Child of the Moon

A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers

Grover and Sean stood at the edge of the highway, watching us walk up the hill.

Sean: Took you guys long enough.

YN: Sorry, we had to fight the Chimera.  We're fine, apart from Percy having been thrown from the the top of the Arch.

Grover: You WHAT?  How are you alive?

Percy: I hit the water, but I-

The sounds of sirens approaching cut him off.  Sean grabbed my arm and Annabeth's and pulled us behind a rock, as Grover tackled Percy to the ground.  I looked at them, confused as the police cars sped by.

Sean: So uh... the police think that we did that.

He pointed to the Gateway Arch behind us, where smoke was billowing from the top.

YN: Dammit.  That's gonna make it a whole lot harder to get on a train or bus.

Percy: Either way, a Nereid came to me underwater.  We need to go to Santa Monica.

YN: How do we...

TIMESKIP

We are now walking down a long road, in the middle of nowhere.

YN: This sucks ass.

Sean: You said it.

There was a rumbling noise and we turned around.  There was a motorcycle coming.

Sean: Maybe we could-

YN: There's no way we'd all fit on it, Sean.  We're not stealing a motorcycle.

Annabeth: Let's just let it pass.  Get behind the median.

We all ducked down behind the barrier on the side of the road, as the motorcycle was getting closer.  Suddenly, the engine stopped right behind us.

???: You guys need some help?

We all peeked over the wall, looking at the man.

YN: No thank you, we're fine.

???: Really?  Cause you're all WAY behind schedule.  I mean, the summer soulstice is only a few days away.  And as much as I'd love a good war, as your big cousin I feel like giving you a hand.

My eyes narrowed as I realized who this was, and I shot up, ripping off my bracelet, and Αγριος grew into a spear.  Ares narrowed his eyes.

YN: What are you doing here, Ares?

Ares: Same thing as you lot.  Zeus sent all of his kids out looking for the master bolt too.  Now listen, I'm hungry.  There's a halfway decent diner up the road, if you want my help then meet me there.

He put his sunglasses back on and drove off.

Percy: That's my cousin?  What kind of family is this.

YN: The dysfunctional kind.

TIMESKIP

The bell ran as we opened the door, and walked over to Ares who was already sitting in front of a pile of cheeseburgers.  We all sat across from him.

Ares: Your quest is already doomed to fail.

He held up a phone, showing Percy a video of a man talking about him.

YN: Who's that?

Percy: My stepdad...

I was staring at Ares, trying to figure out his angle.  The last time Zeus and Poseidon had a disagreement like this, World War II happened.  There's no way the God of War was trying to PREVENT an event that would likely cause World War III, not unless he got something of greater value out of it.  Percy's stepdad went on to accuse Percy of being responsible for his mom's disappearance.

Percy: I'm gonna kill him.

Ares: Ha!  I knew I was gonna like you.  The FBI's already spreading your picture around, you've got pretty much no chance of hitchhiking to L.A. without getting arrested.

Annabeth: Why are you sitting here then?  If you're supposed to be searching for the bolt too, shouldn't you be out there looking for it?

Ares turned to her and smirked.

Ares: There's no fear in you, is there?  Now, I'm a pretty tolerant guy.  But don't insult me like that again, young lady.

He turned back to Percy.

Ares: Doesn't matter.  Whether the bolt's retrieved or not, Zeus is going to war with Poseidon.

Percy: The Oracle said that if the bolt was returned, there wouldn't be a war.

YN: Percy... is that exactly what the Oracle said? Or is that what Chiron said she meant?

Percy just looked at the floor, a stunned expression on his face.

Ares: Yeah.

YN: I need some air.

I stood up, walking to the door and going outside.  I went around to the back of the building, where there was conveniently a hose.  I sprayed it into the air, making mist and creating a rainbow.  I knelt down and threw a golden drachma into it.

YN: Chiron, Camp Half Blood.

The drachma disappeared and the mist shimmered, and suddenly an image of Chiron was floating in it.

Chiron: Ah, YN.  How is your quest going.

YN: Why did you tell Percy that retrieving the bolt would stop a war between the Gods?

Chiron sighed.

Chiron: I thought it would give him the motivation needed to complete his quest.  And maybe it will.  There's no way of telling how the Gods will act if Percy succeeds in his-

I glared at him, swiping my hand through the mist, cutting off the connection.  I punched the wall as Sean came around the corner.

Sean: YN?  You good?

I nodded, standing up.

YN: Yeah, I'm fine.  Just had to talk to Chiron.

He put his hand on my shoulder.

Sean: Percy and Annabeth are going to this amusement park.  Ares says he left his shield there, and he said he could get us to the underworld by noon tomorrow if they brought it to him.

YN: Something tells me it won't be that easy.  What about us?

Sean: Now we wait.