𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃.
a large island covered in incredible greenery was visible in the distance.
they'd reached the home of the cyclops.
the island was nothing like cherry had imagined. there was a rope bridge across a chasm, but that was probably the only off putting thing.
tropical fruit trees and white beaches lined the shore their boat sailed towards.
annabeth breathed in the sweet air. "the fleece."
cherry couldn't admire the island as much as she wanted too.
in that moment, she missed grover and tyson more than ever.
"if we take it away, will the island die?" percy questioned.
"no. it'll just fade." cherry replied.
percy allowed himself to glance at the redhead for just a moment.
the way his heart thrashed in his chest, made him feel like he knew what being seasick was.
cherry glared at him, wondering why he was being so strange.
dozens of giant sheep milled around the island.
past them was a path that led up into the hills.
at the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was a massive oak tree, with something gold glittering in its branches.
"that's the fleece?" cherry questioned, after peeling her eyes from percy. "i could literally go get it right now."
"this is too easy." percy agreed.
"there's supposed be a guardian. a dragon, or.." annabeth stopped speaking when she spotted a deer.
it trotted into the meadow.
all the sheep bleated at once and rushed the animal.
the poor animal was lost in a sea of wool. a second later, the sheep moved away, returning to their wandering. a pile of bones rested in the spot the deer had last been seen.
cherry gasped, and covered her eyes.
"they're like piranhas." annabeth commented.
"piranhas with wool. how will we-" percy began, but stopped speaking after he realized just how uncomfortable cherry was.
"percy!" annabeth gasped, grabbing his arm. "look."
as if magic, cherry's hands were ripped from her face.
her eyes darted to percy's arm. more specifically, where annabeth's hand rested.
she followed the girls line of sight.
just below the sheep meadow, there was a small boat. written on the side was css birmingham.
clarisse, cherry recognized.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
there was no way to get past the man-eating sheep.
percy moved the boat to the back side of the island, and made their way up the cliffs.
annabeth was the best climber, so she went first.
cherry was silent.
she had been unusually silent the entire time.
percy seemed to spot all the girls mannerisms. he knew that she was upset. she didn't talk when she was upset. or pay attention.
when annabeth's foot slipped, she'd ended up kicking percy in the face.
cherry's easily recognizable giggle was heard from beneath.
strangely, that made percy just a little more comfortable.
annabeth's hauled herself over the side of the cliff.
percy did the same. he reached out a hand to help up the redhead below him. she waved it off, saying she'd never need his help.
she pulled herself up beside him, and then quickly moved away.
the trio of children seemed to collapse onto the floor.
before cherry could begin an argument with the exhausted blonde, a loud growl came from below them.
percy's first instinct was to reach for cherry, but he knew she'd just smack his hand away.
so he didn't.
"you're a feisty one!" the deep voice bellowed.
"challenge me!" the voice replied. "give me back my sword and i'll fight you!"
cherry knew it was clarisse.
rhe redhead made her way to the edge of the cliff.
the duo behind her did the same.
standing there, alive, and in a wedding dress, was grover.
a bright smile grew on cherry's face.
she shoved at percy's shoulder, aggressively pointing, trying to keep quiet.
percy could feel the excitement roll off the girl.
clarisse was tied up snd hanging upside down over a pot of boiling water.
"hmm." polyphemus, the cyclops, pondered. "eat loudmouth girl now, or wait for wedding feast? what does my bride think?"
"oh, uhm, i'm not hungry right now, dear. perhaps-" grover backed up and almost tripped over his completed bridal train.
"did you say bride?" clarisse questioned. "who- grover?"
"shut up. she has to shut up." annabeth muttered.
polyphemus glowered. "what 'grover'?"
"the satyr!" clarisse yelled.
"oh!" grover yelped. "the poor thing's brain is boiling from that hot water. pull her down, dear!"
polyphemus's eyelids narrowed over his milky eye, as if he were trying to see clarisse more clearly.
"what satyr?" asked polyphemus. "satyrs are good eating. you bring me a satyr?"
"no, you big idiot!" bellowed clarisse. "that satyr! grover! the one in the wedding dress!"
cherry never really despised clarisse.
she enjoyed the girls constantly cruelty towards percy.
but, seeing grover panic, cherry definitely seemed to despise tje girl below.
polyphemus turned and ripped off grover's wedding veil, revealing his curly hair, and terrified face.
polyphemus breathed heavily, trying to contain his anger. "i don't see very well. not since many years ago, when the other hero stabbed me in eye. but you're no lady cyclops!"
grover yelped and ducked as the monster ripped the dress off of him.
"stop!" grover pleaded. "don't eat me raw! i-i have a good recipe!"
percy reached for his sword, but annabeth stopped him.
polyphemus hesitated. the boulder in his hand was lowered. "recipe?"
"oh y-yes! you don't want to eat me raw. you'll get e-coli, and botulism, and all sorts of horrible things! i'll taste much better grilled over a slow fire. with mango chutney! you could go get some mangos right now, down there in the woods. i'll just wait here." grover suggested.
the monster pondered this.
cherry could feel percy's fear.
she wondered if it was simply a reflection of hers.
what could they do?
they couldn't let grover die.
"grilled satyr with mango chutney," polyphemus mused, and looked back at clarisse. "you a satyr, too?"
"no, you overgrown pile of dung!" she yelled. "i'm a girl! the daughter of ares! now untie me so i can rip your arms off!"
"rip my arms off."
"and stuff them down your throat!"
"you got spunk."
"let me down!"
"have to graze sheep now. wedding postponed until tonight. then we'll eat satyr for the main course!"
"but.ñ you're still getting married? who's the bride?"
polyphemus looked toward the boiling pot.
clarisse made a strangled sound.
"oh, no! you can't be serious. i'm not-" clarisse argued.
polyphemus plucked her off the rope, and tossed her and grover deep into the cave. "make yourself comfortable! i come back at sundown for big event!"
the cyclops whistled, and a mixed flock of goats and sheep, smaller ones, flooded out of the cave.
polyphemus rolled a boulder in front of the doorway, shutting off the sound of clarisse and grover screaming inside.
"mangos." polyphemus grumbled to himself, as he strolled off down the mountain. "what are mangos?"
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
the boulder wouldn't move.
the trio had tried everything to move it, or maybe to get grover to hear them, but it was no use.
cherry huffed.
percy stabbed riptide against the boulder. sparks flew, but nothing else happened.
cherry didn't want to give up, but there wasn't much else to do.
she collapsed onto the ground.
annabeth watched as polyphemus visited his carnivorous flock on the far side.
unfortunately, they didn't eat him.
"trickery," annabeth decided. "we can't beat him by force, so we'll have to use trickery."
"okay." percy said. "what trick?'
"i haven't figured that part out yet."
"great."
"polyphemus will have to move the rock to let the sheep inside."
"at sunset. which is when he'll marry clarisse and have grover for dinner. i'm not sure which is grosser."
cherry sat up.
"both are disgusting." she commented. "clarisse is my wife. grover is my son."
percy fought the urge to ask if she'd scared the father off.
he couldn't make jokes like that anymore.
they just felt wrong.
"i could get inside." annabeth decided. "invisibly."
"what about us?" percy looked at cherry.
"i can distract, uh.. what's his name?" cherry tried to plan out.
"no need! how much do you like sheep?" annabeth grinned.
cherry immediately began to shake her head.
annabeth dragged the pair over to a nearby sheep.
it was extremely difficult, but percy and cherry were somehow hanging upside down from the belly off a sheep.
despite cherry having asked for her own sheep, they didn't have enough time.
cherry and percy were silent.
again, there went percy with his horrible staring.
he never tried to cover it up. nobody ever pointed it out, but everybody noticed.
"oy! goaties! sheepies!" polyphemus called to the animals.
the flock trudged back up toward the cave.
cherry could feel her arms getting tired.
percy lost grip on the wool.
cherry grabbed his hand, using the other hold both herself and percy up.
the blonde said nothing.
the warmth from her hand seemed magical.
"you're so weird." cherry whispered.
the cyclops was about to roll the stone back into place, when from somewhere outside annabeth shouted, "hello, ugly!"
polyphemus stiffened. "who said that?"
"nobody!" annabeth yelled.
"nobody! i remember you!"
"you're too stupid to remember anybody, much less nobody."
cherry tried to contain her giggles.
polyphemus bellowed furiously, grabbed the boulder near the door, and threw it toward the sound of annabeth's voice.
the rock smashed into a thousand fragments.
for a moment, there was silence.
cherry wondered if annabeth had died.
"you haven't learned to throw any better, either!" annabeth yelled.
polyphemus howled. "come here! let me kill you, nobody!"
"you can't kill nobody, you stupid oaf. come find me!"
nobody was the name odysseus had used to trick polyphemus centuries ago, right before he poked the
cyclops's eye out with a large hot stick.
annabeth figured polyphemus would still have a grudge
about that name, and she was right.
in his frenzy to find his old enemy, he forgot about resealing the cave entrance.
he hasn't even realizes annabeth's voice was female, even though nobody was a male.
cherry and percy jumped down from the sheep.
they whispered their apologies, and cherry patted the animal.
the pair went on their way, but couldn't find grover or clarisse.
pushing past the sheep, they eventually began to run through corridors full of bones and life size sheep statues.
finally, percy paused in front of an open door.
grover was huddled in the corner, trying to cut clarisse's bonds with a pair of safety scissors.
"it's no good." clarisse said. "this rope is like iron!"
"just a few more minutes!" grover reassured.
"grover," she cried, exasperated. "you've been working at it for hours!"
cherry couldn't contain herself.
she ran at grover, which probably wasn't the brightest idea.
he dropped the safety scissors, and encased her in his arms.
"percy?" clarisse questioned. "you're supposed to be blown up!"
"good to see you, too. now hold still while i-" percy spoke, as he approached.
"percy!" grover pulled percy into his already existing hug. "you heard me! you came! and you're with cherry?"
"wish he wasn't." cherry mumbled.
grover finally let go of his friends.
he was quick to notice how percy remained silent.
how could he not? from the second him and cherry met, it was nothing but arguments.
he was guilty, grover realized.
"yeah, buddy." percy switched the subject. "of course i came."
"where's annabeth?" grover immediately questioned.
"outside." percy explained. "but there's no time to talk. clarisse, hold still."
the blonde uncapped riptide and sliced off her ropes.
clarisse rubbed her wrists.
she glared at percy, and then mumbled a thank you.
"you're welcome." percy nodded. "now, was anyone else on board your lifeboat?"
"no. just me. everybody else aboard the birmingham.. well, i didn't even know you guys made it out." clarisse mumbled
"okay. come on, then. we have to help-" percy tried to wipe the expression of disappointment off his face.
that meant tyson was really gone.
an explosion echoed through the cave, followed by a scream.
it was annabeth.