Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 41 - Everyone blushes

"Get rid of it!" I yelled, trying to watch Percy's struggle and drive at the same time.

Percy kept edging toward the pouch, but Beckendorf was attacking him, preventing him from getting to the package. I couldn't get rid of it myself as it was taking all of my concentration and strength to keep the chariot going, the wheel become looser and looser the faster we went. The Hephaestus driver was also barging me with his chariot, hitting the undamaged wheel so I was trying to dodge him too.

Beckendorf lunged at me, but Percy managed to hook his hilt in against Beckendorf's and knock it away before the blade could touch me. He went to grab the pouch, but Beckendorf recovered quickly and was attacking again.

We had to get rid of that pouch soon before it blew up. If it did, it would do more damage than just destroy our chariot. We could die too.

I was mentally counting down the seconds until it exploded, knowing we were running out of time as we hurtled toward the last bend.

Then Percy pressed his new watch.

A bronze shield sprung out of it, the clock face forming into a meter wide round shield that flashed bronze. The inside looked to be made of soft leather and he had a strap on his arm, although I didn't get time to examine it as I had to continually glance at the direction I was steering.

Beckendorf looked as shocked as I felt at the sudden appearance of the shield. His next swipe struck against it, shattering his sword into a rainfall of metal.

"What?" he shouted. "How -"

I didn't see what happened next, but the next time I looked around, Beckendorf was lying in the ground several metres behind us. Percy was about to attack the driver, but I saw that the Greek fire was now shooting sparks. We didn't even have seconds until it exploded.

"Percy!" I yelled, drawing his attention back to it.

He reacted quickly, shoving his sword tip under it and flipping it like a pancake into the Hephaestus chariot. The driver looked down to see the bomb now dislodged at his feet. He screamed and dived out of the chariot as the bomb exploded, dragging down the mechanical horses as well.

We shot away and I glanced back to see Clarisse and the Stolls only just managing to dodge the wreck as they raced on. But it was too late for them.

Hitting the last turn, I pulled the reins hard, Percy lurching into the side of the chariot as we went on one wheel. I thought we might tip for a second or so, but then the chariot landed heavily back onto both wheels and we shot through the finish line.

I whopped in victory as I steered the chariot back around, Percy grinning ear to ear beside me. Adrenaline surged through me. I felt like I could do anything. Gods, I loved chariot racing.

The crowds roared as I halted the chariot in front of the stands, Percy and I bowing to the campers. We'd only just stepped off the chariot before we were mobbed, our friends surrounding us as they chanted our names.

But there was one name missing.

"Hold up!" I yelled over the roar of the crowd. "Listen! It wasn't just us!"

The campers went silent, all of them watching Percy and I in the centre. It was the perfect moment for a speech.

"We couldn't have done it without somebody else!" I said, making myself heard over everyone gathered. "We couldn't have won this race or got the Fleece or saved Grover or anything! We owe our lives to Tyson, Percy's . . ." I trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

Fortunately Percy did. "Brother! Tyson, my baby brother."

The Cyclops was pushed to the front of the crowd beside us, blushing hard as the crowd started cheering again, this time chanting his name. I turned to Percy, thinking of how much he had changed. Once he wouldn't admit to being in any way related to Tyson and now he just declared to all that he was his brother. I had to admit, I liked it when he surprised me.

Going on impulse, I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, hearing the crowd roar even louder when I did so. Percy blushed almost as brightly as Tyson, which made it even better.

My siblings hefted the three of us onto their shoulders and carried us to the winner's platform where Chiron was waiting. And before the entire camp, the laurel wreaths were bestowed on us, even Tyson getting one. As I looked over the cheering crowd, I was glad that I had gone on the quest. Everything that happened was worth it to save this place. It was truly my home.

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After winning, there was no way that the day could be ruined.

Grover told Percy and I that the Council of Elders had been so impressed with him surviving and paving the way for future searchers that they granted him a two-month furlough and a new set of reed pipes. He was going to spend the whole summer with us at camp, which was good because I got to see my friend again, but bad also because he constantly insisted on the playing the pipes. I was ready to shove them down his throat by the end of that day.

He and Percy decided to keep the empathy link between them, which made me a bit envious. I would have loved having that kind of connection with someone. Although I don't exactly care for the shared danger part. I would hate to drop dead when sitting at the dining table if my empathy link partner was killed.

Tyson was finally treated like a hero by the campers. No one seemed to care any more that he was taller than everyone else or that he only had one eye. He was one of us now.

That evening Grover and I went to find Percy to chill with, but he seemed to disappear. He wasn't in his cabin or the arena. Immediately I got worried. The last time he'd gone missing after a quest was when he was bitten by a pit scorpion and nearly died.

I was about to tear apart the camp to search for him when Chiron stopped me.

"He's down by the beach," he told me in his usual patient voice. "Saying his goodbyes."

"Goodbyes," I asked. "Who's leaving?"

Immediately I assumed the worse. How could Percy leave without saying goodbye?

"To Tyson," Chiron answered. "Poseidon has offered him a job in the Cyclops forges in his palace. He's leaving now."

"Oh." I couldn't believe he was going so soon. Even Grover looked upset he was going.

Chiron trotted away and we headed down to the beach, hoping to maybe catch Tyson before he left. But as we crested the final sand dune, I saw that he was already gone.

Percy sat by himself at the edge of the surf, staring down at his watch. He looked so sad that I couldn't bear it.

"Hey, Percy," I called.

He turned, blinking rapidly as he gazed up at us. I could see that he had been crying a little, but I didn't mention it. Better to make him feel as manly as a scrawny thirteen year old could.

"Tyson . . ." he began, coughing slightly. "He had to . . ."

"We know," I told him gently. "Chiron told us."

"Cyclopes' forges." Grover shivered. "I hear the cafeteria food there is terrible! Like, no enchiladas at all."

Percy smiled, just a little, but it was enough.

I held out my hand to him. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. Time for dinner."

He let me pull him to his feet and together the three of us headed into camp, making me think of the good old times.