Chapter Ten:
Dealing With a God's Bidding.
— All that I've been taught and every
word I've got,           is foreign to me !

The next afternoon, June 14th, seven days before the solstice, the train rolled into Denver.

The quartet hadn't eaten since the night before the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. They hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and Colette Victoire was sure they reeked from the things they'd already been through (having to sleep a night in the woods definitely didn't help their hygiene situation). They were covered in dirt, grime, and she had blood smeared on her arm from the lightning strike she took to the arm. As they walked, they had to keep their heads down and their faces covered. Percy kept his head facing the ground, his shaggy hair covering his eyes slightly. Gover had a cap to cover his face. Annabeth had one of her best friend's hoodie's and her cap on to cover her face. Colette pulled out another hoodie, an old gray one that belonged to her mother. It was loose and baggy, comfortable and good for hiding her identity. She wasn't opposed to being a fugitive, she had no one to reprimand her for it, and she knew she'd survive in juvie. Even if she ended up there, her father would find a way to get her out. He'd get her out of anything if she needed it.

               "Let's try to contact Chiron." Annabeth suggested, adjusting her hat slightly as they kept walking. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

               "We can't use phones, right?"

               "I'm not talking about phones."

The four wandered through downtown for about half an hour, Colette knew exactly what Annabeth was looking for, but Percy seemed to grow restless with the vague answers that were continuously given to him. She gave him a look of reassurance, and it seemed enough to placate him for the moment. The air was dry and hot, which was a completely different feeling compared to the humidity of St. Louis. While her quest mates tugged at their clothes due to them sticking and sweating due to the sun, the blonde relished in heat. It was the weather she flourished the best in. Everywhere the group turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring back at them, like a tidal wave about to crash into a city. That saying, 'The Hills Have Eyes,' resonated with their paranoia then. Finally, the four found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered towards the stall farthest from the street, keeping their eyes out for patrol cars. They were four adolescents hanging out in a car wash without a car; Any cop worth his doughnuts would figure that they were up to no good.

               "What exactly are we doin'?" Percy questioned as Grover grabbed the spray gun.

               "It's seventy-five cents." The Satyr grumbled irritably at the realization. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

               "Don't look at me," she shrugged, "the dining car wiped me out."

               Percy went to fish out change from his pockets, but Colette was way ahead of him. "Keep your change, Grover, Percy, you don't know when you'll need it. And we probably will." She handed him the change he needed with a nod.

               Grover smiled widely at her kindness. "Excellent!" He clapped his hands, excited to show his friend. "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're you talkin' about?"

               The Satyr fed in quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing."

               "Instant messagin'?"

               "Iris-messaging." Colette corrected him gently. "The rainbow goddess, Iris, carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, if she's not too busy, she'll do the same thing for Half-Bloods." She was tired, so exhausted. She rested her head on Annabeth's shoulder for a second, closing her eyes, and smiling when she felt the brunette put her head on hers. She missed days like that: Days where she could relax with her best friend without worry of monsters or anything else like that.

               "Y'all can summon a goddess ... wit' a spray gun? It's that simple?"

               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?" The question was obviously rhetorical.

               Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors. Annabeth held her palm out to Percy. "Drachma, please." He handed one over. She raised the coin over her head. "O' goddess, accept our offering." She threw the drachma into the rainbow, careful not to disturb her best friend. The coin disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Half-Blood Hill." She requested.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the four of them were looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. They seemed to be on the homey porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to them 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!" Annabeth called out. He turned, eyes wide. It looked like he was standing three feet from them through a screen of mist, except they could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow. When she called the name, Colette opened her eyes and a tired smile appeared on her lips. The Son of Hermes was a brother to them.

               "Hey, guys!" His scarred face broke into a wide grin at the sight of them. "Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?" He seemed so worried, it was his sisters' lives on the line, of course he was going to be concerned.

               "We're fine, Lukey, don't need to go all big brother on us." Colette teased him tiredly, smirking when he shook his head fondly at her constant playfulness before becoming serious. "We needed to talk to Chiron."

               "He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded at that. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you guys? You're all in one piece, right?"

               "We're fine!" Grover called, tilting his head so the Son of Hermes could see him. "What kind of issues are you talking about?"

               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 over the music, eyebrows furrowed.

               "We'll take care of it!" Colette yelled back, eyes glinting wickedly. The music was starting to piss her off. "Annie, Grove, come on!" The Satyr seemed to protest, but the blonde cut him off. "Give Percy the nozzle and come one!" She ordered, ignoring his mutters about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi. He handed Percy the spray gun reluctantly and followed the two girls that already started walking. "Hey!" She called out to the obnoxious man. He ignored her and it made her eyes narrow angrily. Her friends bit back winces at the sight of her angry eyes.

               The man whirled around abruptly at the feeling of his shoulder being pushed. "What do you want, little girl?"

Grover and Annabeth winced again. You should never, never patronize the Daughter of Apollo, especially when she's angry. And right then, she was livid. There was a reason why not even the Ares campers messed with her. She had her father's temper; She, too, was a destroyer.

               "Excuse-moi?" Excuse me?

The man didn't answer, he only turned around and turned his music up louder. How it was possible, the trio didn't know either.

The blonde felt her eye twitch at his blatant disrespect. She definitely wished she was at a body shop, they'd have tools she'd need in order to dismantle his car, but she only had herself at her disposal, so it would have to do.

She smirked, watching as he went to the passenger side of the car, directly across from her. She tilted her head slightly. Unbeknownst to her, Annabeth and Grover saw her eyes flash gold and it made them gulp, staring at her warily. She waited for the man to make eye contact with her before slamming her clothed elbow into the window of his driver's side door. The sound of glass shattering echoed as her vision slashed red when he started yelling. The wicked smirk on her lips had become a wild grin, a feral look in her eyes that was desperate for chaos. She was her father's daughter. Annabeth would tell her this later, but the brunette could only see the version of Apollo that helped Paris kill Achilles, the same Sun God that burned everything he came into contact with. The smile on her face seemed to tick him off more, getting in her face. She shoved him away from her instinctively.

               "What the Hell did you do!"

His tone was incredibly biting and disrespectful — she didn't like it at all. She refused to use her powers, giving away the sacred secret of the gods was the last thing in her plans, but the sun had begun to shine harshly on the man's car before it reflected on him, blinding him, and making him stumble backwards. He could not escape her, however, she approached him just as quickly as he stepped backwards.

               "Turn your music down and leave." Colette demanded. "Or I will do more than break your window. Do you understand me?"

The man didn't even speak. He took one look at her face and grew terrified.

She looked angry, so full of rage that it made her look older. He stumbled to the driver's side of his car and left as quickly as he got in it, leaving her with a relieved smile as the fury left her system. She turned around to face her friend with expectant eyes.

               "That was—" Grover began, wide irises full of nervousness and fear.

               "—so badass!" Annabeth interrupted him, knowing he was going to say something else that would've made her best friend overthink and grow timid with anxiety. He bleated anxiously, but shut his mouth otherwise. "That was so badass, Let." She grinned widely.

               Colette smiled adoringly. "Thank you, Annie." Her tone had changed so quickly. Her angered demand had become so soft and saccharine toward her best friend. That was just how it worked with her best friend. Annabeth Chase would always get the soft side of her. Whether that was a weakness or not, she didn't care. Annie was her best friend.

               "Did you see how quickly he left?" Grover asked, amazed. "You've gotta teach me how to glare like that, Lettie."

               "Just tell me when, Groves."

               Annabeth started breathlessly (deliriously) laughing at the situation, her two friends joining her as they walked back to where they'd left Percy. Their smiles faded when they caught sight of their fourth member. "What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?" The brunette questioned, concerned.

               The Hispanic boy gulped. "Nun' much." He lied. Colette narrowed her eyes, feeling that pull in her chest that gave his lie away. Before she could question him about it, he spoke again. "C'mon, let's find some dinna'."

A few minutes later, the quartet managed to stumble upon an open diner. They settled into a booth surrounded by chrome decorations. All around them, families were eating burgers, drinking malts and sodas. At the sight of so much food, they all felt their stomachs grumble with an insatiable hunger. They didn't know how long it had been since they'd last had a real meal, Colette didn't count the fast food she'd bought because, to her, that was not real food. It was completely unhealthy and probably did nothing for their need to be active. She could almost hear her siblings reprimanding her for eating such vile food. Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, a waitress walked over.

               The woman had a mean mug, a scowl decorating her face naturally. She definitely hated her job, Colette mused. The woman raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

               "We, um, we wanna orda' dinna'." Percy answered her, frightened.

               "You kids have any money to pay for it?"

               Colette's eyes narrowed in both offense and anger at her audacity considering the situation. "Actually, I do." She snipped, raising her hand to draw the woman's attention away from her friends. She knew her anger was justified: Grover's lips were trembling and Annabeth looked on the verge of passing out. She ran her tongue over her teeth to fight back another disrespectful retort when she saw the woman look at her expectantly. She also noticed the way the waitress eyed the rings on her fingers and the jewelry that rested on her wrist and neckline. "I'll pay."

Before the woman could snap back, 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 looked like he would've made even pro-wrestlers run in fear. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt, black jeans, and a brown leather duster with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades and he had the cruelest face anyone had ever seen. Colette knew who the wicked man was: The shape of his haircut, excessive facial hair, and scarred cheeks gave him away.

Ares had arrived to interfere with the quest.

               As he walked into the diner, a hot and dry wind blew into the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. The waitress blinked, as if someone had just pressed the rewind button on her brain and was just as bitchy. "You kids have money to pay for it?" She asked them again.

               Just like that, Colette's anger returned. "I just told you, woman—"

               "It's on me." The god held a hand up to stop his niece from continuing her possible insult toward the woman as he slid into the booth beside her. She was forced further down the circular booth, but made sure to give her best friend a warning glance to stay closer to the boys than to her for the moment. Ares looked back up at the waitress that was gaping at him. "I see why my niece was so tired of you; Why are you still here?" He pointed at her and she stiffened. She turned, as if she'd been spun around, then marched back towards the kitchen.

             He looked at Percy immediately, flashing his eyes for a second without the boy knowing, and sending a wave of anger, resentment, and bitterness through him for entertainment. The biker relaxed in his seat when he knew he'd gotten the reaction he wanted, wrapping an arm around his niece's shoulders, pulling her into his side, and giving the boy across from him a wicked grin. "So, niece, this is old Seaweed's kid, huh?" He jutted his chin towards the boy who had his uncle's exact eyes. He ignored the way the blonde stiffened under his arm.

               "Yes, Uncle A." Colette confirmed.

               At the same time, Percy snapped at the god. "What's it t'you?"

               Annabeth's eyes flashed to her best friend for advice on what to do. She was sent a warning look that she returned to the boy at the end of the booth. "Percy, this is—"

               Ares held his hand up to interrupt the girl's reprimand. "—s'okay," he shrugged carelessly, "my niece knows I don't mind a little attitude, as long as you remember who's the boss, right, Cole?" The girl's eyes flashed like a thunderstorm with memories before she nodded curtly, eyes boring into Percy's cautiously. "You know who I am, little cousin?"

               "Ya' Clarisse's dad." The boy answered after a second of realization that struck him in the chest. He saw the resemblance between them as clear as day. "Ares, God of War."

               The god grinned and took off his glasses. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "That's right, punk." He confirmed it. There was amusement in his sharp smirk as his gaze turned to his niece who held his eyes unflinchingly. "Cole, you didn't tell me he had a brain behind those eyes." He raised an eyebrow at the smallest bit of mirth that shone in her eyes before he turned back to the boy that looked so much like his uncle. "I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

               "She was askin' f'it." The boy snipped.

               "Probably," Ares shrugged off the boy's attempt at being rude nonchalantly, "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."

               Before the god could continue, the waitress came back with heaping trays of food: Cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. Ares placed a few gold drachmas on the table towards her. She looked at the coins nervously, body trembling while she stood in the god's presence. "But, these aren't ..."

               Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. Colette gave him a disgusted sneer — not because he was threatening her (she would've done the same if she'd had the chance), but because of his lack of manners and tact at a dining table — as she reached into the pocket of her hoodie, her fingers wrapped around the item in it. "Problem, sweetheart?"

               "Enough tormenting, Uncle." The blonde snapped, earning a surprised look from him. His mouth pulled into a cruel enough smirk that she knew wrought chaos.

               "If I recall correctly, you liked tormenting people with me, Firecracker."

Oh, how he brought back memories that she hadn't thought about in a long time.

               That gained shocked looks from the others at the table. The Daughter of Apollo glared into her uncle's eyes, snatching the drachmas from the table and handing the woman the cash that was in her pocket. "Leave." She coldly commanded the woman who scampered away from the group fearfully without breaking her stare with the god in front of her. "What do you want, Uncle?"

               "I need a favor." Ares smiled.

               Percy snapped out of his shocked stupor. "What favor could I do for a god?"

               "Sometimes a god doesn't have time to do it himself. It's nothing much." The God of War ignored his niece's incredulous scoff at his words then, squeezing her shoulder gently in warning to back down before he got angry. "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 lot to fetch it for me." His smile became sharper then, bared wolf teeth.

               "Why don't you go back n' get it ya'self?" The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter at the subtle insults the boy was throwing.

               "Why don't I turn you into a dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it." The god spat the words out viciously. "A god is giving you a chance to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward slightly, not enough to move his niece from his side. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you." His power flowed through the group, the animosity suffocating them completely. Colette was the only one that could blink it away, clearing the violent urges.

               "We not interested," Percy declined cooly, "we already got a quest."

               Ares' fiery eyes shone with blood, smoke, and corpses on a battlefield — his domain: War. "I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: 'Pollo, 'Thena, Arte', 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. Colette noticed this and eyed him wearily. Her uncle liked power, yes, but deliberately wanting something to cause war was not in his nature, it never had been. He always liked a good fight, but the act of starting a war had dulled and flitted out since he started dating his girlfriend, who seemed to tame him. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, especially since you got my niece with you. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

That revelation made the Daughter of the Sun even more suspicious.

Ares had never had a problem with the ruler of the Underworld before. Hades even held a soft spot for him, he was his nephew after all. Why would Ares hold a grudge now after all the times Hades let his actions go?

               "You told him Hades stole the bolt?"

               No one could reprimand Percy for his use of the official names for the gods because War immediately answered him. "Sure. Framing somebody to start a war? Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

               "Thanks." Percy grumbled.

               "Hey, I'm a generous guy." Again, Ares ignored his niece's incredulous scoff. "Just do my little job and I'll help you on your way. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

               "Mi mama?" My mom?

               The biker grinned at his piqued interest. "That got you attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

               "What interrupted ya' date?" The Son of the Sea questioned. "Somethin' scare ya' off?"

               Ares bared his teeth once more, but there was something false about the intimidating look he was trying for. 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."

In a flash of light, he was gone.

               Grover wiped his mouth of the food fearfully. "Not good," he commented, "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good."

               "You don't have to worry about that, Groves." Colette replied, looking up from where she was staring at her lap. When the Satyr looked at her hopefully, wishing she'd tell him something positive — something the opposite of what'd happened, she held a piece of paper up with her pointer and middle finger for the others to see. "He was looking for me."

               The three other quest mates looked down at the note curiously when she set it down on the table in front of them, their faces contorting into wonder, surprise, and shock when they read the message left there. "I guess we have to do this, huh?" Annabeth scoffed in disbelief, wanting nothing more than to rip up that piece of paper that solidified the god's needs.

               The blonde bit her lip. "Or I could do this and you guys keep going?"

               "What?" Percy questioned incredulously, face shaping into perplexity.

               "Fuck, no." Annabeth shot down. "We're not splitting up, not again."

(Grover only watched the three with knowing eyes and a subtle smirk.)

               After a moment of silence, Percy sighed. "Why do he need us?"

               "Maybe it's a problem that requires brains." Annabeth suggested uncaringly. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

               "But this water park," Colette began carefully, "he acted scared. What could make him, my uncle, the God of War, run away like that?"

               Annabeth sighed this time. "I'm afraid we'll have to find out."

The blonde looked down at the note one more time, reading it over again.

Did you really think I wanted Seaweed Jr. on this? Come on, you're smarter than that, Cole. You're in charge. After all, you're the only other person I've let wield my shield.

She shook her head silently. Was that all she'd amount to? Was that how she had to continue to prove her worth in this world? By dealing with a god's bidding time after time?

ICARUS INQUIRES:

^^^^^^^^^^^the quartet being forced to run Ares' errands

My note for the OG version of this chapter was when I used Ares as a pen name on this app and I wrote "the quartet finally met me!" That was so iconic of me tbh.

Also, y'all, please vote and comment. I'm severely lacking motivation for writing lately.