The Titans Curse: Apollo's Daughter

Bessie the Sea Cow

(After Chiron had warned them about the "doomsday monster" and most of Percy capturing Nereus.) 

Percy's POV

"Why won't you drown?" Nereus wailed, pummeling me with his fists under the water.

"I'm Poseidon's son," I said.

"Curse that upstart! I was here first!"

Finally, Nereus collapsed on the edge of the boat dock. Above us was one of those tourist piers lined with shops, like a mall on water. Nereus was heaving and gasping. I was feeling great. I could've gone on all day, but I didn't tell him that. I wanted him to feel like he'd put up a good fight.

Zoe and Thalia ran down the steps of the pier. Thalia kept glancing behind her as if waiting for someone then I realized Skyler wasn't with them.

"You got him!" Zoe said.

"Where's Skye," I asked.

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

"We've got more than one question," Thalia said.

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

I looked at my friends.

This wasn't good. We needed to find Artemis, and I needed to know if Annabeth was still alive, and by the look on Thalia's face, I also needed to know where Skye was and how to rescue them. How could I ask that all in one question? 

I 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 my feet."Where?" I said.

"The deal is complete!" Nereus gloated. With a pop, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.

"You tricked me!" I yelled.

"Wait." Thalia's eyes widened. "What is that?" 

"MOOOOOOOO!"

I looked down, and there was my friend the cow serpent, swimming next to the dock. She nudged my shoe and gave me the sad brown eyes."Ah, Bessie," I said. "Not now."

"Mooo!" 

"Its name is not Bessie," Zoe said in slight disgust that I would give such a creature a name like that.

"You can understand her... er, him?" 

"He is an Ophiotaurus," Zoe said in a 'duh' tone like I should have known this. 

"Ophi-what?"

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

"Moooooooo!" 

"He must deem Percy as his protector," Zoe said, looking deep in thought.

"You know this cow?" Thalia asked, once again looking over her shoulder for a second before looking back to me.

I was feeling impatient, but I told them the story.

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

"Well... yeah." It seemed silly, now that she said it, but things had been happening so fast. Bessie, the Ophiotaurus, seemed like a minor detail.

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

"What story?"

"From the War of the Titans," she said. "My... my father told me this tale, thousands of years ago. This is the beast we are looking for."

"Bessie?" I 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," Thalia mumbled.

I patted Bessie on the head, trying to calm him down. He let me scratch his ear, but he was trembling."How could anyone hurt him?" I said. "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!"

"Maybe we could avoid talking about entrails, too?" I said, looking up at my friends.

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

"No one knows," Zoe said. "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 me. She almost looked... Hungry.

"We have to protect him," I told her. Zoe had glanced over her shoulder the way Thalia had done earlier and I followed her gaze. On the other side of the street, there was a small coffee shop that had a few people inside it. "Where's Skyler?" I asked and both Thalia and Zoe shared a look.

"Percy... She's--"

"The least of your problems." A thick French accent said from behind us.

The Ophiotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged.

I looked up. We'd been so busy talking, we'd allowed ourselves to be ambushed.

Standing behind us, his two-color eyes gleaming wickedly, was Dr. Thorn, the manticore himself. "Don't worry about the young blonde. She's in good hands." He said with a cruel smile.

"Where... where are the skeletons?" I asked the manticore.

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

I needed time to think. I had to save Bessie. I could dive into the sea, but how could I make a quick getaway with a five-hundred-pound cow serpent? And what about my friends?

"We beat you once before," I said."Ha! You could barely fight me with a goddess on your side. And, alas... that goddess is preoccupied at the moment. There will be no help for you now."

Zoe notched an arrow and aimed it straight at the manticore's head. The guards on either side of us raised their guns.

"Wait!" I said. "Zoe, don't!"

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

"What are you talking about?" Thalia growled. She had her shield and spear ready."Surely it is clear," the manticore said. "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. And for your nineteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus."