{1} 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐒𝐄𝐘𝐄 | p.jackson

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯

| chapter ten |
in which polyphemus has as many lives as a cat

"I GOT NOBODY!" gloated Polyphemus.

Nia, Percy, Grover, and Clarisse all crept to the cave entrance and saw Polyphemus grinning wickedly and holding up empty air. He shook his fist and a Yankees baseball cap fluttered to the ground. Suddenly, Annabeth appeared, hanging upside down by her legs.

"Hah!" Polyphemus said. "Nasty invisible girl! Already got feisty one for wife. Means you gotta be grilled with mango chutney!"

Annabeth struggled, but she had glassy eyes and a really nasty cut on her forehead.

"I'll get Annabeth," Percy whispered. "Our ship is around the back of the island. You guys—"

"No way," all three of them said at the same time. Clarisse armed herself with a highly collectible ram's-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. Nia gripped her bow and slung a quiver of arrows over her head.

"We'll take him together," growled Clarisse.

"Yeah," said Grover. Then he blinked, like he couldn't believe he'd just agreed with Clarisse about something.

"You're not doing this without us," said Nia determinedly, notching an arrow in her bow.

"All right," Percy said. "Attack plan Macedonia."

They all nodded at the mention of the training course they'd taken at Camp Half-Blood. Percy hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!"

"Another one?" Polyphemus whirled toward him. "Who are you?"

"Put down my friend. I'm the one who insulted you."

"You are Nobody?"

"That's right, you smelly bucket of nose drool!"

Nia furrowed her brows. "That's the best insult you have?"

"I couldn't think of anything else," Percy quietly defended himself. "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.

Polyphemus dropped Annabeth, but he dropped her headfirst onto the rocks, where she lay motionless as a rag doll.

"For Pan!" Grover rushed in from the right. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead.

Nia quickly ran towards Polyphemus from behind, leaped up, and slashed his legs with Thalia's dagger. He howled and swatted Nia aside. She would've ended up the same way as Annabeth if she hadn't had the good sense to protect her head.