Chapter ─ 13
The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay.
I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. ─ You smell anything? ─ I murmured to Grover.
He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. ─ Underground. ─ He said distastefully. ─ Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything. ─
But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here.
─ Guys. ─ I said. ─ You know the gods' symbols of power? ─
Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. ─ Yeah? ─
─ Well, Hade- ─
Grover cleared his throat. ─ We're in a public place.... You mean, our friend downstairs? ─
─ Um, right. ─ I said. ─ Our friend downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's? ─
─ You mean the Helm of Darkness. ─ Annabeth said. ─ Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting. ─
─ He was there? ─ I asked.
She nodded. ─ It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus, the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true.... ─
─ It allows him to become darkness. ─ Grover confirmed. ─ He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark? ─
─ But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us? ─ I asked.
Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.
─ We don't. ─ Grover said.
─ Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. ─ I said. ─ Got any blue jelly beans left? ─
I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hate confined places. They make me nuts.
We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it.
We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve, and my stomach wasn't too happy about it.
─ No parents? ─ The fat lady asked us.
She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.
─ They're below. ─ Annabeth told her. ─ Scared of heights. ─
─ Oh, the poor darlings. ─
The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, ─ Now, now, sonny. Behave. ─ The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.
I said. ─ Sonny. Is that his name? ─
─ No. ─ the lady told me.
She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.
At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's a confined space six hundred feet in the air. I was ready to go pretty quick.
Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for me the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.
I steered Reg, Grover and Annabeth toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me.
The park ranger said, ─ Next car, sir. ─
─ We'll get out. ─ Annabeth said. ─ We'll wait with you. ─
But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I said, ─ Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom. ─
Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.
Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.
I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.
Wait a minute.
Forked tongue?
Before I could decide if I'd really seen that, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at me.
─ Now, now, sonny. ─ the lady said. ─ Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here. ─
─ Doggie! ─ Said the little boy. ─ Look, a doggie! ─
His parents pulled him back.
The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips.
─ Well, son. ─ The fat lady sighed. ─ If you insist. ─
Ice started forming in my stomach. ─ Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son? ─
─ Chimera, dear. ─ the fat lady corrected. ─ Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make. ─
She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.
The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.
The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.
The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.
I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge.
The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. ─ Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my broods. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna! ─
I stared at her. All I could think to say was: ─ Isn't that a kind of anteater? ─
She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. ─ I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you! ─
The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. I managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.
I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.
I couldn't let them get hurt. I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, ─ Hey, Chihuahua! ─ The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible.
Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me.
I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eyebrows.
Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.
Great, I thought. We just blow torched a national monument.
Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck.
That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. I tried to regain my balance, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and sank its fangs into my calf.
My whole leg was on fire. I tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera's mouth, but the serpent tail wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off balance, and my blade flew out of my hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River.
I managed to get to my feet, but I knew I had lost. I was weaponless. I could feel deadly poison racing up to my chest. I remembered Chiron saying that Anaklusmos would always return to me, but there was no pen in my pocket. Maybe it had fallen too far away. Maybe it only returned when it was in pen form. I didn't know, and I wasn't going to live long enough to figure it out.
I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. ─ They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son? ─
The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I was beaten.
I glanced at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just… die. I tried to think, but my whole body was on fire. My head felt dizzy. I had no sword. I was facing a massive, fire-breathing monster and its mother. And I was scared.
There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered.
If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone?
─ If you are the son of Poseidon. ─ Echidna hissed. ─ You would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline. ─
Yeah, right, I thought. I'd read somewhere that jumping into water from a couple of stories up was like jumping onto solid asphalt. From here, I'd splatter on impact.
The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast.
─ You have no faith. ─ Echidna told me. ─ You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart. ─
She was right: I was dying. I could feel my breath slowing down. Nobody could save me, not even the gods.
I backed up and looked down at the water. I remembered the warm glow of my father's smile when I was a baby. He must have seen me. He must have visited me when I was in my cradle.
I remembered the swirling green trident that had appeared above my head the night of capture the flag, when Poseidon had claimed me as his son.
But this wasn't the sea. This was the Mississippi, dead center of the USA. There was no Sea God here.
─ Die, faithless one. ─ Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward my face.
─ Father, help me. ─ I prayed.
I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted toward the river.
I'd love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera.
The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh!
The river raced toward me at the speed of a truck. Wind ripped the breath from my lungs. Steeples and skyscrapers and bridges tumbled in and out of my vision.
And then: Flaaa-boooom!
A whiteout of bubbles. I sank through the murk, sure that I was about to end up embedded in a hundred feet of mud and lost forever.
But my impact with the water hadn't hurt. I was falling slowly now, bubbles trickling up through my fingers. I settled on the river bottom soundlessly. A catfish the size of my stepfather lurched away into the gloom. Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage, beer bottles, old shoes, plastic bags, swirled up all around me.
At that point, I realized a few things: first, I had not been flattened into a pancake. I had not been barbecued. I couldn't even feel the Chimera poison boiling in my veins anymore. I was alive, which was good.
Second realization: I wasn't wet. I mean, I could feel the coolness of the water. I could see where the fire on my clothes had been quenched. But when I touched my own shirt, it felt perfectly dry.
I looked at the garbage floating by and snatched an old cigarette lighter.
No way, I thought.
I flicked the lighter. It sparked. A tiny flame appeared, right there at the bottom of the Mississippi.
I grabbed a soggy hamburger wrapper out of the current and immediately the paper turned dry. I lit it with no problem. As soon as I let it go, the flames sputtered out. The wrapper turned back into a slimy rag. Weird.
But the strangest thought occurred to me only last: I was breathing. I was underwater, and I was breathing normally.
I stood up, thigh-deep in mud. My legs felt shaky. My hands trembled. I should've been dead. The fact that I wasn't seemed like ... well, a miracle. I imagined a woman's voice, a voice that sounded a bit like my mother: Percy, what do you say?
─ Um ... thanks. ─ Underwater, I sounded like I did on recordings, like a much older kid. ─ Thank you… Father. ─
No response. Just the dark drift of garbage downriver, the enormous catfish gliding by, the flash of sunset on the water's surface far above, turning everything the color of butterscotch.
Why had Poseidon saved me? The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I felt. So I'd gotten lucky a few times before. Against a thing like the Chimera, I had never stood a chance. Those poor people in the Arch were probably toast. I couldn't protect them. I was no hero. Maybe I should just stay down here with the catfish, join the bottom feeders.
Fump-fump-fump. A riverboat's paddlewheel churned above me, swirling the silt around.
There, not five feet in front of me, was my sword, its gleaming bronze hilt sticking up in the mud.
I heard that woman's voice again: Percy, take the sword. Your father believes in you. This time, I knew the voice wasn't in my head. I wasn't imagining it. Her words seemed to come from everywhere, rippling through the water like dolphin sonar.
─ Where are you? ─ I called aloud.
Then, through the gloom, I saw her, a woman the color of the water, a ghost in the current, floating just above the sword. She had long billowing hair, and her eyes, barely visible, were green like mine.
A lump formed in my throat. I said, ─ Mom? ─
No, child, only a messenger, though your mother's fate is not as hopeless as you believe. Go to the beach in Santa Monica.
─ What? ─
It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Percy, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence.
─ But… ─ I was sure this woman was my mother, or a vision of her, anyway. ─ Who, how did you- ─
There was so much I wanted to ask, the words jammed up in my throat.
I cannot stay, brave one, the woman said. She reached out, and I felt the current brush my face like a caress. You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, do not trust the gifts....
Her voice faded.
─ Gifts? ─ I asked. ─ What gifts? Wait! ─
She made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone. Her image melted away. If it was my mother, I would have lost her again.
I felt like drowning myself. The only problem: I was immune to drowning.
Your father believes in you, she had said.
She'd also called me brave… unless she was talking to the catfish.
I waded toward Riptide and grabbed it by the hilt. The Chimera might still be up there with its snaky, fat mother, waiting to finish me off. At the very least, the mortal police would be arriving, trying to figure out who had blown a hole in the Arch. If they found me, they'd have some questions.
I capped my sword, stuck the ballpoint pen in my pocket. ─ Thank you, Father. ─ I said again to the dark water.
Then I kicked up through the muck and swam for the surface.
I came ashore next to a floating McDonald's.
A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year's Eve.
A little girl said. ─ Mama! That boy walked out of the river. ─
─ That's nice, dear. ─ Her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances.
─ But he's dry! ─
─ That's nice, dear. ─
A news lady was talking for the camera: ─ Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch. ─
Survivors. I felt a surge of relief. Maybe the park ranger and that family made it out safely. I hoped Annabeth and Grover were okay.
I tried to push through the crowd to see what was going on inside the police line.
─ …an adolescent boy. ─ Another reporter was saying. ─ Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities… ─
I backed away, trying to keep my head down. I had to go a long way around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere.
I'd almost lost hope of ever finding Annabeth and Grover when a familiar voice bleated. ─ Perrr-cy! ─
I turned and got tackled by Grover's bear hug… or goat hug. He said. ─ We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way! ─
Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see me. ─ We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened? ─
─ I sort of fell. ─
─ Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet? ─
Behind us, a cop shouted. ─ Gangway! ─ The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. I recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, ─ And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua- ─
─ Okay, ma'am. ─ The paramedic said. ─ Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in. ─
─ I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared. ─ Then she saw me. ─ There he is! That's the boy! ─
I turned quickly and pulled Annabeth and Grover after me. We disappeared into the crowd.
─ What's going on? ─ Annabeth demanded. ─ Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator? ─
I told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, my high-dive act, and the underwater lady's message.
─ Whoa. ─ Said Grover. ─ We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad. ─
Before Annabeth could respond, we passed another reporter doing a news break, and I almost froze in my tracks when he said, ─ Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson. ─
We ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.
─ First things first. ─ I told Grover. ─ We've gotta get out of town! ─
Somehow, we made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. We got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind us.
The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, our train rolled into Denver. We hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. We hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and I was sure that was obvious.
─ Let's try to contact Chiron. ─ Annabeth said. ─ I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit. ─
─ We can't use phones, right? ─
─ I'm not talking about phones. ─
We wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though I wasn't sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at me, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.
Finally we found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were three adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure we were up to no good.
─ What exactly are we doing? ─ I asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.
─ It's seventy-five cents. ─ He grumbled. ─ I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth? ─
─ Don't look at me. ─ She said. ─ The dining car wiped me out. ─
I fished out my last bit of change and passed Grover a quarter, which left me two nickels and one drachma from Medusa's place.
─ Excellent. ─ Grover said. ─ We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping. ─
─ What are you talking about? ─
He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. ─ I-M'ing. ─
─ Instant messaging? ─
─ Iris-messaging. ─ Annabeth corrected. ─ The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods. ─
─ You summon the goddess with a spray gun? ─
Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. ─ Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow. ─
Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.
Annabeth held her palm out to me. ─ Drachma, please. ─
I handed it over.
She raised the coin over her head. ─ O goddess, accept our offering. ─
She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer.
─ Half-Blood Hill. ─ Annabeth requested.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then I was looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. We seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.
─ Luke! ─ I called.
He turned, eyes wide. I could swear he was standing three feet in front of me through a screen of mist, except I could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.
─ Percy! ─ His scarred face broke into a grin. ─ Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay? ─
─ We're… uh… fine. ─ Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. ─ We thought, Chiron, I mean- ─
─ He's down in the cabins. ─ Luke's smile faded. ─ We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right? ─
─ I'm right here. ─ Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. ─ What kind of issues? ─
Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.
─ Chiron had to… what's that noise? ─ Luke yelled.
─ I'll take care of it. ─ Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. ─ Grover, you come with me! ─
─ What? ─ Grover said. ─ But- ─
─ Give the nozzle to Regulus and come on! ─ she ordered.
Grover muttered something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi, then he handed me the spray gun and followed Annabeth.
I readjusted the hose so I could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.
─ Chiron had to break up a fight. ─ Luke shouted to me over the music. ─ Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus, Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how, probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus. ─
I shuddered to think that Clarisse's cabin would ever be on my dad's side for anything. In the next stall, I heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.
─ So what's your status? ─ Luke asked me. ─ Chiron will be sorry he missed you. ─
I told him pretty much everything, including my dreams. It felt so good to see him, to feel like I was back at camp even for a few minutes, that I didn't realize how long I had talked until the beeper went off on the spray machine, and I realized I only had one more minute before the water shut off.
─ I wish I could be there. ─ Luke told me. ─ We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen… it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him. ─
─ But, Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly. ─
─ That's true. ─ Luke said, looking troubled. ─ Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible. ─
We were both silent, until Luke seemed to realize what he'd said.
─ Oh, hey. ─ he protested. ─ I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never… I mean, she's like a little sister to me. ─
I wondered if Annabeth would like that description. In the stall next to us, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.
─ You'd better go see what that was. ─ Luke said. ─ Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good. ─
─ Oh… uh, yeah! ─ I tried not to sound like a guilty liar. ─ Yeah, they've come in handy. ─
─ Really? ─ He grinned. ─ They fit and everything? ─
The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.
─ Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver. ─ Luke called, his voice getting fainter. ─ And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he jus- ─
But the mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing. I was alone in a wet, empty car wash stall.
Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw my face. Annabeth's smile faded. ─ What happened, Percy? What did Luke say? ─
─ Not much. ─ I lied, my stomach feeling as empty as a Big Three cabin. ─ Come on, let's find some dinner. ─
A few minutes later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.
Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. ─ Well? ─
I said. ─ We, um, want to order dinner. ─
─ Do you kids have money to pay for it? ─
Grover's lower lip quivered. I was afraid he would start bleating, or worse, start eating the linoleum. Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger.
I was trying to think up a sob story for the waitress when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.
All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather, but leather that looked like… well, Caucasian human skin.
The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face I'd ever seen, handsome, I guess, but wicked, with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. The weird thing was, I felt like I'd seen his face somewhere before.
As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, ─ Do you kids have money to pay for it? ─
The biker said. ─ It's on me. ─ He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window.
He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said. ─ Are you still here? ─
He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.
The biker looked at me. I couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in my stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. I wanted to hit a wall. I wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was?
He gave me a wicked grin. ─ So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh? ─
I should've been surprised, or scared, but instead I felt like I was looking at my stepdad, Gabe. I wanted to rip this guy's head off. ─ What's it to you? ─
Annabeth's eyes flashed me a warning. ─ Percy, this is- ─
The biker raised his hand.
─ S'okay. ─ He said. ─ I don't mind a little attitude. As long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin? ─
Then it struck me why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at CampHalf-Blood, the ones from cabin five.
─ You're Clarisse's dad. ─ I said. ─ Ares, god of war. ─
Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. ─ That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear. ─
─ She was asking for it. ─
─ 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 back with heaping trays of food, cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.
Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.
She looked nervously at the coins. ─ But, these aren't… ─
Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. ─ Problem, sweetheart? ─
The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.
─ You can't do that. ─ I told Ares. ─ You can't just threaten people with a knife. ─
Ares laughed. ─ 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 do me a favor. ─
─ What favor could I do for a god? ─
─ Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's 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. ─
─ Why don't you go back and get it yourself? ─
The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.
─ 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. ─
I wanted to punch this guy, but somehow, I knew he was waiting for that. Ares's power was causing my anger. He'd love it if I attacked. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
─ We're not interested. ─ Reg said. ─ We've already got a quest. ─
Ares's fiery eyes made me see things I didn't want to see, blood and smoke and corpses on the 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 can't find it, you have 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. ─
─ You told him Hades stole the bolt? ─
─ Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank you for your little quest. ─
─ Thanks. ─ I grumbled.
─ Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends. ─
─ We're doing fine on our own. ─
─ Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mommy. ─
─ Our mom? ─
He grinned. ─ That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancey. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride. ─
─ What interrupted your date? ─ I asked. ─ Something scared you off? ─
Ares bared his teeth, but I'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.
─ You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me. ─
After that I must have fainted, or fallen into a trance, because when I opened my eyes again, Ares was gone. I might've thought the conversation had been a dream, but Annabeth and Grover's expressions told me otherwise.
─ Not good. ─ Grover said. ─ Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good. ─
I stared out the window. The motorcycle had disappeared.
Did Ares really know something about my mom, or was he just playing with me? Now that he was gone, all the anger had drained out of me. I realized Ares must love to mess with people's emotions. That was his power, cranking up the passions so badly, they clouded your ability to think.
─ It's probably some kind of trick. ─ I said. ─ Forget Ares. Let's just go. ─
─ We can't. ─ Annabeth said. ─ Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent. ─
I looked down at my cheeseburger, which suddenly didn't seem so appetizing. ─ Why does he need us? ─
─ Maybe it's a problem that requires brains. ─ Annabeth said. ─ Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes. ─
─ But this water park… he acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that? ─
Annabeth and Grover glanced nervously at each other.
Annabeth said, ─ I'm afraid we'll have to find out. ─