Do-over (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

12. I should stop challenging gods

'Admit it, kid,' Ares taunted, 'You got no hope. I'm just toying with you.'

It took everything inside me not to say the same thing back to him. I shifted Riptide in my grip and turned my gaze to the ocean behind Ares. He stood a few feet in front of me, a daring look in his glowing eyes as he whirled around his sword casually.

The sound of sirens invaded my eardrums. I sneaked a glance behind me to see a barrage of police cars pulling over the shoreline boulevard, their sirens flashing red and blue. Shouts arose from the gathered group of police officers as they pulled out their handguns and took cover behind their open car doors.

'Drop the guns!' a voice shouted over a megaphone. 'Set them on the ground. Now!'

Ares turned to face the group of police officers, giving me some time to figure out what to do next. While Ares was busy blowing up cars along with the hopes and dreams of rookie patrol officers, I was thinking. I was thinking about pulling off the same move I did when I fought Ares the first time but he might be expecting it.

I am not going to lie to myself and say I was a good fighter when I was twelve. I was in no way a competent swordfighter five years ago and the win I had on Ares was pure luck. Not only that, but this time I have shown more experience and skill at the start of the fight, which was probably a mistake on my part. This time, Ares would be expecting more from me and will be more prepared, which means I would have to step up my game even more than I already am.

Oh, joy.

The shouts of alarm from the mortals did not go unnoticed by me. I wanted to protect them from harm but against the power of a god, I could do nothing. It was extremely difficult to restrain myself from sending half the ocean into Ares' back.

When he finally turned back to face me, I was already in the air, my sword held back behind me as I prepared myself to swing it at his vulnerable neck. I thought I could have caught my opponent off guard but I guess Ares wasn't my usual opponent. Before I could even comprehend it, Ares had pivoted on his foot to avoid my surprise attack before sending a crushing fist into my chest. 

I felt all my ribs break, like vials of acid were being broken inside my chest. All I could think about was the pain as I flew through the air once more. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't anything soft to break my fall this time.

I let my body roll on the sand as more and more pain was bestowed upon my body. I let Riptide roll out of my hand as I felt a crack on my wrist. I shouted at the sudden pain as I clutched my now broken wrist. 

'Now, that wasn't nice,' Ares mused as he walked slowly towards me, his eyes glowing a dangerous red colour. 'A person that fights without honour deserves no mercy.'

Breathing felt like I was continuously inhaling glass shards. My broken ribs were poking into my lungs, making every breath feel as if Ares was repeatedly stabbing a knife into my chest. I tried to look up at Ares approaching me from my spot on the floor but my body screamed in protest every time I tried to move.

I could faintly hear Annabeth screaming somewhere off to my left, knowing she could not do anything to help me without getting severely hurt herself. Ares was a few feet away from me now. The power of the ocean behind me seemed to call to me as the pain in my body grew and grew. As discreetly as possible, I called upon a small sliver of water to snake its way into my open palm, hidden from my opponent's line of sight. 

I had to hide the amount of pleasure I felt when the pain disappeared. I tried to keep my face as neutral as possible while the water of the sea healed my many broken bones. Finally being able to lift my head, I looked up at the looming figure of Ares as he smirked down at me, his overly large sword resting on his shoulders.