The Ocean's Glare - The Lightning Thief

chapter 26

Chapter 26 - I. Hate. Ares.

The minute the invisible voice forced my foot down on the pearl after yanking the backpack off my back I knew that it wasn't some random spirit from the underworld. I am pretty sure it is my sister.[No Peyton, I am not an idiot!]

"What just happened?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that this quest just got to a whole new level of complicated." Grover complained.

"And we have to get the bolt back today!" I exclaimed.

"Plus, now Hades is missing his helmet." Annabeth slumped.

"This quest just reached a new level of impossible." Grover grouched, "I'll need a few cans as payment for this!"

"Well, you little brats made it out alive." Ares said, coming up to our spot on the beach.

"Yeah, no thanks to you! We even managed to lose your stupid backpack!" I spat at him.

"So you don't know?" he laughed.

"Know what?" I asked.

"Ares!" Yelled a voice. We all turned to see an unexpected sight, "Give me the helm of darkness!" Peyton yelled at him. She had the backpack Ares gave us slung over her shoulder and what I assume is the master bolt in her hand.

"And what makes you think I took it?" Ares laughed.

"Well, for one you gave Percy the bag that I found the bolt in. Two, well I don't need two." Peyton said, aiming the master bolt at Ares.

I noticed something happening to the sand a few feet away from Ares. Footprints.

"You can't fire that princess. Only a child of Zeus could do it!" Ares hissed.

"Oh really?" Peyton asked. She fired it at the sand a few feet away from Ares. Something I noticed was while my eyes told me the sand moved I didn't feel an impact.

"Impressive sea spawn." Ares said.

Peyton smirked, "Not as impressive as this." All of a sudden she disappeared and a different Peyton appeared right in front of Ares slicing a cut in his cheek.

"Give me the helm!" she hissed.

"Why should I?" I should visibly see Ares's aura getting stronger. It almost seemed to form tendrils reaching out to Peyton.

"How about a duel? I win, I get the helm! You win, you take the bolt. But, no matter the outcome you let my brother, his friends, and my friends live. Swear the terms on the styx!" Peyton said, brandishing a dagger I didn't know she had and placing it to the god's throat.

He must have forgotten he was immortal because for a second you could see the fear in his eyes. Then he seemed to come to his senses cause Peyton was disarmed in a second. I had no idea if her dagger would come back to her like my sword does so I reached into my pocket and pulled out riptide.

"Peyton! Catch!" I called and threw the pen into the air.

Peyton caught it!

"Fine, I'll duel you! But when you go back to hades empty handed and dead tell him to throw you to tartarus!" Ares succumbed.

"Swear on my terms!"

"Fine! I swear on the styx! Happy now?" Ares grumbled.

Peyton rewarded him by gabbing with my sword. Ares paired slashed. Soon it was a whirl of blades, so fast you could barely see what was happening.

All of a sudden Peyton went flying and landed in the water which was a few feet away from where she was standing.

I could hear sirens in the distance.