Andy Jackson: Child of Land & Sea

A Terrible Power

Act III — Deep Blue Sea

Part VIII — Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you. And a thousand years would be worth the wait.

He was at the end of the pier. He smelled bad like you wouldn't believe. And not just bad. Ocean bad. Andy tried not to gag as she placed the tip of Riptide under his chin. "I don't have any money," he said raising his hands.

"I don't want money. I want information. I'm a half-blood."

"Heroes," he rolled his eyes. "Why do you always pick on me?"

"Because you know everything!"

"Fine," Nereus said. "You get one question. Same as everyone."

"Well, I have more than one question."

He shrugged. "That is the rule. One question per capture."

Andy hesitated. More than anything, she wanted to ask about Anthony. Her common sense told her she needed to ask about Artemis. But she knew the one question that could get her to the both of them and save Olympus. "Where is the 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. "That's too easy. Why, he's right there." And he pointed at the water. Andy looked down and there was Bessie. With a plop, Nereus turned into a goldfish and threw himself in the sea.

Andy stood on the pier staring at the cow. Her friends approached.

"Gods, I can still smell him," Thalia said. She looked at Zoë, "Now I understand why you didn't want to get close to him. What is that?" she added when she saw Bessie.

"This is Bessie," Andy introduced.

"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. It means serpent bull in Greek."

"But... what's it doing here?" Thalia asked.

"Moooo!"

"He says Andy's his protector," Grover announced. "And he's running from the bad people. He says they are close."

"You know this cow?" Zoë asked Andy.

Andy nodded. "I think... I think he's the monster we're looking for..."

"Of course. I am a fool," Zoë said. "I know this story. From the War of the Titans. My... my father told me this tale, thousands of years ago."

"But..." Thalia eyed Bessie. "He's so cute!"

"That is how we were wrong," Zoë said. "We've been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods with destruction. He must be sacrificed."

Andy patted Bessie on the head. "He's harmless."

Zoë 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."

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

"No one knows," Zoë 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. Now, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus is reborn."