We were picked up by a Coast Guard boat and wrapped us in towels, pressing water bottles into our hands that read 'I'm a junior coast guard!'. They dropped us off on the pier and went off to save more people. "I don't believe it." Annabeth said as we stumbled across the beach. "We went all that way-"

"It was a trick." Percy stated. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey!"

"You get it, don't you?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Well I don't!" Grover complained. "Would someone-"

"Hey, Percy." I said softly. "About your mum, I'm sorry, I really am." Percy didn't reply, but turned to us.

"The Prophecy was right." Percy stated. "You shall go west and face the God who has turned. But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want a war between the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus' Master Bolt, and Hades' Helmet, and framed me because I'm Posidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war, and I'll have caused it."

"But who would be that sneaky?" Grover questioned. "Who would want War that bad."

"Gee, let me think." Percy asked sarcastically. I followed his gaze to see the cause for all this, Ares. He was waiting for us, leaning on his bike with a silver bat propped up on his shoulder.

"Hey kid." Ares greeted. He seemed to be genuinely surprised that we lived. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me. You stole the Helmet and the Master Bolt."

"Well, I didn't steal then personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power, that's a big no-no. But, you're not the only Hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the Winter Solstice."

"Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld, then old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' Master Bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him and Hades is still looking for this." Ares pulled a ski cap from his pocket and set it between the handlebars of his bike. The second Ares' hand left the cap, it transformed. It became an elaborate bronze war helmet that seemed to have shadows lick at it's side.

"The Helmet of Darkness!" Grover gasped.

"Exactly. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Posiden, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested. Ares shrugged in response.

"Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relative's fight, I always say."

"You gave me the backpack back in Denver." Percy said. "The Master Bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no." Ares mused. "It's probably too complicated for your little Mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the Master Bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The Bolt is connected to it, sort of like that Sword you got kid, it always returns to your pocket, right? Anyway, I tinkered with the Magic a bit, so the Bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades, bingo, you got you died along thr way, no loss, I still had the weapon."

"But why did you decide to send the Master Bolt off to Hades?" I asked. "Wouldn't someone of...your calibre want to keep it for yourself?"

"Why didn't I…" Ares trailed off. "Yeah...with that kind of fire power…" He ws silent for a second before snapping back to reality. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught redhanded holding the thing."

"You're lying." Percy accused. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasnt your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" Smoke started to billow from behind his sunglasses.

"You didn't order the theft. Someone else sent a Hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the God of War! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

"Who said anything about dreams?" Percy asked after a pause. Ares tried to backtrack.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid." He said. "You're alive, I can't have you taking that Bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So, I've got to kill you, nothing personal." Ares snapped his fingers and from the sand just in front of him, a boar exploded into existence. It was massive and pretty ugly. It pawed at the sand, glaring at Percy. Percy stepped into the water.

"Fight me yourself, Ares." He ordered. Ares bellowed out a laugh.

"You've only got one talent kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes.'

'Scared?"

"In your adolescent dreams. No direct involvement, sorry kid. You're not at my level."

"Percy, run!" I shouted just as the boar charged. Percy un-capped his pen and his sword formed in his palm. Just as the boar reached him, he slashed off the tusk and then he shouted.

"Wave!" Percy's voice echoed over the beach and a massive wave rose above him, wrapping around the boar as it squealed in terror. The water disappeared, the boar going with it. Percy turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now?" He taunted. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?"C

"Watch it kid." Ares growled, turning purple. "I Could turn you into-"

"A cockroach. Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into grease spot." Flames started to dance across the top of his sunglasses.

"If I lose, you get to turn me into anything you want. Take the Bolt. If I win, the helmet and the Bolt are mine and you have to go away." Ares sneered, swinging his bat off his shoulder.

"How would you like to get smashed, classic or modern?" Percy brandished his sword. "That's cool, dead boy, classic it is." Ares' bat changed into a massive, two-handed sword. There was a massive skull at the hilt, a ruby glinting in between it's teeth.

"Percy, you can't do this." I told him. "You've barely had a month of training and he's a God."

"He's a coward." Percy said.

"Wear this, at least, for luck." Annabeth said, taking her necklace off and tied it around Percy's neck. "Reconciliation." She explained. "Athena and Poseidon together."

"Thanks."

"And take this." Grover said, offering Percy a flattened tin can. "The Satyrs stand behind you."

"Grover...I don't know what to say." Percy put the can in his back pocket. I sighed, reaching up to my ear. I took out one of my earrings, the one that I shared with Ethan, one half of a yin-yang. Mine was the Yin, the dark side with a little light seeping through.

"Listen, Percy, this is my most prized possession." I told him, fastening the loop around the leather cord of Annabeth's necklace so it looked like a regular charm. "Bring it back to me."

"Thank you." He said softly. I reached up and ruffled Percy's hair.

"Don't die, alright? You're too much of an annoyance to let go." And with that said, Annabeth, Grover and I retreated backwards to keep away from the fight.

"You all done saying goodbye?" Ares asked, stalking forward. "I've been fighting for eternity kid. My strength is unlimited and I don't die. What have you got?" The fight started the second Ares was close. The two were dancing around each other, Ares managing to get Percy out of the water and crash into a dune.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted. "Cops!" I looked over at where Annabeth was pointing and my eyes widened.

"Shit!" I cursed.

"There, officer!" Someone called. "See?!"

"That looks like the kid on the TV...what the heck...and the other one is there…" The cop muttered, his eyes flicking between me and the fight.

"That guy's armed." Another said. "Call for backup!" The fight continued as more cars approached. Percy managed to back into the surf.

"Drop the guns! Set them on the ground, now!" Ares glared at the Mortals.

"This is a private matter." He bellowed. "Begone!" He waved a hand, and the patrol cars erupted in flames. The battle continued, until it culminated in a wave crashing over Ares and a wet patch of sand about fifteen meters wide. What surprised me most, however, was the golden blood, Ichor, flowing from a gash from Ares' boot. The God limped forward, and then froze. Around us, the world became ice and a massive pressure passed over us. Time froze for a moment before the world returned to normal. Ares lowered his sword. "You have made an enemy, Godling." Ares told Percy. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in Battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson." Ares started to glow. I closed my eyes and turned my head away as Ares revealed his true form.

"Percy! Don't watch!" Annabeth ordered. When the light was gone, I opened my eyes to see the Helm of Darkness be revealed by the tide. Three sets of wings appeared, and looking up, I saw the three Furies circling above.

"We saw the whole thing." One hissed. "So...it was truly not you?" Percy tossed her the helm who quickly caught it.

"Return that to Lord Hades." Percy told her. "Tell him the truth, tell him to call off the war." The Fury hesitated.

"Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again…" The Fury looked delighted at the prospect of killing Percy before her and her sisters. Percy then approached us.

"Percy…" Grover trailed off. "That was so incredibly…"

"Terrifying." Annabeth told him.

"Stupid." I argued.

"Cool!" Grover corrected.

"Did you guys...feel whatever that was?" Percy asked. We nodded to confirm.

"Must've been the Furies overhead." Grover guessed. I didn't think so, but I didn't want to freak him out. Percy got his backpack from Grover and checked inside.

"We have to get back to New York, by tonight."

"That's impossible." Annabeth stated. "Not unless we-"

"Fly." Percy revealed.

"Wait, you, fly?" I questioned. "You, a child of Poseidon who was warned never to ever take to the skies because Zeus will strike you down? Not to mention if that happens, the overpowered thing in your backpack will kill us all?"

"Yeah, pretty much exactly like that, come on." The pre-teens and Grover started to walk off with me trailing behind.

"You are going to be the death of me, I swear." I muttered. "My tombstone will read 'Makoto Nakamura, she died because of some stupid kids'."