OH, CHÉRIE!¹ percy jackson

012

"ike the bronze bulls?" percy asked.

ivy hummed in response. "go around. far around."

they steered clear of the island, and soon it was just a red patch of haze behind them.

percy looked from ivy to annabeth, he had his i'm-about-to-ask-something-i-might-regret-face. "annabeth, the reason you hate cyclopes so much... the story about how thalia really died. what happened?"

it was hard to see the daughter of athena's expression in the dark, but ivy reached for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. ivy had decided to tell percy why she wasn't fond of cyclopes, mostly after realizing that tyson was just a cyclops. he was kind, empathetic, and a friend. the brunette just hasn't been brave enough to bring up the subject.

"i guess you deserve to know," annabeth said finally. "the night grover was escorting us to camp, he got 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?" percy asked incredulously.

ivy frowned. "you wouldn't believe how many,"

"but that's not the point," annabeth continued. "this cyclops, he tricked us. he managed 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 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 eight years old. i couldn't even find the exit."

the blonde brushed a curl out of her face. "i remember finding the main room. there were bones all over 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.' "

ivy shivered, remembering her own experience with bad cyclopes.

percy looked unsettled. "what did you do?"

"i stabbed him in the foot." annabeth deadpanned.

percy stared at her. "are you kidding? you were eight years old and you stabbed a grown cyclops in the foot?"

"annie is a badass, even as a mini her." ivy nudged her best friend in the shoulder.

annabeth roller her eyes at ivy. "oh, he would've killed me. but i surprised him. it gave me just enough time to run to thalia and cut the ropes on her hands. she took it from there."

"still... what you did was incredibly brave." the daughter of aphrodite said.

the blonde shook her head. "we barely got out alive. i still have nightmares... the way that cyclops talked in my father's voice. it was his fault we took so long getting to camp. all the monsters who'd been chasing us had time to catch up. that's really why thalia died. if it hadn't been for that cyclops, she'd still be alive today. besides, what they did to–"

annabeth stopped herself, looking towards ivy. the brunette send her a nod. she was going to tell percy what happened, not only because he was her friend but because she needed to explain why she was such an asshole to tyson.

"i think i should leave you two to talk..." annabeth stood up and went below once again.

ivy and percy sat on the deck, watching the constellations in the clear night sky.