❛013❜

WHEN YOU THINK of an island inhabited by monsters, you think craggy rocks and bones scattered on the beach like the island of the sirens.

the cyclops's island was nothing like that. okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was definitely not giving good vibes. you might as well put up a billboard that said, something evil lives here! passage to the underworld on 50% discount! but, except for that, the place looked like a caribbean postcard. it had green fields and tropical fruit trees and white beaches. as they sailed towards the shore, ivy breathed in the sweet air. "the fleece," she said in realization.

she couldn't see the fleece yet, but its power was palpable. ivy could believe it would heal anything, even thalia's poisoned tree.

"if we take it away, will the island die?" percy asked, his eyes flickered around the island in amazement.

annabeth shook her head. "it'll fade. go back to what it would be normally, whatever that is."

ivy felt a little guilty about ruining this paradise, but she reminded myself they had no choice. camp half-blood was in trouble. and tyson... tyson would still be with us if it wasn't for this quest. she truly wished she could apologize to him.

in the meadow at the base of the ravine, several dozen sheep were milling around. they looked peaceful enough, but they were huge – the size of hippos. just 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. something gold glittered in its branches.

"this is too easy," percy said. "we could just hike up there and take it."

"is the prospect of fighting a cyclops too easy for you?" ivy hissed. she didn't mean to snap, but she was more nervous than she was ready to admit. sure, she liked tyson now but not other cyclopes. the brunette had a limit of how many cyclopes made her list of friends, one was more than enough.

"there's supposed to be a guardian." annabeth said with narrowed eyes. "a dragon or..."

that's when a deer emerged from the bushes. it trotted into the meadow, probably looking for grass to eat, when the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. it happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves.

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.

annabeth, ivy and percy exchanged looks.

"they're like piranhas," annabeth murmured.

"piranhas with ugly wool," ivy deadpanned.

percy sighed exasperatedly, "how will we –'

"guys!" annabeth gasped,"look."

the blonde 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.

they decided there was no way they could get past the man-eating sheep. annabeth wanted to sneak up the path invisibly and grab the fleece, but in the end ivy and percy convinced her that something would go wrong. the sheep would smell her. another guardian would appear. something. and if that happened, they'd 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 got past the sheep. ivy was too nervous to say what she was secretly hoping... that tyson might still be alive. but she didn't want to give percy any false hope.

they moored the queen anne's revenge on the back side of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good sixty meters feet. figuring the ship was less likely to be seen there.

the cliffs looked climbable, barely – about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp. at least it was free of sheep. ivy hoped that polyphemus did not also keep carnivorous mountain goats.

they rowed a lifeboat to the edge of the rocks and made their way up, very slowly. annabeth went first, both girls were very capable of climbing the wall. but annabeth argued that ivy and percy always got caught up in bickering rather than getting the task at hand done.

they only came close to dying six or seven times, which ivy thought was pretty good. once, percy lost his grip and found himself dangling by one hand from a ledge fifteen meters above the rocky surf. but he found another handhold and kept climbing. a minute later ivy hit a slippery patch of moss and her foot slipped. fortunately for her, she found something else to put it against. unfortunately for percy, that something was his face.

"sorry," she murmured, she held back a laugh. while clinging to a steep mountain wasn't the best time to double up laughing.

"s'okay," he grunted.

finally, when her fingers felt like molten lead and her arm muscles were shaking from exhaustion, they hauled ourselves over the top of the cliff and collapsed.

"ugh," percy said.

"i need a manicure asap," ivy complained.

"ouch," moaned annabeth.

"garrr!" bellowed another voice.

if she hadn't been so tired, ivy would've leaped another sixty meters. she whirled around, but couldn't see who'd spoken.

annabeth signalled both percy and ivy to keep silence. the blonde pointed.

the ledge they were sitting on was narrower than she'd realized. it dropped off on the opposite side, and that's where the voice was coming from – right below them.

"you're a feisty one!" the deep voice bellowed.

"challenge me, scumbag!" clarisse's voice, no doubt about it. "give me back my fucking sword and i'll fight you!"

the monster roared with laughter.

the three demigods crept to the edge. they were right above the entrance of the cyclops's cave. below them stood polyphemus and grover, still in his wedding dress. clarisse was tied up, hanging upside down over a pot of boiling water. ivy was half hoping to see tyson down there, too. even if he'd been in danger, at least he would've been alive. but there was no sign of him.

ivy kept her breath steady at the sight of the vicious cyclops. taking deep breaths to slow her erratic heart. she felt a hand slip through her own, entwining their fingers together. looking to her right, percy gave her a nod while squeezing her hand. there was a silent message in his actions, i'm here. he kept his hand in hers.

"hmm," polyphemus pondered. '"eat loudmouth girl now or wait for wedding feast? what does my bride think?"

he turned to grover, who backed up and almost tripped over his completed bridal train. "oh, um, i'm not hungry right now, dear. perhaps–"

"did you say fucking bride?" clarisse demanded. "who– grover?"

to her left, annabeth muttered, "shut up. she has to shut the fuck up."

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 eyelid narrowed over his baleful milky eye, as if he were trying to see clarisse more clearly.

the cyclops was an even more horrible sight than ivy imagined. partly because his rancid smell was now up close and personal, it made her go back to that horrible night. partly because he was dressed in his wedding outfit – a crude kilt and shoulder-wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedoes, as if he'd skinned an entire wedding party.

"what satyr?" asked polyphemus. "satyrs are good eating. you bring me a satyr?"

"no, you jerkoff!" bellowed clarisse. "that satyr! grover! the one in the wedding dress!"

ivy wanted to wring clarisse's neck, but it was too late. all she could do was watch as polyphemus turned and ripped off grover's wedding veil – revealing his curly hair, his scruffy adolescent beard, his tiny horns.

polyphemus breathed heavily, trying to contain his anger. "i don't see very well," he growled. "not since many years ago when the other hero stabbed me in eye. but you're – no – lady – cyclops!"

the cyclops grabbed grover's dress and tore it away. underneath, the old grover reappeared in his jeans and t-shirt. he yelped and ducked as the monster swiped over his head.

"stop!" grover pleaded. "don't eat me raw! i – i have a good recipe!"

percy reached for his sword, but ivy tugged their linked hands and hissed, "wait."

polyphemus was hesitating, a boulder in his hand, ready to smash his would-be bride.

"recipe?" he asked grover.

"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 roasted over a slow fire. with mango chutney! you could go get some mangoes right now, down there in the woods. i'll just wait here."

the monster pondered this. her heart hammered against her ribs. ivy was half petrified of the cyclops and half enraged. she wouldn't let him kill she loves, and she adores the hooves off of grover.

"roasted satyr with mango chutney," polyphemus mused. he looked back at clarisse, still hanging over the pot of boiling water. "you a satyr, too?"

"no, you overgrown pile of shit!" she yelled. "i'm a girl! the daughter of ares! now untie me so i can rip your arms off!"

"rip my arms off," polyphemus repeated.

"and shove them up your ass!"

"you got spunk."

"let me down!"

polyphemus snatched up grover as if he were a wayward puppy. "have to graze sheep now. wedding postponed until tonight. then we'll eat satyr for the main course!"

"but... you're still getting married?" grover sounded hurt. "who's the bride?"

polyphemus looked towards the boiling pot.

clarisse made a strangled sound. "oh, no! you can't be serious. i'm not –"

before ivy, percy or annabeth could do anything, polyphemus plucked the daughter of ares off the rope like she was a ripe apple, and tossed her and grover deep into the cave. "make yourself comfortable! i come back at sundown for big event!"

then the cyclops whistled, and a mixed flock of goats and sheep – smaller than the man-eaters – flooded out of the cave and past their master. as they went to pasture, polyphemus patted some on the back and called them by name – beltbuster, tammany, lockhart and so on.

when the last sheep had waddled out, polyphemus rolled a boulder in front of the doorway as easily as she would close a refrigerator door, shutting off the sound of clarisse and grover screaming inside.

"mangoes," polyphemus grumbled to himself. "what are mangoes?"

he strolled off down the mountain in his baby-blue groom's outfit, leaving the, alone with a pot of boiling water and a six-ton boulder.

they tried for what seemed like hours, but it was no good. the boulder wouldn't move. they yelled into the cracks, tapped on the rock, did everything they could think of to get a signal to grover, but if he heard them, they couldn't tell.

even if by some miracle they managed to kill polyphemus, it wouldn't do them any good. grover and clarisse would die inside that sealed cave. the only way to move the rock was to have the cyclops do it.

percy got so frustrated he stabbed riptide against the boulder. sparks flew, but nothing else happened. a large rock is not the kind of enemy you can fight with a magic sword.

annabeth, ivy and percy sat on the ridge in despair and watched the distant baby-blue shape of the cyclops as he moved among his flocks. he had wisely divided his regular animals from his man-eating sheep, putting each group on either side of the huge crevice that divided the island. the only way across was the rope bridge, and the planks were much too far apart for sheep hooves.

they watched as polyphemus visited his carnivorous flock on the far side. unfortunately, they didn't eat him. in fact, they didn't seem to bother him at all. he fed them chunks of mystery meat from a great wicker basket.

the daughter of aphrodite couldn't believe they would lose just like that. they've come all the way here, passed through all the bullshit monsters and shitty people to be stopped by a dumb cyclo–.

that was it. he was dumb, plain and simple. on the other side, they weren't. okay, at least annabeth wasn't, ivy and percy were smart in their own ways. as a daughter of athena would say, even strength has to bow down to wisdom sometimes.

"trickery," the brunette decided. "we sure as hell can't beat him by force, so we'll have to use trickery."

annabeth looked proud. "that's it! he's stupid enough to fall down for whatever we put on the table."

"okay," percy said. "what trick?"

"i–" ivy blinked. "–haven't figured that part out yet."

"great." percy leaned back on his forearms, glaring at the sky. his sea-green eyes looking even more intense in the sunlight.

letting out a breath, annabeth said, "polyphemus will have to move the rock to let the sheep inside."

"at sunset," percy added. "which is when he'll marry clarisse and have grover for dinner. i'm not sure which is grosser."

"clarisse would definitely wear a jumpsuit or a tuxedo for her wedding," ivy mumbled to herself, thinking of all the designs she could make for the daughter of ares. would clarisse prefer the white or the black tux? would it be a men's or a women's tuxedo? because they have different lines of design.

"i could get inside," annabeth said, either ignoring or not catching her best friend's words. "invisibly."

ivy gave her an incredulous look, "and what about us?"

"the sheep," annabeth mused. she gave them one of those sly looks that always made ivy wary. "how much do you like sheep?"

"just don't let go!" annabeth said, standing invisibly somewhere off to ivy's right. that was easy for her to say. she wasn't hanging upside down from the belly of a smelly sheep.

now, ivy would admit it wasn't as hard as she had thought. the sheep didn't care. even the cyclops's smallest sheep were big enough to support her weight, and they had thick wool. she just twirled the stuff into handles for her hands, hooked her feet against the sheep's thigh bones, and presto – ivy felt like a baby wallaby, riding around against the sheep's chest, trying to keep the wool out of her mouth and her nose while trying not to throw up at the smell.

the sun was going down.

no sooner were they in position than the cyclops roared, "oy! goaties! sheepies!"

the flock dutifully began trudging back up the slopes towards the cave.

"this is it!" annabeth whispered. "i'll be close by. don't worry."

their sheep taxis started plodding up the hill. after a hundred meters, her hands and feet started to hurt from holding on. ivy gripped the sheep's wool more tightly, and the animal made a grumbling sound. she didn't blame it. she wouldn't want anybody rock climbing in her hair either. but if ivy didn't hold on, she was sure she'd fall off right there in front of the monster.

"hasenpfeffer!" the cyclops said, patting her sheep and it passed.

"einstein! widget – eh there, widget!" polyphemus patted percy's sheep and nearly knocked him to the ground. "putting on some extra mutton there?"

uh-oh, ivy thought. here it comes.

but polyphemus just laughed and swatted the sheep's rear end, propelling him forward. "go on, fatty! soon polyphemus will eat you for breakfast!"

and just like that, they was in the cave.

ivy could see the last of the sheep coming inside. if annabeth didn't pull off her distraction soon...

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.

that got exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for. the monster's face turned red with rage.

"nobody!" polyphemus yelled back. "i remember you!"

"you're too stupid to remember anybody," annabeth taunted. "much less nobody."

ivy hoped to the gods her best friend was already moving when she said that, because polyphemus bellowed furiously, grabbed the nearest boulder (which happened to be his front door) and threw it towards the sound of annabeth's voice. she heard the rock smash into a thousand fragments.

for a terrible moment, there was silence. then annabeth shouted, "you haven't learned to throw any better, either!"

polyphemus howled. "come here! let me kill you, nobody!"

"you can't kill nobody, you stupid oaf," she taunted. "come find me!"

polyphemus barrelled down the hill towards her voice.

now, the nobody thing wouldn't have made sense to anybody, but annabeth and ivy had explained to percy that it 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. the girls figured polyphemus would still have a grudge about that name, and they were right. in his frenzy to find his old enemy, he forgot about resealing the cave entrance. apparently, he didn't even stop to consider that annabeth's voice was female, whereas the first nobody had been male. on the other hand, he'd wanted to marry grover, so he couldn't have been all that bright about the whole male/female thing. or maybe he didn't mind marrying grover because he swung to both sides.

the daughter of aphrodite just hoped annabeth could stay alive and keep distracting him long enough for the two other demigods to find grover and clarisse.

they dropped off their ride, ivy patted hasenpfeffer on the head, and apologized. percy and ivy searched the main room, but there was no sign of grover or clarisse. they pushed through the crowd of sheep and goats towards the back of the cave.

even though percy had dreamed about this place, he still had a hard time finding his way through the maze. they ran down corridors littered with bones, past rooms full of sheepskin rugs and life-size cement sheep that ivy recognized as the work of medusa. there were collections of sheep t-shirts; large tubs of lanolin cream; and woolly coats, socks and hats with rams' horns. finally, ivy found the spinning room, where 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," she cried, exasperated. "you've been working at it for hours!"

and then they saw them.

"ivy? percy?" clarisse said. "you're supposed to be blown up!"

"good to see you, too." ivy rolled her eyes, even if she still wanted to design that tuxedo. "now hold still while i –"

"perrrrrcy! ivy!" grover bleated and tackled them with a goat-hug. "you heard me! you came!'

"yeah, buddy," percy said. "of course i came."

"where's annabeth?" the satyr asked.

"outside," ivy said. "no time to talk– although i have some questions about your wedding, clarisse. you hold still."

before clarisse could yell at ivy about how she wasn't getting married. percy uncapped riptide and sliced off her ropes. she stood stiffly, rubbing her wrists. she glared at them for a moment, then looked at the ground and mumbled, "thanks."

"you're welcome," percy sounded a little sarcastic. "now, was anyone else on board your lifeboat?"

clarisse looked surprised. "no. just me. everybody else aboard the birmingham... well, i didn't even know you guys made it out."

percy looked down, he looked defeated. without their other two friends noticing, ivy grabbed his hand subtlety, mimicating the comfort he had given her. she gripped his hand with the ghost of a smile, i'm here.

"okay," ivy said firmly, unwillingly taking her hand away from percy's. "come on, then. we have to help –"

an explosion echoed through the cave, followed by a scream that told ivy they might be too late. it was annabeth crying out in fear.

"i got nobody" polyphemus gloated.

they crept to the cave entrance and saw the cyclops, grinning wickedly, holding up empty air. the monster shook his fist, and a baseball cap fluttered to the ground. ivy's blood turned cold with what she saw. there was annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs.

"hah!" the cyclops said. "nasty invisible girl! already got feisty one for wife. means you gotta be roasted with mango chutney!"

annabeth struggled, but she looked dazed. she had a nasty cut on her forehead. her eyes were glassy.

"i'll rush him," percy whispered to them. "ivy knows where our ship is. you three –"

"no way," they all said at the same time. clarisse had armed herself with a highly collectible rams-horn spear from the cyclops's cave. grover had found a sheep's thigh bone, which he didn't look too happy about, but he was gripping it like a club, ready to attack. ivy had kapsoura out, she gripped the bow tightly in her to stop herself from freezing in terror.

"we'll take him together," clarisse growled.

"yeah," grover said. then he blinked, like he couldn't believe he'd just agreed with clarisse about something.

ivy just nodded shakily. she was sure the moment she opened her mouth all her food would come up.

"all right," percy said, his gaze lingering on the brunette. "attack plan macedonia. fitzy, take it from a distance, try to aim for the eye."

they nodded. they'd all taken the same training courses at camp half-blood. they knew what percy was talking about. they would sneak around either side and attack the cyclops from the flanks while percy held his attention in the front. ivy was grateful that clarisse and grover didn't question the different approach of the plan, she didn't want to admit how weak she was.

percy hefted his sword. with his expression set in determination he shouted, "hey, ugly!"

the giant whirled towards him. "another one? who are you?"

"put down my friend, i'm the one who insulted you."

"you are nobody?"

"that's right, you smelly bucket of horse shit!" percy shouted, "i'm nobody and i'm proud of it! now, put her down and get over here. i want to stab your eye out again."

"raaar!" he bellowed.

the good news: he dropped annabeth. the bad news: he dropped her head first onto the rocks, where she lay motionless as a rag doll.

the other bad news: polyphemus barrelled towards percy, five hundred smelly kilograms of cyclops that he would have to fight with a very small sword.

"for pan!" grover rushed in from the right. he threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead. clarisse ran in from the left and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it. he wailed in pain, and clarisse dived out of the way to avoid getting trampled. but the cyclops just plucked out the shaft like a large splinter and kept advancing on percy.

ivy snapped out of her frightened state, notching arrow after arrow to the cyclops's face, but he seemed to know how to guard his eye. it made it difficult for her to get a clear shot at it.

as percy moved in with riptide, the monster made a grab for him, the cyclops didn't waste his energy on looking for the source of the arrows. the son of poseidon rolled aside and stabbed him in the thigh.

I\ivy was hoping to see him disintegrate, but this monster was much too big and powerful.

"get annabeth! ivy yelled at grover.

the satyr rushed over, grabbed her invisibility cap, and picked her up while clarisse, percy and ivy tried to keep polyphemus distracted.

ivy had to admit, clarisse was brave, braver than she was. she charged the cyclops again and again. he pounded the ground, stomped at her, grabbed at her, but she was too quick. and as soon as she made an attack, percy followed up by stabbing the monster in the toe or the ankle or the hand with ivy attempting to blind him again.

but they couldn't keep this up forever. eventually they would tire or the monster would get in a lucky shot. it would only take one hit to kill them. ivy knew that very well.

out of the corner of her eye, ivy saw grover carrying annabeth across the rope bridge. it wouldn't have been her first choice, given the man-eating sheep on the other side, but at the moment that looked better than this side of the chasm, and it gave her an idea.

"fall back!" she told percy and clarisse.

the daughter of ares rolled away as the cyclops's fist smashed the olive tree beside her. percy helped clarisse to her feet.

they ran for the bridge, polyphemus right behind them. he was cut up and hobbling from so many wounds, but all they'd done was slow him down and make him mad.

"grind you into sheep chow!" he promised. "a thousand curses on nobody!"

"faster!" percy told them.

they tore down the hill. the bridge was their only chance. grover had just made it to the other side and was setting annabeth down. they had to make it across, too, before the giant caught them.

"grover!" ivy yelled. "get annabeth's knife!"

his eyes widened when he saw the cyclops behind them, but he nodded like he understood. as ivy, clarisse and percy scrambled across the bridge, grover began sawing at the ropes.

the first strand went snap!

polyphemus bounded after them, making the bridge sway wildly.

the ropes were now half cut. the three demigods dived for solid ground, landing beside grover. percy made a wild slash with his sword and cut the remaining ropes.

the bridge fell away into the chasm, and the cyclops howled... with delight, because he was standing right next to them.

"failed!" he yelled gleefully. "nobody failed!"

clarisse and grover tried to charge him, but the monster swatted them aside like flies.

percy took a protective stance in front of ivy, who stood frozen at the close proximity of the monster. she could basically feel the boy's anger radiating off of him.

the son of poseidon raised his sword and attacked. he jabbed the cyclops in the belly. when he doubled over he smacked him in the nose with the hilt of his sword. percy slashed and kicked and bashed until the next thing she knew, polyphemus was sprawled on his back, dazed and groaning, and percy was standing above him, the tip of his sword hovering over his eye. ivy watched with wide eyes and jaw dropped open.

"uhhhhhhhh," polyphemus moaned.

"percy!" grover gasped, just as amazed as her. "how did you –"

"please, noooo!" the cyclops moaned, pitifully staring up at percy. his nose was bleeding. a tear welled in the corner of his half-blind eye. "m-m-my sheepies need me. only trying to protect my sheep!"

he began to sob.

percy had won, but he stood frozen on top of the cyclops. all he had to do was stab – one quick strike.

"kill him!" clarisse yelled. "what are you waiting for?"

the cyclops sounded so heartbroken, more a moment ivy was reminded of tyson. but he wasn't tyson, not even by a strand of his ugly hair.

"he's a cyclops!" grover warned.

"don't trust him!" ivy shouted.

percy looked from the cyclops to ivy. there was an unapologetic expression on his face. he turned back to polyphemus

"we only want the fleece," percy told the monster. "will you agree to let us take it?"

"no!" clarisse shouted. "kill him!"

ivy gaped, "what are you doing?!"

the monster sniffed. "my beautiful fleece. prize of my collection. take it, cruel human. take it and go in peace."

"i'm going to step back slowly," percy told the monster. "one false move..."

polyphemus nodded like he understood.

percy stupidly stepped back... and just as ivy expected, polyphemus smacked him to the edge of the cliff.

"foolish mortal!" he bellowed, rising to his feet. "take my fleece? ha! i eat you first."

he opened his enormous mouth, his next bite being a defenseless percy.

ivy swelled in anger. she refused to let someone die while she stood and did nothing, again. tyson was gone. annabeth was severely injured. percy was about to be eaten. a vicious cyclops wasn't going to take anything from her again, because this time she wasn't going to stand and watch.

like instinct, she raised her arms, dropping her bow on the ground. ivy heard apollo's voice in her head, make it your own, but she also recalled something her father told her just before he died. she hadn't understood what he meant then, but she did now. you're sunlight, little rockstar. you just have to look for it.

it wasn't tingling she felt, it was warmth. it rose from the pit of her stomach, extending to her whole torso and spreading through her body. the light that was hitting her fingertips turned a light shade of pink, ivy understood now. it was hers.

all the way from her hands to where polyphemus was about to eat percy, two light beams shaded pink. at her will, the light aimed for the cyclops eye. he screamed in agony and went to cover her eye but the damage was already done. he was completely blinded.

then something went whoosh and thump!

a rock the size of a basketball sailed into polyphemus's throat – a beautiful three-pointer, nothing but net. the cyclops choked, trying to swallow the unexpected pill. he staggered backwards, but there was no place to stagger. his heel slipped, the edge of the cliff crumbled, and the great polyphemus made chicken-wing motions that did nothing to help him fly as he tumbled blindly into the chasm.

ivy turned.

halfway down the path to the beach, standing completely unharmed in the midst of a flock of killer sheep, was an old friend.

"bad polyphemus," tyson said. "not all cyclopes as nice as we look."

tyson gave them the short version: rainbow the hippocampus – who'd apparently been following them ever since the long island sound, waiting for tyson to play with him – had found tyson sinking beneath the wreckage of the css birmingham and pulled him to safety. he and tyson had been searching the sea of monsters ever since, trying to find them, until tyson caught the scent of sheep and found this island.

they all turned to ivy, with confusion and awe. "what?" she asked cluelessly.

clarisse blinked at her, "oh so you just casually turn the light pink and blind a monster, then?"

"that's what apollo meant. you have cool charmspeak and light manipulation powers," percy said. he gave her a small smirk, there was something else in his expression that made it hard for her not to blush.

ivy shook her head, turning back to tyson. she wanted to hug the big guy and apologize, except he was standing in the middle of killer sheep. "tyson, thank the gods. annabeth is hurt!"

"you... thank the gods she is hurt?" he asked, puzzled.

"no!" percy said.

ivy and percy knelt beside annabeth and her throat closed up at what she saw. the gash on her forehead was worse than they'd realized. her hairline was sticky with blood. her skin was pale and clammy.

grover, percy and ivy exchanged nervous looks.

percy perked up from beside her, "tyson, the fleece. can you get it for me?"

"which one?" tyson said, looking around at the hundreds of sheep.

"in the tree!" he said. "the gold one!"

"oh. pretty. yes."

ivy agreed, it was pretty. tyson lumbered over, careful not to step on the sheep. if any of them had tried to approach the fleece, they would've been eaten alive, but she guessed tyson smelled like polyphemus, because the flock didn't bother him at all. they just cuddled up to him and bleated affectionately, as though they expected to get sheep treats from the big wicker basket. tyson reached up and lifted the fleece off its branch. immediately the leaves on the oak tree turned yellow. tyson started wading back towards them, but percy yelled, "no time! throw it!"

the gold ram skin sailed through the air like a glittering shag frisbee. percy caught it with a grunt. it was heavier than it looked.

he spread it over annabeth, covering everything but her face, and ivy prayed silently to all the gods she could think of, even the ones she didn't like.

please. please.

the color returned to her face. her eyelids fluttered open. the cut on her forehead began to close. she saw grover and said weakly, "you're not... married?"

grover grinned. "no. my friends talked me out of it."

"annie," ivy said, "just lay still."

but, despite their protests she sat up, and ivy noticed that the cut on her face was almost completely healed. she looked a lot better. in fact, she shimmered with health, as if someone had injected her with glitter.

meanwhile, tyson was starting to have trouble with the sheep. "down!" he told them as they tried to climb him, looking for food. a few were sniffing in their direction. "no, sheepies. this way! come here!"

they heeded him, but it was obvious they were hungry, and they were starting to realize tyson didn't have any treats for them. they wouldn't hold out forever with so much fresh meat nearby.

"we have to go," ivy stressed. "our ship is..."

the queen anne's revenge was a very long way away. the shortest route was across the chasm, and they'd just destroyed the only bridge. the only other possibility was through the sheep.

"tyson," percy called, "can you lead the flock as far away as possible?"

"the sheep want food."

"i know!" the son of poseidon stressed, "they want people food! just lead them away from the path. give us time to get to the beach. then join us there."

tyson looked doubtful, but he whistled. "come, sheepies! um, people food this way!"

he jogged off into the meadow, the sheep in pursuit.

"keep the fleece around you," ivy told annabeth. "just in case you're not fully healed yet. can you stand?"

she tried, but her face turned pale again. "ohh. not fully healed."

clarisse dropped next to her and felt her chest, which made annabeth gasp.

"ribs broken," clarisse said. "they're mending, but definitely broken."

"how can you tell? percy asked, causing ivy to roll her eyes. as if he didn't know clarisse got into fights with everything that moved.

clarisse glared at the boy. "because i've broken a few, runt! i'll have to carry her."

before anyone could argue, clarisse picked up annabeth like a sack of flour and lugged her down to the beach. grover, percy and ivy followed.

as soon as they got to the edge of the water, percy willed the queen anne's revenge to them. after a few anxious minutes, ivy saw the ship rounding the tip of the island.

"incoming!" tyson yelled. he was bounding down the path to join them, the sheep about fifty meters behind, bleating in frustration as their cyclops friend ran away without feeding them.

"they probably won't follow us into the water," percy told them. "all we have to do is swim for the ship."

"with annabeth like this?" ivy protested, she didn't want her best friend to further her injury.

"we can do it," percy insisted. he sounded confident, probably because he was back in his home turf – the sea. "once we get to the ship, we're home free."

they almost made it, too.

they were just wading past the entrance to the ravine, when they heard a tremendous roar and saw polyphemus, blinded and bruised but still very much alive, his baby-blue wedding outfit in tatters, splashing towards them with a boulder in each hand.

"you'd think he'd run out of rocks," percy muttered.

ivy huffed, "the caveman probably has a collection."

"swim for it!" grover said.

the satyr, clarisse and ivy plunged into the surf. annabeth hung on to clarisse's neck and tried to paddle with one hand, the wet fleece weighing her down.

but the monster's attention wasn't on the fleece.

"you, young cyclops!" polyphemus roared. "traitor to your kind!"

tyson froze.

"don't listen to him!" percy pleaded. "come on."

percy pulled tyson's arm, but he might as well have been pulling a mountain. tyson turned and faced the older cyclops. "i am not a traitor."

"you serve mortals!" polyphemus shouted. "thieving humans!"

polyphemus threw his first boulder. tyson swatted it aside with his fist.

"not a traitor," tyson said. "and you are not my kind."

"death or victory!" polyphemus charged into the surf, but his foot was still wounded and his complete blindness was new. he immediately stumbled and fell on his face. that would've been funny, except he started to get up again, spitting salt water and growling.

"percy!" ivy yelled. "come on!"

they were almost to the ship with the fleece, but no matter if they did get to the ship or not. ivy wasn't going to move it unless percy and tyson where with them.

"go," tyson told percy. "i will hold big ugly."

"no! he'll kill you." the black haired boy argued, "we'll fight him together."

"together," tyson agreed.

"he'll kill both of your dumbasses!" ivy yelled from the water.

they didn't listen. percy drew his sword, and tyson readied himself in a fighting stance.

polyphemus advanced carefully, limping worse than ever and used his left hand to feel where he was going. but there was nothing wrong with his throwing arm, the right arm. he chucked his second boulder. percy dived to one side, but he still would've been squashed if tyson's fist hadn't blasted the rock to rubble.

a six-metre wave surged up, lifting percy on its crest. he rode towards the cyclops and kicked him in his wounded eye, leaping over his head as the water blasted him onto the beach.

"destroy you!" polyphemus spluttered. "fleece stealer!"

"you stole the fleece!" percy yelled. "you've been using it to lure satyrs to their deaths!"

"so? satyrs good eating!"

"the fleece should be used to heal! it belongs to the children of the gods!"

"i am a child of the gods!" polyphemus swiped at percy, but he sidestepped. "father poseidon, curse this thief!"

he was blinking hard, like that could bring back his sight, he was relaying completely on his hearing.

"poseidon won't curse me," percy said, backing up as the cyclops grabbed air. "i'm his son, too. he won't play favourites."

polyphemus roared. he ripped an olive tree out of the side of the cliff and smashed it where percy had been standing a moment before. "humans not the same! nasty, tricky, lying!"

grover and clarisses helped annabeth aboard the ship. ivy waved frantically at percy, telling him to come on before he got turned into cyclop's hummus.

tyson worked his way around polyphemus, trying to get behind him.

"young one!" the older cyclops called. "where are you? help me!"

tyson stopped.

"you weren't raised right!" polyphemus wailed, shaking his olive tree club. "poor orphaned brother! help me!"

no one moved. no sound but the ocean and her own heartbeat. then tyson stepped forward, raising his hands defensively. "don't fight, cyclops brother. put down the –"

polyphemus spun towards his voice.

"tyson!" percy shouted.

the tree struck him with such force it would've flattened anyone into a pizza with extra olives. tyson flew backwards, ploughing a trench in the sand. polyphemus charged after him, but percy shouted, "no!" and lunged with riptide. percy stabbed the cyclops in the balls.

"blaaaaah!" polyphemus bleated just like his sheep, and swung at percy with his tree.

the son of poseidon dived, but still got raked across the back by a dozen jagged branches. polyphemus swung the tree again, but this time percy seemed ready. he grabbed a branch as it passed, he was jerked skywards and the cyclops lifted him into the air. at the top of the arc he let go and fell straight against the giant's face – landing with both feet on his already damaged eye.

polyphemus yowled in pain. tyson tackled him, pulling him down. percy landed next to them – sword in hand, within striking distance of the monster's heart. ivy blushed by just looking at percy, there was the now familiar swirl in her stomach, there wasn't time to figure out what is was.

"let him go," percy told tyson. "run."

tyson pushed the cursing older cyclops away, and both boys ran for the surf.

"i will smash you!" polyphemus yelled, doubling over in pain. his enormous hands cupped over his blind eye.

tyson and percy plunged into the waves.

"where are you?" polyphemus screamed. he picked up his tree club and threw it into the water. it splashed off to percy's right, too close for ivy's personal comfort.

percy must've been using his water powers, because they were swimming faster than possible. ivy was beginning to think they might make it to the ship, when clarisse shouted from the deck beside her, "yeah, jackson! in your face, cyclops!"

ivy stomped on her foot, and hissed, "shut up!"

"rarrr!" polyphemus picked up a boulder. he threw it towards the sound of clarisse's voice, but it fell short, narrowly missing tyson and percy.

"yeah, yeah!" clarisse taunted, ignoring ivy's warning. "you throw like a pussy! teach you to try marry–"

"shut up!" ivy yelled at her with charmspeak. the daughter of ares trying to open her mouth but it was clamped shut against her will.

too late. polyphemus threw another boulder, and this time ivy watched helplessly as it sailed over to them and crashed through the hull of the queen anne's revenge.

you wouldn't believe how fast a ship can sink. the queen anne's revenge creaked and groaned and listed forward like it was going down a playground slide. and they all went underwater.

of the powers ivy had begun to discover she had, breathing underwater wasn't one of them. attempting to store as much oxygen as possible in her lungs wasn't a great solution, her struggle beneath the water wasted the air quickly. her lungs burned for release, she could hear the rush of her own blood in her ears. she wanted to scream for help, but as she opened her mouth salty water rushed in. as she choked in water, pain ricochet in her ribcage. this was it, ivy thought, this is how she was going to die.

she fluttered her eyes close, a minute of peace before she allowed death welcomed her with open arms. ivy barely noticed something grabbing her by the arm before everything went black.

a speaks!

alright ivy and percy's is decided to be FITZSON. and ivy goes first bc #girlboss

also this chapter is long asf lol and i ate a bowl of pasta so now i feel like a sloth🦥🦥

thoughts???