𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳 [ᕼᑭ ᙭ ᑭᒍO]

XXX || "Never hurt animals."

✿⁠ ♡ ◍⁠ •⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠ ◍ ✧⁠ * 。♡

"I like this look on your face, Grover."

✿⁠ ♡ ◍⁠ •⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠ ◍ ✧⁠ * 。♡

The war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot. Ares did his best to avoid eye contact with Lilith. The girl was damn angry.

"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 blacksmith 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." Lilith was fuming in anger but 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."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which they 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.

Inside were fresh clothes for all of them,twenty bucks in cash,a pouch fullof golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

Percy said, "I don't want your lousy—"

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

Reluctantly, Percy slung the backpack over his shoulder. Lilith held Percy's hand as she moved forward to stand beside him.

She looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served them dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt them.

Little did she knew, the girl is more dangerous then the god of war himself.

The waitress 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 them.

"You owe him one more thing," Lilith said, her voice filled with anger which made Ares flinch.

Percy said, "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

Lilith put a hand of the handle of his bike, "We aren't done yet, Ares."

The God of War glanced at her, the Daughter of Nyx's eyes filled with so much anger he had seen once. For the second time in his immortal life, he was scared and that too because of the same reason. Lilith Nightangel.

Percy asked, "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."