Legend Of Perseus: The Missing Bolt

~Chapter 18~

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the diner parking lot as we approached, our hearts pounding in our chests. Ares, the god of war, stood there waiting for us, his motorcycle rumbling ominously beside him. It was a tense moment, filled with a mixture of defiance and trepidation.

"Well, well," Ares taunted with a sly grin as we came to a halt before him. "You didn't get yourselves killed."

I couldn't help but return his smirk. "Yes, so sad for you."

Ares chuckled, clearly amused by our bravado. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

"Yet these stupid kids got your shield and destroyed his spiders," I shot back, my confidence growing, "and managed to escape without a scratch, while the idiotic scared god of war ran off like a little girl when he realized his girlfriend's husband was going to embarrass his ass again."

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

I frowned, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to me. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

I sighed and shouldered the backpack.

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Annabeth spoke up, giving me her best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

Ares kick-started his motorcycle. "Clarisse, you are a daughter of the war god, act like it. See you around, kids."

I balled up my fists. "You're pretty smug, Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. I felt a hot wind in my hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back." He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.

Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy."

"I don't care."

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god."

"Well, if the prophecy is correct..." I muttered, heading to the truck. Annabeth and Clarisse were right behind me.

The first thing that hit us was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter.

The trailer was dark inside until I summoned Morningstar and Gram. The blades cast light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals I'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and an antelope.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes, and his ribs showed through his white fur.