A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

XIV| Ships sinking

"You'd think he'd run out of rocks." Oliver muttered.

Daphne nodded. "Dude has anger issues."

"Swim for it!" Grover said.

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

But the monster's attention wasn't on the Fleece.

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

Tyson froze.

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

Percy pulled Tyson's arm, but he might as well have been pulling a mountain. He turned and faced the older Cyclops. "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.

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

They were almost to the ship with the Fleece. If they could just keep the monster distracted a little longer..

"Go," Tyson told them. "I will hold Big Ugly."

"No! He'll kill you."Percy protested.

"We'll fight him together." Daphne insisted.

"Together," Tyson agreed.

Percy and Daphne drew their swords.

Polyphemus advanced carefully, limping worse than ever. But there was nothing wrong with his throwing arm.

He chucked his second boulder. Daphne dove to one side, but she still would've been squashed if Tyson's fist hadn't blasted the rock to rubble.

Percy willed the sea to rise. A twenty-foot wave surged up, lifting Percy on its crest. He rode toward the Cyclops and kicked him in the eye, leaping over his head as the water blasted him onto the beach.

"Destroy you!" Polyphemus spluttered. "Fleece stealer!"

"You stole the Fleece!" Daphne yelled. "You've been using it to lure satyrs to their deaths!"

"So? Satyrs good eating!"

"The Fleece should be used to heal! It belongs to the children of the gods!" Percy shouted.

"I am a child of the gods!" Polyphemus swiped at Percy, but he sidestepped. "Father Poseidon, curse this thief!"

He was blinking hard now, like he could barely see, and Daphne realized he was targeting by the sound of their voice.

Daphne teleported next to Percy.

"Poseidon won't curse me," Percy said, backing up as the Cyclops grabbed air. "I'm his son, too. He won't play favorites."

Polyphemus roared. He ripped an olive tree out of the side of the cliff and smashed it where the duo been standing a moment before. "Humans not the same! Nasty, tricky, lying!"

Grover was helping Annabeth aboard the ship. Clarisse was waving frantically at Daphne, telling them to come on.

Tyson worked his way around Polyphemus, trying to get behind him.

"Young one!" the older Cyclops called. "Where are you? Help me!"

Tyson stopped.

"You weren't raised right!" Polyphemus wailed, shaking his olive tree club. "Poor orphaned brother! Help me!"

No one moved. No sound but the ocean and Daphnes own heartbeat. Then Tyson stepped forward, raising his hands defensively. "Don't fight, Cyclops brother. Put down the-"

Polyphemus spun toward his voice.

"Tyson!" Daphne shouted.

The tree struck him with such force it would've flattened Daphne and Percy into a Daphne-Percy pizza with extra olives.

Tyson flew backward, plowing a trench in the sand. Polyphemus charged after him, but Percy shouted, "No!" and lunged as far as he could with Riptide.

"Blaaaaah!" Polyphemus bleated just like his sheep, and swung at Percy with his tree.

Daphne and Percy dove, but still got raked across the back by a dozen jagged branches. Daphne was bleeding and bruised and exhausted.

Polyphemus swung the tree again, but this time she was ready. Daphne grabbed a branch as it passed, ignoring the pain in her hands as she was jerked skyward, and let the Cyclops lift her into the air.

At the top of the arc she 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. Daphne landed next to them-sword in hand, within striking distance of the monster's heart.

"Let him go," Percy told Tyson. "Run."

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.

Daphne, 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 off to their right.

Percy summoned up a current to carry them, and they started gaining speed. Daphne was beginning to think they might make it to the ship, when Clarisse shouted from the deck, "Yeah, Jackson! In your face, Cyclops!"

"Rarrr!" Polyphemus picked up a boulder. He threw it toward the sound of Clarisse's voice, but it fell short, narrowly missing Daphne, Tyson and Percy.

"Yeah, yeah!" Clarisse taunted. "You throw like a wimp! Teach you to try marrying me, you idiot!"

"Clarisse!" Oliver yelled, unable to stand it. "Shut up!"

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

You wouldn't believe how fast a ship can sink. The Queen Anne's Revenge creaked and groaned and listed forward like it was going down a playground slide.

Percy cursed, willing the sea to push them faster, but the ship's masts were already going under.

"Dive!"

It was the last words Daphne heard as she passed out.