Vines and Thorns

𝟘𝟘𝟟-𝕎𝕖 ℂ𝕣𝕒𝕤𝕙 𝕒 𝕎𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘

As much as I appreciate Annabeth, her plans suck.

They're clever for sure, but this one in particular has me nearly choking from the rancid smell. "Just don't let go!" Annabeth whispers from somewhere to my right, her body concealed by the invisibility cloak gifted to her from her hat.

I grimace, trying to resist the urge to barf as my fingers dig into the matted fur of the sheep. The plan was for me and Jackson to hide underneath one of the sheep as they enter the cave, and at first, I didn't see an issue.

And then I got underneath one.

There was mud and shit and whatever else these things have been running through stuck in their wool. At least it wasn't hard to hold myself there, and the sheep didn't seem to mind or notice that I was underneath.

I tried to cling as close to the sheep as possible, hoping that my body couldn't be seen underneath. I breathed through my mouth, which wasn't much better considering I could now taste the rancid smell, but I forced myself to hang on and ignore it.

I heave a sigh of relief as the sun goes down, and my sheep begins to waddle forward. The stench of the other sheep engulfs me, probably getting rid of whatever scent I would usually give off. "Oy! Goaties! Sheepies!"

The animals begin to quicken their pace, and I hold on as tight as I can to not fall off. "This is it! I'll be close by, don't worry."

I look over at Jackson, noticing the way he was struggling to hold onto the sheep's wool. "Don't fall off Jackson." I hiss, and he grimaces before grabbing another fistful of hair. The sheep slowly make their way into the cave, and I tense as we begin to pass Polyphemus.

"Hasenpfeffer! Einstein! Widget—eh there, Widget!" I watch as the cyclops pats the back of the sheep Jackson was hiding under, the boy barely hanging on as his body sways. "Putting on some extra mutton there?"

Shit, shit, shit.

My stomach drops down to my toes at the comment, but Polyphemus just laughs, swatting the Sheep's ass. "Go on, fatty! Soon Polyphemus will eat you for breakfast!"

I nearly sob in relief as we enter the cave, my arms shaking from having to hold on for so long. Come on Annabeth...

Polyphemus was standing next to the boulder he used as a door, and he was seconds away from closing it. Anytime now...

"Hello, ugly!" I smirk when I hear Annabeth's voice coming from somewhere outside the cave, and Polyphemus instantly stops what he was doing to look around for the source of the voice.

"Who said that?" He demands, his eye darting around the area in front of the cave.

"Nobody!" Annabeth shouts back, and the cyclops's face instantly reddens with anger.

His palms curled as his eye narrows, a snarl ripping from his throat. "Nobody! I remember you!"

"You're too stupid to remember anybody, much less nobody!" Annabeth taunts, her voice coming from different locations each time she speaks.

The cyclops let out a deafening roar that shook the cave. He wasted no time before grabbing the nearest boulder (which was the front door) and threw it towards the sound of Annabeth's voice. I could hear the rock collide with the earth as it cracked and broke, and then there was silence.

My heart pounds in my chest, praying to all the gods that Annabeth had evaded the throw. "You haven't learned to throw any better either!"

Polyphemus howls with anger, his head swiveling from side to side as he tries to locate the girl. "Come here! Let me kill you, Nobody!"