Indigo Eyes

Chapter 29

"Books, I'm going to kill you," Cressida snapped quietly.

"Just don't let go!" Annabeth said, standing somewhere invisibly near them.

"I'm going to kill her. Painfully."

"I'll help," Percy groaned from where he was in the same position as her, hanging upside down from the belly of a sheep. The sheep were surprisingly accommodating, even the smallest one of the flock would've been able to support their weight. They twirled the thick wool into handles and hooked their feet against the sheep's thigh bones. Then the only hard part became breathing with the wool that kept getting into their mouths and noses.

The sun was going down and just as they'd gotten into position, the cyclops roared, "Oy! Goaties! Sheepies!" The flock dutifully began trudging back up the slopes towards the cave.

"This is it!" Annabeth whispered. "I'll be close by. Don't worry."

Cressida sent a quick prayer to her father, praying that she'd live to see her brothers again and make sure they were ok as the sheep started plodding up the hill, her already sore limbs becoming even sorer as the sheep walked a hundred metres towards the cyclops who began petting them and naming them.

Both Cressida and Percy almost fell off their steeds when Polyphemus petted them before herding them inside the cave. But just before he could roll the boulder shut again, Annabeth's voice called out from beyond the cave.

Polyphemus then went chasing after Annabeth, who was invisible and tricked the cyclops into chasing after Nobody.

The two of them then dropped off their rides, Percy patting his on the head.

"Annabeth is facing a cyclops by herself and you're petting sheep?" Cressida scolded and Percy just rolled his eyes as they began to search the main room but there was no sign of Clarisse or Grover. With their weapons in one hand, Percy took Cressida's in the other as they pushed through the sheep and goats and Percy led her down the corridors littered with bones and past rooms with sheepskin rugs and Medusa statues of sheep.

This was trust right here as Percy led her down corridors he'd dreamed about until he finally found 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!"

"Grover," she cried, exasperated. "You've been working at it for hours!"

"Hey, losers," Cressida called and they both whirled. "Guess we have to save you now," she smirked and Clarisse glared at her.

"I wish you'd blown up," she muttered.

"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated and tackled him with a goat hug. "You heard me! You came!"

"Yeah, buddy," he said. "Of course, I came."

"Cressida!" Grover exclaimed before he wrapped her in a hug.

"Good to see you, Grover," she smiled before he pulled away.

"Where's Annabeth?" the satyr asked.

"Um, hello?" Clarisse called and Cressida collapsed her spear and pulled out her bronze switchblade from her boot.

"Look who's the hero now," Cressida boasted as she began to cut the ropes.

"Shut up and get me free," Clarisse snapped as the last of the rope fell away and she stood stiffly. The daughter of Ares regarded her for a moment as she rubbed her wrists. "Thanks," she mumbled.