We Walked Right Into the Trap
The moment Ares disappeared, the anger inside Percy vanished completely.
Ares probably enjoyed messing with people's emotions; that had to be his thing. Twist them, push them, cloud their judgment until they couldn't think straight.
And now Percy had more questions than answers as he turned to Harry.
"Why did you accept? We could've just left," he asked bluntly.
"We can't," Annabeth said immediately. "Look, I hate Ares way more than you think, but you don't ignore gods unless you're asking for trouble. I'm pretty sure he wasn't joking about turning you into a rodent," she added, her tone completely serious.
But that still wasn't the answer Percy wanted.
Harry pulled out the map of the chimneys and placed it right next to the tray of food.
"He said it himself. He knew we'd pass through here," Harry said, pointing at the chimneys; now dimmed around the area they were in, like everything had been set up in advance. "How would he know that? Maybe because he's the one who pushed us onto this route in the first place. And he also said that if we do his job, he'll let us leave this place. If we don't… we might get stuck here. Maybe. Either way, we can't risk it," he finished, his voice calm but firm.
He had already suspected something like that.
Ares showing up only confirmed it.
"It's like what he did with Diomedes and his soldiers; trying to stop the Greeks from advancing, right?" Harry added, looking at Annabeth for confirmation.
Annabeth blinked, a little surprised by how much he knew, then nodded. "Yeah. My mom had to step in to ruin Ares' plans back then. You know your stuff," she said, a hint of approval in her voice.
"Well… I've got a friend who started sending me letters full of this kind of thing after she found out we're demigods," Harry said with a faint smile.
"So he boxed us in just to make sure we'd do his job," Percy muttered, his annoyance returning as he glanced at the cheeseburger Ares had paid for; suddenly not very appetizing.
"And why would he need us for something that simple?" he added, already knowing they didn't really have a choice anymore.
"Maybe it's something that needs brains," Annabeth said calmly. "Ares has strength, sure. But that's it. And sometimes strength loses to intelligence."
"But what's in that water park? Ares almost looked… scared. What could make a war god walk away from something like that; in the middle of a date?" Percy asked, frowning.
Annabeth and Grover exchanged a nervous glance. Harry, meanwhile, didn't have much to go on; most of what Hermione sent him was general demigod stuff, maybe a few monsters that could cross over into their world.
"Guess we'll have to find out ourselves," Annabeth said.
In the end, the four of them ate, trying to recover some energy. Now they had a side quest on top of everything else.
…
The sun was already sinking behind the mountains by the time they reached the water park.
The sign at the entrance read Wonderland… or at least it used to. The letters were old, worn down, some of them missing entirely.
The gate was locked with heavy chains and rusted padlocks. Beyond it, dry slides stretched out in every direction, covered in dust, dirt, and even patches of creeping plants.
Pipes and tubes twisted through the place, leading to empty pools or ones filled with stagnant, moldy water. It could've looked almost impressive… if it weren't for the fading light and the shadows creeping in, turning everything darker, colder, and just a little unsettling.
"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date, he's definitely trying to hide her. I don't even want to imagine what she looks like," Percy said, scanning the place, trying to make sense of it.
"Percy…" Annabeth cut in immediately, her tone sharp, almost nervous; like she was worried someone might have heard him. "You need to show some respect."
"Why? I thought you hated Ares," Percy replied, confused.
"He's still a god… and his girlfriend… she's not exactly known for being calm," Annabeth said, lowering her voice.
"Especially if you insult her looks," Grover added, nodding quickly.
"Who is she? Echidna?" Percy asked, trying not to laugh.
"No. Aphrodite," Grover said with a dreamy sigh. "Goddess of love."
"…Wait. Isn't she married to Hephaestus?" Harry asked, frowning slightly; Percy looked just as confused.
"So?" Grover replied.
Harry and Percy exchanged a glance, somehow even more confused than before.
"…Yeah, let's change the subject," Harry said, and Percy nodded right away, still processing that one. "So… how do we get in?" he added, looking at the locked gate in front of them.
Grover suddenly let out a small shout. "Maia!"
A pair of wings burst from his sneakers; the same ones he had gotten back from Harry's bag after reuniting with them. He lifted into the air, barely clearing the barbed wire at the top of the fence. He yelped mid-flight and dropped onto a platform on the other side, quickly brushing off his pants like everything had gone exactly as planned, a slightly proud smile on his face.
"What are you guys waiting for?" he called out.
Harry glanced at him for a moment, then casually raised his wand.
"Alohomora," he murmured.
The padlock snapped open instantly. The chains clattered to the ground, and the gate swung wide open in front of them.
They all gave Grover an amused look.
Grover coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed. "Still… mine looked cooler," he muttered.
That earned him a few faint smiles.
The four of them walked deeper into the park, their shadows stretching along the ground under what little light remained.
They passed by old attractions, glancing at faded signs like "The Crazy Octopus" or "Find Your Swimsuit."
For once, there were no monsters nearby. No sounds. Nothing.
And somehow, that made the place feel even stranger.
They came across an open souvenir shop, shelves still stocked with random items; glass snow globes, stuffed toys, and rows of…
"Clothes!" Annabeth suddenly blurted out, her eyes lighting up. "Clean clothes!" she added, like that alone made it worth everything.
Percy gave her a confused look.
"But our clothes are clean. Harry's spell—"
"It's not the same," Annabeth cut in instantly. "I've been wearing the same outfit since we left camp."
"And?" Percy asked again, still not getting it.
Harry shot him a brief look. For someone who was supposed to have learned a thing or two from Luther and Arthur, Percy still managed to miss the most basic stuff.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, clearly done with him, grabbed an armful of clothes, and disappeared into the changing rooms.
"…She's weird, right?" Percy muttered to Harry.
Harry sighed quietly and glanced down at his own clothes.
They were clean, sure; thanks to magic. But now that he thought about it, wearing the exact same thing for almost a week did feel… off.
"…Yeah. Maybe we should change too," he said.
Percy looked down at himself again. He didn't really see the problem, but when he noticed Grover already picking out a Wonderland anniversary shirt and a cap…
A few minutes later, all four of them stepped out in their new outfits, looking like walking advertisements for a long-dead water park.
With that small detour out of the way, they went back to searching for the Tunnel of Love. By now, darkness had completely taken over the place.
And just to keep his mind off how unsettling everything looked, Percy tried to start a conversation.
"So… Ares and Aphrodite, huh? They've got a thing going on…"
"That's ancient gossip, Percy. Like… three thousand years old," Annabeth replied.
"And Aphrodite's husband? Hephaestus, right?" Harry asked, a bit curious.
"Well… he's not exactly the most handsome guy. And he's got a few issues after Zeus threw him off Mount Olympus when he was a kid," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Great with his hands, sure… but Aphrodite doesn't seem to go for the smart, talented type."
"Father of the year," Harry muttered under his breath.
Annabeth and Grover didn't really have a response to that.
"So she likes bikers instead," Percy added bluntly. "Does Hephaestus know?"
"Oh, yeah. He caught them once. Trapped them in a golden net and invited all the gods to laugh at them. He's always trying to humiliate them, which is why they meet in places like—"
She stopped mid-sentence, staring ahead.
"…like that."
The others followed her gaze.
In front of them was a massive pool; easily forty-five meters wide, shaped like a bowl. It would've been perfect for skating. Around it, dozens of small statues stood guard, bows raised as if ready to fire.
Connected to the pool was a large tunnel; the one that used to carry water when the place was still running.
From where they stood, it looked like the mouth of some giant creature, waiting to swallow them whole in the darkness.
And then, suddenly, it lit up.
A dim glow filled the tunnel, just enough to reveal the sign in front of it and part of its interior; like it was waiting for them.
"The shield's probably in there, right?" Harry said, staring at the tunnel; the only thing illuminated in the entire park.
"Yeah… sure. Let's walk straight into the creepy horror game. Why not," Percy muttered.
None of them moved.
They just stood there, staring at the Tunnel of Love.