CHAPTER 13

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(Percy's POV)

“What’s going on?” Annabeth asked. “I heard you guys calling for help!”

“Me, too!” Tyson said. “Heard you yell, ‘Bad things are attacking!’”

"We didn’t call you guys,” I said.

"Yeah..we're fine." Nora added.

“But then who...” Annabeth noticed the four yellow duffel bags, then the thermos & the bottle of vitamins. “What-“

“Just listen,” I said. “We don’t have much time.”

I told them about our conversation with Hermes. By the time I was finished, I could hear screeching in the distance-patrol harpies picking up our scent.

“Percy,” Annabeth said, “we have to do the quest.”

“We’ll get expelled, you know. Trust me, I’m an expert at getting expelled.”

“So...if we fail, there won’t be any camp to come back to.”

“Yeah, but you promised Chiron-“

“I promised I’d keep you from danger. I can only do that by coming with you! Tyson can come with us too-“ Nora said.

“I want to go,” Tyson said agreeing with Nora.

“No!” Annabeth’s voice sounded close to panic. “I mean...Percy, come on. You know that’s impossible.”

I wondered again why she had such a grudge against Cyclopes. There was something she wasn’t telling me. She, Nora & Tyson looked at me, waiting for an answer.

Meanwhile, the cruise ship got farther & farther away.

The thing was, part of me didn’t want Tyson along. I’d spent the last three days in close quarters him, getting razzed by other campers & embarrassed a million times a day a constant reminder that I was related to him. I needed some space.

Plus, I didn’t know how much help he’d be, or how I’d keep him safe. Sure, he was strong, but Tyson was a little kid in Cyclops terms, maybe seven or eight years old, mentally. I could see him freaking out and starting to cry while we were trying to sneak past a monster or something. He’d get us all killed.
On the other hand, the sound of the harpies was getting closer...

“We can’t leave him,” I decided. “Tantalus will punish him for us being gone.”

Nora quickly raised her hand towards Tyson for a high five which he returned happily.

“Percy,” Annabeth said, trying to keep her cool, “we’re going to Polyphemus’s island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k...a C-y-k...” She stamped her foot in frustration. As smart as she was, Annabeth was dyslexic, too. We could’ve been there all night while she tried to spell Cyclops. “You know what I mean!”

“Tyson can go,” I insisted, “if he wants to.”

Tyson clapped his hands. “Want to!”

Annabeth gave me the evil eye, but I guess she could tell I wasn’t going to change my mind. Or maybe she just knew we didn’t have time to argue.

“All right,” she said. “How do we get to that ship?”

“Hermes said my father would help.”

“Well then, Seaweed Brain? What are you waiting for?”

I’d always had a hard time calling on my father, or praying, or whatever you want to call it, but I stepped into the waves.

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