Chapter 79: Bruno
A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Percy won't allow his new friend to be murdered!
-x-X-x-
Despite lacking the means to communicate verbally, its obvious that what Percy had initially labeled as a 'cow fish' is intelligent enough to understand humans. Hearing Zoe's words, the Ophiotaurus tenses up and looks to be a second away from fleeing.
That would be bad because Zoe is over a thousand years old and undeniably an excellent shot with a bow and arrow. The only reason that she hasn't shot the aquatic cow monster yet is because Percy is in the way. If the Ophiotaurus tries to flee, then she'll have the clear shot she wants.
Reaching out, Percy stops the Ophiotaurus in its tracks using his control over the water surrounding it. Temporarily holding it in place, he nevertheless stays where he is between it and Zoe, keeping himself in the line of fire.
"Let's not be hasty, Zoe. Bessie here hasn't done anything worth killing her over."
Zoe furrows her brow at that and shakes her head.
"The Ophiotaurus is male, Percy."
… Oh. Well now he felt dumb for giving it a girl's name. Truthfully, he'd just been trying to humanize it a bit more. Give it a name and maybe Zoe would be a little less inclined to kill it. Looking down into the aquatic cow monster's big, soulful eyes, Percy swallows thickly.
"… Alright then, Bruno it is. Bruno here has done nothing wrong, Zoe. He just got himself stuck and needed me to help him get him free so he called out to me. That's hardly worthy of death."
Zoe just huffs, shaking her head.
"That's the point, Percy. The Ophiotaurus is a monster, but it's a benign one. Innocent, even. That's part of its myth. An innocent creature, sacrificed like a lamb upon an altar. Except no mere lamb would do the trick when we're talking about the divine."
Percy gives Bruno an incredulous look. Strange looking lamb, to be sure. But… he kind of understands what Zoe is getting at.
"This must be a key part of Atlas' plan, Percy. If he's allowed to get his hands on the Ophiotaurus and can sacrifice its entrails, then he will gain the power to destroy the Olympians. There will be no stopping his plans after that. There will be no stopping the Crooked One's return."
Grimacing, Percy runs a soothing hand on Bruno's snout, still not intending to let the Lieutenant of Artemis kill him just because of the things she's said.
"I mean… how can we even know that killing it is the right call? What if someone comes along and retrieves the entrails after we're done? How do you even go about disposing of that sort of thing without burning them?"
He thinks it's a pretty good argument, but from the look Zoe gives him, you would think he'd just said one of the stupidest things she's ever heard.
"… Percy, I have been a hunter for over two thousand years. I know how to deal with the remains of a hunt. I also know how to land a kill shot that will make the Ophiotaurus' demise relatively pain free. I can tell that you're holding it in place even now. Please… this is what Lady Artemis would want. If we remove it from the board now, it will take decades for it to reform, just like last time. Decades in which we can stop my father and the Crooked One and put the Titans' plans to rest."
She's talking a lot of sense. And yet… and yet, Percy can't bring himself to let it happen. He just can't. Looking down into Bruno's eyes, Percy isn't even remotely tempted by what Zoe is saying. The problem is, how the hell does he convince her to spare the cow monster without turning this into a fight.
Percy figures the only reason Zoe hasn't already started firing is that she understands she's at a severe disadvantage here. Of course, it could also be the last two lines of the prophecy that have her so worried. She probably doesn't want to further 'misdeem' him more than she already has. Actually…
"Hang on a second. We CAN'T kill Bruno, Zoe!"
The Lieutenant of Artemis furrows her brow in confusion.
"What? Why not?"
Percy smiles widely and taps his forehead.
"Think! Remember the third line of the prophecy! The Bane of Olympus reveals the trail. Well here we have an innocent monster whose entrails can be sacrificed to destroy Olympus. Sounds to me like we found the 'bane' right here!"
It makes perfect sense! There's just one problem, something that Percy only really remembers after he's made his case and blurted all of that out.
… He's not supposed to know the prophecy that the Oracle gave Zoe.
Her eyes widen and her face goes impressively pale given her usual complexion. The two thousand year old huntress' mouth opens and closes wordlessly for a few moments before she's finally able to choke something out.
"You… y-you know?"
Percy winces, grimacing as he realizes he's just stuck his foot right in it. After all, if he knows the third line of the prophecy, it stands to reason that he knows the rest of the prophecy as well. And just why Zoe has been acting so strange with him ever since she heard it.
"… Yes. Lady Hestia told me what the Oracle said to you before we left. She hears everything that happens in her domain after all."
Seeing Zoe looking torn between tearing her hair out and being enraged, Percy holds up his hands.
"Look, I told you before Zoe, I'm not looking for your service! Not yours or Artemis' either! I'm not going to make either of you swear yourselves to me so you don't have to worry about that part of the prophecy! It won't ever be relevant!"
Zoe growls at that.
"It doesn't work like that, Percy! You don't just get to say 'I'm good'! The Oracle has spoken and a prophecy is a prophecy! One way or another… it will come true."
However, rather than get any angrier or starting to rage, Zoe's shoulders slump and she goes quiet, looking introspective. Percy watches this uncertain of what to really say at this point. All he knows is that he's not going to let her kill Bruno. No matter what.
Slowly, Zoe's eyes move away from him and the aquatic cow monster and down the length of the river, far into the distance. Her breathing becomes uneven as she shudders for a moment. Her eyes close shut and she lets out a groan.
"Fuck."
Percy raises an eyebrow at the reaction, a little confused by what's happening. Zoe meanwhile…
"Fuck… fuck, fuck, fuck. No no no no no…"
She's only getting worse. He wants to go to her, to comfort her and try to help, but she's still holding the bow and arrow, even if she's not pointing them at him and Bruno anymore. Until she puts those away, he can't stop shielding the Ophiotaurus.
"… Zoe? What's wrong?"
Fortunately, his question seems to shake her out of it. Lifting her head, the Lieutenant of Artemis looks at Percy with blood shot eyes.
"You're right. The damn cow does show the way. I fooled myself into thinking that it couldn't be possible. But if this is true, then… that makes me think the worst has come to pass."
Percy furrows his brow before groaning.
"Zoe… between the gods and the Oracle, don't we have enough vague nonsense in our lives? Please, speak plainly."
Hesitating for a second, Zoe eventually nods.
"R-Right. A bit of a history lesson. Back during the first Titanomachy, the Titans waged war from their home atop Mount Othrys. During the final battle, Zeus used the Master Bolt to sheer the top of Mount Othrys off, making it shorter than Mount Olympus where the Olympian Gods and Goddesses made their home."
Percy wasn't sure how that was relevant, but Zoe isn't done so he stays quiet and keeps listening.
"However… he also used Mount Othrys for another purpose. It was where he put my father Atlas, chaining him to a pillar created by the Elder Cyclops for the purpose of forcing the Titan of Endurance to hold up the sky."
Okay, Percy vaguely remembered hearing something like that before. Mythology and all that.
"This made Mount Othrys important, even long after the Titans fell and the Olympians rose to prominence. And when Mount Olympus moved from Greece to America… Mount Othrys moved with it."
Wait… was she saying…
"I didn't want to believe it could be possible. When we first found out that the General, my father, was sending forces against us, I assumed he was operating from his place atop Mount Othrys, where he was still confined to his eternal punishment. But now… now I suspect otherwise."
She pauses for a moment, grimacing even harder as she shakes her head.
"… The first line of the prophecy states that we go West to find a goddess in chains. Lady Artemis wouldn't be so easily contained for this long, not by any normal chains. She's a free spirit above all else. But… if she had the full weight of the sky bearing down on her as her 'chains', she would be as trapped as anyone."
That made sense, but Percy didn't understand the jump in logic. Seeing his confusion, Zoe points with her bow and arrow down the river.
"The Bane of Olympus will reveal the trail. This river ends long before it could reach Mount Othrys… but I know these lands just as good if not better than the lands back home in Greece. The tail end of this specific river… points unerringly in the direction of Mount Othrys. Where my father SHOULD be holding up the sky still… and where the prophecy says we will find Lady Artemis in chains."
Expression grave as can be, Zoe sighs.
"I can only assume that my father is free and active, Percy. And that means it is even more important that the Ophiotaurus dies here and now, before Atlas can get his hands on it. We know where to go now… its survival is no longer necessary."
Oh come on! At least give him a second to process what she'd just dropped on him! Tensing up, Percy continues to stand in Zoe's way. Unfortunately, judging by the resolution in her eyes, he suspects she's might not be as hesitant to shoot through him anymore if need be. And given some of the special arrows he'd seen her use earlier against both the Manticore and the Nemean Lion, Percy doesn't doubt that she might very well be able to do so.
Then, an idea hits him.
"Wait! Just… wait a second. I have a solution!"
Zoe pauses, blinking in confusion. Percy, meanwhile, looks at her meaningfully.
"Don't hurt Bruno. Don't try to kill him. I want you to swear to me that you won't do so, Zoe Nightshade."
Her confusion only grows until Percy continues on.
"You would be doing me a great service if you swore to spare the Ophiotaurus' life."
Finally, the emphasis on certain words gets through to her. Zoe freezes in place, stunned by what he's suggesting. And he can see her turning over the idea in her head. Percy can tell that she likes it… but at the same time, she's not convinced.
"That doesn't solve everything, Percy. It doesn't solve the issue of my father hunting for the Ophiotaurus. If we're not going to kill it, what the hell do we do with it? It's not like it can follow us all the way to California."
Percy blinks, surprised by the knowledge that Mount Othrys is in California. What is with his quests always seeming to take him from the East Coast to the West Coast? Still, he fortunately has a solution to this as well.
"I'll call upon my father to send servants to pick Bruno up. They'll take him to Poseidon, where he will be safe from any Titan machinations until this all blows over. Simple as that."
Zoe frowns, looking a little incredulous.
"… And you think Lord Poseidon will spare the Ophiotaurus?"
"He will if I ask nicely!"
Mostly because Percy would make sure to name drop Hestia, who he was pretty sure his father was still a bit wary of after what happened over a year ago.
Meanwhile, Zoe's mouth opens and closes at Percy's audacity, before finally her shoulders slump and she sighs.
"… Very well. I swear on the Styx not to kill the Ophiotaurus, Percy. I will do you this… service."
Its obvious from her tone that she's not entirely sure she believes Percy's little loophole will work as far as the prophecy is concerned. But Percy is confident, mostly because this is the only kind of swearing of any service that he intends to allow Zoe or Artemis or any other hunter make to him.
In the end, getting in contact with Poseidon and explaining the situation isn't easy… but it still works out. The sun is rising high in the sky by the time that the Naiads the God of the Sea sends reach Percy and Zoe in the river. They hand over custody of Bruno to the river nymphs and Percy gives the Ophiotaurus one last nod and smile as the aquatic cow monster swims away with the Naiads escorting him.
With that dealt with and a near surety of where Artemis is, all that's left is to regroup with the rest of the party and make preparations to head for California. That might be a little easier said than done though, because they then have another decision to make.
How exactly were they going to get across the country in time to save Artemis?
-x-X-x-
The Vote:
[X] Ask Apollo for help, Artemis is his sister after all - 55%[ ] Ask Hera for help, Percy needs to talk to her again soon anyways - 27%[ ] Try taking a plane, its not like Zeus is around to blast them out of the sky anymore, right? - 18%