THEY SAILED THROUGH THE NIGHT.
Annabeth tried to help Percy and Viviene keep lookout, but sailing didn't agree with her. After a few hours rocking back and forth, her face turned the color of guacamole and she went below to lie in a hammock.
They watched the horizon. More than once they spotted monsters. A plume of water as tall as a skyscraper spewed into the moonlight. A row of green spines slithered across the waves-something maybe a hundred feet long, reptilian. Either way, they didn't really want to know.
Once Percy saw Nereids, the glowing lady spirits of the sea. I tried to wave at them, but they disappeared into the depths, leaving me unsure whether they'd seen me or not.
Sometime after midnight, Annabeth came up on deck. They were just passing a smoking volcano island. The sea bubbled and steamed around the shore.
"One of the forges of Hephaestus," Annabeth said. "Where he makes his metal monsters."
"Like the bronze bulls?"
She nodded. "Go around. Far around."
He didn't need to be told twice. They steered clear of the island, and soon it was just a red patch of haze behind them.
Percy looked at Annabeth.
"The reason you hate Cyclopes so much ... the story about how Thalia really died. What happened?"
It was hard to see her expression in the dark, but Percy did see Viviene grab Annabeth's hand in support.
"I guess you deserve to know," she said finally. "The night Grover was escorting us to camp, hegot confused, took some wrong turns. You remember he told you that once?" Percy nodded."Well, the worst wrong turn was into a Cyclops's lair in Brooklyn."
"They've got Cyclopes in Brooklyn?" he asked.
"You wouldn't believe how many, but that's not the point. This Cyclops, he tricked us. Hemanaged to split us up inside this maze of corridors in an old house in Flatbush. And he could sound like anyone, Percy. Just the way Tyson did aboard the Princess Andromeda. He lured us, one at a time. Thalia thought she was running to save Luke. Luke thought he heard me scream for help. And me ... I was alone in the dark. I was seven years old. I couldn't even find the exit."
She brushed the hair out of her face. "I remember finding the main room. There were bones allover the floor. And there were Thalia and Luke and Grover, tied up and gagged, hanging from the ceiling like smoked hams. The Cyclops was starting a fire in the middle of the floor. I drew my knife, but he heard me. He turned and smiled. He spoke, and somehow he knew my dad's voice. I guess he just plucked it out of my mind. He said, 'Now, Annabeth, don't you worry. I love you. You can stay here with me. You can stay forever.'"
"What did you do?"
"I stabbed him in the foot."
Percy stared at her. "Are you kidding? You were seven years old and you stabbed a grown Cyclops in the foot?"
"Oh, he would've killed me. But I surprised him. It gave me just enough time to run to Thalia andcut the ropes on her hands. She took it from there."
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RED ¹ / Percy Jackson !
Fanfiction"I suggest you stop this nonsense." "No. No unless she does as I say, or I swear, I will murder Percy right here right now." "Don't you dare touch a single hair on Percy, do you hear me?" Viviene yelled, taking a step closer to her father. " I fucki...
