Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, etc. are the property of JK. Rowling and Rick Riordan. The OC characters and storyline are purely my imagination running wild. My story is for entertainment only and is not part of any official storylines. I do not have any association with J. K. Rowling or Rick Riordan even though I wish I had. No copyright infringement is intended.
######
The flight towards San Francisco was in essence very boring but helpful. While flying Percy informed the group about how he ran into a clear-sighted mortal, one Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She was able to help Percy escape safely away from the zombie warriors.
Skye had never seen San Francisco not even in any pictures but seeing this now from above, it was one of the most beautiful cities she had ever seen. The city was smaller than Manhattan and surrounded by green hills and fog. There was a huge bay and ships, islands, and sailboats as well as the Golden Bridge Gate that was sticking up out of the fog.
It was early in the morning when the group landed under a bridge. They ended up shocking and freaking out the homeless man who ran off screaming. It was not long after they landed that the two angles who they called Hank and Chuck took off stating that they were going to find some friends.
Once the angles were gone, the group decided to have a brief discussion on what to do after all they made it to the West Coast and Skye could feel that Artemis was here somewhere, but they were stuck on how to find her before it was too late as tomorrow would be the winter solstice and they still did not have a clue on what the monster Artemis was after is. This monster was supposed to show us the trail, yet it did not appear to them. They were now stuck at a ferry dock with no money and no way to find her lady.
After the discussion, they all agreed that they needed to find out what the mystery monster was. That will be the key to finish the quest.
"But how are we going to find the monster?" Percy asked.
"Nereus," Annabeth said.
Percy looked at Annabeth with so much confusion. "What?"
"Apollo told you to find Nereus, is it not?" Annabeth said.
"Yeah, thanks. I completely forgot about my conversation with the Sun god," Percy said before looking at his quest companions.
"If I remember correctly, he is the old man of the sea. We were supposed to find him and force him to tell us what he knows." Percy said.
"Yes, and how are we going to do that?" Thalia asked.
"Old Nereus, eh?" Zoe said with disgust.
"You know him?" Bianca asked.
"My mother was a sea goddess. So yes, I know him and Thalia. Nereus is never hard to find. You just have to follow the smell." Zoe answered both Thalia and Bianca.
"Smell?" Lyra asked. "Oh, this will not be good for Skye or me. After all, we both have heightened senses." Lyra said, worried.
"Don't worry Lyra. You and Skye will be fine for a few moments, also I have a plan." Zoe said happily.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked Zoe
"Come," Zoe said with a spark of mischief. "I will show you."
Skye never knew that Zoe had this mischievous streak within her, but she also knew that Percy was in trouble the moment the group arrived at the Goodwill drop box. Convincing Percy to dress up in an outfitted of ragged clothes that consisted of a flannel shirt and jeans that were three sizes too big, bright red sneakers and a floppy rainbow hat took longer than what Skye thought, but they eventually got there.
"Oh, yeah," Thalia snickered, "you look completely inconspicuous now."
Nodding with satisfaction, Zoe said. "A typical male vagrant."
"Thank you so very much," Percy said sarcastically. "Can you please explain to me again why I am the one doing this?"
Skye rolled her eyes, but answered Percy before Zoe could. "You are doing this because you will blend into the crowd the best."
Once that was settled, they made their way back to the waterfront, with Zoe leading the way. It took them all a while of searching the docks before Zoe finally stopped in her tracks, seeming to find what she was looking for.
Zoe pointed down to the pier where there was a bunch of homeless guys huddled together as they waited for the soup kitchen to open for lunch. "Nereus will be down there somewhere, as he never travels far from the water. He likes to sunbathe for some odd reason." She stated as she looked at her companions.
"Okay, Percy, you are up," Lyra said as she saw what Zoe planned.
"What do you mean?" He asked, looking a little confused.
"Are all boys as slow as this one?" Bianca asked no one in particular.
"Hey!" Percy said indignantly.
Rolling her eyes, Zoe answered. "You will need to sneak up to him, act homeless and blend in like that. You will know him once you find him, as he smells ah different."
"Great," Percy grumbled before asking. "And once I found him, what then?"
"Grab him and hold on to him tightly. He is a slippery sort of bloke. He will try to get rid of you, so whatever he tries, do not let go," Zoe said sternly.
"Once you have him in a secure hold, then you will need to force him to tell you about the monster Lady Artemis was after," Annabeth said, hoping to give Percy more information regarding the plan.
"Okay, and what about you guys?" Percy asked them all.
"We will wait back here and root for you to succeed in your task," Thalia said, smiling wickedly toward Percy.
Percy glared lightly towards his cousin before he stumbled down towards the homeless guys, acting very much like he belongs with them.
Percy soon found Nereus at the end of the pier. He looked older than dirt and was passed out in the sun. Watching from afar, Skye noticed Percy tense before tackling the man. What soon followed was a battle of strength and talent.
The moment they entered the water was the moment the true battle began. The sea strengthens both Percy and Nereus, yet Skye knows who will win this battle. The power the sea god's son possessed was rather stunning. You could see that Percy was in his element, and this was what caused him to overpower Nereus long enough to subdue him.
Once Nereus collapsed, Percy dragged him to the steps of the pier where the group was waiting for him.
"You got him!" Thalia said.
"You do not have to sound so amazed; I do have my talents when it comes to the sea," Percy said, annoyed.
Nereus moaned as he spoke. "Oh great, an audience to witness my misery! Well, the normal deal then? You will let me go if I answer your question?"
"We have more than one question." Percy said.
"No, only one question per capture! That is the rule." Nereus said sternly.
This worried Skye immensely. If she understood the rules, then Percy is the one that should ask, and he cannot ask us for help in what to ask.
Percy sighed as he looked at his friend before turning back to Nereus to ask his question. "All right, Nereus. Tell me where to find the terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods, the monster Lady Artemis was hunting."
"Ha, that is easy!" Nereus exclaimed as he pointed behind Percy. "It's right there."
"Where?" Percy asked, confused.
"The deal is completed. You asked your question!" With the Nereus turned into a goldfish before slipping from Percy's grasp and disappearing within the sea.
Looking past Percy, Skye noticed the odd-looking monster the god pointed out. The creature looked like a mix between a large serpent and that of a bull. The monster looked crazy, but strangely harmless.
"Uhm, guys, what exactly is that?" Lyra asked her partners as she pointed to the weird beast.
"MOOOO!" the beast exclaimed.
Looking down, Percy noticed the beast swimming next to the dock as it nudged his shoe before giving him a sad look.
"Ah, Bessie, not now." Percy said to the beast.
"Mooo!"
Zoe gasped as she saw the beast herself. "Its name is not Bessie," she said, rolling her eyes at the boy.
"Err, you know who or what the beast is?" Percy asked.
Zoe nodded. "It's a very old beast. If I remember correctly, this beast is the Ophiotaurus."
"The Ophio - what?" Percy asked, looking between Zoe and the serpent-cow beast.
"It means serpent bull in Greek," Thalia said helpfully.
"Yes, but what is it doing here?" Annabeth asked.
"I believe the beast sees Percy as his protector," Skye said, as she noticed how the beast moved closer to Percy.
"Wait," Lyra said, before looking at Percy. "You know this cow?"
Percy looked at Lyra before nodding impatiently before he told us the story regarding the beast.
Thalia looked at Percy in disbelief before shaking her head as she exclaimed. "And you forgot to mention this to us?!"
"Well… yeah," Percy said sheepishly.
"Okay enough, let's get back to the matter on hand," Annabeth said as she shook her head at Percy's stupidity.
Looking at Zoe. "So, what is the story behind this beast?" Skye asked.
"The story comes from the time with the War of the Titans," she said. "My… ah, father told me the tale about a thousand years ago. This is the beast we are looking for, the beast my lady was hunting."
"But Bessie, he looks too cute and innocent to be the monster that can destroy the world." Percy said, confused.
"Yes, it would seem, but that was where we went wrong," Zoe said as she looked at the son of the sea god. "We were anticipating that the monster was huge and dangerous, but the Ophiotaurus does bring down the gods in a way. It must be sacrificed to achieve that goal."
"MOOOOO!" The beast said with fright.
"Ah, I believe it does not like that!" Lyra said, shocked as she noticed that the Ophiotaurus could understand them.
Nodding, Percy moved closer to the serpent cow, hoping to calm it down as they continued with the conversation.
"How could anyone hurt him? He is harmless." Percy said as he scratched behind the creature's ear.
Zoe nodded in agreement before answering. "True, but there is power in killing the innocent, terrible power, but power nonetheless. The Fates gave a prophecy eon ago that involved this monster. I do not know the wording of the prophecy, but it said that whoever kills the Ophiotaurus and sacrifices the entrails to the fire, will then have the power to destroy the gods."
Thalia stared at the cow in wonder as she stated. "The power to destroy the gods… how? I mean, what will happen if someone succeeds?"
Skye grew worried with the look on Thalia's face. She just hoped that this would not go to her head after all the children of the sky lord all have this deadly flaw that involves power.
"No one knows," Zoe answered Thalia before looking at the rest of her companions. "The first time was during the Titan War, the Ophiotaurus was slain by a giant ally of the Titans, but Lord Zeus had sent an eagle to snatch op the entrails before it could be thrown into the fire. It was a very close call. Now though, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus has been reborn and history is about to repeat itself."
"We need to protect him," Percy stated adamantly to Thalia, not liking the expression on her face.
"Yes, if Luke gets a hold of him - "Annabeth said, trailing off looking pained at how far her protector had fallen.
"Luke would not hesitate; the power to overthrow Olympus is huge," Thalia muttered, looking dazed at the thought.
Skye quickly noticed a change in the air and knew something dangerous was about to happen.
"Yes, it is." Said a man in a heavy French accent. "And it is the power the daughter of Zeus' shell unleashes."
Standing behind Skye and her companions was the manticore himself, with his multi-color eyes gleaming wickedly. On either side of him stood two armed security guys. They were the same mercenaries that were in D.C. There were two more mercenaries on a boat dock one over from them, just in case that they try to escape.
"So where are the skeletons from before?" Annabeth asked the manticore.
"I do not need those foolish undead!" He sneered before he started with a long-winded monologue which annoyed both Skye and Lyra having experience something like this in the past. Deciding to put a stop to this monologue before anymore damages could be done, Skye took a leap with Lyra moments behind her. The two worked in such harmony that it was unbelievable.
The manticore soon discovered that not all half-bloods were weaklings. Skye and Lyra both attached the monster as well as the mercenaries, with various methods that soon dominated the fight. The fight was strong and fast-paced and within a matter of minutes, the enemies were turned into golden dust, leaving the two girls in a battle lust that was slowly tapping down.
"Okay, that just happened…" Bianca said, shocked.
"So, it seems," Thalia said with a slight wonder.
"Okay, we can discuss this later. For now, we need to get the Ophiotaurus to safety." Annabeth said as she looked at Zoe.
"I agree, but we cannot send the beast away by itself." Zoe said.
"I agree with Zoe, but who will go with it and to where?" Lyra asked.
"I will go with the Ophiotaurus. I have this feeling that my part in the quest is done and I will be the best one to send with the beast." Bianca said softly.
"Are you sure?" Skye asked. "I will hate it if anything happens to you."
"I will be okay, but I will need to know where to go," Bianca reassured Skye.
"We should get word to the camp, don't you think? We can send the Ophiotaurus there." Percy said to the group.
So, it was decided to contact the camp where they got ahold of Lord Dionysus instead of Chiron. The group told Dionysus everything that they had experienced so far and once done, they informed Dionysus that they would send Bianca with the Ophiotaurus to the camp together for safety.
Lord Dionysus' parting words cause a bit of a stir within the group. "Oh, I think the huntress knows. You must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost."
With that, he was gone, leaving Zoe to feel a bit stuck.
"What did he mean by that?" Annabeth asked.
Skye was worried by how this news made her Lieutenant look - It looked as she had seen a ghost as Zoe pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose above the cloud layer.
"We need to go to the Garden of the Hesperides," Zoe said. "I must go home, and we do not have a lot of time."
"Why? What is the rush?" Percy asked Zoe, knowing that only she would have this answer.
"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset." Zoe said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."
"Why? What will happen if we miss it?" Thalia asked, wishing to confirm her thoughts.
"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. If we miss the sunset tonight, we will have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then it would be too late. The Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight." Zoe said, worried and nervous at the same time.
"Okay, but first Bianca will need to leave with the Ophiotauras," Annabeth said.
"I have a few things that will help you with your trip back," Lyra said before looking at Percy. "You will need to pray to your father. His blessing will help Bianca safe passage back to Long Island, as this will be the only way."
"But a request like that will need a sacrifice," Thalia said, worried.
"I know, that is why I am giving this to you, Percy. This dagger set was in the Black line since its beginning. This was passed on between mother and daughter each generation. I am giving this to you because I want Bianca to travel safely to Long Island. She is my goddaughter's best friend and sister and I'll be damned if I do not ensure her safety somehow."
"Thank you, Padfoot, for keeping her safe even from the distance," Skye said softly, looking very touched.
"It is okay, little one. Now you need to start praying, Percy. Bianca, I would like to give you this, you will need to eat it every hour if you are still in the sea. This is gillywead. It will allow you to breathe underwater and make your trip easier." Lyra said.
With that, Percy proceeded to pray to his father as he threw the daggers into the bay. With a flash of light,, the daggers started to dissolve into the sunlight on the water. The sea breeze picked up and Bianca took the gillywead before eating the slimy substance and jumping into the water just as the beast glided next to her and allowed Bianca to take ahold of its neck.
"Be careful and stay safe," Skye said softly.
"We will. Please be safe and stay alive," Bianca said, while looking at her sisters and companions.
It did not take them long to go under and disappear into the sea. Skye decided to pray as well to the Lord of the Seas, hoping that her sister and best friend would make it safely to Long Island.
"Well, that is one problem solved for now," Zoe said. "But how will we get to my sister's garden in time?"
"We need a car; it would be the only way," Thalia stated.
"I agree with Thalia. We do need a car. But where do we get one or do we, ah… borrow one?" Percy asked.
"There is someone in San Francisco who would help us," Thalia said, looking Annabeth directly in the eyes.
"Who and where do we find them?" Skye asked the two female campers.
"My father and I do have the address to his place." Annabeth said, looking pained.
With that thought in mind, the group was off to see the mad scientist also known as Annabeth's father.