They tried everything from duct tape to someone taking shifts holding the pipe closed. It didn't work. Water spewed out of the pipe every time someone even breathed. Percy even tried controlling the water, but that just ended in him getting smacked in the face with a ton of water. The engine room began flooding after that and Ryder walked over and put her hands over it. That ended in everyone trying to hold it at the same time. When Frank let out an easy breath, Ryder slipped and it began pouring all over her. She landed in a puddle and gave Frank some death threats in Latin.
How did the pipe break? Oh, it's a long story. Leo and Ryder went to work on the engine some more (yes, it was in that bad of shape). Leo was hammering and then the hammer slipped and flew behind him, busting the pipe. Everyone came running down just in time to see Leo and Ryder trying to hold the water pipe. They were covered in water and soon enough, everyone was.
"UGH!" Ryder let out an aggravated scream. Everyone felt the same way.
"Look," Percy said who was about as aggravated as she was but was trying to keep her from killing Leo and Frank, "it's fixable. Do you have any towels?"
"Percy, no we don't have towels and if you haven't freaking noticed, THE ROOMS FLOODED UP TO MY WAIST!" Ryder said/yelled. Ryder was the smallest, so if it flooded anymore, she'd have to get out of there. The engine room was located down stairs and Ryder was the farthest from the door. "Besides, if there were towels, they'd be soaked by now. Got anymore smart ideas, water boy?"
The others started laughing at Percy and even Ryder cracked a smile. Percy shook his head and even cracked a smile. Annabeth called him Seaweed Brain, but he couldn't recall anyone calling him "Water Boy". They totally forgot about the water. It began rising and now it was up to Ryder, Atticus, and Hazel's stomach and to Piper's waist. It was up to the guy's upper thighs and it was rising with terrifying speed.
"You didn't hook it up to any water pipe, did you?" Piper asked Leo.
He shook his head. "Where would I find a water pipe in the middle of Central Park?"
Piper splashed him with water. He splashed her back.
"I'll take Atticus upstairs," Frank volunteered.
Atticus nodded his head rapidly and almost tripped going up the stairs. Frank caught him and steadied him. They walked upstairs, just as a machine fell where Atticus was standing. Water rushed in faster. By now, it was up to Ryder and Hazel's chest. It was up to Piper's upper stomach and the guy's stomach.
"Wait," Leo said, "why are we just standing here?"
Two machines fell in front of them. "That's why," Jason said.
"Thanks Captain Obvious!"
The machines made the water get higher and the pipe go faster. There was no way they could climb over those big barriers. But maybe they could swim under them. Percy picked one up (which was really heavy) and pulled it just high enough for the others to swim through. Percy would just have to find a way over.
"Go!" he said.
Piper, Jason, Leo, and Hazel went through first. They came up almost immediately. When Ryder went under, she didn't come up as fast. Her foot got stuck under the machine and Hazel, Piper, Jason, and Leo wouldn't go up without Percy and Ryder.
"Ryder, come up anytime now," Percy said through gritted teeth.
Ryder pulled at her foot, but it wouldn't budge. She put her hand up and only her finger tips barely reached the top. She shook her hand, trying to get their attention. With all her strength, she pushed up just so her hand could reach the surface. She heard her foot pop and it went numb. That can't be good.
She used sign language to say: foot stuck. Soon enough (and what seemed like hours but was really 3 seconds), there was a sound like someone running up the stairs. That did not mean go! she thought, but her brain was getting confused. She almost forgot to hold her breath. In actuality, what was happening was Jason and Leo was running to the side to grab the machine from Percy so Percy could help her get out. Percy went under, pulled her foot out (the highness of the machine now helped) and carried her up. When she got up, she was sort of in a daze.
"Omigosh, she's not dead, is she?" Piper asked.
Percy was carrying her like a baby up the stairs. "No, but her foots broke."
They let out a sort of easy breath. When they got upstairs, Atticus and Frank got a confused look on their faces.
"What happened to her?" Frank asked.
"Her foot got caught under a machine when she went to swim out. She was under the water for about 2 minutes," Hazel said.
"And you didn't think to go check on her?" Atticus asked smartly.
Percy set Ryder on her bed and he walked out. "When she comes to good, just put an ambrosia piece in her mouth."
Percy walked back inside his room. When he picked up his pants, they exploded.
"Ryder!"