riley doesn't think the old man smells good

i woke up a few minutes before san francisco came into view.

i had a dreamless sleep, which i was grateful for. 

"where do you guys want to land?" hank asked. 

percy and thalia shook awake.

"there," zoë suggested. "by the embarcadero building."

"good thinking," chuck said. "me and hank can blend in with the pigeons."

we all looked at him.

"kidding," he said. "sheesh, can't statues have a sense of humor?"

as it turned out, there wasn't much need to blend in. it was early morning and not many people were around. we freaked out a homeless guy on the ferry dock when we landed. he screamed when he saw hank and chuck and ran off yelling something about metal angels from mars.

we said our good-byes to the angels, who flew off to party with their statue friends. i looked around. what are we going to do now?

we'd made it to the west coast. artemis was here somewhere. annabeth too, i hoped. but we had no idea how to find them, and tomorrow was the winter solstice. we didn't even have any clue what monster artemis had been hunting.

it was supposed to find us on the quest. it was supposed to "show the trail," but it never had. now we were stuck on the ferry dock with whatever money was in my pack (although that wouldn't really be a problem), no friends, and no luck.

after a brief discussion, we agreed that we needed to figure out just what this mystery monster was.

"but how?" percy asked.

"nereus," grover said. i put a hand to my forehead in realization.

percy looked at him. "what?"

i slapped percy's arm. "apollo, you idiot." i reminded him. "that's what he said. seek out nereus."

percy nodded. "the old man of the sea," he remembered. "i'm supposed to find him and force him to tell us what he knows. but how do i find him?"

zoë made a face. "old nereus, eh?"

"you know him?" thalia asked.

"my mother was a sea goddess. yes, i know him. unfortunately, he is never very hard to find. just follow the smell."

"what do you mean?" percy asked.

"come," she said without enthusiasm. "i will show thee."

she took us to a goodwill drop box.

grabbing some random clothes she made percy wear them. he came back a few minutes later wearing a ragged yellow flannel, jeans (they were three sizes too big), bright red shoes, and a floppy rainbow hat.

i snickered.

oh yeah," grover said trying not to laugh, "you look completely inconspicuous now."

zoë nodded, pleased, "a typical male vagrant."

"thanks a lot," percy grumbled. "why am i doing this again?"

"i told thee. to blend in."

"because nothing screams 'i blend in' better than clothes stolen from a good will drop box," i laughed.

zoë smiled a little and led the way back down to the waterfront. after a long time spent searching the docks, zoë finally stopped in her tracks. she pointed down a pier where a bunch of homeless guys were huddled together in blankets, waiting for the soup kitchen to open for lunch.

"he will be down there somewhere," zoë said. "he never travels very far from the water. he likes to sun himself during the day."

"how do i know which one is him?"

"sneak up," she said. "act homeless. you will know him. he will smell... different."

"great." percy muttered. "and once i find him?"

"grab him," she said. "and hold on. he will try anything to get rid of thee. whatever he does, do not let go. force him to tell thee about the monster."

"we've got your back," thalia said. she picked something off the back of his shirt — a big clump of fuzz that came from who-knows-where. "eww. on second thought... i don't want your back. but we'll be rooting for you."

grover gave percy a big thumbs-up.

i gave him two thumbs-up.

percy stumbled away, grumbling about how helpful it is having super-powerful friends.

percy passed the homeless man we freaked out, some grimy men with grocery bags as hats, and a lady with a bunch of plastic flamingos.

he stumbled away to the end of the pier, where an old man lay. i figured that must be nereus. i couldn't see much of him, except that he wore a fuzzy bathrobe (it was probably white, like, a million years ago), and he looked older than zoë was.

"wow, nereus looked much better in winx club," i whistled.

"what?" zoë asked.

"nothing. it's just a t.v. show i used to watch."

percy sat nearby. all of a sudden he grabbed the old man.

"ahhh!" i heard the old man scream.

i don't know what the other mortals saw, but they were all pointing, and grumbling amongst themselves.

percy rolled away, and his head hit a post. i winced, that's gotta hurt. he tackled the old man, they backed towards the water. 

the old man yelled, and they both plunged into the bay. a minute later a killer whale plunged out of the bay, with percy on it's dorsal fin. i furrowed my brows. was that nereus? percy waved to the small crowd that saw them (and they say aphrodite's kids are dramatic).

finally, the collapsed on the edge of the boat dock. 

"c'mon!" i called to the group, making my way there.

when i got there, i gagged. zoë was right. you can find him by smell. he smelt like hot garbage, and sewage.

"you got him!" zoë said.

"you don't have to sound so amazed," percy said.

nereus moaned. "oh, wonderful. an audience for my humiliation! the normal deal, i suppose? you'll let me go if i answer your question?"

"i've got more than one question," percy told him.

"only one question per capture! that's the rule."

we exchanged looks.

this was going to be a problem. we needed to find artemis, and we needed to figure out what the doomsday creature was. we also needed to know if annabeth was still alive, and how to rescue her. there was no way we could that all in one question?

after an internal debate percy 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 percy's feet.

"where?" percy 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!" percy yelled.

"wait." thalia's eyes widened. "what is that?"

she pointed at percy's feet, and that's when i saw it.

"mooooo!"

"ah, bessie," percy said. "not now."

i made a face at percy. how does he know this cow-serpent?

"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."

"the ophi — what?"

"it means serpent bull in greek," i informed him. 

"but what's it doing here?" thalia asked.

"moooooooo!"

"he says percy is his protector," grover announced. "and he's running from the bad people. he says they are close."

"you got all that out of a single moooo?" i asked.

grover nodded.

"wait," zoë said, looking at percy. "you know this cow?"

percy told us how he saved the cow before the quest. it had followed him to hoover dam, and that was the dam cow that grover had heard.

thalia shook her head in disbelief. "and you just forgot to mention this before?"

"well... yeah." 

"i am a fool," zoë said suddenly. "i know this story!"

"what story?" i 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," zoë said. "we've been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. he must be sacrificed."

"mmm," bessie lowed.

"i don't think he likes the s-word," grover said.

percy patted the cow on the head and tried to calm him down.

"how could anyone hurt him?" percy said. "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."

"mmmmm!!"

"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," 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. 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. the cow went right to her. thalia placed her hand on his head. the serpent-bull shivered.

"we have to protect him," percy told us. "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.

i turned around. 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. "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. 

i made a face at his choice of appearance.

"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 honor me, and i shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"

on either side of him stood two armed security guys. two more stood on the next boat dock over, just in case we tried to escape that way. there were tourists all around — walking down the waterfront, shopping at the pier above us — but i knew that wouldn't stop the manticore from acting.

"where... where are the skeletons?" percy 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!"

"we beat you once before," percy 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."

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

i flicked my dagger out.

"wait!" percy said. "zoë, don't!"

the manticore smiled. "the boy is right, zoë 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 sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow olympus."

it was silent. no one said a word. it made sense for the most part. thalia was only two days away from turning sixteen (according to apollo). she was a child of the big three. and here was a choice, a terrible choice that could mean the end of the gods. it was like the prophecy said. a few lines of the prophecy still didn't make sense, but there were two days left. a lot could happen in two days. 

i waited for thalia to tell dr. t off, but she hesitated. she looked completely stunned. 

"you know it is the right choice," the manticore told her, trying to get in her head. "your friend luke recognized it. you shall be reunited with him. you shall rule this world together under the auspices of the titans. your father abandoned you, thalia. he cares nothing for you. and now you shall gain power over him. crush the olympians underfoot, as they deserve. call the beast! it will come to you. use your spear."

"lia," i muttered next to her. "he's trying to get in your head. don't listen to him." 

"thalia," percy said, "snap out of it!"

she looked at percy and i uncertainly. she seemed dazed and confused. "i... i don't—"

"your father helped you," percy said. "he sent the metal angels. he turned you into a tree to preserve you."

her hand tightened on the shaft of her spear.

percy looked towards grover, and he played a quick riff on his pipes.

the manticore yelled, "stop him!"

the guards had been targeting zoë, but grover was the bigger problem. the wooden planks at their feet sprouted new branches and tangled their legs. zoë let loose two quick arrows that exploded at their feet in clouds of sulfurous yellow smoke. fart arrows.

the guards started coughing. the manticore shot spines in our direction, but they ricocheted off percy's lion's coat.

"grover," percy said, "tell bessie to dive deep and stay down!"

"moooooo!" grover translated. 

"the cow..." thalia muttered, still in a daze.

"come on!" percy called. 

i pulled her along as we ran up the stairs to the shopping center on the pier. we dashed around the corner of the nearest store. 

i heard the manticore shouting at his minions, "get them!" 

tourists screamed as the guards shot blindly into the air.

we scrambled to the end of the pier. we hid behind a little kiosk filled with souvenir crystals—wind chimes and dream catchers and stuff like that, glittering in the sunlight. there was a water fountain next to us. down below, a bunch of sea lions were sunning themselves on the rocks. 

the whole of san francisco bay spread out before us: the golden gate bridge, alcatraz island, and the green hills and fog beyond that to the north. i probably would've admired it if it weren't for the fact that were going to die.

"go over the side!" zoë told me. "you can escape in the sea, percy. call on thy father for help. maybe you can save the ophiotaurus."

i nodded. "she's right. the cow is our main priority. we can't let them get it." for some reason i still couldn't group luke with the bad guys.

"i won't leave you guys," percy said. "we fight together."

"you have to get word to camp!" grover said. "at least let them know what's going on!"

"get word to camp," percy muttered. "good idea."

he uncapped riptide and slashed off the top of the water fountain. water burst out of the busted pipe and sprayed all over us. a rainbow appeared because the crystals. iris-message!

thalia gasped as the water hit her. the fog seemed to clear from her eyes. "are you crazy?" she asked.

grover also understood what percy was doing. he threw a golden drachma from his pocket into the rainbows created by the mist and yelled, "o goddess, accept my offering!" 

the mist rippled.

"camp half-blood!" percy said.

and there, shimmering in the mist right next to us, was the one and only, mr. d, wearing his leopard-skin jogging suit and rummaging through the refrigerator.

he looked up lazily. "do you mind?"

"where's chiron!" percy shouted.

"how rude." mr. d took a swig from a jug of grape juice. i scrunched my face up. "is that how you say hello?"

"hello," i butt in. "we're about to die! where's chiron?"

mr. d considered that. i almost groaned in frustration. he was taking too long. behind us, footsteps and shouting — the manticore's troops were closing in.

"about to die," mr. d mused. "how exciting. i'm afraid chiron isn't here. would you like me to take a message?"

percy looked towards us. "we're dead."

thalia gripped her spear. she looked like her old angry self again. "then we'll die fighting."

"how noble," mr. d said, stifling a yawn. "so what is the problem, exactly?"

percy hesitated, but told him about the ophiotaurus.

"mmm." he studied the contents of the fridge (again). "so that's it. i see."

"you don't even care!" percy screamed. "you'd just as soon watch us die!"

i wanted to smack him. he just loves getting gods on his bad side. but, i was mad at mr. d too.

"let's see. i think i'm in the mood for pizza tonight."

i was about to yell from frustration, but there was no time. the manticore screamed, "there!" before i could react, we were surrounded. two of the guards stood behind him.

the other two appeared on the roofs of the pier shops above us. the manticore threw off his coat and transformed into his true self, his lion claws extended and his spiky tail bristling with poison barbs.

"excellent," he said. he glanced at the apparition in the mist and snorted. "alone, without any real help. wonderful."

"you could ask for help," mr. d murmured to us, as if this were an amusing thought. "you could say please."

i held my dagger ready, zoë readied her bow, grover raised his pipes, and thalia had readied her shield. but then percy did something i did not expect. 

"please, mr. d," he muttered. "help."

nothing happened.

the manticore grinned. "spare the daughter of zeus. she will join us soon enough. kill the others."

the men raised their guns, and something strange happened. there was a rush all around us. like the drop of your stomach when you go down the drop of a rollercoaster.  there was a sound, like a huge sigh. the sunlight tinged with purple. i smelled grapes and something more sour — wine.

snap!

it was the sound of many minds breaking at the same time. the sound of madness. one guard put his pistol between his teeth like it was a bone and ran around on all fours. two others dropped their guns and started waltzing with each other. the fourth began doing what looked like an irish clogging dance. i would've laughed, except it was kind of terrifying.

"no!" screamed the manticore. "i will deal with you myself!"

his tail bristled, but the planks under his paws erupted into grape vines, which immediately began wrapping around the monster's body, sprouting new leaves and clusters of green baby grapes that ripened in seconds as the manticore shrieked, until he was engulfed in a huge mass of vines, leaves, and full clusters of purple grapes. finally the grapes stopped shivering, and i had a feeling dr. t was no more.

"well," said dionysus, closing his refrigerator. "that was fun."

my eyes widened as i looked at him.

percy stared at him, horrified. "how could you... how did you—"

"such gratitude," he muttered. "the mortals will come out of it. too much explaining to do if i made their condition permanent. i hate writing reports to father."

he stared resentfully at thalia. "i hope you learned your lesson, girl. it isn't easy to resist power, is it?"

thalia blushed as if she were ashamed.

"mr. d," grover said in amazement. "you... you saved us."

"thank you." i muttered in shock.

"mmm. don't make me regret it. now get going, percy jackson. i've bought you a few hours at most."

"the ophiotaurus," percy said. "can you get it to camp?"

mr. d sniffed. "i do not transport livestock. that's your problem."

"but where do we go?"

dionysus looked at zoë. "oh, i think the huntress knows. you must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost. now good-bye. my pizza is waiting."

"mr. d," percy called.

he raised his eyebrow.

"you called me by my right name," he said. "you called me percy jackson."

i smirked. he did call him by the right name.

"i most certainly did not, peter johnson. now off with you!"

he waved his hand, and his image disappeared in the mist.

all around us, the manticore's minions were still acting completely nuts. one of them had found our friend the homeless guy (the one we freaked out with the statues, remember him), and they were having a serious conversation about metal angels from mars.

several other guards were harassing the tourists, making animal noises and trying to steal their shoes.

 "what did he mean... 'you know where to go'?" percy asked zoë

i looked at her. her face was the color of the fog. 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."

REY WRITES !

thanks for reading !

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