𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩

Chapter X V I I I

18
∆

Nobody's Fleece

  "I got Nobody!" Polyphemus gloated.

  Cyrus and Percy rushed 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.

  "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.

  Behind Cyrus, (y/n) told Clarisse "I’ll rush him. Our ship is around the back of the island. You and Grover —"

  "No way," they said at the same time. Clarisse had 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.

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

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

  "All right," (y/n) said. "Attack plan Macedonia."

  The rest of the group nodded. They'd all taken the same training courses at Camp Half-Blood. They knew what he was talking about. They would sneak around either side and attack the Cyclops from the flanks while (y/n) held his attention in the front. Probably what this meant was that they'd all die instead of just the three, but Cyrus was grateful for the help.

  (y/n) hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!"

  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 giant, one-eyed Cunt!" (y/n) taunted "I am Nobody and I am proud of it! Now, put her down and get over here. I want to stab your eye out again."

  "RAAAR!" he bellowed.

  The good news: he dropped Annabeth. The bad news: he dropped her headfirst onto the rocks, where she lay motionless as a rag doll.

  The other bad news: Polyphemus barreled toward him, a thousand smelly pounds of Cyclops that he would have to fight with a very small sword.

  "For Pan!" Grover rushed in from the right with Cyrus. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster’s forehead. Clarisse ran in from the left with Percy and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it. He wailed in pain,  and Clarisse dove out of the way to avoid getting trampled, regrouping with Percy. But the Cyclops just plucked out the shaft like a large splinter and kept advancing on (y/n) .

  The son of Persephone moved in with his blade.

  The monster made a grab for him. He rolled aside and stabbed him in the thigh.
Cyrus was hoping to see him disintegrate, but this monster was much too big and powerful.

  "Get Annabeth!" he yelled at Grover and Cyrus.

  The two rushed over, grabbed her invisibility cap, and picked her up while Clarisse, Percy and (y/n) tried to keep Polyphemus distracted.

  Cyrus had to admit, Clarisse was brave. She charged the Cyclops again and again. He pounded the ground, stomped at her, grabbed at her, but she was too quick. And as soon as she made an attack, Percy and (y/n) followed up by stabbing the monster in the toe or the ankle or the hand.