I don't own Percy Jackson, or anything else copyrighted. I'm not a freaking millionaire here.
Chapter Eight: Passing the Torch
"... the storm, which has begun to be identified as 'The Great U.S. Blackout' continues to baffle meteorologists all over the world. For eight days, dark storm clouds have covered the skies of all forty-eight mainland states, centering on Los Angeles, California, where an electromagnetic anomaly has sieged the entire city, trapping everyone inside and keeping all others out. It is advised that all residents of Los Angeles stay indoors and wait for help as the government does all it can to find a way inside the electrical barrier. In other news, investigations have made headway into the Erie Tank Attack..."
Percy sighed, dipping another chicken finger into his honey mustard sauce. Grover and Annabeth shared his sentiment, and all three slumped against the cushiony seats of their table.
The quest members had gotten hungry and luckily spotted a small diner on the side of the street. They 'parked' Karkinos right outside, and ordered their food with high spirits. The three had been making good time, getting all the way to Iowa in about a day, but their fortune seemed to shift when the news stations made a report on Zeus' recent actions. Apparently, the current storm was a bigger deal than they'd made it out be, and even worse, L.A. was completely blocked off, meaning they'd need another way into the city.
Of course, all of that was without even mentioning the whole 'mysterious hooded man that can find them anywhere in the world' thing, but that wasn't really important right then. Plus, Percy felt like he had a pretty good idea of who it was...
The young demigod sighed again. "So what now, Cinderella?"
Annabeth tried giving him a glare, but she wasn't really into it. "I don't know. Maybe there are some tunnels leading into the city from outside?"
Percy shook his head. "The lady on the news said that all underground entrances were 'mysteriously' blocked off. Looks like Hades doesn't want anyone getting in the middle of his fight with Zeus either."
Grover nibbled on the straw of his vanilla milkshake, biting off the end. After swallowing the plastic, his eyes brightened up. "Hey, maybe Karkinos can take us in? She has a really strong shell, so we could hide under her while she takes us through."
Percy shrugged his shoulders, but Annabeth scoffed. "Grover," she said, picking up a french fry, "it's an electromagnetic field, meaning that it's pretty much a cloud of lightening. Even if her shell was somehow made out of rubber, it would still get in her eyes."
Percy gulped down his chicken with a snicker. "You know G-man, Karkinos is pretty cool, but she can't do everything. I think you're giving your girlfriend too much credit."
Annabeth tried and failed to keep a smile out of her face as Grover spluttered.
After getting over the fact that she had tried to chop him in half with her claws, Grover came to enjoy the big crustacean, so much so that they had conversed throughout the whole trip. Neither of his two quest-mates understood how he did it, since Karkinos was technically a monster and the satyr could only talk to animals, but it didn't stop them from teasing him about it relentlessly.
"She's a giant crab, and I'm a satyr! It could never work out!"
Annabeth covered her mouth while Percy almost choked on his food. Grover seemed to realize how his statement could've been interpreted, and waved his hands frantically in front of him. "Woah, hey! I didn't mean it like that! I swear!"
Percy would've said more, but at that moment the waitress came to their table with the check. "That'll be twenty-two, fifty-nine," she told them, handing the slip of paper to Annabeth, who had already taken out the required money. Before the blonde could hand it over, the door to the diner opened.
In came the most imposing man Percy had ever seen in his life. He was at least six feet tall, his black, spiked up hair only adding to his height. The man wore ripped jeans, leather boots that came up to mid calf, and a leather jacket as black as his sunglasses. Everyone in the diner seemed to stop and stare, but the man merely glared back, and the few customers there went back to silently eating their food.
The man walked over to their table and sat down next to a pale Grover, who refused to cast even a glance at the intimidating figure. The man looked up at the waitress and smirked. "I've got it," he said, and handed her a golden drachma.
The waitress hesitantly took the offered coin and looked back at the man questioningly. "Uh... Sorry sir, but I don't know what this is."
The man lowered his sunglasses, revealing glowing red orbs and a slight frown of annoyance. "It's good. Trust me."
The waitress quickly nodded and sped away, casting a concerned glance at the three children still sitting with the threatening man. The man just chuckled and turned back to the three quest-mates, only to be met with Grover's shaking form, Annabeth's wary gaze, and Percy's furrowed brow.
"So," the man said, his smirk only widening, "I'm sure you've already guessed, but I'm Ares, god of war. Give me the respect I deserve and we won't have any problems, alright?"
Percy rolled his eyes. What was up with gods getting in the middle of his quest? "Is there a reason you came here, or did you just feel like making a grand entrance?"
As Grover paled even further, Ares merely fixed the young demigod with his smirk, which Percy was quickly starting to find incredibly annoying. "Well, no quest is complete without a little firebrand. I'm guessing all you're good for is being the smartass of the team?"
The psychokinetic would've usually shrugged off such a comment, but for some reason he just couldn't get over that stupid smirk. He knew that Ares was egging him on, and that in a real fight against the war god he'd be decimated, but even so...
Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder, and Percy snapped out of his anger-induced trance. Shaking his head, the young demigod avoided Ares' eyes, deducing that the glowing red orbs were the cause of his attitude change.
"Lord Ares," Annabeth started respectfully, and Percy held back his snort, "is there something you want to tell us?"
"Of course there is, otherwise I wouldn't be here would I?" The god of war shifted his gaze to Annabeth. The blonde flinched, but otherwise kept her composure, which caused Ares' smirk to widen. The god reached into a pocket on his leather jacket and took out a map of Iowa. He then drew an 'x' on a spot somewhere with a red sharpie and circled another.
"This," he said, pointing at the red circle, "is where we're at right now, and this," his finger drew a path to the 'x', "is where you have to go. You'll find a cave there, and all you have to do is make sure to leave it empty. Questions?"
Percy almost raised his hand, but harshly reminded himself that this was the war god telling him what to do, not Chiron in one of his lectures. "Yeah, I've got one. Why should we do anything you say? We're kind of busy with something more important than checking out some random cave. Couldn't you do it yourself, y'know, since you're a god and everything?"
Ares' smirk dropped, and Annabeth tensed next to him, but Percy didn't care. There was no way he'd get bossed around by anyone for no reason, god of war included. He couldn't glare directly into Ares' eyes, but he'd make sure to burn a hole through his forehead by the time they left.
"Kid," the god said, a hard edge in his tone, "you'll do it because I'm telling you to. Plus, I might be willing to give you a clue on how to get past daddy's little cloud ball." At this, both of his quest-mates perked up, but the psychokinetic still didn't look very persuaded. He was just stubborn like that.
Ares sighed in annoyance. "If you can't accept that, then at least do it to prove yourself." Percy's frown lessened only for a second, but Ares was able to catch the young demigod's hesitation. "That's what you want, isn't it? Sure, you could be on this quest to save the world or whatever you want to call it, but at the end of the day you and I both know the real reason you're here. Recognition."
Grover gripped the table hard, his knuckles turning as white as his face, while Annabeth glanced worriedly between Percy and Ares. The young demigod was deathly silent, his glare still present, but his unfocused eyes clearly revealing that he was in a deep inner-struggle. Meanwhile, the war god's nasty smirk had returned, more amused than anything else. "You're pretty transparent, you know that? Just take it," the god held out the folded up map, "after all, the path to glory can only get shorter."
Tense silence seemed to fill the diner as Percy and Ares looked at each other, one angry and unsure, the other pleased and knowing. Finally, the psychokinetic reached out and took the map, stuffing it in his own pocket. Without another word, he stood up and walked out the door, his companions following behind, and the malicious laughter of the war god ringing in his ears.
"We're here."
Annabeth and Grover glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. It had only been an hour or two since their meeting with Ares, but with Karkinos' help the three had been able to find the small cave marked on their map fairly quickly. It really did seem pretty small, the entrance being low enough that they had to crouch down to fit inside.
Grover stepped up next to Percy, and hesitantly tapped him on the shoulder. The young demigod turned to face his friend expectantly. "Uh... Percy?" the satyr spoke out, trying his best not to stutter. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been really... um..."
"Really quiet," Annabeth finished, hands on her hips in a way that vaguely reminded the psychokinetic of Katie. "You usually can't keep your mouth shut. I thought I'd like the silence, but it's starting to get weird, so what's wrong?"
"There's nothing wrong," Percy assured her, though she noticed that he refused to meet her eyes. "Let's just get this stupid thing over with."
The three walked inside, making sure to crouch low so as to not hit their heads. Annabeth looked around the dark space, eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. When nothing was found, the blonde got close to her two companions.
"Alright," she whispered, "let's look around, see if-"
"Helloooooo! Anyone here!?"
The daughter of Athena palmed her face, still not used to the boy with apparently no regard for self-preservation. "You could stand to be a little more quiet you know," she said, not bothering to speak silently, as her teammate had ruined any chance for stealth on their part.
Percy gave her a lopsided smile. "I thought you were just complaining about how quiet I was being. Make up your mind, Rapunzel."
"That's not what I meant," Annabeth sighed, but the light bursting forth from a tunnel on the other side of the cave ended her complaint before it really began.
"Halt! Who dares trespass on my territory?"
Grover took a step back. "We're just about to leave, promise!" The satyr turned around, but Percy took ahold of the back of his collar, stopping the cowardly goat-boy in his tracks.
"Look man, it's nothing personal, but we're in a bit of a hurry here so let's just skip the fighting and go right to the part where you run away, cool?" Percy exclaimed. The light started getting closer, and the young demigod tensed. "Okay then, can't say I didn't try."
The light got brighter and brighter until there was a man holding a lantern at the entrance of the tunnel. He was wearing white sheets over a single shoulder, making him look like he actually came from Ancient Greek times. He was also old. Like, really old. His beard was so long that it reached his hip, and he had enough wrinkles to hide the fact that he was extremely skinny. Even weirder, instead of the stern or threatening expression they were expecting, the man had a joyous smile on his face.
"Hah, just kidding! Come, come, I've got some stew cooking up!" the stranger said.
The man then turned around and went back the way he came, leaving the three quest members to stare in confusion. Percy reached for his pocket. "I say we just beat him up and leave. Anyone with me?"
Annabeth scoffed, and Grover shook his head in exasperation. They both followed after the man, leaving Percy no other choice but to go along with them.
Percy walked up next to the man, noting how obscenely long the underground passage was. After a few minutes of walking, the four reached an old wooden door. The man opened it and ushered the kids inside a big room lighted by candles, then insisted that they sit down. Deciding to take the diplomatic approach, the young demigod tapped the elder on the shoulder. "Uh... Old man?"
Annabeth groaned along with Grover, but said old man didn't seem to mind the disrespectful title. "Yes, is there something you need?" he asked, a wide smile still plastered on his face.
"Do you... Do you live here, in this cave?" The man nodded enthusiastically, and Percy scratched his cheek, not sure of how to proceed. "Yeah, well... Thing is, we kinda need you to-"
"Of course! You kids look hungry, I'll go get the stew!"
The man left to some other part of the underground abode, leaving the three companions alone. After an awkward silence, Grover spoke up. "So anyone know what's going on? I'm lost here."
Both Percy and Annabeth shrugged, but any further conversation was interrupted by the return of their temporary host. "Here you go," he said, placing three bowls on the table in front of them. The three friends looked at each other and then back at the old man. "Well what are you waiting for? Eat up!" he cackled, his goofy smile still present. Annabeth kept staring at her stew suspiciously, but Percy and Grover just shrugged and dug in...
... only to immediately spit out the boiling hot soup. Grover started panting rapidly, and Percy banged his fist hard against the stone table. "Ah, crap!" he shouted, holding his now throbbing pinkie finger. He glared at the old man. "You jackass, how long has that been cooking for!?"
The man giggled, which came out as extremely abnormal. "Oh, I don't know," he tapped a finger on his chin, and then shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly. "I've lost count of time, you see. There haven't been many visitors in a long time, after all!"
Grover finished his panting, looking at Annabeth with a pained expression. "I don dink I can deel my dongue," he stated.
The blonde looked down at her own bowl once more, before lightly pushing it away from her. "I'm not really that hungry anyway."
"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" the man asked, twirling his body in a circle and gesturing around the room. "Business? Or perhaps..." He walked behind Annabeth. "... pleasure?"
Annabeth froze on her seat. "Oh my gods. You were right Percy, let's just beat him up and get out of here!"
"Business! We're here for business," Percy hurriedly told the man. "Look, Mr..."
"Christian Peters, my boy!"
"Mr. Peters," the young demigod continued. "Thanks for the stew and everything, but we didn't come here for that. To tell you the truth, we didn't even know anyone was here."
"Ah, glorious!" Christian said. "To think that even after all these years, no one has found me! Well, no one apart from you three." He clasped his hands together, jumping up and down like a kid who just got a new toy. "Oh, how glad I am, to not have to hear from those controlling gods!"
Grover looked taken back. "Waid, yoo're a demigod?"
"Yes, yes, quite so! In fact, back in my day, I was the greatest of them all!"
Annabeth lifted up her head in shock. "Wait a minute... You mean you're the Christian Peters!? Slayer of the Chimera? The Great Doom Breaker?"
Grover's eyes widened, but Percy cocked his head. "Doom Breaker? Is that some new kind of candy?"
Annabeth turned to her confused friend. "No! Doom Breaker, as in stopped doom itself! He defeated Moros, the spirit of doom and brother to the Fates!"
"Really?" Percy gave Christian a reevaluating look, but only found an old, barefoot guy wearing white bed sheets. "You sure about that? I don't really see it."
His blonde quest-mate was still looking at Christian, almost reverently, but somehow kept enough composure to hear Percy's comment. "It makes too much sense. His name, his age... everything." Annabeth blinked, and seemed to snap out of her daze, giving the old man an inquiring look. "There's something I don't understand though. You disappeared fifty years ago, but why? Not even Chiron really knows, and he's the one who trained you."
"Chiron! My old friend, I sure hope he's doing alright," Christian said. "Why did I leave? Well, for fear of course! They called me Doom Breaker, the strongest half-blood in centuries. The gods grew paranoid, as they always do, and feared my power. So I hid, and here I am now, fifty years later! Would you like more stew?"
Grover gagged, and all three quickly shook their heads, much to the old demigod's disappointment. "Wait a sec," Percy said, "so you just up and left? Apparently, you were like the Chuck Norris of demigods. You were... respected. Looked up to." The young demigod crossed his arms. "How'd you just leave it all behind like that?"
Christian cackled, not in madness like he usually did, but in amusement. "Oh, to be young again. Ah..." the old man drifted off, eyes glazed over. The three quest members shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
"Uh... Christian? You were saying something?" Percy said, scratching his cheek. Their eccentric host finally snapped out of his trance, and looked them all over with wide eyes, appearing to remember where he was and what he was doing.
"Hm? Ah, yes! Excuse me, I was just reliving old times..." he said, voice low and solemn. It didn't last long though, because he went right back to his cheery self. "Well anyway, you'll see that there are more important things than glory and honor, primarily your life!"
Percy became silent after that. 'As weird as he is, that's a pretty good point,' he thought. 'I guess none of that stuff really matters when you die. But until then...' The young demigod stood up, ignoring the memory in his head about someone warning him not to do exactly what he was about to do. He pointed a finger at Christian Peters, the Great Doom Breaker, the strongest demigod in centuries, and the man who had managed to hide from the gods for fifty years.
"Fight me, old man!"
The two opponents stood at opposite sides of the underground room, one in intense concentration and the other with a goofy smile. Christian still wore his sheets, but was now wielding a celestial bronze sword. It was long and bulky, the simpleness of it only highlighting its size. Somehow though, the man held his weapon with incredible ease, despite his thin structure.
Annabeth and Grover stood by the sidelines, both with worried looks on their faces. "It's only been one day!" the satyr whispered. "One day and he gets into another fight! He actually asked for it too! What's the deal?"
Annabeth shrugged, though her calculating eyes betrayed any sense of ignorance. "I guess he's just really that cocky," she told her friend, her voice uncertain. "Hey, what ever happened to that water sprayer? I though you were supposed to use it in a situation like this."
Grover sighed. "Well yeah, but believe it or not I dropped it on the way here. It was kind of weird though, like it got a mind of its own and jumped out of my hand. I guess my fingers were more slippery than I thought."
The daughter of Athena hummed, seemingly mulling over a thought. "Yeah, I'm sure that's why. Must've been the butter. That was a lot of butter."
"Don't judge me on how I like my enchiladas!" Grover huffed. "And it was only like five cups!"
"You used all of our butter, Grover."
"Five really small cups!"
Meanwhile, Percy and Christian were still having a semi-intense stare-off. "So how 'bout a deal, old man?" the young demigod requested, having just remembered the whole point of being there in the first place. "If I win, you have to pack your bags and move out."
Christian appeared excited at the coming fight, so he merely nodded enthusiastically. "And if I win? What have you to offer?"
Percy thought of anything safe enough to bet with. 'My pack of Skittles? No way. My shield? As if. What else do I have?'
"Percy!"
Said boy looked over to Annabeth, who gave him a meaning look. "Just bet your sword. Not like you'll lose it anyway, right?"
Hearing this, Christian chuckled maniacally. "What's this? You show a hefty amount of confidence for one so young. Fine, if you really feel like losing such a fine blade, be my guest!"
The psychokinetic smiled mischievously, mentally thanking Annabeth for her trickery. Riptide wasn't famous, which was good, because it meant that the older demigod didn't know about it's unique magic. 'Riptide always shows up in my pocket whenever I lose it. Even if I don't win, I still keep all my stuff. Not bad, princess.'
"Alright, if you win, you get my sword, but you still have to move out. Seriously, we're kind of in the middle of something important."
"Fine, fine!" Christian accepted, now impatiently tapping his foot. "I can always just find another cave, plenty of those out there. Now let's begin already! I haven't felt the excitement of battle in so long, I can hardly wait!" Percy nodded, and got into the fighting stance ingrained into his brain through hours of blood, sweat, and tears. Christian merely stood there, sword dangling on his shoulder, his cheesy smile brighter than ever.
The psychokinetic decided to go all out right away, and charged the legendary hero, sword raised and eyes blazing. If Christian was at all surprised by his speed, he didn't show it, and instead pivoted his foot and twisted around Percy's charge. The young demigod, not being ready for such a simple maneuver, barely corrected himself before he could tumble down to the ground. He slashed at Christian, and the older man dodged his attack with seemingly no effort.
What followed next was the most pathetically one-sided fight either Annabeth or Grover had ever seen. As fast as Percy was, he just couldn't seem to land any kind of damage on Christian, who was able to bend, twist, and shift his way around all of the psychokinetic's attacks. The old man didn't even lift up his sword or try to attack in any way, apparently happy to just dodge for as long as Percy kept up the offensive.
Several minutes passed, and Percy was getting tired. He had been giving it his all, going through his forms and techniques as fast and perfectly as possible, but even so, Christian's ridiculous smile didn't so much as twitch. Even with his impressive stamina, the young demigod just couldn't keep it up for much longer. He'd used his biokinetic powers to his limit, going beyond what his body could ever do before. He had subtly shifted the ground under his opponent, trying to catch him off guard. He'd even tried to blast him with a repulsive palm, but hadn't been able to get his hand anywhere close to the Doom Breaker. It seemed like no matter what he did, Christian was always one step ahead.
'He's just playing with me,' Percy realized when Christian moved his head out of the way of his slice at the last second. Frustration was replaced by shock. 'He's playing around and there's nothing I can do about it. This guy's like ten Lukes combined.' Even so, he refused to give up, not willing to sacrifice the little pride he had left.
Finally, just when his muscles were screaming and his legs were wobbling, Christian's smile turned hard. The old man lifted his sword, and Percy found himself laying on his back a second later. Christian shook his head, casting a disappointed gaze down at him. "I though I'd at least get a good work-out after all these years, but it seems you can't even give me that." He reached down and plucked Riptide out of Percy's hand, capping the sword and turning it into a pen that he stuffed somewhere under his robes. "I'll be taking that, as per our agreement." The legendary man proceeded to walk away, waving a cheerful goodbye to Annabeth and Grover as he neared the exit to the cave.
Percy watched him go, and despite all of his defiance and stubbornness, no amount of effort could get his body to work. 'That... was pathetic,' he thought, stunned at such a bad loss. 'Damn it. Damn it!' What had he been expecting? This was a legend, a man who had defeated a god, and he was just some kid. As strong as his powers could be, he obviously didn't know how to use them properly. If only he had been stronger, if only he had mastery over his complicated powers, if only...
Suddenly, the young demigod found himself on his feet, being supported by his two companions.
Grover, holding his right arm behind his black, shrugged and grinned. "I'll admit, that was pretty bad, but don't worry about it. You've only been training for what, two weeks? He's a legend for a reason." Annabeth merely nodded, and Percy found himself smiling back, his doubts and disappointments starting to melt away.
'I didn't win, but...' His eyes set themselves on Christian Peters, who was walking slowly out of the underground room. He glanced at the two standing at his sides. 'I guess it doesn't really matter.' They stood there, and Percy couldn't help but think of how his life was like before Camp Half-Blood. Back when he didn't have any real friends, and the only attention he ever got was the fear and anger of others.
'If they could see me now...'
Not that he could leave things at that. "Hey, old man!"
Christian turned around, the first signs of surprise Percy had seen from the man on his face. The young demigod pointed a finger at him again. "I might've lost this time, but you better believe that next time we fight, I'll win for sure! I'll make my own legend, and then we'll see who's is better!"
The Doom Breaker impassively looked at the impudent kid being supported by the blonde girl and the satyr. The young demigod had eyes burning with confidence, and right then and there, Christian knew that his words weren't merely a way of saving face. His statement was a promise, one that he was sure to fulfill.
Christian smiled, not goofily, but really, sincerely smiled. "There are more important things than glory and honor," he recited once more, getting a confused stare from the children. Turning back around, the old man continued his exit. "I suppose you're getting there. I'll be waiting!" The last they heard from him was a cackling laugh, and when they tried to follow him out, he was gone.
As Ares never said where they should go after completing their task, the three companions found themselves heading back to the diner on their giant crab escort. Grover sat up front, where he could freely converse with Karkinos without suffering the ridicule of his friends, who were both further down the crustacean's shell.
Percy was laying down on his back, resting with his arms behind his head. It had only taken a few minutes after Christian left for the young demigod to feel the familiar lump of his sword reappear in his pocket, and he couldn't help but smirk when it happened. It seemed that even the strongest of people could be played like fools, and it felt good to at least win at that.
Annabeth was next to him, leaning against her elbows. Neither had said anything since leaving the cave, which was strange, because it usually didn't take that long for them to start an argument.
'Well, I'm not complaining,' thought the psychokinetic, closing his eyes. 'She's getting way too good at it for my tastes. Stupid Athena genes, it's like she always knows what to say.'
"We need to talk."
Opening one eye, Percy gave her a bored stare. "I guess. Start talking then."
"Just how stupid do you think I am?" the blonde asked, arms crossed, her face twisted in irritation.
'Well that was fast,' the young demigod mused. He sat up, eyes furrowed in confusion. "What? I haven't even said anything yet."
"You didn't have to say anything, because you obviously have no respect for my intellect."
"I barely have any respect for anything."
"That's besides the point!" Annabeth huffed. "When were you going to tell us about your powers?"
Percy gulped, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. She knew? How? Since when? "Uh..." He struggled for any way to save the situation. "I... don't know what you're talking about?"
His blonde friend presented him with the most deadpan expression he'd ever seen on anyone, which was impressive considering how many people had looked at him that way. There was no use trying to fight it, so Percy threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay! Sorry, alright? If it makes you feel any better, you're the only one who's figured it out." Except for Katie, of course, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He wasn't the only one with an ego, after all.
Annabeth seemed satisfied enough, and Percy sighed in relief, glad that he wouldn't have to go through another quarrel. "How'd you find out anyways? No one else could've told you."
The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes. "It wasn't too hard. I mean, when you see someone throw their shield around like a boomerang you know something's going on." Percy scratched his cheek sheepishly, and Annabeth continued. "Then there's Grover, who conveniently dropped the water sprayer used to keep you in line-"
"Percy Jackson bows to no cleaning supply!"
"-and let's not forget about that one time when you asked me a 'hypothetical question' about controlling atoms. I mean, really? Did you expect me to think that was normal?"
"Okay, I get it!" Percy exclaimed. "I'll never doubt your intellectual prowess again, oh wise one!"
A satisfied smile formed on the young girl's face. "That's all I wanted to hear. Now, tell me about your powers."
By the time they reached the diner, Percy had been able to arduously explain his psychokinesis to Annabeth, who, being the daughter of wisdom that she was, became very interested. She had asked for every detail, and Percy found himself using the limits of his articulation just to appease the blonde. It wasn't all that bad though, as he now finally had someone else to talk to about his abilities. Even better, as an Athena camper, Annabeth could give him ideas that he wouldn't of even thought of. Not that Katie couldn't do the same, but it was nice nonetheless.
When they entered, they found Ares sitting in the same table as before. "Brats," he greeted, the ever-present smirk still on his face.
"Jackass," Percy greeted right back, sitting down and ignoring the stern looks of his friends. The god of war was unfazed, and Percy grunted in annoyance. "Look," he said, "we did what you asked us to, so can you just tell us how to get into L.A. already?"
The war god looked like he wanted to continue the whole charade, but constantly getting disrespected by the same kid must've gotten old after a while. "You know what? Fine. I'm tired of looking at your face."
"I could say the same thing."
"Hmph. Alright, I'll tell you, but I'm only saying this once, so you better pay attention." Getting nods from all three quest-mates, Ares began. "If anyone can help you out, it'll be Aeolus, you know, that wind guy. He could probably blow away the thunder cloud, at least long enough to get you inside. You'll find him on his island-"
"Aeolia?" Annabeth interrupted. "But doesn't the island float all over the states? How are we supposed to find it?"
"Hey," warned Ares, face hardened, "I can take that from this kid," he pointed at Percy, who scoffed, "because I've accepted the fact that he's a total ass-"
"Look who's talking."
"-but I won't accept any of that from you, little miss smarty-pants." Annabeth hanged her head, flustered at her outburst. "As I was saying..." Ares said, "He lives on his floating island. It's always moving around, but mainly sticks to mountaintops. Last I heard, it was heading to Mt. Elbert in Colorado."
"Mt. Elbert? I've hiked up there before," Grover muttered. "It'll take us about a day to reach," he looked up at Ares, fidgeting a bit in his seat. "Can we make it in time?"
Ares shrugged. "Not my problem," he said. "You did what I told you to, and I gave you your information. As far as I can see, we're done."
Percy raised his hands up in the air. "Hallelujah! C'mon guys, let's blow this popsicle stand!"
He stood up, and his exasperated friends followed after him. When both Grover and Annabeth went through the door, Percy looked back at Ares. The god met his eyes, and both just stared at each other for several moments. Finally, Percy stuck his hand out, giving him the finger, and walked out of the diner, closing the door behind him.
Ares chuckled to himself. "Heh, that kid's got spunk. Too bad he won't be around for much longer." He stood up and strode toward the bathroom. "Better give Aphrodite a call, she'll be happy to know I got us a new private place, even if it is a dingy cave." Ares then opened the door, going into a stall and locking himself inside. "I can already imagine the things we'll do. Heh heh..." With a perverted smile, the god disappeared as if he was never there at all.
Back outside, the three demigods were surprised to see the new green backpack resting on Karkinos' shell. Percy took off the attached note with a raised brow. "Look at this. 'To my least favorite demigod, from your favorite war god, Ares.' Huh..."
Grover sat down on his usual spot at the front. "Maybe he's not as bad as everyone thinks?" the satyr asked, opening up the package of Oreos they found inside the bag.
Annabeth shook her head. "Nah, I'm pretty sure it's just because he doesn't want to be in our debt. He's not really... a good person," she finished, choosing her words as respectfully as she could.
"He's a jerk," Percy stated, looping the bag over his shoulder, "but at least he's an honorable jerk."
"He's constantly sleeping with someone else's wife."
"Never mind, then. Whatever, let's just go already, I need a nap."
AN:
I didn't really know how to do this one. I needed Ares to give them the you-know-what, because he's the one who caught you-know-who, but at the same time I didn't want to make it too similar to canon. I guess it was a necessary evil though, and I tried to make it as different as I could. Which brings us to the OC. Now before anyone starts freaking out, I assure you that he won't really play that big of a role in the story.
Why include him at all? Well, reading the story, I made the discovery that Percy was, like, really arrogant. Not that this makes him a bad character, I actually think he's pretty likable, but I didn't want him to overdo it, so I decided to give him a reality check of sorts.
Why make Christian so freaking strong? Well, it makes sense if you think about it. I mean, in the books, Rick Riordan plays it off like all of the ultra strong demigod heroes (for example: Hercules, who could lift mountains for Pete's sake) died off with Ancient Greece, and that doesn't really make any sense. I just wanted to show that there are still legends being made, even in modern times. Why make him a weirdo? To tell you the truth, I could've made him some kind of super serious badass, but that would've been boring to write, so there.
Will our heroes reach their destination on time? Will Aeolus even help them if they do? Find out next time!
