Erik vs Ares

"You know about that," Dionisio said, changing his expression and returning to the one he had.

"Yes, let me know when Poseidon claims him. That night he will be given his mission. I'll take care of him in secret and find out what the hell is going on because a Demigod can't steal a divine weapon, not without the help of another God," I said.

One day, from what I observed from a distance, was that the Children of Ares are cautious thugs. I don't know why the blonde girl with gray eyes sounded familiar to me, but I didn't remember.

The day arrived for the Capture the Flag Games. What a childish way to confront each other. Dionisio and Chiron allowed me to sneak in while using a fairly powerful fog.

"These games are so boring," I said, watching how they fought and gave each other small cuts.

"Not everyone is immortal inside that luxurious hotel. Now tell me, you smell of good alcohol, not that cheap stuff. Hands-on Barman Course," Dionisio said.

"As I see it, I won't tell you where to buy it or where my bar is. Banned from any God, only two are allowed," I said.

"Oh come on, who?" Dionisio said as he smelled the aroma of alcohol.

"Hephaestus and Hela," I said, to which he grumbled.

"Seriously, never a good god of wine and party," he said.

"Not because it's a bar only for demigods," I said, while he tried to convince me to let him drink.

"Erick, there's a scent of a Chucho and Aunt Hela in the direction of the child," Hati said, to which I saw the deformed black hound.

"Hellhound. He's going to kill him," I said, taking Levi and throwing him across the field.

Percy was hurt by Clarisse La Rue, the daughter of Ares, a giant girl who looked like a football player.

Percy saw the dog coming at him, but he was thrown into a tree by a gray ax with gold decorations, splitting it in half. The ax disappeared instantly.

"Nice throw," Chiron said.

"It takes practice. Skuld kicked my ass for 6 months until I got it right," I said.

"Imperial gold, Bone Steel... I don't recognize the wood and the runes," Dionysus said.

"Heart of Yggdrasil, secret runes. One allows me to kill immortals," I said, playing with the weapon.

"Nordics and their crazy weapons," I said, to which Leviathan floated and hit me on the head.

"She hates being called Crazy," I said as it went back to my wrist.

"Oh great, a weapon with a spirit. It's like Mjolnir with an edge, and in the hands of a psychopathic Demigod," Dionysus said.

"That's why you're not getting into the bar," I said, laughing and leaving when I saw that Perseus was claimed by beating Clarisse and healing himself in the river.

That night, I was at my own portable bonfire when I saw that Percy was talking to a girl with red hair. She wasn't a camper; she was a Goddess.

"Haha, the Greeks are funny. They have the highest birth rate and they kill them like it's nothing," I said, throwing some food onto the fire, while I watched as a Fire Demon exploded in the bonfire.

"Erik, that Goddess is watching you," Hati said.

"Mmh, I know. Let her be; she's the Goddess of Home," I said while eating.

"By the way, who do you think stole the lightning?" Audhild said, leaning on my shoulder.

I accidentally hit my mouth with my cutlery. "I don't know. I imagine that since it's a divine weapon, it wouldn't be easy to steal. Well, unless you don't count—you know, Mjolnir is surprisingly easy to steal. Maybe Hephaestus can tell me something," I said. I pulled a barrel out of the ring.

"I offer this offering to Hephaestus, God of Forges, artisans, blacksmiths, etc., etc. I want to consult something about the stolen weapon. I found traces of it very faintly near the camp," I said, placing the barrel on the fire. The fire drew some letters after I took it away.

"Mount Saint Helens," the runes spelled out.

"Good place," I said. I prepared to leave at dawn, heading for Mount Saint Helens. I used a travel rune to get to Washington, for the rest I would ride Sköll.

"Boy, you'll need to find a horse," Sköll protested.

"Oh yes, of course. Wait, I'll make Loki pregnant again with Svadilfari," I said, which made everyone start laughing.

"Lord knows that Sleipnir has several children," Rune said.

"Yeah, I know. You'd think Odin would let me use one, but damn, he might throw me on the Wild Hunt if I do. He hasn't used those ghostly asses in years. They're on the 332nd floor; they spend their time playing or watching television. He sends them to buy alcohol," Audhild said as we reached the base of the mountain.

When we arrived, we didn't see anything at all, just rocks. "Well, we have to look for the entrance. Look for a letter of the Greek alphabet or two axes, a hammer and an anvil, or fire," I said, while we looked. After about 10 long minutes, I found an Omega sign off to the side, and I pressed it.

A gap opened, revealing a hallway of highly polished metal. "Okay, come back. I found it!" I yelled, and we all ventured inside. We walked for 20 or 30 minutes until I felt the heat strike.

"We must be in the heart of the forges," I said, knocking on the door.

"Come in," a voice roared from the other side as he opened the door.

A tall man with a long and unkempt brown beard, a steel prosthetic leg, a huge head, and, above all, full of muscles stood before me. Erik knew he was powerful.

"Lord Hephaestus," I said, bowing.

"The boy that Sindri and Brok talked about. How's the eye?" He said, looking at me intently.

"Pretty good. It just loses its cool when I get mad," I said, causing him to growl.

"Well, boy, I don't have time to chat about that," Hephaestus said.

"It was used in camp to create a hurricane to stop Perseus Jackson. The Hati and Sköll problem. They said it was not used by a deity; it was used by a mortal," I said, to which Hephaestus was surprised.

"That's bad. You know no mortal can wield a divine artifact," Hephaestus said, to which I nodded.

"They would die, implode from the power—unless a God allowed them to use it, or..." I said, grabbing my head in great pain. Hephaestus noticed this.

"So it was true, you drank from the Well of Wisdom. Child, you're mad," the god laughed, making everything vibrate.

"A mortal would die, unless they're a Demigod. But they'd be thrown into the air unless a god possessed them or something else used their body," I said, and Hephaestus looked at me seriously as my eye transformed into its mechanical form.

"Child, are you suggesting that a Demigod stole the weapon, with the help of another God?" Hephaestus said seriously.

"It's a possibility, but a war won't benefit anyone," I said, and Hephaestus grew darker.

"Only a big bastard would enjoy this. Ares," he said angrily, his beard catching fire.

"This is going to be a pain. I'll have to go kick that god's ass to find out what's going on. Mimir is the worst," I said, stretching, with Hephaestus watching me.

"Child, gouge out your eye. That thing's failing. It's disgraceful for me to let you use that prototype," Hephaestus said, reaching out his hand. I growled and carefully ripped it out.

He took it and brought it to a work table. "Mmh, let's see. I could add a camera and other things," he said, taking some pieces.

"Because I think it's going to end up as a super espionage device like 007," I said, looking at him.

"Good idea. You'll need a laptop," Hephaestus said, and I sighed. I'd have to go to Nidavellir.

"Rune, go to Turbold. Tell him I want to buy a laptop, the best he has," I said, and Rune flew off.

"One thing, Lord Hephaestus. Can the eye record things when I use magic? I don't know why, but divination lets me hear the music of the future," I said, and Hephaestus looked at me.

"Yes, they told me about you. It can be done as long as you don't throw them out into the world. Give me a copy of when you fought Ares. There's a trap in an old water park. Spiderbots will be there," he said, raising an eyebrow. I agreed.

After three long hours, I had finished adding everything to the Eye. "To download the images, you have to take it out and connect the USB cable," Hephaestus said, handing it to me. I thanked him and left.

Chiron told me Percy had already left with Annabeth Chase and Grover.

"Chase... Chase's last name rings a bell," I said, scratching my head.

"It's probably for Magnus Chase, the son of Frey," Audhild said.

"Ah, I didn't remember. Well, Audhild, follow those kids. I'll go see what the hell Ares is up to," I said, mounting Hati and heading towards the park. When I said that some crap was happening, I was understating it. The number of Greek monsters was abnormal, combined with the challenge from both deities. The worst encounter was with the Fates, who looked at me ominously. The three women were driving a taxi with only one eye, and they gave me the middle finger as if to say "screw you." Well, I couldn't say much about eyes either. "Speaking of eyes, I should probably invite Urð, Verðandi, and Skuld to the bar," I muttered. A couple of days later, we arrived at the water park. It was completely abandoned, but we cautiously entered. The first attraction I saw was named "Wedgie."

"Seriously, mortals named one of these things that?" Hati said, sniffing the air.

"No, I think this is someone else's work," I said, walking. The names were diverse: "Dude, Where's My Bathing Suit?", "Bitten Ankle Island," and "Lost River of the Pharaohs." The last one was full of mummies.

"Ah, great. Egyptian mummies. What the hell are they doing here?" I yelled as I tore one apart.

"You don't suffer like us. They smell bad," Sköll said, burning a couple. Their loot was gold, gems, and other things like bandages. I kept all the gold and gems and put the bandages in a chest with a "trash" tag.

"Let's see. I'm a horny Greek couple, terribly unfaithful, even though I claim to be the goddess of love. Where would I be?" I said, my eyes shifting to the tune of Love. Then I saw two guys running away.

The woman wore a red satin dress and perfect makeup, while the man wore black sunglasses, a leather jacket, and an ammunition belt. Both seemed to be running from something. When I saw the Hephaestus trap—bronze spiders—I laughed. Sköll joined in.

I conjured a large amount of fog that covered the park, and the temperature dropped drastically. Both gods were startled. "Whoever is bringing this cold, it's not the way to treat a lady, especially if she's not wearing a coat. So stop," Aphrodite said, her voice haunting. But the mist and cold didn't stop; they increased.

I whistled softly, causing a sense of terror to pervade the area. "Yes, this feeling. It's war, fear, and anger. Someone who's experienced battles," Ares roared, igniting himself in fire.

"Whoever ordered you to stop for me," Aphrodite said, her voice melodic. I laughed.

"I have no love for anyone. Only anger accompanies me," I said, pulling Leviathan from my waist.

Aphrodite looked in all directions, while Ares laughed. "If a Nordic, a challenge worthy of a thousand battles!" He shouted, wielding his spear.

"It would be worthy, if it wasn't for a couple of unfaithful lovers," I said, appearing from the mist. Aphrodite looked at me angrily, while Ares seemed amused.

"You've got guts, Demigod, facing two Gods," Ares said, pointing his spear at me.

"Meh, I never said I was alone. And you're mistaken, Ares. I've come to beat you until you sing. What the hell happened to your father's lightning?" I said, pointing Leviathan at him. "Tell me, what the hell did I do now?" I laughed.

"I'll tell you if you win. If you lose, I'll kill you," he said. I snorted.

"Hati and Sköll, if she moves, tear her apart," I said, pointing at Aphrodite.

"Gross," she said angrily.

"Yeah, it's so gross not to fall for your Charmspeak or Lovekinesis," I said. She snorted.

Ares didn't wait a second and lunged at my head with his spear. I dodged it with Levi and kneed him in the chest.

The god staggered, looking at me. "Ha, you're good. Son of Thor or Tyr?" He said, wielding his spear again.

"Neither of my brothers. Just an idiot who's missing an eye, has two chatty crows, and a spear," I said.

"Come on, Son of Odin. Come on, face me!" Ares shouted, bursting into flames.

He thrust himself at me, aiming for my head with the spear. Now he was going for a larger target—my stomach. I was going for his arms, and Leviathan grazed his right arm, peeling his skin. He howled with laughter as he hit my stomach.

Even in Berserker mode, this was taking its toll. I decided to kick him away and use cunning. Ares separated slightly, giving me enough room to use a Haglaz Rune, forcing him to defend against the ice that fell in waves. I used that for Plan B.

I hid in the mist again, preparing a secret weapon: a rubber ball with runes attached to it. Isa, Thurisaz, and Eihwaz runes. I was going to use it as a fully magical grenade. This thing could hurt a God and cause them immense pain. When I talk about pain, I mean a lot of pain.

"Coward! Fight with your ax without magic!" Ares shouted.

"You know, I always wondered who's stronger and more noble as a warrior—Ares or Mars Ultor," I yelled, laughing.

Ares's face twisted, and he began to change. "I am," Mars Ultor shouted, his motorcycle clothing changing into a military uniform, possibly German.

"No, I'm stronger and better," Ares yelled, as he threw the lethal ball. It exploded in frost and fire, sending Ares flying towards the Wedgie attraction. Ares struggled to maintain his form, as his clothes and face continually shifted. It was easier to do this to Ares, since their domains were the same but with a 360-degree different concept, causing inner conflict.

Aphrodite ran to his side to see how he was. He was covered in golden ichor and fed him ambrosia.

"It won't heal fast, at least not that fast," I said, appearing from the mist and deactivating my armor. Aphrodite glared at me, about to curse me, but Hati and Sköll surrounded her. Both wolves laughed.

I approached Ares, who was still changing. "I won," I said, pressing the barrel of the gun to his neck.

"Not fairly," he growled.

"When war is fair, war isn't fair or good. For me, it's about winning at any cost, even my life," I said, slowly cutting Ares's neck with Leviathan.

"Fair," Mars Ultor said, as Ares suppressed him.

"What do you want to know?" I growled.