Sequel: The Hurtful Truth

Chapter 10: Polyphemus's island, welcome to Death

"Paddle! Paddle!" Percy yelled grabbing on ore and Annabeth the other. There were two where Tyson and I were sitting. We all paddled fast trying to get away from the teeth. "Yeah sharks would be better" Annabeth said examining the teeth also. "It's Charybdis!" I yelled over the load wind and sea. "Charyb..... What?" Tyson asked. "She guards the Sea of Monsters" Annabeth told Tyson. We crashed into a tooth and we all grunted or screamed. "Percy!" Annabeth yelled. Percy tried to use his powers but it didn't work. "It's not working!" He yelled looking at Annabeth and I. "The Sea of Monsters might not be in Poseidon's domain" I told him. "Hold on" Percy yelled making all of us hold on to the raft. We slid down into the mouth making our way to the stomach. We yelled and screamed for our lives. We finally hit her stomach and landed with a thud. I sat up and looked around. "Where are we?" Annabeth asked. "Smells like the stomach" Percy said. The four of us got up and got off the raft. "Watch your step" Percy said. "No shit Sherlock" I said sarcastically making Annabeth laugh. He glared at me and I gave him a hug. He rolled his eyes and hugged back. "What is this stuff?" Tyson asked touching the goo. "I don't think you want to know" Annabeth told him. "Whoa! Ooh" Tyson exclaimed while he fell over into the goo. "This has to be the worst way to die, ever" I told the others. "Yeah, everything that disappears in the Bermuda Triangle, well, this is where they end up" Percy said "oh come on!" A women's voice yelled in the distance. "That sounds like Clarisse" I stated and looked forward. "No, it couldn't be her" Percy denied. "You ridiculously stupid morons!" She yelled. "No it's her" Annabeth stated and we all walked towards the ship. "You idiots! Better keep my electrical grid up and running, or I'll plug your head into it!" She yelled at her crew. "Clarisse! Hey!" Percy yelled and waved his arms. She stood by the railing and squinted her eyes. "Jackson? What are you doing here?" She asked in disbelief. "We got swallowed up, just like you" he told her while we climbed up the stairs. "Nice ship" he commented at the last second. "My dads got tons of this stuff left over from wars throughout history. It was either this or a Huey from Vietnam. I figured a boat might be a little practical" Clarisse said and held on to something when the boat jerked to the left. The rest of us steadied ourselves and Percy asked "What's going on?" "Pretty much what you think goes on inside of a stomach" Clarisse told him with a sassy attitude. All the water wash rushing to the end of the stomach, down to the part where it was crushing most of the items in the stomach. "Your right. That really is the worst way to die" Percy told me. "Readon!" Clarisse yelled "What in Hades is going on with my engine? Is it ready yet?" She asked to what looked like an old zombie ship member. "Almost, ma'am. They're working on it." The man said out of breath after he rushed to Clarisse. "Wait, your crew is zombies?" Annabeth asked. It made every crew member stop what they were doing and looked our way. "They prefer 'dead confederate sailors whose lives have been given in tribute to Ares' " Clarisse explained. "But 'Zombies' is fine" the dead guy said. Just then the chain holding ship together broke. We all just lost our balance and I held on the railing. Reardon gasped as the boat started to move forward where we would be crushed into millions of pieces. "Reardon! Gun! Fast! Now!" Clarisse yelled at the dead man. "Gun is hot, Cap'n. Locked and loaded" he told her. "Aim it at that meat grinder" she said walking to where she could steer the boat. "Wait, wait. You want to shoot that thing with this?" Percy asked pointing to the canon. "Do you have a better idea? Because now would be the time" Clarisse snapped. Percy looked around and I came up behind him getting his idea. "Hey Clarisse" I said getting her attention. "What?" She asked "Can you steer the ship?" Percy asked. Really that's what you have to ask. "No. I just finished drivers Ed. Yes , of course, I can steer a ship" she said with sarcasm. "You had it coming" I muttered and Percy continued. "Well, why don't we give her a stomach ache. We'll escape through the gut" he told her. "It might just work if it doesn't kill us first" she told him. "You steer, we'll shoot" I said and grabbed Percy going to the cannon. Clarisse started to yell orders and Percy and I got on the area where the cannon was. "You sure about this?" Percy asked me. "Yep, just hand me the chain so I can stay still" I told him pointing to the chain. "Are you sure you can stand there for that long?" "Yeah your father taught me" I told him tightening the chain. Just then we hit where we would be digested but it didn't, it just knocked us over a little. I kept my balance and turned to Percy when I heard him say "You should watch what you eat". He started to shoot at the stomach and I started to throw lightning bolts in the same area. We made made progress and made a hole where water broke out. I loosened my chain and ran with Percy into the area where Clarisse was steering. Percy closed the door after me. "I hope this works" I said and was thrown back hitting the back of me head. "Just don't forget" Clarisse told us. "Forget what?" Percy asked. "That this was all your guys plan" she said after the window started to crack a little. We broke through the stomach and started to head up to get out of the water. The window broke but I was in to much pain after hitting my head on the wall. I checked my head and noticed it was bleeding a little. The window kept on making little holes and the second on hit me spraying me. "C'mon" I said and prayed to get out of the water. The window was almost about to break but we hit the top of the water and we went sailing like normal. "We did it" Percy and I cheered but Clarisse took all the credit saying she did it. Percy gave her a look and went out. I went out behind him and Clarisse started to demand orders again. "Hey guys are you alright?" Percy asked. "That was amazing" Annabeth told us and gave Percy a hug then me. "Your bleeding" she told me. I laughed and said "Yeah, nothing some ambrosia can't fix" I told her heading for my bag. I grabbed a piece then realized that Ichneautae wasn't here. "Hey where's Ichneautae?" I asked Clarisse. "Oh, now you miss Ichneautae?" She asked and walked towards us. "Well we ran into Scylla, that multi- headed Bydra thing. He said "I got this", Famous last words" she told us. Reardon came over and told Clarisse "we've restored full power, Cap'n. Heading?" He asked "northwest" Clarisse told him. Percy looked off in the distance making me look where he was looking. "Are you sure about that?" He asked Clarisse. "Yes I'm sure about that. Why, do you have a problem?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Yeah you got a problem?" Reardon asked trying to back up his captain. "Well I think you Confederate warship is heading to West Palm Beach, Florida" Percy said using some hand gestures. "What is it?" Annabeth asked. "I know this sounds insane, but it's kind of like my dyslexia. But instead of being able to read Greek, I can see map lines" he told her and I stood beside him trying to see what he sees. I could see what he sees, I then saw some numbers appear on the ocean. "30, 31, 75, 12" he read. "Wait that's the numbers from the..." Annabeth said to be cut if by me "From the crazy, eyeless taxi drivers" I told them. "There coordinates" Percy said using all the information. "30, 31 degrees north, 75, 12 degrees west. That's where Polyphemus and the Fleece are" Percy continued. Clarisse looked at Reardon. "Change course. Southwest" she ordered. "Aye, aye..." He said only to see Tyson with one eye. "Sorry" he murmured and went away. I followed the other boys but saw Annabeth holding a piece from Thalia's tree. "It's going to be okay, you know" I told her. "Yeah I know" she said looking off in the distance.