daylight | percy jackson

high school musical 3

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

BOOK TWO

CHAPTER ELEVEN

❝ but that's the best one! ❞

WHEN YOU think "monster island", you think craggy rocks and bones scattered on the beach like the island of the sirens.

The cyclops's island was nothing like that. Okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was basically a sign saying: SOMETHING FUCKING EVIL LIVES HERE! but, except for that, the place looked like a Caribbean postcard. It had green fields and tropical fruit trees and white beaches. As the ship sailed toward the shore, Annabeth breathed in the sweet air. "The Fleece," she said.

Even thought she couldn't see the fleece yet, Aria could already feel it's power.

"If we take it away, will the island die?" Percy asked, his eyes wandering over the scenery in disbelief.

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

Aria felt a little guilty about ruining this paradise, but she reminded herself that they had no choice. Camp Half Blood was in trouble. And Tyson...Tyson would still be with them if it wasn't for this quest. She wished she could talk about fish ponies with him one last time.

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 a massive oak tree. Something gold glittered in its branches.

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

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "There's supposed to be a guardian. A dragon or..."

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.

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

"Right, well. I'm gonna head back to the ship-" Aria started, pretending to walk away. Percy grabbed her back by the arm.

"They're like piranhas," Annabeth added warily.

"Piranhas with wool," Percy said. "How will we-"

Aria tugged on Percy's shirt. "Jackson, Annabeth--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 CSSBirmingham.

They decided there was no way they could get past the man-eating sheep. They moored the Queen Anne's Revenge on the back side of the island. Their first job was to find Grover and whoever had come ashore in that lifeboat--assuming they'd gotten past the sheep. Aria felt a glimmer of hope that Tyson may have been there too.