just happens to be a coincidence that we’ve got a riddle like the ones they set us last time?’ Jason asked in disbelief.

‘Yes,’ Piper said bluntly. ‘Daughter of Aphrodite; charmspeak; I can sense this stuff.’

Jason scoffed, ‘You couldn't sense anything. Your nose is probably clogged up with designer perfume.’

‘Guys!’ Annabeth snapped before Piper could respond. ‘Stop!’

They both turned to her with equally angry expressions, ‘Stay out of it!’

Annabeth stumbled back looking hurt. Percy lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.

‘No, you guys, she’s right,’ he said softly. ‘We can’t be fighting. It’s the magic of the bow.’

‘It’s breaking us up,’ Hazel covered her face in horror.

‘Which is why it just became ten times more important to find the bow,’ Annabeth agreed.

‘And fast,’ Grover added.

‘What about sorting through the riddle?’ Percy suggested. ‘Line at a time?’

Juniper nodded, ‘Makes sense.’

‘I’ve got it here,’ Annabeth muttered, rummaging in her coat pockets. ‘Ah ha! Okay; “On the wings of a dove, their hidden is love.”’

Perhaps on impulse, the daughter of Athena glanced suspiciously at Piper who glared back unashamedly.

Percy eyed the two of them warily, ‘Okay, so what could that mean?’

‘It would have to be a kid that’s still at camp,’ Grover pointed out.

‘An Aphrodite kid that’s still at camp,’ Juniper corrected.

Grover pouted. Piper and Annabeth were still glaring at each other. The rest kept walking towards the lake in apprehensive silence. Percy, sensing tension between the group the way one might sense being looked at, attempted to be the mediator.

‘So what Aphrodite kids, apart from Piper,’ he started, ‘are still at camp?’

Piper shrugged, finally looking from Annabeth to Percy, ‘I dunno. Not many.’

‘Drew?’ Frank suggested, winding his arm around Hazel in an attempt to reassure the both of them.

‘There we go,’ Percy smiled. ‘Drew was part of it last time. Maybe she knows where the bow is.’

‘Or maybe she has the bow,’ Hazel thought.

Piper broke the moment, shaking her head, ‘She’s gone home for a few weeks. She does every Valentine’s Day. Something about a boy back home.’

The eight’s hopes sunk, the group becoming downcast.

‘Okay,’ Percy said. ‘So not Drew.’

‘It still could be her,’ Annabeth grinned with one corner of her mouth, like a sly wolf. ‘She could’ve hidden it in her cabin.’

‘You’re suggesting that Drew managed to sneak a magic love item-Cupid’s bow, no less-into my cabin unnoticed?’ Piper asked in calm outrage. ‘And if you are, are you seriously suggesting that we should ransack her bunk to find it?’

‘Yes,’ Annabeth replied.

‘Urgh!’

Piper lunges at Annabeth, hands extended to wrap around her throat. Percy caught her before she got there, twisting her hands behind her back and out of use.

‘Where’s the friendship?’ he demanded. ‘We’re supposed to be friends, so show it! Stop fighting, ‘cause it’s getting us nowhere!’

Percy released Piper’s wrists. The daughter of Aphrodite rubbed her skin tenderly, still giving Annabeth the stink eye. Annabeth sneered, but Percy caught the look in his gaze and she backed down, muttering an apology.

‘What’s happening to us?’ Percy asked softly. ‘Cupid’s bow goes missing and we turn into animals.’

‘I’m half animal,’ Grover offered.

‘Granted that,’ Percy admitted. ‘But we shouldn’t  be fighting. What good comes from turning on each other?’

The group mumbled words like, ‘nothing,’ or ‘sorry.’ Percy sighed through his nose.

‘Okay, then. What’s our next course of action? Drew isn’t entirely out of the question. No offense to you, Piper, but she may have hidden it in her cabin.’

‘But the others hardly ever leave the cabin,’ Piper pointed out. ‘Too much chance of messing their hair up.’

‘Then how do we find it?’ Hazel asked. ‘If the Aphrodite kids are in there-’

‘Leave that to me,’ Annabeth met each of their eyes in turn with a small smile.