Hello there, gods, half-bloods and friends, welcome to the next chapter of The God Hunter.
You know how I mentioned I would update a different story last week and then didn't upload anything?
Yeah, funny story. I got sick... Which isn't all that funny.
So I didn't had anything other than this chapter.
Now review time.
girani4: Challenge declined. There is no way I can win that one because we all know I love connecting my stories.
GreatAce50: I was honestly confused about your first review. But reading the second, it did make me laugh. As for a child of Lucifer and Ciri, I won't spoil too much, but yes. They have children. As for a Geralt cameo... I'll try to work one in.
Now story time.
The Cyclops's island looked like a Caribbean postcard. It had green fields and tropical fruit trees and white beaches. As they sailed toward the shore, Annabeth breathed in the sweet air.
"The Fleece." she said.
None of them could see the Fleece yet, but it's power could be felt. "If we take it away, will the island die?" Percy said.
"Who cares?" Matt scoffed.
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. 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. Something gold glittered in its branches.
"Okay... This is too easy." Matt said, "It can't be this easy."
"There's supposed be a guardian." Annabeth said as her eyes narrowed, "A dragon or..."
"I get to fight a dragon?" Matt said with a hint of excitement.
"No." she told him.
That's when a deer emerged from the bushes. It trotted into the meadow, probably looking for grass to eat, when the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves.
Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.
A second later the sheep all moved away, back to their regular peaceful wanderings. Where the deer had been was a pile of clean white bones.
"D-Did you see that?" Matt said as the trio looked at each other, "What the actual feck!?"
"They're like piranhas." Percy said, "Piranhas with wool. How will we..."
"Guys!" Annabeth gasped, "Look."
She pointed down the beach, to just below the sheep meadow, where a small boat had been run aground, the other lifeboat from the CSS Birmingham.
They decided there was no way they could get past the man-eating sheep. Annabeth wanted to sneak up the path invisibly and grab the Fleece, but that didn't seem the right course of action either as too many things could go wrong. The sheep would probably smell her, another guardian would appear or something.
They moored the Queen Anne's Revenge on the back side of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet.
The cliffs looked climbable, barely. At least it was free of sheep. They rowed a lifeboat to the edge of the rocks and made their way up, very slowly. Matt used the wires from his bracelets, scaling the cliff like some sort of spider-themed superhero.
When Matt touched downed on top of the cliff, he turned around and helped the others up, who where shaking from exhaustion and collapsed on the top of the cliff. They did not had much time to recover when a loud voice roared.
The ledge dropped off on the opposite side, and that's where the voice was coming from, right below them.
"You're a feisty one!" the deep voice bellowed.
"Challenge me!" Clarisse's voice, no doubt about it, "Give me back my sword and I'll fight you!"
The monster roared with laughter.
The trio crept to the edge, they were right above the entrance of the Cyclops's cave. Below stood Polyphemus and Grover, still in his wedding dress. Clarisse was tied up, hanging upside down over a pot of boiling water. Unfortunately there was no sign Tyson down there.
"Eat loudmouth girl now or wait for wedding feast?" Polyphemus pondered, "What does my bride think?"
He turned to Grover, who backed up and almost tripped over his completed bridal train. "Oh, um, I'm not hungry right now, dear. Perhaps..."
"Did you say bride?" Clarisse demanded, "Who... Grover?"
"Shut up." Annabeth muttered, "She has to shut up."
Polyphemus glowered, "What's a Grover?"
"The satyr!" Clarisse yelled.
"Oh!" Grover yelped, "The poor thing's brain is boiling from that hot water. Pull her down, dear!"
Polyphemus's eyelids narrowed over his baleful milky eye, as if he were trying to see Clarisse more clearly.
The Cyclops was dressed in his wedding outfit, a crude kilt and shoulder-wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedoes, as if the he'd skinned an entire wedding party.
"What satyr?" Polyphemus asked, "Satyrs are good eating. You bring me a satyr?"
"No, you big idiot!" Clarisse bellowed, "That satyr! Grover! The one in the wedding dress!"
Polyphemus turned and ripped off Grover's wedding veil, revealing his curly hair, his scruffy adolescent beard and his tiny horns. Polyphemus breathed heavily, trying to contain his anger. "I don't see very well." he growled, "Not since many years ago when the other hero stabbed me in eye. But YOU'RE! NO! LADY! CYCLOPS!"
The Cyclops grabbed Grover's dress and tore it away. Underneath, the old Grover reappeared in his jeans and T-shirt. He yelped and ducked as the monster swiped over his head.
"Stop! Don't eat me raw!" Grover pleaded, "I-I have a good recipe!"
Polyphemus was hesitating, a boulder in his hand, ready to smash his would-be bride, "Recipe?"
"Oh y-yes! You don't want to eat me raw." Grover said, "You'll get E coli and botulism and all sorts of horrible things. I'll taste much better grilled over a slow fire. With mango chutney! You could go get some mangos right now, down there in the woods. I'll just wait here."
The monster pondered this. "Grilled satyr with mango chutney." Polyphemus mused. He looked back at Clarisse, still hanging over the pot of boiling water. "You a satyr, too?"
"No, you overgrown pile of dung!" she yelled, "I'm a girl! The daughter of Ares! Now untie me so I can rip your arms off! And stuff them down your throat!"
"You got spunk." Polyphemus said as he snatched up Grover as if he were a wayward puppy, "Have to graze sheep now. Wedding postponed until tonight. Then we'll eat satyr for the main course!"
"But... you're still getting married?" Grover sounded hurt, "Who's the bride?"
Polyphemus looked toward the boiling pot. Clarisse made a strangled sound, "Oh, no! You can't be serious." she shouted, "I'm not..."
But Polyphemus plucked her off the rope like she was a ripe apple, and tossed her and 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. As they went to pasture, Polyphemus patted some on the back and called them by name.
When the last sheep had waddled out, Polyphemus rolled a boulder in front of the doorway as easily as one would close a refrigerator door, shutting off the sound of Clarisse and Grover screaming inside.
"Mangos..." Polyphemus grumbled to himself, "What are mangos?"
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 tried to move the boulder for what felt like hours, but it was no good. The boulder wouldn't move. They yelled into the cracks, tapped on the rock, did everything they could think of to get a signal to Grover, but if he heard them, they couldn't tell.
"I think we're going about it wrong." Matt said.
"What do you mean?" Percy said.
Matt called his sword to his hands before transforming it into his gauntlets and greaves.
He pulled his arm back, light erupting from the gauntlet in his right arm as his hair and eyes lit up. Matt struck forward and when his fist came into contact with the stone, it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Remind me to never get into a fist fight with you." Percy said impressed.
Matt smirked before he was about to head in the cave.
"Go get Grover and Clarisse." Annabeth said, putting on her hat, "I'll keep watch." and she disappeared from sight.
"Good idea." Matt said before he and Percy entered the cave.
Even though Percy had dreamed about this place, he had a hard time guiding the way through the maze. They ran down corridors littered with bones, past rooms full of sheepskin rugs and life-size cement sheep. There were collections of sheep T-shirts; large tubs of lanolin cream; and wooly coats, socks, and hats with ram's horns. Finally, they got to the spinning room, where Grover was huddled in the corner, trying to cut Clarisse's bonds with a pair of safety scissors.
"It's no good!" Clarisse said, "This rope is like iron!"
"Just a few more minutes!"
And then they saw them.
"Ah..." Clarisse said disappointed, "Your alive?"
"Could say the same about you." Matt said.
"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated and tackled him with a goat-hug, "You heard me! You came!"
"Yeah, buddy." Percy said, "Of course I came."
"And Matt came too!" Grover said as it was now the blondes turn for a goat-hug, "Where's Annabeth?"
"Outside." Matt said as he patted his friend on the back, "But there's no time to talk. Clarisse, hold still."
His gauntlets and greaves transformed into his sword and with a single swing he sliced off her ropes. She stood stiffly, rubbing her wrists. She glared at him for a moment, then looked at the ground and mumbled, "Thanks."
"Sorry, I didn't catch that." Matt said, putting a hand behind his right ear, "Can you repeat that?"
"Fuck you Hauer." Clarisse growled.
"You wish." Matt said with a laugh.
"Hey, Clarisse." Percy said, "Was anyone else on board your lifeboat?"
Clarisse looked surprised. "No. Just me. Everybody else aboard the Birmingham..." she said, "Well, I didn't even know you guys made it out."
"Okay..." he said as he looked down, "Come on, then. We have to help..."
An explosion echoed through the cave, followed by a scream that told them they might be too late. It was Annabeth crying out in fear.
The group crept to the cave entrance and saw the Cyclops, grinning wickedly, holding up empty air.
"I got Nobody!" Polyphemus gloated.
The monster shook his fist, and a baseball cap fluttered to the ground. There was Annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs.
"Nasty invisible girl!" the Cyclops said, "Already got feisty one for wife. Means you got to be grilled with mango chutney!"
Annabeth struggled, but she looked dazed. She had a nasty cut on her forehead. Her eyes were glassy.
"Matt and me will rush him." Percy whispered to Clarisse, "Our ship is around the back of the island. You and Grover..."
"No way!" they said at the same time. Clarisse had armed herself with a highly collectible rams-horn spear from the Cyclops's cave. Grover had found a sheep's thigh bone, which he didn't look too happy about, but he was gripping it like a club, ready to attack.
"We'll take him together." Clarisse growled.
"Yeah..." Grover said. Then he blinked, like he couldn't believe he'd just agreed with Clarisse about something.
"All right." Percy said, "Matt, attack plan Macedonia... Matt?" looking around for the blonde.
"I think Hauer went up ahead." Clarisse said annoyed, pointing in the direction he had gone.
"Oi, ugly." Matt said as he walked up.
The giant whirled toward him. "Another one?" he said surprised, "Who are you?"
"The one your looking for." Matt said.
"You are Nobody?"
"I am Nobody and Everybody. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I am everything." Matt said, "Now put her down so I can finish you off."
The good news: he dropped Annabeth. The bad news: he dropped her headfirst onto the rocks.
Matt used one of his wires from his bracelets to shoot himself forward, with the second one from his other hand, he used that pull Annabeth towards him, using his own body to soften the landing for her. He caught her just in time, sliding over the ground as Polyphemus came barreling towards him, a thousand smelly pounds of Cyclops.
"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 on Matt.
Having put Annabeth down, the monster made a grab for Matt, who used the wires to slide away before using the sword form to slice him against the thigh.
"Grover!" Matt shouted, "Get Annabeth!"
The satyr rushed over, grabbed her invisibility cap, and picked her up while Percy, Matt and Clarisse and kept Polyphemus distracted.
With Matt swinging around like how an annoying fly would do when you just tried to get some sleep. If the fly was slashing and stabbing you as it went.
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 stabbing the monster in the toe or the ankle or the hand.
But they couldn't keep this up forever. Eventually they would tire or the monster would get in a lucky shot.
During all this, Grover had managed to carry Annabeth across the rope bridge.
"Fall back!" Percy shouted.
Clarisse rolled away as the Cyclops's fist smashed the olive tree beside her.
They ran for the bridge, Polyphemus right behind them. He was cut up and hobbling from so many wounds, but all they had done was slow him down and make him mad.
"Grind you into sheep chow!" he promised, "A thousand curses on Nobody!"
"Faster!" Percy said.
"That's what she said!" Matt shouted.
They tore down the hill. The bridge was our only chance. Grover had just made it to the other side and was setting Annabeth down. The trio had made it across, too, with Polyphemus bounded after them, making the bridge sway wildly.
"Matt!" Percy yelled, "The bridge!"
Matt nodded, with two swings of his sword the ropes were cut and the bridge fell away into the chasm, and the Cyclops howled... with delight, because he was standing right next to them.
"Failed!" he yelled gleefully, "Nobody failed!"
Clarisse and Grover tried to charge him, but the monster swatted them aside like flies.
"Let's get him, Matt." Percy said.
Matt nodded as the two friends gave each other a fist bump, "Things are about to get crazy." Matt said, "Let's rock!"
The two friends charged towards the Cyclops, who reached down only to have a few of his fingers chopped off by Matt.
He roared in pain, giving Percy the opening to jab his sword into the belly of the Cyclops. When he doubled over Percy smacked him in the nose with the hilt of his sword before he continue to slash and step. Matt came swinging in, stabbing him in the chest making the Cyclops fall over backwards, dazed and groaning.
Matt removed his sword as he stood upon the Cyclops.
"Please, no!" the Cyclops moaned, pitifully staring up, his nose was bleeding. A tear welled in the corner of his half-blind eye, "M-m-my sheepies need me. Only trying to protect my sheep!" and he began to sob.
The Cyclops sounded so heartbroken, just like Tyson.
"He's a Cyclops!" Grover warned, "Don't trust him!"
"We only want the Fleece." Percy told the monster as he stood next to Matt, "Will you agree to let us take it?"
"My beautiful Fleece. Prize of my collection." the monster sniffed, "Take it, cruel human. Take it and go in peace."
"I'm going to step back slowly." Percy told the monster, "One false move..."
Polyphemus nodded like he understood, and Percy turned around.
Only to have the sound of blood curling screams echoed over the island. Percy wiped around quickly to see that Matt had stabbed Polyphemus through the eye, finishing him off. He disappeared in golden mist as the two dropped to the ground.
"Matt! What the..." Percy said shocked, "Why? He surrendered!"
"What? I went for the head." Matt said unbothered but he was completely silent when he spotted someone.
Halfway down the path to the beach, standing completely unharmed in the midst of a flock of killer sheep, was an old friend.
"Big T!" Matt said as they rushed towards him.
Tyson gave them the short version: Rainbow the hippocampus—who'd apparently been following them since the Long Island Sound, waiting for Tyson to play with him. He 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 them, until Tyson caught the scent of sheep and found this island.
"Tyson, thank the gods." Percy said, "Annabeth is hurt!"
"You thank the gods she is hurt?" he asked, puzzled.
"Gods, I missed the kid." Matt said as he knelt beside Annabeth and was worried sick by what he saw. The gash on her forehead was worse than initially thought. Her hairline was sticky with blood. Her skin was pale and clammy.
"Tyson, the Fleece." Matt said, "Can you get it for me?"
"Which one?" Tyson said, looking around at the hundreds of sheep.
"In the tree!" Percy said, "The gold one!"
"Oh. Pretty. Yes."
Tyson lumbered over, careful not to step on the sheep. If any of them had tried to approach the Fleece, they would've been eaten alive, but Tyson smelled like Polyphemus, because the flock didn't bother him at all. They just cuddled up to him and bleated affectionately, as though they expected to get sheep treats from the big wicker basket. Tyson reached up and lifted the Fleece off its branch. Immediately the leaves on the oak tree turned yellow.
Tyson started wading back toward them, but Percy yelled, "No time! 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 one would expected, sixty or seventy pounds of precious gold wool.
Spreading it over Annabeth, covering everything but her face.
The color 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?"
"No." Grover said with a grin, "My friends talked me out of it."
"Annabeth, take it easy..." Matt said, "And she's up."
She sat up at once, and the cut on her face was almost completely healed. She looked a lot better. In fact, she shimmered with health, as if someone had injected her with glitter.
Meanwhile, 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 the half-blood direction. "No, sheepies. This way! Come here!"
They heeded him, but it was obvious they were hungry, and they were starting to realize Tyson didn't have any treats for them. They wouldn't hold out forever with so much fresh meat nearby.
And the Queen Anne's Revenge was a very long way away. The shortest route was with the bridge to cross the chasm, the one that just got destroyed. The only other possibility was through the sheep.
"Hey Big T, can you lead the flock as far away as possible?" Matt said, "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, food this way!", he jogged off into the meadow, the sheep in pursuit.
"Can you stand?"" Matt said.
Annabeth tried, but her face turned pale again. "Okay, not fully healed yet. Keep the Fleece around you." Matt said.
Clarisse dropped next to her and felt her chest, which made Annabeth gasp.
"Ribs broken." Clarisse said, "They're mending, but definitely broken."
"How can you tell?" Percy said.
Clarisse glared, "Because I've broken a few, runt!"
Before either of them could argue, Matt picked up Annabeth bridal style, Fleece wrapped around her and carried her down to the beach. Percy, Grover and Clarisse followed.
As soon as they got to the edge of the water, Percy concentrated on the Queen Anne's Revenge. After a few anxious minutes, 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 as their Cyclops friend ran away without feeding them.
"They probably won't follow us into the water." Percy said, "All we have to do is swim for the ship."
"With Annabeth like this!?" Matt shouted.
"We can do it!" Percy insisted, "Once we get to the ship, we're home free."
There you go, another chapter, hope you enjoyed. Many thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorite, or follows this story.
Take care of yourself, get some rest, drink plenty of water, Merry Christmas and I will see you people next time.