"Moooooooo!"
"He says Percy is his protector," Grover announced.
"And he's running from the bad people. He says they are close."
Drako was wondering how did he get all that out of a single mooooo.
"Wait," Zoe said, looking at Percy. "You know this cow?"
"Is the cow important?" Bianca asked.
Percy told them the story about how he saved the cow (chapter 186).
Thalia shook her head in disbelief. "And you just forgot to mention this before?"
"Well… yeah."
"I am a fool," Zoe said suddenly. "I know this story!"
"What story?" Percy asked.
"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?" Percy 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 doesn't bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed."
"MMMM," Bessie lowed.
"I don't think he likes that word," Grover said.
Percy patted Bessie on the head, trying to calm him down.
"How could anyone hurt him?" Drako said. "He's harmless."
Zoe nodded. "But there is power in killing innocence. Terrible power. The Fates ordained a prophecy aeons ago when this creature was born. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed it entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods."
"MMMMMM!"
"Um," Grover said. "Maybe we could avoid talking about entrails, too."
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.
"We have to protect him," Percy told her. "If Luke gets hold of him—"
"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia muttered. "The power to overthrow Olympus. That's… that's huge."
"Yes, it is, my dear," said a man's voice in a heavy French accent. "And it is a power you shall unleash."
The Ophiotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged.
Standing behind them, his two-colour eyes gleaming wickedly, was Dr. Thorn, the manticore himself.
"This is just pairrr-fect," the manticore gloated.
He was wearing a ratty black trench coat over his Westover Hall uniform, which was torn and stained. His military haircut had grown out spiky and greasy. He hadn't shaved recently, so his face was covered in silver stubble. Basically, he didn't look much better than the guys down at the soup kitchen.
"Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia," the manticore said. "I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honour me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"
On either side of him stood two security guys, mortal mercenaries. Two more stood on the next boat dock over, just in case they tried to escape that way. There were tourists all around—walking down the waterfront, shopping at the pier above them—but they knew that wouldn't stop the manticore from acting.
"Where… where are the skeletons?" Percy asked.
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!"
"We beat you once before."
"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 them raised their guns.
"Wait!" Percy 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's 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 sixteen birthday, you will overthrow Olympus."
"Shut up."
After those two words, no one spoke.
The manticore fell silent and didn't dare to open his mouth. He could feel the cold iron on his neck. It was for a moment, then he shouted. "Fire!"
Percy and the rest prepared themselves to die, but no gun was fired.
"What's happening?" the manticore asked.
"You talk too much, weakling. Now they are all dead," Drako spoke form behind the manticore.
From the moment he sensed the manticore on the distance, Drako used stealth to hide from everyone. His level of stealth was so high that only Zoe noticed that Drako has disappeared, and she kept it silence because she knew that Drako has his own motives to do it.
The manticore face was deadly pale, he knew that he had fucked it up. Now, The General was going to send him to Tartarus.
"Percy, come with me. We can save the Ophiotaurus before anything bad happens to it."
"What do you mean?"
"Call your father," Drako said. "Grover, you understand this cow, don't you? Guide it towards Long Island. Percy, pray for their safety to your father."
"The blessing of the Wild," Grover said. "That should help with safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, too."
The Ophiotaurus can jump between bodies of water, Drako had observed that. From Long Island to the Hoover Dam, now in San Francisco. It was obviously following Percy, but now he needs a guide. Grover is the only one who can understand it, so he was the chosen one.
"Dad," Percy said. "Help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea."
"A prayer like that needs a sacrifice," Thalia said. "Something big."
Something big… they didn't really have anything like that.
"Take this."
Drako took of the Nemean Lion fur, and he gave it to Percy.
He glanced at Zoe, who was watching him carefully. Drako realized some time ago who Zoe's hero had been—the one who'd ruined her life, gotten her kicked out of her family, and never even mentioned how she'd helped him.
"I'll only rely upon myself to achieve everything," Drako said. "If I'm going to conquer the world, I'm not going to depend on the lion-skin cloak. I'm not Hercules."
When the coat touched the water, it turned back into a golden lion skin. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into the sunlight on the water.
The sea breeze picked up.
Grover 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," they told them.
"We will," Grover said. "Okay, um… Bessie? We're going to Long Island. It's east. Over that way."
"Moooo?" Bessie said.
"Yes," Grover answered. "Long Island. It's this island. And… it's long. Oh, let's just start."
"Mooo!"
Bessie lurched forward. He started to submerge, and Grover said, "I can't breathe underwater! Just thought I'd mention—" Glub!
"Well, that is one problem addressed," Drako said with a sigh.
"Hmm, Drako, what are you going to do with Dr. Thorn," Bianca asked.
"Well, I thought that we could use him to get where Artemis. But he is not useful now."
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked.
"Oh, you can ask Zoe," Drako said. "She knows perfectly where we have to go now."
All of them looked at the huntress. "You know where to go?"
Her face was the same colour as the fog in San Francisco. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer.
"The garden of my sisters," she said. "I must go home."
Drako nodded.
"Now, Mr nobody," he said to the manticore. "Just die in silence, thanks."
He pierced his throat with a single trust.
[910 experience points have been obtained.]
[Because of the effects of Title Skill [Walking Egg]. Another 910 experience points were obtained.]
[The level of [Nephilim Dragon] raised from 106 to 107.]
"We will never make it," Zoe said. "We are moving too slow."
"I don't get it," Percy said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"
"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoe said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."
"What happens if we miss it?"
"Tomorrow is the 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."
"We need a car," Thalia said.
"Thalia's right," Drako said. "Golden Drive is not enough to carry the five of us. We need a car. But there's nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one."
"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "There is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere."
"Who?" Drako asked.
Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."
...…..
Annabeth dad wasn't what you expect of a normal father. Well, no ordinary human would manage to get Athena's attention. He was wearing an old-fashioned aviator's cap and goggles. He looked so weird, with his eyes bugging out through the glasses, that Percy and Bianca took a step back on the front porch.
"Hello," he said in a friendly voice, "Are you delivering my aeroplanes?"
They looked at each other warily.
"Um, no, sir," Percy said.
"Drat," he said. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."
"Right," Drako said. "We're friends of Annabeth."
"Annabeth?" He straightened as if I'd just given an electric shock. "Is she all right? Has something happened?"
None of them answered, but most of their faces (Drako just showed a poker face) must've told him that something was very wrong. He took off his cap and goggles. He had sandy-coloured hair like Annabeth and intense brown eyes. He was rather handsome, but it looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and his shirt was buttoned wrong, so one side of his collar stuck up higher than the other side.
"You'd better come in," he said.
…
It didn't look like a house they'd just moved into. There were LEGO robots on the stairs and two cats sleeping on the sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a little kid's winter coat was spread on the floor. The whole house smelled like fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies. There was jazz music coming from the kitchen. It seemed like a messy, happy kind of home—the kind of place that had been lived in forever.
"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He's taking apart my robots!"
"Bobby," Dr. Chase called absently, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"
"I'm Bobby," the little boy protested. "He's Matthew!"
"Matthew," Dr. Chase called, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"
"Okay, Dad!"
Dr. Chase turned to us. "We'll go upstairs to my study. This way."
"Honey?" a woman called. Annabeth's stepmom appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun.
"Who are our guests?" she asked.
"Oh," Dr. Chase said. "This is…"
He stared at them blankly.
"Frederick," she chided. "You forgot to ask them their names?"
They introduced themselves a little uneasily, but Mrs. Chase seemed really nice. She asked if they were hungry. They admitted they were, and she told them she'd bring them some cookies and sandwiches and sodas.
"Dear," Dr. Chase said. "They came about Annabeth."
Mrs. Chase pursed her lips and looked concerned. "All right. Go on up to the study, and I'll bring you some food." She smiled at Percy. "Nice meeting you, Percy. I've heard a lot about you."
Upstairs, they walked into Dr. Chase's study, and Percy said, "Whoa!"
The room was wall-to-wall books, but what really caught Drako's attention were the war toys.
There was a huge table with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue painted river, with hills and fake trees and stuff. Old-fashioned biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted at crazy angles like they were in the middle of a dogfight.
Dr. Chase smiled. "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for."
He plucked a biplane from its string and swept it across the battlefield, making aeroplane engine noises as he knocked down little German soldiers.
"Oh, right," Percy said.
Zoe came over and studied the battlefield. "The German lines were farther from the river."
Dr. Chase stared at her. "How do you know that?"
"I was there," she said matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."
Dr. Chase opened his mouth in shock. "You—"
"She's a Hunter, sir," Thalia said. "But that's not why we're here. We need—"
"You saw the Sopwith Camels?" Dr. Chase said. "How many were there? What formations did they fly?"
"Sir," Thalia broke in again. "Annabeth is in danger."
That got his attention. He set the biplane down.
"Of course," he said. "Tell me everything."
It wasn't easy, but they tried. Meanwhile, the afternoon light was fading outside. They were running out of time.
When they'd finished, Dr. Chase collapsed in his leather recliner. He laced his hands. "My poor brave Annabeth. We must hurry."
��Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais," Zoe said. "And we need it immediately."
"I'll drive you. Hmm, it would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two."
"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?" Percy said..
"Down at Crissy Field," Dr. Chase said proudly. "That's the reason I had to move here. My sponsor is a private collector with some of the finest World War I relics in the world. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel—"
"Sir," Thalia said. "Just a car would be great. And it might be better if we went without you. It's too dangerous."
Dr. Chase frowned uncomfortably. "Now wait a minute, young lady. Annabeth is my daughter. Dangerous or not, I… I can't just—"
"Snacks," Mrs. Chase announced. She pushed through the door with a tray full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Cokes and cookies fresh out of the oven, the chocolate chips still gooey. Thalia and I inhaled a few cookies while Zoe said, "I can drive, sir. I'm not as young as I look. I promise not to destroy your car."
Mrs. Chase knit her eyebrows. "What's this about?"
"Annabeth is in danger," Dr. Chase said. "On Mount Tam. I would drive them, but… apparently, it's no place for mortals."
It sounded like it was really hard for him to get that last part out.
Mrs. Chase just nodded. "Then they'd better get going."
"Right!" Dr. Chase jumped up and started patting his pockets. "My keys…"
His wife sighed. "Frederick, honestly. You'd lose your head if it weren't inside your aviator hat. The keys are hanging on the peg by the front door."
"Right!" Dr. Chase said.
Drako grabbed a sandwich (like he wasn't going to eat something). "Thank you both. We should go. Now."
They hustled out the door and down the stairs, the Chases right behind them.
"Percy," Mrs. Chase called as they were leaving. "tell Annabeth… Tell her she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that."
"I'll tell her," Percy promised.
They ran out to the yellow VW convertible parked in the driveway. The sun was going down.
Drako figured they had less than an hour to save Artemis.
......
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia demanded. Zoe glared at her. "I cannot control the traffic."
"You both sound like my mother," Percy said. "Shut up!" they said in unison.
Behind them, Drako and Bianca were amused by their coordination.
Zoe weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sinking on the horizon when they finally got into Marin County and exited the highway.
The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and around the edges of steep ravines. Zoe didn't slow down at all.
"Why does everything smell like cough drops?" Percy asked.
"Eucalyptus." Zoe pointed to the huge trees all around them.
"The stuff Koala bears eat?"
"And monsters," she said. "They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons."
Everyone looked at Drako.
"Dragons chew eucalyptus leaves?" Bianca asked him directly.
"Maybe?" Drako said unsurely. "I'm not going to chew them, though."
"Well, you are the first dragon with human form that I have seen, so you could be an exception," Zoe said. "But believe me. If you had to be in your dragon form all time, you would chew eucalyptus too."
---
Getting to the end of this volume!
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