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THIRTY ONE, flower power
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"I GOT NOBODY!" Polyphemus gloated.
The four of them crept to the cave entrance and saw the cyclops, grinning wickedly, holding 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. Aster's heart stopped.
"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. Her eyes were glassy.
"I'll rush him," Percy whispered to Aster. "Get Grover and Clarisse to the ship and I'll meet you there."
Aster looked at him like he was crazy. "No way," she said at the same time as Clarisse.
The daughter of Ares had armed herself with a highly collectible ram's-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.
"Percy, I can't leave her," Aster said. "I can't lose someone else at the hand of a cyclops."
"All right," Percy said. "Attack plan Macedonia."
They all nodded. All of them had taken the same training courses at Camp Half-Blood; they knew what he was talking about. Percy would hold the cyclops's attention in the front while Clarisse, Grover, and Aster would sneak around either side and attack him from the flanks.
Percy hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!"
The giant whirled toward him. "Another one? Who are you?"
Aster nodded at Clarisse, her twin daggers out and ready, and then they were creeping around the cyclopes. All Aster could think about was how painful of a death she would inflict on the monster for hurting her best friend. She tried hard not to think about Thalia, and focused instead on saving Annabeth. Aster couldn't do anything when Thalia had died, but she could do something to help Annabeth.
"Put down my friend," Percy said. "I'm the one who insulted you."
"You are Nobody?"
Aster and Clarisse were in position behind the Cyclops, and Grover was more to the side, his eyes trained on the monster, holding his sheep's horn like a grenade.
"That's right, you smelly bucket of nose drool!" It didn't sound quite as good as Annabeth's insults, and Aster sent a puzzled look in Percy's direction. "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."
