❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝒳𝐼𝒳. 𝒫𝑜𝓁𝓎𝓅𝒽𝑒𝓂𝓊𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝑜𝓅𝓈 𝒩𝑜𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎

"𝐼 got Nobody!" Polyphemus gloated.

Zoe knew either her or Percy should have stayed with Annabeth. They 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.

"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 Clarisse. "Our ship is around the back of the island. You, Zoe, and Grover—"

"No way," they said at the same time. Clarisse 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. Zoe had gotten Thorn from her hair.

"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. "Attack plan Macedonia."

They nodded. They'd all taken the same training courses at Camp Half-Blood. They knew what he was talking about. They would sneak around either side and attack the Cyclops from the flanks while Percy held his attention in the front.

Percy hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!"

The giant whirled toward the son of Poseidon. "Another one? Who are you?"

"Put down my friend. I'm the one who insulted you."

"You are Nobody?"

"That's right, you smelly bucket of nose drool! 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."

"RAAAR!" he bellowed.

The good news: he dropped Annabeth. The bad news: he dropped her head first towards the rocks.

Zoe didn't think about it, she just felt a fire burn in her veins. All of a sudden, there was a soft blanket of pink over the rocks. Annabeth fell right through the pink mist, Zoe's powers unable to help the daughter of Athena. Annabeth hit head first, laying motionless like a rag-doll on the rocks.

The other bad news: Polyphemus barreled toward Percy, a thousand smelly pounds of Cyclops that they would have to fight with very small weapons.

"For Pan!" Grover rushed in from the right. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead. Clarisse and Zoe ran in from the left and the daughter of Ares 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. Zoe stabbed him in the heel then followed after Clarisse. The Cyclops just plucked out the shaft like a large splinter and kept advancing on Percy.

The demigod son of Poseidon moved in with Riptide.

The monster made a grab for Percy and he rolled aside and stabbed the monster in the thigh.

"Get Annabeth!" Percy yelled at Grover.

The satyr rushed over, grabbed the blond's invisibility cap, and picked her up while Clarisse, Zoe, and Percy tried to keep Polyphemus distracted.

Zoe had to admit, Clarisse was brave. She 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 and Zoe followed up by stabbing the monster in the toe or the ankle or the hand.