Ophiotaurus
"And now… how are we even supposed to know where that thing is? What's it called?" he said, glancing at Grover for a moment.
"Ophiotaurus," Grover answered calmly, while the two of them stood around a boy with round glasses, a neat, tidy appearance, brown hair, and gray eyes full of intelligence; the kind of features you'd expect from a child of Athena.
He looked pretty average at first glance, but during the last battle at camp, he had clearly been a key part in crafting several strategies that nearly pushed Luke's men to the edge. His inexperience was the only thing that kept those plans from working completely.
"That thing… where do we even find it?" Percy asked. They had come to him specifically, since thanks to his help, the battle had gone much more smoothly on the camp's side. They hadn't suffered any deaths, though there had been plenty of injuries.
The same had been true for the other side, showing that, even if both sides had little compassion for each other, there was still that small trace holding them back from killing someone like themselves. Though no one knew how long that would last, because among their enemies, Alison and Luke seemed like the kind of people who wouldn't hesitate to kill. And most likely, they already had. The only reason no one died in that battle was because it happened on Half-Blood Hill; if too much blood had been spilled there, it might have drawn the gods' wrath. Outside the hill… that was a different story.
The boy, who was holding a book, let out a quiet sigh when he saw them.
"Why don't you ask Annabeth? I thought she was your friend. You've done two quests with her, after all. You should be pretty close," the boy said, looking at them seriously, with a hint of fatigue.
"Well… it's obvious where she'd stand, and I'd rather not force her into choosing between Thalia and me. Besides, I heard you're not that bad after Annabeth," Percy said with a smile, glancing not too far away at Thalia and Annabeth talking.
The boy looked at him for a moment.
"Well… thanks, I guess," he replied with slight sarcasm, before letting out another sigh, clearly feeling like those two wouldn't leave him alone unless he gave them something. He flipped through the pages of the book in his arms, searching quickly.
And he found exactly what he was looking for.
Luckily for the other two, after hearing what the trial was about, he had also grown interested in what the champions would have to face, and had gone looking for information just as Grover and Percy showed up and cornered him.
"Here," the boy said, pointing at the page in front of Percy and Grover. They looked at the image: what seemed to be some kind of bull with the body of a serpent. The boy read from the text below, focused:
"In the ancient myth, the Ophiotaurus was said to be a primordial creature, born alongside Gaia and Ouranos, meaning in the same era as the Titans. But its true importance wasn't its origin, there was a belief back then: that by burning its entrails in the flames, whoever performed the ritual would gain enough power to destroy Olympus."
The boy explained in detail while adjusting his glasses, before lifting his gaze toward Grover and Percy.
Percy frowned at that, staring more closely at the image.
"That thing can do all that…?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else, as he looked at the drawing, which almost seemed like it had been made by a child.
"And… we're supposed to hunt it? Two of the so-called people in the prophecy, with Luke in the middle… this is worse than I thought," Percy said, clearly finding the whole thing insane.
Grover's eyes widened as he realized the same thing Percy had.
"If Luke gets there first… he wouldn't even need to win the trial," he said nervously, swallowing.
"Knowing the Greek gods… I wouldn't be surprised if the others are just using this to get rid of them," Percy added, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"That's why Chiron was really worried when Luke left. He might be looking for answers from the gods… because this could go bad really fast," Grover said, sounding like he was about to lose his composure.
Percy, for his part, was starting to hesitate. If Olympus were destroyed during the competition… should he keep going? Or would he be freed from it?
And then there was Thalia…
Because she didn't look very happy about being Olympus' champion.
Meanwhile, the boy watched both of them for a moment, his calm gaze fixed on them, observing their shifting moods, which, honestly, were all over the place.
"It was never said that you have to hunt the Ophiotaurus," he said in a slightly sharp tone, snapping them out of their thoughts and making both of them look at him.
"What?" they asked in unison.
"That it was never said you have to hunt the Ophiotaurus. The goddess of death, Hel, said, and I quote: 'Find what you call the Ophiotaurus. Claim what belongs to death. And if you fail… there will be nothing left to claim.' At no point did she say 'capture it, kill it, and bring it before me or you'll die,'" the boy said, clearly reciting what Percy and Grover remembered from Hel's words. "From the way she appeared, she seemed like the type to speak directly, not in the roundabout way you're assuming. So I think her words should be taken more literally," he added calmly.
Hearing this, Percy snapped out of his usual carefree attitude for a moment, stopping his idle movements as he rubbed his chin, thinking more seriously.
Seeing that shift in his expression, the boy couldn't help but watch him for a moment, raising an eyebrow.
"Find… claim… and if you fail… there will be nothing left to…" Percy repeated under his breath, word by word. Then his eyes sharpened. "...I see," Percy said quietly toward the boy. "You've actually been really helpful. Thanks a lot…"
"Malcolm," the boy introduced himself calmly. "Malcolm Pace. And it was nothing, Percy Jackson. I'm sure you would've reached the same conclusion on your own. You were just giving yourself a bit of time, right?" he said, before shifting his gaze slightly toward where Annabeth and Thalia were, who suddenly seemed to stand up at the same time, as if they had reached a mutual understanding… maybe the same one they had just figured out.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Malcolm," Percy said with a faint smile. "Anyway, Grover, we've got some time to kill. Want to do something while we wait?" he added, stretching his arms, which made Grover look completely confused.
"What are you talking about? We need to go out and find the Ophiotaurus. You said I'd be your partner, so I can't just let you slack off. Not when Luke could be out there looking for it to destroy Olympus before the trial is even over," Grover said seriously.
"Relax, G-man. We're not going to run around blindly… better to think first. Besides, do you know the difference between 'find' and 'search'?" Percy said with a calm smile.
Grover's confused expression only deepened.
"'Search' means trying to find something. It's the process. 'Find' means actually getting to it. It's the result. They might seem similar, but depending on how they're used, they're actually very different," Malcolm explained calmly, watching Percy closely, as if that alone confirmed Percy had already figured it out a while ago and was just letting time pass. Maybe even guiding things so Annabeth could help Thalia without hesitation, without having to choose or feel like she was betraying anyone.
And from the way Annabeth kept glancing in that direction from time to time, it seemed like that was more or less the case, trusting Percy to find help even without her.
Right then, Chiron stepped out of the Big House with a serious expression and walked toward them.
"Percy. Thalia. I have some information about the Ophiotaurus. At least for this mission, you'll need to set your competition aside and focus on finding it before Luke does. Because of the danger it represents, the gods haven't said much, but they've entrusted me to handle this. I hope you can fulfill this request," the centaur said in a formal tone, almost pleading, as the young ones looked at him. "If you accept this information, I can take you close to the creature."
Percy and Thalia looked at each other for a moment, then back at Chiron. They didn't say anything, but their expressions made it clear.
Chiron let out a small sigh.
"That's good," he murmured.
Just as he was about to say something else, a rainbow suddenly appeared in front of him, showing Clarisse's face, her expression tense and clearly annoyed.
"Chiron… I think things just got a little more complicated. I hate to say this, but… I need help. Or someone's not making it out of this alive."