NEVER BE THE SAME . . . percy jackson

eighty two: the bad water.

THE BASIN FILLED with alarming speed. Brooklyn, Piper, Jason, and Percy pounded on the walls, looking for an exit, but they found nothing. They climbed into the alcoves to gain some height, but with water pouring out of each niche, it was like trying to balance at the edge of a waterfall. Even as Brooklyn stood in a niche, the water was soon up to her knees. From the floor, it was probably eight feet deep and rising fast. She wasn't even short, too. Fuck life.

"I could try lightning," Brooklyn offered. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"

"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.

"Or electrocute us," Percy added.

"Not many choices," Jason agreed with Brooklyn. Sibling energy.

"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there has to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something." It was a desperate idea, but there wasn't anything else to do.

Percy jumped in the water. Brooklyn, Jason, and Piper climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wiggling seashells embedded in the stone; but they had no luck.

Sooner than Brooklyn expected, Percy broke the surface, gasping and flailing. She offered her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him up.

"Couldn't breathe," he choked. "The water . . . not normal. Hardly made it back."

As the water rose around her, Brooklyn felt the water affecting her, too. Her leg muscles trembled like she'd been running for miles, just as she'd done earlier. Her hands turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of a fountain.

Everyone moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drenched and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the color was leaching out. Piper's eyes weren't doing their weird kaleidoscope-y thing anymore. Her grip on the seashells were weakening.

"They're taking our power," Piper said. "Draining us."

"Brooks," Percy coughed, "do the lightning."

Brooklyn stared up at the ceiling intensely. The room rumbled, but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung her skin.

"Oh, fuck me," Brooklyn groaned.

The water was up to their necks now. She could feel her strength fading. She could just blame it on that.

Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand, like he was shooing a bad dog. "Can't — can't control it!"

"We can't fight this," Piper said, holding her corn-on-the-cob thing. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."

"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.

The water was up to their chins. Another few inches, and they'd have to swim.

"The horn of plenty," Piper explained. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with fresh water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—"

"Can your horn do that?" Percy struggled to keep his head above water, which was obviously a new experience for him. He looked scared out of his mind.

"Only with your help." Piper held out the thing.

"I need you to channel everything you've got into the cornucopia," she said. "Percy, think about the sea."

"Salt water?"