A True Hero

Chapter Nine: Elena

"We'll never make it." Zoe stamped her foot, "We're moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."

"Why do we need to get there before sunset?" Percy asked.

"The Hesperides are the nymphs of sunset. We can only enter the garden when the day turns to night."

We were walking along the waterfront. We were trying to get to the Golden Gate bridge, it was a whole lot further than we anticipated. The sun was already dipping into the west. I would have flown there but I couldn't carry that many people at once plus I was still healing from a couple months ago. Percy didn't know that, he hopefully thought I was fully healed and ready to go. I didn't wanna tell my dad either, I already had a reputation of the favorite child with my siblings. I didn't wanna seem more privileged.

"What happens if we miss it?" I asked.

"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. If we miss it tonight we have to wait until tomorrow evening. By then the Olympian council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."

Or Annabeth will die. I thought, I snuck a glance at Percy. I knew he was thinking the same thing.

"We need a car." Thalia said.

"What about Bessie?" I asked.

"I have an idea!" Grover cut in, "The Ophiotaurus can transport to different bodies of water right?"

"I guess, Bessie came to me in the Hoover Dam. He was in Long Island originally." Percy answered.

"Okay so we just tell him to go back to Long island." Grover said.

"But he follows me, without me how will Bessie know where to go?"

"I...I'll show him. I'm going with him."

Percy stared at Grover in shock. I had no clue why. Grover came over and placed his hand on Bessie's head, he murmured something.

"The blessing of the wild. Should give him safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, see if he'll grant us safe passage through the seas."

Percy walked over to the ocean edge, he pulled me with him. I saw him close his eyes.

"Dad, please protect Grover and the Ophiotaurus. Protect them at sea."

"Percy a prayer that big needs a sacrifice. Something big." Thalia told him.

Percy thought for a moment before taking off his coat.

"Percy, are you sure that lion's fur is very useful. Hercules used it!" Grover said.

Zoe and I met eyes, I knew that the man in her story was Hercules. I leaned into Percy's ear, "Hercules isn't a good guy. He betrayed Zoe, he had your sword. You don't wanna be like him."

He nodded, "If I'm going to survive I don't need lion's fur to do it." he said.

He tossed the coat into the water, it swirled and shimmer, it expanded into the pelt again before sinking into the water. The sea breeze picked up.

"Well, no time to lose." Grover said. Grover got into the water and hooked onto Bessie.

"Be careful." I said to him.

"We will, okay um Bessie? We're going to Long Island Sound."

"Moo!" Bessie responded and they were off. I prayed that Poseidon remembered that Grover can't breathe underwater.

"Great one problem solved now how do we get to that mountain?" I asked.

"Elena's right, we need a car and no one is going to help us." Percy added.