Moonlight (HP and PJO Crossover)

Chapter 10: The God

We went to a diner, and a waitress came over to us. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Well?"

"We, um, want to order dinner," Percy said.

"You kids have money to pay for it?" she asked. I started to pull out the money in my back pocket, but it must have fallen out.

"Well," I stammered, "I'm related to the Queen of England." She raised an eyebrow but before she could say anything a huge motorcycle pulled up to the curb. A ferocious-looking man got off and walked into the diner. All eyes were on him, but he waved his hand and everything re-winded a couple of seconds.

"You kids have money to pay for it?" the waitress asked again.

"It's on me," the biker said as he slipped into our booth and squished Annabeth against the window. The waitress gaped at him (who wouldn't?) and he said, "You still here?" She spun around and walked towards the kitchen.

"So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?" the biker said, addressing Percy. "And you," he said, turning to me, "You're my niece." I internally cringed.

"You must be a god, then. You don't really look like one," I said. For some reason, I felt anger, resentment, and bitterness. If I had a wand, I would have hexed someone.

"Lia, this is-" Annabeth cut in, but the biker interrupted her.

"S'okay," he said, "I don't mind a little attitude. As long as you know who's boss. You know who I am?"

"You're Clarisse's dad. Ares, god of war," Percy said.

"That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"Actually, that was me," I said, "She was asking for it, though."

"Probably. That's cool. "I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for- I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."

The waitress came with our food, and Ares gave her drachmas and threatened her with a knife.

"You can't do that," Percy said. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed (it was creepy) and said, "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy asked.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. Nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me." I remembered that Ares' girlfriend was Aphrodite, the goddess of love. I guess she has a thing for bikers.

"Why don't you go get it back yourself?" Percy asked.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you." As exciting as an adventure sounded, we already had a quest, and a time limit.

"We already have a quest," I said. He turned to me and made me see horrible things - blood, smoke, and corpses on a battlefield.

"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful ..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."