We ended up getting picked up by a Coast Guard boat. Thankfully they were too busy to keep us for long or wonder about the three kids in street clothes that were somehow in the middle of the bay.
I had managed to shove a pair of pants to Grover who had awkwardly pulled them on, and I handed him my shoes too. It was better for them to wonder about why one of us was missing shoes than whatever that annoying mist thing would cook up for Grover's hooves.
The feeling of rain followed us as the boat took us to shore.
I winced at the sight of the city as the Coast Guard dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around our shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD!
"What happened?" Grover muttered.
"I uh, I think that Hades tried to stop us from escaping." We started walking to the beach. "And His power clashed with the power Poseidon-ore put in the pearls and it ended up… causing an earthquake?"
"Well, the Earthshaker and the one beneath the Earth clashing would… would do that I guess," Grover muttered.
"I don't believe it though," Annabeth said. "We came all this way—"
"We knew that Hades didn't have it," I said. "We knew we would get the Bolt… just not like this."
Annabeth winced.
"It was a trick, a very clever one," I said. "A strategy worthy of Athena herself."
Annabeth slumped.
"Can one of you explain what exactly happened?" Grover asked. "I'm lo—"
"Percy…" Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry…"
I looked away, pretending not to hear her. If I talked about this now, I'd burst into tears and we'd get nowhere. We had a job to do.
I had to leave her, but that didn't mean it didn't ache.
"The prophecy was right," I told Grover. "' You shall go west and face the God who has turned '. Khiron thought it was Hades-ton, but it wasn't. Someone else pulled off the theft, a Demigod. They stole Zeus' Master Bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness, then they framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid and he's the only one they didn't steal from."
The taste of blood and the feeling of sharp blades filled my senses, only making the scorching electricity worse.
"I know the Bolt was in the bag from Ares," Grover said slowly. "But he- he wouldn't really…"
We reached the beach, and I stopped, staring at the source of the new sensations.
I frowned at the shifting sands drifting over my senses.
"Well, I guess we can ask him."
There he was, waiting for us. He was wearing the same black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped up on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.
"Hey, cousin," Ares said with a smirk. He almost seemed pleased to see us. "You were supposed to die."
I stepped forward, "You tricked us. You had the Helm and Bolt stolen. You're using them to start a war."
Ares grinned at us, "Well, war amongst family is the greatest kind of war, and you're getting in the way. See, you needed to die in the Underworld so that your dad would be mad at Hades for killing you. Then Corpse Breath will have Zeus' Master Bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is, of course, still looking for this…"
From his pocket he pulled out a cap, like Annabeth's Yankee hat except deep red. The feeling of burning shadows swept over me and I grimaced.
This was extremely uncomfortable.
Ares placed the cap between the handlebars of his bike and it immediately transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.
"The Helm of Darkness!" Grover gasped.
"Exactly," Ares said. "Now, where was I?"
Sands shifted around us, my eyes narrowed.
"Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, he won't know who took his Helm you see? And then soon we've got a nice little three-way slugfest going. A tidy little war, things have been boring around the world you see."
"I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find a few wars without starting your own," I said carefully.
Ares groaned, "They all fall under other's domains. Not dealing with that fight. No, starting my own right here was best."
"Are there other war Gods?" Grover muttered in confusion.
"You gave me the backpack in Denver," I said slowly. "But the Master Bolt wasn't there the whole time. You enchanted the bag?"
"Good eye, cuz," Ares grinned. "It's probably too complicated for a little mortal like you to understand, 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, cuz. It always returns to your pocket, right?"
I blinked for a moment, sword?
"What sword?" Grover asked.
I shrugged.
"The bronze one… pen sword?" Ares elaborated.
…
"Oh!" The sea sword. I forgot about that. "Yeah, it does that… supposedly."
"Anyway," Ares continued. "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've got mail. And if you died along the way—no loss. I still had the Bolt."
I stared at him, trying to understand the different sensations.
These shifting sands were Kronos-tito's, the blood and sharpness was Ares'. I remembered one of my dreams, all the way back in Yancy…
Kronos said He'd had to influence someone, because His… minion? Got caught.
What if…
"Why didn't you keep the Bolt for yourself? If you wanted to start a war you didn't need to send it to Hades."
Ares got a twitch in His jaw, and the shifting sands grew stronger. He tilted His head, as if listening to another voice.
So, He did…
"Why didn't I… yeah… with that kind of fire-power…"
He held the trance for one second… two seconds…
I glanced at Annabeth, trying to convey what I'd realized with my eyes.
Ares' face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."
I straightened, staring Him down, "You're lying."
"I'm a God, I have no need to lie," He scoffed.
"It wasn't your idea. You didn't come up with the plan to send the bolt to the underworld."
"Yes, I did! Of course I did, who else would've?" Smoke curled from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.
"You didn't order the theft," I said determined. "Another Demigod stole the Helm and the Bolt. When Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But the thief has a patron, someone that convinced you to let the thief go."
The patron, Kronos-tito. That dream I had so long ago, that explained it. It was about this.
"You kept the items until another came along to complete the delivery, and maybe make the whole situation worse. This whole thing was a plot by Kronos-tito to regain His power, and you're doing exactly as He wants."
"I am the God of War! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"
I frowned, was that how Kronos guided him? "I didn't say anything about dreams."
Ares snarled at us, but the blood and knives… they twisted, grew strong. He was agitated, nervous, fighting? He covered it with a smirk.
"Look cuz, let's get back to the matter at hand. You're alive. I can't have you taking that Bolt to Olympus or you might just get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. It's nothing personal."
The shifting sands almost seemed to twist.
I frowned, were the sands (Kronos-tito) controlling Him? Or trying to stop Him? Or something else entirely?
He tilted His head, raising His hand.
"It was nice knowing you cuz, you were fun." He snapped His fingers.
The sand exploded at His feet and with the jab of a knife in my side.
Out of the sand charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin five at Camp Half-Blood. The beast paused, as if waiting for orders. Its razor-sharp tusks were lowered to my chest.
"Are you really going to jump straight to a fight?" I asked. "We can't talk about this and come to an agreement?"
"Talking is an Athena thing, cuz. I'm war, raw nasty, unpleasant war." He grinned at me. "I'll talk to you when you're dead and your soul owes me allegiance."
Well, politeness didn't seem to be working here, whether it was 'cause of Kronos-tito, or something else (was this just Ares? Was this what he was like? He was strong, I could feel his presence). If politeness didn't work… I didn't have the power to fight him normally. But…
I looked to Grover and Annabeth, both of them extremely worried. I thought of the sea, of Triton. I thought of my mom. I promised to go back for her, once this is over.
My gaze hardened.
If you could win them over with manners, you antagonized them. An angry enemy was a dumb enemy.
That was what Triton taught me.
"If you won't talk, then why don't you fight me yourself? Or are you too scared?" I stepped away from Grover and Annabeth, into the surf.
Non-existent rain danced across my skin.
He laughed, but it was uneasy. The sands twisted, shifting tighter. "You've got some skills, cuz. I watched your fights. But your only real skill is running away. You ran from Medusa. You ran from the Khimaira. You ran from the Underworld. You can't fight me, you're a twelve-year-old kid who only knows how to run. You're not at my level."
"Percy," Annabeth yelled. "Run!"
The giant boar charged.
I wasn't going to run though, I couldn't this time. I owed my mom, I owed my friends, I owed the sea more than that.
I had to stop this war, and that meant standing my ground.
As the boar rushed me, I side-stepped. My knife slid into my hand (still unnamed, I'd need to name it). I sliced through the side of the boar's neck.
This was the first time I'd used my Abyssal Platinum knife, the first time I could see its effects beyond what Triton had described.
The boar shrieked, and dropped like a rock.
The pressure on its body rose to the pressure that the depths of the ocean where the metal this blade was made from was mined.
It writhed on the ground, squealing loudly as its body seemed to press in.
I stepped forward and drove my knife into its neck, deeper this time, to put it out of its misery.
It exploded into gold dust, leaving behind two razor-sharp tusks longer than my arm sinking into the water.
I faced Ares once more. "Are you going to fight me yourself now?" I asked. "Or will you summon another pet to hide behind like some half-rate blobfish?"
His lips curled into a sneer, "You should be more careful, cousin. I could turn you into—"
"A pig," I said with faked nonchalance. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure you could turn me into any number of things. That would save you from having to fight and lose to a twelve-year-old, wouldn't it?"
His fancy wraparound sunglasses caught on fire. "Oh, dear little cousin," He bared His teeth in a dangerous smile. "You really want to be smashed into a grease spot, don't you?"
I forced myself to hold steady against the sharpness digging into my sides, the blood that filled my mouth.
"If I lose, go ahead and turn me into anything you want. Or order me to do you some favor, even going to the underworld to surrender myself, or bring the bolt down once more. But if I win, you have to hand over both the Helm and the Bolt. And then you have to leave us alone without any retaliation. Winner is the one to draw first blood."
He sneered, but there was almost hesitation. Not really afraid… but wary. Like He didn't want to go too far.
"Fine then, cousin." He swung the baseball bat off His shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"
"One more thing, Lord Ares."
Annabeth shot me a strange look.
"Swear it."
"What?"
"Swear that you'll abide by the terms of our deal. Swear it on the Styx—" I felt a lash cross my skin "—and swear it to your father."
Zeus had to handle oath breakers, right? As part of being one of the rulers of justice… maybe.
Ares snarled, the shifting sands drifted.
"Fine then," He snapped. "I swear on the Styx and I swear to Zeus himself that I'll abide by the terms you've set. Happy, brat?"
I winced slightly at the lash and faint sizzle of lightning (though the lightning was nearly lost beneath the scorching electricity on my skin).
"Thrilled."
His lips suddenly curled into a sharp smile, "Now you."
I blinked, "Pardon?"
"You swear the same oath, little cousin. Won't have you backing out at the last minute."
I sheathed my knife.
"I, Perseus Jackson, swear on the River Styx and to Lord Zeus Himself to abide by the terms I have listed, so long as Lord Ares keeps his own oath."
I grimaced at the lash and sizzle of lightning, stronger this time. I almost felt like a ring of water had curled around my wrist, faintly burning.
Was that holding me to my oath?
"Now then, cuz, answer my question. Classic? Or modern?"
I pulled my bracelet's charm, the trident growing in my hand.
He nodded, "That's cool, cousin. Classic it is."
With a slight jab of the knives I felt in my side, the baseball bat shifted into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was capped with a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.
Even from here I could tell that sword was heavy, but Ares showed no difficulty lifting it.
"Percy," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a God. You can't hope to match him."
"I don't have a choice," I said. "I have to get the Helm back, and stop him from killing us."
She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."
She slid her bracelet off, the prayer bracelet I'd noticed at the beginning of the quest. She grabbed my free hand, and slid the bracelet on.
"Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."
My face felt warm, but I managed a smile as I studied the bracelet her cabin had given her. "Thanks."
The bracelet was carved of wood (like my necklace) but didn't have a charm. Instead it was connected pieces of carved wood, shaped like owl heads. It had words carved in Ancient Greek that I could now make out to say, 'Aegis bearing Athena, show wisdom and strength in my journey' .
"And take this," Grover said. He handed me his reed pipes, the ones his daddy goat made for him. "The satyrs stand behind you."
"Grover," I murmured. "I don't know what to say."
He patted me on the shoulder. I managed to slide the reed pipes into my back pocket.
"Are you done saying your farewells?" Ares came towards me, his black leather duster trailing behind him. His sword glinted like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited, and I can't die. What do you have to fight me with?"
The sea, my friends, my brother. I had the trident Triton gave me, I had the seeds the Demeter cabin gave me, and I had the waterbending Katara taught me.
I thought back to what Annabeth had said at the Denver diner, so long ago: Ares has strength, but that's all. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.
Ares cleaved His blade downward at my head, but I wasn't there.
My instincts from Triton's training and my ADHD hyper awareness came together and I moved without thinking.
Using the water as a catapult I launched into the air and over Him, lashing out to stab Him as I did.
Ares was quick though, He twisted and deflected the strike that should've caught Him directly in the spine off of His sword hilt.
"Not bad, not bad at all." He grinned.
A moment later and He was slashing again, forcing me out of the water and onto dry land.
I used one hand to make a sharp motion, calling the sea water back to me and raising the water octopus like Katara.
Ares faltered for a moment, but moved forward anyways.
I stabbed my trident into the ground right in front of me, to use both hands for control, and flicked my wrists.
The water lashed out, sending ice shards that He blocked.
He sliced through the first few, stepping forward. Slice, slice, slice .
I sent one tentacle of the water to wrap around His leg. He stumbled, I sent a dozen more ice shards. I didn't need to guide them, just aim.
I drew my hands together, then swept them out, the water wrapped together, slamming into him and knocking him back as I yanked my trident up charged forward.
He'd blocked or dodged the ice shards, all but one. It shattered against His arm, but by His grimace it hurt.
My trident flicked towards His side, but He twisted and it slid past.
His blade knocked my trident down, before a quick flick sent His blade sliding up.
I yanked more water, forming an ice shield that gave me enough time to pull away as He shattered it.
Another slash of my hand sent a dozen blades of ice flying at Him.
I slid forward once more, remembering what Triton taught me during one of our sparring sessions.
Your strength is your water, the trident is your backup.
I stabbed at His unprotected leg, He leapt over it.
Against a superior opponent, look for openings.
His blade almost hit my arm, I threw myself to the side.
Make openings with your water, then strike with the trident.
I used one hand to send water around his leg, He side-stepped and rushed forward, I brought the water up to block but His blade barely slowed and I raised my trident.
His hit was powerful, the trident went flying and He kicked me hard in the chest.
I was airborne for a moment—twenty, maybe thirty feet, just barely having the frame of mind to call water from the ocean to soften my fall.
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"
Oh great, that explained the faint buzzing I'd just started noticing.
I wrapped the water around me, helping to steady me. My vision recovered fairly quick, though my chest still felt like it had just been hit with a battering ram. My veil had fallen off when I hit the ground.
I took a breath and pushed myself to my feet, locking my eyes on Ares.
I couldn't afford to look away or He'd slice me in half.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming as Ares brought his blade down on me.
I raised my hands, water hardened quickly over me. It held, barely.
"There, officer! See?"
I slid away, sending the water lashing out freezing it mid-air.
"Looks like that kid on TV…"
Ares blocked.
"What the heck…"
Another lash and I guided water from behind Him. A blade of ice would've stabbed Him in the back if not for His inhuman instincts warning him. He took the lash and dodged the blade of ice.
"That guy's armed! Call for backup!"
He wasn't bleeding, but there was a definite bruise forming on His cheek (it was a reddish gold).
My sides felt like daggers were in them, I stumbled.
Ares slashed once more, and I tucked into a roll to dodge.
I pushed up, already slashing one arm across, the water following the movement to form a thin blade that He was forced to dodge.
I finally stepped back into the surf, feeling my energy bolster.
My trident was still on land, and any one I'd make from water wouldn't hold up against Ares' sword. I wasn't good enough with my knife to counter him with it.
"Admit it, cousin," Ares said. "You've got no hope. I'm just toying with you here. Admit defeat and you'll get out without more injury."
My gaze flickered over him, hyper focusing on his every move as he stalked forward slowly.
I was distantly aware of more cop cars pulling up, of Annabeth and Grover coming closer to the water, of the rain on my skin turning into a downpour.
Ryujin, I sent a silent prayer to him to allow me to use his ocean to fight.
I could feel the different currents and salt and waters twisting, the different sea beings watching. I could sense the fish and sharks and a dozen other sea creatures coming closer, but not close enough to help.
I felt the misty feel of spirits, tasted berries mixing with the blood, smelled freshly cut grasses and pine needles. I felt the burning itch of the Erinyes, heard their leathery flap above.
More sirens.
I stepped further into the water and used the ocean to block His quick strike that nearly caught my arm.
A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the gun! Set it on the ground. Now!"
Gun? Was that what Ares' sword looked like to the mortals?
Ares turned to glare at our spectators, not pleased at all with the interruption. I took the breather gratefully and tried to figure out a strategy.
I could use the sword, I'd forgotten about it until Ares mentioned it, but it wasn't mine. I didn't want to use it unless I had no other choice. I had my knife, but I doubted it's pressure would help even if I was good enough with it.
I just needed one scratch on him, just one.
I felt the water beating at my legs, I was literally surrounded by water…
Wait, pressure.
I started pushing at the water, forcing my will on it. It was a lot more water than normal but-
Non-existent rain poured and the waves almost stilled.
"This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed to our spectators.
I blinked, turning to look, five police cars and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.
"Be gone, mortals!"
He swept his hand, and with a stab in my side a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.
I winced.
Ares shook His head, "Ignorant mortals, interfering where they aren't welcome."
He turned back to me. "Now, little hero. Let's finish this."
He slashed, I drew my knife and managed to deflect it. I couldn't split my attention too much.
Pressure built behind me.
I moved back further, letting the water reach my waist, then my back.
He waded in after me. Unlike me though, He wasn't raised in the waves.
I slid through them effortlessly, the water not hindering me in the slightest. Ares struggled in the water, though His arms were still free.
I breathed hard, but blocked his next strike, measuring the pressure behind me as my arms buckled under the force of his blow.
"Too tired for your water control?" Ares mocked.
I ducked my head, letting my arms fall. They were tired but not that much.
My hand was in the water, I spent just a little focus letting the water freeze in the right shape.
"Now then," Ares laughed. "Time to end this."
He raised His blade.
I smiled and released the water.
Ares let out a cry of shock as the wave surged over Him, me on top of it, wild and thundering and huge at at least twelve feet tall.
It slammed into Him, sending Him sprawling in the waves. I had no such issues.
I landed neatly, feinting towards His head with the ice trident in my hand. He clumsily tried to block even disoriented and off balance as He was.
I switched directions smoothly, the blade plunging through the water and stabbing into His heel.
The roar that followed made the earthquake Hades and Poseidon caused seem like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, the water recoiling in huge waves that crashed over the shore as the earth shook once more.
Ares and I were left standing in a fifty-foot-wide circle of sand.
Ichor, the golden blood of the Gods, flowed from the stab wound in the War God's boot. The expression on His face was completely shocked, and angry. His face twisted into rage as the pain and shock faded from his face.
He limped towards me, His red eyes burning (literally).
But then He stopped.
Whether the oath made him stop, or He noticed it before me, I was unsure. But right then I felt as if a cloud covered the sky.
The water had trickled back around my feet and I felt as if time stood still. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, sound and color had drained away. Shifting sands wrapped around me as if I was standing right next to Kronos-tito.
And then the presence was gone, not the slightest hint of those shifting sands remaining.
Ares looked stunned.
Police cars burned behind us, the crowd of spectators gone. Annabeth and Grover stood on the beach, expressions frozen in looks of shock as they watched the water flood back around Ares' feet, His glowing golden ichor dissipating in the tide.
Ares lowered His sword.
"You won this fight, cousin," He said softly but with smoldering anger in His voice. "I will keep to my oath. But beware, next time we meet this will go very differently, very differently indeed, Perseus Jackson."
His body began to glow, and I looked away.
Light burned around me, I felt a thousand knives digging into me, the taste of blood making me choke.
Then light died and with it the blades and blood.
I looked back to find Ares gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades' bronze Helm of Darkness and the tusks of the boar I killed.
I picked them up and walked toward my friends, stepping out of the surf.
Before I could reach them, the three Erinyes drifted down from the sky and landed before me.
The middle Erinyes, Alecto, the one who had been Ms. Dodds, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared, but she didn't look threatening, more… disappointed and confused.
"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So… it truly was not you?"
I stood, exhausted and pained. "No, it wasn't me."
I held out the Helm of Darkness.
She stared at me.
"Return that to Hades-tiran. Tell Him the truth, tell Him to call off the war."
She hesitated, then reached out and took the Helm. "Live well, Perseus Jackson. Become a true hero, you will not like the results if you do not."
Her and her sisters rose on their bat-like wings, fluttering quickly into the smoke-filled sky, disappearing.
I joined Grover and Annabeth, who were staring at me in amazement.
"Percy…" Grover said. "That was so incredibly…"
"Terrifying," said Annabeth.
"Cool!" Grover corrected.
I didn't feel terrifying, or cool even. I simply felt exhausted and sore. My chest still ached, my limbs were shaky like they got when I trained my waterbending too much, and my head hurt from the concentration.
I turned back to the water, without responding.
"Havu rao teak sa'ta," I murmured, throwing the tusks into the water.
Annabeth looked at me curiously but didn't ask any questions. I moved to pick up my Trident, sheathing my knife as I did.
"Did you feel that too, Percy?" She asked. "The presence."
Grover shifted, "It was the Erinyes… right?"
I shook my head. "That was… that was Kronos-tito."
I looked at him, "Kronos-tito interfered and stopped Ares from acting on his rage."