Hello, all. Sorry for the delay; I hope the extra long chapter (over 4000 words) makes up for it! Also, I wrote most of this at five AM when I couldn't sleep, so I hope it's still good and I didn't just start rambling and never stopped.
ALSO, IMPORTANT: I AM GETTING READY TO POST A NEW STORY. I HAVE THE SUMMARIES FOR A FEW OF MY IDEAS ON MY PROFILE. PLEASE READ THEM AND EITHER VOTE ON THE POLL, OR REVIEW WHICH STORY YOU'D LIKE ME TO POST ON ANY OF MY STORIES.
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The four of them found a nearby diner to eat at, and they seated themselves in a corner booth with a window beside them.
The waitress walked over and raised her eyebrow, skeptically. "Well?"
"We, um, want to order dinner," Percy replied.
"You kids got money to pay for it?"
Leo reached for his pocket, but before he could withdraw the money, a motorcycle the size of a mini elephant pulled up to the curb.
All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather-but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.
The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruel and brutal face that made you think he'd pummel you any second- handsome, I guess, but wicked. He had an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights.
Leo recognized him. Frank's dad- or the Greek version, anyway. Ares.
As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"
The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into the booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth and Leo against the window.
He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"
He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.
Ares turned to Percy, and Percy's eyes went from confused the downright rageful.
He gave Percy a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"
"What's it to you?" Percy demanded.
Leo shook his head and smiled, charmingly. "Ignore him. Well, Lord Ares, what brings you to our table on this fine evening?"
Ares smirked in a satisfied manner. "I like you, kid. Polite, yet daring. Knows his place."
Leo smirked. "Oh, believe me, I never know my place. I just know better than to talk back and risk getting vaporized."
Ares barked a laugh. "Good point."
"So you're Clarrise's dad?" Percy stated.
Ares removed his sunglasses, displaying the flames that were his eyes. "Yep. I heard you broke her spear."
"She was asking for it."
"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for-I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."
The waitress came back with heaping trays of food-cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.
Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.
She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."
Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"
The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.
"You can't do that," Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."
Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."
"What favor could I do for a god?"
"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."
"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?"
The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.
"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."
Anger flickered in Percy's eyes, ready to break free, like an ocean straining against a leaking dam. The minute it broke, all hell would break loose, and there was no turning back.
"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."
Leo was lucky Ares's glare wasn't directed at him. Just being around him made him see the war all over again- the bodies of people he'd known, traitors he'd been forced to kill, the blood soaking the grass and turning the battlefield into a slipping slide. Harley's unseeing eyes...
If that glare had been directed at him, the images would've been ten times more vivid. Leo wouldn't have been able to hold it together.
"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful ..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."
"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"
"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war."
"Starting a war?" Leo hissed, suddenly so pissed off, he couldn't contain his rage, and it had nothing to do with Ares's powers. "Are you insane? War is awful; people get killed; gods can fade or be overthrown. Why would you want something like that to happen?"
Ares stared at him. "You've seen war, haven't you, kid?" He asked after several beats of silence.
Leo shrugged. "Gang wars mostly," he said, which wasn't exactly a lie.
Ares nodded, but honestly, if Leo didn't know any better, he'd say the god of war didn't know what to say to that.
"As I was saying," Ares continued, "oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."
"Thanks," Percy grumbled.
"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."
"We're doing fine on our own."
"Yeah, right. No money."
"We have money," Leo said. At the stunned looks from his friends, Leo shrugged. "Okay, I have money."
"No wheels," Ares said as though Leo hadn't spoken. "No clue what you're up against."
"Oh, trust me," Leo growled. "I know what we're up against. More than you do."
Ares turned to Leo, and for a moment, fear flickered in the god of war's eyes. Then, it was gone, but one look at Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, and Leo knew he hadn't imagined it.
"Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom," Ares addressed Percy.
"My mom?"
"It's a trap," Leo told the son of Poseidon. "He just wants to tell you she's not dead; he won't tell you anything else."
Ares's eyes actually widened. "How did you know?"
Leo smiled, mischieviously. "I didn't until just now."
Ares scowled. "Fine, another deal. You get my shield, I get you a ride west."
Leo turned to the others, and after a few moments, Percy turned to Ares.
"Deal," Percy agreed.
Ares smirked. "Wonderful. You'll find my shield at this address," he stated, pulling a slip of paper and a pen out of a pocket, jotting something down, and sliding it towards Percy.
Leo blinked, and Ares was gone.
The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the address Ares had given them. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.
The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.
"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."
Leo chuckled. "Uh, Percy? His girlfriend is the goddess of beauty."
Percy blinked. "Really?"
Leo nodded. "Yep."
"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.
"Isn't she married to Hephaestus?" Percy asked.
Leo nodded. "They're married, but she cheats on him with Ares. He knows it's going on, and he tried to stop it back in the ancient days, but I guess he just gave up at some point. He still tries to embarrass them, but never really stops the affair"
"Oh." Percy said, looking like he didn't really understand before accepting that he wouldn't understand most things about Mythology. He changed the subject. "So how do we get in?"
"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings.
Leo was almost surprised before he remembered that Luke had given the shoes to Grover, and being the son of Hermes... well, the shoes were kind of fitting.
He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"
Annabeth and Percy had to climb the old-fashioned way, holding down the barbed wire for each other as they crawled over the top.
Leo got creative; he ripped the bottom apart with his hands and slipped into the hole; Percy and Annabeth hadn't even gotten over the barbed wire.
"Dude!" Percy complained.
Leo shrugged. "What can I say, Percy? I'm a runaway; I'm always looking for quick getaways."
The shadows grew long as the four of them walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?
No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.
They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of-
"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."
"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just-"
"Watch me."
She snatched an entire row of stuff off the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.
"What the heck?" Grover shrugged. Soon, all four of them were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park.
They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. Leo got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath, waiting to let it all out at once and blow them over.
"So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said, "they have a thing going?"
"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."
"What about Aphrodite's husband? I mean, you'd think the goddess of love wouldn't approve of cheating."
"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The black-smith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"'
Leo growled.
"Did you just growl?" Grover questioned.
"Yes. My dad may not be good looking, but he's a good guy."
"You've met him?" Annabeth asked.
"Once, and I wouldn't really call it meeting him. He came to me in a dream to warn me about monsters heading my way and to start running now. He did give me some advice though and he saved me from getting killed, so I'm not complaining."
"What kind of advice did he give you?" Percy asked.
"Everything can be reused. I used a bunch of old and broken machines I'd made, put them together, and took out the monsters."
"Wow. I didn't know Hephaestus cared so much," Annabeth said.
"Yeah, he cares; he's just not good with... organic life forms, in his words. He's a machine guy, not a people person."
"Woah," Percy mumbled. "You're lucky."
Leo smiled. "Both of us are lucky in some ways. Your dad really cares about you; he's sticking his neck out for you. He could've easily let Zeus kill you and avoid the entire war, but he didn't. Let's go prove to our parents and every enemy out there that we're more than just pawns on a chess board."
"Chess board?" Annabeth asked. "You play chess?"
"Yeah. Wasn't much to do in the orphanages, so we spent our time watching Batman, throwing things at each other, and playing cheap cards and board games."
The three laughed, and the four of them continued on their way.
Leo didn't see the ride until he almost fell into it.
In front of them was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl. Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!
Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."
Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.
"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"
Leo shook his head. "It's never that easy."
Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue.
"There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."
"Grover," Percy said, scanning their surroundings, "you smell any monsters?"
He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."
"Nothing-like, in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna nothing, or really nothing?"
Leo slapped Percy on the arm. "Come on, dude. Powers work sometimes and sometimes they don't. I mean, imagining trying to use your powers when you're not near water. That's what being underground is like for Grover."
Grover nodded, looking appreciative. "That was underground. I don't smell any monsters, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be something else."
Percy took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."
"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic.
"No," Percy told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."
Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me-"
"Are you kidding?" She looked at Percy as if he'd just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.
"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded.
"Me, go with you to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"
"Who's gonna see you?" Leo asked. "It's just us, and I promise we won't tease you. I'll stay up here, in case monsters or crazy mortals or whatever show up."
"Alright," Annabeth relented.
Percy and Annabeth reached the boat, but Leo was focusing on trying to remember this story from the Argo II. He remembered laughing about the twelve year old version of Percy and Annabeth going on a love ride together, but beyond that, he was drawing a blank.
He did remember his dad's name coming up, though...
"Aw, heck," Leo muttered, staring at the Cupid statues. "GUYS! IT'S A TRAP!"
He was a second too late because no sooner had the words left his mouth (unknowingly at the same time as they left Annabeth's) did noise erupt as hundreds of gears turned at once.
Leo slid down and used his legs to spring himself into the boat.
Grover yelled, "Guys!"
Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. They started shooting, but not at the demigods. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.
"We have to get out," Percy said.
"Duh!" Annabeth said.
"There's no use," Leo told them. "This is one of my dad's inventions, made to capture Aphrodite and Ares. He'll have tons of obstacles to prevent us from climbing out; there's really only one way out."
And with that, Leo grabbed the wheel.
"Grover!" Leo shouted to the satyr, who was struggling to hold the net open. "Meet us at the exit!"
"Nico, meet us at the Doors of Death! Promise me!"
Leo shook the flashback away. Not the time, brain.
The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding us with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed:
"Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight ..."
"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid. Eta is H. He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"
Leo shrugged. "Maybe not. Percy, use the water pipes!"
"What are we gonna do?" Annabeth demanded.
"We're getting out of here," Leo stated, gripping the wheel with both hands.
Percy concentrated really hard and BAM! Several streams of water burst out a once, lifting the boat and carrying it down the tunnel.
"Shitaki mushrooms!" Grover shouted from where he was flying above. None of them had been expecting the sheer force of the water that burst out.
Percy yanked Annabeth into the seat beside him, and Leo struggled to remain upright. Luckily, after those monster filled weeks on the Argo II, Leo had gotten used to rough waters.
"Zero," the little automated voice that had been counting down announced.
Leo used the wheel to keep them straight and not crashing into walls; he thanked the gods for his boating experience because if he didn't have it, him and his two friends would probably be splats on the wall by now.
They rocketed past a bunch of lovey dove stuff, like Romeo and Juliet, and Leo tried hard to concentrate on steering, but Percy and Annabeth's screaming wasn't helping him at all.
And then, they were out in the sunlight, and Leo breathed a sigh of relief until he realized that they weren't out of the woods yet.
If the ride had been in working order, they would've sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But there was a problem. The Gates of Love were chained. Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before us were now piled against the barricade-one submerged, the other cracked in half.
"Aw, heck," Leo muttered. "Guys, get up!"
Percy and Annabeth leapt out of their seats and stared at their upcoming doom.
Percy cursed.
Leo grabbed a few spare parts from his pocket, and his hands flew so fast, you wouldn't have been able to tell what he was doing. But Leo didn't need to be able to see what he was doing; when you're a child of Hephaestus, building is as easy as breathing. It's instinct.
The Latino pressed the button, and a rope he'd stolen from the back of the boat shot out, the fishing hook (also found under a seat on the boat) hooked onto the gate.
Leo yanked as hard as he could; the fishing hook didn't budge.
"All right, guys," he said. "Hang onto each other and grab the rope."
Percy grabbed Annabeth around the waist, and the pair latched onto the rope.
"Hang on!" Leo shouted. "Hold your feet out- almost like you're zip lining- so they'll take most of the force."
"What about you?" Percy called over the rushing water.
"I know what I'm doing! Now!"
Leo hit the button, and Percy and Annabeth were flying towards the gate; they hit it feet first and clambered over the gate.
"3...2...1," Leo whispered before grabbing Ares's shield and launching himself off of the boat seconds before it crashed. He rocketed over the gate and hit the ground, throwing the shield aside (to avoid rolling on top of it) and doing a somersault to spend any extra momentum.
Percy and Annabeth climbed down from the fence and raced over to Leo, followed by Grover.
"Woah," Percy mumbled.
"Woah, indeed, my friend," Leo told him. "Now..."
He turned to the Cupid cameras.
"There will not be plenty more where that came from, folks! Now, if you don't mind, we have a life threatening quest to finish! To all, a goodnight!"
Leo lead the way out of the amusement park, Ares's shield in hand.
He blinked.
And blinked again.
And blinked again.
And-
"Shocked, nephew?" Hestia asked from behind him.
Hephaestus nodded, numbly. "Maybe a little."
"Did you not think he was capable?"
"Oh, I knew he was capable of great things, but I didn't know he was capable of that. At least now. I mean, when he's older sure, but he's a twelve year old kid with no training. How did he-"
"I may not have children, but I do know that children often surprise their parents. Especially godly parents."
"I suppose you're right."
But still, Hephaestus couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about his son. Something that had appeared rather suddenly a few days ago.
But for the life of him, Hephaestus couldn't figure out what had changed.
What'd you think of the chapter? And I know Leo acted a little suspicious around Ares, but his plan will be very beneficial in the future. It will also caused some problems. What is Kronos planning?
Trivia:
What is Aphrodite's symbol? (Ex: owl for Athena)