Chapter 8: The Production Part 2

"Let's recap!" Hephaestus said to the gods and goddesses. "The score is 3-3. We will move on to the next challenge, but first, we need to pick players!" Hephaestus once again pushed the randomize button and two cards printed out. "Poseidon and Ares!"

"Ok," Poseidon said.

"Stand back everyone. The set is going to switch," Hephaestus replied. The other contestants and I stepped away from the stage and it was transformed into a basketball court. Ares cracked his knuckles.

"I'm going to squash your team," he told us.

"Let's just see how the game goes," Poseidon simply said.

"You cannot use any powers. Ares, no extra strength," Hephaestus explained.

"Go Dad!" I encouraged. Poseidon took his fishing hat off and transformed his outfit into a jersey and some shorts. Some of the Aphrodite girls giggled. Ares and Poseidon stepped on the court of the newly polished floor.

"Go!" Hephaestus shouted. Poseidon quickly grabbed the ball and dribbled. Gods and goddesses in the crowd cheered. Ares quickly swatted the ball away and shot. Though it almost went in, he didn't make it. Poseidon ran to get the ball. Ares smacked Poseidon really hard for no reason.

"Foul!" Hephaestus yelled.

"That's not a foul!" Ares said.

"It is here!"

While Ares was distracted, Poseidon grabbed the ball and shot. It went in.

"Yeah!" I shouted.

"Just as a note. We are playing to 2 baskets. So far, Poseidon is winning!" Hephaestus announced. Something in his pocket buzzed and he looked at it with concern. "Umm...I have to leave. So, Leo Valdez will be the co-host!" Hephaestus said. Leo looked startled but smiled. He ran up to the stage.

"The one and only Leo Valdez is here!" he said with a smile. Hephaestus patted him on the shoulder and disappeared. "Let's get this party started! Go, Poseidon and Ares! I didn't tell you to stop!"

Poseidon lunged towards the ball and goofily shot again. It went the other direction from the hoop. Ares laughed and ran to get the ball. He shot then and got it in.

"And the war dude gets a point!" Leo said. "Keep going!" Poseidon dribbled the ball guarding Ares. Leo, by that time, was fiddling with a button. He pushed it all the right time.

Ares had the ball. He dribbled it once more but it backfired. Fart smell filled the court, but a magical force blocked the audience and the other contestants. Ares eyes started to water. Poseidon grabbed the ball coughing as he went. The moment finally came. Poseidon shot and he scored!

"That ends the basketball challenge. Like Hephaestus said, there would be some tricks! The score is now 4-3. We have one more challenge. If The Seascums win the next two rounds, they will automatically win, but if the Almighty Losers tie up with them, we will have an extra round!" Leo explained.

Poseidon and Ares came out smelling awful, but there was a commercial break and some Aphrodite girls offered to clean them up. When they were done, they both smelled like roses.

"We're back! Our next challenge will be about flying," Leo said. "And that only leaves four contestants. The siblings will be against each other!"

"Flying?" Thalia's voice faltered.

"Problem?" Leo asked.

"No," Thalia said.

"You will each make a pair of wings that can make you fly. The first one that falls down loses," Leo explained. Thalia gripped the desk, her knuckles white. Poor Thalia. Annabeth looked like she was ready to punch Leo for making the decision.

"I can't," she told me.

"Yes you can. You'll do fine," I replied.

"No using powers and you can only use the materials that we have provided for you," Leo said, cracking a smile. We again stood up and left the set while it changed into a very high area with an inflatable, large cushion. Two tables were set up with the team banners. The team banners read something else again. It read the Seamermaids and the Almighty Wrinkles. Poseidon just shrugged.

"Like there's something I can do," he said. "Besides, I like mermaids," Poseidon added. Ares growled.

"We're just adding some comedy! Relax," Leo said, as he laughed with the other gods and goddesses. "When I say go, rush to your table and start working. You only have 30 minutes."

"I'll do fine. Annabeth showed some of Daedalus's tries on making wings," Thalia assured me.

"Go!" Leo shouted. Thalia bolted to her desk and began working. Jason was there. He was working pretty fast.

28 minutes seemed to take forever to my ADHD brain. Thalia was almost done. It looked pretty good for a 30 minute assignment. Jason's came along well also. As 30 seconds hit the clock, I knew they had a close call. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0.

"Time's up!" Leo announced. Thalia's hands were scratched up just a little, but she looked pretty good.

"I hope we win," Annabeth told us.

"Yeah," Poseidon agreed.

"Let's have Jason go first!" Leo said. Jason glared at him like he was saying, "I'll get you back." Jason climbed up the ladder to the highest point. He strapped on his wings. A gigantic fan began to play the part of like the wind. Jason gracefully (ha ha) leaped off the platform. It was only a matter of time till he fell. He landed his fall in a roll. His wings were bent up.

"Good job! You stayed in the air for 17.4 seconds!" Leo said. Thalia whimpered as she climbed up the ladder. She strapped on her wings and jumped. Her face was white with fear the whole time, but no one seemed to notice. She crash landed. Luckily, the cushion saved her from breaking any limbs. "So cool!" Leo said, "Jason beat you by a millisecond!" Jason looked amazed. One word: crazy.

"The Almighty Wrinkles have won this round! The score 4-4. That means we will have two or more rounds to see who will get to six first!" Leo explained. "Now the next round! Annabeth and Drew will be competing!"

"I hope I win," Annabeth said.

"First of all, choose a god or goddess from the crowd that is not Aphrodite," Leo commanded. Annabeth thought for a moment. "Annabeth, who do you choose?"

"Hera," Annabeth said, motioning for the goddess to come up to the stage. Hera stood beside Annabeth.

"What about you, Drew?" Leo asked.

"Zeus," Drew replied. Zeus stood up and walked towards the stage.

"The challenge is...First, step away and let me change the set," Leo said. We backed away and he changed it. The set was bright pink and was like a nail, makeup, and hair salon. Zeus stared in horror. "You will have to do the god or goddesses's makeup..." Drew smiled like she knew what she was talking about. "But messy," Leo said. Drew frowned. The gods and goddesses in the crowd gasped. Annabeth seemed to of had an inside scream of excitement.

"Your cosmetics and things are on each side of the set. The more messier, the better," Leo said. Annabeth smiled, plotting an evil plan. I had almost forgotten. This was Annabeth's revenge to get Hera back. Drew and Annabeth was about to give the most powerful god and goddess a messy makeover.

"This is gonna get good," Poseidon said.

"Oh yeah," I agreed.

"Annabeth and Drew. You will rush with your person and as fast as you can, give them a makeover. Be sure to guard the audience from seeing until the very end," Leo instructed. "You will have 2 minutes." Annabeth nodded. Drew was still in shock, probably wondering why she had to choose the most powerful god on Olympus. "Go!" Leo shouted. Annabeth and Drew rushed to their area with their god or goddess and put a kind of blocker so that no one could see it.

Two minutes seemed to be the longest ones in my life. Finally, there was 10 seconds left. Now 0. "Time's up! Reveal your god or goddess!" Leo said.

Drew was the first one to reveal it. Zeus had mascara and eyeliner everywhere around his eyes and blush on his forehead. Annabeth was next. Hera looked like she'd just gotten in a fight with Aphrodite and lost. Lipstick was sprawled everywhere: on her cheeks, on her forehead and ears. Her foundation happened to be a peach color, which totally was not Hera's skin tone. It looked ridiculous. The audience laughed like crazy. Zeus grabbed a mirror and screamed (or should I say yelled?) Hades in the crowd cracked up. He snapped a quick photo. Hera took the mirror from Zeus. She screamed.

"We will now need judges," Leo said. "I choose Hermes and Artemis." Hermes and Artemis casually walked up to the stage. "Who's was the most messiest?" Leo placed the lie detector under Artemis's hand.

"I choose Annabeth," Artemis replied. The lie detector told Leo she wasn't lying. Leo placed the lie detector under Hermes's hand.

"I choose Drew," Hermes announced. Hermes wasn't lying.

"Ok. We will need one more judge. Dionysus, come up here," Leo said. Dionysus got out of his seat and walked to the stage. Leo placed the detector under Dionysus's hand.

"I choose Annie Bell."

"Lord, it's Annabeth," Annabeth corrected. The lie detector showed the results and Dionysus was right.

"The Seamermaids win the round! The score is now 5-4," Leo announced. "Only one or two rounds stand between us."

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