Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 3 - I remember being seven

I was in a cave, hiding behind a boulder twice as big as me. I could feel the tears trinkling down my face and I was doing my best to stifle the sobs that threatened to overwhelm me. I was alone in the dark, every seven-year-olds worst nightmare. Luke, Grover and Thalia had disappeared, all running off in different directions, yelling each other's names. I tried to stop them, but they'd all told me to stay there, that they'd come back for me.

None of them had come back yet.

I wiped my grimy sleeve across my eyes and peered into the dark again, hoping upon hope that one of them would appear, hold me and tell me everything was alright. But it was so dark I could barely see my hand when I waved it in front of my face. I didn't want to sit there by myself any longer. What if they weren't coming back? What if they couldn't?

I had to find them. I had to know what was happening.

Mustering my courage, I crept out from behind the boulder and placed my hand on the left hand side of the corridor. I figured I couldn't get lost that way if I just followed it along.

I don't know how long I walked but it seemed like ages. I couldn't see, couldn't hear. My heart wouldn't stop thudding in my chest and I felt fresh tears washing down my face. I was petrified, but I kept walking. There was nothing else to do. It was walk or give up, and I'd never given up before.

Suddenly, I saw a light up ahead, growing brighter as I got closer. At first, I felt relief, believing that I'd found the exit, but then I saw that it wasn't as bright as it should have been. It was a dirty sort of light, like a lamp beaten down from years of darkness.

I slowed down as I grew closer, keeping as close to the side of the wall as I could. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, almost like it wanted to burst out and do a tap dance in front of me.

I emerged into a huge cavern, the roof towering high above me. It was circular in shape and dimly lit, onto a few feeble lamps scattered around the perimeter. Bones littered the rock ground, almost knee deep. They were all picked clean, some yellow with age. Most seemed to be animals, but there were some that looked disturbingly like humans.

In the centre of the room was a Cyclops, standing at least three times my height and five times my width. It was well tanned and muscular, it's muscles rippling beneath it's linen dressing gown, a gold cord tying it around it's waist. It's hair was braided in dozens of plaits, all threaded with gold. It was humming in pleasure to itself as it started a fire in the middle of the room, brushing aside bones as it did so. My knees buckled on sight of it and my courage whimpered and fled, but then I saw what was on the Cyclopes' menu.

Luke, Grover and Thalia hung from the roof, all trussed up and gagged. Luke saw me as soon as I came through the doorway and his eyes went wide with shock. He wriggled frantically, drawing Thalia and Grover's attention to me. They all started shaking their heads and moaning, telling me to flee the best way I could.

I shook my head grimly at them. There was no way I was leaving my friends. I drew my knife, intending to run to them and cut their bonds, but the Cyclops heard me. It turned and smiled maliciously at me, licking it's lips as it seems to decide the best way to cook me. Probably in a stew as I was thin and scrawny, barely any meat on me at all.

I wasn't going to be cooked in a stew though. I gripped my knife tightly although my hands were shaking and slippery with sweat. The Cyclops opened it's mouth to speak, but instead of the harsh, grated voice I'd expected, it spoke in a soft man's voice. My father's.

"Now, Annabeth, don't you worry," the voice of my father said, coming out of the Cyclops grotesque mouth. "I love you. You can stay here with me. You can stay forever."