Revenge and… a Golden Throne?
"Do you smell anything, Grover?" Percy asked as they moved closer to the Tunnel of Love, all of them on guard now that it was the only attraction still lit up. It felt too obvious. Like it had to be a trap.
Grover sniffed the air for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing. I don't smell any monsters nearby."
"Nothing like when we were on the train with Echidna right in front of us, or nothing at all?" Percy pressed, glancing at him.
That clearly hit a nerve. Grover frowned. "You can't blame me for that. She's ancient. She knows how to mask her scent with humans," he said quickly.
"Forget it," Percy muttered, letting out a breath as Harry drifted a little farther off, inspecting the area around the pool.
Meanwhile, Annabeth was staring at the cupids, studying them closely. "There's something written here. In Greek," she said, her tone serious. "Etha," she read aloud.
"Whatever," Percy said, barely paying attention. "I'll just go in, grab the shield, and get out." His tone carried a hint of irritation.
"I'll go with you," Grover said, though he didn't sound too thrilled about it. It felt more like he was trying to make up for what happened with Echidna.
"No need. I need you watching the area from above in case something shows up. You're the red baron, ace of the skies, remember? I'm counting on you to keep watch if anything goes wrong," Percy said quickly, flashing him a grin.
Grover puffed up a little at that. "Right. But… what could even go wrong?"
"The real question is what couldn't go wrong," Percy replied calmly before turning toward Harry, who was still checking the surroundings, poking at what looked like a web with his wand; for some reason, it had a faint golden tint. "Harry, come with me."
Harry stopped, glanced at the web, then looked at Percy… then at the tunnel… then back at Percy again.
"Are you insane? I'm not going in there. And definitely not with my brother," Harry said flatly, with zero interest, before turning around and walking off before Percy could insist.
Percy let out an annoyed sigh and turned to Annabeth.
"Are you serious?" she shot back the moment their eyes met.
"And now what?" Percy asked, already getting more frustrated.
"Me? With you in…" she glanced at the tunnel, her face turning slightly red, "…in the Tunnel of Love? That's embarrassing. What if someone sees us?"
"Who's going to see us?" Percy snapped, though he was blushing a little too, muttering under his breath about how girls always made things more complicated than they needed to be. "Fine. I'll go alone," he added, a bit louder, jumping down into the empty pool.
But he noticed Annabeth following right behind him, muttering something about how boys always managed to mess things up.
From above, Harry and Grover leaned over the edge, watching them head toward the tunnel.
Harry couldn't help the small, amused smile that slipped through. It reminded him of the time Percy dragged them into trouble after laughing at him for hugging Hermione just to hide; and then teased him about it for weeks.
Yeah… this felt like payback.
Grover glanced at Harry for a second, suddenly realizing this might've been his plan all along. Which, honestly, worked a little too well.
He made a mental note right there not to end up on Harry's bad side.
…
Percy and Annabeth walked into the tunnel, on foot, since there was no water flowing to carry them. Even if there had been, there wasn't a boat in sight, so at least they didn't have to swim their way through it.
The tunnel was dimly lit by small flickering lights every few meters. Hearts were painted everywhere, along with drawings of people kissing.
It was… uncomfortable.
Both of them picked up their pace without really saying it out loud.
Then, out of nowhere, speakers hidden along the walls started playing a love song.
They both froze for a second.
"You've got to be kidding me," Percy muttered, which somehow made everything even worse.
As usual, Percy started looking for a way to break the silence.
"Well… I'll admit, it's kind of catchy," Percy said, glancing at Annabeth. She gave him a brief sideways look before turning her eyes forward again.
Suddenly, images flickered to life along the walls, like a projector had just switched on. Both of them instinctively focused on it.
The scenes showed a small child; unwanted by his mother, unwanted by his own wife, mocked by the other gods. So he buried himself in his craft; forging, creating; watching as his wife left him for someone else.
"My mom and my aunt Mor used to tell us these stories all the time," Percy said, recognizing it immediately. Hephaestus; the god of the forge. "She used to say…" He trailed off for a moment.
Annabeth glanced at him. "What?"
"That this is what the gods are like with each other. This is the kind of family they are," Percy finished.
"Why didn't you want to say it?" she asked, still watching him.
Percy opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally answered. "They were trying to keep us away. Harry and me. From all of this," he said more quietly, meeting her gray eyes for a moment.
Annabeth held his gaze in silence, then both of them looked back ahead.
"Maybe they were right. We weren't ready for this," Percy added, not taking his eyes off the path.
"Or maybe you're more ready than you think," Annabeth said, her voice steady. "From the moment you got here, it was obvious you were different. Since this whole thing started, you two have handled things most people wouldn't even survive. Maybe they taught you more than you realize."
Her expression shifted for a second; something softer, almost sad. Maybe even a hint of envy. She probably wished her father, or even her mother, had prepared her the same way Percy and Harry had been.
Percy looked at her, but didn't say anything else. The silence from before settled back in, broken only by their footsteps and the music echoing faintly through the tunnel.
They walked for a while longer until the passage finally opened into a wide chamber, completely dark.
At the entrance, a few wooden boats sat lined up, each with oversized hearts behind them. Percy gave them a quick sideways glance, then kept walking straight into the room.
The moment he stepped inside, lights flared to life all around them.
Both of them instinctively covered their eyes for a second. When their vision adjusted, they looked forward; and froze.
A massive statue made of solid gold stood in the center of the chamber. In front of it sat a large throne, made of the same material.
The walls were carved with the same story they had just seen, and dozens of cherubs surrounded the room, bows raised as if ready to fire at any moment.
And for a second… one of them moved.
Percy stared at it.
This time… he wasn't sure he imagined it.
"Well… at least we found the shield," Percy said, forcing his attention away from the cherub. His eyes shifted to the statue's hands, where it held a round shield; a dark, ancient-looking piece with a boar engraved at the center. "Now the question is… how do we get it down?"
Annabeth didn't answer.
She had stepped closer to the golden throne and the statue, studying them carefully. Just like outside, there were Greek words carved around the throne.
Meanwhile, Percy kept staring at it.
It was beautiful. Perfectly carved, every detail shaped into solid gold. It didn't look like something a normal craftsman could make.
Only one being could've created something like this.
And then it clicked.
Hephaestus.
"Wait… I know this," Percy said, narrowing his eyes at the throne. "A gift… with a hidden purpose. Hephaestus gave it to Hera, but the moment she sat down, she couldn't get back up. All the gods tried to free her, but the mechanism was too clever… too much for any of them. And in exchange for letting her go, they promised him Aphrodite as his wife," he said, almost like he was repeating a bedtime story his mother used to tell him and Harry.
"So if they're connected like you're saying… someone has to sit on it for the statue to release the shield," Percy concluded.
Annabeth didn't respond.
She was still staring at the throne.