Chapter 21: Smelly Seers

Everyone stared at Percy. Then Frank looked at him. "Did you just say your ideas aren't insane?"

"Yeah."

"That's it," Thalia said throwing her arms up then pointing at Percy. "He's officially been declared insane."

"What?" Percy asked. "What about any of your plans? Nico, underworld day travels? Or War Games Frank? And sure Jason…"

"Fine," Annabeth said. "We get it. We're all a bit insane."

The angels stepped in front of the questers as the skeletons opened fire. Bullets bounced off their wings then the Angels extended them sending the skeletons flying. One of the angels said it felt great to stand up. The other wiggled his feet and asked what the tourist were thinking, just look at his toes. Then Percy pointed to the skeletons and yelled trouble and Thalia looked up at the skeletons saying to get them out of there. The angels looked down at her and asked if she was Zeus's kid. She yelled yes and they asked if it was possible to get a please. Thalia yelled please. One of them said they could use a stretch. Then Percy and Thalia were picked up by one and Grover and Zoe by the other flying away. Thalia was screeching.

"I hate flying too by the way," Percy said. "Even though it's not the heights that scare me."

"That whole experience was terrifying."

"More than," Percy agreed. "I never want to fly if I don't have too again. If I do it's by choice not just suddenly being picked up!"

"That's the way it usually goes though," Annabeth told him.

"I know!" Percy shouted. "Which is why I hate it."

They were sitting on the ferry dock with a few homeless people talking. The golden gate bridge was in the background. Then Zoe said their next course of action was to find out what the monster was. Percy asked how and Grover answered Nereus. Percy turned to him questioningly. Grover reminded him that's what Apollo had told him to do.

"I'm guessing the Angels flew you all the way there," Jason said. "From the hoover dam to San Francisco… Well we flew about the same length with the Argo on our first stop. Did it take the same amount of time?"

"Around," Percy told him. "We were just being held by our arms. Much less comfortable than the Argo."

Percy nodded. Saying he was the old man of the sea, they needed to find him and force him to tell them what they needed to know. He asked how he'd find him. Zoe narrowed her eyes and made a grossed out face. Thalia asked if she knew him. Zoe said her mom was a sea goddess. She knew him, they just needed to follow the smell.

"The smell?" Frank said. He looked at Percy. "Which was worse, him or Phineas?"

"Ugh," Percy wrinkled his nose and made some noises. "I never want to choose on that. But with the smell? Nereus for sure. But I've met a lot of stinky monsters, and even goddesses. There were even a few days that I smelled like vulture and dead carcasses."

The Egyptians laughed as Annabeth smiled and everyone else looked confused. Percy blushed but laughed with them. He had smelled pretty bad after that experience.

Percy asked what she meant. She said she'd show him. They stopped at a goodwill box near the pier and Zoe forced Percy into trashed flannel, too big jeans and a rainbow hat. Grover laughed saying that Percy would really blend in. Zoe nodded grinning saying he looked like every male vagrant.

"Hey!" Magnus shouted.

Annabeth hit him and mouthed something to him. He crossed his arms grumbling but didn't keep protesting.

Percy told her thanks a lot and asked why he was doing this. Zoe said to blend in. She led him down the pier and they stopped in front of a mass of homeless men. Zoe said he'd be there because he never traveled to far from the ocean but he liked the feel of the sun during the day. Percy asked how he'd know which was Nereus. She told him to sneak up, act homeless but he'd know Nereus. He'd smell different.

"This guy isn't sounding so worth it," Jaz said.

"His information is vital and more helpful than most prophecies," Reyna told her. "If Percy can catch him their quest will continue faster."

"You know him?" Percy asked.

"He's right near camp," Reyna replied. "But barely anyone has been able to catch him. Not for years."

Percy nodded. Then he grinned looking at Frank. "You know, just send Frank next time. He could do it."

"Me?" Frank asked. "If so many legion members failed why should I be able to do it?"

"You'll see," Percy said.

Percy asked what he'd do when he found Nereus. She said to hold on and not let go. He'd do anything to get rid of it. Percy had to force him to tell them about the monster. Thalia said they had her back then picked up a clump of fuzz from his new shirt saying she was rooting from him though she'd stay away from his back.

Percy rubbed the small of his back unconsciously. Annabeth noticed and looked at him strangely. He shrugged at her. It was just a feeling.

Grover gave him a thumbs up. Then Percy grumbled heading to the homeless guys stumbling. A man with a plastic bag as a hat told him to beat it. He walked past several more homeless people till he reached the end of the pier and a guy in pajamas in a bathrobe who was extremely fat with a dirty white beard. Percy sat down slowly and squirmed like he was trying to get comfortable. They heard a mutter of school and parents.

"That's not the biggest reason for homeless kids," Magnus told him. "It was good enough to get him. But most of us have nowhere else to go, we've been kicked out, are on the run from people who might hurt us, or many other reasons. Barely ever school."

Percy nodded. "I learnt not to make that assumption for a few months after I was living…"

"That's a spoiler," Annabeth told him.

"Right," he nodded.

Nereus went back to sleep. Percy leaned over like he would be going to sleep but he tackled Nereus. They rolled down the pier as Nerues squeezed him too. Percy's head hit a pole and Nereus tried to scramble away. Then Percy jumped him again from behind. He yelled he didn't have any money as he tried to run. Percy's arms were tight around his chest.

"Why would he have money?" asked Chris. "No one in their right mind would believe that guy had money."

"Nereus isn't in his right mind then," shrugged Leo. "Doesn't seem like it."

Percy said he was a half blood who only wanted info. He squirmed harder saying heroes always picked on him. He asked why. Percy said it was because he knew everything.

"Definitley more worthwhile going to for information than Phineas," Percy grumbled.

Hazel nodded. "Phineas was evil. This guy just seems like he doesn't want to help."

"Phineas is bad for harpies," agreed Ella. "Bad for Ella."

Tyson hugged her.

Nereus growled and thrashed. They got to the pier edge as Percy yelled not the water. Nereus yelled and jumped off the edge with Percy.

Cheers erupted from several people all around the room. But then Calypso interrupted looking at Percy with a raised eyebrow. "Nereus is a sea god. He is just as strong there as you."

"In different ways," Percy said. "Not where it mattered."

Percy held on stronger. Nereus's face became angry and he grumbled before his body morphed into a giant black seal. Percy slipped a little but didn't let go. Nereus wriggled and thrashed spinning like a spiral.

"Is that what you meant?" Frank said. "Because I can shift?"

"Because you also have sea god roots too," Percy told him. "You might survive better. But he might not also fall for the same trick as easily again."

"Thank you for the suggestion though," Reyna said. "But we will also have you in New Rome when September starts."

Percy's face grew dark. "I'm not sure how well that's going to work out now with all of this."

Nereus kept spinning. He kept growing turning white and sleek. Percy slipped off but managed to grab the dorsal fin as he breached out of the water. Tourists whoaed but one in a purple shirt looked at Percy strangely as he waved reaching for his pocket.

Everyone spun on Jason. But Jason spun on Percy. "That was you?"

"Yeah. We were so close to New Rome. I'm guessing you had something to do there."

"Yeah, and I figured that there was a sea god or something who decided to ride killer whales there. One of the weirdest things I'd seen yet but I didn't even get a good look at you. We were getting some supplies for the legion."

Percy nodded.

Thalia was looking at Jason. "You were so close."

He took a sharp breath. "We could've…"

"We can't focus on the we could'ves or should haves, or any of the past," Percy said. "We can't change it. Just use it in the future."

With misty glances both siblings nodded.

Nereus plunged into the water and turned into an eel. Percy grabbed both his tail and neck and started to tie him into a knot. He became human with Percy still holding him as Nereus hit him wailing why he wouldn't drown. Percy said he was a son of Poseidon. Nereus said he was here first! Then he collapsed on the pier edge. Nereus was gasping as Percy smirked. Then quickly he tried to seem tired.

"That feels great," Percy said feeling the strength of the water still coursing through him. "I could keep going for a while."

"You're not going too," Annabeth said. "It was good thinking to make Nereus think he almost won. He won't argue as much."

Zoe yelled Percy had done it. Percy said not to be so amazed. Nereus was groaning asking why their had to be an audience for his mortification, they just wanted the information. Then Percy would let him go. Percy said he had more than one question.

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that," Will pointed out. "We all have endless questions. The point is we work to get them answered."

"I know," Percy agreed. "Just sometimes you want to take the easy route…"

Nerues said one question per capture. That was the rule. Percy looked at his friends then up at the golden gate bridge. His eyes swam. He gulped and looked at Nerues. He asked what the monster Nereus was hunting was. Nereus smiled with green teeth and said the monster was right there. He pointed to the water at Percy's feet. Percy asked where. Nereus said the deal was completed and became a goldfish flipping backward into the ocean.

"There's nothing there," Juniper squeaked. "Nereus has to answer the question! That's the way it goes."

"He couldn't have tricked them," agreed Apollo. "He has to tell the truth about the question once he's been caught."

"So is the monster the ocean or something?" asked Magnus.

Percy yelled he'd been tricked then Thalia yelled and asked what something was. She pointed to the mooing Bessie who nudged Percy's shoes. Percy told her not now. She mooed again.

"Really?" asked Carter. "Artemis was hunting that? Then how could she have tracked it near San Francisco when Percy saw it in Long Island a day later. Bessie doesn't seem to be any danger."

Percy nodded. "I know it's confusing but it'll explain everything."

Grover gasped saying the serpent said his name wasn't Bessie. Percy asked if Grover could understand him. Grover agreed saying it was an old form of speech but it's name was the Ophiotaurus.

"You called this Ophiotaurus, a he, Bessie for months?" Alex asked. "That's offensive."

"I couldn't really understand," Percy said.

"But you shouldn't mislabel a gender."

"If someone tells me what they want to be refered to as I'll listen," Percy told him. "But for then I had no way of knowing."

Alex huffed crossing his arms as Samira scolded him.

Percy repeated that confused. Thalia said it meant serpent bull, she asked why it was here. Another moo, Grover said that the Ophiotaurus said Percy was his protector. He was running from bad people, who were close. Something skipped. Zoe pointed at the ophiotaurus and said she knew this story.

"What story?" Hazel asked. "There's a story about Bessie? I've never heard about it."

Percy asked what story.

Hazel looked around. "This means I pick if I want to do a truth or a dare, right? I think I'll try the dare."

"We're going to start Jason and Piper's during dinner anyway," said Leo. "So this is the perfect time!"

"I have one for Rachel," Percy agreed. "So she can start then too."

Zoe said it was a story from the first titan war. Her dad had told her. This was their monster. Percy said Bessie was too cute to destroy the world.

"So are you," Annabeth told him.

"Only sometimes," Percy grinned at her. "But I could say the same about you."

Zoe said that's why there were wrong. They weren't looking for a huge dangerous monster. Bessie had to be sacrificed to bring down the gods.

There were yells, fights and protests breaking out at that announcement. Sacrificing something like Bessie was a thought that couldn't be stood for. Percy held his hands up. "I promise it will all be answered soon."

Bessie started and Grover said he didn't like the S word. Percy patted him on the head to try and calm him down. He asked how anyone could hurt something harmless like Bessie. Zoe said that there was terrible power in killing innocence, the Fates said ages ago when Bessie was born whoever killed it and sacrificed it could destroy the gods.

The room went dark at the thought. It made too much sense. Not in any way that any of them wanted to think about but it did.

Grover said not to talk about that please as Bessie wailed. Thalia looked at Bessie and repeated the power to destroy the gods, she asked what would happen. Zoe said no one knew. Bessie was killed by someone on the Titan's side but before he was sent to the fire for sacrifice Zeus used an eagle to take it away. It had been three thousand years since.

"Three thousand years?" asked Hazel. "That's so long to reform."

"Too long," agreed Percy. "Which is why Bessie should never be killed."

Thalia sat down to pet Bessie. Thalia looked at the sea cow strangely. Percy said they had to protect Bessie, if Luke got a hold of her, Thalia said he wouldn't hesitate. The power there was huge.

Thalia's head hung ashamed. Percy reached out to her and shook his head. "You didn't do it. Don't hit yourself. You beat your flaw."

She nodded but her face was still dark.