As a few of the readers on Ao3 have pointed out, this really IS Annabeth's first time seeing Percy fully in his element. She got a glimpse of it back at the waterpark and then again on the beach, but this was in the depths of the sea, surrounded by possible enemies on all sides.
Also! I know people are probably wanting to see Percy and Annabeth discuss what happened, but Percy's too focused on the quest right now. Grover, Thalia, and Camp stand in the balance; he also wasn't technically supposed to hear her, and he's extremely aware that she was speaking out of fear. Don't worry, though, the thought isn't going to leave him alone anytime soon.
Let's see, what else…Oh yes, Clarisse! I adore Clarisse, and especially fanfics where her and Percy's rivalry really is just how they are friends. And much like Percy, Clarisse will bull-doze anyone who tries to 'other' others or even themselves. In my opinion, she's just too confident to allow something like that to be around her. Although, that confidence can sometimes get the best of her. I really can't wait to see what the tv show does!
As for Circe, I debated on what to do with her, but eventually went with how Riordan did her character. My only knowledge of Circe is through multiple versions of The Odyssey (I haven't gotten to read Circe by Madeline Miller yet), and through The Odyssey she gave me an…icky feeling with how she coerced Odysseus to be her lover. Is Odysseus a totally good guy? No, but from my interpretation, no one deserves that. Man was just trying to get home to his Literal Queen Penelope.
Anyways, ranting aside! I've included who was in the resort in the end notes, so if you don't want to be told, skip the 2nd/middle paragraph down there!
"We're here," Percy announced.
Up ahead was another blotch of land—a saddle-shaped island with forested hills and white beaches and green meadows—just like he'd seen in his dream.
"30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west," Percy murmured after.
They had reached the home of the Cyclops.
Clarisse huffed. "You knew the exact coordinates."
The air was sweet, enticing.
"The Fleece." Annabeth breathed in the sweet air.
"If we take it away, will the island die?"
Annabeth shook her head. "It'll fade. Go back to what it would normally be, whatever that is."
A pity, but they didn't have a choice. Camp Half-Blood hung in the balance.
In the meadow at the base of the ravine, several dozen sheep were milling around. They looked peaceful enough, but they were huge—the size of hippos. The smell of predator was stronger now. Just past them was a path that led up into the hills. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was the massive oak tree he'd seen in his dreams. Something gold glittered in its branches.
"Too easy," Tyson muttered, and Percy nodded in agreement.
Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "There's supposed to be a guardian. A dragon or…"
They watched a deer get skinned clean.
"Joy," Percy said dryly. "Piranha sheep."
Deciding that the path forward was too dangerous, Percy had the boat circle the island instead. He moored in on the back side of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet.
The cliff was like the lava wall back at camp, just on extreme difficulty. Tyson stayed with the ship, and the three demigods made the painstaking journey up.
Having been at sea for so long, it felt almost…wrong to come back onto land. The cliffs responded to him, sure, and it made the climb a little easier when he could ensure they had handholds, but still…
The ocean seemed to mourn his leaving.
They hauled themselves over the top and collapsed.
"Ugh," he said.
"Ouch," moaned Annabeth.
Clarisse just heaved for air.
Another voice bellowed, causing them all to jump. Annabeth pointed.
The ledge they were sitting on was narrower than Percy had realised. It dropped off on the opposite side, and that's where the voice was coming from—right below them.
Slowly, they belly crawled to the edge and looked over.
Clarisse snorted. Her eyes wandered…
Percy tilted his head when the smell of boar and dog grew faint, but he didn't gesture or say anything.
Below them stood Polyphemus and Grover, still in his wedding dress. Polyphemus was cooking something.
"Wedding feast," the Cyclops murmured. "Has to be perfect. What does my bride think?"
He turned to Grover, who backed up and almost tripped over his completed bridal train. "Oh, um, I don't think I'll be that hungry, dear. Perhaps—"
"Nonsense!" Polyphemus boomed. "Has to be perfect."
The Cyclops was an even more horrible sight than he had been in Percy's dreams. Partly because his rancid smell was now way too up close and personal. Partly because he was dressed in his wedding outfit—a crude kilt and shoulder-wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedos, as if he'd skinned an entire wedding party.
Something fast and red darted into the cave. Annabeth's hand lunged out and gripped Percy's shoulders, a hiss leaving her.
The Cyclops shifted on his feet. Then, he snatched Grover up as if he were a wayward puppy. "Have to graze sheep now. Will continue feast later."
He tossed Grover deep into the cave. "Make yourself comfortable! I come back at sundown for big event!"
Then the Cyclops whistled, and a mixed flock of goats and sheep—smaller than the man-eaters—flooded out of the cave and past their master.
When the last sheep waddled out, Polyphemus rolled a boulder in front of the doorway with the ease of one closing a fridge.
He strolled off down the mountain in his baby-blue groom's outfit, leaving them alone with a pot of boiling water and a six-ton boulder. They waited until he had gotten a good distance before scaling down to the front of the cave.
"That stupid girl!" Annabeth cursed. "There's no way we're going to get this move, and now we're down to two."
Annabeth stepped back and considered it, sharp eyes following the mouth.
They couldn't risk killing Polyphemus and trapping Grover and now Clarisse inside.
"Water," Percy murmured. "Do you think I can use water and pull it towards us?"
Her eyes found the ground in front of the boulder, her head tilting as she examined the gentle slope.
"Maybe…if we…" She dropped to her knees, and began digging.
"Quick!" She said, "if we can dig in front of it and you can use water to pull it, then it should roll out of the way."
Percy joined her in digging. He focused on pulling the moisture in the ground up, softening the dried dirt to something easier to dig through.
It took hours of clawing at the ground, the tension mounting at the sun made its way over the sky. They kept a close eye over their shoulders, but Polyphemus moved farther away as the day went on. He crossed over the huge crevice that divided the island to visit his man-eating sheep. Unfortunately, they didn't eat him. In fact, they didn't seem to bother him at all.
Finally, Annabeth moved back and examined their work.
"Alright," Percy breathed. "Get back, I'm not holding out that this isn't going to catch his attention."
"If he comes this way I'll keep him distracted," Annabeth said in grim agreement. She pulled out her cap.
Percy waited until she was out of sight.
The sun was starting its slow descent downward; they had a few hours of daylight, at best.
He hoped Apollo was in a sleepy mood; maybe if he took a nap the sun would pause in its path for a bit.
He turned to the boulder and uncapped his water bottle. He called the water out, focusing it around the giant rock. It was careful work, he had to focus on not dropping the streams, while also pouring them into the cracks to push the boulder out.
For a second, he wondered if this is what weaving felt like. The streams formed his thread, creating the net. Percy focused more into them, pushing harder, pulling insistently.
The boulder shifted, and shifted again.
Gravity took hold.
The boulder tumbled forward, a gust of stale wind followed as the mouth was revealed.
"Percy?!"
Grover practically smashed him in a goat-hug, bleating in relief.
"Grover!" Percy greeted, throwing his arms around the satyr. Behind them, the rock continued its free-fall, picking up speed.
Grover pushed back. "You genius!" He smiled, "I can't believe—"
BOOOOOM!
They both jumped.
The boulder had reached the end of its journey, and had tumbled right into the wall. The force of it had cracked it clean in two. In the distance, the Cyclops's head snapped their way.
"Uh oh," Grover breathed.
"Uh oh," Percy agreed.
Clarisse blurred past with a spear she found. "Run, you morons!" She barked.
They ran.
Polyphemus roared, the sound echoing towards them. He couldn't see them clearly, of course, but it was kind of hard to miss the giant now-uncovered hole in the rock. His large footsteps stomped along in a hurry, causing the ground to tremble.
"My briiiiide!" He roared, "who dares!?"
They made it to the bottom of the platform, and began their mad scaling.
"Hey!" Annabeth's voice called. "Hello, ugly!"
Polyphemus' footsteps slowed. "Who said that?"
"Nobody!" Annabeth yelled.
Percy almost laughed out loud, but he shifted his focus to his climbing.
Polyphemus went off like a firecracker. "Nobody!" He yelled back, attention immediately shifting. "I remember you!"
"You're too stupid to remember anybody," Annabeth taunted. "Much less Nobody."
He bellowed furiously. Percy hoped to the gods she was already moving when she said that, because Polyphemus grabbed the nearest boulder, one he must've been using as a mailbox, and threw it toward the sound of Annabeth's voice.
It smashed into a thousand fragments.
"Made it!" Grover cheered quietly. His head appeared back over the edge, and he helped pull them both over.
For a terrible moment, there was silence. Then Annabeth shouted, "You haven't learned to throw any better, either!"
Polyphemus howled. "Come here! Let me kill you, Nobody!"
"You can't kill Nobody, you stupid oaf," she taunted. "Come find me!"
Polyphemus barreled down the hill toward Annabeth's voice.
"She's having way too much fun with that," Clarisse muttered. "Now, how do we get the Fleece? It's guarded by particularly hungry sheep."
"Something to distract them? Preferably not one of us," Percy said. "I don't really have any—"
"I do!" Grover gasped. He patted down his pockets, and pulled out his trusty recorder. Broken into two pieces.
Clarisse made a noise between disbelief and laughter.
"Ah," he bleated sadly. "I don't."
Someone screamed out in fear. They all turned, just in time to see Polyphemus grinning wickedly, holding up empty air. He 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! You must have freed my wife! I shall make a feast with you!"
Annabeth struggled, but she looked dazed. She had a nasty cut on her forehead. Her eyes were glassy.
The three immediately surged forward. Percy tossed Grover his dagger, and Clarisse wielded her new spear.
"Attack plan Macedonia."
"Hey!" Percy yelled from the platform when the other two disappeared on the opposite sides. "Ugly!"
He jumped down, using Riptide to slow his descent.
The Cyclops whirled towards him. "Another one? Who are you?"
"Put her down," Percy ordered. "I'm the one who insulted you."
"You are Nobody?"
"That's right, I'm Nobody. Now put her down and get over here. I want to stab your eye out again."
"RAAAR!" He bellowed.
He dropped Annabeth right on her head. She laid where she landed, motionless.
Percy bared his teeth.
Polyphemus charged.
"For Pan!" Grover rushed in from the right. He passed behind the Cyclops's ankles, dagger slicing a path across his achilles tendons. At the same time, Clarisse ran in from the left and set her spear on the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it.
He wailed in pain, and they both darted out of the way.
Percy moved in with Riptide.
The monster grabbed at him. Percy rolled to the side and stabbed him in the thigh.
"Get Annabeth!" He yelled at Grover.
The satyr rushed over, grabbed her invisibility cap, and picked her up while Clarisse and Percy tried to keep Polyphemus distracted.
Clarisse charged the Cyclops again and again. He pounded the ground, stomped at her, grabbed at her, but she was too quick. Percy kept on her back. As soon as she landed a hit, he followed up by stabbing wherever he could.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Grover carrying Annabeth across the rope bridge. It wouldn't have been the first choice, given the man-eating sheep on the other side, but at the moment it looked better than this side of the chasm.
It gave him an idea.
"Fall back!" He told Clarisse.
She rolled away as the Cyclops's fist smashed the olive tree behind her.
They ran for the bridge, Polyphemus right behind them. He was cut up and hobbling from so many wounds, but all they'd done was slow him down and made him mad.
"Grind you into sheep chow!" He promised. "A thousand curses on Nobody!"
"Keep going!" Percy said.
They tore down the hill. Grover had just made it to the other side and was setting Annabeth down. They had to make it across, too, before the giant caught them.
Percy ordered the ground behind them to sink, and the yelp told him it had obeyed.
"Grover!" Percy yelled. "The dagger!"
His eyes widened when he saw the Cyclops behind them, but he nodded like he understood. As Clarisse and Percy scrambled across the bridge, Grover began sawing at the ropes.
The first strand went snap!
Polyphemus had pulled himself free of the mud-pit, but he was still struggling to keep up.
The ropes were now half cut. Clarisse and Percy dove for solid ground, landing beside Grover. He made a wild slash with his sword and cut the remaining ropes.
The bridge fell away into the chasm, and the Cyclops roared in fury as he was stranded on the other side, having just reached the bridge.
He threw himself down and beat his fists against the ground like a child.
"Father!" He wailed, "Poseidon, if I be your son, aid me!"
Nothing happened.
They all sighed in relief, before pushing themselves up and hurrying to Annabeth's side.
The gash on her forehead was worse up close. Her hairline was sticky with blood. Her skin was pale and clammy.
They all shared a nervous look. Clarisse's face was grim.
"I don't—"
"Brother!"
They all looked up.
There, surrounded by killer sheep, was Tyson, completely unharmed. If anything, the flock cuddled up to him and bleated affectionately, as though they expected to get sheep treats from the big wicker basket.
"Thank the gods," Clarisse muttered.
"Tyson, the Fleece. Can you get it for me?" Percy asked.
"Which one?" Tyson asked, looking around at the hundreds of sheep. Percy had no doubt he'd pick up and bring him any of the sheep he wanted.
"In the tree!" Percy said. "The gold one."
"Oh. Pretty. Yes."
Tyson lumbered over, careful not to step on the sheep. He reached up and lifted the Fleece off its branch. Immediately the leaves on the oak tree turned yellow.
"Throw it!"
The gold ram skin sailed through the air like a glittering shag Frisbee. Percy caught it with a grunt. It was heavier than expected—sixty or seventy pounds of precious gold wool. A good weighted blanket, if he was to be honest.
They spread it over Annabeth, covering everything but her face.
"Come on," Grover murmured, leaning closer. "Come on."
The colour returned to her face. Her eyelids fluttered open. The cut on her forehead began to close. She saw Grover and said weakly, "You're not…married?"
Grover grinned. "No. My friends talked me out of it."
"Had to," Percy said, smiling, "the dress was terrible."
"The dress?" Clarisse scoffed, "how about the groom?"
"You okay?" Percy asked Annabeth. Despite their protests, she sat up. The cut on her face was completely healed. She looked a lot better. In fact, she shimmered with health, as if someone had injected her with glitter.
Tyson was starting to have trouble with the sheep. "Down!" He told them as they tried to climb him, looking for food. A few were sniffing in their direction. "No, sheepies. This way! Come here!"
"We have to get away from them," Grover bleated.
Percy agreed. "Tyson!" He called. "Can you lead the flock as far away as possible? We have to get to the water!"
"The sheep want food."
"I know! They want people food! If you can lead them away for a short while, we can get to the beach and you can meet 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.
"Keep the Fleece around you," he told Annabeth. "I'm not sure you're fully healed yet. Can you stand?"
She tried, but her face turned pale again.
"Clarisse."
Clarisse picked up Annabeth like a sack of flour and lugged her down the beach. They followed.
Percy focused on his boat as they ran, enticing it to follow the length of the island and come closer. After a few anxious minutes of waiting at the water's edge, he saw the ship rounding the tip of the island.
"Incoming!" Tyson yelled. He was bounding down the path to join them, the sheep about fifty yards behind, bleating in frustration.
"I doubt they'll follow into the water," Percy told the others. "Swim for the ship."
"With Annabeth like this?" Clarisse protested.
"Would you rather be sheep food?"
The answer to that was a clear no.
They swam. Percy's boat sped ever closer; they were almost there.
And then, just as they waded past the entrance to the ravine, a tremendous roar echoed towards them.
Polyphemus, who must have jumped into the ravine to them, splashed towards them with a boulder in each hand.
"Swim for it!" Grover cried.
He and Clarisse plunged into the surf. Annabeth hung on to Clarisse's neck and tried to paddle with one hand, the wet Fleece weighing her down.
Percy urged the water to help them, then faced the Cyclops.
"You, young Cyclops!" Polyphemus roared. "Traitor to your kind!"
Percy snarled. "Don't listen to him!" He said.
Tyson turned and faced the older Cyclops. "I'm not a traitor."
"You serve mortals!" Polyphemus shouted. "Thieving humans!"
Polyphemus threw his first boulder. Tyson swatted it aside with his fist.
"Not a traitor," Tyson said. "I protect my brother. And you are not my kind."
"Death or victory!" Polyphemus charged into the surf, but his feet were still wounded. He immediately stumbled and fell.
"Percy!" Clarisse's voice called back. "Come on!"
They had almost made it to the boat.
Just a little more…
"Go," Tyson told him. "I will hold Big Ugly."
"Not a chance," Percy said. "We fight him together."
"Together," Tyson agreed.
Percy drew his sword.
Polyphemus chucked another boulder. Tyson pushed Percy behind him and blasted it to rubble.
Percy willed the sea to rise. A twenty-foot wave surged up, lifting him onto the crest. He rode it towards the Cyclops and kicked him in the eye, leaping over his head as the water blasted him on to the beach.
"Destroy you!" Polyphemus spluttered. "Fleece stealer!"
"You stole the Fleece!" Percy yelled. "You've been using it to lure satyrs to their deaths for years! The Fleece should be used to heal! It belongs to the children of the gods, not a single child!"
"But I found it!" Polyphemus swiped at him, but he sidestepped. "Father Poseidon, curse this thief! Aid your son!"
He was blinking hard now, like he could barely see. Percy backed up as the Cyclops grabbed at air.
"Would you stop calling on him? Ο πατέρας μας won't get involved in a fight between his children," Percy retorted, "he won't play favourites here."
A gentle wind hit him from behind, but Percy ignored it.
Polyphemus roared in outrage. He ripped an olive tree out of the side of the cliff and smashed it where he'd been standing a moment before. "Humans not the same! Nasty, tricky, lying!"
Clarisse was waving frantically at them, telling them to come on.
"Run!" Percy told Tyson. "Into the waves. He can't see us. I'm right behind you."
Tyson ran and, after a moment of tricking Polyphemus into facing the other direction, Percy skirted around him and followed.
They dove into the water as the Cyclops behind them screamed curses and threats which were met with the empty wind and a growing storm. They reached the boat in record time. The moment they were safely aboard, Percy commanded the boat away.
No one said anything until the island was a dot in the distance. Its Cyclops inhabitant screamed at them the whole time, but it was soon overtaken by the storm that had followed them.
"Did it," Annabeth muttered in exhaustion, breaking the silence. Clarisse flopped down next to her and Grover slowly sat down on Annabeth's other side, legs folding under him.
Percy made sure the Fleece was still wrapped snugly around her, then sat by her feet with Tyson.
"Get some sleep," he told the others, but didn't need to.
They were all asleep within minutes.
I wanted to mention! Percy's catching on pretty quick because Sally made sure he was aware of any stories with Poseidon and any of his other children in them. The Odyssey is a well-known story featuring Poseidon, so in my mind it would be one of the stories they very much talked about. Mix that with Percy being smart and you get him figuring out things pretty quickly.
Who was in the resort? Well the woman singing is from the Argonautica and her own titular play, Medea! As she's Circe's niece and I had Circe already on the tour, it wouldn't have made sense for the singing to come from her so I needed someone else. It was never fully stated what happened to Medea after she rode off into the sunset on the snakes sent by Helios, so I had creative liberty. She's actually the person who was watching from the balcony. As for the person Percy ran into, I imagined it as Hylla, who is actually the girl we see in canon on the island. She was the one to check them in! And so of course, her sister is Reyna! I thought it was a cute little foreshadow.
After this chapter, there's one more full chapter left and then a small epilogue to wrap up this book! I'm a bit sad about it, I had soooo much fun writing this one, but TTC is going to be super exciting!