"I got Nobody!" Polyphemus gloated.
We crept to the cave entrance and saw the Cyclops with a wicked grin on his face as he held up empty air. The monster shook his fist and a baseball cap fluttered to the ground. There was Annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs. "Hah!" the Cyclops said. "Nasty invisible girl! Already got feisty one for wife. Means you gotta be grilled with mango chutney!"
Annabeth struggled, but she looked dazed. She had a nasty cut on her forehead and her eyes were
Glassy. "I'll rush him," Percy whispered to Clarisse. "Our ship is around the back of the island. You, Macaria and Grover-"
"No way," They said at the same time. Clarisse had armed herself with a highly collectible ramshorn spear from the Cyclops's cave. Grover had found a sheep's thigh bone, which he didn't look too happy about, but he gripped it like a club, ready to attack.
"We'll take him together," Clarisse growled.
"Yeah," Grover said. Then he blinked since he agreed with Clarisse.
"I'm not helpless." Macaria said with a smile and saw her ring turn black and three hellfire flames rose around her, floating in mid air. Grover, who hadn't seen the hellfire, paled at the sight of it and quickly backed away. Clarisse only looked at it anxiously while Percy nodded.
"All right," Percy said. "Attack plan Macedonia."
They nodded, it didn't take much for us to know the attack pattern. It looked like Camp Half-Blood was useful for more than just a good time. They would sneak around either side and attack the Cyclops from the flanks while Percy would hold his attention in the front.
Percy hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!" and Macaria turned invisible, the fire hid with her.
The giant whirled toward him. "Another one? Who are you?"
"Put down my friend. I'm the one who insulted you."
"You are Nobody?"
"That's right, you smelly bucket of nose drool! I'm Nobody and I'm proud of it! Now, put her down and get over here. I want to stab your eye out again."
"RAAAR!" he bellowed.
The good news: he dropped Annabeth. The bad news: he dropped her headfirst onto the rocks.
"ANNABETH!" Macaria screamed out and the rocks moved out of the way as a huge gust of wind blasted Macaria towards Annabeth and she grabbed her. The feeling of Annabeth's weight made her knees buckle and she winced in pain. Annabeth was still mostly out of it, and was heavy. The fire disappeared immediately and Macaria felt as though her legs were snapped. Macaria hit the ground with Annabeth in her arms and watched as Polyphemus barreled toward Percy.
"For Pan!" Grover rushed in from the right. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead. Clarisse ran in from the left and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it. He wailed in pain, and Clarisse dove out of the way to avoid getting trampled. But the Cyclops just plucked out the shaft like a large splinter and kept advancing toward Percy. He moved in with his sword, Riptide. Polyphemus made a grab for Percy but he rolled aside and stabbed him in the thigh.
"Get Annabeth!" Percy yelled at Grover, who rushed over, grabbed her invisibility cap, and the invisibility around Macaria disappeared. Grover looked over at her shocked.
"You caught her?" Grover asked and she nodded. Grover wrapped his hand around her waist and they balanced the weight of Annabeth. Macaria's legs stun but she bit her lip and moved on.
Polyphemus distracted. Clarisse charged the Cyclops again and again. He pounded the ground, stomped at her, grabbed at her, but she was too quick. And as soon as she made an attack, Percy followed up by stabbed him in the toe or the ankle or the hand. Grover and Macaria made their way across the rope bridge.
"Fall back!" She heard Percy tell Clarisse.
"We need to go faster!" Grover yelled as we looked behind and saw Clarisse, Percy and Polyphemus running towards us. Macaria pushed herself forward and collapsed midway.
"Get Annabeth!" She yelled at Grover who looked at her fearfully. He nodded and placed her down.
"Grind you into sheep chow!" Polyphemus promised. "A thousand curses on Nobody!"
"Faster!" Percy told Clarisse. "Grover! Get Annabeth's knife!" Clarisse and Percy made a move to grab Macaria but it seemed like the bridge couldn't take the weight. Macaria pushed Percy and Clarisse away as the frst strand went snap before Grover could even cut the bridge. Macaria pulled herself down and held onto the half-cut bridge as Polyphemus almost stopped on her. The Cyclops bounded toward Percy and Annabeth, which made the bridge sway wildly. Macaria was slammed into the side of the cliff and held onto the cliffside for dear life.
Cyclops howled with delight. "Failed!" he yelled gleefully. "Nobody failed!"
There was a loud boom and Polyphemus groaned. "Uhhhhhhhh," She could see his large arms across the cliffside. "Please, noooo! M-m-my sheepies need me. Only trying to protect my sheep!" He began to sob.
"Kill him!" Clarisse yelled as Macaria pulled herself slowly up the mountain. Not only were her legs numb but made it much harder to pull her body weight up without the support . "What are you waiting for?" The Cyclops sounded so heartbroken, just like … like Tyson.
"He's a Cyclops!" Grover warned. "Don't trust him!"
"We only want the Fleece," Percy told him. "Will you agree to let us take it?"
"No!" Clarisse shouted. "Kill him!"
The monster sniffed. "My beautiful Fleece. Prize of my collection. Take it, cruel human. Take it and go in peace." Macaria felt her body being raised up and she looked down at the cliff in shock and fear as as whoever held her climbed upward.
"I'm going to step back slowly," Percy told him. "One false move …" There was a split second of pause before Percy was smacked to the edge of the cliff, he held onto the edge with one hand.
"Foolish mortal!" he bellowed and rose to his feet. "Take my Fleece? Ha! I eat you first." There was a loud whoosh and Macaria watched as A rock the size of a basketball sailed into Polyphemus's throat. The Cyclops choked and tried to swallow the unexpected pill. He staggered backward, but there was no place to stagger. His heel slipped, the edge of the cliff crumbled, and the great Polyphemus tumbled into the chasm.
Macaria froze as she was face to face with the killer sheep, the rest of the flock surrounded her and her unknown savior. "Hello." The sheep said.
"H-Hi." Macaria said and waved at the sheep and moved away from her. Macaria was pulled up and saw who had saved her. "Tyson! You're alive!" Macaria said happily.
"Bad Polyphemus," Tyson said. "Not all Cyclopes as nice as we look." He sent her a happy smile as the rest of the group came toward them, though still a good enough distance that the killer sheep wouldn't attack them. Tyson gave them the short version: Rainbow the hippocampus-who'd apparently been following all of them ever since the Long Island Sound, waiting for Tyson to play with him-had found Tyson sinking beneath the wreckage of the CSS Birmingham and pulled him to safety. He and Tyson had been searching the Sea of Monsters ever since, trying to find all of them, until Tyson caught the scent of sheep and found this island.
"Tyson, thank the gods. Macaria and Annabeth are hurt!" Percy said.
"You thank the gods they're hurt?" he asked, puzzled.
"No!" Percy knelt beside Annabeth. The gash on her forehead had gotten worse Her hairline was sticky with blood. Her skin was pale and clammy. Grover, Macaria and Percy exchanged nervous looks. "Tyson, the Fleece. Can you get it for me?"
"Which one?" Tyson said and looked around at the hundreds of sheep.
"In the tree!" Percy said. "The gold one!"
"Oh. Pretty. Yes." Tyson placed me on the back of one of the sheep, the godsmacked faces of Clarisse, Percy and Grover were worth a billion dollars. Macaria shrugged as Tyson lumbered over, careful not to step on the sheep. The sheep cuddled up to Tyson and bleated affectionately which translate to "Another Cyclops!" and other nice words. Tyson reached up and lifted the Fleece off it's branch. Immediately the leaves on the oak tree turned yellow. Tyson started to wade back toward Percy, but he yelled, "No time! Throw it!"
The gold ram skin sailed through the air like a glittering shag Frisbee. Percy caught it with a grunt. He spread it over Annabeth and covered everything but her face. He prayed silently and Macaria watched as the color returned to her face. Her eyelids fluttered open and the cut on her forehead began to close. Percy tossed it back to Tyson who easily caught and moved it around her. It felt as though a warm glow had flowed around her body and Macaria pushed herself up. Her legs felt better, though not a hundred, it was enough to move slowly. Tyson tossed it back to Percy, though Clarisse caught it.
"Thanks Tyson!" Macaria said and he sent her another smile. Macaria pet some of the sheep, though they still looked terrifying but they were happy to receive the attention.
While, Tyson was started to have trouble with the sheep. "Down!" he told them as they tried to climb him, looking for food. A few were sniffing in the others' direction. "No, sheepies. This way! Come here!"
They heeded him and Macaria's sheep moved with them. It was obvious they were hungry. "Tyson," Percy called, "can you lead the flock as far away as possible?"
"The sheep want food."
"I know! They want people food! Just lead them away from the path. Give us time to get to the beach. Then join us there."
Tyson looked doubtful, but he whistled. "Come, sheepies! Um, people food this way!"
He jogged off into the meadow, the sheep in pursuit. Tyson grabbed Macaria once they were far enough and he bounded down the path towards the edge of the water where the Queen Anne's Revenged rounded the tip of the island.
"Incoming!" Tyson yelled. The sheep about fifty yards Behind and bleated in frustration as their Cyclops friend ran away without feeding them.
"They probably won't follow us into the water," Percy told them. "All we have to do is swim for the ship."
"With Macaria and Annabeth like this?" Clarisse protested.
"We can do it," Percy insisted. "Once we get to the ship, we're home free."
They almost made it, too.
They were just wading past the entrance to the ravine, when there was a tremendous roar and saw Polyphemus, scraped up and bruised but still very much alive, his baby-blue wedding outfit in tatters as she splashed toward them with a boulder in each hand.