Indigo Eyes

Chapter 58

"You can understand her... er, him?" Percy wondered.

"Uh, I'm sorry. When did you even meet Bessie in the first place?" Cressida asked a little nervously.

"Blackjack's friend that needed help," he explained quickly as an expression of realisation spread across her face.

"It's a very old form of animal speech. But he says his name is the Ophiotaurus," Grover informed them.

"The Ophi-what?!"

"Ok," Cressida exclaimed loudly. "This is how I know that you don't pay attention in camp classes. Because Ophiotaurus is Ancient Greek," she said. "It means serpent bull."

"But what's it doing here?" Thalia asked as the Ophiotaurus mooed again.

"He says Percy is his protector," Grover announced. "And he's running away from the bad people. He says they're close."

"That's not good," Cressida huffed.

"Wait, you know this cow?" Zoë questioned and Percy told them the story and Thalia shook her head in disbelief.

"And you just forgot to mention this before?"

"Well...yeah," Percy said dumbly and Cressida rolled her eyes.

"Percy, the next time we ask you what's happening, we mean tell us all of this," she exclaimed, recycling the same words he spat at her a year ago.

"Well forgive me for being a little distracted lately, Grape Girl."

"Distractions are no excuse, Fish Face. That's what you told me."

"Ok! I didn't tell you before but I'm telling you now! So give it a rest, Wine Vine!"

"Make me, Barnacle Brain!" she challenged as she stood toe-to-toe with him.

"Oh, you better be careful what you wish for, Grape Girl."

"And you better watch your back, Captain Nemo."

"And you better -"

"I am a fool!" Zoë suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Cressida and Percy's bickering contest. "I know this story!"

"What story?" Percy and Cressida asked in unison, giving each other a wary look afterwards.

"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."

Cressida could only shake her head at his idiocy. Just like when he said it was a good idea to get their photo taken by Aunty Em, or hide in a mattress store just to name a few.

"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."

"MMMM," Bessie lowed.

"I don't think he likes the S-word," Grover said.

Percy patted Bessie's head, trying to calm him down but he was still trembling before Cressida reached out her hand. Bessie was apprehensive at first but eventually, let Cressida touch him.

"Wait, don't -"

"Calm," she whispered, her hand glowing purple as Bessie stopped trembling but the second, she let go, she wabbled on her feet.

"I told you not to do that," Percy said, his arms around her body as he steadied her, worried about how she was putting most of her weight on him. "You know that the older a creature, the more energy it takes out of you. You can't get tired, Wine Vine."

"I know, Mom," she said sarcastically as Thalia dug through her pack for the small flask of nectar she had stashed away, tipping some into Cressida's mouth as Percy kept his hold on her.

"But how could anyone hurt him?" Percy asked as the nectar began to work its magic and Thalia put her flask back into her bag. "He's harmless."

Zoë 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 its 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," 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. Bessie went right to her. Thalia placed her hand on his head. Bessie shivered.

Percy seemed sceptical of Thalia's almost hungry expression as Cressida found her feet again, Percy still keeping a hand on her back.

"We have to protect him," she said and Percy nodded.

"If Luke gets hold of him -"

"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia finished. "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 as they looked up.

Gods above they were stupid. They'd been so busy talking that they'd allowed themselves to be ambushed because standing behind them with wickedly gleaming two-colour eyes was Dr Thorn, the manticore himself.

"Oh great," Cressida huffed. They never could catch a break.