The Lightning Thief

bad feelings started boiling in my stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. I wanted to hit a wall. I wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was?
    He gave me a wicked grin. “So you’re old Seaweed’s kid, huh?”
    I should’ve been surprised, or scared, but instead I felt like I was looking at my stepdad, Gabe. I wanted to rip this guy’s head off. “What’s it to you?”
    Annabeth’s eyes flashed me a warning. “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?”
    Then it struck me why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, the ones from cabin five.
    “You’re Clarisse’s dad,” I said. “Ares, god of war.”
    Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should’ve been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. “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.
    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,” I 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?”
    “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 ?”
    The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.
    “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?” He leaned forward. “Or maybe you only fight when there’s a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you.”
    I wanted to punch this guy, but somehow, I knew he was waiting for that. Ares’s power was causing my anger. He’d love it if I attacked. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.
    “We’re not interested,” I said. “We’ve already got a quest.”
    Ares’s fiery eyes made me see things I didn’t want to see—blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. “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?”
    “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,” I 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.”
    “Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you’re up against. Help me out, and maybe I’ll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom.”
    “My mom?”
    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?” I asked. “Something scare you off ?”
    Ares bared his teeth, but I’d seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it,