Ch.10 Quest for the Lightning Bolt Pt.2

I soon got out of the water and relayed the message that I had received from the sea spirit which had came as a messenger.

"Whoa," said Grover. "We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad."

"Yeah, I know." I replied nodding in agreement absent-mindedly tracing the stinging sensation on my torso- the place where Echidna's claw had hit me. The wound hadn't healed completely yet. A scar was visibly present, extending from my shoulder to sternum. It would probably fade in a few weeks.

#No, it won't. It is a scar you received from Echidna's claws Percy. It will leave the scar for life even if you were a god. Heck, it would have taken a proper healer... someone like a powerful child of Apollo atleast to stop the bleeding had I not been there, healing the wound. I channeled power to stop the bleeding Percy. You are very fortunate that I have been given permission to heal you as I see fit by the fates. I won't be able to fight in your place or directly aid you in most battles, but. I can heal you and provide indirect help.#

'Oh. Thanks Alexander.'

#But you did great Percy. I couldn't be prouder. But, first you need to catch a train before it leaves. You have about 25 minutes only before the train leaves.#

"Ok." I said aloud. "First things first. We need to get to the station before the train leaves. We have only about twenty minutes."

"Oh. We have got to run if we want to make it there in time." Annabeth said before the three of us started jogging towards the direction of the train station.

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, our train rolled into Denver. I shut the book that I was reading- the one I had taken from Medusa's lair. It was a book on divine magic that could be used by demigods... Any demigod, not just the children of Hecate. It contained instructions for basic mist manipulation, seeing through mist and usage of basic runes to do things that one desired. It wasn't anything dramatic like Harry Potter depicted. To my great regret, I couldn't use an Expelliarmus or any other spell for that matter on my enemies... it would be an useful skill to have though. Anyways, back to the book, it had skills useful for any demigod's survival. Instructions to erect basic monster repulsion field, animal attraction field, alert ward etc.

As I said, nothing dramatic, but dead useful for a demigod.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said as we got off the train. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"Sea spirit." I corrected absent-mindedly.

"Yeah... Sea spirit. We need to find a place to Iris message." Annabeth said.

"We need to create a rainbow for that. Right?"

"Yup." Grover agreed.

"If we can get to a water source... anything with decent amount of water, than I can create the mist to make a rainbow."

"How?" Grover asked.

"Son of Poseidon." I replied. Seriously? He forgot that.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Grover blushed in embarrassment.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on goat boy. First we'll find some place to eat for a late lunch. Then we can IM Chiron."

We soon ate a few burgers and fries, courtesy of Hestia's summoning power, and set out to find a source of water. Of course Grover and Annabeth didn't know that I had summoned the food. I told them that I would go and bring the food from the McDonald for all of us, just went in towards the counter and summoned the food instead of buying it and returned. Mortal money was beginning to run a little low for us and I felt that the burgers summoned by Hestia's power tasted far better than any burger we could buy at a mortal shop.

Anyways, after we finished our food we were unsuccessful in finding any natural source of water nearby. No lake, no pond, no river.

We wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though I wasn't sure what we were looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. I couldn't sense any natural source of water in a mile radius. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at me, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

Finally we found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were three adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure we were up to no good. I even used a little mist manipulation to keep wandering eyes away just in case.

"It's seventy-five cents," Grover grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left in change. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "The dining car wiped me out of change. You guys made me pay."

I gave him a quarter. Now, I had 17 dollars and a quarter left in mortal money with a shit load of Drachmas which were of no use in mortal world.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping." Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. Late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out to me. "Drachma, please."

I handed it over. She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then I was looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. We seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" I called. He turned, eyes wide.

"Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're... uh... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. The girl had a serious crush on Luke.

"We thought-Chiron-I mean-" She continued

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement. I cringed at the loud noise.

#What is up with these people! They are being seriously loud!# Alexander grumbled in my head.

"Chiron had to-what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it." Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!"

"What?" Grover said. "But-"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered. Grover muttered something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi, then he handed me the spray gun and followed Annabeth. I readjusted the hose so I could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to me over the music. "Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how-probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

In the next stall, I heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically. I sighed in relief at the torture to my ears ending.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked me. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

"Ah, nothing much." I replied casually. "We are currently in Denver have a week more to complete this quest. Money is a little short but we'll manage I think. Managed to kill three furies, Medusa, Chimera and Echidna on the way."

"That's go- Wait a moment! WHAT!?"

"You remember asking me to kill a few monsters for you? Well, I did. Medusa, Chimera and Echidna. The furies were combined work."

Luke gaped at me. "You-you- just-" He tried speaking but I cut him short.

"I can tell you all about that once I return. Tell me is there anything you can do to help? Or Chiron?"

"We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"The gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"That's true," Luke said, looking troubled. "Still... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

I raised an eyebrow at him and Luke seemed to realize what he'd said. "Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

Annabeth would be heart broken to hear that.. In the stall next to us, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Yeah, they've come in handy." I lied easily. The guy wanted to help and I didn't want to make him feel sad.

"Really?" He grinned. "They fit and everything?" The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate. "Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter. "And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just-"

The mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing. I was alone in a wet, empty car wash stall.

I dried the water on the ground with a thought.

'Alexander. The camp may be plunged into a civil war.'

#There's nothing we can do Perce. We need to complete this quest and the civil war problem would be solved. If you fail, you'll have a much worse civil war to worry about. The one between Poseidon and Zeus.#

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw my face. Annabeth's smile faded.

"What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," I lied, my stomach feeling as empty as a Big Three cabin. "Come on, let's find some dinner. Don't know where we'll find food next. Best eat now."

A few minutes later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas. Even though I could summon food, I couldn't do it in front of Annabeth and Grover. They were good friends but till this Prophecy ended and I found the traitor, I wasn't telling them anything about myself. Not even being Hestia's champion.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

I said, "We want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

"No, we came here empty handed to eat the food and then plan to run away." I said sarcastically. When the waitress raised an eyebrow, I rolled my eyes. "We have the money Miss. Please bring us three cheese-burgers and three Chocolate shakes."

She nodded.

That was when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had 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 cruelest, most brutal face I'd ever seen- handsome, I guess, but wicked-with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. The weird thing was, I felt like I'd seen his face somewhere before.

#Ares. The God of War and courage.# Alexander said.

'Ah, the god of war. One of my suspects for the theft of the bolt.' I mused to Alexander. 'Pretty skeptical if you think about it.'

As Ares walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the god of war 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?"

Ares said, "It's on me." He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth 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.

Well, if he was going to pay for dinner, I wasn't going to protest.

Ares looked at me and I raised an eyebrow. He was extending his influence on me. It would have made me angry and made me pick up a fight with someone for no reason but, thankfully, I had another god of war chilling in my head who was far more powerful than Ares.

I could see Annabeth's and Grover's eye twitch and their hands clenched underneath the table as they gritted their teeth. They were fighting it.

I just looked calmly and smiled at the god in front of me before extending my hand towards Ares. "Hello. I am Percy Jackson."

Ares looked shocked for a moment before he composed himself and shook my hand.

"Ares, God of war and one of the twelve Olympians." He said looking at me straight in the eye.

"Nice to meet you cuz." I replied casually.

"So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

"I am."

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "I heard you broke Clarisse's spear." He said conversationally.

"She was asking for it." I replied.

"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," I 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?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"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 just snap your fingers and summon the shield to you? You're a god if you forgot."

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?"

"We're not interested," I said calmly. "We've already got a quest to complete."

Ares's fiery eyes made me see things I didn't want to see-blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. "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."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"How do I know it is not you who's doing the framing? A divine war would increase your power and importance exponentially." I said carefully, looking for his reaction.

His expression turned blank. Unreadable before he spoke in a serious tone, "It may benefit me for a short time punk. But, in the long run..." He shuddered. "I don't want an unending war punk. A war that'll destroy humanity. And if humanity's gone, gods will fade. Not immediately, but they'll. I don't want that kind of war."

Percy nodded. He wasn't wrong.

"Look punk. If you do my little task, I'll arrange you and your friends a ride west."

#Ask him to swear it on Styx.# Alexander said.

"Swear it on Styx and we'll do your task." I said to Ares.

"You've got spunk kid. Alright. I swear it on Styx to give you a ride west if you retrieve my shield from the Denver water park located a mile west on Delancey."

Thunder rumbled over head.

"Alright. We'll do it. Where did you keep it?"

He grinned. "Look for the Tunnel of Love ride. You can't miss it."

"What interrupted your date by the way?" I asked. "Something scare you off?"

Ares bared his teeth, but I'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous. "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."

And then he was gone. So was his Motorcycle.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good."

"We'll think about it later. For now, let us get the stupid shield."

"I think it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

"But this water park... he acted almost scared... scratch that, he was scared. What would make a war god run away like that?" Grover asked.

#It is probably one of Hephaestus's traps. He designs them to catch while Ares and Aphrodite are at it and humiliates them. #

"It must be one of Hephaestus's trap. Remember how he trapped Ares and Aphrodite in the bed once to be laughed at and ridiculed by the other gods." I said aloud and Annabeth and Grover paled.

"Let us go and find out. We'll need to get the shield. You don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. And I have made him swear an oath on Styx." I added, prompting them into action.

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time we found the water park. 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.

"So how do we get in?" Annabeth asked.

"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings. 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 went to climb over the fence the old fashioned way but I cleared my throat and just opened the lock with my knife by saying ανοίγω.

"Where did you get that?" Annabeth asked as I pushed open the gate.

"A gift from my aunt." I replied. "Come on."

The shadows grew long as we 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 us. Nothing made the slightest noise. We found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of clothes.

Annabeth even went in and stole a few clothes, hiding under her invisibility cap. She just replied that new clothes never hurt when I asked her why she did it.

We continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. I got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath. Soon, in front of us 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.

"There's a Greek letter carved here," Annabeth said as we neared a cupid statue. "Eta. I wonder..."

"Eta means H. Hephaestus. This is trap." I said and Annabeth's eyes widened and she trembled.

#A trap designed by Hephaestus. Not good. And you need to do the job. You can't walk away.#

"Alright. Annabeth, go to the control panel for the ride. Figure out whatever you can and use it as needed. Grover, I want you to stay up top. You're my flying ace, my red Baron."

"What'll you do?" Annabeth asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I am going down there to collect the shield."

"It is a trap. You just said it."

"I know Annabeth. But, I have no other option. You both up here is the best chance I have. I need you at the controls and Grover as a back up. We can not leave this task." I replied firmly.

"But—"

"I am not asking you. It is a command Annabeth. Go to the control panels and figure it out. We are wasting time. This is the best bet we've got unless you have a better plan." I said putting war command into my voice.

She immediately nodded and ran to the controls. I nodded at Grover and started down the side of the pool and I soon reached the boat. The shield was propped on one seat, and next to it was a lady's silk scarf. I tried to imagine Ares and Aphrodite here, a couple of gods meeting in a junked-out amusement-park ride. Why? Then I noticed something I hadn't seen from up top: mirrors all the way around the rim of the pool, facing this spot. We could see ourselves no matter which direction we looked. That must be it. While Ares and Aphrodite were smooching with each other they could look at their favorite people: themselves.

I picked up the scarf. It shimmered pink, and the perfume was indescribable-rose, or mountain laurel.

#Snap out of it Percy!# Alexander yelled in my head and I immediately snapped out of the scarf's influence.

'What the heck is this scarf!?'

#It is a scarf of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. There is love magic on it... It increases lust and radiates an Allure of sorts which makes people around you get attracted to you and Vice-versa. Put it in your bag for now.#

I did as he said and started examining the shield and the boat for trip wires and stuff. That was when I noticed a thin wire. It was so thin that most would have missed it.

'What do I do Alexander? I don't think I can take the shield without tripping the trap.'

#It is Hephaestus's work Percy. He isn't regarded as god of machines for nothing. Anything engineered by him would be impossible to just dismantle for anyone who isn't a child of the said god. You need to take the shield and make a run for it. Tell Annabeth to keep the water valves ready.#

"ANNABETH! SWITCH THE RIDE ON!" I yelled.

"THE RIDE'S BROKEN! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT!" she yelled back.

"Shit." I muttered. "YOU SURE?"

"YES."

"Damn." I said and extended my senses. There was water in those pipes. I could blast them and get the ride to start. It would be impossible to pick the shield and run out. Hephaestus must have created obstacles to prevent that. And even teleportation powers. Water was the only option. It would short-circuit some of his traps that he had put... hopefully and help him exit the ride the normal way.

"Alright guys! I am activating the trap!" I half yelled.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" They yelled back but I had already picked the shield up and the wire tripped.

Noise erupted all around me, of a million gears grinding, as if the whole pool were turning into one giant machine.

"PERCY!"

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. I took cover behind Ares's shield and they shot, but not at me. 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.

The row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of metallic spiders poured out. Annabeth screamed.

The children of Athena had another common trait — Arachnophobia... The fear of spiders.

"Don't touch the net!" I yelled as Grover went towards the net.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cam-eras. 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..."

I crinkled my neck and my trident appeared in my hand and I willed the water in the pipes to come to me. The storm-rider made my work easier. I felt a pull in my gut and Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders which were trying to climb on the boat. The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool's concrete wall with such force they burst.

I just fastened my seat belt when a tidal wave slammed into the boat.

The pool was filling rapidly.

"Thirty-four, thirty-three..."

But I only concentrated on controlling the boat and stopping it from turning in circles. I willed it to ride the current, to keep away from the wall. It obeyed. This was the first time I tapped into this aspect of my power.

I spun around one last time, the water level now almost high enough to shred me against the metal net. Then the boat's nose turned toward the tunnel and I rocketed through into the darkness. I held tight as the boat shot curls and hugged corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of Romeo and Juliet and a bunch of other Valentine's Day stuff.

#I can totally see why Aphrodite would like to come here.# Alexander commented and I nodded in agreement.

Then the boat came out of the tunnel, the night air whistling through my hair as the boat barreled straight toward the exit. If the ride had been in working order, I 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.

Shit.

#Unfasten your seat belt! When the boat crashes into the gates, use its force as a spring board and jump.#

"Its crazy. But it'll do." I said aloud and strapped the shield on my arm and willed the trident back into band form.

#On my mark Percy.#

I prepared myself.

#Three, two, one, NOW!#

I jumped just as the boat cracked. I flew threw the air and descended towards the water as I did a summersault in the mid air. I used the water to cushion my fall and landed with a splash immediately going underwater but it was no problem to me. I emerged out of the water a second later and waded to the land before walking out completely dry without a single drop of water on me, Ares's shield still strapped to my arm.

"PERCY!" Annabeth and Grover shouted as they rushed towards me. "Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine. Not a single scratch."

I looked back at the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was subsiding. My boat had been smashed to pieces against the gates. A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupids were started filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on us, the spotlights in our faces.

"Hello Gods of Olympus! You're unfortunately late to the show. So, until next time! Thank you, Good night, Sweet dreams!" I yelled.

The camera stopped rolling. The Cupids turned back to their original positions. The lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool.

"Come on. Let's meet Ares again."

The war god was waiting for us in the diner parking lot.

"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"Obviously. How did I look on TV?"

"..."

"They didn't show my performance?" I asked evenly.

"No, they did. But, all we saw was you talking with your friends and then telling us we were late to the show. We missed the main event." Ares replied.

"Shame. It was fun. Didn't get why were you scared of such an simple trap though." I replied as I threw the shield at him like a frisbee.

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Ares just caught the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"Now, you promised us a ride." I added.

"I did. "See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back. It read: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

"You're kidding. Atleast give us a decent ride Ares." I said, annoyed by the god.

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to me. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuffed Oreos and a few packet of crisps.

Not bad. But, it was a gift.

'Do not trust the gifts.' I remember the sea spirit's words.

I immediately handed the bag to Grover. He only had a spare set of clothes and his reed pipes in his own bag. He had eaten all the tin cans as we journeyed by the third day itself.

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover said. "Thanks a lot."

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera. I immediately used the mist to cover our presence.

"You've got decent skills at mist manipulation punk." Ares said, looking impressed.

"Thanks. But, I still think you could've given us a better ride."

Ares just laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid." He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancey Street.

"Hey, guys," Grover said suddenly. He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

I didn't like it, but we had no better option. Besides, I'd seen enough of Denver. We ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind us. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter.

I immediately flipped my Balisong open and willed the blade on fire.

It casted light on a very sad scene. . Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals I'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for. Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur. "This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

#WHAT IS THIS! HOW DARE THEY!# Alexander roared in my head. #If Pan or Artemis saw this, they would flay the men alive!#

Grover and Alexander(if he could) would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and I would've helped, but just then the trucks engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down.

'Calm down Alexander, I'll do something once we get to our destination.'

#You better. I'd help if I could, but this doesn't fall in my domains.#

'I have a plan. Don't worry. It wouldn't kill them but would be extremely humiliating and painful.'

#Fair enough.#

Annabeth, Grover and I huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but I pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, I had a feeling we might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.

I found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then used my trident to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. I gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope. Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn. She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but we decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around.

We told Grover to promise the animals we'd help them more in the morning, then we settled in for night. Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened our bag of Double Stuf Oreos and nibbled on one half-heartedly; I tried to cheer myself up by concentrating on the fact that we were halfway to Los Angeles. Halfway to our destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. We could make it in plenty of time.

"In the Iris message... did Luke really say nothing?" Annabeth asked without preamble.

"Nothing of importance for us. Just that the word between the Zeus-Poseidon standoff has leaked. The campers are on the verge of a civil war. They are starting to take sides... Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon. Athena is backing Zeus. I don't know about the rest."

"Who leaked the news?" Grover asked.

"Most likely the traitor mentioned in the Prophecy. It is shaping up like the trojan war."

Annabeth put her head against the backpack Ares had given us, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why? And Athena will undoubtedly support Zeus especially since Poseidon is the other option."

"Because you're my friend, Percy. You saved my life several times on this quest. Any more stupid questions?" I couldn't think of an answer for that. Fortunately I didn't have to. Annabeth was asleep. I had trouble following her example, with Grover snoring and an albino lion staring hungrily at me, but eventually I closed my eyes drifting into the realm of dreams.

I found myself in a classroom taking a standardized test while wearing a straitjacket. All the other kids were going out to recess, and the teacher kept saying, "Come on, Percy. You're not stupid, are you? Pick up your pencil."

I was like What? I hadn't been in such a situation since Alexander had almost cured my dyslexia.

I looked over at the next desk and saw a girl sitting there, also wearing a straitjacket. She was my age, with unruly black, punk-style hair, dark eyeliner around her stormy green eyes, and freckles across her nose. Somehow, I knew who she was. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

She struggled against the straitjacket, glared at me in frustration, and snapped, "Well, Seaweed Brain? One of us has to get out of here."

The straitjacket melted off me. I fell through the class-room floor. The teacher's voice changed until it was cold and evil, echoing from the depths of a great chasm.

"Percy Jackson," it said. "Yes, the exchange went well, I see."

I was back in the dark cavern, spirits of the dead drifting around me. Unseen in the pit, the monstrous thing was speaking, but this time it wasn't addressing me. The numbing power of its voice seemed directed somewhere else.

#You've got yourself here Percy. Listen to what they are saying...# Alexander said in my head.

"And he suspects nothing?" Kronos asked.

Another voice, one I almost recognized, answered at my shoulder. "Nothing, my lord. He is as ignorant as the rest."

I looked over, but no one was there. The speaker was invisible.

"Deception upon deception," the Titan king in the pit mused aloud. "Excellent."

"Truly, my lord," said the voice next to me, "you are well-named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly—"

"You?" Kronos said in scorn. "You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened."

"But, my lord—"

"Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands... but wait. He is here."

Kronos had sensed my presence.

"What?" The invisible servant suddenly sounded tense. "You summoned him, my lord?"

"No." The full force of the Titan Lord's attention was now pouring over me, freezing me in place. "Blast his father's blood-he is too changeable, too unpredictable. The boy brought himself hither."

"Impossible!" the servant cried.

"For a weakling such as you, perhaps," the voice snarled and the dream disappeared in a flash of brilliant light.

I found myself at Alexander's home. The god in my head was panting.

"You okay?" I asked with concern.

"Yeah... Just a little... winded. It takes a lot of power to... break you out of the dream." He wheezed.

"Okay. But, did you hear? The master bolt isn't the only thing that has been stolen."

"Yeah. He said As soon as both items are delivered into my hands."

"What else could be stolen... Hades Helm?" I asked.

"It is a possibility. But, there are many powerful artifacts in the Greek world Percy. We can't be sure... But, if the master bolt can be stolen, so can the helm."

"You mean that there is a possibility that two of the most powerful weapon in the Greek world can fall into Kronos's hands!"

"Yes."

Suddenly the house started shaking.

"What's happening?"

"Someone is trying to wake you Percy. Go."

I woke up with a start.

Grover was shaking my shoulder. "The truck's stopped," he said. "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed. She had it easy. She just put on her magic cap and dis-appeared. Grover and I had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips. The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes. "You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

I reigned in my temper. Grover looked downright murderous.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at me. There was no sound, but as clear as day, I heard it say: 'Free me, lord. Please.'

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer. The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside-it must've been Eddie's-shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

Knock, knock, knock.

I gathered that it was Annabeth who was knocking.

Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

Our guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

A second later, Annabeth appeared next to me. She said, "This transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!"

'That's right,' the zebra's voice said in my mind.

"We've got to free them!" Grover said. He and Annabeth both looked at me, waiting for my lead.

I uncapped the riptide and slashed through the locks. Outside, Eddie and Maurice were still yelling at each other, but I knew they'd be coming inside to torment the animals again any minute.

The zebra burst out. It turned to me and bowed. 'Thank you, lord.'

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing. He did the same with the lion and the antelope.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. The lion and the antelope followed the Zebra's lead. The lion even scratched on one of the guys face.

There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. We rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs with a lion and an antelope following it. We'd just released a zebra, a lion and an antelope in Las Vegas.

Maurice and Eddie ran after them, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

I willed their pants on fire, specifically the area between their legs.

They screamed and fell down, trying to put the fire out. I didn't wait to see what happened next as Annabeth Grover and I ran out of the truck. We stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and we must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay us much attention.

"Will the animals be okay?" I asked Grover.

"I mean, the desert and all-"

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Nice." I replied as we continued ahead.

I wasn't sure what we were looking for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a glass of lemonade, make a new plan for getting west.

#The dryness is affecting your ability to think properly. You need Hydration.# Alexander said. I checked my canteen drank some water.

We must have taken a wrong turn, because we soon found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers-lotus blossom, maybe. I'd never smelled one, so I wasn't sure. The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

'Is he a mortal?' I asked Alexander, immediately on edge.

#Yes. He isn't a monster or a god. There is no attraction magic on this place too.#

I was relieved to hear that.

I nodded and said we'd love to come in. Inside, we took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up atleast forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. At least I guessed he was a bellhop. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

I stammered, "Um, but..."

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, suite 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or what-ever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus-Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides." He handed us each a green plastic credit card.

I instantly knew something was wrong.

'ALEXANDER! Something's wrong!'

#Yeah, yeah. One min, one min... I felt something... as for your question, this is the lair of lotus eaters... the one in odysseys if you remember. And there is a time field on this place. Time passes slower in here.#

'What! We need to get out of here.'

#Yea— Wait a damned second! They have my HELM! How dare they!#

'What?'

#They have my helm Percy. It was lost several decades before the giant war. They have it. We need to retrieve it!#

'Calm down man. Ok we will retrieve your helm.'

#They may even have a weapon vault. If they're keeping my Helm, they must have a vault. We need to get those weapons and whatever they're hoarding.#

'Cool down. I said alright. We are getting whatever you want.'

#Yeah, yeah. Calming down. I am sorry. They have my Helm! I just got a little hyper.#

'No problem. Just keep cool.' I said and turned my attention back to Annabeth and Grover.

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?" Annabeth asked the bellhop.

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

We soon took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. I didn't see how that could be legal, but I thought it was pretty cool. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though I doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view with a room like this.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit me. I instantly took them all. They were high quality clothes.

'I am taking a shower. Then we'll find your Helm and the weapon vault.' I told Alexander.

#Fair enough.#

I took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. I changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank three Cokes, and came out feeling better than I had in a long time. I came out of the bedroom and found that Annabeth and Grover had also showered and changed clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

"Yup." Annabeth agreed.

"We should go to sleep now." I suggested. Of course, I was going to go loot this place but Annabeth and Grover should have rest.

Grover and Annabeth looked at each other and grinned. They both held up their green plastic Lotus-Cash cards.

"Play time! Come on!" Annabeth said and rushed out with Grover following her.

"Hey WAIT!" I shouted after them but they didn't pay heed to me. They needed to be in a place I could find them. Damn it!

#Percy. We can find them afterwards.# Alexander said. #We need to get my Helm. For you! It will help you a lot.#

'Alright, alright.' I glanced around the living room of the suite and saw a cap, more specifically, Annabeth's invisibility cap lying on a chair. I picked it up and pocketed it.

'What's so special about it? Is it like the Helm of Darkness? Does it give invisibility or something?' I asked.

#It doesn't give invisibility or anything but something much more. I named it the Warrior's crown. It was the Helm I always wore in the battle field since I got it. It keeps the wearer calm and collected. It protects against influences and even blind rage from taking over. Having a calm, collected mind is a huge advantage on the battlefield— It helps you see patterns in the enemy attack and what-not. That is not all. The war command power you got from me, this Helm enhances it. Commanding armies. That is the power of the helm. It gives hope to comrades in times of crisis and strikes fear in the hearts of enemies.#

"Whoa. Awesome." I said aloud as I walked down the corridor towards the elevator. There was no one around. Grover and Annabeth had already gone down to play.

'Is it really better than Hades Helm of darkness?' I asked catching Alexander's statement

#Okay... Hades helm may be more powerful but mine was more useful in battle. Hades Helm strikes fear in everyone Allies and Enemies alike. Not only fear actually but literally shows them their worse memories and can even produce new memories of grief. It gives Hades the power to become intangible and increases his control over shadows and necromancy. Mine causes apprehension in the heart of enemies. Makes them think that you're a tough guy to defeat and gives hope to allies. It increases the power behind your command of course. So, mine is better on the battlefield.#

'Did you wear that during the Titan war?'

#Yeah. I wore it while commanding the army of Olympus against the Titans. It is in basement by the way. I can feel it calling to me.#

I nodded and pressed the basement button in the Elevator and leaned against the wall as the elevator descended towards the basement. Soon, the elevator doors dinged open and I exited the elevator.

"Hey kid. What are ya' doing here?" A guy asked as he walked towards me with another guy in tow. They were both muscular men and had a pistol on their belts and a knife in their boots. I tried best to look like I was searching for someone.

"Looking for my friends sir. Their name's Connor and Travis." I said walking towards them while looking around the room checking for security cams and other guards. There were none. "They're twins. About a couple of inches shorter than me, athletic looking, sandy-blonde hair and blue eyes. Have you seen them?"

"No kid. You're in the wrong place. They must be above. Did you check the arcade?" Dude number one suggested.

"Yes sir, they aren't there."

Dude number two said, "Ok kid-"

But, I didn't wait for the guy to finish his statement and increased the speed of time for me and immediately closed the distance between myself and the guards and knocked the two men out cold with a godly-level punch before they could even process what was happening.

'Done. Now, where is the warrior's crown?' I asked as I took their weapons away, putting them in my bag. I didn't know how to shoot a gun, but, it never harmed to have one especially when you're a demigod. It may not work on divine beings but it may come in handy some day.

#It is below us Percy. Underground#

'The elevator doesn't go deeper. I pressed the bottommost button which was the basement.'

#Then let us look for stairs. There must be a way to reach there. Put the cap on. And hide them.#

I put the cap on and vanished, giving one last glance around the room and extending my senses to check if anyone was there in the basement or not. I didn't use the cap in the lift because it had a camera in it.

I started looking around for a way to go down. The basement was filled with old furniture, curtains, bathtubs, old games, paintings and things that had been discarded from the casino, no longer in use. There were even a few carriages, a chariot and a few cars. I moved some furniture around and ripped the curtains but didn't find anything. After searching for fifteen minutes, I hit the jackpot. As soon as I shifted a queen-sized bed, I saw a man hole.

#This may be it.#

I removed the lid on the man-hole and saw there was a ladder in it leading underground.

'Bingo' I said and Alexander cheered in my head. I slid down the ladder and landed on the floor. It was a Hallway with metal re-enforced walls and several security cams. Thankfully, I was invisible. The problem was that there were several Hallways leading in all the directions.

#I can sense my helm. Three corridors to your right. Yeah, that one. Go. And rely more on your instincts than your eyes. There may be traps on the way. Tread cautiously.#

'Alright.' I replied and started walking down the corridor. Whenever my senses tingled, I avoided that tile which I was about to step on. There were also several trip wires but I avoided them too as my instincts instructed. Alexander had trained my instincts to such a level that it could only be described as phenomenal. I didn't know what the traps did or where they were. But, my instincts warned me that there was a trap on that specific place and what I had to avoid or duck under.

I reached a fork in the corridor. There were three routes ahead.

#The left one Percy# Alexander said and I took the left path and continued to tread ahead, avoiding traps as I moved. It was seriously giving me a movie like feeling. I felt like a hero committing a high-grade thievery to save the world... which was basically what I was doing.

Soon I arrived at the end of the corridor. There was a steel door at the end of it and five people guarding the vault. Three cyclops, two mortals. The Cyclops had spears while the mortals had machine guns. I decided that the mortals were more dangerous. They had machine guns. I went nearer to them. The cyclops started sniffing the air. Before the cyclops could say anything, I closed the distance between myself and the mortals and knocked them out cold.

"Demigod!" A Cyclops roared. The storm-rider appeared in my hands in its sword form and I took care of the three cyclops with ease. It was laughably easy to send them to Tartarus. I took their weapons too before tuning to the door. It had a console next to it which showed a digital key board and 25 blank spaces above it. A 25-lettered password! Seriously!

I tried the best thing I could do: Hestia's knife. The display flickered for a moment before the password blanks were filled and the screen glowed green. The doors slid open. I was going to hug Aunt Hestia to death once I returned to the camp. Her gift was awesome.

I entered the vault and the lights in the vault came on. The vault was the size of the Poseidon cabin. Lining the walls were several standard weapons: Swords, shields, daggers, Bows and several quiver full of arrows, cross bows, spears, Tridents, War hammers, axes etc. Most were made of Celestial bronze. There was a small section which contained modern weapons: Pistols, rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, snipers and such. But those were mortal weapons. They won't have any effect on divine beings.

But, the main thing seemed to be in the middle of the vault. Above a few metal containers, a beautiful Greek war helmet was kept. I immediately knew that it was the warrior's crown.

#My helm# Alexander murmured. #Take it Percy. It is now yours. Use it well... I actually know you will.#

'You won't leave me alone if I don't.' I joked as I walked towards the Helm, avoiding the crates on the floor and picked up the helmet before placing it on my head. It shrunk to fit me perfectly. A sense of calmness washed over me. I felt a sense of confidence. I felt like I was going to go to war, ready to take on my enemy and confident to conquer them. My senses of vison and hearing improved drastically... atleast I felt like all this.

Alexander started chanting something in Greek and I felt a connection snap in place. The helm was mine now like the storm-rider, riptide and Hestia's knife.

#Percy, start taking everything and lets get the Hades out of here. Or wait. Put the tent and give me control.# I did as he asked and Alexander just snapped his(mine?) fingers and the weapons disappeared.

#I put the weapons in the tent. We can explore the crates later. Let us get out. Shadow travel. The idiots have put enchantments to stop a person from coming in but haven't done the same for going out.#

I jumped into a shadow and shadow-travelled to my room... the one that the casino people had given me. I immediately took all our belongings, the cold-drink cans, crisp packets and went back to the elevator and pressed the button to where the arcade was.

I arrived there and saw that Annabeth was building her city on some type of stimulator.

"Come on," I told her. "We've got to get out of here."

No response.

I shook her. "Annabeth?"

She looked up, annoyed. "What? Who the hell do you think you are?" and turned back to the game.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I took my trident out and shot water on her face. She ended up sprawled on the floor and sputtered.

"Wha- What the- Where am I? Percy? Percy!"

"Yeah. I am here. Get up. We need to get out of here. This is a trap."

"Trap?"

"Don't question me. Just do as I say. We need to find Grover and get the Hades out of here. This is the lair of lotus eaters."

"Odysseus?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my gods!"

"Here. Take your bag." I tossed the bag and she caught it and slung it over her shoulder.

"My cap?"

"In my pocket. Here. Let's go!"

We went searching for Grover, and found him still playing Virtual Deer Hunter.

"Grover!" we both shouted.

He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluting nasty person!"

"Grover!"

He turned the plastic gun on me and started clicking, as if I were just another image from the screen. I did the same thing I did with Annabeth. I splashed water on him and he too broke out of it. "Wha—"

"No time. Here take your bag." I tossed Grover the backpack Ares had given us. "We are getting out of here."

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to us. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," I told him.

"Such a shame," he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

#Those cards will work anywhere in the world. But, it has a very-very strong enchantment on it. Take them. I will protect your mind. But, don't let your friends touch them till you get out of here.#

"Show us how many you have." I said to the bellhop. His eyes gleamed and he held up a dozen cards.

"Do they also have unlimited money?"

"Of course. It also works on premium—" I didn't let him finish and snatched the cards out of his hand and punched the bellhop on his face before hitting him on the head. He was knocked out cold.

A few other people started hurrying towards us but I flipped things in their path and open fired with the pistol, simultaneously using Hestia's power to set things on fire. I took care that none of the bullets hit the men or any bystander but, it was enough to scare the guards away. The thing of note was: I had no freaking idea how I actually did it.

I dragged Grover and Annabeth towards the exit still keeping the gun ready and setting curtains and tablecloths on fire.

I felt the magic increase. The smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. I thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once

#Wear the helm Percy!# Alexander yelled in my head and I willed the helm to appear on my head. Immediately the magic faded away. Grover and Annabeth started resisting, wanting to go back, but I pulled them away.

They started protesting but I paid them no heed.

Then we burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but I could tell that it was atleast a couple of days later. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert. I ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the date: June nineteenth.

We had been in the Lotus Casino for four days. We had only two days left until the summer solstice. Two days to complete our quest.

"We wasted four days!" Annabeth shrieked in my ear.

"Four days..." Grover whimpered.

"Look at the bright side. We've two more days. We aren't far from the Underworld entrance. We can make it there easily and back." I said.

"We also need to visit Santa Monica." Annabeth reminded

"Yeah. That too. First to the sea, then to the underworld and then to Olympus." I said.

It was dark by the time we reached Santa Monica by a cab. I had used the platinum card to pay the bill. The card was a jackpot. Unlimited mortal money. I was going to buy my mom something nice. Like a car. Or a house. I had unlimited money. Twelve times unlimited money. Why worry?

"Let us stay in an inn. We'll set out tomorrow." I suggested and we did just that. We had dinner at a local inn and went to sleep. The next morning, we checked out and went to Santa Monica pier. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes... you get the idea.

Grover, Annabeth, and I walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

The Pacific was turning gold in the rising sun. I thought about how long it had been since I'd stood on the beach at Montauk, on the opposite side of the country, looking out at a different sea.

I stepped into the surf

"Percy?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

I kept walking, up to my waist, then my chest. She called after me, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic-"

That's when my head went under the water. I felt the intoxicating, endless power of the sea as I swam downwards. I could sense the rolling texture of the bottom. I could make out sand-dollar colonies dotting the sandbars. I could even see the currents, warm and cold streams swirling together. I felt something rub against my leg. I looked down and almost shot out of the water like a ballistic missile. Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long Mako shark.

Coming face to face with a shark is pretty scary when you're unprepared, son of Poseidon or not.

But the thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling me. Heeling like a dog. I knew every sea creature, unless it was divine would obey me.

I touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting me to hold tighter. I grabbed the fin with both hands. It took off, pulling me along. The shark carried me down into the darkness. It deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there.

The surface shimmered maybe a hundred and fifty feet above. I willed the storm-rider into my hands and the helm on my face. Alexander had changed the helm's design so no one recognized it.

Then I saw something glimmering in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward me. A woman's voice called: "Percy Jackson." As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful I hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding.

#You can ogle her later. She's hot but this is not the time.#

The helm kept my emotions under control and I just told Alexander to shut up. If I wasn't wearing the helm, I would have blushed up a storm.

The nereid dismounted. The sea horse and the Mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag. The lady smiled at me.

"You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done." I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I nodded respectfully.

"Thank you ma'am." I said "You're the Lady who spoke to me in the Mississippi River." I stated.

"Yes, child. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court."

"And... you serve in Poseidon's court Ma'am?"

She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

"Well... I guess, thank you."

She smiled at me again. "Your tales of valor and accomplishments have reached far and wide in the sea. You've killed the Minotaur, The three servants of the lord of the underworld, Medusa, Echidna, the Chimera, evaded the forge god's trap... all in a span of few weeks since you joined the Greek world. Your father is proud of you child. Very very proud. Even the Queen of the sea hasn't said anything about you yet... as a hero atleast."

I raised my eyebrows. Amphitrite was the only goddess who had a genuine reason to hate me.

"But, that is not important right now." She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm. The pearls of the sea.

"I know you journey to Hades's realm," she said. "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these talents?"

"I will do the best I can ma'am to do my duty to my father and to save the world from a divine war." I replied.

Her eyes shone at my answer like I had passed some sort of a test.

"The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to man-hood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"Where would the pearl bring me?" I asked, knowing what the pearl did.

"What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."

"I know —"

"Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all." She said interrupting me. "Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mis-trust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson."

She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void. "Good-bye, young hero," she called back, her voice fading into the depths. "You must listen to your heart." She became a speck of glowing green, and then she was gone.

I swam towards the shore as I conversed with Alexander.

Next destination: The Underworld.

A-gods-flame: Percy and Annabeth weren't like enemies. Percy reprimanded her because she made mistakes. And feuding while on a quest to save the world isn't a good idea.

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