First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Resolution

Clarianna's POV

Ares. He was the one who had helped Luke escape. A vision of Ares threatening Percy at a diner suddenly flashed behind my eyes, the request he made, the deal he struck, the backpack he gave.

The pieces clicked together. Ares had caught Luke on the solstice, fully prepared to strike him down and return his father's beloved weapon. But honeyed words spoken to him by Kronos had brought the lust for blood and war from below the surface to a boiling point. And Ares had taken the bolt and helm, hidden it away, gone to Poseidon to accuse Hades, and set off the chain of events that would lead to an all-out war between the Olympians, primed for Kronos ascension.

I gritted my teeth. Fuck you, Ares.

"Destroy them!" Hades yelled, bringing me out of my thoughts.

Well, crap. I shoved against the doors, trying to get them to open, and blinked in surprise at the view unfolding before me. My eyes shot up towards the three, milky spheres shooting up towards the stalactites, the spears and bullets from the skeleton warriors around the room ricocheting harmlessly off and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Percy, Annabeth, and Grover safely encased behind Poseidon's protection.

Hades roared in anger, causing another wave to shake the fortress, and I winced at what Los Angeles would be experiencing right now.

"I thought I told you to not kill them," I said as the pearl shields rapidly faded out of view. "And not five minutes in, you've already opened fire."

"The boy will just not learn his place! He's a mix of his father's arrogance, pride, and demigod foolishness! Haughty, pompous, thinks he's all so high and mighty-"

"Lord Hades!"

Hades glared at me, his eyes sparking with anger, and growled, "What?"

"Thank you for healing me and everything else. It's time for me to leave."

To leave the Underworld, where all the answers had lain, and head up back to the mortal one, where the answer had yet to be resolved.

But first and foremost, I had a bone to pick with the God of War.

***

Luke's POV

Where the fuck had Rianna gone off to this time? I paced around in front of the stables in frustration, trying to decide if I should just grab a pegasus and go look for her.

"I've been out for four days?" Rianna asked in disbelief, shock and another emotion I couldn't place flashing across her face.

I nodded. "Why?"

She stood up and staggered towards the door, hastily checking her weapons.

"Hey, slow down," I said, reaching out to brace her. "Where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Ally about something and get changed."

I blinked. "Why? What's the rush?"

Ri turned to face me, her eyes anxious. "Well, there's only two more days until the solstice. I need to brace myself for any fallout and stuff. I can't just lie in bed."

True. "Fair enough," I replied. "I'll get you down to the Hermes cabin and you can get yourself cleaned up. And talk to Ally about whatever you guys need to talk about."

"Thanks."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. It was clear now that the last conversation we'd had had been a lie. Not entirely, since I could tell that she was stressed about the solstice, but she'd lied, even though it was through emission. But what? Not for the first time today, seeds of doubt began to creep in. If she had managed to lie so skillfully that I didn't even suspect anything at all, what else had been fake? It seems like my Lord was right again.