Percy stomped up to the man waiting for them in the parking lot as if he wasn't the literal god of war.
"Well, well," Ares said. "You didn't get yourself killed."
"You knew it was a trap," Percy accused.
Ares just grinned wickedly. "Bet 'ole Festy was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."
Percy shoved the shield into his arms. "You're an asshole."
The other three collectively caught their breath, but Ares just ignored him.
"See that truck over there?" He pointed at an eighteen-wheeler across the street. "That's your ride. Take you straight to LA, with one stop in Vegas."
The side of the truck read: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.
"You're kidding," Percy said.
Ares snapped his fingers and the back doors unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."
The god handed him a blue backpack filled with clothes, money, and a bag of Oreos.
"I don't want your lousy--"
"Thank you, Lord Ares," Ash said, cutting him off. She stepped forward and took the backpack with a bow of her head. "Thank you very much."
"Your little girl gets you out of trouble a lot, huh, boy?" Ares said with a smirk. "Keep her."
Percy's fists clenched and he started forward, but Ash stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Gathering her courage, she stared the god down sternly.
"I'm not a dog," she stated. "Or property. Now, I believe you promised Percy some information."
Ares laughed out loud. "I like you, kid. And yes, I suppose I did. You sure you can handle the news? Your mom's not dead. She's being kept."
Percy looked at him incredulously. "That's it? Ash told me that weeks ago."
"Oops. Forgot you had the lil' Reaper along. Sorry, that's all I got for you." He shrugged, not sounding apologetic in the slightest.
"You're kidding me."
"Nope!" Ares kick-started his motorcycle.
"You said she was being kept. At least tell me why." Percy asked desperately.
"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."
"Nobody's controlling me."
Ares laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."
"You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues," Percy snarled.
Fire burned in Ares' eyes. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."
With a rev of his Harley, he was gone.
"That was not smart, Percy," Annabeth said.
"I don't care," was his response.
"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god."
"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but if we're taking the zoo express, we need to hurry."
Two men wearing KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL coveralls were paying their check at the register. The group darted across the street and clambered into the back of the big rig.
It was horrible inside. Three of the most depressed zoo animals Ash had ever seen sat in filthy cages. Grover was shaking with anger.
"This is kindness?" He yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"
He probably would've gone back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and the rest of them would've helped, but just then the truck jolted forwards, causing the four of them to sit down hard.
Grover talked with the animals in a series of goat bleats while Percy found a water jug and refilled their bowls. Ash took the trays of meat from the zebra and antelope's cages and approached the lion. Percy nearly had a heart attack when she slid her hand right between the bars and placed the food in front of the giant cat. To his surprise, the lion shrank back and cowered in the corner until she stepped away.
When they'd done all they could for the animals, the four heroes curled up on some feed sacks in the back. Annabeth opened the bag of Oreos and split one, handing the cookie-only part to Ash.
"Hey, guys," she said. "I'm really sorry for freaking out back at the water park. If it weren't for me..."
"It's okay" "It's fine" Percy and Ash said in unison.
She shuddered. "It's just.... Spiders."
"Because of the Arachne story, right?" Percy guessed.
Annabeth nodded.
"We get it, Annie," Ash said quietly. "Don't worry."
"Yeah," Percy said. "We're a team, remember? Besides, Grover did the fancy flying."
They all thought he was asleep, but a mumble came from the corner: "I was pretty amazing wasn't I?"
They all laughed. Splitting another Oreo, Annabeth asked, "In the Iris message... did Luke really say nothing?"
"Luke said you two and him go way back," Percy ventured cautiously. "He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."
Ash was grateful for the low light so Percy couldn't see her expression. Grover let out a mournful bray.
"I should've told you the truth from the beginning," he said, voice trembling. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."
"You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus." At the mention of her name, Ash took a sharp breath. Percy continued. "And the other three half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp... That was you guys and Luke, wasn't it?"
Annabeth sighed. "Like you said, Percy, a nine-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia and Luke were both 14. They'd run away from home, like me, and were happy to take me with them. They were... amazing fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia and found Ash in D.C. The four of us fended off monsters for a few weeks before Grover found us."
"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp." Grover picked up the story, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth, and I thought maybe Ash could help. I thought I could get all four of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I got scared and made some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker..."
"Stop it," Ash spoke, sounding a little choked. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either. If anything, it was my...."
Annabeth put a hand out. "I'm going to stop you right there."
Grover shook his head. "She sacrificed herself to save us. Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."
"Because you wouldn't leave three other half-bloods behind?" Percy asked. "That's not fair."
"Percy's right," Annabeth said. "We wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke."
"We don't care what the council says," Ash added.
Grover kept sniffling, and Ash scooted over to put her hand on his back. He shifted so his head was in her lap. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy."
"You're not lame," Ash insisted, combing through his hair with her hands. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. We're all really glad you're here right now."
"Yeah, Grover, we are." Annabeth said. "You've always been there for us." There was a brief pause and then a thumping sound.
"Definitely," Percy said. "It's not luck that you found Thalia and me, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan."
Grover let out a deep, satisfied sigh and snuggled deeper into Ash. She thought he might say something else, but his breathing gradually turned into snoring. She smiled gently, still petting his head.
"How does he do that?" Percy marveled.
"I'm jealous," Ash whispered.
"That was a really nice thing you told him," Annabeth said.
"I meant it."
There was peaceful silence for a few minutes before Annabeth and Percy began speaking again. The girl ended up telling Percy more about her dad and why she'd run away from home. Ash stayed quiet, letting them have their moment. She smiled a little when Percy encouraged Annabeth to try again with her father and a lot when the girl said she'd side with him if there was a war. Best friends? This time, for sure.