LUNACY; percy jackson

02.12

Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.

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

The three demigods exchanged nervous looks.

"They're like piranhas," Annabeth said.

"Piranhas with wool. How will we—"

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

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

"No way." Andromeda breathed.

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

Besides, their first job was to find Grover and whoever had come ashore in that lifeboat— assuming they'd gotten past the sheep. Percy was too nervous to say what he was secretly hoping... that Tyson might still be alive.

Though it seemed the boy forgot his best friend could feel his emotions. When a gentle hand touched his shoulder, he felt his whole body relax. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder, sea green meeting amethyst.

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.

The cliffs looked climbable, barely—about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp. At least it was free of sheep.

They rowed a lifeboat to the edge of the rocks, Andromeda making sure it was angled the right direction as she sat at the bow, and made their way up, very slowly. Annabeth went first, then Percy, and finally Andromeda taking up the rear seeing as, if anyone had to, she would be able to hold on the longest.

They only came close to dying six or seven times, which Andromeda thought was pretty good. Once, Percy, who was above her, lost his grip and found himself dangling by one hand from a ledge fifty feet above the rocky surf. Luckily he found something he could grip onto and pulled himself up. A minute later Annabeth hit a slippery patch of moss and her foot slipped. Fortunately, she found something else to put it against. Unfortunately for Percy, that something was his face.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"S'okay," He grunted and looked down when he felt someone shove his foot up. Andromeda had come up just below him where she would constantly look down to make sure they weren't being followed, poking his foot with her hand. 

"Keep going, we're almost there."

Finally, when his fingers felt like molten lead and his arm muscles were shaking from exhaustion, they hauled themselves over the top of the cliff and collapsed.

The elder demigod crossed her arms over her eyes with a heavy sigh, "Finally."

"Ugh," Percy said.

"Ouch," moaned Annabeth.

"Garrr!" bellowed another voice.

Andromeda flinched as she rolled, quite literally—like a log, onto her knees, her amethyst eyes scanning the surrounding area.

If Percy hadn't been so tired, he would've leaped another two hundred feet. He whirled around, but he couldn't see who'd spoken.

Andromeda clamped her hand over his mouth. She pointed, Annabeth also following her hand.