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chapter fourteen ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
014. Warpath's Dad Gets a Shower
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Cassie wasn't surprised when the Coast Guard rescued them without any questions.
There were too many other people to save, for them to interrogate the four kids stuck in the middle of the ocean.
The Guard dropped them off on the shore with towels and water bottes. All of them were soaked, even Percy. Probably, because he told the sea to drench him to avoid suspicion.
The son of Poseidon was also barefoot as he had given Grover his shoes.
They stumbled on the beach. It felt like they had come back from the dead. Which technically, they did.
"I can't believe it. We went all that way-" Annabeth was cut off.
"It was a trick. A strategy worthy of Athena." Percy said.
Cassie snickered and Annabeth sent him a warning look.
"Hey."
"You get it, don't you?" Percy asked.
"Yeah. I get it." Annabeth assured, anger diminishing.
"Well, I don't! Would somebody-" Grover was interrupted.
"You gotta keep up, Gro." Cassie scolded playfully.
"Percy . . . I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry . . ." Annabeth apologized.
Percy ignored her, not wanting to let any tears fall. Cassie wanted to tell him it was okay to cry. To state his feelings, but that would be hypocritical.
"The prophecy was right. You shall go west and face the god who has turned." He spoke lightly, not knowing how Cassie felt right now. "But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus' master bolt, and Hades' helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it." Percy explained.
"But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad."
Grover still didn't understand fully. Cassie rolled her eyes, head low.
Her dad sucked. So much for possibly bonding with him. She didn't want to make him proud anymore.
"Isn't it obvious, Grover." Cassie spoke dejectedly. Her gazed stayed trained on the floor.
There in front of them stood just the god they were looking for. His sunglasses perched on his nose, baseball bat in hand. He leaned against his motorcycle.
"Hey, kid." Ares seemed happy to see them. Well, maybe not all of them. Maybe just a certain stubborn brunette who wanted to kill him right now. "You were supposed to die."
"You tricked me. You stole the helm and the master bolt." Percy accused.
"Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power-that's a big no-no. But you're not the only her in the world who can run errands." Ares denied.
"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice." Percy suggested, he knew Cassie wouldn't have done it.
Cassie glared at his back. Sure, her siblings sucked most of the time, but it didn't mean they would steal powerful weapons for their dad.
"For all you know, it could've been Cassandra." Ares pointed out. Cassie was gonna kill him now. "But, doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this . . ."
Ares took out a ski cap. All black like the ones criminals wore in movies. When he placed in on his motorcycle handle bar it transformed into a war helmet.
"The helm of darkness," Grover muttered.
"Exactly. Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."
"But they're your family!" Annabeth cried out.
Ares wasn't fazed. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."
"You can watch your daughter's fist meet your face if you want." Cassie quipped ready to slap her dad.
Ares didn't say anything and almost looked regretful. Key word almost.
Percy pushed her back a little. He didn't want her getting involved and hurt.
"You gave me the backpack in Denver. The master bolt was in there the whole time." Percy said.
"Yes and no. It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?" Ares clarified.
Percy didn't know how Ares knew that, but he was the war god. He had to know about weapons.
"Anyway, I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades . . . Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way-no loss. I still had the weapon."
Cassie had to give it to her dad. It wasn't a terrible plan, but there was one problem.
"Wait, so you're bragging to us about doing all that. Getting the weapons and everything and you didn't think to keep them for yourself? Why send it to Hades? Why didn't your dumb butt come up with that." Cassie pointed out.
Annabeth wanted to slap her. Informing the god a better idea wasn't smart. And insulting them at the same time really wasn't helping.
Ares paused, as if someone was talking to him through a headset or maybe in his head. "Why didn't I . . . yeah . . . with that kind of firepower . . ."
He thought it over and Cassie scolded herself, sharing a nervous glance with Annabeth.
Finally, Ares shook whatever trance he was in off. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."
Percy knew better. "You're lying. Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"
"Of course it was!" Smoke flooded out of his sunglasses, like his eyes had caught on fire.
"You didn't order the theft. Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around." Cassie gapped in shock as Percy just revealed the entire conspiracy.
"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!" Ares roared.
"We didn't say anything about dreams, dad." Cassie spoke, her tone laced with bitterness.
Ares glared at her annoyed and Cassie just stared back with her own hatred. Ares ended the staring contest and turned away, smirk growing on his face.
"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal." Ares said.
Once he snapped his fingers, a boar charged from the sand. It was an even bigger version of the one who's head hung above Cassie's cabin's door.
It scratched the sand, like it was ready to attack. Two tusks stuck out from either side of its mouth as it glowered at Percy.
The son of Poseidon moved into the water. He sent a look to Cassie as if he was asking permission. This was her dad after all.
Cassie grinned and nodded. "Kick his ass for me." She mouthed.
"Fight me yourself, Ares."
Ares laughed shakily. "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."
"Scared?" Percy taunted. He really knew how to egg on someone.
"In your adolescent dreams. No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level." Ares denied as his sunglasses started to melt.
His fiery eyes (quite literally) were heating up.
"Percy, run!" Annabeth advised.
But, Kelp Head didn't run. Instead, he faced the boar head on. Whipping out Riptide, Percy sidestepped as the boar charged.
The son of Poseidon sliced off one of the boar's tusk as it ran into the ocean.
"Wave!"
The sea listened and a wave captured the boar. It surrounded the beast which disappeared with a squeal.
Cassie scoffed out a laugh. Seriously, 'wave!'. Annabeth grabbed her arm in anticipation.
"Are you going to fight me now? Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?"
Ares was fuming. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into-"
"A cockroach. Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?" Percy interrupted.
Yep, Percy Jackson was Cassie's new best friend. If he wasn't already.
"Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."
"If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and you have to go away." Percy offered a deal with Ares.
Ares didn't lose any confidence. If she wasn't his daughter, Cassie would've been impressed.
He took the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"
Percy raised his sword.
"That's cool, dead boy. Classic it is." Ares decided and the baseball bat shifted into a two handed sword. It's handle was a skull with a ruby in its mouth.
"Percy. Don't do this. He's a god." Annabeth tried.
"He's a coward." Percy contradicted.
"Perce'll win, Chase. Have some faith." Cassie responded. "Here."
Cassie gave him a polaroid. It had Annabeth scowling as Cassie teased her. Percy gave her a fist bump in the picture and Grover was holding the camera.
Percy put it in his pocket.
"You're my new best friend, Kelp Head. That means you can't die. Haven't had a best friend in a while. Don't hold back. Show him no mercy, for me." Cassie patted Percy shoulder and backed away, allowing Annabeth to come forward.
"Wear this, at least. If you're really going to fight him. It's for luck." Annabeth handed him her camp necklace. "Reconciliation. Athena and Poseidon together."
The blonde stepped back next to Cassie, both smiling reassuringly at Percy.
"Thanks." Percy replied with a smile of his own. They were great friends and he had to live long enough to watch them start dating.
"And take this." Grover said. He gave Percy a flattened tin can that had been in his pocket the whole way. "The satyrs stand behind you."
"Grover . . . I don't know what to say."
Flattering, but also true. Percy didn't have a reply for the gift Grover had given.
"You all done saying good-bye?" Ares asked flipping his sword, which shimmered in the sun. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strentgh is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"
"Loyalty, compassion, the list goes on." Cassie mumbled.
"What was that, dear daughter?" Ares questioned.
"Don't call me that. Ew!" Cassie shuddered as Ares grinned.
The god turned his attention back to Percy who hadn't replied. The son of Poseidon remember Annabeth's talk about Ares having strength not brain.
Ares went for a blow on Percy's head, but the son of Poseidon had shot up into the air. Water bending to his will.
Percy flew over Ares, slashing as he fell, but Ares was fast too. The war god spun around and blocked the attack.
"Not bad, not bad." Ares smirked.
He went for a jab and Percy was forced back onto dry land. Cassie watched as her dad kept going, attack after attack. Percy was struggling to block them all as he tried to get to the water.
The brunette grimaced as Percy got closer because he had the shorter weapon. Ares was expecting that and knocked Riptide out of Percy's hands.
Kelp Head was thrown back into the air with a harsh kick on the chest. His back would've snapped if he hadn't crashed in a sand dune.
"Percy!" Annabeth shouted.
"It's the cops!" Cassie warned.
Said boy was stumbling on his feet. He kept his eyes on Ares, never daring to look away, but from the corner of his eyes, the flashing lights could be seen.
"There, officer! See?" Someone pointed.
"Looks like that kid on TV . . . what the heck . . ." One would guess that was the cop.
"That guy's armed. Call for backup." Another advised.
Cassie scoffed. "Stupid mortals. Never minding their own business. So what if two men are stabbing each other with knives. It doesn't concern them."
Annabeth rolled her eyes at Cassie's logic. "You're so stupid, Carter."
"I learned to stop caring about your opinion of me, Chase."
By now, Percy had gotten his sword back but still hadn't gotten a hit on Ares. They were in the water again.
"Admit it, kid. You got no hope. I'm just toying with you." Ares face held a cocky smile.
Many people were watching now. Cops, random passers, spirits. Cassie could even sense the Furies hovering above. Her gaze never left the duel.
Percy got farther into the water, but Ares had got a slice at him. Now there was a cut on Percy's arm through his sleeve.
"Drop the guns. Set them on the ground. Now!" A voice demanded through a megaphone.
Weird that the swords looked like guns. Cassie wondered how that worked.
Ares faced the cops, who had doubled in number and were advancing with pistols drawn.
Cassie's sword appeared in case there was any need to threaten the cops, but Annabeth firm grip on her arm halted any movement.
"This is a private matter! Be gone." Percy was resting as Ares was shouting.
The war god caused flames to burst from the cops' cars. The vehicles exploded as the men ducked. The crowd of people behind them fled.
Ares chuckled. "Now, little hero. Let's add you to the barbecue."
They kept fighting, getting deeper into the water each attack. Percy paused as the tide receded away from him.
He lowered his blade, in mock exhaustion as Ares smirked and came closer. Percy waited, and just when Cassie's dad went for a hit, a wave carried Percy over his head.
A wall of built up water crashed into Ares' face and he lost his balance. Percy swiveled around and cut Ares' heel as the god wasn't able to block.
Ares roared in fury. Water was sent out around him, coating Annabeth, Grover, and Cassie. It flew almost fifty feet.
Gods, why was it always water. I guess they can't expect any less from befriending the son of the sea god.
Golden blood poured from the hole in Ares' boot. Ichor, the gods' special blood. Ares was shocked, flabbergasted that Percy had hurt him.
For a moment, the world slowed. Cassie barely even realized it. Everything around them stopped and then it began again.
Ares had been heading towards Percy, but halted letting his hand fall.
"You have made an enemy, godling. You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware." Ares threatened.
His body started glowing and Annabeth yelled at Percy to turn away. Ares revealed his true form and disappeared.
'Good riddance,' Cassie thought as they watched Percy.
He picked up the Helm of Darkness, Ares left behind and began to walk towards them when the Furies interrupted.
They flew down and landed in front of Percy. Mrs. Dodds held the look often found on Cassie's face. The one where 'they wanted to slice you to bits but couldn't'.
"We saw the whole thing. So . . . it truly was not you?" Mrs. Dodds inquired.
Percy threw her the helmet. "Return that to Lord Hades. Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."
"Live well Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again . . ." She cackled, never finishing her threat.
Her and her sisters left, taking the helm back to their master.
Percy strolled back to his three friends who were either gapping in amazement or smiling proudly.
"Percy . . . That was so incredibly . . ." Grover managed to let out.
"Terrifying." Annabeth finished.
"Cool." The satyr added.
"Butt-whoopingly awesome." Cassie corrected.
Percy didn't feel terrified, or cool, or butt-whoopingly awesome. He felt exhausted, tired, sore, and much more.
"Did you guys feel that . . . whatever it was?" Percy asked.
The three nodded with grimaces.
"Must've been the Furies overhead." Grover said.
"I don't think so, Gro. But for our sake, let's pray it was." Cassie patted his back.
Percy and Annabeth shared a glance of understanding with her. They knew what was in the pit. Whose voice it was. What had stopped Ares from demolishing Percy.
The son of Poseidon took the backpack from Grover and checked for the master bolt. It was still there.
"We have to get back to New York. By tonight." Percy told them.
"That's impossible, unless we-" Annabeth was cut off.
"Fly." Percy finished.
"Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb." Annabeth sassed, wanting clarification.
"Your mom gonna come down from Olympus and throw us across the continent, Brainiac?" Annabeth shot Cassie a look. "Didn't think so."
"Yep, pretty much exactly what you said. Come on." Percy urged.
Cassie smirked. "I have an idea!"
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ author's note
Guys, I just realized I posted the first chapter, Toilet Troubles on Annabeth's birthday. Lol. I didn't even plan that but what a weird coincidence. Two chapters left!!!
—Just Another Overthinker