❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝐼𝒱. 𝐵𝒾𝑔 𝐵𝓇𝑜𝓃𝓏𝑒 𝐵𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓈

𝒜𝓈 soon as they exited the taxi, the Gray Sisters peeled out, heading back to New York, where life was safer. They didn't even wait for their extra three-drachma payment. They just left the four of them on the side of the road, Annabeth with nothing but her backpack and knife, Tyson and Percy still in their burned-up tie-dyed gym clothes, and Zoe with her backpack and hair clips containing her knife and sword.

"Oh, man," said Annabeth, as Zoe breathed, "Well shit." 

The two were looking at the battle raging on the hill. What worried Zoe most weren't the Colchis bulls themselves. Or the ten heroes in full battle armor who were getting their bronze-plated asses kicked. Although that was pretty worrying, what bothered her the most, was that the bulls were ranging all over the hill. Even around the back side of the pine tree which shouldn't have been possible. The camp's magic boundaries didn't allow monsters to cross past Thalia's tree. But the Colchis bulls were doing it anyway.

One of the heroes, who Zoe recognized as Clarisse, shouted, "Border patrol, to me!"

"It's Clarisse," Zoe said. "Come on, we have to help her."

Clarisse's fellow warriors were scattering, running in panic as the bulls charged. The grass was burning in huge swathes around the pine tree. One hero screamed and waved his arms as he ran in circles, the horsehair plume on his helmet blazing like a fiery Mohawk. Clarisse's own armor was charred. She was fighting with a broken spear shaft, the other end embedded uselessly in the metal joint of one bull's shoulder.

Percy uncapped his pen and it grew and shimmered until he held the bronze sword Anaklusmos in his hands. "Tyson, stay here. I don't want you taking any more chances."

"No!" Annabeth said. "We need him."

The son of Poseidon stared at her. "He's mortal. He got lucky with the dodge balls but he can't—"

"Are you really that dense?!" Zoe snapped as she transformed her clip from an accessory to a weapon, Thorn growing in her grip.

"Percy, do you know what those are up there? The Colchis bulls, made by Hephaestus himself. We can't fight them without Medea's Sunscreen SPF 50,000. We'll get burned to a crisp." Annabeth reasoned, trying to explain it to the dumbass that was Percy Jackson.

"Medea's what?"

Annabeth rummaged through her backpack and cursed. "I had a jar of tropical coconut scent sitting on my night-stand at home. Why didn't I bring it?"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going to let Tyson get fried."

"Percy—" Zoe started but Percy ignored her

"Tyson, stay back." He raised his sword. "I'm going in."

Tyson tried to protest, but Percy was already running up the hill toward Clarisse, who was yelling at her patrol, trying to get them into phalanx formation. It was a good idea. The few who were listening lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, locking their shields to form an ox-hide-and-bronze wall, their spears bristling over the top like porcupine quills.

Unfortunately, Clarisse could only muster six campers. The other four were still running around with their helmets on fire. Annabeth ran toward them, trying to help. She taunted one of the bulls into chasing her, then turned invisible, completely confusing the monster. The other bull charged Clarisse's line.

Percy was halfway up the hill, Zoe just a few paces behind him but they were nowhere near close enough to help. Zoe sprinted, overtaking Percy and only a little ways away from Clarisse but she hadn't seen them yet. The bull moved deadly fast for something so big and its metal hide gleamed in the sun. It had fist-sized rubies for eyes, and horns of polished silver. When it opened its hinged mouth, a column of white-hot flame blasted out.