a story as endless as the ocean . pjo / allie jackson

1.9 creating life-long grudges

1.9 Thank the Gods for All Those Years of Sword Training Because... Yikes 

A Coast Guard boat picked us up, but thankfully 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. Or why my backpack had been completely dry (yes, I was going to compromise everything just so nothing of mine would get ruined. Call me shallow, I don't care). They probably thought our boat had capsized or something. Anyway, there was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls. They didn't have time to worry about us. Or about me being me, which I was pretty stoked about.

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. Sure enough, my usual waterproof magic had abandoned me, sparing only my Louis backpack.

Luke was barefoot, having given his shoes to Grover to cover up his hooves after his shoes disappeared somewhere in the ocean. Better the Coast Guard wonder why one of us was barefoot than wonder why one of us had hooves.

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— which I guess I technically had. My backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt. My heart was even heavier from seeing my mother. It felt like I had abandoned her, even though she'd have been pissed at me if I'd chosen her over one of my friends or myself.

"I don't believe it," Luke said. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," I interrupted him. "A strategy worthy of Athena. You get it right? You know what happened?"

"I know," he grimaced, eyes dropping to the ground. "I get it."

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

"Allie..." Luke murmured, reaching out to touch my shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry..."

"The prophecy was right," I said instead, dusting off my wet skirt uselessly. "'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' helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's daughter. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it." Luke pulled me into a hug and it took everything in me to keep from crying.

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want a war that bad?"

I stopped in my tracks, staring grimly down the beach. "Gee, let me think about that for a fucking moment."

There he was, waiting for us, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, seeming genuinely pleased to see me. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," I accused, rage welling up in my chest. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power, that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? One of your kids? Clarisse was at the winter solstice, but she would never have done something like that. She's a good person. I suppose she must get it from her mother's side."