I am so sorry for the mix up yesterday, I totally did not mean to do that. Thank you madeline2209 for telling me about that, I would have never noticed if it wasn't for her. That chapter belonged to my other story for Narnia if you were interested. And here is your update. Hope you like it :D Please REVIEW! Thanks to the guest and others that did REVIEW.

Chapter 9 Nereus and Bessie

"Tell me when it's over," Thalia said. Her eyes were shut tight.

"Oh, oh," Kat mumbled.

The statue was holding on to them so they couldn't fall, but still Thalia and Kat clutched Percy's arms like it was the most important thing in the world.

"Everything's fine," Percy promised.

"Are… are we very high?" Kat whispered. Percy looked down. Below them, a range of snowy mountains zipped by. Percy stretched out his foot and kicked snow off one of the peaks.

"Nah," Percy said. "Not that high."

"We are in the Sierras!" Zoë yelled. She and Grover were hanging from the arms of the other statue. "I have hunted here before. At this speed, we should be in San Francisco in a few hours."

They sped up, the mountains fell away into hills, and then they were zipping along over farmland and towns and highways. Grover played his pipes to pass the time. Zoë got bored and started shooting arrows at random billboards as we flew by. Kat and Thalia kept their eyes closed the whole way.

"You did good back there," Percy told Thalia. "Zeus listened."

"Maybe," she said. "How did you get away from the skeletons in the generator room, anyway? You said they cornered you."

"Well," Kat jumped into their conversation, her eyes still closed, "We met a mortal, who helped us out."

"What!" Thalia gasped, Thalia's eyes were still screwed tightly shut.

"Her name was Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and she could see through the mist," Kat continued. "She help us by talking the skeletons the other way, while we hid."

"Yeah," Thalia said, "some mortals can see through the midst."

"Well, the girl was annoying," Percy said. "But I'm glad I didn't vaporize her. That would've been bad."

Thalia nodded, Kat snickered.

"Must be nice to be a regular mortal." Thalia said.


"Where do you guys want to land?" Hank asked, waking Percy and Thalia up from a nap.

"Whoa." Percy gasped.

"There," Zoë suggested. "By that building."

"Wherever you land, don't crash," whimpered Kat.

"Good thinking," Chuck said. "Me and Hank can blend in with the pigeons." Everyone, except Thalia and Kat, who still had their eyes closed, stared at Chuck.

"Kidding," he said. "Sheesh, can't statues have a sense of humor?" The angels let the demigods, satyr, and hunter off, and Kat sighed with relief.

"Well, since that night terror is over, what next?" Kat said. After a bit of arguing, and dead ends, a few angry silences, and a few awkward ones. They decided, they needed to know the mysterious monster, Artemis was seeking, that could end the gods.

"But how?" Percy asked.

"Nereus," Grover said.

"What?"

"Think, your last conversation with Apollo," Kat suggested.

Percy looked confused for a second, than he understood.

"The old man of the sea," Percy remembered. "I'm supposed to find him and force him to tell us what he knows. But how do I find him?"

Zoë made a face. "Old Nereus, eh?"

"You know him?" Thalia asked.

"My mother was a sea goddess. Yes, I know him. Unfortunately, he is never very hard to find. Just follow the smell."

"That doesn't sound good," Kat muttered.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"Come," she said without enthusiasm. "I will show thee."

Five minutes later, Zoë had Percy outfitted in a ragged flannel shirt and jeans three sizes too big, bright red sneakers, and a floppy rainbow hat.

"Oh, yeah," Grover said, trying not to bust out laughing, "you look completely inconspicuous now." Kat wasn't so lucky, she exploded with laughter. Percy gave her a glare and Zoë nodded with satisfaction,

"A typical male vagrant."

"Thanks a lot," Percy grumbled. "Why am I doing this again?"

"I told thee. To blend in." Zoë did a lot of searching near the water front, than pointed toward a soup kitchen. "He will be down there somewhere," Zoë said. "He never travels very far from the water. He likes to sun himself during the day."

"How do I know which one is him?"

"Sneak up," she said. "Act homeless. You will know him. He will smell… different." "Great." Percy didn't want to ask for particulars. "And once I find him?"

"Grab him," she said. "And hold on. He will try anything to get rid of thee. Whatever he does, do not let go. Force him to tell thee about the monster."

"We've got your back," Thalia said. She picked something off the back of Percy's shirt— a big clump of fuzz that came from who-knows-where. "Eww. On second thought… I don't want your back. But we'll be rooting for you."

Kat grinned, Grover gave Percy a big thumbs-up. Percy grumbled something about how nice his friends were, then headed toward the soup kitchen.


"You caught him!" Zoë gasped.

"You don't need to be so surprised," Percy muttered.

"Neat trick," Kat said.

"Thanks," Percy said.

Nereus moaned.

"Oh, wonderful. An audience for my humiliation! The normal deal, I suppose? You'll let me go if I answer your question?"

"I've got more than one question," Percy said.

"Only one question per capture! That's the rule."

They all looked at each other. This wasn't good.

"All right, Nereus. Tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting."

The Old Man of the Sea smiled, "Oh, that's too easy," he said evilly. "He's right there." Nereus pointed to the water at my feet.

"Where?" Percy said.

"The deal is complete!" Nereus gloated. With a pop, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.

"You tricked me!" Percy yelled.

"Wait." Thalia's eyes widened. "What is that?"

"MOOOOOOOO!"

Percy looked down, and there the cow serpent, swimming next to the dock. She nudged Percy's shoe.

"Ah, Bessie," Percy said. "Not now."

"Mooo!" Grover gasped. "He says his name isn't Bessie."

"You can understand her… er, him?"

Grover nodded. "It's a very old form of animal speech. But he says his name is the Ophiotaurus." "T

"The Ophi-what?" Kat sputtered.

"It means serpent bull in Greek," Thalia said. "But what's it doing here?"

"Moooooooo!"

"He says Percy is his protector," Grover announced. "And he's running from the bad people. He says they are close."

"How did you get all of that in one moo?" Kat said. Grover ignored her.

"Wait," Zoë said, looking at me. "You know this cow?"

Percy told them how he saved the cow, and then cow had appeared in Hoover Dam, and now San Francisco bay, Thalia shook her head in disbelief.

"And you just forgot to mention this before?"

"Well… yeah."

"I am a fool," Zoë said suddenly. "I know this story! From the War of the Titans. My… my father told me this tale, thousands of years ago. This is the beast we are looking for."

"Bessie?" Percy looked down at the bull serpent. "But… he's too cute. He couldn't destroy the world."

"Entrails," gasped Kat, "I think I remember now."

"That is how we were wrong," Zoë said. "We've been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed."

"MMMM," Bessie lowed.

"I don't think he likes the S-word," Grover said.

"How could anyone hurt him?" Percy said. "He's harmless."

Zoë nodded. "But there is power in killing innocence. Terrible power. The Fates ordained a prophecy eons ago, when this creature was born. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods."

"MMMMMM!"

"Um," Grover said. "Maybe we could avoid talking about entrails, too."

Kat and Thalia stared at the cow serpent with wonder.

"The power to destroy the gods… how? I mean, what would happen?" Kat whispered .

"No one knows," Zoë said. "The first time, during the Titan war, the Ophiotaurus was in fact slain by a giant ally of the Titans, but thy father, Zeus, sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be tossed into the fire. It was a close call. Now, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus is reborn."

"We have to protect him," Percy told the group, "If Luke gets hold of him—"

"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia muttered, Kat gasped, "The power to overthrow Olympus. That's… that's huge."

"Yes, it is, my dear," said a man's voice in a heavy French accent. "And it is a power you shall unleash."

The group spun around, they had been so occupied they had let themselves get ambushed. By Dr. Thorn himself.

"Where… where are the skeletons?" Percy asked the manticore.

"Oh, please, Percy," Kat said, "like we need more enemies to fight. We are surrounded as it is."

"Well, sorry," Percy snapped, "I felt like we needed a few more, you know, for practice?"

"Practice?" Kat said, "that's what you came up with?"

"Alright, I will change that sentence," Percy said, "I felt like we needed a few more, since we. . . You know what? I give up."

"Good," Dr. Thorn said.

"Not you, I meant me and Kat's argument."

"Kat and my argument," Kat corrected.

"Whatever," Percy said.

"This is a life and death situation, and thy are arguing about not having enough bad guys to fight," Zoë said amused.

"Yeah," Kat said, "Well, Nights, I'm surprised Dr. Thorn hasn't killed us yet, and is letting Percy and I argue." She smiled at the manticore, Percy couldn't help but think she was being dramatic.

"Nights?" Percy muttered.

"Nightshade." Kat said.

"Nicknames now?"

"Stop it, Seaweed Brain."

"Seaweed Brain?" Percy said angrily.

"Has someone called you that before?"

"Forget it."

Zoë notched an arrow, and aimed it for Dr. Thorn's head.

"No, Zoë," Kat said pushing the bow down, Zoë glared at her.

"Trust me, you may be immortal, and I only twelve, but it really isn't a good idea to shoot."

"For once, the girl is right, Zoë Nightshade," the manticore hissed.

"For once? If monsters kill demigods, why can't they be a little bit polite?" Kat muttered, "for once, seriously, it's common courtesy. Here, I'll demonstrate. You know, never mind. Spikes, here looks like he wants to talk to us."

"Spikes," Grover rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I do," Dr. Thorn said. "Thalia will help us raise Mount Othrys!"

"If that was supposed to sound dramatic, you totally failed," Kat commented. Dr. Thorn glared at her,

"Yes, Thalia ez turning sixteen soon, she shall help us get rid of ze godz, by sacrificing the Ophiotaurus."

"Thalia snap out of it." Percy said. Kat spun around and saw Thalia paralyzed and staring at Dr. Thorn with wide eyes.

"Thalia, your dad loves you," Kat said urgently, "he cares." Kat couldn't believe it, they had missed it all along. Thalia was turning sixteen in two days. In two days!

"Now Grover!" Percy yelled. Planks sprang up around the manticore's mortal guards, and around the manticore. Grover was playing his pipe again, Kat just squealed and clasped her hands over her ears. Percy grabbed Thalia and Kat, and Zoe and Grover followed. . . Into a dead end. A water fountain stood nearby. Percy slashed the top off, and group was instantly sprayed.

"Percy!" Kat groaned, "I didn't want to get wet!"

"Sorry."

Grover tossed a drachma into the mist,

"Camp Half-Blood." Percy said.

"Please, extremely kind goddess," Kat added, "it's a death wish." Kat definitely earned the most deadly glares in her life time, right there. The mist shimmered and Mr. D. appeared in front of them rummaging through a fridge.

"Excuse me?" He said

"What, you, where's Chiron?" Percy stuttered.

"Hi, Mr. D," Kat said brightly.

"Is that the way you greet a god, Johnson?"

"Hi," Percy amended.

"Good enough," Mr. D said taking a bite of a pop tart. "Hello, Kaye Bowman it is great to see you."

"It's Kat Bowes, Mr. D," Kat corrected,

"Don't bother, he will never call you Kat," Percy whispered.

"So we are kind of in some trouble right now," Kat ignored Percy, "and were wonderi-"

"Why do the heroes always want my help?"

"Always," Percy choked. "Really?"

"Yes, Peter," Mr. D said.

"They are coming," Thalia said urgently. Kat and Percy spun around and readied their weapons. Kat noticed a tear slip down Thalia's cheek, and Kat realized she had been cornered before, and this time she couldn't sacrifice herself for her friends. Kat sighed, how could they have let this happen? The mortals and manticore approached.

"You could say please, Percy Jackson and Katrina Bowes,"

"Please, Mr. D." Percy whispered.


"Okay, I can't believe you said, Please to the annoying Wine Dude!" Kat said.

"Well, it kept us alive didn't?" Percy said.

"Still," Kat said.

"Well, what's up with your nice act with him?"

"To keep myself from becoming a dolphin, or worse -"

"Worse what?"

"Shut it, Seahorse."

"Okay, let's go to the Chase's house, maybe they will help us." Thalia interrupted, "and what's up with the arguing?"

"Annabeth won't be there," Percy said.

"Of course not, Kelp Head," Kat said, "I can just see her kidnappers letting her stay at her house, wouldn't that be smart."

"Kat!" Thalia.

"Percy!" Zoë.


"Out, out now!" Thalia screamed, pushing Percy and Kat out of the car. A lightning bolt hit Mr. Chase's car and it was completely destroyed.

"I can't believe it! He wouldn't?" Thalia stumbled, "Dad!"

"Zeus did NOT send that lightning bolt Thalia," Percy said, "He would not kill you!"

"One shall perish by a parent's hand!"

"No Thalia, that wasn't Zeus," Kat said softly. "It was Kronos."

"Wait, where's Zoe?" Percy said nervously. Kat looked around, no sign of Zoe.

"Zoe!" Percy yelled.

"Fool!" Zoe snapped, right next to him."You do not want to wake up Ladon do you?"

"Ladon?" Percy said confused.

"The dragon."

"Right. . . what?"

"Oh, Percy," Kat snickered.

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