Chapter 4

Piper POV

I woke up, dazed and my head hurting.

I shook Annabeth awake, and then Percy. Hazel and Frank were already outside, Hazel screaming Jason's name frantically. Frank was searching for him too. "What happened," Percy said dazed. "We landed," I said quickly. I opened the door to the captain's quarters and winced. Leo was shaking Lydia, who was on the ground. He looked up at me, his face scared. "C'mon, let's get her out of here," I said. He nodded and picked her up, carrying her. Leo had suddenly gotten stronger lately.

I jumped off the ship, my heart pounding.

I prayed silently that Lydia and Jason weren't dead. They couldn't be dead, we needed them. I needed Jason. I ran around the wreckage of the ship. He was staggered around the ship, Frank and Hazel, on either side. "He's ok, just minor injuries, nothing a little ambrosia cant take care of," Frank announced. I let out a breath of relief. "Lydia's not though," Leo said, loudly. Frank rushed forward and looked at her. He touched her face softly and moved her hair from her face. There was blood on her forehead from a cut. "Dude! Stop creepin' on her face and let's get her help," Leo growled. Frank glared at him set her down near a rock. I looked up and saw scared people staring at us and at the ship.

I began walking towards them, and they stepped back. I tried my best to make my voice sound calm and confident, even though I was completely terrified. "Don't worry, nothing to see over, just go on with your business people. We're just normal teenagers here." Some began nodding. One man in trousers and a flower print shirt said, "Is the girl ok, she looks injured." I looked back at my friends, who were now standing over Lydia. Annabeth was at her side, her hand on Lydia's chest. She was feeding her ambrosia. "I'm a doctor, I can see if she's ok," the man added in. Annabeth shot me a glance that said Just say no, we got this. I nodded to her and gave the man a sweet smile. "No thank you sir, we've have everything under control. Just go about your business," I said. He nodded slowly and walked away with his wife.

I ran back and kneeled down next to Lydia.

"Is she gonna be ok?"

Annabeth nodded. "The will help heal any wounds. It's just her wrist; its swollen really bad and is twisted pretty bad." Leo sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Frank glared at him.

"What happened back there Valdez? You could've killed us all! Hell, you nearly killed Lydia!" Leo drew his attention to Frank and his expression was serious and deadly. "Well I didn't kill her. And the ship crashing wasn't my fault!" Frank stepped closer to Leo, his bow and arrow drawn. Leo's hands were now engulfed with flames and Frank's expression wavered a little. Leo noticed and sneered. "You're careless Valdez, you could've murdered all of us before we were even halfway through the quest," Frank said again. "Yeah right, too bad I didn't murder you though," Leo fired back. I stepped in between them and begged them to stop fighting. "Yeah, it was just an accident. We're all fine now, that's what matters," Hazel said. Hazel's voice seemed to have more effect than mine's did and the two stepped away from each other. Jason, who was sitting next to Lydia, asked where we were.

"Fort Pulaski," Annabeth said. "I've read about this place before, it's in Tybee Island, Georgia. But were actually on the island of Cockspur." "Fort Pulaski," Frank repeated. "I've heard of it too."

The island was pretty big, but the fort seemed to cover most of it. There were trees everywhere along with lots of flowers and a beach. There was a lighthouse in the distance and the orangish pink sunset made the place look nice.

"Well how do we get off this island?"

"What about my ship? It happens to be our transportation. Did you forget," Leo asked. "Pssh, that thing's beyond repair now," Frank whispered. Hazel slapped him in the back of the head and shushed him.

"We'll have to find a way to fix it. Piper and I will find somebody that knows something around here. Percy, Frank, you can help Leo right? Hazel, you stay here and watch Jason and Lydia," Annabeth instructed. Frank was the only one who seemed displeased with his task, but we dispersed anyway.

Annabeth and I walked towards the actual fort, going up a ramp. The fort was surrounded by a large trench water on all sides. Inside, there were groups of people, and people in bright blue shirts, most likely the tour guides. We walked up to a free one and asked how to get off the island. She was a tall, older woman, about in her early forties. She had waay to much on and looked really mad.

"Excuse us ma'm, but could you tell us how to get off this island and back to the mainland," I said in a sugary sweet voice. I put on a blinding smile, and nudged Annabeth with my elbow. She followed my lead and smiled with me. The lady looked back and forth between us and finally said, "The way you kids came on." My smile faltered and Annabeth frowned. "Ma'm we really need to get off this island, like now. Ya see, two of our friends are badly injured and we need to get them some medical attention," I sorta lied. The lady shrugged her shoulders and Annabeth grabbed at her dagger. I put my hands over hers, but before I could speak, a tall man came up behind us, his hands on either of our shoulders. He was tall and we had to strain to see his face. He had large thick rimmed square glasses, like he was trying to be a hipster. He gave a crooked smile.

"Are my daughters giving you trouble miss. Such a fine woman like you shouldn't be bothered by such trouble," he cooed. The woman smiled and giggled. "Gross," I said under my breath. The man glared at me and gripped my shoulder harshly. "We'll just be on our way then. Have a nice day!"

The man drug us from the fort and into the open. Annabeth tried shaking him off and I grabbed for my dagger. His gripped tightened and he looked down. "Oh no you don't," he said, swiping my dagger away. Annabeth broke free and drew her's at him. I took the distraction as a way to get away and kicked the man in his groin. "Ahh, you little brat!" He grabbed at his crotch and I stood back by Annabeth. "Who are you," Annabeth demanded. The man slowly stood and grew a couple more feet, until he seemed as tall as a skyscraper. His clothes disappeared and there was just a loose loin cloth covering him. His two eyes became one big ugly brown eye with an unruly bushy eyebrow. His glasses morphed and they were the same, but with one frame. A spiked club appeared in his hand and he raised it above his head. A Cyclopes. I despised them ever since three of them had planned to have me last year as a side with a bowl of extra spicy salsa.

"I am your daddy! Now be good little girls and let me gobble you up!"

He stomped towards us and we screamed. We ran around him, and I picked up my dagger, which he'd dropped, from the ground. Tourists came running from inside the fort to see what the commotion was about. They screamed in terror and ran back inside. The Cyclopes laughed at the screaming people. "Ahh, I love the sound of scared mortals," he laughed. "Oh great, a physco monster," Annabeth said. We both charged the monster, Annabeth launching herself into a flip and stabbed the monster in the chest. "Ouch. Bad little girl!"

"Sorry Dad," she spat at him.

He chuckled and swung is club at her, missing his by an inch. I ran and dug my dagger deep into his lower leg. He howled in pain and grabbed at his bleeding leg. My eyes darted to a cannon, guarded by ropes. "Annabeth," I shouted. She looked towards me and I pointed towards the cannon. "What if it's not loaded," she said running with me towards it. "Not the cannon, the ropes!" Annabeth stopped and looked at me like I was crazy. "Is everyone crazy around here," she asked. I took my dagger and slashed two the ropes and dashed back to the Cyclopes that had now collapsed in pain. I ran along his bumpy back and he rose to his feet.

"Arg, get off me demigod!"

I snatched his glasses, (or glass), off his face and threw them to the ground. He stepped on them, and they made a loud crunching noise. "Oops," he said. I took the rope and tied it around his neck as tight as I possibly could. Tourists stared up at me from the fort in both fear and awe. The monster gagged and choked, his eye watering. I took my dagger and stabbed him in his large eye, and he screamed. Annabeth struck him in the back with a solid blow from the cannon. I knew it wouldn't kill him, so I sunk my dagger deep into where I guessed his heart would be(if monsters even had one). He screamed a final time and burst into golden dust, showing me with monster remains. Annabeth rushed forward, drenched in sweat and breathing hard.

"Piper," she started, "that was amazing!"

I managed a smile and sheathed my dagger.

"C'mon, let's get back to the others."