Percy POV
The way Tantalus saw it, the Stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Jade, Mattheo, Draco, Harry, Tyson, and I hadn't disturbed them with our bad chariot driving.
This was so completely unfair, I told Tantalus to go fuck himself (in English this time), which didn't help his mood. He sen-tenced us to kitchen patrol — scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The harpies washed with lava instead of water, to get that extra-clean sparkle and kill ninety-nine point nine percent of all germs, so we had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.
Tyson didn't mind. He plunged his bare hands right in and started scrubbing, but the rest had to suffer through hours of hot, dangerous work, especially since there were tons of extra plates. Tantalus had ordered a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory — a full-course meal featuring country fried Stymphalian death-bird.
"You know Draco," Mattheo said, "makes sense who your godly parent is. You obsessed with pomegranates."
"I am not obsessed with pomegranates."
"Yes you are mate." said Harry. "And green apples."
"Ok fine. They taste nice."
"Just know if we ever go on a quest you're gonna be the reader. You got the ADHD but not the dyslexia. We got both."
"Wow."
"So about Grover's situation," Mattheo started.
"There's no way Grover found actually found the Golden Fleece." Jade said.
Jade scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava. "Percy, remember the Gray Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason.
Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Who are Jason and the Argonauts?" Draco asked.
I started explaining, "Two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa were about to get sacrificed. They prayed Zeus, he sent his flying golden ram (better than a tree I guess) picked em up in Ancient Greece, carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well it actually carried Cadmus, Europa fell off and died on the way. Tragic. Cadmus got to Colchis, sacrificed the ram and hung its fleece on a giant tree in middle of city. Animals not sick. Plants better. And a bunch of other cool stuff. That's where Jason comes in. He wants it. Strength's people, revitalises lands, clears pollution."
"So it could cure the dying tree which apparently contains a girl inside?"
I nodded.
"But the fleece has been gone for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it. No luck." Jade said.
But Grover found it," Harry said. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect."
Mattheo raised an eyebrow . "A little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?"
"Well do we really have a choice?" I asked.
Jade glanced at Tyson, who'd lost interest in our conver-sation and was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava.
"Percy," she said under her breath, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclopes. And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."
YOU ARE READING
Percy Jackson and the sea of monsters
Fanfiction"Luke didn't poison Thalia's tree. I did!" ...... Percy and Harry return to camp with new arrivals . Still going by the name Jackson. He tries to balance being a spy and making camp think he's still loyal. Then Grover's in danger.
