DEVOTION, percy jackson

Why Are There Two Bulls At Camp?

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 three-drachma payment.

"Oh, man," said Annabeth, looking at the battle raging on the hill. Tallulah wasn't concerned about the bulls, she was worried about the campers. Or lack thereof.

There were ten campers in all. Not only was that a problem, but the bulls had gotten into camp. That shouldn't have been possible. The camp's magic boundaries didn't allow monsters to cross past Thalia's tree, but the metal bulls were doing it anyway.

One of the heroes shouted, "Border patrol, to me!" A girl's voice-gruff and familiar. If there was border control things had to be bad.

"It's Clarisse," Annabeth said. "Come on, we have to help her." Percy uncapped his ballpoint pen. It shimmered, growing longer and heavier until he held the bronze sword Anaklusmos in his hands.

"Tyson, stay here. I don't want you taking any more chances." "No!" Annabeth said. "We need him." he stared at her. "He's mortal. He got lucky with the dodge balls but he can't-" Tallulah rolled her eyes at their argument and his blindness.

"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." "Medea's what?"

"Gods, we don't have time for this! Percy let Tyson come." Tallulah shouted with frustration. Both their eyes went wide. Tallulah had never yelled at them, ever.

She hadn't told her friends about the training she had gone through. Maybe the energy it took and the pain she had endured had made her rough around the edges.

They heard someone yell, and Percy said, "Tyson, stay back. I'm going in." "Why won't he ever listen!" Tallulah exclaimed. Percy ran up the hill toward Clarisse.

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. Percy was halfway up the hill-not close enough to help. Clarisse hadn't seen him.

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. At that moment, the other bull lost interest in finding Annabeth. It turned, wheeling around behind Clarisse on her unprotected side. "Behind you!" Percy yelled. "Look out!"

Sadly that didn't help. At all. All it did was distract the daughter of Ares. Clarisse went flying backward and landed in a smoldering patch of grass, her dark curly hair sprawled around her head like a halo.

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 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 gave it a good swipe with Riptide and cut a huge gash in its flank, but the monster just creaked and groaned and kept on going.

Tallulah drew her sword and pointed it at the bull Percy had slashed. Grass started to weave into vines, and they wrapped around the fiery bull. She cocooned the bull, but it wouldn't last long.