I hadn't been walking for more than an hour for there was absolutely no way I could be somewhere else. I sat down on a bench to think about it some more. I furrowed my brow. It just didn't make any sense!
Giving up, I rested my head on my arms and fell into a deep, deep sleep.
•~•■•~•
Percy was sitting at a table with a blonde girl, a ginger-haired, acne covered boy, and a huge biker. Percy looked like he was about to explode and the blonde girl was trying to calm him down.
The biker raised his hand. "Sokay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"
Percy frowned a little but then his eyes lit up the way they did when he realised something obvious.
"You're Clarisse's dad," he said. "Ares, god of war."
The biker gave him a crooked grin and took of his shades. Where his eyes should be there were only empty sockets of deep, angry fire.
"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 and I realised how crazy hungry I was.
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," Percy 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?"
Wait, a god? Percy was talking an actual 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?" Percy asked.
The fire in Ares's 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. "
Percy gritted his teeth. He looked like he wanted to punch the guy, slice him up into tiny bits, then grate him.
Finally, he took a deep breath and calmed down-a little.
"We're not interested," he said. "We've already got a quest."
Ares's fiery eyes burned brighter and made me think of things I didn't want to see-blood, death, war.
"I know all about your quest, punk," he said to Percy, "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. "
"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" Percy asked. Man, what is going on with all this Greek gods nonsense? Last time I checked, Percy hadn't gone all geeky about Greeks.
"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. 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," Percy said. He obviously hated the guy.
"Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what youre up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom. "
"My mom?" Percy asked. Where was Percy's mom? And why was this guy the only adult around?
Ares grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You cant miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."
"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked. "Something scare you off?" I wanted to scream at Percy to shut up and stop saying stupid things but my voice didn't seem to work.
Ares bared his teeth, but 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 youre done. Don't disappoint me."
Then there was a flash of light and I woke up with a start.
•~•■•~•
I sat up on the bench and rubbed my head. That definitely made it to the top of my Top 10 weirdest dreams list. The thing was, that dream had a strange tinge to it, like when you eat an apple that's just oh-so-slightly rotten. This dream almost felt like a vision.
I stood up and scanned my surroundings. The sky was slowly turning orange and the clouds were visible again with a tiny tinge of pink. To my left, there were golden hills rolling inland, dotted with trees and hills and lakes. To my right, there were flatlands moving west, a vast neighborhood of people. Farther west, an ocean shimmered under a silvery haze. Further than that, everything was covered in a thick fog leaving just the tops of skyscrapers and, and....
My jaw dropped open. I was in California.
Author's note:
Meh. I don't really like this chapter but things will get better later. I copied most of the descriptions from Rick because I've never been to California(but I'd like to). I will now update once a week so I can write longer chapters.