I feel like Goat Boy doesn't really get enough credit, so you get a Grover chapter.

Oh dear calling him Goat Boy made me think of Doc

~~~

Grover didn't feel good about Waterland, but it wasn't like he had a choice. They had already accepted the side quest from Ares.

Saying it that way made it sound like one of those roleplay video games.

At least getting into the deserted water park was easy. Grover just yelled, "Maia!" and flew over, earning glares from Percy and Annabeth and a wide-eyed stare from Grian.

Percy held the barbed wire down for Annabeth. She failed to do the same, so he got some ripped pants. Grian followed close behind, muttering about why doesn't this place have elytra or at least blocks to pillar with.

Grover kind of wished he would shut up. If the Hermits were discovered to be from another world, it would put them in danger, not to mention his searcher's license may as well be gone before he got it.

The four looked around to see the park completely empty and abandoned. It had gone out of business long ago.

A flyer blew across their path in the wind.

Annabeth gasped and pointed to a gift shop. "Clothes," she said, and ran toward it. Percy was close behind.

"You never told me you had wing feet," Grian accused before running to join them.

Grover sighed and followed. What was he complaining about? He had freaking wings in his  world.

A few minutes later, they were all cleverly disguised as advertisements for a water park that had been deserted probably years ago. Except Grian had pulled his damaged sweater over it all.

"So, Ares and Aphrodite have got a thing going?" Percy asked, stumbling over his own feet for no reason. Silly human, that was Grover's job.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's centuries-old gossip, Percy. Aphrodite got married to Hephaestus because Zeus made her. She and Ares got in a relationship behind Hephaestus's back. He trapped them in a net and brought all the other gods over to laugh at them."

Grian frowned. "So... if Hephaestus is still angry at them, and they decided to go on a date but had to leave without Ares' shield..."

"It's definitely a trap," Annabeth said. "I thought we already established that. Probably one by Hephaestus."

"Everything's a trap. Like Demise," Grian muttered.

He didn't see Annabeth's frustrated glance at him. But Grover did, and he made a mental note to tell Grian be a little more quiet about where he came from. Annabeth was sometimes too smart for her own good. Or in this case, the good of others.

"Trap or not, we still have to get the shield," Grover said. "Where would Ares and Aphrodite want to hang out?"

"I'd imagine somewhere either girly-girl pink love hearts or a haunted house with fake blood and knives everywhere," Grian said.

"Would that work?" Percy said, pointing at a large pink sign. Letters at the top read Thrill Ride O' Love.

Grover cringed. "Holy mother of goats, that's worse than knives."

Grian shot him an amused glance.

Annabeth squinted at the sign. "I guess we should go check it out."

They saw a large basin that would have once held water as a start of the ride. At the bottom was a pink boat with hearts all over it. Grover didn't know why anyone would want to ride it.

Inside the boat, Grover caught the glint of bronze.

Could it possibly be that easy?

Probably not.

"Okay, Grover and Grian, you stay up here in case it is a trap," Percy ordered. "Annabeth-"

"Um, no," Annabeth said, blushing furiously. "Me, go with you to the - the 'Thrill Ride O' Love?"

Then she stomped down into the empty pool anyway.

"Wait," Grover said. "Hold on. I smell something."

"Of course you do," Annabeth said. "It's a trap. We all know that by now."

It wasn't the trap. But it wasn't far off. Grover quietly sniffed the air as the others remained dead silent.

It was close. But it was probably moving, so Grover didn't know how close.

He found out how close when Grian laughed, Annabeth screamed, Percy ducked, and a person barreled into him.

Grover had his panpipes up and was about to play a song that would probably drive everyone, including himself, crazy, but then he realized who it was.

"Guess who got elytra!" Tango bragged.

Grian moaned.

"HA! FOUND YA!" Bdubs yelled, a little late.

"What do you suppose this place is?" Gem wondered, looking around.

"You're alive," Zedaph said, relieved.

"What are you doing here?" Annabeth yelped.

Yelping was Grover's job, too.

"We brought your sword," Ren said.

Grian grinned at them. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Um, I think the quest just got a whole lot bigger," Percy muttered. "Like, five more people bigger."

"Wow, you figured it out." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Oof, Grover, you did damage on me," Tango grunted.

"You're the one who ran into me!" Grover protested.

"He's not the best flyer on the world," Gem said.

"You're not either!" Tango said.

Gem smirked and crossed her arms. "Um, who ran into Grover?"

Tango fell silent.

"He's lucky he didn't die," Zedaph said.

"Um, what are you all doing here?" Percy asked.

Bdubs looked at him like he was crazy. "Getting Grian, of course."

"What?" Grian said.

"Dude, Hades is after us," Ren hissed, although it was still loud enough for the others to hear. "For not dying."

"Hades wants you dead?" Annabeth said curiously.

"It's a long story," Zedaph said. "Glad you're not dead."

"I'm glad I'm not dead too," Percy said.

Tango looked down into the empty pool. "There's a trap down there."

"We know," Annabeth said.

"Grian, we have to get back to camp," Gem pleaded. "It's dangerous out here."

Grian stuck out his tongue.

Tango walked down into the pool.

"Tango..." Zedaph warned. "It's not a good idea."

But the son of Hephaestus didn't go to the boat. Instead, he stopped at the pipes that would have let water out to fill the pool.

Percy joined him and peered over his shoulder.

And then suddenly, the little cherub statues drew back their bows and shot, not at the demigods, but at each other. Strands of gold trailed behind them, forming a net over the top of the pool.

"Run," Tango said.

"REN, YOU IDIOT!" Zedaph yelled, pulling Ren away from the boat.

Grover grabbed the strands of gold that the arrows trailed behind them and tried to hold it open, but he felt them start to coil around his hands. He had to let go. He glanced around and saw Gem, Annabeth, Grian, and Bdubs doing the same thing with the same result.

And then something clinked in the plumbing, Annabeth screamed, Zedaph went pale, and they all panicked as thousands of mechanical spiders came out of the pipes.