Reading About The Child Of Artemis

Madagascar in Vegas

"What?" Jason asked as Piper read the title of the chapter. Nico paled a little remembering his stay in a Vegas hotel.

"That's what it says." She shrugged.

"Wait, Ares said he'd get you a ride if you got his shield. He got you a Zebra?" Chris frowned. Poseidon and Athena glared at the War God.

"At least I got them something." He said clearly uncaring.

The war god was waiting for us in the diner parking lot. 

"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed." "You knew it was a trap," I said. 

"Of course he did or he wouldn't have needed you to go." Hera rolled her eyes. 

Ares gave me a wicked grin. "Bet the crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

Hazel looks pleadingly at Nico. "Can I punch-"

"No."

"Just one -"

"No."

The girl crosses her arms over her chest, and huffs, "You're no fun."

 I shoved his shield at him. 

Jason's breath also caught in his throat. "How is she still alive?"

"You're just now asking that?" Reyna asks him, one eyebrow raised pointedly. 

"You're a jerk." 

Ares glared at Ariadne but Artemis glared right back.

"You deserved that one." The Moon Goddess told his nephew.

"I'm surprised Ari didn't say much worse." Thalia muttered to Nico.

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back. 

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

Grover snorted angrily.

"Hey, we got them free." Ariadne reminded her friend.

"I know but it still angers me." Grover scowled.

 The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS. I said, "You're kidding." Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." 

"Ares does have a point there. It's better than what you had before which was zilch." Dionysus pointed out.

He slung a blue neon backpack off his hand bars and tossed it to me. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a punch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos. 

"Why are you being so nice?" Poseidon asked suspiciously.

"Can't I want to reward my cousin for helping me out?" Ares asked innocently.

"No." Hephaestus said.

"That woman in the river told Ariadne not to trust the gifts." Apollo recalled. "What did you do to that bag?"

"I don't know. If I did anything, I haven't done it yet." Ares held his hands up.

I said, "I don't want your lousy-" "Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving me his best redalert warning look.