***Sorry for the one day delay on this chapter, guys. I had a big project due that took up more time than I expected. But, hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter. Next up is Chapter 10, featuring Piper's POV, which will be posted by Tuesday, April 15.***

IX. PERCY

Percy didn't want to meet any more destructive people. And he wasn't a huge fan of volcanos, having once been blown up in one. But right now, the problem was Polybotes. And Annabeth and Hazel, who were alone in a cave with the giant.

Unfortunately, Percy and Frank burst out of the water in full attack mode. This was unfortunate because they ended up body-slamming Annabeth and Hazel, who were standing at the water's edge. The four of them fell to the ground with a chorus of shrieks and yells.

"What in Hades is wrong with you two?" Annabeth said.

"But—but Periclymenus said," Percy stuttered, looking around the cave, which was completely giant-free.

"Oh, gods," Frank muttered, his face bright red. He stood up and helped Hazel to her feet. "Do you think he lied to us?"

"Lied about what?" Hazel asked.

"Percy, could you please get your knee out of my stomach?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, sorry." He scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to pull Annabeth up. She gave him a dirty look, but let him help her up. "But Periclymenus said Polybotes was up here. We thought—"

"Polybotes?" Annabeth said. "The guy who chased us across Tartarus?"

"And attacked Camp Jupiter?" Hazel asked.

"That's the one," Percy replied.

"Periclymenus said he was up here," Frank said, looking around, his bow in his hand. He turned to Percy. "Do you think he was lying?"

Percy thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I think he told us the truth. He said Polybotes was approaching. Which means we need to get the heck out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Hazel said.

Percy picked up the box containing Medusa's head, which Annabeth had dropped when he'd accidentally tackled her, and the four of them high-tailed it to the mouth of the cave.

But no sooner had they stepped out into the late morning sunlight when the ground exploded beneath their feet. Before Percy had a chance to figure out what had happened, a wall of water crashed into him, sweeping the demigods down the hill.

Percy lost all sense of direction. The water was wildly out of his control. The only thing he could do was hang on to the box with Medusa's head and wait for the current to slow. He knew instantly when they were washed into the sea at the bottom of the hill. The salt water was like a shock to his system, revitalizing his senses. Focusing all his willpower, he used the ocean to halt the flood from the hillside. Instantly, the water calmed and Percy was able to get to his feet in the shallow water just off the beach.

"Annabeth!" he called. "Hazel! Frank!"

"Here," Hazel said beside him, struggling to her feet as waves collided where the ocean met the muddy wash of water that had carried them downhill. Percy turned and saw Frank on his other side, also getting to his feet. They were both drenched, their hair plastered to their faces, but otherwise looked okay. On the beach, mortals were grabbing their towels and running for their cars, yelling what he assumed was Greek for "Mudslide!" But Percy didn't see Annabeth anywhere.

Panic was choking him like the muddy water. "Annabeth!"

"Son of Poseidon!" A horribly familiar voice boomed from the hillside. Percy raised his eyes to see Polybotes standing halfway up the hill, in front of Nestor's cave. His dragon legs and viper-dandruff hair were as awful looking as ever, but the worst part of the giant's appearance was the fact that he had one massive forearm hooked around Annabeth, lifting her off the ground. She was kicking and struggling, but the giant didn't seem bothered. Percy's stomach dropped. Polybotes leered at him and began to walk down the hill. "I have been waiting for you, Percy Jackson. You may have evaded me in Tartarus, but I will send you right back to the pit."

"No thanks," Percy said through gritted teeth. He felt Hazel and Frank close ranks on either side of him as Polybotes reached the beach.

"If we each attack from a different direction, we might have a chance," Frank said. "There's only one of him."

"But he'll crush Annabeth," Hazel protested. "And we might be able to fight him, but we can't defeat him. We don't have a god on our side."

Realization hit Percy. He almost thought he heard George, Hermes's snake, saying, "You owe me a rat for this one." He looked at the box in his hands. The water had dissolved the tape and the cardboard was getting soggy. One pitiful looking snake head was hanging out from the top. "We already have our godly help," Percy said.

Hazel and Frank looked confused for a moment, then Hazel's eyes widened in realization and Frank nodded, saying, "Mercury."

"Yep," Percy said. He turned back to face Polybotes. "When I give the signal, close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you it's safe."

"And Annabeth?" Hazel asked.

"I'm working on that." Percy's heart was beating uncomfortably fast as he walked towards the beach, the cardboard box held out in front of him. He was trusting completely in the fact that he and Annabeth had been fighting monsters together for so long. Hopefully, she would see the box and understand his plan. If not, well, he'd have to think fast because he was pretty sure she would somehow find a way to kill him if he turned her into one of Aunty Em's garden decorations.

"What is this?" Polybotes asked as Percy approached him. "An offering for me? A good gesture, son of the sea god, but it will not save you now. I will personally deliver you and the daughter of Athena to Mother Gaea in Athens. She will reward me above any of her other sons. The Dark Lady will be upset that she cannot exact her revenge on this one," he gave Annabeth a shake, "for humiliating her, but the Earth Mother's wishes prevail. Now, Percy Jackson, what do you have for me there?"

"A gift for you, courtesy of the Olympians," Percy said. His plan was seeming increasingly more ridiculous. Even if he managed to turn just Polybotes to stone, there was a good chance that the giant's stone arm would crush Annabeth.

However, she solved his dilemma by biting down, hard, on Polybotes's arm. The giant roared in pain and dropped Annabeth to the sand. She immediately rolled out of the way. Polybotes snarled and stepped toward her, but Percy yelled, "Here!"

He thrust his hand into the cardboard box. The feeling of the limp, cold snakes against his fingers sent chills up his arms, but he fought down his repulsion and yelled, "NOW!" as he shut his eyes and yanked Medusa's head out of the box. He prayed that his friends had closed their eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE—" Polybotes thundering voice stopped as suddenly as a radio being turned off. There was a weird grinding noise, like stone on stone, then the beach shook as something very heavy hit the sand.

Percy dropped Medusa's head back into the box and quickly closed the flaps. Only then did he open his eyes.

Where Polybotes had been, there was now only a twenty-foot-tall stone statue, lying face down in the sand.

"Remind me to burn an extra cheeseburger for Hermes when we get back to camp," Percy said.

He dropped the gloppy remains of the cardboard box on the sand. Medusa's head had dissolved into monster dust and blown away by the time Percy reached the beach. Now he, Frank, Hazel, and Annabeth were standing beside the massive, grotesque statue of Polybotes. Frank kicked the giant's arm.

"Definitely stone," he announced.

"What do we do with it?" Hazel asked. "We can't just leave it on the beach for the mortals to find."

"Anyone got a drachma?" Percy asked.

Annabeth handed him one of the golden coins. "Why don't you ever carry any?"

"Because I know you always do."

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to send an Iris message?" Hazel asked.

"Actually," Percy said, "I'm hoping I can send a package by Hermes Express."

As he said the last two words, a packing sticker, a pen, and a pouch for coins popped up on the beach in front of him. "Awesome," Percy said, taking the pen and beginning to fill out the address label on the sticker.

"Where are you sending it?" Hazel asked.

Frank looked over Percy's shoulder as he wrote and read off, "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, New Jersey, USA. What's that?"

"It's where the rest of Medusa's statues are stored," Percy replied. He peeled off the sticker and stuck it on the giant's forehead.

Annabeth looked critically at the massive statue. "Do you really think one drachma will cover the shipping on this thing?"

Percy considered this, then added, "I.O.U. whatever it costs to ship a stone giant" to the bottom of the address label. "There goes my college fund," he said as he dropped the pen and the drachma in the pouch and tied that to Polybotes's ear.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the giant rose into the air, showering them with sand, before picking up speed and shooting into the sky. There was a small "pop" and the statue disappeared.

"Alright," Percy said. "One giant down. How many more to go?"

"Too many," Frank muttered.

"We need to get back to the ship and tell the others what happened," Annabeth said. "Did you guys learn anything else from Periclymenus?"

Percy and Frank exchanged looks. "Yeah," Frank said. "We'll tell you on the ship. Speaking of which, how are we going to get back? I don't think Mercury is going to do us another favor."

Percy looked out at the ocean, then grinned at Frank and Hazel. "Have you two ever ridden a hippocampus?"

By the time they reached the ship fifteen minutes later, Percy was pretty sure Hazel was in love.

"They're amazing!" she said, stroking the mane of the hippocampus she was riding. The hippocampus turned its head and nuzzled her. Hazel giggled.

Percy grinned. "Yeah, they're pretty awesome."

Frank and Annabeth thanked their hippocampi, then swam to the side of the Argo II, where Leo had thrown down a rope ladder. Percy also slipped into the water, but Hazel seemed reluctant to leave her hippocampus.

"We can go for another ride when we get back to the U.S.," Percy promised. "We can take my brother, Tyson, he loves the 'fish-ponies'. You'll have to meet his favorite, Rainbow."

Hazel smiled. "Sounds like fun." Her hippocampus whickered happily as she gave it a last hug before following Frank and Annabeth to the ladder.

Percy gave his own hippocampus a final pat. "Thanks again, big guy. And, hey, if you could pass on a message to Rainbow for me? Tell him to let Tyson know we're doing okay over here."

The hippocampus neighed agreement, then all four turned and sped off back into the Ionian Sea.