When Sun Meets the Sea ~ PJO 1

~22~

        "It isn't going to fail." Percy shot back. 

        "Sure, it is." Ares shrugged before sighing slightly. "Anyways, what I'm here for, I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you." 

        Just then, the waitress had come back with trays of all sorts of food. Annabeth's stomach growled at the sight, and she couldn't help but lick her lips when the waitress set everything down. Annabeth watched as Ares handed her a few drachmas and she looked very troubled down at the coins in her hands. 

        "But these aren't-

        Ares pulled out a huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?" 

       The waitress looked pained, but she quickly scurried off with the gold. 

        "You can't do that," Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

       Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

        "What favor could we do for a god?" 

        "Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little...date...with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield before, and I want you to fetch it for me." 

        "Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" 

        Annabeth was about ready to jump across the table and throttle Percy herself. 

        "Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is allowing you to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

        "We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

        Annabeth didn't need to see Ares' face to know that he was growing angrier by the second.

        "Oh, I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful . . ." Ares trailed off, huffing slightly before continuing. "Well... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back."

        Annabeth saw that Percy went to speak at Ares' last comment, but she kicked him from under the table, making him glare at her but he kept his mouth shut.

        "But safe to say, the chances of you three idiots hitchhiking the rest of the way to L.A. without getting arrested are slim to none." Ares spoke with a shrug and Annabeth knew she shouldn't have let her anger take over, especially since she just scolded Percy, but she couldn't help herself to comment.

        "Why are you sitting here then?" She asked and Ares turned his head to look at her, making Andie squish her head down uncomfortably between the two. "If you're supposed to be looking for the master bolt too, shouldn't you be out there looking for it?"

        "Hm," Ares smirked. "There's no fear in you, is there?"

        Annabeth shrugged her shoulder sassily, making Ares roll his eyes. 

        "Doesn't matter. Whether the bolt's retrieved or not, Zeus is going to war with Poseidon."

        "No. The Oracle said if we return the bolt, there wouldn't be a war." Percy argued.

        "Is that what she said? Or is that what Chiron said she meant?" Ares retorted, making Percy shut up fast and even Annabeth had to think about that for a second, but she quickly deemed that Ares was just trying to get a rise out of them. "Yeah. You're new to the family, young one, so let me fill you in on how we work. See, years before I was born, my grandpa Kronos ate my aunts and uncles. Yeah. Then my dad made him puke them back up, then chopped him into a million pieces and chucked 'em into a bottomless pit, so that kind of set the tone right out of the gate. Olympians fight. We betray. We backstab. We will push anyone down a flight of stairs to get ahead. And that's why I love my family so much. My dad knows he's not getting this bolt back with quests or goose chases. He knows there's a war coming. And in reality, I think he's okay with that. I think he feels it's just time for a war, so we're going to have a war."

        After his long-winded speech, he inhaled deeply, looking down at his plate before looking back up with a smile.

        "Isn't that great?" He asked joyfully before a whimsical sigh. "I love wars."

        "We're completing this quest. We're stopping this war. You said you can help. Can you?" Percy asked and Annabeth couldn't help but smile at his confidence. 

        "Okay, so here it is. There's an amusement park up the road. I left my shield there. You get me my shield back, and I'll get you to the Underworld by lunch tomorrow with a plan to invade Hades's palace." Ares explained. 

        "You left your shield? Like, forgot it on the merry-go-round?" Annabeth asked without thinking and Ares turned so quick he almost hit Andie's head with his own. 

        "Okay. The chirping was funny to me for a minute, but it is getting old." He growled. "So, do we have a deal, or am I killing all three of you so I can eat in peace?"