Percy Jackson: the Winter Gamer

A day later, Annabeth had the brilliant idea to contact chiron, she had originally wanted to use an old car wash to get the rainbow needed but Alexander took out a prism.

"Where did you get that?", Annabeth asked curiously.

"Borrowed it from my dad, the same as our clothes"

They had shed the old, stinky camp shirts and now donned plain but expensive white and blue shirts and jeans. They were of great quality and -upon observing them, he realized- they were enchanted to be very hard to destroy. On the chest, they had a conch shell on them, the symbol of his father.

"Okay, Do any of you have a drachma?" Annabeth asked. Alexander silently flipped a golden coin through the air, which she caught and summoned the iris message, "Camp Halfblood", she called.

The message window appeared and Chiron was standing there, looking at something left of the window, which they couldn't see, "Chiron!", Percy called out, a grin on his face.

"Ah, Percy, I see you are still alive, that is good, I had been fearing- well no need in finishing that thought. I-", there was a loud crash outside the view, "Sorry, but I have to-", he walked off. Luke came into view, "Hey Perc, Annabeth, Alex, how has your quest been faring you?"

"It has been- quite something, we were attacked more often than I would've liked", Percy told him as the sound of clashing metal was heard in the background, "what is going on? Someone fighting over the last desert?"

"No- we- it has been tense since- well, it's like this, yesterday, some nymph let slip that Zeus and Poseidon are getting ready for war, the cabins are picking 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", he looked grimly.

"Clarisse is siding with my dad?", Percy looked dumbstruck, he would've never have thought that Clarisse and her burly sisters and brothers would be fighting with the dad of the guy who embarrassed her so in the bathroom incident.

"Yeah, it was a surprise, but tell me, how are things working out for you?", Luke asked.

Percy took the lead, telling him everything that happened so far, including his dreams of the weird pit voice.

"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."

Percy and Alexander stared at Luke, he couldn't mean Annabeth, could he? She would never steal the bolt, they both were certain of that.

"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. Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good"

"Oh…uh, yeah!", Percy lied, though he made it sound fairly convincing, "Yeah, they've come in handy"

"Really?" He grinned, "They fit and everything?"

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver", Luke said as another crash was heard outside, "I have to go help Chiron, try and keep the peace and all that"

"That doesn't sound good, like at all", Alexander stated, pocketing the prism, "The camp is already splitting… at least we still have about a month till the deadline. We have to hurry but first, my stomach is growling, let's go to a diner"

"Yeah, food sounds good", Percy clearly didn't want to think of their slowly approaching deadline, it made him nervous.

They sat down at a diner, calling over the waitress, a chubby black woman with blue dyed hair, "Well?", she looked at them, her eyebrow raised.

"We would like to order", Annabeth said.

"You got money to pay with?", she looked at them skeptically. Their pristine white and blue t shirts were stained and there was no adult around.

"Yes we-" Alexander started talking but then was cut off 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 looked brutal. 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. He had a lot of scars, as if he had been in many fights in his life. The trio looked at him with with vague recognition, that cocky smile, it reminded them of someone or actually a few someones.

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 them again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me", sliding up into their booth, which looked quite ridiculous as it was way to small to fit the mountain of a man. As he looked deep into Alexander's eyes, at least, he thought he did, it was hard to tell with those shades, a system notification dropped.

[Status effect: Bloodlust purged]

Alexander's eyes flickered to above his head, that man had to be a monster, with that power he had just displayed.

[Ares]

Alexander's gut dropped. The literal god of war was sitting in front of them! What did he want? The gods didn't just 'show up' without a reason, especially at this kind of small diner. Maybe if there was a hot chick working there, to add to their list of demigod children but all the patrons and staff were average looking at best and at worst, dead ugly. He had come for them, that much was clear but what did he want?

"So you are old Seaweed's kid, huh?", Ares turned to Percy, who didn't have Gamer's mind to shield him from the god's influence.

"What is it to you?", he spat, clearly not realizing who sat in front of him.

"Percy, this is-"

 The biker raised his hand, "S'okay," 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's face lit up in recognition, "You are Clarisse's dad, you are Ares!"

Ares grinned madly, pushing down his shades, revealing a pair of floating flames where his eyes should've been, they shone with ethereal beauty and savage brutality at the same time, "That's right punk, I heard you splashed my kid with toilette water?"

"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", he took a burger off the waitress as she set down their food, handing her a few golden drachma.

"Those aren't-"

Alexander swapped the drachma for dollars, letting the golden coins disappear into his inventory.

"A nifty trick you have there", Ares looked at Alexander now, before turning back to Percy, "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", Ares said in between bites of his cheeseburger, mumbling under his breath, "Man, I love this nation's food"

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?"

That had been the wrong thing to say, Ares' flame-eyes lit up in anger, "Why don't I turn you into 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? Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you"

"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest"

Ares leaned back, his head facing the ceiling, "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 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?" Alexander asked, looking at Annabeth, who was too intimidated to contribute anything to the conversation.

"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. 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 insisted, they could just take another train and be there in a few days no need for-

"Yeah, you are doing sooooo great", he rolled his eyes, "You are a wanted fugitive, do you really think you can just hitch a train to LA and make it there without being detained? Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know, something about your mom"

"My mom?", Percy's interest was piqued, he was desperate for any kind of info he could get.

He grinned, "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride" 

"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked before he had to tick the god off once more, "Something scared you off?" 

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. So, go and get my shield!"

The three stood up but Ares held up his hand, pointing at Alexander, "not you, you are staying here so I know the kid won't run off with my shield"

Alexander was deeply uncomfortable to stay with Ares any longer than he had to but he supposed it was best. Ares' aura didn't effect him. If one of the others would stayed back, they would probably do something stupid, like fight Ares. He looked at a concerned Percy, "Go ahead, I'll be okay"