ATLOP: Trial by Fire

I Battle my Jerk Relative

Physics sucks ya'll

Come yell at me on tumblr: Percabeth4Life

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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."