LUNACY; percy jackson

02.12

[act two; chapter twelve     -     am i just stupid or?]

When you think "monster island," you think craggy rocks and bones scattered on the beach like the island of the Sirens or as Andromeda would like to think, the island from Jurassic Park.

The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. It had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was not a good sign. You might as well put up a billboard that said, SOMETHING EVIL LIVES HERE. But except for that, the place 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.

Percy nodded. He couldn't see the Fleece yet, but he could feel its power. He turned his head to look back at Andromeda, smiling when he saw some color return to her face. "If we take it away, will the island die?"

Annabeth shook her head. "It'll fade. Go back to what it would be normally, whatever that is."

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 Percy had seen in his dreams. Something gold glittered in its branches.

"This is too easy," He said. "We could just hike up there and take it?"

Andromeda raised her hand uneasily, "I thought there was supposed to be a guardian or something? Am I just stupid or-"

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.