"you could be the king, but watch the queen conquer"
-
Rosalyn Carter is the daughter of Aphrodite and the last thing Percy expected to find at Camp Half-Blood.
But he wouldn't want to fight deadly battles with anyone else.
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Percy, Annabeth, and Grover surfaced in the middle of Santa Monica Bay. Percy pulled his friends to shore and ignored the pit in his stomach. They had to return the bolt to Zeus.
The Coast Gurd picked them up and dropped them off at the pier, their clothes sopping wet. The backpack on Percy's back was heavy with the weight of the master bolt.
"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way—"
"It was a trick. A strategy worthy of Athena."
Annabeth blanched, but Percy continued.
"You get it, don't you?"
She dropped her eyes and said, "Yeah. I get it. Percy... about your mom and Rosalyn... I'm so sorry."
The boy ignored her, feeling his eyes burn at the thought of the two people he left behind in the Underworld. He turned to Grover instead to distract himself.
"The prophecy was right. 'You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft," Percy explained. "Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's son. Poseidon will be blamed by both sides. By sundown, there will be a three-way war, and I'll have caused it."
Grover shook his head, a mystified look on his face. Annabeth continued to stare at her feet, beating herself up for not seeing it sooner.
"Who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?" Grover asked.
Standing several yards from them on the beach was Ares. He had an aluminum bat propped against his shoulder, and he stood in front of his motorcycle.
Walking toward the god with purpose, Percy watched Ares get a pleased expression on his face.
"Hey, kid," Ares grinned. "You were supposed to die."
"You tricked me. You stole the master bolt and Hades's helm," Percy accused, clenching his fists tightly.
Ares laughed, saying, "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power is a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world that can run errands."
He opened his mouth to continue speaking, but he seemed to realize something and paused. His flaming eyes trailed over the three of them, then scanned the beach around them.
"You're missing one."
Percy's face must have showed the god enough to connect the dots, because Ares's eyes widened. It was a look of genuine shock.
A chuckle of disbelief left the god of war as he said, "Didn't think this would be the sword she'd die on, but I can't say I'm surprised."
It surprised Percy when Annabeth stepped forward and glared at Ares.
