PHILOXENIA ➸ Percy Jackson¹

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EIGHT—Love in Its Many Forms

─── ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽☼☾.* :☆ﾟ｡ ───

It turned out that meeting a god was like any other Tuesday for a demigod. So was being threatened to be turned into a rodent and ran over by their bike if they didn't accept an errand. 

Cool. It wasn't like they already had enough on their plates saving the world or anything.

(The cheeseburger and fries certainly didn't make up for it.)

By the time they were able to spot the water park according to the God of War's instructions, the sun was long behind them, the sky deepening into midnight blue.

The place has seen better days, no doubt once a famous summer spot where children would splash around in knee-deep water and yell for their parents to watch them attempt tricks in the pool, where people of all ages would shout as they went down the water rides. There would be distant "cannonballs" heard somewhere around the park, the air permeated with the smell of sunscreen and chlorine.

Now, this place was a thrill seeker's dream, a rusted padlock securing the gate and barbed wires on the top more than likely did little to deter their curiosity. Who wouldn't want to explore an abandoned water park that might as well be the inspiration for an urban legend?

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

Ciaran choked back a laugh. "Percy, you do know who his girlfriend is, right?"

"Echidna?" Percy ventured.

Annabeth gave Percy a disapproving look. "Be more respectful. His actual girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added before his face turned dreamy. "She's the goddess of love and beauty, after all."

"Aphrodite? I thought she was married to somebody." Percy snapped his fingers. "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" Grover replied in an almost deadpan way. 

"Oh." Percy turned away, suddenly interested in changing the subject. "So how do we get in?"

In response to his question, Grover said the magic word and wings sprouted from the heels of his shoes. He flew over the fence, did a flip in the air, and wobbled through his landing. He regained his balance and rolled his shoulders as if he planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

"Smooth, goat boy."

The rest of them trespassed the old-fashioned way, by climbing over the walls and helping each other up. The park did not let up in its creepiness on the other side. The encroaching night embraced the curling slides and the dried-up pools, making them so dark that at first glance you wouldn't be able to see the bottom. The wind whistled a haunting song through the metal pipes and rusted nails clinging the whole place together.

They walked through the weirdly named attractions until they came to a souvenir shop still brimming with branded merchandise. They passed through the shelves of novelty snow globes and random knick-knacks, only stopping upon racks of bright red clothing with colorful lettering.

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"

"Watch me."

Annabeth gathered everything she could into her arms and disappeared behind the curtain of a changing room. A few minutes later, she reappeared, decked out in nothing but Waterland merch. If a stranger took one glance at her, they would think she was an obsessive fan.