The Thief // pjo

Chapter Seven // I Become the Lady of the Zebras And Take a (Very Long) Nap

TW: TALKS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT

Please, if you are experiencing such activities in the home, ask for help. You are not alone.

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    As much as I wanted to throw hands with the god, I was barely awake enough to breathe.

    Annabeth's arm was slung around my middle as I struggled to stay awake.

    "Well, well, you didn't get yourself killed," Ares laughed when we made it back to the restaurant parking lot.

    "You knew it was a trap," Percy snapped at him.

    "Bet that crippled black-smith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV," The god taunted. He nodded at me and smirked, "Even you, lil mistake."

    Before I could stop myself, I shot back, "You're a jerk."

    Then Percy just kinda threw the shield at him.

    Both of our actions made Annabeth and Grover stiffen and stop breathing.

    Before I could blink, Ares took the shield and flipped it in the air, magically turning it into a bulletproof vest, which he slung across his back.

    "See that truck over there?" The god pointed to a huge eighteen-wheeler across the street. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

    I could actually read the sign on the side of the truck as it was in a good font for dyslexic kids, KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

    I blinked a few times, and Percy voiced what I was thinking, "You're kidding."

    Ares snapped his fingers, and the lock on the door unlatched, "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

    He threw a blue backpack at Percy, who opened it as I moved to his side, leaving Annabeth's stiff form behind.

    Inside were clothes for all of us, twenty bucks, some golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

    "I don't want your lousy—" Percy started to say rudely.

    "Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving both of us a look that said shut up! "Thanks a lot."

    Percy, I think without thinking, passed me the backpack.

    I sluggishly slung it over my shoulder and let out a sigh as I glanced at the diner where the waitress and a cook were standing. The cook held up a camera, snapping a photo while the waitress was jabbering beside him.

    I rolled my eyes but turned as Percy crossed his arms, his voice shaking as he struggled to keep calm, "You owe me one more thing. You promised me information about my mother."

    "You sure you can handle the news?" Ares was practically asking to be punched as he kick-started his Harley. "She's not dead."

    Percy seemed to sway on his feet beside me, his arms loosening, "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

    I furrowed my brow, That's weird...

    "Kept. Why?"

    Ares rolled his eyes, "You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."