[Third Person's PoV]
"Look, the shield is right there on the boat. Let's grab it quickly and get out of here before we set off any traps," Percy muttered, pointing toward the gleaming shield resting on the boat's deck.
Clarisse grunted her agreement, stepping aboard with a determined scowl. Percy followed close behind, his eyes catching something peculiar as they boarded.
Clarisse narrowed her eyes as she noticed him tailing her. "Why are you following me? I don't need an escort, Fish for Brains," she growled, glaring over her shoulder.
Percy waved her off, eyes locked on a shimmering pink scarf that draped over one of the boat's benches. "It's not about you. Look at this," he said, picking it up delicately. "Do you think this belongs to the Goddess of Love?"
Clarisse snorted, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. "Who else would it belong to? My dad?" she retorted with sarcasm.
Percy grinned mischievously, his sea-green eyes twinkling. "You never know! Maybe Ares is into scarves and delicate accessories. Could be one of his hobbies."
Clarisse rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a short laugh. "You're such an idiot," she muttered. She bent down and grabbed the shield, hefting it easily. But as she lifted it, her eyes widened in horror. A tripwire, hidden beneath the shield, pulled taut.
"Shit!" she cursed as the wire triggered, and the boat jerked into motion, propelled by the sudden release of the trap. The current of the water pulled them both off balance. Percy, closer to the seats, collapsed backward, his body slamming into one of the cushioned benches. Clarisse tried to stay on her feet, but the momentum of the boat dragged her down — and she ended up landing squarely on Percy, straddling him.
Her hands braced against the seat on either side of his head, trapping him in place. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but stunned silence as they stared at each other, wide-eyed, the only sounds the gentle lapping of water and the mechanical whirr of the boat.
Percy swallowed nervously, then broke the silence with a teasing grin. "You know, usually in movies this kind of thing happens the other way around…"
Clarisse's face flared crimson as she quickly scrambled off him, sitting beside him with her arms crossed. "Luckily for us, this isn't a movie," she muttered, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Percy, his cheeks now matching hers in color, nodded awkwardly. "Yeah… lucky," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
Clarisse cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. "Look," she said, pointing to a Greek letter etched into the side of the boat. "This is Hephaestus's mark. It's all over this place, must be his doing."
Percy glanced at the symbol with a raised eyebrow. "No offense, but that was kind of obvious. We knew this was one of his traps when we walked in."
Clarisse shot him a dangerous look. "Percy, I will hit you."
"Okay, okay," Percy said quickly, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "So, what's the trap here? We just enjoy a nice boat ride?"
Before Clarisse could reply, the stone statues of Cupid lining the ride began to move. Their eyes glowed red as their heads slowly turned, tracking the two demigods. Bows drawn, arrows notched, they began to fire.
"You just had to open your mouth, didn't you, fish breath?" Clarisse sighed in exasperation, her eyes darting toward the golden arrows flying toward them.
The arrows weren't meant to pierce flesh. Instead, they carried gleaming threads that began to overlap in mid-air, creating a shimmering net above them. Percy reacted instantly, summoning his trident with a flick of his wrist. He thrust his hand forward, commanding a jet of water from the stream beneath them. It slammed into the forming net, tangling it, and redirecting the threads toward one of the Cupid statues, which was soon wrapped in its own trap.
But their victory was short-lived. The heads of the remaining statues began to open, revealing cameras hidden within. Spotlights clicked on, following their every move.
A loudspeaker crackled to life, its voice echoing through the chamber. "Live broadcast to Olympus in one minute… fifty-nine seconds… fifty-eight…"
"You know, for once, I think you're right," Percy grumbled. "I should've kept my mouth shut."
Clarisse stood back-to-back with Percy, her spear in hand, eyes scanning their surroundings. "No kidding. Now stay sharp."
The boat drifted into a narrow section lined with mirrors. As the mirrors parted, a swarm of bronze spiders scuttled out, their legs clicking menacingly against the wooden planks. Without hesitation, Percy swung his trident, unleashing a crescent of water that sliced through several of the mechanical creatures. At the same time, Clarisse's spear crackled with red static as she stabbed furiously, electricity surging with each thrust.
The space was cramped, but the two demigods moved in perfect harmony, a whirlwind of steel, water, and electricity. Percy ducked under a low blow, allowing Clarisse to roll over his back and unleash a flurry of strikes. He responded by sending precise blasts of water, knocking back the advancing spiders.
Clarisse ducked low as Percy placed a hand on her back, using her as leverage to spin around, swinging his trident in a wide arc. A ring of water expanded outward, slicing through the remaining spiders. Sparks flew as the mechanical creatures fell, their wires exposed and flickering.
For several long minutes, they fought, back to back, seamlessly countering each wave of spiders. Finally, they faced each other and without hesitation stabbed their weapons past their cheeks for one last simultaneous strike, their weapons pierced through the final two spiders that had jumped at them from behind.
Panting, Percy and Clarisse stood still, their weapons extended, the last mechanical spiders twitching on the tips of their blades. Their chests heaved, but their eyes remained locked on each other.
Clarisse exhaled sharply and shook her head, muttering, "Oh, for fuck's sake."
Percy, confused, lowered his trident. "What?" he started, but before he could finish, Clarisse grabbed the front of his shirt, yanked him forward, and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but when they pulled apart, Percy was left blinking in stunned silence, his face blazing red. "What… what was that for?" he stammered, his hand covering his mouth.
Clarisse scoffed, though the redness of her cheeks betrayed her. "You've been acting like you wanted to kiss me since this quest started."
"I did not!" Percy protested, still flustered. "And I thought I had fish breath? What happened to that?"
Clarisse ran a finger over her lips, smirking slightly. "Turns out, I like fish."
Percy stared at her, speechless, his brain struggling to catch up with everything that had just happened, and looked at the white light at the end of the tunnel.
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