"She was asking for it." Andromeda glared at the god.
"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for – I heard you two were in town. I got a little proposition for you." Ares said, looking between Andromeda and Jakob.
The waitress came back with heaping trays of food – cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.
Ares handed her a few 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." Andromeda glared at Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."
Jakob scoffed. "Andie, you'll find that Gods do whatever they want simply because they are Gods."
Ares pointed at Jakob. "Knew you'd get it. Your own family think like that?"
"My brothers mainly." Jakob said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"So, Lord Ares, what brings you here?" Annabeth interjected, getting back on track and why Ares sought them out.
Ares turned towards her, then to Andromeda and Jakob. "I got a little proposition for you two. I need a favour."
"What favour could we do for a God?" Andromeda asked, thinly veiled tolerance in her voice.
"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." Ares said.
"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Andromeda challenged with a glare.
The fire in Ares' eyes 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, Andie 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."
"And why should we waste our time getting your shield?" Jakob asked this time. "We already have a quest. We don't need to divert from that."
Ares turned his heated gaze towards him. He could see blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. "I know all about your little quest, Aesir. 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 suspicions about old Corpse Breath."
"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" Jakob asked with a frown.
"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." Ares smirked.
"Gee, thanks," Andromeda grumbled.
The God of War shrugged. "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," Andromeda gritted out, not wanting his help whatsoever.
"Yeah, right. Little money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Just relying on Thorsson there to help you. How said." At the end Ares' voice turned mocking. Andromeda wanted to jump across the table and beat his face in, but Jakob held her back.
"Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mum."
Andromeda's eyes flew to Ares'. "My mum?" She asked, trying not to sound too desperate to the war god.
He grinned. "That got your attention."
"And why should we believe that you know about her?" Jakob asked, curious. "That, if we do your quest, you won't trick us and lie?"
He laughed throatily to Jakob. "Now, now, I wouldn't lie about stuff like that."
"Forgive if I don't want to trust the word of an Olympian." Jakob retorted. "A bunch of Gods known for their backstabbing, loopholes and breaking their words once their 'tools' have done what they wanted."
"Same could be said for your grandfather, brat." Ares said with a smirk.
"Least my kind don't hide behind stories that make them out to be all wise, respectful and everything good." Jakob retorted, knowing that the Aesir didn't hide their bloodthirsty and battle-hungry nature.
Ares glared at Jakob, but the Son of Thor just glared back. Ares spoke, without breaking his stare from him. "The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."
"Scared of a little water, oh what a tough God of War." Jakob taunted with a smirk. "Bet Týr could do this without a shred of fear, unlike you."
Ares bared his teeth, the look similar to what Clarisse's.
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."
And with that, Ares disappeared through his own means. Jakob looked outside and saw the bike was also gone as well.
"Knew I was going to hate him." Jakob said with a shake of his head.
"This is not good." Grover said nervously. "Ares sought you guys out. Not good!"
"It's probably a trap." Andromeda said, shaking her head. "Forget Ares, we've got our own problems to worry about."
"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."
Andromeda looked at her burger with a grimace, not feeling hungry right now. Jakob dug into his food, feeling no such hesitation.
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