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CHAPTER NINETEEN ( breaking the rules )
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THE WAY TANTALUS saw it, the Stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Percy, Annabeth, Tyson hadn't disturbed them with their bad chariot driving. I had been an accomplice, in his own words, and deserved to join them in their punishment as I did in their 'ridiculous stunt'.
It was completely unfair, but it was obvious that there was no changing Tantalus's mind. He sentenced us to kitchen patrol, which consisted of scrubbing the dirty pots and plates in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The harpies, instead of using any old dishwashing soap with cute ducks on the bottle, washed with lava to get that extra-clean sparkle. Because of this, Percy, Annabeth and I had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.
Tyson had it easy. He plunged his large, bare hands into the lava and started scrubbing, but the three of us had to endure long hours of boiling hot and dangerous work that wasn't at all legal. Not to mention, there were a lot more plates to clean than usual. Tantalus had ordered a special banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory – a full-course meal featuring country-fried Stymphalian death-bird. That just couldn't taste good.
After having to play the mediator between Percy and Annabeth ( and now understanding how Grover felt last summer on our first quest ) I convinced both of them to hear each other out. Percy told his dream again, this time for Annabeth to hear, and she looked conflicted on whether to believe him or not. She turned to me, silently asking me what I thought with just one look, to which I responded with a nod.
"If he's really found it," she murmured, "and if we could retrieve it – "
"Yeah, but we need to consider where it is – "
"Hold on," Percy interrupted us. "You act like this. . .whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"
"I'll give you a hint. What do you get when you skin a ram?"
"Messy?"
Annabeth gave me an exasperated look. I raised my hands in surrender, and she sighed before answering Percy. "A fleece. The coat of a ram is called a fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool – "
