𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ༄ ᴘercy ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ

dragons and their stinky breath

"We will never make it," Zoë said. "It's too far to travel on foot, and we are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."

"Mooo," Bessie said. He swam next to us as we jogged along the waterfront. We'd left the shopping center pier far behind. We were heading toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a lot farther than I'd realized. The sun was already dipping in the west.

"I don't get it," Percy said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"

"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoë said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."

"What happens if we miss it?"

"Tomorrow is winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until
tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."

"Can't we just ask them to delay their meeting a bit?" I asked, joking but at the same time completely serious.

Zoë smiled bitterly. "They'd never accept."

"We need a car," Thalia said.

"But what about Bessie?" Percy asked.

Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"

"Well, yeah." Percy replied. "I mean, he was in Long Island Sound. Then he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now he's here."

"So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound," Grover said. "Then Chiron
could help us get him to Olympus."

"But he was following me. If I'm not there, would he know where he's going?"

"Moo," Bessie said forlornly.

"I... I can show him," Grover said. "I'll go with him."

"I'm the only one who can talk to him," Grover defended, even though nobody had disagreed. "It makes sense."

He bent down and said something in Bessie's ear. Bessie shivered, then made a
contented, lowing sound.

"The blessing of the Wild," Grover said. "That should help with safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, too. See if he will grant us safe passage through the seas."

"Dad," Percy said. "Help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea."

In that moment, I felt a little jealous of Percy. He had a powerful dad who Percy had no problem going to ask for help. All he needed to do, was utter some words out loud.

"A prayer like that needs a sacrifice," Thalia said. "Something big."

Percy paused and then began taking off his coat.

"Percy," Grover said. "Are you sure? That lion skin... that's really helpful. Hercules used it!"

"If I'm going to survive," Percy replied, "it won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak. I'm not Hercules."

He threw it into the bay, and it promptly dissolved in the water. I couldn't help but find it a little stupid. Who cares about Hercules? It's a bullet and sword, and dagger proof coat, that's fashionable and warm too.

"Well," I started. "You better not complain about the cold now."

Grover smiled, and then took a deep breath. "Well, no time to lose."

He jumped in the water and immediately began to sink. Bessie glided next to him and
let Grover take hold of his neck.

"Be careful," Percy told them.