It took a while, but they eventually managed to find an old jeep, which was somehow still in working condition. Zoe drove for a while, but her hands were shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. If Ron had to guess, it was because she was still coming to terms with the fact that they had come close to losing Bianca.

After sometime, Thalia took pity on her and elected to take over driving duties. As a 15-year-old, she had a driving license, something that made Hermione a little jealous, because the minimum age in England was 17.

The good news was that the vehicle's presence meant that they saved a lot of time and cut down on travel distance. However, the bad news was that they did not see any gas stations during the journey. So despite a full tank at the start of the journey, all that fuel eventually ran out and the jeep juddered to a halt by a river.

The group disembarked and scanned the horizon. There wasn't much to see, except for desert in all directions, occasional clumps of barren mountains plopped here and there. The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty metres across, green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert. The rock cliffs dropped away below them.

Just then, Grover pointed, "Look! There's a path over there!"

Percy looked at him incredulously, "That's a goat path, dude. Not all of us are goats."

He argued, "We can make it! I think…"

Percy stole a quick glance at Thalia, who had gone pale. Knowing his friend's fear of heights, he knew what to do. He firmly said, "We'll go upstream. Buddy, not all of us are as sure-footed as goats."

Hermione also squeaked fearfully, "I'm scared of heights! Sorry Grover, but I vote against the goat path."

He raised his hands placatingly, "That's okay, I'm not offended. We'll head down the river."

Percy thought he heard Thalia sigh in relief. They walked for about half a mile until they lucked out and stumbled upon a canoe rental station. Percy left a wad of bills on the empty counter with a note, "I.O.U. Four canoes."

Ron and Hermione hopped in one, Annabeth and Thalia snagged another, Grover hopped in with Bianca, which left Zoe stuck with Percy. The Hunter examined the ground before speaking, "We need to go upstream."

Hermione looked at her in shock, "But the rapids are too swift!"

Percy grinned, "We're going to be fine. I'm pretty good in the water."

Just before they boarded, Thalia pulled him aside, "Thanks for suggesting the river."

He shot her a small thumbs up, "Not a problem."

The best part of this trip was that his expertise was not needed. When he peered down the side, he spotted a few naiads.

They made a bubbling sound that may have been giggling. Though he was not too sure. He may have had no problems understanding sea creatures, but naiads were another story.

He tried to telepathically send a message, "We're heading upstream. Do you think you could –"

Percy never got to finish because the naiads each chose a canoe and began pushing them up the river. They were going so fast that Grover fell into his canoe with his hooves sticking up in the air. Ron would have sniggered at the sight, except that he was in the same position.

Zoe grumbled, "I hate naiads"

On cue, a stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat and hit her in the face.

She went for her bow and snarled, "She-devils!"

He barely resisted the urge to restrain her, "Whoa! They're just playing."

"Cursed water spirits. They've never forgiven me."

He tilted his head in confusion, "Forgiven you for what?"

She slung her bow back over her shoulder. "It was a long time ago. Never mind."

An awkward silence hung around them. Finally he said, "We'll find Harry, and Lady Artemis."

She sighed, "It isn't Harry I'm worried about. He can take care of himself. I should know, I helped my lady Artemis raise him since he was a year old, until he was six. I was talking about Bianca. I thank the gods that Ronald and Hermione were there and used their magic. Had she perished, I would have never forgiven myself. Nor would I have had the strength to face Harry. Like I told her, he cares deeply for her and her brother, like they were his own siblings."

After a while, he absently took Riptide out of his pocket. Zoe spotted the pen and had pained look on her face. He glanced at her and it dawned on him, "You made this. Didn't you?"

Her voice had a slight edge to it, "Who told thee?"

He hurriedly blurted, "I had a dream about it. Back when we were on the Sun West Line."

She studied him carefully and finally spoke, "It was a gift. And a mistake."

He curiously asked, "Who was the hero?"

Zoe fought down a scowl, "Do not make me say his name. I swore never to speak it again."

He hesitantly said, "Should I know him?"

She scoffed, "You should, hero. Don't all you boys want to be just like him?"

Her voice held such bitterness that he elected to change the subject. He continued, "If I'm not mistaken, your mother was a water goddess?"

She nodded, "Yes, Pleoine. She had five daughters. My sisters and I. The Hesperides."

"Those were the girls who lived in a garden at the edge of the West. With the golden apple tree, and a dragon guarding it."

She had a wistful look on her face, "Yes. Ladon."

Percy replied, "I was under the impression that there were only four sisters."

Her sigh grew deeper, "There are now. I was exiled. Forgotten. Blotted out as if I never existed."

He was curious, "Why?"

She gestured towards his pen, "Because I betrayed my family and helped a hero. You won't find that in the legend either. He never spoke of me. After his direct assault on Ladon failed, I gave him the idea of how to steal the apples, how to trick my father, but he took all the credit."

The answer slowly dawned on him, but his thoughts were interrupted the naiads, who had stopped and dragged their canoes to the shore. The group disembarked and suddenly, there was an excited squeal from Annabeth. She cheered, "Oh my gods! It's the Hoover Dam!"

Percy rolled his eyes and shot her a fond look, "Over two hundred metres tall, built in the 1930s."

Thalia spoke up next, "Holds over five million cubic acres of water."

Grover also sighed, "Largest construction project in the United States."

Annabeth finished off for them, "Was renamed the Boulder Dam during the Roosevelt administration. But the original name was restored in 1947."

Zoe stared in shock, "How do you know all that?!"

Annabeth's cheeks reddened, "I-er, I like architecture."

Thalia grinned, slung an arm around the blonde and ruffled her hair, "Wise Girl here, is nuts about monuments."

Grover also laughed, "Loves spouting facts all the time. Gets annoying at times, but we love her for it!"

Annabeth fixed her hair and then grabbed Percy by the arm and began dragging him, "Come on Seaweed Brain! Let's go visit! I've been dying to see the dam and I am not letting this opportunity slip through my fingers!"

The rest had no choice but to follow the pair. They trekked for a while before stumbling upon a path leading up to the road. Grover soon began sniffing the wind and he looked nervous.

Percy glanced at him, "How close are they?"

He shrugged, "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us… the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."

Thalia quickened her pace, "There's a snack bar in the visitor's centre. I've been here once to see the guardians."

She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues.

The daughter of Zeus continued, "They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built. A gift from Athena."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.

Ron frowned in confusion, "What are they doing?"

"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."

"Blimey, these people are crazy!"

Zoe gestured, "Let us find the dam snack bar. We should eat while we can."

Grover fought down a snicker, "The dam snack bar?"

Zoë blinked, "Yes. What is funny?"

"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam French fries."

Everyone else began to grin and Thalia continued the joke, "And I need to use the dam restroom.'

Annabeth helpfully supplied, "I need to use the dam water fountain."

Bianca wheezed, "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."

Suddenly, Percy froze up and Annabeth looked at him in askance, "What's wrong?"

He tried to reassure her, "Nothing, nothing. You guys go on ahead, I need to check something out."

The blonde girl eyed him carefully before shrugging and going with the others, though Grover was also looking around. As soon as they were out of sight, Percy jogged to the north edge of the dam and peered over. Sure enough, Bessie the cow serpent was trying to get his attention.

He loudly whispered, "What are you doing here? More importantly, how did you get here? I thought I told you to stay in Long Island, where it is safe."

She swam in a circle and motioned as if she wanted him to come with her. He shook his head, "I can't. My friend are inside."

With a disappointed moo, she flipped and dove back underwater. Suddenly, he tensed and the hair on his arms stood on end. He turned his head to see the end of the road and spotted two men in the distance. They both wore camouflage outfits that flickered over skeletal bodies.

Backing away, Percy turned and ran for the visitor's centre. The situation got worse when a black van screeched to a stop on the west side of the dam. More skeletal warriors poured out from the open doors. Wasting no time, Percy dashed into the museum entrance. He stopped long enough to get checked in, but eventually made it inside safely.

He spotted a nearby tour group and stealthily merged into it as they entered an elevator. The cheerful tour guide, a woman with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and sunglasses, said, "We'll be going down two hundred and twenty-two metres. Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, the elevator hardly ever breaks."

He sheepishly raised a hand, "Hi, er… Where does this elevator go? I was supposed to meet some friends by the snack bar."

The woman's gaze was a little intimidating, "To the turbines, young man,' the lady said. 'Weren't you listening to my fascinating presentation upstairs?"

"I actually just got here, so I must have missed it. Sorry…"

The doors opened, "Go right ahead, folks. Another ranger is waiting for you at the end of the corridor."

As Percy was leaving, the tour guide called him. He turned back to see that she had taken off her shades, revealing that her eyes were startlingly grey, "Young man! There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it."

Percy steadily made his way towards the departing tour group. Suddenly, he turned a corner and ran headlong into Ron. The redhead exclaimed, "Oofff! Sorry mate, you okay? Annabeth and Thalia sent me back in case you got lost. Come on, this way."

They hurried through a tunnel carved out of solid rock. It seemed to run forever. The walls were moist, and the air hummed with electricity and the roar of water. He and Ron came out on a U-shaped balcony that overlooked this huge warehouse area. Fifteen metres below, enormous turbines were running. It was a big room, but neither of them spotted any exits.

Another tour guide was talking over the microphone, telling the tourists about water supplies in Nevada. They worked their way through the crowd and got to the opposite side of the balcony.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a sharp Chhh! like the voice of a skeleton, coming from right behind them. Without thinking, Percy uncapped Riptide and spun, slashing with his sword. The girl behind them would have been cleaved in half if Ron hadn't caught the sword, inches from her waist. The girl yelped and dropped her Kleenex.

She snapped. "Oh my god! Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?"

Ron saw the girl for the first time and blurted, "Rachel?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

She looked at them in disbelief, "Me? I live here, dummy! What are YOU doing here? How did your friend get that sword past security?"

Percy was taken aback, "Wait, you know her? And you can see that it's a sword?"

The girl had bright red hair, a few shades darker than Ron's. She rolled her green eyes, "Well, duh… I'm his cousin from his mum's side. Speaking of which, do uncle Arthur and aunt Molly know that you're here? And of course I can see it's a sword, weirdo. Who are you? And, whoa, what is that you're wearing? Is that made of lion fur? Oh, I'm Rachel Elizabeth Prewitt. Or, it was, until mum married Warren Dare, so I'm officially Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

She turned back to Ron, "Now, answer my questions or I will scream for security."

Ron raised his arms in a panic, "No! Don't! Listen, we need your help!"

Just then, she glanced over their shoulders and her eyes widened, "Bathroom! Behind me! Now!"

Without question, they slipped into the men's bathroom and waited by the closed door. Percy tightened his grip on his sword, but Ron grabbed his arm, "Look mate, Rachel will be fine. She can sweet-talk her way out of anything."

Outside, she began chattering rapidly, "Oh my god! Did you see that kid? It's about time you got here. He tried to kill me! He had a sword, for god's sake. You security guys let a sword-swinging lunatic inside a national landmark? I mean, jeez! He ran that way towards those turbine thingies. I think he went over the side or something. Maybe he fell."

As the skeletons moved off, she whispered, "All clear, but you better hurry. What the bloody hell were those things? Th-they looked like skeletons. Ron, you owe me an explanation. Next week I'll catch a flight to Britain and swing by for a visit. Do. Not weasel your way out of it. Got it, mister?"

He nodded and they bolted for the exit. As they ran, Percy asked, "So how's Rachel related to you again?"

"Did Harry ever tell you about Squibs?"

"Yeah"

"Yeah well, her mum is a Squib, but Rachel has magic. Of course, since she's based in America, she had the option of going to Ilvermorny."

"Ilver-what?"

"Ilvermorny. It's basically the American counterpart of Hogwarts. I think Harry also had the option to go there as well, but he chose Hogwarts instead. By the way, how the bloody hell did those skeletons catch up?"

"I didn't stick around to ask them, dude!"

Finally, the two of them managed to burst into the cafeteria. The area was packed with kids, and they spotted their group. Percy ran up, "Guys, we need to leave, right now!"

Zoe glanced outside the café windows, that wrapped all the way round the observation floor. She cursed, "He's right, look!."

Percy counted two on the east side of the dam road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols. Finally, the three who had been chasing him and Ron, emerged. Then the elevator dinged open to reveal the final three skeletons.

The questors huddled together, when Hermione suddenly had a brainwave. She subtly raised her wand to the nearest group of oblivious kids and whispered, "Confundo".

On cue, one of the kids stood up and yelled, "Food Fight!"

From there the cafeteria descended into pandemonium. Grover grabbed a burrito and flung it at a skeleton. The impact knocked its head off, and the heroes took advantage of the chaos to escape. Percy looked at the beheaded skeleton and quipped, "Well… someone took 'knocking your block off' too literally."

Annabeth groaned next to him as she sprinted, "Percy! That was a horrible joke! You've been hanging around Harry way too much, and his sense of humour is rubbing off on you!"

Thalia teased, "Yeah, you're such a block head!"

Annabeth whipped her head back towards her other friend, "Oh no! You don't have room to talk! YOU are even worse."

Zoe yelled in frustration, "Tis' not a good time for witty banter!"

Sure enough, she was right, as they burst onto the plaza with the winged bronze statues. Unfortunately, all exits were blocked off and the 11 skeletons began advancing threateningly.

Zoe muttered, "Four against eleven. And they cannot die."

Ron simply blustered, "Umm, can't we just sic Bianca on them? I mean, she managed to kill one of them."

Said girl shot him an outraged look, "Excuse me! In case you hadn't noticed, there are 11 of them and one of me! I'm not as good with a bow as Harry! Also, I almost freaking died! So do excuse me for not wanting to risk my life again so soon!"

Properly cowed, Ron stammered an apology. Meanwhile, Percy had been eyeing the statues' toes, "Wow! Their toes are really bright."

As he stared at the statues' feet, he remembered what Thalia said about people rubbing them for good luck. Then he remembered the tour guide, and remembered why she was so familiar. Levelling his sword, he called to his friend, "Thalia! Pray to your dad!"

She glared at him, "He never answers!"

Annabeth caught on to what he was trying to do and began helping him convince her. For a few frightening moments, nothing happened. The skeletons advanced and they all hefted their weapons, ready for a final stand.

A shadow fell over the group, the shadow of an enormous wing. The skeletons looked up too late. A flash of bronze, and five skeletons, all of whom were wielding batons were swept aside.

The other skeletons opened fire. Percy raised his lion coat, but it was not needed. The bronze angels stepped in front of the eight of them and folded their wings like shields. Bullets pinged off them like rain off a corrugated roof. Both angels slashed outwards, and the skeletons went flying across the road.

The first angel spoke up in a tinny and rusty voice, "Man, it feels good to stand up!"

His buddy exclaimed, "Will you look at my toes? Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?"

Thalia shook off her initial shock and called up to them, "Hi! Can you get us out of here?!"

"Both angels looked down at her. Zeus's kid?"

"Yes!"

"Could we get a please, Miss Zeus's Kid?"

"Please!"

The angels looked at each other and shrugged.

"Could use a stretch," one decided.

A moment later, one of them grabbed Thalia, Annabeth, Percy and Ron. The other had picked up Zoe, Bianca, Grover and Hermione. With strong flaps of their wings, they flew straight up, over the dam and the river with their cargo. The skeleton warriors rapidly shrank to tiny specks and the sound of gunfire echoed off the sides of the mountains.

Thalia and Hermione were freaking out, but Ron solved that issue by stunning them with his wand. The angels were pretty fast, because in no time, Zoe yelled that they had passed the Sierras. At the rate at which they were travelling, they would reach San Francisco in a few hours.

The angel carrying Percy's group cheered, "Hey, hey 'Frisco! Yo, Chuck! We could visit those guys at the Mechanics Monument again! They know how to party!"

"Oh, man," Chuck exclaimed,. "I am so there!"

Percy was incredulous, "You guys have visited San Francisco?."

His statue taxi replied, "We automatons got to have some fun once in a while, right?' our statue said. 'Those mechanics took us over to the de Young Museum and introduced us to these marble lady statues, see. And –"

Chuck quickly interrupted, "Hank! They're kids, man.'

Hank sounded very sheepish, "Oh, right. Back to flying."

As they flew, Grover passed the time by playing his pipes. Meanwhile, Zoe began shooting arrows at random billboards. She was especially excited, every time they passed a Target department store.

Night soon fell and Percy tried his best to get some sleep, and somehow succeeded. Soon afterwards, Hank woke him and his group up at dawn, asking them to choose a landing spot.

Zoe called out, "Put us down by the Embarcadero Building."

Before long, the eight were back on solid ground and Ron had revived Thalia and Hermione. Percy went over to see if the daughter of Zeus was alright. He shot her an encouraging smile, "You did good, back there. Zeus listened."

She shrugged, "Maybe… I heard from Ron that both of you were trapped in the generator room. How did both of you get out?"

He motioned towards Ron, "Met a cousin of his. She's also a witch and was able to see through the Mist."

Thalia mused, "Some people are like that. Especially mortals. No one really knows why."

Fortunately, the area around the Embarcadero building was empty, save for a random homeless man. Hermione quickly Obliviated him before he could kick up a fuss. They had finally reached the West Coast and were one step closer to finding Artemis and Harry.

Outside a local deli, Annabeth called for a strategy meeting. She explained, "I've been thinking. Maybe if we find out more about this mysterious monster, it could give us a clue. Who did we have to contact again?"

Percy spoke up, "Nereus. That's what Apollo said, 'Find the old man of the sea'. We have to find him and force him to tell us what he knows. But where do we look?"

Zoe screwed up her face in an expression of disgust, "Old Nereus, eh? I know him. My mother was a sea goddess. He's not too hard to find, just follow the stench. Come, I will show thee."

They followed her as she explained her plan, "The key to this is to appear as a homeless person. Nereus would not feel threatened under such a ruse."

She glanced at Percy, "Perseus, thou art perfect as the one to play the role."

He scowled, "Oh come on! Why me?"

"Thou art a son of Poseidon. You stand a better chance of identifying him. He never travels very far from the water. He likes to sun himself during the day. Sneak up, act homeless. You will easily identify him by his smell."

He groaned, not liking the plan at all. Then Ron stepped up holding something in his hand, "Oi listen. I somehow discovered this in my bag. I'm guessing this is a pranking attempt from Fred and George. This is a Dung Bomb, and yes, it is exactly was it sounds like. Now, I'm going to throw it at your T-shirt."

Percy growled, "Just get it over with."

In a few minutes, he was dressed up in a ragged flannel shirt and jeans three sizes too big, bright red trainers and a floppy rainbow hat. Then Ron stood at a distance and lobbed the Dung Bomb at him, staining his clothes and emitting an awful stench. Seeing himself in the mirror, Percy would have guessed that Aphrodite would have burned these eyesores in a flash.

Zoe ignored the snickering from everyone else and led the way to the waterfront. After a long time spent searching the docks, Zoë finally stopped in her tracks. She pointed down a pier where a bunch of homeless guys were huddled together in blankets, waiting for the soup kitchen to open for lunch. Percy grumbled, "I hate this plan."

Plugging her nose Hermione said, "Sorry Percy, just bear with it for a while longer. I'll clean it up afterwards, I promise."

The son of Poseidon trudged down the pier, muttering curses under his breath. Looking around him, there were several homeless people milling about, but none looked or smelt off.

Finally, there was a really ancient-looking geezer passed out in a patch of sunlight. He wore pyjamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that probably used to be white. He was fat, with a white beard that had turned yellow, kind of like Santa Claus, if Santa had been rolled out of bed and dragged through a landfill.

Then the smell punched him in the face. The man smelt like hot seaweed, dead fish and brine. If the ocean had an ugly side… this guy was it.

Percy slipped into a seat next to him, trying not to gag. Santa cracked an eye open and stared suspiciously. To throw off suspicion, Percy muttered something about stupid school and stupid parents. Buying the ruse, Santa Claus went back to sleep.

Percy tensed and went over the plan in his head. There were some people milling about, and according to Ron, Muggle-Repelling Charms weren't going to be taught until their Fifth Year. So the straight-up assault was definitely going to make him look bad. Nevertheless, Percy steeled himself and jumped Santa Claus.

Predictably, the man screamed, but somehow managed to grab Percy instead of the other way around. It was as if he'd never been asleep at all. He certainly didn't act like a weak old man. He had a grip like steel.

A few passers-by noticed, but didn't say anything as the two rolled around. They went tumbling down the pier and Percy's head smacked a post. The impact dazed him for a few seconds and Nereus' grip slackened. Realizing that he was trying to get away, Percy scrambled to his feet and tackled him from behind.

He wailed, "I don't have any money!"

Percy called back, "I don't want money! I'm a half-blood, I want information."

Nereus struggled harder, "Heroes! Why do you always pick on me?"

"Because you know everything!"

He growled and wriggled even more, but Percy grit his teeth and squeezed tighter. The squabbling pair staggered towards the edge of the pier and an idea struck Percy.

He adopted a look of fake terror, "Oh, no! Not the water!"

The plan worked. Immediately, Nereus yelled in triumph and jumped off the edge. Together, they plunged into San Francisco Bay. Safe to say, he was in for the surprise of his life when Percy tightened his grip. As the son of Poseidon, the ocean filled him with extra strength. But Nereus had a few tricks left, too. He changed shape, turning into a sleek black seal.

Nereus plunged straight down, wriggling and thrashing and spiralling through the dark water. Percy kept holding on like his life depended on it. The old sea god wasn't about to give up though, as he turned into a killer whale. Instantly, Percy latched onto his dorsal fin as he burst out of the water. Tourists standing by the pier, simply went wide-eyed and cheered.

Back underwater, Nereus turned into an eel. This time, Percy went for a different tactic. He started to tie him in a knot, and Nereus changed back into human form. He wailed, "Why won't you drown!"

"I'm the son of Poseidon."

He whined, "Curse that upstart! I was here first!"

In the end, he collapsed on the edge of the boat dock, heaving away. The others soon came rushing up to meet them. Hermione pointed her wand and dried him before casting a Scourgify Charm. Percy took an experimental sniff, and luckily, the stench was gone.

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

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

The sea god said, "Only one question per capture! That's the rule."

Percy locked eyes with his friends, as if they were deciding what to ask. They needed to know whether Artemis or Harry were alive. They also needed to find out about the doomsday creature.

He sighed, "'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, showing off his mossy green teeth.

"Oh, that's too easy," he said evilly. "He's right there."

Nereus pointed to the water around them.

Percy was confused, "Where?"

Nereus gloated, "The deal is complete!

With that, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.

In anger, Percy yelled, "Hey! You tricked me!"

Suddenly, Thalia exclaimed, "Wait. What is that?"

"MOOOOOOOO!"

Percy glanced down to see the cow serpent, swimming next to the dock. The creature nudged his shoe and gave him the sad brown eyes. The boy sighed, "Oh Bessie, not now, buddy."

The cow serpent mooed again and Grover translated, "He says his name isn't Bessie."

Annabeth asked, "You can understand him?"

Grover nodded, "It's a very old form of animal speech. But he says his name is the Ophiotaurus."

Hermione repeated, "The Ophi-what?"

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

The bull-serpent responded, "Moooooooo!"

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

Zoe looked at him suspiciously, "Wait… You know this cow?"

He nodded, "Yeah… Remember when Blackjack, my pegasus, carried me off somewhere? I had to rescue this fellow after he got caught in a net."

Then, Zoe stood ramrod straight, "I am a fool! I know this story! From the war of the Titans. My… My father told me this tale millennia ago. This is the beast that My Lady was hunting."

Ron leaned down and stroked the Ophiotaurus, "But… this thing's too cute to destroy the world."

Zoe explained, "Nay, not on its own. It can only happen through a sacrifice."

The cow serpent slithered a bit uncomfortably. Percy reached over and scratched the sea creature's ear, and it leaned into his touch.

The Hunter continued, "There is power in killing innocence. Terrible power. The Fates ordained a prophecy aeons 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 began to freak out, and it took everything in Percy's power to calm it down. Thalia stared at it, "The power to destroy the gods… how? I mean, what would happen?"

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

Thalia sat down on the dock. She stretched out her hand and it went right to her. The girl placed her hand on his head and he shivered at her touch. Percy slowly stepped forward protectively, not liking the look on her face.

He said sternly, "We have to protect him. If Luke gets hold of him –"

She nodded and muttered, "Luke wouldn't hesitate. The power to overthrow Olympus. That's… that's huge."

Suddenly, a French accented voice interrupted them, "Yes, it is, my dear. And it is a power you shall unleash."

On cue, the Ophiotaurus submerged with a whimpering sound. Percy felt like kicking himself, they were so busy talking, that an ambush walked right up to them. Everyone drew their weapons and Ron gripped his spear. The voice belonged to Dr Thorn, the manticore himself.

The man gloated, "This is just pairrr-fect. Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia. I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honour me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"

With a signal, two armed security guys stood on either side of him. Along with them were some mortal mercenaries. Another two stood on the next boat dock over, just in case we tried to escape that way. There were tourists, but they mostly ignored the group.

Percy risked a glance around, "Where… where are the skeletons? I thought you never left without them?"

He sneered. "Pah! I do not need those foolish undead! The General thinks I am worthless? He will change his mind when I defeat you myself!"

Percy knew that they needed to escape, but how could eight demigods and a two-hundred kilogram cow escape?

Zoë notched an arrow and aimed it straight at the manticore's head. She growled, "Where are Lady Artemis and her son? Tell us, you scullion!"

The guards raised their guns threateningly, and Percy gestured, "Wait! Zoë, don't!"

The manticore smiled. "Ze boy is right, Zoë Nightshade. Put away your bow. It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Thalia's great victory."

Thalia snarled, "What are you talking about?"

He laughed, "Surely it is clear, mon cherie. This is your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. For your sixteenth birthday, you shall overthrow Olympus."

No one spoke for a while. Thalia would turn 16 at around December. She was a child of the Big Three. And here was a choice, a terrible choice that could mean the end of the gods. It was just like the prophecy said. Percy wasn't sure if he was relieved, horrified or disappointed. Maybe he wouldn't be the prophecy kid after all. Though that didn't make it any better, as it was looking as if it was going to be one of his friends.

Thalia, for her part, looked stunned. The manticore smelled a close victory and goaded her, "You know it is the right choice. Your friend Luke recognized it. You shall be reunited with him. You shall rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your father abandoned you, Thalia. He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, as they deserve. Call the beast! It will come to you. Use your spear."

Percy looked at Annabeth, but she also looked terrified. He yelled, "Thalia! Snap out of it! Listen! He's lying! Your father did help you! He was the one to send the metal angels. He was also the one to turn you into a tree to save your life!"

Thalia was still frozen in place, and Percy looked to his friends for help. Luckily, Grover understood his message and played a quick tune on his pipes.

The guards had been targeting Zoe all this time. So they were slow to switch to a new target. Grover took advantage of that by playing on his pipes. The wooden planks by the mercenaries' feet, sprouted new branches and tangled their legs. Zoe responded by firing a couple of fart arrows. The manticore fired a few spines, but Percy shielded everyone with his coat.

Telling Grover to get the Ophiotaurus to a safe place, the eight of them sprinted out of there, with Annabeth dragging a dazed Thalia. The good news was that the Ophiotaurus obeyed orders, but the bad news was that they reached the end of the pier and were cornered. Zoe told him, "Go over the side. You can escape in the sea. Call on thy father for help. Maybe you can save the Ophiotaurus."

Percy shook his head, "I'm not leaving you all. We fight together."

Grover yelled, "Get word to camp! Let them know what's going on!"

Annabeth noticed some crystals from a nearby kiosk, making rainbows. There was also a drinking fountain next to Percy. She yelled, "Percy! Fountain!"

He understood what she was asking and slashed the top off. Water burst out of the pipe, spraying everyone. Thalia finally snapped out of it and yelled at him, "Are you crazy?!"

Annabeth was already fishing her pockets and flung a Drachma into the rainbows. She yelled, "O goddess, accept my offering! Show me Camp Half-Blood."

The mist shimmered and showed Mr D, wearing his leopard-skin jogging suit and rummaging through the refrigerator.

He looked up lazily. "Do you mind?"

Annabeth said as calmly as she could, "Lord Dionysus? Could you please tell us where Chiron is? It's a matter of life and death!"

Mr D took a swig from a jug of grape juice, "How noble, what is the problem?'

The others fought off the guards while Annabeth and Percy talked to Mr. D. Percy was losing his patience with Dionysus' blasé attitude. In the distance, Dr Thorn and his mercenaries were coolly advancing and time was running out. Percy told him about the Ophiotaurus, and the God of Wine looked absolutely disinterested.

Mr D mused, "Life or death? How exciting. I'm afraid Chiron isn't here. Would you like me to take a message?"

Percy slumped, "We're dead. Sorry guys"

Thalia gripped her spear and snarled, "Then we'll die fighting."

Dr Thorn and his army soon surrounded them. The man then transformed into his real self and sniggered, "Excellent. Alone and without any real help. Wonderful!"

Dionysus helpfully quipped to Percy, "You could try asking for help."

Percy bit back a snarky retort and gazed at his friends in what could be their final stand. He thought he spotted a tear running down Thalia's cheek. It then hit him that this was all too familiar for her. Making a final stand to save her friends, but this time, it was hopeless.

He pleaded, "Please Mr D. Help us."

Nothing happened and the manticore grinned, "Spare the daughter of Zeus. She will join us soon enough. Kill the others."

As the men raised their guns, a strange feeling rushed through Percy. He could also tell that the others felt it too. The sunlight had a purple tinge and the smell of grapes and wine permeated the air.

Suddenly, there was a *SNAP*, the sound of many minds breaking at the same time. The sound of madness. One guard put his pistol between his teeth like it was a bone and ran around on all fours. Two others dropped their guns and started waltzing with each other. The fourth began doing what looked like an Irish clogging dance.

Ron fought down his laughter, and even Hermione giggled a little. The only one who didn't find the scene funny was the manticore. He roared, "No! I will deal with you myself."

His tail bristled, but the planks under his paws erupted into grapevines that immediately began wrapping round the monster's body, sprouting new leaves and clusters of green baby grapes that ripened in seconds as the manticore shrieked, until he was engulfed in a huge mass of vines, leaves and full clusters of purple grapes.

Mr D nonchalantly closed the refrigerator, "Well… That was fun. Don't worry, the mortals will come out of it. Too much explaining to do if I made their condition permanent. I hate writing reports to Father."

He addressed Thalia, "I hope you learned your lesson, girl. It isn't easy to resist power, is it? Now get going, you lot. I've bought you a few hours at most. As for the beast, I do not transport livestock, that's your problem."

Bianca asked, "Mr. D, do you know where we can go?"

His eyes flicked to Zoe, "Oh, I think the Huntress knows. You must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost. Now goodbye. I'm in the mood for pizza tonight."

He waved his hand and the image disappeared in the mist. Meanwhile, everyone glanced at an ashen-faced Zoe. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate Bridge. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer. The girl murmured, "The garden of my sisters. I must go home."