"Sir, sergeant Gr-" He nearly said Grant, imagine. "Chase, yes, sir." Percy saluted with thin lips, trying to hold in his laugh.
"That's not funny." Annabeth crossed her arms and Percy glanced at Grover, he was keeping his laugh in but as soon as he made eye contact with the satyr, he let out a short laugh before covering his mouth with his hands as soon as the stark gray eyes glared at him.
"Sir, yes, sir." Percy saluted her and Grover fell over in his seat, nearly falling face first into his cake. Annabeth was clearly not amused with him, she looks rather angry. "Annabeth, sit." He slid over a piece of cake to the girl, "I'll answer all your questions."
Percy waved around his fork and motioned at the two of the Greek entities in front of him, a satyr and a demigod. "I get to ask questions too, since our quests are intertwined or whatever."
"Sounds fair." Grover said, immediately, disregarding Annabeth's opinion. The girl looked slightly surprised as Grover answered without discussing with her. "Annabeth, I'm redeeming myself and I want to do it with the both of you, for Thalia and for leaving you," His goatee was distracting, "at the military school."
Percy glanced at Annabeth who already looked like she had multiple questions on her mind. "You're the son of Poseidon, one of the big three, how could Grover not smell you?" She asked, in a way, it was directed at Grover and Percy.
"I don't know." Percy answered, "I don't know how satyrs work." He shrugged and motioned at Grover who just bleated, his incompetence being pointed out. The satyr took a nervous bite of his cake.
"There were a lot of different smells," Percy and Grover cringed at the memory of it, "Military is no joke, everyone smells there." Percy blinked a few times and raised his eyebrows, "But there were traces of multiple demigods being there, it was weird. Our room had so many-"
"Frank." Percy said shortly, "He left." He looked at Grover and hoped that it would pass off as a truth. Grover just gave him a small smile.
"I think Frank's smell must've thrown me off, that must be one powerful demigod." Grover let out a breath, "Then Clarisse was attacked." Percy clenched his jaw and poked at his cake. If he had known earlier, he could've helped her fight the monster. In a way he might not even be much of a help because Clarisse on her own can be dangerous to any monster.
"My turn, you're the daughter of?"
"Athena." She answered his question like it was obvious, but Percy hadn't been at camp for long nor had he ever been to the camp in New York. "When did you learn that you were a son of Poseidon?" She asked and Percy blinked.
"The day after I got attacked." He answered, "My brother came to me in a dream."
"Triton?" Annabeth questioned, "Is he taking special interest in you? Why?" She asked.
"When I first met him, he was disguised as my neighbor. He gave me my weapons and took me away after my mom got attacked." Percy explained. "I asked why he was helping me, and he just said that I'm not like his other siblings, that I don't want to destroy, that I don't want the throne."
"Don't you want the throne?" Annabeth further inquired, "It would be a huge honor to have a throne in Atlantis."
"I'm a mortal," Percy raised his eyebrows at Annabeth. "I don't think that a new prince would mean a lot to the people of Atlantis because they know that mortals live on borrowed time." He pursed his lips and drank from the milkshake he had gotten from someone.
"How did you get the quest?" Actually, it was his turn to ask a question but he bit the inside of his cheek instead. They had already lost one person on their quest, it would be suspicious if another just came out of nowhere, as if he was waiting in a diner for them.
"A man had a seizure and managed to choke out my prophecy before being carried away by the medical staff." He answered, keeping his heart at bay, hoping to not get caught in his empty truth. There was a nagging voice in his head, screaming at him to not tell them about the roman camp.
Annabeth seemed to have taken that for an answer, "Mortals don't react well to spirits of oracles," It sounded like she was speaking from experience and Percy frowned, "Most of the mortals go insane." She had seen the frown on Percy's face and kept her words short and sharp.
The small cake was finished and his milkshake was finished, it had condensation sticking to the outside. "Are you the lightning thief?" Annabeth's question rang through his head and Percy's eyes looked up from the milkshake.
"What?" He asked incredulously, he glanced over to find Grover's face to be confused as well. "How could I be the lightning thief?" He questioned, "I've been living in the woods for nearly two months, before that I only went a couple of months without Grover and Clarisse." He argued.
"Clarisse went to New York, during the winter solstice." Grover bleated, "To have a visit with her mom. She then came back to military school." He said and glanced between Annabeth and Percy. Annabeth raised her eyebrows at Percy and it made him ticked off, she thinks she knows everything about him, when she didn't even believe that Perseus was his name.
"You're a son of the big three." Annabeth started and Percy had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes at her. "You talk to your godly brother and you might have been teaming up with Clarisse."
Before Percy could even think, he reached out and held it, his finger wrapped around it. His eyes were clenched closed and his arm shot up to his head to protect it from the shards of glass. "What the fuck." Percy breathed out as he looked outside to see Ares' motorcycle drive away. "Did he seriously throw a stone through the window?" He questioned.
Annabeth cleared her throat and Percy gave her a weak smile, his hand was inches away from her face. He sat back down in his seat and pushed the cake decorated with glass shards aside. Slowly, so that the other two could see it, he unfolded the paper. 'Stop talking and start running, 48 hours left on the clock. Left a little present at the front, be fast or you're a warning tale at camp.'
"Two days?" Grover questioned and started pushing Annabeth out of her seat. "We only have two days left?" He gnawed at his nails, "If Lord Zeus smites me, I might not reincarnate."
"You won't get smithen?" It was questionable grammar but Percy had bigger things to think about as he stepped out of the booth as well and grabbed his duffel bag. "Where was the passageway to the underworld?" He asked and Annabeth reached out for Medusa's address book, carefully wiping off all of the glass.
"DOA recording studios." Annabeht answered and Percy snorted. It was a fitting name for a passageway to the underworld. They walked over to the front and their host apologized profusely for the glass and gave them a coupon for the next time they come back. Annabeth got her bag and Percy asked where the studio was.
The host happened to be a music fan who never made it in Los Angeles and pointed them in the right direction, whispering that it is a very tough gig to land, sending everyone away and only keeping their doors open to an exclusive amount of people.
Percy and Annabeth hurry down the street, having to slow down every once in a while because of Grover. "Isn't a satyr supposed to be faster than us, with their goat legs and all?" Percy asked Annabeth.
The girl just looked back at Grover, "He's wearing the shoes Luke gave him, he won't take it off." She said and pursed her lips. "He's going to far lengths for forgiveness."
"Forgiveness for what?" Percy asked as they rounded the corner in a jog, then Annabeth started lagging behind a bit. "Here," He held out his lightweight duffel bag and held his free hand out for Annabeth.
"What?" Annabeth said, sharply.
"The bag is slowing you down, let me try." He urged her and glanced at the clock from a store. "Look, what we don't have is time, so let's switch." He pushed her one more time and she handed it over.
The initial reaction was him trying to not show how much effort it took to keep his arm up under the sudden weight of the bag. Grover finally caught up to them and they speed-walked to the end of the street.
Percy stood up front, Annabeth behind him and Grover on the way back, because the whole street smelled like death to him. He pushed the door open and a little wrinkle of the bell sounded.
We walked inside the DOA lobby and the typical waiting room music sounded. Everything in the room was so plain it reminded Percy of a hospital, or his room after Frank left. Somehow, the blue didn't count as a color since the green wasn't there to show the contract anymore.
"Ghosts, right?" Percy asked Grover, the satyr just nodded. Percy stepped up to the front desk, and Annabeth came up to stand next to him.
"Charon, sir?" Percy read the nametag, nearly saying 'Chiron' the trainer of heroes. The man looked away from his articles and raised an eyebrow at Percy.
"I like the sound of that, military?"
"Military school, sir." Percy answered.
"Something more than that." The man did as if he pushed back hair on his head, even though he had a short militaristic style haircut. "I took some inspiration."
"Fits you better than I, sir." Percy said and Annabeth nudged him, nodding at the clock to the side of them. "I have a question, sir." He continued using the 'sir', the ferryman seemed to like it enough.
"How can I help you little dead demigods?" Charon questioned, with that glint in his eyes. Percy glanced at Grover who was no help at all.
"We'd like to go to the underworld, sir." He said, shortly and then put the coin on the table. "Please?"
"You think I can be bought?" Charon questioned.
"Lord Ares gave us that." It was as if the god was trying to help them, despite being so rude towards them. Percy tapped the counter, next to the coin. "I think you know what this is." He said.
Charon narrowed his eyes at the coin, "It's a drachma," He then flipped it around. "Access granted." The man suddenly said and the only glimpse of the coin Percy could get was the glimpse of a boar before he was nudged into the elevator.
Percy barely saw Charon twist a key to get the elevator started, his gut unsettled as they lowered into the land of the dead. It was even worse when he realized that they were going forward. The spirit next to him suddenly wore gray hooded robes, "New Halloween costume." He muttered.
"You'll get here soon enough, demigod. Your sort never lives long." Charon said and Percy felt his nostrils flare up in slight anger. He wanted to live for as long as he could, and he was stubborn enough to not die early in the life he was living. He looked up at the daimon to talk back at him, but his mouth dried when he saw the dry smile and the empty eye sockets, he could feel the darkness of death and despair reach out to him.
As soon as the daimon started to turn translucent, the elevator walls disappeared and turned into a wooden ferry boat. They were now being guided over the river Styx, Percy peered into the river and saw ebony hair float around a face, obsidian eyes staring up at him, curiously.
Percy let out a breath as he was pulled back from the edge, he looked at Annabeth with a raised eyebrow. "You were leaning a bit too far forward." She said, "We need you on this quest, the oracle said so herself."
"Just the oracle?" Percy questioned.
"Grover too." Annabeth grinned at him, Percy wanted to tease her further, maybe get a reaction out of her but it was interrupted by the howl that sounded. The three of them took in a sharp breath.
"Sounds like he's hungry, your oracle tells you something about him?" Charon referred to the hound of Hades, and Percy had actually heard of the monster, tamed by honey cakes and music.
Percy put his feet into the wood of the ferry and took in a breath as he closed his eyes. 'The Hospitable One.' He prayed, 'Forgive me for coming in without sending a heads up, but I believe that your waiting room already has enough heads.' The ferry creaked and Percy took in a calming breath, he was aware of how Annabeth's hand would graze against his arm when the boat creaked. 'We seek your hospitality within your palace for our quest.'
He opened his eyes again when the shiver up his spine didn't stop after Annabeth's hand once again grazed against his arm. The hairs on his arm shot straight up, he glanced at her to find her staring at the land they approached.
Percy was the first one to step off and he held out his hand to help Annabeth off, but the daughter of wisdom just looked at it before stepping off on her own. He pursed his lips as he watched her walk on the well worn path.
He let out a surprised breath as he helped Grover off of the path. They were approaching the security guards and Percy took in a breath. "We're going to be fine." Annabeth whispered to him. "Luke said that we would be fine."
"I don't know him, but I do know that he isn't here at the moment. He wouldn't know if we're going to be just fine." Percy muttered and the pearls on his pocket got even heavier, as did the bag Annabeth got from Ares. "When did you lose your bag?"
"Before the forest," She shuddered, "We had to retrieve Ares' shield."
"You did that on your own." Grover said, "Even if you came out of the ride screaming." Percy looked confused at her, "She has a phobia of spiders," He clarified, "The love tunnel hasn't been ridden in a very, long time."
"I must have left it there." Annabeth said quietly as they approached the skeletons. "We got split up, soon after." She said, "I ran away into the forest, Grover followed suit but Luke got lost in the forest."
"Why not find us now?" Percy questioned, the hairs on the back of his neck shot upright and Percy had his swords at the two skeletons who had approached them, quietly. They didn't make a skeleton sound like the characters from the gamecube.
"Percy Jackson?" The skeletons called out in sync, not afraid of the swords facing them. Percy narrowed his eyes at them and nodded, "You've been granted permission." His unwavering glare wavered and he reluctantly lowered his swords.
He raised an eyebrow and followed after them, not seeing the two shared looks of Grover and Annabeth. They fell in step behind the skeletons and Percy's wrist was grabbed by Annabeth, "How?" She questioned, hissing at him.
"I prayed." He answered quietly and looked at the hand holding onto his wrist, "My uncle is called the hospitable one for a reason." He looked up at her intense gray eyes and found himself comparing them to the eyes of Reyna whenever she gets angry about something.
He stopped in his step and with his other hand, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the pearls. He handed one to Grover and held one out for Annabeth, as if it was a peace offer. She let go of his wrist and opened her hand. "These are pearls that I got from Triton, step on them and we go to some place."
"Some place?" Annabeth repeated, "You don't know where."
"Just some place where the sea is." He said and turned around to continue walking. "I'm here to help, not to slow you two down, because this is my quest too now." He said and glanced back at Grover who was nodding, understandably. "We're in this together."
Along the way up to the foreboding temple, Grover muttered about the smell and how it was just affecting his abilities. Percy shuddered as they stood in front of the two bronze doors. The skeletons opened the doors and Percy walked in after them, they walked through a hallway and they were in awe of the jewels decorating the otherwise grim palace.
"Perseus Jackson." An oily voice called out and Percy took his eyes off of the gems, straightening his back at the sight of what he supposes to be his uncle. "A demigod who had not been heard of a lot at all, unlike your counterparts." His eyes slid over to Annabeth. "The demigod with the prophecy," then to Grover, "The satyr who failed to protect, oh boy, I do like to see someone grovel, just to redeem himself." Hades was amused.
"Your domain is crowded." He stated, "So are your waiting rooms."
Hades snorted, "You have your father's sense of amusement."
Percy smiled shortly before returning to his serious face. "My prophecy has sent me here," He said, "To return the master bolt."
"Prophecies tend to have double meanings."
"The first part of my prophecy sent me to Los Angeles," Percy said, "A stolen relic, secrets to keep-"
"My stolen relic?" Hades tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes at Percy, "My helmet of darkness has been stolen, what secrets are you trying to hold close to you, boy?" The man took in an angry breath, "Sending Alecto was a good idea, you were corroborating with that spawn of Ares, weren't you-"
"You sent one of the kindly ones after my mother." Percy stated slowly and looked up at his uncle, he felt anger towards the Lord of the Underworld. A hand on his wrist grounded him, he took in a breath. "We don't have your helmet."
"Open your backpack, right now."
Annabeth's hand let go of his wrist and Percy felt her zip open the backpack and he could hear it, the hum of energy. His breath hitched. "You heroes." Hades slowly stood up from his skull throne. "You deny, deny and deny. But the truth will prevail."
"It can't be," Percy breathed out and looked up at his uncle who was inching closer and closer. "Lord Hades we did not know-"
"Know what? That your backpack contains my possession?" The man sneered at his nephew. Percy looked back in the backpack and shook his head softly at the frightened quest mates.
"Use the pearls." His quest mates nodded and before Grover stepped on his pearl, Percy threw the backpack at him. He had only caught a glimpse of the terrified face before the satyr disappeared in a bubble up the ceiling of the palace. Annabeth had looked betrayed as soon as she saw.
"Using your father's tricks?" Hades sneered and Percy looked up at his uncle.
"I am Perseus Jackson." He said and his uncle wavered. "I have been living in the forest for nearly two months before I finally arrived at Camp Jupiter." His appearance changed and he saw the more reasonable side, the more disciplined side, following his own set of rules that was known to be fair, justifiable and reasonable. "Lord Pluto, I have only spent a day at Camp Jupiter before I had an oracle send me out to retrieve the master bolt." Percy dropped his head, "I will prove my innocence, I swear."
"Swear it on the river Styx." Pluto said and narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Swear on the river Styx that the helmet has never been in your possession, that it had never been in your sight." Pluto retreated to the throne, "Let the Fata watch and beware for that the river Styx is more ruthless than I, because if she takes you, you're stuck in the river, watching the dead pass over into elysium."
Percy held his head high, "I swear on the river Styx that I have never had possession of the Helmet of Darkness, I have never seen it before." He swore and thunder rumbled loudly, he nearly flinched at hearing it. "Lord Pluto," He spoke before he could think. "I have not gone home because your Kindly One had hurt my mother, to make sure she won't get attacked again." With a dry mouth, "I am a son of Sally Jackson before I am a son of Neptune."
The man held his head up, "I see," He said. "How did the Master Bolt fall into your possession, son of Sally Jackson?" He questioned, no longer was Percy afraid of being killed, even though it would probably give him a speed ticket because he already was in the underworld.
"Annabeth-"
"Athena's spawn," The man cracked a smile as his appearance changed yet again, Lord Hades sat before him, this time he wasn't about to kill Percy. "I am surprised that you can be around her, your parents' arguments even have a reputation of their own. It really does awe you when you listen to whatever they are arguing about now."
"Annabeth had liked me more before she knew I was a child of Poseidon." Percy said, begrudgingly. He didn't want to admit it, that he didn't hear the little bit in her words whenever she asked him a question. "But, Annabeth had lost her backpack when she lost her original third quest mate. Lord Ares had brought her bag back to her after he had confronted us in the diner."
"Are you trying to accuse the God of War of stealing my Helmet of Darkness?" Hades quipped and Percy paled.
"Gods no," Percy shook his head, "Or well, I don't know." He admitted. "I can't find a reason to trust their previous, quest mate. Sir." Luke, "From what I heard he didn't really help, the more I hear about him the more I think that he's dragging the quest out."
He had lost a satyr that barely can run at full speed in the forest, gave the satyr shoes of which he knew would be adamant about not taking it off. The urge to repent was stronger than the urge to survive, and Luke would know that. They had to retrieve a shield that was lost and taken by Hesphaestus, and why would a son of Hermes not jump and use their skills to steal.
"And you don't suspect your own quest mate, the spawn of Athena? For I had seen her at the winter solstice." Hades said, "She could have been the lightning thief, for all you know."
"It would make no sense, Lord Hades." Percy shook his head, "From what Lady Lupa had taught me, was that the spawns of Athena are proud. Annabeth is running herself into the ground because she accepted this quest," He had seen so for himself, when he first had encountered the girl, he was afraid that she would collapse out of exhaustion. "Luke however, had taken control of the quest, even though it wasn't his to take. How much manipulation has to be taken to let a child of Athena, just give over their glory?"
Hades nodded, looking at the points made. "I understand, godling." The man stood up from his palace, "But all that I am hearing is that Luke stole the Master Bolt, and I am hearing nothing of my Helmet of Darkness." This time, Percy could hear the skeletons near him. His heart was pounding as he looked at his uncle. Percy's hand held a pearl and he couldn't trust the skeletons.
Gods are selfish creatures, possessive ones too. "I will do what I can, Lord Hades. I will return it to you unless I don't miss my deadline for Zeus." He said and he was surrounded by skeletons. "I owe you a quest-"
"You owe me your soul!" The man argued and as soon as Percy saw his hand go up, the sign of 'attack'. He threw the pearl under his sole and crushed it, watching in awe as the bubble surrounded him and lifted him up. His heart kept racing as darkness engulfed him as soon as he hit the ceiling.
He came up to the surface of water and he watched Annabeth and Grover hold onto a buoy. Percy swam over to them and Annabeth's screams faded, "I'm so sorry." He whispered to her, he could imagine being in a god's domain of a god that didn't like you at all. He helped Annabeth up on the buoy and kept Grover floating with a constant stream of water, there was only room for one person on the buoy.
He hadn't been underground without them for long, but it was long enough for Annabeth to resort to screaming. Percy waved every once and then before the coast guard came to pick them up. They were given thermal blankets and Percy was cold, having to will himself to get wet before being able to step on the boat like a normal mortal.
Percy had taken the backpack from Grover and put it over his shoulder. They weren't held for long, the coast guard was too busy for that. They trudged down the beach, looking at groups that were gathering on the beach. "An earthquake," Percy could feel it, and he could tell. "Lord Hades raged an earthquake in Los Angeles." He breathed out.
Guilt shivered up his spine and Percy reached out for Annabeth and Grover, willing for them to dry. "What did you talk about with him?" Annabeth questioned, her voice sounded accusatory.
"Who the lightning thief would be." Percy said, "And who would have his helmet." Percy stopped in his tracks and grabbed onto Annabeth's arm, the girl looked ready to fight him but Percy pointed at the biker a few feet away from them, having appeared there amidst the chaos.
"That would be such a good question."
"Good thing that you already know, Ares." Percy said and he watched on as Ares took out a ski cap from his pocket and threw it on his bike. It transformed into a war helmet, the bronze kind.
Ares then began explaining his elaborate plan, Percy thought he was more like, explaining the plan elaborately because there was no reason to be monologuing like Ares was currently. "-pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."
"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.
"He doesn't care," Percy said and thought of Hades' smile when he talked about their parents' rivalry. "They like family fights?"
"Imagine the family wars then." The man smiled, sadistically. "The bloodiest and it gets your family all together in one place, maybe someone will get beheaded." Percy cringed at the thought of it.
"You planned it," He said boldly, Annabeth slapped his arm and Percy had to refrain from rolling his eyes. The god had just admitted it. "You sent Annabeth on a side-quest, scared her so that she would run and took her backpack and put in the master bolt."
"Actually," He was going to get corrected by a god who had just monologues for about three minutes, until his conclusion came to the fact that family fights are more fun. "The backpack is the sheath, just morphed it into the same one your little friend has." Percy blinked, "The bolt is connected, like the sword you got, it always returns to your necklace, doesn't it?"
Ares continues to try and antagonize them, which really worked on Percy. He was so tired and had already been walking around on the top of his toes, not wanting to anger anyone. "The master bolt is powerful, why not keep it for yourself?" Percy then blurted out, it was the question on his mind for so long.
Ares blinked and frowned, his face kept responding to something they couldn't hear, maybe a voice. The god of war raised his eyebrows and hummed. "That kind of firepower," He muttered and then went silent, his eyes staring right at them, but not really seeing them.
Percy glanced at Annabeth, she looked puzzled as she gauged the god's reaction. Then he stopped staring and grinned, "Not worth the trouble, imagine getting caught red-handed with that thing like you are?"
"That can't be your idea." Percy stated, having blurted it out. He felt a hand slap over his mouth and looked at Annabeth. For a moment his eyes widened as he realized what he said. He had just insulted a violent god's intelligence.
Smoke came out from behind the man's sunglasses, "Of course!" He called out. "I found the thief! I kept the master bolt! All me!"
"He didn't." Percy breathed out, "You didn't arrange stealing the master bolt, you found the thief so long ago." He blinked, "Or the thief found you, the thief convinced you?" If the thief was Luke, he wouldn't have been able to manipulate a god. "What convinced you?" He breathed out.
"I take no arrangements! No dreams convince me to do anything!" The man shouted and his sunglasses bursted out in flames.
"Dreams?" Ares was so done with Percy, agitated until the point where his glasses caught fire.
"I tried to help you," Ares said as he stepped off of his bike, in front of him, two wild boars rose out of the sand. "You took in my child, took care of my child and are a friend to my child." The boars were just waiting for his command. "Lucky, that none of my children are dependent."
"Her name is Clarisse La Rue." Percy said and glared at Ares. The glare he learned from Lupa, one of intimidation. "Acknowledge her, as your daughter." He pulled at his necklace and held two swords. "She's the kind of person who will fight me herself," He raised an eyebrow at the god of war as he fell into a fighting position. "I suppose she didn't get it from you."
Ares laughed and until this day, Percy had never heard such laughter to be poised with anger. "You've got one thing going for you, kid. That is running from the Underworld and having trained in the forest. You don't have what it takes." He looked like he struggled to keep his appearance up.
Percy took a step back as the boar took one closer to him. "Can't, kid. You're not at my level, besides, no direct involvement." The god shrugged casually and held his hand up. A snap sounded and the boar charged.
He had hunted boars in the forest, for dinner and for tracking purposes. Only those boars weren't like the ones of Ares. Percy sidestepped the boar and swung down his swords, cutting the two tusks off of it and kicking it into the water, engulfing it and washing up the dust. "Kill me, turn me into anything you want, if I lose." Percy spat as the waves touched the back of his shoes. "But fight me yourself." He glared at the god, "I win? The helm and bolt are mine, and you have to run."
Ares grinned and reached behind his bike, holding onto a baseball bat. "Choose your animal, tapeworm or cockroach?" He questioned and swung his bat, "Classic or modern?" Percy held up his sword with an incredulous expression, questioning if the god had even been paying attention.
The sunglasses burnt off of his face and the baseball bat turned into a sword, it was huge and had to be held with two hands. Percy felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to her, "Don't do this." Annabeth was shaking her head and Percy saw worry on her face. "He's a god."
"He isn't a self-made god." Percy said and held his swords tighter. "It is a title to be earned, it would be cowardly for him to turn away now, having to fight a demigod and losing to one at that." Ares scowled.
Annabeth took off her necklace and Percy had seen it before. "It's our camp necklace, and my father's ring." She said, "That ring would be enough to convince Charon, I saw him eying it."
He pursed his lips, "Why not think of it as a settlement?" He said, "Wisdom and water align?" Annabeth turned a little red and Percy managed to smile off his blush. A flattened tin can was pushed into his hand.
"Take this, the satyrs stand behind you." Grover said and Percy smiled at his friend. He could now consider Grover a friend, the satyr had done nothing wrong and Percy hadn't been able to see it until now, he had even brought Clarisse to safety and had gone on the quest to repent.
"Wisdom, earth and water works align. A group of two, a thread intertwined." Percy quoted and gave the two of them a small smile. "I hope you know that I am glad that it is you two, whose thread I am intertwined with."
"Done saying good-bye?" Ares walked closer to the group. "I've been fighting for eons, strength is unlimited and I am an immortal. What do you have?" He taunted and Percy wasn't going to fall into its trap and rage, losing all composure.
Annabeth and Grover backed away and Percy gave them a reassuring smile. As soon as they were out of sight and hearing distance, Percy grinned. "I will have wolves snapping at my ankles if they learn that I challenged a god after leaving them for three days." Percy said, "Lady Lupa was a good trainer, right Ares?" He questioned and the appearance flickered.
It was a disorienting process, he had realized it with Hades. The hand up to his head to manage a headache, the clenching of the fist, a small burst of pain over their whole body. Ares shouted a greek curse word that Percy knew wasn't child friendly and cleaved down at the godling's neck, hoping to cut it off cleanly.
The sword touched the ground and a flick of the ocean pushed Percy up in the air and over the god. In his hands, the weapons changed. A trident and a dagger, one to keep distance and the other enough to cause damage if the god broke through.
Ares twisted his body and his sword followed just as quick. The sword was caught between the prongs of the trident and Percy twisted it down, slashing at the god with his dagger. It had only caught onto the leather jacket and ripped it. "Now, that was vintage." Ares taunted and Percy cringed.
"You are vintage." He talked back and pulled back his trident as the god took control of the fight's pace again. Percy wasn't in the water anymore but Ares was nearing it, just inches away from it.
Ares kept turning and slashing to keep him out of the water, at one point the god was pushing so much that he had to watch out for not being slashed brutally and quickly. The trident had done its thing but Percy knew that he was burning out of energy.
The swords reappeared in his hands and Percy got in close, pushing away Ares' sword with his left one and slashing with his right one, slashing the god's chest open. Ichor blood gushed from the wound. "Excuse me, Mars." Percy called out and the god clutched his head.
Ares swiped as his legs and Percy jumped, a kick to the chest and he landed in the sand, just by the turf. Percy groaned at the pain, if the god hadn't been distracted by changing its appearance and trying to keep up his Greek side, Percy would have been in the dunes.
Percy rolled to the side and grabbed a sword after it had flown out of his hand from the kick. There was a pattern, Percy would try to slash or stab and Ares would deflect, over and over again.
But what belongs to the sea, returns to the sea and Percy was ankle deep in the water before he knew it. The god was following, grinning and waving his sword around as an intimidation technique. "No hope at all, just toying with you." Taunts after taunts were thrown at him.
Percy's arm had cuts all over and he was noticing everything. It was like one of Lupa's tests, the one where you were blindfolded out in the forest with only a dagger to defend yourself from the monsters that she only allowed through. Behind the beach, he saw the green skin of his brother, but only for a single moment before Percy had to deflect.
Ares was up to his thighs in the water and was still moving as eloquently as ever. "Game over, little hero." God of taunts, rather than war. Percy felt water against his back and sealed together the wounds, energy coursed through him.
The waves behind him were pushing back and forward ever harder than before. The only one unaffected was Percy. As Ares approached, Percy called out for Mars one more time. The man clutched his head again and was thrown back in the water as a wave smashed him back. Cursing and spitting out salt water, Percy had stabbed and done damage on his most roman way.
He could feel the difference, the way his posture was more disciplined but more stiff rather than the Greek way, where he was loose and ready to destroy everything on his own. He fainted a hit and managed to stab the heel before pushing him over with the other.
The sea was blasted away, leaving the two of them in a circle. Anger pushed it away and the sea didn't return. Percy was steppin away from the god, as Ares limped towards him. He reached out, barehanded and grabbed Percy by the scruff of the neck.
Percy could hear Grover's panicked rant to Annabeth and he stopped. "You've made an enemy out of me, godling." Dear gods, Ares should pick up a toothbrush instead of a weapon every once in a while. "Your fate is sealed, one day, your weapon will fail you at a crucial time, beware for what that time can decide."
His body began to glow after he had let go of the stretched out collar. As if everybody was going to pull on his clothes, Annabeth grabbed onto his t-shirt and pulled him towards her, face down the sand. "Don't watch!" She shouted out.
Even through the sand, light shone through and as soon as it tied, Percy looked up with sand sticking onto his face. "Get the helm and bolt." He told them and willed for the water to come to him.
He wiped off the sand and dropped the water ball onto the ground. Watching the sand absorb it away from his sight, but not his senses. "That was stupid, impertinent and so worrying." A voice called out and Percy couldn't decide whether it was angry or concerned.
"I know."
"If you know why would you do it?" Triton asked and looked at his little brother. "Why would you worry me like that?"
"I had to get the helm and bolt." Percy argued weakly. "It was that or die at the hands of Zeus." He said quietly. The burning of his energy had caught up to him and he was tired, so tired.
"Oh Perseus." Percy could feel the awkward pat on the back. Triton didn't know how to act like a brother, unlike how acting like a prince came naturally to him. "Let's get you to New York."
"What is up with New York?" He questioned, his sword had returned to his necklace and his hand shot up to the sudden beads. Annabeth's necklace, he still had it.
"It is the headquarters of the gods." Triton answered and the two of them looked down at the skeleton's upper body that reached out from the sand. "I think it needs something."
Percy caught the helmet that Annabeth threw at him and handed it to the skeleton, he kept his grip on it. "Tell your master that I will be at Camp Jupiter for the school year, and that I am ready for a quest." He whispered and finally let go of the piece of armor. The skeleton sank into the sand with it in its hands.
A whistle sounded and it was like the one Percy learned when he still lived in New York. He looked at his brother and blinked when he saw the two pegasus' fly down to the ground behind him. "You have a few hours until you're expected at Olympus," He smiled in the direction of Percy's blonde quest companion, "She'll know how to get up."
Percy nodded and watched his brother step into the water. "Take good care of my pegasus, and tell the council everything." Triton did the Atlantean sign of goodbye, three fingers to the forehead and down in an arch.
Percy reciprocated the sign with a small smile on his face. Watching, as Triton was pulled back into the waves as it rose. The god was gone when it crashed into the sand. Percy turned to his new friends with a sheepish smile.
Annabeth and Grover approached, Percy took off her necklace and held it out for her. "Thank you," He said quietly and grabbed the flat tin can from his back pocket. "You too, Grover."
Grover couldn't contain his relief as he pulled Percy in for a hug, "Thank the gods, you're alive." The satyr bleated and looked at the pegasi. "Thank your brother as well." He let go of Percy and whispered as he inched closer to the pegasi.
Percy laughed softly and looked at Annabeth. "I'm glad that we're friends." He said and tried to gauge her reaction.
"We have been friends ever since the forest." She retorted.
Percy raised an eyebrow at her, "Sure." He hummed, "I won't argue with that." He said and looked at Grover, who had already climbed on a pegasus. His leg was kicking back and forth, nervous to be on such a majestic creature. "Looks like we're sharing."
Annabeth cringed but nodded reluctantly. Percy swung his leg over the pegasus and held his hand out for Annabeth. She didn't seem to want any of his help, "There will never be an expiration date on my help, Annabeth." He said as the pegasus was preparing to launch. "I will never stop helping you whenever I can." The girl just wrapped an arm around his stomach and held onto him as the pegasi flew up into the air.
"Sometimes it is rotten work." She said, and he could feel her reach up to the ring attached to the necklace.
"Not to me it isn't." Percy retorted, "You're my friend, Annabeth."