Running the Gauntlet

Simple and Clean

Garden

The god of war was waiting in the diner parking lot.

"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy said.

Ares gave him a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled black-smith was surprised when he netted a couple of
stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

Percy shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath while I glared at him and clenched my teeth.

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."

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.

Percy 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."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy.

After looking in it he said, "I don't want your lousy-"

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving Percy his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

Percy slung the backpack over his shoulder, I could tell he was mad, I was too being in Ares presence made me furious.

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us.

That's just great. We'll be on the papers tomorrow.

My heart was pumping for some reason, I needed to get away from Ares or might destroy something.

"You owe us one more thing," Percy told Ares, trying to keep his voice level. "You promised us information about our mothers."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "Neither of them are dead."

Percy looked like he might fall over. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else. And your mom is back at the house." I felt so much relief at that statement I was almost happy but I don't like Ares.

"Nobody's controlling me."

He laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy balled up his fists. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. I felt a hot wind in my hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

Before he could leave I walked forward and put my hand on his shoulder.