Annabeth Chase and the Lightning Thief

Chapter 36 - A boar goes surfing

We got picked up by a Coast Guard boat. They must have been confused as to how three kids in street clothes, one barefooted (Percy had given his shoes to Grover so they didn't see his hooves), had gotten stranded in the middle of the bay. Fortunately, the earthquake Hades had caused was jamming up their radios so they only had time to drop us off at Santa Monica pier before racing off.

Percy looked furious as we stumbled down the beach, watching incredulously as the city burned against a glorious sunrise. I just felt stunned.

"I don't believe it," I said. "We went all that way -"

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

"Hey," I warned. He couldn't possibly think that my mother had done this?

"You get it, don't you?"

I dropped my eyes. Unfortunately, I seem to get more than he did. "Yeah. I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover said. "Would somebody -"

"Percy," I interrupted. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry . . ."

I felt guilty that she was the one to stay behind. It should have been me. Maybe, I could have found another way out. If any one could think of a plan, a child of Athena should be able to.

Percy ignored my comment, clenching his fists and jaw as we marched along the beach, Grover and I soaked from our dip. Percy, like usual, was completely dry. 

"The prophecy was right," he said. " 'You shall go west and face the god who has turned'. But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war between the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helmet, and framed me because I'm Poseidon'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."

Grover shook his head, still not comprehending. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"

Percy saw him just before I did.

"Gee, let me think," he said sarcastically as we walked towards Ares.

He was leaning against his bike, still in the same punk clothes and sunnies as before, but with an aluminum baseball bat resting on his shoulder. I felt anger on seeing him, but I knew that it was nothing compared to how Percy would be feeling.

As we approached him, I felt other eyes watching us, familiar eyes. I recalled the feelings I'd felt when I was kid, running with Thalia and Luke, particularly when Grover had been leading us to camp. I looked around for the source of the watchers, but I couldn't see anything. I didn't exactly help me relax.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, sneering at Percy. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," Percy snapped. "You stole the helmet and the master bolt."

"Well, now, I didn't steal them 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."

Somehow I doubted that. Sure, she was a bully and a complete pig, but I couldn't see her as a thief. As much as I didn't like her, it couldn't be her.

"Doesn't matter," Ares said elusively. "The point is, kid, you're impending 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's master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this . . ."