ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇɴ : ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴏᴛ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅᴇʀ

I suddenly have the urge to drown in this lake.

Percy and I sit on the boat, slowly floating down the tunnel. Now, I've been through some embarrassing moments. Getting the easiest question wrong, waving to someone who wasn't waving to you, and thinking Mr. D was my dad and my father was gay. But, this is the most embarrassing, awkward, and disturbing moment in my life. Maybe even in history. It's silent, just the echo of the tunnel. I bet that Aphrodite and Poseidon are laughing at their children, forcing us to go through a love tunnel. Percy scoots in and leans his head on my shoulder, slowly closing his eyes. Well, things just got weirder.

From there, things just get worse. "What is Love" starts blasting, awakening Percy from his 2 second nap. My eyes widen and my cheeks shift to a light red. Percy covers his face in embarrassment.

"What is happening right now?" I question, Percy looking up.

"Feel like I've heard this before. I think, from an orthodontist's office maybe?" Percy guesses, wracking his brain. The tunnel's ceiling and walls light up. A picture motion throughout the tunnel lights up the dark ride. Percy rests his head on my shoulder again as we both watch this story. It seems extremely familiar, like I was told it before. I try to remember what story it is based on.

"Wait, I know this," Percy comments. "It's Hephaestus's story." I watch as Hephaestus is rejected by 2 women.

"Rejected by Hera," I note, focusing on the story.

"Rejected by Aphrodite," Percy mentions, reminding me of my mom leaving my dad. He wasn't exactly rejected like Hephaestus, but my mom left me. Right after my birth, I was taken home. The next day, she was gone. I've never even seen my own mom. She left me, so I can understand how Hephaestus feels.

"My mom told me these stories all the time. I remember this," Percy reminds, still laying his head on my shoulder. My heart races as I feel my eyes starting to close. I lay my head on his head, watching the storyline. "She said..." I wait for him to continue his sentence.

"She said what?" I question. He's silent for a few seconds.

"She said this is what the gods are like to each other. This is the kind of family they are," Percy finishes, scooting a little closer to me.

"Why were you hesitant to say that?" I inquire. Percy sighs and fidgets with his thumbs.

"She was trying to keep me away from you guys. I didn't want to offend you in any way," Percy explains in a caring, generous voice.

"Why would that offend me?"

"I'm not sure. You know, I'm not sure my mom even prepared me enough for camp, gods, demigods, and other stuff," Percy answers.

"Maybe she was preparing you. So when you got to us, you would be different then those bitches," I express, lifting my head up and looking at Percy. I smile as my heart pounds. The song concludes and the machinery powers down. It's dark except for a green LED light. There's a sudden drop as Percy and I scream and yell. We hold on to the front of the boat. It takes us though many turns as my heart almost escapes from my chest. We finally reach the end, Percy and I looking at each other in extreme shock. It calmly takes us through a turn, which reveals a golden statue and a carefully crafted, golden throne. The statue holds a shield, which I assume is Ares's.

"There it is, Ares's shield," Percy points out. Good, we just need to turn around and get it. The next tunnel will take us to the end of the ride, which is not where we need to go. He glances at me as we wait for the perfect moment. Right before the boat floats to the next tunnel, we jump into the water. I reach up for the surface, trying to catch a breath before swimming to the statue. I go back underwater and struggle to swim. Percy sees me and reaches his hand out. I reach for his as he swims closer to me. I get sprayed up into the surface, causing me to black out.

~

I wake up to myself coughing and choking on water. I try to sit up and swallow the liquid. I notice Percy next to me, breathing heavily. I look at my soaked clothes and try to stand up. I miserably fail and land on the floor again with a thud.

"Did you just basically save me with that magical water power stuff?" I question, turning my body to face him.

"No? I'm figuring this out as I go," Percy reminds. We look up and notice the golden throne and statue upon us. "How are we supposed to get that thing down?" I can see a fragment of gears on the side and I finally stand up.

"These things are probably connected somehow. I wonder how you start this thing," I comment, touching the throne.

"It was a gift with a hidden purpose. Hephaestus offered it to Hera, but as soon as she sat in it, she couldn't get up. All of the gods tried, but the machine was too smart. It was too strong. It was too much. Even for them," Percy tells. "Finally, they said if Hephaestus let Hera free, Aphrodite would be his wife. The chair is the bargain. One of us goes in, the other gets the shield." I take a shaky breath. I've been pretty damn near close to death before, so might as well become even closer.

"I'll do it." I step toward the chair. Percy yanks me back by my shirt and I stare at him, confused. "What? Whoever goes in, isn't coming out. That seems pretty clear."

"That's why I said wait," Percy mutters.

"This isn't the Arch, blondie. You're not gonna push me into a stairwell and nearly die. No, I'll sit in the chair, okay?" I announce. Percy yanks my shirt again, pulling me back to where I started.

"Listen, when I was choosing my teams, I told Chiron I needed someone who wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice me if the quest required it. He agreed," Percy articulates. "You were right. Can't believe I'm saying this, but the Fates were right. There's no way getting around this. We dodged the Arch, barely, but maybe this isn't something we you can dodge forever."

"The Oracle chose you. Hell, even the gods chose you!" I yell, tears burning my eyes.

"Stop! It isn't about that. You're better at this than me. You just are. Plus, who cares about the Oracle and gods if I chose you?" Percy exclaims, his eyes watering. "Believe me, I wish there was another way this quest succeeds. I just don't see it." We both glance at the golden chair. Percy pulls out a black ink pen and hands it to me. I furrow my brows in confusion. I take the pen and he smiles at me gently. I smile back and we gently look at each other. Percy breathes deeply and walks to the chair. I wipe my eyes, trying to disguise the tears. He turns around swiftly and looks at me.

"I need you to promise me something," Percy starts. I nod while tears spill out of my eyes.

"I'm not leaving the Underworld without your mom, along with Summer." Percy's eyes light up. I sniffle.

"I was going to say, when this quest is done, can you maybe swing back here and try to get me outta this thing?" Percy replies. Gods, this is so bittersweet.

"You think you had to fucking ask, blondie?" I respond, breaking down in between sentences.

"Just making sure." He approaches me and holds my shoulders, comforting me for the last time. He smiles down at me, even though he is only 2 inches taller than me. I grin back and watch as he lets go and walks to the chair. He sits down on the death trap, trying to contain his tears.

"This is weird," Percy mutters. "It's...warm." I furrow my brows. That's a weird description for a chair, but whatever. Pieces of gold engulf Percy's legs and his arms, paralyzing him.

"Percy, no, this is a bad idea," I say, running toward the chair. "Stand up, I'll do it."

"I-I can't." My breath catches in my esophagus and throat.

"Perseus fucking Jackson, stand up. I'm begging you," I exclaim, my voice sounding weak and broken.

"Serena, it's fine," Percy replies. "I'm okay." His face is the last thing that freezes. His whole body is gold and frozen.

"Percy, no!" I yell. I fall to the ground, covering my face as I sob heavily. What did I just do? I wish I was the daughter of Athena, so I could try to fix these gears. Or even the daughter of Hephaestus, so I could comprehend this. But no, what power do I have? The power of Charmspeak. That's not going to work. I can't charmspeak my way to help Percy out. No way I'm getting him back, ever. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let him sit it that damn chair.

The shield clatters to the ground, causing me to jump. I stand up to grab it and run to the gears. I just blankly stare at them, not understanding what is going on. I hear a door open and see an older man wearing a robe.

"Can I help you?" He asks, staring down at me. I face the gears again and start trying to shift them. I do fail miserably, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"You need help finding your way out?" The man questions, watching me struggle. He plays something on the flute, a deafening note that could make my ears explode. A ladder emerges from the ground up to the second floor, where the old man is.

"I'm not leaving without my friend," I call, giving up on the gears and facing him. He sighs and chuckles.

"That's not how it works, Serena. Man, you are like your mother in so many ways, but also like your father," the man says. Oh my gods, it's Hephaestus. "You see, it's kinda a one-way sort of thing. It can't be undone." I heavily sigh and roll my eyes at the annoying, bothersome god.

"Listen, I'm not leaving without him. So, can you please go away so I can try to save him?"

"In spite of what my brother might've told you, I am not someone to be pushed around. Listen, I know your mother has been ignoring you recently." I stop and slowly turn my head to him, shocked. Okay, he's technically not wrong, but seriously? "If you walk out with that shield, she will be impressed, and will talk to you. You will experience glory. Plus, your half siblings will respect you." I cross my arms at him.

"Are you serious right now? You only care about glory, even though we have been through a similar experience!" I exclaim. "You were rejected by my mother, but guess fucking what? I was, too! She gave birth to me and ditched me the following day. She never talked to me before, and she probably has no intention of talking to me." My voice is firm, unlike when I was talking to Percy for the last time. Hephaestus stands in shock.

"You don't understand how it feels that the other girls in my cabin have been talked to by my mom, but not me. You can't comprehend being shit talked behind my back by everyone I know, except for like, 3 people. You don't know how embarrassed and depressed I felt when I saw all of the moms taking their kids out to brunch, and a spa day, and ballet classes. My dad worked his ass off to get me to a safe space, for me to lose the person I will never stop loving in my life. You don't get it!" I explain, my voice raising with anger.

"Ares is that way. Athena is that way. Poseidon is that way, even Zeus is! All they want is glory and revenge. But I don't! I want to be genuine to people. I want to try to be nicer, even though it can be hard. So, this is what is going to happen. You are going to rather open this chair up and help me, or leave me here to die. For the last time, I'm not leaving without Percy." My cheeks are stained with tears. Hephaestus sighs and plays his deafening sound on the flute again. The gears start grinding and I walk around to the front of the chair again. Slowly, Percy's body starts unfreezing. The gold unwraps itself until it is completely removed. Percy stands up and runs to me, hugging me tightly. I stand and comfortably hug him back.

"Some of us don't like being that way. You two shouldn't end up like that. Go now," Hephaestus calls out, walking back into his room and slamming the door.

~

A bell chimes, signaling someone's arrival. Percy and I walk in, the shield in my hands. We notice Grover and Ares staring at us. Grover grins. I slam it on the table and put my hands on my hips.

"Where's our ride?" Percy states. Ares huffs and takes us outside to a huge truck.

"You're kidding." The back doors to the smelly truck open, and we approach it.

"Get in, don't. I really don't care. But in a few hours, this thing is gonna be at the Lotus Casino in Vegas. Hermes hangs there. You play your cards right, and he personal driver can get you to L.A. in minutes," Ares explains, throwing a heavy bag at Percy. "Here. Clothes. Cash. Drachmas to summon Hermes. I'd wish you luck, but what good would it do?"

"We're not gonna fail," Percy remarks.

"Don't worry. Your dad has plenty of kids he stopped caring about once he lost interest. You'll have lots of company," Ares retorts.

"We're not gonna fail, and I'm getting pretty tired of you saying it," Percy grumbles. Grover tries to stop him. "You think you know who I am, but you don't. And if you aren't careful, you're gonna find out."

"Percy," Grover expresses in a stern voice.

"Well, thank you for the emotional abuse and mediocre cheeseburgers," I express, sarcasm present in my voice.

"And the ride. We're gonna take you up on that, too," Grover adds. He enters the truck, Percy and I following after. Once we are situated in the truck, Ares approaches us.

"Hey, you think we can get some paper towels or something? It's not that nice in here," Percy asks, ignoring the fact that he just tried to fight the god of war. Ares snaps, causing the truck to close. He smirks as he leaves us in a dark truck with animals and disturbing smells. "Well, this smells."

"If it gets us where we need to go, that's all that matters," Grover expresses. He turns to face the two of us.

"Assuming Ares was telling the truth," I mumble, fidgeting with my thumbs.

"He wasn't. Not entirely, at any way," Grover mentions. My eyes widen. "He was holding something back."

"How do you know?" I interrogate.

"Because I think I got it out of him," Grover answers. "I know who stole the master bolt."

𝔄/𝔫 - 𝔬𝔨𝔞𝔶, 𝔞 𝔣𝔢𝔴 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰. 𝔉𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱, 𝔰𝔬𝔯𝔯𝔶 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔬 𝔟𝔢𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔡𝔲𝔩𝔢! ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔲𝔫𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔦𝔳𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔴𝔬 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔞 𝔡𝔞𝔶 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔱-𝔦𝔰𝔥. 𝔖𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔡, ℑ 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔞 𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭 𝔫𝔞𝔪𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔓𝔢𝔯𝔠𝔶 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔖𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔞. ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔰. 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔡, 𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢 𝔡𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔞 𝔰𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰 𝔞 𝔩𝔬𝔱. 𝔒𝔨𝔞𝔶, 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔰 !! ♥️

𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔰 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 🫶