Reading About The Child Of Artemis

Squashing Some Beef

"You do what now?" Poseidon asked.

"You were just going to see Ares." Apollo pointed out.

"I did see Ares." Ariadne said with a smirk.

"You fought Ares?" Poseidon asked weakly. Ariadne nodded. Ares glared at the demigod. Not only had she just called him a jerk, she also was stupid enough to think she stood a chance against him .

A Coast Guard boat picked us up, but they were too busy to keep us for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls. 

People glared at Hades once more.

They dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around our shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people. Our clothes were sopping wet, even mine. When the Coast Guard boat had appeared, I'd silently prayed they wouldn't pick me out of the water and find me perfectly dry, which might've raised some eyebrows. So I'd willed myself to get soaked. 

"Good thinking." Athena nodded.

"The last thing we needed was more attention." Ariadne said.

"We got more attention." Annabeth reminded her.

Sure enough, my usual waterproof magic had abandoned me. Grover had even willed himself into his human disguise so that the Coast Guard wouldn't be surprised. 

"Also a good idea." Dionysus said.

"Yes, definitely. Although that would have been interesting to explain." Hermes laughed.

"I still want to know what mortals would see." Connor sighed.

After reaching dry land, we stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. I felt as if I'd just come back from the dead

A few people snickered.

-which I had. My backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt. My heart was even heavier from seeing my mother. 

Hermes and Apollo both glared furiously at Hades for forcing Ariadne to make that choice. Poseidon wanted to be angry but he mostly felt guilt. It was just as much his fault.

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

"It was a trick," I said. "A strategy worthy of Athena." 

"Excuse me?" Athena said, looking offended.

"Ares did trick basically all the Gods." Chris pointed out. Clarisse threw him a grateful look. It wasn't totally her dad's fault but it was a good strategy.

"Hey," she warned. 

I turned to her sharply, my wet hair briefly whipping up and sticking to my face, and frowned. 

"You get it, don't ya?" She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. 

"Yeah. I get it." 

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

"Ariadne..." Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry...."

"Thanks." Ariadne said as she had not been able to at the time.

 I turned away from my friends and pretended not to hear her. If I talked about my mother, I was going to start crying like a little kid. 

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