The Omnitrix holder and the lighting theif

The Lotus casino

DON'T BE A SILENT READER

Amara's pov

The war god was waiting for us in the diner parking lot. "Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy said. Ares gave him a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

He shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

Luke and Grover caught their breath as I glared at Ares and ship growled. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because I saw it several times on the road trips I had taken: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

I said, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck was unlatched. "Free ride west, punks. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

Percy said, "I don't want your lousy — "

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving me his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

I gritted my teeth. It was probably a deadly insult to refuse something from a god, but I didn't want anything that Ares had touched nor did percy. Reluctantly, he slung the backpack over my shoulder. I knew my anger was being caused by the war god's presence, but I was still itching to punch him in the nose. He reminded me of every bully and villain I'd ever faced. Every jerk who'd called me a stupid nerd in school or laughed at me in battle.

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cookout from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera, and snapped a picture of us.

Great, I thought. We'll make the papers again tomorrow. I imagined the headline: TWELVE-YEAR-OLD OUTLAW BEATS UP DEFENSELESS BIKER. 

"You owe me one more thing," Percy told Ares, trying to keep his voice level. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

The ground seemed to spin beneath me. "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."

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

He laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

I balled up my fists. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, the fire glowed. I felt a hot wind in my hair. "We'll meet again, Amara Tennyson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

"Better watch your I am sure aunty aphrodite is made you send her favorite legacy in danger" I smiled and I swear I saw him shiver as He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.