Y/n's POV
"I don't believe it," Annabeth confessed. "We went all that way."
"It was a trick," Percy claimed. "A strategy worthy of Athena. The prophecy was right. 'You shall go west and face the god who has turned'. But it isn't Hades. Hades doesn't want war between the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus' master bolt and Hades helmet, 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."
"But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?" Grover posed.
"There's only one god I can think of, and he's right over there," Percy pointed out. I turned around, and sure enough, further down the beach, a motorcycle rumbled. And standing next to it was Ares.
"Hey, kid," Ares greeted. "You were supposed to die."
"You tricked me. You stole the helmet and the master bolt," Percy stated.
Ares grinned. "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 hero in the world who can run errands."
"Who did you use? Clarisse?" Percy figured. "She was there at the winter solstice."
"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 will be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this," Hades declared and set a beautifully crafted, elaborate, bronze war helmet down between the handlebars of his motorcycle.
"The helmet of darkness," Grover gasped.
"Exactly," Ares confirmed. "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 protested.
"The best kind of war. Always the bloodiest," Ares commented. "Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."
Anger flowed through me, but I didn't think it was from Ares' presence. He usually had that effect on people, but today, this was all me. I yanked my necklace from my neck, and when it transformed into a sword, I threw it at Ares. He waved his hand, and my weapon flew to the side, burying itself in the sand dozens of feet away.
"I can't believe you!" I seethe. "You were supposed to be on our side! I thought you were cool. I thought that maybe if I got on your good side, and you appreciated my help, your kids would stop treating me like garbage. But you're all the same: self-centered, egotistical, selfish little schists who only do things for your own gain."
"Y/n," Annabeth warned.
"You think I care what you think of me? You're just a puny demigod! You are all pawns on a chessboard. The gods use you for whatever they'd like. If you think that the god of war would actually try to keep peace, then you're the dumbest one there is," Ares argued.
"Don't call me stupid," I growl and step forwards. Annabeth reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to her. I wanted to hesitate against her grip, but I knew that I shouldn't pick a fight with the god of war.
"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy continued. "The master bolt was in there the whole time?"
"Yes and no," Ares responded. "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 both you and your sister's swords. It always returns to you, right? Anyways, 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, and bingo! You've got mail! If you died along the way - no loss. I still had the weapon."
"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself? Why send it to Hades?" Percy inquired.
"I didn't want the trouble," Ares admitted. "Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."
"You're lying. Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it? 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," Percy assumed. "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."
"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one!" Ares yelled. "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."
"Fight me yourself, Ares," Percy commanded as Ares summoned a boar.
Ares laughed. "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."
The boar charged at Percy, who I had noticed backed into the ocean. When it got near him, Percy swung his sword and chopped off one of the boar's tusks. Then, using a wave, he drowned the creature in the water.
"Are you going to fight me now? Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig? If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helmet and the bolt are mine and you have to go away," Percy put forth."
Ares grinned. "You're on, kid."
I was so focused on how Percy was controlling the water that I didn't pay much attention to the battle itself. He used the waves to push himself forwards and backwards. He even hit Ares in the face with a huge wave. What surprised me the most though was Percy stabbing Ares in the ankle, producing bright golden blood. Ichor. The blood of the gods. After getting stabbed, Ares disappeared in a flash of golden light. It was then that the Furies descended down on us. But as soon as Percy tossed them the helm of darkness, they too disappeared.
"That was so incredibly-"
"Terrifying," Annabeth finished for him.
"I was gonna say cool," Grover input.
"Sorry, Annabeth," I apologize. "But I'm gonna have to agree with Grover on this one. Percy, that was awesome."
"Thanks," Percy exhaled, clearly exhausted and out of breath. "Now, we have to get back to New York by tonight."
"That's impossible unless we fly," Annabeth noted.
"Right," Percy concurred.
"Whoa whoa whoa," I intervene. "Fly, like, in an airplane? Percy, I told you we can't do that. Zeus will strike us out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb? That's insane."
"We don't have a choice," Percy insisted. "Come on."