The Forbidden Daughter | PJO Book One

thirteen

ANNABETH GETS HURT

"I got Nobody!" Polyphemus gloated.

They crept to the cave entrance and saw the Cyclops, grinning wickedly, holding up empty air. The monster shook his fist, and a baseball cap fluttered to the ground.

There was Annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs.

"Hah!" the Cyclops said. "Nasty invisible girl! Already got feisty one for wife. Means you gotta be roasted with mango chutney!"

Annabeth struggled, but she looked dazed.
She had a nasty cut on her forehead. Her eyes were glassy.

"I'll rush him." Percy whispered to Clarisse.
"Our ship is around the back of the island.
You, Ariana and Grover -"

"No way." the three said at the same time.

Clarisse had armed herself with a highly collectible rams-horn spear from the Cyclops's cave.

Grover had found a sheep's thigh bone, which he didn't look too happy about, but he was gripping it like a club, ready to attack.

And Ariana, well, she had her swords and whatever powers wanted to work.

"We'll take him together." Clarisse growled.

"Yeah." Grover said.

Then he blinked, like he couldn't believe he'd just agreed with Clarisse about something.

"All right." Ariana said. "Attack plan Macedonia."

They nodded. They had all taken the same training courses at Camp Half-Blood. They knew what she was talking about.

They would sneak around either side and attack the Cyclops from the flanks while Ariana and Percy held his attention in the front.

Percy hefted his sword and shouted, "Hey, Ugly!"

The giant whirled towards them. "Another two? Who are you both?"

"Put down my friend, we are the ones who insulted you!" Ariana shouted.

"You are Nobody?"

"That's right, you smelly bucket of nose drool!" Percy said. It didn't sound quite as good as Annabeth's insults. "I'm Nobody and I'm proud of it!"

"Now, put her down and get over here. I want to stab your eye out again!" Ariana informed, showing off her swords.

"RAAAR!" he bellowed.

The good news: he dropped Annabeth. The bad news: he dropped her head first onto the rocks, where she lay motionless as a rag doll.

The other bad news: Polyphemus barrelled towards Percy, five hundred smelly kilograms of Cyclops that he would have to fight with a very small sword.

"For Pan!" Grover rushed in from the right. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead.

Clarisse ran in from the left and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it.

He wailed in pain, and Clarisse dived out of the way to avoid getting trampled. But the Cyclops just plucked out the shaft like a large splinter and kept advancing on Percy.

Percy moved in with Riptide.

The monster made a grab for him. Ariana rolled aside and stabbed him in the thigh.

She was hoping to see him disintegrate, but this monster was much too big and powerful.

"Get Annabeth!" Percy yelled at Grover.