𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍
𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒚𝒍𝒆

❛ let me       remind you the
     family she      comes from ❜

                         𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄, 𝕬urora wasn't the happiest camper after realizing her entire outfit was soaked. The closer she examined her ruined clothes, she noticed her empty fingers. No rings. She cursed under her breath in annoyance. Those breathtaking gold rings were her favorite accessories, and the gods knew about Aphrodite's children and their favorite accessories. If someone so much as touched their jewelry, there would be hell to pay.

And Ares was going to be the first to feel the Daughter of Aphrodite's wrath.

A Coast Guard boat picked them up, but they were too busy to keep them for long, or to wonder how four kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. Throughout the entire exchange, Aurora held her breath and prayed to her mother that the Coast Guard wouldn't recognize her.

Luckily for her, he didn't.

Their radios were jammed with distress calls. They dropped the group off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around their shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people.

While Aurora was grumbling over her ruined outfit and lost rings. She glanced towards the others to ensure they were alright. Annabeth was as soaked as her, and her blonde hair stuck to her face but she paid it no mind. Percy was dry—per usual, but Aurora noticed his bare feet. He had given his shoes to Grover in order to hide his hooves.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. It was breathtaking.

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

"It was a trick," Percy said. "Ares set us up."

"But he couldn't have done it alon—" Aurora noticed Percy's face drop, no doubt thinking about his mother in the Underworld. "Ocean eyes . . ." Aurora began. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry . . ."

                         "The prophecy was right," Percy said. "'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's helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it."

                         Grover shook his head, mystified. "But why would Ares turn?"

                         Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle cut into their conversation. Everyone turned around at the noise, knowing what was to come and noticed the god of War. He waited for them, 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. "You were supposed to die."

                         "You absolute asshat!" Aurora marched up to him but was held back by Annabeth. "I knew you were up to something the minute I saw your hideous face!"

                         Ares smirked, "I gotta say, I'm most disappointed you came back alive."

                         Aurora's nostrils flared in annoyance. Not only did she lose her favorite rings, a couple of her favorite makeup pallets, and her outfits, but she also lost her patience.

                         "Oh! I'll show you!" She went to lunge but Annabeth held her shirt back.

                         "You have your mother's fierceness," Ares turned to Percy. "Keep a tighter leash on this one, kid. Much like you she's trouble."

                         "Excuse you!"

                         "Hey!" Percy cut in. "Last I remember Aphrodite had you on a leash."

                         Ares scoffed, "Careful, kid."

                         "You tricked me," Percy declared. "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? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice."

                         Aurora thought about the possibility of Ares using Clarisse. The daughter of Ares and The daughter of Aphrodite had never gotten along but that didn't mean they didn't know each other. Clarisse and Aurora have both been around each other for a while to know that neither would do such a thing.

                         The idea seemed to amuse Ares, "Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this . . ."

                         From his pocket he took out a ski cap—the kind bank robbers wear—and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

                         "The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

                         "Exactly," Ares said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

                         "But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

                         Aurora rolled her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest, "Like he cares. He thrives off of familial war."

                         Ares sent Aurora a cheeky grin, "Can't deny you there, kid. It's the best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

                         "You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy said. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

                         "Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword, you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right? I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades . . . Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way—no loss. I still had the weapon."

                         "But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself ?" Percy asked the million-dollar question. "Why send it to Hades?"

                         Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. "Why didn't I . . . yeah . . . with that kind of firepower . . ."

                         He held the trance for one second . . . two seconds . . .

                         Ares's face cleared, "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."

                         Aurora rosé her eyebrows in amusement, "You're lying," She said. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it? You wouldn't have come up with that plan by yourself."

                         "Of course it was!"

                         Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses as if they were about to catch fire.

                         "You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

                         Aurora glanced at Annabeth, the mention of the thing made her uneasy.

                         "I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

                         Percy hesitated, "Who said anything about dreams?"

                         Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk, "Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hard-headed idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

                         He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at Percy with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

                         Percy stepped into the surf, "Fight me yourself, Ares."

                         Aurora furrowed her eyebrows and took a step towards Percy, "Uh, Percy? Even I wouldn't push my luck this far. He's the God of War!"

                         Percy looked over his shoulder. The waves around them, reflecting in his ocean eyes, "I know."

                         Ares laughed, "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."

                         "Scared?"

                         "In your adolescent dreams."

                         But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes.

                         "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

                         Annabeth said, "Percy, run!"

                         The giant boar charged. Out of impulse, Aurora yelled, "Sword!" Her celestial bronze sword appeared in her right hand.

                         She stood beside Percy with her shield raised high in the air in case the boar turned to her, but before she could do anything Percy uncapped his pen.

                         Percy sidestepped. Riptide appeared in his hands. He slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

                         Percy shouted, "Wave!"

                         Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea. Aurora placed stood up straight and transformed her weapon back into her bangles with an impressed look on her face. Percy pulled it off so effortlessly as if it were nothing.

                         She nodded at the waves, "Why can't you do that all the time?"

                         "Never had the opportunity to do it until now."

                         "Um, you've had plenty of opportunities actually," she grumbled. "It would have saved us so much time."

                         "Oh, I'm sorry Aurora," he stated sarcastically. "I've only known about being Poseidon's son for about a week now. They didn't hand me a manual."

                         "Guys!" Annabeth cut in. "Focus!"

                        Percy rolled his eyes while turning his attention toward Ares, "Are you going to fight me now?" Percy asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?"

                         Ares's face was purple with rage, "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into—"

                         "A cockroach," Percy said as he glanced at Aurora, who gave the son of Poseidon's cheeky grin. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

                         Flames danced along the top of his glasses, "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

                         "If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and you have to go away."

                         Ares sneered. He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder, "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

                         Percy showed him his sword.

                         "That's cool, dead boy," he said. "Classic it is."

                         The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a Ruby in its mouth.

                         "Percy," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god."

                         Aurora shook her head, "He'll be fine, Brainiac," She locked eyes with Percy and gave him a small nod. "I believe in him."

                         Percy looked at the pretty girl, "Thanks."

                         Annabeth swallowed, "Wear this, at least. For luck."

                         She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around Percy's neck.

                         "Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

                         "Thanks."

                         "And take this," Grover said. He handed Percy a flattened tin can that he'd probably been saving in his pocket for a thousand miles. "The satyrs stand behind you."

                         "Grover . . . I don't know what to say." He patted him on the shoulder. Percy stuffed the tin can in his back pocket.

                         He then turned to Aurora with a risen eyebrow, looking at her expectantly wondering what the daughter of Tony Stark would do.

                         Aurora grinned and placed two fingers against her glossy lips and then reached up and planted them on Percy's left cheekbone, probably leaving a glossy print behind. When her fingers landed on his cheek, his face grew hot and burned a bright red.

                         Aurora only continued to smile a complete contrast to their usual bickering, "Give him hell, ocean eyes. I believe in you."

                         I believe in you. No one understood how much hearing those words meant to him. Throughout the entire quest god after god expected him to fail. Hell, he himself thought he was going to fail, but Aurora stood by his side and reassured him that he was more than capable to pull through. It made a smile break out on his face, a newfound confidence surged in his veins.

                         He can do it.

                         "You all done saying goodbye?" Ares came toward Percy, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

                         Aurora might've seemed calm from the outside, but on the inside, the girl's nerves were running rapidly. Her earthly eyes were locked on Percy as he kept his feet in the surf, backing into the water up to his ankles.

                         He cleaved downward at Percy's head, and Aurora bit her lip in concern. However, the water seemed to push Percy into the air and he catapulted over the war god, slashing as he came down. But Ares was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt.

                         He grinned, "Not bad, not bad."

                         He slashed again and Percy was forced to jump onto dry land. He tried to sidestep, to get back to the water, but Ares seemed to know what he wanted. He outmaneuvered him, pressing extremely hard. Even Aurora could tell it was hard.

                         Percy kept backing away from the surf. Ares's sword had a reach several feet longer than Anaklusmos. Percy stepped inside with a thrust, but Ares was waiting for that. He knocked his blade out of his hands and kicked him in the chest. Percy went airborne—twenty, maybe thirty feet. Aurora tensed as she watched him fly.

                         She wanted to do something, anything, but she knew this wasn't her fight. Percy challenged the god, not her. Besides, she knew Percy wouldn't have wanted her to intervene.

                         "Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"

                         Aurora turned and her eyes widen when she saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming.

                         "There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

                         A gruff cop voice: "Looks like that kid on TV . . . what the heck . . ."

                         "That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup."

                         Aurora turned to Annabeth with her eyes wide, "Should I try to Charmspeak them to go away?"

                         Annabeth's gray eyes observed the red and blue lights in fear before shaking her head and saying, "No, we'll have to wait it out. There's too many of them."

                         Aurora nodded and turned back to the fight while tugging her damp hoodie over her head. When she looked back to the fight, she saw Percy roll to one side as Ares's blade slashed the sand. Percy ran for his sword, scooped it up, and launched a swipe at Ares's face, only to find his blade deflected again. Percy looked aggravated. Every blow he tried to send Ares's way the God of War always deflected.

                         Percy stepped back toward the surf, forcing him to follow.

                         "Admit it, kid," Ares said. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

                         Aurora cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "Come on, Ocean eyes! You can do it!"

                         Aurora turned and saw a second cop car pulling up, siren wailing. Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were starting to gather. Among the crowd, Aurora saw a few who were walking with the strange, trotting gait of disguised satyrs. There were shimmering forms of spirits, too, as if the dead had risen from Hades to watch the battle. It was a pretty intense fight. Percy could definitely hold his own, just like Aurora predicted.

                         Aurora heard the flap of leathery wings circling somewhere above. More sirens. Percy stepped farther into the water, but Ares was fast. The tip of his blade ripped Percy's sleeve and grazed his forearm.

                         A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns! Set them on the ground. Now!"

                         At this point, Aurora hid behind both Grover and Annabeth while watching the fight. Multitasking was hard, she deemed.

                         Ares turned to glare at their spectators, which gave Percy a moment to breathe. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on them.

                         "This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Be gone!"

     He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

                         BOOM!

                         The sky sounded like it cracked open. Something flew in from above and landed right in front of Percy with a bang. Its hands pointed right at the god.

                         "Not anymore. Leave the kid alone"

                         Just as Aurora's jaw dropped a voice yelled from behind her, "Aurora Rosalie Stark! You are in so much trouble, young lady!"

                         Aurora cringed at the familiar voice and cursed, "For Aphrodite's Sake!"

                         Annabeth looked shocked at the new people, "You are so screwed."

                         "Do you understand how worried your father and I have been? You were all over the news and we couldn't get in touch with you!"

                         Aurora peaked over Annabeth's shoulder and sighed when her eyes landed on Peppers's body walking furiously towards them. When she turned back around her father was still in front of Percy with his hands raised at Ares.

                         Ares roared with laughter, "Stark," He acknowledged. "This is not your battle, mortal."

                         Tony's head tilted with a mechanical whir, "You see, it kind of is when it involves my kid."

                         Aurora frantically shook her head, "Dad, No! He's a god."

                         Tony turned and pointed at his daughter. His suit whirring with every movement, "We are going to have a long talk when we get home, little miss, and you're not going to like it. I ought to sell all of your blueprints for that stunt you pulled with the media."

                         Ares smirked, "Listen to your kid, Stark. Maybe she isn't as dumb as I thought."

                         Tony tensed and slowly turned his head towards the god. "What did you just say?"

                         Aurora's eyes widen.

                         Her father didn't even let the god answer. He sent a blast from his thrusters, making the man fly about ten feet away from them and land about three feet in the waves.

                         With a newfound opportunity, Aurora ran up to Percy with an idea in mind, "Hey, ocean eyes. He's in your territory now."

                         Percy thought about it with riptide still in his hands. He glanced at the god before nodding. He ran towards the god intercepting both Tony and Ares.

                         Tony looked confused. "Let me handle it, kid"

                         Percy shook his head, "I challenged him, sir. It's my battle."

                         Percy stood in front of Ares who shakily stood up. He stabbed Riptide straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heel. The roar that followed made Hades's earthquake look like a minor event. Tony flew to his daughter and friends in order to shield them.

                         The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide. Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boot. The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, and complete disbelief that he'd been wounded. He limped toward Percy, muttering ancient Greek curses.

                         Something stopped him. It was as if a cloud covered the sun, but worse. Light faded. Sound and color drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing, and making everyone feel like life was hopeless, and fighting was useless.

                         The darkness lifted. Ares looked stunned. Police cars were burning behind them. The crowd of spectators had fled.

                         Ares lowered his sword, "You have made an enemy, godling," he told Percy. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware," He turned to Tony and Aurora. Tony stood protectively in front of the group of three, his entire body tensed. "You both deserve what's coming to you."

                         His body began to glow.

                         "Everyone!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

                         Everyone turned away as the god Ares revealed his true immortal form. The light died. They looked back. Ares was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hade's bronze helm of darkness. Percy picked it up and walked toward the others. But before he arrived, a familiar sound of  flapping leathery wings was heard.

                         Three evil-looking grandmothers with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of him. Tony was about to fly to Percy but Aurora ran in front of him and shook her head.

                         "He'll be okay, he won."

                         The Iron man face mask lifted up revealing her father's sad eyes. His face morphed into relief when he caught sight of his daughter for the first time in weeks. The constant state of worry he felt when he found out about her quest was awful. She was his child, he should be the one protecting her, yet Aurora always felt like she had to protect everyone around her instead of herself. It agitated him how she always had to be ready for any threat.

                         So, tears naturally welled up in the billionaire's eyes completely over the roof that his daughter was safe and sound. Tony Stark was many things and emotional was definitely not one of them, but after he came back from those three months of being kidnapped everything changed. He knew there was one thing on this earth that meant everything to him, and that was and will always be, Aurora Stark.

                         He was a man with everything, but nothing before Aurora came into the picture. Now, she was his everything.

                         He fell to his knees with his arms wide open awaiting his only daughter to rush in them, and she happily obliged.

                         "Oh, thank god," He muttered.

                         "Hey, Dad," Aurora sheepishly smiled into his shoulder. The hug was rather uncomfortable because of the suit but she hugged him anyway. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

                         Tony placed both hands on her arms with a smile on his face, "Next time you decide to go on a field trip let your old man know, okay? You should have heard Pepper." He stated sarcastically.

                         Speaking of the Auburn-haired individual, she turned Aurora around and pulled her into an embrace, "Are you okay? We were worried sick!"

                         Aurora gave them a smile, "I'm fine really. My friends looked after me. For our first quest, I wouldn't say we did that bad."

                         Annabeth and Grover we're stood about five feet away from them glancing between them and Percy who was still conversing with the furies.

                         Tony turned and looked at his daughter's friends almost observing them.

                         Aurora ran behind her friends and pushed them forwards toward her father and Pepper. "Dad. Pepper," She gave them a grin."These are my best friends. Annabeth Chase the daughter of Athena and Grover Underwood a satyr."

                         Tony's eyes shot up, "The future Architect . . . And goat?"

                         Annabeth was looking at the man before her in awe. She was a tremendous fan of Tony Stark because of how intelligent he was. His IQ was 270 which was equivalent to Leonardo da Vinci, He built his first ever circuit board at the age of four, and He graduated MIT at the age of seventeen, the youngest ever. All children of Athena looked up to the Stark bloodline and their inventions. The intellect this man held easily made Annabeth Chase a fan of him.

                         Grover on the other hand pouted at the nickname. He muttered something along the lines of, "Why does she get more recognition?"

                         Tony placed his hand out to shake, "Nice to meet you, kids."

                         Aurora had to pinch her best friend in order for her to snap out of her daze and shake her father's hand. He then cautiously shook Grovers, almost like he was scared the boy would turn into a goat.

                         Tony then pointed at Percy who was walking towards them now, with narrowed eyes. "Who the hell is that kid?"

                         Aurora winced at her father's tone, "He's the Son of Poseidon and it's a really long story."

                         Tony observed his daughter's face with risen eyebrows and gave Percy a glare. One that chilled the boy to the core, "Hello, sir. T-Thank you for helping m-"

                         Tony brought up his hand completely cutting him off, "I was doing it for my daughter, but nice job with the ending. I would've been a bit more dramatic, but it got the job done."

                         Aurora closed her eyes and took a deep breath at her father's attitude. She expected this from her father. Especially with the constant coverage of them on the news.

                         Besides, Percy was a boy.

                         "We have to get the bolt back, ocea-" Aurora glanced at her father, and stuttered, "P-Percy"

                         Percy glanced between the father and daughter duo with wide eyes, and nodded, "We have to get back to New York. By tonight."

                          "That's impossible," Annabeth said.

                         Aurora smirked at her friends, "Dad, do you mind letting us use your private jet?"

                         Tony rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Sure, but I better not see any of you near the alcohol wall," Tony sighed. "That'll be pretty bad."

"Dad, we're twelve."

"I know."

                         Annabeth looked at Percy with a nervous look on her face, "Are you sure about this, Percy? You were warned never to do lest Zeus strikes you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb. No offense, Mister Stark."

                         Tony nodded in approval and pointed at the blonde girl while looking at his daughter, "I like her."

                         Annabeth grinned with giddiness.

                         "Yeah," Percy said. "I'm sure."

                         "Great," Aurora said. "Be prepared to ride Stark style."

Almost done with lightning thief . . . are you guys ready for Sea of Monsters?

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