SERENDIPITY ~ A. Chase

x ~ Brainiac Gets Serenaded But Not By Cass

"One of the forges of Hephaestus, where he makes his metal monsters." Annabeth pointed out.

"Like the bronze bulls?" Percy asked.

"Yeah." Cassie confirmed.

"Go around. Far around." Annabeth directed.

Percy obeyed and steered them away from the island, which faded into a red blob as they got farther.

The son of Poseidon took the opportunity to look at Cassie who was leaning against the stairs, watching them.

Then he turned to Annabeth. "The reason you hate cyclopes so much . . . the story about how Thalia really died. What happened?"

The darkness kept him from seeing her expression. Cassie observed the two, not inputting in their conversation.

"I guess you deserve to know," Annabeth decided. "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' lair in Brooklyn."

"They've got cyclopes in Brooklyn?"

"You wouldn't believe how many, but that's not the point. 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 seven years old. I couldn't even find the exit."

Annabeth's gray eyes met green ones. Cassie offered a sad smile.

The daughter of Athena broke the eye contact to brush a strand of hair from 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, done you worry. I love you. You can stay here with me. You can stay forever.'"

The way Annabeth said it was enough to send a shiver down Cassie and Percy's spines.

"What did you do?" Percy asked.

"I stabbed him in the foot."

Cassie coughed to cover up a laugh.

Percy blinked, eyes shifting between the two. "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 and cut the ropes on her hands. She took it from there."

"Yeah, but still . . . that was pretty brave." Percy said.

Cassie let out a small hum of agreement.

Annabeth lips turned up ever so slightly, but Percy noticed.

The blonde continued with her story. "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."

Cassie made her way to sit down next to the two. She didn't say anything but she took Annabeth's hand in her own.

The blonde turned her head, only to see the brunette staring at the sky with a fond smile on her face.