Perseus Jackson Son of the Sea: The Golden Fleece

Chapter 4

As soon as they exited the taxi, the Gray Sisters peeled out, heading back to New York, where life was safer. They didn't even wait for their extra payment. They just left them on the side of the road, Annabeth with nothing but her backpack and knife, Taylor had him wore nothing but their gym uniform.

"Oh, man," said Annabeth, looking at the battle raging on the hill.

Running up the hill he looked at the battle to see two bronze mechanicals bulls the size of elephants One of the heroes shouted, "Border patrol, to me!" A girl's voice—gruff and familiar.

Border patrol? Percy thought. The camp didn't have a border patrol.

"It's Clarisse," Annabeth said. "Come on, we have to help her." Her fellow warriors were scattering, running in panic as the bulls charged. The grass was burning in huge swathes around the pine tree. One hero screamed and waved his arms as he ran in circles, the horsehair plume on his helmet blazing like a fiery Mohawk.

Clarisse's own armor was charred. She was fighting with a broken spear shaft, the other end embedded uselessly in the metal joint of one bull's shoulder.

Percy cracked his knuckles "Lets destroy those bulls

"Percy, do you know what those are up there? The Colchis bulls, made by Hephaestus himself. We can't fight them without Medea's Sunscreen SPF 50,000. We'll get burned to a crisp."

"Actually, as a child of Poseidon fire doesn't hurt me, I can withstand some flames." Percy stated as he stretched. He willed Riptide and Atlan to appear in each hand. Atlan flashed to its 7-foot-tall golden trident form, while Riptide appeared in its pen form before elongated into a 3-foot celestial bronze leaf shaped blade. "No excuse me I got some bulls to kill."

He started running up the hill toward Clarisse, who was yelling at her patrol, trying to get them into phalanx formation. It was a good idea. The few who were listening lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, locking their shields to form an ox-hide—and-bronze wall, their spears bristling over the top like porcupine quills.

Unfortunately, Clarisse could only muster six campers. The other four were still running around with their helmets on fire. Annabeth ran toward them, trying to help. She taunted one of the bulls into chasing her, then turned invisible, completely confusing the monster. The other bull charged Clarisse's line.

The bull moved deadly fast for something so big. Its metal hide gleamed in the sun. It had fist-sized rubies for eyes, and horns of polished silver. When it opened its hinged mouth, a column of white-hot flame blasted out.

"Hold the line!" Clarisse ordered her warriors.

Whatever else you could say about Clarisse, she was brave. She was a big girl with cruel eyes like her father's. She looked like she was born to wear Greek battle armor, but I didn't see how even she could stand against that bull's charge.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the other bull lost interest in finding Annabeth. It turned, wheeling around behind Clarisse on her unprotected side. Bull Number One crashed into her shield, and the phalanx broke. Clarisse went flying backward and landed in a smoldering patch of grass. The bull charged past her, but not before blasting the other heroes with its fiery breath. Their shields melted right off their arms. They dropped their weapons and ran as Bull Number Two closed in on Clarisse for the kill.

Percy lunged forward thrusting Atlan through the neck of one of the bulls sending it flying from the force of the weapon and grabbed Clarisse by the straps of her armor. he dragged her out of the way just as Bull Number Two freight-trained past. he held riptide out straight causing the bull to run through it a deep cut going from its throat to its hind end.