A/N: The wait wasn't that long this time, I guess...

Disclaimer: Look back at chapter 3

Chapter 14: A Slight Detour

Jason

Percy immediately went into panic mode. Annabeth ignored him, her thinking face on, eyes darting all over. Piper was clutching my hand, her face pale but determined. Leo was trying to help Lilly repair the plane. In all this chaos, I was completely fuming.

Why did Leo have to take that stunt? Why is everything, everything a joke to him?

"Jason!" Annabeth snapped me back into reality. "Use the winds!" Level us out into a glide!"

I spread out my hands and concentrated. Nothing happened, our plummet continued. "No good!" I informed her. "Either I'm not strong enough or there's some kind of interference!"

Percy glanced out the window and his eyes got wide at the steadily approaching ground. He sat back in his seat, slightly calmer, and started thinking.

"I don't understand!" Lilly said, exasperated. "I restarted the engines, he fixed the panel, everything reads fine but that!" She pointed out the windshield to the small lake that was approaching fast.

"Water..." Annabeth murmured. "Percy!" He looked up and shouted something just in time to see a wave of blue and white froth come over us as the plane submerged.

"Crap." Lilly muttered, undoing her seatbelt. "Get out!" She tried to open her door, but it was jammed. Leo tried, with no avail.

"Well good job. We're going to be stuck down here, Cy is already dead, I'm not going to be able to help Penelope, and I'm going to lose my friends too." Percy was shaking with anger, and for some reason, I agreed with every word he was saying. Leo was always messing things up, never taking anything seriously. I drew back my arm to punch something, when I stopped myself.

I was thinking "Where the heck is all of this coming from?" When Percy lunged over the seat at Leo.

"Hey! Watch it! I'm sorry, okay?" Leo yelped, getting out of the way of Percy's clawing hand.

"Sorry?" Percy growled, fighting against Annabeth and Piper, who were both protesting and holding him back. "Sorry? Like when you blew up New Rome sorry?" The water around us was churning. I had never seen Percy like this before. He was usually so calm and easygoing. The others were wearing shocked expressions as well, Lilly looked teriffied and was renewing her efforts to open the door.

One person who didn't look surprised was Annabeth. "Percy. Calm. Down. It's him." Confusion, then understanding, then loathing crossed his features.

He faced the sky. "Show yourself!" Nothing happened.

I looked back out if my window to see that we were at the bottom of a sandy shallow lake. I could see the sun above. Another thing I noticed: tiny leaks were springing all over the place, earning more frantic glances from Lilly.

"Uh, Percy?" I said tentatively. He didn't respond. "We've got bigger problems." He looked back to me and and seemed to notice that we were underwater.

"Oh." He closed his eyes, and the leaks stopped. The doors clicked open, and Lilly fell out onto the sand.

"Holy air bubble." Piper murmered, sticking her head outside. I looked as well to see a pocket of air about ten feet tall and ten feet wide. Piper and I climbed out of the plane, Percy and Annabeth right behind us.

"Don't be so impressed, we can't stay here for long." Percy was calmer now, just more miffed than furious.

"Percy's right. I really don't want to stick around long enough for him to get to us." She pursed her lips and looked around. "Although, he's probably already here."

"You were always smart. Just like your mother." A mans deep voice came from the water. "Maybe that's why I don't like you."

We turned, Percy slower than the rest, to see a ripple in the water. Out of it formed a very large and muscular man that belonged to the voice. He had an army-style buzzcut and sunglasses, scars wrapping around and distorting his face. Annabeth kneeled.

"Lord Ares." Oh.

We all followed her example, all of us except Percy, that is. He stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the war god.

"What do you want?" He asked, his jaw clenched.

Ares turned to him. "Still no respect. You would think two wars would teach you some." Percy didn't react, didn't even blink. Ares' eyes glowed from behind his glasses.

"I have plenty of respect, you just haven't earned it." He said. Wow, he really had a talent for ticking off gods, didn't he?

"Percy." Annabeth hissed. Reluctantly, without breaking eye contact, he fell to his knees.

"That's better." Ares said. "You should be greatful, as I have a wonderous proposition for you."

"Somehow I doubt that it's 'wonderous'." Percy muttered. Annabeth elbowed him.

"What is it?" Asked Piper. I looked around to her. She was next to Leo, who was looking down and fumbling with a scrap in a moody way. I felt a pang of guilt.

"A certain wind god has something I desire. You are to retrieve it." He announced. "If you succeed, you will get something of yours back. Anything missing?"

I frowned in thought, but Leo gasped. "Festus? Where is he?" He demanded. Ares chuckled.

"Find what I'm looking for, and you'll find him."

"Excuse me, but, what exactly do you want us to get?" I asked, almost fearing the answer.

"Where you'll be going is Eurus's vacation home in Idaho. In there, there's a vault. In the vault there is a jewel. Find the jewel, get it out of the house, and you will find your dragon."

"Wait a minute, what-" Percy started, but Ares clapped his hands, and the lake disappeared.

A/N: Eh, this chapter's okay, I guess.

Are you guys even really interested in this story any more? It seems like people never review, and that's really not the best feeling.

That said, thanks to everyone who did review, follow or favorite me or my story. And sorry for the sorta sporadic updates. I'm working on a new story too that will be up after this one's done.

As always, take care and REVIEW!

-CupcakeQueen57