Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 33 - I become Nobody

We quickly discovered that it was impossible to move the boulder. Only a Cyclops could move the boulder and as demented Percy some times looked, he wasn't a Cyclops. Learning that, we tried to alert Clarisse and Grover to our presence but no matter how loud we yelled or how hard we banged on rocks, there was no answer from the cave.

Finally, Percy got frustrated and hacked at the rock with Riptide. Nothing happened, not that I expected it to. I didn't want to blunt my knife so I didn't copy him.

We climbed back up to the ridge to think. In the distance I could see the distinctive baby-blue figure of the Cyclops herding his sheep. The man-eating ones were kept separate from the normal ones, which was actually mildly intelligent. I wish we could just kill him and be over with it, but we needed him to open the cave. Otherwise Grover and Clarisse would die from being trapped.

Polyphemus moved to feed his carnivorous sheep, having to cross the rope bridge that stretched over the crevice to do so. He carried a massive bucket of meat chunks and I was disappointed to see that the sheep didn't eat him. In fact they nestled up to him, taking the meat out of his hands.

As I watched him, towering above his sheep, I realised that there was no way we could just kill him. Even with Clarisse and Grover, the four of us wouldn't be able to beat him in a fight.

"Trickery," I stated out loud. "We can't beat him by force, so we'll have to use trickery."

"Okay," Percy said, sounding enthused. "What trick?"

I deflated. "I haven't figured that part out yet."

"Great."

I could guess what he was thinking. My mother was the goddess of wisdom. I should be able to think of something. But that wasn't the same as tricks, which was more Hermes's area of expertise.

"Polyphemus will have to move the rock to let the sheep inside," I reasoned, thinking aloud.

"At sunset," Percy added, reminding me how little time we had as the sun rapidly sunk behind us. "Which is when he'll marry Clarisse and have Grover for dinner. I'm not sure which is grosser."

"I could get inside," I suggested, "invisibly."

"What about me?"

I looked across the island and saw the normal sheep not far from where we sat, grazing contentedly on grass. "The sheep," I mused, a memory popping into my head from one of my favorite heroes, a favorite of Athena too. The man who defeated Polyphemus before.

I shot Percy a sly look, one that made him already pale with fear. "How much do you like sheep?"

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"Just don't let go!" I yelled, trying not to laugh as Percy climbed under a sheep. He hooked his hands and feet into its thick wool and hung on, looking like the weirdest mother-and-child monkey hug ever. He had his nose wrinkled as he breathed to one side, trying not to inhale wool. It only made the sight look even funnier.

I was already ready considering I only had to put on my cap. But Percy had the much harder job. I just hoped it worked.

"Oy!" Polyphemus yelled from the top of the hill. "Goaties! Sheepies!"

"This is it!" I whispered to Percy, who was half-hidden under all the wool. "I'll be close by. Don't worry."

If he replied, I didn't hear it as the flock began to plod up the hill towards the cave, carrying Percy with them. I lost sight of him then as all the sheep milled around and I walked behind them, feeling nervous about my part to play in this. I really didn't want to be hit by a boulder.

The sheep reached Polyphemus and trudged past him into the cave after the Cyclops had patted them down. It appeared that he had names for them all, which wasn't surprising considering that they were the only living things on the island except for him. Even Cyclops needed company it seemed.

"Hasenpfeffer!" he said. "Einstein! Widget - eh there, Widget!"

My heart was in my mouth as he patted the sheep that Percy hung under. I felt for sure that he would be caught but Polyphemus merely laughed and slapped the sheep in the butt. "Putting on some extra mutton there? Go on, fatty! Soon Polyphemus will eat you for breakfast!"

I sighed in relief as Widget and Percy made it into the cave, only to get nervous again as I saw there were only a few sheep left. My turn.

Polyphemus patted the last sheep and was about to pick up the door boulder when I decided to act. Standing out in the open but hidden under my cap, I yelled, "Hello, ugly!"

Polyphemus stiffened and spun around, searching for me. "Who said that?"

"Nobody!" I yelled.

Polyphemus flushed red, exactly like I expected him to. He looked like he was about to explode. The plan was working. So far.

"Nobody!" he screamed. "I remember you!"

"You're too stupid to remember anybody," I taunted. "Much less Nobody."

I started to to run, moving as far away as I could. I was just in time too, as Polyphemus grabbed his front door and threw it where I'd been standing, smashing the rock to bits. My breath hitched as I realised how close I could have been to be smashed hadn't I moved. Quickly, I moved it out of my mind. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Now I just had to buy Percy enough time to get Clarisse and Grover.

"You haven't learnt to throw any better, either!" I yelled.

The Cyclops screamed in rage. "Come here! Let me kill you, Nobody!"

"You can't kill Nobody, you stupid oaf! Come find me!" I turned and ran, charging down the hill as the Cyclops raced after me, roaring as he did so.

I was glad that I had my cap on as he would have caught me within seconds if I hadn't. His legs were at least 10 times longer than mine so he caught me within three strides. I dived to the ground as he barrelled past thinking that I was further down the hill.

How did Odysseus do it? I wondered as I caught my breath. I struggled to remember exactly what happened in the story, which mainly consisted of Odysseus calling himself Nobody before poking out the Cyclops eye with a hot poker before escaping. The trick would have rankled with Polyphemus all these centuries, except I hadn't predicted how much so.

"Where are you, Nobody?" he bellowed, searching frantically around him. "Show yourself so I can kill you!"

"You have to find me, you blind idiot!" I yelled, scrambling back to my feet. "I'm everywhere!"

I started to make my way back up the hill, hoping to get to my friends and get out of there. But demigods never have any luck.

Polyphemus started picking up all the rocks and boulders he could find and chucking them in every direction. It was impossible to know where he was going to throw one next. Some thudded in the ground far from me, causing the ground to shake, but some got way too close for comfort. I tried to scramble out of the way, but he sent two spiralling in my direction. One I managed to dodge but the other slammed me in the chest and I felt something crack.

I screamed in pain as I crumbled to my knees, alerting Polyphemus to my location. He bounded towards me, another rock in hand, cloudy eye searching for me. I tried to scramble away, but my ribs felt like they were on fire, making every breath and movement painful.

Polyphemus threw another rock my way and again I wasn't quick enough. It grazed my head, slicing open my forehead and nearly knocking me out. Dazed with pain and blinded by blood, I collapsed onto my side, my mind foggy and my body heavy. I was helpless as the Cyclops approached, still searching. I knew I had to run, but I couldn't move as he groped along the ground with his hands and found my legs.

With a sharp tug that made my ribs flare with pain, he scooped up my ankles in one hand and dangled me upside down like a fish.

"I got Nobody!" he gloated.