CHAPTER THIRTEEN
—stupid cyclops

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—JUDITH had always been an expert at the lava rock wall at camp. She'd mastered it within months and got bored of it almost immediately. So, now, as she climbed up a cliff side with no lava or spikes that randomly popped out, she could only think it was torture. She didn't know why they couldn't just take the more fun route of outrunning the devil sheep they'd found devouring a deer. Her opinion on the matter had been irrelevant to Annabeth's concern to their safety.

Judith's hands gripped the wall easily, her many callouses coming in handy. Annabeth was huffing as she stayed behind to help a struggling Percy. He wasn't an exceptional land dweller, certainly not a mountain goat and he hadn't stayed at camp long enough to complete the lava wall a bazillion times over.

The daughter of Ares paid no mind as Percy shrieked at a mini sock slide going on next to them. She reached the top of the wall first, heaving herself over, only to find it dropped off not a few feet later. The other two behind her managed to gather their bearings at the top as well a few minutes later.

Once they had all caught their breath, they stared into the canyon below where a deep and angry voice bellowed.

"You're a feisty one!"

"Challenge me!" Clarisse's voice boomed back. Judith gasped her name and made a move to go climbing down but Annabeth's arm stopped her.

"We need to be smart about this." She whispered, unsure of how well their voices would travel into the canyon.

"That's my sister down there," Judith muttered. "I'm gonna go help her before that Cyclops eats her. That's me being smart."

Percy and Annabeth watched on helplessly as Judith began her descent with determination. Luckily for everybody, she was light on her feet and the rocks weren't crumbling. As Judith focused hard on her climbing, she could barely hear the conversation becoming steadily worse as it continued.

Clarisse exposed Grover in his wedding dress which angered Polyphemus to the point of deciding to marry Clarisse instead, arguably a worse fate than boiling in a vat of water.

As Judith was reaching the bottom, she became more hurried since Polyphemus was moving to lock the satyr and her sister in a cave with a giant boulder in front. Judith jumped the last few feet but it was to no avail. The cyclops walked away, leaving Judith alone in the chasm and with no way to get her sister and the satyr out. She looked up at Percy and Annabeth who understood and also began climbing down.

Judith scowled at how long they were taking and started to try and move the gigantic boulder by herself. Her shoulders started to ache as she slammed them into the hard surface.

"That's not helping," Annabeth said as she hopped down.

Judith turned to glare at her, unsheathing her sword like she was about to fight the girl but then spun on the boulder instead. Annabeth and Percy tuned out the sound of metal hitting rock over and over as they watched her in silence. They understood her desperation to see her sister again.

While she wailed in anger, the other two came up with a plan that would soon require Percy and Judith to hang from the underside of sheep ( Judith would have argued over this plan if she had been a part of the discussion ). It was risky and stupid, but Judith's tunnel vision was now on getting her sister out, so anything that could make that happen would have to do.

Her and Percy hid behind a rock, prepping themselves for their task.

"If they eat me," Percy said seriously, "tell my mom I love her."

Judith's face crinkled in an awkward expression. "Uhuh," she drawled. "You're going to tell her yourself."

"Well, I can't if I die," he deadpanned.

"Then don't die. Dying by sheep is worse than a scorpion."

Oddly enough, this seemed to comfort his restless thoughts. "You're right. I can't die like this, that would be embarrassing."

"Exactly," Judith helped. "Now, let's do this."

They shouldered their bags tightly and snuck up to the herd. The plan was to grab on before they could understand what was happening. Supposedly — according to Annabeth — sheep hides were particularly insensitive so they wouldn't feel the extra weight. Judith wasn't sure how credible that information was, but Annabeth had yet to lead them astray, so she'd have to trust.

As it turned out, Annabeth was right, or the sheep just didn't care that Judith and Percy were now hitching rides on their bellies. They simply continued to graze on anything in their path like scavengers. Judith almost gagged when hers decided to chomp down on a big old grasshopper.

They were slowly making their way across the clearing and into the cavern where Clarisse and Grover were when Polyphemus bounded up, his footsteps threatening to shake their grips on the wool. Judith's hands clenched to the point of cramping in order to stay on. She held her breath as the cyclops took a particular interest in Percy's sheep since it was moving rather sluggishly. He had stupidly chosen one of the smaller runts and was now dragging it down suspiciously.

Don't pick him up. Don't pick him up.

She exhaled in relief when he just laughed and patted him along. Percy found her eyes and shook his head, a crazed look in his eyes — I almost died.

From a short distance away, Annabeth's voice came from no where. Judith smirked as the cyclops spun around.

"Hello, ugly!"

"Who said that?" Polyphemus stiffened.

Annabeth took her golden opportunity. "Nobody!"

The cyclops' face dropped. "Nobody! I remember you!"

"You're too stupid to remember anybody," Annabeth was having too much fun. "Much less Nobody." Judith was so jealous; she would be great at that job. Just insulting the cyclops however much she wanted. Polyphemus didn't seem to think it was as cool as she did as he started to throw boulders around in a tantrum.

"You haven't learned to throw any better either!"

Polyphemus growled some more, swinging this way and that. "Come here! Let me kill you, Nobody!"

"You can't kill Nobody, you stupid oaf," she almost laughed. "Come find me!"

The cyclops ran after her voice which took him back outside the entrance of the cave. Judith didn't hesitate to release her grip on the wool as she plopped to the ground with a thud. She wiggled her fingers about as they started to seize up and ache.

As she laid there, Percy was already making his way to the back of the cave shaking out his hands aggressively so she hopped up to follow. "Do you know where you're going?" She asked smartly as she ran up to him.

"Not really," he answered honestly and Judith just rolled her eyes — idiot.

They spent a few minutes just rushing around until Judith heard her sister's distinct voice. "This way!" She dashed off, following the echo of an angry Ares child.

"It's no good," Clarisse said. "The rope is like iron!" Grover continued to try and cut her bonds with safety scissors; where he got those, Judith had no idea.

"Need help?" Judith asked, amused and simultaneously relaxed now that Clarisse was in her sights and alive ( and not unwillingly married to a cyclops ).

"Jude!" Clarisse shouted, wiggling in her restraints more. "You're alive! ... with Percy."

Judith chuckled as Percy deadpanned at her words. "Good to see you, too." Grover wouldn't let him get another word out as he tackled him.

Judith let them talk while she helped out her sister, using her sword to cut through the rope. Judith then enveloped the taller girl in a one armed hug, patting her back. "I'm glad you're not dead."

Clarisse nodded rubbed at her stomach and back where the bonds had been cutting off her circulation. "Ditto."

"Uh, was anyone else on your lifeboat?" Judith looked at Clarisse expectantly, almost praying to the gods that maybe Bryce was somewhere else in this cave.

Clarisse shook her head. "No. Just me." Judith kind of deflated. "Judith, the prophecy, well — "

Judith's mind immediately became alert as a scream of fear — that was definitely Annabeth — echoed through the cave. She was first to race off with everyone else in tow.

—JUDITH didn't have a lot of experience with fighting cyclopes since they didn't really have them lying around at camp ( technically, with Tyson, they did, but Judith wasn't about to go and pick a fight with the guy ). So she used prior knowledge from Odysseus' endeavors.

Clarrise would use a spear and stab him then back off while Judith made her move on another side of his body. After that, Percy used Riptide to slash wherever Polyphemus wasn't looking, taking advantage of his singular eye.

It wasn't going to last long but Grover was quickly moving an unconscious Annabeth away from the scene. Once they were safe, the other three could outrun the cyclops. Grover was gone for a few minutes before Percy gave the signal to fall back. Their legs pumped wildly to get down to the wooden bridge, Grover sawing at the ropes as they crossed, Polyphemus right at their backs.

The three demigods dove for the other side as the bridge went floating down with the intention of stranding the cyclops on the other side. Unfortunately, Polyphemus had also made a dire leap after them and made it.

"Failed!" He yelled gleefully, towering over them. "Nobody failed!"

At this point, Judith was kinda over the whole Nobody business. She even went so far as to roll her eyes in annoyance. It was at the exact wrong moment it seemed as the cyclops swatted his long arm and took down everyone except Percy as he ducked.

Judith groaned loudly, searching for her sword that clattered away from her. She regained her bearing only to find Percy had floored the monster himself, already pointing his sword at Polyphemus' eye. Judith was in awe, not having witnessed any of his moves but desperately wishing she had.

"Please, noooo!" The cyclops moaned. "M-m-my sheepies need me. Only trying to protect my sheep!" He started sobbing and Judith shook her head as she saw Percy hesitating.

Clarisse kept shouting to kill him and Grover was just shouting not to trust him. Either way, it sounded like the answer was clear. But apparently it wasn't to the son of Poseidon.

"We only want the Fleece," Percy said. "Will you agree to let us take it?" He ignored Clarisse's disagreement with letting him live and Judith was silently cursing his need to spare every life if at all possible.

"My beautiful Fleece. Prize of my collection. Take it, cruel human. Take it and go in peace."

Percy sighed. "I'm going to step back slowly." Judith narrowed her eyes, not trusting the tone in the giant's voice, and confirming her doubts, Polyphemus quickly smacked Percy with the back of his hand, almost sending the boy right off the cliff.

"Foolish mortal!" He bellowed. "Take my Fleece? Ha! I eat you first."

Judith cried out, charging at his back, ready to do anything to get the guy to stop talking, and Clarisse followed close behind. But before she could make her move, a giant rock had lodged itself within the cyclops' throat. He choked and wobbled, finally falling to what hopefully was his death down the cliff.

"What the—" Judith muttered, letting her sword hang by her side limply as she squinted to see the figure in the distance.

"Bad Polyphemus," Tyson's voice sounded. "Not all cyclopes as nice as we look."

Judith listened painfully as Tyson explained how he got out of the wreckage, finding a hippocampus that he'd ridden earlier that pulled him to safety. Judith wanted to question him more to see if he knew of anyone else getting out but she feared the truth so she kept quiet, silently realizing that Bryce really was gone.

Tyson fretted over Annebeth, repeatedly pointing out the bleeding gash on her forehead, courtesy of falling 15 feet on her head. She was turning paler by the second and frankly she just looked dead to Judith.

Percy's head jerked up with a look of enlightenment. "Tyson, the Fleece. Can you get it for me?"

Judith caught on to his train of thought. Tyson had the most perfect timing ( even though, they could have avoided a lot more conflict if he had been there earlier ). Not only had he saved Percy and the rest from inevitable death, but he was also able to retrieve the Fleece without being eaten alive by hungry sheep.

Once the Fleece was back with them, Percy promptly laid the heavy wool over Annabeth's body. Everyone seemed to let out a breath as she gained color and her eyes slowly opened. The first thing in her sights was Grover, eagerly hovering over to see the recovery. "You're not ... married?"

Judith snorted in amusement as Grover grinned himself. "No. My friends talked me out of it."

Annabeth nodded with a loopy smile on her own face.

They all looked over as Tyson started shouting at the sheep to leave him alone. They all wanted to head over to their huddled group and Tyson was trying his best to herd them away, but it wouldn't last long. "We have to go," Judith said. "They're way too hungry."

They told Tyson to lead the sheep as far away as possible as they had to go through the meadow since the bridge had been taken down. Clarisse and Judith helped to support Annabeth by putting her arms over their shoulders. The daughter of Athena lightly sang a song to herself, still in her woozy state.

They made it to the edge of the water but Percy could only bring the Queen Anne's Revenge so close and Tyson was bounding down the hill with his new "sheepies" following on his tail.

"They probably won't follow us into the water," Percy concluded with a hopeful tone. "Swim for the ship."

Clarisse grimaced. "With Annabeth like this?"

"Nothing else we can do," Judith said, already soaking her shoes and pants in the seawater.

"Once we get to the ship, we're home free," Percy added.

Clarisse huffed and waded on one side of Annabeth with Judith on the other while Percy led them through his home turf. The ravine was just coming to an end when they were reminded of an old friend, this time with boulders and a new taste for revenge.

"This guy, again?" Judith groaned as Polyphemus appeared around the edge of the canyon. "Give it a rest."

"You guys keep going," Percy told them. "Tyson and I can take care of this. Keep Annabeth above the surface."

All four of them nodded, knowing how important both Annabeth and the Fleece were.

It seemed like every second that Judith was turning her head to make sure the two that stayed behind were still alive. She didn't know if more deaths would settle well with her. No, she definitely knew they wouldn't.

They had made it to the deck of the ship and Grover continued to check over Annabeth while Judith and Clarisse avidly watched the fight going down on the shore. They both desperately wished to be over there, knowing they could have made a huge difference, but they had to protect Annabeth just in case.

Percy and Tyson found a break and took that opportunity to rush on a large current to the ship but Clarisse found the urge to shout too tempting. "Yeah, Jackson! In your face, Cyclops!"

Polyphemus heard that and hurled a boulder, coming short a bit to almost hit Percy and Tyson in the back and Percy scowled. "Clarisse, no," Judith muttered, knowing the girl wouldn't stop her taunting.

"Yeah, yeah!" She ignored her. "You throw like a wimp! Teach you to try marrying me, you idiot!"

Judith wasn't nice this time. "'Risse, shut up!"

But it did nothing to help the next boulder that came sailing into the actual ship. The wood shuddered and Judith lost her footing. She latched onto a railing, making sure Annabeth was also secured with Clarisse as the ship started to sink dramatically. Judith shook her head as the water quickly approached, knowing from the movie 'Titanic' that the force would bring her deep beneath the surface.

She shook her head, her hair turning soft in the salty water. No, she didn't want to go out like this. Not in the water. Not like Bryce. But if she saved herself, it would only serve to show that maybe she could have helped him if only she had gotten over the smoke and heat.

She didn't get to make a decision as a sparkly hippocampus nudged under her legs and drug her to the surface. Judith coughed the water out of her lungs, the burning sensation even worse now and her eyes bloodshot and stinging. She vaguely saw other hippocampi bring up her friends one by one and Judith sighed with struggle and relief. The hard part was over with.

NOTES;
ALSO DIDN'T LIKE THIS CHAPTER BUT WHAT'S NEW? IT'S ALL PLOT AND VERY LITTLE ORIGINAL STUFF SORRY.

edited : 07 / 01 / 2020