Perseus Jackson Son of the Sea: The Golden Fleece

Chapter 2

Percy walked into the gym a few minutes later, wearing the uniform, sky blue shorts, and tie-dyed T-shirts. 

Coach Nunley was sitting at his little desk reading Sports Illustrated. Nunley was about a million years old, with bifocals, no teeth, and a greasy wave of gray hair. He reminded Percy of the Oracle at Camp Half-Blood—which was a shriveled-up mummy—except Coach Nunley moved a lot less, and he never billowed green smoke. Well, at least not that I'd observed.

 Matt Sloan said, "Coach, can I be captain?"

"Eh?" Coach Nunley looked up from his magazine. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Mm-hmm."

"Earlier, Matt, you told me you would destroy me. Is that correct?" Percy called him out.

"Yeah, so what?" 

"So, here is an idea Tyson and I against you and your new friends there."

"H, a this will be easy!" Matt gloated. "Prepare to die, Jackson!"

Matt Sloan spilled a cage full of balls in the gym.

"Scared," Taylor mumbled. "Smell funny."

"Don't worry about me; we will win this." 

The visitors were cracking their knuckles, eyeing us like it was slaughter time.

"Taylor," Percy said. "I need—"

Percy instantly raised his hand and caught the ball speeding toward him. The gym went silent before-

Talor yelled, "Percy, duck!"

Percy moved to the right as another ball shot past him

Whooom!

It hit the wall mat hard, and Corey Bailer yelped.

"Hey!" Percy yelled at Sloan's team. "You could kill somebody!"

The visitor named Joe Bob grinned at him evilly. Somehow, he looked a lot bigger now ... even taller than Taylor. His biceps bulged beneath his T-shirt. "I hope so, Perseus Jackson! I hope so!"

"Great! Laestrygonians!" Percy grumbled

All around Matt Sloan, the visitors were growing in size. They were no longer kids. They were eight-foot-tall giants with wild eyes, pointy teeth, hairy arms tattooed with snakes, hula women, and Valentine's hearts.

The one called Joe Bob growled at him. He had a tattoo on his biceps that said: JB luvs Babycakes. "We Laestrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!"

He waved his hand, and a new batch of dodgeballs appeared on the center line—but these balls weren't made of red rubber. They were bronze, the size of cannon balls, perforated like wiffle balls with fire bubbling out the holes. They must've been searing hot, but the giants picked them up with their bare hands.

"Hey, Taylor?" Percy said as he looked at her. "You see those giants?"

"Uhm, yes?" Taylor nodded. 

"Let's kill them."

The giant named Skull Eater threw his ball. Percy dove aside as the fiery bronze comet sailed past his shoulder.

Another fireball came streaking toward him. Tyson pushed Percy out of the way, but the explosion still blew him head over heels. Percy sprawled on the gym floor, dazed from smoke, his tie-dyed T-shirt peppered with sizzling holes. Two hungry giants were glaring down at him just across the center line.

"Flesh!" they bellowed. "Hero flesh for lunch!" They both aimed.

"Percy!" Taylor yelled, and she jumped before him just as they threw their balls.