Charmolypi

Chapter 114

The group 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. There was Annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs.

"Annabeth!"

"No!"

"I hope she's going to be okay."

Percy saw Thea's eyes flashing gold and held her wrist, stopping her from making any impulsive decisions. "Wait," he whispered.

"I still don't understand why her eyes do that," Evan whispered to his friends, but they all shrugged, just as clueless as he was.

"Hah!" the Cyclops said. "Nasty invisible girl! Already got feisty one for wife. Means you gotta be grilled 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 Clarisse. "Our ship is around the back of the island. You and Grover-"

"If he does that, he will get himself killed," James protested.

"Maybe that's the only way they could all get out of this alive?" Ted suggested.

"How? By sacrificing one of them?" Sirius shot back.

"You lot are acting as though Thea would let him sacrifice himself," Andromeda said.

"No way," the former captives 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.

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

"Listen to Clarisse!" Marlene said excitedly.

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

"All right," Percy said. He turned to Thea, only to find her eyes fixated on the Polyphemus.

"Please don't attack out of anger," Remus muttered under his breath over and over.

"Attack plan Macedonia," Thea decided. The group, without a glimmer of doubt, decided to follow the girl's plan.

They'd all taken the same training courses at Camp Half-Blood. They knew what Thea was talking about. They would sneak around either side and attack the Cyclops from the flanks while one of them held his attention in the front. Percy volunteered to be the distraction.

He hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!"

"I surprisingly enjoy the idea of Percy becoming the distraction," James said with a grin.

The giant whirled toward 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 nose drool!" It didn't sound quite as good as Annabeth's insults, but it was all he could think of. "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."

"I liked Annabeth's insults more."

"Why would it matter? The only important thing is the fact that he gets distracted enough," Bellatrix answered the young Slytherin.

"RAAAR!" he bellowed.

Fortunately, he let go of Annabeth, but the downside was the face that he dropped her headfirst onto the rocks, where she lay motionless as a rag doll.