cupiditas |PERCY JACKSON| [book 3]

XXV

THE FOUR OF THEM watched as Percy went to each homeless person, one by one, until he went to an old man who was laying by the dock. Then, suddenly, he wrapped his arms around the man and they went into the sea,

"Holy Gods, he actually found him." Selena stated as they ran towards the water,

"It is not over yet. He must hold on." Zoe replied,

Finally, they emerged on the edge of the docks and the ran down the steps of the pier to meet up with him, "You got him!" Zoe said.

"You don't have to sound so amazed," Percy grumbled,

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 stated,

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

Percy looked over at them.

Selena knew this wasn't good. They needed to find Artemis, and they needed to figure out what the doomsday creature was. But she also knew that she and Percy needed to know if Annabeth was still alive, and how to rescue her. How could he ask that all in one question?

Percy hesitated for a moment before 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 at Percy's feet, "Where?" Percy asked,

"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!"

They looked down, and there was a cow-like creature in the water, swimming next to the dock. She nudged Percy's shoe and gave him sad brown eyes.

"Ah, Bessie," Percy stated, "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."

"The Ophi-what?"

"It means serpent bull in Greek," Thalia replied, "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."

Selena was wondering how he got all that out of a single moooooo.

"Wait," Zoe said, looking at Percy. "You know this cow?"

Percy then told them quickly about how he met the creature at the dam.

Thalia shook her head in disbelief. "And you just forgot to mention this before?"

"Well... yeah." 

"I am a fool," Zoe said suddenly. "I know this story!"

"What story?"

"From the War of the Titans," she replied. "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."

"That is how we were wrong," Zoe 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.

"I don't think anyone likes the s-word," Selena commented, crossing her arms over her chest.

Percy patted Bessie on the head, trying to calm him down. He let him scratch his ear, but he was trembling.

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

Zoe 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."

Thalia stared at the cow serpent with wonder. "The power to destroy the Gods... how? I mean, what would happen?"

Selena stared at her friend. She knew Thalia was thinking about sacrifcing this creature herself.

"No one knows," Zoe answered. "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 sat down on the dock. She stretched out her hand. Bessie went right to her. Thalia placed her hand on his head. Bessie shivered.

Thalia's expression bothered Selena. She almost looked... hungry.

"We have to protect him," Percy told her. "If Luke gets hold of him—"

"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia muttered. "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 Ophiotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged.

Selena looked up. They'd been so busy talking, they'd allowed themselves to be ambushed.

Standing behind the group, his two-color eyes gleaming wickedly, was Dr. Thorn, the manticore himself.

"This is just pairrr-fect," the manticore gloated.

He was wearing a ratty black trench coat over his Westover Hall uniform, which was torn and stained. His military haircut had grown out spiky and greasy. He hadn't shaved recently, so his face was covered in silver stubble. Basically, he didn't look much better than the guys down at the soup kitchen.

"Long ago, the Gods banished me to Persia," the manticore said. "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 honor me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"

"Oh, Gods." Selena sighed, taking out her dagger.