We burst up in water, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay.
I was grabbed by my arm over to a life buoy, where Annabeth and Grover were.
In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, definitely an earthquake.
I was in shock of everything that had happened.
Here's the run down: Percy had the lightning bolt, his mother is alive and might actually be dead now, Hades is after us and we have less then a day to get back to New York and return the lightning bolt.
Easy enough.
Coast Guard picked us up, and thankfully didn't question why four kids were out in the bay, or why Percy was shoeless.
They dropped us off at the pier before speeding off to save more people.
We stumbled down the beach as the city burned. In a sad way, it was almost beautiful.
"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way—"
"It was a trick," Percy said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."
"Hey," she warned.
"You get it, don't you?"
"Yeah. I get it it."
"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody—"
"Percy..." I said softly. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry..."
He pretended not to hear me, but it was okay. He was still grieving.
"The prophecy was right," Percy said instead. "You shall go west and face the god who has turned. But it wasn't Hades. He didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's 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."
Who put the fate of the world in the hands of an unprepared half-blood?
Grover shook his head. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"
War. Someone wanted war.
The god of war.
"Gee, let me think." Percy stopped.
Ahead of us, was the one and only Ares.
"Hey kid, you were supposed to die."
"You tricked me," Percy said. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."
"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."
Oh my gods.
Why has it just now dawned on me that someone I knew stole it?
"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice."
I frowned. As much as I hated that girl, I knew she wouldn't do something like that. Even for her father.
"Doesn't matter." Ares said with an amused look. "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's master bolt, so Zeus will be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this..."
He pulled out a ski mask, and placed it between the handle bars of his bike, and it turned into a bronze war helmet.
"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.
"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!" I protested.
He shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."
When I see my mom again I'm definitely talking to her about her taste in men.
"You gave me the backpack in Denver. The master bolt was in there the whole time."
"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 kinda morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?" He paused a moment. "Anyway, I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would always 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."
"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself? Why send it to Hades?"
Ares seemed lost in a trance. "Why didn't I...yeah...with that kind of firepower..."
He was like that for a few seconds and we all exchanged nervous looks.
Ares face cleared. "I didn't want trouble. 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?"
"Of course it was!" Ares fumed. Literally.
"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."
"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"
Percy hesitated. "Who said anything about dreams?"
Ares held a smirk, clearly covering something. "Let's get back to the problem at hand. 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 snapped his fingers and the sand exploded at his feet, and a wild boar came out.
Percy stepped forwards. "Fight me yourself, Ares."
Ares laughed. "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You tan from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."
"Scared?"
"In your adolescent dreams. No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."
"Percy, run!" I shouted as the wild boar charged.
He uncapped his sword and stepped to the side before he slashed upwards. The boar's right tusk fell to the ground as the animal went to the sea.
"Wave!" Shouted Percy.
Immediately, a huge wave surged up and engulfed the boar, and it disappeared.
Since when could he do that?
Percy turned to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now? Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?"
Ares was red with rage. "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?"
Flames danced on Ares's sunglasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to get 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."
Ares swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?" Percy only showed him his sword. "That's cool, dead boy. Classic it is."
The bat changed into a large two handed sword, with a ruby on the hilt, which happened to be a skull.
"Percy," I warned, fear rising in me. "Don't do this. He's a god."
"He's a coward," Percy said back.
"Wear this, at least," I said and took off my necklace. "For luck."
I tied it around his neck. "Aphrodite and Poseidon have worked together before, I'm sure they'll do it again."
Percy's cheeks turned red and he smiled. "Thanks."
Annabeth gave him an awkward hug. "Good luck, you'll need it."
"And take this," Grover smiled, handing him a tin can. "The satyrs stand behind you."
"Grover... I don't know what to say." Percy half smiled.
"You all done saying goodbye?" Ares sneered as he stalked towards Percy. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"
Percy went back in the water and missed a shot Ares had tried at him. It almost seemed like the water launched him over the god, and he slashed down, but Ares deflected it.
Percy stepped closer, but Ares knocked his sword out and launched him in the air.
I turned when I heard sirens behind us. "Percy! Cops!"
"There, officer! See?"
"Looks like that kid on TV... and that's the girl? What the heck..."
"That guys armed, call for backup."
I held my head down as Annabeth tried to block me from view.
"Annabeth, we're so dead after this. I think Chiron and Luke will literally have a heart attack."
A crowd started to gather as more cops came, and a strange flapping circled above.
A cop held a megaphone and shouted, "Drop the guns! Set them on the ground. Now!"
Guns?
Is this what the Mist was making the mortals see?
When I checked, Ares was holding his sword, but it would flicker to a shotgun. I couldn't tell what Percy's was, but I think it was a rifle of some sort.
"This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Be gone!"
His hand swept, bringing a line of fire across the cars, causing them to explode and send the city into even more chaos.
Percy and Ares went in the water, and Percy looked like he gave up. He lowered his sword and simply looked at Ares as he raised his.
Until a huge wave crashed on the god of war and left him disoriented. Percy jumped up and started to slash at him before landing on the ground and stabbing his heel.
A loud roar came from Ares and the sea was shook away from us.
Ichor, the Golden blood of the gods, came from his boot.
He limped towards Percy, muttering under his breath and he stopped.
I was stunned as Ares lowered his sword and snapped something to Percy.
Ares then started to glow.
"Percy!" Annabeth and I cried. "Don't watch!"
We all turned away and closed our eyes. Ares was turning into his true form, and if we looked, we would surely turn to ashes.
When we looked back, he was gone, and in his place was the helm of darkness.
Suddenly, the Furies came from the sky and landed in front of Percy. The middle one looked at him.
"We saw the whole thing," she hissed at him. "So... it truly was not you?"
"Return that to Lord Hades. Tell him the truth. Tell him to call of the war."
She hesitated. "Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again..." she cackled.
They flew in the sky and disappeared.
Percy walked over to us.
"Percy... that was..." Grover said.
"Terrifying," Annabeth suggested.
"The worst moment of my life?" I asked.
"What?" Grover looked at us. "No! It was cool!"
Percy smiled and grabbed his bag.
"We have to get back to New York," Percy said. "By tonight."
"Percy... that's impossible." I sighed.
Annabeth frowned. "Not exactly. There's one way but..."
"That's flying," Percy nodded.
I stared at him. "Flying, as in, 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?"
"Yeah," Percy said slowly. "Pretty much exactly like that. Come on."