Chapter 16: Grover Underwood and A Cyclops
We ended up on the outskirts of town by midnight. We heard the clip-clop of hooves in the distance as we walked to the airport to wait. I was finally paranoid enough to look behind me.
"Luke! What is that … that thing?" I yelled.
Behind us was a half-man, half-goat thing. He had pale skin with a peach fuzz goatee. He was sweating like a hog through long, curly dark brown hair.
"He's a satyr. Probably the one Chiron sent for us." Luke muttered.
"Yes, I'm a satyr. I'm Grover Underwood, Junior Protector. And I'm looking for–" He paused to look at his paper, "–a Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace, and Annabeth Chase."
"I'm Luke." Luke extended a hand and Grover shook it.
"Thalia," I smiled.
"And you must be little Annabeth," Grover said in a sweet voice.
She laughed. "Yup."
In a matter of six hours we were on a plane to Brooklyn, New York. The plane ride was short and fun. We got off the plane quickly, considering we'd lost my black bags a long time ago, back in Camp Half-Blood in the Zeus cabin. And Luke's stuff had burned in the safe houses.
When we left the airport it was about 10 a.m. We walked along the narrow sidewalk looking for a place to eat. We came to a McDonald's and went inside. We got cheeseburgers and went to sit down.
As we ate Annabeth kept complaining that the old man behind us was staring at us.
"Annabeth stop! He's just an old man!" Luke exclaimed.
"Luke! She's just a kid, lighten up," I scolded.
Grover on the other hand was looking even more scared than Annabeth. He was staring at the man while he was shaking and sweating like a pig.
"Uhh, Grover are you okay, man?" I asked him.
He hesitated. "Yeah I'm f-fine."
"Are you sure?" I pressed.
That shut him up. He straightened up and wiped sweat from his head.
After we finished we walked out and the man followed us out. We tried to out run him by running through the woods but he kept up fast.
"STOP!" The man yelled. We turned and he was then a Cyclops.
"Oh. My. Freaking Gods! RUN!" I screamed.
The Cyclops was about nine feet tall. It was one misshapen Cyclops too. He tall and brown with red beady eyes. He chased us with astounding speed, gaining on us with each long stride.
Up ahead was a vacant house that looked like it hadn't been used in decades. I pointed towards the building and yelled "Go in the building, guys!" Just as I yelled behind us the three Furies and five hellhounds became running through the woods. We were in deep trouble.
We continued to run until we reached the old house with The Furies, hellhounds, and the Cyclops on our backs. The Cyclops followed us into the vacant house and we all split up.