HERO . . . Volume I

Issue 7 / Slip and Slide

AS THEY WERE walking, Percy turned to Fitzy. "What's that he was saying about your sister? That he's watching her?"

"Oh, that." Fitzy tried not to grimace, but he probably failed. "Ares blessed Mack the second she was born. She was actually supposed to be blessed by your mom—" He nodded over at Annabeth. "—but Ares got to her first. I'm not sure which would be worse, honestly. If Mack was any smarter, she'd have an ego bigger than mine."

Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "Does she have an ego?"

He gave her a smirk. "But she's wicked with a weapon because Ares blessed her," he breezed past Annabeth's question. "And she's definitely more angry."

"Are you sure you're not just making her angry?" asked Annabeth.

"What're you tryna say, Annie?" Fitzy raised his eyebrows.

"You've got a talent of inducing frustration. Especially to me. I can't imagine what it would be like being your sister." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

He winked at her. "Good thing you'll never have to find out, huh?"

"Stop flirting," Grover whined.

Fitzy sighed. "You're no fun."

"Someone has to stop all of you."

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"Percy," warned Annabeth. "Be more respectful."

"Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," added Grover.

"Who is she? Echidna?"

"No, Aphrodite," Grover said, a little dreamily. "Goddess of love."

"I thought she was married to somebody," said Percy, looking at Fitzy. "Your dad. Hephaestus."

Fitzy snorted. "Yes, she is. I thought Annabeth taught you the myths. You think any of the gods are monogamous? They're Greek. All of us were born for a reason."

"Oh." Percy's cheeks turned red. "So how do we get in?"

"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings.

He flew over the fence, did an unintentional somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

Annabeth, Percy, and Fitzy had to climb the old-fashioned way, holding down the barbed wire for each other as they crawled over the top.

The shadows grew long as we walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was AnkleBiterIsland, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?

No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.

They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of—