Independence & Heartbreak // [Percy Jackson OC] // Book 2

{Chapter Ten}

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"And if they lock us away/ I'll still be here
Proudly waiting/ To spend more time with you"
- Outlaws (Alesia Cara)

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THE GANG'S BACK TOGETHER AGAIN

AFTER A LONG NAP, a talk with a few fish friends, and a few more polite askings for the coordinates, Arya knew they had found the Cyclops island when she could smell the air turn from the salty version she had grown used too, to a sickly sweet tone that really threw her off. The only smell that only came remotely close was the smell of Ambrosia.

"You smell that?" Arya asked, just to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

"It's gotta be the fleece." She agreed as the island came into view.

"If that bridge doesn't scream 'dangerous cyclopes' I don't know what does." Arya said as the cyclopes islands became clear in their vision.

    As the boat pulled up to the shore both Clarisse and Arya seemed to get a second wind, as if they knew they were going to have to give it all to get the fleece for camp. The girls walked out of the shore and Arya used the water to pull the boat out of the water and up on the sand, effectively beaching it.

     Both took a second to get there bearing on land since it had been a while and Arya took the time to look around, but there was no sign of anyone else.

"I guess it's just us." Arya sighed, quickly redoing her hair into a braid. Clarisse's face dropped for a fraction of a second at the idea that they would have to face the Cyclopes alone. It disappeared as quickly as it came and her hard demeanor was back, with a new sense of determination in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter, I was sent on this quest to receive the cloak and that's what i'll do."

As worried as Arya was about her brother and Annabeth. She knew how badly Clarisse needed to finish this quest, not only for her father, but for herself as well. Since there time on the boat she had come to understand the daughter of Ares a little better. Arya would make sure that happened. Clarisse deserved this.

There was a cliff that wrapped around the base of the mountain that was the vision of paradise. By the way it looked, there were four different paths at the top of the cliffs. One that leads directly to the tree, one that led to the cyclopes cliff, one that lead to the creepy bridge, and one that lead right to the Cyclops lair.