Upon reaching the city of Denver, the group wandered into an empty car wash area. They all moved to an area near the back of the building, where there were some spare spray guns. Annabeth's grey eyes lit up, "This is perfect! We can talk to Chiron. We need to tell him about Percy's talk with the river spirit. We'll IM him."

The boy looked lost, "IM?"

Harry explained, "It's called Iris Messaging. Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow usually carries messages for the gods. Demigods also use it as a method of communication with each other. Like an instant video call. Just need to make a rainbow. Bit of a headache to be honest. There's got to be a better way of communication, other than letters via Owl Post."

They finally got a thick mist going and the sun beat down on them, creating a rainbow. Annabeth grumped, "Yeah well, this is good enough for now. Harry? Drachma please?"

Harry dutifully handed it to her. She then raised it over her head, "O Goddess, accept our offering!"

Annabeth flung the coin into the rainbow and it disappeared with a shimmer. She then clearly intoned, "Show me Half Blood Hill."

Soon enough, the familiar strawberry fields came into view and they recognised the Big House's porch. Also present was a familiar sandy-haired figure, though his back was facing them. Harry grinned and called out, "Oi Luke! Its Harry and the gang!"

Luke spun around in surprise and his scarred face broke into a grin. He cheerfully called back, "Harry! Percy! Grover! Is that Annabeth too? Thank the gods! Are you all okay?"

Annabeth blushed and stammered, "W-We're fine… Where's Chiron?"

His grin melted, "Uh… He's down by the cabins. Some of the campers are having issues."

Just then, Harry noticed a car pull into the car wash. He quietly took out his wand to cast a silencing barrier around them. Grover also noticed the car and he tugged on Annabeth's T-shirt, "Hey Annabeth, give Percy the nozzle. We have some company."

Looking relieved, she pressed the spray gun into Percy's hands and ran off. Luke continued, "Chiron had to break up a fight. Things are getting pretty tense here. Rumours began flying of a potential standoff between Zeus and Poseidon. It's probably the same person who let in the hellhound. Everyone's taking sides here. As far as I've heard, Aphrodite, Ares and Apollo are backing Poseidon. Athena is backing Zeus. The rest are staying out of it."

Harry interjected, "Hey Luke, how's Mackenzie? She settling in okay? Can I talk to her?"

He thought about it for a second, "Last I saw her, Silena was taking her on a ride with the Pegasi. Kid was divebombing us earlier today. You know, I wish was with you guys. Sorry we can't help much on our end, but we'll try and keep the peace. If you ask me, I still maintain that Hades took it."

Percy interrupted, "But I thought that the Gods couldn't take each other's items of power."

Luke shrugged, "He probably used a demigod to do his bidding. The only way that someone took it if they were invisible or something."

Harry snapped, "Oi! Tell me you're not insinuating what I think you're insinuating!"

He backpedalled, "N-no! Gods no! I didn't mean to accuse you or Annabeth! I've known you two for most of my life! You two are like my little brother and sister!"

Just then, the screen flickered, "Look.. we're almost out of time. By the way Percy, how are the shoes?"

Percy flushed slightly, "Oh, uh yeah, they came in handy."

Harry scoffed, "Are you kidding? You totally kicked Medusa's arse with them."

Luke grinned, "You did? Wow! That's awesome dude! Listen! Take care of yourselves out there. And tell Grover that nobody will turn into a pine tree this time!"

Whatever he was going to say next got interrupted as the connection faded and the mist disappeared. Just then, Annabeth and Grover turned up and Harry cancelled the silencing barrier. She pressed, "So what did Luke say?"

Harry shrugged, "Things at camp are a little tense. Folks are starting to take sides in the whole matter. He didn't say it in so many words, but we'd better hurry and find the lightning bolt."

Percy's stomach rumbled and everyone laughed. Harry began leading everyone away, "Come on… let's go and grab a bite to eat."

A few minutes later, the four of them were seated at a local diner. Soon, a waitress came over to take their order. She took a look at them, "You kids out here alone?"

Harry replied, "Actually, we're waiting for my uncle. He told us that we would meet him here and to get started without him. He's running a bit late from his meeting."

She was still sceptical, "Can you pay for your food or will your uncle be by later to pay for your meal?"

Annabeth was about to answer before a noise interrupted them. Everyone looked out to see a large purring motorcycle roll up to the diner. The owner of the bike was clad in a red muscle shirt, black jeans and a black duster. He also had a hunting knife strapped to his thigh and wore red wrap-around sunglasses. As for his face, he could have passed off as a handsome man with an oily black crew cut, except that he had a few scars adorning his face and cheeks.

For some strange reason, Harry's mind was filled with images of Draco Malfoy's smarmy face and his blood boiled. He honestly would not have liked anything better than to punch his smug face in. The biker swaggered up to them and slid into the booth. He shot her what was supposed to be a charming grin and addressed the gaping waitress, "Not to worry doll, it's on me."

After shooing her away, he looked at Percy, "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

Percy bit out, "What's it to you?"

Harry not so subtly kicked him under the table, "Oi! Jackson do you have any-"

The biker raised a hand, "Eh don't worry, I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who is the boss. I take it you know who I am little cousin?"

Percy fumed, "You're Clarisse's dad. Ares, god of war."

He grinned and took off his shades to reveal two burning eye sockets, "That's right, punk. Heard you broke my daughter's spear."

Percy sassed back, "She was asking for it."

"Probably, it's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights. Anyway, to business. I heard that you were in town, so I got a little proposition for you."

Soon, the waitress returned with the food and Ares stretched out his hand with a few drachmae. At the last second, Harry stealthily transfigured the drachmae to American dollars.

He continued talking, "So I need a favour. I left my shield at an abandoned water park in town. I was on a date with my girl when we were interrupted. In our haste, I left it behind. So I want you to fetch it for me. I'd go get it myself but I don't have the time and have better things to do."

Percy's eyes narrowed, "And if we say no?"

Ares leaned forward, "A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself. Are you going to be a coward? Or do you only fight near a waterbody so that your daddy can protect you."

Percy bit out, "In case you haven't noticed, we're already on a quest. This isn't a video game where we accept side quests."

Ares' flaming eyes glowed brighter, "I know about your quest, punk. When the damn thing was first stolen, Zeus handpicked me, Apollo and their moms," *gesturing at Harry and Annabeth*, "to find it. Trust me, I've got a nose for powerful weapons, but even I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful. If I can't find it, what chance do you have? Besides, I'm the one who told him about Corpse Breath."

Percy was incredulous, "You told him that Hades stole the bolt."

He shrugged, "Framing someone to start a war? Oldest trick in the book. In a way, you have me to thank for your quest, so you're welcome. Here, I'll sweeten the deal. You help me out and I'll arrange a ride for you and your friends. Maybe I'll give you information about your mom."

Percy grit his teeth, "I'm listening."

He chuckled darkly, "Got your attention huh? The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

Percy blurted, "What spooked you hard enough to interrupt your date?"

He dodged the question, "You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me, chop, chop!"

A while later, the quartet seemed to wake up from a trance. Ares was gone and everything seemed like normal. Harry quickly polished off his hot dog and got up, wiping his mouth, "Come on. The sooner we find Ares' shield the quicker we can get back to finding the lightning bolt."

Percy gaped at him, "Tell me you're not seriously considering finding that stupid shield."

Grover bleated nervously, "Umm… We have no choice. You can't ignore a god's request, no matter how banal."

Annabeth piped up, "He's right. I don't like Ares either but its suicidal to ignore the gods. Otherwise you will be saddled with bad fortune. Ares has the power to turn you into a rodent and will run you over if he's mad at you."

"Why us? Why not ask Clarisse or his other kids."

Annabeth shrugged, "Maybe this is a problem that requires brains and strategy. Ares mostly relies on strength, but even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

Harry spoke up, "Come on, let's get this over with. He did promise to arrange a ride for us if we completed the side quest."

By sunset, they finally found the water park, or what was left of it. Once upon a time it was called WATERLAND, but time hadn't been kind to it. Evidently, some vandals broke in and nicked a few letters from the name, leaving it to be called WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and had barbed wire crowning it. Percy took one look at the gate and wire, and mused, "Great… How do we get in?"

Harry stepped up with his wand drawn, "Allow me, Alohomora!"

The padlock clicked open and Grover dutifully removed it. However, it took all four of them to wrench the gate open because it was pretty rusty. In silence and with weapons drawn, they slowly made their way through the park. Eventually, they came across a souvenir shop and Annabeth wasted no time in pinching several clothes. Harry searched a bit deeper and found some food, which he stocked up on.

When they were done, they continued looking for the Tunnel of Love. Percy broke the silence, "So who's Ares' girlfriend again?"

"Aphrodite", came the simple answer.

"But isn't she married to Hephaestus?"

Annabeth replied, "Yep, and he's caught them together several times. I remember one legend goes that he caught them together in a golden net. He then proceeded to invite the other Gods to laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to humiliate them. So I guess that's why an abandoned water park could be an ideal location for a brief get together."

Soon, they stumbled upon an empty pool, which was 50 meters across and shaped like a bowl. It was surrounded by several bronze Cupid statues with their wings open and nocked bows and arrows. On the far end, there was a yawning tunnel with a sign above it reading 'Thrill Ride O Love.'

Grover noticed a small two-seater boat at the bottom of the pool. On one of the seats was a shield, which was polished very thoroughly. Percy said, "This is too easy. So we just walk down and get it?"

Harry warned, "Don't jinx it, mate. Here.. The three of you go and get it, I'll look for higher ground and cover for you in case things go south."

Annabeth's cheeks were crimson, "Are you kidding me! Me and him! How embarrassing is that! What if someone saw us?"

They argued for a minute before she relented and sullenly followed him and Grover. Meanwhile, Harry scaled a nearby fence and perched on top of it. He could not shake the feeling that something was drastically wrong.

Sure enough, there was a sound of several gears grinding together. The initial sound nearly made Harry jump and topple off the fence. The Cupid statues moved in such a way that their arrows were pointing at each other. They promptly fired, and each arrow was connected to a golden thread. The threads all interweaved to form a giant net.

Percy, Annabeth and Grover grabbed the shield and made a run for it. Harry yelled over the din, "What did you do?! What did you guys touch?!"

All the while, the Cupid heads popped open and video cameras emerged, as spotlights shone over them. A disembodied voice blared, "Live to Olympus in one minute, fifty-nine, fifty-eight…"

The nightmare didn't end as a bunch of mirrors that Harry missed from his vantage point, opened up. From the mirrors, thousands of tiny metallic bugs and spiders came scurrying out.

Sure enough, Annabeth began to freak out. Harry cursed and hopped down from his perch before sprinting towards them. He began firing arrows in a frenzy. Percy was desperately looking around and finally spotted something. He pointed, "There! The water pipes!"

Harry fired a Blasting spell and the pipe exploded with water. Percy closed his eyes and reached out his hand. Sure enough, water came rushing out and swept the mechanical spiders away. The wave also picked up the boat and it shot towards the tunnel.

While all of that was happening, the countdown kept going and it was down to thirty seconds. By then, Annabeth had recovered from her freak out and was helping steer the boat. Harry was nearly unseated twice before he took out his wand and placed Sticking Charms on all four of them. However, there was a new problem, as the gates at the end of the tunnel were chained up.

Harry solved that with a well-timed Bombarda, which blew the gates open. Eventually, they managed to get out of the ride, with Ares' shield still strapped to Percy. It was just in the nick of time too, as they got out with 10 seconds to spare. The voice fell silent and the Cupids turned back to their original positions. The spotlights also shut off and the park was dark once again.

Percy scowled, "That was a close one. I hate being humiliated, and nothing's worse than it being broadcast to the public. We need to have a little talk with Ares."

As promised, the war god was there with a cocky grin on his face. He chuckled darkly, "Well, well, well, you didn't get yourselves killed. My only regret is that you four got the hell out of Dodge before the cameras started rolling. I was hoping to see the look on that crippled blacksmith's face when he sees a few stupid kids on TV."

A fuming Percy chucked the shield at him, "You knew that it was a trap! You're a Grade A jerk!"

Annabeth and Grover looked stunned, while Harry elbowed him. Sure, he was also mad, but nobody would be stupid enough to take it out on a God. As soon as Ares got hold of the shield, he spun it on his finger and it transformed into a bullet-proof vest.

He sneered and pointed, "Yeah whatever kid, a deal's a deal. You see that truck there? That's your ticket to LA."

Said truck was an 18-wheeler, with a sign reading, 'Kindness International: Humane Zoo Transport. Warning: Live Wild Animals'.

Percy was incredulous, "You're kidding, right?"

The god snapped his fingers, "Free ride west, punk. I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Oh, and before I forget…"

He tossed a nylon blue backpack to Percy, who caught it. The son of Poseidon barely bit back a snarky retort, but slung the backpack over his shoulder.

He was about to leave when Percy yelled out, "Hey! You promised me information on my mother!"

Ares paused, "You sure you can handle the news? She ain't dead. She was taken from the Minotaur before she could die. She's probably being held hostage."

The boy demanded, "Why!"

"You need to study war, punk. She's a hostage. The idea is to take someone to control someone else. We'll meet again Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, always remember to watch your back."

With that, he revved his Harley Davidson and roared off into the distance. Percy glared hatefully at the retreating bike before Grover nudged him. He whispered urgently "Percy… We have to hurry. The truck drivers are just paying for their meal."

That snapped everyone into action, and they quickly piled into the back of the truck. The first thing that hit them was the stench of faeces. The trailer was dark until Harry choked out, "Lumos", and his wand lit up, illuminating the room.

What greeted them was a sight that made Harry's blood boil. Even Grover looked equally mad at seeing three cages with a male albino lion, a zebra and antelope. Whoever was in charge of feeding them had done a lousy job, because the lion's cage had a sack of turnips, while the other two had hamburger meat in front of them.

Harry turned to the trio, "When we get out of here, make a note of the license plate. We're going to increase the jackalope population when my mother finds out about this."

Unfortunately, the truck's engine roared to life and the trailer began moving. Then, Harry got up unsteadily and pulled out his wand. He quickly vanished the faeces and tried to make the place smell a little better. The demigod wizard then intoned, "Wingardium Leviosa", and levitated the turnips and meat away. Percy found a water jug and went to fill each bowl. The lion growled slightly, before Harry growled back, telling it that they were trying to help.

With that, the lion was more cooperative, and Annabeth placed the meat in front of it. Meanwhile, Grover divided the turnips between the antelope and the zebra. Just then, Harry noticed another small cage hidden at the back. He raised his lit wand to see what was in it, when he nearly dropped it in shock.

"Bloody hell! Is that a Golden Snidget? I thought they were extinct!"

They came rushing up, and Annabeth squealed, "Its adorable!"

Grover interrupted with his eyes narrowed, "What do you mean, 'extinct'?"

Harry sighed, "These creatures were commonly found in Europe in the magical communities. They are well known for their extreme speed and their ability to hide. Unfortunately, around the 11th century, wizards and witches began hunting them for sport. Later on, when it was close to extinction, the Wizard's Council banned Snidget Hunting and declared it a protected species. Unfortunately, from what Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus told me, the hunting still continued, It wasn't long before the Snidget was declared extinct."

Grover let out a cry, "Man! That is such a crying shame."

Then Harry stood up, "I'm going to free it. I'll keep it safe with me until we find a place to release it."

He quickly unlocked the cage and the Snidget buzzed happily before perching on its shoulder and nuzzling him. Annabeth slowly reached out a hand, "C-can I pet it?"

He nodded, "Yes, but be very, very gentle. Snidgets are pretty fragile."

She hesitated, then reached out a finger to gently rub its head. Even Percy proved that he could be gentle and stroked its head.

After a while, the four of them were sitting in silence. Harry was busy calming the Snidget and the other three were sitting down next to each other.

Annabeth piped up, "Hey… I'm sorry for freaking out at the waterpark. I just… I hate spiders."

Percy guessed, "The Arachne story, I'm assuming? She got turned into a spider because she challenged your mom to a weaving contest."

She shuddered, "Ever since then, her children have had it out for children of Athena."

Then Percy spoke, "Back when we spoke to Luke, he said something about no one being turned into a tree."

Both Annabeth and Grover's expressions looked sad. He mournfully brayed "I try not to think about it. It's just hard, man! I tried to protect her, but… I thought that if you knew about what happened to Thalia, you wouldn't want a failure of a satyr along."

Annabeth sighed, "I was seven, I wouldn't have survived the trip to camp on my own. When I met them, Thalia was 12 and Luke was 14. Like me, they too ran away from home. We survived two weeks before Grover found us."

The satyr sniffed, "My orders were to escort only Thalia. Hades was after her, simply because she was the daughter of Zeus. However, I couldn't leave Luke and Annabeth alone. I bit off more that I could chew, thinking that I could lead three demigods to camp. In my arrogance, I took some wrong turns and when monsters attacked, I froze up. So, the Kindly Ones caught up and attacked. If only I was a bit quicker…"

Annabeth sharply said, "Stop it! No one blames you!. Thalia didn't! I don't either!"

Grover wasn't convinced, "It was all my fault! The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

Percy snapped, "What did they expect you to do?! Leave Luke and Annabeth to die? That's not fair!"

Harry piped up from where he sat, cradling the tiny bird. He said, "Look mate, We all make mistakes, but I'm sure that you will redeem yourself. Besides, which other satyr would dare venture to the Underworld."

Percy picked up where Harry left off, "Yeah, you've got the biggest heart of any satyr. You're a natural searcher, and that's why you will be the one to find Pan!"

Grover bleated happily and hugged Percy. Then, they all decided to get some sleep.

Later on, at what everyone assumed was a red light, a tapping sound woke up Harry. It came again, and it sounded liked it came from the door. Harry carefully unlocked the trailer door with his wand and opened it slightly. Just then, Hedwig squeezed in through the gap and he closed it again.

He spotted a letter in her claws and took it. The snowy owl then hopped onto the floor and carried out a conversation with the Snidget. He read the letter, then put it down before cursing, "Damn it Sirius! Where the hell did you disappear off to that's got Remus so worried?"

"What is it?", Grover was awake and looked at him questioningly. Harry sighed, "Got a letter from Uncle Remus. According to him, Sirius took a small vacation to Vegas without telling him. It's been a week and there's no word from him. I hope we're stopping off at Vegas so that I can find him and ease Remus' worries."

Suddenly, the truck's engine stopped and voices could be heard. By then, Percy and Annabeth had woken up. Harry and Grover quickly huddled between them and Harry fished out his Invisibility Cloak. Annabeth moved out of the way and donned her cap.

Soon, the doors opened to reveal a large trucker. He complained, "Man I wish I hauled appliances for a living."

He regarded the three animals in the cages as he poured water for them. His eyes fell on the lion, "You hot, big boy?".

The trucker then proceeded to dump the rest of the contents on the lion, drenching it. Naturally, it roared in fury, but he was unbothered. He then lazily chucked a Happy Meal at the antelope before glancing at the zebra. He mockingly said, "How are you doing, Stripes? We'll be getting rid of you at this stop. You like magic shows? Then you're going love this one where they saw you in half."

The terrified zebra gazed in Harry and Percy's direction. It pleaded, "My lords, free me!"

Suddenly, a series of knocks sounded on the side of the trailer. This successfully distracted the trucker to holler at his buddy, "What do you want, Eddie?"

Eddie's voice faintly hollered back, "Maurice? What did you say?"

"What are you banging for?"

Maurice then lumbered out cussing at Eddie and they began to argue. Back in the trailer, Annabeth materialised in front of the group and Harry pulled off his cloak. The lion confirmed that Maurice and Eddie were animal traffickers.

With a look, Percy and Harry came to the same conclusion. The son of Poseidon used his sword to slash the lock open. Meanwhile, Harry used an unlocking charm to free the antelope and the lion. The animals quickly jumped free, creating a ruckus.

Then, Annabeth donned her cap and Harry covered the three of them in his Invisibility Cloak. In the meantime, Hedwig fluttered away, and the Snidget buzzed into Harry's shirt pocket, nestling comfortably. Together they stepped out of the trailer and carefully walked away. Fortunately, they were already in Vegas, which would make Harry's job easier. When the coast was clear, they became visible again and stopped at a nearby café. Munching on a taco, Percy asked, "So, what now?"

Harry once again fingered his letter and sighed, "I guess we're hitting the casinos. I've got a godfather to find and give him a piece of my mind."