RED ¹ / Percy Jackson !

47

WHEN YOU THINK "MONSTER ISLAND" YOU THINK CRAGGY ROCKS AND BONES SCATTERED ON THE BEACH LIKE THE ISLAND OF THE SIRENS.

The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. Okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm,which was not a good sign. You might as well put up a billboard that said, SOMETHING EVIL LIVES HERE.

But except for that, the place looked like a Caribbean postcard. It had green fields and tropical fruit trees and white beaches. As they sailed toward the shore, Annabeth breathed in the sweet air. "The Fleece," she said.

Percy nodded. Viviene couldn't see the Fleece yet, but she could feel its power. I could believe it would heal anything, even Thalia's poisoned tree.

"If we take it away, will the island die?"

Annabeth shook her head. "It'll fade. Go back to what it would be normally, whatever that is."

In the meadow at the base of the ravine, several dozen sheep were milling around. They lookedpeaceful enough, but they were huge-the size of hippos. Just past them was a path that led up into the hills. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was the massive oak tree Percy had seen in his dreams. Something gold glittered in its branches.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "We could just hike up there and take it?"

"There's supposed be a guardian. A dragon or ..."Viviene's eyes narrowed.

That's when a deer emerged from the bushes. It trotted into the meadow, probably looking forgrass to eat, when the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves.Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.

A second later the sheep all moved away, back to their regular peaceful wanderings. Where thedeer had been was a pile of clean white bones.

Annabeth, Percy and Viviene exchanged looks.

"They're like piranhas," Viviene said.

"Piranhas with wool. How will we-"

"Percy!" She gasped, grabbing his arm. "Look."

She pointed down the beach, to just below the sheep meadow, where a small boat had been runaground ... the other lifeboat from the CSS Birmingham.

They decided there was no way they could get past the man-eating sheep. Annabeth wanted to sneak up the path invisibly and grab the Fleece, but in the end Percy convinced her that something would go wrong. The sheep would smell her. Another guardian would appear. Something. And if that happened, Percy and Viviene would be too far away to help.

Besides, theiir first job was to find Grover and whoever had come ashore in that lifeboat-assuming they'd gotten past the sheep.

They moored the Queen Anne's Revenge on the back side of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet. Percy figured the ship was less likely to be seen there. The cliffs looked climbable, barely-about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp. At least it was free of sheep. He hoped that Polyphemus did not also keep carnivorous mountain goats.They rowed a lifeboat to the edge of the rocks and made our way up, very slowly. Annabeth wentfirst because she was the better climber. Viviene was second and Percy last.