WINGED ₁

22

"YOU THINK HE'D RUN OUT OF ROCKS," PERCY MUTTERED.

"Swim for it!" Grover said.

He and Clarisse plunged into the surf. Annabeth hung onto Clarisse's neck and tried to paddle with one hand, the wet Fleece weighing her down.

Madeleine took two steps into the water and then turned as Polyphemus spoke.

"You, young Cyclops!" he roared. "Traitor to your kind!"

Tyson froze.

"Don't listen to him!" Percy pleaded. "Come on."

He pulled Tyson's arm, but the Cyclops didn't budge. Instead, he turned and faced his elder. "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. 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.

"Madeleine!" Clarisse yelled. "Percy! Come on!"

They were almost to the ship with the Fleece. Madeleine looked at Percy, and he gave her a little nod, so she plunged into the water.

When Madeleine reached the ship, Clarisse, Grover, and Annabeth were already on board. Annabeth leaned heavily against Grover, the Fleece draped over her shoulders. Clarisse pulled Madeleine up, then resumed yelling for Percy to join them.

Madeleine turned.

Polyphemus, Percy, and Tyson were battling in the surf. As she watched, Polyphemus swung a tree at Percy. Percy grabbed a branch and was jerked skyward. At the top of the arc, Percy 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. He and Tyson locked eyes, and an understanding seemed to pass between them.

With one last mighty effort, Tyson pushed the cursing older Cyclops away, and they ran for the surf.

"I will smash you!" Polyphemus yelled, doubling over in pain. His enormous hands cupped over his 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 harmlessly away from Percy and Tyson.

Then Clarisse shouted, "Yeah, Jackson! In your face, Cyclops!"

Madeleine grabbed the bigger girl and clapped a hand over her mouth as Polyphemus roared and picked up a boulder. He threw it toward the sound of Clarisse's voice, but it fell short, narrowly missing Percy and Tyson.

Clarisse shoved Madeleine away and jeered, "Yeah, yeah! You throw like a wimp! Teach you to try marrying me, you idiot!"

"Clarisse!" Percy yelled from the water as Madeleine rushed forward again. "Shut up!"

Too late. Polyphemus threw another boulder, and Madeleine watched helplessly as it sailed over her head and crashed through the hull of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

The ship creaked and groaned and listed forward like it was going down a playground slide.

As Madeleine sunk with her friends, she thought, Duct tape.

⎯⎯ ୨ winged ୧ ⎯⎯

Madeleine kept her eyes opened as she drowned. This wasn't the first time she was perilously underwater on this trip, and at least she was in her right mind now. 

But right mind or not, it wasn't going to do her much good.

Percy has once told her that a ship acted like a sinkhole. When it sunk, it pulled down everything around it. Timber swirled around them, and Madeleine was wary of being hit in the head.

She considered using her flying shoes, but wings weren't made for swimming, and she didn't want to waste her breath on the trigger word. Besides, Madeleine wasn't even sure it would matter―she and Clarisse were both strong swimmers, but they weren't making any progress. Grover was frantically kicking with his hooves, but goats were just as good at swimming as eagles were. Annabeth was hanging onto the Fleece, which flashed in the water like new pennies.

Percy and Tyson swam toward them. Clearly Tyson could breathe underwater, because he was inhaling and exhaling with no problem―and he had survived in the wreckage of Clarisse's ship, Madeleine remembered―but what the two could do for all of them plus the Fleece, Madeleine was at a loss.

Maybe she would die a watery death. Maybe she would see her father. Maybe she wouldn't need to bet on the gods to explain.

Then four shapes shimmered in the darkness below―four horses with fish tails, galloping upward. Rainbow and his friends whisked into the wreckage, and a moment later Madeleine was clinging to one. Grover, Annabeth, and Clarisse were attached to the other three.

Rainbow, the largest, had Clarisse. He raced over to Tyson and allowed the Cyclops to grab hold of his mane. The one who bore Annabeth did the same for Percy.

They broke the surface of the water and Madeleine gasped in the sweet oxygen of the tropical gulf. Behind them, she could hear Polyphemus roaring in triumph, "I did it! I finally sank Nobody!"

Madeleine glanced at Clarisse, but the other girl was exhausted. She just gave her a wry smile and closed her eyes, slumping silently into sleep against Rainbow.

The hippocampi skimmed across the sea as the island shrank to a dot and then disappeared. Madeleine spread her arms; looked around at all of her friends, whole and alive, together; and fell asleep against her hippocampus's brilliant mane.

"all real love is sunlight."