𝒊𝒊. 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝒙𝒊𝒊𝒊.

When you think "monster island," you think craggy rocks and bones scattered on the beach.

The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. Well, it did have a rope bridge across an ominous-looking chasm, but except for that the island was dreamlike. The place looked like a Caribbean postcard. It had green fields and tropical fruit trees and white beaches. As they sailed toward the shore, Noelle breathed in the sweet air. "The Fleece," she said.

Percy nodded. They couldn't see the Fleece yet, but they could feel its power. Percy could believe it would heal anything, even Thalia's poisoned tree. "If we take it away, will the island die?"

Noelle shook her head. "It'll fade. Go back to what it would be normally, whatever that is."

In the meadow at the base of the ravine, several dozen sheep were milling around. They looked peaceful enough, but they were huge— the size of hippos. Just past them was a path that led up into the hills. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was the massive oak Percy had seen in his dreams. Something gold glittered in its branches.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "We could just hike up there and take it?"

Noelle's eyes narrowed. "There's supposed to be a guardian. A dragon or... I don't know. Let me see if I can talk to the sheep."

That's when a deer emerged from the bushes. It trotted into the meadow, probably looking for grass to eat, when the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves

Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.

Seconds later the sheep all moved away, back to their regular peaceful wanderings. Where the deer had been was a pile of clean white bones.

Noelle and Percy exchanged looks.

"Add that to the list of why I'm vegetarian," she said. "They're like piranhas."

"Piranhas with wool. How will we—"

"Percy!" Noelle gasped, grabbing his arm. "Look."

She pointed down the beach, to just below the sheep meadow, where a small boat had been run aground... the other lifeboat from the CSS Birmingham.

~

They decided there was no way they could they could get past the man-eating sheep, even if Noelle were to talk to them. Noelle suggested using Annabeth's Yankee cap, but Percy told her that the sheep would probably just sniff her out.

Besides, their first job was to find Grover and whoever had come ashore in that lifeboat— assuming they'd gotten past the sheep. Both demigods didn't say it, but they hoped that their missing friends were still alive.

They moored the Queen Anne's Revenge on the back side of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet. They had figured the ship was less likely to be seen there.

The cliffs seemed to be climbable, barely— about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp. At least it was free of sheep. Percy silently hoped that Polyphemus did not also keep carnivorous mountain goats.

They rowed a lifeboat to the edge of the rocks and made their way up, very slowly. Well, Percy went much slower than Noelle, who had the skill of climbing like a mountain goat. So, obviously Noelle went first.

Noelle came close to dying once, while Percy came close five or six more times than that. Once, Percy lost his grip and found himself dangling from a ledge fifty feet above the rocky surf. But he found another handhold and kept climbing. A minute later Noelle hit a slippery patch of moss and her foot slipped. Fortunately, she found something else to put it against. Unfortunately, that something was Percy's face.