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chapter three ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
003. Yay, Monstrous Man-eating Birds

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WHEN PERCY ASKED POSEIDON FOR HELP, HE DIDN'T MEAN A CYCLOPS BROTHER.

Tyson moved into Cabin 3 and was the giddiest person alive.

"Percy is my brother?" Was repeated every few seconds.

Percy would shrug it off with a "Aw, Tyson, It's not that simple."

But Tyson didn't care. He was super happy and Percy was well . . . embarrassed.

He liked Tyson, don't get him wrong but he couldn't help the ashamed feeling the settled in his stomach.

How would you feel if your dad, a mighty immortal god, hung out with a nature spirit for a little too long, and a cyclops brother was the result.

Percy knew the myths about Cyclopes and that they were often children of Poseidon. But the realization didn't kick in until Tyson moved in.

Perseus Jackson was related to a bunch of Cyclopes.

The campers' comments didn't help much either. Percy wasn't cool anymore, just a poor guy with a monster of a brother.

"He's not my real brother! He's more like a half—brother on monstrous side of the family. Like . . . a half—brother twice removed, or something." Percy denied when Tyson wasn't present.

Nobody listened.

Cassie and Annabeth were also plagued by remarks about Percy and Tyson.

They ignored it most of the time, but one comment resulted in an argument.

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The girls had teamed up for the chariot race and offered that Percy could help them.

The son of Poseidon denied saying he'd find another teammate because it had to be teams of two.

Cassie had only agreed to being Annabeth's partner because the blonde kept asking and it got her mind off things.

Besides, there was no way they wouldn't win. Annabeth's mom literally made the chariot and Cassie's dad was the god of war.

She was made to fight and with Annabeth's brains, they'd be unstoppable.

One morning, Cassie and Annabeth went to the lake to make some plans on their chariot design.

Then, some Aphrodite kids walked over and offered them eyeliner.

"It's for Percy to use on his eye . . . oh wait eyes."

The camper left chuckling and the brunette rolled her eyes. she flipped him off behind his back.

Annabeth brought Cassie's hand down.

"Just ignore them. It isn't Percy's fault he has a monster for a brother." Annabeth advised.

"He's not a monster!" Cassie protested.

"I'm just stating the truth. And technically, he is a monster."

"That doesn't matter. He's nothing like the other cyclops. You know that and Percy shouldn't be made fun of either. People are such asses."

"Well you did give him permission to enter the camp."

"Because you wouldn't let me fight so it was the only way to save Percy's life."

"Still, and I didn't expect Poseidon to claim him. Cyclopes are the most deceitful, treacherous—"

"No he's not! I've known the guy for less than a week and he already seems pretty innocent. What did he do to you, anyway? Steal your boyfriend's attention?"

Cassie shouldn't have said that, but her annoyance stopped her from watching her mouth.

Annabeth flushed pink in embarrassment. Cassie took that as confirmation that Annabeth had a huge crush on Percy.

"Just forget it. Now, the axle for this chariot—" The blonde tried to change the subject.

"No 'just forget it'. You're acting like he's this horrible thing. Did you forget he saved Percy's life."

Annabeth slammed the pencil down.

"Then maybe you should design a chariot with him."

"Maybe I should. It be better than this."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Annabeth rushed off but Cassie didn't feel bad. Maybe she had been rude but whatever. Annabeth was being a jerk.

Back to square one.

The only problem was that Cassie couldn't design a chariot with Tyson. Percy had already teamed up with his brother.

So Cassie spent the next days trying to make a better chariot than Annabeth.

Percy was busy learning how to ride Pegasi. Tyson wanted a go but the winged horses didn't like that idea very much.

The only person at camp who was okay with Tyson, was Beckendorf.

Hephaestus worked with Cyclopes all the time so Charlie was completely fine, teaching Tyson metalwork.

Percy let them be and practiced in the arena. He was excellent at sword fighting.

Apollo cabin didn't test his skills.

If he wanted a challenge, Percy probably should've fought campers in Cassie and Annabeth's cabins.

But Ares' cabin hated Percy and after Cassie and Annabeth's little spat, Percy didn't want to be near them.

From what he could tell, they were back to the enemies phase again. Ignoring each other and if they did interact it would be through snide remarks and glares.

Cassie had been randomly coming to Percy to ask questions. Ones like: 'How do I attach a grenade launcher to a chariot?' or 'Do you think I could have a huge spider on the front?'

The daughter of Ares distracted herself from constantly thinking about Annabeth and partnered up with Clarisse.

Clarisse was glad to have her sister with her and they used Cassie's plans to design the chariot.

Cassie often bragged about their chariot to Annabeth but she mostly kept busy practicing with her electric sword or painting the chariot.

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Cassie was ready the day of the race. She was so excited from the anticipation to beat Annabeth that she didn't notice the strange conditions.

Fog coated the ground like a blanket and millions of pigeons were perched throughout the trees. They made horrendous shrieks every once in a while.

Cabin 9 had gotten the now tame bronze bulls and made an oval track in the grass between the archery range and the woods.

There were stones for people to sit on and watch. Missing from the crowd was Mr. D. who had made it clear that under no circumstance would he be up earlier than 10.

"Right! You all know the rules. A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" Tantalus directed.

"Aww!" You don't even have to guess who said that.

Tantalus shot a look into the crowd but smiled menacingly.

"Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"

No one was going to be killing under that terrifying punishment. What monster could last a week without marshmallows.

Percy inspected the teams.

Beckendorf was manning the Hephaestus chariot which was made of bronze and iron. The horses were automatons and the chariot most likely had tons of secret weapons.

Lee Fletcher was directing the Apollo chariot which shone gold when the sun hit it at a certain angle. Two golden palominos pulled the chariot as Michael Yew stood prepared with his bow and arrows.

Hermes Chariot was made by the Stolls, so Percy knew not to underestimate them by the looks of it. It was as if the chariot had been made out of trash, but with Connor and Travis, there was no doubt that they had some tricks up their sleeves.

Percy glance over to Cassie's chariot. Grenade launchers weren't allowed so she had stuck to a red chariot with flame designs.

The son of Poseidon knew immediately who added that touch. Clarisse was steering and loading javelins, spike balls, and all kinds of stuff into the chariot.

Cassie wasn't there. She was off bickering with Annabeth. Percy debated it, but eventually decided to try and talk to them.

He heard there conversations from a few feet away.

"So, you ready to lose, Chase?"

"In you're dreams, Carter."

"You wish you were in my dreams, Blondie." Cassie shot her a wink and smirked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Go back to your chariot. You need to prepare for when I beat you."

"That's not gonna happen. Have you seen the stuff we've got. If it was allowed, we would've had a grenade launcher. Then, one shot and BOOM! smithereens."

Annabeth shoved Cassie and the daughter of Ares scoffed, blowing the hair out of her face.

Percy walked over before Cassie could get far. He explained his dream about Grover.

The girls visibly perked up at the mention of Grover, but Annabeth because suspicious once she actually heard of the dream.

"You're trying to distract me,"Annabeth concluded.

"What? No I'm not!"

Cassie made a face to Annabeth. Why would Percy lie about this of all things? There's no way he was lying.

"Oh, right! Like Grover would just happen to stumble across the one thing that could save the camp."

"What do you mean?"

"Go back to your chariot, Percy." Annabeth brushed him off.

"I'm not making this up. He's in trouble, Annabeth." Percy insisted.

Annabeth sighed. She was extremely annoyed with Cassie and couldn't think straight.

(She can't think straight around Cassie lol 😂)

I mean, being annoyed would explain why Annabeth's face always started heating around Cassie this summer.

She pieced together her scattered thoughts and looked at the two.

"Percy, an empathy link is so hard to do. I mean, it's more likely you really were dreaming." Annabeth reasoned.

"The Oracle. We could consult the Oracle." Percy offered.

Cassie grimaced at the idea and Annabeth's face dropped.

The blonde knew Percy wouldn't go back to the Oracle if he wasn't being 100% serious.

Tantalus and the conch horn interrupted before Annabeth could finish her thought process.

"Charioteers! To your mark!" Tantalus ordered.

"We'll talk later, after I win." Annabeth informed.

"Ha! You mean after I win!" Cassie corrected as she sauntered back to her chariot.

Percy watched Annabeth roll her eyes but smile slightly as he smirked and turned to go to his chariot.

The amount of pigeons in the forest had tripled now. They kept shrieking but nobody other than Percy really cared.

Percy helped Tyson with the chariots as Cassie helped Clarisse finish loading all their weapons..

The daughter of Ares inspected their chariot for any breaks or damage and shouted to Clarisse that they were good to go.

If you were wondering, Greek chariots aren't meant for safety. They're meant for speed and were pretty simple.

A basket with an open back, on top of an axle connecting two wheels.

The driver stood the whole time holding the reins and one slip up and you would most likely get crushed.

That's why Cassie liked chariot racing. It's like extreme skateboarding with weapons.

Cassie got on after Clarisse and placed her red flame sunglasses on her head.

Clarisse looked back and handed Cassie a baseball bat.

"Keep 'em away Cas. I don't care if you hit their horses. Or the people either. Jackson and Chase'll try and play a clean game. That's how we beat them."

"I know Risse, just focus on driving."

The chariots got to the starting line and more pigeons contaminated the forest. Campers were finally noticing them but Tantalus didn't seem to care.

Annabeth pulled up next to Cassie as Tantalus shouted.

"Charioteers! Attend your mark!"

Cassie glanced to her right, finding Annabeth already looking at her. She smirked at the blonde and pushed her sunglasses down onto her nose.

"See you at the finish line, Chase."

"Eat my dust, Carter."

Tantalus waved his hands and the race began. The horses sprinted along the track and the crowd roared.

Within seconds a sharp CRACK! sounded from behind. Cassie glanced back to see the Apollo chariot tip over.

Travis and Connor had bumped into them, whether on purpose or out of luck. The boys beamed but their faces dropped when the scared palomino horses crashed into their chariot.

Now the Hermes chariot was also flipped over.

Cassie and Clarisse were gaining on Annabeth who was currently in front of everyone. Percy wasn't far behind them.

Annabeth's fighter was getting cocky and waving at the daughters of Ares.

"See ya!"

Cassie aimed ready to wipe the grin off his face but the chariot jerked and she grabbed the edge to keep from falling.

Percy was attacked by the Hephaestus chariot and Beckendorf even apologized. Cassie didn't understand the guy's sweet little heart.

Tyson kept their chariot unharmed with the pole Percy had given him earlier. Beckendorf's chariot spun off to the side.

"Nice work, Tyson!" Percy praised.

"Birds!" The cyclops warned.

"What?"

The wind whipping past their ears made it hard to hear but Percy followed Tyson's finger. The pigeons were now in the air flying in tornado form.

Percy brushed it off and focused on the race. They were five feet behind Cassie's chariot as the daughter of Ares kept shooting arrows at Annabeth's chariot.

The fighter was really getting on her nerves. He dodged her arrows and grabbed a javelin.

He aimed for Percy's chariot but it was sliced in half before the javelin could go far.

Cassie had summoned her sword and was trying to keep the pigeons away.

The birds were attacking the spectators and contestants. The Hephaestus chariot was being targeted and currently off track.

Cassie was able to hit some of the birds but the Ares chariot fell behind Percy into third place after the pigeons constant attacks.

The monsters had added to Cassie's collection of scratches. They nipped at her skin as Clarisse continued to drive on.

Their skeleton horses were holding up pretty well. Being dead and all, they didn't even feel the pigeons' pecks.

The crowds were screaming and running every which way. Percy finally realized that these weren't normal pigeons.

"Stymphalian birds!" Annabeth informed.

Her chariot slowed to Percy's pace.

"They'll strip everyone to bones if we don't drive them away!"

"Tyson, we're turning around!" Percy told his half-brother.

"Going the wrong way?" Tyson innocently asked.

"Always."

"Heroes, to arms!" Annabeth yelled but her words fell deaf on peoples' ears.

Percy took Cassie's method and took out Riptide to slash the birds away. He also managed to hold the reins in his other hand.

The birds' attacks were consistent. Percy almost jumped from his chariot and Annabeth was struggling in her own.

Some campers were making an effort to fight back. Athena's kids got shields and Apollo's children notched their arrows in their bows.

But the jumble of campers running around with the birds made it a risk to shoot.

"Too many! How do you get rid of them?" Percy questioned.

Annabeth was busy stabbing with her knife.

"Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most hor rible sound he could—"

Her eyes widen and lightened, something Cassie noticed always happened when she got an idea.

"Percy . . . Chiron's collection!"

"You think it'll work!" Percy knew what she was talking about immediately.

Annabeth have her fighter the reins and jumped into Percy's chariot.

"To the Big House! It's our only chance!"

Clarisse had crossed the finish line, but Percy observed that her chariot was now Cassie-less.

"Cassie!" Clarisse shouted and the three watched the other daughter of Ares dash towards Percy's chariot.

"You're running? The fight is here, cowards!" Clarisse scolded.

"Slow down." Annabeth ordered and she reached her hand out of pull Cassie onto the chariot.

It was a pretty tight squeeze.

"Uh . . . thanks I guess." Cassie replied, instantly dropping Annabeth's hand.

The blonde's face slightly fell but no one payed any mind as Percy got them to the Big House.

They barged into Chiron's apartment and got his boombox. Cassie found the most distasteful CD as Annabeth grabbed the player.

The three rushed back outside where chaos had unfolded.

The chariots were on fire, wounded campers were running in circles, and the birds were diving down to attack

Tantalus was occupied, chasing gods around the stands and shouting false reassurance.

"Everything's under control! Not to worry!"

Percy drove them to the finish line. Annabeth held the boombox and Cassie put the CD in. Percy hit play and the All-Time Greatest Hits of Dean Martin rang through the air.

Cassie understood why the birds went crazy. The music was definitely not her type.

It was kinda cool seeing the birds collided into each other through blood-tinted shades.

The swarm rose into the air and Annabeth took the opportunity.

"Now! Archers!"

They followed her command and the Apollo kids hit down most of the pigeons. The remaining ones flew off into the distance.

Camp was safe but it didn't seem too good. And it didn't seem to good to begin with either.

The chariots were destroyed and everyone was bleeding.

Aphrodite campers' shrilled complaints about their ruined hair and pooped on clothes could be heard a mile away.

"Bravo!" Tantalus cried as he walked towards the finish line. "We have our first winner!"

Cassie knew not to expect anything. She was proven correct when Tantalus completely skipped them and turned to her sister.

He rewarded Clarisse with the golden laurels.

The activities director's face held a sinister smile as he faced the four.

"And now to punish the troublemakers who disrupted this race."

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ author's note

Chapter 3!!!

Random question: Anyone have thoughts abt what Cassie's fatal flaw/s are?

I haven't shown it much now that i think abt it but i will try to in upcoming chapters/acts.

Also omfg, i just wrote thanks for 1K like two weeks ago. Now we're at 2K!! Y'all's are amazing 🫶🏼 THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!

Love u all and peace out! ✌🏼

—Just Another Overthinker