I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters.
San Francisco
We land on a ferry dock and scared a homeless man out of his mind, the man running away, screaming about metal angels from Mars. Then, we all realize that we have no idea what to do next. Except my dreams, but I'm not ready to talk about them next. Also, I don't much feel like talking to Zoe because I'm still sore that she beat me in every single round of our shooting contest.
"We should find out what the monster is next," Bianca finally decides.
"But how?" Percy asks.
"Find Nereus," Grover says.
"What?" Percy asks.
"Isn't that what Apollo told you to do?" Grover asks. "Find Nereus?"
Percy nods. "The old man of the sea. I'm supposed to find him and force him to tell us what he knows. But how do I find him?"
"Old Nereus, eh?" Zoe asks, grimacing like his name leaves a bad taste in her mouth.
"You know him?" Thalia asks.
"My mother was a sea goddess," Zoe says. "Yes, I know him. Unfortunately, he is never hard to find. Just follow the smell."
"What do you mean?" Percy asks.
"Come," Zoe sighs. "I will show thee."
Then, she turns and begins to walk away. We follow her to a goodwill drop box where she gives Percy a ragged flannel shirt, jeans three sizes too big, bright red sneakers, and a floppy rainbow hat.
"Very nice Percy," I grin, Grover laughing. "I doubt your own mother would recognize you now."
"My mother would probably faint," Percy grumbles. "Why am I doing this again?"
"I told thee, to blend in," Zoe says, walking away again.
We walk back to the waterfront before beginning to search. However, after a while, she stops, pointing to where a bunch of homeless people are waiting for the soup kitchen to open for lunch.
"He will be somewhere down there," Zoe says. "He never goes far from water. He likes to sun himself during the day."
"Hw will I know which one is him?" Percy asks.
"Sneak up," Zoe says. "Act homeless. You will know him. He will smell...different."
Percy sighs and nods. "And what do I do once I find him?"
"Grab on," Zoe says. "And hold on. He will do 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 says, then pauses to pick a piece of fuzz off of Percy's back. "Ew. On second thought, I don't want your back. We'll be rooting for you."
Grover gives Percy a thumbs up and Percy rolls his eyes, grumbling under his breath as he walks away. I chuckle and slip my hand into Thalia's as we stand there, watching Percy shuffle over to the homeless people. I half expect Percy to start sniffing them, but he doesn't. He just looks around as he shuffles forward. Finally, he sits next to an old man near the end of the pier. Then, he jumps him. Or at least, he tries. Nereus actually ends up grabbing Percy in a bear hug, squeezing him painfully tight, by the look of it, while screaming for help. He and Percy roll over a couple times until Percy hits his head. Then, Nereus lets go, turning to run only for Percy to tackle him from behind. I catch Percy saying something about being a half-blood, and Nereus begins to fight more desperately. Then, Nereus makes the mistake of hurling himself into the water. I chuckle. Game. Set. Match. Percy can't lose in the water. After a few minutes, we see them flop onto a boat dock under a nearby pier and run over.
"You got him!" Zoe cheers.
"You don't have to sound so amazed," Percy says.
"Oh wonderful," Nereus moans. "An audience for my humiliation. The usual deal, I suppose? You'll let me go if I answer your question?"
"I've got more than one question," Percy says.
"Only one question per capture!" Nereus snaps. "That's the rule."
Percy looks to us, conflicted. I can understand why. He's worried about Annabeth, but he knows that Zoe and Bianca are equally worried about Artemis, and yet our original purpose for catching Nereus was to figure out what the monster is.
"Ask about the monster," I finally sigh. "I...I know where Artemis and Annabeth are. I've seen it in my dreams."
"Why did thee not say something sooner!?" Zoe demands.
"Because I also saw you all die!" I snap.
Zoe falters before falling silent.
"Nereus, how do I find the monster?" Percy asks.
Oh that's too easy," Nereus grins wickedly. "He's right there."
"Where?" Percy asks, looking into the water as Zoe, Bianca, and I all aim our arrows at it.
"The deal is complete!" Nereus gloats, then there's a pop and he's a goldfish, flipping backward into the ocean.
"You tricked me!" Percy shouts.
"Wait!" Thalia says. "What is that?"
Me, Zoe, and Bianca all tense, readying ourselves for the fight of our lives. The Bane of Olympus has to be damn-near impossible to kill, right? But the only thing that shows up is a mixture between a baby cow and an eel. The front half is a cow, then it turns into an eel around the middle.
"Ah, Bessie," Percy says. "Not now."
The thing moos and I let the tension out of my bow.
"He says his name isn't Bessie," Grover translates.
"You can understand her, er, him?" Percy asks.
Grover nods. "It's an ancient form of animal speech. He says his name is the Ophiotaurus."
"The Ophi-what?" Percy asks.
"Serpent Bull," I translate.
"What's it doing here?" Thalia asks.
The thing moos at us.
"He says Percy is his protector," Grover says. "And he's running from the bad people. He says they're close."
"Percy, when did you first meet this thing?" I ask.
"Before I left camp," Percy says. "It was tangled in a fishing net and the boat was going to collapse on it."
"And you just forgot to mention this before?" Thalia asks.
"I am a fool!" Zoe says. "I know this story! This is the beast we are looking for."
"It's not a huge, dangerous monster like Typhon," I guess. "It's a sacrifice."
Zoe nods as the Ophiotaurus moos weakly and shrinks back.
"I don't think he likes the S-word," Grover says.
"How could anyone do that to him?" Percy asks. "He's so cute and harmless."
"Exactly," I nod. "Every time you ever heard or read about a sacrifice, how many times was the sacrifice a criminal, or an evil monster? Or was the sacrifice always a virgin, or someone beautiful, or pure?"
Zoe nods. "There is power in killing innocence. Terrible power. The Fates ordered 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."
The Ophiotaurus mooed louder, backing away.
"Um, maybe we could avoid talking about entrails too," Grover says.
"The power to destroy the gods," Thalia said, staring at the Ophiotaurus. "How? I mean, what would happen?"
"No on knows," Zoe says. "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."
Thalia sits down on the dock and holds out her hand. The Ophiotaurus swims up to her immediately, nuzzling into her hand. However, I see a hunger in Thalia's eyes. A desire for power. I'm willing to take a guess at her fatal flaw.
"Thalia," I say, setting a hand on her shoulder, Thalia looking up at me. "Those who seek great power often lose everything to get it, and are left with nothing."
Thalia's eyes fall to the Ophiotaurus again, as hungry as before for a moment before growing sad, then calm. "You're right. But we can't let Luke get it. Luke wouldn't hesitate. The power to destroy the gods...that's huge."
"Yes, it is, my dear," a voice hisses behind us. "And it is a power that you will unleash."
I spin, reaching to expand my bow, only for five claws to drive themselves completely through my armor and into my gut, lifting me into the air. Agony shot through me instantly as my stepfather's poison flooded my veins.
"Adam!" Thalia shrieks, only for my stepfather to hiss at her, still in his human form, except for his eyes, fangs, tongue, and claws.
He drops me back to the ground and allows his serpent traits to fade again, glaring down at me. "You're just so much more trouble than you're worth."
I hold a hand to my stomach, my hand beginning to glow faintly, the light flickering every so often, though I can feel the poison retreating and the damage being healed slowly.
"You know it is the right choice," my stepfather is saying as my hearing finally decides to turn on again. "Think about it. Your father abandoned you. You want the power. And you could be with Luke again. You love him, do you not? You could be together again."
I look up at Thalia and my heart breaks at the conflicted emotions warring on her face. However, after a moment, they fade, leaving a calm expression.
"That's it," my stepfather grins. "Call to it. It will come. Then use your spear."
Thalia extends her spear. Then, she stabs at my step father, only for him to bat it aside, snarling angrily.
"I gave you the chance to do it willingly," he snarls. "But fine. You will do it, or I will kill the son of my father's killer."
I blink, then stare at my stepfather. Who did my father kill to piss off my stepfather? A snake? Then it clicks.
"Python," I croak, finishing with the poison and sealing my claw wounds, pushing myself up. "You're the child of Python."
"Indeed," he hisses.
"Python never had children," Zoe says, brow furrowing. "Python was a dragon."
"Well, technically there was one woman who mated with a bull and had the Minotaur, and another mated with a bear and had Agrius and Oreius," I say. "So I'm sure its' not impossible."
"Enough," my stepfather snarls. "I will give you one chance. Bring the Ophiotaurus' remains to Mount Othrys, or I will kill your precious Adam."
Before I can even react, my stepfather is in his true form and streaking through the water, dragging me by the throat. Thalia tries to follow, but Percy and the others hold her back. I draw my knife and hurl it back to them, the blade stabbing into the dock at their feet. Then, my head slams into something solid sticking out of the water and I'm out like a light.
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